{Thanksgiving 2013} forever thankful

Every year since we got married, I've dedicated my Thanksgiving post to my husband.  & this year shall be no different!  My husband is my family, my world, my love & my best friend.  I am so thankful for everything he is, everything he does & everything he will be.

It's always such a treat to look through our wedding photos to pick one for this post.  The fun task reminds me of where everything started, how far we've come & what lies ahead of us.  Maybe it hasn't always been the easiest journey but it's our story & it's a story of love & hope.  Because I don't think I could possibly say it any better & the words still ring true two years later, here is a rerun of my thankful 2011 post:    

Thankful.  Very, very thankful.

My husband RZ is at the tippy top of my gratitude list this Thanksgiving.  I dedicate this post to him.  

I am thankful to call you my husband.  I am thankful for the beautiful moment we clasped hands, looked into each other's eyes & pledged our vows in front of our nearest & dearest during our marriage ceremony.  I am thankful for the fun, rockstar party that followed.  I am thankful for our sunny, dreamy Hawaiian honeymoon.  I am thankful for the incredible, lovely newlywed times that came after our wedding & honeymoon.  & for the times that were not so happy or easy, I am thankful we weathered the storms together.  I am thankful for our sweet home we share with our sweet pup.  I am thankful that I look forward to the moment you walk through the door every night.  I am thankful for every big & small moment that we make special.  I am thankful for this amazing life that is ours. 

More than words. 

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From Koru Wedding to you & yours: Happy Thanksgiving!

Photography: Timothy Glenn Photographers

second. the celebration!

Due to my surgery one week prior, it was touch & go as to whether or not we would make it out to dinner to celebrate our second wedding anniversary.  As always, when there is a will, there is a way.  I somehow managed to scrape myself off the couch, take a shower & wear something besides yoga pants.  Our lovely anniversary dinner was well worth the effort!  

We chose the charming Amanda's in our hometown of Hoboken, partly because we had never been there & partly because it was a fairly short, easy walk for me:

We lingered over a delicious meal, enjoying the good food & good company.  It was my first real meal in a week & I enjoyed every bite of my mussels appetizer, shrimp entree & molten chocolate cake dessert. Yum!  Afterwards, we stopped to mark the special occasion with a photo:

One more photo of our happy night before we headed home:

At home, my sweet husband gave me beautiful, traditional red roses for our second wedding anniversary: 

It was a second anniversary to remember!

second.

Two years ago on January 15, 2011, we got married!

I was head over heels in love with my husband the day I married him.  If you told me on my wedding day that I would say what I am about to say, I wouldn't have thought it would be possible.  But it is.  It's possible & real & true & beautiful.  I love him now more than ever!

Happy Second Anniversary to my amazing husband!  This is only the beginning!! xo

Photography: Timothy Glenn Photographers

{Holidays 2012} still thankful

2012 has been a difficult year as my husband & I have struggled to expand our baby family.  Now that Thanksgiving is near & I'm taking stock of the blessings in my life, I look back on the tough times with gratitude & hope.  I am so very grateful for family, old friends, new friends, blog friends & even complete strangers who reached out to give me support & prayers.  It means the world to me!

Most of all, I am thankful for my husband.  RZ is as heartbroken as me, yet he somehow manages to walk beside me, keep me strong & make me believe our dreams will come true.  Because I don't think I could possibly say it any better & the words ring true one year later, here is a rerun of my thankful 2011 post:  

Thankful.  Very, very thankful.

My husband RZ is at the tippy top of my gratitude list this Thanksgiving.  I dedicate this post to him.  

I am thankful to call you my husband.  I am thankful for the beautiful moment we clasped hands, looked into each other's eyes & pledged our vows in front of our nearest & dearest during our marriage ceremony.  I am thankful for the fun, rockstar party that followed.  I am thankful for our sunny, dreamy Hawaiian honeymoon.  I am thankful for the incredible, lovely newlywed times that came after our wedding & honeymoon.  & for the times that were not so happy or easy, I am thankful we weathered the storms together.  I am thankful for our sweet home we share with our sweet pup.  I am thankful that I look forward to the moment you walk through the door every night.  I am thankful for every big & small moment that we make special.  I am thankful for this amazing life that is ours. 

More than words. 

* * * * * * * * * *

Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours!

Photography: Timothy Glenn Photographers

 

{Anniversary Session} Christina & Dylan

If this pretty, sentimental First Wedding Anniversary session doesn't tug at your heart strings, I don't know what will.

When Christina & Dylan got married, they couldn't fit a photographer into their wedding budget.  Their first wedding anniversary gave them the perfect chance to document their vintage style & playful relationship.  Enter the great Lauren of Lauren D. Rogers Photography & the rest is beautiful history.  

The Staunton, Virginia train station not only provided vintage charm, it had deeply rooted meaning in the couple's relationship.  Christina & Dylan's love story began when Christina kindly offered to pick up a fellow college student's brother, Dylan, from the train station.  Sparks flew!!!  Soon, Christina & Dylan were logging in many hours at the train station as they traveled back & forth to see each other.  Now it holds an extra special place in their hearts as the location of their first wedding anniversary session!

  

I can feel & see the genuine love between Christina & Dylan in every single photo.  Honestly, I got a little sad thinking about this great couple having no professional photos of their wedding day.  But the more & more I look at these anniversary photos, the more I realize they have everything they need right here- a real & true documentation of their love story.  

Happy First Anniversary, Christina & Dylan!  Cheers to many, many more!

Photography by Lauren D. Rogers Photography via Two Bright Lights

{Mrs. Monday} Home

Today marks the debut of Mrs. Monday, a little series dedicated to my thoughts & observations on my marriage.  I plan to post Mrs. Monday about twice a month, bring back Koru Kate Finds (remember?) one Monday a month & take a break one Monday a month.  Sound like a good plan?  Good, I thought you might like it.  Let's get this Mrs. Monday party started!  

A few months ago, I stumbled upon a twist on "Home Is Where The Heart Is" that said instead "Home Is Where Your Husband Is."  You could replace husband with wife, partner, family or whatever pleases you.  I thought it was cute then I promptly forgot about it.  

Until my husband left on a business trip to India for three weeks.

I knew I would miss my husband greatly but I grossly underestimated how much I would miss him.  We're not an attached-at-the-hip couple.  We have our own interests & our own friends so we're often in two different directions.  Still, with very few exceptions, we eat dinner & walk our dog together every night.  It's our time to connect, to share the joys & frustrations of our days.  I didn't realize how much I looked forward to this every day.  Suddenly, life was not the same when he wasn't walking through the front door each night.

Trust me, I was grateful to be home with all its comforts & familiarity whereas he was navigating a foreign country alone.  I had Beagle Bailey to keep me company, I had all my belongings at my fingertips & I could sleep in my comfy bed each night.  Family & friends were just a phone call away.  Nothing was the same though.  An emptiness permeated every moment & every moment seemed to last forever.  

When my husband finally came back, it clicked.  Home is where my husband is right by my side! 

Photo by & Sign Available at YertleandMyrtle's shop on Etsy

            

about last night

Did you enjoy Valentine's Day?  Was it full of yummy sweets & pretty flowers & mushy sentiments?  Or perhaps a quiet night with a simple "I love you!"  Whatever your fancy, I sincerely wish that you cherished every moment of love this Valentine's Day.  Mine was quite lovely.

There were beautiful red roses from my Valentine:

Then there was a delicious dinner at our favorite restaurant in New York City.  We went wild with an abundance of food: appetizers, entrees, sides & dessert galore.  This was a celebration!

Last but not least, there was a heart-shaped photo montage of our 5 amazing years together displayed in our main hallway:

The fun display touched my husband's heart just as I'd hoped.  The photos range from the silly to the serious & from the big to small moments.  We really needed a visual reminder of our blessed love story this year.  Because in good time & in bad times, we have each other.  We have it all. 

Photos by Koru Kate

Our First Christmas

Our First Christmas as husband & wife ♡

Our personalized First Christmas ornament arrived from Oceanside Designs &, well, it's simply perfect.  I chose our favorite wedding photo, then Mel took it away & designed this amazing ornament that we will treasure forever.  I planned to save it as a Christmas gift for RZ but once I had the pretty package in my hand, I knew there was no waiting.  That baby went right on the tree to be enjoyed & admired!

I am so, so excited to make the beautiful First Christmas memories that we will always associate with this ornament. 

On that note, I'm bowing out from blogging until 2012.  Let's make a date to meet back here on January 2 & continue to have our wedding jollies in the new year ☺   

May your holidays be merry & bright!

Photo by Koru Kate

Thankful.

Him, I am so thankful for him

Photo by the great Timothy Glenn Photographers

Thankful.  Very, very thankful.

My husband RZ is at the tippy top of my gratitude list this Thanksgiving.  I dedicate this post to him.  

I am thankful to call you my husband.  I am thankful for the beautiful moment we clasped hands, looked into each other's eyes & pledged our vows in front of our nearest & dearest during our marriage ceremony.  I am thankful for the fun, rockstar party that followed.  I am thankful for our sunny, dreamy Hawaiian honeymoon.  I am thankful for the incredible, lovely newlywed times that came after our wedding & honeymoon.  & for the times that were not so happy or easy, I am thankful we weathered the storms together.  I am thankful for our sweet home we share with our sweet pup.  I am thankful that I look forward to the moment you walk through the door every night.  I am thankful for every big & small moment that we make special.  I am thankful for this amazing life that is ours. 

More than words. 

Dear Koru Family & Friends, I wish you the most Happy Thanksgiving!  

Family-Style Vintage Wedding

As much as I love poring over gorgeous weddings on my favorite wedding blogs, I adore looking at our family's & friends' weddings even more.  Those wedding photos touch my heart in a way no others can.  Two weeks ago, my mother-in-law proudly showed me her Mom's wedding photo.  It was a real treat to see our dear, beautiful Nanang's wedding in the Philippines:

 
But wait, it gets better.  My mother-in-law urged me to look a little closer.  I still didn't see it.  She pointed out Nanang's calla lily bouquet.  A bridal bouquet strikingly similar to my own:

    
The story might be more of a Hallmark moment if I had specifically chosen this bridal bouquet because it was like Nanang's bouquet of long ago.  But I like stories that are my own instead of perfectly polished.  

Nanang, in a country far away, in a time very different, chose a calla lily bouquet for the day she was a Bride & became a Wife.  Many moons later, I carried a similar bouquet on the day I married her grandson & became his Wife.  On the day of our positive new beginnings, we had love in our hearts & calla lilies in our arms.  

XOXO 

Our Ceremony, Part One

Ready to get married!

The Kiss

Just Married!!
(All Photos by Timothy Glenn Photographers
For more of our wedding, click HERE)

If you have met me or read my web site, you know I view marriage as a positive new beginning. This thought was never far from my mind during our marriage ceremony.

"Con Te Partiro" was chosen as the final Prelude song as a fond farewell to our past. As my godmother's angelic voice sang the last notes, I took a deep breath. I looked at our grandparents, our parents, my flower girls & my bridesmaids ahead of me. I felt my Uncle Denny & Uncle Frank beside me. I was ready. The time had come!

I walked down the aisle towards our positive new beginning with love & happiness in my heart. I truly believed that every little thing in my life, think "God Bless The Broken Road", had brought me to this moment. My Uncles, who have known & loved me always, were the best escorts from my old life to my new life & I wouldn't have made it down the aisle without them. Our friends & family who lined the aisle made the journey that much sweeter.

Then I saw RZ. He was the perfect combination of handsome, happy & nervous. My heart exploded in fireworks.

We joined hands, as we would soon join our hearts & lives forever. The traditional ceremony progressed, laced with readings, songs & traditions we had carefully chosen. The readings & traditions were done by family & friends- I was so honored that they supported us in this wonderful way. I was present & alert for every word, letting them sink in & taking them to heart.

Then came the best part: exchanging vows! We stood up in front of our family & friends, looking at each other & holding hands. RZ recited the traditional vows first, strong & confident as I knew he would be. I followed, a bit surprised by my matching strength & confidence as I tend to be quiet & soft-spoken. Our vows had been promised & followed by many before us, now it was our turn to honor them. This was our positive new beginning, the official start of our family!!!

Naturally, we sealed those vows with a kiss. Our priest joyfully announced as husband & wife for the first time & we floated back up the aisle. We were the happiest husband & wife!!