Mid-Atlantic Tour 2009

Joe & I ventured up north to a family reunion last weekend. While in the area, we decided to hit up some major hot spots ... Annapolis, Baltimore, and D.C. It was such a great time. It was so wonderful seeing so many members of my family that I haven't seen in forever! And what a great hazing for Joe before the wedding! Spending a solid 4 days w/tons of my family!

Me in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Joe, me, Mom, & Cooper D in front of the White House.

Joe holding up the Washington Memorial.

Joe & I having lunch on the mall in front of the Smithsonian.

Me w/T.Rex in the Smithsonian.

Cooper D & Helena showing some peace & love at the crab feast.

Joe, Pat, Pop, Uncle Jim, & Uncle Kenny at the crab feast.

Nana, Mom, me, & Aunt Caroline at the crab feast.

Joe's first time picking crabs! A Maryland treat!

Nanny, Pappy, me, Mom, & Joe on South River in Annapolis, MD.

June 2009 Happenings

My new job has been a bit on the stressful side. Sometimes it's so hard to become acclimated to new people, new surroundings, new everything. Beyond sending me flowers at work and making some delicious dinnertime meals, Joe really went out of his way to make me feel better. A few Saturdays ago, he decided to put up crown molding in the master bath. YAY! I was so excited. And while he was at it, we decided to change the color of our bathroom to 'Napa Valley' green. How delightful!And speaking of green things, our little green baby tomatoes have matured nicely into ripe red deliciousness. YUM!

And lastly, what's a blog posting w/out a wedding update?! My friend, Christen, and I are busy making a wedding website for Joe & I which will include all kinds of fun wedding details. In the meantime though, I wanted to share with all my blogging buddies some pictures of our reception site. Presenting St. Thomas Preservation Hall ...Dark hard wood floors. Stained glass windows. Exposed brick. Could you really ask for anything more?! St. Thomas Preservation Hall was actually the first Catholic church in North Carolina and it holds so much history and character. The minute Joe & I stepped foot into this magical building, we knew this was the place. The place we wanted to party hard with our family/friends in celebration of one of the greatest days of our lives.

Date Night

One word that can sum up Joe & I's lives right now ... BUSY. Since the engagement, things have just been non-stop. Obviously there's the wedding planning. It consumes about 98% of my thoughts. And I'm happy to say that we've set a date ... April 30, 2010. We'll be getting married at St. Mary's Parish in downtown Wilmington and then having our reception a few blocks up at St. Thomas Preservation Hall. We're so excited and really just cannot wait. The day we booked the church, I could not stop smiling.

Then Joe & I have been preparing for a family reunion that is this upcoming weekend in D.C./Baltimore/Annapolis. It's going to be a packed 3-day weekend full of family and fun. And it's Joe's first time in this neck of the woods. Him being a former military man and loving history, I just know he's totally going to dig D.C.

THEN on top of all of that, I have started a new job. I'm still a media buyer ... but not for jewelry anymore. It's for pharmaceuticals. The pay and benefits are much better. Plus I feel more confident working for a pharmaceutical company versus a retail jeweler. So it was a step in the right direction but ... BOY, it has kept me busy!

So needless to say, Joe & I deserved a little alone time w/a date night. We headed downtown on Saturday night to Carribay Soul. It's a new Caribbean-style cuisine restaurant in the heart of Wilmington. It turned out to be delish! Then we headed to Thalian Hall to see the production, RENT. Which also turned out to be wonderful! Date night totally turned out awesome.