wknd happenings

December 22, 2014December 22, 20142 Comments

my productivity level was off the charts this weekend (mostly) and that is what i am blaming for my lack of focus. that and the fact that christmas is officially 3 sleeps away. and i’m heading home to albert lea tomorrow. so yes, many distractions. anyways – we checked another big milestone off of the ‘ol wedding checklist this weekend. all of our save the dates are have been sent! sidenote: no wonder the written word is dying… $60 for 120 stamps?! what the what?!

264 days until #happilyeverbica

115 envelopes

61 cities

13 states

3 metallic sharpies

4 cups of coffee

2 engaged people

1 fabulous wedding

something about having the save the dates sent out just makes it all legit. so much excitement. i also can’t get over how amazing our save the dates turned out. my dear friend Alyssa Meier, who is also one of my fearless personal attendants, is doing all of the design for the wedding and seriously… she is nothing short of fantastically talented. i couldn’t imagine anything more perfect and i cannot wait to see everything else come together! [thanks lys!]

other items that were on the agenda this weekend: wrapping presents [with no help at all from #starksthepup], watching it’s a wonderful life, drinking homemade [spiked] hot chocolate, and coffee. lots of coffee.

hope you all had a wonderful weekend! xo

a christmas tradition // 6 years of dad and emma day

December 18, 2014December 19, 20141 Comment

i adore traditions. i love my family. so, when you combine them and throw in the christmas season + bloody mary’s and you’ve got yourself a helluva good time. now let’s rewind 6 years. it’s 2009. i’m 19 20 (math is hard in the morning. thanks for the help, [b]). a junior at Concordia st paul. and my daddy decides to come up on a friday morning for some father-daughter time. we head to downtown mpls; grab some breakfast; head to barnes & noble to get my daddy a calendar and since it’s the holidays we decide to check out the 8th floor of macy’s (which is another thing that hasn’t changed at all in 6 years if you’re keeping track). we wander across the street to the IDS center after being drawn in by a huge gorgeous and festive christmas tree. we find a Starbucks and sit and people watch while enjoying our coffee and treats. and with that, dad and emma day was created.

a lot has changed in 6 years; the conversations have gone from the stresses of finals and preparing to graduate college and start in the “real world”… to how my job is going and life after college… to wondering when i’ll meet someone and what he’ll be like… to about this guy i met on match.com… wondering when that guy will pop the question… and now to about the wedding with that guy and being a grown up and kids. and how one day we’ll have to bring my bratty kids with. i mean they probably will just be sassy, not bratty… just saying.

it’s truly one of my most treasured times; especially during the holidays. being the only girl, it’s no secret that i’m “daddy’s little princess” and no matter how old i get that will remain true. i’m so thankful for my daddy and these memories we get to make together. i can’t wait to continue this tradition on and on for many, many years to come.

here’s a look at dad and emma day through the years…

(maybe i should get my dad a new winter coat for christmas) :)

tis the season // deck the halls and trim the tree

December 9, 2014Leave a comment

16 more sleeps until santa gets here, friends. can you believe it? i am beyond behind on my christmas shopping but am in full swing in getting into the holiday spirit. festive caribou holiday drinks + christmas stations on pandora + christmas cookie candles + christmas movies + (spiked) hot chocolate + and so on. i love all these things, but what i love more than most anything is decorating the house and especially the christmas tree.

[b] and i went to the tree lot last sunday when it was a balmy 9 below zero. so our decision was made quickly and soon enough our frasier fur was strapped on top of clifford. we decorated the house that night and listened to christmas music and it was wonderful. [b] left the next day for a work trip and left me put the lights on the tree. it took 2 nights; 1 anxiety attack; several glasses of wine; arm and handfulls of cuts and scrapes and sap and lots of support from #starksthepup i did it. 1430 lights. yes, fourteen hundreded and thirty lights. [last year we had 1600 so i’m feeling a little bit like a slacker. BUT i didn’t blow a fuse this year; so i might consider that a win]

and it looked beautiful. this weekend when [b]s mom and cousin were in town we finished the job and put all the decorations and it was perfect. can’t wait to sit in front of it in the mornings and enjoy my coffee. merry christmas, friends.