THE WEDDING WAS AMAZING! I still get goose bumps thinking about it. It was beautiful and personal, filled with love and laughter, smiles and tears. We celebrated the love we have while honoring the love we lost.
We walked down the aisle to Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” because, right from the start, we both felt like we’d known each other forever. We also broke from tradition. Instead of throwing the bouquet and garter belt, we gifted them to Lysee and Justin. Aside from them being our best friends, they’re deeply in love and clearly the next to get married.
I also still can’t get over the cake. We got it from Hansen’s Cakes in Beverly Hills, a legacy that goes back seven generations. Their cakes are legendary! Ours was a two-tiered contemporary style marble cake with chocolate chip filling. E’s favorite and I have to admit, pretty damn good. E and I went there for a cake tasting, which was completely unnecessary since he’s eaten their cakes numerous amounts of times and I trust him completely, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer. “We have to sample the cakes!” he told me. “I don’t care if I know what they taste like. Sampling them is the best part!”
We made a day of it, buying our wedding bands at Tiffany and Co. We got my engagement ring there the day after we met, and chose to go back so my wedding band would match. I love my rings but adore the ring we chose for E. It’s a platinum ring that’s both architectural and classic, and suits him perfectly; elegant, strong and sure.
After we got our rings we wandered around Rodeo Drive, window shopping at all the exclusive stores before E dragged me into Agent Provocateur. He took one look at the window and insisted we go in, pulling my arm while saying, “We need to get some of this!” I giggled and happily followed him in because I knew what would happen once he saw me wearing the lingerie we bought.
Afterwards, we had lunch at Nate and Al’s, a classic delicatessen, that’s been around since 1945 and similar to ones you’d normally find in New York. Many of the waitresses have all been around just as long and act that way, which is the beauty of it. The food is amazing. We shared a big bowl of chicken soup with matzo balls, a pastrami sandwich on rye, and an order of latkes with sour cream.
I didn’t invite my mother to the wedding. When I left San Diego, I left her in my rearview mirror. I made one final attempt and invited her to our engagement party. When she again was a no-show, I ended it for good. I have too much good going on in my life to allow her poison to taint it.
Our mini-honeymoon was beyond belief. I laugh at how little we actually got out of the room. We were in Maui but I couldn’t care less because we spent the entire time wrapped up in each other and that was infinitely better. We also ended up buying a timeshare so we’ll be going back.
We’re now on the Disney cruise and having an amazing time. Chloe insists on spending every free minute in the kids’ club. I don’t mind because it gives E and me free time to be together, but E isn’t happy about it and keeps pulling her out to play in the pool.
It’s been great watching her meet all the princesses and the other characters. They host an autograph session at a certain time each day. The schedule of who will be signing autographs on the main deck, and when they’ll be there is posted in each room. It’s meant to let the kids pick and choose which characters they want to see, but Chloe, like many other kids, wants to see all of them. She even wants to see the ones she doesn’t like, like the villains. The kids stand in line with autograph books in hand and both E and Chloe stand there bouncing with goofy grins on their faces while they wait. I swear, he really is just a big kid at heart.
I love the rooms! They’re more like hotel rooms rather than the standard rooms you’d normally see on a cruise ship. Ours has a balcony and we spend a lot of time on it drinking wine and being together.
One of my favorite features is the towels, which are folded into animal shapes and set on the bed at turndown. E likes the chocolates they leave on the pillows and shares them with Chloe; she’s turning into a chocoholic, just like her dad. I love how he is with her. He really is a great father.
I’m standing in the middle of the gift shop. I was here earlier with Chloe and saw the perfect thing to give E for his birthday this spring. We both have spring birthdays. He’s an Aries; his birthday is April 13. I’m a Taurus. My birthday is May 15. Our signs are compatible. I don’t usually follow the zodiac but I was curious and googled it. Turns out that when “Aries and Taurus come together in a love affair, the partnership is a natural union of the love represented by Taurus, and the passion represented by Aries. The relationship is all about balance and the Aries-Taurus relationship is known to be a great learning experience for both signs.” Exactly what our relationship is like.
I’m giving him a ceramic Mickey and Minnie, lounging on Adirondack chairs and sipping margaritas. Last year, celebrating our birthdays was interesting because we celebrated them through texts. We each got a cake and champagne, sang the Happy Birthday song, blew out the candles, and made a wish. We didn’t tell each other what we wished for but I’m sure we wished for the same thing, to physically meet.
Shortly after arriving home from our honeymoon, E and I open our own store in Manhattan Beach. We’re also centrally located between our rental, Chloe’s school, and the home we’re building. We named the store “Scott and Allie’s,” and E recreated the sets he made for me when he started building furniture again. We’re doing really well. So many people are happy to see us back. Our collaboration in work is as strong as our collaboration in life. Together, we’re a force to be reckoned with.
E and I have also been spending a lot of time helping others. We alternate between Covenant House where Lysee volunteers and Austin House, where Justin does that and so much more.
I’ve created an arts program at both shelters. I love art and believe it helps people heal. E created a sports program at both shelters and spends time with the kids running them around to burn off all the excessive energy and anger most of these kids carry with them on a regular basis. After E moved to Hermosa Beach, he started spending more time at Austin House and noticed the need for such a program. We split our time between the two. We’re always together. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
The biggest news of all is that I’m pregnant! We just found out. I’m nine weeks along and yesterday we just heard the heartbeats for the first time. That’s right, heartbeats. E and I are having twins!