Wedding Anticipation & Knowing You're Going to Marry Him After the First Date

I've begun the less than a month countdown over here. There are twenty-five more days left until Alex & I get married. And honestly, it just hit me this morning as I was putting on my mascara. It's funny to have this countdown. It's funny because I knew I was going to marry Alex after our first date. That's nuts I know, but hear me out...

The night we re-met, we spent the whole night together hanging out well past three a.m. It was fun and it was crazy. From the moment we started talking that night, I felt safe. It was as if I could tell him anything. And I did. I had never been so honest with another person before. Both of us had opened up to each other, so easily... so unguarded. The next morning I made the decision that I had to see where this would go. Because deep down inside, I knew that it was the start of something incredible.

So, the next night, Alex took me out for sushi. And I was nervous - even after the night before. Don't ask me why. It was silly, really. I mean, after all we had dated when we were younger, so we weren't strangers. I mean, yeah we hadn't spoken to each other in seventeen years, but we still knew each other for the most part. So, as I said, I was nervous. I must have changed my outfit a total of three times before meeting him at the restaurant.

At the beginning of our date I remember that I couldn't stop blushing. In fact, there was A LOT of blushing going on. Actually, Alex has never mentioned if he noticed me blushing or not, so I'm hoping I just did a really fantastic job of hiding it. Anyway. Dinner was perfect. Our conversations were perfect. He was perfect. I just remember sitting there across from him in awe; my mind taking note of my heart. Everything felt right. 

The next morning I woke up and I just knew. 

Now, I have to preface this with a little Danielle knowledge here: I am the most indecisive person EVER. Seriously, the majority of the time I don't even know what I want to eat. You can ask Alex - it annoys him to no end. But after my date with him, I was positive he was the one for me. I have never been so sure of anything in my life before. I  knew that I wanted to be with him implicitly. I was ready to dive head first into something incredible and nothing was going to hold me back.

So now, a year and a half later, there are only twenty-five days left until we exchange our handwritten vows. Twenty-five days left until we become husband and wife. And here I am looking back on the beginnings of US with so much love and certainty. A certainty that I still feel so strongly.  A certainty that has grown as each day passes. 

And my favourite moment from the beginning of our relationship.... the two of us sitting on his bed, my legs crossed, asking each other 36 questions that lead to love. It was after the questions had run out when we sat there staring into each other's eyes for 4 minutes. At first it felt awkward, but by the third minute something within me shifted - it was something I had never felt before. My heart felt full, my soul felt at ease and I knew that I was finally home.

Seven Ten

Yesterday was so much fun, even if it started out with a lot of less sleep than we had hoped for. Thanks to a certain pup waking us up at 4am to her barking like a maniac. Alex had already greeted me with roses Saturday night, so yesterday started off with him making us breakfast. Then we exchanged gifts. He gave me a book that I had been wanting for awhile and I gave him some comic book coasters and box that I made for him. Then we went on a mini road trip and drove to Hyde Park. We stopped at Oxford Exchange for some much a needed much needed caramel lattee for me and a caramel cold brew for him.

Alex had planned to take us to a pub we went to when we first started dating, but we decided British food wasn't really what we wanted. So we headed to downtown St. Pete to check out the Museum of Fine Arts, since neither of us had ever been before. Afterwards we stopped in one of the jewelry stores downtown and he got me the most beautiful amethyst necklace. We were going to have dinner at one of the restaurants in St. Pete, but since we weren't all that hungry we decided to drive back home for sushi at the restaurant where we had our first date.

I'm so lucky that I get to call Alex mine. I can't wait until he is my husband... only 208 more days to go!

Seven Ten: The Evolution of Sparks

Relationships evolve. Some evolve in negative ways while others grow stronger, deeper. Each one starts with a spark and that spark can do one of two things: evolve or burn out. When a spark evolves it has the ability to transform into an ever present and consistent flame. Sparks are fun, don't get me wrong, but flames are even better. Flames connotate something deeper, and deeper relationships are a lot more magical than sparks. And yes, I still feel sparks when I look at Alex, but these sparks make up a flame. A flame that I know will always be there, illuminating the darkest parts of my soul.

The Start of Incredible Things

We spent the first night in our new place unpacking boxes instead of relaxing. Alex was sitting on the floor of the living room, removing random possessions from a giant cardboard box as City & Colour played on our stereo. He sung along to our favourite songs, his voice carrying it's way though all of the rooms. There was something magical in that moment - the way in which the many shades of dusk filtered through the sliding glass door, his voice and the happiness I felt. I was reorganizing the kitchen as I heard him turn on Lake Street Dive's song "Just Ask" and I stopped in my tracks. Of course he would play that song; he is just as sentimental as I am. When we first started dating he had sent me that song through a text, the lyrics giving him a way to express his love for me and how he would do anything to make me happy. A tear started to well in my eyes, like they do every time I hear that song, and I walked over to him, whispered that I loved him and kissed him hard on the mouth. This is the beginning of our life together, I thought as we stood there hugging in the living room, this moment is the start of incredible things.

T H I R T Y O N E

My birthday was absolutely incredible this year. Seriously one of the best ones I have ever had. It started off Friday night... my parent's threw me a little shindig with my family (Alex's too) and friends. We all had a fantastic time listening to 80's & 90's music and watching Christmas Vacation. Alex made some deliciously spicy prosciutto-wrapped jalapeno poppers and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus. Mom kicked ass with her baked ziti and bruschetta. Alex's mom even made an scrumptious cheese ball. I also received some truly thoughtful and amazing gifts from everyone who came! (If you're reading this, thank you.) The party was great, but Saturday was the greatest...

Saturday (my actual birthday) was sheer perfection thanks to Alex. He had the whole day planned and I can't imagine a better birthday than one spent with that man by my side. We headed to Tampa for the day and started in Hyde Park. Our first stop was SOHO Donuts where I had a yummy vanilla doughnut topped with Berry Cap'n Crunch. Next on our list was Oxford Exchange for some much needed caffeine; where Alex & I lounged on their cozy leather couch before heading over to the mall.

Then we were mallrats for an hour or two. Which was actually great because we ended up finding some Funko Pop dolls. Well, I guess you need a little back story, huh? Amongst the birthday gifts that Alex gave me (which included an annotated hardcover of Sandman comics and a collection of Gaiman's "Death" comics) he also gave me X-File's Mulder AND Scully Funko Pop dolls. Originally he wanted to get me the whole set, but he was having a hard time locating the alien. Oddly enough, after stopping into Hot Topic for me to find him a Deadpool item, we noticed the giant wall of Pop dolls. Much to our chagrin, there was an X-Files alien starring us in the face! After some scavenging, Alex managed to find the Smoking Man too. I am now a proud owner of a complete X-Files set! Afterwards. we had a celebratory lunch of buttermilk chicken with smoked gouda mac & cheese at the Pub.

Alex then surprised me with ice skating! I've been wanting to go ice skating for YEARS and he made my dream come true. I had so much fun too and I didn't fall either! I was terrified at first but after holding onto Alex for a little bit (and switching to a smaller skate size) I was fine. You can check out a short video of me ice skating here. I still can't get over how sweet Alex is for making this silly, little dream of mine come true. It was an absolute rush skating around that rink. The feeling of flying and being in control and not in control at the same time was the best. I even enjoyed watching Alex skate - he's a pro!

After ice skating for almost two hours, we hung out in downtown Tampa for a bit and imbibed in more coffee and mango iced tea thanks to a Buddy Brew food truck. We strolled around Riverwalk and surveyed the area - including a nice view of my favourite architecture at the University of Tampa. If that doesn't remind you of Russia (sans blue skies) I don't know what to tell you.

We had a little extra time to kill before dinner so I suggested we headed over to Davis Island. We found a perfect little picnic table under a tree. We sat and overlooked the water and talked about love and happiness. Alex even drew our initials inside a heart onto the wooden table. It was one of my favourite moments that day because I was able to slow down and reflect on how incredible Alex is and how much fun I had. The best part was knowing that the day wasn't even over yet.

After leaving Davis Island (and a quick outfit change for me) we stopped by Green Shift Music & Comic Book store and browsed around a bit. Then we headed to dinner at Ella's American Folk Art Cafe. This was my second time here (Alex & I went back in September after Comicon) and as always, the food was to die for. We sat outside and enjoyed the cool night air. As for the food, we started off with some mustard & siracha potato wedges and shared a giant calzone stuffed with tenderloin (which half of it is still sitting in the fridge) and ahi tuna tacos with fried wonton shells.

I really feel as though I have won the person lottery with this man, you guys. He is the sweetest, most thoughtful man. He made my birthday beyond special. I'm still pretty hyped up from all of the fun we had! Hence the 6AM blog post.... Honestly though, getting to spend the whole day with Alex was the icing on the birthday cake. Thank you Alex, for making my thirty-first birthday a day that I will never forget!

Alex's Birthday

Silly Alex didn't request his birthday off from work, so sadly I couldn't really do much in terms of taking him somewhere fun to celebrate. But I managed to make the best of it and he was happy!

After he got off work,  I gave him his gifts, which included a set of ceramic knives, a giant IKEA cutting board and three jars of specialty smoked salts (mmm, bacon salt). Then we went to get his haircut, because oddly enough that's what he wanted. Afterwards I took him out to dinner. Since he loves sushi I took him to a sushi bar in town that both of us had never been to before. It was really good too! We had toyed with the idea of possibly going out for more drinks, but since we are akin to the elderly (lol) we decided to head over to Starbucks to sit outside and drink coffee before we went home. It was so nice watching his smile grow bigger as he opened his gift and it was really great to see him stuff his face full of sushi.

Happy birthday, baby. I love you.

Another Day, Another Picnic

Alex & I are really enjoying the cooler weather here, mainly because we are able to go on picnics on our days off. It's so nice to explore with him by my side. Today we went to Circle B Bar Reserve, had a picnic and walked on the trail for almost two hours.

We came across different birds, racoons and adorable squirrels. If you know anything about me, I love small woodland creatures. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's why I have a rabbit as a pet. Anyways, today was perfect. The temperature was a lovely 68 degrees, windy with just the right amount of sun.

We spent some of our adventure taking little videos that I compiled into a two minute long video. Which I'm really excited about because it truly captures how amazing this day was. If you'd like to see it, I've placed it down below.

I'm really glad that Alex's mom gave us a wicker picnic basket last night, because that means that we can go on even more picnics together - which we have both decided that it is now "our thing". I can't wait until the next one!


When was the last time you went on a picnic? Where is your favourite place to go on a picnic?

Life Lately & My Boyfriend

It's been awhile since I've done a post about my life and what's really been going on in my neck of the woods. So I figured it was time for me to bring you all back into the loop. This past July W. and I separated and the divorce was finalized in early October. Throughout the whole process I had a friend like Alex by my side helping me cope, stay sane and happy during one of the most difficult experiences of my life. And I am grateful to have someone as patient and understanding as he is.

Yes, he is mine now and I am happy to call Alex my boyfriend, again, because funny story... we actually dated for the first time when I was in eighth grade (he was a super, cool high school guy at the time). Which is weird, but pretty awesome if you ask me. He moved back to Florida two years ago and I was lucky enough to run into him this year when my life could allow it. Best of all, it feels as though no time has passed between us - even though it has really been 17 years since we saw each other last. He has truly made me the happiest I have been in a long time. So excuse my bragging for the next few moments, will you?

Alex is a professional chef. Like a really, really excellent chef. The type that can make something boring like sloppy joe's into a masterpiece. He's an incredible singer who can play guitar, bass, piano - you name it. He's great at art too - so much so that I find myself secretly jealous of his talent every time he shows me his artwork. Aside from all these awesome things about him, he is funny, sweet, caring, supportive, affectionate, loving and kind. He makes my soul feel less alone and I find myself smiling when I think about how connected we truly are. Plus, Olive approves of him and honestly if a bunny's judgement doesn't count, whose does?