Why my wedding wasn't the best day of my life (or the year)

My wedding was not the best day of my life, or even this year. It’s pretty high up there and would definitely make the top ten list of the year’s events but the BEST? Out of all 365 days? Not quite.

When I first realized this admission to be true, I felt a tremendous pang of guilt. Did that mean my marriage was doomed? I felt that looking back at the year there should have been no contest. The wedding day should take the cake, right? (Pun very much intended).  So often we hear that wedding days are impossible to oust as the best day of a person’s entire life. Woah. Talk about pressure. Our wedding was perfect. There’s not one thing I would change about it, the dress was beautiful, we had a room full of people we love, our ceremony was meaningful and personal – which is exactly what I wanted, and the pictures came out perfect. I loved that day so very much. If I could relive that day I would in a second, yet for me it just doesn’t win out as the hands down BEST day of the year.

Perhaps because while our wedding day was a significant event in our love story it was hardly the best representation of how we love each other. Our love is not full of pomp and circumstance; it is simple at its core. It is easy going, it is spontaneous, it is rough around the edges, and it does not fit easily into spreadsheets meant to impose some type of organization on the world (our wedding had LOTS of spreadsheets). Our wedding day was not the day I finally realized Devin would be at my side for the rest of my life, and to be honest I didn’t even feel that way when he proposed. I believe that’s because these defining moments didn’t serve to define anything for me. They were celebrations – yes, but they were not the promises. The promises came when we least expected them. The true promises came after fights that threatened to tear us apart but didn’t. In the silence that followed our personal storms, a silence that was filled with inward reflection and unwavering presence. In these moments, the moments we could have walked out the door but didn’t, is where I found the promise of forever. There were whole conversations where we struggled to find the right words because we knew how much they mattered, we knew that taking the time to be understood and to understand the other was pivotal. In those conversations I heard the promise of love. All the promises meant for our wedding day came in the days we spent laughing, and lovingly poking fun at each other, and falling asleep a little more in love than we had been when we awoke. The promise of fidelity came in the face of opportunities to stray. The promise of partnership arrived in joint bank accounts and leases holding both our signatures. We went back to work the Monday after our wedding as if nothing had changed, because for us nothing really had changed. Maybe to the world we were now more united, and in a way our marriage had made our relationship more definable to others. But we knew long before we exchanged rings that this thing we were doing, this life we were building, it was forever.

So what is the best day of the year? Of course I can’t choose just one. But I can tell you what types of days come to mind: the days when connections were strengthened, relationships reaffirmed, and the ones that didn’t go by too fast. Our wedding flew by, and that’s one reason I would love to revisit it. But some of the best days are the ones that unfold lazily. I love days that have unexpected trajectories, which my husband won’t believe because I over plan everything, but it’s true.

So here’s my top 11 list (because 11 if my lucky number) in no particular order.

1.      The Fourth of July

Devin planned a surprise day trip to Des Moines for us and the whole day was a surprise. We had an amazing sushi lunch, went to the Zoo, enjoyed ice cream while looking at the sculpture garden, drove around looking for a place to do pedicures (to no avail) and finally got to eat at zombie burger! Where we of course tried their alcoholic milkshakes so good.

2.      Beach Day with my sister at Manhattan Beach

We totally got our asses beat by the ocean and laid in the sand talking for so long that we both got sunburns. We talked for hours and hours and had such a blast catching up. Plus we got delicious ice cream from a little ice cream shop near the beach and had to race to eat it before it melted – ice cream is a theme of my favorite days. Plus we had a delicious seafood lunch with oysters (yummy!). Such a beautiful and perfect summer day.

3.      Our Day in Dubuque with my Parents

If you know me, you know I love to jam a million things into one day. See later entries on this list for further proof. For the past two summers we have gone on a Midwest weekend getaway with my parents and this year we went to Dubuque. We went to the river museum (and got to see a lumberjack show!) and explored Galena. Another all too fun Summer day.

4.      The day of Camille’s Going Away Party

This year my best friend and partner in crime Camille started a 2 year commitment as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Madagascar and before she left we spent a perfect last day together. She gave me a tour of her home town and I finally got to see the backdrops for all the stories I had heard about Liberty, MO over the years. She took me to the square where we got awesome cookies and I got to meet some of her friends. We had delicious food at her going away party and I got to meet so many people that were so special to Camille, all the people who were going to miss her as much as I would over the next two years. And of course we ended the night with champagne and talks about the future, our favorite pastime.

5.      The day I found my wedding dress with my Mom and Sister

It was only the second shop we went to but when I tried on that dress I loved it so much! It was out of the price range we had started with but once she added the vail I was sold. We still had another appointment to go to that day that I wanted to honor so before we left the woman had me put on the dress and walk out of the room to an area where a large mirror was set up. She told me not to look up until I was positioned on the block in front of the mirrors, while we were walking to the area my heart started beating faster and when I was finally positioned in front of the mirror and she told me to look up at myself my eye filled with tears almost instantly. It was the dress.

6.      Thanksgiving day with my family

I LOVE the holiday season. Trees, lights, carolers, advent calendars, bells, whistles. The whole thing. However, as I’ve gotten older Christmas has started to feel less Christmasy. Without a big family gathering and little kids waking us up at 7 am to open presents, it just doesn’t have the same spark it once did.  Thanksgiving however, has maintained its delicious charm. We still make our traditional favorites and even tried out some new recipes this year (bad idea, I made the WORST stuffing on the planet, and 2 plates of fudge that stayed a goopy mess). It was a wonderful day spent eating with family, my two favorite things in life.

7.      Devin’s birthday celebration in Chicago

For Devin’s 30^th birthday I planned an awesome day for us in Chicago. I told him we were going to pick up my parents from the airport, but they actually didn’t arrive until 11:00 pm. When we were almost at the airport I told him to grab the flight information from my purse but it was an envelope with directions to his first surprise! We ate lunch at The Publican which he wanted to try for a very long time, then we ate doughnuts, visited the art institute, got drinks from Starbucks and ate cookies in Millennium Park, got some cocktails at a champagne bar, ate dinner at Devin’s favorite restaurant – Wildfire, saw Blue Man Group, and found dessert cocktails that blew Devin’s mind. Boom! A wonderful day full of adventure for my dear 30 year old husband.

8.      My bachelorette party

What an awesome day this was! I got to spend so much time with so many people I adore. They even indulged me and started the day at the Museum of Science and Industry. We played games, and I got a sash and a crown, and we went to some pretty awesome bars in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Chicago. Definitely a day filled to the brim with laughs and love.

9.      Our wedding shower

This was another fabulous day we got to spend with family and friends! My family put so much work into getting it all together and it was a wonderful party. The food was to die for. Man, I had SO many helpings of everything. We got to spend quality time talking with people we hadn’t seen in too long and we ended the day by going to buy my new engagement ring (which replaced the JC Penny one Devin proposed with, which I also loved because it was what we could afford at the time and he picked it out all by himself).

10.   Disneyland

I loved our whole honeymoon but if I had to pick a favorite day it was our day at Disneyland. As Devin told me on that day “We really should have done this last because everything after this will just be downhill for you.” We honestly had so many spectacular adventures while on the West Coast but Disneyland topped the list (even if their castle isn’t as big as Cinderella’s).

11.   Of course our wedding day

I told you it would make the list. One of the things I loved most about our wedding day was how many people put all their hands on deck with me as the crazy captain. People were hot gluing, carrying boxes, packing boxes, unpacking boxes, cooking, cleaning, running errands, double checking lists, making phone calls, buying last minute items, and all the while doing it with a smile. If you want to know who really loves you, plan a wedding. I hope you, like I, will be as overwhelmed with how many people will mean it when they say they want to help make your day as special as possible.

At one point in the planning my mom said something about how she knew it wasn’t the wedding I had always dreamed of, but she hoped it would still be a wonderful day for us. She was right, it wasn’t the wedding I dreamed of because I am an extravagant and over the top fool. I mean I dreamed of getting married at the Chicago Theater or the Museum of Science and Industry – did I think I was going to marry a Kardashian? Our wedding was better than anything I had ever dreamed of because I used to dream about my wedding before I had a Devin. So those dreams were vacant, and lacked the details that grew out of my love for this wonderful man I agreed to call my husband. No, our wedding wasn’t a dream; it was everything I never knew I wanted (a phrase I usually tell to Devin to describe how I feel about our relationship). It was small which meant we got to spend more time with each guest, it was done on a budget which left us more money for a baller honeymoon, and it had homemade bits of Devin and I bursting through at every corner.

Life has been good to us this year. It’s been great to us actually, and when we look back at 2014 we will certainly remember that this is the year we officially joined our lives together as one unit but there will be so many other things to remember. We have been blessed. Our wedding brought us the opportunity to make new memories with people we love and between planning, meetings with vendors, conversations about centerpieces and dance practice our wedding was ever present on our minds throughout the year. But the best day? How can I pick just one?

Lucky 11. The last day.

Our last day was a definite Cate day. Most of our honeymoon was pretty relaxed, an activity in the morning and then chilling at night. Those are not Cate days, those are Devin days. My ideal vacation day is jam packed with activities from morning till night and indeed that is how we spent our last day.

We started the morning by cleaning up our rental home because we are decent people. Then we ventured to the Fishermans Wharf where we were staying  for the night. We dropped our bags at 10:40 and did not return for 12+ hours. We started by touring Pier 39 which was bustling with people and very lively. We had a 12:00 tour of Alcatraz though so  after a loop of Pier 39 we hopped on a boat and ventured towards Alcatraz. 

They have a "world famous" audio tour, which is possibly famous in the audio tour world - I can't be sure, but was really top notch! The prison was so cool. They tell you about the history and about escape attempts and daily life. I thought it was absolutely fascinating. Especially the solitary confinement cells. I went into one and sat down and my heart started racing immediately. Very creepy. Devin on the other hand does not like tours or taking pictures of me in classic vacation poses-so I don't think Alcatraz was his favorite part of the trip. 

Then we came back to the mainland and stopped at Pier 39 again where we rode on the carousel. I got a panda on the second tier (prime carousel real estate) and Devin got on a dolphin behind me. He's a really great sport about these kinds of things and it's one of the reasons I fell in love with him in the first place. 

Then we walked over to Ghiradelli Square where we got this amazing peanut butter and hot fudge sundae with cookie dough ice cream. So much decadence in one cup. 

Then it was on to an uber and off to Haight-Ashbury where we walked around and looked in some of the shops. We stopped in a really cool music store where I of course spent most of my time looking at all the interesting books they had. It felt very Empire Records in there and I so wished I could be the kind of person who frequents those stores and is laid back and cool. Instead I am a nerdy scientist. It's ok, I've come to terms with it. We found a fabulous rum bar (whose name I didn't even notice as we drifted through the door) and took advantage of their happy hour which featured rum punches for $3. Here is Devin enjoying our drinks. 

Then we stopped at Blue Front Cafe on Haight street to get a gyro because our dinner reservations weren't till 9 and I was feeling a bit peckish. Man. They were amazing. Gyros are kind of Devin and I's food. Most places we go we try to find a gyro place to see how it compares to our all time favorite gyros and we both like different things in a gyro so the competition for reigning gyro is a tough one. These however were superb! Definitely extremely high marks from both of us (and the falafel was also one of the best I've had). 

Devin says this was his favorite meal of the night but I think my favorite meal came at our 9 pm dinner reservation.

After the gyro we grabbed another few drinks in the area and I found a dinosaur to take pictures with! That picture is sadly on my camera though. The Dino had a note painted on him that sad "don't sit on me" and even though I really wanted to get on top of him, I know how to follow rules so I posed next to him. Then a man came out of the store and said if I really wanted to sit on the dinosaur, he wouldn't mind as long as I was very careful. I promised to be careful and climbed a top for a picture with an all too large smile.

Next it was off to Union Square! We saw the big Christmas tree, and went into Macy's to use this bathroom and also look at the decorations. We also stopped at the Fairmont Hotel which has a giant gingerbread house in it! The house is so popular we had to stand in line, to which Devin said "Want to know how you can be sure I love you-I'm standing in line to see a gingerbread house." It was pretty cool! Maybe not wait in line worthy. But still cool. 

Then it was time for dinner at the House of Prime Rib. I had read about this place somewhere and booked a reservation immediately, and then saw it on one of Anthony Bourdain's shows and knew we were in for a treat. The menu isn't quite prix fixe but you definitely don't have a ton of options. You choose your cut of prime rib and how you want it cooked. Then you get a salad, choice of mashed or baked potato, creamed spinach or corn, and Yorkshire pudding (for the uninformed like me, it's a bread...not a pudding). The salad came first and they mix it up at the table for you. Wow! What a start. I would go back just for the salad. It had hard boiled eggs, and beets, and this yumtastic vinagrette dressing which is housemate so who even knows what's in it. Then the food came. The meat was tender and juicy and perfectly flavorful. The creamed spinach was as creamy as you could hope and piping hot. I got the mashed potatoes which were smooth and buttery. Devin got the baked which I helped him eat because I was a monster with an endless appetite. I am usually very eh when it comes to baked potatoes but not this one. They brought it to the table still in tact, not wrapped in foil, and insanely hot. Then the waiter broke it open, put in butter, like half a cup of bacon, sour cream, and chives. Also at this place you can get a little extra meat if you are still hungry but we were both filled to the brim. But not too full for dessert. Since we had to wait a bit to order our waiter offered to comp dessert for us and who says no to dessert? Tiramisu it is! Also it barely took anytime to order, definitely not at all noticeablely long. But when a couple sat down at the table next to us we realized they like to do things super fast there, salad out within 5-10 minutes of sitting down fast. So I guess in comparison it did take a bit.  It was such a fabulous meal I would recommend it to anyone who eats meat. If you are a carnivore put it on your must visit list. If your are a vegetarian tell a carnivore in your life to go. 

Then our waiter took a picture of us since we told him it was our honeymoon and printed it our for us to take home. We had planned to go to a cider bar but we were so full and tired we decided to call it a night. Next time cider bar. Next time.

And that was it. Our honeymoon is in the books! We had an absolute blast and now we get to go home and celebrate Christmas with the family. Feeling very lucky indeed this holiday season. 

Day 10. Nerd Day.

Today was museum day! We started the morning by returning the car and walking over to a restaurant I heard was pretty amazing called Brendas. Except after waiting at Tartine, Devin immediately vetoed standing in line for food. So we hopped on public transit and ventured to Golden Gate Park! We started at the Science Academy and Devin demanded I eat something because I had not eaten yet and when I don't eat I get grumpy and when I'm grumpy vacation gets ruined. So we just are at the museum where I had a pretty yummy vegetarian chili and we shared a cookie that I was certain would be terrible because it was all gluten free and vegan friendly and I like my cookies overloaded with junk - but I admit it was quite tasty. 

Then it was time for the museum! Ok. Here's the thing. I grew up outside Chicago which has some of the best museums in the world so I am pretty spoiled. So although the Science Acadmey was cool we went through each exhibit pretty fast and there is really only one floor of activities and then an aquarium downstairs. I enjoyed it but I don't think I could come back with only adults. Now if I had kids I think I would definitely stop in, there were lots of hands on things to do and all the kids seemed to be having a great time. The coolest things were an Earthquale simulator, an albino crocodile, and reindeers that were there for the holidays. Oh we also saw a show at the planetarium that I liked but Devin fell asleep twice and I had to elbow him awake. The planetarium show was narrated by Jodie Foster though and her voice is very soothing so I understand. 

Then before we left we got some chicken fingers to share because it's been ages since I have had any and I was really craving them. Plus there are only so many days till it's back to eating predominantly fruits and veggies. Then we walked over to the deYoung museum where we saw some pretty cool art but our legs were about spent so after an hour we called an uber and went home. 

On Sunday we had collected ingredients for a great homemade dinner so we did just that! We got fresh hand cut pasta from a place called Pasta Gina where we also got some freshly made Alfredo sauce. Then we got a few sausages from a local sausage shop that were all fabulous. Then we finished it off with dessert and asiago bread from a bakery in our neighborhood. Support local we did indeed! 

Here is one of the many desserts we got. We can't be stopped when it comes to desserts. From the bakery we got this little petit four, a lemon tart, two macarons, and then a bag of cookies from a bake sale on the street that was supporting a local dog shelter. 

It was our last night with the hot tub so we soaked and drank more wine and ate and for another night enjoyed the sweet happiness of newlywed life. 

Day 8 and 9. Onward to San Francisco!

After our night in Monterey we woke up to a delicious home cooked breakfast at our little boutique hotel. It started with some amazing homemade granola cereal and was followed by poached eggs with avocado, toast, bacon, and a fantastic tomato mixture. Then we headed to the aquarium where I admittedly had a breakdown before even walking through the doors. We got a primo parking spot and when we got out of the car I realized I had forgotten my new hat at the hotel! So we had to drive back, which meant we missed the 10:30 otter feeding that I was looking forward to and then when we got to the aquarium again the person at the front desk told us we needed the special books we had purchased for admission - not just the ticket that was in the book. Are you freaking kidding me?!? So back to the car we went and finally we were let into the aquarium where I had some major tude. MAJOR. Devin finally got me to calm down by bringing me upstairs to see the otters who were adorable! Here's one on his back all like heeeey guys. 

Here's another one chilling on a rock. We saw them cuddling, and wrestling, and eating, and it put me in a fantastic mood. 

The Monterey aquarium is supposed to be one of the best and it totally lived up to the hype. I touched this ray, multiple times because once wasn't enough. But he was fast and liked to swim towards the bottom of the touch pool so I had to roll up sleeves and practically dive in to molest him. Worth it. 

We also touched a sea cucumber, which felt totally bizzare. Kind of like if you combined bread with jello and then let it sit underwater for a week. 

Then we saw these fabulous jellies. 

And an octopus who didn't have a name because according to the woman working there "they aren't going to learn their names so why give them one?" My teddy bear doesn't know her name either but she has one. 

After the aquarium we stopped at a California chain whose name I can't remember but it was a lot like a Panera and pretty good. The potato salad was awful, but the pasta salad was fantastic so you win some you lose some. Then it was time for the last leg of our journey up the PCH. We stopped at a little corner market and got 5 artichokes for $1...we don't even know how to cook them it just seemed like a bargain! We also got kiwis, plums, homemade fig newtons, and avocados. We also stopped for more pictures but again most of them are on my camera. We found a light house and hung out on the beach for a bit. 

We finally arrived in San Francisco right as night fell and not long after we finished Serial. Which meant the last 45 minutes of the drive included an intense debate about what we think the truth is. 

We rented a house from Airbnb in the Noe Valley area and it is awesome! It has a hot tub in the backyard and came with a bottle of wine in the fridge to get us started. We of course needed food though, so after getting settled into the house we hit a safeway for snacks and wine and then went to a salvadorian restaurant called Balompie that was probably my favorite meal of the trip so far. We had pupusas and we even got to to see the woman making them fresh while we sat at the counter and waited. We got a few different flavors including an Italian one, a shrimp one, and a beef and jalapeño one. They were all jam packed with cheese and flavor and the dough that encased everything was soft and delightful. As soon as we finished I wanted more-I'll definitely be going there again in the future. Then we came home and enjoyed the hot tub and fell asleep before we even got a chance to watch SNL. 

The next day we woke up and headed out on the town! Some of my early thoughts of San Francisco include how does anyone own a bike here? And does anyone else feel like they are on an endless roller coaster? Let me off. This Midwest girl needs flat plains please. 

We first hit up a bakery called Tartine that Devin had see on a PBS special. This was the line so clearly we knew it was going to be good. 

We got a morning bun, a coconut macaroon (admittedly not the best one I've had but good. The best ones are the ones they sell in Vegas at the Bellagio and I totally spaced and forgot to get some while we were there! Ugh!) and a croque monsuier that you can observe Devin chowing down on here. So good. 

Then it was off to Muir Woods which started off great! It really did. We decided to go for a hike that was supposed to be 2.5 miles. So we're hiking and I'm dancing and singing and taking photos and running and jumping and then we come across a sign that I was certain must have been close to the end, because we'd been walking for an hour and 45 minutes already and the bastard of a sign said we had 2.5 more miles. IS THIS A CRUEL JOKE?! We never switched trails, we didn't miss any turns, how did our little hike become A trek through the entire forest?! I immediately hated everything about those damn woods and all I wanted was to be out of them. I am not built for nature and I am ok admitting that. I gave it a shot and now Devin and I know - no camping for Cate. So I don't know we walked for like 2 and half hours and I have no clue how many miles. 100? I felt like I was walking back to Iowa. 

Once we caught sight of the parking lot I literally ran to the car and left Devin behind, oh did I mention there was no water on this hike? Fools! We are fools! Then I had Devin take me to the Full House house where he took this photo of me. 

There were so many adults there. We are all sad individuals but hey how could I not stop? We also visited the painted ladies and then stopped for lunch/dinner at a place called Squat and Gobble that was quite yummy! I had a salmon crepe and it came was rosemary roasted potatoes that kind of stole the show. Then we retuned to our home for another night of hot tubbing, wine, and relaxing. 

Day 6 and 7. Up the coast we go.

For the record my plan was to fly from location to location. However my husband had the idea of driving up the Pacific Coast highway. In his words he knew we would be back to California, but he wasn't so sure we'd have a chance in the near future to drive the coast. So that's what we did. 

We woke up in Anaheim, where I immediately had Mickey withdrawal and wished we could stay so I politely asked Devin if we could go to the World of Disney store one more time before we left town and he happily said yes! No convincing needed! Vacation Devin is the best. I found an ornament I had been looking for, it says just married, and then we hit the road. 

We stopped in Santa Barbara just to drive around (there's a few colleges there so who knows it could be a future home) and then we caught sight of all these beautiful hills! Before long we were in San Luos Obispo where we were spending the night. They have a famous farmers market where the speciality is BBQ. We got a pulled pork sandwich, a baked potato, and a linguica sausage and we ate on the side walk because in California in December it is still warm enough to eat street food while sitting on a planter. WE NEED TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY!  

After our street festival dinner we went to a local brewery where I utilized their free wifi to finish some homework and respond to emails, and Devin got a flight of beer. Clearly it fit both our needs well. 

Then we came back to the hotel where we stopped at the Cost Plus World market that was located next door. It is one of Devin's all time favorite stores and we don't have one in Iowa so we had to stop! I got a ugly sweater sugar cookie kit and some chocolates from around the world and Devin got some beers. Then we went back to the room where I promptly fell asleep while reading my book. 

In the morning we enjoyed our fabulous embassy suites breakfast, and then it was up to San Simeon we went. We did a tour of the Hearst Mansion that was such a blast! Amazing views all around and the house is truly spectacular. 

Here is the mantle in the large grand room. It's so beautiful! 

I love that everything was decorated for Christmas, it just made everything all the more joyful.

I liked this statue a lot. That's some intense wrestling. 

Here's a view of part of the house. Yeah. I'd live there. 

Then I asked my husband to take a picture with me and this was the result. He HATES selfies, but when there are only two of you on a trip you don't really have a choice. 

The last stop at the house was the indoor pool which was absolutely gorgeous. 

Devin got some cool photos because he is very committed to his craft. Also since he does not like to be photographed most of my photos of him are of his back. I have a whole series of them. It must be a similar collection to what a stalker captures, glances from behind pillars and snapshot obscures by bushes. 

More from behind. 

It took longer than I thought to get through the mansion so we quickly got back on the road and started the journey to Monterey. This was definitely the best part of the drive. We kept pulling over and getting out to take it all in (and take pictures of course). Devin kept remarking about how he can't believe how many people he's met who are so content to stay where they've always been, how sad it is that they will never witness the overwhelming beauty that the world has to offer. I agree and it's one reason we promised each other we would spend our lives taking every opportunity to travel the world. Most of my pictures from the Pacific Coast Highway are on my camera because it was so beautiful I wanted to capture it on a real camera and not my shitty iPhone. The majority of the drive featured the ocean on one side and mountains on the other (can you call them mountains? I am from the flat middle of the country, so they look like mountains to me.) Anyways if you can do it in your life - DO IT! The drive is worth it. It's truly breath taking. 

When we got to Monterey we checked into our hotel. Our original plan was to go to the aquarium but everything else in the day had run a bit long so we only would have had an hour and a half at the aquarium. We stayed at a place called Hotel 1110, which looked very sketchy from the outside but was actually an excellent hotel. It was adults only, though I don't generally find children disruptive at hotels. Our room had an electric fireplace that kept me very toasty and a shower that had spray jets running down the wall from the shower head to the knob for the water. They were stupendous!! I want that in my shower immediately. Good thing I married a plumber. 

Then we went to Cannery Row where we stopped in a few shops, I bought a hat for $7 that you will see in the next set of photos, and we stopped by a brewing company to buy a giant pretzel I had seen on TV. It was at the Cannery Row Brewing Company and I definitely recommend it if you're in the area and was a few drinks. 

It was yummy and the cheese sauce that came with it was a real winner. Then we went to the fishermans wharf to get dinner. We ended up at a place called the old fishermans grotto, and admittedly it was the worst meal of the trip. It wasn't bad by any means but everything else on the trip has been top notch delicious (because I research like a feind beforehand) and this just didn't hit the mark for me. Everything was a bit overcooked for my liking and not seasoned well. Next time I would try a cheaper place and I'm sure the food would be just as good or better. 

Then we went back to the room where we debated going down to the hotel bar because we had free vouchers but both decided we would rather lie in bed and cuddle. So cuddle and sleep we did. 

Day 5. Disneyland!

First some background. I LOVE disney world, for a while when I was a kid we went every sine year and it never got old. Each time we went I felt them same surge of excitement once we saw the Disney banner positioned over the roadway, a clear indication that we were close. Each park offered me brand new adventures expertly crafted with memories of previous trips. It is seriously the happiest place on earth.

So for our honeymoon I spent a lot of time trying to convince Devin to take me to Florida for a whole week of Disney magic. He vetoed that. Hard. So the best I could bargain for was one day at Disneyland during our West Coast excursion. I was a bit worried though because Devin had never been to any of the Disney parks - east coast or west coast. I was admittedly nervous he would have a horrible time and then I would hold just the tiniest bit of resentment against him for not enjoying my favorite place of all time. On the way to the park we took a picture of our feelings about driving to Disneyland. Devin is uncertain, my face is about to explode from excitement.

I took a second one in case my pure joy was not clear.

Golly if I thought I loved Devin before we went to Disney, I fell in love with him all over again once we were in the park. To start with, on the shuttle ride to the park I started to lose my shit pretty early on. Smiling like a maniac, waving my hands, and squeeling every few seconds. I knew we were close because I could see the back of the tower of terror. Devin also spotted the structure and said "Hmm that place looks like it's either a really nice or a really terribly hotel." Of course, that gave me a good chuckle and I had to explain that it's a terrible hotel - it's haunted! 

Then we were there. Walking up to the park I really just wanted to run and leave Devin in the dust, but since we are married and all I was patient as we proceeded through the gates. We were greeted by a giant Christmas tree and since Christmas is also one of my favorite things I was heaven. Before we got to the park I approached Devin with this statement "I don't want to get into a fight when we get to Disney, so I'm going to say it now. I want is to wear the Mickey ears that are wedding themed." 

He agreed with minimal convincing (a Disney miracle in itself). So step one was find hats. They certainly don't make you search. They know what you want. 

And we got them embroidered because once you are in Disneyland anything goes. 

I kept telling Devin I felt like a kid all over again (which I think is their entire business model). I wanted to run to the rides, look in the shops and hand them all my money, buy snacks, take pictures, scream with pure joy! I couldn't decide where to start. So we took a couple pictures and then hit our first ride. 

Oh and side note they gave us these awesome buttons for free. 

How cute is that? Ok so we started in tomorrowland and got on space mountain, star tours, Astro blasters, and autotopia in a pretty timely manner. Devin LOVED star tours, and during the ride I kept hearing him laugh with delight. Swoon. Then we got a Mickey shapped pretzel because I was committed to eating anything and everything shapped like mickey's face. I'm a sucker for the mouse - but at least I am aware of it.

We then made our way through more of the lands.

Took some more pictures.

And then started our search for a turkey leg. I wanted one. Bad. But I couldn't seem to find a cart that had them. Then we got distracted because we saw a celebrity - Woody!! We stood in line and then when we saw our hats he pointed to them and clapped in congratulatory fashion and I told him it was a pleasure to meet him because it really was.

We continued searching for turkey legs to no avail, so to reward our searching efforts we got Mickey shapped beignets.

Devin hates when I have take pictures of him shoving food in his face but this was too cute to pass up. 

We also asked the woman selling beignets where to get a turkey leg and she politely directed us. Victory!

Then it was time for my favorite ride. Splash Mointain!! 

I was getting pretty pumped for the big drop and a litd nervous about getting soaked because I was in the front. This was my pre-drop face. 

And this was my mid-drop face.

Both Devin and I got soaked. Here is evidence. 

Poor Devin. I did make him go on one more ride with me soaking wet before we left - Haunted mansion because it's a classic! Then we went back to the Embassy suites where we were staying to get dry clothes and enjoy free drinks during their nightly happy hour. Then we met up with my friend Molly, who I lived with in college and her boyfriend Zach. One of the best things about traveling the country is getting to see old friends. We went to this awesome place right across the street from Disneyland called Pizza Press which is done kind of in the style of Chipotle. You walk them through all the things you want on your pizza (or select a predesigned one) and then they send it through the oven. It was delicious!! I love getting recommendations from the insiders and Devin could quite literally eat pizza for every meal and be completely content, so he was pleased. Then we went back to the park with our friends for round two. 

We rode Nemo's submarine ride, caught the phenomenal fireworks show that had us both grinning from ear to ear, and also watched Fantasmic! And I got these sweet slippers.

Of course we needed a sweet treat so we got a dole whip float, which Zach suggested. Damn! It was out of this world. It's pineapple ice cream in pineapple juice and I can't imagine how anyone could take a bite and not be completely overjoyed. Then we bid our friends farewell and Devin and I rode Indiana Jones which they do not have on Disney World. It was so fun I wanted to ride it again!! This was another ride where I heard audible squeals of happiness from my husband. Heart melted into a puddle.

Ok so my this point it was about 11:50. I needed one more ride though, so we hopped on the jungle cruise. Now it was time for Devin to find a way to drag me out of the park. We took more pictures on Main Street as I tried to stall and then as my smile turned to a sad frown Devin said "want to go into one more store before we go?" Which I did! Then it was really time to leave because it was 12:20 am and our shuttle to the hotel was departing at 12:30. 

I wished that we could stay forever. But Devin assured me we would be back, in his words I broke the seal. It was such a perfect day and a great place for newlyweds. We watched all the families and talked about what it would be like to come back when we have kids, wondering if we will have kids like me who are overjoyed by anything and everything or kids like Devin who play things closer to their chest. We talked about how we would handle meltdowns, what rides we thought would be the most fun with our kids, and how we would be certain to avoid the World of Disney store because even as adults it was too overwhelming. Devin pointed to families with 4 kids and asked is that really what you want? And each time I nodded and said of course it is. 

So Disney, good work. You got my grump of a husband to have fun and willingly admit he will gladly return. We will be back,someday with kids of our own, and we will continue the cycle of making and simultaneously reliving memories all under the watchful eyes of the most famous mouse that ever was.