a bridal shower! for this bridey to be!

last week i finished reading a reeeeally darn good book called the aviators wife. and there was one line in particular that i kept going back too. kept re-reading and loving. until i finally wrote it down, because it was distracting me and my thoughts and i needed to get back to my story!  it was this:

  

“it took me a very long time not to view sympathy, grief, doubt, the ability to be moved by tears by love and happiness and sadness and music - as weak, despicable traits. He taught me that the ability to grieve deeply also meant that a person had the capacity to love deeply, laugh deeply, live deeply -- and that this was a capacity to be cherished.”

and that line, it's sort of me, chelsea coleen, in a nutshell, so personally? oooh i agree! it’s a capacity to be cherished [and appreciated!] and i loved how such sentiments were written so beautifully. because sometimes, traits like those... they really can be looked at as weak. i've just never been one of those people who have ever believed that. so when i read it, i was like, riiiight there with you author lady! i know when i think back to my bridal shower today and tomorrow and thirty years from now, i will remember all of the love and the laughing and the happiness that surrounded me. how i was moved so deeply by it all.   

[i will probably be reminiscing while austin and i are dining on our antique white plates! with our matching silverware! and glassware! and all the adult, married couple things we have received from the ones we love so dearly and who have been so very gracious to us.]  

it was so very special for me to have three of my best friends [and bridesmaids!] there with me. it was so special to see my cousin's beautiful faces and childhood loves [circa 5th grade!], and family friend faces i haven't seen in so many years! there were a couple of speeches, a couple of introductions and thank you's made as we sat down for the yummiest of lunches. and hearing these sweet words!! i [happily!] cried quite a bit. but if you know us, and oo those lovely people sure do, they are pretty used to it! my sister wrote the cutest, sweetest speech. and because my mom is one of the most creative people i know [especially with her words] she wrote a bit of a poem - and it was perfect.

so thank you soooo much faith and carter, some of our dearest and oldest family friends, for the bestest of showers. and to my amazing family and friends and bridesmaids, you made that day so special. i felt really, really, loved. and that is something i cherish so much more than i could ever really put into words. 

a healy wedding!

this picture!! makes my heart just explode with happiness. so much love!

so close molldoll, so close!

about a month ago, my handsome cousin married the beautiful love of his lifey. and!! to add to the excitement, this was the very first healy wedding! the first cousin to say i do! my dad has a big, big fam - 7 siblings [plus their spouses!] and then there's us kids! 19 of us to be exact. and so many of these amazing faces were there to celebrate the beautiful newleyweds. it's really fun being related to these people. it also gave me a special little glimpse into how our wedding will be, because a lot of those faces will be making their way to atlanta to watch healy cousin numbero two [me! meee!] say i do! and this little glimpse, it was overwhelmingly wonderful. such a fun, loving, encouraging group and every time we are together it's special [and every time we have to say goodbye it makes my heart a whole lot sad]

so the first healy wedding! it was a gorgeous success.  and oh the bridey! the newest member of our healy fam - she could not be a better fit. the ceremony was emotional, in the happy tears kind of way they always are, seeing two people stand up there and become man and wife, its really the greatest of all.  and then getting to celebrate these two at their reception, so much fun.  [it was also the most amazing to see an entire cheese display during cocktail hour- along with any other food imaginable. me+cheese=<3] mmm!! 

endless cheese, love, and my family. that always makes for a really perfect night. and it was! congrats pat and heather! we love you two sooo much! and are looking forward to all the pirate parties and manomet beaching in our years to come! 

spinach quiche, mmm mm!

directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, Lightly grease a 10 inch quiche dish. 

In a large bowl, beat together milk, eggs, baking mix, butter and parmesan cheese. 

Stir in broccoli, ham and Cheddar cheese. Pour into prepared quiche dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, until eggs are set and top is golden brown.

a sunday in black and white!

this past sunday was a pretty, pretty weather one. one that was spent entirely outside! we sort of broke away from our usual routine and slept in a bit later and went on a fam b-fast date to our trusty panera bread. where we brunched on bagels and iced coffee with out littlest gent! who was so good by our sides! [leashed up niiice and good, right under my chair ;)] we do not like leaving that one at home so its always nice when he can hang with his humans, in human places! and really there is no story there, we took a walk. we pooled, summer kind of stuff. but... document! because it was a really sweet, good day.  those little, everyday moments, i think if you can take delight in those, then you are going pretty a-okay! 

mdw

well! keeping with tradition of just soaking up all the busy goodness over the past couple of weeks, i am behind in my documenting!! and my memory is currently busy with lots of work/wedding things so, document we must!  for memorial day this year we traveled to austin's aunt and uncle's lake house. and! they so sweetly braved all of our puppies that came with their humans! [four to be exact!] we were so eager to get our water puppy back into the river water. and he was too! cutest little swimmer, we were so proud! the weekend was a beautiful one and the weather,  company, and dinners! were the best yet. 

v is for victory!

wedding diet 

"v is for victory!" --he says :)

seven years came! and went! and was celebrated pre anniversary, actually, because my stone had to be away for biz last mon - thurs. but when our anniverary rolled around, the prettiest of red roses arrived at my work from my most handsome love! he flew back to atlanta that thursday and the exhausted worker bee had to then drive home from the airport. re-pack. and back to the airport we went, together this time, to fly home to connecticut. phew!

we were flying home for my cousins wedding but also! my grandparents drove down from vermont to spend a quick day and night with us before we left again. in seven years, austin has never had the chance to meet my nana and papa. and boooooy. he has been missing out. it was so great for him to get to spend some time with these loves of mine. they are so golden and good to the core. my papa, is one of the happiest people i know, always [always, always] smiling. he is the cutest. and my nana!!! she is the funniest lady. oh she makes me laugh. 

the weather was so perfect and allowed this girl to lunch outside with my g-prents and my p-rents and my f-iance, on a really beautiful day.  my stone and daddy went to play golf afterwards while my nana, papa, mommy and i ventured to the hill-stead museum. where!! i successfully managed to get in a little bit of trouble with the tour guide madam... three times, actually. one, for almost sitting on the fragile do-not-sit furniture. two, for attempting to step out of the room to take a call from work [you are not allowed to wander alone, apparently!] and three, for my graaaand finale, almost knocking a picture off the wall as i helped lift my papa's wheelchair over a little doorway. allll in a days work! 

that night my daddy cooked some steaks and chicken and we just feasted and visited at home.  at one point, my nana was telling us one of her funny stories and afterwards austin said you know, that sounds like it could be a seinfeld episode! which led to tv talk which then led to the realization that austin and papa could really be the bestest of friends thanks to their love of not only seinfeld but wheel of fortune. ha! old men, those two. makes me laugh every time. 

i love them. and i am so thankful they would drive the four hours to come for a really short visit. its harder for my papa to get around these days [his handsome looks and sports knowledge and sheer happiness might fool you! but it is, unfortunately] so it wasn't the easiest thing, but they did it! and i am sooo happy they did!! cutest people on earth they are. 

7 years!

vintage 2007 college us! my fav 

happy seven years of boyfriend-girlfriendness to my most handsome! thanks for asking me to be your girlfriend then. and your wife-to-be now. and for the roses this morning. and aaall the other little to big things over the past seven years. there is no one else in this big, big world that i'd rather spend all my days with and i sure am thankful our two worlds collided one tuscaloosa night. love you forever and ev [and infinity and beyoooond!]