One Year

So, this Sunday, March 18th and Monday, March 19th are our one year Anniversaries. Why do we have two? Well, we actually have three because we participated in three wedding ceremonies last year:

In order to complete official paperwork in Louisiana, we were married by local artist and LSU Professor Kelli Kelly, Feb. 27th 2011
March 18th, we had a ceremony/panel discussion/art event and exhibition reception for the Blessed Unions official Southern Graphics Council Conference event in Saint Louis, MO.
The Next day, March 19th, we celebrated our wedding with family and friends with another ceremony led by the Right Reverend John Hancock and a meal we cooked for everyone ourselves with the help of the wedding party!

We decided on the 19th as our fo-real anniversary. In a way, it’s nice to have the 3-day countdown, however. It makes our celebration akin to other religious/spiritual ceremonies with a period of appreciation rather than just one day. We can celebrate the legal union (we get to do just 1 application of taxes!,) the professional union (when we celebrated our wedding as an official conference event and artistic collaboration) and, finally, as a union of family and the meeting of personal needs and desires.

Blake and I spent all of last week thoroughly engrossed and absorbed in our respective duties for this year’s Southern Graphic Council Conference in New Orleans, Navigating Currents. Blake was Demonstrations Coordinator, and I was in charge of the Registration Desk. Needless to say, we were both completely swamped all week. We did have some fun in the evenings, but I must say I am glad the madness is over!!

As a way to celebrate the end of this year’s SGC as well as our wedding Anniversary, we went to brunch at one of our favorite brunch-eries, Cafe Degas. They have a truly wonderful menu of food and drink as well as delicious new specials every time!

We started with foie gras pate and a cheese plate (a brie and a soft sharp cheddar served with grapes, crusty toasted bread, strawberries and green apple slices) and moved on to an entree of scallops and a lamb entree, as well.

We finished with lemon icebox pie and a slice of raspberry cake. Cocktails included a St. Germain Gin & Tonic, A Streetcar (gin with pear liqueur) and an absinthe and bourbon concoction that was divine.

We had the waiter take it slow, and we sat there for a couple of hours on the porch in perfect weather enjoying ourselves and planning a new exhibition for next year’s Southern Graphics Conference in Milwaukee!

After a delightful brunch, I had no inclination to rush back to Baton Rouge, so I suggested we head to the zoo. It was a lovely day. Perfect way to celebrate our year together and the end of another SGC. Check out some more pics and an old video below:

Giant Pelicans!

Everyone else at the zoo was upset about all the bees in the trash cans, but Blake and I were just glad to see that bee populations are doing well in the area. If people hadn’t been so terrified and swatting at them, we all would have gotten along fine.