September 4, 2012

1 Year Anniversary | Staycation

Brandi and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary this past weekend and between the laughter, relaxing, eating and drinking that went on,  we managed to take a few pictures to help us remember how amazing it was. Now that our little 'secret' is out and you know we're moving it I T A L Y next year, we wanted to keep this weekend on the inexpensive side but still make it special.

One thing we try to consistently do is think of what we can do and/or where we can go that's different. We rarely visit or eat at the same places just to keep switching things up. Although we're both LA natives since birth, we went to and ate at places we've never been to before all weekend long.

On Saturday (9/1/12), we went to a private beach in Malibu to enjoy some beers, the sun and each others company.









Come Sunday (9/2/12), it was time to hit the road and head down to Newport Beach & Balboa Island. Neither had ever been and this area had B'Squared written all over it. Nice little restaurants, bars and neighborhoods are all you'll find aside from the channel and beach.

Brandi told me once before that we would live somewhere and I've learned to believe her. Let's just say that this whole move to Italy was called out by her back in February. Here we are, just a few months down the road packing up the house! After Italy, I definitely see us living in a nice little community. I mean, we've only been talking about it for the past 9 years.











After some walking around and restaurant hunting, we decided on The Newport Landing for some food and drinks. Considering this area is known for it's wealth, the prices were very reasonable and everything tasted great. 









Once home, it was time for pizza, wine and Breaking Bad! Don't tease us with a good time! 

Moving onto Monday (9/3/12), most everyone was celebrating Labor Day as they rightfully should. Brandi and I had a different day to celebrate...our 1 year wedding anniversary! It's crazy enough to think that we are married but to now be celebrating 1 year as husband and wife? I mean, where has the time gone? 

After breakfast and a little gift exchange, it was time to get our day started. Check out the new wall art! 


Our first stop would be Malibu Wines which is really nice winery in the Malibu canyon area. 



Neither of us had been before and with the exception of the heat, this place was awesome! They had a guy playing live music outside with a bunch of umbrella covered tables scattered throughout the lawn area. They don't charge for parking or for admission but just require that you purchase a bottle of wine per group. They also allow you to bring in your own picnic food which we thought was a great idea! We decided to do a tasting since that would clearly be the best way to decide on which bottle we'd buy.  It was pretty hot out so we opted for the 2011 Saddlerock Pinot Gris ($25). Awesome choice! 








After a few hours of music, wine and some snacking, it was time to pay Calamigo's Ranch a visit exactly 365 days after we said our vows to each other. Every time we go back to Calamigo's we're quickly reminded how fortunate we are to have gotten married there. If you've never been before, you're missing out on a little hidden gem in the canyon that is not the Malibu you imagine. We ate at Malibu Cafe which never disappoints with its delicious food and drink selections. Gimme S'more!







The highlight of our day was going back to our wedding sight to relive our wedding day. One of the benefits of this place is that the venues are always prepared to show a couple what it would like or is actually getting prepared for an upcoming wedding. It was a very surreal feeling to be back there and just think of all the memories that we shared that night. Hands down the best night of my life! 















Once we were done walking throughout the property, we called it a day and headed home. We originally intended to have our traditional homemade sushi night but with as much as we ate throughout the day, we were pretty tapped out and decided to hold that idea for another night. 

However, that doesn't mean we skipped out on eating some wedding cake. The original makers of our cake, A Sweet Design, hooked it up with a fresh top-tier for us to devour. Vanilla cake with bavarian chocolate chips and strawberry jam. Beyond delicious! 



I couldn't have asked for a better 1 year anniversary. There is a million places we could have gone to celebrate but what mattered most was that we were together.  No destination could ever come close to giving me the feeling that being with Brandi gives me. The amount of memories and good times that we shared in just one year is insane and all I can do is smile when I remind myself that I still have a lifetime of this to come. 

Until next time...

Brandon