A Barbie for Grace

Happy Birthday, Gracie!

My beautiful niece turned 4 yesterday! And what does every 4-year old need on her birthday? A Barbie, of course. I was obsessed with Barbies as a child so naturally, it was my calling to get what I think is her first one! She is totally into this one Barbie DVD, but I don't actually think she owns one of the dolls. Oh, however, she did get the big Barbie head last year- you know, the one you can put make up on and style her hair. I...oh I mean she thought that it was super cool. We had a great time getting Barbie's head all fancy.

Anyway...so last Saturday, I headed over to Toys 'R Us to get Grace a Barbie. Easy, right? Go in, check them out, pick one, off to the register. YEAH RIGHT! I wandered through aisles that appeared to be Barbies, but are actually Disney dolls that are similar to Barbies. Then I finally found the right section. OMG, have you seen the Barbie selection lately. It's out of control! What happened to Tropical Barbie and her friend, other Tropical Barbie (they were my faves)? I was so overwhelmed. I stood there, with my mouth open, just staring. Then I'd moves a few feet to the left and do the same thing. I walked back and forth. Barbie isn't just Barbie now. There are more than themes to these dolls. They have entourages, who have DVDs and Cd's and come with 1,000 pieces. Their skirts turn into butterflies and their feet do ballet moves with some magical key! It was all too much. So who do I call? My brother.

He didn't know either, sharing that if he was there, he would have called me! Of all people, you'd think I could handle this whole situation on my own, but apparently not so much. He suggested something princess-like. I hung up with him and took and breath and just though for a minute....ok, Grace likes this one DVD. Do they have the doll that goes with the DVD? Nope, not so much. Ok, maybe I'll get her another DVD. Yes, they have other DVDs and dolls that go with them- or at least I think they go together. The DVD was a something about 12 Dancing Princesses and the Barbie I got looked like the one on the cover, wearing pink and a crown. Close enough right? Geez, I hope so. Next time,I think I'll take grace with me next time and let her just pick. I'm happy with my purchase, I just hope Grace is too!

I'll let you know after her party on Sunday. :)

PS. I miss Tropical Barbie.

IWT- Flip Video Camcorder

So, every once in a while, or maybe more often than not, I will share with you an IWT item. What does that mean you ask? I Want That! I always see things that I would like to have, but when it warrants a post, I will call it an IWT. Understand? Good. Here is my first item.

It's the Flip Video Camcorder. It's so cute, right? Oh, but it's more than cute, it takes videos that can easily be uploaded to your computer (see the litle usb arm?). They have all different colors and styles and certain models can even be designed to your preference.

They have different memory sizes, each with different recording times and there's even an HD version now. WHOA! The most expensive one available is $230 and the least expensive is $150.

It's about the size of a classic ipod or cell phone, so it fits nicely in your purse or your fiance's pocket. ;) The Mino version is even smaller.

Oh, and it comes in PINK! I'm sold. I have about a million reasons that I want one, but mostly I think it would be fun to take little videos throughout the getting ready process of the big day and even some little clips of our honeymoon in Hawaii....PG rated folks, behave!

I have seen a couple people blog about these little guys, saying how they want one too or that they have one and absolutely love it. It's a must have.

What's funny, is that my mom was way ahead of the times and bought one of these little guys a year or so ago and I believe I made fun of her. Ooops. Who would have thunk that Sue would be ahead of the game when it comes to technology. Go Mom!

Do you have one? Would you get one? Please share.

Halloween Wedding?

I love the fall. I love watching the leaves change color. I love the sound of the leaves under my feet. I love that the evenings cool off. I love Halloween.

Even though I'm once again on the west coast and don't get to see the leave change color or rustle under my feet (until maybe December), I still love the fall. And I really love Halloween. I'm not so much about the costumes, but more of the stuff leading up to the holiday. I love any kind of autumnal decor and just generally love the energy surrounding Halloween.

It's really no surprise to anyone who knows me that I'll be getting married in the fall. It was a given. The fact that our wedding is the day before Halloween happened by chance. The date was available at our venue and we thought it would be fun.

I've struggled with incorporating Halloween into the wedding. People would mention that it might be fun to dress up- I disagree. I'm all about a nice theme, but I believe costumes take weddings to another level. I have definitelyseen some interesting Halloween themed weddings...

Not exactly my cup of tea. However, I thought it might be fun to have some elements of the holiday tied into the wedding celebration. There will be plenty of candy corn, pumpkins and other fall items integrated into the ceremony and receptions. Our main colors for the wedding are black and white, however most of the flowers and other details will be orange. I wanted to use orange, knowing that I'd be using pumpkins throughout. Here is what our ring bearer will be using as his ring pillow.

I found a smaller version on etsy and contacted the seller to see if it would work for a ring bearer pillow and she happily offered to make a bigger version. It's absolutely perfect! I think Ty will love it. I've been warned by Kerry that I shouldn't plan on keeping it, because Ty will want to. :)

My niece Grace, as the flower girl, will be carrying a pumpkin basket (similar to the one below- minus the cat!) to hold her rose petals. I have tossed (no pun intended) around the idea of using silk autumn leaves instead of roses petals for her to throw, but haven't decided on it yet.
The kids table will be full of fun Halloween activities, crafts and toys, to get them excited to trick or treating the next day.

I'm sure I'll come up with other ways to incorporate a little bit of Halloween without it being too much. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

My Ladies. My Maids. My PICs.

I'd like to introduce to you my lovely bridal party. Well, at least the especially lovely side, being the girls. :) I have been told on more than one occasion that I have a very attractive bridal party and I certainly don't disagree.

Each and every one of these ladies hold a special place in my heart. They are all from different time periods in my life, that have remained a true friend. I am honored to have them by my side as I marry the man I love.


So here they are...


This is my beautiful Matron of Honor, Leslie. She is truly like a sister to me. We met on the first day of college, as she was in the dorm room right next to me. We were instantly buddies. We chose the same sorority, or rather I made her join the sorority and from there it was history. People thought we had know each other for years, when it had only been days. We have shared many secrets, cross country road trips and all out laughing sessions. She truly is my rock.





This beautiful bridesmaid is Erin. Erin and I also met in college, as we joined Delta Gamma at the same time. Erin came over to meet Leslie and I as we prepared for our first mixer with a fraternity. Erin is an amazing friend. We can talk for hours about anything. If I need someone to go to for advice on clothing, babies or just life, I call Erin. I am so proud to have Erin as a bridesmaid for so many reasons, but one of them is because she is pregnant with her second child, a baby boy. I think it's so cool that two big events in our lives will be crossed. She will look beautiful in every way.

This beautiful bridesmaid is Cari. This picture is from her rehearsal dinner, back in May when I was one of her bridesmaids. I met Cari during grad school in 2004. She was my study buddy, dinner pal and all out balance to the crazy life we led as grad students. I would never have made it, if it weren't for Cari. Cari kept me sane, entertained me and even moved the second year, so we wouldn't have to drive a dreaded 15 minutes to see each other. We were kind of attached at the hip. Cari is one of the most fun and creative people I know.


This beautiful bridesmaid is the one that I have known the longest- almost as long as I've known Joe. Laura and I met our freshmen year of high school and have been friends ever since. Laura and I have more inside jokes, funny stories and random adventures than I have with anyone else. Although we've been separated by many miles through the years, we have always remained the best of friends. Joe and Laura are also friends, as we all hung out together in high school. That's what makes it even more special to have Laura be part of our wedding day!

This beautiful bridesmaid is Katie. Katie and I also met in grad school and braved some tough terrain together. We were instant friends, who were given the title "beach club girls" because of our hair color and tans. We accepted the title and ran with it. We have spent a lot of time at the beach actually, as Katie's hometown is Cape May, NJ. Her family has so graciously hosted me numerous times. I was fortunate enough to be roommates with Katie when we lived in Philadelphia. There we became even closer while we bonded over Lost DVDs and ceasar salads.

And last but not least, this beautiful bridesmaid is Kerry. Kerry and I met through my brother back in 2001. Kerry and I hit it off right away bonding over coach purses and spa treatments. We were instant friends who spent a lot of time crafting and shopping. I immediately became attached to her son Tyson when he was born and spent every night at their house, feeding him a bottle and rocking him to sleep. Leaving that little boy to go to grad school killed me. We kept in touch and of course reconnected when I returned. Tyson will be our ring bearer and Kerry's husband is a groomsmen. We love the Smiths!

The following two lovely ladies are our flower girls. You met Grace in my last post, and now I can introduce you to Abby. She is Joe's niece, the daughter of his brother and sister in law. I totally stole her picture of her mom's facebook page.

Aren't they cute!?!

Gracie, age 3 1/2

Abby, age 17 mos

Showered with Love!

A few weeks ago, my wonderful bridesmaids (more on them later) threw me an amazing bridal shower and bachelorette party. It was seriously A-mazing. I have been to a number of bridal showers in my day and had hoped for something fun for my own, but these girls outdid themselves. I didn't want the traditional bachelorette party, but rather a fun evening with sleepover of sorts that was by no means mandatory! It was a weekend I'll never forget. I am truly blessed to have friends so wonderful.

Here are a few pictures to recap the day...

This is the restaurant where the shower was held (Tapestry, in Los Gatos), all dressed up by my 'maids. I love pink! So perfect. The theme of the shower was Cupcakes and Cocktails! :)

And here are the lovely ladies. Cari couldn't be with us since she's back in Connecticut working her butt off, but she was there in spirit for sure! She definitely contributed to the greatness of the day!!

**Left to right: Erin, Leslie (MOH), me, Laura, Katie and Kerry. Thank you ladies!

This my niece, Grace. She is one of our flower girls. I love this little girl.


And this is my Mom. Isn't she cute? A big thanks to her, since she paid for all the food and beverages at my fantastic shower!

Here are the yummy cupcakes from Jen's Cupcakes. The vanilla one was to die for. Leslie gifted me the cake stands as well. Aren't they awesome?

This is the hotel suite where the ladies went all out and decorated in all pink and black. Complete with feathers, boas, and undies hanging from the ceiling. I loved it! This was later in the evening, when we were all hanging out.



Thank you all for such an amazing, fun filled, unforgettable day!

What's a Blog?

Hmmm, now what? What do I write about? I guess we'll start here.

Up until about a year and a half ago, I had no idea what a blog was. Well, maybe I knew, but had no interest in reading any....until my friend, Cari introduced me to Weddingbee. Cari was recently engaged and had been reading this blog for wedding ideas, tips and just general entertainment. She shared it with me because....well, long story short, my ex boyfriends fiance (now wife) had just become a contributing blogger to the site. It floored her, of course, so she shared it with me. Anyway....

I became hooked on the site, reading about wedding plans, exciting DIY projects and incredible recaps of amazing weddings. I don't know that a day has gone by since (well maybe 1 or 2) that I haven't at least checked in on weddingbee. Obsessed? Yes.

So why am I blogging? No idea. Well, I guess I just figured I'd give it a go. Jump on that bandwagon and take a ride. I'm in an amazing place in my life. I am incredibly happy and marrying a man that makes me happier than I ever imagined I could be. Cliche? Yep. I'm ok with it. I have no shame letting people know that I am in engagement bliss!

Today marks exactly 64 days 'til our wedding. I'm not a big DIYer, but maybe I'll share with you some ideas I've stolen from other people or things that maybe I've thought of myself. We'll see how easily I open up and share- because honestly, it's a little scary!

Hang on, it could be fun. How bout now? Yes. :)