first anniversary!

I can't believe it's been a whole year since our wedding. We kept our celebration low-key, since we're headed to Spain and Portugal for our big anniversary-birthday extravaganza. On Saturday, we popped by the beach; Erik's first time! We got poured on, but he got to meet some of my surf pals and eat Rockaway tacos. Then we celebrated with a big dinner at Xixa, our very favorite fancier restaurant in Williamsburg. We were seated between two couples on their third or fourth date, both of whom held hands as they read the menu. Ah, those days. The smitten period was fun, but this still-smitten-but-comfortable-enough-hold-the-menu-with-both-hands stage is lightyears better.

Marriage is the best! Since we waited seven years, getting hitched didn't change our relationship drastically. But it did deepen it. Instead of "me and you," there's more of a sense of "us." And knowing that we're in it for the long haul makes us more apt to appreciate, support, and forgive one another. It also helps that I married the sweetest, funniest, and most loyal guy around. I'm the luckiest.

remembrance

The other day, I walked out of yoga class and spotted the towers of light shining from across the East River. They're so beautiful, so haunting, so full of emotion. A rush of emotions from the memories of that day flooded over me. I moved to New York (without a single friend!) a few weeks before September 11th and nearly moved home in the cloud of tears that followed. It was one of the toughest stretches of my life, but I'm so glad that I stuck it out. Like the city itself, I've moved forward from the darkness and grown stronger with each passing year. I love you, New York.

family vacation

…And I'm back! I've been preoccupied with work and enjoying summer to the fullest. A few weeks ago, I flew down to North Carolina to go to the Outer Banks with my mom and brother. We lounged on the beach, checked out the lighthouse, went on nature walks, caught a movie, took naps and ate fried seafood. It was good, wholesome fun, and so precious to spend time with my little family. I just love them.

a nice reminder

This pretty print from Minted.com landed on my desk last week. Lovely, right? It's a nice reminder that there's always room for growth, change, and new dreams, no matter where I am in life.

6 things...

…I've been up to lately:

1. I'm back in the office for another part-time fill-in gig. I'm happy that I signed on! I adore my coworkers, and I'm covering a lot of market work and events, which is a fun departure from the norm.
2. Hanging on rooftops, eating burgers and sipping frosty beers.
3. Surf surf surf. Since I'm not planning a wedding or running a marathon this year, I've focused my attention on getting better at surfing. I've been hitting the beach at least twice a week, and while I definitely still have lots of wipe outs, I'm getting more comfortable sitting in the dude line-up at the peak. The other day, I laughed to Erik that my surfing life is like an 80s sports movie: I'm determined to show up those bros who snake my wave because I'm a girl. [Insert sweaty Eye-of-the-Tiger training sequence here.]
4. Vacation planning! It's always a struggle, because I'm the active outdoorsy impulsive type and Erik is the artsy city intesive-research kind. But we always manage to book the best adventures, so it's all worth it in the end. This birthday-week trip may be our best yet!
5. Going on rambles. Most weekends, we carve out one afternoon to go on a walkabout or bike ride. There's always something new to see, and a joke to laugh about.
6. Enjoying summer. How is it already August? Although I've been working hard, I've also been enjoying life. If there's one thing my dad and his passing taught me, it's to find pleasure in the moment and treasure the people around you, because these are the things that matter the most.

slumber party weekend

With Erik in Europe on business, I'm swinging it solo this week. So there's been plenty of my favorite living-alone habits -- namely, tossing my outfits everywhere, watching bad television, and having crackers for dinner. On Friday, I took the LIRR out to Long Beach and had a surf-slumber party weekend with Liz. We had fun sessions (and even got interviewed about it) at two local breaks, and on Sunday, we checked out Tom's at Gilgo Beach. Besides all the sliding, it was awesome to have some giggly, gossipy girl time. Sometimes, you just need a little shot of estrogen and adrenaline.

the good and the bad

The good:

1. Erik's younger sisters visited last weekend, and we showed them around Brooklyn. After growing up with a brother on a street full of boys (read: tomboy ground zero), it's rad to have so many women in my life now.
2. I started up a part-time in-office summer gig. The work is fun, and my coworkers are beyond lovely!
3. Looks like I'm going to go on a mini-family vacay with Tim and mom. So excited. I love them.

The bad:

1. Our fridge is broken and my landlady is in denial about it. Guess we'll be living on takeout for the time being, ugh.
2. The surf is flat. Plus, I hurt my ankle so I can't run. On the upside, I've been doing a lot of yoga and biking lately. We rode down to the Brooklyn art museum to catch the Ai Wei Wei exhibit and then waited in line for Ample Hills ice cream (verdict: delicious but stomachache-inducing).
3. Helping mom with her healthcare, so I'm mucking through the red tape insanity. Does it really need to be this complicated?