Today is our anniversary

One year ago we gathered some family and close friends for a tiny ceremony at a community garden in New York's East Village. I remember people crying as I walked down the path to the improvised altar, so happy to be here celebrating the love Curtis and I felt for each other for over 3 years.

This first year of our marriage has been a lot of fun. Not much has changed, except that now we live in our own apartment. I love our life, I love how Curtis brings me coffee in bed every morning (no joke), how he listens when I talk about my day and my worries, how he always try to walk Sasha in the morning so I don't have to get out of bed too early, and how he eats everything I make without ever complaining, even when I'm lazy and we just have hot dogs for dinner he still says "this is great babe", and I love that he doesn't mind eating my vegetarian dinner everyday even though he is not vegetarian.

I love how he gives me leg massages when I had a long day of standing on my feet at work. I love that he always has a fresh hair cut, that he would never wear a stained shirt, that he takes care of his boots (and mine), that he can use not only a screw driver, a hammer or a drill but also a sewing machine, that he knows about fashion and has great style, and that even when I buy something he dislikes at first he always comes around when I'm wearing it and says "you were right, this does look good on you".

I love that he tolerates people speaking Portuguese around him, and never makes a big deal out of being left out of those conversations sometimes. I love the fact that he is hard working and I love how brave and courteous he is.

This list could go on for ever, and it keeps growing as we work out the things that need improvement in our relationship. Ours like other relationships is not perfect but it is pretty darn good, like I heard people saying in Minnesota. And that to me is pretty great.

10 Years Later

Last week I got great news: my childhood friend Maria Clara is visiting New York with her husband.

I was thrilled cause Maria Clara was way more than just some girl in my class, we were very good friends back then. We went over to one another houses uncountable times to play and do home work, we had numerous sleep overs, went to the movies together every week, I knew her whole family and she knew mine. At the beginning of high school however she moved to a different school and we lost contact.

Well, Facebook just fixed that, and last Sunday we met up again after 10 years, this time in the big apple.

You know how they say that when true friends meet again no matter how long they’ve been apart it feels like they were together the day before? That’s exactly how it was.

We strolled around the Flea Market in Williamsburg, had lunch at The Meatball Shop, walked across the Williamsburg Bridge back to the city to Nolita where we stopped by Café Habana for a frozen margarita. I mean, is not everyday I meet someone I enjoy walking around with for 3 miles over 6 hours.

A day spent with a friend is a memory made

But besides her sense of humor, kindness and bright personality, this girl has yet another reason to be loved and admired by everyone around her, she recently won a fight against one of the scariest monsters of our time, cancer.

At 24, she is finally out of the hospital, where she lived for months under medication that alone would make many of us give up the fight.

Her trip to New York is the beginning of a one year plan to travel around the world with her husband after going through what was certainly the toughest year of their lives.

It was great seeing you guys. I wish you all the love, happiness and health in the world! Enjoy your traveling!

You can follow up with Maria Clara’s trip on her blog www.mariaclaracallil.com