November 20

Day before the wedding!

We spent the day doing small errands then getting ready for the rehearsal and dinner. The rehearsal went really well and then we headed to The Irish Coffee Pub for dinner. The food was great, the atmosphere was perfect, and the company was wonderful. The guys definitely had a great time.

November 19

After another day of running errands and finishing up our projects, we decided to relax for a little while. We met up with Heather and Shawn at Applebee's for half prize appetizers and 2for drink specials. There was lots of laughing and it was great to hang out for a little while before the craziness began. Heather and I decided to model the flowers hair combs I made for my sisters.

November 18

Final preparations! My sisters saw the white silk flower hair combs I made for myself and really wanted orange ones to go with the flowers for their hair. I went out and got some orangey red flower, crystals, hair combs and felt and got to work! They came out great and my sisters loved them.

November 17

Tonight was a girls night. My sisters (and maids of honor) and my mom took me out to The Melting Pot. This is one of my favorite places and I haven't been there in over a year. I can't say no to fondue. We had a blast and enjoyed some $5 martinis together.

November 16

Jenna took me to get facials and massages as part of my bachelorette celebration. I'm not big on the bachelorette party idea, but couldn't turn down a day at the spa. It was so great to spend some time with her. This is us showing off our unclogged noses after getting our facials.

November 15

Less than 1 week until the wedding! We were getting ready to head to NY. Nothing too exciting, so this picture is from our first day in NY (November 16). Abby was having a great time with her Aunt Melissa. She looks crazy in this one.

November 14

Today I headed to CT to present at a conference with my co-worker. The presentation went really well ,which is great because the same presentation just got accepted for the national conference. After presenting we went out to lunch with the students before I headed home.

November 13

And the last of fun wedding projects, our Kissing Menus. I love this idea and loved coming up with our own spin on it.

November 12

More diy goodness. These are the table tents that Scott designed and I printed at home.

November 11

I've been busy with a ton of diy projects for the wedding. I decided the girls needed little kits they could use for their makeup. The fabric I used for our ring bearer pillow is just so pretty, I decided to use it for the pouches. My sisters are notorious for taking things from each other so I put their initial on the front and a heart on the back. I filled them with emergency items like bobby pins, hairspray, Tide-to-Go, and tissues. The girls loved them.

November 10

I love getting together with this crowd. We all met for dinner at Pour House, my favorite. It's never dull with friends like these.

November 9

We had some leftover googly eyes from those little animals. I decided my phone needed them. Isn't it cute? Don't worry, I didn't leave them on there.

November 8

Ellen was kind enough to make dinner for Dane and I tonight. She made chicken piccata with pasta and meringues with fresh fruit. She's so domestic. Everything was fantastic, and she even got us an activity to do together which consisted of putting together little animals made of wood. This turned out to be much harder than we thought, and Dane had a heck of a time getting his frog together. It took all three of us, but we finally did it!

November 7

Dane's co-workers planned a fun day out for us today to celebrate the wedding. We went to Red Bones and had some awesome barbeque for lunch then headed to The Burren, and Irish pub, for some drinks. They are always a fun group to hang out with! We wore our bride and groom shirts, of course.

November 6

We had some cheese in the fridge that I bought for something else a while ago, so I decided to use it for making baked macaroni and cheese instead. This is before I put it in the oven. It came out so yummy!

November 5

Today was Scott's birthday! We had a SnowBall meeting, but I decided he needed a cake. I picked one up on my way home and we all sang happy birthday to him at our meeting in the Park Plaza. Happy birthday Scottish!

November 4

Did you know Heinz ketchup comes from Pennsylvania? I didn't. Dane kept telling me but I didn't believe him. At least not until I saw this. I guess he was right.

November 3

We finally caved and went to the laundromat to do our laundry tonight. We've been mooching off friends and doing laundry for free since April. Pretty impressive, right? Dane was investigating the washing machines.

November 2

I came into work today to find this on my desk. Seriously, you have to love that. Not much better than coming into work when you really don't feel like it to find a present on your desk. It was from the VP and was a wedding gift. So thoughtful.

November 1

Dane and I went to Tommy Doyle's for dinner. The food was great and our waiter was from Ireland which was fun. But the best part? Speed dating was going on in the room next to us. We were fascinated by this! I've never gotten the deal with speed dating. I understand how it works, but I don't think I'd ever do it. The woman running it stopped to talk with me and told me everyone there pays $40 just to participate! Crazy!

October 31

For some Halloween fun, Dane and I wen to the Museum of Science to see the Harry Potter exhibit. It was really fun. We're huge geeks so the chance to see all the props from some of our favorite movies was amazing. Even better, they had Dippin' Dots. If you know me at all, you know this is a huge deal. I love Dippin' Dots.

October 30

After work tonight we went out with Dane's coworkers. It was just me and the boys on the night before Halloween. We stayed so long that people started showing up in costume and we had to be moved from the dance floor where we were sitting at a table. Eventually someone showed up in a Cookie Monster costume which totally made our night complete.

October 29

Tonight was Fan Fest, one of the biggest events on campus. It's basically a pep rally before basketball season to get everyone pumped up. The Dance Team performed, so of course I was there to support them. This is part of the crowd at the beginning of the night.

October 28

The dance team held their dress rehearsal tonight for their first big performance of the semester, Fan Fest. The mother of one of the captains made their uniforms!

October 27

Someone gave these to my boss, but for some reason he wasn't into the pastry shaped erasers. Worked out fine for me, since he asked if I wanted them to which I obviously said yes. I haven't used them yet though, because they're too cute!

October 26

The buzz on Twitter today was that KickAss Cupcakes was having a happy hour with cocktail themed cupcakes. It didn't take long for Becca and I to decide we absolutely had to go. I had a rum soaked cupcake, and they were not joking with the soaked part. Everything was so yummy though!

October 25

Dane and I went to Panera and to see The Vampire's Assistant on a date tonight. You know how all stories are good if it ends with "and then I found $20"? Well, I did! Under my seat at Panera there was a $20 on the ground. We were the only ones around, and since there was no one to ask if they had dropped it, it was mine. That paid for our tickets!

October 24

After getting up early to call the mechanic, Jenna's truck was fixed! We decided to go to Salem even though it was Saturday (and the weekend before Halloween). It's a tradition now in it's third year. The weather wasn't the best, but the rain held off and it was windy but warm. We had a great time walking around, going to our favorite hot dog place, and watching Abby experience her first trip to Salem. This was taken in the Salem Common. Just the girls.

October 23

The plan today was to go to Salem with the whole family. We were going to take Jenna's Explorer so that everyone could fit in one car. Slight problem occurred when we all went out to the car and it wouldn't start. Thankfully I have AAA, called for service, and we found out her alternator was broken. The car was towed to the service station I use, but that pretty much shot our plans for Salem that day. Instead we decided to go into Boston for the evening. Mom watched Abby at my apartment, so it was just the kiddies. We took them to one of our favorite spots, the reflecting pool, and had a little photo session.

October 22

Today was a big day for my sister Melissa. This is the second year that the college has hosted John Zaffis, a ghost hunter, and the second year she has come to see him. This year, before I gave the check over to him, I asked if he'd mind taking a picture with her and signing one of the posters we had put up around campus. She was so excited and he was very nice about it.

October 21

My family is visiting for the weekend and I had my dress fitting to get it hemmed and the bustle done. I just love my dress, so any chance to wear it I will gladly take. The woman measuring my dress put Melissa to work holding the long train. Doesn't she look happy to be helping?

October 20

This is the weirdest thing. There are ladybugs EVERYWHERE! I opened the shade on my window today and there were at least 20 of them on the screen. My office was stifling so I opened the window a crack thinking the screen would keep them out. I was wrong. Within 20 minutes I had about 10 ladybugs crawling around my office on the ceiling and near the windows. I have no idea where this random infestation of ladybugs came from, but they were all over!

October 19

Ever since I won the Live Long and Prosper hand for my mom, Dane is obsessed with the claw machine at the movie theater. Whenever there's time before a movie we're going to see, he likes to go over. He has yet to win anything. I know my win was totally a freak thing, so I'm still trying to convince him to save his quarters.

October 18

We went over to Nino's today for some quality time watching movies, making dinner, and doing laundry. Lazy days at his place are the best. While we were there watching scary Halloween movies, we looked outside and it was snowing. It's only October! Not ready for this weather yet.

October 17

Becca and I went to Julie's jewelry party tonight and we had a blast. Julie makes some awesome sangria and we definitely had our fill. It was fun to meet some new people and, of course, do some shopping from the comfort of home. And I did order the Abloom ring!

October 16

Going to a jewelry party tomorrow (which is when this picture is actually from). I had to do my homework, so I looked up the catalog for Lia Sophia and found this ring. I have a thing for rings, they're probably my favorite kind of jewelry. It's the Abloom ring and I have to have it. This is the one that was on display which was much too big for my finger, but still lovely.

October 15

I like when numbers work out in fun ways. It makes my day when I go to pay for something and it comes to an exact dollar amount, without any change needed. We went out to eat tonight before the SnowBall meeting at Maggiano's and the bill came to $50.50 and that made me happy.

October 14

Even though I've had them for a week or so, this is my official picture of my new glasses. I passed on my usual wire frames and went with a thicker frame and really like what I ended up choosing. This is different for me, but I like it.

October 13

Back at work today after a nice long weekend. My boss is moving and cleaning out some things from his old apartment. He found this book and thought of me. Not sure what he's trying to tell me here. What can I say? I really like food!

October 12

We spent the day with Dane's family and then driving back to Boston. Instead of a picture of us driving, here's another one of us at the football stadium before the game! It was such a great time. Hopefully we'll make it back again next year!

October 11

After a blow out game that ended with Penn State beating Eastern Illinois 52-3, we spent the morning on campus. We had to make sure we got to the Berkey Creamery! The line the night before was out the door and around the corner and we just didn't have enough patience to wait. Instead, we decided that ice cream for breakfast was a good idea. I had the apple cobbler ice cream and it was amazing.

October 10

Before the game we went to the Pep Rally where they were doing free airbrush tattoos. I had to show my Penn State pride and got a Nittany Lion paw on my cheek. Dane got one on his hand too. Such an amazing atmosphere before the game!

October 9

Finally! We got to Penn State after close to 9 hours in the car. The campus is huge and beautiful. Much different than where I'm used to working every day. We toured the town, College Park, which was small but cute. In one of the many stores selling Penn State apparel, I spotted this legend. This was the closest I would get to Joe Pa while at Penn State.

October 8

So excited to go to Penn State for the first time! I saw this license plate at the gas station and considered it to be a sign that we were going to have an awesome weekend!

October 7

This is a view of the lovely city of Boston from the Prudential Skywalk. We went with Sam and Jason because they really wanted to go get pennies before moving away from Boston. Sam loves her pennies! It was a really clear night and you could see the city lights. Love this city.

October 6

This may have been my all time favorite thing that I've done so far in Boston. A few months ago we bought Groupons for a Boston Segway tour, and we finally scheduled it. It was a blast! After watching the safety video, I was pretty sure I was going to go flying off of it, head first. Fortunately, that did not happen. It took a few minutes to get used to riding, but once I did I never wanted to stop! We rode with our guide all along the waterfront as the sun was setting, then through the city. It was the perfect night and a great way to see places in Boston you've probably never heard of. Best part, now that we did the tour we're "Segway Certified" which means we can now just go rent them for the day, and it's cheaper than doing a tour. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone, Boston native or visitor!

October 5

While walking with Dane, we saw this on the sidewalk. It's a sumo wrestler and says "Attack". I'm not sure what that's all about, but it's pretty funny to me.

and thanks blogger for not letting me flip it the right way. whatever.

October 4

This picture is from the wee hours of the morning. We went out with my sisters, ended up getting separated, but called our friends and they came to meet up with us. I can always count on Shawn for some fun when we're home!

October 3

Back to NY this weekend. We had all kinds of last minute things to take care of because we won't be back in NY until the week before the wedding. We woke up, went to the hall, chose our menu, did a floor plan for how it will be laid out, and ordered linens. Then I picked up my sister and we went to do a hair and makeup trial. I absolutely love the way it came out. Afterwards, off to a meeting with Pastor Dave to finalize the ceremony and iron out last minute details there. Then to a cake tasting. Lastly, to David's Bridal to get my sisters their dresses. That's another story in itself. But the best part of the day was probably tasting cake together!

October 2

My co-workers absolutely love this little place called The Knotty Pine right near work. It's cheap and has great food. You can't really ask for more. Jenny and I decided that we need to have a monthly trip to the Knotty Pine from now on, because it just brings us so much joy. All we talked about for two days was how we were going out to lunch on Friday. As you can see, she was very happy to be there.