Half A Decade

A half a decade sounds like a really long time. And it is! 5 years is something to celebrate. It's a milestone, for sure.

One that, according to tradition, should be celebrated with wood themed gift.

Psh, tradition. I can do you one better. We celebrated with THIS gift.

But even though half a decade sounds like an eternity when I think about that in terms of my son being in kindergarten half a decade from now or going all the way through med school again, half a decade – 5 years - with Matt has flown by.

I've said it before but it's worth saying again. And again and again and again. We are blessed with a really great marriage. We work at it, of course, but I know how lucky we are to have each other. And I think it is our appreciation of one another, and the fact that we regularly communicate how thankful we are for each other or for things that are done or said to make each other’s lives better or easier, that is one of the strongest points of our marriage.

Watching Matt slip easily into his role as Dad has made me appreciate him more profoundly than I could have ever imagined. I see him holding that tiny baby in his arms - or even better, when he sees me exhausted with the tiny baby in my arms and tells me to hand him over and go nap/go to the y/shower/whatever I need - swells my heart. I didn’t know it was possible to love him even more than I already did, but seeing him in his Daddy role has certainly done that. This has been an amazing season in our life – five years of marriage and a new chapter for our little family.

5 years have been amazing, but I think the best is yet to come. Happy Anniversary, Husband!

West Coast Wedding Weekend

This weekend I flew out to Santa Barbara, CA for the wedding of one of my best friends from college, Anna, and her now-husband Pablo.  While I wouldn't normally condone a cross-country weekend getaway (especially 30 weeks pregnant), I am so, so happy I was able to be present for Anna's big day.  We've been friends since we first met in our freshmen year dorm and have stayed close after more than 12 years, despite living on 2 different coasts now instead of 2 different dorm floors!

It was a quick trip out to Cali, but a wonderful weekend.  I arrived in LA Friday morning - a little sleepy after a SERIOUSLY early departure from Charlotte - where I met my friend Britta at the rental car place.  We made the beautiful 2 hour drive up the coast together to Santa Barbara, and met our other friend Sarah at the hotel.  The four of us - Anna, Britta, Sarah and I - all met freshmen year in our dorm, pledged the same sorority, lived together at various points throughout college, and have now have each taken turns being one another’s bridesmaids!

The wedding was so perfectly suited to Anna & Pablo - honestly, I don't think I have ever been to a wedding that was more personal than this one.  The ceremony site was a shaded little corner of a park with huge rock boulders for privacy.  While waiting for the ceremony to start, guests stood and mingled around a lemonade table and looked at pictures of the couple hanging from ribbons from the trees, while we bridesmaids huddled behind a huge boulder to stay hidden.  The ceremony was conducted underneath a huge tree by Anna's brother, Martin, while guests stood in a close circle around us.  They had written their own vows, and they were so sweet and meaningful - I don't think there was a single dry eye among us. (I wish I had some pictures of the actual ceremony, but I didn’t think snapping some pics while standing in the bridal line was considered good wedding party etiquette!)

Afterwards, we traipsed back through the woods to our cars (my first time driving a bride to her own wedding!) and to a nearby restaurant called the Wine Cask, for an absolutely fabulous meal, wonderful toasts, lots of congratulatory hugs and of course, dancing.  (And for the record, being pregnant in a place called "the Wine Cask" is indeed absolute purgatory.)  But, in lieu of wine, I found my vice of the night - chocolate chevre donuts.  Just let that sink in for a minute.

I kind of want to devote a whole paragraph to this donut.  Anna had a mini-dessert bar (which, AMAZING) with oversized spoon filled with lemon curd, mini peanut butter cupcakes, slices of wedding cake and mini chocolate chevre donuts.  I took a spoonful of lemon curd - nice, but I wasn't over the moon.  I bit into the peanut butter cupcake - and gave the rest to Sarah because it was too rich.  Then I reached for the donuts (shut up, I'm pregnant) and as soon as I took a bite told Sarah "stop eating that peanut butter thing right now and put this in your mouth immediately!" Possibly one of the best things I have ever eaten. Ok, I did just devote a whole paragraph to it, didn't I?

Anyways, it was a fantastic weekend although way, way too short.  We had dinner together Friday night at the rehearsal dinner and a relaxing albeit breezy day on the beach together on Saturday, but I felt like I was saying good-bye to my friends almost as soon as I had said hello.  Before I knew it, I was wishing Anna and Pablo congratulations and goodnight and slinking back to the hotel room due to my 5 am (eek!) departure to drive back to LAX the next morning.  The travel home was long, but fortunately and blissfully uneventful - and even made a tiny bit easier by a sweet TSA lady who waved me through the long security line to get in priority security so I didn't have to wait so long.  (Preggo perks!)  I was happy to pull in to my garage and climb into bed Sunday night, but I'm even more happy I made the long journey out to the other side of the country to witness one of my best friends and the start of her happy, happy marriage. 

Breezy Beach Day

Working on her vows…

Getting in her dress w/ her sister Rebecca’s help

Beautiful bride!

Congratulations, Anna & Pabs!

Thankful Thursday: Anniversary Edition

Today is our FOURTH anniversary!  I can hardly believe that it has been four years.  Since our wedding anniversary falls on a Thursday, what better way to honor it than with a TT post dedicated to my husband?

Please feel free to stop reading if the schmoopy gets to you.

Dearest Husband,

I am thankful that...

- you mow the lawn.  I did it once and it took an extremely long time and was hot and not much fun.  Thank you for sparing me from that, even and especially when I forget to tell you.
- you are unequivocally the hardest working person I know and yet at the same time, the least likely to complain about how hard you work. 
- you learned to snowboard and you taught me to wakeboard.
- you respect your parents & your grandparents.  And my parents and grandparents. 
- you built me a bed.
- you always tell me honestly how an outfit looks. 
- when I was unhappy at my job last year, you told me to quit complaining and do something about it.  I needed that.
- you have an insatiable interest in new adventures and traveling.  I am 100% certain we will never, ever be bored.
- you don't internalize your work, but you're never cynical or callous about the things you see every day and the patients you treat.
- you know how to shag dance.
- you are decisive.  (Luckily you decided you wanted to marry me!)
- you drive on long trips and late at night, and don't give me too much crap about always falling asleep on road trips.
- you rarely get stressed, and even when you do, you never take it out on me. 
- when I told you I wanted to write a book, you said "So write a book."  You've been my cheerleader ever since, as well as encouraging me with my coaching practice.
- you love the Spuds as much as I do.
- you humored me by going with me to the Gary Chapman talk before our wedding.  I don't think I ever told you how much that meant to me.
- you put your laundry in the hamper and your dishes in the sink.
- you love 90s rock music as much as I do - if not more.
- you value health and taking care of yourself.  And to that end, you'll eat whatever I cook... even when I'm "experimenting." 
- you wanted to grow old with me.
- you asked me to marry you.

****

I am in danger of letting this list go on and on... and though this is basically a "reasons why I love my husband" list, it really is a list of gratitude.  I think gratitude and appreciation are a cornerstone of a solid marriage, and I know that every time I stop to take stock of what I am thankful for my husband and my marriage top that list.  I am, simply put, blessed.  I know that every day, but I am especially reminded of it today.  Happy Anniversary, Matthew.  I am thankful for us.

To A Happily Ever After…

From crazy college theme parties…

To Chi O-ing...

To Posties Roomies...

To bridesmaids!

It is so fun to get to celebrate the wedding of someone you have known for so long and been through so much with.  I can remember sitting on Sarah's bed in her single in Bostwick, our freshmen door, staying up late talking about the stress of college life such as boys, and sororities, and classes.  (Probably in reverse order, nerds that we are.)

As a four-some - me, Anna, Britta, and Sarah - we've weathered sorority rush (twice), bad boyfriends and crazy break-ups, post exam drama, graduation, moving up and down the eastern seaboard, grad school, and post-grad life.  We've had chats on dorm room twin beds, in the car on road trips to long chats on the phone.  Sarah and I, having known each other for 11 years now, have talked about her stresses, her frustrations, her hopes, her wishes...

And today, I got to witness her joy.  Her deserved to the very most joy, and her love for her now-husband and his sweet boys.
I'm so happy for you, friend.  Happy Wedding Day, Sarah & Brian.

The Morning After

Pictures on my phone, remembering the night before.  We had so much fun. 

They Did.

Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Morris.  A beautiful bride, a handsome groom, happy family, cherished friends, clinking glasses….

And a rockin’ DJ.  Your life is off to a happily ever after start.

{Katie + Dylan – 06.18.11}

Practice Makes Perfect

You know you’re in trouble when you get weepy at the wedding rehearsal, right?

I just can’t believe my baby sis is getting married.  In my mind, she’s still the 11 year old pretending to be Dominique Moceanu in our backyard, doing back handsprings in the grass and landing with a perfect stick and a smile full of braces. 

Now, she’s standing up in front of the Judge, one of my Dad’s best friends from college, holding the hands of her fiancé, looking in his eyes and practicing their vows.  (Stop saying them out loud!  I’m already crying!)

I am so happy to be witness to this marriage.  You know, when you just know that two people found each other on purpose? 

The groom & bride to be!

The groomsmen

And the bridesmaids…

And a gratuitous Oak Hill shot just to keep for your viewing pleasure.

After practicing their yes-we-do’s, the bridal party and out of town guests filed into our family’s backyard for a casual barbecue (Dinosaur BBQ!) dinner and to officially kick off the weekend of celebrating these two.

The décor was done by Katie’s wedding planner/our good family friend, Meredith.  Meredith’s the daughter of my Dad’s childhood best friend, and we have literally know her & her sister, Lauren, since birth.  The centerpieces were put together by Dylan’s sister, Lindsay.

The beverages traveled all the way from Wisconsin!

The party in full swing…

A mix of Katie’s high school friends & both their college friends…

With two very handsome men – my husband & my brother!

(My brother is single and I can almost guarantee does not read my blog…. so email me if you would like to be set up with a very smart, very funny, musical, handsome guy who is extremely terrible at returning emails and texts.)

(Ya like that Mom?  Think it’ll work?)

My dad giving his toast roast.

Laughing on the outside, probably crying on the inside. 

Ready to bring these 2 families together!

Shower the People You Love With Love

Yesterday was my little sister’s first wedding shower.

(For the record, it’s not really sinking in that my baby sister is getting married in just 97 days…)

The shower was hosted by Katie’s two college roommates, Meredith & KP, and her 2 closest friends from teaching, Drew and Shannon. Drew’s sister-in-law, Jackie, has a party planning business and coordinated all the amazingly cute details of the shower. I kept walking around ooh-ing and ahh-ing because every corner of the house had something adorable related to the theme of the shower.

After a delicious brunch, we did what you of course do at showers: watched the bride open gifts, and slowly see the pieces of the bride & groom's future home come together. Despite the fact that I’m having a hard time wrapping my brain around baby girl being grown up enough to get married, her excitement level over things like spice racks and pyrex dishes confirms that maybe she is indeed ready to be a Mrs.

Self timer coffee makers: the stuff dreams are made of.

I do believe our bridey had fun at her shower, and can now officially say her wedding season has kicked off. Katie’s friends did an incredible job putting her shower together, and it makes me happy to know she has such sweet and loving friends to support her. Because that’s almost as important as having the right silverware when it comes to the things you need to start off a marriage on the right foot.

Katie with 2 of her shower hostesses/bridesmaids/Wake roomies Meredith & KP