Happy Wedding Anniversary: One Year!

Photo by Lucy Hewett

On August 19th, Ian and I celebrated our one year anniversary.

We made it! (Unlike our August celebrity spotlight stealer Kim Kardashian.) 

I can't believe this wonderful day happened one year ago. In some ways this year has flown, but in some ways it's hard to believe it's only been a year because we have done so much!

Photo by Lucy Hewett

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was in wedding obsessed  mode, decorating candy jars and candy bags, planning the table settings, and tying ribbons around...everything...

Photo by Lucy Hewett

Photo by Lucy Hewett

Photo by Lucy Hewett

Is it just me, or did my wedding cake taste better after being frozen for a year?

(before)

Photo by Lucy Hewett

(after - I squished the top layer in a Pyrex container for our anniversary! PS - why did we keep the ribbon on it?!)

One year of marriage is really something to celebrate! Whoo hoo! We have heard it's the hardest year... boy if that's true, then I don't think it was so bad! It was actually pretty good. Sure, we have really really gotten to know each other better.... the good and the almost good.

On an almost good note, kudos to me for keeping my OCD tendencies under wraps for over five years of knowing Ian. (high five) Recently, and very innocently (and calmly), Ian mentioned that I might have OCD.... (after I asked him to wash his hands for probably the 50th time that week. Ya, think Ian? In my defense, it revolved around raw meat prep and camping!) 

And I have learned to make room, and have patience for his spicy condiment addiction... this is almost all of them... 

But it's true, the really good completely outweighs the almost good. It's so fun and such a special thing to be able to share my life with my best friend. Here are some photos to recap some of the events of this amazing year (not completely in order):

 We had five weddings between our wedding and our anniversary! 

Our friends Emily and Aaron Reddington had their first child, a son, Quinn!  I have his photos below. This year was full of first born babies including: Matt and Jaaci Carr had a little girl, Raymi. Kevin and Julie McCann had a little girl, Ava. Ryan and Krista Robinson had a little boy, Briggs. Jason and Kristin Henney had a little boy, Jackson.

from Emily's blog http://thereddingtonfamily.blogspot.com

from Emily's blog http://thereddingtonfamily.blogspot.com

Ian and I got our own little baby, but furry. Piper.

We hosted Christmas in Defiance for both sides of our immediate family.

New Year's Eve in Chicago (with my brother Sean & cousin Sammie and our significant others)

Ian was there too, you heard that story here.

I joined a community choir in the spring.

Went to my first Michigan game with Ian. (Go IU!)

Weekends in Indy with friends!

And let's not forget about a cruise, and lots of house stuff. 

And a whole summer of events I still need to recap, but I'll save that for next week... 
the closing ceremony of summer.

Cheers to love and memories!

xo

In Memory of Marcella

Just a little over a year ago, on August 14th, 2011, I lost a very important woman in my life. My grandma. 

My mémère.

It was 5 days before my wedding, Ian and I made a last minute trip to Indianapolis so I could help my little sister Sydney get ready for her middle school cheerleading tryouts. I spent Saturday practicing with Sydney, and then on Sunday morning we visited my grandma. At this point in her illness, we had already determined she wouldn't be traveling to the wedding, but she was very tuned into the the whole event and we were planning on sharing the video footage with her. 

That sunday after we said goodbye, she passed away a few hours later. Looking back on our conversations, I didn't realize it at the time, but she knew. She was saying goodbye, for now. 

Although she had told us she was grateful for her full life, selfishly, I wanted more time with her. Her last months were filled with pain medicine and pain due to lung cancer. In our last conversation, she was telling us passionately that we needed to get another family member to stop smoking. She didn't want anyone else to bear the pain she had endured in her last days and months. Not to mention the burden of having her daughters take turns taking care of her 24 hours a day for the last couple months.

If you are thinking about quitting smoking, I fully and completely understand it will be one of the hardest things you will do in your entire life. please do it. quit.

I smoked for a little over a year. I hate to admit it. A stressful year... the start of my career and a move out of state...I was weak.... and I took social smoking my last year of college and it turned into a bad habit. Even though I only smoked for a year, quitting was much more difficult than I had ever thought it could be. I weaned myself off, starting with one a day, to one a week, to one a month. 

It's been 4 years and I still get cravings on stressful days. Can you believe that? I smoked for ONE year. It is FOUR years later and I still get cravings a few times a year.

But the cravings can kiss it. After watching my grandma go through that, and also losing a great Aunt to lung cancer, it's not worth it. 

I didn't want this to turn into a non-smoking ad. I'm sorry. But while I'm at it, just remember addiction is a very selfish disease. It affects you and the ones you love. I understand the information available to us today, was not available once upon a time. So, be thankful for our information and try to do something about it, please.

Marcella Harper - November 6, 1939 - August 14, 2011

She was beautiful inside and out.

She was fashionable.

...and full of sass.

She was a wonderful mother to my mom.

She was a fabulous grandmother. (that's me on the far left with my cousin Lindsay)

did I mention fashionable?

This was about 6 months before she passed. (My sisters and I with her.)

I miss you Mémère.

Love always, Savanna