The Toilet.

While my head was in the toilet expelling stomach bile (I know, a lovely morning visual), I noticed that that said toilet needs a good scrubbing. I also noticed that I obviously am far to sick to scrub it myself. Therefore, my husband who recently declared he would love me "in sickness and in health" will be assigned the duty.

Yes, I am sick. The throwing up simply will not cease. Anything that goes in comes right back out. And I cry and whimper, because throwing up is truly the worst feeling in the world. Steven's been great. Cuddling me and rubbing my tummy until I smack his hand away and rush to the toilet. Really, it's a high life we lead. Jealous, much?

So with that said, I will leave you with a pretty picture and hope to get back to the normal blogging grid in the morning.

This one is actually my favorite from the wedding so far :)

Friday Letters.

Dear Husband - There are few things in this world I love more than being your wife. Actually, at this moment, I cannot think of one. To hear you call me your wife makes my heart swoon. It truly is a remarkable feeling. The best I've yet to experience. Thinking back to when I was a little girl and the things I hoped for in a husband --someone tall, blonde haired and blue eyed-- makes me smile. I definitely was blessed with a man who possesses all those superficial qualities I thought would make me happy, but I feel outrageously grateful that the Lord gave me a man with so many more strong qualities I did not think to ask for when I prayed for my storybook knight. You are by far the most generous man I've ever met --nay, the most generous human being! I love your big heart and continually outstretched hand toward others. You are a giver. A leader. A hard worker. You are passionate. You are my encouragement. My biggest fan. My never wavering support. My comfort. My love. Thank you for all the character you possess. My prayer now is that I will continue to help you build on that character for which you already have such a strong foundation. I pray that I will lift you up and never cause you to stumble. I pray that our love for one another will continue to grow. You are my knight in shining armor. My storybook romance. My Mr. Darcy, if you will. 

Thank you for pursuing my heart and capturing my soul.

Always,

Your Wife.

Honeymoon: Niagara Falls

Instead of doing the typical honeymoon in a warm, tourist-y destination, we opted for staying in upstate New York and seeing the sights it had to offer. Because a) this was Steven's first time to N.Y. and there truly are a lot of neat places to go, b) this is technically our "busy season" at work so we wanted to needed to come back from our honeymoon a little early to recoup and prepare for the intense work load ahead, c) funds are skimpy at the moment due to wedding expenses, and d) we wanted to be able to take a second honeymoon in the near future; hence, we are calling this trip our mini-moon and we hope to take a MEGA-moon this winter. 

Sorry for the list. For some reason I felt it was necessary to defend our little honeymoon. Not sure why. Moving on...

Of course, being in NY we had to and I mean HAD TO go see Niagara Falls. Really, when one of the seven wonders of the world is only a three hour drive away how could you not go? I've been to Niagara Falls once before, but I was young so this time was just as, if not more so, exhilarating than the previous visit. 

Ready for a photo dump? My camera could not even come close to capturing how amazing the Falls is, but we tried.

At first, while walking along the water you can hardly see that there's a huge waterfall ahead. It just looks like the water continues all the way to those buildings (which are in Canada).

 And then BAM!

The waterfall to the left in the photo is the American Falls. You can begin to see the Canadian Falls (called Horseshoe Falls) though in this picture as well. Can I just say, the Americans got gypped on the Falls. Horseshoe Falls is MASSIVE! Just as a reference consider this, the water cascading down the American Falls hits the base of the Falls with 280 tons of force compared to the Canadian Falls hitting the base with 2,509 tons of force!

The Maid of the Mist is a boat ride that goes right underneath Horseshoe Falls. It really is an incredible experience. It's so beautiful you want to keep your eyes open the entire time but it's impossible! You come out completely drenched! It feels as if you've been transported into the frightening scenes of that movie The Perfect Storm with George Clooney. Remember that?? Okay, maybe not quite like that. But close.

Riding the Maid of the Mist was probably my favorite outing for the honeymoon. I am so glad Steven and I were able to experience it together! Actually, not just the Falls, but the entire Niagara Falls State Park area is beautiful. We spent two days exploring all the region had to offer before heading a little more South to check out Buffalo, NY. 

More on our honeymoon adventures to come! But if you are interested in checking out more amazing facts on Niagara Falls check out this website! 

Boldt Castle

Choosing to get married in New York meant every single one of my bridesmaids would be visiting a part of the country they've never seen before. Upstate New York is beautiful, and I really wanted my girls to see as much of that beauty as they could in the short time they were there. 

On the top of my list of places I wanted to take them was Boldt Castle in the 1000 Islands. Originally called Hart Island, George Boldt purchased this island out of the 1,864 islands in the 1000 Island region   for his wife. His goal: build a 6 story, 120 room castle complete with a drawbridge, dove cote, yacht house, and playhouse for his two children, all as a display of love to his wife, Louise. 

He changed the name of the island from Hart Island to Heart Island and spared no expense as construction began. Beautiful white and pink marble, an elaborate stained glass dome, millions of hearts etched in stone, and extensive Italian inspired gardens throughout the grounds are just snippets of the grandeur this castle possesses. 

Aerial view via

Sadly, one year before the castle was scheduled to be complete, Louise died. George sent a telegram to the men working on the island simply stating that his wife has died and to stop all construction. It is said that George never stepped foot on the island again, leaving this display of love for his wife untouched for 73 years. 

Now this piece of history has been restored to it's original state and opened up to the public for viewing. Stepping foot on this island is like walking into the pages of a fairytale. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't know any man who has built a castle for his wife. This just doesn't happen everyday, ladies! While walking though the castle, one feels as if he or she is caught in a romantic haze. The elaborate majesty and delicate detail is breathtaking, and then, coupled with the thought of such a romantic gesture, one leaves feeling dizzy; intoxicated by the rarity and depth of this man's love.

This coral room is my favorite one. Thought to be his daughter Clover's reception room.

As you move higher into the castle more of the rooms are left incomplete.

Truly, every time I've been to Boldt Castle has been completely worth it. The beauty is simply immeasurable and the story behind it is more touching every time it's told. 

Needless to say, me and my girls has a great time! Actually, I had such an amazing time I made Steven tour the castle a few days later while on our honeymoon! I hope you all enjoyed the little history lesson! But seriously, if you are ever in the area, I think Boldt Castle is well worth the visit! :)

Happy Day, Friends!

I'm Back!!!

...and married.

I don't even know where to begin! There are so many moments I want to remember and capture here on this blog but I feel slightly overwhelmed! Things will just have to come in stages. I still need to look through all my photos of the pre-wedding festivities and the honeymoon --folks, there are  a lot of photos. But after I sort through all the pictures hopefully I'll get my bearings and start giving you a coherent account of all that took place. 

But just to give you a taste of the MOST PERFECT WEDDING DAY IN THE HISTORY OF FOREVER, here are a few photos taken by my awesome photographer and old college roomie :)

 If you want to see more photos check out Bridget's Facebook page! :)