Preparing

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of baby preparations. Immediately after he returned from a three week tour of Australia, Curt & I took a long weekend to visit our families in Michigan and had the pleasure of attending two baby showers hosted by my family. It was so nice to see many of our loved ones and see the excitement and love they already have for our baby. We are so blessed to have tight knit families who support us, even if it is from a distance most of the time. 

Last weekend my parents arrived and after a few splendid hours of sunshine, we headed off to our frIends' house for a fabulous party to celebrate their new books. It was a lot of fun and Jessica always throws the best get-togethers. 

The next day I had a surprise party of my own with my work friends to celebrate the baby & my birthday. They snuck into the house and decorated the whole place with the cutest poms, streamers, and balloons. Fatemeh made that gorgeous cake complete with sparkler candles. A couple long distance friends made the trek to our house and I couldn't have asked for a sweeter gathering. 

The rest of the week was spent finally getting the nursery ready for Baby. My dad painted the room, transforming it from boring tan to a calming greige. Curt refinished an old dresser, a project that has been in the works for a few months but was stalled by cold weather and multiple tours. My mom painted a thrifted baby glider and helped me make and upholster new cushions. 

Among the smaller details, this birch tie-back I've had in my head and my dad was able to construct. There are still a few things to finish - hanging shelves and art, creating a mobile out of more birch branches, putting the crib together (it should arrive this week), maybe replacing a table lamp, and adding the little finishing touches. We still have about seven weeks until Baby is due to arrive, but it feels so good to have most of the nursery ready and I know those weeks will fly by. 

I got up early this morning to see my parents off, throw in a load of laundry, and crawl back into bed. Curt snuck out at some point to get his sister and her friend from the airport while I slept in for the first time in a few weeks. I usually hear him get up and ready but I was so tired I slept through it all and woke up to find the last few bites of this amazing chai French toast waiting for me on my bedside. I realize once Baby comes that my days of sleeping in will be long gone, so I am trying to soak in as many as possible when I have the chance. 

I'm also taking the day to sit back and relax for the first time in a while and do nothing all day. The drizzly weather and constant stream of hot tea is enhancing the laziness as we work our way through our DVR. All the while trying to make a dent in my latest library book. What are you doing this weekend? 

Weekend Wedding

Curt and I had the privilege of attending our dear friend Matt's wedding this weekend in Indiana. It was a beautiful weekend for a wedding and I snapped a few Instagrams to share with you.

The drive up was gorgeous - the trees were all kinds of colors through Kentucky and Indiana. We don't get that autumnal changing of seasons here in Nashville - it's just kind of hot and then it's cold, so the trees don't go through "the change."

The wedding ceremony was at this sweet little covered bridge in Zionsville. They had Ball jars lining the aisle with candles and the sun was shining just right to cast a perfect afternoon glow over everything.

The men wore plaid shirts with skinny black ties and suspenders; the girls wore grey dresses with sweet bows in the back, and the bride wore a beautiful strapless dress with plenty of ruffly layers.

Keeping with the fall theme, the reception tables were decked out with pumpkins, twigs, and a dusting of glitter. The groom is a musician - aptly represented by the hymnals and antiqued sheet music. The reception was in the town Curt and I (and Matt) went to college, so it was fun to visit for the night.

The reception was of the dessert variety, with plenty of pies and sweets arranged on two glowing tables. The second table had grab bags to fill with all kinds of treats like M&Ms, nuts, pumpkin seeds, chocolate covered espresso beans, peanut butter cups, etc.

I opted for the raspberry cake, which tasted as delicious and pink as it looks. Curt had apple pie with a flaky crust - yum!

Matt & Charissa were very civilized in their cake cutting, aside from a tiny dollop of frosting which somehow got from Matt's finger to Charissa's forehead :)

The wedding was beautiful, the desserts were delicious, and the bride & groom were grinning all night long, so I'd consider it a pretty successful wedding weekend. 

Have you been experiencing autumn where you are? We are going to carve pumpkins this week and roast the seeds. I can't wait!