wedding

#PHXLASMCI: Kansas City – Part II

I mentioned my “roommate” for the weekend Janelle ever so briefly in my last post, knowing fully that I’d tell you more today.

Janelle and I had the pleasure of working together (with Natalie) for several years and grew very close along the way. Janelle left my company a few years back to be a full-time mommy of two of the most beautiful children on the planet… and it was SO NICE to have a chance to catch up with her in KC!

On Saturday morning, Janelle and I had made plans to meet up with one of our other former co-workers that lives in Kansas City for coffee. It was so great to see Casey and to chat over delicious coffee at Latte Land.

After coffee, we explored the area a little bit more… popping into stores to shop and checking out all the fountains. The weather was perfect and there was plenty to keep us entertained. We even peeked into Paper Source, which had the cutest gift ideas… I so almost bought that cookbook. Love it!

Hungry for our next meal, we had lunch at a spot that was new to both of us called Ingredient. After much perusing, Janelle and I both decided to try their House Chopped Salad, which was the perfect pre-wedding lunch. It was a chopped salad with roasted chicken, bacon, tomatoes, green onions, cucumbers, and (surprise) ditalini pasta. It also comes with gorgonzola cheese, but I had that removed… The lemony dressing it was mixed in was awesome too!

After Ingredient, we scooted back to the hotel to get fabulous. Something else wonderful about seeing Janelle was that she helped me decide what to wear to the event. I had some last minute hesitations on the pretty red dress I bought to wear to the wedding (fabric that bunched a little in the midsection in a way that couldn’t be resolved with spanx) and brought a back-up black dress just in case… Janelle helped confirm that black was the way to go. A much appreciated (and trusted!) second opinion.

I ended up going with a White House/Black Market dress that I actually wore to Robin’s wedding. I was so thankful I had it, considering the weird gathering of fabric that was going on. I also used Pinterest to come up with a fancy half undo… If you haven’t read the Small Things Blog, she seriously has the best ideas! Here’s how the elegant half updo with a secret braid looked.

Did I mention I had a job in the wedding? Yep, Nat “hired” me to distribute programs at her wedding…

And as a result, I got to be the first to see this VERY adorable present, that accompanied me at the gift table. So clever!

I can’t even begin to tell you what a gorgeous wedding this was. The bride? Stunning. The groom? Handsome. The venue? Exquisite perfection. The food? Absolutely delish! The 80s cover band? So fun!

Every detail of the wedding was handled with such care, and it was truly perfect. I loved that Nat wasn’t AT ALL stressed by the details and simply got to show up. (Well, we both know she did more than that… but she wasn’t even close to entering bridezilla-dom, if you know what I mean.)

After drinking all the vodka at the reception (oops!), I ended up dancing my little heart out. Yep, me… who rarely dances. Actually, if I think about it… it was likely the vodka dancing. Signature cocktail x 100 = DANCING!

All in all… it was SUCH a fun night, with some of my favorite people on the planet.

Natalie and Rick – - Thank you for including me in your very special day. Words can’t describe how happy I am for the two of you, and how jealous I am that you’re whisked away to paradise at this point! Wishing you many, many years of happiness! xoxo

Four Days in Vegas - Part II

Happy Holiday Weekend

Adventures of a Not-So-Average Saturday

#PHXLASMCI: Kansas City – Part I

I hesitated in writing up my summary of the last leg of my trip. Partially because this would mean that the trip was REALLY over, and partially because it was my favorite part of the trip and I wasn’t really certain how to write about it.

Third Stop: Kansas City

I’ve been planning this trip to Kansas City for about a year. My dear, sweet, inspiring, fabulous friend Natalie was getting married, and you best believe I wanted to be front and center to see her marry the man of her dreams.

Nat and I have been friends for about 5 years now, but honestly, I feel as though I’ve known her forever. Interestingly, we’ve also never lived in the same city, nor spent weeks on end with one another… but just the same, she’s become one of my bestest of friends.

She and I started working together back in 2008 when I took a job in the same department. Instantly, we bonded over just about everything… TV shows, fun stories of the work day, movies, books, shopping, you know… all the fun GIRL STUFF!

When I started on my journey to lose weight, Nat was right there with me (virtually, of course) cheering me along. She was that voice or text message saying “Don’t drive thru” or “Go to the GYMMMM” in the most supportive way. And, when I finally came out of the “blog closet” she was one of the first people that I shared NTTC with…

As she heard all the intimate details of my weight loss battle, I had the extreme privilege of hearing all about her great adventures involving her courtship with her wonderful husband Rick.

All that being said, the third leg of my trip was particularly special because it involved Nat.

I flew into KC on Friday morning, as I needed to be in town in time for the rehearsal dinner. I made reservations to stay on the beautiful Country Club Plaza so that I’d be close to the wedding festivities and so that we would be able to enjoy the Plaza during free time.

When I got to the Courtyard Country Club Plaza, I had a fun package at the front desk from the bride with water, snacks, and last minute reminders about the wedding.

Having several hours free before I had to be anywhere, I headed off to the plaza for some shopping and lunch. I knew exactly where I wanted to go for lunch and made a beeline for Seasons 52.

If you’ve never had the pleasure, Seasons 52 is a restaurant that boasts a seasonal menu, with weekly specials (thus the 52.) The BEST part about their menu is that every single item on the menu is under 475 calories. SERIOUSLY! The waiter when he stopped by emphasized that their dishes are not prepared in butter and that olive oil is used sparingly. (Seasons 52… Why are you not in Denver yet??)

There were so many things on the menu I wanted to try, but I settled on two appetizer salads to try: the Crisp Romaine & Kale Caesar Salad and the Tomato and Hass Avocado Salad. I ended up eating about half of each salad, which clocked in at about 310 calories. PERFECTION!

After a delicious lunch, I popped into a few stores to pick up a few accessories for the rehearsal dinner: A new clutch from Forever 21, earrings and bracelet from Black House/White Market, and a scarf to cover up with on the cool Missouri night! You can’t not shop in the Plaza, afterall!

After squeezing in time for a sweaty workout in the hotel gym, it was time to get ready for the rehearsal. I found this great green dress at TJ Maxx and was excited to pair it with my new accessories.

I absolutely loved Nat’s rehearsal, which was held at the amazing Plaza III Steakhouse in their wine cellar.

Mostly, it was honored to meet her family. The beautiful cast of characters that she had described to me for years… it was awesome to put a face with the names and stories she had shared. It was especially wonderful meeting her mom, Grandmother (Nonna), and her new stepson Little Ricky!

The bride looked SO beautiful and incredibly happy, and it was SO fantastic to see this lady!

After a delicious meal at Plaza III, we headed off to a local bar to meet up with some additional wedding guests who had arrived during the rehearsal. While we didn’t stay out long, we spent a little time catching up with Janelle (my roommate for the weekend), Jamie, and Kara who had flown in from California. So fun to see everyone!

To Be Continued….