Well, Hello!

Hello Friends! As you've likely noticed, I've been off the radar for quite some time. I'm not coming back completely yet, I simply wanted to check in and say 'ello and give a quick update! Life is good in Santa Monica and time is flying by! Our Summer has been busy and chock full of wedding fun, new adventures on the West coast, and then of course settling into our humble abode. On the radar now includes a couple trips to Chicago and my hometown as well as a potential trip to Vegas with my ladies.

 

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That's all for now! I hope all is well and that you're enjoying your Summer as much as I am. 

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Life is good.

Our New Home.

Well, we made it! It's been wonderful thus far. I really can't complain about anything except for that I of course miss my family and friends back in Illinois so very much, and I also miss all of our belongings, which we still don't have, and won't have until Tuesday. Woohoo, can't wait!

We just now got the internet today, and I've got to run and get ready for TF and my third year anniversary dinner here down the street from us. So excited. :)

For now, I'll leave you with some amazing photos via Pinterest of our new digs. Enjoy!

3rd Street Promenade


under Santa Monica Pier


huckleberry - psst I had this for breakfast this morning!


beach walk


bountiful


Umami burger


at Santa Monica Place

Happy weekending!

Mission Accomplished.

Success!! We found an apartment! TF and I won't be homeless when we move to Santa Monica at the end of May. Yippee!!

Here's a look at our trip...

We enjoyed the view from our patio.

Of course we went here to enjoy some yummy breakfast where we met the head baker, her husband, new baby and her parents!

We enjoyed the view of the Promenade from here.

We stayed here.

We soaked in the sun.

Took a trip to the beach.

And even saw the Grand Canyon!

I can't believe this is our new home. ...Wow. :)

Wedding Update I

Hooray for wedding planning! We're trying our hardest to plan as much as we can while we're here. So with that, work and planning our move, I'm finding very little time to post. Now that I have some time, I've had some requests to post a wedding update so here we have it!

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Date finalized - It will be a June 2012 wedding at a Catholic church in Lincoln Park, and our reception is in a loft-like space about a mile north.

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Colors {almost} set - We're leaning toward my favorite color, green, and TF's favorite color, navy, with a neutral gray and pops of bright colors in between.


Ring reset - Since the ring was TF's grandmother's, the setting was loose and I lost a couple of diamonds within the first week. After a couple of weeks (which felt like forever!) I had it back in it's new setting and I'm even more in love with it than I was.

before

after

My dress and my bridesmaids dresses - I know what I want, I just can't find it. :) (By the way, those of you who have been through finding The Dress with your mother/sister/friends, did you have any problems? Did they have opinions about the dress you should wear and what you wanted? Please give me some advice here! :D )

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Two little flower darlings - My Godmother's adorable daughter and niece will be gracing the aisle's presence prior to my arrival. ;)

That's it for now! We're visiting Santa Monica this Wednesday with the only goal being to find an apartment once we move in late May. Wish us luck!!

We're Back and It's Just Begun...

Get ready, this is a long post, but I swear it's worth it and you must read until the very end because there's a surprise!

Well, we loved Santa Monica. I will always have a warm memory in my heart from this trip, but I'll get to that a little later ;)

We loved it! Why?! It's charming and you cannot beat the beautiful weather. I ventured out solo, (TBF had to work until he could come out Friday) and arrived late Wednesday night to a dark Santa Monica. When I awoke on Thursday morning I walked out the door and was in awe. Immediately I was greeted by the beautiful beach and after soaking it in, I meandered through the adorable 3rd Street Promenade, grabbing some coffee at a quaint shop on the way.

I then walked to the office which was an open villa-like place; not like my office in Chicago at all. I couldn't believe I was expected to work in a such a relaxing atmosphere. The two days of working in that office went by quickly, I couldn't get over how I was treated so sweetly by my coworkers, and then...TBF finally arrived (yayy!!!). I know this sounds silly, but I really missed him and never want to travel without him again (fat chance, but still). Needless to say, I was so excited for him to be there finally, even if it was just for a day.

Saturday, we woke up early and ventured to Huckleberry where we ate delicious sunny side up dishes and mingled with the locals. Just. Adorable. (And nummy!)



We then explored the neighborhood and eventually made our way back to the Promenade and then over to Santa Monica Pier for some sight seeing. Gorgeous, right?



After the pier we enjoyed some delicious fish tacos, lobster and oyster yummies with TBF's best friend's jovial (and hardcore) younger brother who lives in LA with his sweet sweet girlfriend. It was so wonderful to see them! I can't believe I forgot to snap a picture with them!

We followed up lunch with some happy hour margaritas at a local gastropub near our hotel, then said our goodbyes to our friends and decided to freshen up back at the hotel before dinner.

Psst..Here's where the surprise begins...

While I was teasing my hair in the bathroom attempting to maneuver it into an updo, TBF hollered that he wanted me to see this video on the computer. I skipped over to him with my light-socket-crazy hair, thinking I'm the most hilarious person ever, and he turned around and chuckled, so I smoothed my hair adorably and he asked me to sit down in front of the computer.

The movie that TBF played took me on a journey through the past two and a half years of our relationship. The song that was playing was one of our favorites, I didn't put two and two together until near the end, which became even more sentimental and kind, with comments about our future together. By the end I was in tears, and he proceeded to get down on one knee and propose...


Yep, we're engaged!!!


This was his grandmother's ring (on his father's side). As he proposed he explained that it was the only item he ever had that belonged to her. He had spent the last couple of months arranging and asking permission from family members to obtain it for the proposal. I was touched not only was it beautiful, but had a long history and sentimental value.

It's all a blur, the proposal, the rest of the night, I'm so thrilled and excited for our future together. The overwhelming amount of love has been touching to say the least. I hope you're all ready for some wedding-related posts because holy moly now I have a reason to post about them and it's on. ;)


Now you know why Santa Monica and 1.22.11 will remain such a fond memory in my heart forever.


Have a wonderful week :)

Up, Up and Away

I'm off to sunny Santa Monica until Sunday! Thank you again for all of your recommendations. You know I'll take tons of pictures and share when I return.

Until then, I leave you with this amazing weather comparison. When people ask me why I'd ever want to move from away from Chicago, I think I'll just show them this ::

Chicago's weather

Santa Monica's weather

Yep. I'm excited. I've got the SPF, sunglasses and optimism packed. Here I come LA!

Dreaming Of...

...a care-free and comfy outfit to wear in Santa Monica next week.

Sperry's


A cotton tee


Grandpa cardigan (I swear this is the actual name)


and some comfy jeans.

One week from today. Can't wait.

Freck's Friday Fancies LXX

This week, all I fancy is Santa Monica. Why? TBF and I are visiting that area in a couple of weeks!! (!!!)

What we should do? Where should we go? Any great restaurants? Shopping? I'd love to hear! You all had such great recommendations for San Francisco, I'm still so grateful for those!

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Thanks so much in advance for all your help and have a wonderful weekend!