HIGHS & lows

This weekend was bittersweet.

Our cousin and dear,dear friend Heather moved from Pittsburgh to China to exponentially grow her career and life. But not before she popped this sweet t-shirt in the mail to Joe. Amongst all the drama that goes along with moving halfway across the world, she didn't forget about ol' Josip ... which says a lot about her character. But have no fear, Heather has promised to start a blog so we can all keep up with her. Stay tuned!

In the same breath though, we got to spend some time with McKinley aka SNUGGLESAURUS. Which always brings a smile to our faces. Jon & Lisa Dawson's little boy. Who is turning 1 in April. Please note the dinosaur on his shirt. Which is only appropriate for SNUGGLESAURUS himself.

BONBON=GOODY GOODY

Bridal Shower Numero Dos! Featured in a super cute, quaint, feel-goodness bonbon-making shop called South 'n France located in the heart of downtown Wilmington. Perfection to say the least. Surrounded by my best friends and wonderful family. Headed up by (trumpets blaring!) Ms. Faye and the Amazing Bridesmaids. I'm telling you, people should totally have to pay to see these girls work it. Spreads of cheeses and fruits and hors d'oeuvres as far as the eye can see. Drinks overflowing with mini 'M' flags and fresh raspberries bopping on top of sparkling champagne. Flowers pouring out of blue mason jars where wine corks are nestled in the bottom. Decorations everywhere. And we're not talking streamers and balloons. It's things people wish they had thought of to put in their own houses. Just amazing stuff. And all for me. Which is very emotional. Just knowing you're loved so much. Probably why I was crying less than 5 minutes into the shower ... when everyone had to go around and say what they loved most about me. I was like an automatic sprinkler system ... set to go off every time a new person spoke. The whole gang! I love each and every one of you.

My dear family. Mom. Helena, the flower girl. Aunt Caroline. Nana.Pascal (the France in South 'n France) teaching the ladies how to prepare the bonbons.Me dipping the bonbons. I was totally like a pro. Merci.My biggest cheerleaders. Robin. Faye. Helena. Ashley. Dana. My cup overfloweth...

Hecta'

Well it's really Hector. But with the Strong Island accent it sounds more like an 'a' than an 'or'. The Wall Street Journal just did an amazing article on him. He's a warrior and a champion in every sense of the word. We simply adore him and his wife, Andrea. We're so excited to see them in April for the wedding. And we're both so honored to have Hector as one of Joe's groomsmen.

Check him out here:
http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/info-WORKOUT09.html

I LOVE February

... for several reasons. But for one main reason. VALENTINE'S DAY. And I know what you're thinking. It was created by the mass marketers of the world as a scam to create yet another holiday where the honest civilians of the world get suckered into buying more overpriced unnecessary merchandise. But guess what? I'm a marketer. And an admirer of love. And a glass-half-full type of chick. So I will continue to celebrate every February. And you will like it. LOL.

So being the ever-ready proactive girl that I am. Joe & I have already decided on a VDAY gift this year to each other. We're sharing it. It's a new-to-us buffet hutch. You see, Joe & I were gifted his godmother's china, crystal, and silver. And I needed a VERY SPECIAL place to display everything. So we bought this piece of furniture. Sanded it for a solid 6 hours one day. And then lovingly put two coats of fresh paint on it. Now it is the center of attention in our lil' dining nook. As it should be. It's definitely my new fave thing in our house. It'll be hard to top this one.