have you ever been to a wedding where the vows made you cry, the toasts made you laugh, you danced at the reception from start to finish without sitting down ONCE, and when it was over you remarked no fewer than ten times just how much fun you had? that was kelly and tony’s wedding, and it was really that much fun.

the weather was perfect: warm in the sun, cool in the shade, an all-around beautiful fall day. after driving for six hours to get to the last wedding, it seemed too good to be true that this one was a mere two miles from our house. hooray!

kelly looked stunning as she entered the courtyard and as happy as a bride can be as she walked down the aisle arm-in-arm with her dad, whom (you can tell by the pink sunglasses) is quite the character!

there was a sweet reading by uncle paul, vows were short and sweet and kelly cried, so of course i cried (even ryan got a little choked up). then came the smooch, complete with bride’s hands on groom’s butt, followed by plenty of cheers and then the always anticipated cocktail hour.

then we sat down at our table (sauvignon blanc, my favorite, the irony!), the wedding party was introduced, toasts were shared and dinner was served. post-meal we all headed inside for music, dancing, cake, bouquet & garter toss, etc. we danced the night away and had a total blast.

thank you, kelly and tony, for inviting us to share in the fun with you guys! definitely one of the best times EVER <3

we’ve had a month full of wonderful weddings, the first of which was the walker/morell event in los angeles on october 7th. ryan and melissa are good friends and former co-workers, and we’ve always considered her fiancé (now husband) chris one of the nicest dudes ever, so we were super honored when we received an invitation.

besides, what better excuse to hop in the car, road trip it down to socal and leave ellie behind to spend a little quality time with grandma? (thanks, grandma!) oh and when we heard the wedding would be catered by in ‘n out, we KNEW we had to be there.

we’ve done the drive before but it felt especially long, so we were super excited when we arrived at hotel palomar in westwood. it just sounds fancy, doesn’t it? the view of the surrounding neighborhoods from our room on the 19th floor was magnificent, and we stopped to peer out the window at the spanish style houses below at least several times a day.

we took it easy the first night and walked about a half mile down wilshire boulevard to a restaurant called palomino for dinner and drinks. despite my head congestion and not being able to taste much of ANYTHING very well, i had a delicious maple marinated chicken salad and ryan had fresh trout. the food, the drinks, the service and the ambiance were all wonderful. needless to say, we were pleased.

we woke up bright and early the next morning (after a night of sleeping on the most comfortable hotel mattress in existence) and walked down wilshire again for breakfast. nothing fancy, we just went to denny’s, and when we got back to the hotel, we took a nap! those of you with kids know this is a rare occasion and we enjoyed it to the fullest.

post-nap, i walked to a local salon where a lovely french girl curled my hair and made me feel quite pretty. ryan retrieved the car from valet and picked me up so the wind wouldn’t ruin her hour’s worth of hard work, and we headed straight back to the hotel to get dressed for the wedding.

from there we cabbed it with the adorable ciji and doug (another of ryan’s co-workers) to the smogshoppe, an unassuming but totally charming event venue aptly described on their web site as “LA’s greenest urban oasis.” it totally is!

the moment we walked in, i fell in love with all the personal touches and quirky, colorful decor. there was a candy table topped with an array of vintage style candies, brightly colored name tags in the shape of little flags, and each table was named for a beatles song.

the ceremony was short and sweet. melissa was escorted down the aisle by her dad and met a beaming chris surrounded by their best friends and family members. her aunt read some love letters her grandparents wrote each other during world war II, it was pretty much the sweetest thing ever. the reading was followed by vows, rings, smooch and applause, and all was joyous.

then we partied, ate, drank, danced and made new friends. after getting sufficiently drunk and sweaty, our lovely friend bev graciously drove us back to our hotel and we called it a night. thank you, bev!

and thank you, chris and melissa, for including us in your special day. we had a truly fabulous time. best wishes for a lifetime of love and wedded bliss!

well, we did it. we took the plunge and left ellie home with grandma and grandpa for a weekend getaway to gorgeous yosemite for our fourth wedding anniversary (and our eleventh anniversary of being a couple). we were nervous, excited, anxious and thrilled all at once. we told ellie grandma would be putting her to sleep “TWO TIMES” and then we’d be home. she didn’t seem to mind that idea, so off we went on our grand adventure.

we arrived at hotel charlotte in groveland in the late afternoon of the 23rd, checked in, kicked around our room for awhile and then walked across the street to the iron door saloon where we had a few drinks before we ordered dinner.

everything was great – the food, the drinks and the time we spent together. it was a wonderfully relaxing start to our weekend away. the next day we awoke bright and early, had breakfast downstairs and headed east toward the valley. we stopped several times at little turnouts along the way to simply admire the views and snap a few pictures. one of our favorite roadside attractions was cascade creek. i like how it’s super wide with tons of loud, crashing waterfalls, but it’s still only a creek. soo pretty.

the first place we stopped when we reached the valley floor was bridalveil fall. it’s not a very long walk from where you can park to the base of the waterfall, and the closer you get, the wetter you get. needless to say, i only wore my tennis shoes until we got back to the car and headed toward our next destination. luckily i brought my flip flops, too :)

after bridalveil we went to a bridge that i can’t remember the name of (boo) over the merced river. the river was suuuuper full because of all the late season snow, so part of the trail was flooded and we couldn’t cross over. i stepped in it just to see how it felt and OMG, despite the 75-degree weather, i could have gotten frostbite right there. it was like freshly melted snow. BRR!

after the river (and the amazing view of yosemite falls) we stopped at yosemite village and bought sandwiches for our picnic lunch. we sat and ate on the bank of the merced river with a nice view of bridalveil. how amazing are waterfalls??? i mean, really, and yosemite is full of them!

after lunch we headed upward and out of the valley to take in the view from glacier point. neither of us had ever been up there, so we were really looking forward to it, and it was totally worth the hour-long drive.

after we took about 100 pictures and stared, breathless, at the view for awhile, we got ice cream bars, took a bathroom break and started the long drive back down.

since we arrived back on the valley floor with plenty of daylight left, we thought we’d attempt to find a parking place and walk to the base of lower yosemite fall. luckily we did, but it was quite a walk. we never would have done it had ellie been with us, so of course we took advantage of the alone time and said LET’S DO THIS.

it was amazing! so loud and windy and, once again, we got soaked. it was the perfect final stop before saying goodbye to yosemite and heading back to groveland, where we repeated the first night’s activities with dinner and drinks at the iron door saloon, only this time with live music :)

we headed home saturday morning and were greeted with open arms by little girl who was just as happy to see us as we were to see her. as much as we missed her, it was so nice to “get away from it all,” as they say, and just spend time together as a couple. and as lovely of a time as we had, it was also good to hear how well-behaved ellie was for grandma and grandpa while we were gone. a successful trip all around.

happy anniversary to us <3

we had a great time last saturday night celebrating jeff & andrea’s engagement (an event many thought would never happen) :) but it did, so hooray! also, i ate indian food. it was a little spicy, but i handled it like a champ. i would even consider it delicious! ryan was so proud.

it was good to see everyone from jeff and andrea to brian and taj and nolan and beth and dan and carlene, etc. basically, the crew ryan spends every sunday with during football season and the people he goes to beerfest with every year … except not this year because he’ll be on a business trip in london *tear* :(

we’re so happy for the future mr. & mrs. badarello and can’t wait for their wedding in september 2012!

it’s almost wedding season! which means we’re smack dab in the middle of shower season, and with her wedding less than two months away, last weekend was maria’s turn to be celebrated :)

i didn’t know anyone there besides the bride herself, but i had a lovely time nonetheless. the weather was gorgeous, which made for a nice time of enjoying food outside, and all of maria’s girlfriends are so open and friendly i never felt awkward, not even for a moment.

and now i must showcase my amazingly gorgeous (somewhat brain-like) cheese ball (the first one i’ve ever made, which is why it’s such a big deal). also note the loveliest spring wrapping paper ever. thank you, papyrus, you are my fave <3

all the food, games, gifts and guests were fabulous, and while it may have had *just* a little to do with the fact that i got to leave ellie home with ryan, i had a really relaxing, wonderful time.

thank you so much for including me, maria! i’m honored that ellie is going to be your flower girl, and i can’t wait to bawl my eyes out while i watch you and jon exchange vows next month <3

yesterday, in honor of the 29th anniversary of ryan’s birth, i played super housewife. sure, i usually take care of the grocery shopping and the cleaning and the laundry and the bulk of child-rearing, but yesterday i also COOKED. and BAKED. gasp!

“whatever, mom. big deeeeal.”

you see, while cooking may be a central part of the typical housewife’s daily routine, our family is different. we grill a lot, and ryan is the grill master. in fact, i’ve never barbecued a thing in my life. i’m sure i could — i just haven’t. and since we grill more than anything else, ryan is usually in charge of the main course. i pride myself on side dishes (i’m partial to pasta roni and steamed veggies, and i can make a pretty good salad), buuut that’s usually it.

so yesterday, since ryan worked from home, i decided to change things up a bit. i made him breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. i know, i know … i’m incredible.

breakfast was a concoction of eggs, bacon, cheese and country potatoes. the verdict? “delicious.” unfortunately i forgot to take a picture before ryan scarfed it down, but you can see it for yourself in your local grocer’s freezer, as it was made by a guy named jimmy dean. ha!

i worked a little harder on lunch. ryan’s favorite sandwich meat is salami, so i made sure to buy some during my last safeway trip. i also bought a french roll, his favorite chips – salt & vinegar lays (blech) – and his favorite soda – root beer. the good stuff. in a bottle. and i actually remembered to take a picture of this meal before it was devoured by the birthday boy.

then it was time to bake the cake. i planned to do it after i put ellie down for her nap, but thanks to good ol’ duncan hines, i didn’t have any trouble whipping it up with her by my side. i did, however, apply the frosting and sprinkles while she was asleep. it’s hard to be a perfectionist when a toddler wants to “help.”

appetizers for dinner were supposed to include salami & cream cheese rolls (they’re pretty much my favorite things ever) and steamed artichokes dipped in mayo (mmm, lard), but we decided the artichokes were enough. i put the potatoes in the oven promptly at five o’clock and poured myself a glass of carhartt sauvignon blanc (thanks, kevin!) while ryan enjoyed a bottle of fat tire, a far cry from his typical cheap can of coors light. he and shirley enjoyed their artichokes while i prepared the oven-baked fried chicken i had never made before.

i got the recipe for the chicken here, but i changed a few things. instead of whole chicken pieces with the skin on, i opted for boneless, skinless breasts. and instead of dried bread crumbs i used panko to make it crispier. i didn’t pay attention to the amount of mayo coating the recipe calls for, but i’m pretty sure i didn’t use an entire cup. you only need so much mayo to get powdery stuff to stick.

(how betty crocker do i sound right now?!)

i was going to steam the asparagus like i usually do, but i opted for this onion/wine glaze-drizzled, pan-cooked recipe instead. we didn’t have any parmesan cheese, which probably would have made it more flavorful, but it wasn’t bad at all.

of course i was too busy to remember to take a picture of the finished product(s) before we all dug in. luckily there were enough leftovers to make up a small plate for the camera.

we were too stuffed to eat cake immediately after dinner, but we wanted ellie to help ryan blow out the candles before bed, so we all gathered ’round the island and sang happy birthday. ellie’s always fascinated by people singing, especially as a group, so she loved it. so much, in fact, that she helped her daddy blow out the candles three times :)

playing super housewife for a day was fun, but i’d be overwhelmed and exhausted if i had to do it all, all the time. it just goes to show how lucky i am to have a super-involved husband who does all he can to make life easier for me. he really is the best there ever was <3

happy, happy 29th, my love!

on sunday, september 5th, we had the great honor of attending the wedding of an amazing couple, our friends flo and brian. i can honestly say it was one of the classiest, most beautiful weddings i’ve ever attended.

both the ceremony and reception took place at the flora springs winery estate in st. helena, california — the heart of napa valley. when ryan and i were young and naive and didn’t know how much weddings cost, i always pictured us getting married at a winery, so i think just a tad bit of envy made it seem all the more beautiful :)

it was appropriate that flo and brian get married in napa because it is most certainly their favorite place to take a sunday drive, to spend the day sipping wine before a relaxing dinner at rutherford grill. it is because of this fact that most times i think of the napa valley, i think of them <3

the ceremony took place in a lush courtyard between two of the estate’s brick and stone buildings. guests sat on the patio below while the bridal party entered on a stone staircase from above – flo’s bridesmaids all wore different jewel tones – venetian gold, sapphire, ruby, emerald and amethyst – and they complemented each other beautifully. the groomsmen, of course, wore matching vests and ties to bring it all together. brian looked dashing in his military whites and flo was stunning in her perfect dress and veil. ryan thought she’d have her hair up, but i knew she’d wear it down!

a traditional cocktail hour followed the ceremony before guests were led through the wine caves to the pavilion where the reception was to take place. one of the coolest touches was the entrance of the bridal party through the sword arch, which was manned by six of brian’s coast guard friends. i don’t claim to know much about military wedding traditions, but i learned the sword arch is one that i like!

another special touch was the table set up especially for flo’s dad, a man very near and dear to her heart, who died when she was a little girl. they lit a candle on the table and left it burning through the night to honor him. it was beautiful, and i’m emotional just thinking about it.

shortly after the bridal party joined us and the bride and groom shared their first dance, dinner was served. i have to mention dinner because OMG it was delicious. they had these little stuffed potatoes and i could have eaten a dozen of them. unfortunately, i only had two. *tear*

then it was time for the rest of us to dance, which is always so much fun. the dj did this cool thing called a snowball dance where she’d freeze the music and everyone had to run out and grab someone else, so at one point almost every single guest was gettin’ down on the dance floor. total awesomeness.

while taking a break from dancing, we went back in the wine caves to take a few pictures. i love it in there. it’s nice and cool and there are barrels of wine for miles. helloooooo, of course i like it :)

flo and brian’s wedding was one of our favorite weddings ever. belated congratulations and wonderful wishes for a lifetime of wedded bliss, mr. & mrs. trapp!