Exactly one year from today, I will be Mrs. Tony Cavalero. I AM SO EXCITED. If you’ve been following this blog, you already know I’m a lucky girl and a lot of my wedding dreams have come true. I’m marrying my best friend and the love of my life, my own personal Ken doll, Tony. Our wedding is going to be in Lake Tahoe, my favorite place in the world, at my parents’ best friends’ house, the same house where Tony proposed. And it’s all happening in 365 days.

No, seriously. I get to marry that guy. Yeah, the one in the gold glitter suit.

I was going to write, “And the countdown begins!” But, the countdown began pretty much when I was given this child-size wedding gown as a reward for surviving reconstructive surgery after diving face first into a pool:

And, the countdown officially kicked into high gear when Tony proposed to me in December (if you check my email history, you’ll see that very night, I drunk-emailed several photographers, a florist and a rehearsal dinner venue.) But now, it’s starting to feel more real. Normal brides who don’t require, oh, say, an 18+ month engagement, are starting to plan their wedding for the same day. All of the details I’ve been dreaming of for years and Pinning for months need to be narrowed down and decided upon. By the time the holidays roll around again (give or take a month), I need to choose my dress.

It’s overwhelming, thrilling and, (to the bridezilla in me), a little sad, because once I decide on something, that’s it forever, no more dreaming about what that aspect of my wedding will be like. I can already tell that I’ll probably get the post-wedding blues when it’s all over, and be that girl who keeps her wedding portrait as her Facebook profile pic for years. But, then I remember that this wedding is going to actually happen, in real life, not just in my head. And, more importantly, that I get to be married to Tony, and this will just be one of many awesome days in our life.

(I will still wear my wedding dress and drink champagne whenever I’m left alone in my house, though.)

You already know why I love Tony. As I’m writing this, I’m drinking an iced latte that he got up early, when it was still dark out, to leave in the fridge for me before heading to work. Life with him is so fun. The happiest place in the world to me is cuddled up on the sofa with him, with take-out and a glass of wine, our dogs bouncing all over us, while Tony makes me laugh so hard I cry.

Such a good dog dad.

I’m going to a wedding this weekend and Tony has four Groundlings shows in two days, so we decided to celebrate our “unanniversary” early. Well, Tony did — last Monday, he surprised me with a quick getaway to the Parker Palm Springs, where we spent 48 hours eating and lounging in the pool (sometimes, doing both at the same time.)

Our view for the majority of the trip, since it was 111 degrees.

Even at 1am. The pool is open 24 hours.

Side note: My eye kind of looks like the one in the ad for The Strain, right?!

Night moves.

Love this sign they had posted. Super relieved it didn’t apply to us.

When we took a break from the pool, we made s’mores at midnight, a Tahoe tradition and a major wedding dessert, if my mom has anything to say about it.

Tony making me s’mores.

Me eating my s’mores.

And when it was finally time to go to sleep, we’d gently doze off to the sounds of men beating the crap out of each other.

Tony was in charge of the remote. Obviously.

Before we discovered Norma’s delivered to the pool, so we could eat in the pool, we ate all our meals there. The first day, we ordered every appetizer on the menu:

And for breakfast, I had a milkshake. We did not need two straws, as I chose not to share.

Tony was cool with that, he was just relieved I didn’t order the $1,000 frittata.

WHAT.

On the last night, Tony took me to The Tropicale, a restaurant straight out of the Rat Pack era and Palm Springs’ heyday, where we listened to a piano player belt out tunes my Grandpa would’ve loved (and I love, too).

Tony ordered a plate of meat, and I decided to opt for a healthy salad:

Tony’s meat.

My salad. You’re right, those ARE two pieces of fried chicken and it IS soaked in ranch dressing and DOES have an entire avocado on top and I DID eat it all!

Life with Tony is an adventure and, with surprises like this, and take-out and wine and bouncing dogs on the sofa, I just might survive life after the wedding…

Our unanniversary dinner at The Tropicale.

Happy Unanniversary, Tony! I can’t wait to marry you! And to everyone else: Don’t worry, I’ll find ways to come up with a lot more anniversaries, besides our Dateiversary and our Unanniversary, before our wedding. Maybe the First I Love Youversary? The Move Inaversary? The First Time Tony Felt Comfortable Farting In Front of Meversary? (I’m also accepting suggestions in the Comments section below.)