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The BIG 30!

September 10, 2010 finally arrived. Reyes the dog turned 4 years old and I turned, well, officially old. Here’s a photo of our celebration. More details to follow about our fantastic trip to San Diego!

My Favorite Bridesmaid

My favorite photo from the wedding. Reyes laying on the train of my wedding dress! So cute!

It’s the BIG ONE!

With all the wedding planning and excitement, I didn’t have time to actually think about what was coming up  September 10th. Slowly, the day has been creeping up on me. The BIG 3 0! Wow, it sounds so fictional that I am going to be 30 years old. How can this be? How did this happen?  Where did the time go?  It doesn’t seem like too long ago I was roller skating in my parents back yard and not yet able to cross the street by myself.  I have vivid memories of sleeping over my Nana’s house where she would let us run through the house and dress up in rags, then send us home with goody bags full of candy and $2.00.

I remember spending the summer upstate New York at Jellystone Park. Memories are filled with Yogi bear, hay rides, and swimming in what seemed to be the most gigantic pool in the world. Winters, it would snow so hard that sometimes the snow banks would be taller than me.  My brother,  sister,  and I would go outside and build snow forts until we were forced by mother to come back inside because we were practically frost-bitten.   She would make us hot chocolate and help us out of our 5 layers of wet clothes.

Back home, we would wake up early just so we can go outside and play all day with all the neighborhood kids. We would ride bikes and play baseball in the street. We would never let my sister play because she too little  and we were simply too cool. She would always  sit on the side line and watch us play hoping one day we would finally let her play. One day we finally did.

As I sit here and reflect on the past 30 years (that sounds so horrible to say out loud), I realize I have so many amazing memories with family and friends. I have been incredibly blessed with a wonderful life that I too often take for granted! I have an amazing family that has helped me through crazy times in my life, picked me up when I was down,  wiped my tears as I cried, and laughed at my ridiculous antics. So many ups and downs throughout growing up.  I have been able to overcome many obstacles and become stronger person.  Throughout everything I can honestly say I proud of the person I have become. I am a strong woman with an amazing husband, family, friends, and my little Reyes.  As I turn 30, I realize I am truly happy where I am in life and there’s nothing better than that!

So please feel free to join me in my 3rd decade celebration. Gifts will be accepted until the end of the month yet will not be turned away if they are submitted after said deadline. I am a size small, my favorite color is pink, and I love Michael Kors! Thank you in advance. =)

I Do!

August 1, 2010 has been the day we’ve been waiting for over 650 days. It seemed like years ago (which is actually not an exaggeration) Rob got down on one knee and popped the question.

Everything about the wedding was truly amazing. Deacon Bob made our ceremony so special and personal. All of our friends and family were there to watch Rob and I exchange our vows and become Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cesternino.

The Reception was amazing. The Astor Suite at The Watermill was decorated beautifully in pink and burgundy. The centerpieces were a variety of all my favorite flowers in different shades of pink with splashes of burgundy. The arrangements were so pretty and set atop a tall clear vase with roses floating in the water. Kelly at the Merrick Flower Shoppe did an amazing job with all the flowers!

We even had our own paparazzi courtesy of ADA photography. Big John, our main photographer, Aida, our photojournalistic photographer, and their wonderful assistant Bobby were the perfect team! As favors, we had another photographer set up to take “photo favors” for all our guest as a special thank you for celebrating with us.

Click the above photo to view more photo's from the Wedding of the Century!!

Sal our DJ from Sonic Boom, kept the dance floor moving all night with great music and amazing energy! The dance floor was packed from beginning to end.

Most of all, I got to celebrate the most incredible day of my life with all my family and friends AND the man I love, MY HUSBAND. I am truly a lucky woman!

The Perfect Shower

May 29, 2010, I attended the most amazing bridal shower I could ever imagine. My mother, sister, future mother-in-law, and bridesmaids threw me an incredible shower at Pompei’s restaurant in Long Island, New York.

I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. It was such an amazing and beautiful party. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

Click photo to view the Greatest Bridal Shower Ever!

3 Months and Counting!

August 1, 2010 is quickly approaching.  Only 94 days until the party of the century!

It’s official. The invitations are out. We’re getting married. We can’t wait to celebrate our special day!!

Coming from out-of-town?? Don’t forget to check out the HOTEL INFORMATION

May 1, 2010 Rob and I will be celebrating our 7 year anniversary.

Next Time On Survivor…

Survivor has just celebrated it’s 10 year Anniversary in a way that’s created such enthusiasm in the Cesternino/Palmeri house.  As Rob and I watch the show, we often think what would Rob, “the smartest player never to win”, do in each particular situation.  But sometimes, during the challenges,  crazy altercations, or mention of starvation, I chime in with “I could never do that” or “I would have punched James in the face”.  So this got me thinking… what if I was on Survivor?

Well,  I do have the inside scoop on how to play the game and what it’s really like out there.  Afterall, I was “trained” by pretty much the greatest player ever to play the game  (sorry Russell, but I’m not talking about you!).  I guess that makes me better qualified than most contestants.  So, realistically, I should just be given the  million dollar prize!

Basically, I play Survivor everyday at work, at home, with my friends, even with random strangers.  As I sit and contemplate this, it appears I always want to vote someone off my “island”.  The only problem is that Jeff Probst is never around to snuff their torch.  I have been told once, maybe twice, that I am a certain word that starts with the letter “B” (beautiful is one, but that’s not the one I’m talking about).  It’s very easy to get on my sh*t list and very difficult to come off.  The first time someone tells me what do, I imagine a coconut being thrown directly at their head.  Being that I have absolutely no poker face,  it’s not hard by any means to figure out exactly what I’m thinking.  I might as well write my own name on the parchment.

The challenges are one of the most entertaining parts of the show. Especially lately, with all of the one on one physical or fighting challenges.  A 5-foot tall, vertically challenged, dainty woman like myself may not be well equipped for such brawls and probably not much of an asset in these physical challenges.  I may just fall to the ground and play dead like a little puppy to avoid the risk of  being beaten to death.  Besides, I am way too klutzy to stand on a balance beam and beat someone with a giant American Gladiator weapon. Not exactly the pillow fights I’m used to.

We don’t see a lot of  the swimming challenges as much as we used to. Which is great news for me even though I’m working on perfecting my doggy paddle.  No one has drowned yet but I’m sure that would make for great T.V.

Camp life always has a major impact of where you stand in the game. You are always judged on what you do or how much you do around camp.  I can do pretty much anything around the house, but the second I’m hungry and my glucose drops, stand back, it’s never pretty. It’s as if I become  a lion and Rob has to throw a raw steak and chocolate milk into my cage for me to turn back into the cute little lamb again.

I don’t think Russel has to worry too much regarding the competition or threat of me finding the hidden immunity idols.  I lost my dog the other day in my apartment and gave up looking for her after 20 minutes.

It’s obvious I could never win the game, but one thing is for certain I would be TV gold!