7 Years Since 2007

When Sal and I first started dating, we would always joke, saying "next year." As if we weren't going to be dating next year, as if we might kill each other before we get to the next year, but look at us now... seven years later. If you asked me I don't know that I would have guessed we'd still be together, but we are and I would not have changed a thing. Every obstacle we faced, made us stronger than before. When I pushed, he pulled, and eventually I ended up pulling too. It's amazing how fast time goes... The days are slow, but before we know it, time slips away and we're looking back on pictures we took 7 years ago... 2,555 days ago. 

I feel like we've done it all together, from vacations up and down the east coast and islands, to extravagant dinners and dates, special occasions spent with one another's families, and lazy days curled up in one another. 

This year Sal was at a loss as to what to do, having pulled together such incredible anniversaries for the past seven years, including a cruise around the city, trips to Rockefeller Center, and delicious dinners. He turned to Groupon, which turned out to be such a great decision. He knows how much I love wine, being that we have been to many wineries and wine trails, so he typed in "dinner and wine." Turns out Groupon was offering a deal for the Wine Bar in NYC - 6 wines to taste, 2 cheese plates, two entrees, and a bottle of wine to take home for a price that no one could have passed up. He quickly bought it, made reservations, and picked me up on the night of our anniversary with flowers in his hand, after we went to kickboxing and showered up. 

We arrived in the city a little earlier than our reservations, so we strolled to the resturant after finding parking. They took us as soon as we arrived, and even though we ended up sitting at the bar, we were more than happy to pass up a table, because we had much more space at the bar, and it was definitely more comfortable. 

We immediately started off with our wine tasting, paired nicely with a cheese plate. Another wine, and we placed our orders... Another wine and our orders arrived - skirt steak for Sal and chicken Milanese for me. It was by far, the best chicken Milanese I've ever had, especially paired with the wine we were given. Even though the deal didn't include a dessert, we decided to have one anyways... We chose two cannolis, the perfect way to end such a good dinner.

The wine hit us as we wrapped up our meals, but we just kept enjoying one another's company, and eventually found ourselves heading towards the tree with our bottle of wine in tow - somewhere Sal vowed he would not go this year. 

It wasn't cold, but even if it was I don't think I would have paid any attention to it.  The magic and wonder of Christmas in NYC is enough to make anyone forget about the cold... It's as if you're a child in Disney and even after hours of running around the park, you don't feel your legs hurting. We took our annual pictures by the tree, we watched the video displayed on the nearby building, and we walked hand in hand admiring the lights in every tree, the decorated window displays, and the overgrown holiday soldiers, ornaments, and Christmas lights. We didn't leave though until Sal bought and ate his dirty water dogs. I, for one, passed those up rather quickly... 

We fell in love a little deeper and our bonds grew a little stronger that night. These last 7 years together were beyond words, here's to another 7 more after that... 7, 7, 7, 7! 

A Long Road Trip to Virginia

Sal and I are no stranger to road trips, especially long ones... we've even been as North as Canada, but when my brother, Kyle, chose Virginia as his destination for medical school, we didn't realize quite how far Virginia was until we started our drive there. Seven hours long. Usually Sal and I are good with car rides together... we find things to talk about, music to listen to, and when I get bored enough, I bust out a book, or this time study materials for my CPT exam. It gives Sal some silence while driving, something he enjoys doing wholeheartedly. I am never the one to drive these long trips, I'm never the one to drive in general. I drive enough to and from work each day, that I am grateful when someone else says they'll drive. 

We headed to Virginia bright and early, the day after Kyle had gone down with his girlfriend. My parents would be coming a few days later. It's a good thing we left earlier, because my brother's car had broken down and he needed to get to his first day of medical school somehow.  As soon as we got there we quickly found a place to eat, which ended up being a fast food restaurant, but it was probably the cheapest I've ever been to, with much better quality food. Imagine that? I ended up with two chicken wraps for about $3. It satisfied us enough to help us through car shopping. He did not purchase a car that day though, even though we visited about four different dealers, even hopping in the car with one to go to another lot. We took the below photo as proof that we were alive at one point during the drive (haha).  Off we went to dinner afterwards, to a local place that turned out to be delicious!

The next day, Sal woke up early to bring my brother to his medical school orientation. We were all so excited, that none of us could go back to sleep, so we decided to start our day. We had planned, the night before, to get my brother a fish tank, for many reasons: a) he would probably be lonely when we left b) he loves fish c) it doubles as a night light d) it's calming. All great things, we thought, for someone who was going through medical school. Sure, he'd have to take care of them, and clean the tank, but it would give him an easy break from studying. We wandered around Petco & Petsmart, and eventually chose the tank that would host his new fish. Sal set it all up for him, so that when we went to pick him up from school, he'd open the door of his apartment, and see it first thing. We decided against filling it with fish, because we wanted him to be able to pick out which fish he wanted. Let me just tell you, he had a feeling that we were going to get him a fish tank, but he didn't know which day it would be, and he was just as surprised as we thought he'd be! I couldn't keep my mouth shut in the car, I was so nervous I was going to spill the beans on our way home. Thankfully I didn't, and the look on his face when he opened the door was pure happiness. 

I also made chocolate chip cookies for him, because who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies? I don't think there has to ever be a reason to make them! We found ourselves wandering a fish store later that night, looking for the right fish to put into the tank. It was funny watching him go through aisle after aisle of fish, trying to find the right ones. We brought them home, named them, and placed them into the water. They looked right at home, and it definitely made his place a little more homey. 

The next morning, Sal dropped Kyle off at school again. This time, we took our time getting ready, and found ourselves out the door, in search of a 'waterfall.' We found a trail, one that we thought would be a nice hike to this awesome waterfall. Five miles later, we realized it was not an awesome waterfall like we thought, and that we were going to have to walk the five miles back to the car. I have never walked that far in my life, and my whole body was exhausted. We were all ready to give up, but that would have gotten us no where, and we would still have to walk back at the end of the day. We didn't pick Kyle up from school this time, in fear that we'd be late, and he'd be there waiting for us. Instead, my parents got down that day, and we had them pick him up. It turns out that we made it home before them, and we quickly showered, knowing we had to be ready for Kyle's family picnic with the medical school.

We were ready, and waiting when they finally got home. It turns out that my brother had to stay later, and so after he got ready, we piled in my jeep and headed to the football stadium, where they were holding a family picnic. We piled our plates full of burgers, hotdogs, potato salad, and watermelon, and found ourselves a table. The weather was perfect, and the atmosphere of the stadium was grand. We talked together, and eventually found ourselves talking to one of Kyle's future professors. It was funny, and when we headed out, the photographer even snapped a few pictures of us, which came out beautiful. The night could not have gone better, at least not in my opinion. 

The next day was rainy. My parents brought my brother, and Sal and I found ourselves wanting to explore all the Virginia had to offer, in our case, it was wine. We found a wine trail, Bedford Wine Trail, that was actually farther than we thought it was, and ventured off. Kyle's girlfriend, Michele, just wanted to sit home and relax, and frankly, I don't blame her after our nine mile hike the day before. So it was time for another adventure. When we arrived at the first little countryside winery, Hickory Hill Winery, our hopes were set high. The guy that owned the place was hilarious, and guessed our ages immediately [side note: no one ever guesses our ages correctly, so we were stunned]. He was also spot on in describing me as a person, so much so that I thought he was diagnosing me with something! We enjoyed the wine, and absolutely loved the pineapple sangria that he let us try. We picked up our wine trial passports, and were on the way to the next place. 

Ramulose Ridge Vineyards was the next closest winery on our list, and we headed there. It had beautiful views, but the wine wasn't all that great in my opinion, unfortunately. We left quickly, wondering why these wineries didn't have crackers or something to pick on while visitors tasted the wines. We still powered through to the next winery, White Rock Vineyard. This winery had spectacular views, and if we had brought our own lunch, we probably could have eaten it in the amazing eat in area overlooking the wineries. The wine here wasn't terrible, at least not to me - Sal did not enjoy it. I actually liked one enough to buy a bottle, but found myself wondering why once Sal mentioned that they sort of tasted like cleaning products. 

The next winery, Peaks of Otter Winery, was probably the worst wine I had ever tasted. We had to pay to try three wines, or all of them, which was over 25 different wines (uh, no thank you). We paid to try three, and quickly noticed that all of the wines were so insanely sweet, that we couldn't stomach to drink them. If the person wasn't drunk after trying all 25 wines, they would surely be in the bathroom for the rest of the day. The only cool part of the winery was the map that hung on the wall, and you were able to put a push pin into the town that you were coming from. It was awesome to see where all the visitors had come from, how far they had traveled. 

It wasn't until we were going to go to the last winery that we finally stopped and got a sandwich from WaWa, which was about the only place we could find. It definitely wasn't a smart idea to wait that long; I was feeling good, too good. We headed to the last winery, LeoGrande Winery, which wasn't disappointing like we thought it would be. And we enjoyed it, as well as the people we were with. One group of women had even followed us to all of them. We lost them when we went to one of the wineries, but met back up in the end. We realized that there was one winery that wasn't open, and we hoped that we would still be able to complete our passport and receive the free wine glass at the end! The informational center that held the power to check out our passports and hand us these glasses closed at 5, and we had to make it there in time. We literally arrived at 4:59, just as they were closing up. We begged the guy that we would be quick, and that we were only there for the ... he guessed it, "glasses?" As soon as we walked out and got back into the car, Sal and I clinked our glasses, having had a pretty successful day. 

The following day was Kyle's big day, his White Coat Ceremony! We all got ready bright and early, and headed to the church where it was being held. Speaker after speaker had nothing but motivating and inspiring things to say, and told quite amazing stories. One by one each future doctor went onto the stage and said their name and where they were from. It was incredible how far some of these individuals were coming from. Prior to the ceremony, they listed fun facts about the class, who was married, where they went to school, what their undergrad degree was in. Being the first medical students at this university would be groundbreaking. They will all leave a legacy, and at that moment I could not have been prouder of my little brother. He would be leaving his mark on the school, on the world. It's crazy to think how fast time had truly gone; I swear I was just poking fun at him when he was younger and tried to hang out with my friends and I. We're much closer now, which I think is why it killed me that he was moving so far away, but I knew it was for the best. I look up to him, probably more than he realizes. He deserves all of his dreams to come true, and I will always be right there pushing him along. When he thinks he can't study another word, I will be there telling him he can. I know he can - he can do anything he sets his mind to. He has accomplished so much, and even though he's not anywhere near the end of this part of his journey, he's got so much determination that he will not let himself fail. It's truly inspiring. 

As soon as we got back to his place, we popped open a bottle of champagne that I had brought just for this special occasion! We ate lunch, shopped for necessities for Kyle, and then got ready for dinner. It was a celebratory dinner, but there underlying sadness... we'd all be leaving the next day, and while we were happy that Kyle would be officially starting his journey to becoming a doctor, we probably wouldn't be seeing him for months. Still, we chatted over drinks and delicious pizza [who would've thought that you'd find that in Virginia?!]. Of course, we ended the night with dessert, because really, there's no better way. We left the next day, with more tears than anyone could handle. It wasn't goodbye though, it was just see you later. 

It was one unforgettable trip, one unforgettable moment, one unforgettable start. 

Chocolate & Wine Tasting

Groupon has proved to be the best time and time again for date nights. I was scrolling through one night while laying in bed, when I came across a Groupon for a wine and chocolate tasting at Bar Academy 101, I purchased it. It may have been my sleepy mind that caused me to click buy, but I did it. Between our schedules, we had a difficult time scheduling a day to go, but the owner worked with us and we found a night to go. I went into work early, so I could get out earlier and we could make it on time.

When we arrived, we were uneasy while walking into the building. It was right in the middle of a safe town, and a not so safe town, but we held hands and walked in the door and up the stairs. It was until we met the owner, the man who Sal had spoken with on the phone, and he showed us to our seats at a high table that we were able to breathe. Not only were there other people there, but the space seemed comfortable and inviting with the dimmed lights and music. At our table was wine glasses, a small plate for the chocolate, and a packet with information about the wine and chocolate.

The man came around and filled our glasses, and then gave us a piece of chocolate, explaining the flavors and why they was paired together. There were a few that we didn't enjoy, but that didn't stop us from eating every last bite, and drinking all the wine. It was fun and interactive, and as we walked out we couldn't stop saying how glad we were that we went.

I'm not sure if it was the wine talking or not, but we were giggly and happy, so we chose to keep the night going and head to a restaurant nearby for some food, seeing as we didn't eat before. I know, that wasn't a very smart idea, but we were short on time. It ended up being such a great night; we loved it so much that we're trying to go back there for a sangria tasting night!

Rows & Rows of Pumpkins

In the (almost) 6 years that Sal and I have been going out, we've done our fair share of fall activities, but each year we always find a way to change it up, whether it's by going to a different location or trying new things. Sure we've gone pumpkin picking before, but every year we go to a different farm. I don't think we've ever been to the same place twice. We decided to check out Alstede Farms this year, a place that Sal's former place of employment took their employees to last year. His friends suggested it to him, and I was certainly up for the ride.

I may have skipped as we walked past the bales of hay stacked up high, with the cloudless sky above us. I felt young and refreshed as I took a deep breath of the crisp fall air. We decided right then and there that we would make this day ours, and we purchased our tickets that included not only a pick-your-own pumpkin, but also a hay ride and a chance to find our way through the corn mazes. 

We ended up with the wrong map, however, and couldn't start until Sal ran and grabbed the right map. If we didn't have a map, we might've gotten lost... okay, we probably would have gotten lost, because even with a map we couldn't even find our way to every number. How we got from number 2 to number 6 is beyond me. We came upon a bridge, and the view was beautiful; corn stalks for what seemed like miles. Luckily, we found our way out, and then decided to try to find our way through the smaller corn maze, meant for children. We definitely made it out in 5 minutes, and I laughed the whole way through. After some pictures in the corn stalks, we found our way to the animals. Sal fell in love with the cows, and made sure he fed them quarters, upon quarters worth of animal feed. I, fell in love with the bunnies, why bunnies were on a farm, I'm not quite sure, but they were way too cute to be ignored, especially the one trying to make a great escape underneath the fence. 

We then hopped on the hay ride and headed to the field with rows & rows of pumpkins. Sal wanted an oblong pumpkin, which was definitely a first. We kept reminiscing about all of the pumpkins we've carved, and how for the most part, Sal's pumpkins looked as if they were carved by a 5 year old. My pumpkins, on the other hand, were all beautiful, because let's face it, I'm a perfectionist. Sal picked his pumpkin quickly, while I kept searching for mine. It took a while, but I ultimately picked the first one I set my eyes on, which thankfully I was able to find again. 

We piled back on to the tractor, along with many, many people, and as we rode back and bounced over bumps, I could not get off quick enough. Pictures were taken on the bales of hay, and then we saw that the wine tasting shack, with wine from Tomasello Winery, was open - which, let's face it, could not be more perfect for Sal and I, as we have an obsession with wines, and tastings. The wine was absolutely incredible, and was probably one of my favorite tastings that I've been to, and I could not get enough of the wine. 

With our souvenir wine glasses, we headed to an early dinner, grabbing slices of delicious pizza before we headed home with our pumpkins in tow.