love, polly

i am completely unashamed of how much i love polly. when pat teased me about changing my instagram name to "lovepollygirl" i was shocked, i mean this little lady is my best friend! i want the world to know that something so sweet and darling exists! the lewis heckel household can't be selfish and hog this cuteness to ourselves! and then i realized that i think women who identify themselves as "suchandsuch'smom" via email address, license plate, hashtag, what have you, are a little teeny tiny bit pathetic and so i changed my username.

but i absolutely can't help but share pictures of that little lady. yesterday i officially crossed over to "that kind of dog owner" when her christmas collar/bow arrived, and i had to whisper how much it cost to pat in fear that he would be disappointed in my financial choices. but i mean, LOOK AT HER! i would have paid double.

merry christmas! love, polly

if you want more of polly, feel free to follow me on my (new) user name: annamloo.

bow wow coutoure shop: here

wedding mantra

"everyone gets married and no one else is taking it as seriously as you."

i think all brides should have a friend like ashley sansing

snapshots 4

thankful for this little panda. also thankful i have 10 months to get a tan. yikes.

frame of shame.

frame of shame 2

this is how they say goodnight to each other

this was taken a few months ago when i was in chicago but thanks to bhldn's 20% off on cyber monday,  bridesmaids dresses have been ordered!

it's here! it's here! christmas time is here!

things i'm glad i learned when we were dating

pat and i have been sharing a nest for almost 3 years. some of you may remember when we moved in together i told him it was temporary. i am still not quite sure what i meant by that, but thanks to all my friends for just going with it. and while a small piece of me would love to have been in a situation where we dated, got engaged, and then moved in together, time was not on our side. and neither was the cost of living in chicago.

so over the last three years i have learned ALL OF THE THINGS. about being a good roommate, a good girlfriend, a good friend; about when to quietly throw beers in the freezer because his team is losing, when to admit this new recipe was a complete flop, and when to just march into the bedroom, put on your nightgown and turn on law and order: svu if a fight is a brewing, and you don't have the energy for it.

here are few other little things i am glad i know before going into a marriage:

1. boys like to put garbage next to the garbage can. or near it. and stack receipts on their nightstand. and that to them is throwing it away. except it isn't throwing it away. it's clutter. and clutter belongs inside a trash bag that is inside a trashcan.
2. they also like to line up empty beer bottles on the kitchen counter and then throw them away all at once. why? i don't know, but if you find out please tell me.
3. even when you explicitly tell a boy "do not eat all the leftover pizza, i would like a piece when i get home" he will still eat the leftover pizza. because boys love pizza. but so do girls. so when it comes to pizza, it's a dog eat dog world.
4. whoever cooks doesn't have to clean up the kitchen. just have this as an unspoken rule.
5. there are some chores that bring me happiness. let me do those chores. and the chores that i hate? well consider yourself a lucky woman when he LOVES to do those. this is one of many reasons why i know we were meant to be.
6. plan your meals at the start of the week.
7. if you desperately need alone time, just turn on teen mom, bad girls club, or real housewives of anywhere. he will leave the room/zone out and stop talking to you in less than 5 minutes, i promise.
8. if you only have one bathroom, don't lock the door when you are showering in the morning. i promise i won't rip back the shower curtain and scare you to death. (......or will i?)
9. hide in the apartment and scare each other. it's just so much fun. also ask me what a "happy meal" is. it's even more fun.
10.  if he has a 2 year old issue of sports illustrated, just let it sit on the tv stand. it's there so he can read it in a moments notice and relive his team's superbowl win. it's not worth the fight and honestly, i get it.

make me wanna move my dancing feet

for some reason, the first dance has always been extremely important to me. not so much the style and technique of the actual dance, i could care less about that. probably because as a dancer, i have about three signature moves, all of which require loads of chardonnay in order to be seen. but choosing the song has been something i've always looked forward to. and not just for myself, i always seem to ask "how was the wedding? what was their first song?"
because THIS is what you will dance together first, as husband and wife. for the rest of your life, you will hear THIS ONE SONG and it will remind you of your mate, your partner, your best friend and your wonderful wedding. it should be a song that you listen to and think "if i could write music, this is what i would say to you."

so my love and i started with a list of 6 songs. we have narrowed that down to four. and we are cutting it off at four because let's be honest, we still have 10 months to go, and if i don't hold up my hand and say "stop" i will continue to add songs until there are just far too many to choose from.

but just for fun, what did you and your better half pick? or plan to pick? i'd love to hear!