sundays are our day.

"next season" is officially this season. httr.

patricio and i are an extremely independent couple. we haven't spent every holiday together. we have yet to celebrate christmas together on the 25th of december. we go on trips without each other. we spend time with our respective families solo. i almost pride myself on our tendency to operate as two individuals who just happen to be head over heels in love with each other. but there are some things that are sacred to "us." and one of those things, are sundays during nfl season.

for the past three NFL seasons, we have spent every sunday together. they are our day. we loved hosting pregames/games/postgames in chicago even though neither of us claimed our city's team as our own.  pat would man the grill (sometimes in 0 degree weather and snow on the ground) and i would be busy mixing drinks and preparing appetizers upon appetizers upon appetizers (yes k&co, the bread bowl and 'the dip' were frequently made.) and when the packers made their beeeea-utiful run for the playoffs, we would try to make those sundays a special occasion, even if it was just for us. because my love is crazy superstitious, we would watch those games alone; huddled on the couch together, running around our apartment, screaming at the top of our lungs, and worshiping at the altar of clay matthews and aaron rodgers...together. those weeks leading up to superbowl XLV are memories i will hold onto for the rest of my days as i gleefully cheered for the pack and experienced patrick's joy as his team brought the lombardi trophy home to lambeau.

so today, on the very first sunday in three years where the skins played fan-freaking-tastic, and the packers not so much, i am so thankful that while i won't be marrying a die hard skins fan, i will be marrying a die hard fan. someone who loves this little game as much as i do. who yells, and jumps up and down, and screams "THAT IS BULLSHIT" as loud as me. someone who enjoys the wonder and the heartbreaking moments that come with being a fan of a sport you have never, nor will ever, play.

god help us if i'm pregnant during football season.

please future babies, don't be born on a sunday when your mom is screaming about dan snyder.

smoke and mirrors

welp, almost exactly on year later, i stand corrected.

Chris: ”You’re not on your period, are you?”
Leslie: ”No. Does that matter?”
Chris: ”Not for this.”

but this will forever be one of my favorite episodes of parks and rec. 

sit. stay. love.

disclaimer: this isn't a wedding blog. it's the teeniest tiniest corner of the world wide web where i have captured (more or less) my life over the last four years. and yes, over the next year, i will be capturing my transition from girlfriend, to fiance, to wife. but i also fully plan to share things that bring me joy, make me think, delight me, inspire me.....all that stuff. and what honestly brings me (and my other half) the MOST joy, is our polly girl.

polly lewis heckel

my two loves

we are coming up on our year anniversary of becoming a family of three which is so hard to believe. we adopted her from PAWS in chicago, and i could not be a stronger advocate for animal rescue. yes, i see the appeal of puppies and purebreds and as long as you are a good parent i pass no judgment on how you come about your pet. but this is what i know; i know that polly loves us a great deal because she was treated so poorly the first few years of her life. i know that her 10 pound self is so full of gratefulness she could burst. there are times when she lays her head on one of our laps, and just exhales, as if to say "i am finally loved." and she is. we cannot imagine our life without her; every single night we tell her how much we love her, and how we are so sorry it took us so long to find her. but that she's ours for the rest of her life.

so IF you are considering adopting a pet,  or IF you already own one and you have a desire to donate some food/toys/pet supplies to a animal shelter, or IF you love anthropologie as much as i do (which quite frankly, i doubt), make a difference this september.

what a lovely egift

thank you starbucks, for giving this bride-to-be who is on one serious budget, a reason to enjoy a pumpkin spiced latte.

.....even if fall feels a long ways away. 

"today is not the best day of your life"

i have been a fan of wedding blogs for quite a few years, however i am not quite sure why. i've always seen myself more as a carolyn bessette-kennedy and less of a kate middleton when it comes to my own wedding. give me candlelight, my groom, and our parents and brothers and i will be one happy bride. but now, i am checking these blogs with a heightened sense of attention; it's my turn to make those itty bitty decisions, to try and have a conversation with my fiance as to the pros and cons of different signature cocktails, to text my girlfriends pictures of a dress that i have yet to try on but know that it is "the one," and all the while to be true to my vision of utter and complete cohesiveness 

and so that's why, one of these many blogs i follow gave me a brief reprieve from this self imposed stress that i am beginning to feel as my "to do list" continues to grow, and grow, and grow. this particular post highlighted a best man's speech, that opened up with the line: "this is not the best day of your life." and you know what, he's totally and completely right. this is just where our story is going to re-begin, we will no longer be a couple, or together, or dating; we will be married. and that's all october 12, 2013 will be, an opportunity to celebrate this fact with all of our closest and dearest family members and friends. the best day of our life, will more than likely be in 20 or 25 years, when our first child leaves our nest and enters the world; and he/she is a thoughtful, kind, and giving person who does what he/she can, to make this world a better place. and we will silently look at each other and say "good job, love. we did a good job. this is the best day."


i can't wait.