Family Vacation Fun

I'm a lucky girl.  The past week was filled with lots of fun in the sun with my hubby and family.  Besides the fact that I picked up a lovely cold on the plane and proceeded to share it with my mom and dad, and my niece also had an ear infection, all was well.  (This cold is seriously crappy though -- I still have it and I have to work over the weekend and I wish I could just crash.  Bad timing.)  But our runny noses, hacking and sore throats couldn't overpower over-the-counter meds and a healthy supply of rum, vodka and the like.  Our vacation overall was fantastic.  I'm so lucky my family is  amazing and also that my hubby loves them (and they love him) just as much as I do! Everyone is quite easy-going which helps make for great memories.  Here are a few pictures we snapped in between sunbathing, cruising on our beach bikes and sampling fresh seafood and rum runners! :)  Aww ... I love vacation.

Me, my sister and niece. 

My hot mom and sister.

We did a ton of walking, but this day we took a six mile walk to Caladesi Island.

My sunbathing niece! She loved trying to eat the seashells -- scary!

Now we are back home and like I said, I'm working at a trade show this weekend which I'm not enthused about.  I never work weekends, and this time I have to go out of the country for this event.  I'm hoping it goes quickly.  Now we can look forward to being in our new home this spring and getting our deck built, getting gutters and grass! Woo hoo! How things have changed.  :)

I hope you had a great week and have something fun planned for the weekend.

~DD

Back to the Beach

In celebration of our upcoming beach vacation, I thought I'd take a hot second to share a few more wedding photos and details with you.

Eddie the steel drummer was an awesome addition to our special day.  I was thrilled with all of the vendors I selected based solely upon online reviews and a few emails - - and Eddie was no exception.  From "Canon in D" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to Bob Marley's "One Love," the steel drum music was perfect for a beach wedding.

Immediately following our ceremony we had a trolley transport our guests to our reception venue for an outdoor cocktail hour and Eddie went to the cocktail hour too.  Tim and I missed out on the cocktail hour because we were capturing our sunset photos ---looking back, I think it stinks to miss the cocktail hour.  

My muffin, Timmy, walking with his guys to get married. I love all of the bare feet -- so natural. In case you're wondering, we ordered Tim's suit from J.Crew after much searching for a lightweight suit.

Dad and I walking toward the action.  Ironically there was another wedding set up nearby (which I didn't know about!) and  they waited to start their ceremony.

Enjoying our signature cocktail, Sunset Sangria.  

I had planned every detail of our day including a TON of logistics. Unexpected rain earlier in the day gave me the biggest stomach ache and here I am leaning on my stomach trying not to vomit.  So dumb because the rain cooled the air and created a gorgeous sunset.   

I loved the strap on my dress.

Family enjoying the "destination" part of the wedding!

Just married, bitches!

My sister was six months pregnant and looked fantastic!

 So there you have another look into that special day that took place more than a year ago.  Timmy and I will be back at the beach next week with our family and we CANNOT wait to escape the winter depression and lack of sunshine!

Now I'm trying to pack and instead keep eating jelly beans.

Any questions for me?!  I hope to stay on track and keep blogging.  I have a question for you: how do I spice up my blog layout?  I think I need to learn some basic graphic design skills.

Happy Sweet 16! My team plays soon!

~DD

Roaming the Rockies

.   .   .was amazing!!! I had the best week in Colorado.  Better that I even expected.  I have so many fabulous photos to share.  They'll come in another post.

 I stayed at the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen and it was out of this world, wonderful.  I loved the nightly bedroom turn-downs, complete with calm music playing on the Bose speaker, water, chocolate, a warm bathrobe, slippers, and a humidifier (for the dry air).  The fresh flowers and huge shower head in the marble bathroom were just a few more perks.  The customer service was unbelievable, beginning with check-in.  "Would you like room service to come in the morning or afternoon?" "What newspapers would you like to receive?" The life of luxury is fabulous.  I can't believe people actually stay there during peak season and pay close to $2,000 a night for the room I was in!  Craziness. The conference I was attending was also fantastic with amazing women.  I had a great time and learned so much.  How many of you are using Foursquare?

Tim flew into Denver towards the end of the week, got a rental car, and drove four hours up to Aspen to meet me.  He stayed in my sassy room for the night and then we spent the next day together exploring Aspen. Then we took the Scenic Bypass to Denver.  That was the most beautiful and amazingly scenic drive I've ever experienced.  Just wait until I post pictures.  It looks like I edited the photos and dropped myself into them.  If you haven't been up in the mountains of Colorado, I suggest you put it on your to-do list.  And the heat was so nice! I was at the top of a mountain wearing shorts and flip-flops, standing in a pile of snow, with the sun and blue sky shining on me.  Loved it!

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Denver at his friend's condo in the downtown area.  It was gorgeous.  We had a lot of fun - went to the Denver Botanical Gardens, a Rockies game, partied downtown, and went to the Rocky Mountain National Park and to Boulder.  I loved everything.  When we went out downtown, my friend from my hometown met up with us.  She moved to Denver after college graduation.  Once "Like A Prayer" came on speakers - we were up and dancing the night away.  (Except for when I had to take breathers, because let me tell you, the elevation makes you get out of breath like that! It was crazy.)

So stay tuned for photos.

And just for the record, I love living with  my love muffin.  I've never been happier. And I talked with his sister about living with him (because she thinks he should have proposed to me before moving in together).  But I think she understands now and isn't upset with us (which was my concern). 

I think our relationship is wonderful and I'm confident that it's moving in the right direction and everything will just fall into place.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful (and short) week!

~Dining Diva

P.S. It's my parent's 30th anniversary this weekend and I want to make a fabulous dessert.  Suggestions and recipes are welcome!