GRATITUDES + BREAKTHROUGHS // JULY 5, 2016

Gratitudes

Maddie + Andrew’s navy and champagne wedding last Saturday at the stately Mimslyn Inn in Luray was everything they imagined it to be. The weather was idyllic especially for July, with the high at about 80 with almost no humidity… Mother Nature was really helpful, considering Virginia is usually unbearable during this month. These two invited friends and family members from all over to join them for the weekend on site to really share in their joy in becoming husband + wife. Maddie had so much love around her with her favorite gals as she got ready and Andrew was calm and collected in the Bridal Cottage with his guys and Maddie’s handsome little pup Max. A first look was important to these two as they wanted the pre-marriage-jitters to subside before walking down the aisle and have time during cocktail hour to visit with guests. First looks are so intense, intimate and genuine, to see Andrew’s initial reaction – it was so profound – and to see Maddie admire him in his sharp blue suit was equally as moving. The ceremony went smoothly as they said their vows nestled on the side of a hill with bounds of white florals and a police officer’s prayer. Their cocktail hour was filled with chatter, a photo booth and delicious appetizers. Maddie’s father had an emotional welcome toast followed by two incredible Matron of Honor and Maid of Honor speeches that had everyone laughing with mention of Maddie’s main man…Max. Andrew’s brother also delivered a speech with stories of them as boys and advice for a happy marriage. Immediately following dinner, the newlyweds took their first dance with guests standing to make an private dance floor. From that point on the dance floor opened and so did the massive cookie bar, apparently a big Pittsburgh tradition. Members from Maddie’s family volunteered to make special cookies to fill two large bars, there were hundreds of cookies and various flavors. It was definitely a crowd favorite! Dancing continued through the night until the second to last song, which was dedicated to them by one of Andrew’s groomsmen, “I Swear” by All-For-One or John Michael Montgomery, whichever your choice. Maddie + Andrew loved it and so did everyone else. Their sparkler exit was packed with guests joyfully waving their sparklers to wish these two a long and happy marriage! If you didn’t get a chance to see, hop on over to my Instagram page to see more sneak peeks of their big day!

After 9 days and probably 200 names, we have finally given a name to our sweet boxer puppy. I’ll be introducing Mosby officially on the blog next week with a few portraits, and because I love Ava and our cat Tom I think it’s only fair that they get a little spotlight too. He’s been a joy to have around, his dopey face and puppy curiosity. He’s brought a new lighter energy to the house that we’ve been tickled to have.

I mentioned the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday so Saturday we loaded up the dogs and spent time with our friends out in hunt county. We visited The Front Porch in The Plains for a cocktail (the summer sangria was awesome) and ordered lunch to go. We sat poolside in the afternoon finishing up lunch while looking over the mountains. From there we headed toward Berryville for an afternoon of wine, polo and a charcoal cookout! Mosby did surprisingly well for never seeing a horse before, he was definitely curious and a little frightened when they began moving. He seemed to pick up pretty quickly that he shouldn’t mess with them, which I was thankful for. The boys played polo while I sat back and enjoy a few glasses of wine with the puppies before the cookout. It was a really nice end to the weekend, and Monday being a bonus day off. Monday we rounded the pups up and headed home with big plans for brunch and instead decided to take a long nap on the couch. It turned from a day of big celebratory plans to a day snuggled at home binge watching Netflix which was just what I needed. We were even able to catch the big fireworks display from our front porch!

I finally bought a car too! So if you’ve been following my blog, my car was totaled two weeks ago after a massive hail storm hit Middleburg. On Tuesday I drove down with my Dad, Grandpa and Uncle to Ron Rosner Toyota to check out the new RAV4s. I’ve been a Ford girl for a long time but my ENTIRE family is Toyota, Dad has a Tundra, Mom has a Highlander and all three younger sisters have RAV4s. My family made a big push for me to make the jump and join them on this Toyota party. I went down there with a few requirements: heated seats, leather, tan interior and a white/gold exterior. I happily ended up with a 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid that is a Super White with black/charcoal cloth interior. I might not have been able to get exactly what I wanted but I loved the customer service and the willingness to let me look at all of the options as well as suggested monthly payments. I’m completely satisfied especially since I’ll be saving so much in gas with my hybrid, I’ve only had to fill up one time last week!

Moving away from the blue and into the pinks again, I’m revisiting ElePhantastic Pink again. A few weeks ago I was able to put it on my toes but not for long so I’m giving it another go this week. It’s bright, joyous and I feel like I need that right now.

Breakthroughs

Letting go was a big lesson this week, as you just read above I had to purchase a new car. I felt like the whole time I was going through this life hiccup I was calm, rational and ready to make some decisions. I kept telling myself, “it could be worse, this isn’t the worse case scenario, you’re fine.” And I am. What I wasn’t prepared for was letting go of that comfort that came with my old car, where I knew were all of the nooks and crannies and additional pockets were. I had a system where I kept business receipts, I had extra cardboard coffee cup sleeves in case my to-go cup was too hot, extra sunglasses, hair ties and obviously lipstick and lipgloss. I liked my old car, the color, the leather interior, the mini suv shape and I was ready to be committed to her for another 5 years. Especially with only 6 payments left. So last week when it came time to trade in my rental car and drive down to the dealership I could feel myself being filled with resistance. I wasn’t ready to really let go of my old car, I knew I was going there to purchase another one, but I was still holding on. When I was test driving I was impressed with the RAV4 but I kept saying “It doesn’t have the extra cup holders, the trunk looks smaller, and I liked my old seats better.” I wasn’t allowing myself to be excited for a new car and a new experience. And I certainly wasn’t thrilled about sitting down to talk about payments for another 5 years and what that would look like. I ended up test driving three cars and by the time I got into the third one I took a deep breath and had a mental chat with myself about letting go. I needed those 4 miles to really breath and say goodbye to my old car and embrace this new experience. No one enjoys talking about money, especially when you are taking out a loan for another 5 years, but it’s part of life and in looking at the positive I was able to get a brand new car with the 4 miles I put on it while test driving. I am fortunate and grateful for this breakthrough.

As always, thanks for reading. xoxo.