Our Weekend

This weekend was great (minus the wisdom teeth stuff I'll get to later). I always feel like our weekend starts on Thursday for some reason too, so I'll share a bit about that day as well. I started my morning bright and early at the 6am hot yoga class (best way to start the day!). Later on Henry and I had another one of those afternoons where we ended up downtown, strolling around the square, me sipping on tea, and just enjoying the fresh air. We stopped for close to 30 minutes to watch some big trucks working on something at the courthouse- Henry was so into them! It was really cute to see him get so excited whenever they would pick up a big load and dump it on the other side of the construction. BOYS, right!?

Friday Adie, Henry and I spent the day hiking, and then I enjoyed a low-key "me" night while Hank went out with the guys for coffee and pool. Saturday morning I woke up and headed to a 90 minute hot yoga class (I can't get enough), then came home and hung out with Hank and Henry for a bit. Later on I had a hair appointment and got my nails done too. It all sounds so indulgent but it was SUCH a treat and it was one of the best, most relaxing days I've had in awhile.

Then later Sarah came up for the night. We were way overdue for some quality time, and it made me so happy to finally be able to catch up, hear about her honeymoon, and really just spend hours doing a whole lot of nothing more than talking on the couch. She got up here earlier in the evening and Hank, Henry, Sarah and I headed downtown for some Bill's Pizza, which was of course delicious. I've said it once (or ten million times) and I'll say it again: their Bill's sauce- half pesto/half tomato- is one of my favorite things in the entire world. I'm such a Bill's Sauce pusher too. "You love pizza right? Do you like pesto? Okay well you HAVE to try this sauce..." Every time. After dinner she and I walked around downtown for awhile before coming home and staying up way, way too late giggling and talking into the night. This morning we woke up and got smoothies, then Sar hit the road and we headed over to our friends' kiddos' 1st birthday party! It was another beautiful day and Henry had the best time playing soccer in the grass and hanging out with his buddy Marilyn. The birthday boy got to enjoy some delicious cake and open a ton of presents as we all clapped and cheered. Pretty awesome. All is all, it's been a great past few days.

But you know what's not so great? The pain and swelling that has come back to my mouth. I'm not sure what's going on but I have to call the oral surgeon tomorrow. From my googling I think I may have some sort of infection going on so I am looking forward to seeing what he says. Half of my lip is still numb too. Total nightmare. I hate you, wisdom teeth. Or my lack of, I guess.

To end on a positive note though, here are some photos from the weekend. 

 
Henry giving his thirsty dino some of his water // our beautiful state flags // construction on the square // baked blueberry oatmeal for breakfast // getting my hair colored (finally) // the guest bed all ready for Sarah // pizza and love // Henry and his Auntie Suki // BFF //

H & S, one of my favorite photos // playing soccer // the "we love to look unamused at birthday parties" club // wild boy with wild hair // tired little babe // the cutest, happiest one-year-old I know!

Now and Then

2002 and 2011

The other day I was reading back in my Livejournal and I came across an entry from 2008. I scrolled down through the comments and noticed that my best friend Sarah and I had had a little conversation right there about "fixing" our friendship.  It struck me as notable, because this was the summer after I had gotten married. I remember pretty vividly not being in each other's lives very much during that time, but reading through our exchange there on that old website brought back all of the details I had somehow forgotten.

Sarah and I had gone to the same high school but didn't actually know each other over those four years. It wasn't until my sophomore year in college that we met via a mutual friend, who just so happened to be her then-boyfriend. He invited me over to hang out with their group of friends one night, and I still remember meeting Sarah for the very first time. She was this tiny little thing- part ballerina, part huge light-up-the-room smile, and her positive energy and excitement for life was contagious. We had an instant "oh my god I love you!" friendship connection. We spent hours and hours talking, and from that moment on we were inseparable. We did everything together- sleepovers, shopping, long nights out dancing, saw each other through tears and heartache, and later when she broke up with that boyfriend, we dated two new boys that happened to be friends too.

But then things changed and somehow we drifted apart. There were never hard feelings, but she got into a serious relationship at the same time I moved in with another group of friends, and we fell out of our norm. It would have been impossible to keep our friendship going at the same intensity- as life changes relationships change too. And although we understood this, we let what could have been a shift turn into a total end. Maybe it was the excitement of the new loves in our lives, maybe it was simple laziness, but soon enough our girly sleepovers were replaced with overnights with our significant others and our all night chat fests were interrupted by date nights. And even though we both got this shift- we each were so happy in these new lives- we didn't put the effort in with each other, we assumed we'd always be there, and consequently our friendship failed.

For years we didn't talk much. I thought about reaching out all of the time, and later I found out that she did too. It hurt a lot, losing someone I considered to be one of my closest friends, but I was never angry. I fully understood, but it was still sad. Time went by, and soon I was engaged to Hank. Sarah and her now-husband Andy came to the wedding and I still remember them being some of the last people there to see us off at the end of the night. I missed her so badly, and I still remember feeling sad she wasn't up there with me as a bridesmaid.

Over those next few months though we started talking more. We got back in touch, and we made plans to meet for lunch at Pita Jungle one summer day. I remember sitting in my car beforehand feeling so anxious- I felt as if so much had changed. What if we were totally different people? What if we didn't get along anymore? What if lunch was terribly awkward? What if, what if? But lunch came and went, and it was absolutely wonderful. It felt as if no time had passed- we laughed, we cried, then we laughed some more. She was still the same friend I'd always known. Yes, everything was different, we were different, but at our cores we were the same silly, fun-loving girls we'd always been. Our friendship had just taken a little break.

That fall we got back to being close. We spent weekends together, having sleepovers and crazy nights out. And for the next three years we continually put in the effort. It's weird though, to think back to that time we weren't in each others' lives. And even weirder was to stumble upon that aforementioned Livejournal comment, where Sarah talks about how sad it is that we aren't friends but that if it mattered, it was up to us to make the effort. "You take people for granted when you think they'll always be there and then POOF! one day they aren't and they've moved on..." It's remarkable to me to be able to see the turning point in our friendship- to see the moment when we both decide to move forward and start anew. I feel so grateful that we did decide to put forth effort, and at the same time it's horrible to think about us not doing that. I can't imagine my life without her.

I feel lucky to call quite a few amazing women my friends. Many of my closest friends don't live near by- one is off at college, another lives two hours south- but in each of these relationships, effort is so important. I might not talk to them everyday, and some not every week, but at the root of it, we know that we are there for each other. We keep it going. I am incredibly guilty of getting so wrapped up in my own life that I fail at holding up my end of the the friendship, but I consciously work at it and as I've gotten older I've gotten a little better at it. It can be hard, but what it comes down to is this: a connection is a connection, and in this life we meet so few people we genuinely click with that it would be a shame to not to put forth the effort to have that person in your life.

I thought of this as I stood up at Sarah's wedding this fall, as her Matron of Honor. I thought about how far we had come, abut how we almost lost such an important part of our lives. It's a true lesson in the power of action and just following through with the things that are in your heart. So often we think things like "I miss this person," or "I wish they were still in my life." Friendships and people can at times come and go as life changes, but I wonder if any of you have someone that you miss too. An old friend you fell our of touch with, a disagreement over something silly that you can't even remember now. Maybe you didn't put in effort, felt guilty, then avoided the situation. I've been there. Cheesy as it sounds, if any of this resonated with you, I encourage you to just make a call, send an email, and let that friend know you're thinking of them. I think about Sarah and how were went from years of not talking to spending a night like we did tonight, sitting on my old bed at my parents', giggling and tearing up while watching her wedding video. It's hard to move forward sometimes, but in the end I feel that if you have the desire to make the effort then you truly have nothing to lose. Because honestly, why not?

Thanks for reading. I hope you have the best night. :)
xo

Our weekend, on a Monday.

These past few days have been wonderful, and one of those weekends that you really don't want to end. It started off with Taylor Swift on Friday with Sarah. She had gotten us tickets months ago so it was really exciting that the day had finally come!  It's funny though because even though Sarah is one of my close friends, I had no idea that she was a Taylor Swift "superfan." I consider myself to definitely be a Taylor fan, but I don't know every word to every song, or even the story or meaning behind all of them.  Sarah definitely did, as well as every word she would say during the show due to watching so many youtube videos! ha! It was awesome. The show was great and I pretty much fell even more in love with the lovely Ms. Swift. She's so adorable and her sweet personality really shines through, even from the stage. The set design was out of this world also- I loved all of the various scenes and artwork, and beyond that all of her outfits were to die for.  Overall it was a really fun night and I went to bed with a smile on my face.










The next day Hank and I woke up early and headed out for a day of fall and winter shopping. My Mom graciously watched Henry, so Hank and I spent the day out and about, shopping and then lunching at Green. It was a ton of fun and we got a lot check off of our to do/to get lists. We got home later in the day and got ready for Chad and Michelle's wedding reception, then headed over. Michelle's Aunt hosted it at her house and it was SUCH a good time. Really delicious food and sweets, and I even got to reconnect with someone I hadn't talked to in years and years. It was fun to celebrate Chad and Michelle, and they sure know how to throw a party. Hank and I got silly in the photobooth, ate too many cookies, spent time with great friends, and drove home listening to top 40 radio. Success? I think so.

from Chad and Michelle's makeshift photobooth - they took an iMac and built a photobooth around it! So awesome.
the newlyweds





Sunday was family day so we did my parent's usual Sunday morning routine with them. Breakfast, then Trader Joe's. We picked up tons of fun things, including some delicious pumpkin cream cheese. Yum!  I can't wait until TJ's opens up here in just a few months. So many of my favorite things come from there, and not having to stock up every few weeks when we're down in the valley is going to be fabulous. So we shopped, then spent Sunday doing family stuff, and ending our weekend with the biggest vegan meal courtesy of my mama before we hit the road.

Fall at Trader Joe's! My favorite.

It was a great weekend! :) I hope you had a good one, too! xoxo

Sarah's Wedding via Instagram

Here are a few of the photos from Sarah's wedding last week! The day and night went by in such a blur that photos via my phone were all I could manage. For those who asked, the song in her wedding video is "Anchor" by Mindy Gledhill. The venue was Tre Bella in Mesa, and as soon as her professional photos come in Sar will actually be doing a guest post all about her wedding details and the extensive planning that went into it. She planned her wedding in a very short time span, so she has a lot of great tips and money-saving tricks to share. I'm really excited!

If you have any wedding-specific questions for Sarah, feel free to ask them in the comments below.

Sarah's Wedding.

Oh, what a night! Yesterday was beyond a doubt, one of the most gorgeously executed and visually beautiful weddings I've ever been to.  Sarah has such an eye for pretty things, and every single detail in her wedding was beyond pretty- it was perfect. Spending the day getting Sarah ready and seeing all of her planning all come together was really, really special and magical.  I feel so happy that I was able to stand up there along side her sister as her Matron of Honor, and the smiles on Sarah's and Andy's faces at the end of the night was the perfect end to the most fabulous day.

I'll be back tomorrow with some photos via instagram, details from our day, and more info about her vendors. Until then here's the "same day edit" video from NoBox Films. The longer, actual wedding video will be produced soon- this is just something to hold us all over! Enjoy, it's really amazing and worth your time!

Congratulations Sarah and Andy! I love you.

Sarah & Andrew's Same Day Edit (SDE) from NoBox Films & NoBox Productions on Vimeo.

today...aka Wedding Eve!

Today is the eve of Sarah's wedding, and I'm about to head to sleep in preparation for a busy, busy day tomorrow....but I thought I'd say hello quickly since tomorrow there will be no time for blogging! The past couple of days have been amazing - last night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner and it was such a fun night.  Sarah and Andy are getting married at Tre Bella, which is an absolutely adorable venue in downtown Mesa. We all met there to run through the ceremony and get aquainted with the order we'll be walking, etc. It's funny that even though it's obviously not my wedding I still had those nervous butterflies as I walked down the aisle. I don't even know why! Silly. But then of course watching Sarah walk down, even in practice mode, was super emotional. Note to self: tissues are a necessity tomorrow!

After the rehearsal we all headed over to La Bocca, where Andy's parents treated us to the most delicious meal. We had Sarah's favorite pear and goat cheese salad, followed by assorted bruschetta and pizzas. YUM. If you haven't ever been to La Bocca I highly recommend it.  And if you've been a reader for awhile, you'd also know that's where we also had our first annual AZ Blogger Meetup!

I think one of my most favorite parts about being a part of Sarah's wedding has been getting to know her other close friends that she's met more recently. Because I live a couple hours north, I haven't gotten the chance to really spend time with these girls, but after all of the events surrounding her wedding I'm pretty much in love with each and every one of them. That's the neat part - when you love a friend so much you're almost bound to love the people they love also, and I feel so lucky to call Sarah's friends my friends now, too. Such rad girls.

It's still surreal that after all of this planning tomorrow is the big day!  And it's going to be a busy one! My sweet friend Nikki at MAC will be doing my make up in the morning, then I'll be heading over to Sarah's to help her get ready. The wedding is actually at 6pm, but her videographers and photographers will be spending the day with us, capturing all of it, beginning to end.

So....YAY!  I am just so, so excited to see my lovely best friend become a WIFE tomorrow and stand up there for her as her Matron of Honor (she has two- her sister and me!).

Goodnight Ms. Sarah. And tomorrow, hello to you as a Mrs.! I love you.

Sarah's Bachelorette Party

Well, I've been on a bit of a bachelorette party kick these past couple of weekends, and last night was the last of 'em, at least until my next friend gets married!

We spent the evening in Scottsdale, starting with a little bath and beauty product shower for Sarah (so much Lush!) at our hotel, the Hotel Valley Ho.  I adore the Valley Ho, and it's one of the cutest spots in town for both a little stay-cation or a cocktail. It's a mid-century modern resort so there is eye candy everywhere, and around every corner there's something beautiful.  After we opened presents, ate some candy and toasted with pink champagne, we headed to dinner across the street at Grazie (delicious pizza, salad, and wine - highly recommend it), then spent the evening being silly in Old Town Scottsdale.

Overall it was such a fun night. I got to spend a lot of time with some of my favorite ladies having a super fun girls' night and laughing, laughing, laughing!  We went to sleep around 3:30am, and due to my "awesome" internal clock, I woke up at 6:30. Oh boy. The rest of the day was all about relaxation, and I definitely enjoyed an early bedtime last night.

I am happy we could treat Sarah to such a good time - she's such a great friend to all of us and it was neat to be able to have a fun night in her honor. Next up, the wedding! So excited.

Here are some photos-