from now on it will be you and i…

…and our ribbon in the sky

Lavender dresses, sparkling roses, aviator sunglasses, and one rambunctious nephew made for a divine wedding this past weekend for Jill and Sean Grennan.  I’ve never seen Jill smile so big.

too cool for school, Sean!

dance Braden!

I was honored to be a reader at the wedding and enjoyed a stuffing rehearsal dinner at Lino’s – our favorite Italian restaurant in Rockford.  The scattered rain showers on Saturday held off at the most important times – when the wedding party took their outdoor pictures. It was also a great chance to get my 6 favorite girls together: Tiffany (who flew in from South Carolina), Nadine (who is expecting her first baby with husband, Ian), the 3 pretty-in-purple bridesmaids Sara, Michelle and Stefanie, and of course the beautiful bride herself!

Everything went off without a hitch and the two newlyweds are off on their Mexican honeymoon! Check out some more photos from their wedding.

make no mistake it’s our future we’re making

Congrats Barb! This past weekend in Chicago, we attended the commencement ceremony for my mother-in-law as she graduated with a Doctorate in Education. We came back to our place for a cookout and Cakebread wine from my in-laws. It was great weather for just such an occasion – just in time for the summer solstice. Good timing for the longest day of the year, because our summer is getting to it’s busiest point! We’re looking forward to my friends’ Jill and Sean’s wedding this coming weekend!

when there’s something worth running for

Last night was a late night, but SO worth it! After dinner at South Water Kitchen, we saw The Swell Season in concert at the Chicago Theatre. It was fantastic – a great live show. My favorite part was when they sang the very dynamic “When Your Mind’s Made Up”. And, of course, their Oscar-winning song “Falling Slowly”.

cameras weren’t allowed, so this pic is borrowed from sfist.com

If you’re new to The Swell Season, I highly recommend starting with the movie Once. You won’t be disappointed.

we spent a few hours circling the city

Filled my weekend with a lot of “city”! First up, lunch at PF Chang’s and ‘Sex in the City‘ with my mom. I did not expect that movie to be such a tear-jerker — it was a good movie for fans of the show. The rain held off on Saturday for a par-tay in Lakeview! Enjoyed walking around Old Town’s Art Fair on Sunday with the fam-in-law and a nice dinner out at Adesso. Even got to fit in a little cat-sitting for Nanaa!

summer arrives with a length of lights

We officially kicked off our summer last week by celebrating our one year wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway to Madison, WI. We had wonderful weather for a trip to the zoo, where we mingled with goats, bears, and many various species of birds. It was a great chance to use my DSLR outdoors. We strolled along State Street, hitting a few bookstores and a little bit of UW-Madison.

We dined at Johnny Delmonico’s – a great local steakhouse – and had the most fabulous steak, wine, and dessert. The next morning, we hit the practice greens where Drew gave me tips on putting and chipping.

started recreational

So here’s my blog. A way to keep friends and family updated. An outlet for sharing stuff. Follow me on twitter for really exciting updates or just to answer the simple question, “What is LAB doing?”