Back from Paris, Back to Reality

So Mike and I have been back from our honeymoon for about two weeks.

When I got back to work everyone kept asking, “how does it feel to be married!? Does it feel any different!?”

Honestly, the answer to that is – NOPE!  Having been together for as long as we have, nothing has changed.  Sure we LOVED our wedding, and it meant a lot to us, and the party was kick ass, and Paris was a once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget – but when it comes right down to it, Mike and I have basically been inseparable since we met almost eight years ago.  I knew we were going to get married when I was sixteen.  People think I am lying when I say that, but it’s true.

Anyway, Paris was beautiful, even in the rain!

It rained most of the time we were there, but we had an amazing time!  We went to the tower almost every day we were there!  We went to the catacombs, the Lourve, the Arc de Triomphe, and took a boat tour!  On a day when the weather was better, we laid by the tower in the grass, with me drinking wine and eating chocolate biscuits!  The people in Paris are wonderful, super friendly, and helpful despite our horrid attempts at speaking French.

Our hotel room was small but so, so cozy.  We had a small balcony where we could sit and eat or just be together outside.  A lot of the time, we opened the double doors just to let the light in.  The sounds of the city were comforting, and reminded me of when I lived in New York when I was young.  But believe me, Paris is NOT New York!  There’s so much culture, so much old mixed with the new, and you find peace and beauty hiding in all sorts of places – small parks, the Seine River, small alley ways, cafes – it makes you want to never leave.  We definitely enjoyed our stay, and as much as I wanted to post while I was there, well hell, I was in Paris!  I didn’t even have my PHONE on me most of the time (and it felt so good!).

 

 

 

I’ve definitely caught the travel bug as a result of this trip – and am looking to do some more traveling in the not-so-distant future!  I’m already planning a trip to Italy among other things.  I would definitely go back to Paris someday, hopefully for longer than six days, and fall in love with the city all over again!

Happy Wife, Happy Life! Marital Shenanigans and Prep Time for Paris!

 

We did it!  Yesterday at 11:30am, I said “I do” to my now husband, Michael.  It POURED on Friday, and everyone was sure we were going to have to be married inside the reception area. Come Saturday morning, we woke up to warm weather and a bright, sunny sky.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day, and the ceremony went off without a hitch!  It was short, sweet, and to the point.  My brother did the music via my ipod for the ceremony, and our friend Eric took photos (along with everyone else with a smart phone).  I tried my hardest to hold it together, as Mike was very emotional at the start of the ceremony.

And what did we do once it was over and we walked down the aisle as husband and wife?  What any other young couple would do in the age of the internet – WE TOOK A SELFIE:

 

I then had to RUN into the reception area and put the place cards in the right place because I FORGOT the seating chart!  After I had seated about 75% of my guests, I just started putting the cards in any old empty space – and it worked out just fine!  Everyone came in and we had a cocktail hour, Mike and I were introduced as husband and wife, and the wedding reception was amazing.  Everyone had fun, my parents danced with me and were both very emotional – especially my father.  I have spent half of my life living without him, with him in New York and me in New Jersey, sometimes only seeing each other once every month or two.  It was really hard for him to keep composed during our father-daughter dance, and it hurt me to see him cry.  My friends were wonderful, helpful, and enjoyed themselves.  We ate tons of food, drank, had cake, and took tons of silly candid photos.  

This photo of my dad and grandparents is one of my favorites: 

Mike and I had a blast at the wedding.  We kept stopping to stare at each other in which Mike said multiple times, “Holy shit! We’re married! That’s cool.”  He’s not used to his wedding band and keeps playing it, which reminds me of when I first got my engagement ring from him over two years ago.  He and I are happy finally married, after almost eight years of being together.  We were in the car driving home tonight, when Mike said that now that I am his wife, he feels this new found sense of responsibility to be a good partner.  He feels like my well being is in his hands, since my parent’s gave me away to him.  It’s so interesting to look back and realized how much we have grown, both individually and as a couple, although some things will never change.

 

When we got home and settled down, we took a wish lantern that my dad and given us to let go outside.  It was hard to do with two people, but when we lit it, we both said we wished for a happy, healthy life. 

Tomorrow evening we leave for Paris!  We’ll be gone for about six days, a needed and deserved vacation for us both.  I can’t wait to sit back, relax, and soak in the city.  It’s definitely going to be the trip of a lifetime and believe me, there will be PICTURES!