10 Loves Friday

Aaaaand I’m back with another week’s worth of loves. One of my new favorite things to do Thursday evening is sit on the sofa and surf the internet for things that strike me. Below are this week’s winners…


Adorably Chubby Babies- I am on a baby kick right now. While I am not planning on getting pregnant for a little while; I am still obsessed with all things baby. Most parents hope that their babies will be healthy and have all 10 fingers and toes. Me? I take it up a notch…I want my baby to be a “chunky monkey.” :)

Cinderella- Well… I am still on the love kick and I think Cinderella is the perfect fairytale. While we all may not be treated as the unwanted child, there are still hard moments in every girl’s life. Eventually, hopefully, we all find our prince and get our fairytale. :)

Country Music- I don’t think I should even have to explain this. Anyone that knows me knows I am obsessed with Country Music. 99.999% of the time that is what is on my stereo…and that is just how I like it!

Friends- I am not talking about the television show either. Instead, I am talking about all of the friends that I have. Not the superficial ones that only think of themselves…not the ones that come and go depending on which way the wind blows…real friends. I have said all of my life that I would rather have a handful of good friends that I can count on and that I know are there. Luckily for me, Michael and I have found that handful of real friends and I wouldn’t change them for anything…and for that I am thankful. 

Naps- I have said this for years and now I’ve finally found a photograph that says it too. Naps are HIGHLY underappreciated. I really think naptime should be a staple in everybody’s day…just like dinner. Just imagine how much nicer the world would be if we all weren’t so exhausted all of the time… 

Musicals- I LOVE musicals! I will never forget seeing Grease in London when I was 17 years old. While that Grease is still my all-time favorite Wicked was definitely a close second. *sigh* Who wants to go to a musical with me?? 

Wine- Not only do I love wine in general…but Arrington Vineyards is by far my favorite winery. Unfortunately for me, they are located in Tennessee. Oh well…I guess that is what shipping is for. :)

Sex and the City- Anyone that knows me knows I am OBSESSED with this show. I mean I wore the same shoes the day of my wedding(s) that Carrie Bradshaw wore when she married Mr. Big. It is the one show I can proudly say I know almost every single line too, and still DVR it.

Looking at homes- I have always loved looking at model homes and open houses. If I see one I tend to stop. Well, now Michael and I are on a mission to buy another house in the next 18 months or so and I can’t stop looking. I even look online... Think I’m impatient much?

Homemade Italian Food- I am Italian and so is Michael. To say that pastas are a huge part of our diet is a ridiculous understatement. Because we eat so much of it I have learned to be very picky about what kind of pastas I eat. It is the one type of food that I am totally okay with making from scratch and usually have the ingredients on hand to do so. Really…there isn’t anything better!

Back to the real world!

Well, I am officially back to the real world. No more weddings, no more planning! WAHOOOOOOO!

This last weekend started out with a mad dash to clean my house. Christine came over and helped because that girl is silly enough that she loves to clean. I was very thankful for the help because I hate it…with a passion. J

Saturday I was recovering from our celebration we had after my house was clean (2 bottles of wine…) when I went to pick up Katie. Aside from SWA trying to steal her bag, everything went well. I was able to spend time with her again, for the second time in 2 weeks, and it felt like Christmas! On the way back to my house we decided to be bad and stopped at McDonalds. This was a complete waste. We stopped for French fries and a milk shake… in my hung over state that sounded like a steak and lobster dinner. Well we got there only to be told that their ice cream machine was down…thus meaning no milk shakes. Okay fine, I will go with my ever faithful backup, lemonade. I then find out that they are out of lemonade. Really now? I ended up settling for French fries and OJ. Not exactly what I had in mind, but somehow it worked.

That night we went to a Halloween party at Melissa’s. It was fun hanging out with her again because I hadn’t seen her in a few months due to our crazy schedules. Here’s a picture of Katie and myself from that night…

The next morning we woke up WAY too early and got me ready for “my big day” for the second time. Even though I am very glad to be done with weddings, I had an absolute blast at the reception! The margaritas were flowing, the food was out of this world yummy and I was able to talk to people I haven’t seen in what seems like forever. My mother-in-law did a truly amazing job and I am very grateful for everything she did to make our reception exactly what we wanted…a small backyard style party with lots of food, alcohol and friends.

Here is a picture form the day that my uncle took…

After getting home super late Sunday night I had to wake up at 4:15 to take Katie to the airport. While I had it bad, she had it worse. Running through the airport at 5 something in the morning is never fun!

While this last weekend was one of the most fun in awhile…I was very happy when Monday (evening) came and I could finally relax. J

10 Loves Friday!

It’s Friday again so it’s time for another 10 loves of mine. Little did I know that choosing 10 would be so hard! I mean I am picky… and this week has been a little frantic and busy trying to get ready for the reception this weekend. Who ever thought it would be fun to have two weddings, within a month of each other, needs to be shot… Lol.

Anyway, on with my current loves!

1)    Libraries- I have always been a reader…it’s just my thing. Well recently I finally got off my butt and signed up for a library card. I walked in yesterday on my lunch break and totally forgot how much fun they can be! Now I have a small stack of books on my desk at work that I fully intend to read on my lunch break before they are due. :)

2)    Gift Registries- Now I am going to credit my friend Andrea for this one. She told me about how she was stuck returning all of these gifts that she got for her wedding because people didn’t take advantage of her registries. Taking that into consideration I registered for everything under the sun. That way it gave people lots and lots of options. :) It was sooo much fun putting together my wish list that it made it to current love list. Haha.

3)    Scrapbooking- I have re-found my love for scrapbooking. While it is messy and Michael cringes every time I bring out my box of supplies, I just can’t seem to get enough of it right now!

4)    My job- For the first time, in a very long time, I love my job. I enjoy the people I work with and I find the work that I do interesting and fun. Even though I still watch the clock religiously from 4pm on, and thank God on Friday morning that I have two days off…I usually am just as happy come Monday morning.

5)    Michael- Now I know that this is gushy as heck and most of you are puking in a corner right now…but it’s true. He has taken care of me for the last 3 years, puts up with me (yes, yes…sometimes I can be very hard to handle) and most of the time still treats me like it’s our first and he is trying to win me over.

6)    Fresh Fruit- I love Farmer’s Markets and all things organic. In my opinion, it just tastes better.

7)    Fall- I love Fall. It has to be one of my favorite seasons, if not my favorite. I love the colors, the weather, the holidays…basically there isn’t a single thing I don’t like about fall!

8)    Boots- I have pulled out my boots and have started to remember how much I love boots. They are comfortable, warm and the right pair can complete an outfit.

9)    Makeup- I love my makeup collection. I enjoy playing with the different colors and creating new looks. Just like my hair, my makeup style changes constantly. It is how I express myself and I love that I have a billion colors at my fingertips!

10)  Beaches- Getting married on a beach is what caused this to become a love. Before it was a take it or leave it feeling, but now I can’t get enough of them. What I wouldn’t give to be laying on one right now…

PS- This week there is a honorary 11th item. My bestie is coming into town and I get to see her for the 2nd time in 10 days. It's like Christmas!! My most favorite thing this week is Southwest Airlines for bringing her to me! Lol

Glamour up?

So I’ve decided that I need to make more “rich” friends. Lol. I watch all of these shows where the women get to dress up in super fancy dresses and go out on the town. Living in Sacramento it is a rare occasion when I get to put on a floor length gown and look pretty. Why is that and am I the only one that wishes there were more reasons to get dolled up?

Here are a few dresses I wish I had an excuse to buy and wear…

Now with that said, my CA reception is this weekend so I get to dress up and get all fancy again. The problem is I don’t want to wear the big white dress again and I really don’t want to walk down another aisle. I had my wedding and do not know if I want to reenact it so soon. What was I thinking when I told my mother-in-law we would renew our vows for grandparents??

Anyone want to be a bride for me this weekend?? I'd rather enjoy the margarita machine... :)

10 Loves Friday

So, I’ve decided that since my taste changes like the wind I want to document what I am loving at the moment. They can be things I have known I loved for a while or something brand new that I am currently obsessed with and just dying to share. This, hopefully, will get me to start blogging on a more regular basis, but we will see how it goes. Worst case is I will scrap the idea in a few weeks and come up with another regular blog idea. J

1. Dresses- I just love dresses and I used to hate them. I love getting dressed up and looking feminine/ pretty. I think every woman should have at least 1, if not 10, little black dresses.

2. Coffee, a fireplace and a good book-There is nothing I love more than a cold night that allows me to wrap up next to the fireplace with some coffee and a good book. I love to read and am addicted to coffee…so they just fit well together.

3. Trashy Reality TV- I know, I know…there are WAY toooo much of these kind of shows on right now because of people like me.  I, however, only like a few. I am obsessed with Big Brother, Real Housewives (NJ & Atlanta only) and all things TLC. What can I say…the more drama I watch on TV, the less there is in my actual day-to-day life.

4. Baking- I asked for a ton of baking things for the wedding and have received most of the things I asked for. I did this with the hope that it would get me into baking. Well, I am happy to say that it’s worked! Both Michael and my work appreciate my new love for baking. Lol.

5. Animals- Anyone that knows me knows I am a total animal lover. Michael has actually banned me from going to the SPCA, or anything that resembles one, for the fact that I would probably come home with a new furry creature. Currently we have 3 dogs and a cat…but one day I we will have land so I can give every stray animal a home…something they all deserve.

6. School- I am, and always will be, a forever student. I went to Saint Mary’s for a BA in English Education, have been through the Police Academy, went to Makeup/Beauty school and in January I will be going back for Interior Design.  To say I am excited is a complete understatement!

7. Traveling- If you all haven’t realized from our destination wedding, Michael and I love to travel. My goal is to travel to all seven continents before I die.

8. Holiday Decorations- I love, love, love to decorate for the holidays. Like I’ve said before, our house is usually the most decorated on the street. I joke with Michael that the next house we buy will have a huge front yard to fit my insane amount of decorations…

9. Youtube- I could, and do, spend hours on that site. I just simply love it!

10. SF Giants- There is no other team in this world that I love more than the SF Giants. It started out because it was my Grandpa Pete’s team, but over the years I have grown to love that team all on my own.

Hope you all enjoyed!

Where does the time go?

Dear Life,

Please calm down a bit! I feel like I am running in circles and never have time to breathe anymore, let alone stop to smell the roses. I need to regroup a little bit before the craziness of the holidays really starts...

Thanks,

Me

That pretty much sums up my life right now. Between work, tying up the loose ends for the reception, the events that have been planned for months that we are supposed to attend, Halloween...well you see my feelings above.


A weird thing happened today though that got me to slow down. Well, two things really… The first was talking to an old friend from HS on Facebook. The second was talking to a friend that has had their world turned upside down, no fault of their own. Both of these things happened within an hour of each other and it made me think about my past and how I am not really able to enjoy the present because I am always worrying about my future. Problem is…what if my future crumbles? Then I am left wishing I had slowed down a bit to enjoy things while they happened…

So the backstory with my first of 2 “ah ha” moments came from sending a message to an old friend. I will call her Ann. My high school days were mainly filled spending time with Ann and another friend (aka Faye). We did everything together. Literally everything. We were so close that my mom called us the “Three Musketeers.” In high school our group had a bet to see who would get married first and who would have a kid first…and one didn’t have to follow the other either. Funny thing was we said that Ann would be the first for both. She was/is a serial monogamist. Now, it’s been almost 10 years since we graduated and she isn’t married, no kids, no house…etc. She pointed out today that we all thought she would be the first for everything, and yet she is the last. Granted, I am not far in front of her…

Now Faye has been married for 5 ½ years. Her and her hubby did it the smart way in my opinion. They got married young, so they have waited to have kids. They’ve traveled the world and enjoyed themselves. All of the initial problems that happen in every couple’s first few years of marriage have been dealt with and they are still going strong. I tell Michael all of the time how much I hope we are like them in 5 years!

Soooo, back to the point of why this was an “ah ha” moment for me. The three of us were so inseparable and somehow we’ve drifted apart. Now Faye and I are still very close considering we haven’t lived within 7 hours of each other since we were 20. Even then, we’ve gone long periods of time without speaking to each other because, well, life happened. Ann and I, well this is the first time we’ve “talked” (don’t know how much fb counts for talking) in probably 2 years. Funny thing is, Ann lives 20 minutes from where we grew up, so I am still down there often. How does this happen? These were girls that I couldn’t go 2 hours without talking to! I get that we’ve grown up, and that life changes and yada yada…but it’s just sad. I realized today how much I miss the three of us and how I don’t think I appreciated it as much as I should have when I had it. We always thought we’d have it…so why did we need to stop and smell the roses??

Now my second “ah ha” moment came from another friend of mine. I am not about to blast that friend’s personal business all over the internet, so I will make it short and vague. Went to bed happy, healthy, married and content with their life…woke up to a life that they didn’t recognize. This friend’s life was turned upside down. It made me realize that I don’t want to rush through my days anymore. I want to enjoy my life and enjoy being a newlywed. I mean we haven’t even been married 3 weeks and yet Michael and I haven’t even gone out to dinner. We haven’t gone to the movies. We haven’t even done our Saturday morning garage sale ritual (don’t hate…you know our garage sale routine is something to be jealous about! :))  I’ll put it to you like this…our house, for 2 years, has been the most decorated house on our block from September 30^th-January 2/3. Today is October 13^th and we have like 2 things put out.

Life is just flying by. Why can’t things, good things, just stay the same? Why do friendships have to die? Why do weekends have to come and go so quickly? Why, Why, Why?

I’ll end it with this…if we’ve ever been friends and life got in the way…well I WANT TO BE FRIENDS AGAIN! :)

10 days and counting...

So I have been married for 10 days and everyone keeps asking how it feels to be a married woman. Honestly? I feel exactly like I did 11 days ago. There really isn’t anything that’s changed other than we have a piece of paper, written in Spanish, which ties us together for the rest of our lives. It’s funny that I, like most girls, obsessed over walking down the aisle for years and years and then one day I blinked and it was gone.

At the end of the day though, both Michael and I are happy that we chose to get married in Mexico, away from the craziness of our daily lives. We were able to just relax and enjoy time with our family and close friends. We had the perfect amount of people, and were able to exchange our vows and rings on one of the most beautiful beaches we had been to. Honestly, that beats a country club or wedding hall any day of the week!

             Above are some of the posts from wedding
           day in Cozumel, Mexico.

 

The cruise itself was a blast. Aside from Michael tearing ligaments in his ankle while in Roatan, I could not have had more fun! We started in Miami Beach and then headed down to Key Largo.  While it was not exactly what I was expecting as far as layout of the town, it was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. We ate amazing food there and I had a mind blowing peanut butter martini that I would kill to get the recipe to!

After Key Largo we went back to Miami to meet with the rest of the group. I managed to take us to the wrong restaurant for our “rehearsal dinner”, but we had fun none-the-less. That was the first of many infamous blonde moments that Michael won’t let me forget…

We got on the boat Sunday and sailed away to Cayman Islands, Roatan Honduras, Belize and Cozumel Mexico. <3

Below are a few pictures from our week in paradise.