I am laughing hysterically at the fact that I apologized for not posting much in my last 3 posts, and now here we are 3 years later.
It's going to be a dreaded task to catch y'all up on all that's happened since 2013, but I'll take a swing at it. Here are the highlights:
2013: So first there was Graduation in May of 2013 that I completely glossed over in my previous posts. It was such an emotional milestone, being so grateful that my mom pushed me as hard as she did. Hearing her tell me how proud she was made all the anxiety, sleepless nights, and headaches worth it. The job hunt begin shortly after graduation and I am still grateful for the internships I took with the Redskins that really helped me build my resume and get a sense of what I was looking for in a career. Shortly after graduation Marco and I decided it was time to move in together! Then we decided to add a second fur baby into the mix, as I mentioned in my last post his name is Fitzgerald. Have him and Chloe gotten along better since? Let's just say they get along exactly like you would expect a brother and sister to. They are the perfect balance to our little family with Chloe as the spoiled daddy's girl and Fitz as the oh-so-adorable momma's boy.
I'm not going to lie - moving out of my mom's house for the first time ever was something that took a while getting used to, but it's also forced me to learn to cook more, clean more, and get into my own groove of home decor and all that. I promise this time around I'll post more recipes for daily meals, get-togethers with friends, and everything in between!
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| First Christmas in our new home! |
2014: Just when I was starting to get into the swing of things at our apartment, time flew and it was time for us to get a house. Fitz had outgrown the apartment and we decided we needed a backyard for the pups to run freely without pulling me along behind them, holding on to their leash for dear life. (At this point Fitz was over 100lbs and his bark terrified some of our neighbors, little did they know he was still afraid of thunder and couldn't sleep if he didn't have his stuffed piggy with him.) 2014 was the year that I really had to tap into my time management skills because I wasn't a 15 minute drive from my mom's house anymore. My circle of friends lived farther than I was used to. It was really hard for me to balance work, a relationship, the two puppies, friends, and family. I realized more than ever how important it was to make time for them. I had gotten so out of touch in 2013 that I didn't even realize how badly I needed that quality time to keep me sane. I'm thankful that even now we have family events, get-togethers, and traditions that we don't skip out on, especially so all the kids in the family can grow up knowing its importance.
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| Family reunion |
I'll post more on here about the annual Halloween bash, Gingerbread house making party, and of course I'm going to steal all the cool tips and tricks my mom and aunts have for throwing the coolest birthday parties ever. (they've been doing this ever since I can remember and are basically pros at it!) You guys won't believe some of the dessert set-ups, and themed decorations. Have I mentioned that they've never repeated a theme twice despite the outrageous amount of kids in the family?
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| Michelle's going away party |
2015: January 2015 started out emotional enough with my not-so-little sister going away to Hyde Park, New York for school. Struggle city for me - I was barely getting used to having her in a different town, then I had to get used to her being in a different state! We had a small get together at our new place and wished her the best on her new journey. 2015 was full of long workdays, lots of birthday celebrations, Marco's brother getting married and us trekking to St. Louis and back via the new truck. Then we ended the year on the best note ever, with Marco surprising me by popping the question! And on my mom and sister's birthday so I definitely did not see that coming! He surprised me at home after work with the most thoughtful speech and then showed me the GoPro (early Christmas present) he got me that captured the whole moment on video! Needless to say I cried my happy tears and said YES! Then began the facetiming with my mom, sisters, his mom, and our closest friends. We went out to dinner to celebrate and were anxiously awaiting all that we had in store. I'll be posting a lot of wedding planning advice/tips/reality checks because one thing that people don't tell you about being engaged is that there is a ton of stress that comes along with it! Pinterest was a lifesaver, but there are also a list of apps, websites, organizers, and checklists that I will definitely be sharing in the hopes of making someone's life easier.
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| 2016 Civil Ceremony |
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| Baby Rea's 2nd sonogram |
2016: Let's fast forward to 2016 and the even BIGGER highlights. We had a small civil ceremony in July where we celebrated with our close family and friends. We are still currently planning a religious ceremony with all of our loved ones included, I just have to complete my adult education Roman Catholic courses since yours truly has not had a first communion OR a confirmation. FUN. You may be wondering why we had the civil ceremony earlier instead of waiting to have it at the same time as the religious ceremony - that's another fun highlight! We are adding a 5th little monster the the family and he's due February 3rd! We were overjoyed (and surprised) when we found out the great news. So on top of wedding planning, we're also getting a nursery ready and reading up on how to be first time parents. A few other highlights of 2016 include:
- Michelle graduated from CIA with her Associate's Degree!
- My baby sister is now in 4th grade
- Our great friends Astrid and Luis are now engaged! (Yay, someone to come to bridal expos with me!)
- We welcomed newborn Stephanie to the family on November 26th
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| Michelle's Graduation |
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| 32 weeks pregnant |
So with all of that you guys are going to get an overload of recipes, party ideas, wedding planning tips, pregnancy info, baby registry tips - because there isn't enough on the internet already, right? And tons more! This time I will do a better job of taking time to breathe and jot some of this stuff down, or document some of the crafts that went terribly wrong so you can learn from my mistakes. Those are always fun. Whew! Now wasn't all that worth the 3 year wait? 💕
2013: So first there was Graduation in May of 2013 that I completely glossed over in my previous posts. It was such an emotional milestone, being so grateful that my mom pushed me as hard as she did. Hearing her tell me how proud she was made all the anxiety, sleepless nights, and headaches worth it. The job hunt begin shortly after graduation and I am still grateful for the internships I took with the Redskins that really helped me build my resume and get a sense of what I was looking for in a career. Shortly after graduation Marco and I decided it was time to move in together! Then we decided to add a second fur baby into the mix, as I mentioned in my last post his name is Fitzgerald. Have him and Chloe gotten along better since? Let's just say they get along exactly like you would expect a brother and sister to. They are the perfect balance to our little family with Chloe as the spoiled daddy's girl and Fitz as the oh-so-adorable momma's boy.
2015: January 2015 started out emotional enough with my not-so-little sister going away to Hyde Park, New York for school. Struggle city for me - I was barely getting used to having her in a different town, then I had to get used to her being in a different state! We had a small get together at our new place and wished her the best on her new journey. 2015 was full of long workdays, lots of birthday celebrations, Marco's brother getting married and us trekking to St. Louis and back via the new truck. Then we ended the year on the best note ever, with Marco surprising me by popping the question! And on my mom and sister's birthday so I definitely did not see that coming! He surprised me at home after work with the most thoughtful speech and then showed me the GoPro (early Christmas present) he got me that captured the whole moment on video! Needless to say I cried my happy tears and said YES! Then began the facetiming with my mom, sisters, his mom, and our closest friends. We went out to dinner to celebrate and were anxiously awaiting all that we had in store. I'll be posting a lot of wedding planning advice/tips/reality checks because one thing that people don't tell you about being engaged is that there is a ton of stress that comes along with it! Pinterest was a lifesaver, but there are also a list of apps, websites, organizers, and checklists that I will definitely be sharing in the hopes of making someone's life easier. 
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