two.

Who would have thought that after  731 days -- two years -- of marriage, that one could possibly have writer's block?  Oh, don't get me wrong, I have plenty to say. But how can I organize it? How can I make it concise?  How can I put pen to paper (or fingers to keys?) in order to tell a story when that story has just begun?  Yeah, I don't know either.

But what I can say is that I love being married.  It's hard to describe sometimes, this communion of everything incredibly important and everything so simply mundane, a daily dance that reveals not only the best of you, but the worst of you as well.  

It's not every day that I would find myself quoting a romance novelist on matters of love, but I think Jodi Picoult really penned truth when one of her characters said, "Maybe you expected marriage to be perfect - I guess that's where you and I are different. See, I thought it would be all about making mistakes, but doing it with someone who's there to remind you what you learned along the way.”

Seeing yourself reflected in a marriage relationship is often a more accurate mirror than an actual piece of reflective glass itself.  And sometimes that's painful. Because sometimes we are ugly.  We make mistakes.  But other times... other times the companionship and covenant between us is so sweet that I can't help but think I couldn't possibly love him more.  And then the next day I do.  Nothing will teach you more about forgiveness -- both the asking for and the giving os -- than marriage.  It's a sweet juxtaposition of receiving love and receiving grace that teaches one how to give love and grace as well.

I suppose I could continue, but I think most people come here for the photos, so considering I never posted a wedding blog (would YOU sit in front of your computer uploading photos just days/weeks/months after moving to Europe? Yeah, me neither), here are a few of the actual day in all of it's [sweltering] glory.  If you missed it, be glad you stayed inside your air conditioned house... it was crazy hot!

Our invitation, designed by David Duong, www.pixelslickdesign.com

Programs and American and Portuguese flags to wave at the recessional

Isn't my dad so handsome?

The joining of two cultures: as sand from the ocean's shore in Portugal and red clay from the soil in Georgia are impossible to separate once poured together, so is the bond of two people united in marriage.

Did anyone end up with all these flags after the wedding?  I still have no idea where they went!

He makes me laugh every day... 

Fabulous friends... two of which flew across an ocean to stand next to us on this day!

We chose this historic plantation house as our wedding venue because we were able to
personalize every empty space as if it was our own!

Luis dancing to Portuguese music with this mom

The disco line dance, made famous by my college roommates, has now officially
been danced at each of our 5 weddings. So thankful to have these girls at my side!

I think everyone would agree that the highlight of the night was both of our dad's dancing together. As you can see, they were the center of attention!

My extended family, all the way from up der in da nort'!

The beautiful historic plantation house 

For more photos, visit Rosanna Marie's blog, where our wedding  was documented: Part 1 & Part 2.

Upon our arrival to Portugal just 9 days after the wedding, I met a lot of Luis Miguel's extended family and friends who weren't able to come to the States for our wedding.  We were blessed that even after helping us with the cost of the wedding, Luis's family threw us a fabulous reception for next to nothing!  Everyone contributed by bringing food, wine, and desserts.  Luis's godparents supply a large metropolitan hospital with all the pastries in their cafe, and they operate their business out of an in-home warehouse, which they so kindly donated for our reception.  We draped sheets over the ginormous shelves of flour and sugar and they set up quite a lovely dinner considering it's... well... a warehouse!  It was quite overwhelming, as everyone felt the need to meet me (and touch me a lot while doing so... they're freindly people, those Portuguese), but it was so fun to have a peek at how a Portuguese wedding reception could be! And let's just be honest... not every girl gets to wear her wedding dress a second time! Unfortunately, the day we planned the dinner for ended up being the same day as the wedding of the son of the most well-known wine producer in Pinhel, and it just so happened that ALL FIVE photographers were booked months in advance for his wedding that night!  Bummer.  Thankfully I had brought my own camera and snapped a few photos, then a kind cousin carried it around all night so that we could be included in the photos!  We even managed to sneak outside before the party started ans snap a few that "looked European"! :)

The wedding cake!  And yes, those are huge chunks of shaved white chocolate!

The Portuguese frequently have 3 or 4 desserts at a normal dinner party, so obviously we had like 20!

That's 3 tables of desserts, people.

Lots of Portuguese food!

Dancing with Luis Miguel's parents

This guy played for us and is extremely talented!

One traditional Portuguese dance puts the couple in the middle of the circle while
all the others  walk and dance in a circle around them, clapping and singing...

...and then they all come toward the middle in one big squeeze!

cousins and friends

Really love the doors in Pinhel...

Couldn't resist... it was like a human picture frame!  Wish we would have stood up as well!

I'm all "Does it look European? I need it to look European..."

And then... a little over a year after, we were crazy blessed when we actually got our real European pictures!  Our American friends hosted some American photographers here in Coimbra to do free photo sessions, and they invited us to be a part of it!  Since we had planned our wedding, I had always wanted to get photos in Coimbra with me in my dress and Luis in his suit, so this was an opportunity that I would not let slip away!

This was parked all by itself outside of the train station, and asked Luis if he thought I would get shot if I just jumped on.  He was skeptical, and I glanced at an old man sitting on the stairs, he nodded, seeming to give me his approval.  After asking if it was his and receiving an affirmative response, of course I asked if I could get on.  Aren't you glad I did?

 

Our little corner of the world...

And then a bird pooped on my dress and in my hair, signaling the end of the photo shoot.  Good thing I was in Portugal, because the Portuguese say it's a sign of good luck!

All photos by Kim Lewandowski

This year, we spent the weekend before our anniversary in London visiting my dear friend Ang from high school. What a blessing to still be in touch,  not only for friendship's sake, but also to share experiences: 5 years before I did, Ang married her very own European and moved herself 'cross the sea as well.  And how lovely it was to reminisce, share stories of being foreigners abroad, and just simply be ourselves together. There is nothing like living in another culture to make you realize how valuable the friendships are with people who knew you when you were young and remained friends with until now.  So thankful for this family for hosting us for the weekend and for making our trip so enjoyable!

Pete, Ang, Madeline, and Nate, rocking a PB&J like it's his job...

Their personalities in a nutshell...

Friends for the last 15 years... and as Ang said, we haven't aged a bit!

Since we love the ocean and, well, it's free to enjoy, we decided to spend the afternoon of our anniversary there.  It was the most brilliantly sunny day near our house, but unfortunately the beautiful, white puffy clouds turned low and grey at the shore. We still enjoyed ourselves as we relaxed and read on the sand, though!  

I'm so thankful for you, Luis Miguel Almeida! And just as I mentioned on our anniversary last year, being in love with you did not arise from a single moment, but in many moments strung together, constantly arriving one after the other, like ocean waves on this very shore. And the best part about those moments that arrive like constantly rolling waves?  From where we stand now, it's impossible to see the opposite shore; these moments will continue to roll in, day after day, year after year.  The opportunities to fall in love again and again will never end.  And for that I am forever grateful.  Thank you for showing me what unconditional love looks like every day.

Happy anniversary, my sweet Love!

week 31

Sunday, July 29th
Who loves the end of the school year???  We do!  Quite a few of Luis's clients gave him gifts at the end of the school year (because most don't come during the summer because summer holidays mean lots of things shut down and people hang out with their families or take vacation), and this was by far our favorite... a gigantic bottle of delicious wine! (Fleur de Lis trademark, in case any of you Portuguese are interested!)

Monday, July 30th
I remember when I first visited Portugal, I named Luis Miguel's garage the "Love Shack", because the protection on the outside of the windows has iron in the shape of a heart!  Now that I walk by them every day, I don't notice them as much anymore, so I thought I would document them today.

Tuesday, July 31st
As we are starting our second round of vacation in the next week, we will be home a few days doing house projects, one of which includes defrosting the fridge and freezer.  Since we would like to try to eat more of the things that seem to have been frozen for forever (and save some money!), we pulled out a big container of leitão pieces, which is a delicious pork, or Portuguese piglet, to be exact.  It's pretty expensive here, and almost everyone loves it, so we were saving it for a time when we could have people over, etc.  We decided it wasn't worth it to wait until our next dinner party, since it was taking up a huge amount of space in our freezer, and after realizing that it was impossible to break apart pieces that were solidly frozen together, we had to defrost all of it at once, forcing us to find some creative recipes to use it, including this delicious one.  It was mashed potatoes with various layers of leitão with a great sauce mixed between it.  Mashed potato leitão casserole?  Yes, please!  Better yet, Luis volunteered to make the meat even more delicious if I made the potatoes, and his version of the recipe turned out to be fabulous, contrary to what the sign on the top of the counter says! (Apparently my mother, who gifted me the sign, doesn't think that I inherited her culinary skills!) :)

Wednesday, August 1st
With special permission from his grandparents (the Portuguese are extremely cautious/nervous about anything personal being posted on the internet), I would like to introduce you to Manuel, one of Luis's clientes, and, I admit, one of my favorites.  No matter how early we arrive on Wednesday mornings, he is always there with his grandpa waiting for us, wanting to hold our hands as we walk up to the room where he works with Luis, and though a boy of little words, always seems to make me laugh.  Though he was pretty exited to stand on the desk, he was a little squirmy for the photo, which made it a bit out of focus, but that's Manuel in a nutshell, and we love him!

Thursday, August 2nd
I love big trees that have leaves hanging down low enough to touch!

Friday, August 3rd
Two sweet colleagues of mine had birthdays this week, so in the spirit of celebrating, I made some cupcakes.  And let's just be honest, I love any occasion that allows me to make a new dessert recipe or decorate something fun. Happy birthday Mariana and Carina!

Saturday, August 4th
Today we got to celebrate this great girl and her upcoming marriage!  Some close friends of my colleague Rita got together for her bachelorette party, and one of the activities was a photo shoot at a local studio.  We brought some accessories to dress her up and had a ball!  She'll be a stunning bride, don't you think?

week 30.

Sunday, July 22nd
When thinking about visiting Italy, I had long been dreaming of visiting Cinque Terre ("Five Lands"), an area on the northwestern coast of Italy made up of 5 colorful villages set upon the cliffs of the Mediterranean Sea.  After deciding to spend a week of our summer in Italy, this was the part of the trip I was most looking forward to, as it is less known, more calm, less commercial with regard to tourism, and as I anticipated, the most beautiful place I have ever been.  This is Riomaggiore, the village where we stayed, and in my opinion, the most charming of the five!  The first night surely lived up to my dreams...

Monday, July 23rd
Today marks the day when I thought I quite possibly might die... various times.  I would never ever call myself an athlete, and wouldn't even consider using the word "hiker", no matter what the terrain.  I would, though, consider myself very good at "Doing something artistic while sitting" or "Reading while lounging/riding/cooking". That being said, you can imagine that 5.1 miles through rigorous mountain terrain was not easy on this girl. Especially with an eager, athletic, and strong husband. Thankfully he was very encouraging, even after I growled "I hate this" in response each time he kindly asked me how I was doing.  He also graciously reminded me that we could always take the train to the next city instead of hiking the trail (I recommend that!), but by the time we were halfway through, I had Jillian Michaels screaming at me in my head ("Unless you faint, puke, or die, KEEP WALKING!") and was determined to finish!  And finish we did.  They say the hike should take about 4 hours, 5 if you stop to eat lunch, rest, etc.  It took us 6, and it was probably because I took about 150 photos like this...

Tuesday, July 24th
This is the how the ocean looks mere meters from the train station.  And yes, the water really is that clear. And turquoise!  This shot is straight out of the camera, as you can see by my continual problem of shooting a photo with a straight horizon... So sad to say goodbye to this paradise today!

Wednesday, July 25th
Though we knew before we left that our work cafeteria (which the staff eats in for FREE every day... so grateful!) was closed the week that we got back, but it slipped our minds around midnight Tuesday when we got back to Coimbra, and this morning, when we were a bit out of sorts from vacation.  Though we were pretty savvy in our saving for the trip, and definitely conscious not to overspend while vacationing, it still cost quite a bit, so we decided to go cheap for lunch today! Also, in Portugal, it is not uncool to eat at McDonald's as an adult!  After all, you can get a beer with your Big Mac for lunch! (Please forgive the low-quality cell phone photo!)

Thursday, July 26th
After what we thought was a strange bug bite that showed up the day before we left for our trip swelled up into a huge knob between my eyebrow and my eyeball, we decided upon arriving home that it was time to visit the dermatologist.  Thankfully it was just an epidermic cyst (read: little ball of fat that became infected by something on/under the skin and swelled up) and antibiotics cleared it up in a few days.  On a side note, the dermatologist's office was in a remodeled old house, which had these amazing wide stairways and stained glass windows.  It's not every day that you go to a doctor's office in a charming old house.  Could be a great idea to swap the bright white sterile doctor's office feel for a charming old house, right?  Just sayin'...

Friday, July 27th
Are we home... or are we home?

Saturday, July 28th
Sometimes you just need a vacation to recuperate from your vacation, right?  That's pretty much what we did all day (rest), along with lots of laundry and lots of staring at this screen. I have been hoping that I can use a few of my vacation days to stay at home and organize the thousands of photos I shot this year (and hopefully get a few of them on this blog!), but after lots of confusing hours in this photo editing program, I'm not sure how much I will be able to accomplish!  Maybe I should just hire someone for this...