mother's day in NYC

mother's day was quickly approaching.
i was trying to talk my mom into a 4 day trip to NYC to celebrate.
with a little nudging {& the fact that i had already booked our hotel} she agreed to go.

& what a blast we had.

bryant park {free yoga!? you new yorkers are so lucky!}
times square & a night bus tour
central park, the central park zoo & the central park conservatory.
the 9/11 memorial & rockefeller plaza.
jersey boys  {my mom's favorite part of the trip}.
chelsea market & the highline {my favorite part of the trip}.

tiny shops. the subway. the hustle & bustle.
outdoor dining complete with people watching.
pictures together.
glasses of wine & bakery cupcakes.
adventure.
celebrating my mom.

it was a great weekend.
happy mother's day mom!
thanks for making the trip. it was worth it.

{photo: my mom and i on the highline}

the day before my mom's wedding

chris & i are headed to indiana today!
saturday we'll be taking part in a very special wedding.
my mom's!
my mom is a giddy little school girl at this point
& quite ready for the big day.
after all, she has 3 dresses to wear {pictures, ceremony & reception},
a country club reception & a forecast of rain on her wedding day {good luck}
to look forward to!

most of all she is excited to tie the knot with a really sweet guy
that she met at the lake through her realtor in 2009.

chris & i couldn't be more happier for her.
we know firsthand that there is no cozier combination
than man & wife.

congrats mommy! i love you & am so happy for you.
p.s. my matron of honor speech is pretty fabulous. just wait.

a 30th. celebrated.

within the last few years one thing has be come apparent to me.

life is short but sweet for certain.

in thinking about my husband's 30th i knew i wanted to celebrate.

more importantly celebrate him, his life & everything he loves.

which are, in no order: me, family, friends, gambling, captain & sprite.

so, i planned a surprise 4-day trip for his birthday.

on the day of our departure, we arrived at the airport.

he still had no idea where we were headed {except that it might be warm}!

i led him aimlessly around the airport, before letting him know

that we were headed for vegas! as we walked to our gate, each with a huge grin on our face,

his childhood friend & girlfriend appeared & told him they were coming too!

we made it to the hotel {caesars!} in vegas & proceeded to live it up.

later that night, after several drinks, another surprise came:

his whole family appeared from behind him at the roulette table.

and that wasn't all. four more of our friends {old & new} followed hours later.

all in all, 16 people flew to vegas to celebrate his birthday.

the girls spent time by the pool and the guys at the sports book.

we went to a club {vip!} & a delicious steak dinner.

but mainly enjoyed each others company.

even if it was around an electronic roulette table.

it was a short trip, but sweet for certain. time {& money} well spent celebrating someone special. i love you chris.

glittery love

today is valentine's day.
and while my wonderful husband is certainly my valentine...
there are a few more people that deserve a mention today.

my parents.
for supporting me in everything that i set out to do. always.
for always telling me how proud i made them.
for giving me a remarkable education and lots of love.
i love you, happy valentines day.

my friends.
for those crazy nights we shared, back in the day.
for staying in touch.
for never failing to share embarrassing stories over drinks when we reunite.
for loving my husband as much as you love me.
i love you, happy valentines day.

and to my husband.
for making me laugh, everyday. for cooking me delicious meals every night.
for making my friends your own. for the "just because gifts."
for sticking with me. for being yourself & letting me be me.
for not banning me from target.
for loving my family. and putting up with my obsession with peppermint.
for letting me be right every once & a while.
i love you, happy valentines day.

i love you garland via the sweetest occasion

Feast Interruptus

Our car is packed to the brim with fantastically wrapped presents
& we're off to the great white North (Indiana) for a few short days.
I am so excited that I might just throw a wreath on the front of the car.
Or one of those charming little reindeer contraptions.
The "fun & loving chaos of the holidays" {coined by TH as Feast Interruptus}
started with the craze to find & wrap the perfect present and continues with
travelling to multiple family feasts, nieces & nephews feverishly opening gifts,
flowing wine, ugly Christmas sweaters & lots of merriment & laughter.

I wouldn't have our holidays any other way.
Merry Feast Interrruptus to all.

photo of the Tommy Hilfiger Winter Ad Campaign via Invisible PR.

a lucky duck thanksgiving

my mom brought this bottle of lucky duck wine to thanksgiving, just for me.
it was one heck of a feast for this little lucky duck.
i have it on good authority that i had at least three helpings of mashed potatoes.

and although i am quite thankful for the fluffy goo that is mashed potatoes
there are many more things in life that i am happy to have around.
like family. healthy family.

already looking forward to next years mashed potato fest.
i mean, thanksgiving dinner.

my daddy

two years ago today my dad passed away suddenly and quite tragically.
i miss him and think about him everyday.

he was the best advice giver.
i got my neat handwriting {calligraphy skills} from him.
i could always hear him smile over the phone when i called.
the best memories i have of him & i are from father/daughter camping trips.
he loved to-do lists and was an avid "laker."
he made the best margaritas. it's true. he got an award for them.
he was so proud of my success in sports & was always there to cheer me on.
he came to visit me at college every chance he had.
he was the best dad ever.
i suppose that it didn't hurt that he had the best daughter ever.

i promise this little blog will mostly be about the good and happy times.
but this day {june 29th} will always be a "bad day" in my calendar of life.
so will every father's day. it's all just too sad.
but sometimes you have to remember the bad days in life.
to realize how good you had it back in the day.

xo.