Sunday, November 18, 2007

A happy first year.

"They" say the first year of marriage is the hardest, and in our case, "they" were wrong. It's been a great year. We've done it all since November 18, 2006: got married, bought a house, found out a baby's on the way (any day now!). We've done all the stressful things without a big fight. Without a little fight, even. It's been lovely.

Hubband's gift to me was exactly what I wanted: a heart-felt love letter. When I'm 80 years old, looking back, there's nothing material he could give me that could ever mean more than his words. (I'm no fool, though. If he wants to whisk me off to Europe one year, I won't turn it down!)

My gift to him was the beginnings of a scrapbook. I used to scrapbook obsessively but have gotten out of practice in the past couple years. I've got the itch again, big-time, thanks to the start of this project. I did a title page and then a two-page layout of photos from our first year of marriage. My only criteria was that the pictures had to have been taken between November 18, 2006 and November 18, 2007. I included the wedding, the honeymoon, our new house, our church's new sanctuary, and our kiss on new year's eve. I wanted to do more photos, but I reigned it in and kept it to two pages. No matter what else Hubband ever gets for an anniversary gift, he'll always know he can expect the next two pages in the scrapbook. When we're gone, our kids will inherit a book commemorating our entire marriage. It's the gift that keeps giving, and it's a legacy!

We also ate part of the topper of our wedding cake. It held up very well in my parents' freezer for a year! When we were choosing flavors, I asked for a sample of strawberry cake, my favorite. My great-grandmother and grandmother made it for me every year on my birthday, and there's nothing better. When I tasted the sample, I cried. I've had other strawberry cakes through the years, but nothing's ever come close to the ones Mamaw and Mo made. The cake shop came awfully close. I think I scared the shop owner with my tears! I thanked her for taking me straight back to childhood and giving me that taste I missed so much. I need to work up the nerve to try the cake in my own kitchen. I have the original recipe, but I fear it'll never be the same!

Here's the yummy topper. No fondant for us! Just ooey gooey icing. Mmm!