the elephant and the pirate: anniversary

i have been scouring pinterest for decorating ideas in anticipation of moving. now that the boxes are all unpacked and we are slowly getting settled, i can get started on some of my diy projects. in honor of our 1 year wedding anniversary i decided to start in the bedroom. where all of the magic happens of course. inspired by this pin:

Source: tumblr.com via Briana on Pinterest

i made my heart smaller and used instagram prints from here. i first created a heart shaped template, and laid them out first and then used double sided taped to stick the photos to the template. although the result is pretty sweet, i'm tempted to enlarge it with another row, what do you think?

Source: tumblr.com via Briana on Pinterest

it was the best of times and it was the worst, er difficult of times. on the one hand it was like a dream - travelling here, there, and everywhere. not to mention moving to another country. and sharing every step with my husband. it feels so normal now to refer to barry as my husband. in spite of how hard it can be at times - like grrrrrrr - i love being mrs. meredith. i feel like i am coming into my own, including my new role as a wife. like kids, our spouses do not come with instruction manuals - although that would be nice. instead the first year of marriage can be equated to a trial by fire. having said that, i'm awfully glad i didn't marry sooner, like in my 20's. i seriously shutter at the thought of what a rubbish wife i would have made then. thank goodness i've had time to grow up (a little!), and for the few frogs (ahem!)i had to practice with until my prince came along. and although i can't say i was prepared for what was in store, i was ready.

some highlights from our first year of marriage starting with it the the most special of them all, our wedding....