On this day in history...
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A monumental event took place. June 12, 2015 was the day of the nuptials for Linda and me. For those of you who were there and capable of retaining memories, it was a hell of a day. It was an incredibly hot Friday. Linda was at the bridal suite of the hotel with her girls, I in my childhood home with my guys. We each got ready (physically, mentally, and emotionally), laughed, reminisced and basically began our journey separately that would ultimately end in our union.
The limo came to take me to the church where I waited with some of my closest and oldest friends in my life. At 3pm, I watched my bride enter to meet me at the alter. And off we went to becoming a married couple. What followed was a party of epic proportions. We had the largest cocktail hour ever created complete with signature drinks that paid homage to important parts of our lives and food to die for carefully selected to let locals and visitors alike taste what we love the most and what symbolizes us. For example, we had some pasta as pasta-loving Italians should. We had NY pastrami as any pastrami-loving New Yorkers should. You get the idea. Then came the main event. The reception. Photographers roamed, DJ's entertained, and we had all the fun stuff you'd expect. The dance floor was packed and everyone had a blast. At one point I sat back and just watched everyone for a minute. They were all there for us. They were all happy because we were happy.
And that's it. We're happy. We're best friends. We do everything together. Almost everything; despite my best efforts, she won't let me get his and her toilets. We genuinely love being near each other as often as possible. Our story of how we met and went through the long distance might play a part in the foundation of friendship that we built.
We complement each other. I'm logical and I plan everything. She's creative and likes to see what happens. I like data, she likes feelings. But we love the same stuff too. We just have our own approaches to those things. Alone, my planning is robotic. Alone, her go with the flow is chaotic. Together, we balance.
This day is very special to me for many reasons. It marks the first year of marriage and that's exciting. It was also quite a busy year. After getting married in June, she got pregnant in late July. She started a new job in October. We bought this house in November. And little Nick arrived in April. That's a lot for a year. Especially the first year of marriage when so much else has changed. I had also started my job just 3 weeks prior to the wedding. We're tired.
But as much as this is all still at the beginning, it also marks a bit of an ending. Or more of a completion. I've been in my industry for 21 years. I've worked in small mom & pop shops, big corporations and the Air Force. I'm studied and degreed in the same. When I moved home as a civilian again in 2013, I couldn't get a job. I decided to take a chance and run JayVig Media full time, which did well enough, but it wasn't the career or salary or growth I had hoped for.
Along the way, I had rejection letters piling up. I was 34 with tons of knowledge, credentials, and experience. We were cramped in a Jersey City condo. We were financially stretched to the max. We were alone since no friends or family were closer than 40 minutes. In truth, I didn't feel good. I went into the Air Force to get on track and left it feeling more off track than ever. It was a situation that would have broken many people, including me had I been alone.
But I loved my bride-to-be more than anything. She deserved better. I promised her better. We wanted better. So I had to make it better. Over 300 rejections later I caught some traction and found my way to Olapic. Then the events listed above all took place.
At the end of a very long struggle was an upswing. At the end of the upswing is today. Not to say we are done rising, but that period of catching up is now over. I have my bride, my boy, my family nearby, my home. We both have lucrative careers that we enjoy and do well at.
So today, we will celebrate the memory of our wedding - the first day of the rest of our lives. And we'll celebrate how our union at that altar that day was the beginning of something truly special. Something important. Something life changing. People say that if you date a long time and live together, that the wedding is a piece of paper. That's not true. It's a commitment to do it all together. And that's what we do, all day, every day. And we've never been happier.
Now we just need to complete the triumvirate by teaching NickyT the same values. On that note, I'm going to make breakfast for my bride and enjoy our day!
The limo came to take me to the church where I waited with some of my closest and oldest friends in my life. At 3pm, I watched my bride enter to meet me at the alter. And off we went to becoming a married couple. What followed was a party of epic proportions. We had the largest cocktail hour ever created complete with signature drinks that paid homage to important parts of our lives and food to die for carefully selected to let locals and visitors alike taste what we love the most and what symbolizes us. For example, we had some pasta as pasta-loving Italians should. We had NY pastrami as any pastrami-loving New Yorkers should. You get the idea. Then came the main event. The reception. Photographers roamed, DJ's entertained, and we had all the fun stuff you'd expect. The dance floor was packed and everyone had a blast. At one point I sat back and just watched everyone for a minute. They were all there for us. They were all happy because we were happy.
And that's it. We're happy. We're best friends. We do everything together. Almost everything; despite my best efforts, she won't let me get his and her toilets. We genuinely love being near each other as often as possible. Our story of how we met and went through the long distance might play a part in the foundation of friendship that we built.
We complement each other. I'm logical and I plan everything. She's creative and likes to see what happens. I like data, she likes feelings. But we love the same stuff too. We just have our own approaches to those things. Alone, my planning is robotic. Alone, her go with the flow is chaotic. Together, we balance.
This day is very special to me for many reasons. It marks the first year of marriage and that's exciting. It was also quite a busy year. After getting married in June, she got pregnant in late July. She started a new job in October. We bought this house in November. And little Nick arrived in April. That's a lot for a year. Especially the first year of marriage when so much else has changed. I had also started my job just 3 weeks prior to the wedding. We're tired.
But as much as this is all still at the beginning, it also marks a bit of an ending. Or more of a completion. I've been in my industry for 21 years. I've worked in small mom & pop shops, big corporations and the Air Force. I'm studied and degreed in the same. When I moved home as a civilian again in 2013, I couldn't get a job. I decided to take a chance and run JayVig Media full time, which did well enough, but it wasn't the career or salary or growth I had hoped for.
Along the way, I had rejection letters piling up. I was 34 with tons of knowledge, credentials, and experience. We were cramped in a Jersey City condo. We were financially stretched to the max. We were alone since no friends or family were closer than 40 minutes. In truth, I didn't feel good. I went into the Air Force to get on track and left it feeling more off track than ever. It was a situation that would have broken many people, including me had I been alone.
But I loved my bride-to-be more than anything. She deserved better. I promised her better. We wanted better. So I had to make it better. Over 300 rejections later I caught some traction and found my way to Olapic. Then the events listed above all took place.
At the end of a very long struggle was an upswing. At the end of the upswing is today. Not to say we are done rising, but that period of catching up is now over. I have my bride, my boy, my family nearby, my home. We both have lucrative careers that we enjoy and do well at.
So today, we will celebrate the memory of our wedding - the first day of the rest of our lives. And we'll celebrate how our union at that altar that day was the beginning of something truly special. Something important. Something life changing. People say that if you date a long time and live together, that the wedding is a piece of paper. That's not true. It's a commitment to do it all together. And that's what we do, all day, every day. And we've never been happier.
Now we just need to complete the triumvirate by teaching NickyT the same values. On that note, I'm going to make breakfast for my bride and enjoy our day!