A Year of Weddings!

It's been quite the year! Jer and I have already attended 5 out-of-town weddings, with one more to go a month from today! A quick re-cap of our 2011 wedding travels...

Kristen & Adam

January in Fort Worth, TX (which I know isn't technically "out-of-town", but we still made a weekend out of it and stayed at a hotel which is always fun!)

Lisa & Reed

March on the stunning beaches of Tulum, Mexico

Heidi & Ryan

May in warm & sunny Scottsdale, AZ

Tiff & Troy

July in one of our favorite cities San Diego, CA

Mal & Matt

August in my home-state - St. Paul, MN

Kaitlin & Brandon

On deck for October 1 in our nation's capital - Washington D.C.!

(Colby & Jake - SO bummed we can't make it to yours!!!)

When I look back at the list, I love that we have had the best excuse EVER to travel all across the U.S. - celebrating our friends as they tie the knot!!

What's not even included on this list are all the amazing bachelorette parties I have gone to in prep for these weddings. While I wasn't able to make it to all of them (darn work & a non-existent money tree), I was able to go to Austin, LA, Palm Springs and VEGAS this weekend! Again, best excuse EVER for a girls weekend with all my closest friends!

Even better, the wedding we just went to last weekend (Mal & Matt) allowed me to not only see my high school friends AND Teri & Danny, but ALSO my FAMILY! Talk about 2 3 birds with one stone, in a positive way, of course! Since Teri is so good with taking photos, I didn't even bring my camera to the wedding - ha! Check out her blog post & photos here! 

The photos I DID take help capture the time I got to spend with my family :) Here is a little glimpse...

My favorite home-cooked meal that my Mom makes sure to make EVERY time I come home :) This meal consists of Dad's famous chicken on the grill, Mom's twice baked potatoes, steamed artichokes (dipped in melted butter, of course!), and at least 1 dirty martini and multiple glasses of wine.

Pre-Twins Game!

Since Katie & Eric didn't make it on the official "kiss cam", we created our own :)

Loving the high 70 degree and partly cloudy weather!!!

Thanks Best Buy for the free photo op!

Best Mom & Dad ever! Thanks again for the great tickets!!

Cuddling with my new "niece" Penny!! She is such a love!! (And has a silly Daddy - check background)

Time to get out the board games! CLUE! Forgot how much I loved this game! 

The night ended with a game of Taboo. Of course, the girls won! Which ended in the guys just "being over it". Yeah, I'm sure!

Love Is All You Need...

Love is definitely on my mind (clearly, since I posted about it just yesterday!)

Maybe it's because I am jumping on a plane in less than 4 hours to head back home for my friends Mal & Matt's wedding (yay!). Or maybe it's because I am going home to a place I love after being away since the holidays. Either way, it makes me happy!

Inspired by my dear friend & a recent post on her fabulous blog, I came across this on pinterest today and wanted to share...

What does this mean to me...

I love my husband and I love how he loves me.

I love my family and I love how we make it a point to not go more than a few months before seeing each other.

I love my friends and I love that even though most of them live far away, we pick right back up where we were the last time we were together, no matter how long it has been.

Love really is all I need.

Love is all around...

Ok. So I might have taken the title of this blog post from one of my favorite movies - Love Actually - but I truly feel like love IS all around me. Not only by those who love me and those that I love, but by all the love that is happening in the lives of my family & friends!

When Jer and I moved into our new place, I quickly found out that our refrigerator didn't hold magnets. So, I quickly registered for a magnetic board from Pottery Barn and found the perfect spot on a wall in our kitchen to hang it on. This is what it currently looks like...

What I love most about this board is that it is always changing and being updated with new save the dates, wedding invitations, birth announcements, shower invites, holiday cards, new photos of my family & friends, etc. But best of all, it is a daily reminder of all the love around me.

:)

A girly weekend w/ Mom!

I have the best Mom in the whole world. When she heard my hubby was going to be out of town for a week, she called and said, "I have an idea, let's do a girls weekend in Dallas!" And a girls weekend we had! Just the two of us :)

We spent 2 days/nights at Hotel Zaza, slept in, ate delicious meals, drank dirty martinis, made cocktails from the mini bar, sat pool-side, went shopping, got massages, sipped on wine, went to an evening service at my new church, and best of all, just got to spend time together! 

Here are a few photos that captured a little taste of our weekend...

Screwdrivers from the mini bar to kick off the weekend :)

Trying to fit in at the "scene" at Zaza's pool :) It was so hot that they were pouring ice into the pool! 

Sipping on sparkling sangria during our last afternoon/evening together :)

Mom - I love you so very much, and I am so thankful for you! Can't wait to see you in just 2 short weeks!!

And it begins...

....the 2011-12 NFL season.

Below is a glimpse into what our home will look every Sunday (and Monday night, and the occasional Thursday night) for the next few months....

The only difference? Add a laptop propped up on Jer's lap as he continuously checks the FOUR different fantasy teams he is playing in.

Men.

Counting My Blessings...

I am a true believer that having a positive mindset and attitude not only helps me stay happy, but positively affects those around me. 

Lately, I feel like it has been hard to stay positive when every other day there is a terrible news story - bombings, deaths, war, recession, etc. It can get quite depressing, and honestly a little scary.  

So in the effort to follow my own advice, I wanted to share with you a list I put together this morning of all the GOOD in my life, what I like to call blessings...

My health

A family that loves & supports me unconditionally

Sisters that are my best friends

A husband who makes me laugh every day

In-laws that love me like their own daughter

A stable job

Friends that love me for who I am

A home with air conditioning

A car without a car payment

A bed to sleep in

Being able to travel to see my friends and family 

A career in an industry I am passionate about

My faith 

After only a couple of minutes, I felt overwhelmed by the fact that I could go on and on with this list. And it reminded me that I really do need to make more of an effort to sit back more often and count my blessings. 

So if you are ever feeling down in the dumps or stuck in a rut, I recommend taking time to count your blessings :)

Chicago

This past weekend I was in Chicago visiting Jen, Ken and Carson and honestly had the BEST time. No plans were made prior to my arrival - we just took each day as it came and did what we felt like doing. It was perfect. Carson is getting so big, learning more and more every day, and has the most adorable personality! I just love the little guy so much! Can't wait to see him AND Baby Z (and Jen & Ken - ha!) in November :)

Here are some highlights and photos from the weekend...

swimming & lunch @ Olympia

italian ice

"if you're happy & you know it clap your hands"

"wheels on the bus go round and round"

pedicures

brushetta and sangria (for me!) @ Frasca 

early morning walk down by lake Michigan

playing at the park

swinging with C

brunch

nap time

trucks, mows, boys, and turtles

sunday night church

grilling out

feeling Baby Zaugh kick :)

bath time

"brushing" our teeth

morning snuggles

dunkin donuts coffee 

a tearful goodbye :(