This past Monday, my husband and i celebrated 2 years of marriage, just as we prefer it: all frills removed and just us two. We took advantage of the brisk autumn air and walked, arm-in-arm, until we worked up an appetite for some simple and delicious, old-school burgers and fries. We cozied up in booth seats (our favorite and only kind, if we could have it our way) at Diner NYC, and warmed up with coffee and conversation about everything and nothing at all. We let ourselves linger in our seats enjoying each other's company between alternating ketchup-dipped fries and laughs, long after our burger were done.
Afternoon turned into evening in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. Walking out of the diner and feeling November's engulfing breeze envelop us in the street, we both decided at once that some beers to end the night were in order. So off to the craft-beer bar we have been meaning to try we went (Torst), where we sampled some brews and enjoyed the jazzy compilation filling the bar. We sat with our thoughts and reminisced about our crazy, post-Hurricane Sandy wedding, riding the thrills of that memorable week leading up to our day; sans electricity and heat in most of New Jersey, picnicing in our living room floor by candlelight, vendors shaky about their ability to pull through for our day, the New York City Flower market completely shut down, arriving flights stopped until further notice at all regional airports, local cleaners and tailors (with our dresses in them) "closed due to sandy," etc etc etc. Anything that could have gone awry, logistically, did. Even so, part of reliving our wedding story through conversation is revisiting all the miraculous events that took place, how wonderfully everything came together in the end, and how gracefully and full of love we made our day, despite mother nature's plans. We reflected on how mind-blowing it was that our venue never lost electricity when every other block surrounding them for miles did, how our friends and family (bless their hearts) trekked across the state with 4-hour long gas lines to witness our union and wine and dine with us, how my father-in-law and David's grandfather drove up the highway from Florida for they wouldn't miss it for the world, how our vendors (our cellist, photographers, florists, bakers, etc etc etc) pulled through for us and with the biggest of smiles, how my best girls arrived with champagne and steamers in tow to smoothen unkept seams and lift our spirits, etc etc etc. It truly was a beautiful day, and in hindsight (with a wedding album that still makes my heart swell up when viewing it), memories made so full by our trials and tribulations.
We ended our night by toasting to our 2 years of love and friendship, and as tradition would have it, at a bottle shop in search for a treasured brew to add to the anniversary vault. With twilight in its full glory, and shops alit with their twinkly lights and warm, holiday tunes a'crooning into the streets, we were reminded of all the good feelings and warmth that surround our special November day.
