Two years ago

My fantastic husband and I were married two years ago on this day, and here is how it went:

The Pre-Show
We decided to get married in a small family ceremony on Lake Tahoe. It would be freezing but beautiful. I booked the wedding in less than 20 minutes (I was pregnant and not into deliberating), and my husband rented a cozy cabin.

Day One--Thursday
After two straight days of me getting my nails done, waxing my face, practicing with make-up, Justin and I drive up to Tahoe from San Jose. We are going early to spend some quality time at the cabin. We get there and it's perfect: a nice big kitchen, fantastic beds, and cute little bear decorations all over the place.

We go out to dinner at a local Italian place. While I'm feeling a little tired, the restaurant has a great ambiance and I have manicotti (I don't forget food.) We go back to the cabin for some snuggling.

Day Two--Friday
Friday starts out a bit rough. It turns out that I'm not tired; I'm dehydrated. I wake up in the middle of the night with contractions (not that I know they're contractions.) We got to labor and delivery early in the morning, and luckily we are out in the early afternoon. It's a pretty rural hospital and it seems rather quiet. It turns out that I probably shouldn't have gone to Tahoe at 20 weeks pregnant because of the elevation, but my doctor okayed it. After some IV fluids, I'm weak but ready to go get married. (It seemed for a couple hours there that we would have to get married in the hospital.

Family starts arriving, and we get ready for dinner in town. My parents host a beautiful rehearsal dinner at a fantastic lodge. The food is really fancy, they have a roaring fire place, and everyone is in good spirits. The party includes my parents, my sister, my best friend Ali, Justin's parents, his sister and brother-in-law, friends of his family, and his best friend Jerome.

Day Three--Saturday
Saturday, February 25th, 2006 is my wedding day, and I wake up very excited and focused. We have a yummy breakfast, and my sister starts on my hair. I do my make up and get into my dress. I wear a gold nugget necklace from my grandmother and my mother's pearl jewelry. The most interesting part is being 20 weeks pregnant and putting on the something blue garter (real sexy.) I considered my unborn daughter my something new (she was still called "Squishy" at this point.)

We head out to the lake. When we get to the site, we realize that we have to walk to where we are getting married in serious snow pack and in serious heels. We do okay, but it's pretty ridiculous looking with us ladies using our heels like clamp-ons.

During the ceremony, I am most aware of my husband's warm hands and warmer brown eyes. He looks at me with such love and patience, particularly as I shout my vows (I get loud when I'm nervous.) The whole time I am so excited about beginning a life with him and our new child. Once wed, we head back up the snow-covered hill, which is a hilarious disaster.

Back at the cabin, my sister-in-law begins dinner with my parents. She puts on a fantastic feast, which is topped off with a fantastic chocolate cake. I have a great time laughing with my family and friends (they are enjoy real French Champagne that Jerome brought, so they are very happy, which is delightful to watch.)

At the end of dinner, as things are winding down, my sister-in-law announces that she is also expecting a baby. I look at my new husband, who is overcome with emotion, and I begin to see how much our world will change.

Our wedding took some time coming. We were together five years before we decided to wed. We constantly were looking for the perfect time to get married, and no time seemed right. Eventually, that perfect day found us. I have the best little family and so much to celebrate today.