Pickles & Dimes

A year ago today, Jason & I were married in an indoor park, which featured live trees and plants and a gorgeous waterfall.

This past weekend, Jason took me back to reminisce on our first year of marriage. There was another wedding getting ready for pictures. The waterfall area was blocked off and the wedding party milled about, one groomsmen in a wheelchair with a broken leg. The bridesmaids wore brown dresses, just like in our wedding, and the bridge and groom used pumpkins and fall decorations at their guest book table, just like we did.

After spotting the groom, Jason asked if we could go by the waterfall while their photographer was in the process of setting up, and assured him we’d leave as soon as he was ready. The groom said, sure, no problem, so we ducked under the barrier and stood just where we stood a year ago, him in his suit, me in my dress. We kissed each other and said, “I love you.” Another groomsman strolled by. We told him we were married there last year and asked him to take our picture. He did, gladly.

We then went out to dinner where we had our rehearsal dinner and came home and watched our wedding video with a bottle of champagne. It’s been a great year, and we’ve both learned a lot. We’ve laughed and fought and laughed some more. And it’s only going to get better from here.

Tonight’s our real anniversary, so we’re celebrating it our own special way: by eating the wedding cake we’ve saved in the freezer, watching the Vikings on Monday Night Football and eating some Buffalo Wild Wings.

Happy anniversary, baby. I love you.

I’m not sure what my deal is today, but I am feeling incredibly affectionate toward my fellow man. Traffic was hellacious this morning and even though I couldn’t use my new iPod auto dock (an important note from me to you: check to make sure your cigarette lighter works before buying such a device), I was happy. In our Monday work meeting I was cheerful and chatty, and now, surrounded by a project that is seriously going to harsh my mellow for the next thousmillion months, I feel like giving everyone a big hug.

[HUG]

(Sorry about that.)

Here, have a look-see at some of our wedding photos, while I try to regain my usual crotchety outlook on life.

(more…)

• We went to Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, MN. It was the off-season. There was hardly anyone there. It was awesome.
• I made the reservation under my old name (which was my ex-husband’s last name). At some point, they must’ve asked for Jason’s first name and made a horrible assumption. Therefore, when we checked in, they cheerfully greeted us as, “Shauna and Jason [Ex-Husband's Last Name]. That was awkward.
• We had a one-room cabin with a leather couch and chair, a king-sized bed (glorious!), a fireplace and a Jacuzzi. The cabin was on stilts in the middle of the forest.
• I didn’t have my usual OCD fear of checking the door lock 36423987 times because you had to walk ¾ of the way around the cabin on a rickey wood ramp to get to the door. Therefore, I would’ve been alerted in plenty of time if a killer had approached us. (Unless the killer was skilled in stealthy tree-scaling.)
• We got free breakfast every morning. There was lots of bacon involved. And an omelet bar.
• The fall leaves were past their peak, but that didn’t prevent me from squealing, “Look at those leaves!” every seven minutes. It also didn’t prevent me from searching for the perfect acorn, pine cone, maple leaf, birch leaf, oak leaf and ash leaf for my collection of “Things I collect on special vacations to let dry up in my office at home.”
• This place had a giant pool area. We went there everyday and were the only ones there. We played endless games of Horse on the in-pool basketball hoops.
• We felt silly calling the front desk to have someone turn on the waterslide for a couple of 33-year-olds. But still…a waterslide…all to ourselves.
• They had a “warm” tub and a “hot” tub. They weren’t kidding about the hotness of the hot tub.
• I had to plug my nose whenever I went underwater, despite Jason’s lies that water wouldn’t go up my nose if I just breathed out.
• They really meant it when they said not to sit up on the waterslide. My skull and I found out those rules were there for a reason.
• Even though it was 86 degrees out when we got married, it was in the mid- to upper 40s during our honeymoon. That was perfect fireplace weather (even though Jason had to go cool off outside a few times).
• We discovered a supper club called Bar Harbor. We went there three times. Our waitress was named Kitty.
• I am now obsessed with finding the recipe for Chicken Saltimbocca. And their Mushroom Risotto (which I ordered two out of the three times we ate there).
• The lodge had a game room with ping pong, air hockey, pinball and pool. It was pretty much heaven on earth.
• We got a couples massage at the spa. That was pretty much one of my favorite moments in my life - ever.
• I also got a sea salt scrub. It made my skin so silky soft I bought the ridiculously high-priced products afterwards.
• In the spa locker room, they had free samples of anti-cellulite cream. I took 9 bottles. I would’ve taken more if I thought I could’ve gotten away with it.
• Jason sat in the sauna for over 20 minutes. I barely made it 7, and that was because I had my hands over my mouth so I didn’t feel like I was inhaling fire or that my lips were burning off.
• Jason also lasted 30 minutes in the steam room. I only made it 30 seconds before my lungs felt like they were going to collapse.
• We are having a hard time adjusting to the absence of “8:30 Jacuzzi time.”
• We would go back there in a heartbeat.

Some pictures, courtesy of Becky (Jason’s mom) and my coworker Keiko:

Walking down the aisle with my Dad. We sped-walked during rehearsal, and were admonished by everyone to walk slower! during the ceremony.

I look nervous here. This must’ve been the part where the officiant asked Jason’s parents if they accept me into their family.

Our officiant rocked. Besides my dress, the venue and the sand ceremony, everyone commented on how funny and awesome our officiant was. Remember, he’s super tall - we are not dwarves.

Performing the sand ceremony. Luckily we practiced beforehand, or there would’ve been about 57 more glass clinks.

Mini pumpkin cakes made by my aunt and decorated by my 93-year-old grandfather. They were delicious. The cupcakes, not my aunt and grandfather.

Close-up of the cakes. Stalkers, now you know the first initial of our last name!

The t-shirts we wore the day after the wedding. I think only we thought they were hilarious.