How we fell in love....The Finale. Honeymoon in Vegas.

I couldn't end the walk down memory lane at the wedding.
Our honeymoon was just as memorable.

We bid our guests farewell the next day, after the delicious brunch we held. We toured some more vineyards with friends before we took off to Carmel.

The hotel was a slice of heaven tucked away in the mountain cliffs.

I still cry when I see this image. Remember when the pianist timed his solo of "Claire de Lune" to end just as the sun set into the horizon. I'll never get over the emotion it invoked. It was like watching the ocean devour the heat of the sun while our ears enveloped the sound of the piano.
Magical.
Catalina Island never met tourists like us before...
Only we would find humor in the phallic vegetation of the Pet Cemetery.

The thunderstorms and epic heat of the Mohave Desert was a treat. Anything was bearable headed to Las Vegas...
My first time in Vegas and it was a blast. I can't decide what I loved more. Partying with Depeche Mode, their concert or falling asleep while you went to gamble in the Hard Rock.

Our Honeymoon was just the beginning of our married life together and it has been a ball. We've hit rocky terrain at times but there's no one in this world I'd want to ride it with.

I love you Big Daddy.
Thanks for the experiences you've given me. Thanks for the memories we're making. Thank you for holding my hand when I've felt alone. Thank you for making me feel like the best person in your life. Thank you for making me giggle even when I don't feel like it. Thank you for giving me the greatest gift ever, our daughter. Thank you for being you.

How we fell in love....part four. The Big Day.

August 3, 2001

Our wedding day.

How much fun it was.

And how in love we were.

I'll never forget the weather and the aroma of the vineyard.
The wine cellar was as romantic as you could get.

The day was perfect. The guests were having fun. We were taking it all in.

Oh! My beautiful cake. I've never even heard of 'Fondant' until we saw that cake!


And I would do it all over again in a heartbeat, if you asked.

I love you Big Daddy.
Happy Anniversary.

***

Want the beginning:
Part One, Part Two, Part Three

How we fell in love....part three. Haiku Scouting.

(Click here for Part I, and Part II)

May of 2000
Our favorite place to eat
The corner table

Without me knowing...
You asked and I said, "OF COURSE!"
Are you kidding me?

It was so spark-ly!!!
Just what I've always wanted.
So very spark-ly.


Plan set in motion
Getting married in Napa
Place we fell in love

Scouting locations
Best time in February
to go to Napa

It's a good thing that
Queen of the Valley ER
Opened up for us

Who knew that mud baths
would send me to the ER
with UTI pain!

Gah!

The ER was closed
Turned the lights on just for us
Small Town Hospital

But we kept going
Only had a few short days
Even with no sleep

Visiting vineyards
So drunk, couldn't even eat
Always time for wine

My favorite place
Didn't do weddings, too bad
We'll keep looking though

Then we saw the church
We instantly fell in love
And the deal was sealed

This would be the best
experience of our lives
Our Napa Wedding

***

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How we fell in love....part two. Back again.

We promised to return to "Our Special Place" one day. And we did. December of '98 we went back to celebrate New Year's.

And right away, you took me to my bridge. Walking over it was the most exhilarating thing ever...

And you weren't the least bit embarrassed by me when I took all those pictures.
Stopping traffic to get that special shot.

We even made it to my favorite winery all in time for New Year's Eve at the Fairmont Hotel in San Fransisco.

I remember thinking, "If he asked me to marry him, I would."

How we fell in love....part one. Our First Trip.

I remember how excited I was to be going away to California with you. Our first trip together. It was 1997. We were dating about a year. The nervous excitement I felt was crazy.

Would we get along? Would we get sick of each other? Would I want to run?

Hell Yes. No. No.

We had a blast. We were all over Northern California. I found my new favorite place. And I found my new favorite person. We visited so many sights. We were tireless.

It was fun touring Alcatraz. And pretending to be inmates.

We hung out at Pebble Beach. And listened for sea lions.

We toured a zillion different wineries.

And got tanked.

Maybe it was the beautiful scenery.

Or the amount of time we pondered raw, Irish Pizza.

Maybe I was dizzy from being on Lombard Street and trying so hard not to topple over on those steep inclines. But no. That wasn't it.

It was the way you never got tired of me wanting to go over the Golden Gate Bridge "just one more time."

It was the way you took me all over (and under) that bridge because you knew I loved it so much.

It was the way you made me feel special and the way California became "Our Special Place".

I'll never forget that.