What Bliss Looks Like

Life has been a crazy, busy whirlwind!

In September we ran a half marathon in Milwaukee. I ran a lot faster than the Philly half in 2013. My goal was to finish in less than 2 hours and 10 minutes and I did it!!

Justin and I ran together in the beginning but his knee was bugging him so he slowed down. He didn't want me to slow down with him and insisted I go on. He finished right after I did. Then we had a beer! In the morning!

We also got to visit some friends of mine that I used to skate with when I lived in Wisconsin. We had an amazing dinner at Mader's which is a German place we saw on a TV show and wanted to try. It was a fun trip.

In October, I got a strange text message from an unknown number...it was a photo of a bunch of people I didn't know. So, Justin, me, my sister and her husband recreated the photo and replied. I laughed for days.

Justin was the best with the feather. I love my future husband.

In November, my son and I ran a 5k with my sister and her husband. It was a mustache dache and it was a blast.

In December, we went on our honeymoon...yes, before the wedding. So??

Our trip to Europe was amazing and I had a blast with my sister from another mister, MollzBallz. There is too much to post right now but I will blog about the trip soon.

Right now I am 100% focused on the wedding. It's in 67 days. I'm getting really excited! It's going to be a really fun party. I love my dress. I love the photographer. I love the hair/makeup designer. I love the event designer. I love the venue. I've already lost all the holiday weight (amazing food and drink from France, Germany and Austria!!!) and I still have 3 weeks until my first dress fitting so I am on track! It's all going better than I could have hoped.

I am making Mia's dress now...working with a 60+ year old pattern has been an interesting experience! I'd better go to bed..

Can a person explode from happiness?? This is my love and I enjoying breakfast in the beautiful Place des Vosges:

Paris, France

Goodnight, universe. I don't know why I am so lucky but I won't ever take it for granted.

Hurry up, Fall!

Man, August was really busy!  My sister and her husband moved to Austin. I feel so bad for them because I hate it here so much but I feel happy for me.

My mom came to visit and the kids started school. My daughter is now in Jr. High which blows my mind. She was just a baby! Where did the time go?

Fun things are coming up! Justin and I have a half marathon in Milwaukee in a few weeks. I am looking forward to running in cool weather finally (Fuck you, Texas!) and exploring another city with my soul mate. We have heard of a few restaurants there we'd like to try too! This will be the last vacation day off I have until the big winter Europe trip in December.

I cannot wait for that!  Neither can Justin. He's way ahead of me in French!  I hope it snows a little while we are there. And we get to spend Christmas with Mollz and Andi and the kiddos! I am really looking forward to that.

And we have a venue now...so we need to start planning stuff. Ugh, I hate wedding planning. It's going to be in June (NOT in Texas) so I have a lot of time! I am so glad I will officially be Mrs. Rock in less than a year. He says he already considers me his wife.  He's kind of adorable.

I am so happy with him! I had no idea life could be this good.

Life is Beautiful

Holy crap...has it really been 6 months since I have posted a blog?  Life has been very busy.

We, once again, went to Fredericksburg for our birthday weekend and, once again, had an amazing time.

Eating German food...yum.

We ate a ton of German food and drank a ton of wine. We found old French prison keys at an antique shop and Justin bought them and made a cool display for our entryway.

French prison keys

At the end of March, we went to my sister's wedding in Sacramento. It was a fun time with my family and we realized we really did want a wedding. We had been leaning toward elopement but the wedding was so fun we decided to just do it.

My son and I

My daughter and I

My soul mate and I

My sister and I

The beautiful bride

So, we've decided where and when...and the details are falling into place. It won't be for another year and that's okay with me.

We also saw Mollie, Andi and the kids (and Jack & Norene) for Easter. I am in love with them all.

My sweet little niece

Best uncle Justin ever

My nephew! I adore him!

My Mollz Ballz

Mollz and Andraz

This trip would be the beginning of a long, long illness for me. I was sick for about 8 weeks and visited a doctor three times. I still don't know for sure what it was but I am better now. It really messed up my running progress. I was up to 9 miles on weekends and now I am back down to a piddly 5! We have a race in less than 3 months and I am not up to speed at all. Oh, well! I'm back on track now and it should be fine...ish...

Our wedding plans are in full swing and we are also getting ready to go to Europe for Christmas and New Years!  I am beyond excited about this. Justin gets so damn cute when we plan trips, especially when we go to Europe! We're starting in Paris, taking a train through Germany to see Christmas markets and visit one of the most awesome towns, then Christmas week in Vienna with Andi and Mollz, then back to Paris for New Year's. I can't wait! I hope it snows (but not so much it messes up travel). He even got us French Rosetta Stone so we could learn to speak French for our trip. C'est magnifique!

So, Justin and I have been together for 1,250 days. I love him so much. I cannot believe how much I love him sometimes. It's overwhelming. I feel so loved and so lucky. He's away for work but I get him back in a few days. My newlywed sister and her husband are visiting us this week! She will be here more for business than pleasure but we will have fun. So much to look forward to!

I love my life.

Our Third Christmas Together

So, first of all...I did it! I completed my first half marathon! We ran the whole race side by side and we crossed the finish line together.  A few things I learned...1) I was ready! 2) I should have used the bathroom before the race started! 3) I should have brought an aluminum cover for warmth before the race...poor Justin was way cold!  So glad we did it. And then we had a lot of fun after hanging with his college friends and exploring Philly together.  Some of my favorite photos:

Elfreth's Alley

Liberty Bell

Elfreth's Alley

Rittenhouse Square

Before the Race

Love Park

LOVE

We did it!!!

Beautiful Leaves

Blurry Proof...we're holding hands across the finish line!

Haha! A Man Full of Trouble!

Aww...you alright??

So, yes, tons of fun. And I got to meet a few of his friends from college. Had lots of fun!

So, we've lived together over 2 years now. We've been engaged almost 2 years. Why such a long engagement? Well, it's tough to plan a wedding when you have family in CA, OR, WA and Europe...and you live in the shitty state of Texas. We've had so many ideas...but are still deciding the how and where. We're really in no rush...we already feel and act married. The wedding will just be a party!

This is our third Christmas together. Our first Christmas was at my mom's house. He proposed that year:

He got the kids to hold these scrolls he made that said Will You?

And then there was a ring before me

Of course I said yes!

The kids were thrilled!

And the ring he designed is gorgeous

 We spent Christmas 2012 in Oregon with his family. The kids went to Wisconsin to visit their grandparents on their dad's side.

This year we've got the kids and we are staying home. It's the first time we've put up a tree! We got some new ornaments and we turned a bunch of our saved wine corks into ornaments:

Montinore Wine Cork

Pretty!

Mia adding the star

Lovely

Fat and Chubby things

I'm looking forward to my 4th year with the love of my life...as of next month we will have been together 3 years! They have been 3 amazing years!

Sooooo in love! Happy Holidays!

More Wedding Planning, Upcoming Trips and Training!

So, I think we're getting married in a wine cave...not sure yet. We're checking it out Labor Day weekend. I have my dress pattern and I got 5 yards of muslin to do a practice run before I try anything on nice fabric. This should be interesting...

Labor Day weekend we are going to Northern CA and spending the weekend with my family doing a wine weekend in Sonoma! I am SO excited about this. I miss my sisters and my mom...and we always have so much fun together. And we get to check out venues! Justin and I are really looking forward to this...and it's an early celebration for us. I won't say for what but let's just say something is (hopefully) ending for him soon and he's really excited about it. That was a very long, expensive road!

We have officially signed up for the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November. We get to visit a friend and I finally get to do a half marathon! I trained very hard for Vienna and Air France ruined that. I will not be checking my running gear in November...lesson learned. Carry on only!

So far I am very much on track for my training and it feels good to be on a running schedule again. Justin, once again, insists he is going to run it WITH me. I told him he doesn't have to do that...he runs faster. But he says he wants to be there by my side the moment I finish my first half. He's sweet and wonderful.

He's away right now but he gets home tomorrow (yay!) and this weekend we're going to go pick a bunch of wine grapes so he can make his own wine! It'll be a long drive but we'll be together so it'll be fun. How I will work a run into that day is still unknown...but I will find a way.

I am tired...time for sleeping.

I am SO in love...it's amazing and lovely. I really love my life. I love him the most.

Planning a Wedding

So, traditionally the man asks the woman to marry him and then the woman goes off and plans a wedding...the man might help choose cake but the woman traditionally does the wedding planning.  We are not traditional...and I hate weddings.

My first wedding was in 2001. I was 21 and way too young to be getting married. I had no idea what I was doing (or what I was getting myself into). Here I am at age 33 and now I know full well what I am getting myself into...and I am really happy about it. But I still hate weddings. 

So, Justin and I have been brainstorming on this wedding since before he even asked me to marry him. Hell, we've been talking weddings since 3 months after we met.

We thought about doing a wedding at the place we had our first date...I honestly wish I could make this happen and if I had a million dollars this is what we would do...but it isn't practical nor is it convenient for 99% of the wedding guests. We'll save our beautiful Cafe Pinot in DTLA for an anniversary...

We were thinking of getting married in Austria while we were visiting Mollie and family in April...but getting married in Austria isn't a simple process...at all.

We thought about doing the Vegas half marathon...they have a wedding thing they do where you can get married during the race...unique...active...but I'd like my kids to be there...and I don't want to take my children to Las Fucking Vegas...

So, our new idea is to do the wedding 1/4/14...we'll already be on the west coast for the holidays...with the kids...family and friends nearby all along the coast from San Diego to Seattle.

The trick is how to do it without spending a fortune. It's not that we can't afford a wedding...it's that we don't want to spend a crazy amount of money on one day. We'd rather spend money on the honeymoon...

So, I am making my own dress. I can't find exactly what I want anyway...so I am going to make it. I have already picked a pattern (found a vintage dress pattern at an antique mall!) and I will begin the muslin mockup next month...if it works out I will buy nice fabric and make the dress. Unique, cheap and custom made. Win.

I am buying his ring next month too...it has to be something very us and special...still working on ideas. I don't want him to see it until the wedding day. All I know is it will be platinum.

My mom makes gorgeous cakes so she said she would make a cake. I am thinking Tiffany blue and brown for wedding colors...

So, that leaves venue...and food/drink...and photography...

My mom has a lovely house in Bodega Bay...we're going to be there at the end of August for a wine weekend in Sonoma so we'll be able to gauge how many people we can fit in there. If we can fit a decent amount we might just hire a caterer and do the wedding and reception there. If not, we'll look into venues nearby.

There are some options in the area...but finding one in January is tough. It's the wettest time of year for Bodega Bay...hmmm...maybe we should push it back to the spring...

My head hurts...enough wedding stuff for tonight...

By the way...I met my love 900 days ago.

Best 900 days ever.

The Last Day in Vienna & Heading Home

Saturday morning we did a little more sight seeing before we had to go.

Checking out Roman Ruins right in the city!

I think he is so beautiful.

Roman Ruins

Rathaus in the distance

My love

We met up with the family at Epos (a Turkish restaurant).

It was Vinny's 2 1/2 birthday so he got some cakes...and took a birthday snooze before his play date with Luca.

 Elsie entertained...as always!

We got to hang out a little more before we had to go to the airport. Justin and I were headed to Amsterdam for the night and Mollie and the kids would join us there in the morning...then we'd all head to Oregon.

Amsterdam was cool and we want to go back and explore it. We had an AMAZING view from our hotel room. We ventured out into the night for one drink before going to bed.

I don't often drink canned wine...but when I do...

 We went to sleep and woke up early to head back to the airport to meet Mollie and the kids.

View in the morning

Gorgeous!

So many bikes!!

I was honestly very nervous about the flight home...Vinny is a very energetic 2 1/2 year old and it was a very, very long flight. But he was WONDERFUL! Mollie came prepared with iPad games and we all managed to get seats together...it was perfect. I had a few tricks up my sleeve for Vinny...any time he fussed I brought out a new book or toy. He was amazing.

Vinny playing games

Mama and her Trix

Justin playing with Vinny

Elsie with her Uncle Justin

Vinny loves his Uncle Justin

We delivered them to Oregon and stayed for a day before heading home. It was an amazing trip...we travel well together, he and I. It brought us closer. I really got a chance to hang out with Mollie, Andi and the kids and I fell in love with all of them. I feel at home with them...this is where I belong. I was a little sad I was not the first woman Justin has brought to Europe but he made it very clear that I am the first woman that matters that he has brought to Europe and his family even talked about how that other person was just a mess and not a good fit for him or their family. They all think I am a very good fit and I love that feeling. I agree with them...I love them all so much!

It's such a comfort to know you found your place and your soul mate.