Chicago Wedding

The whole fam flew to Chicago last month to attend the wedding of an old family friend. We lived next door to the Krema family for 13+ years and as it turns out, my brother moved to near Chicago just a few months before. Double whammy- get to see the family and attend the wedding. And best of all- a baby sitter for Lincoln during the wedding festivities! Lincoln had more fun with his cousins that he would have with us anyway.

Jenny is the oldest Krema daughter and she got married last October. We were like sisters growing up and it was so much fun to see her!

 The wedding was at Loyola University and it was a beautiful setting right on the lake!

 The beautiful bride, Ali, and her new hubby Mike.

Lincoln and his cousins at the park enjoying a little sunshine before we headed off to the airport. I got to spend a little bit of the day with my dad on Father's day.

A quick trip to the city- what a fun town!

Water Baby

From the minute we got to the resort in Costa Rica, Lincoln was running towards the water. He went swimming in his clothes more than a few times. Luckily, the pool was very kid friendly and had a completely shaded kid pool as well as shallow sections in the sun.

Lincoln even had a little friend, Kinley, that he played with every day.

Having Gramma and Papa in Costa Rica with us was WONDERFUL! Thank you thank you thank you for coming! It was nice to have an two extra pairs of hands to watch L in the water (or grab a beer).

The Flamingo Beach resort was right across from the beach so we got to see beautiful Pacific sunsets each evening.

 Just having an afternoon beer with the guys!

 I love my little family as much as I love L's tiny sunglasses! When is our next vacation?

Gramma and Papa, you're invited too!

Chicago!

L and I travelled to Chicago last month for the weekend for my oldest friend, Jenny's, wedding. After much uncertainty with Glenn's schedule and Lincoln being sick, L came with me and was an absolute angel (heavenly music) on the flights. Glenn wasn't able to make it but we bought travel insurance for his flight and he spent the weekend on the aircraft carrier. We got to see Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Smith on Thursday night as well. A last minute plan that worked out wonderfully!

A wedding isn't quite the same with a sleeping baby strapped to your chest but it was fun to see old friends and neighbors. Plus, Lincoln looked extra cute in his wedding attire. 

Since the wedding was on Friday, we still had time to see my brother and Jen on Saturday. Miss them so much!

Impromptu cocktail hour between the wedding and reception.

It would have been so much more difficult if my parents weren't also attending the wedding. They brought the pack n play and we all shared a hotel room together. We stayed at a Embassy Suites on night and a Springhill Suites the next night. Both perfect for traveling with kids. One room for the baby to sleep in and another to hang out while they are sleeping.

 

We lived next door to the Krema clan for 12 years. What a wonderful family! Miss them!

Me and the Krema girls. Michelle got married last May, Jenny in October and Ali is next June! They are going to keep their dad from retiring for a bit I think! :)

The beautiful bride and our families.

On Saturday we drove down to Naperville and Lincoln got to see his Aunt and Uncle!

 

I'm glad Christmas isn't too far away and we will get to spend more time with them. See you soon family!



Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Mexico! Glenn and I headed to Playa del Carmen over Thanksgiving to help celebrate with the new Mr. and Mrs. Paul Dunning. Paul was in our wedding and went to high school with Glenn. Sixty-one guests came to Mexico for the wedding and it was a blast! Such an awesome group of people. Since we were in Japan, we have missed all the other weddings of Glenn's buddies, but we were so happy to make it to one finally. The next wedding is scheduled for Feb 2014 as a destination wedding as well! Mom, Dad, want to babysit??? I'm giving you 14 months notice. :)

Glenn signed up for a dive trip for the day after we arrived. If we had been there longer and I was able to dive (no allowed for preggers), I think we would have gone over to Cozumel which we could see across the water. You can do a two tank drift dive along the whole island's reef. Maybe next time.

I laid on the beach, read baby magazines and got a massage while he was gone. Not a bad way to start vacation.

The resort had beautiful grounds with monkeys, turtles, peacocks, roosters, lizards and all sorts of animals roaming free. It was a 4 or 5 minute walk from our room up to the main lodge where the restaurants, disco and spa were located so it was fun to see the animals each time.

 

There were also so many tequila shots! None for me. After a few of these kinds of pictures, I was kind of missing not being able to drink. Luckily, we were at an all inclusive resort and there was always ice cream to be found. My new favorite is coconut ice cream. Yum!



The rehearsal dinner was on Thanksgiving day which is when many of the guests arrived. Glenn and I arrived on Tuesday and stayed until Sunday, but Paul and Natalie were there for the entire time their guests were there. It was nice to get to hang out with them before the wedding craziness started.

The resort also had a disco. It didn't open until 11 pm and we were usually the only people there minus a few randoms, but it was always fun!

The groom requested that on Friday morning, the guys played a little basketball. I think they all quickly learned that they are all close to 30 and not 18. The basketball playing was pretty entertaining for those of us watching. I think most trips down the court involved 6-8 passes and minimal dribbling.

 

They did much better with water basketball the next day. The water was the great equalizer between all the players, I don't want to know what happened under the surface though.

The wedding! Friday afternoon was the ceremony and the reception followed that evening. It was short and super sweet. They both wrote their own vows and Paul's dad was the officiant.

We did not mean to coordinate, but I think it looks cute. :)

Mr. and Mrs. Dunning!

They did a short champagne toast immediately following the ceremony and then the bridal party went off to take pictures before the sun set. The rest of us headed to the bar!

The dinner was great (until about 6 hours later when Glenn got food poisoning :( ) and there didn't do a lot of fanfare so that everyone could get to the dancing and partying.

The spouses/fiancee of all the high guys.

Paul and all of the guys. We were just missing Brandon and Jimmy!

 

Thanks for letting us help celebrate with you! Congratulations!

Congrats Paul & Nancy!

In early November, we headed up to Annapolis to the wedding of our friends, Paul and Nancy. It was a beautiful event and SO SO much fun to catch up with all of our Japan friends that are spreadout over the east coast (and further).

The Naval Academy chapel is beautiful!

I guess when you get married over Veteran's day weekend (3 day weekend for Navy guys) and at the Naval Academy, you have enough sailors to do a sword arch. Not gonna lie, I was a bit jealous. We weren't able to do one at our wedding in Minnesota. Love the pictures though!

Japan reunion! Gizelle rode up with Glenn and I and the Rohrings drove up from Patuxent River, MD!

The beautiful bride!

Somehow, I managed to squeeze in to the same dress that I wore for Emily's wedding a year before! Although, it fits me slightly different now and boy was I happy to take it off at the end of the night!

We spent a lot of time catching up with our friends (and new baby friends) at the reception.

What a fun time! Congrats Paul and Nancy! Enjoy your honeymoon in a few weeks!