I'll take some sappy sauce with that sappy burger and fries, please: 1st anniversary

Well, the one lap around the sun since we got married has concluded.  As the days keep flipping by separating us from the happiest day of my life, these times are what make me smile about that day:

-sitting on my mom's lap, watching my bridesmaids hair/makeup get done with unvoiced nostalgia going on in our heads
-seeing the thunderstorm go away, leaving a gorgeous day for us
-receiving a kindle from Tom not just because I knew I would enjoy using it, but because, unprompted, he got me sometime that showed me he knew me perfectly 
-getting little notes from bridesmaids at each step of the day
-the few moments with my dad at the bottom of the stairs before we walked down the aisle
-hearing my ring bearers dress shoes clomp at a sprint down the aisle followed by the guests laughing
-everyone standing up when we were at the middle of the aisle and me letting out a nervous, ugly "HA," which stopped my almost tears (thankfully)
-Tom squeezing my hands and glancing up at me often during the ceremony
- Basically the whole reception because I just couldn't stop thinking how I never wanted it to end
- Literally at every turn seeing someone who meant a lot to me or Tom

This year the wedding was over and the marriage began. Tom has been the best partner. Being patient with my work schedule, taking care of me when I have needed it, and always looking out for me. What do I do? I sit on my butt writing things like this when I should be cleaning all the clothes I have spread around our room, but I digress.

I've learned a lot about love at home with Tom, as well as at work this year. Not the love that you write on a DIY project you saw on Pintrest and hang in your house. Or the love flutter that you feel when you are first dating. Or the love you feel when it is your wedding day.  I've learned the love of being a couple that has moved away from everything familiar and needed to rely a lot on each other this year.  At work, I observe love of people in crisis. I see love show itself as joking to put a smile on a family member's face even after a dire diagnosis, as asking question after question about every single thing that is happening to their loved one, as quiet presence every night on a cot, as tears, and as letting go when it is time.

A patient of mine was middle aged and had less than a year to live due to cancer. His wife had made stars with memories written on them of their lives together and put them on the window. While I was in the room, one of their children was reading them and asked what a specific one meant.  The couple smiled at each other and told their child it was between them.  Everyday I think about how we are making those type of memories. Ones that we won't be able to explain to anyone, but that will be ours. That is what I try to make our marriage about now. Day after day of household things and meal making and preparing for work will go by, but I try to remember the fun things we have made of them.  We will only learn more about how the daily stuff will not be like a movie marriage, but that patience and forgiveness will keep us from killing each other...I MEAN will keep us together.  Wine and vacationing will help that as well, I think :)

So what did we do this year to commemorate that everlasting love crap? We sat on a boat all day, ate lots of food, met a sweet sister pair from Georgia, and watched sea mammals play in the wild!  A miscalculation of time forced us to sprint to the dock that morning, but we made it a little out of breath with few options for seats. We were beckoned over to two open seats next to sisters from Georgia, whom we talked most of the boat trip to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

Our boat route via

 We saw lots of birds and foggy weather on the way there, but by the time we were going out whale watching it was a clear, blue sky day.  One of the sisters lent me her husband's camera because she didn't really know how to use it. So, I had fun trying to snap the orca whales breech the water (I only got one).  We saw two pods of whales, each pod usually having about 40 whales.  Our boat had to stay >100 meters away from known whales by law, since the orcas are endangered, but of course you can't help it if the whales come nearer themselves. Other surrounding boats got that luxury more than us, but to tell you the truth, some of the whales came a little closer to one open boat than I would have felt comfortable (though how awesome would that have been).  We saw about 5 breeches (whales coming all the way out of the water), several tail lobbing, baby orcas, and probably >50 dorsal fins above water. We also saw a couple porpoises.  SUCH a cool experience!!

Afterwards we had some free time at Friday Harbor, so we took time to have a relaxing meal. Bumpy waters through the Strait of Juan de Fuca made it an eventful ride back.  Once we were back at the apartment we shared a cupcake (I wasn't interested in dragging a frozen cake top from our wedding across the country) and watched a video of our ceremony.  I may or may not have tried on my wedding dress, whatever.  The day ended and now on with the next year :)

Friday harbor from our seats at the restaurant

You didn't see this picture

Coconut wedding cupcake :)

Now that we have been married and in Washington for a year, wouldn't you say it's time to make a visit? We are in a new place in north Seattle and have room to house visitors!  We just ordered a couch, so you don't even have to sit on a futon in the living room like a college kid! I'm sure we would be willing to go whale watching again with YOU!  So, go northWEST YOUNG PEOPLE (and young people at heart)! Love and whales washINgton.