When In Rome

The other day we received an invitation in the mail for a roaring 20s themed wedding with the phrase "20s-40s era attire strongly encouraged" printed on the bottom. Can you imagine the possibilities for fun fashion?

I think it will be a small challenge to hunt for a vintage dress for such an occasion but it definitely puts a unique spin on attending yet another wedding. And hey, I basically have the hairdo to match!

Summer Memories

We had an incredible 4th of July. Our party was a big success and lots of fun. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had a great group of people there. It's already been determined that we will try to have one of these every year.

Here is a photo recap of some of my favorite images from the 4th...

Having Amy here

Our house

Family

Friends

And of course, John dancing after a few rounds of flip-cup

Food For Thought

My sister Amy arrives from AZ tonight. I am definitely lucky to have such a loyal sister who will now have visited me four times here in PA, not counting my wedding.

In honor of this we decided to throw a 4th of July party. Our house definitely has a large enough back yard to accommodate guests, but as our number has grown to 42 (and counting) I'm a little concerned about food shortages. Not necessarily on the BBQ, as John is doing a cornucopia of meat and chicken, but for the basic side dishes. Everyone is bringing something thank heavens, but I'm hard pressed to come up with anything other than the various salads, corn, baked beans, etc. that you can have at one get together. I've scoured the internet for something different to serve my guests but am finding it difficult to locate anything we aren't already doing or that won't cost me an arm and a leg. So... any recipe ideas readers?

Worth It

On Saturday night we saw this delightful movie written by one of my favorite authors, Dave Eggers, and his wife, writer, Vendela Vida.

It follows a couple as they travel the US and Canada looking for a place to call home and raise their baby which is on the way. Not only was it smart and funny, but it also struck a cord with me on the many definitions of family. I've often thought of all the different places that John and I could have called home, but maybe it doesn't have much to do with location at all.

Definitely a must see movie.

Two For Me

Exactly two years ago, I started this blog. I still can't believe how quickly time has flown by, and more importantly, that I am still keeping it up after all this time.

I really can't express how much it has meant to me to be able to share my experiences and thoughts with those of you out there. I must admit, though, that sometimes I'm not exactly sure who my audience is, except of course for my fellow bloggers who support me with comments frequently.

So, I have a favor to ask...to those folks that I may not have heard from yet, if you are reading my blog, please let me know. I would appreciate hearing your voice as well.

I look forward to the comments and more years to come as your friend in PA :)

Down in Virginia

Our weekend turned out to be a huge hit, despite torrential downpours and mosquito bite attacks (my legs look like those monsters had a field day on them).

John and I had a nice dinner downtown for his birthday Friday. The food was pretty good and the service awesome. He loved the new I-pod I gave him and the fact that the restaurant didn't sing, but he still got flan.

Saturday we headed to VA with John's brother Chris and his wife Stacey. The four hour drive to Fredricksburg is never an enjoyable one in my opinion. The drivers outside of DC are terrifying and the rainy weather didn't help my nerves, but when we finally arrived to celebrate Andrew's 30th it was well worth it. Andrew and my sister-n-law Sue had a BBQ and a joint cake for he and John (they share the same actual birthday) and our niece Victoria helped make the moment even more enjoyable.

Here John is with his brother's and me with my sisters-n-law.

After the afternoon party, we all got some needed rest and then headed out to the Capital Ale House in downtown Frericksburg. They had a novel for a beer list, which made us all giddy, and very delicious food.

Hubby enjoyed his specialty cider so much that the night ended with him going for a swim, fully clothed in our hotel pool. Needless to say it was a very fun and memorable weekend.

The Big 3-2

Today is my husband John's 32nd birthday.

Many of you know that I wouldn't be where I am today without his constant love and support. He is my rock, my soul mate, my best friend and all the other cheesy names you could think of. I am one lucky woman!

Tonight we are celebrating with dinner downtown at brazilian steakhouse Fogo De Chao and then it's off to Fredricksburg, VA tomorrow where we will console his brother Andrew as he turns 30. It's a birthday bonanza!