Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a lovely morning, afternoon, or evening! It was such a crazy yet fulfilling time throughout the whole wedding-planning process, and it’s been quite the adventure moving out of my parents’ home for the first time and settling into my own. That’s partly the reason I’ve been gone so long. I will surely delve more into the wedding day itself, but aside from that, I still had so many lovely memories from these past few months!

Adventures

Parties, Weddings, and More Parties

These past five months, I went to three birthday parties: my in-laws’ neighbor turned 60, my nephew turned 1, and my husband’s cousin’s daughter turned 9 (I think)! I also went to two weddings, one of which was in Maryland, so some friends and I took a weekend trip to Baltimore. I also went to a baby shower for my husband’s cousin’s cousin (my husband’s family is rather closeknit), then a Halloween party that same evening! My husband (fiancé, at that point) was with me for nearly all except one of the weddings, but they were all such grand times surrounded by friends and family!

Renaissance Festival

One of my yearly favorites. My fiancé and I went along with my sister and her family, and another couple we’re friends with. We mapped out the day beforehand just because there is so much to see and experience! (and by “we,” I mean my brother-in-law… that’s his specialty) We saw a few shows, musical and tricks/skills, even one or two that I had never seen before! Most of us got turkey legs at some point; I couldn’t even finish mine, while my fiancé ate his down to the bone. We ended the day by watching the final joust, which was pretty suspenseful, even including more characters to the fight!

My Bridal Shower

My bridal shower was held about a month before the wedding, and I left pretty much all of it up to my older sister, Emma, who was my Matron of Honor! It was Enchanted Forest themed, and she absolutely killed it! Even the food was themed (see picture of menu down below), with snacks called, “hedgehogs,” “ladybugs on a flower,” and “mushrooms.” My younger sister, Briana, made the cake, and I don’t think I will ever get over how amazing it was! It was such a wonderful time of fellowship, gifts, and fun!

Trips

I went on a few trips these past months. I went to Baltimore, Maryland for a weekend with some friends, a weekend camping trip in Parker Dam State Park with my dad and younger sisters, and then a 2-week long roadtrip with my husband to the Southwest US for our honeymoon! They were all such amazing times. In Baltimore, we all stayed at an AirBnB together and the wedding itself was beautiful! While camping, we stayed on the campground one night, then backpacked into the woods and slept there the next; it was such a cool park! I’ll be making a separate post about the honeymoon (stay tuned!), but we made it across the whole country, going as far as Sequoia National Park in California!

Christmas Festivities

In the month of December, we had some Christmas-y going on every weekend! We went to two Christmas-y stores with my in-laws, then celebrated our annual Friendsgivingmas the next weekend. Mid-December, my husband brought to my attention the Bellefonte Victorian Christmas in Central PA. We embarked for the last day of their weekend festival, but it was amazing to just see the small, old town! We also went to an annual Christmas party hosted by some family friends of mine, the Saturday before Christmas! It was so wonderful to celebrate all month, but it also reminded me of December 2024, when my husband and I first met and were getting to know each other!

My Favorite Holidays

My favorite holidays were all in this stretch of time: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve! We celebrate Thanksgiving twice: with my in-laws on the day-of, then my family the day after. We did Christmas a few times: Christmas Eve with my husband’s dad’s side, Christmas Day with my husband’s mom’s side, then the day after with my family, and finally my husband’s immediate family, the following Sunday. It was the perfect amount of Christmas celebrations with the perfect amount of family!

Photographs pt.1

OOTDs

Pastimes

Movies & TV Shows Watched

1. Nacho Libre
2. Angels in the Outfield
3. Wicked: For Good

Currently Watching

1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (season 1)

Currently Reading

1. Circe by Madeleine Miller

Quotes

“I think freckles, stretch marks, tattoos, bruises, birthmarks, and scars are probably the coolest thing. You started with almost a blank canvas and look at [you] now. All this evidence that you’ve lived and the sun has shone on you and you’ve grown and maybe tripped up a few times and liked an image so much [you] made it a permanent part of [you], beautiful.”
unknown

“You can work when you’re dead.
Well, no, you can’t. But what I mean is: Rest your head on your lover’s chest for a few more minutes. Clock in late. Take the long way home that passes by the horses, even when your inbox is tapping you on the shoulder. Close your laptop on the plane and look at the clouds. When you can’t find time to read or do yoga or play your ukulele, look again. Send the call to voicemail. Go to a coffee shop to work with a friend. Talk about everything except work. Decline the meeting invite. Take a day to drive eighty miles to get your favorite dim dum. Turn your camera off during the Zoom call and bake a strawerry shortcake while the CEO waxes on about revenue.
I have so much to do, you always say.
But the doing always gets done.
It’s the living you should keep an eye on.”
unknown

“you should all come over here and eat strawberries with me. It’s raining outside we can have tea and tell secrest, it’ll be lovely.”
artsheila via Tumblr

“I will not hurry through this day! Lord, I will listen by the way,
To humming bees and singing birds, to speaking trees and friendly words;
And for the moments in between seek glimpses of Thy great unseen.
I will not hurry through this day; I will take time to think and pray;
I will look up into the sky, where fleecy clouds and swallows fly;
And somewhere in the day, maybe I will catch whispers, Lord, from Thee!”
Ralph Spaulding Cushman

Photographs pt.2

How Can I Pray For You In January?