Write Me Away From Here

this chilly weather has got me in a nesting, cooking, cozy mood and i'm loving it. for a while ben and i were stuck in a bad habit of going out to eat or ordering take out which is great when you've had a long day and don't feel like cooking but terrible in so many ways. first of all, it gets super expensive. second of all, we always eat way more than we should. and third of all, going out wasn't special anymore because we did it all the time. thank goodness we finally broke that habit! let me tell you how.. to start, as i said before, this fall weather always puts me in a cooking mood which has been very helpful. but mostly what has helped is that i started planning simple and delicious meals to make.. you know, the kind you actually want to eat.. not plain chicken and broccoli.. and, to be honest, we've made some meals lately that have been so much tastier than anything we'd get in a restaurant.. so it makes dinner quite appealing. planning also eliminates

little brother, who is not so "little" anymore, happy birthday! 27 times around the sun.. where the heck did the years go? there was a time i could act like your mom, boss you around, and actually get away with it.. remember those days when i was bigger than you? yeah, i hardly do either.. but there was a time! growing up by your side was so much fun.. all the trouble we caused, the fights we got into, the memories we made and continue to make have all been some of my favorite times. eventually, we started to grow up, you turned old enough to make adult decisions and decided to join the marine corps. i know i've told you so many times, but you will never be able to truly understand just how proud i am of you for this decision. how much i admired you then and still do today. you were barely 18 years old.. most kids your age were worrying about which party they were attending that weekend.. and you were more concerned with serving your country.. which is exactly wha

finally, we made it to our punta cana wedding reception. you're all probably so sick of reading about our wedding(s) but i'm definitely not sick of writing about them or reminiscing.. so, there are a few more posts and then we can finally move on to other topics.. maybe! any who, our punta cana wedding reception was epic.. more than we ever imagined. i planned all the decorations via pictures and, despite my skepticism, it turned out to be an absolute fairytale. the dj did an amazing job, the food was yummy, the cake beautiful, the lighting magical, the dance floor a perfect size, and just the right number of guests to have our own dance party but not feel super crowded.. i mean look at this, it couldn't possibly have been better. i kept our decorations neutral - white, green and gold which were simple and beautiful. my mom says i need more color in my life.. i disagree. ben and i did not actually attend our cocktail hour because we were busy taking the most