summer is here!

Well, the temp was 96 yesterday and that tells me that summer is definitely here! Alex has a pool at his place, and we figured we'd never go in because it's not heated, but we didn't care yesterday!! We had fun being cold on a super hot day!! Thankfully, my bridal shower was this weekend, so we had some giftcards to Bed, Bath & Beyond and were able to go get a new fan to help cool off his place.

So, the bridal shower was awesome! There were so many awesome women there who definitely made me feel loved! The most special part for me was when the hostess invited everyone to share something with me. Of course I was on the verge of tears the entire time, but it was very affirming to hear nice words not only about me, but about Alex too. I'm so lucky to have so many people in my life who really appreciate him too. I got lots of presents which was fun too! All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better day! Here are some pics from the shower...

opening presents:

me with my neice Naomi:

my sister Celeste, sister-in-law Vilay, Alex's mom Karen, and Grandma Angie:

catherine and i

Laura, Traci, Linda and Gina

Stacy, Amy, Kathy and Brandi

Ashley and Gina R.

busy.

Fridays are typically my one completely free day and it's usually the day that I have a couple of errands to run, and then I get to relax. today is not that kind of Friday. I have a feeling that from now until after the wedding, I may not have another "normal" Friday. My to-do list is about a mile long today, but i do think I'll feel a lot better when everything is done, and I can just relax with alex!

in happier news, my friend Jaci sent me an awesome gift for the bridal shower. She isn't able to fly down, but she sent an amazing package that made me feel very special, and that was super fun! She sent me just about everything anyone could ever want for a wedding scrapbook. I don't scrapbook, but now I definitely think I will start..everything looks so fun!!

the shower is tomorrow, and I am very excited to see everyone and have a great start to the weekend!

it strikes again...

Today I was woken up bright and early. Alex was calling to let me know that his back was out...AGAIN!! Such a bummer. So I packed up the heating pad and headed over to deliver some things that would hopefully at least help him cope with the pain. This time he was not about to wait for the doctor that pretty much did nothing for him last time and happens to be an hour away, so...he went to see the chiropractor for the first time. Thankfully, it seemed to really help, and he sounded so much better afterwards and was even able to make it to class. So, alex is now a believer and I don't think that will be his last time to visit Dr. Dean!

the craziness begins...

So to add to the craziness that is my life right now, my sister Celeste is due to have her second baby one month after the wedding! This is obviously a wonderful thing for our family, but the timing of it all is hilarious!! I feel like today is the day that it all gets crazy! My schedule has been pretty jam-packed for a while now, but starting today, I no longer have my Saturdays. Celeste's baby shower is today, my bridal shower is next weekend...then baby shower #2 the following week..and I have wedding related things all of the rest. It's a crazy season, but by the end of June, Alex and I will be married, and baby Sofia will be with us! I honestly don't know how my mom is keeping her sanity with one bride and one mama-to-be...she's going to have the biggest shiniest jewels on her crown in heaven!

So my first week back in the office was great! Even though 90% of Monday was spent returning emails, I was able to get a LOT done this week. The funny thing is that after taking 2 weeks off, I am further ahead than I have ever been! It's awesome...of course, it's only because of my amazing intern and team that I am not overwhelmed with everything! Well, because this was such a productive week, I have really been able to enjoy my "weekend." Yesterday I hit the beach with Brianna to start working on the wedding tan, and today, Kathy came over.

It's been rough with the different sabbatical schedules to see the girls from work, but today Kathy came over and helped me work on the wedding favors. We also ate lunch at Haute Cakes. It was so yummy! I had only been there for breakfast before, but lunch was amazing! It was fun to see Kath, and it definitely made favor-making a whole lot more fun!

This week, Alex also got his website up which is awesome. Check it out at here. It's pretty impressive and I'm so proud of him!

today is a good day...

Back in January, Alex and I started counting down to our wedding day. January 1 was 150 days....today, we have made it all the way to 50 days! It's coming so quickly! When we first got engaged, I know my mom would have loved a year long engagement, but now, she will herself admit that I was not made for a long engagement and I'd probaby drive myself crazy!!

Another reason why today is good is totally obvious....The Office returns tonight!! Alex and I have really missed our friends at Dunder-Mifflen. In case you can't wait for tonight, here's a little clip for you.

victory!

The wedding invites went out this week, and Alex and I are both so incredibly happy about this! It was quite a process to get them printed, cut, stuffed, labeled, and mailed! I am so proud of Alex, he did a great job on them! It feels like a huge weight has been lifted now, and I can enjoy the last part of my sabbatical!

On Friday night, Alex and I went to the Padres game down in San Diego. We drove to Oceanside and then took the train the rest of the way. Unfortunately, we were in Dodger zone and I decided quickly that Dodger fans are the worst!! (sorry Nicole!) It was freezing cold and so I did have to forgo fashion and cover as much of my face as possible...here are a couple of shots from our night (oh yeah, we got a new camera as an early wedding present, and it's amazing) ::

Alex taking in the view on the train:


out front:


my new favorite Padre...this pic was taken from our seats at the top of the stadium!


trying to keep warm:

sabbatical :: day three

I am very much enjoying my sabbatical. I am loving the book that we're reading...it's been a long time since I've enjoyed a book this much. The daily envelopes are fun to open and read. I have felt very challenged, yet at the same time, super encouraged. Being the introvert that I am, I am so content with days all to myself! I am learning to not be so hard on myself, and not be so work-focused. I am realizing that normally, I put so many things before my quiet time and I am so not happy with that. I was talking to my best friend last night, and she was talking about needing some down-time with God to figure some things out. She said something that struck me...she said,"I need more time with God. My hour in the morning just isn't sufficient." As soon as she said it, i began to wonder...What would that look like for my life? I definitely know that I have been in that place. I also know that I want to be there again. I looked at the people in my life and the amount of time I spend with them...would I be happy if each day I was only able to spare 1 hour to be with Alex?? NO WAY! I would definitely find a way to cut things out to make more time for him...so now I ask myself...why don't I do that with God? Anyways, these are just my thoughts during this time. I met with my sabbatical group today and we talked about ways to add rhythms to our lives that are sustainable...we all agreed that we don't want to create a mountaintop experience that we would be unable to sustain. I've definitely been doing some thinking these past couple of days, but, I am also just incredibly thankful for leadership that recognized the need for us to rest and be filled up. On the agenda for today...work out....work on invitations...and a bike ride (it's a BEAUTIFUL day)!