ten years ago...

on friday the 13th of february 2004, I met this man.

we've gone a lot of places since - traveled the world both together and separately - but that night began the greatest adventure of my life. it certainly wasn't this simple in actuality, but the short version of the story is: he fell down a flight of stairs and into my heart.

I could say a lot of things to try and sum up the past decade, but consider these 4 photos my 4,000 word essay on the subject. Husband, I love you. and I can't wait to see where the next ten years will take us ♥

linking up with Nicole + TYS

three years

three years ago, next to a river deep in a green valley in eastern Pennsylvania, this happened.

I was so excited to marry this man that we started the ceremony five minutes early. a shirtless and sweaty old man almost ran into a bridesmaid coming down the aisle. some kids hiking across the river started yelling "it's not too late" "run" "don't do it" right before we exchanged vows. I had to take off my shoes in the middle of our first dance. we didn't smash cake in each other's faces, but somehow I managed to get some down my dress.

funny how the details I remember and cherish the most are the little imperfections of the day.

we danced and laughed and drank the night away with our best family and friends. the scenery was beautiful - one of our favorite places in Philly, the food was delicious, and our DJ was incredible. I had an unbelievable amount of fun, down to the last song of the night during which some friends whipped out a red leather jacket and zombie dance moves - because it was Thriller, of course.

our life has changed so much since then... and I can't wait to see where the next three [or seventy-three] years take us. ♥

[photo by the awesome ninja/photographer David Difuntorum]

fashionably late

this, my friends, is Phyllis. Phyllis Nobles aka India Banks aka bad-ass writer/teacher who lives in the Mississippi delta and chronicles her adventures [past and present] with wit and humor on her blog: desperate english teachers.

I "met" Phyllis last summer through a mutual friend's blog and as soon as I read one post I knew I was hooked. I knew she was my kind of people. sometimes she does things that seem a little crazy. like driving 3 hours out of her way so she can dip her toes in the ocean, making herself pancakes at 2am, holding a baby snake on a dare, or moving everything out of her apartment so she can start over with a fresh perspective. but those are the kind of things I consider good crazy. brave crazy. and especially when she writes about them so authentically and unapologetically.

but why is she on my blog? well. there's a little thing going on around the internet called blog every day in May. I'm definitely late to this party. but I have decided to declare myself fashionably late. and of course Phyllis suggested I title my post as such. in fact, she was the one who suggested I join in. and as it turns out, today's challenge is to profess your love for one of your blog friends. so obviously...

aside from admiring her work, I consider Phyllis one of my best blog friends. she always leaves me the most heartfelt and encouraging comments, or responds to my tweets with something funny. I can always count on her blog for a dose of honesty and inspiration. she spent time teaching abroad in Istanbul, so she "gets" that aspect of my life. and she's a fellow Anthropologie obsessor. I feel like we have a connection, despite any geographical or age differences. and isn't that what makes the internet awesome?

so. I suggest you hop over to her blog and read for a while. leave her some love, become a new follower, make a new friend.

our city

the other day I was scooting around running errands, and at some point of the inner monologue that constantly runs through my head I referred to Hsinchu as "our city".

I honestly can't remember what it was I was thinking, because once I realized what I had done my train of thought was completely derailed. I tested the phrase a couple of times. our city. our city.

and it really hit me that Hsinchu has made its mark on our life. and will always be a part of who we are now. we are growing, changing, writing a new chapter in our history. it crept up on me slowly... forming habits, getting lost, adapting to lifestyle changes, overcoming fears, and finding beauty in the everyday. it's been exciting, exhausting, incredible, terrifying, and amazing. everything. all at once. but now, this is our city.

our city with it's dragon-covered temples that pop up out of nowhere. our city that has "mountains" and then actual mountains, all within 10 kilometers. our city that has a downtown shaped like a wagon wheel, that can only be reached by mysterious scooter tunnels. our city that is so clean, yet has random corners that smell like outhouse. our city where we are stared at wherever we go [one friend suggested pretending to be a celebrity.] our city where driving down guang fu in rush hour is like navigating black friday shopping. our city where the covered electrical boxes on the street are painted in murals of mountains and the sea. our city that I'm finally comfortable navigating. our city. our Thai place, our karaoke hotel, our starbucks, our costco, our ice cream milk tea, our stray parking lot kitten, our lakeside park, our roof deck, our friends, our city.

of course I still miss the states. the people who are my people. gluten-free food that is easily obtainable. my fluffy kittens. my East Lansing. my New York. those things will never leave my heart.

but now this place has found it's way into being mine, ours. and I kindof like it.

our city.

best friends, mothers and daughters

less than a week to go until we leave, and I've been trying to soak everything in. late night life chats around campfires, gluten-free beer and video games, mid-afternoon movies, last minute trips to the mall, lunches and dinners and concerts [oh my!]

lots of quality time has been spent with family and friends this past week, and more plans are ahead for this weekend and after. I've definitely been getting emotional about leaving all these wonderful people behind.

my mom took this picture of Katie and I at lunch, and I love it because it's just so very us.

Katie and I have been friends "from the womb" as we like to say. our moms met in college at Eastern Michigan and have been friends ever since. Katie was born a few months before I was, and for as long as I can remember we have been friends. when we were smaller and she lived far away [only an hour drive, but that seems an eternity to a 6 year old] we decided to be pen pals. then we moved closer and our moms would get together on the weekends for crafting and picnics. in high school, we hung out all summer. rollerblading, movies, fireworks, concerts, going to the beach, teaching swim lessons...

after I moved to the east coast, she came to visit what seems like a hundred times. New York is our city. and even though we haven't lived in the same state for 5 years, every time we talk it's like it was just yesterday we saw each other. we never run out of things to talk about - even on a 12 hour drive from Princeton to Detroit. many of our great loves are things we have in common: the Met, reading, Buffy, John's Pizza, Lady Gaga, writing, my cat Beaumont, Central Park, and photography. in fact, last summer we photographed our first wedding - together.

but right now I'm especially thankful for this photograph. from a lunch that my mom and I went to with my best friend and her mom, who also happens to be my mom's best friend. how cool is that?

[thanks mom for letting me steal your pictures - mine are still on my camera]

two years

 

this past monday, June 25th, was our second wedding anniversary. since time for travel is limited before the big move, we decided to take a mini-cation to East Lansing. Husband and I met while attending MSU, so it was nice to wander around downtown and campus to reminisce together. we hit all our old haunts, including the Sparty statue and the Beaumont Tower where the actual proposal happened. [that's also where our cat, Beau, gets his name.]

we strolled Grand River with my brother, had lunch with an old friend at the Peanut Barrel, and drinks with a new friend at Dublin Square. for dinner we went to our most absolute favorite place in EL: El Azteco. it's a shame they are building some new apartments that now tower over the roof deck [spoiling our sunset view] but the cheese dip and the margaritas were just as tasty as ever.

our night ended with a stop at the Riv, where Husband proceeded to school me in the art of billiards.

I'm trying to avoid the mushy-gushy stuff... but let me just say I'm so happy that I married someone who continuously makes me laugh, who is understanding and supportive, and who occasionally will let me win at shooting pool. I'm lucky to have had him by my side these past 2 years, and I can't wait to start our next adventure together.