One last Mexico Post

After this I'll get back to my regularly scheduled blogging... I swear! The vacation was just to good to confine to less than three posts. So here are a few more highlights, from the rest of our trip.

They had the most amazing tacos at the pool snack bar!
We made it a point to eat them on a daily basis.

We did an awesome kayak trip, to the very tip of the Baja peninsula.
The setting was beautiful, and we got to try out snorkeling for the first time.
We loved getting off the resort to see some more of the area.

We saw so many fish, and even a swimming sea lion!

One day we took the bus to San Jose del Cabo, and explored the historic
art district. There were huge galleries, and great souvenir shops.

We found the only microbrewery in Baja, and their beer was actually really great!

I love a good walk on the beach.

 

Frisbee in the pool!

Gotta love the swim up bar.

The trip was perfect, especially as a way to celebrate our first five years of marriage.
I love you Joe!

Recipe for a Great Wedding

Start with one beautiful setting.

Add a happy couple, and a tasty cake.

Take good friends, mix with some booze.

Of course the dudes will need cigars.

Mix with some fabulous dance moves.

Mug for the camera.

And of course, finish with a dash of macarena.

What a wonderful night! Congratulations again, Chris and Elena!

Thanksgiving love

This is an exciting moment... I'm blogging from the iPad for the first time! It's a little awkward, but convenient when I'm away from home. We're at Joe's parent's house, enjoying some relaxing post-thanksgiving family time. We had a nice meal yesterday, after I finished a full shift at work. Today was pretty lazy, with a quick visit to Old Navy in the afternoon. Officially a successful holiday! And in no particular order, here's some stuff I'm thankful for: My wonderful husband, who makes me happy every single day. I could write a book on how lucky I am, but I'll just leave it as saying he is the best. Ever. My job, even if it's a job where I have to work on holidays like thanksgiving. I feel like this is the first time I've had a job that really fits me, and I'm eager to see where this new career takes me! My family, near and (mostly) far. I am thankful to keep in touch with my family even when we're all spread out. Love you guys! My good friends around Chicago and across the country. Our comfortable home. And so many more things! I feel like such a lucky girl, and enjoy taking the time each year to stop and reflect on how much I'm thankful for. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I'm thankful you stopped by my blog!

Wedding in Mexico

After putting off blogging for another week or so, I've determined that I need to break the Mexico pictures up into multiple posts. You see, when you go on an amazing vacation with friends you haven't seen in forever, and celebrate a wedding, and enjoy a few extra days to celebrate your anniversary... you end up with far to many pictures! And I can't resist sharing most of them, so that just means multiple Mexico posts coming up!  Get ready for some beach envy, because this was an awesome vacation. 

I'll focus on the wedding for this post, since that was the main reason we ended up in Cabo. Chris has been one of my good friends for TEN years now, and I think he found the perfect match in his lovely new bride, Elena. They seem so happy together, and it was great celebrating with so many of their friends and family. And Chris's friends happen to be some of my best friends, too. It was fantastic getting back together with my college crew, who are seriously some of the best friends I've ever had. We can all pick right back up with each other, too, even if it's been years since we last saw each other. Love you guys!

Pre-wedding rehearsal dinner, poolside, of course.

My favorite roommates/best friends from college (part 1)

My other favorite roommates/best friends from college.

Karaoke with the girls. Summer Lovin' at its best!

With the groom before the wedding.

Amazing weather, beautiful setting!

The groom's childhood friend is a musician,
and did a wonderful job preforming all weekend.

So romantic!

My handsome date... and maybe our Christmas card picture??

The newlyweds with their parents

A Beautiful Chicago Wedding!

A few weeks ago we got to celebrate the eagerly awaited wedding of two of our closest friends in Chicago, Christie and Nasser. It was a beautiful fall wedding at A New Leaf in Old Town, and I couldn't have imaged a more perfect wedding for these two! The setting was a bit urban, with modern touches and perfect floral arrangements (the space is owned by a floral shop!). The bride and groom were obviously so happy to be committing to a lifetime together, and their family and friends were all eager to celebrate this occasion. The food was amazing, and drinks went down easy, and the dancing wasn't too awkward ;)  Overall, it was the perfect wedding for these two, and we were so happy to be a part of the celebration!

I love this picture! It might even be frame worthy...

They did the toasts up above the crowd, so everyone could see them. So cute!

Cupcakes! Adorable and delicious. 

It was a great crowd... so many of our closest friends in Chicago were together for the occasion! We had a great time, especially seeing how happy Nas and Christie were with each other. What a fun, stylish, romantic wedding!

(Bonus points for being the only wedding we've gone to that's a easy cab ride away from home!)

Recent Happenings

Holy cow, it's been over a month since I last posted! I knew it had been at least a few weeks, but didn't realize quite how long until I got on blogger tonight to post an update. I guess that shows you how busy October was for us! Let's see, how about a quick summary about what we've been doing?

We successfully completed our healthy eating challenge, with a few corners being cut. It was worth it, too, because I scored in the highest category of healthy stats, which means a higher discount at work! WooHoo!

Vegan pizza with romesco sauce. I didn't even miss the cheese!

My friend Diane and I were excited to finish the Pumpkins in the Park 5k

Our good friends Christie and Nasser got married here in Chicago, at a beautiful location in Old Town. The ceremony was touching, the food amazing, and the party worth talking about! It was a fantastic night, and I'm so happy for the bride and groom as they start their married life together.

We babysat for almost a week straight. Well, mostly I babysat, and Joe worked. He was a huge help when he was around, though, and the two kids think he's basically a walking superhero/rockstar/legend. Our reward?  Blowing the money on a lovely new toy :)

Then we really rewarded ourselves, with an amazing week long vacation in Mexico! We got to catch up with old friends, and help two of them celebrate their wedding. It was relaxing, fun, peaceful, booze-soaked, and everything else you could want from a beach vacation. Perfect.

Since I took a billion pictures at both weddings, I'll post separately for those two occasions!