Scenes from a Weekend: Mother's Day Edition

Between Mother's Day, the rain showers and tons of blooming flowers, this was the quintessential spring weekend, and it was an extremely busy weekend at that. We were running around like crazy most of the time, but we were able to visit with lots of family and friends and even spend some time outside. It's that time of year when you can wear short-sleeves during the day but still have to wear a sweater in the chilly night air. Just perfect.

Flower beds outside of Anthony's mother's house.

I made five dozen onesie cookies for a baby shower on Saturday.  The icing didn't completely set because of the humid weather but they were so cute that no one seemed to care.

I love this flower topiary of a dog at this fancy Greenwich florist. Honestly, if he wasn't $75, I probably would have bought him for our living room.

Here's Lola, the cutest little fluffball, a.k.a. my brother and sister-in-law's kitty. Anthony is allergic to cats but still cannot stop himself from playing with her and her big brother, Chimi, when we visit.

Baskin Robbins sold these Mother's Day ice cream cakes in the shape of purses this year. We drove 20 minutes out of the way in order to get one for Sunday, embarrassingly enough (fyi, the handles are just straws covered in frosting and therefore, not edible).

 

I love all of the pink petals that have gathered on the sidewalks. They remind me 

of pink fluffy sprinkles, even when they are wet from the rain.

 

So things are getting back to normal here, slowly, and the week ahead promises to be a wonderful one. Anthony's graduation is on Friday and we're both really looking forward to celebrating. And I just booked a short trip to New Hampshire for the end of June so if you have any Portsmouth must-sees, send them along. I hope you all had wonderful weekends--I'm going to enjoy the last of my Sunday night by watching Heavyweights, a truly fantastic mid-90's movie. xo

Push Through

I'm bouncing back from a stomach bug of sorts and am really in need of some motivation to push me through the rest of the week. This peppy Anna Kendrick song is what I've been humming all day. The synchronized cup flipping is beyond impressive. Wishing you all a cheerful Tuesday. xo

Topping It Off

Weddings cost so much and while we were planning, I found myself really thinking about every purchase that I made. Some things just seemed ridiculously priced ($1,500 for four hours of DJ services when Anthony and I were choosing all of the songs? Does the DJ double as a cardiac surgeon?). Other things I knew I would never use again but still thought they'd make a difference on our actual wedding day, like my beaded headband from Anthropologie. There's no disputing that this has been a very expensive year.

One thing that I am happy that I purchased is this kickass cake topper from Etsy seller Lollipop Workshop. At the time, it seemed silly to buy such an extravagant accessory for a cake that would be on display for mere hours, but this personalized topper is really special to me for some reason.  Maybe it's the care that I know went into creating it especially for us. I already have a place for it on top of a bookcase in our living room.

Thanks so much to the Lollipop Workshop for creating this cake topper in our likeness (seriously, there was a really long form to fill out for all of the minute details, right down to the polka dots on Anthony's tie). We have a wonderful memento that will be on display for years to come. xo

'Just Married' a.k.a. Finally Back to My Regular Life

That's right, my dears. Anthony and I are finally married.

Here we are in the limo right after the ceremony. It was only two weeks ago but it feels like so much longer. The day was wonderful, filled with love just like we wanted.  There was also a broken necklace (beads all down my strapless bra apparatus), the DJ calling my brother the wrong name during the reception intros (umm, it's Dan, not Don), and two hours of walking barefoot in my gown while we took photos on the seawall. 

Now, wedding planning is over. I read some article last year (I'm using the word 'article' loosely here) about how a majority of brides are depressed after their weddings. What do they do now? What else can they plan? Personally, I did a little jig when it was all over. I can write and read again. We can travel on weekends if we'd like. I don't have to visit ninety-seven stores every weekend looking for the perfect sparkly accessory that I'll probably never wear again.

And my favorite part is that my best friend is now my husband. The end result made it all worth it. xo

Last 'Single' Night

Tomorrow, I'm getting married. Tonight is my last night as a single woman. Look at how happy we are after a successful rehearsal dinner.

After months of preparation, our wedding is mere hours away, and I honestly can't wait to be married. It's a weird feeling to know that I'll be legally bound to someone forever though.  I guess I'll have the rest of my life to get used to it.

The room tonight was so full of love. Most of my anxiety disappeared once I realized that everyone was so truly happy for us. Hopefully, the rest of the festivities will be just as joyous.

Also, in true Crystal-fashion, I messed up both of my thumb nails about ten minutes after I got my nails done. Hopefully, our photographer won't be very interested of close-up pictures of my thumbs. Not even a wedding can get in the way of my clumsiness.  xo

Spotted: Lunch-Hour Edition

During my lunch-hour yesterday, I walked over to the place where we are having our rehearsal dinner to make sure everything looked okay--it's a nice room and I think it'll work well and there's a good view of a parking garage. On the way back to my office, I noticed this outside of New Haven City Hall:

Yes, folks, that's right. It's a Nuts 4 Nuts cart! My favorite $1 New York City treat is camped out three blocks from where I work. Perhaps I'll be walking down there more often for afternoon nom noms.

Also, since I was right near Chipotle, I stopped for lunch to-go. I've never had Chipotle before and, although I don't want to sound like an idiot, the menu is kind of confusing. After waiting in line for ten minutes behind the most obnoxious Yale Hockey players, I finally ordered a burrito. Good news is that I really liked it. The rice and corn were awesome. Bad news is that I still have the urge to cut my burrito in half like I'm eating a wrap. I'm obviously not eating enough burritos. xo

Surprise

I'm on the fence when it comes to surprises. No one has ever thrown me a surprise party, and I've never been to one when the guest of honor wasn't actually already aware that a party was being thrown for him or her.  Surprises are hard in a world where it's nearly impossible to keep secrets.

But yesterday, I was surprised. My office put together a bridal shower-type party for me in our conference room complete with cake, champagne and gifts. Our overhead projector was decorated with streamers and over 30 people showed up. I've been at my current job for about eight years, and needless to say, many of my co-workers are close friends.  It was so touching, and I love how an entire group of people kept the secret for over three weeks.

I spend so much time at my desk set in a corner on the sixth floor of an office building, perhaps more time than I spend even with Anthony.  It's comforting to know that I have a small work family that is truly excited about our wedding, and my life in general outside of the office. This wedding has been a bit difficult to plan, but one of the best parts has been celebrating with supportive friends and family. After all, that's what love is all about.

I only wish I can convince someone to keep these decorations up in our conference room year-round. xo