The "Second" 11th Anniversary

Andrew and I have two anniversaries every year. Back when we were planning on getting married, we were still in the Air Force. I was up for a new assignment in the next few months (due to report in September of 2002), but Andrew still had just under two years at the assignment he'd been in at the time.

Well, since we were planning our "church" wedding in a beautiful and extraordinary cathedral in Chicago (Holy Name, for those of you familiar with Chicago) for December 2002, what could we do about our differing assignment lengths? If we stuck with just the wedding in Chicago, we'd probably not be assigned together anytime in the near future. It would be hit or miss. Maybe we'd get an assignment together in the future, but more than likely, we'd be on vastly differing assignment schedules for the rest of our time in the military.

So what could we do? We had a justice of the peace ceremony in June 2002. It was the two of us and a few of the guys from Andrew's office acting as witnesses. Andrew even showed up in jeans and a t-shirt, if you can believe it! I was actually a little more "dressed up" in nice pants, a nice shirt, and a blazer.

After the ceremony (actually a few days later . . . once I headed back to Tucson, where I was stationed at the time),  we were then able to do the paperwork (showing the personnel department that we were married), and from there, we were able to get on the same assignment schedule. With a copy of our marriage license, the personnel center would be able to get us to the same base, and for the same time periods.

Voila! We both got an assignment (different units) at a base just outside of Boston, where we would report to in September 2002.

In the meantime, planning for the December 2002 church wedding was still going on.

What a party it was! Lots of family and friends attended. This was the ceremony with the dress, Andrew's dress uniform (the "Mess Dress" which is the Air Force equivalent of a tuxedo), and the cake, and the nice reception afterwards . . . there were lots of smiles and wonderful memories of that frosty, wintery day in Chicago, with the twinkling lights, Christmas decorations everywhere, and magic in the air . . .

 Oh, one memory I have to talk about - when my dad was walking me down the aisle, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. It was my Aunt Lily running down an outer aisle, my cousin Sylvia tagging along behind her. Next thing I saw, Aunt Lily was snapping pictures of me with her little point and shoot camera. Later, Sylvia said she was a bit embarrassed. I told her not to be, as I was sure the memory of Aunt Lily running down the other aisle to get a pic of me would be one of my favorite memories.

And, yes, I'm going to take this opportunity right now to share a bunch of pictures. 
(All photos in this post are by Brad Baskin.)

 I've got three of my good friends from Culver Girls Academy in attendance.

Here, Andrew is hamming it up for the camera. 

 My three bridesmaids and I pose for a picture. My mom ensured that the florist would have one of my favorite flowers, Stargazer Lilies, in the bouquets, along with roses. Since it was wintery, the florist also included some cool evergreen in them, too.

 Andrew and I pose with the groomsmen. Everyone is laughing because Andrew is pinching my backside just as the photographer took the pic. 

 And, of course, I have to include a pic with my grandparents. Oma laughed and smiled so much at the wedding. She was so happy that day (both of them were). It is such a lovely memory to think back on her smiling face. 

I just have to include this picture, too. This is how Oma smiled that whole day.

 What wedding post would be complete without a picture of a wedding cake?

So that's why we have two anniversaries. Today is the "second" 11th anniversary for us. Happy Anniversary to Andrew!

And to end the post, this is our "First Dance" song, called "You are my Home," by Chayanne and Vanessa Williams. It's from the movie, "Dance with Me."

P.S. Andrew was in the hallway as I listened to the song. I asked, "Do you know what this song is?" "I don't remember the name of the song. Don't worry, though. I remember what it was from!" LOL

Happy Second 10th Anniversary

Andrew and I celebrated our "First 10th" Anniversary in June. When we were in the Air Force, we were on different assignment schedules. Since our church wedding (with the cake, the dress, the big party, etc) was being planned for December 2002, and I was getting a new assignment in August 2002 (while Andrew still had a couple more years at his assignment at the time), we had to have a Justice of the Peace ceremony in June 2002 so we could get on the same assignment schedule.

So that's why we have two anniversaries per year, the first being in June, and the second (honoring the church wedding).

And that's why today is the "Second 10th Anniversary."

I remember some distinct things about the church wedding. I remember that since we couldn't do photos in the cathedral, we did them beforehand in a special room in the hotel where we were having the reception (and the same one where we'd had a block of rooms reserved for all the guests). There were lights set up, and after a while, it got very hot in there, posing and waiting for the photographer to regroup us into specific photo opportunities.

When it was time for us to head to the church, and since it was December in Chicago, I'd had this white faux-fur cape I was wearing over my dress (plus a faux-fur muff). The bridesmaids and I were going to head over to the Cathedral by limo (Andrew and the groomsmen were being shuttled over there in one shuttle, while the rest of the guests were being shuttled separately). Well, we were waiting, and waiting . . . and WAITING for the limo to come pick us up from the lobby of the hotel. I kept looking outside to see if the limo was there . . . every so often, I'd see a white limo go around the block.

Impatient and overheated underneath my fuzzy wrap, I went outside to wait and cool off (remember, it was December in Chicago). The cold felt SO GOOD after being under the lights and in this wedding dress and wrap. My poor bridesmaids were freezing, though - but every time I told them to go inside to wait, they would say they weren't leaving me. I even offered to go back inside so they could get in there and get warmed up. Candi was very insistent, though. "If you're overheated inside, we'll stand out here with you. We're not going inside if you want to stay out here."

Dianne, Brenda, me, Candi

 By the way, while we were standing out there, pedestrians were walking up and down the sidewalk, like they do in a busy city like Chicago. Many saw me standing there in a wedding dress and offered best wishes. Kind of fun being the center of attention. 

FINALLY, after 10-15 minutes, I saw the limo park across the street. Not knowing where the wedding planner was at that moment, and knowing that earlier, she had been insistent that we get to the Cathedral by a certain time, I got really frustrated, not knowing what the plan was. "Why is the limo over there? Aren't we supposed to get going? Anyone know where Karin is? Are we supposed to get in the limo now?"

The wedding planner was momentarily AWOL, so I made a decision. "Let's get going. Follow me, ladies." And I marched across the street saying, "If there's ever a time I'm dressed to stop traffic, today's the day!" As my bridesmaids scurried to catch up with me, I heard cars honking and drivers and passengers waving and cheering at me. I even saw some friends in their cars, on that very street, heading toward the Cathedral (I think I even saw Sara and Pete). This was cool. I was stopping traffic and people were cheering for me.

And then I saw the shuttle that had just picked up Andrew and the groomsmen, ready to transport them to the Cathedral. They all stood up in the shuttle, pointing at me and cheering and making a big deal because I was literally stopping traffic. It was pretty funny.

Andrew was pinching my rear; that's why we're all laughing.

(My mom later told me that the wedding planner was really irritated that I'd done that, but hey!! She had disappeared momentarily and hadn't given me an update on the plan/schedule. And there was the limo! So I took charge! )

Anyway, once we'd gotten to the Cathedral (and waited for the ceremony before us to finish), Candi had given me a mint-chocolate cookie. I'd really needed a peppermint, but none of us had one. So Candi did the next best thing - chocolate and mint.

Finally, we got started. I remember that Dianne (one of my bridesmaids) thanked me for including her in wonderful memories. I was just glad she was there.

And I remember that as my dad and I were walking down the center aisle, I saw movement to my right, down the far right aisle. It was my Aunt Lily and cousin Sylvia. Aunt Lily had her little camera pointed right at me as she tried getting photos. A few years later, Sylvia said that she'd been embarrassed that Aunt Lily had done that. I told her not to worry, that it was one of my favorite memories of that day. I had my own paparazza (singular, feminine form of paparazzi)!!

The reception area.

Later on at the reception, I remember that a good friend of mine (Sara) had told me that if I needed to use the ladies' room, I'd better have someone go in and help me, because wearing a dress like that, it's a two man woman job!! Better yet, I'd better wait until I couldn't wait any longer. And I needed to trust her because she knew from experience. Hahaha!

Brenda, Candi, Sara, me. We were all on the equestrian jumping team together at our high school.

Oh, and the food . . . salmon and a petite filet mignon, both cooked to perfection. And sorbet in between courses, to cleanse our palates! Mmmmm! Andrew STILL talks about that salmon.

And what wedding reception would be complete without the wedding cake?

And one more very important memory: my grandparents were there to help celebrate the occasion.

 
So, after sharing some of my very favorite memories of the day, I have to say, "Happy Second 10th, Andrew!" 

Note: All photos in this post (except for the one of Brenda, Candi, Sara, and myself) were taken by professional photographer Brad Baskin.


(Click here and here for more wedding photos.)

Hay, There! Rural Thursday

I've got something for "Rural Thursday" this week! This past weekend, while we were out running errands, I took these photos of some trucks laden with large hay bales. (Andrew was driving, so I had the chance to click away with my iPhone.) Definitely a sight I never saw when I lived in Chicago or Boston! But it's a sight I've seen a few times here in Iowa.

"Rural Thursday" is co-hosted by A Rural Journal and Two Bears Farm. Please click on the "Rural Thursday" button below (with the rooster) to view the rest of this week's entries:

Back to Chicago

Okay, it's time for more Bean ("Cloud Gate" sculpture) photos from Chicago's Millennium Park. These were from Labor Day weekend 2009.

I love getting the city's reflection in this sculpture, especially the blue of the sky and the wisps of clouds.

Same photo, but I used the "inverted" effect here. Looks otherworldly and cool, right? It makes me think of some Martian city.

I'm adding this because I just like the view - the rounded sculpture and the city, blue sky, bits of clouds. And I've always liked the look of the "Smurfit-Stone" Building (the diamond shaped one).

Reviewing Fun Times

So now that I'm on break and don't start classes (for grad school) again until mid-January, I've been working on a project that's been on hold during the fall semester.

Since I've been looking through old photo albums, I'm coming across photos I'd forgotten I have.

Ready to go on a "trip" to two very different parts of the country?!

I thought I'd go ahead and share a few from November 2001 and December 2002 from two locations I love: the Southwest, and Chicago.

These first few photos are from Tucson, AZ from November 2001. I was still active duty in the Air Force, and stationed in Tucson. Andrew, also active duty, but stationed in North Carolina, had come out to visit to celebrate a few occasions: my birthday, my promotion, and to be my date for the Air Force's Birthday Ball.

While he was out visiting, we'd hiked to Seven Falls (which I posted a photo of the other day), and visited the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, which is one of the coolest museums I've ever been to - if you ever get a chance to spend time in Tucson, you need to plan on spending a couple hours there.

This is from the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. We're on a bridge over a dry wash. Below us are a couple javelinas, scratching themselves against each other. The one in the front is facing to the right, and the one in the back (hard to see - you can see its hind legs underneath the front one's face) is facing left.

Again, at the museum . . . I got Andrew to smile for a photo. He'd never been so close to a cactus before, and thought they were pretty cool. However, he made me nervous because he kept kidding around about touching one; I got worried he'd actually touch one by mistake. 

 This one is from the Saguaro National Park area, just west of Tucson. It's a beautiful place to visit and get your fill (of viewing, only) of saguaros!

These next few photos are from Chicago in December 2002 (when Andrew and I had our church wedding).

This one was taken a couple nights before the wedding (and about two weeks before Christmas). Andrew had never been to Chicago before, so we were taking a walking tour through the city, beautifully lit for Christmas. (I'd been using one of those disposable cameras, so the photo quality is not great - I guess it proves "you get what you pay for"?) The Chicago river is behind him.

This one was taken from one of our hotel windows, the day after the wedding. I remember thinking as I fell asleep in this room, that the muted city sounds from way below were soothing.

A view from another one of our hotel windows. I thought this was a particularly cool view. 

Favorite Christmas Ornaments

Last night, Livie was asking me about some of the ornaments we have on our Christmas tree. So I was telling her about them, and where Andrew and I had gotten them.

After telling her the stories about my favorite ones, she asked me if I were planning on posting photos on the computer. I hadn't, but she asked me to, so she could see the photos after getting home from school today . . . so here are the photos and stories about my favorite ornaments (get settled in and cozy with a warm beverage before you start reading - it's a long one!):

This first photo shows two Chicago Blackhawks ornaments. The ball is my first and "oldest" favorite. When Andrew and I had our church wedding in Chicago in 2002, we stayed for a couple days after the wedding and took in the wonders that Chicago has to offer, including a Blackhawks game against the Dallas Stars at the United Center (where Chicago's basketball team, the Bulls, also play).

We'd gotten married on a Saturday evening, and the game was the next evening. This was Andrew's first NHL game ever, so it was a treat for him. I'd bought tickets for my brother Alex and my dad; unfortunately, Alex couldn't make it at the last minute. So it was just Andrew, my dad, and me. It was my dad's first NHL game, too, having only been to a few minor league games in Des Moines, IA. Me? Well, I'm a huge Blackhawks fanatic fan, so I'd been to plenty of games by this time (and I even have a Blackhawks tattoo - but that's a story for another time).

So when the game started, both Andrew and my dad were amazed at the speed and power of the game, which is hard to appreciate when you've only seen NHL games on TV. They also had fun at the United Center. I'd made sure to treat them to the full experience - the beer, the nachos, the screaming crazily cheering wildly for the 'Hawks. My brother, Joe, and I (and sometimes one of Joe's friends) had been to numerous 'Hawks games in the past, and we always enjoyed the combination of the Blackhawks/being in the United Center/nachos/beer/cheering, so I wanted to make sure both Andrew and my dad experienced these things, too.

Well, during one of the intermissions when Andrew and I had gone to get more treats, we'd come across some ladies selling ornaments - the ceramic ball with the hand painting on it. As you can see, they are really cool, with the Blackhawks logo, the city skyline (which goes all around the ornament), a beautiful evening-blue sky, and snow. It came in a red, satiny box (with padding on the inside), so we could safely transport it home. Since I'm such a Blackhawks fan, Andrew decided to buy one for me . . . and it would also commemorate our wedding weekend, too. (The Blackhawks player ornament - #88, Patrick Kane - was a recent addition.)

***

This next one was from some Christmas store around Fanueil Hall in Boston (where we were stationed for 4 years). Since I was an equestrienne for most of my life, Andrew thought this rocking horse would be a nice addition to our ornament collection (especially since they could paint my name on it), and the year would signify our first Christmas together.

***

The next few are from when we lived in Alamogordo, NM. Livie and I had moved from the Boston area to New Mexico when she was 4 months old. Andrew followed about 3.5 months later, after he returned from his deployment.

When he'd gotten back, he and I had spent just under 24 hours in Santa Fe, while my parents spent time with baby Livie in El Paso, TX with my grandparents. I loved Santa Fe, and would love to go back one day (and spend more than just most of one day there!).

While we were in Santa Fe, we came across a Christmas shop (Susan's Christmas Shop, if I remember correctly), so we had to go in. I figured this would be the perfect place to get some southwestern-looking ornaments for our first Christmas in New Mexico, especially since it would be Livie's first Christmas ever.

I found the best little ornaments to commemorate our time in New Mexico!

This first one is a little pot made by a Native American. As you can see on the front, it depicts an adobe pueblo so common for the area. You can click on the photo to see it a bit bigger, and maybe that'll help you get a better view of the chile ristras depicted on the ornament. On the back, it says: 2006, Feliz Navidad, Santa Fe, and the artist's signature.

Yes, it's a little blurry when you click on it, but it gives you a good idea of what it looks like.

This Native American baby is probably my favorite, because I think it's so cute. They had these in baby-boy-blue, as well. I got the pink one to signify Livie's first (New Mexican) Christmas. Livie loves how it looks like the baby is saying, "Oooh" with her round, little red mouth.

These next two are of the St. Francis of Assisi church in Rancho de Taos, NM. I love this style of church, and I'm glad I found one depicted in an ornament. The second photo shows the bottom of the ornament: it's a tiny history of the church, along with the artist's signature.

So there you have my very favorite Christmas tree ornaments, signifying various places where we've lived. However, they each make me a little homesick (for Chicago, Boston, and New Mexico, respectively), when I put them on the tree.

I know this was a long post, but I hope you enjoyed the stories.

The Second 9th

I just wanted to say "Happy Anniversary!" to Andrew today, on our second 9th anniversary. The first 9th was in June - it was the 9th anniversary of our justice of the peace ceremony.

But today is the second 9th, because it's the anniversary of the church ceremony at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, IL. This was the one with the big party, the fancy clothing, the cake . . .

So today, I'm going to share some photos from that big day; yes I like sharing photos. (And then I'll get back to work on my two papers that are due tomorrow.)

The photo with the groomsmen; Andrew's pinching my behind in this photo. That's why the guys are all laughing.

Photo: ©Brad Baskin

My fellow Culver Girls Academy alumnae are posing with me at the reception.

Photo: © Brad Baskin

 

My grandfather, Sir Rafa, and my mom.

Photo: © Brad Baskin

My grandmother, Oma, is laughing and dancing with Pedro.

Photo: © Brad Baskin

Andrew decided to do some kind of James Bond pose, I guess?

Photo: © Brad Baskin

The photo with the bridesmaids! My mom picked out the flowers. I'm glad she picked out stargazer lilies and had some "wintery" evergreen in there, too!

Photo: © Brad Baskin

The reception location.

Photo: © Brad Baskin

Cake! Gotta have a shot of the cake!

Photo: © Brad Baskin

Memory Lane Friday - No Theme

Well, we've got another no-theme week. So I think I'll take advantage of that and relay a conversation I had with Livie while we were in the car the other day.

See, I have satellite radio in my SUV. Liv and I like to listen to various types of music while we're driving somewhere, one of them being the occasional "Broadway" song.

Well, the other day, a song from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, came on (the calypso song). Now, I've seen this show 3 (or 4) times. I've seen the professional touring show 2 (or 3) times and then I saw my local community theater's performance. So I like listening to this show's songs when they're played on the Broadway channel.

So . . . the second time I saw the professional touring show was in the early '90s in Chicago. I think it was at the Chicago Theater. Anyway, my mom, brothers, Uncle Hector, my grandparents, and I went to see the show. I was really excited because it was a fun show to watch, with all the great songs, dancing, costumes, and such. And it starred Donny Osmond as Joseph, so that made it particularly fun - seeing a famous person perform and all.

So when Livie and I heard the song on satellite radio, I told her about the second time I saw the show.

Here's what happened. When we all got to the theater and went down the aisle to find our seats, I ended up next to Hector. At some point during the show, he'd made a comment about Donny Osmond's hair, and how he wasn't used to seeing Donny with "long" hair (it was about shoulder length).

I told Hector that it was a wig. I'd seen the show before and knew he'd come out for the curtain call without the wig. Plus, I'd seen him on TV doing a live interview just a few days prior, and saw that he was sporting his usual short hair.

But Hector didn't believe me. Every so often, he'd whisper a comment about how it was Donny's real hair, not a wig. He just couldn't get over Donny's long hair. I kept responding, "I'm telling you - it's a wig." But he just did not believe me. He kept insisting it was Donny's real hair!

So at the end when the actors came out for the curtain call, there was Donny Osmond with short hair! Hector and I looked at each other and laughed. All he could say was, "You were right! It was a wig!"

Livie got a kick out of this memory. She wondered a couple things, though. She wondered why Hector didn't believe me at first. And she wondered why a man would wear a wig. I told her that sometimes men, when they're acting, will wear wigs, just like ladies do (like Abuelita occasionally does when she ballroom dances). And as far as why Hector didn't believe me at first? Well, I explained that the costume and makeup people did a great job helping Donny get ready; that's why Hector thought the wig was real. They helped him make sure everything looked just right.

Since this post was about sharing a "Hector" memory with Livie, here's a photo of the two of them together. She was about 9-months-old in this photo.

Please come back next week when the Memory Lane Friday topic will be either another "No Theme" or "My Dad."

Memory Lane Friday is hosted weekly by Lisa at Two Bears Farm. Please click on the button below to read her post, as well as other contributors' posts: 

Your Sunday Best - 21 May 2011

This week, I'm heading back to Chicago and Millennium Park's "Cloud Gate" sculpture, a.k.a. "The Bean." I thought sharing another view of "The Bean" would be fun.

I love how you can look at it at one angle, and it'll look metallic, mirror-like. But at another angle (as seen in the photo below), you get an awesome mirror-image of the sky and the cityscape.

"Cloud Gate" (The Bean), Labor Day, 2009

"Your Sunday Best" is hosted weekly by Nancy at A Rural Journal. Please click on the button below to view her photo, as well as other contributors' photos.

Your Sunday Best - 23 Apr 2011

Okay, here's my contribution for "Your Sunday Best," hosted by A Rural Journal.

"Cloud Gate" (a.k.a. "The Bean"), Chicago, IL October 2009

I took this photo in October 2009, while Livie and I were in Chicago with a friend of mine and her daughter. They'd wanted to do something "touristy" and "uniquely Chicago," so I figured they'd like seeing "The Bean," as it's affectionately called. We then headed to dinner for some authentic Chicago-style pizza, before heading to Ghirardelli's (across from the old Water Tower) for chocolate.

Livie and I love "The Bean" because it is just so cool-looking. It's fun getting photos of it because of its reflective surface. And with the color of the sky, the cityscape, the clouds . . .

Please click on the button below to see all of this week's contributions:

The Photo of the Day

Cloud Gate (a.k.a. The Bean), Chicago, IL, October 2009

A Fun Game of Christmas Tag!

Okay, so I've got a fun post today!

I've been tagged by Lisa at Two Bears Farm and the Three Cubs to play Christmas tag! She's got a great blog filled with fun things like recipes, adventures she's been on, fun things she and her sons have done, great photos (you know, because a picture's worth a thousand words). AND she hosts Memory Lane Friday every week! When you get a chance, check out her blog. It's one of my favorites.

Anyway . . . she was tagged for this game of Christmas tag in blog-land, and now she's tagged me and a few other bloggers. So to keep the game going, I'm going to answer the questions she's posted. (To see her answers, by the way, check out her A Fierce Game of Christmas Tag post.)

1. When do you usually know and feel that it's finally the holidays?
For me, I think it usually starts around Halloween. See, because there's just something fun and festive about Halloween, with all the candy, the costumes, the trick-or-treaters. And now that Livie is trick-or-treating, it just feels like it's the kick-off for the holiday season.

Plus, just a couple weeks after Halloween, it's Veterans' Day, and my birthday. Then another couple weeks to Thanksgiving.

2. What do you want for Christmas this year?
 A horse, of course. And a dog. Well, not really, because we're on a tight budget, so nothing much. Maybe a couple things from L.L. Bean, or a couple "date nights" with Andrew so we can go out to a restaurant or to a movie (True Grit, Little Fockers, to name a couple).

3. Do you go all out with decorations?
Not really.  The tree, the stockings, a little chile-ristra made up of chile-pepper shaped red lights which we hung in the kitchen and turn on when it gets dark.

4. What are you doing Christmas Eve?
The morning of the 24th, I'm making our Christmas Eve dinner - chicken posole. Then it'll go into the fridge while I clean up the kitchen.

Then in the afternoon, we're getting dressed up to go to the first Christmas Eve Mass at 4:00 PM.  Afterward, we'll head home to heat up dinner and have a nice time at home.

Oh, we're going to track Santa's progress at NORAD's Santa Tracker. 

Hopefully Livie will go to bed early and easily, in preparation for Santa's visit.

Andrew and I will then be Santa's helpers, and, well, you know the rest . . .

5. What are you doing Christmas Day?
Well, Livie will get up so she can see what Santa brought. We'll eat breakfast, then head out to my parents' house (about 130 miles away) to visit with them for a few days. My mom is apparently going to make tacos for Christmas dinner!

6. It's Christmas time. What are you reading?
I'm reading a book called Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler. It's not a "Christmas" book because it's action-adventure. But it was an early Christmas present from my father-in-law, so it's an appropriate read, right? ;)

7. Favorite movie to watch during the holidays?
I'd have to say Miracle on 34th Street, the 1994 version. This was the topic of last Friday's Memory Lane Friday. CLICK HERE to read that post. But I also like Bad Santa, but that's not one I can watch with Livie.

8. Favorite Christmas song?
Hmm, let's see . . . Harry Connick, Jr's version of We Three Kings which I can't help but dance along to. Also, his version of The Little Drummer Boy, Dean Martin's Silver Bells, Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby, and Chris Botti's O Little Town of Bethlehem.

9. Favorite holiday drink?
Umm, usually I have to have one serving of Anderson Erickson's egg nog (non-alcoholic) to make it feel like the holiday season. Oh, and if you're wondering, Anderson Erickson (AE) is a local dairy.

There are some beverages that I'd love to try, though. I'd love to try glögi, which is a mulled wine enjoyed in Finland, and the other Scandinavian countries, as well, but they spell it differently.

I've also seen some holiday drinks in a magazine that I'd love to try - a peppermint martini type of drink, and hot buttered rum, just because I'm curious about how that tastes. One of these days . . .

10.How is your Christmas shopping going?
Done. I dislike shopping at this time of year, so I try to either get it done early, or order online.

11.If you could spend Christmas Day anywhere else, where would you spend it?
It would absolutely be in one of two places - either in Chicago, or in the Southwest.

There's something about being in a big city like Chicago around the holidays that just seems like magic. I get a little homesick for Chicago this time of year. The lights, the hustle and bustle, the hockey. . . . Plus, Andrew and I got married in Chicago just 10 days before Christmas. So I have a special fondness for Chicago this time of year.

And the Southwest? Maybe it's because I always loved Christmas at my grandparents' home in El Paso. Being with my grandparents at this time of year always brought out that Christmas magic feeling for me. Also, I love luminarias, and being in the desert Southwest at Christmastime. And the posole, tamales, and margaritas!

And maybe it was because we spent Livie's first Christmas in Alamogordo, but our New Mexican Christmas was probably one of my very favorite Christmases of all time, that Christmas in 2006.

Also, Santa Fe is magic, with the farolitos (luminarias), and the Las Posadas procession. The procession goes something like this: someone plays Mary and another plays Joseph as they try to find lodging for the night. They have a huge crowd with them as they stop at each door in the Plaza. No one answers, but they have people playing "the Devil" saying there's no room here. And at the end of the procession, someone finally does have room. Then everyone goes in and has hot chocolate and cookies.

I've always wanted to experience that. Maybe one of these years, when Livie's a little older, we'll be able to spend one Christmas there. 

12. Any holiday traditions?
My family always opened presents on Christmas Eve - the presents from family members. Then on Christmas Day, we'd open our presents from Santa.

The holiday tradition I've started with Livie is tracking Santa online, thanks to NORAD's Santa Tracker (see the link above, at question #4). I think I like it more than she does!

I've also enjoyed making cookies with Livie, now that she's old enough to help. It's fun!

13. Favorite thing about the holidays?
It's festive. I get to eat tasty treats normally reserved for this time of year. Andrew and I get to celebrate our anniversary. We get to be "Santa's Helpers" for young Livie. We get to spend time with each other, and our families.


Okay, so there you have it!

Now I'm going to tag a few people and hope they don't mind playing along:
Jessica at Little Merry Sunshine
Niki at Faith, Family, Friends and Food!
VtArmyWife at A Year in the Life of a Military Family
Beth at Social Climbers

Happy 2nd Eighth Anniversary!!

Andrew and I got married by a justice of the peace on Friday 21 Jun 2002, while we were still on active duty . . . that way we could get orders for a "join-spouse" assignment and be at the same base at the same time. Otherwise, I would've moved on to a new assignment while he remained at his for another 2-3 years. We'd have no guarantee that he'd ever be assigned at my new base any time in the future.

At our justice of the peace ceremony that hot, humid June morning in Fayetteville, NC, we had a few of the guys from Andrew's current unit come out to the courthouse to act as our witnesses. I wore "business" attire - a nice blouse, khaki pants, a black blazer, and black leather shoes. Andrew? He wore jeans and a t-shirt.

After a brief ceremony (it took only minutes), we were officially married; he and I were then off to spend the weekend in the Raleigh-Durham area. We'd window shopped at the nice outdoor shopping area, then went out for a big HUGE Italian dinner at the Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant in Durham. Afterward, we saw a movie, "Lilo and Stitch" (still one of my all-time favorite Disney movies, by the way).

The justice of the peace ceremony, by the way, made the "join-spouse" assignment (same base/same time) a reality after the appropriate personnel received the official marriage certificate. As soon as I got back to my base in Tucson - which means the very next day - the marriage certificate went its merry way to the aforementioned "appropriate personnel."

A few months later, we both got orders to move from our current assignments (mine in Tucson, his in Fayetteville) to our new ones in New England, together -same base, same time frame, but different units.

Later that year, about 3 months after we both settled into the Boston area for our new assignments, we did the "official" church wedding, on Saturday 14 Dec 2002 at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. This time we had the guests, the cake, the party . . .

Speaking of cake:

Photo ©2002 - Brad Baskin

My mom and I had been planning the December shin-dig since February 2002, well before the aforementioned justice of the peace ceremony in June.

This time, though I was in the big, fancy, fru-fru dress and veil, and Andrew was finally dressed appropriately in his Mess Dress (the Air Force's formal, fancy tux-like uniform).

Anyway, when the following June 21st approached (the justice of the peace anniversary), I'd made a comment about celebrating our 1st Anniversary (the justice of the peace one). Andrew had already decided we'd just celebrate the church wedding in December. I said no, we'd celebrate both.

The mom of one of our neighbors said, "You'll celebrate both. You never make a woman choose between two anniversaries!"  Her daughter and son-in-law (our neighbors) had done the same thing as we did, and for similar reasons - a quiet, very low-key justice of the peace ceremony first (with just a couple witnesses), and then a few months later the big church wedding with the dress, the Mess Dress, the guests, the church, the cake, etc.

Anyway, here are a few of our many church wedding photos:

Photo ©2002 - Brad Baskin

Me and my 3 awesome bridesmaids! L to R: Dianne, Brenda, me, obviously, and Candi

Photo ©2002 - Brad Baskin

Andrew and his Best Man and the Groomsmen! L to R: Adam (the Best Man), P.J., Andrew, David, Keith

Photo ©2002 - Brad Baskin

During the ceremony, inside the Cathedral:

Photo ©2002 - Brad Baskin

So, there you have it. That's how, with the justice of the peace ceremony and the church wedding, Andrew and I have two anniversaries per year.

And since today's the church anniversary, it's the "2nd Eighth" Anniversary  (the "1st Eighth" Anniversary obviously having been in June).

Most importantly, here is where I'd like to say, "Happy '2nd Eighth' Anniversary, Andrew! Love and kisses!"

Here's a video that I think fits us (make sure your volume's on):


The song is by Ingrid Michaelson, and is called "The Way I Am." (The song/slideshow is off of YouTube.)



And here's the song Andrew and I used for our first dance at our wedding reception:

It's called "You Are My Home," sung by Vanessa Williams and Chayanne.

(This is a fitting video because we took ballroom dancing lessons for nearly 4 years while stationed in the Boston area. This song is from a ballroom dancing movie called "Dance with Me.")