Youth is like a diamond in the sun...

My week in paradise was nice but now it is back to the daily grind and the final countdown to the wedding.

My third trip to the British Virgin Islands was a blast, as always. We took out a catamaran again and did some good old sailing around the islands, visiting familiar and unfamiliar beaches. We saw a ton of wildlife this time of year…everything from starfish to Hawksbill turtles, mongoose (mongeese?), dolphins, stingrays and more.



Mom is getting to know more and more local people and it’s always fun hanging out with new friends. De Loose Mongoose prepared a Thanksgiving dinner for us complete with turkey shipped in. Not too bad for a “cold” holiday. I love going back and I hope I’ll have more chances to return in the future.

It was difficult coming back to a fresh cold front and rain. Even more difficult is the huge list of things to get done before the end of December for work, the wedding and the holidays.

I have to say, I am looking forward to our honeymoon where we’ll be able to relax, have a few adventures and decompress after all of this madness. I'm also looking forward to what next year will bring...we have a few things in store already!

Gone Sailin'

Gone sailing in the British Virgin Islands until December! :)

Let the countdown begin...

It’s hard to believe that in less than two months, Robert and I will be married! The engagement has flown by and as we get closer, we’re both feeling ready to get to the big day!

Work has geared up for the season and become extremely busy. Working 10-12 hour days will be the norm for me for a while. I’m earning my paycheck for sure.

The past week was no exception but I was able to throw in a little fun. We had our hair and makeup trial run with Haute Façade in Dallas. We were the first clients to experience their new studio in the Glass House. Very chic.

Since I’d already been through their hair and makeup routine, nothing really fazed me. It was interesting to watch how each bridesmaid reacted to their makeup. It’s hard to see yourself up close wearing so much makeup but it always looks fabulous in pictures!


Saturday was the bridal shower and my bridesmaids did a wonderful job. I’m the type of person who likes to be behind the scenes so being the center of attention was a little out of the ordinary for me. Everyone raved about the food, which was centered on my favorite things down to the asparagus soup and the green tea lemonade.

The games were hilarious and even involved Robert – loved it! Thanks to the video they created, we now have something we can hold on to forever. It will be fun to watch it 10 years from now.

That night I went out to Times Ten Cellar with Elisha and Courtney. We did a wine flight and it was so good (and the bartenders were fun!). I will definitely be going back there again soon.

Robert also had his bachelor party that night. Poker and pub crawl…he definitely had a blast.

On Sunday I threw up the Christmas tree in record time and started doing a little organizing. We are in desperate need of a garage sale. We may attempt one in December when we have a free weekend since our neighborhood association dropped the ball on a fall garage sale (technically, we’re not supposed to have them without the association). We just have so much STUFF. We’re also attempting Christmas lights on the house this year. A little ambitious for a couple getting married right after the holidays. We’ll let you know how that goes.

And, fair readers, that is it for now.

Meet the Flintstones...

This weekend was full of things to do (and I think every weekend until the wedding will be!). On Friday, I took the day off to take my dad and grandma to the chapel where Robert and I will be getting married. We practiced with my dad’s wheelchair and found a great place for him to sit and a way to incorporate him into the ceremony. I think he really enjoyed it and I could tell his apprehension went away once we were through. I think he also enjoyed getting out of the nursing home for a while. Hopefully the weather will stay nice so we can do something again soon.

That night, we went to Ashleigh’s Halloween party. Robert and I went as Fred and Wilma. I think I will forgo a costume with a wig next year. It was pretty hot and itchy. It was fun to see everyone’s costumes and hang out. Ashleigh did an amazing job with her black and white table. I wish I had taken a picture of it!



On Saturday I flew down to Houston for my friend Jen’s bridal shower. Jen is my bestie from grad school. We spent a lot of our downtime together and perhaps the only nutritious meals I ate during grad school were at her house. Her mom would make her fabulous homemade roasted chicken and freeze it for us. So good. Anyway, back to the shower…

I love Jen’s bridesmaids. I have met them before and they did a great job – I could tell Jen had a wonderful time and didn’t have to worry about a thing. Good thing, too, since she broke her foot last week! She’ll be on crutches until the wedding. I loved the games they came up with (finally, creative and unembarassing games!). They put together a suitcase and we all had to guess which items Jen was bringing on her honeymoon to Tahiti. This game was hilarious because of the random things in there…so Jen! It wasn’t easy to guess either.

Her wedding will mostly be white but she has a small amount of Tiffany blue so they did a “Jennifer & Co.” theme for the shower. Her maid of honor even made a Tiffany’s cake complete with fondant. I wish I had her cake decorating skills! She could seriously open her own bakery. It has been so much fun to plan my wedding at the same time Jen has been planning hers. We love to talk about what we’re both doing and it’s always funny when we end up picking some of the same things. We vowed to start visiting more after our weddings when we’ll have a little more down time :)

Yesterday Robert and I helped my dad fix his router and then went tux/suit shopping. We also did some tie shopping and ended up on the phone with the Macy’s in Harold Square to order something special for the groomsmen and ushers. We had a lot of fun checking a few things off our list. We also finished up some wedding ring comparisons and took Jack to the dog park.

Definitely a whirlwind weekend and definitely a lot of fun. My work weeks are about to get much more hectic until late spring (and you people already thought I was crazy busy…just wait).