This is how I feel...

...Very very happy! My brother and his girlfriend are visiting us this weekend! We plan to eat lots and lots of food, drink lots and lots of beer, wander downtown, and soak in all the gorgeous sunshine. (with lots of SPF 50!!) Then, my parents will be here Sunday & Monday. Monday, we're playing hooky from work and instead going to our wedding venue for a tasting and event plan walk through. We are also meeting with our adorable florist. Plans are coming together folks and that makes me happy. #1 - because I'm a planner/to-do list freak and #2 - because wedding planning is much more detailed than I could have imagined and I'll be very grateful when my brain can be used for other things. #3 - that means we're getting closer to the day (and the honeymoon!) THEN later next week we are playing hooky again and packing our bags to head to Winterport for my friend's wedding! She is getting married on the 4th of July (pretty sure so she can get free fireworks!). I'm her day of coordinator, so we have lots of fun detailing on the 3rd and a delicious rehearsal dinner at a local Irish pub. It's going to be beautiful and I'm going to cry. I'm such a sap. One more reason? Exactly 3 months from today I will be drew's wife. finally! finally! so. many. good. things. I hope you have lots of good things in your week too. kloveyoubye.

Sundays forever

we have officially deemed Sundays as our "date days". Since Fridays are saved for crashing at home after a long week with nights out with friends Netflix and wine at home, and he works on Saturdays; Sundays it is…our day to do whatever the heck we want!  Last Sunday we went to Boothbay Harbor and this Sunday he surprised me with a ferry ride out to Long Island!

The ferry took about 45 minutes. Is it weird that it might have been my favorite part? Something about being on a boat, with the fresh ocean air, and sunshine is just so good. The pastries and peaches I picked up at Rosemont made the ride pretty freakin' good too. ugh delicious. The only downside was this awkward middle schooler who kept photobombing my pictures. It was cute the first time, but got old...quick. where's your mom anyway, kid?! punk. First stop when we got to the island?  the general store (the only grocery store on the island) for some gatorade and expired gum & blow pops! Next? Explore!  Their beach was heaven. Unlike our beaches, it was quiet and peaceful. There were less than a dozen others there. It felt like we had the place to ourselves. Naturally, he started scoping out shots and clicking away with his camera. I pretended to want to take pictures for a moment, but really I was on the hunt for crabs and other sea life in the rocks. I can't help it. I like to play. I know, I know. I should be practicing & learning how to fully use my DSLR but...ANIMALS! NATURE! NO SHOES! OH MY!  We layed on the beach for a bit and then walked around the rest of the island before catching the ferry home. Long Island is beautiful, but had a bit of that creepy islandy vibe..like..a mystery thriller TV show, where someone turns up dead and the nice sheriff questions everyone and seems so concerned but you find out the nice sheriff is really the murderer and there's no one to turn to and the ferry is unexplainably out of service and you're stuck there so you just run. You still with me? Harper's Island anyone? No? Just when I thought we could be friends. 

The ride back home was nice, but chilly. good thing I like to cuddle. we people watched and laughed and kissed. We hit up Flatbread Co. for the best veggie pizza (mushroom medley, goat cheese, mozzarellla, parmesean, and green onions. drooling just thinking about it) beer, and coffee (to warm me back up). God, that place is amazing. best pizza, fresh salad, and awesome vibe. We walked around the Old Port, window shopped, and walked back up the hill. Then date day took a turn for the worse. And by worse I mean I'm a huge baby and had a really bad sunburn and stomach ache so I complained about having to go get groceries with him and then I cried because riley scratched my sunburnt legs. ughhh I can be so lame. but it's okay because he was so kind and put ice on my burn and kissed my forehead and only made fun of me a little bit. Sunday success!

Sweet Sweet Summertime

Can I just say that summertime is my favorite time. well, maybe. I don't know...I LOVE fall. do I have to choose? summertime is my favorite right now (and when it's fall, that will be my favorite). I've never been good at making decisions. Anywho! Last night was one of those nights. Those perfect summer nights. Because nothing particularly special happened. And summertime is the only time where unspecial nights feel magical anyway. I got home from work, we made grilled cheese (on the panini press because they're sooo much better that way) and watched a movie on netflix. Then we walked a few blocks to the cutest little grocery store, Rosemont. We got peligrino's, a delicious 1/2 & 1/2 cupcake cookie thing, and an almond croissant. We took the long way home, stopped at the Eastern Prom, and sat in the grass drinking, eating, and squealing at how cute all the dogs were (ok, that last part was only me.) I may have been shivering a bit (the ocean breeze was chilly, and maybe I'm a baby, ok!?) but it was fine because he is always warm and put his arm around me. After awhile we slowly got up and trekked home. We grabbed the pup and sat on the stoop outside our apartment while the sun went down. She played, grazed (that's what I call it cuz she looks like a little cow eating grass), and intently stared at all people and noises. I pretended to be Kate from Titantic on the concrete slab on our stairs; with my arms out to my sides and everything, singing my heart will gone, and drew telling me I'm crazy; but I know he really liked it. Then, we did our lame nightly routine (packing lunch for work the next day will be the death of me!) and cuddled up in bed with the windows wide open, ocean breeze coming through, and Friday Night Lights on in the background. Perfect. Summertime. *the pictures with this post are from last week. i don't have pictures from last night because it was too good to stop and take pictures.

The Truth is..

I'm not content with being ordinary; but I'm not sure how to be anything but.

Planning your wedding is overwhelming, strange, a little too much, and beautiful all at once.

Trader Joe's has seriously addicting cupcakes.

There is nothing better than Portland in the summer and smelling the ocean from my doorstep.

My dog dreaming and whining every night is one of my favorite sounds in the entire world.

His hugs instantly make me feel calm; even after my worst of days.

I don't feel like a bride.  I don't think I will until I'm in front of him saying my vows.

I know what I don't want...that's easy.  It's figuring out what I do want that's tricky.

He has the weirdest sense of humor.  The kind that takes you by surprise and makes you laugh from your gut.  It's one of the best things about him.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S is and always will be my favorite show.  Even after having watched the discs so many times that they're starting to skip.

Sometimes grilled cheese and beer at home is so much better than wine and a fancy date night out.

We have lived in Maine for over 5 years and had never been to Boothbay Harbor; until last weekend.  Road trips to new places are what summers are made for.

*all pictures taken by me & Andrew. 

Juice it up, baby

My bridal shower was this past weekend in my hometown in Massachusetts.  I wasn't entirely sure what to expect and felt pretty anxious about it.  Good news is the weekend was an absolute blast filled with fancy drinks, delicious food, lots of sun, gorgeous sunflowers, and some of my very favorite people in this world.   I turned into a big ol' cry baby when my mom asked if I had a good time.  I didn't think I'd get so emotional, but I was just felt so overwhelmed with happiness and love.  

My maid of honor took lots of pictures, but I have yet to see them.  

I'll post some here with more details on the day, once I get them.

SO instead, let's talk about juice.  Oh.My.God.  My Aunt bought us a juicer and it is insane.  

I can't believe how long I lived my life without one.  

We made our first juice last night: 2 green apples, 4 carrots, and 1/4 in of ginger.  

It was bomb.  Do yourself a favor a get a juicer.  Or get engaged and ask someone to buy it for you.

That works too ;) 

Sparks

Sometimes you need to just dress up, put your best glittery headband on, and play outside with sparklers on a random Thursday night.   It helps to have a fiance who is a photographer 

and who always insists on taking my picture.  

These pictures look cute, but let me tell you, there were quite of few weird looks coming our way.

 All in a days work. 

Little Letters: Jenny, Pizza, and Pants

Dear Jenny Lewis -

You made my dreams come true last night by playing at the State Theater.   Your set was unreal.  Your voice is pure magic and you are such a badass.  I love you. 

Dear Rain –
I’m not even mad that you made an appearance today. Mostly because I’m working and I’m selfish. I don’t want others to play in the sun if I can’t. Also, be a love and stay away this weekend. Please & Thank you.

Dear Bridal Shower –
I’m 50% excited for you and 50% feeling really awkward about you. Is it just me or is it weird to have dozens of people watch you open presents…presents that you demanded via a registry… don’t even get me started on how awkward I feel about registries. I hope there’s champagne and cupcakes and lots of hugs.

Dear Office –
Stop being so quiet. I’d like to eat my bagel chips in the comfort of my own cubicle and not have every one listen to me loudly chew.  P.s. I’d like my own office…with a window…DREAM BIG! 

Dear Grey Pants –
I regret wearing you today. You make me look frumpy and boring.

Dear Bright Green Pants –
I’m sorry I neglected you today. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Dear Mel –
Get on that plane faster! Nashville has no business keeping you any longer. You are mine for a full 72 hours starting Friday.

Dear Pizza –
I want to eat you tonight. But alas, we are broke so scrambled eggs and toast it is.

Dear Nose –
I’m sorry I burned you this weekend and now you’re peeling. You look creepy.  (Note to self: wear more sunscreen. this is not a good look)

Dear Andi –
You have horrible taste in men and if I wasn’t obsessed with reality TV I would ban The Bachelorette from my weekly routine. Also, please change my mind about you…pick one of the dorky men and not the “former pro baseball player” who thinks he’s the shit.

A-Musing

 

So my friend Abby totally rocks and she signed the 3 of us (me, her, and Em) up for the soft opening of a new paint bar on Commercial Street in Portland; Muse (do you get the sweet play on words I did in the title now?!...I know I'm so creative.)  

Anyway, I’ll be honest, I was excited but a bit anxious about painting in a group setting with people looking over my shoulder and with people who are far better painters than I. But ya know what? It was freakin’ awesome. It was completely inspring and carefree and fun. There were people there who had never picked up a paint brush before and people (like Abby) who are naturally artistic. No one judged. It felt like a safe place to make ‘mistakes’…if that’s even a thing when we’re discussing art. It was a place to enjoy a glass of wine, learn some a few techniques, and do something new with my girlfriends. Plus the decor was rad and made me so happy. (loving me some marquee sis gns!)

The instructor was super bubbly and lovely. Exactly what you’d expect and art instructor to be like. You could tell she was so pumped to teach us and to see our creative juices flowing. We were given basic instructions (type of brushses, what they do, how to mix paint colors, basic brush strokes) and overall guidelines on what to paint. We were encouraged to change it up how we wanted though; leave things out, add things in, choose different colors, etc. My favorite part (besides the wine!) was seeing how different our paintings came out. Em chose to paint closer to the example, mine was similiar but I added warmer colors, and Abby had a slight artistic crisis halfway through and completely painted something different while still keep in some of the elements. It was also pretty sweet that we were part of the 1st group of “painters” to try out the studio. Abby may or may not have branded the table with our initials to commemorate the occassion…

Nights like last night remind me how healthy and refreshing it is to get out of my comfort zone and try something new; something that makes me nervous. Sometimes I fall victim to my anxieties. I generally worry and have intense anxiety most of the time. Instead of letting that take over my mind; I need to push myself to work through those burdening thoughts because 9 times out of 10 what I am sweating over ends up being something I really loved. Plus I just have the craziest, loveliest friends.