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Showing posts with label Natalie's Wedding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natalie's Wedding. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 {Year in Review}

Wow, what a year!!!
 Here's a look back at what I refer to as "the year of Ella."

January


I was a WHALE and we made final baby preparations!

February


Ella Grace was born February 3 and our lives have not been the same since!

March


Trav went to Vegas for the longest week ever, Ella enjoyed her first March Madness and my Dad's Mercer Bears beat Dook! (Yes, Dad, that was a highlight of 2014!)

April


We celebrated Ella's first Easter. We also took our first road trip to Adam and Erica's wedding!

May


We celebrated my first Mother's Day and our sweet girl got baptized a week later!

June

I made my first overnight trip without Ella (to Cleveland for Natalie's bachelorette party), Trav turned the dirty 30, and we celebrated our second wedding anniversary.


July 

We road-tripped up to Ohio for Natalie's wedding!!


I also had a birthday (#29!) and Ella and I spent a few days in Virginia with my parents!


August


Family vacation to Hilton Head

September

Lots of football {see here, here and here}...


and a trip to the apple orchard!

October


Lots of fun with pumpkins for our little owl baby!

November


Ella's first Thanksgiving (and first experience with many foods, none of which she is allergic to, thank goodness)! Oh, and I also ran a half marathon

December


We all had a very, merry Christmas!

An amazing year right?!?!

2015 brings me returning to work (UGH!), Ella's first birthday (yikes!!), my 30th birthday (ahhh!) hopefully a few vacations (Paris, perhaps?!), and maybe even some babies (for friends, not me!)!

Ok, 2015...you have a lot to live up to! Bring it on!!! 

{For other yearly recaps, check out: 2013 and 2012}

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Natalie's Wedding

Two and a half weeks later, I'm finally writing about my best friend's wedding!!

Natalie and Brian got married July 5th in Ohio, so the rehearsal was July 3. They were extra brave and had the rehearsal dinner at their house!


Natalie's favorite taco truck actually catered the event, and filled up their entire island with food! It was all SOOOOOO amazingly delicious! 

And if that wasn't enough food, Natalie also made buckeyes! My fav!!!


And they had a groom's cake too! 


Natalie has about 295739 nieces, nephews and cousins, so they also had a piƱata for the kids! How fun!



Natalie also had a get-together at her house the next day for the 4th of July (I posted about it here). 

Tara (the other maid of honor) and I spent the night at Natalie's on July 4th so we could all get ready together on her wedding day!


If you know Natalie, you know that she does not wear makeup, so this was a big deal that I had to get a picture of!


Natalie's cousin is a wedding dress designer! So she made Natalie a custom made dress...short, because Natalie had always wanted a short dress, and with lace from her mom's wedding dress! Natalie always said she would wear cowboy boots with her wedding dress...so cowboy boots it was!

After we got ready, we took some pictures in front of Natalie's house...

{photo from Christopher Bues Photography}

...and had some Jimmy John's! 


Ella also hung out with us while Trav went for a quick run...she was ready to party!


The wedding was at a Catholic church in Akron. They had a full mass, which was kind of long, but I am glad we didn't have to stand the whole time!! It was a beautiful ceremony!

{photo from Christopher Bues Photography}

{photo from Christopher Bues Photography}

After the ceremony, we took a quick family pic...


...Natalie and Brian took pictures at the park...

{photo from Christopher Bues Photography}

....and then we all met back at the hotel from a few drinks before heading to the reception!


I didn't take very many pictures at the reception, probably because I was busy giving a speech in front of 225 people (nerve-wracking!!!), and having lots of fun afterwards! 

My one picture: 
my child enjoying the koozie favors!


Here are a few from Natalie's photographer, Chris Bues...he was awesome!



{This is one of my faaaaavorites...with my Chi O's! We still know how to party 7 years out of college.}

Congrats Natalie and Brian!!!! I'm so happy for you both and I am glad I could be part of your special day!!!

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Life with Ella {week 22}


Well, we survived our trip to Ohio!!!! Here is a {very picture-heavy} recap!!

On Monday, I tried to keep Ella entertained while I packed up literally our entire house...


Tuesday, we headed for Ohio!!

{See?! Told ya! Our entire house.}

Someone was very excited!!! 


Slowly but surely, we made our way through NC, into Virginia, West Virginia, and finally, Ohio!


We also got to go through 2 tunnels!


All in all, Ella did great in the car! We only had to stop 2 times for her to eat. The whole drive took us  8 hours, and I think she slept for about 6 of those! 

Once we arrived in Columbus, we got to see Dana and meet Gavin!!


They obviously loved each other!


Dana's dog, Callie, also loved Ella! I got out of the shower the next morning to find them like this, just staring at each other!


Wednesday morning, we left to drive up to the Cleveland area to see my grandparents. We passed no fewer than about 39 Amish buggies. 


I am so fascinated by Amish people, but man, I was ready to get to my grandparents' house!!

And because we hadn't driven enough the past 2 days, after being at my grandparents' for just a few hours, we left to visit Angela and Ava in Avon Lake (about 25 min from my grandparents) for the afternoon! 


I think these two look so much alike, yes? 

For dinner that night was my grandma's famous spaghetti. To say I am obsessed with this spaghetti is an understatement. I would have served it at my wedding if I could. So of course I took a picture of it. 


Oh man, my mouth is salivating just thinking about it now!

On Thursday, Grandma, Grandpa, Ella and I went on a major grocery shopping excursion! 

First we went to Marc's (with a train around the store!)....


...and then to Costco...


...and finally, Heinen's! Too bad Ella fell asleep in Heinen's!


My grandparents loved pushing her around in the stroller all morning!!

When we got home, my grandma got out all of my mom's and uncles' teddy bears and dolls for Ella, haha!


Thursday evening was Natalie's rehearsal dinner, which I will tell you all about when I get around to blogging about her wedding....but Ella stayed home and played with her grandparents and great-grandparents! 


They all had a little too much fun!!

Friday was Ella's first 4th of July! We went over to my uncle's house for a cookout! Some of my cousins have been taking piano lessons and Ella LOVED listening to them "perform" for us!


All of the little girls loved Ella!

{Ella with my cousin Gwyneth}

We left my uncle's around 1 to pick up Travis from the airport. From there, we went to Natalie's for a cookout (yes, this girl had a cookout at her house the day before her wedding!)!


After the cookout, we gave Ella a bath (she was quite stinky) in our hotel room...then I left Trav and Ella at the hotel, and spent the night at Natalie's. 


So poor Elle Belle did not get to see any fireworks. We could kinda see them from our hotel room...but I think she will enjoy them more next year anyway!

Saturday was the wedding, which I will tell you all about in another post, hopefully soon!!!

Sunday was my birthday! And we got to spend 8.5 hours in the car! 
Haha yayyyyy. Happy birthday to me

Ella didn't sleep her 6 hours that she slept on the way up, unfortunately. She wavered between being like this....


...and this: 


So that was fun. 
Also I stayed in the backseat with her, and because I am lucky enough to get horrendous motion sickness, I was soooo nauseous! It was like a throwback to my morning sickness days--I only wish I had brought my zofran!


But isn't this just the cutest thing ever on the WV turnpike?!

We finally made it home around 6pm, and Ella gave me my birthday present...a CLEANING LADY!!!! 


I am so excited!!!! They are coming next Monday to do a deep clean, and I cannot wait!!!!! Best birthday present EVER! 

I realize I am suuuuuuper behind on life right now, but I promise I'll be back to do Ella's 5 month update and Natalie's wedding soon!!