3 MONTHS!

i'm baaaaack! well life has certainly been a whirlwind around here lately! i can't complain - the end of the school year, family visiting from out of state, oh...and my bridal shower!

let's jump right into the good stuff, shall we?

on sunday, june 3rd my family and bridesmaids planned the most perfect little bridal shower that there ever was.  the devil is in the details...everything from the centerpieces, to the cake, to the signature cocktail, the favors, the photos of shawn & i all throughout our lives hanging so sweetly throughout....the day was literally perfection.  not to mention all of the amazing & generous gifts we received.  i've been floating on a cloud since.  here are a few photos..

wedding planning seriously is the most fun.  shawn and i have been just loving life...i know i'll miss this after the wedding, so i have been soaking up every last drop!  3 MONTHS TO GO!

xo,

my heart is full.

sunday morning, after a fabulous four day weekend. wanting it to slow day, let's enjoy every last second before heading back into a full work week. taking a moment (or two, or three) to reflect on the wonderful memories that were made this thanksgiving. off to enjoy one more adventure before monday is here...

xo,

race brain: part II

last night shawn & i made our way to the philadelphia convention center to pick up my race packet and explore the expo.  not one for large crowded spaces, i am so happy we decided to go last night & have made a mental note to do that for future races as well. it was empty! we were able to walk through all of the booths without being bumped and shoved.

can't quite figure out how to rotate this!?

one of the booths at the expo was yurbuds.  have you heard of them? they are the most comfortable ear buds i have ever tried...& they have really great sound quality.  i have been using the stock iphone buds forever & borrowing shawn's nixon's for race day, but once i tried these i knew i had to have them.  

they have a unique twist and lock feature which secures them without drowning out surrounding sounds..which i like because that way i can be aware of my surroundings when running outdoors. they come by size...and mine have two sizes, so when shawn wants to borrow pink yurbuds, he can;)

shawn bought these for me for a good luck gift for my first half marathon!! i'm super excited to use them. 

i just put the finishing touches on my playlist...tonight we will be {lightly} carb loading & hitting the hay early.... race starts at 7am! my outfit is laid out & i feel ready... update to come tomorrow! happy running!

xo,

a sneak peak

it's sunday evening after a long week and surprisingly relaxing weekend, though it was filled with a decent amount of snow. and although there are a millions things going on in my mind and all around me, i keep sneaking back to the computer to sneak a few more peaks at the engagement photos my photographer sent to me on friday morning. these are just a few, and there are still many more to come, however, i can't help but to get giddy whenever i see these & am reminded of our fun afternoon just two weeks ago.  so, here are a few i'd like to share...

i love the effect of the polariods & am so excited that our photographer plans to use them on our wedding day as well!  more to come...:)

for more photos & to see more from our fabulous photographer, you can visit his website here.
(click "buy prints" on the left hand side for more from our session)

hoping you had a fabulous weekend!

xo,

sunday thoughts

something about a crisp, autumn sunday morning that makes one want to sleep in a little later; linger around in pjs a little longer; sip morning coffee a little slower; & snuggle with the boy a little closer.

monday morning always comes too soon. .

xo,

a few tips from yours truly

 as mentioned previously, shawn & i had our engagement photos taken this weekend.  to say we had fun would be quite an understatement!...i am still smiling about it 3 days later =)

the day of the photos, i was a nervous wreck! i don't quite know why..but i was second guessing everything - my outfit choice, shawn's outfit choice; we thought it would have been cooler outside than it ended up being, so everything was not exactly how i pictured it would be.

needless to say, i had a glass (or 2!) of wine before we left;)

so, looking back on our day, i thought i would list a few tips about prepping for your engagement session!


1. plan your outfit.  then plan your backup outfit! 
we had planned to have our session mid october expecting it to be a crisp, autumn day.  and while we had an absolutely gorgeous day, it was about 71 degrees, when we were anticipating much cooler temps. so the cute sweater outfits i had chosen for shawn and i were no longer going to work.  at the last minute i ditched my jacket sweater and shawn opted for a clean white button up.  i wanted to look casual and simple, yet classic.  i opted for a plain white tee, skinny jeans, and boots.  i added some color with a yellow scarf (to add in a pop of my wedding color)


2. choose your location!
this was an easy one for me.  i knew before we even got engaged that i wanted to have our photos taken along kelly drive between the back of the art museum and boat house row. we have become quite familiar with that area from our long runs... there are so many options! we were able to get shots by the water, by rocks, in trees, in gardens, on benches, with people in the background, with the skyline in the background, etc... it is helpful to be knowledgeable about the location, that way, if you are on a time limit (which you most likely will be) you will know which areas you definitely want to be photographed.

3. have a glass of wine!
...or your drink of your choice!  i don't know why i was feeling so anxious, i think it was mostly excitement, so a glass of wine was just what i needed to calm my nerves a bit.


4. get comfortable!
having your photo taken while holding a kissing pose is NOT NORMAL.  it's awkward! but it's also a lot of fun, and after the first few photos are taken, you will loosen up and it will be a little more comfortable.  trust your photographer to know what poses look good, but also don't be afraid to let your photographer know if you have something specific in mind.

and last but not least..

5. HAVE FUN!
at the end of the day, these are not the most important photos you will have taken, but they might be the most fun! i felt like shawn and i were on a date, flirting and being silly for the whole time, and it was fun! enjoy yourselves:)

and a little sneak peak:

george, our photographer, has sent us a little teaser of sunday's session.  this is one of the photos...i am so excited & cannot wait to see the rest!

have a great day!

xo,

wonderful whirlwind of a weekend :)

this weekend was jam packed with fun & friends...i'm so thankful to have been able to see almost all of the important people in my life in one weekend...so unexpected & surprising! i love it!

let's start with friday! my FIANCEE and i ;) <love love LOVE saying the F word :)> went to see the hangover part 2.  it was between bridesmaids and hangover..we opted for the latter.  the movie was definitely funny, but i prefer the first. although, they were practically the same movie! more importantly though, getting to the point here, i was beyond ecstatic upon entering the movie theater and discovering the front row was filled with 6 of my best buds from PSU!!! we had arrived fairly early for the movie, unsure how full the theater would be,  so i had ample time to catch up my girls on all things proposal & engagement related before the movie started =)

saturday: where do i begin to discuss the fun that was had saturday evening?! my dear friends, and fellow engaged couple, invited us to join them for a birthday party/open bar at a one of our favorite spots in the city. and, well, the photos speak for themseleves: (sorry for photo overload, but not really)

beyonce's got nothin on me!

court & fred, thank you so much for inviting us along! we had THE BEST time with you all, xo!!

don't you love it when your friends' family feels like your own family?! i love them!!!!

sunday: yesterday we were up & at em bright and early for manayunk bike race 2011!!  thankfully, the day was not too hot. in past years, we sweated our butts off! for those who are not familiar with bike race, professional teams from different countries come to the city of brotherly love to race up the hills of manayunk while the locals cheer them on from the streets. it is a day filled with BBQ, beers (or mimosas if you are me!), games, and great friends.  more pics:

 (please note the patriotic apparel!)

all in all...it was a great weekend!!! loved seeing so many friends in all one weekend...hope your weekend was fab as well!!

xo,