Summer Shower

I feel so incredibly lucky to have a group of strong, lovely women surrounding me in my life. I've never felt as much love in one room as I did during my bridal shower. Family and friends joined my mom on Long Island at a beautiful restaurant, Chadwicks, for lunch, wedding talk, and the obligatory ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the opening of presents.

I was so touched by the effort my mom and best girlfriends put into making a beautiful day to celebrate me. The food was fantastic, the games were a lot of fun (with great prizes to boot), my friends and family were so incredibly thoughtful from the gifts they brought to the decorations they made. The cake was delicious. My mom was happy and I was over the moon...I really could not have pictured a more perfect day.

Connecticut Fun

Alex was working like a dog at the start of the summer and I was in over my head with wedding planning. Our summer work schedules don't give us much time off...one day to be exact. We knew we needed to escape the city for some relaxation, so we booked a weekend away to Essex, Connecticut.

The trip there was surprisingly easy! A short subway ride to a short Metro North ride to an hour and a half drive. Easy peasy! We stayed at the Riverwind Inn, a cozy bed and breakfast with lovely hosts, delicious breakfasts, and all the charm of a small New England town. During our stay we visited the Florence Griswold Museum and bought a beautiful painting at the Lyme Art Association, we spent an afternoon at the Connecticut River Museum, complete with a boat ride on a historic sailboat, hiked in the Gillette Castle State Park and took a tour of the castle, had beers and a bite to eat at the Griswold Inn...for a weekend away, we sure did a lot of fun things.

As one friend captioned this photo of Alex exploring the Connecticut River Museum: "I've literally never seen Alex look happier!" And it was true. It was just the two of us exploring and relaxing.

Now, whenever I see Alex stressing out, I'm reminded of the importance of unplugging and enjoying the weekend. Because the work will always be there on Monday morning waiting for us. And sometimes the fresh air and an ice cream cone is more important than clean laundry and a fridge full of groceries. Here's to more working for a living and less living for work!

Sweet Virginia

Whenever we're invited to an out-of-town wedding in an interesting spot, we make a habit of turning it into a mini-getaway. So when Alex's close friend from law school invited Alex to be in his wedding in Richmond, Virginia, we knew we were in for a jam packed, fun-filled weekend.

The wedding itself was so southern and proper. At a beautiful church with a reception at the Jefferson Hotel. The bride and groom were glowing with happiness and it was a beautiful day.

Apart from the wedding festivities, we took it upon ourselves to have little adventures. We grabbed a night cap after the rehearsal dinner with our good friend who got married earlier this year in Korea, checked out the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, had a seriously mouth-watering BBQ lunch, and explored a bit of downtown Richmond, including a fantastic dinner at Rappahannock.

It's crazy to think that our own wedding is in the near future. I'll miss calling Alex my fiance and I'll miss all the anticipation up to our big day, but I won't miss all the planning and preparation and logistics. Even though I've planned tons of events for work, it's so different now that it's my own. Add an extra layer of pressure from the crazy wedding industry that exists these days (Say Yes to the Dress, Pinterest, Etsy,the Knot, Wedding Wire)...and it feels a bit overwhelming at times trying to meet so many expectations and deadlines. But I've got a great partner in Alex and at the end of the day, that's what's most important.