Love Story: How We Fell In Love

When I last left off, Jesse and I had met and he had asked me out over AIM.  A few days after that he was having his 24th birthday party and a large group of us all went to DaRuMa's for dinner.  While we were waiting for our table, I was a bit nervous and told him about the Zumba class I had attended for the first time that morning.  It was very random.  We had a good dinner and then headed to a bar.  Jesse was having a good time and he ended up telling me how much he liked me and gave me a kiss.  It was a little forward for me and I went home not long after that.

Jesse's 24th Birthday - May 2009

All the following week I was not sure if I still wanted to go on our date because of that sloppy kiss!  Again, Brett convinced me to go because Jesse was a really good guy and at the very least I would have a nice dinner. I didn't change our plan and our Friday date continued.

I was off work that day and Jesse gave me a call a few hours before our date saying that his coworker broke the passenger seat belt in his car and asked me if I could drive.  I agreed, but I wasn't very happy about it. (Strike 1)  Jesse did plan a really great date.  He knew I liked art, so he took me to an FGCU art show.  I drove all the way to Estero and on the way there he answered his phone in the car, on our date!  (Strike 2)  We had a fun time at the art show and then I drove us back down to Naples to go to my favorite Thai restaurant.  We had a great dinner and conversation.  I asked him what was next.  We went to the Naples Pier and sat and chatted some more.  While we were there, I saw my first shooting star and thought about how I could see myself marrying him some day.  We also ended the date with our "second first kiss," since Jesse doesn't remember our first one.  Luckily he never got a third strike.  :)

Our First Date - May 2009

It was a really great date and we got along really well.  My mom and I went on a two week trip to England a few days after that and the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about Jesse.  I looked everywhere for a Manchester United shot glass, but could not find one.  As soon as I got back we had another date and then saw each other pretty much every other day after that.  He asked me to be his girlfriend on June 11 after I brought him Dairy Queen when he was sick at home.  He appreciated me coming to see him and I thought him asking me if I wanted to be his girlfriend was so cute as nobody had ever asked me that before.

Jesse and I pretty much fell in love that summer at the beach and over Legos.  I'm not even much of a beach person, but it really does hold a special place in my heart because of our first summer together six years ago.  Once a week we would go to the beach near my parents' house, sit on a blanket, and chat while the sun was going down.  It was so nice getting to know him and his dreams, joys, and fears.

Our First Holiday - July 4th 2009

We also used to have Lego dates to build Star Wars themed shapes.  They were a lot of fun and yes, we are big nerds.

Lego Date I - June 2009

I don't remember one specific moment where I fell in love with him, but by the end of that summer, I knew I wanted to marry him and spend the rest of our lives together.  The first time he told me he loved me was in August of 2009.  It was so sweet and I will remember it forever!

Parasailing Summer 2009

One Year

Getting married to Jesse has been the best thing I've ever done. And I've done a lot of great stuff! I wish everybody knew how sweet he really is. And I'm sure he wishes everybody knew how goofy and talkative I really am. 

I didn't think that I would love being his Mrs as much as I do. I just didn't think it would change anything, but it really has! I feel even closer and more connected to him than I did a year ago. I am so happy to be doing life with him. I feel lucky that he chose me to be by his side. I am not afraid to be mushy. I tell him I love him at least five times a day, probably way more. And I wish I could properly express in words how much I love being his wife. I hope, at least, that every day he feels loved. 

I am so happy we chose the ceremony readings that we did. They are perfect in how we approach marriage and life. Reading them again, just makes me feel even more excited for our marriage. 

Happy Anniversary Jesse! I love you so much.

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:12-17

 

                       The Art of Marriage by Wilferd A Peterson

                       A good marriage must be created.
                       In the art of marriage the little things are the big things...

                       It is never being too old to hold hands.
                       It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once each day.

                       It is never going to sleep angry.
                       It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
                       It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

                       It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
                       It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

                       It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
                       It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
                       It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

                       It is not only marrying the right partner...
                       It is being the right partner.

All of these dreamy photos are from Jessica Lorren Photography at www.jessicalorren.com. I love them!

My Rehearsal Dinner

The day before my wedding was rainy, windy, and cold.  I knew I couldn't do anything about it, so I tried my hardest not to even think about it.  I met my mom and sister so we could have manicures and pedicures together, which was a nice, quiet start to the wedding weekend.  After that I drove back home so that Jesse and I could drive down to the hotel together as we would be leaving together on Sunday (as husband and wife!!).

Fast-forward a couple hours and Jesse and I were on our way to the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club.  We checked in to our rooms and I dropped my stuff off in my room before we started the rehearsal.  Unfortunately, it was sprinkling with rain when we arrived.  We waited for everyone to arrive for the rehearsal.  The rehearsal made everything become real.  We were finally getting married.  Our event coordinator, Melissa, went over all of the logistics and made everyone feel comfortable.  The Naples Beach Hotel really treated us well the whole weekend!

Our extended families then joined us for our Rehearsal Dinner which was also at the hotel, in the chickee hut by the beach bar.  It was decorated very beautifully with orchids submerged in water.  We had chosen an Italian themed dinner in honor of our Italian honeymoon so we were serving sangria and Italian beer.

Jesse's father said a sweet welcome speech and then his sister gave a nice speech about my family welcoming Jesse so easily.  Jesse's second groomsman, JP, gave a great speech about his relationship with Jesse and he thanked me for not only accepting Jesse's passions, but embracing them.  Then Jesse and I thanked everyone for being there.

We enjoyed the Italian food afterwards, but then the wind started picking up and making everyone cold.  Everyone had a great time at the dinner, but started to leave to get out of the cold.  I said my goodbyes to Jesse and we took our last picture as Miss and Mr!  It was a truly wonderful day and we loved having that special time with our families.

Me and the Moms!

So excited for my sister recently getting engaged to this sweetheart!

Love Story: How We Met

I always tell people that Jesse and I don't have an exciting love story. Which isn't very fair or true. All love stories are great! It is fun since Jesse was quite persistent! It wasn't love at first sight like my parents, nor high school sweethearts like Jesse's parents, but that doesn't make our story any less romantic, sweet, or meaningful. It is worth celebrating! Since Valentine's Day was last week, so let's keep the feelings of love going!

We first met at our friend JP's birthday party in August 2008. We were both 23 and a couple years out of college.  I wasn't very big into going out and had only met JP one time before his party. My friend Brett invited me and said that JP really wanted me to go. I don't know if that was true but it seemed to have convinced me so I showed up. A lot of the people there I was meeting for the first, second, or third times and are now some of my closest friends. A little while later, Jesse showed up. He and JP have been friends since high school. Jesse and I didn't really talk that night; the only thing he said to me was that "you are the photographer for the night."

New Year's Eve 2008/2009

A couple weeks passed and we all went bowling as a group.  Brett told me who was going to be there and I didn't remember who Jesse was! I thought I hadn't met him, but after seeing him at the bowling alley, I figured it out. While we were bowling, I found out he had a girlfriend. I think that immediately put him into the friend-zone. We hung out together as a group a few more times for the rest of 2008, including Halloween, another friend's birthday, and New Year's Eve. In early January 2009, he and his girlfriend broke up, for good.

Our first Valentine's Day (not as a couple) - 2009

At the beginning of February 2009, I went on my trip to Tokyo. During this time, Jesse was taking a course called Dale Carnegie Training.  He used this as an excuse to "get to know me better" and talk about my Tokyo trip after I got back. We met up for coffee at Barnes and Noble. Later, he told me he felt like he was giving an interview and figured I didn't like him. I didn't realize it was supposed to be a date especially since I had previously friend-zoned him. I honestly thought it was a class assignment or something. I thought we had a really good time, even though I was being shy!

St. Patrick's Day 2009

Fast forward a couple months to May 2009 and Jesse had stopped trying to get to know me better as I'm sure it was like talking to a wall. But he was still commenting on all of my Facebook posts and pictures, because every time we hung out as a group he remembered he still liked me and wanted to get to know me better. I remember talking to a friend saying he comments on everything so I think he might like me a little. He had started going back on AOL Instant Messenger just to talk to me since I still used that regularly back then. One night we were up late chatting on AIM and he asked me out on a date. I smiled to myself and told him that would be fun and we set a plan for the week after his birthday party.  To be continued...

April 6, 2013

As I was planning our wedding, everyone told me how fast my wedding day would go and that we needed to remember to take time to just enjoy ourselves in the moment. I heard it so many times that I was prepared for the day to fly by.  It certainly went quickly, but it definitely wasn't as fast as I expected. I was relaxed, excited, and SO happy the whole day.  There are of course parts of the day I barely remember, but on the other hand, so many great moments seem to last forever. I love that!

Our wedding day was amazing! A few things didn't go according to plan (like the officiant calling me Veronica) and even a few things I would change in retrospect.  But those quirks just made it even more memorable and perfect.  I could not have imagined a better day.  Being surrounded by our family and closest friends while we pledged our lives to one another was by far our best moment so far.  We are so grateful for all of the love, help, and support that was shown to us by so many people leading up to and during our wedding.  We will never forget it.

This past Sunday, Jesse and I celebrated six months of marriage. Today I just wanted to share a few of my favorite moments from the day along with some amazing images from Jessica Lorren Organic Photography. Having her capture my day was the perfect choice and I am thrilled with the results. I am so thankful! All of the photos below are by Jessica Lorren.

1. First look with my dad - I had seen this done online and I knew I wanted to do the same.  Besides my mom and sister, nobody had seen or even heard about my dress.  I wanted it to be a big surprise. After a fun day getting ready with my mom, sister, and sister-in-law, I was so excited to show my dad what I looked like.  I knew he wouldn't cry, but his expressions were still the best.

2. Walking down the aisle with my dad towards Jesse - We didn't do a first look because we had both been dreaming of that moment.  I walked down the aisle to "Canon in D" by Pachelbel and as soon as my dad and I started walking, I started crying.  I knew it would happen since I am a cry baby.  And I remember feeling a big crocodile tear roll down my cheek as we turned to walk on the grass down the aisle.  Later I also find out that as soon as Jesse saw me, he put his hand on his heart and said "Damn!"  Not a bad reaction. :) After the ceremony, everyone told me that I made them start crying too.

3. Our first kiss - The whole ceremony was amazing.  This part did seem to fly by but I think we were just so excited to be getting married! Finally! But the true icing on the cake was our first kiss. It was not planned and as we turned around to face each other, Jesse whispered, "I'm going to dip you" and he did.

4. Time alone - After the ceremony, and after the formal family pictures, Jessica took us away from the action and we just enjoyed our first few minutes as Mr. And Mrs. We were so happy and you can see it in our photos.  This truly was a highlight for me, which I didn't expect.  I hadn't even really planned on having this time.  Jessica is just such a pro.

5. Cutting the cake - Why hadn't anyone talked about practicing this before? We had no idea what we were doing, haha. Jesse picked up the knife and was about the start cutting the top layer (which we were freezing for our one year), but I directed him down to the bottom layer. It was silly and fun. Also I had no idea I had given Jesse such an enormous piece of cake until I saw the video and pictures. Oops!

6. Dancing with our loved ones - I love dancing on a normal day, so I really love dancing at weddings. I also love that we had a small wedding and we were able to see and talk to everyone and still have time for dancing.  Pretty much everybody got up and danced at some point in the evening.

There were so many other special moments from the day including the fantastic speeches that were given in our honor and all of the special dances!  Plus the photos from our bride and groom portrait session on the beach are stunning.  So, there is definitely more to come.