Wedding Wednesday

Since my last Wedding Wednesday post a very big check was made on our To Do list - I said YES to the dress! A couple of weeks ago my mom, little sister, and I went to look at wedding dresses in Old Town Alexandria. I left that appointment with a top pick in mind and thought for sure I would be going back.

On May 5th I had an appointment at J&B Bridal in Chambersburg, PA where my grandparents live. I was excited for the appointment because a lot of my favorite ladies were going to be there - mom, my older sister, grandma, aunt, cousin, and Aubrey! I went into the appointment thinking I would just get more ideas of styles and fabrics I liked but never thought I'd buy a dress from there since it is about 2 hours away from DC.

Much to my surprise I fell in love with the first dress I tried on. It was perfect and very different from the dress from the first appointment, but most importantly it made me feel like a bride. I tried on 5-6 other dresses before putting the first dress back on. As I turned to face my family in the dress, I looked at my mom and just like in a movie or TLC show, I started crying and said "this is my dress!" I don't normally make quick decisions when it comes to big purchases or even just ordering dinner, but I knew this was my wedding dress. Every time I look at a picture from the day (and thanks to Aubrey I have a lot!) I am 100% confident that I picked the right dress. I can't wait for my dress to come in and especially can't wait to wear it next April!

Monuments & Mom

It was a beautiful spring weekend in DC. On Saturday my little sister drove up to spend the day with us. We got lunch and ice cream in Old Town Alexandria before spending most of the afternoon walking around the monuments and enjoying the beautiful weather!

My buddy! 

Even though I pass the monuments everyday, I never get tired of walking around them.

After a much needed nap we headed out for dinner and margaritas at Tortilla Coast then finished the night at Standard Beer Garden.

The main reason Amanda came up to DC was to surprise our mom for Mother's Day. Mom thought she was having brunch with Meredith, Patrick, and I but we all surprised her with Amanda. Mom was so surprised to see her and so happy for all three girls (and Patrick) to be there.

Mother's Day 2012

I love my mom and sisters so much and am always grateful when we all get to spend time together.

Today marks the end P's law school career. He will submit his last paper and can officially say that his time at GWU's Law School is over. Of course he has 2.5 months of studying and preparing for the bar exam ahead of him but finishing law school is the first step.

I cannot even begin to express how proud I am of him for this accomplishment. For the past four years he has spent at least three nights a week in class, reading countless pages, writing papers, participating in law journals and moot court all while working full-time and this past semester he added an internship on top of everything. I know it has not been easy for him and he often gets stressed, but to me he has handled this grueling schedule with such ease.

I am very much looking forward to May 20th when he will walk across the stage and receive his diploma!

Happy May!

I'm so excited for this month! There are so many fun things to look forward to:

• A visit to Chambersburg to try on wedding dresses with my mom, older sister, grandma, aunt, and Aubrey
• Cinco de Mayo - there is nothing P and I love more than good margaritas and Mexican food
• Celebrating my awesome mom on Mother's Day
• P's law school graduation on the 20th
• Packing for the move - this may not be as fun but it puts us one step closer to being in our new apartment
• P's birthday on the 30th

So excited to celebrate him and his accomplishment this May!

Catching Up

Yikes, it's been a while and I certainly was not planning to be absent from the blog world for so long but life was a little busy the past few weeks. Here are a few things I've been up to:

• The Paris themed bridal shower for P's sister turned out better than I could have hoped. It certainly helped that her home is beautiful and filled with lots of Paris touches. I can't believe her wedding is just over 2 months away now!
• We officially have a new apartment! After kicking and screaming about having to move we have found a great new apartment in a building called Andover House just 0.3 miles away from our current location. We will still be able to walk to Whole Foods and our favorite restaurants and will actually be closer to the metro. The apartment has everything we were looking for: dog-friendly, bigger kitchen, more square footage, bigger master closet, and an office space for P. We are excited to move in on June 1st!
• P's cast has been removed and he has been sporting a chic removable brace. He is beginning to wean off of wearing the brace and will hopefully be ready to help with the move in a month
• Wedding dress shopping has begun and it really is just as fun as everyone claims it will be! I went to a boutique in Old Town Alexandria that I have been eyeing for years with my mom and little sister and could not have asked for a better dress experience. The saleswoman was helpful, thoughtful, and really listened to what I was looking for. I can't wait for my next dress shopping trip this upcoming weekend!

Sorry for the lack of pictures - I really need to get better about that! I'll be sure to post pictures of the new apartment once we are all moved it but you won't see any wedding dress pictures on here until after April 13, 2013! 

The Countdown Officially Begins

Today is April 13, 2012 which means in exactly 365 days I will be getting ready to say "I Do" and become Mrs. P!

At first I thought having a long engagement would be agonizing and really test my patience. Since getting engaged four months ago, I have become more appreciative of our long engagement. There has never been a moment where we have felt rushed or pressured to make a decision regarding the date, venue, photographer, etc.

I spent seven years as P's girlfriend and will hopefully spend many times that as his wife, but for the next 365 days I am going to happily be his fiancee!

Happy Easter

"He is risen; he is not here" - Mark 16:6

May you have a joyful and happy Easter!

Our Easter centerpiece