A very important birthday!

'If we didn't have birthdays, you wouldn't be you.

If you'd never been born, well then what would you do?

If you'd never been born , well then what would you be?

You might be a fish!

Or a toad in a tree!

You might be a doorknob!

Or three baked potatoes!

You might be a bag full of hard green tomatoes!

Or worse than all that...Why, you might be a WASN'T!

A wasn't has no fun at all.

No, he doesn't.

A wasn't just isn't.

He just isn't present.

But you....you ARE YOU!

And, now isn't that pleasant!'

- Dr. Seuss

This past weekend we got to celebrate my sweet nephews first year of life!  It was so much fun- i cannot wait to celebrate many more birthdays with that cute little boy!

(Charlie enjoying his cake)

(Charlie playing with his uncle Chris!)

(My sweet boys)

A special thanks to my aunt for making both the Dr. Seuss birthday cake and charlie's 'smash' cake. 

Both were absolutely beautiful and very much enjoyed! :)

'Must Haves'

I was just reading my friend Nickie's blog and I loved her idea of a post on 'Must Haves'.

I have must haves of my own- but it's fun to read other peoples...you never know what fun goodies you will discover!

Here is my list of 'Must Haves'....

#1- Clinique 'Moisture Surge' Moisturizer- I.Am.Obsessed.  I have used the same brand of makeup for as long as i can remember but have always switched up my moisturizer.  I typically used brands that you could get at the drugstore- Aveeno, Dove, Jergens.  I was happy with my moisturizer until i got a sample 'Moisture Surge' in a Clinique gift with purchase.  I used it once and haven't looked back- it feels like silk on your skin and doesn't leave it feeling oily.  I highly recommend!  It is a bit expensive- but a little goes a LONG way!

#2- Dunkin Doughnuts Coffee- I'm with Nickie on this one!  I looooove Dunkin Doughnuts.  I have been a coffee drinker for a couple of years but never really had an opinion as to what brand was my favorite.  I was turned onto DD when i started working at my current job (3+ years ago).  This was the brand we buy/fix at work- and i must say it really is my favorite!

and to go with my DD coffee....

#3-  International Delight Coffee House Creamer White Chocolate Mocha- Ahhhhhmazing.  Go try some.  That is all i have to say about that!

# 4 Lipton Diet Green Tea- I have been on a mission to kick my diet coke habit, let me tell you, it has not been fun one bit!  I have been drinking so much water, but sometimes i just needed a little flavor in my life.  This is where green tea comes in- it is the perfect drink to curb my diet coke cravings! Yum!

#5 Chap stick- i do not discriminate against any chap stick!  I have to carry chap stick with me everywhere i go- it is a must!  I must have really dry skin because i feel like i go through a tub of chap stick a month.  Some of my favorites are: Neutrogena, Berts Bees, Mission (Serena Williams brand- LOVE!), Nivea, Blistex.  No lipstick for me, just chap stick please!

 

What are your 'Must Haves'???? 

Weekend Roundup!

Chris and I packed up and headed to Richmond this past weekend.  Lora and Matt have been asking us to come down for a while, but between weddings, parties, and other things we had not had a chance to get back there since February.

We got into Richmond late friday- we caught up with Matt, Lora, Cody, and Duncan some and then called it a night so that we could rest up for saturday!

Our friends, DJ and Leah, were hosting a Kentucky Derby party saturday night.  Lora and I spent all day saturday running around Richmond looking for the perfect hat/outfit for lora.  She waited until the last minute to find things to wear, imagine that?! :)

The party was so much fun!  Leah is from Louisville, so this was an event she was used to celebrating.  DJ and Lead even live on Kentucky Derby Dr. in Richmond- so funny!  They really outdid themselves- we had all of the traditional derby goodies.

We had Derby pie - which is pecan pie with chocolate chips....YUMMY!

We also had bourbon balls, mint juleps, hashbrown casserole, and much more.  The party was a success- too bad my horse didn't win!  Maybe next year!

Overall it was a wonderful weekend- we cannot wait to see Lora, Matt, and the boys again soon!

1st Birthday!

I cannot believe this little guy will be 1 in less than 10 days- it seems like just last week i was heading to the hospital for his birth.  He is the sweetest little boy!  I cannot wait to see him grow up- I am a very lucky Aunt! :)

We will be celebrating his 1st year of life Dr. Seuss style!  I cannot wait!  I will be sure to take lots of pictures!

(Touchdown!!!)

'I Do' - Honeymoon! :)

Chris and I are pumped about our honeymoon- we are pumped about everything wedding related, but especially our honeymoon.

Both of us took 2 weeks off of work to get married and honeymoon.  I don't think we've ever had 2 entire weeks off in our life- we are not going to know what to do with ourselves.  Going back to work after all is said and done will be difficult, for sure.  When we got engaged we immediately started talking about honeymoon ideas.  We threw around everything from Hawaii to Jamaica to Mexico.  We both agreed right away that we did not want to break the bank to go on a honeymoon.  In this economy i don't think anyone has money just sitting around to spend on a lavish trip.  Our rule was we did NOT want to accumulate debt just to honeymoon.  A lot of people have asked if we are going to stay in Florida for our honeymoon since we are getting married there.  The answer is yes and no! :) 

We will be getting married on Wednesday- so we will kick off our honeymoon that night.  Our first stop on our honeymoon will be at Conch Key Cottages in Florida.  We will stay there and honeymoon Wednesday - Saturday. 

(Image from here)

The house we are staying in is called 'The Baby Conch'- it is the smallest house they have. :)  It is located right across from the beach!

It is TINY- but after all we will be on our honeymoon, what more do we really need? Inside that tiny little thing is a queen bed, a half kitchen, and a small bathroom.  It has a private fenced in yard, a jacuzzi, and a kayak for us to use during our stay.  The backyard also has a picnic table and a grill.   

**The picture really makes it look tiny - it is really tiny- however i cannot find pictures to show the inside.  The Conch key website shows the houses/inside as a slide show so I'm not able to put any on here.  If you click on the Conch Key link above you can see more about the Baby Conch (or Private Garden Cottage).

 

We will then fly back with our families on Saturday and continue our honeymoon the entire next week!  For the second part of our honeymoon we will be heading to Carolina Beach!  My parents have a beautiful condo on the sound and are very graciously letting us stay there for part of our honeymoon.

I'm sure days there will be spent by the pool and on the dock fishing.  We will probably make some plans to venture into Wilmington for nice meals and maybe a couples massage! :)

We are very much looking forward to having a relaxing 2 weeks vacation to kick off our new life as Mr. and Mrs. Collins!

'I Do' - Reception....It's time to PARTY!

Since we are having a destination wedding we will have a party or reception 2 weeks after we get married, on August 27th to be exact! I am really looking forward to our reception- i cannot wait to celebrate with my wonderful friends and family, since most wont be with us for the actual wedding.

We have rented a house in Burlington to hold the event.  Below are some pictures of the house- it's beautiful!

We will have a DJ set up on the deck for entertainment.  We will have food and drinks set up both indoors and outdoors for people to enjoy!

This house will be perfect for our reception- and its also a bit secluded which is nice!

Many people have asked a lot of questions about our reception and what it will include since our entire wedding process is not very traditional.  However- our reception will be just like any other reception, we plan on including all of the traditional 'activities' per say.

They will include....

Bride/Groom First Dance

Father/Daughter Dance

Mother/Son Dance

Cutting of the Cake- we will also have a grooms cake

Bouquet Toss

Toasts/Speeches

We are very much looking forward to this and are really excited to celebrate with our friends and family!

Next up....Honeymoon!