Just like new....

Have any of you ever been a part of a clothing swap before? I'll be experiencing my first one this Sunday, and I'm pretty excited about it! One of the girls with whom I ran the half-marathon is hosting it at her house....and there are like 10 fun girls who will be going, 3 of whom I know decently well (and whose wardrobes I definitely admire!!). Tonight I need to go through my closet to find some good stuff that I haven't worn in a few years. Unfortunately SB and I recently went through our closets and donated a bunch to Goodwilll....but there are still a few things that I seem to hold onto even though I don't wear them, or they don't totally fit perfectly.

I think that this is such a great way to a) get together with friends and b) clear out your closet, and bring home some fun new finds at the same time!! I'll report back if I end up with anything especially exciting :)

Wedding Ceremony Planning

We have selected an officiant, a couple of violinists, and the location......but we have not yet planned out our wedding ceremony. I am now realizing that it is a touch tricky to get in touch with our minister, and seeing how he lives where we're getting married, and we live, well, here -- chatting with him isn't the easiest thing to do.

SO - with that said, do you guys have any advice on how to plan the ceremony? Did you do anything particularly fun/romantic/poignant/etc. that you would share?

I'm also starting to look at programs for the ceremony.....since it will be outside, overlooking the beach in Florida in July -- fans seem like a nice touch! Here are a few examples that I like....


Last night I spent hours addressing our wedding invitations -- it was so fun! I went to Paper Source to buy a calligraphy pen, and I must say that I did a pretty good job :) (I'll have to take pics to share....though seeing how I still haven't posted pics from my bridal shower way back in March....don't hold your breath ;) I'm pleased with them, and I guess that's good since I can be my worst critic! (at least the last 80-90 were really good....the first 5 clearly show I was still a litle rusty -- eek! if only I had extra envelopes...)

88 days and counting (and yes, my heart beats a little faster as the big day gets closer and closer!)

Clutch Mania

Not to belabor the point that clutches are a hot accessory this season, and THE perfect bridesmaid gift....but I am happy to announce that my sentiments have been echoed by Daily Candy and Real Simple (not bad company!).

My new etsy friend, Hope, continues to work away on the ones for my bridesmaids, but here are a few sneak-peeks at the fabric selections (patterned fabrics = exterior of clutch, solid fabrics = interior):


And here are the pieces from Daily Candy and Real Simple (though I must note that while their clutches are adorable, I'm still proud that mine will be equally adorable and more than HALF the price!!!)
(PS - how exciting to open my inbox this morning to find a whole Daily Candy dedicated to WEDDINGS!!!!)
And click here to read the piece featured in Real Simple's bridal blog - Nearly Wed, "In a Clutch"

Ok - and now I swear that is the last clutch posting till I have my own in my pretty little hands :)

Happy Easter!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Easter. It truly is a blessed day.

Momentous Occasion!

So to give a little background, my family likes to plan things out. We're talking seriously planning everything: vacations (hour by hour, meal by meal), weekend activities when everyone's in town, holiday get-togethers, my nieces/nephews sleepovers at my parents'....you get the drift. For some reason (and I'm not even sure how exactly), these "plans" are called "6-squares" -- I think it refers to planning Morning/Afternoon/Evening for two days....but I'm not really sure (my Dad started doing it years and years ago). Anyways, after dating SB for some time, I realized that our affinity for planning was a bit of a shock to SB's system. He likes to go with the flow, make plans on the go, etc. (typical guy!) Usually this is just fine - we're both pretty flexible, so we just roll with things when we visit each of our families. But now he and my sister's husband like to chuckle to themselves when the 6-square planning gets carried away (which it sometimes does!).

BUT the most momentous thing just occurred!! This weekend we are hosting a couple of friends at our place -- SB's best man, and his lovely wife (they were just married this past January in Jackson Hole -- it was an awesome wedding, and they are a really fun couple)! Typically when we host SB's friends, I let him make the plans (which typically means no plans at all....) BUT this time around he wrote out a genuine 6-square! I was so proud I had to call my sister the second that he sent it to me. I'm really looking forward to a fun, low-key weekend here in the city (with SB not working a single game - hooray!) We have some fun meals planned out, and a little touring about the area (I think our friends are hoping to see cherry blossoms....but the peak time has definitely passed for that -- though I'm still in awe over some of the pics my friends took -- including the one below by Erin). I can't wait for the weekend to start......if only I was one of you luckies who has the day off today!! Yay for spring....

Turq Jewelry Spring Sale

I adore Turq Jewelry. Their necklaces and earrings are well crafted, and provide a fun burst of color for just about any outfit! They're having a BIG sale right now. Here are a few little things that caught my eye....and last but not least, this one isn't on sale, but it is my all-time favorite.....

Caps vs. Thrashers

New team vs. old team. SB and I worked for the Thrashers in Atlanta (he did game presentation, I did the team's special events), and now we're in DC for SB's position with the Caps. It's a very strange thing to watch the two teams play each other. I have such great, positive feelings about the Thrashers -- we still keep in touch with a lot of friends from our days working there, I obviously met my husband-to-be there, and I just absolutely loved my job. When we first moved here, I literally had tears in my eyes when the Thrashers took the ice because it was the first time in weeks that I'd seen familiar faces (I know, so crazy -- but moving to a totally new place can be tough....maybe that's another post altogether!).

The Thrashers were actually in town here on Sunday, and it was so wonderful to see our friends who travel with the team - including the GM, a few players, equipment managers, and the PR and broadcasting staff. But at the same time, the Thrashers aren't putting food on our table anymore so it's fun to see the Caps win a bit too ;) I really miss working in sports -- it's a fun industry, though the hours are long and it's a bit stressful. However, it would be tough to balance a family with 2 crazy schedules in sports.....so I think it's for the best that I have to live vicariously through SB right now. Anyways......we're watching the game right now (in the internet cafe/living room!). I'm so happy to have SB home tonight :) !!!

If I had all the money in the world

Let's play a little game called "If I had all the money in the world." IF that little scenario were indeed TRUE....and IF I happened to wander into a Lilly store, then these are the little lovelies that I would purchase (and maybe, just maybe I will need to find a Lilly store in the area with these so I can try them on, and potentially find a rehearsal dinner dress!! The Lilly store closest to me, "Tickled Pink" - closed their adorable pink shutters and left town....boo recession!)

The caption by this dress is, "This is not just another dress. This is a 'walk down the street and be noticed as the chicest woman in town' kinda dress." Isn't that so fun!!! AND, isn't that exactly how you want to feel during wedding festivities?

I LOVE this one (above)....it might just be my favorite.....

So bright and I love the trim at the bottom!
(Photos courtesy of lillypulitzer.com)

More Wedding Inspiration

I absolutely adore The Southern Weddings Daily Blog. They feature beautiful, creative, and fun weddings every day that help to inspire me and my own wedding planning. In the past week, they've featured a few weddings that are especially beautiful....so enjoy the following wedding eye candy!

Running Mix

One of the most important keys (for me) to running a long race is good music. While I trained to run the half-marathon I auditioned specific songs for my final playlist. I must admit that the final product was really good, and helped to push me up a few of the bigger hills, and through a lot of the pain!

Here's my 2009 Half-Marathon Mix:

1. Love Story -- Taylor Swift
2. Single Ladies -- Beyonce
3. You Can't Go Home -- Sugarland
4. Here It Goes Again -- Ok-Go
5. Stronger -- Kanye West
6. Girls Just Want To Have Fun -- Cyndi Lauper
7. How Far We've Come -- Matchbox 20
8. Vertigo -- U2
9. Warrior -- Nelly
10. Welcome To The Jungle -- Guns N Roses
11. Best Days of Your Life -- Kellie Pickler
12. Speed of Light -- Coldplay
13. Shake It -- Metro Station
14. Hell Yeahhhh -- Rev Theory
15. Paralyzer -- Finger Eleven
16. Almost -- Bowling For Soup
17. Love Song -- Sara Bareilles
18. Red High Heels -- Kellie Pickler
19. Ain't Too Proud To Beg -- The Temptations
20. The Sweet Escape -- Gwen Stefani
21. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
22. Glamorous -- Fergie
23. You Can't Count on Me -- Counting Crows
24. Hollaback Girl -- Gwen Stefani
25. Times Like These -- Foo Fighters
26. Ain't No Mountain -- Marvin Gaye
27. Build Me Up Buttercup -- The Foundations
28. Accidentally In Love -- Counting Crows
29. Womanizer -- Britney Spears
30. Mississippi Girl -- Faith Hill
31. Love Lockdown -- Kanye West
32. Gonna Make You Love Me -- Ryan Adams
33. Chicken Fried -- Zac Brown Band
34. I Kissed A Girl -- Katy Perry
35. Signed, Sealed, Delivered -- Stevie Wonder
36. Before He Cheats -- Carrie Underwood
37. Mr. Brightside -- The Killers
38. Evenflow -- Pearl Jam
39. Forever Young -- Rod Stewart
40. Stand -- R.E.M.
41. Black Horse and the Cherry Tree -- KT Tunstall
42. Beautiful Day -- U2

(Post-race....Carla, Erin, me)