Happy 4th to my Hubby!

Four years ago today, Shep and I tied the knot!!!!

To quote a friend upon hearing we've been married for 4 years:  "Holy Sh*t!"  ;)

Sometimes it seems likes just yesterday that we walked down the aisle, pledged our lives to one another, and then boogied until the wee hours of the morning.  Yet sometimes it's hard to believe that it's been only four years because it's nearly impossible for me to imagine a life without my hubby.

Shep, four years ago today I promised to love you, in front of our friends and family -- in good times in bad, through sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.  Today, I renew those same vows to you, sincerely thank you for the years we've had together and the millions of smiles you've brought to my face, and promise to love you for a thousand more years (at least!)...

You are the light in my life, the person I lean on and laugh with, and the best thing that's ever happened to me.  I still don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful partner, but I won't question it!  ;)  Happy Anniversary!!!!  I'll love you forever, and then some!  XOXOXOXO

Five Year Engage-aversary!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!  Today is a special occasion not only because it's a Hallmark holiday celebrated by millions of people all over the world; it also has personal meaning to Shep and me.  Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

Five years ago today my handsome hubby asked for my hand in marriage.  Or at least that's what he tells me.  I can't swear on it because I sort of blacked out in an amnesiac way as soon as he got down on one knee.  (It's my very own version of 50 First Dates, which I highly recommend if you haven't seen it!)  I remember him saying that he loved me, and then he knelt down "to tie his shoe" (which seemed really odd to proclaim aloud), and the next thing I remember is some girl taking our photo and swearing while she looked at my ring.  I think I also remember asking Shep if we should invite her to the wedding as she walked away.  Luckily for me, my always-prepared beau thought ahead to bring a camera with him that night, so although I can't remember the entire proposal, I can at least look back at photos to relive some of the moments of the night.  :)  And oh how I love me some photos...

Click here for more proposal details and photos:

https://sites.google.com/site/nicoleandshep/

I can't believe it's been five years! In a way, it seems like only yesterday. But on the other hand, I cannot imagine my life without my hubby or remember what it was like not to be in love with him.  I giggled for months at the word "fiance" but now the word "husband" is so natural for me to say.  February 14, 2008 was the start of a whole new life for the two of us.  During the year that followed, we made plans for our wedding, and since then we've shared so many wonderful memories as husband and wife.  If the next 50 years of our marriage are anything like the last 5 have been, I will be one lucky wife.

I tease Shep all the time by telling him I wish he'd recruited a friend to secretly record the proposal or gotten some friends in on the plan (like this guy!), but the truth of the matter is I'm just glad he asked me!  He was brave enough to ask me to marry him on Valentine's Day, at the top of the Empire State Building, in front of dozens of strangers.  What's more, we never seriously talked about marriage up to that point and he later admitted he thought there was a 30% chance I might not say "yes", but he still asked!  Now, it's my turn for a public declaration.

Dear Shep, I love you as much today as I did five years ago.  In fact, I didn't think it possible at the time, but I love you even more now.  Thank you for taking a chance on proposing to me five years ago -- I'm so blessed to have you as a husband and so thankful you agreed to share your life with me.  Love always, Nicole

Caribbean Escape (Almost)

Yesterday morning we awoke at 5am, sleepily got ourselves together, and headed to JFK airport.  We arrived in record time - no traffic at all and we were checked in, through security and at our gate more than 2 hours before our flight was scheduled to depart.  As we sat and waited, in came a flight from Fort Lauderdale, out went another flight to Fort Lauderdale, and as 8:40am approached (our scheduled boarding time), we were oh-so-excited for our long-awaited Caribbean escape to Turks & Caicos.

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We've had this trip booked for about 5 months, but I've been dreaming of visiting the islands of Turks & Caicos for about 3 years now!  For the past couple winters, each time the winter chill really sets in, my frantic flight searching begins... which is usually followed by cursing and pouting as I realize I've (yet again) waited too long and the flights are way too expensive.  Well, not this year!  This year, thanks to a bunch of expiring frequent flyer points, Shep and I booked our Turks & Caicos flights back in May!  At the time, I thought it was crazy.  We are not the type of couple to plan so far in advance!  (We didn't even book our honeymoon flights until 2 months before our wedding!)  But our points were expiring, so we went ahead and randomly picked some dates and as the summer came to a close, I was so glad we did.

Until...

Despite our advanced planning, thanks to Hurricane Sandy the only Caribbean escape in our lives right now is the soap from Bath & Body Works.  :(  Which, by the way, if you haven't tried it, smells wonderful!

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The good news is that we were able to reschedule our trip.  And, of course we're happy to be safe rather than sorry.  Luck is just not on my side when it comes to vacations!!!  A few years ago we went to Aruba, and although Aruba is practically never affected by hurricanes, one hit when we were there.  The whole hotel panicked and closed up the restaurants and pool for a day.  Then, in January 2010 an awful NY winter derailed our flight plans to Barbados, not once, but twice.  We eventually made it.... in March.  ;)

We've waited this long to visit Turks & Caicos.... we're willing to wait another few weeks, and I'm sure the wait will be well worth it!  We just hope that Hurricane Sandy calms down soon!

In the grand scheme of things, our rescheduled trip is only a minor inconvenience.  Luckily, our travel dates are flexible.  There were several people on our flight headed to weddings, including a best man of a wedding!  I feel so terrible for anyone whose wedding had to be cancelled, rescheduled, or held without loved ones in attendance due to the hurricane.  That would really stink.  :(

Did anyone else out there in blog-land suffer from rescheduled or cancelled vacation plans due to the hurricane?