rain is good luck on your wedding day.

october 12, 2013 will not be remembered for being a beautiful fall day.

but i'll always remember it as the perfect day. 

125 of the most special people in the world traveled through rain, and flight delays, and terrible traffic to get to us.
patrick heckel, in a navy polka-dot bow-tie, literally took my breath away.
and i cried tears of joy when i heard beyonce on the dance floor.

to quote one of my lovely cousins,
"it might be damp outside, but there is nothing but love in this room."

and won't we be so lucky if all our days are like that?
when stuff you can't control doesn't work in your favor.
whether it's in a parking lot and someone steals your space.
or it rains on your wedding day.
instead of being disappointed or upset, you make every effort to surround yourself with love.

because i can tell you what.
it's a hell of a lot more fun to be clutching the hand of your husband,
as you both scream "kris kross will make ya jump jump"
than it is to be upset about silly rain.

i'll try and recap the day in the next few weeks as we settle into newlywed life.

i'm still gushing over the pictures that katelyn james has posted.


but for now...

i'm the luckiest girl in the world. 

virginia or bust.

we're off to virginia tomorrow...

because you know, we get married next weekend! 

i just can't wait to squeeze and kiss 125 of my favorite faces.

one of those belonging to my husband. 

xo.

thirty five years.

happy 35th anniversary to the most wonderful couple i know.

nuggets in their natural habitat...eating ice cream.

thank you for never once glossing over the reality that a wonderful marriage, like most things in life, doesn't come easy.

for raising your three children with the hopes that they would be able to grow their roots independently, that they would see the world, and that they would never be fearful of the unknown.

and for giving me the best advice i have ever received.

"you have to forgive your spouse for their humanness" 

i love you mom & dad!

ross and daniel - if you are reading this, it's mom and dad's anniversary. call them.

a little adoption day celebration.

two years ago, pat and i drove to lincoln park in completely foul moods and returned home with our lovebug, polly.

and because i am up to my eyeballs in crafts and little projects, i figured we could use what we had to celebrate our second anniversary of being a family of three.

i made a puppy friendly cupcake, stolen from vega's momma. 

i used agave instead of honey and while i cannot speak for the frosting (peanut allergy - party of 1), the actual cupcake was pretty good. polly devoured it. 

the geronimo balloon was a practice wedding craft i wanted to try out before the big day.

i stole the idea from my beloved, bhldn but instead of paying $180, i spent about $7 total on the balloon and the helium. i had the ribbon on hand, and made the garland out of tissue paper. 

she is just too cute. 

we love that you are ours.

the importance of alone.

louis c.k.

he's the best.

have a gorgeous weekend.

in case you live under a rock - everything's amazing and nobody is happy.