3 Years!

On May 31, 2008, I married the most wonderful man I have ever laid eyes on . The last three years have been wonderful, and I cannot wait to see what wonderful things are in our future. Matt, I love you more than words can say. Thank you for being not only my husband, but my partner in crime, my sounding board, my therapist, my teacher, my comedian, and above all my very best friend. XOXO, your wife.

And for fun, I stole these Wedding ABC questions from one of my favorite blogs : )

The Alphabet of Our Wedding...

Attending:

We had about 120 family and friends

Bridesmaids:

4...from left to right, Michelle is a friend that I met on a houseboat trip in 2004, Stephanie I've known since 6th grade, Shara I've known since preschool and Carrie is not only Matt's sister but my dear friend.

Catering:

We had a local restaurant/caterer do the food. We decided to have a heavy appetizer theme so people could graze all night long. Things like stuffed mushrooms, tritip sandwiches, quesadillas, and sushi were on the menu!

Dress:

My dress was a Maggie Sottero that my Mom and I found at the local bridal shop.

Engagement:

Matt proposed on October 6, 2007 while we were boating on the American River. This is one of my favorite engagement pictures...

Flowers:

My colors were black and white. The one pop of color was in my bouquet and Matt's boutonniere. Calla Lillies are my favorite and they were used for the bridal party flowers. For centerpieces, we used square vases with white Gerbera Daisies.

Groomsmen:

Matt also had 4 people on his side. My brother and Matt's Dad are also in this photo though. From left to right...Justin who Matt has known since babyhood, Zach who is married to Matt's sister Carrie, Marc is Matt's stepbrother, Matt, his Dad, my brother, and Jason who is Matt's best bud.

Honeymoon:

We honeymooned in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a week. This is a photo of the resort we stayed at, Velas Vallarta. Our trip included swimming with dolphins, lots of great meals, a beautiful room, tons of pool and beach time and some much needed relaxation! 

Invitations:

Found them online. Half of the invitation was black and the other half was white with wording the the opposite color. Sounds kind of funky, but they really weren't!

Justice of the Peace:

My father in law has an old friend who is an ordained minister. He married us. He also blew up a van with my FIL in the '70's...

Keepsakes:

I wore a necklace that Matt gave me as a gift for our first Christmas together in 2003. Not really a keepsake, but in memory of my Dad, after walking down the aisle I pulled a flower from my bouquet and placed it on the chair he should have sat in.

Ladies Night:

My bachelorette party was in Lake Tahoe and it was a blast!!!

Music:

A disc jockey did all of the music. I walked down the aisle to 'Unchained Melody' by the Righteous Brothers and Matt and I danced to 'I Cross My Heart' by George Strait.

Newlyweds:

Being that we're celebrating our three year anniversary, I guess we're not really newlyweds anymore...

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue:

Old was the necklace that I wore, new was my dress, borrowed was a bracelet and I seriously cannot remember what my blue was!!!! For some reason, I'm thinking it was in my garter....

Photography:

Marty was our wonderful photographer!! He took both our engagement and wedding pictures and I couldn't have asked for anything better. Since our wedding, 3 other couples from our circle have used him : )

Question Popping:

On the boat with my gorgeous ring and a bottle of champagne!

Reception:

Our reception and ceremony both took place at RH Phillips, a local winery. Unfortunately, they shut it down about 7 months after we got married : (

Shoes:

Silver flip flops similar to these...

Trash the Dress:

I've talked about it with my friend Sara...we'll see if it ends up happening!

Unique:

Hmmmm...maybe that we didn't have a cake. Also, that my brother walked me down the aisle...

Vows:

Nonreligious, traditional, and very short and sweet!

Wedding Woes:

Missing my Dad mostly. And I also regret not doing pictures with Matt prior to the ceremony. He refused to see me before I was walking toward him. Very traditional that one!

X-Rated:

I have no idea what this is asking....our actual wedding was pretty PG : )

Young Kids:

No participation from children.

Zzzz:

We were exhausted by the end of the night. We stopped at home to change and grab luggage, and our neighbor came running down her driveway with a plate of lasagna for us. We got to our hotel and didn't have anything to use to eat it. I ate lasagna with my fingers on my wedding night! We left at 7 am the next morning for Mexico!

Five Question Friday!

Go over to this great blog to join in and share your five answers!

1. Do you apologize to your kids?
I don't have kids. But I have apologized to the children that are a part of my life. It's only fair if I do something wrong to say I'm sorry if I expect the same from them.

2. What color are your nails right now?
Fingernails are unpainted and toenails are a veeeeeeery light pink. A "nude" if you will.

3. When you were growing up, how difficult was it for you to stay home from school sick? (As in, did you have to vomit or just say "I don't feel good".)
It was not difficult at all if I really didn't feel good. Parents can typically tell these things. My Mom was also a firm believer in that everyone needed a "hooky" day once in a while.

4. When is the last time you bought a new comforter for your bed?
A few years ago. I did buy a new duvet cover about a year ago.

5. Favorite website(s)?
That's a tough one. I have fav website for different things. Favorite cooking website = allrecipes.com. Favorite I'm bored website = bravotv.com or the ever trusty Facebook. Too many favorite blog websites to list.

Photo Inspiration Friday

Head over to Jenn's blog and share pictures that are inspiring you today!

With Memorial Day being Monday, I've got our troops on the brain. The following are pictures that I took while on a trip to DC last Spring. Thank you to all that serve so I can live my life the way that I do.

Wednesday Love

Go to Jamie's blog to link up and share what you're loving!

This week......

I'm loving...that this wonderful couple will be getting hitched on Saturday!

I'm loving...that we will be spending Sunday on the lake with our neighbors!

I'm loving...that I'm down a total of 17 pounds since having started Weight Watchers!

I'm loving....my sweet, smart, wonderful best friend : )

Happy Monday!!

This weekend was full. Friday night, we went to my sister in laws house to prepare for the surprise 60th birthday party we threw for my mother in law. Prepping food, grilling, and watching the Giants game proved to be a fun evening.

Saturday I attended the baby shower of my dear friend Anika. She is having a little girl sometime around June 30th and we're all so excited to meet her : )

That night was the surprise party. Everything went off without a hitch and my MIL was definitely surprised. I think she enjoyed herself.

Yesterday we took the boat out. Things didn't go so great. First, the recently changed oil leaked all over the boat. Something about the old gasket not coming off with the old filter. We managed to fix it. Had a good few hours. Then the boat began to overheat. Then we had to float down river for about two hours. I guess there are worse scenarios than this, but it was kind of a bummer to get home later than expected on a Sunday evening and to also know that your pretty much screwed as far as having a boat that is functional for the summer. Oh well....more time to work on the house!

Five Question Friday

Go over to Five Crooked Halos to join in and give your five answers. Happy Friday!!!

1. Do you and your spouse go to bed at the same time?
We do, unless one of us is sick. And the sad part? Our bedtime is between 8:30 and 9:00.

2. A question for the ladies...What kind of facial hair do you like on your man?
It varies. I think I'd be okay with anything as long as it wasn't a mustache only. Right now, my husband is rocking a goatee, and I must say it's pretty hot!

3. What's the worst vacation you've ever taken?
Hahahahahaha.....well, typically if I'm on vacation, I'm not complaining. Probably one of the many family trips to the cabin for several reasons that I'm not at liberty to go into on here : )

4. What's the first-ever blog you followed?
Kelly's Korner. She's wonderful!

5. Do you enjoy amusement parks?
VERY much. Wish I lived closer to one. My husband and I have never been to an amusement park together...we're hoping to change that this summer!

Photo Inspiration Friday

 Jenn at Going the Distance is hosting another Photo Inspiration Friday! Head over an link up with a picture or two that inspires you !

This week, I am READY to be boating. This has gotten me to thinking about things that come with boating. The first is wake boarding......

The second is Lake Tahoe.....this picture is of one of our favorite spots on the lake - Sand Harbor....

And finally, a picture of our boat...

SUYL - Favorite Dinner Recipe

Over at Kelly's Korner today, we are sharing favorite dinner recipes!

I really enjoy cooking, and choosing a favorite dinner recipe was tough. I finally settled on a Rachael Ray recipe. Sometimes I feel like her recipes are a little overwhelming - they either have a ton of ingredients or require a lot of tools and dishes - but I tried this a year or so ago, and LOVED it. It's so yummy and it really hits the spot on a cold winter day.

Quick Chick-in-Wine with Brie-Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes


Serves 4
 
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts
1/2 bottle dry white wine
2 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes
Salt
1/2 cup cream
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus a drizzle
4 slices deli-cut bacon or thick cut pancetta, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Flour, for dredging plus 2 tablespoons
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped or 1 cup shredded carrot
1 bay leaf
A few sprigs thyme, stripped and leaves chopped
1/3 pound wedge brie, cut into pieces


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, add the chicken, cover with wine, and set aside.

2. Quarter the potatoes, leaving the skin-on. Place in a large pot, cover with water and bring up to a boil over medium heat. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and place in a medium bowl. Mash the potatoes, season with salt and set aside.

3. In a small pot, combine apple and cream and reduce over medium heat 15 minutes.

4. Drizzle EVOO in a large skillet over medium high heat, add the bacon and crisp 3-4 minutes. Remove to a plate.

5. While bacon crisps, remove the chicken to a work surface, reserving the wine. Cut chicken into large bite-size pieces, season with salt and pepper, dredge in flour then brown in bacon drippings. While chicken browns chop vegetables. Remove the chicken to a plate, then add 2 tablespoons EVOO to the skillet, season the vegetables with salt and pepper and add bay leaf and thyme. Cover pan to sweat vegetables 5 minutes then remove lid, stir in 2 tablespoons flour, cook 1 minute then stir in wine, add chicken back to pan and simmer together to thicken and the chicken is cooked through, a couple of minutes more.

6. To a food processor, add the apple-cream and brie, process until smooth and season with salt. Combine apple-brie mixture with the mashed potatoes. *** Instead, I mash the cooked apple with a potato masher and mix the brie into the hot potatoes...why dirty a food processor!!

7. Serve chicken with wine over brie mashed potatoes.

To check out some of my other favorite recipes, go to my recipe blog!

Sweet Summertime!

As of 9:30 this morning, I am officially on Summer break!!! Wahoooooo! Finals are over, I sold back my textbooks to the bookstore, and promptly headed to Ross to treat myself to a new handbag. In all of my summer excitement, I thought I would share some of the plans that we have for the season...

Weddings! Not as many as most people....some bloggers are attending as many as 7 weddings this summer!!! Thus far, we are going to two. One is here in town in just a couple of weeks and the other is in Tahoe on Labor Day weekend. I'm VERY excited for both of them!


Boating! We are water people. And we have a boat that is like a second home. Our love of being on the river with a brew in hand is almost tangible and I am READY for those types of afternoons. Hoping to convince the hubby to take me out today to celebrate finals.


Parties! Engagement, birthday, baby showers, etc. Lots and lots of parties. I'm sure they'll all be recapped on here at some point!


The house! Of course, we'll continue to work on our house. We hope to be finished by September/October so we definitely have our work cut out for us!!

And...my most favorite holiday. The Fourth of July. LOVE this day, what it stands for, and my country. Celebrating with BBQ, beer and fireworks is pretty cool too!


What are your summer plans???

WILW

Head over to Jamie's blog to join in!!

I'm loving...that after tomorrow, finals will be over and I will officially be on summer break!!

I'm loving...that I was finally able to find these tan towel things to use on said summer break!!

I'm loving...this dress and wedges (in a gold color) that I found at Victoria's Secret to wear to a wedding later this month!!

I'm loving...my husband. At the end of the day, he really is my best friend : )

So, what are YOU loving this week???

Our Home

When my husband and I got married, we decided that eventually we would like to add-on to and remodel our house. We love our neighborhood and location, but feel like the space available, while perfect for us and our two dogs, will become smaller and smaller as we start a family. So....3 years ago, we started talking. And then we started planning. And currently, I have no master bathroom and my guest bedroom is down to bare studs and has no ceiling. Truly, you look up and see the bottom of the roof and duct work.

In an effort to "take people on this ride with us" and also be able to look back and remember, of course I'll be blogging about this whole thing. Probably will assign Tuesdays as being the one day a week dedicated to our home project - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Today, I'll start with the before pictures of our living and dining room area and will show you inspiration photos for what I'm modeling them to look like someday......

This picture is looking into the dining area from our kitchen. The window that you see on the right will stay. We will be adding three 2.5'x2.5' windows above the piano so that natural light will be let in, but we don't have to look eye level at our yucky neighbors house. The curtain that you see on the left is a window covering for a sliding glass door. This door will be replaced with a french door.

This is looking into our living room from the entry hall (note my sweet Doberman, Cash, peeking in!). Important features to note about this space are that there will no longer be a fire place to the left of the slider. We are moving the fireplace. We are also going to install a second french door to the left of where the existing fireplace is. There will be wall space with no windows between the two french doors.

Here is my inspiration for the doors....

Another living room shot. See those framed pictures on the wall to the left??? That's the wall that we're moving the fireplace to. There will be built in cabinets on either side of the fireplace and we are going to get a flat screen television to hang above. Also, that wall is being pushed back about 7 feet to make the living room larger.

Fireplace inspiration.....

 

 This photo shows where our entry hall is. This will change slightly and end up being more open, but that's another post. Mostly, I wanted to show that the corner wall, just behind the far right of the couch, will be the wall that is pushed back 7 feet. It's going to give us lots more space and really open things up. The eating bar that you see in the left of the photo is staying : )

So, that's the plan for the living and dining rooms. We're going to be installing new flooring and light fixtures and are also going to be painting this area of the house a much lighter color. Here is a picture of my inspiration for the look of the living area...

I think I also may want to save up for this dining set:

What do you think??????

5/10/02

Sorry I've been MIA lately. We've been busy with house stuff and I'm in the middle of wrapping up school for the semester. Today, I want to write about yesterday.

May tenth is a hard day for me. That's because on that day in 2002, I lost my father. It was unexpected, and quick and traumatic. I'll say that he died of sepsis 3 weeks after having surgery for an aortic aneurysm. I miss him every. single. day. and wish so much to be able to talk to and see him again. Even if only for a few minutes.

A few precious people reached out on Facebook yesterday, and I want to remember, so I'm putting it on my blog.

From my friend Shara's father, John, who I've know for 22 years and is like a second father to me. He was there the day my Dad passed away....

"Bill - left us to soon. All his conversations were about the most important thing to him- you and Mitch. Take care - from Thailand. "

From my amazing sister in law, Carrie...

"I wish I could have met him. I love you."

From the best cousin EVER, Jordan...

"he was such a great man, and is missed so very much by all of us. Big hugs cuz."

and last but not least,

From my wonderful friend and neighbor Tiffany, who has become like a sister to me...
"He's smiling down today... So proud of the beautiful, sweet, funny woman his little girl has become!!! Have a great day & celebrate him. I can only imagine he and I would have LOVED each other!!"

Photo Inspiration Friday

Jenn at Going the Distance is hosting a new link up on Fridays. It involves posting a photo from the week that has inspired you in some way.

This week, I'm choosing a picture that has inspired me for our home decor. My husband and I are in the process of adding a second story to our home, and we are basically redoing everything in our house except the kitchen and laundry room! Anyway, the picture below is one that I came across in a recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens. I hope that when all is said and done, our living room will look somewhat like this!

Head over to Jenn's blog to join in the fun! Happy Friday : )