Our FIRST Anniversary!!

We made it! 1 year of marriage down and hopefully 68 more to go. That would put Justin at 101 years old (I figured I’d add that extra year on there for good measure) and it would put me at 102 – that sounds wonderful to me. So we are officially on our way to no longer being considered “The Newlyweds”, however our blog will remain titled that - goal intended: to feel like Newlyweds throughout our entire life together ☺ So far so good on reaching that goal. NOW, I know this sounds all PEACHY and everything….but OF COURSE we do have our moments, let's not kid anyone here. And hence justin’s Indian name for me when he responds to my ever so many requests (dim the lights please, would you please not blow grass into my mulched garden area when mowing, and so on), Justin responds with: “Yes, Oh-Incessantly-Nagging-One.” I suppose my Indian name for him would be “One-Who-Never-Shuts-Kitchen-Cabinet-Doors” and put a fucking exclamation mark on that one please! But we wouldn’t change a thing (well, i do suppose i cannot speak for justin.....hee hee). Thank you to everyone who sent us congratulatory messages!!! We had such a great One Year Anniversary night - dinner at Sofo's in Sylvania.

OK - it's been about 20 min. since i sent out this blog link....and already an update. We opened our anniversary gifts! Contemporary First Anniversary Gift is: Clock. Justin followed it...and he got me the iHome iPod Alarm Clock - it's really cool! Part of my gift to him followed the Traditional First Anniversary Gift: Paper. I wrote him a love letter - and this was when the four eyes in our living room started to well up. Justin also got me something to do with Paper. He had my sister, Amy, get printing plates for his vows and he asked her to letter press his vows onto the same paper that we used for our wedding invites & he also asked her to letter press the rolling green hill & tree at the bottom - these were on our wedding invitations & all other printed materials for the wedding. IT IS BEAUTIFUL. I should say "they" are - he gave me two of them. I'll frame them & keep one here at home & one in Vermont in our room there. It's been a tear-y night needless to say. Oh, I also gave justin an Antique exact miniature replication of the Willys Jeep, it was made in 1945. The tiny frog you see on it in the pic above is the the litte frog with a gold crown that i had his best man give to him just before we walked down our grassy isle on 7.7.7 (because he is my prince). The wrapping paper for his jeep was quite time consuming but well worth the gigantic smile that emerged on his face when he realized what i did :) I wrote I Love You. Happy 1st Anniversary. I Love You. Happy 1st Anniversary over and over again in the form of a border around every single edge of the entire wrapped box (about 80+ times). It was a holiday weekend, i had the time & he's worth it :) AND it looked cool!

And now, for your gagging pleasure....our vows, for any of you who never heard or read them. Justin's are wonderful. He's wonderful.

Justin’s Vows: 07.07.07

A Second Chance for First Loves

Where are we? Are we really here?
How lucky we are, after 17 years.
As I think back to the days of our past,
I dig deep in my heart where the memories last.

Click, click...click, click...Did I catch your eye with that trick?
Bam, Bam...Boom, Bum...Surely you heard the sound of those drums?
What’s that? What did you lose? Of course I’ll help you find your shoes.

That’s where it began, such a long time ago.
Now you’re back in my life, who could have known.

We made such a good team from the start,
I should have realized you’d end up with my heart.

I found you again, this time it’s forever.
Would you believe life could be so clever?

We’ve been through some thick, we’ve been through some thin,
But nothing compares with being together again.

You’ve brightened my life; I’ve calmed all your fears,
Today is our day, we’ve waited for years.

Like the dual bands of the rings we’ve designed,
We’re bound as one - heart, soul, and mind.

My Love,

You are the light that guides me when all else seems dark.
You are the muse that inspires me when my canvas is blank.
You are my wings when I take flight. You are the nest to which I return.
You are my logic when I am in doubt.
You are my Freedom when I am constrained.
You are the rock I cling to in this chaotic sea of life... You are my Everything.

When you are stressed, I will calm you. When you are unsure, I will support you.
When you are weak I will carry you. When you are strong I will follow you.
When you are happy, I will smile for you. When you are sad, I will cry for you.

From this day on, I promise to walk with you, side by side, hand in hand, through the beautiful life we will share.
As time goes on, we will teach each other and we will learn from each other.
We may frustrate or confront each other, but we will motivate and empower each other as well.
I will always cherish you as my companion, my lover, and my best friend.
Neither time nor distance, nor age nor sickness will ever diminish my feelings for you.

I will love you as I have never loved before.

-----------------------------------

Jen’s Vows: 07.07.07

Justin,
From the very first time I saw you, 17 years ago, skateboarding under the neighborhood streetlight,
I couldn’t get you out of my mind. And although just after
I met you, you left for the summer...
every single day that you were gone,
I thought about the curly dark-haired skater boy I just met, named Justin.

Then you came back at the end of the summer and that’s where this all started.
We fell in love.
I always said that having you as my First Love was the best thing that ever happened to me...
so I thought.
But today, now knowing, that you are not only my First true love
but you are also my Last true love...
I can now tell the world that THAT truly is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

So today, I vow to you, Justin, to never get you out of my mind.
Just like I couldn’t do 17 years ago.
I will love you for the rest of our lives just as pure and simple as I did when
I was that high school girl falling head over heels for you.
I will also love you in a new way -
accepting what and who you will become as we both continue to grow through the years.

The beauty of it all is that you really sure do make this easy on me -
you’re so easy to love with every ounce of my heart.
And so I vow, to you, today, to do my best from this day forward
to make it easy on you to love me with every ounce of your heart.

I will respect you as the person you are today and
I will respect you as the person you continue to grow into...
and, I will respect Us as we continue to grow together.
I will cherish you every day and not take what we have for granted.
I will learn to become more patient and understanding.
I vow to adore you for the rest of our lives as I always have
since the first day I met you (under the neighborhood street light).
In anything that we may encounter, baby I vow to love you “oh’so”.