Wedding Weekend in Danville California

I can't believe I never posted about my cousin's (through marriage) wedding that Rory and I went to a few weeks ago. We left the girls with my parents for a long weekend away and it was so much fun. I thought I would recap it a bit. Just know that we had so much fun and I am still smiling from it.

We drove over to California on Friday morning. We did some shopping at the Livermore Outlets and then headed over to our hotel to get checked in and changed. The rehearsal dinner was at a bbq place and western themed. So I changed into my cowboy boots and added a flannel over my shorts and tank. There are photos, but they are on the photographers camera. Ugh.

But we ate bbq, caught up with family and then went back to the hotel. We then went out to the garden area to hang out with family for longer. And some boys drank way too much. Ha.

Saturday morning we got up, and I got ready while Rory walked over to a coffee shop for a bagel sandwich and coffee as he was one of the guys who drank too much.

Then we went to Danville and had brunch at Crumbs. I got the crab benedict with a large blood mary.

Family

Seriously so big.

My brunch that I couldn't finish, but was so good.

We then went back to the hotel, changed and went down to the pool with the fam for a couple of hours. Then we all went back up to our rooms to get ready for the wedding. 

The wedding was about a 20 minute drive from the hotel and they provided buses for us!

Did I mention that it was in the high 80s? 

We got to the venue, went over to the beverage station and drank a ton of water. Then we took some photos on the front steps of the Chateau.

Then it was time to be seated. Since it was so hot, we grabbed seats on the left side which was the grooms side, but we were not getting up and sitting in the blazing sun in gowns, suits and tuxes.

The bride and my uncle (by marriage)

And soon enough they were married and took this photo.

While they took photos, we all went to cocktail hour. I sooo wish I captured pictures at that time as it was so beautiful and the food was amazing. So many good appetizers.

Then we sat down for dinner, speeches, and toasts. We were at the kids table which was basically all the kids of family that were over 25.

Then it was time to dance our booties off. We had the best time. They had a band who played and they were really good. Kept us all going until 10 pm. 

We then took the buses back to the hotel, changed and met downstairs again in the garden to hang out. Even the bride and groom came out. 

Sunday morning, we got up, got ready, checked out of our hotel and met up for brunch at Heavenly Bistro in Walnut Creek.

Then we made the trek home to meet up with our girls and prep for the new school year the very next day! It was such a good weekend and so much fun to be a part of their special day!

Our 9th Wedding Anniersary

I can't believe that Rory and I have been married for 9 years today. And it makes me a bit sad to think that it is my doing that we are not spending the day together. I am in Colorado for work and I couldn't really help it. Funny thing about this? I was telling Rory that I would be gone for our anniversary and the girls first day of school. Well I was there in the morning for the first day of school, but not today for our anniversary. He was disappointed and said, "you know if it was me and I wasn't there for our anniversary, you wouldn't be happy". And he is right. I wouldn't be. I wouldn't be ok with it. BUT this work trip couldn't happen at any other time due to working with 6 others. It is hard to coordinate that many schedules. 

So here I am in Colorado and he is in Nevada. But we did get to celebrate together this last weekend in California for a cousins wedding and we plan to go to dinner this upcoming weekend.

But I thought it would be fun to share some photos of us in our early days of dating. I always love when others show throwback photos from their marriage, so I am doing that today.

2010

2011 (family friends college graduation in Oregon)

2011 Universal Studios

2011 (Niners game)

Thanksgiving 2011 (the theme was TV show and movie characters)

2011 (snowboarding at Mt. Rose)

2012 (Mexico)

2012 (Costa Rica)

2012 (die hard Niners fans)

2013 (our engagement photos)

Happy Anniversary Rory!

Wedding Guest Dresses

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Do you have an upcoming wedding that you are attending? We do. My cousin, through marriage, is getting married Labor Day weekend and I have been shopping around trying to find the perfect dress. Since I have been searching for a great dress, I thought some of you might be as well, and that I would share my favorite finds.

All of these dresses are under $150 except one (the green popover one).

Top: Tan Off-Shoulder Dress | Blush Lace Dress | Blush Satin Dress | Hot Pink Dress | Pink Off-Shoulder Dress

Bottom: Navy Lace Dress | Navy Satin One Shoulder Dress | Blue Floral Dress | Green Pleated Dress | Green Popover Dress | Sage Lace Dress

Help me decide. Which is your favorite?

Weekending

Since I wrote about my monthly Target purchases and our giveaway (enter here) yesterday, I am going to recap the weekend now. We had a great weekend other than a major meltdown from the girls Saturday evening, but you can't win them all, can you?!

Friday morning we slept in a bit and then the girls came to cuddle in our bed before we got our day started. Then it was time to pack everyone up. Nothing like waiting until last minute. Once we were all packed up, we headed out to grab coffee and then down to drop the girls off at my parents house.

We got to my parents, brought the girls in along with their stuff and Walter (our dog) and the girls were so into the new dolls they got, that my parents waved us off so the girls wouldn't even notice. We left, headed to breakfast and then up to Lake Tahoe to find a beach. There was a bunch of traffic along the way due to construction, but we decided to go to Kings Beach since we found a killer free parking spot. We spent two amazing hours there. Plus we only had towels, sunscreen, water and chairs. We didn't have to lug all the girls' stuff along.

 Kings Beach

We left the beach just before 2 pm to head to the house we were staying at and get ready for the wedding. We made great time, so we were able to chat for awhile and found out that my nephew went to the children's ER because he was having stomach issues. So we were all on pins and needles until later in the evening.

We got ready and it started to pour heavily outside, but the weather cleared as we got closer to the venue. We got there just in time for the ceremony to start because of traffic and it was hard to find a parking spot.

And then we watched two amazing people get married!

After the ceremony, we did some family photos and then had some cocktails and appetizers. We also hit up the guest book (which was amazing and I would recommend it to my sister who is getting married next year) and took photos around the venue.

Then it was time for speeches, first dances and food!!!

We partook in the photobooth and danced the night away. We stopped briefly for cupcakes and to watch the couple cut their mini cake. Plus my best friend Stacey made all the desserts which were really good.

I will have more photos from the wedding soon. Mainly from the photobooth as those are being emailed to us individually and we definitely took a bunch of them. The dress I wore was a hit. Plus it was comfy and so much fun to dance in.

The night ended with the best man spraying a bunch of us with champagne which wasn't the greatest, but I guess that is what happens at weddings....people drink. Ha.

We went back to the house we were staying at and crashed.

Saturday morning we were lazy. Rory made breakfast and we watched a bunch of golf. My nephew was home and he ended up having severe constipation. Just like Avery did around his age. Poor dude, but he was back to his usual self that morning.

Once he went down for a nap, we went into the hot tub to loosen our muscles after dancing the night away. Then we showered, got ready and headed to Garwoods for after wedding brunch. I had my favorite Wet Woody and some fish n chips. So good. Then we headed over to some families condo and hung out before heading down to get the girls. It was very stormy on our drive home.

We got the girls and they were in great moods until we had to drop Walter off at home. They didn't want to go home because they wanted to eat dinner, but then when we dropped Walter off, they wanted to be at home with Walter. We couldn't win. We took them to dinner and they threw mega fits. So much so that we had to get our food to go instead of eating there which upset them even more. We ate dinner at home, cuddled for a bit before putting them to bed. Then we settled in for two episodes of The Sinner. Have you been watching it? So good, but graphic at times.

Sunday we got up and Rory went out for muffins and coffee while I played with the girls outside.

Then I got ready and headed to brunch with Stacey since it has been forever. Or it feels like it. We chatted, ate amazing breakfast and had a mimosa. It was the perfect mid morning.

I got home and the girls were napping, so I watched The Bold Type and did some laundry. The girls woke up after almost a two hour nap and we headed to Target for new blankets. Rory was at an appointment, and the girls were soooo good for me while we were out.

We got home, unloaded everything and then Rory came home. I headed out to the grocery store and then his parents came to visit the girls for a bit. I started dinner, stuffed peppers and then prepped dinner for Monday night (the crockpot dish Lindsay talked about last week). Then I made the girls dinner and changed all their bedding in their room while they ate. Then we gave the girls baths, ate our dinner (which they ate some too) and then we put them down for bed around 7:30. Rory took Walter for a walk and then we watched the second episode of  Bachelor in Paradise.

We called it a night and then the girls woke up at 12:30 because Walter heard an animal outside. Ugh. Rory ended up sleeping in their room on the floor for an hour until they fell back asleep. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep Sunday night. Ugh.

But overall it was a great weekend.

How was your weekend?

My 4th Wedding Anniversary

So instead of writing my thoughts and confessions today, I am writing about my anniversary. Today marks 4 years that Rory and I have been married. How crazy is that? Sure it isn't the 34 years that my parents have been married, but we are working our way towards that.

Rory and I have been together for about 7 1/2 years and married for four. We met at work, fell in love, adopted a dog, got married, had twins and the rest is history. That is the summed up version of us.

August 17, 2014, was a magical day. I had spent months planning the day. I spent countless hours crafting and trying to get a "Pinterest" perfect wedding. It was a perfect day to us, but it did have its bumps along the way. Nothing that we did, but we had the worst coordinator. Word of advice, hire a coordinator outside of the venue. We did not and I regret that. Otherwise, it was perfect, but I will let the pictures do the talking.

We said our beautiful vows in front of our closest family and friends. We danced the night away. We took so many photos in the photobooth. We enjoyed champagne. We cried during the toasts. We had a sparkler exit. But we had the best day EVER.

Happy Anniversary Rory!