A visit.

We were blessed/lucky/fortunate to have a little visit from two very good friends from New York last night - The Kooistras! As many of you know, Kara's my long lost sister from college whom I've adored and shared many of my best (& worst) moments with. I believe we all need someone like that in our lives & I'm lucky I have found mine already. 

We were to met at The Brew Works yet were unaware that there are actually multiple locations so yes, we ended up at opposite places at first but after that hiccup, we were able to meet. We don't get a lot of these moments, but when we do, it's like no time has passed. They are both just amazing people and a couple (trio is you count cute Digby) that we can easily talk to & reminisce with for hours upon end. Sadly, it did end but they must know that they are loved by us and more visits are an order! 

Oh, and these faces are normal.

The invaders.

Our nice little Sunday was interrupted by a few new visitors in our basement. 

We had been noticing that our Zooey cat was really interested in going down into the basement all morning. We thought she had found a bug so thought nothing of it. 

Ryan took a trip down and was surprised to find a bird just hanging out downstairs. After a few minutes to freak and put a game plan together, we decided to just sort of go for it and try and get it out of the door downstairs.

Once Ryan opened up the door however, we noticed that there was a neighborhood cat just hanging out on the stairwell.

Luckily, I caught a few things on film but sadly missed the exit of the bird because just like Ryan, I freaked out a bit.

Not the best film (as I was shaky and lost sound for a few seconds), but nonetheless comical for us & something we are sure to remember. 

A wedding

Weddings are always a good time. Ryan & I along with my family went to Nicki & Ben's wedding yesterday & like always, had a good time. Yes, the shoes came off. Yes, dancing was in session. Yes, I accomplished my usual goal of getting everyone mixed up during the electric slide.

We will start with the church ceremony. A beautiful church along with a beautiful ceremony.

The theme was "beachy" since Ben proposed to her on the beach. My table was "Atlantic City" which her brother Pat said "wasn't exotic enough for us".

The bridal party arrived at the Village Room but I caught this guy coming down the aisle instead...last time I checked, he wasn't in the party. But beer must be had!

The dances were of course next. Steve had too many excuses to NOT have to dance, but alas, there he is!

And of course, the best part for last. The "cheesing" & the dancing. Hit it!

There you have it! Another successful & eventful wedding down in the books. And only a slight feeling of "Ugh.." when waking up in the morning. So who is next?

And congratulations Nicki & Ben!

Saturday Morning.

To market, to market we go.

yum.

"Thought I Was Blind Before I Met You."

It's been two years.

Two years ago in front of our family & friends & each other, we took our vows and declared our love for one another.

Two years ago, we were shown love and support in return from our favorite people.

Two years ago, we boogied down, danced, and celebrated one of the most memorable times of our lives.

And two years later,  we are still celebrating our love for each other.

I think I will keep him.

Happy Anniversary Bing.

Introducing Molly.

Yesterday morning, I took a class to get acquainted with my new best friend, Molly.

You see, I was scared of Molly. But after class, I felt pretty confident.

Today, I tested out my skills on making an envelope pillow with left over curtain material.

So I ironed, pinned, threaded the machine, and let-her-rip.

I succeeded in making an even & beautiful straight line stitch. Hey, this wasn't too scary..

And I completed my 12 x 12 envelope pillow with no problems!

Here's the back..see the opening?

Once I get the form, hopefully she will slide right in there!

I think we are going to be best friends.

Happy Dad Day!

Here's to my wonderful Dad who is still young at heart & who still thinks he is funny (though I have to admit, he is at times...)

Love you Dad.

Richmond is for lovers...and the Donnellys.

For Ryan's birthday, I decided to surprise him with a weekend trip. After budgeting, searching, and figuring out the timing, I decided on Richmond. Why? It's not too far. It has some history. It's crafty & I found some neat record stores. Not to mention, they apparently were known for some good food. Check, check, & check.

The ride was about four and half hours. Not too shabby & we only hit a little traffic.

After checking into the hotel, we headed into the city to Steady Sounds just for Ryan. The street was a little "shady", but the place was pretty neat.

Ryan was happy and walked away with a few records.

After walking around the city, we got pretty hungry (& thirsty). So we headed to Legend Brewery for some refreshments.

The food was pretty yummy. But we both admit, the beer was weak. I really liked their unicorn glass though!

Saturday, we headed into what we thought was Carytown to do some shopping. For some reason, we ended up on the opposite side and were disappointed at first. But we found a nice bookstore & then this sweet Urban Farmhouse Market which had some awesome coffee (and beer).

We walked a few blocks under the railways & enjoyed the main street station...

...along with some art murals on the walls. 

Finally realizing our error, we went to Carytown (for real this time) & were amazed at the stores we found.

I really enjoyed the used bookstore with their cat in the display window.

Along with this farm bus which takes local produce to the streets.

We headed to another record store (Deep Grooves) for some more browsing/shopping. The owner was super nice & gave the birthday boy a shirt on the house.

Later, we went into The Fan to Sticky Rice which we was on our list of "must do".

Their Sticky Balls are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!! I can't even describe how good they were. It was heaven in my (our) mouths. Just looking at the picture again gives me a craving.

On our way back, I told Ryan I could re-enact this picture. The only thing I'm re-enacting here is how-to-let-one-rip. I'm going with you-were-too-quick-on-the-snap excuse...

On our last day, we went on a whim to Strawberry Street Cafe for brunch. They had their brunch buffet in a bath tub - it was pretty neat (& yummy).

 Would we go back? Yes! It was a nice little getaway & not too expensive on our part. We may have to hit up major cities on the east coast this year..