Our After-Party 5-2-09

After the wedding a lot of us took a shuttle back to our hotel. And everyone crashed our hotel! It was a really fun time! My parents (who haven't seen each other in 20 years were even hanging with us!)

I wish we had more alcohol...my bottle of vodka lasted 10 minutes. But it was a memorable and fun after-party!

Here are some pix!

Me and my sister Michelle

Me and Rachael...

All of us!

We all had a great time!!!

A big THANK YOU to my Dad for making it all possible!

Next up...Our honeymoon!

Let me call you Sweetheart..

We have a tradition in our family to do this dance...

The Let Me Call You Sweetheart Dance.

It looks like this.

My Grandparents 5-12-53

4 more days....I cannot wait!!!!!!!!

Grandpa's 80th Birthday

Febuary 13th was my Grandpa's 80th birthday...it is also my Grandma's birthday. They share the same day. Isn't that cute?

We celebrated my grandparent's birthdays along with my cousin Annie (bm) and her boyfriend Troy's.

Here are some random pix..


Everyone said I looked like I got into 'Monny's makeup'....that was when I really knew the makeup was bad!!

Mother of the Bride

Can I just say my Mom got the most awesome-est dress!!!! I absolutely LOVE it!!!!



She got it at Cache. I really love the color...swoon! However, she doesn't think the shoes match-but I do. What do you all think???


She is gonna be one HOT Mama!

We hung out this weekend and had a blast! We got to practice dancing for the big day! ha!

Love you Mom!

Dear blog friends,

I have been a bad blogger. I have been so wrapped up in baking things like Potica for my Grandpa, shopping for last minute presents (I'm a procrastinator..), wrapping presents, dogsitting, and cleaning up the house for Holiday guests!

Christmas is my favorite time of year. And today Christmas Eve..is my ultimate favorite day! Today we will go to my Grandma's house and hang out-watch old time Christmas classics like, Suzie Snowflake, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, Hard Rock Coco And Joe, The 3 Wise Men....And we will all feast on Christmas dinner. (I'm also in the middle of making the scalloped potatoes as we speak) Then we will listen to a Christmas story by my Uncle Fr. Bart. He loves to drag it on....to make the gift opening suspense even stronger! Then we open all of our presents!! I have 6 cousins and Mike and my cousin's boyfriend have joined our clan...so we all pull out of a hat-then exchange gifts. I pulled Troy-Annie's (BM) boyfriend. I'm so glad we include all our significant others now. It really makes them feel special and part of the family.

We will all miss my cousin Nate, he is in California at Camp Pendleton. He and I loved to spend Christmas together. We were connected at the hip-as my Grandma likes to say.. He will be home for our wedding-so exciting! Which makes it a little easier without him at Christmas. (Love you Nate!)

Tomorrow is Christmas with my future In-laws! We get up early, she makes us breakfast, we take all day to open our presents...and then we feast on dinner! It's so fun hanging out with his brothers-they really make me feel like family. It's nice having older brothers! (even if they tease me!) And I love his parents too....(they also tease me! But all in good fun!)

I wish all of you a safe and Happy Holiday!!!



PS: I wish all this snow would stop! We have had almost 20 inches of snow since Friday...and it's still coming down hard. Whoever wished for a white Christmas-got their wish! I like snow as much as the next person-but enough is a enough! :)

My favorite ornament

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I actually don't even care about presents, it's more about traditions and spending time with family. Every year Mike and I have made it tradition that we and my Dad go out to a local tree farm and pick a out a real tree. This year we got a tree a little too big.. But is has got to be the most perfect tree I've ever seen. It's perfect in shape and extremely healthy (it is dripping sap onto my carpet! Yikes!)!

Here is my dad trying to get the tree just right.. (please excuse my ugly curtains...my 'landlord' wants them to stay..)


See how big it is? It takes up half of my living room! My love seat is almost pushed to the corner of the living room! And it isn't even done 'falling' yet..

Here she is! All dressed up! Ain't she puuurrrtty??!

Note: I really hope I get a new camera for Christmas-my camera is getting worse and worse..

I personally like collected and meaningful ornaments. Not the ones that are all the same. I like my tree to have some character. We both have collected all of our ornaments since we were babies. We both get one every year from our parents. It has become a tradition.

Last year, we started our own tradition by getting each other one. And here is our 1st one. I have to say it's my favorite. Isn't it so cute?!

And here are our very first ornaments. Mine is on the right-it says "Baby's 1st Christmas" and Mike's is on the left-we aren't sure what it symbolized. But it still is special.

Do you have any special traditions?

I'm back up and running!

Woo hoo!

Modem was delivered. There is peace in my house now.

Let me start by showing you one of my favorite Christmas decorations.

It's my Nativity Scene. My Grandpa made it for me when I moved out. It's a little small, but-to me-it's perfect.



Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus came from my Uncle Danny. He passed about 16 years ago..but we remember him daily. He was a very important part of all of our lives. He was a wonderful man. And always made sure we ate our fruit! I can still hear him now.. "Here-eat a banana!"

Love you Uncle Danny. I miss you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

This year I am thankful of so many things. My family for supporting me through this engagement and planning process. My friends for always being there by listening to my vent (or freak out), giving support and helping so much with planning. Most of all I'm thankful to have Mike. We have been through so much in the last 4-1/2 years. Some bad...but so many good things. He is my best friend. And he is there for me unconditionally. (Even if he's laughing at me for crying at a animal adoption commercial..) I'm truly grateful to have him..and to be marring him in just 5 short months. And I know if I asked him what he was thankful for, I know he would say the same thing. He has had some rough times lately, and I have been by his side every step of the way. We are going to make such a great team.

Tomorrow is Turkey day! Yippee! But it's also what I am calling the "Meet the Parents" day. Mike's parents are going to join my family for Thanksgiving. I'm really excited for everyone to meet. They are such great people. I think my Grams is a little stressed out though.. She has cleaned the whole house-top to bottom. I'm serious..she dry cleaned the chairs in the dining room and took down our chandelier and cleaned it to perfection. I think she went a little overboard! She even asked if I think they will like her-she is so funny!!

My uncle (Fr. Bart-our officiant) will also be interviewing Mike's parents under oath. And that will be the final factor in all our wedding paperwork! When it's completed he will take downtown and get the stamp of approval! Woo hoo!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Mama B!

Friday, November 21st was Mama B's birthday! We decided to do something special for her on Sunday for her birthday.

We made her our famous yummy spaghetti..


Bought her a cake and I decorated it..

Got her some purty flowers..

And a gift card from Dunkin Donuts!


Happy Birthday Mama B!

We love you!

Father-daughter Dance

I've been having some issues picking my father-daughter dance. And I need your help..

My Dad is the worlds greatest Dad. He raised me and has always been there for me. He is my #1 man in my life. And always will be. I'm truly a Daddy's little girl. However, we've never had a lovey dovey kind of relationship. Which has worked for us. We know where we stand and our actions speak louder than words. So, I want our song to be perfect and most of all meaningful.

My first thought was "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. I remember hearing Fleetwood Mac in the car when I was little. And it's such a pretty song.


But when I was listening to one of my Beatles albums..I also thought "In my Life" would also be perfect. I just love the words to this song. And I LOVE The Beatles. My Dad and I use to listen to the oldies station a lot while I was growing up.


Which one do you think I should choose? Or do you have other suggestions?

Jeff's and Kelly {Part 2: The Reception}

They had a fabulous buffet dinner. Home cookin' kinda meal...Hickory smokey ham, turkey and beef. Accompanied with mashed potatoes, corn, salad, rolls..etc. The Best Man and the Maid of Honor gave wonderful speeches...then the newlyweds cut the cake and fed each other so sweetly..

Their 1st dance (I'm sorry ladies but I didn't know the song..)

Then there was the bouquet toss and the garter toss...

That is the best man showin' off his guns..and Mikey is right behind him laughing at him!

Father-daughter dance. ( You can really see the detail of her dress!)

Mother-Son Dance..(I LOVE this picture!)

Now it's time to party!! (I didn't eat much. Empty stomach + alcohol=trouble!)

Looks like they had a fun night!!

Next up...Mike and I swing dance!

Uh-OH!

Jeff and Kelly 11-8-08

On the morning of the wedding everyone was invited to a luncheon at the church basement. It was a nice intimate lunch. Ham sandwiches, soup and cookies. Lunch of champions!

Here is everyone waiting for the photographer to arrive.

Once he arrived...all we did was wait. And wait. It took 3 hours before the photographer was finished..
Here I am patiently waiting for the wedding to start...Don't I look bored?!

I don't have any pictures of the actual ceremony because we weren't allowed to take pictures. But I have plenty from the reception!

First up..Details!

I was touched..

I have something sweet to share with you guys..it really touched me.

But first, let me tell you I'm SO sick! I'm home sick with a tummy ache and a horrible back ache! I hurt my back when I was 16 and ever since it will go out without warning. It really stinks! But it gives me time alone on my computer (or what Mike calls it "the devil machine"..)

Ok, so while we were in Iowa we stopped at Mama B's good life long friend, Bette's. Bette has been like a mother to her and like a grandmother to her boys. I couldn't wait to meet her. She was the sweetest lady ever. She showed me around her house, and it was so cute. And talk about so many vintage things in her house. w.o.w. I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

But then she showed me this..

Mike drew this for Bette in high school. Mike is now 31. She kept this picture, had it matted and is sitting in her living room..for her to look at everyday. How sweet is that? I was so touched that she held on to this for so long. I'm telling you..she is the nicest lady I have ever met.

Just another reminder of how lucky I am to be joining this wonderful family!

First Day of Vacation

On the 1st day of our vacation...we went on a road trip to Lohrville, IA. Lohrville is my FMIL's hometown. It is such a cute little town.

Here is the start of our trip. In Mama B's van...

It was a long drive...We got to see lots of farm land and lots of cows...

Did I mention farmland??

I also got to meet Bette. She is like a mother to Mama B and a grandmother to the boys. She was the nicest lady of all time! Her house had so many beautiful vintage things in it..I wish I could have taken a picture of all of it. (But I really didn't want her thinking I was crazy..)

Here we are in front of Bette's house. Silly me forgot to get a picture of Bette...

Here is a Cancer Memorial plaque in Honor of Grandma...

We then ventured out to the cemetery to say Hello to Grandma and Grandpa..

This 1st day was my most favorite. I had so much fun meeting and learning about my future hubby's family. His Mom and I definitely bonded while on this trip...and I'm so thankful. We were close before..but now I am proud to say we are even closer. Mike is part of a great family and I can't wait to join them!

Later that night me and the boys joined the groom in his weekly dart league. It was a great night.....the groom was so cute..and umm drunk!


Next up..the rehearsal dinner!

Stay tuned!