And I'm Back...

The past three weeks have been such a whirlwind.

It was so wonderful being able to spend so much time with my parents since the beginning of the month. The trip to St. Louis was fast, but great. The shower that I had there was so beautiful and it was such a treat to spend time with some of the women who have seen me grow up. I was also entrusted with the care of a beautiful fur stole belonging to the grandmother of my gracious shower host. I am planning on wearing it over my dress when the weather gets a bit chilly during the wedding. So excited!

Saturday, I was lucky enough to have another shower in Baltimore. Many of our friends and some of JP's family were able to join us, yes JP made an appearance at the shower as well. The shower was so beautiful, and the stories that were shared about JP and myself were thoughtful and a nice reminder of the times that we have shared with some of the most influential people in our lives.

There are not many times in ones life when friends and family are all able to gather and celebrate together. It has been so meaningful to have friends who care enough about us to create and organize events that made some of these times possible. We can not express how appreciative we are.

One of the highlights of last week was having my parents in town to go with me to my dress fitting. It was completely unexpected, but really fun. Even though we forgot to bring a camera, we did get some good mother daughter shots in with the cell phone.

We are just over a month away from the wedding at this point and are jam packed every weekend until we leave. My best friend from high school was at the shower on Saturday and wanted to get together for lunch some weekend before the wedding. I said that we would love to, but then started going through my schedule with her and realized that realistically the next time we will be able to have lunch with them before the wedding will be in Telluride. I have my checklist made and it seems that for everything that I check off I have about two more things to add, oh well, I love making lists!

One of the items on my list is wedding jewelry. With the exception of my dress and vail, I have been trying fairly hard to ensure that everything else wedding related can be used again, and not for something as fancy as a wedding. The jewelry has been a challenge. I did not want to spend a whole lot of money, and I did not want crazy wedding jewelry. For a while I was planning on doing some kind of pearl situation, I thought that I might make something, but after trying on a few pieces decided against it. I found a great necklace and I love it, so I bought it, but did so at a place that if I do not end of using it I can return it. So now I need earrings, but I think that I have a pair that will suit just fine already in the jewelry collection. But I am still on the lookout for a great pair of earrings that I could wear if I choose to wear my hair up and forgo the necklace. Trivial I know, but I like options.

Oh, I almost forgot that I picked up the bridesmaid dresses on Friday and Melissa was able to try hers on after the shower on Saturday and she looked stunning. I highly suggest TwoBirds to any bride. If makes it so easy and the look ends up being individual, sophisticated and effortless. Three things that I think most women try to achieve. I can't wait to see Lexi in hers next weekend.

So that is an overview of what has been going on. But stay tuned because I really do have some new blogs planned for the upcoming days.

Family time

It has been about a week, well exactly a week since our last entry. We have been busy with family and wedding arrangements. My Mom came into town on Tuesday afternoon and we were off and running on Wednesday at Hitched in DC, our first bridal salon. We had a wonderful experience there and found a dress that we both loved.

Wednesday morning we also picked up all kinds of goodies as Atwater's in Belvedire Square. We love this place and could eat there for every meal. They make wonderful breads, all from certified organic flours ground at a family mill, and with great additions like grains, nuts, fruits and seeds, all organic as well. They also make splendid soups that are different each day. While I was enjoying my lunch there a few weeks ago they had order forms out on the counter for Thanksgiving treats that they would be offering. Let's just say that I might have gotten a bit to excited and ordered a bit to much for the four of us, but we are moving through it all quite well and it should all be gone by the time that my parents leave tomorrow morning. Just in case you were wondering here is the run down of what we got. One quart of lobster butternut squash bisque, amazing but rich. One quart of roasted fall vegetable minestrone, i heard it was good, but there were a few to many veggies in it for me. A brioche, huge, we are still plowing through that, I might cut it and freeze it for french toast on some lazy Sunday morning. There was also a round of cranberry and walnut bread which was a great hit and we are going to pick some up for my parents to take home with them. And the finale were three pies. The first was a sweet potato, second was an apple pie with cheddar cheese crust, and the third a pecan pie, not to gooey or sweet, just right and the first pie to be finished as well.

On Thanksgiving we went to JP's grandparents house for lunch and my parents were able to meet his family. We had a really nice time and enjoyed being with family and friends.

Friday we had the misfortune of going to a bridal salon in Pikesville, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. The place was horrible, very uninviting, overall really creepy. My Dad said that it was like being at a used car lot. The sales woman was trying to pressure me into buying from them and did not listen to anything that I was say in regards to what I wanted. Needless to say we left quickly and without a dress.


Saturday was much more productive. We all went to brunch at Golden West in Hampden, a neighborhood in Baltimore that JP and I really like. JP lived there for two years and I am currently working at a store there, but more about that later. We then went to Chelle Paperie, and met with Katie about our invitations. We all loved what she had come up with and are really excited about the finished product. I know that I have mentioned the store before, however I just found there blog and it is really nice so that is the link that I used for this mention of the store, I suggest that you check it out.

After the the invitations we trekked down to DC to go back to Hitched to show Dad the dress that I am in love with. He put his stamp of approval on it, we did measurements and in a few months, well about 6 we will have a dress! I am so excited and cannot wait to see the finished product.

Today we are cooking the turkey that my Dad transported from Missouri here on Thursday. It is a heritage Red Bourbon turkey, they are very tasty and we are all excited to sit down to a turkey dinner, again.

Cheers