Updates: Changing with the Times

I read the"About Me" today and realized how outdated it was. Major life changes have occurred this summer and therefore a blog makeover seems appropriate...

I spent my lunch hour messing with the layout. I have a tendency to over think the details. I love messing with fonts and colors until it fits me, until it settles onto the page as though it was meant to be there. At home, I shift vases and picture frames around on a regular basis. The details are easy to play with and can make a big difference. Let me know what you think. Do you miss the old look? Did you even notice? Stay with me as I figure this thing out. Blog design care of me and Cutest Blog on the Block.

Simple Inspiration: Eye Candy

Who is this girl with three posts in one week??? I guess that's what happens post-wedding when your friends leave town and your husband goes back to school. I just have some fun images to store. A little bit of eye candy and inspiration.

Am I a hypocrite if I follow that beautiful quote up with a page out of Anthropologie's fall catalog? I say not as we spend a third of our lives sleeping (probably more for me) so what better place to start finding elegance and refinement than in your own bedroom!




Oh Anthropologie, you have my heart and sometimes my wallet.

Speaking of bedroom the new husband and I are waiting on this to finish off our bedroom. We used our Macy's gift cards to purchase. Thanks friends and family. Also today I caved and bought this to wear to Nick's Dad's wedding in two weeks! I was debating what to wear and pulled up this dress for the umpteenth time to find it on sale. I took it as a sign and acted quickly. The thing that makes me nervous it is says that the model is wearing the same size dress that I ordered. That doesn't seem right. Online shopping always makes me a little nervous but that's what a good return policy is for. 





Nick, someday you and I must waste days together in this tropical paradise. Please??



Not Gone Yet: Two More Weeks of Summer

I. am. not. ready. for. fall. It is only the first week of September but the mornings are crisp and it smells like a new season. Nick started back to class on Tuesday and has been saying things like "Oh football is almost here!" and "We should have friends over for a bonfire." But I try to push away his comments. I love lazy football Sundays and nothing smells better than snapping pines over open flame but I am not ready for summer to be over. What about going to the beach and baseball games and being able to walk outside without it hurting?

Sorry to those offended by feet.

Football, bonfires, pumpkin lattes, cute sweaters, and yummy smelling air are all tricks!! It's like the stranger offering you candy. I love snickers as much as the next guy but that peanut chocolate goodness comes with consequences and those consequences last for nine months in this part of the country!

"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring"


I found this quote the other day while looking for something else and while I know it is true, it is not easy. I am trying though. Yesterday I was so thrown by the brisk morning air that I layered myself unnecessarily while walking to the train and was stripping down by the time I got to work. Today I was a little smarter in the clothing choices and I actually enjoyed my walk into work. It was one of those mornings that the air smelled so good. It was fresh and clean and was lulling me into a haze of memories.

• It made me think about the first days of school and how I always started the year so organized. I would have a new backpack and sharpened pencils and fresh notebooks and somehow the Trapperkeeper or the giant Crayola box or the Lisa Frank folders translated into excitement for a new year. I loved buying school supplies and poured over options for what to wear on the first day. I always planned out my outfits for the first week and coincidentally, or maybe not so much, the first week is about as long as I ever maintained my organization. The moment I found comfort in friends, a clean backpack mattered much less

• It reminded me of Australia. When we first got there it was July and the middle of winter. The air smelled like wood chips and grass and I was in a constant state of awe. I was alone in a foreign country and had no idea what my life would look like the next day or week or month. I was very tense when I went somewhere as I was only ever half sure of where I was going. I remember taking cabs a lot in the first few weeks and coincidentally, or maybe not so much, I started walking everywhere once I figured out how I would be spending my time. The moment I found comfort in friends, getting places quickly mattered much less.

Winter on a beach in Jervis Bay, Australia.





Nick and I very early on at his Minnesota themed party. That scarf is the first gift he ever gave me.



Part 1: August 20, 2011

To take any pressure off of myself, I will start by saying this is not my official wedding post. But I have been trying for a few weeks now to embrace my thoughts, whatever they may be. This special time in our relationship is fleeting and I have tried very hard to live in the moment, to not stress too much about the details, and to try to remember as much as I can. The best way to remember for me is to write.

Everybody offers advice whether or not it is solicited and some of the questions have surprised me. Post wedding, the number one question: what went wrong? any big mishaps?

The answer: no.

The extended answer: anything that "went wrong" was more than made up for. The way things played out was not always what we planned but always ended up being better than what we could have thought up. For example, our officiator announced us as husband and wife, everybody cheered, and the music quickly started up. In all of the excitement the officiator did not get a chance to tell us to kiss and as he is blind, may not have known that we did not. So I leaned in and said "Tommy you forgot to have us kiss."

To which Tommy threw his hands up and shouted, "Stop the music!" The music abruptly went quiet and Tommy got his chance to tell us to kiss, at which the crowd broke out into even louder cheering and the music resumed. I loved it! It was fun. It was perfect.

I have spent so much time since the wedding thinking about moments. Asking myself questions about favorite parts, things I want to hold onto, what would I change? What unsolicited advice will I offer to the bride after me?

Something that bothered me wedding week, and it probably seems silly, is that I never got emotional. I never cried. If you know me, you know that I cry easily. If you don't, let me say that I will cry anytime I see somebody else crying. This includes reality TV stars.

Nick told me a number of times that he was putting effort into "keeping it together" and a part of me longed to just fall apart with the feeling of love and happiness and an understanding of what it all means. Instead I just stood around and smiled like a dope (see below).

Maybe as the wedding gets further away, I will have better perspective. For now my reason is that leading up to the wedding Nick spent a lot of time by himself. He was in his hotel room the morning of the wedding writing me a letter when it "finally hit" for him.

I spent that morning surrounded by my girls. My Mom, sisters, niece, cousin, sister-in-law, friends, hair and makeup artist, and a frenzy of random visitors were by my side attempting to attend to my every need. (It's okay, I can lift my arm to drink my oj. But thanks.)

In all honesty, I would not have had that morning play out any other way. What kept me so calm was the happiness of seeing these people that I love so much, supporting me and getting to know each other better. (The people in that room came from six different states to be there. If you are reading this and most of your close friends and family live close to each other, please take a moment to recognize how lucky you are!! If you and your significant other have family in similar areas, please acknowledge, you are also very lucky!!!) Okay now that I have stepped off of my soap box - what I'm trying to say is when I really think about everything that happened, from the time we landed in Boston until the day we flew back to Minneapolis, I would not have changed a thing.

Like most girls, I have had thoughts about what my wedding would be like since I was little. Every time I went somewhere beautiful, I was secretly storing it in my mind as a possible location. Where I wanted to get married shifted drastically. I have thought everything from a wedding on the beach in Hawaii to the top of a mountain in New Hampshire to a park in Australia and ended up in a ballroom in downtown Boston.

The one thing that never shifted was a dream to have my wedding be an event. I did not want it to be one day. I wanted to do a destination purely because it would force everyone to hang out for an extended period of time. It is funny to think of having a destination wedding in your hometown but that is what ended up happening. When I think back on my wedding, I do not think of just August 20th. I think about everything in between. From connolis in the North End and dancing at the oldest bar in America to taking my nine-year-old brother-in-law on his first train ride to playing in the fountains with my niece from lunch on Newbury Street to napping in the hammock at my parents house.

So much more I want to share but I will hold out hopefully for some professional photos. Have a good Labor day weekend!

TGIF: Stumbling Through 8 Days

I'm sure this comes as a shock but it is really hard to be at work today. My hope is that if I write a little bit and then make my zillionth to do list that it will shake off some of my nervous/excited/anxious energy.

I have not been as focused this week as maybe I should be. Not on the wedding, not on eating well, not on getting enough sleep. Wednesday we went to the Red Sox/Twins game and I accidentally got a little drunk. Yesterday I went to Sam's fringe show. It was hilarious! I didn't get home until almost 9pm and then I just read and went to sleep. But despite all of this, I still feel like we are on top of things. We do not have any plans this weekend, outside of my salon appointment, so we can finish our DIY place cards and wrap up some other details. We leave on Tuesday evening for Boston. I need to make sure I am staying ahead of my work.

Today I bought this and this. The dress is to wear on wedding day while I am getting ready and the pocket book is because I do not have one.

In the spirit of randomness let me share with you some other fun things that I found.

• This blog makes me want to spend time being girly.
• This should be read when you need to shake off a bad morning. 
• This dress makes me wish I found it three months ago.

Have you started stumbling yet?? Oh man it's addicting. As a friend said, "Once you think you've found the end of the internet, you start stumbling and you realize there is no end"

How cool are these sinks? c/o stumble upon.

This livingroom with the library would be a dream!

Summer 2011: Turn, Turn, Turn

This summer has been keeping me on my toes and with little time for writing creatively as all of that energy has been put toward planning a wedding. I wouldn't trade it for anything, despite the nervousness that has settled somewhere between my throat and my stomach. What are you nervous about? I keep getting asked. Really?? I would be nervous if I wasn't nervous (ha!).

July 6th we moved into our new home after living with Nick's family for a week. The house is unpacked in the sense that we live there and we can show people rooms and they think they look nice (with the exception of our offices) but there is still so much to do and for now, that is okay.

July 22nd we had our Minnesota Send-Off Party. It was the reception prior to our wedding, held for all of our friends and family in Minnesota that are not able to join us in Boston. It was a great idea that Nick's Dad presented to us last summer and with his financial support, how could we say no? It was a great party and a wonderful success. There were more emotional moments than I expected. My Mom and Nick's Dad gave lovely toasts. My friend Joel sang the most BEAUTIFUL rendition of Unchained Melody that I have ever heard. And Nick pulled me up to the microphone when he went up to thank everyone and he surprised me with unofficial vows. Gosh he's cute! I thought I would have cried but instead I was smiling so hard my jaw hurt the next day. Now that's joy!

I was in Boston this past weekend for a family friend's wedding, my hair trial, and to bring my wedding dress home. It was a great trip. It was so nice to be home. The highlight for me was coming downstairs to show my sister and her baby my wedding dress. My 19-month-old niece came up to me with a big smile on her face, hands outstretched, and walked around me in circles saying "Turn Arouuunnd, Turrrnn Arooound" as she carefully spun me and touched the fabric. Babies don't lie and this baby sure liked my dress.


Kaia

I have to say that the biggest thing I will take away from the craziness of these past few month, is appreciation for friends that have gone out of their way to celebrate with us. The love and support that certain friends have shown is staggering and I can't wait for a chance to shine the love back on them.



Wisconsin Dells Girls Weekend!



Minneapolis Bachelorette



Surprise Boston Bachelorette!



Boston Shower

Two weeks from today, I leave for Boston!!! Unbelievable! I hope to be able to write before that time.

A Non-Trip to Oakland for Big Macs



Deciding to move right before our wedding makes about as much sense as this sign

 I can't even type a sentence. I have written and rewritten the beginning of this post so many times. My thoughts are waterlogged. I am overwhelmed. I feel like there is so much to do that instead of swinging into action, I am sitting here, staring at my screen. I can't sort my mind out. I can't focus on a single task. Life is so nuts right now!

• We are picking up the moving truck on Tuesday (Nick's birthday). We are packing up all of our things and putting them in the back of a U-Haul and then driving that U-Haul to Nicks' Dad's house, where it will sit for one week before we can move into our new home.

• My car is still in limbo. The insurance company is essentially arguing with itself.

• The Minnesota send-off party is less than a month away. So much to do!

• Our wedding is less than two months away. Even more to do!

• I am leaking money all over the wedding and to make things more interesting my debit card got rejected last night. We got paid yesterday so it really did not make any sense. I checked my account this morning and had a $16.35 charge from McDonald's in Oakland. My bank cancelled my card and is sending me a new one. McDonald's in Oakland??

I have truly enjoyed this past year and the planning process but right now is a time for unaccounted strangeness and stress. it's Friday and this weekend we are planning to pack and sneak in a little fun.


I feel a little like this.