1 year Anniversary

I can't believe it's already been a year since our wedding day!  One year ago, on November 11th, 2011 (11.11.11) we said our vows and after 9 long years of dating we officially became husband and wife! "At Last!"
This year has been so amazing!  It literally has been the best year yet!  It started off with the most wonderful honeymoon and then a big family cruise, a blessed first Christmas in our new home, and a happy New Year!  A little too happy... we soon found out we were expecting Charlie and the rest of the year was all about the birth of our daughter and becoming parents together. 
We started celebrating last night after Cory's high school reunion.  I had secretly made plans to finally get our wedding video from the videographer without Cory knowing, so we watched our full wedding video to bring back the memories. Unfortunately, I've been a little under the weather this weekend, so I woke up sick this morning and our anniversary did not get off to a good start.  I made Cory migas for brunch but we pretty much slept the entire day away.  I was pretty upset, but like we said a year ago... in sickness and health!
I gathered my strength (with the help of some strong medicine) to go shopping at the mall with Cory and Charlie.  Since the 1st year "modern" anniversary gift is clocks. I got Cory a nice work watch that he can use  when he's a State Trooper.  We roamed the mall and I got to buy shoes and sunglasses.  I haven't been shopping for myself in months!  It felt so good to shop!
We went home and got ready for our date night.  My mom and dad came over to watch Charlie on our second night away from her.  It was a little bit easier to leave her tonight, so maybe it will get easier with every time we leave her.  It is very assuring knowing that she's with family.
We chose Charlie Palmer's as our restaurant tonight.  Pretty much for the name!  We wanted a fancy restaurant that we could make special by going to it every year.  Out of all the 5 star restaurants in Dallas this one seemed the most special because it had the best name!  And it was absolutely delish!  I had lobster and shrimp corn dogs for an appetizer and surf and turf with lobster mac and cheese for my main dish.  Yum!  And Cory's steak was pretty awesome too!  We will definitely be back next year!
It's funny because all we talked about was Charlie.  We missed her so much!  She has really changed our lives and made our relationship so much stronger.  She's awesome!  After dinner we rushed home to see her!
When my mom and dad left, we got out our wedding cake from last year and our wedding china for dessert. We had a sweet desert and I got to open my gifts from Cory.  The "modern" 1st year anniversary gifts is clocks, but the "traditional" 1st year gift is paper, so Cory did both.  He gave me a framed clock with our wedding photo in it and an engraving that said "Happy 1st Year Anniversary  I Will Always Love You Forever 11.11.12"  And also... a framed photo of our map....TEARS started streaming down my face once I figured out what it was.
You see, Cory and I really loved the movie "The Adjustment Bureau"!  It was a movie about two people who were very different but destined to be together in the end.  We loved it so much because it reminded us that even though it seemed like we didn't fit together because of all the obstacles that got in the way of our love, we were really meant to be.  In the movie there was a map of people lives and they had guardian angels to make sure they follow that map to be successful in life.  The characters in the movie accidentally crossed paths and fell in love.  The guardian angels tried everything they could to keep them on opposite paths, but they  refused to follow the paths that were layed out for them so that they could be together.  At one point in the movie they even stayed apart so that the other could be successful on their "right" path.  In the end, they broke all the rules and decided to sacrifice "success" to be together in love and they broke the map.  Later they found out that they were supposed to be together all along.  Cory drew our map!  He made it look just like the ones on "The Adjustment Bureau" but with our own paths.  My path was pink and his was blue.  He started from the hospitals we were born at and then our elementary school, middle school and high school where we were always in the same area but never crossed paths until the end of high school.  He even drew Walgreens where he first said hello to me.  Then UT and North Lake and Texas State where we went to school separately but then together when I finally joined him at Texas State.  And he even drew the part where we fell apart and decided to follow the paths that everyone else had for us in order for the other to be "successful" in life, but ultimately found out that we couldn't live without each other.  He drew in the Irving Arts Center where he proposed and eM the Venue where we were married and finally the map disappears as we create our own lives together on the path of the unknown.
You might have to watch the movie to really get what I'm saying, but to me this gift really meant the world to me.  Cory put so much thought, time and effort into this gift of "paper" and it made me so happy that he would think to do that.  He knows how much I love analyzing our long past and how much I love sentimental gifts.  This was the best "paper" gift I could ever ask for.   A map of our life journey together.  And the assurance that now we are finally on this journey together and nothing can break us apart.  Like Andie said in her "maid of honor" speech last year.  "Nothing can break these two apart... they're UNBREAKABLE (Sung in the style of Alicia Keys)!"
Happy 1 year anniversary to the love of my life, Cory Taylor Countryman!  This has been the most amazing year of my life and I can only imagine the blessings that are yet to come from our love!

Here are the highlights from our wedding video: