Wedding Wednesday: And Then I Fell in Love with Our Photographer

I used to think when people gushed about their wedding photographers, they were full of it. "They are just taking pictures of you," I thought to myself, "What is the big deal and why are they posting it all over Facebook?".

That was before I spent a whole day with our wedding photographer, Melania .
Note: This is not a Melania picture, this is a picture my sister took and that I Instagrammed!
And now, please allow me the opportunity to become one of those brides that gushes about her wedding photographer.

She was awesome.

John was incredibly nervous and self conscious going in, and he let her know it. "Let me tell you how this is going to go," she said to him. "I'm going to tell you what to do a few times and then you'll figure it out." In literally six pictures, with Melania laughing and making jokes the whole time, John was a natural! I have never seen him so comfortable posing for a picture ever and I've been conning him into pictures for more than five years!

He was so comfortable I barely even had to convince him to get on this lion with me! Magical, I tell you...Melania our wedding photographer is a wizard who transformed my Fiance into a man who mounts a lion statue with me and laughs while doing it.

Note: This is not a Melania picture, this is a picture my sister took and that I Instagrammed!
We are still waiting for all of them to be posted, but if this was the only picture we got out of that day I would be totally thrilled.

End gushing.


Thank You, Thank You, Thank You-A Relay Post

To say that I was one proud big sister on Saturday night would be a major understatement.


To say that I was crying on the Hofstra Intramural Field when Alyssa started to speak would be telling the truth. Thanks to some of you, Alyssa surpassed her personal fundraising goal of $1,000.


And the Hofstra University Relay for Life surpassed its goal and raised $111,000 for the American Cancer Society. Thank you to everyone who donated and/or sent Alyssa encouragement over the past few weeks. She worked so hard and all the effort and work was so apparent on Saturday night...it was a wonderful event.

So proud of you, Alyss! Love you!
(Please excuse our crazy eyes in the picture below!)


This is a Post about Smoothies

Let's talk about breakfast, shall we?

Breakfast is a struggle for me. Namely because I have two other living beings to feed and help go to the bathroom (in Mim's case) and because even though I say I'm going to make my lunch the night before, I almost never do. Ever. Suddenly its 8:00AM and I have ten minutes to figure something out before I have to run to the subway and WHAT am I going to make? 10 minutes is not enough time to make eggs, and I don't feel like cereal and its the Spring which means I no longer want oatmeal.

Enter: the breakfast smoothie.

Here's the deal with a breakfast smoothie...you can throw everything in the blender and do other things. Such as make your lunch, feed your cats, put your baby cat in the litter box!


The other perk of breakfast smoothies is you can sneak green things into it without your taste buds knowing! Here's my kick this week:

-1 cup skim milk
-1 pack vanilla carnation instant breakfast mix
-1 banana
-2 giant handfuls of kale (I know, KALE!)
-handfull of frozen mixed berries

Blend it up, throw it in your go cup and run for the F train!

While this all sounds wonderful, there are some downsides of the breakfast smoothie. First of all, my blender is kind of rickety and sometimes it takes 2 minutes to blend my smoothie and sometimes it takes 8 minutes. Who knows why, but I think it has to do something with the order in which I throw everything in the blender. Also problematic is that sometimes I get more smoothie than other times? I think sometimes I go overboard with the kale, but who knows.

A final pro of the breakfast smoothie is that you can eat it for dinner, too! Like yesterday? I had two. Fear not, I didn't have banana in the evening one (too many bananas can be a problem, guys) and I threw a yogurt in instead of instant breakfast but there was no cooking involved and very little clean up!

And there you have it guys...basically the most cooking advice you will ever get on this here blog!


Happy Birthday, Becca!

On Saturday night, we celebrated the birthday of my bestest friends ever, Becca! The theme (because who doesn't love a theme?) was "Dress Like Becca".

Becca was worried that this theme would come off as vain and self centered, however I think the general consensus was that it was hilarious but only because we love her so much. Take note that if you are not loved, you shouldn't have a party where your friends dress like you. But I guess if you weren't loved people wouldn't come to your party? Anyway...

This party also proved that Becca has a particular style. Namely: plaid, vests, crocs and coziness! She also used to have her nose pierced (until she lost the piercing in Iceland) so Stephanie and I stuck some bedazzles on our noses. Worriers of Instagram, take note! I did not pierce my nose six months before my wedding (though I have always wanted one so maybe after the wedding!).


Becca is also pretty known for her faces! Below, please find "Excited Becca" and "Angry Becca"!


In honor of her birthday, Becca did some incredible dancing to NSYNC. Below, please find her "No Strings Attached" dance moves.


Did I mention Stephanie download a meme maker app for her phone? Ugh, we had so much fun with it all night! Below, please find another Becca classic: hair twirling with the angry face!


Happy Birthday, Becca! We love you!


Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has sprung her in NYC! Its that strange time of year when I don't know what to wear quite yet. I'm usually slow on the upswing...yesterday I wore black dress pants and a wool long sleeve sweater. Incorrect, Kate...incorrect.


Let's talk about these puppies for a second. I see them every morning and I love them. I love that (I think) they are a family and that each of them is a different color.


Also ummm did you know that any size iced tea is 99 cents  at Dunkin Donuts all month? I highly recommend the unsweetened variety and ask for it with some lemon. You can thank me later!


Happy Spring to you! I can almost see the weekend!

What Can You Even Say?

Hug your friends. Kiss your family. Squeeze your pets.


Philadelphia Flower Show: Part III

My favorite part of the Flower Show is obviously the miniature things section. For some reason though, this year there was no miniature landscape design section. I was devastated to say the least, so we will have to make do with the new section they had with pressed flowers!

This one was made by a child you guys! She was in the sixth grade and she seriously made this out of flower petals and leaves. I kind of felt like a failure.


This is Prince William and Princess Kate getting married in koala bear form. How could you go wrong?


And now for a more realistic depiction!


They did have the miniature flower design, though which my Mom and I love. We like reading the judges' comments out loud. Seriously they leave them out for everyone to read! They say things like "The colors were well selected but the proportions need re-examining and the top flower is crooked". Which basically means "Nice try, amateur".

The teacups were my absolute favorite! Perk of Britain theme: everything has tea cups!



And of course, some tulips...my absolute favorite.


And there you have it! The 2013 Philadelphia Flower Show!

Wedding Wednesday: A Full Blown Panic Attack

A byproduct of dating your Fiance for almost 6 years and being engaged for more than two is that you think you have all the time in the world before your wedding. Like lifetimes of time, you think to yourself.

But then you have a friend in your office who got engaged in January and is suddenly getting married in October...a full TWO WEEKS before you. And she is really on top of her shit? Like Save the Dates. Who even knows when those are supposed to go out?

Via.
 Obviously not our Save the Dates, as we are not getting married in London.

And a spring Monday comes and you start talking to your friend and she tells you she already ordered her STDs (I think it is NOT a coincidence that Save the Dates' letter abbreviation is STD. Just sayin'). And it throws you into a literal panic attack in her office which causes you to email your mother ALL of the STD options in the world, and then speak to her on the phone about them. Which doesn't work out because there are seriously a MILLION options and then you are short with her even though it is not her fault you are a slacker Bride, IT IS YOUR FAULT because you have been engaged for two years AND SUDDENLY YOUR WEDDING IS IN SEVEN MONTHS and you feel wholly ill-prepared for all of it.

To get a handle on my crazy, I updated my Wedding To Do list which I think helped me feel better? But seriously why are there so many options?

What kind of cake do we want?
Via
When do I have to make a decision on a veil and do I seriously want one?

Via
What are we doing for favors? Where are we having our rehearsal dinner? What song am I dancing to with my Dad (as if it really matters because all people will hear are my sobs). How round to I want my bouquet to be? I need a timeline of the day? What are we getting the bridal party? What am I wearing to my Bridal Shower? And most importantly WHY DOES KATE SPADE NOT MAKE THESE SHOES ANYMORE YET CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE THEM?

Via
End rant.

Am I a Bridezilla? Ugh I hope not...let me know if I am? K, thanks!

What Our Weekend Looked Like

On Saturday John and I took a leisurely walk in our neighborhood and happened upon this great Flea Market on 7th Avenue and 1st-ish Street!


Then we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Applewood, for lunch. We got the sunniest table in the whole place and we shared a salad and a fancy grilled cheese and fries. Then we went home and I took a 90 minute nap on the couch with Mim.


Then we had a major Mim/Dilly breakthrough!


Saturday night I went to babysit for a few hours in SoHo and then John picked me up and we went to my Bestie's Birthday Party! But for some reason I have no pictures with the Birthday Girl? I'm the worst at parties, I should work on that before November...


John and I left around 1:00 (because we are old) and headed home. We had to wait FOREVER at Canal for the A train so I took these gems!

Once the A train finally arrived, I realized I was RAVENOUS because whoops the last thing I had eaten was lunch 14 hours before. So then we went to the diner!


On Sunday my Crocs and I took a walk to pick up bagels...


And then we made brunch in our kitchen!


Brunch was followed by time with friends and dinner at Nanny's house with my parents and Holly! All in all it was a glorious weekend...hope your's was, too!

Mimosa Megan: An Update

One of my friends told me I better put Mim on the blog more because she's going to get upset slash jealous of Dilly. So here we are...fair warning this is TOTALLY a crazy cat lady post.

You may have noticed things have been a little quiet on the new kitty cat front lately. That's because Mim has been a little (a lot) under the weather and we were pretty worried for a while. About a month ago, Mim's mobility took a turn for the worse.

Before we got Mim she was diagnosed with Cerebellar Hypoplasia, so she was always a little "dizzy" as her vet says. At the end of February though, she really started falling after not walking very far at all and then it got to the point where she couldn't bring her self to her food bowl or the litter box in the kitchen, which is a non-carpeted area.

We got new curtains in the kitchen for our sliding doors to the deck that week and as we were taking down the old ones we realized whoops, she had peed on the bottom of them (which were on the ground because they were too long). She couldn't get herself across the kitchen to the litter box (needless to say I flipped out for numerous reasons).


The next weekend, we rearranged our entire living room so that Mim could have her own, totally carpeted space to eat, sleep and pee on (meaning we moved the litter box, not that she was allowed to pee on our rug). She was good for about a day but then she started falling in the litter box, which got really messy. John got the showering situation down to a 90 second process but seriously we were giving her a bath nearly every day. Exhausting. AND now she couldn't hold herself up at all.

This picture? Some of you may have seen it on Instagram. I think the caption I wrote was "Mim is a real lady during dinner". Turns out she was having an actual problem and I was Instagraming her. #worstmomever


We finally took her to a vet Mim's foster Mom recommended (after I had diagnosed her via the internet with everything from neuropathy to diabetes) and 45 minutes and more money than I'd like to admit later, he basically said there was nothing wrong with her other than her CH. SO frustrating.

Two days after the vet though, Mim started to get a little better. She was putting weight on all of her legs, her paws weren't doing that weird bending thing, and she was getting around a little bit. She hasn't progressed much since, but she can hold herself up in the litter box (HOORAY) and now that we put her in it, we haven't had to give her a bath in ELEVEN DAYS!

Before we got a handle on the litter box situation and before we brought Mim to the new vet, she was peeing all over the place (as in not in the box) because she couldn't get there. We were really upset and didn't think we were going to be able to keep her since we weren't home all day and it wasn't fair to her to be uncomfortable all day slash for our home to smell like cat pee. That was a no go for us, and especially for John.

When we met with the vet though, he said "you could put a diaper on her". No. Absolutely not, I will not do that, it is too much (I thought though tears because I knew we were going to have to give her back). The next morning though, John looked at me and said "I think we could diaper her." I do not think I could have loved him more.

Thankfully we didn't have to diaper her and I think for now we have a handle on the situation. Which make so happy because holy crap do we love her. I couldn't even think of giving her back at this point even though she is the neediest cat in the world. Not because we have to put her in the litter box or because she has to eat special wet food or because she hits Dilly when Dilly walks past her ("PLAY WITH ME, DILLY!").

She is the neediest because this is literally how we are sitting while I am writing this. I basically typed this whole thing with one hand. She whines like a baby if I put her down.

xox,
Crazy Cat Lady


Philadelphia Flower Show Part II

Here we go, friends! Part II of an undetermined number of posts about our trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show!

One of the most exciting thing about this year's show is that I will be buying a large quantity of flowers in just a few short months! Basically this means that I walked around the show saying things like "What is that?" or "Is this too much" or "What are my colors again?". I was a great show partner, just ask my Mom!

Exhibit one: Is this too big for our reception?


This is too much...I think its the leaves that look like palm trees that make me not like it.


I hate roses but I love these yellow ball things! I also love these rocky pots. I'd like them at my house but only if John carries them to their ultimate location because there is no way I am lifting those babies anywhere.



And how much do I want to have flowers under those glass cases? The answer is a lot. What self respecting woman does not want a little Beauty and the Beast going on at her reception?


Easter Miscellany

This is the kind of post that is my absolute favorite...miscellaneous. Basically what's going to happen is I'm going to summarize our Easter celebration by way of pictures. Very few of these pictures have to do with Easter per se but this is my blog, so there!

First of all I still get an easter basket. I got more/bigger things that could fit in my actual basket...the Easter Bunny was crazy this year. I don't know if you see a theme (Vera Bradely)? Notes: that basket behind my new Vera tote are not gifts from the Easter Bunny but are actually Holly's toys. Also my pink Easter basket is the same one I've had since I was born and if things go according to plan, it is the one that my daughter will use. By according to plan I do not mean that I plan on gender selecting a baby (AH!) but that you know...we don't lose the Easter basket between now and the time I decide to procreate. And by me I guess I mean me and John? This really went to a place I wasn't meaning to take this post. Anyway...


The morning started as many mornings do at my Mom and Dad's house: focusing on Holly. We ate breakfast, Holly ate some (all?) the bacon, we took some sister pictures, I put her in my Ikea laundry bag and carried her around and then I put her leopard bow in her hair because it was a holiday. We did all of this while laughing hysterically at basically everything she does.  Also my dad and I gave her a kind of bath with Kiehl's no water shampoo. Seriously Kiehl's.


This chick soap in my parents' downstairs bathroom makes me feel like I am using its brain's to wash my hands. But its so adorable? I'm really torn about the whole thing.


I thought it would be a great idea for Holly to drive with me and Alyssa instead of my parents so we could have some sister/sister puppy time!


We put Holly in her bucket in my car and we got less than two miles before we had to pull over and do a puppy swap because she was crying. My Dad swears that she was making her excited noise, but I'm pretty positive she was crying. So we met in the Commerce Bank parking lot and exchanged custody of her as though she was a child of a contentious divorce.


We finally arrived in Brooklyn and to Nanny's house and had a really great day. I think one of the best holidays we've had in a while. We ate great food, played a silly game with my cousins, and enjoyed each other's company.

I hope you had a lovely Sunday whether or not you celebrated with chocolate and peeps!