On Thursday night I checked the mail expecting to get the usual: bills, Dwell mag, local fliers, etc., but I was pleasantly surprised to find a big, yellow envelope with a hand-written address to me on the front. I couldn't wait to tear into it. Tami, my beautiful cousin who got married this past summer on 7/11, had sent me a gift.
Here she is on her wedding day with her husband, John Pantano. Doesn't she look stunning? Don't worry, John, you're not lookin' too shabby yourself!
While chatting on the phone with Tams the other night, we started pre-planning our joint-anniversary trips. You see, when I was in her wedding this past July, Ben and I had not yet set a date or picked the location of our nups. I had no clue on her wedding day that, exactly a year later, we would be on the Cape for our wedding. It's really special to know that we will share the same wedding anniversary. I'm so grateful for Tami; she's always been more like a sister to me than a cousin.
So, back to the gift. I opened the envelope and discovered my first issue of Modern Bride with a year's subscription to follow (thank goodness- this bride is gonna need some ideas), Chicken Soup for the Bride's Soul and the sweetest card on earth. The most touching part of the gift was the card; Tami's mother (my beautiful Aunt, who lost her battle to cancer) was incredibly creative and hand-made beautiful greeting cards. Tami has a few left and only uses them for special occasions. I was honored to receive one of these, and I am so touched that she chose to share something so meaningful with me. Thank you so much, Tami!
Now that I'm completely set in the bridal department, Ben and I have plenty on the agenda for this weekend that is not nuptial related. Last night we went to dinner at Michy's (on the mainland) with some fabulous friends: Maggie and Gabe, Omar, Luis from NYC and our new friends, Janet and Spencer. We shoved down our meal because we were running late to another event, Michael Breene's sixties-themed 41st birthday party back on South Beach. Ben and I were already dressed in "character."
Ben was quite dapper in his sixties bow-tie and I wore a little number that I threw together at the last min in my efforts to embrace the era.
The party was full-on class; a Marilyn Monroe impersonator was serving the drinks, Frank Sinatra on vocals and the photographer looked like he just stepped off of the set of Some Like it Hot.
Maybe it was the last Rum and Coca Cola at the fiesta, but afterward, Ben and I were feeling particularly silly. As we walked home, I noticed that the entrance into my first apartment building on South Beach was open. I couldn't resist the opportunity to walk through the halls again; 1361 Meridian Avenue holds a very special place in my heart. It was my first apartment almost THREE years ago when I moved here alone with my two cats. Moving far away from home and starting a life was challenging at times, but I look at my life now and I am so glad that I took the chance. I do believe that things happen in life for a reason.
Here I am checkin' out the old mailbox. It was so surreal to walk through those halls again. I remember how fun it was to decorate and paint my first apartment. I lived alone in Louisville for about 4 months before being relocated to Miami. I moved here without ever having visited before and was a bit intimidated by the prospect of living in a place that I wasn't accustomed to. Thankfully living in Spain prepared me for the feeling of living in a new and unfamiliar place.
The adjustment didn't take long; South Beach is a cool, funky little community full of creative and laid-back people and I soon felt at home. We are fortunate to have become friends with so many incredible people. Our circle keeps growing and, after you live here for awhile, you realize just how small this beach is. It's not uncommon to meet someone new who, you later discover, already knows at least four or five of your friends.
Here I was looking through the window on the stairwell outside of my old apt. I loved those curtains; they always reminded me of my Senoras house in Spain. It's actually really interesting how I ended up in my first apartment. Ben and I almost met year before we were meant to:
When I moved here, I couldn't find an apartment ANYWHERE. I was living in a great apartment in Louisville for $250/month. When I found out that I would be moving to South Beach, I quickly logged on to Craigslist to search for my new pad. It allows you to input a minimum and maximum $ amount that you would like to spend so, naturally, I thought I would splurge and put in $400. I hit search. No results. This KY girl didn't know what hit her.
After making sure that I didn't mess up elsewhere in the input fields, I slowly began to increase the maximum by about $50 at a time and, once I was up to $1050/month, I was about to have a panic attack. I had never in my life seen such high rent prices. I kept looking until I found some places that were nice enough to look at. Believe me, I am not high-maintenance, especially when it comes to living arrangements, but some of these apartments were deplorable.
I finally found some apartments that I wanted to see so I called around and made appointments. At the time, my old company was putting me up in an extended stay about 25 miles outside of South Beach, so I planned for all of the appointments to be on the same day and drove to the Beach for the hunt. Some of the places that I went to made me want to break down and cry and get a one-way ticket back to KY (if my mother had known this, she would have milked it for all it was worth ;) ). The second-to-last apartment that I saw, however, was really nice. As I walked from one empty room to the other, I started mentally planning out where I would put the table and chairs, t.v., etc. (this, of course, is always a good sign). I told the agent that I had one more apartment to see before making my decision and I assured her that I would sign the lease if the next aparment wasn't to my liking.
At this point she explained that I would have to meet for an interview with the president of the condo, "a good-looking, single guy named Ben," before being approved. This is usual requirement of condo buildings here, so I didn't think twice about it and went on to the last appointment (I did, however, find it strange that she made sure to tell me that he was good looking ... I mean, is this part of the sales pitch?). I had found the last apartment (the one pictured above and the one that I ended up taking) on Craigslist by searching the keyword: Spanish. Although it didn't have the same amenities as the apartment in Ben's building, I fell in love with its European charm and Spanish-style. I signed with the last apartment immediately and never got to meet with the good-looking, single Ben. That is, of couse, until a year later.
When Ben and I first met and he told me where he lived (and that he was Prez of his bldg), my mouth dropped open. He was "the Ben" that would have had to approve me for the condo. I came this close to meeting him when I first moved here, but I didn't take the apartment. Another reason to believe that things happen for a reason, because it wasn't the right time in either of our lives to meet. I can't be sure that, had we met that day and I moved into his building, we would be in the position that we are in now. Strange, huh?
Walking through 1361 for the first time since I moved out was a monumental experience for me. I feel really great about how far I've come, how much I've learned and where I am going in the future. If there is one thing that I've learned so far, it's that taking big risks in life is often what brings the greatest rewards. Three years ago as I packed my bags and taped up moving boxes to come to Miami, I never would have imagined that this would be my life now. I never would have guessed that I would be getting married and planning a wedding in Cape Cod. The unknowns of life are what make living so exciting.
Right now we're pooped. We just spent the morning canvassing door-to-door for Obama. Awkward experience, I must say. I've never seen so many scantily clad people so willing to open their doors. I didn't realize that half of South Beach spend Saturdays in their underwear. Typical SoBe, learning something new all the time :)
Tonight we have an event at the symphony and then the UFC fights at Mike and Regan's house. Perhaps I'll have some more random shenanigans to share with you next time :)
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