little taste of the good life*

Weekend via the iPhone

Things worth noting:

• Officially a summer weekend
• Sunshine, family time, BBQ food & booze all weekend long
• I am ridiculously good at corn hole. Jamie actually bowed down to me for keeping us undefeated all day long. Add it to the list of my worthless talents. 
• My youngest brother is graduating high school next week, and going to University of Miami in August. Can’t really process this is happening. Can’t entirely accept this just yet.
• So we celebrated with many a selfies + graduation sunglasses

The photographer also did a quick little girls boudoir session in the powder room. Lipstick, champagne, chandeliers, girlfriends…These are my favorite photos from the evening. 

Just got the disc of images from the photographer at our engagement party. I love so many of the photos that she took. So much fun to look through all of these, it’s like I get to relive the party all over again!

Yesterday was June 10th. Which meant, 11 months to the wedding. It’s actually crazy we are under the year mark now. It is also crazy that we have been engaged for 7 months already…they weren’t kidding when they said time will fly.

Jamie & I decided to do a little something memorable on the 10th of every month. To make this year countdown special. Whether we write each other a card, walk through town to go out for ice cream, or open a bottle of wine we’ve saved for a special occasion, I thought it would be a really nice idea to document the 10th of each month leading up to the big day. 

Last night, honestly it was rough. It was a Monday, it was torrential, I was exhausted and burnt out. I didn’t want to completely blow off the idea of celebrating, so instead, I blew off Monday night barre class and made a yummy home cooked meal. Which sadly, is a rarity for us on a Monday with our schedules. Baked asparagus with parmesan, spicy tomato-pesto pasta & grilled chicken for J. Skipping exercise for pasta? Celebratory. 

We caught up on Mad Men (OMG poor Sally!) and discussed honeymoon ideas, which is obviously the most fun part to plan. 

Also, can we look at my peonies? They lasted 4 days. Actually really scared the hell out of me coming home to them looking like that…it’s as though they revolted. I have my heart set on them for my wedding flower but sheesh, delicate bastards. 

Aaaand a gratuitous photo of us from Sunday, because well, sometimes we clean up nice.  

Pier 13 in Hoboken is the greatest summer spot. 

On the water, city views, food trucks, Allagash on tap…how a Saturday in the summertime is meant to be spent. 

My Mom, discussing the movie “The Purge”

Oh hey! Look who I found in Rent the Runway’s email today. 

Happy Friday!

The most perfect red peonies & a goat cheese pesto pizza from my mama. Leonard checking his morning emails on the iPad. Date night tonight with my fiance. These are a few of my favorite things.

During the summers at our country club, Wednesday nights are outdoor dining & wine tastings. Basically the best night ever. So, as you can see, my mother was frantically texting me at 7:13pm last night to make sure we would get there in time for “Wine Wednesday” - aaand then we were both regretting it this morning. The wino doesn’t fall far from the tree. 

Also, what the heck is this song “Bubble Butt” - seriously? This is real life?

Stop it. 

Say whattttt. 

I was not aware this existed. I ran over to a restaurant by my office to pick up lunch and saw it on tap. Will now need to try ASAP. 

Obvi wine is my one true love. But you know, summertime, sunshine…I am really in the mood to just want to sit outside somewhere and have a beer. Is that so much to ask?

Weekend via the iPhone

This weekend was for wedding dresses! Oh my gosh, it was emotional for sure. I swear my mother cried the entire time. But it was wonderful, Nordstroms was so super attentive and made me feel special. They didn’t have a large selection, but I ended up liking so many of their dresses. I honestly thought I would have the opposite problem. Now I just really have no idea how I will ever decide on the one. 

My mom and I went out for lunch (and wine) after to celebrate. It was a really special mother daughter day. Such a milestone in both our lives.

The rest of the weekend was for my soon to be sister-in-laws bridal shower, and a summer bbq with the family (& Leo.) 

Oh, and seeing the Great Gatsby finally and I absolutely LOVED it. Loved every single second of it, never wanted it to end. I wanted every single dress & piece of jewelry that Daisy wore. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to go to a Gatsby party…

I have my first (!!!) wedding dress appointment tomorrow morning at Nordstrom Bridal. 

I am freaking out a little. In a good way. I have just always imagined this milestone in my life, and I can’t believe it’s really here. It is feeling very surreal right now.

I have no idea what styles I like, or rather, what I think would look good on me. Nordstrom sent a long questionnaire to fill out so they could have things ready for me to try on when I arrive, which was nice, but I kept filling out everything with a big question mark. It’s my first appointment! I don’t know cuts, or fabrics or designers I prefer. 

Do they not allow photos? Am I going to cry? I am so going to cry. Am I going to be overwhelmed? Yes, I know I will be. That’s why this first trip only my mama is coming along. Any advice to share from your wedding dress shopping experiences?

entertainmentweekly:

Mad Men fans: Do you buy the “Megan is going to get murdered” theory that’s been burning up the Internet today?

WHAT!

This is fascinating.

Finished this last night. It definitely took me awhile to get into, it was one of those books I had started, put aside, went to another one, but kept trying to make it through. I ordered it off Amazon, and this book is honestly the size of a Bible. Carrying it around everywhere almost convinced me to go Kindle. Almost. 

The story is based around a college baseball team. And how the lives of the players, the president of the college and the president’s daughter all interact and play major roles in each other’s lives. There were love stories, love triangles, moral issues, many literary references, parallels of the game of baseball to daily life, friendship struggles, and in the end I found myself really rooting for the team. 

I am glad I read it, it is so far from a typical book for me, but as it went on I got more and more invested in the characters. I loved the daughter Pella, and loved the imagery of the college, the characters of Owen and Mike were so real to me. Henry…couldn’t decide if I loved him or hated him. 

Overall, would recommend as a summer read. It was lengthy for sure, but glad I read it, today I am still thinking about the ending. I know it’s been floating around Tumblr for awhile, would love to hear what other people thought about it. Reviews?

Memorial Day Weekend

How glorious are 72 hours off work? That extra day makes such a difference. 

Jamie and I met up with friends in the West Village on Friday and hopped around a few wine bars & pubs. It was such a cute area, we found some awesome places. I would recommend Entwine & The Upholstery Store. Both were hidden gems - Entwine had an outdoor patio and Upholstery had crazy, happy bartenders. Both had great wine lists, cheese plates & fair prices. Jamie (of course) made friends with the drunk crowd of tourists. 

Saturday it felt like February outside, so I spent the day cat-sitting my brother’s new kitten (he was the devil) and watching home movies. I was always obsessed with being a bride. Obsessed. I would sing about being a bride. It was really funny, will have to play these at the wedding. 

And the rest of the weekend was spent poolside, with mimosas & white wine. BBQ’s & family dinners at the golf club. The weather yesterday was so amazing, I actually have the first sunburn of the summer to prove it.