Wedding Moment #3

Going through old baby photos!

Check out some of these beauties:

And now for the best of all...

Sometimes pictures really are worth a 1,000 words.

Wedding Moment #2

And for our next favorite moment...

Getting our marriage license!!

We thought it was appropriate that we obtained our license from the Greece Town Hall, seeing as how we both grew up in the lovely little town. :)

Wedding Moment #1

OK, Ok, a little late, but....here's the first of our favorite wedding moments:

We absolutely LOVED preparing for the wedding with our family and friends!

It was really important to both Wes and I that our wedding was a reflection of us individually and as a couple.  Naturally, a huge part of the both of our lives, are the people we're surrounded by and so we really tried to have our family and friends included in as many preparations as possible.  The fact that we live 6+ hours away made this a bit of a difficult task, but we did our best and were very happy to have shared these special moments leading up to the special day...

 

Our mom's were able to join us at Century Liquor to do some necessary taste testing! 

 

I was lucky enough to have many of the most important ladies in my life join me for the numerous dress fittings.  

*Shout out to Rylyn's luscious locks*

 

I absolutely LOVED getting together with these lovely ladies to work on numerous projects.  Such good sports.  :)  

 

*sisters*

The start of our wonderful burlap table runners!

My dad firing up the "Bride" and "Groom" lovebirds.

 

My super-talented sister working away at all the bouquets for the wedding!

 

We prepared the centerpiece mason jars on the Tuesday before the wedding, in the parking lot of ARTISANworks.

 

And who could forget the ultimate beer run experience?!

  When you're engaged, everyone tells you to step aside for a moment during the wedding to take it all in, because after all, the day goes so fast.  Agreed - not once did either of us feel like things were dragging that day.  However, Wes and I can say with confidence, that we're satisfied with our experience and that's because of the special moments we listed above, as well as the countless others not mentioned.  To us, our wedding was so much more than just that one day in November (albeit a pretty fantastic day). Thanks to ALL of our family and friends who gave their time and love to help us prepare for that one day - we hope you'll cherish those memories, as much as we do! 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

TO BE MARRIED! 

First of all, HAPPY HOLIDAYS to our faithful blog readers!  Now that the wedding festivities have come to a close, we have quite a bit more time on our hands for "real life"...so, back to our blog!

Our wedding was so overwhelmingly wonderful that we can't wait to relive it with each of you, through our blog!  Each post over the next couple of weeks will feature 1 moment from our wedding that was particularly special to us.  Our version of the 12 days of Christmas.  :)  Stay tuned!

SUPER Wes!

Is there a better topic to bring us back to the blogging world than a post about Wes' latest accomplishment?? I think not...no, not even Election Day.

Family and friend gathered at the start line and at various points throughout the race to cheer Wes on! We were well equipped with our 'Super Wes' t-shirts!

He did such a FANTASTIC job! His infectious smile remained on his face for majority of the run...at least until mile 21. :) Then he smiled again at the finish line.

Check.him.out.

Fall Happenings!

 

We discovered the deliciousness of The Italian Store.  We've been to this local Italian Import store a few times since we've moved to Arlington, mostly for pasta and wine, however, it wasn't until recently that we tried their pizza and subs.  

D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. 

I started teaching a Family Literacy Class for the parents at our school.  Along with basic English skills, they learn more about Providence ES and Fairfax County Public Schools, so that they can better help their children through the learning process.  I love it!  This was a night when we brought the parents and the children together to learn.  This little one is actually in my 1st grade class, and both of her parents decided to come to the Family Lit class!  What a great example to set for their children!

 Then of course there was our super-fantastic bachelorette/bachelor party weekend!  We say it all the time, but we are constantly reminded how lucky we are to have such wonderful family and friends.  They proved it again that weekend, with such thoughtful plans for our special day!  

 

Just this weekend, a few of my loyal college friends made a trip down to visit Wes and I!  We took in some DC history, delicious food and of course enough red wine to fill the Potomac!  

 

This photo is taken outside of Fords Theater, where Lincoln was shot.  Highly recommend checking this place out - very interesting artifacts in the museum, which is in the basement of the theater, as well as the house across the street, where Lincoln actually died. 

It's been a beautiful Fall so far!  This coming weekend is Wes' marathon!  Stay tuned for pictures from the big race! 

Anniversaries, Acorn Squash and Authors, Oh My!

It's been too long - we know!  So sorry for the major delay in posts.  We're not quite sure anything is actually going to slow down until November 24th, 2012...so we're just going to have to squeeze in a post or two, where we can!  Don't leave us though - we LOVE our blog readers!!

This past weekend, Wes and I celebrated our 2 year dating anniversary.  We both agreed that it already feels like much longer - in a good way.  :)  Our weekends are pretty packed with checking items off of the wedding to-do list, but we were able to sneak away for a nice lunch and dinner on Saturday, to celebrate!

     We ventured over to Old Town Alexandria on Saturday afternoon and stopped at a local Irish Pub for their brunch.  They have a secluded rooftop dining area that we found!  We literally had to climb over chairs to get out of our nook, but it was super cozy!

 

Later that evening, with Wes doped up on cold medicine (such a good sport), we headed out to Birch & Barley, one of our favorite DC restaurants, for a delicious dinner.  No joke - their food is ridiculous!  Check out their Early Autumn Salad:  Arugula, Acorn Squash, Red Apple, Walnuts, Pickled Rutabaga, Bleu Cheese.  Don't even get us started on their Homemade Mac & Cheese.  (drooling)  

 

Don't we look cute in our matching blazers??  We were both too stubborn to change.  

p.s. that's the jacket I was wearing when Wes proposed - you know, the one with teeny tiny pockets that I somehow squeezed my hands into, thus having pterodactyl arms in my engagement photos.  :/ I decided to keep my arms down for this shot.

 

We made it to the National Book Fair on Sunday so that I could meet my favorite children's author/illustrator - Peter H. Reynolds!!  If you have children, work with children, or enjoy reading books that inspire, you should definitely check out what he calls his "creatrilogy" series.  The books are The Dot, Ish, and his latest Sky Color.  They're all about creative expression and the potential that we all have - he challenges kids to "make your mark, and see where it takes you."  I usually read The Dot or Ish to my kiddos and then teach them how to make "scribble stories," which are stories that begin with just 1 scribble.  I'll usually make the scribble for them ahead of time and then they have to create a picture from the scribble.  After the drawing is complete, they write a story to match.  Try it with a kid in your life - it's really interesting to find out what their little brains see, that we may overlook.  :)

That's it for now - check back for Shower pics soon!!

BUSY is an Understatement

So many WONDERFUL things have been going on in our lives these past couple of weeks.  A blog post to capture it all is on its way soon!  In the meantime, check out a few preview pics...

 

So happy and so grateful for our unbelievable family and friends.

 A little blurry, but here they are!  Quite possibly, one of the cutest classes I've had to date. 

This has nothing to do with our crazy schedules this past week, but check out the sky from our apartment building last night!

 

Still irrelevant, but...how cute is this banana sticker??

~Jitter Glitter~

Tomorrow's Open House and I get to meet many of my new kiddos!  One of my favorite things to give them before the 1st day of school is Jitter Glitter.  However, as I'm looking around our living room floor, I'm thinking it's possibly one of the parents least favorites. :)

Reason #428...

...why I'm marrying him. :)

He willingly cuts lamination...and like a champ!

VA Billboard Idea

Last day of "Freedom."

Well, it's about that time - the school year officially begins on Monday (for teachers, at least).  I took a sneak peak at my class list and it looks like, so far, I'm starting off with 23 kiddos.  I was telling Wes the other day that I'm actually really excited for this school year to start.  I feel so much more prepared and comfortable going into this year, compared to the mix of emotions I felt last year at this time.  Through the summer work I've done, I have been able to form great relationships with some of my co-workers that I didn't really get a chance to know in the craziness that was the 2011-2012 school year.  Of course, nothing compares to my West Irondequoit friends - I still see people that resemble you in the hallway and get a momentary thrill of excitement, followed quickly by disappointment.  Soon enough, we'll be together again. ;)

Anyway, in my preparation for the new year, I've been looking through the numerous Teacher magazines I find in my mailbox at work.  Check out what I found yesterday!!

As I sit hear, at Starbucks, enjoying my last Freedom Cup of Coffee, while writing this blog post, I can't help but open a new tab to place an order for a set of these!  It's the little things in life, people.

I'll meet my new eager (fingers crossed) learners at Open House next Thursday afternoon.  Stay tuned for a photo!

Marathon Man

Last week, Wes embarked on his first 15 mile (IN A ROW!) run.  He accomplished his goal and is at it again tonight!  Here's a shot of him before his run...

and after...

A Little Love, Actually Goes a Long Way...

 

Last night, we ventured over to Crystal City (another neighborhood in Arlington) to catch an outdoor showing of Love Actually.

We brought the necessities...

 

Delicious Tomato Basil Mozz & Avacado sandwich.

Pirate Booty. Arrrren't you jealous??  

...and wine, of course!

Goof errr Golf Balls & Good Times!

Great times on the golf course this past weekend!

Meet "Team Inappropriate."

 

A little putting practice before the tournament.

My partner in crime for the day.  Shout out to Ashley & Rylyn - our other half. :)

Friends and Lamps?! No way!

 

Guess WHAT??!! 

We may have made REAL LIFE friends today!!!!  

We're trying not to get too excited, after all it's very early in the relationship, but things are looking promising!  We're going to give it the standard 3 days before we reach out, but we have to admit, we're a little giddy.  So please, sit back, read on, and share in our excitement.  After all, it's only taken a YEAR!

Setting:  Nordstrom Rack shopping for top secret wedding things.  

Date:  Sunday, August 12th, 2012

Time:  Approximately 4:15ish pm

Minor detail that's important to the story:  Wes was wearing his Redsox hat

New friend prospect #1:  "Hey man, you a Boston fan??"

Startled Wes (because no one, other than the lifeguards at our pool, ever talk to us):  "Yeah man!"  

New friend prospect #1:  Continues to make conversation!!  

Wes and Jaime's Brains:  Is someone really talking to us??!!  Ok, get it together, this is the moment you've been waiting for.

New friend prospect #1 & Wes:  Continue to make conversation!!

Jaime's face:  Can't wipe the stupid smile off.

~Enter New friend prospect #2 (a female who appears half-way normal!!!) ~  

Jaime's face:  Stupid smile widens

Wes & Jaime's Brains:  Could it be?!  Oh boy (mickey mouse voice)!

New friend prospect #1:  "Hey guys, this is my girlfriend, Lauren."

~Proper introductions ensue~

Wes & New friend prospect #1:  Chat, chat, chat, chat, chat

Jaime & New friend prospect #2:  Chat, chat, giggle, giggle, chat, chat, giggle

~After about 20 minutes of exciting, first date conversation, Wes and New friend prospect #1 exchange business cards (we're so cool in DC) and we decide to hang out after we get back from our trip home next weekend!!!!!~  

Jaime & Wes' brains after New friend prospects leave us:  Ok, stay in control, it's been a while, but you know this feeling.

~Wes and Jaime try to play it cool, since our New friend prospects are still within earshot, so we make stupid conversation about the socks, knowing full well that we're both dying to look at the other with a "DID THAT JUST REALLY HAPPEN?!" look.~

Cut to the car:

Jaime:  "Wes, we're wearing mathcing blue and white striped shirts."

Wes:  "Oh god, we are."  

~A few moments of silence~

Wes:  "Oh well, we'll have to mention that when we hang out next.  Who cares, WE HAVE FRIENDS!!"

Jaime:  "Friends, friends, friends, friends, FRIENDS!!"

 

Oh, and on our way to Jo-Ann Fabrics, we stopped at a furniture store that went bankrupt and is liquidating everything!  We found super awesome lamps for our bedroom, for a ridiculous price!!  We were so excited about our lamps and still a bit giddy from our friend encounter, that we buckled them in.

 

Pretty lamps :)