Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Celebrating at Disneyland...


Last year, my husband gave us seasons passes to Disneyland as my wedding gift from him. This year for our one year anniversary, we were planning to go down to Disneyland on Sunday after church got out, since my husband wasn't going to get off work on Monday.


We got there and headed over to Disneyland to pick up our "Happy Anniversary" pins, and then went over to California Adventure to get on the soaring over California ride (one of our favorites). It wasn't before long that my husband decided that he should go back to the car and pick up our dinner. I didn't expect him to be long, so I agreed and decided to stay around the Hollywood street.


Neither one of us expected the tram to break down, and wouldn't let them get off until another tram could come and pick them up (which they were only about 50 yds from the parking structure). When he finally got to the car he drove it over to the Grand Californian hotel and had the bell service take our bags up to the room while he checked in. Then he unpacked everything and headed back to where I was. While he was gone I had called him several times to find out where he was, but the whole time I thought it was just the mis-hap with the tram (so in the end it worked to his advantage).

He came back after 1 1/2 hours later with only a salad and told me that the bottles in the back of the car broke and that my gift had been ruined. At this point I was really disappointed, because I had been waiting so long for him to some back, and a good part of the day was already wasted. I also thought he had spent more thought in our dinner plans, since he had made a special trip to Trader Joes the night before to pick up the snacks and food that we would need for the day at Disneyland (which took him about 2 hours... this should have been my first clue).


Ok, I thought to my self, "well, at least he is back and we can spend the rest of our anniversary together." I took one quick visit to the restroom and when I came back he said that the park had called him and said that they had found his wallet and that he needed to go get it. So he ran off, and came back after 20 min. (
when in reality he had left the car in the front of the hotel for over an hour, he decided to forgo the plan to self park when he found out it was 3 blocks away, so instead he had them park it in valet, so that he could get back to me quicker). Finally we were together again and enjoyed the rest of the evening, together!


As we were heading out, we decided to pick up some kettle corn (another one of our favorites), and couldn't seem to find any that were open. Then my husband said "well I guess I should give you part of your gift now." He pulled out the key card with my name on it to the hotel, and said "let's stay here tonight, instead of driving all the way home."


Boy was I surprised! He had decorated the hotel room with rose petals, and had unpacked everything. Indeed he had packed thoughtfully afterall, as he had not only packed the salad, but the breakfast, lunch and snacks for the next day... and yes, he had Monday (our actual anniversary) off. :)

Monday, November 17, 2008

Celebrating Our One Year Anniversary!!!


This time last year I was walking down the isle to say I-do to the life long commitment to love and serve my husband-to-be. I can't believe it's already been a year, the time has really flown by. It seems only yesterday that my husband carried me over the threshold of our first place together and getting up early to open all the wedding gifts waiting for us in the living room, as if it were Christmas morning.

It was nice to look over our puritan marriage vows and be reminded of the commitment that we made to each other a year ago today...


I, S.H.,
covenant before God and man
to you J.S.
to be your loving husband and to lead you,
to protect you, and to provide for you in the fear of the lord.
I vow to love you as my wife even as Christ also loved the Church,
To lay down my life for you,
To wash you with the water of the Word,
To love you as my own body
and to nourish and cherish you even as the Lord does the Church,
To render unto you the affection owed you,
knowing that I do not have authority over my own body but you do,
To dwell with you according to knowledge,
giving honor unto you as unto the weaker vessel,
and living together with you as heirs together of the grace of lif.
You alone will be my delight as the wife of my youth.
I will fight for you, for our sons, for our daughters, and for our household.
The lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts you and me.
I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want,
in times of sickness and in times of health,
in times of joy and in times of sorrow,
in times of failure and in times of triumph.
I pledge to you my life as a loyal and faithful husband.

J., repeat after me:

I, J.S.,
covenant before God and man
to you S.H.
to be your loyal wife and to submit myself under your headship.
Just as the Church is subject to Christ so will I be to you in everything.

I will live first unto our God and then unto you,
loving you, caring for you, obeying you,
and ever seeking to please you as my earthly lord.
I will be your discreet, chaste, keeper at home,
diligently, industriously, and faithfully caring for the affairs of your home
so that your heart may always safely trust in me.

 If the Lord chooses so to bless us,
it will be my delight to be your fruitful bearer of children,
and I will help you diligently teach them the commandments of the Lord
as we talk of them in your house, as we walk by the way,
when we lie down and we rise up.
Wherever you go I will go
The Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death part you and me.
I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want,
in times of sickness and in times of health,
in times of joy and in times of sorrow,
in times of failure and times of triumph.
I pledge to you my life as an obedient and faithful wife.

I'm so thankful for God's grace to uphold our commitment to each other this past year. It's been a wonderful first year of marriage getting through various trials and enjoying fun memories together. It's been great to see how God works it all out for His glory and our own good. Praise God for my husband! Praise God for our marriage, and for many years to follow!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The Joy of Baking With The Family in Autumn...

Autumn is finally here! It's time to start dusting out those turkey roaster pans, gravy boats and fine China, that have been pushed to the back of the top shelf, ladies, because you have a thanksgiving meal to plan.

For those of you who have planned Thanksgiving at your home before, it's no easy undertaking... it involves "fall" cleaning and decorating, shopping for the meal and new clothes for the whole family, pulling out the fine china, silverware and extra chairs.

As family and friends start to arrive it's the hostesses job to make sure her guests are comfortable as they
gather in the living room to watch the Thanksgiving day parade and/or football game while at the same time preparing the turkey, and all the fixings... while still maintaining her stylish hairdo and keeping her new autumn attire free from turkey grease. Ladies, tie those apron strings tightly, you have your work ahead of you.

I love this time of the year!

Whether it's cooking for Thanksgiving, or baking with your girls, these holiday aprons and mommy and me apron sets are sure to make this holiday special with a splash of vintage. These upcycled aprons recycled from vintage linens are just some of the cute stuff featured in my etsy store.

To check out more aprons visit my etsy store: www.jnsweeney.etsy.com