Monumental

Today is April 13th, 2012. Exactly one year from today, Anthony and I, along with all of our friends and family, will be celebrating at our wedding. It's a whole year away, yet it's just a year away. I'm excited and nervous all at once but most importantly, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with Anthony.  I can only hope he loves me half as much as I love him. 

 

Photo courtesy of Forever Cute tumblr via weheartit

Love All Around

In the past week, three friends (two close college friends and one friend from high school) have gotten engaged. And I know five different people who became parents for the first time just last month. It's so funny how things all seem to happen at the same time.   Love in every form is springing up all around.  It makes me so happy to think about all of these new relationships and the new families being formed.  Most importantly, I love when the people around me are happy.  There's so much to celebrate in the coming year.  xo



Photo courtesy of Cheeseheiress

Christening the Kitchenaide

Anthony bought me a Kitchenaide for Christmas.  Did I tell you that?  Four months ago, I unwrapped the most beautiful gift, a mint-green retro mixer for our countertop.  I have wanted one of these glorious machines for as long as I can remember so obviously, I ripped it out of the box and started using it right away, baking up all sorts of treats.

Except that I didn't.  You see, Anthony and I weren't supposed to buy each other expensive gifts for Christmas this year.  We are saving for a wedding, a wedding that is almost exactly one year away.  But he knew how much I wanted one and how happy it would make me, after I stopped being mad at him, of course.  I considered returning it, but couldn't do it.  So I made a special spot on the counter and have looked at it fondly every day since December 25th.

And then on Friday night, I decided that I needed to use it.  I christened the Kitchenaide to make sugar cookies for Easter.  I should have mixed the ingredients together a bit more, but in less than two minutes, I had an entire batch of dough ready to chill then bake.  It was the true meaning of baking efficiency.

I'd like to say that I'm going to use it all of the time now, but I'm not sure yet.  In a way, it still seems too pretty to use.  What I do know is that every time I look at it, I smile.  I also feel like I should be waxing it up nightly so that it stays shiny.  It's one of the best gifts I've ever received, and I'm glad I didn't return it.

Easter Weekend

Without further ado, below are highlights from our Easter holiday:

I've never seen these Reese's Peanut Butter eggs, and I just had to buy a bag. 

Anthony and I ate them for breakfast on Easter morning.  Delicious.

Wild West Lego man was a little gift to Anthony.  He now lives on our coffee table.

I made these sugar cookies for dessert.  They are small and bite-size, which I love,

 but a little too neon for my taste. 

My future mother-in-law brought this adorable lemon cake. 

The chick made out of frosting on the top is the best.

I wish that we had dyed eggs or maybe gave each other small baskets this year.  It didn't really feel like Easter for some reason.  I didn't even have time to make the felt plush mini carrots that I've been thinking about for the last month.  But there's always next year.  I hope you had a fabulous holiday weekend! xo

P.S.  It's a bit weird that I don't have any pictures of actual people but at least I took some photos.  My family doesn't typically love posing for the camera. 

Blooms

Daffodils are my go-to flower at Easter.  I love handing out small bouquets of the tight yellow buds knowing that in just a few days, they will be bright blooms.  Today I bought several bunches at Trader Joe's and am just hoping that they stay closed until I can give them out on Sunday.  If not, I'll be more than happy to keep them in our apartment and let them cheer up the living room a bit.

For Easter, we'll be at my parents' house celebrating with lots of extended family and tons of chocolate peanut butter eggs.  What are your plans?  Happy weekend to you all! xo

Landmark

When we were in New York on St. Patrick's Day, I regret not taking a picture of the Empire State Building, shining bright green light against the foggy sky.  The image was so striking, almost comicbook-esque.  It was a photo that any tourist would kill for (not that I necessarily consider myself a tourist, although I never can pass up an iconic NYC picture). 

While I was waiting for my friend near Herald Square this rainy weekend, I noticed that everyone was walking by and looking up.  Eventually, I did too, only to see a perfect shot of the Empire State Building masked by fog and clouds.  It was gorgeous against the sky, almost like a clip from a black-and-white movie.  Even though it was a couple of weeks late, I'm glad I finally got my picture.

Spotted!

So while troving wedding sites, I came across a post on weddingchicks.com that caught my eye.  The decorations were lovely, the shoes were gorgeous, and the bride was absolutely beautiful.  She was wearing this adorable dress with the perfect neckline and details.  Her hair was just how I want mine to be on my wedding day, too.  Then, I noticed something very important: she was wearing my dress!

Did I mention I bought a wedding dress? In January, I went with my mother, sister-in-law and best friend to just try on dresses to see what they would look like, just to have a little fun.  The last dress I tried on (the eleventh one, I believe) was one that I picked out myself on their website.  It was also the one that I fell in love with.  Instead of going to another store to see if I might be able to find something I liked more, I decided that this was my dress.  It felt right. 

Since Anthony has made it very clear that he does not want to see my dress, I'm hesitant to even post the link to this wedding but here it is.  If he can resist the temptation to peek into the garment bag that is hanging in our bedroom with the dress, I think he can resist clicking on a hyperlink.  Let me know what you think.  Jordan, the featured bride, looks so good that I have fallen for my dress all over again.

Now if I only look half as beautiful as this girl, I think I will make Anthony a very happy groom next April. 

Photos courtesy of The Wedding Chicks; our dress is from David's Bridal