There was literally no element of surprise. Like, ZERO...ZILCH...NADA! After being with my man on and off for over 8 years, I was ready to know exactly what was in the cards for us. So we carefully planned the whole thing as our first premarital “project” together.

I still owe you guys the full video from of our engagement. It's coming soon, I promise! What I can drop now as far as an update on “us” is that we took our first little getaway since committing to one another as fiancés.

I never imagined I'd be writing a blog post like this. It's currently 3.18am and I’ve got an early flight to catch tomorrow. Lying next to me is a passed out future husband and a 6.5 pound snoring chihuahua. Life couldn’t be better. But how did we get here? I really don’t know! I mean, I guess I do...it's just that time flies and blurs all the steps between your milestones. 

Turning 43 isn’t as scary as having a birthday in a snowstorm, which is why I chose to head west to Scottsdale Arizona for my birthday in January. I really can’t remember having a birthday in New York when it didn’t snow, sleet or hail. Every January, I’m prepared for it. But this year played out differently, thank God! I heard wonderful things about Four Seasons Scottsdale so my little family and I left New York City in the icy dust to experience a short retreat in the desert.

I didn’t know how much I loved Jessica Chastain until...I binged on her movies including a new HBO series she’s in, called Scenes From A Marriage (tread lightly--it's intense!). Then I followed her on Instagram and was instantly addicted! Behind the scenes she’s a silly redhead who loves being glammed up. On camera, she’s pure talent--and you become entangled in the emotions of the characters she plays.