Be sure to check out the First Anniversary Paper Gift idea below – perfect for any husband or wife!
Well, Jay and I have had an absolutely wonderful first anniversary together! :-D
Earlier today, Jay first surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of roses. I love them!!
Then it was time to exchange gifts. We kept things low-budget since a) we really don’t need all that much, and b) the kitchen is running us dry! :shock:
But no worries…I had a plan!
The first thing that totally cracked us up was when we simultaneously opened each others’ cards…
Yup, that’s the same card! We both laughed hysterically when we realized what we had done. We both agreed that the card was absolutely perfect for both of us.
Talk about meant to be. ;)
So since the first anniversary is traditionally the Paper Anniversary, I knew I needed to go that route. In addition to a couple tickets to see our local hockey team, the Albany Devils, I also put together this little surprise:
Jay and I both love to travel. So thanks to an idea from a co-worker of mine, I presented him with this map, along with a special letter. In the letter, I explained that marriage is an adventure, and that I would be honored if he would join me in another adventure of our own!
I told Jay that by the time we reach our 50th Wedding Anniversary, I would be honored if he would join me in traveling to all 50 states.
50 states in 50 years? We can do that!
We’ve already hit two this year alone!
Jay really seemed to like it! I’m so excited to see where we’ll travel to first?!? :)
As much as I would have loved to just spend the whole day lounging on the couch being all lovey-dovey, there was work to be done…in none other than the kitchen. BUT, check it out…
The floor is DONE! Next step??? Cabinets!!! :-D
After all the hard work, it was time to wind down and get ready for our special dinner. Before leaving, however, we had a special bottle of wine to attend to. ;)
Our First Anniversary Wine!
We received this bottle in the same basket that had the bottle of wine I used for my beef stew last week. I’d never tried this kind of wine, but it wasn’t bad! A little bit on the sweeter side, but definitely tasty to sip on before heading to dinner.
We even broke out our special Waterford Crystal toasting glasses.
We received these as a very generous engagement gifts from close friends of ours, so it seemed fitting to use them again today. :)
After enjoying our glass of wine, it was time to head to dinner. I was so excited to to back to eat at The Century House!!!
Immediately upon being seated, we were presented with a special surprise:
Champagne! Cheers!! :)
We were also given some bread & dipping oil to start. Deeeelicious!
I started off by ordering their Caesar salad, dressing on the side.
If you know me, then you probably also know that I never, ever order Caesar. No particular reason, it just doesn’t usually appeal to me. However, when we had our tasting at The Century House for our wedding, I fell head over heels for their Caesar salad. It’s the best I’ve EVER had!
For my entree, I also ordered outside of my norm and decided to go with the Gorgonzola Crusted Filet Mignon.
Everything about this dish was top notch. I have nothing other to say than perfect. Absolutely perfect. :)
When our waiter asked if we’d like dessert, we actually said we’d pass (since we had dessert waiting for us at home). ;)
However, a couple minutes later, he came walking over with this little treat!
He said he couldn’t let us leave without giving us a little something since it was our special day. Isn’t that sweet?? And as if that wasn’t enough, he actually serenaded us with a favorite song of his from Cabaret! It was so nice…thanks Gordon! :)
Now Jay and I have our cozies on and we’re ready to end our special day on a sweet note…
Wedding Cake!
We’ve had this little guy wrapped up in the freezer since last year, and I can.not.wait to dig in!
We actually had four different cakes for our wedding, but the one we saved some from was our yellow cake + caramel mousse filling with buttercream frosting.
Mmmmmmm. :-P
Jay and I both thank you all so much for all of your sweet messages today! We’ve both really enjoyed reading them.
Time to go eat some cake!! ;)
Aw, you guys are so cute. I especially love the map idea — what a fun way to mark the years and adventures together!
I love the adventure idea. That’s such a great one!
And that cake sounds delicious. Hopefully its taste held well over the last year. :)
Aww, happy anniversary!
LOVE the 50 states idea!!
I love the map idea! Love the card too :P.
It’s so funny that you got each other the same anniversary card!!!
Happy Anniversary!
Love the map idea! Definitely something I’m going to remember when I get married!!
Awwww – how awesome!
Jay’s definitely a keeper :)
Loved the “50 states in 50 years” challenge you came up with!
I can’t wait to hear about you guys’ trips.
Happy Anniversary, C!
xoxo
Happy 1st anniversary again! :)
Love the adventure map! Such a cute idea. My husband and I love to travel, also. You’re such a teacher…love the cute handwriting!! :)
I was so excited when I saw you had Burlington, VT pinned on your map. I love it here! :)
awwww love cake! look delious!
That’s so funny that you got each other the same card!!!
Happy Anniversary! I love your map :)
The Adventure Map is SUCH a good idea, love it! Happy Anniversary!
Aww this made me smile so big- the map, the cards, the flowers, the cake. You two are adorable together. Happy anniversary, glad it was a good one!!
Awww! I love this! :)
That’s too funny that you guys got the same card! :) Meant to be! :)
I love the map idea and the traveling! Super adorable!!!
Congratulations on your first year of marriage and many more to come!
too cute! happy anniversary. i love your map idea. it’s really creative and traveling is awesome.
Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!!! :) Wishing you many many more years of happiness together!
Congratulations on one year together! What a great way to celebrate too!
I love that you guys bought each other the same card – hilarious :) Also love the map gift idea– such a good one! It will be fun for you both to “work on” that gift together and I’m sure you already have ideas of where to go next!
Happy Sunday night, take care :D
PS – kitchen is really comin along!
how cute- happy anniversary!
LOVE the adventure map! I am going to borrow that. Such a creative and fun idea! :D
Happy anniversary!!
Happy Anniversary Jay and Courtney!! You two are so adorable! I watched all of your videos of the big day, and it was gorgeous! Here is to many more!!
that’s so cute that you bought each other the same card! my bf’s aunty has the 50 states goal. i think they’ve done about 30something states so far!
So many great things about this post! First of all, happy anniversary! I’m so happy for you guys. Your roses are beautiful (looks like your husband really is a keeper) and the kitchen is coming along wonderfully. I can’t imagine how much of a relief that is. Visiting all 50 states is one of my goals as well, I think it sounds like so much fun. Best of luck!
Happy Anniversary!!! What a great way to end your holiday break :)
Glad to hear you guys had such a great anniversary. Looks like it was fun! I hope you guys have many more years like that!
What a perfect day! I love your gift idea…so creative :) The kitchen is looking GOOD!
Love the adventure map idea! I might have to borrow that idea for our first anniversary. Happy Anniversary!
The flowers are beautiful!
That was the cutest thing ever–out of all the cards, you both got the same one. Love it!
1. Congratulations! This is adorable, and so are you two…. as always.
2. yeeaaah for VA Beach! still sad we didn’t get to play (it’ll happen soon enough).
3. eat that bread while you still can without feeling guilty……….. ;)