Baby Love

This weekend was lovely, and filled with so many baby celebrations and preparations!

My husband and I had a wonderful time on our babymoon at the spa. We got a couples massage and then swam, read and relaxed outside by the pool. Our suite was luxurious, from the fluffy bed to a whirlpool tub to the fruit salad, chocolate cake and a bottle of chilled non-alcoholic champagne waiting for us. All this pampering came at the perfect time.

On Saturday, my sister threw me a baby shower at our parents' house. She and my mom went all out -- pink flowers, baby photos of Will and me on display, pink champage and fruit punch, cupcakes and frosted cookies in the shape of hearts and baby feet. Both of my grandmas, as well as aunts, cousins, neighbors and my best girlfriends came, and it was amazing being surrounded by such important women in my life. Their love and support has meant so much!

Photos by me. 

Fun on the Farm

Whew, was this a full weekend! My husband and I had our first baby shower, thrown by my coworkers. Spouses and kids were invited, and the party was held at our favorite brewpub, so the vibe was really fun and relaxed. It was such a nice time! We spent the rest of the weekend working on the nursery and doing tons of projects around the house. But Saturday night, we went to my friend's family's farm, where they were having a cookout and playing outdoor games. When it got dark, we pulled up chairs, told stories, laughed and roasted smores over a bonfire. It was a perfect summer night.

Photos by me. 

San Diego

We had a lovely time in San Diego over the long Memorial Day weekend. We spent a fun but chilly day at the San Diego Zoo and went out for Mexican food with some dear friends that night. We visited Ocean Beach one morning and went to a fun rehearsal-dinner cookout at Coronado Beach in the afternoon. And my friend's wedding was held at the Lafayette Hotel & Swim Club, which had a cool, Old Hollywood vide (with quotes from Ava Gardner, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and other stars featured alongside room numbers). And the wedding was fantastic, from my friend's gorgeous dress to all the dancing we did at the reception. We hope to come back again soon!

Photos by me. 

What a Trip!

We're back from Las Vegas and exhausted -- in a good way! It was a great trip. We spent our days walking along the Strip and popping into hotels to explore, shop and gamble a bit. At night, we went out for long dinners and walked some more. We saw the Bellagio fountains, an aquarium and a fantastic Cirque du Soliel  show. While it was fun to see a new place -- and Vegas is truly unlike anywhere I've visited -- my favorite part was simply spending time with our friends.

Photos by me. 

Vegas, Baby!

We're off to Las Vegas! Over Thanksgiving, my husband and I went out with some friends who were in town. Over carafes of wine, the idea of going to Las Vegas came up, and somehow a week later four couples were booking tickets from the East Coast, West Coast and Midwest for a long weekend in Sin City. I've never visited Vegas, but I'm excited to see what it's all about.

Photo from here. 

Wonderful Weekend

This was such a fantastic holiday weekend! We kicked it off with a Disco Christmas party on Thursday, complete with disco ball ornaments, holiday songs set to disco rhythms and friends decked out in sparkly clothes. On Christmas Eve, we hosted my husband's parents and had a nice evening relaxing by the fire. And on Christmas we went to church and spent the evening at my parent's house, with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins stopping by as the night went on. And today, my husband and I both have the day off. We're not sure yet what we'll do, but I hope it's something to make the most of this last day of a great long weekend.

How were your holidays? I hope you had a wonderful weekend of your own!

Photos by me. 

Wintry Weekend

I had a wonderful weekend filled with lots of Christmasy activities. I baked cookies with my mom, went to "The Nutcracker" with a friend, and my husband and I listened to Christmas music as we repainted the kitchen. It's not necessarily the best timing to do the latter, but we need to finish this task before our Christmas party Thursday night -- yikes! We went to our friends' holiday party on Friday night, which was so much fun, and left as snow had just begun to fall. The following morning I woke up to sunshine and a snow-covered view. I so love this time of year!

Photo by me. 

Happy Weekend!

This week has been a blur, days busy with rushing from one thing to the next. I'm so thankful the weekend is nearly here, and I want to fill it with good things: Hanging out with friends at a holiday party, baking cookies with my mom, going out with my husband, catching up with an old friend on the phone, maybe doing a little Christmas shopping and, hopefully, catching up on sleep!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Photo from here. 

The Perfect Mix

What a wonderful long weekend this was! The past few days brought a perfect mix of at-home relaxing and going-out fun. It was a weekend of morning smoothies and walks outside, of fresh-baked bread and beers at a favorite pub, of a fantastic night out with friends and morning brunch with some of my favorite girls. I couldn't be more thankful for all these experiences!

Photos by me.  

Own It

Last night, three of my girlfriends and I got together. We sat outside to enjoy a warm evening, share a bottle of wine and chat. We laughed so hard remembering events from our past and updating each other on recent goings on. But one of my favorite parts of the night was when we talked about how we're liking our age. Now that we're all thirty, we understand ourselves better than ever before. Not that we have everything figured out -- not at all! -- but by and large we know what we like and who we are, and we're more accepting of the qualities and quirks unique to each of us. We're owning them.

This New York townhouse, featured on House to Home, seems to have that confidence. It's eclectic and interesting, and I get the feeling that the furniture, art and accessories all hold special meaning to the person who chose them. When you go with what feels right to you, things kind of work out, don't they?

Photos from here. 

Enchanted Evening

Last night my book club met at an outdoor concert our city's chamber orchestra holds every summer. It's such a lovely event, and it was made even better by a group of friends getting together to lounge on blankets, sip wine and munch on snacks, discuss a book, listen to music, people watch, catch up and simply enjoy a beautiful summer evening together.

Photos by me. 

A Happy Holiday

The Fourth of July holiday brought my husband's friend, his wife and their baby into town for a visit. Since our kitchen renovation has the house in shambles, we decided at the last minute to stay out at my parents' house in the country. I'm so glad we did! Some other friends stopped by too, so the weekend became this wonderful mix of sharing stories, laughing, eating, swimming, babies, dogs, sunshine and fireworks. It was a truly special time.

Photos by me.