Meeting of the Parents

Last night our parents met for the first time. It was nice for them to acquaint each other with one another before the wedding. We enjoyed lite fare and conversation while sitting outside on a gorgeous Summer's night.

Sunday

Thomas' mother has arrived! Yesterday was her first full day here and it was also a very beautiful day in this neck of the woods. We took a driving tour of Valley Forge National Park and stopped to see the highlights. We're looking forward to Michael arriving tomorrow, but for now we are enjoying the down time.

Brother-Sister Day, August 2012

Full Brother-Sister Weekends have sort of fallen by the wayside due to busy schedules, school, work, etc.  I love seeing Carter any chance I get.  He has become such an interesting person over the last couple of years... developing a stronger personality, opinions, and interests.  It has been a pleasure watching him grow up.  Carter also inspires me in so many ways and reminds me of just how delicate childhood and growing up can be.

Daisy and Carter resting before going to the pool.

 

Engagement Photos

We met our friend at Valley Forge National Park this morning to take some photographs to document our engagement. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather or a better experience. I can't wait to see the rest of them, but for now, here are a few favorites.

Wildwood/A.C. Weekend

I was invited to my friend Lauren's camper in Cape May for the weekend where we spent the day at the beach and the night in Atlantic City celebrating Lauren's last days as a bachelorette. We had fun jumping waves at the beach and then decided to try our luck at the casinos after Katie and Erin were pooped on by seagulls at the beach. Our 'wild' spending of $17 won us $30 on the first spin at a .25 cent machine. Jumping up and down while screaming was probably a bit of an exaggerated reaction that gave off the wrong impression to our fellow gamblers. Everyone wanted to know how much we won and immediately began looking for casino personnel holding a human-sized check. We took our 'big' winnings to a night club were we danced all night and got to watch a real burlesque show - we felt like we were in Vegas!

27 Days to Go!

I guess I need to post more often - I didn't recognize the layout of Blogger when I logged in!

I can't believe I let half the year go by without blogging, especially when I want to remember so many things about this year.  It has been a very busy Summer of wedding planning.  I've been having fun working on the big and small details with Thomas and my family.  I can't wait for the BIG day to arrive!

I wanted to blog during the whole wedding planning process, but simply never found a spare moment to do so.  Below is a very condensed list of pretty much everything I've been doing sans the fun, colorful stories and pictures that go along with each item.  I know I'll look back at this post and remember all of the fun I had planning my wedding :)   

1. Researching wedding vendors, ideas, logistics (Pinterest is the best!)
2. Working
3. E-mailing wedding vendors
4. Signing wedding contracts
5. Writing checks to wedding vendors
6. Exercising - initially to lose weight to fit into my dress but eventually reaping the benefits of being healthier and feeling great.
7. Crafting for the wedding - never ending...
8. Learning how to dance (still not there yet!)
9. Trying on my wedding dress (so much fun!  I wish I could wear it everyday.)
10. Resisting the urge to eat chocolate
11. Spending countless hours online shopping for wedding decor/accessories/shoes
12. Arguing with Thomas about his desire to have 80's heavy metal music played at our wedding
13. Writing our ceremony with Thomas (the part we're looking forward to the most! :))
14. Searching the Internet for our wedding rings
15. Relentlessly calling City Hall (they are so nice)
16. Arranging and coordinating flights and schedules for family and friends
17. Grocery shopping on a FULL stomach and avoiding the sweets aisle
18. Running errands - mostly to the post office to return online purchases, buy stamps, and ask for packages to be weighed (I'm not a fan of the self-checkout).  The clerks now know my name!
19. Buying more than I need at Michael's Arts & Crafts store
20. Returning what I don't need to Michael's Arts & Crafts store (they now know my name, too!)
21. Listening to music on YouTube, Pandora, and iTunes for playlist ideas
22. Cake tasting, spa research, venue appointments
23. Feeling like an awful dog parent when Daisy looks at me with her big, brown eyes after waiting a little too long for her next walk.
24. Researching Pennsylvania state and county laws re: legality of Internet-ordained ministers.
25. And last, but not least, family/wedding business dinners with Mom, Ben, and Carter. 

Cut wine corks lined up on the table in Ben's shop.