A Wedding, Family and Full Hearts

Last weekend we scooted down to South Carolina for a special family weekend. My sweet cousin was getting married! We opted to head down Thursday to give ourselves a little extra time since the drive is so long. It's not fun to do it twice in four days but it would be even less to try and do it twice in just three days. And the other bonus of leaving early meant one extra day of hanging with some of our favorite people! We spent Thursday night at our close friends house, complete with snuggles from their two kiddos and then a grown up double date night. This is the couple that introduced us and we love them and their sweet family dearly so it was an awesome bonus to spend some time with them. 

Friday was low-key to start with a yummy breakfast from the local biscuit company. Oh boy am I glad to be moving back to the land of biscuits soon! And afterwards hubby and I headed over to my sister's in-laws so he could FINALLY meet her, my bro-in-law and their boys! I know, I know...it's crazy that they haven't met. But since hubby and I didn't start dating until after they moved overseas, they've had to settle for facetime introductions. It warms my heart that even with only facetime the boys have still gotten to know him and Shannon tells me they ask about their uncle often. But the in person meeting had been long awaited and was finally here! We played trucks and planes and they showed off all their toys and asked questions and snuggled and we were all around thrilled to be in the same room as one another. 

After our reunion it was lunch, repacking suitcases and then just about time to get dressed and ready for the rehearsal and dinner. It should be noted that it had been pouring cats and dogs for DAYS leading up to this weekend. Seriously, all week- just buckets. But it miraculously stopped in time for us to make our way to the ceremony space. The setting the bride and groom had selected was truly stunning with just the most gorgeous views of the mountains. Even overcast it was gorgeous. This picture does not do it justice but trust me, the Blue Ridge mountains are an A+ backdrop for a wedding.

We practiced till it was perfect...the coordinator made sure of it. Then we loaded ourselves up in the cars to head to dinner downtown. The dinner was delicious and full of delightful conversation with family and some new friends. Hubby makes friends easily and often and I never worry about dropping him into a situation where he doesn't know many people. After dinner, we met up with rest of the family and hubby got to meet the last few members that he hadn't met yet while we all hung out in the hotel lobby telling old stories and some new ones. 

Saturday came much too quickly. This was not a weekend for sleeping in. So our carload headed over to meet up with the rest of the bridal party to start getting ready. But of course, not before stopping at Starbucks. Every bride (and her ladies) needs their favorite coffee to start the wedding day off right! My cousin had gotten us the softest pajama shirts to wear while getting ready. So did I go into Starbucks in a pajama shirt? Yes. Was there a very long line and did I have to stand there in my pajamas for about 20 minutes? Yes. Was I embarrassed? Absolutely not. The shirts were exactly what I expected from my cousin because they were delightfully cozy as opposed to some of the less practical getting ready outfits you see brides give out. 

I should point out that my hair and makeup did not look anything like this when I was standing in the Starbucks line. They were much less glam and much more, I didn't get enough sleep.

Caffeine in hand we were ready! Because getting reading for a wedding takes a while y'all. Boys have it so easy, they arrive, get dressed and it's time to go. But we ladies have a few more things on our to-do list. But we make it fun, with lots of snacks, music and girl talk. There's not many quiet moments when you put 7 women together in one room for several hours. 

Several hours, an cans of hairspray later we were all dressed and ready, it was time for the main event. The bride was stunning and we all peeked behind the trees for her first look moment with her dad and then her groom before it was time to walk down the aisle. 

The ceremony was lovely, and only a little wet. Yes, there had been no rain ALL day. But we did get a small shower during the ceremony. But how can you even care when two of the best people are in the middle of the best moment of their life? Plus, it came complete with a rainbow! Now I know they say rain on your wedding day is good luck, so I have to assume that a rainbow appearing behind you while you're saying your vows is even luckier! I don't have any ceremony pictures just yet because it's frowned upon to take pictures while standing up in front of everyone as part of the wedding party but I assure you it was magical. 

A few more pictures then it was time for dinner. Oh and toasts! All three toasts were lovely and I am not sure I have ever laughed so hard at a toast as I did for the best man...it was so creative and witty and all the guests were very impressed. Should I ever need to make a toast in the future I will be asking him for advice. After dinner was dancing time. Now let me tell you, my husband loves to dance. Loves it! So we were out there most of the night tearing up the dance floor with all of our moves. Some of them graceful and impressive, some a bit more silly. My husband danced his tail off...quite literally. He may or may not have left the evening with a tear in his dress pants. 

Don't say he doesn't know how to have a good time! This photo was my husband's idea and I'm not sure my bro-in-law was quite as excited but I'm pretty sure it fills both my sister and I with immense joy that these two men got along so well their first weekend meeting. 

Plus we were together and we are each other's favorite people (shh...don't tell our husbands!)

A sparkler send off concluded the magical evening and we helped load all the cars with all the things before heading back to the hotel. 

Sunday equals another early morning, breakfast at a local spot and lots of hugs, kisses and see you soons to so many of our favorite people before making the long trek home. I've made that drive many times but after such a full weekend, I've got to say it was a bit tougher and required a few extra stops for renewed energy. But as I flopped into bed that evening I was overwhelmed with the joy from the weekend. My cousin is such a special person and she found the most special man to spend her life with, And celebrating that with the people nearest and dearest to me was such a gift. 

Cheers to the newlyweds and the best weekend! 

Birthday Weekend Recap

 My birthday was last week and boy do I love my birthday. I can pretty much guarantee I will wake up in a good mood and I did just that. I opened a birthday present, a few cards and soaked in a few extra minutes with my husband at home with me! He's usually headed to work by the time I'm out of bed so it was a special birthday morning to get to sip our coffee side by side and start the day together. I also treated myself to Dunkin Donuts, because birthday treats are a must. And to me a birthday treat is a fancy coffee and a sprinkle donut (or 2!). 

And then it was off to work. While I am of the belief that everyone should have the day off on their birthday, no one has put that in action yet so I spent the day with 22 of the coolest third graders and they were all on their best behavior. Which meant extra recess at the end of the day, which is both a treat for them and for a tired teacher too! And after that last bell I was outta there! We had made plans to spend the weekend in Harrisburg/Hershey for a little getaway that wasn't too far. We both needed a change of scenery and my birthday gave us an excuse to say yes! And y'all it was such a great weekend. It was laid back and relaxed and full of the best food and time with my favorite person. 

We ate the most delicious birthday dinner at The Mill in Hershey. Seriously, if you live nearby you must try it. It's a cool atmosphere with a truly stellar menu. We had cripsy brussel sprouts that were honestly food magic. As in we asked for a recipe so I could try them at home. (I'll keep you posted on that one). And I surprised myself by ordering brisket for dinner! The waitress told me it was her favorite thing on the menu and I think it earned that spot well because it was every bit as delicious as it looks in this picture. Probably more really. And no birthday dinner (or let's be honest any dinner) is complete without dessert right? Peanut butter pie is the way to my heart and this one was particularly delicious. 

And because we're no longer cool and hip in our 20's we called it a night after dinner. Being 31 is pretty wild right? Saturday was full of adventures! We ate breakfast at the hotel and then I got to see a little bit of hubby's old stomping grounds. He had lived here before moving to our current home so I got to see all his old spots. Downtown Harrisburg seems like a great spot! There are some of the most gorgeous old homes right on the river and the capital building was a sight to see! I'm definitely not above the "touristy" things when I'm somewhere new.

After a quick trip to the casino, because why not, we were a little bit richer and ready to spend our winnings on a couple of beers and a soft pretzel the size of a bicycle wheel. I mean maybe I'm exaggerating but it was pretty huge. Also, can I just take this moment to tell you one of my favorite things about living in Pennsylvania? There are soft pretzels on SO MANY menus! And I think that is how it should be everywhere. 

This brewery was so fun! It's a favorite local one of hubby's and the vibe inside was great! A fun mural on the wall, yummy snacks and delicious beer made both of us pretty happy. 

And after a few beers what is a great idea? Axe throwing of course! Have any of you done this? It's become pretty popular! I had done it one other time and I think it is so fun. It's a little tricky to get the hang of, unless you're part viking, which apparently my husband is because he's a natural. But after you get the feel for it, it's a pretty good way to let off some steam. 

We ended our day by checking out a few local restaurants downtown for some sips and snacks including a super fun piano bar. It was a little italian place and I had a tiramisu martini which was dessert in a glass. And because no day out is complete with late night pizza we grabbed some before heading back to the hotel. Does it count as late night pizza if it's 9:00 and not 2am? As I said, 31 is wild y'all. 

Sunday we were headed home but not before brunch! Did we do anything besides eat? I'm not sure. We ended the weekend at Millworks (which is different from The Mill from Friday). It was another great spot though, a former mill turned restaurant with in house art galleries. The artists are right there on sight which I found super fun! Also... who thinks I need one of these firewood walls in my home? Just me? 

and they had the tastiest brunch menu. A savory bacon jalapeno donut, and friend chicken biscuits and sausage gravy. My southern heart soars when I find somewhere that does a yummy biscuit, especially if it also has gravy. I will say, I have yet to taste a truly southern version way up north here but this was close and filled both my belly and southern soul .

This weekend was filling in so many ways. Not only did we leave the weekend with full bellies but also my heart felt so full of joy and rest and ease from a weekend spent with the person who makes me the happiest and who knows how to make me smile and laugh like no one else. Cheers to 31, can't wait to see what this year holds!

Catching You Up

Whew! Where did the last week go? I feel like things have been going a million miles a minute...although I don't feel like I have all that much to say to show for it HAH! So even though I missed the hodgepodge questions this week from my mom's blog...I present to you a hodgepodge of my life right now. 

Over the weekend, hubby and I enjoyed some delightful weather and a delicious lunch out! We had the yummiest fried chicken sandwiches complete with a hot honey drizzle. I have determined that I need to be better at taking pictures of my life so I have better images to go with my blogging words. But for today I will leave you with this picture of our yummy lunch...with a few bites taken out of it because I remembered to snap a pic only after I dove in! 

It is finally warm here! So what did I do on Monday? Made soup hah! Because why not? I love soup and can eat it year round even though it feels more "fall/winter". This particular soup was a new recipe and it is 100% one I will be trying again! I've linked the recipe I used and I followed it almost exactly. It's full of italian sausage, creamy tomato sauce, tortellini and kale (which I swapped for a kale/spinach combo). It was a big hit for both me and my hubby. And it made the perfect amount! Each of us had 2 bowls for dinner and then we had just enough for leftover bowls for lunch the next day. So do yourself a favor and pretend its 30 degrees out and curl up with a bowl of this deliciousness! 

Gemma...sweet Gemma. Last week I mentioned that she was having some trouble with her foot. We did go to the vet and had a corn removed and had a little sore on her foot treated. Well a week later and we were back at the vet today...some more yucky boo boos had developed and I noticed them last night. Why do things with pets always seem to happen after vet hours? But nevertheless we managed to squeeze in for an afternoon appointment. Only to be told that these new booboos were actually a result of her foot being bandaged from the previous injuries. Maddening! So I feel like a horribly neglectful puppy parent that I allowed them to develop but she's gotten treats and snuggles and I think she's forgiven me. 

And I will leave you with a story from yesterday. I am a teacher, for those that didn't know. And in these warm weather days some of us enjoy eating our lunch outside to soak up that sunshine. So yesterday as we're enjoying our lunch, we heard a yell. And we all kind of looked at each other because you just knew this was not a "playing with my friends/being silly" scream. This was a a hurt/scared scream. So we stand up and look over in that direction, not really seeing much and then all of a sudden I spot it...

"That kid is stuck in that tree!" And lo and behold we heard the scream again. And this time I was sure..it was coming from this boy who had climbed up a tree one leg on each side of a y shaped branch only to decide he in fact did NOT want to be up there, and was very scared. So I ran. Yep I RAN. And let me tell you I do not run. Should you see me running, know something important is going on. But myself and another teacher got moving because it seemed like he might fall any minute and was going to need a grown up pronto. Luckily, he decided as we came skidding to the base of the tree that he could attempt to jump down and he made it to the ground with no injuries and only a few more tears. 

One thing is for sure...there is never a dull moment.