Friday Favorites

Let me tell you, it's mighty hard to complain about a week in which you A) get married to the love of your life, B) spend a few days relaxing at the beach with said love of your life, C) eat several metric tons of seafood and wedding cupcakes and peach rings and the best hot dogs on earth and ice cream and oh, the list goes on... and D) spend only two days at work. Even as annoying as those last two days can be (think sand in your bathing suit, another little annoyance to which I've been recently reintroduced), they really just can't produce a big enough stormcloud to overshadow the rest of such an amazing week. And what better way to celebrate than to share a few of the things that made this week so perfect? I'm truly over-the-top grateful for sooo many things this week, but here are some of the very best parts:

Did I mention that I ate enough seafood in three days at the beach to sink a relatively large, relatively water-tight cruise liner? Poor hubby has never been to the beach with me, and since he's such a nice guy (and had no clue of the damage I can do when presented with plate upon plate of crab legs), he agreed to take me to one of those all-you-can-eat (or eat-all-you-can) seafood buffets. It wasn't exactly a pretty sight, as I cracked and ripped and clawed and dipped and went back for more.... and then groaned all the way back to the hotel and basically all night about how incredibly, awfully full I was. Dan was such a good sport about it though, just shaking his head and laughing at me as I continued to stuff myself full of crabmeat. This is the point where I remind him, gently, that he did marry me, seafood-obsession and all.

I have said it many times before (and even included her in a previous FF post), but I just have to repeat myself: I would be totally lost without this amazing girl. She is the best best friend you could possibly ask for, and getting to spend so much time with her preparing for the wedding was beyond wonderful. She (and her awesome boyfriend, who kept Dan company) got in Friday morning just as I was getting home from a run, and we spent the next 30-ish hours running around like crazy trying to get everything ready (except for Friday night when we were able to take a break and enjoy a great dinner together, and Saturday when we sat down for 90 blissful minutes of spa pampering) Despite the chaos of those two days, the quality time we got to spend together was fantastic and I am so so lucky for her help and support. She always gives the best advice, made sure my hair and makeup looked amazing, and kept me laughing right up to the door of our venue. I honestly don't know what I would do without her!

(that's greek yogurt with granola in there, not some weird thick and chunky drink)

I mentioned my love of bowls a while back, but I don't think I've yet confessed that I also have a thing for mugs. Over the past few years, I've developed a rather large collection and I love each and every one of them much more than anyone should ever love a mug. This week was a good one for my little love affair, as I added two more mugs to the collection: the one above from the beach (which, since you can't tell from my sad phone pic, is a gorgeous shade of coral), and the most adorable set of "mr." and "mrs." mugs from my mom (only one of which is mine... apparently... sigh). I'm going to be making tea all weekend just to have an excuse to drink out of these two lovely new friends. Should I be worried about my unhealthy attachment to dishes?

Sadly, this is the best picture I have of the brand new diamonds that now call my left ring finger home. Speaking of love affairs, though.... I can't lie: I'm pretty sure I fall more in love with this little bit of bling every day. I've caught myself so many times in the past week just sitting there staring at it, completely oblivious to the world around me. Dan would likely blame this on my (blonde) hair, but I'm really just mesmerized by the added sparkle. It was the only wedding band out of about a gazillion I tried on that really worked with my engagement ring, which made my final choice pretty simple. You can tell in this picture that, since it's a wrap, it fits around the solitaire to make what looks like one ring, and I'm probably going to get them soldered so that I don't have to fit them back together at least a thousand times a day. Have any of you done this with your rings? Advice for or against?

It just wouldn't be right to end a post about this wonderful week without including this amazing guy. One would think that this would be a perfect time to give you a little wedding picture teaser, but the sad reality is: 1. I haven't looked through even half of the pictures that were taken yet, and 2. of the pictures I have gotten my hands on, not a single one of them contains just me and my new hubby. I know that we had at least one picture taken of the two of us during the whirlwind of flashes that followed the ceremony, so I'm crossing my fingers that I will find it soon! For now, though, you'll have to be content with this picture and the assurance that we looked pretty nice for the big day. 

Even though it still feels kind of strange to be a wife (I still don't feel old enough to drive or pay rent, much less choose a soulmate), I could not be luckier to have married the man I did. It's funny to think back to my junior year of high school and realize that I was meeting the guy who I will spend the rest of my life with, but I absolutely wouldn't have it any other way. He has proven to be the bravest, kindest, funniest, and most loving boyfriend/fiance/husband I could ever wish for, and I am thrilled that we get to embark on this next stage of our life together.

On that note, I am off to spend a busy but fun weekend with my new hubby. We have lots of family celebrations to attend and I'm pretty excited to go to each as a married couple! Hope that all of you have a wonderful weekend and an Easter filled with lots of chocolate bunnies (the best part)!

   Love,

    Meg