Letting you in on a little secret…

{our wedding ring + dates :)}

While many of you know me as the best.wife.ever, a furry mama , a domestic queen and an expert in cohabitation bliss, there IS something that you don’t know. (yet!)

(okay, okay, you can stop holding your breath)

I love planning events + watching people in love. And I love any excuse to throw a good party. And this passion has led me to take a leap of faith to pursue a wedding planning (part-time) career! With experience as graphic designer, wedding reader, professional bridesmaid and, most importantly, an event planner for my own big day, about a year and a half ago I decided to explore a possibility as a day-of wedding coordinator.

And I am happy to say, that I haven’t looked back since! I have met some wonderful brides (who are now great friends!) through this process and have been honored be a part of helping their wedding dreams come true!

So that’s a little insight into my crazy ‘other life’ (as hubs likes to call it). I know that I haven’t mentioned this before, but I needed to save material for when I got boring again I just wasn’t ready to share it with my small corner of the internet yet. And I wasn’t sure whether or not this idea would even take off. But it has and I could not be happier!

So please wish me luck in this (semi) new venture. And if you know a bride in Columbus who is looking for a super awesome day-of wedding coordinator, I am their girl!

Thanks for the love, pretties. And happy Friday! Hope you all have fabulous weekends!

Mine will be spent coordinating a wedding for a terrific couple! I am so excited to be able to share their big day!

Bye, bye bad eyes!

So it's official. In two weeks I am getting LASIK!

You see, I started wearing glasses in the 7th grade. And, despite the copious amounts of carrots that I consumed, my eyes continued to get worse each year.

So, after seriously considering (translation: whining) about wanting Lasik for over a year, my sweet hubs finally encouraged me to just but the bullet and make an appointment for a consultation. I went in for a consult a couple weeks ago and was found to be a good candidate.

To say that I am excited would be an understatement of the century! I cannot wait! I’ve always been not-so-slightly jealous of my family and friends who had perfect vision and have wished that one day I could see my feet without the aid of glasses or lenses.

Sure, the thought of putting my eye balls under a laser sounds less than appealing, not to mention expensive, but the idea of just waking up and being able to see clearly without having to fumble for my glasses or contacts is just so exciting!

I hope everything goes well. I have wanted this for years and I am thrilled that it’s finally happening!

I am stoked about being able to SEE! Plus my amazing Mama is coming to take good care of me during the itchy-scratchy recovery stage, so I know I’ll be in good hands : )

Happy Wednesday, lovelies!

Back to Reality

Ahhh, we are back. Back to r-e-a-l-i-t-y. And although I am not super thrilled about that, I am excited to catch up on all of your lives and tell you all about our fantastic trip!

Our vacation was incredible! We had the best time.. and for the very first time since I think the day I started to travel was BORN, I tried (key word here) super hard to barely plan a thing. Normally I make schedules and itineraries and lists of restaurants I want to try that I look up beforehand, and map out each and every place we'll go in advance... But this time, we tried not to do any of that. I wanted this trip to be relaxing and enjoyable for both of us, without having to worry about rushing off to do tours, or feeling pressured to do something on the list.

And mission accomplished! The trip turned out to be great and relaxing, which was just what we wanted.

Our stunning hotel ended up being in a great and super convenient part of town with close access to a lot of the main attractions either by walking or a short metro ride. This was fantastic! So, if you go to DC, stay at the Omni Shoreham. Please? You'll love it. I promise. So we saw pretty much everything to see in the city itself... all the monuments, famous buldings, streets and cathedrals. We even made time to go up to Georgetown's gorgeous campus and walk around a little. And with the weather gods answering our prayers, we had sunny and 75-80 degree weather the entire time! Yay.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures! :)

{Washington D.C.}

{our wonderful tour of the Capitol building thanks to Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy :)}

{Our beautiful hotel}

{What's a trip to D.C. without a stop to the White House?}

{In Obama's back yard ;)}

(Washington Monument, of course}

{On the Lincoln steps}

{WWII memorial}

{50 flags for 50 states}

Phew. What a weekend, right?! Even though we had an amazing time, we did miss our little baby. I was so happy to be home and reunited with Char! I seriously thought about him every minute of every day. Hope everyone else had a great weekend :)

D.C. bound!

Happy Friday, lovelies!!

Just wanted to update and let you all know that hubs and I are currently on our way to DC for a long getaway weekend! We should be there in a few short hours and I absolutely cannot wait!! We have a lot of fun and exciting things planned, and I can't wait to explore the city with my love. I am sure that I will be back with plenty of pics!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Fun Find Monday!

Happy Friday Monday, pretties!

Hope all of you had a beautiful weekend! Since I have been majorly slacking on my Fun Find Fridays, I am making it up to you today. And these finds have something to do with one of my all time favorite things to talk about…. nail polish!

I have been seeing celebs rocking pastel nail colors for a while now, but have been too scared to try it out myself.. that is until this weekend when at my local CVS I picked up a gorg lilac nail polish! And let me tell you, I AM IN LOVE.

Pastel polishes are a creamier, muted version of their counterparts, but deliver just as much of a punch and the possibilities are endless. I do have to admit that it was a little hard to tear myself away from the darker colors that have been so hot for the last few seasons, but I am SO glad I did it, and now there is no going back!

To me, pretty nail polish is one of the cheapest, sexiest accessories a girl can have. Pair these soft shades with pretty dresses, flowy tops and big sunnies and I promise you will not be able to stop staring at your own hands. I know I cant!

Here are some of my faves:

Sally Hansen has an amazing color (that is currently being worn by yours truly) called Lively Lilac. I adore it! And for $4.99 a bottle, you can’t beat the price!

I also love, love, love Essies Lilacisim!



And of course, OPIs ‘Do you Lilac it” is a must-have!





I seriously love these colors so much; I would buy 1,000 bottles of this stuff and paint my walls with those teeny, tiny brushes. These colors are stunning!

S-O-S please someone help me!

It’s a sad day, ladies. My flat iron's dying a slow but sure death.

I’ve had the same straightener since the beginning of time college and needless to say I am very attached to it. That flat iron and I have been through it all. And finally, it's time to say goodbye.

And so yesterday I began my hunt for the perfect flat iron and I am completely overwhelmed with way too many options! So, I need YOUR help! I know that you ladies have gorgeous, gorgeous hair!

If you have a flat iron that you love, please leave me a comment and tell me all about it.

So far I have looked into a Sedu, Solia and HAI and they all seem to have great reviews and the same features. So, I’m torn. Please help me out.

My hair will thank you for it.

A very happy mother's day

Each year that I get older, Mother's Day takes on a whole new special meaning in my life. And last weekend as my sister and I celebrated the woman who had selflessly given herself to us every single day, I could not help but just feel so PROUD to be her daughter. My mom inspires me every single day. She is my best friend, biggest supporter and most dedicated fan.

She has spent most of her life working tirelessly to make a better and brighter future for us, and for that I will forever be thankful. Her love, compassion and kindness know no limits. From kissing our every single scrape to always being there to dry our tears, the biggest lesson she has taught us is to know what we are worth and to never settle for less than we deserve. And I always say, that if one day I can be even half as good of a Mom as she has been, I will be be very happy. :)

So (even though this is a little late) I love you Mom! And i know that one cannot choose who their mom is, but if I had to, you are exactly the one I would have chosen!

*** *** ***

And now here are some picture from our wonderful Mother's Day weekend.

[my beautiful Mama]


[3 generations :)]


[mom and sissy]


[hubs with his mama in law]


[isn't she the cutest?!]


[getting ready to open her gift]


[i think she loves it]


[two hearts <3] href="http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/sexyNcute0921/?action=view&current=DSC_0426.jpg" target="_blank">

[kisses for the most amazing woman in my life]

Hope you all had a great weekend! Happy Tuesday! :)

Fun Find Friday

Hello and happy Friday beauties!

I know I have been a bad bloggie friend for not updating in days weeks but here is what my life has consisted of lately- work, sleep, work, sleep, work, sleep (repeat).

I know, I know, I'm still a MAJOR slacker, but that just means that I am back with more exciting posts, right? (Just go with it.)

So this week's Fun Find Friday is a little different (okay, a lot). It's not a cute bag, or a fab accessory or the latest makeup must-have. But it is something equally as exciting!

I hope everyone is sitting down, cuz this is MAJOR.

Wait. For. It:

This week's fun find are a couple RECIPES!

(please stop laughing)

Yes, I've been COOKING.WITH FOOD. AND UTENSILS. And I am still here to talk about it!

(waits for applause to subside)

I know you are excited and I can't wait to share these recipes with you all. Because let's face it, if I can make it and it turns out delish, so can a small child you!

So here they are:

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada

Ingredients
4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can of black beans
1 (15 ounce) can of corn
1 (15 ounce) jar of salsa (we used Medium)
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese

Directions
Take your frozen, boneless chicken breasts and put them in the crock pot.
Add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained.
Cook on medium for about 6-7 hours or until chicken is cooked.
Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.
*We shred the chicken after it's all done, and eat this in a wrap with a little sour cream! It's delish!

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Easy Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients
4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons grated ginger

Directions
Take your frozen, boneless chicken breasts and put them in the crock pot.
Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours or until chicken is tender.
*Then pour it over rice, and pat yourself on the back because you just made one tasty little meal!

So, Viola! Just call me Julia Childs. I <3> my crock pot!

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend, everyone!