A Little Love Letter...

Hello, Chickens!

I know you are all waiting on house updates, and I promise there is so much coming down the pike your heads will spin... but today I want to talk about the most important thing I've ever done to my house.

I moved this guy into it.

Charming Suitor and me at his niece's high school graduation party 2010

Now you all know how I feel about this house, but let me tell you, after 20 years of living in it, it never looked so good or felt more like home than when my Charming Suitor moved in.  And let me be clear, this was a big deal.  At the time, I was still renting.  CS owned a lovely arts and crafts bungalow in a beautiful and coveted neighborhood.  He loved his house.  Lucky for me, he loved me more.  Or as he will tell you, "I knew that you and that house were a package deal.".

Five years ago today, this happened.

I can tell you that it has felt like five minutes and five lifetimes in all of the best possible ways.  Not only do I love this amazing man more every day, but I LIKE him more every day, and that is the coolest thing ever.

In the past five years we bought our Chateau and sold his bungalow, and completed two and a half years of renovations.  We have had travel adventures galore, both domestic and abroad, and special family memories and visits with friends.  We have cooked a lot together, for each other and for loved ones.  We've gained a brother, a niece and two nephews.  We became dance school dropouts.  We've seen great art and great theater and heard great music, and also the opposite.  Our families have become family to each other seamlessly and effortlessly.  We've eaten a lot of great food and have drunk a lot of great wine.

We have purchased an inordinate amount of kitchen appliances.

Nothing is easier, more comfortable, or more fun than us.  Just ask us.  We're cute as flipping bunnies.

One of the best gifts my CS gives me everyday is his support of my work.  He is so proud of me, my biggest cheerleader, my personal PR department.  And more importantly, he is enormously respectful...of my process, of my schedule, of the endless quirks that go along with being married to any full time artist.  And he never thinks of it as not a "real" job.  Being with him, having him in my life has made me a better writer.

So on this, the five year anniversary of our I Do's, it seemed only appropriate to take this brief moment to do two things.

First, and foremost, to publicly acknowledge the extraordinary man I was lucky enough to marry five years ago today and to thank him for still being my Charming Suitor.  For being as demonstrative and romantic today as he was when we were courting.  For being my rock, and letting me be his.  I am without doubt the most blessed woman there is, and I am truly grateful everyday.

Secondly, since he would literally be annoyed if I didn't...

On May 3, my newest book WEDDING GIRL will be released.

What is more appropriate to promote on my wedding anniversary?  I'm really proud of it, and I think you will love it, so I hope you will pre-order it.

But I also want to mention that if you have never had a chance to read my book OFF THE MENU, it is a love letter to my Charming Suitor, and was inspired by our real life romance.  Essentially, I took about 80% of our courtship, including some of our actual email correspondance, and plunked it into a fictional story.  So if you want to take a trip down memory lane with me and CS, it might be a good time to revisit this one.

Think of it as an anniversary present to us!

A very happy May Day to one and all...and a very happy anniversary to my Charming Suitor.  I can't wait to see what the next five years bring!

Yours in Good Taste, (and madly in love)
Stacey