lucky september

september has come & gone in the blink of an eye.
it was filled with trips to the lake for labor day
& to nashville for a girls weekend in the finest honky tonks.

it was a month where sampson discovered his love for
hotdogs, the fall breeze & the stuffing inside any and all toys.
he perfected the act of stealing socks from the hamper.
he got yelled at by a neighbor for something he didn't do.
& he was upgraded to bigger water and food bowls
which, for me, was a sad milestone to mark.
most importantly, september 27th was our 3rd wedding anniversary.
we went out to a nice dinner, just the two of us.
i even tried the bang bang shrimp.
we've been talking a lot lately about what direction we're taking our lives.
personally, professionally & as a couple.
there's a few unknowns at the moment, but one thing is for sure.
we're looking together in the same direction.

tied the knot & lucky in love.
picture via mary ruffle (orig­i­nal source eliz­a­beth demos via design sponge)

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.

children, marriages & flower gardens

i always look forward to spring.
warmer weather, green grass, peeks of sunshine, chirping birds
& a reason, almost every week, to wear my cute rain boots.

more so i eagerly anticipate seeing that first tulip sprout out of the ground.
seeing the buds on tree branches & the leaves on the perennials start to appear.
i get a little too giddy going to the garden center & picking out our annuals.
one day i want to have a fabulous garden.
my parents had three. one for vegetables and two for flowers.
my mom was always out in the gardens in the summer.
tending to the flowers and plucking fresh tomatoes & lettuce.

so much care went into those gardens.
& the result was beautiful.

one day i want a garden like that for myself.
to care for & cultivate. to enjoy. to keep me busy. to make life more beautiful.
one day i want children.
to care for & cultivate. to enjoy. to keep me busy. to make life more beautiful.
but until all of that happens, i have my marriage.
to care for & cultivate. to enjoy. to keep me busy. to make life more beautiful.

photo via revelment

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.

to celebrate a 30th

my husband is turning 30 in just a few short days.
last night i gave him an early birthday card.
letting him in on a secret that i have been keeping for months.

i've planned a little getaway to celebrate. we leave tomorrow morning.
he won't find out where we're going til we arrive at the gate.
until then, the possibilities are endless.
planning this trip {& keeping it a secret} has been a labor of love.
but i did it all because i love him & i want to show him just how much.
cross your little fingers:

that this surprise goes off without a hitch & that it's well received.
that we have a ball, celebrate & enjoy this birthday for all it's worth.
and that, when all is said & done, when chris asks, "how much do you love me?"
i can say, "remember your 30th birthday...."

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

on love & melted cheese

the husband was sick yesterday. all day.
& so with the snow coming down and no housework to do,
i happily curled up in bed next to him for the majority of the day.
no complaints here.

8pm rolled around & the husband decided he was hungry.
naturally, the only thing that sounded good to him was macaroni & cheese.
my worst nightmare.
i cannot stand the smell {& texture} of melted cheese.
but out to the kitchen i went to slave over the stove for 8 minutes.
when i stirred in the cheese, i about died. {ok, not really}
however, there were almost two of us sick in the house.
one from an upper respiratory infection & one from cheese inhalation.
things i do for love. the things i do for that man.

luckily {for both of us} he's feeling better tonight & isn't craving mac & cheese.
raspberrytart via mary ruffle

pinky swear

saturday night we went to a little christmas festival in a nearby small town.
{it would have been a lovely evening, had it not been pouring rain.}
after a scrumptious dinner accompanied by festive beers
{blue moon's for me & 12 dogs of christmas and a white snow for the husband}
we headed home & had another couple over for a few drinks.

by midnight {five miller lights later} the husband had a temperature of 101.
he's been in bed ever since.
he's been a good little patient today.
only once reminding me that i need to take care of him in sickness & in health.
as i brought him slices of toast & propel i offered to pinky swear him on it.
in sickness & in health. me & you. xo.

photo via: bippityboppityboo

two years

two years ago today, i woke up on the morning of our wedding.
friends & family gathered in indianapolis.
hair & make-up was done with assistance of champagne.
dresses & tuxes were donned along with lots of smiles & laughter.

we had our fist look at 10:45am. it was surreal.
we sat by ourselves for a few precious moments,
sipping champagne, admiring eachother & what would soon transpire.
a ambush of photos with our {gorgeous} wedding party followed.

we savored a few more short moments together before heading to the church.
our guests were seated & one by one my bridesmaids walked up the aisle.
my adorable nephews ushered my neices/flowergirls up the aisle before me.
& at 1:38pm i walked up the long aisle to marry my best friend.

the ceremony was short but sweet.
sprinkled with meaning and filled with love & support. and a few tears too.
more importantly, we were pronounced husband & wife.
by the way, the kiss was perfect. just like we had practiced.
more pictures followed.

our bridal party held an epic {vip only} pre-reception party in our suite.
the reception began & we were introduced as mr. & mrs.
a gorgeous cake was cut. & a slice shoved in my face.
we swayed to our first dance song, by rascal flatts, from the concert we met at.
there were touching toasts & hugs all around.
&, lest we not forget, men drinking beer out of centerpiece vases.
the reception was quite a blur. as a matter of fact, so was the entire day.
but it too, was epic. i don't think we stopped smiling.

so here i sit. two years later. still lucky in love. and still smiling.

the lyrics from our first dance were just as true then as they are today.
in your eyes i see forever. makes me wish my life never knew the day before you.
now you're here & everything's changing. suddenly life means so much.
i can't wait to wake up tomorrow & find out this promise is true...
i will never have to go back to the day before you. - rascal flatts.

i love you, c. xoxo, j.
photo via: nicole green