Whirlwind Wedding Weekend! Part 2

When I left off, it was go time - hair was curled, makeup was applied, dresses were on, and it was time to go. Let the wedding begin! The bridesmaids and I headed off to meet up with our groomsmen, and as the music began, we headed down the aisle. I got myself in place just in time to see my sister and my dad heading towards us.

Doesn't she look beautiful?? And my dad cleans up pretty well, too. I may or may not have been tearing up already. What can ya do?

The ceremony was short and sweet, and full of personal touches - just the way Nat & Roger wanted it. Next thing we knew, they were married! And it was time to party.

The following are the only pictures I have from the rest of the night, because my phone battery was absolutely dead. Story of my life. I think that's probably for the best, though... better not to have photo evidence (at least not yet - who knows what the actual photographer captured! ha!) - memories, or lack thereof, will do just fine.

Nat & Roger listening to the toasts

My sorority family together again <3

Obligatory blurry bathroom picture. Love this.

The reception was a blast, and I slept in my bridesmaid dress that night - I think that says all that needs to be said about that!

Sunday morning my parents had a brunch at their house for the out-of-town guests and anyone who wanted to come over while the newlyweds opened presents and visited a little more. I pulled the 75 (no, really) bobby pins out of my hair, washed out a ton of hairspray, and threw on a sundress. That was about as pulled-together as I could get. Mom & Nat looked great, though!

Sunday afternoon, after very much needed Taco Bell & a Coke Slurpee (hangover-curing food, clearly) & a short nap,we kept the party going - Nat, Roger, Lauren, and I all headed to WMZQFest! We met up with my friend Michelle, drank some beers, and listened to some great music.

 

Miranda Lambert was the featured act this year, and we just couldn't miss it. We were all pretty drained though, and since the next day was Monday, we headed home early. I basically face-planted into bed and didn't move for eight hours. Necessary.

Monday I worked from home (possibly my best idea ever), so I called into a meeting in the morning and got a few things done the rest of the day, before heading out for some groceries. After a weekend full of indulging myself, it was high time to get some fruit and veggies in my life. Global Foods to the rescue!

All this for $30!

I ran to the gym to get my miles in for #RWRunStreak, and then tried to kill myself at BodyPump - almost couldn't walk yesterday. Whoops. Might have gone a bit too hard after missing that class for 10 days! C & I threw together some killer fish tacos for dinner - seriously, we are the masters of fish tacos. Be jealous. Someday I will teach you my ways! (Which I actually learned from my mother, but whatever.)

We capped off the long weekend with some much-needed couch & mindless TV time - I think I'm going to need a lot of that to recover fully! It was well-worth it, though. I'm so proud of my little sister, and so excited for her to begin this next adventure, the next phase of her life. Congratulations, Natty! Welcome to married life. As far as I can tell, nothing really changes... hopefully every day is just better than the last. Love you!
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Today is National Running Day! How do you plan to celebrate? I think a good run is in order tonight, clearly! I'm already looking forward to putting on my sneakers, playing some good music, and hitting the road. Why do you run?

Oftentimes when I'm running, I find myself thinking about the people who can't run - people who aren't healthy enough, who are sick or injured, people who have passed away who loved running, people who don't have the choice to put on their shoes and go out for a mile or ten. I think about those people, and it always pushes me to go a little farther, or a little faster - or even just to get out and DO the run. I run because I can, and I run for the people who can't. What's stopping you? Today is a great day to get out and start!

Whirlwind Wedding Weekend! Part 1

They did it! 

My little sister is officially a Mrs. & I have a brand-new brother (in-law)!

Behold... the powers of Instagram.

Favorite <3

It was a whirlwind wedding weekend, that's for sure - and therefore, a whirlwind recap is definitely in order. Let's go back...
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Friday night we rehearsed in a monsoon. In between monstrous bouts of pouring rain, and ignoring the tornado warnings that were being issued, we quickly ran through the sequence of events and figured out who should sit where and which rock each person should stand on.

Check out that sweet ribbon bouquet shield I made!

Just as it started to rain again, we called it quits and headed to the rehearsal dinner. They'd made reservations at an amazing restaurant called Pane e Vino. It's an Italian restaurant with food that is just incredible - I splurged and had lasagna! It was just too good to pass up. The wine was flowing, pictures were taken, presents were handed out, and I had tiramisu for dessert - talk about good!

My grandma & my aunt

Nat & bridesmaids... typical.

My grandma, my aunt, and my mom

Nat gifted me with SPF 100 - don't want to burn that pale skin during the wedding! ha.

After dinner, the boys headed to Roger's parents' house for the night, and the girls headed back to Nat's house with her for the night. We were all asleep pretty early... we had a big day ahead!

Saturday morning we woke up early, and Nat, Caity, & I headed out for a pre-wedding run! Just a short little trip around the neighborhood, but enough to get our blood pumping & get us feeling ready for the day! The girls all headed off in separate directions to gather up things for the day, and Nat & I did what we usually do: made Bloody Marys!

Before we knew it, it was time to head to the salon for hair and makeup.

 

 

We call this look her "Martha Washington" hair -- too funny!

A ring on everyone's finger :)

We left the salon and headed out to get dressed for the ceremony. When everyone was ready, we took a few "before" pictures...

And then a few silly ones, just for good measure:

And then it was wedding time! Which I believe shall be continued in another post, as this one is getting to be a BIT much. I guess I'm not leaving you hanging too much, as I did already tell you that they did get married, after all! Tune in soon to see what happened next!

Hey there, June!

Happy first day of June! Can you believe summer is just about upon us? The months are absolutely flying by this year - can't believe 2012 is almost halfway over!

It's a busy day around these parts - preparations are well underway for my sister's wedding tomorrow! My mom & I went and got massages first thing this morning - let me tell you, it was SO necessary. I told the girl working on me that my right shoulder had been feeling extra tight, and that my knees were hurting a bit lately, and she went to town on me. Hurt so good! Every time she rubbed out a knot in my shoulder, she found another... the 50 minutes flew by! My sister spent the afternoon getting pampered at another salon in town, and I hope she enjoyed her personal time as much as my mom and I did.

I've been in a cleaning frenzy all afternoon, trying to get the house ready to have people here. My (almost) brother-in-law and his groomsmen are getting ready here tomorrow, and I want everything to be spic & span - in tip-top shape! So it's been a tornado of cleaning products and country music and laundry going.

A huge thunderstorm is rolling through right now, but everything is supposed to clear up & be perfect for tomorrow. Cross your fingers! We need sunshine and good times. I'm hoping the rain clears up soon so I can go get my mile-a-day in for the #RWRunStreak. I've done so well so far... we will ignore the fact that it's only been four days so far. Still going strong!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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C & I went to Groovin' in the Garden at Lewis-Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond last night with his family. Carbon Leaf was playing, and so we went and ate dinner at an awesome BBQ joint and then saw the concert! It was a great way to spend the evening. I think we'll keep an eye on what other concerts they have this summer!

Living on Lake Time

My family and I (minus C, who stayed home - boo!) spent the weekend at Smith Mountain Lake, where some family friends of ours have a sweet house and a great dock with a boat. It's amazing how quickly we all get on "lake time" - the hours pass slowly and the days are long, in a good way. It's a technology-free zone, for the most part... we do all have smart phones and are constantly connected. Other than playing various Pandora stations and taking pictures, though, even the phones are away while we're there. There's nothing on my phone that compares to a good book, a cold beer, and a chair in the sun. The weather was absolutely perfect this weekend, and it was just the getaway that I needed to recharge my batteries.

Probably best to just let the pictures do the talking.

Early morning lake view

Bloody Mary poured straight into a beer bottle.. normal

 

Lake Life

Not even 10 AM... perfect.

Out on a boat ride

Girls on the dock... Katie, me, and Nat

  

While there was plenty of indulging (beers, cookies, chips, and delicious Mexican food for dinner), we worked in some time for some healthy stuff, as well. Nat, Roger, and I went out for a run on Saturday morning before it got too hot - however, still might have been the hardest four miles of my life to date. The hills out there around the lake are no joke. In fact, they're more like mountains - I will never complain about running around my neighborhood again. We struggled through three very tough miles, and for the last mile, Nat and I found a flat spot to alternate jogs and sprints (read: she tried to kill me). When we came back in, I actually decided I had to shower before I could lather up with sunscreen and head to the dock - I was just too sweaty to function!

Yesterday morning, we decided a long walk was more in order - so we walked the same hilly path and covered about 3.5 miles. It was still hard! The sauna that is Virginia in the summer was making itself known for the first time yesterday, and it was so sticky out, even at 8 AM! We powered through, though, and got in a few more hours on the dock after that before heading back to NoVa.

Yesterday was the first day of the Runner's World Run Streak, and I've been peer-pressured by some sweet friends into participating. So, I had to get out last night and get my first mile in! I waited til about 8:30 to head out, hoping to beat the heat a bit, but it was still sauna-like. I got in a quick 2.5 miles, and felt surprisingly good the whole time. It was muggy, but my legs were happy to be moving on a relatively flat surface again! It was a great ending to a really wonderful long weekend.

Memorial Day side note: it is so important to remember that freedom is not free, and that so many have made the ultimate sacrifice in order for the rest of us to enjoy our barbecues and beers and time with family and friends. As an Army brat with plenty of military friends, I am extra conscious of this, and so proud of and thankful for all those who have served their country, including my own dad and grandfathers.

Hope everyone had as wonderful a weekend as I did!

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It's a short, short week in these parts - just two and a half days in the office for me, because my sister is getting married this weekend!! EEEEEK. My to-do list is long, both at work and at home - the days are going to fly by, and it will be wedding time before we know it. Can't believe we're just days away!