Bon Voyage!

To celebrate my parent's 25th wedding anniversary, Papas booked an Alaskan cruise for him and Mommacita - then, he extended the invitation to Marcus and I! We had to think it over for all of two seconds before shouting "YES!"

Our first stop was flying from the great ol' U.S.of A. to Vancouver. This was my first trip to Canada - other than as a baby - and I absolutely fell IN LOVE with Vancouver!!

After a good night sleep, we were all dressed and ready to head to the cruise ship a little ahead of schedule. One of our favorite things to do in a new place is to take an open air bus tour of the city. I truly think it's the best way to sightsee and determine what areas you want to go spend more time in. So, we dropped off our luggage at the ship's loading area and hopped on a tour bus! It did NOT disappoint!

We love the Olympics in this family, so it was pretty cool to see all of the "added benefits" that Vancouver implemented for the 2010 Olympics. The Laughing Statues were one of our favorite things on the tour. You can frequently see visitors posing like the statues and having their pictures taken. Our guide said the whole idea was to inspire laughter and joy, simply by looking at and imitating these crazy statues.

One we finished the tour, it was time to head to the ship!

Naturally, one of the most fun things to do when first arriving on a cruise ship is to explore and get the lay of the land! We happened to wander into the jewelry store, and while looking around, and one of the ladies working in the shop asked if I would be interested in modeling some jewelry in the fashion show on one of our sea days.

The jewelry loving, performer inside of me practically jumped up and down and squealed - the practical Elizabeth smiled and said "Sure, what do I need to wear?" Luckily, I'm a chronic over-packer and had packed a few long dresses for our time onboard.

When I arrived at the store the night of the fashion show, one of the participants was a no-show. They asked if anyone would be willing to model twice... crickets... "I'm happy to do it!" That's right, this girl is willing to do whatever it takes for the show to go on! Even if it means wearing beautiful white diamonds AND tanzanite. It's hard work, but someone's got to do it!

As you can see, my escort and I had some fun during our walk - we had to be the best of course - and the spin was his idea! Got to love Boston boys! What you don't see in these photos, though, was the mad dash to switch my jewelry and run up the back stairs - in heels and a long dress - for my second walk. We made it back with literally 2 seconds to spare. Smile... and go!

We had SUCH a blast on the ship. Even though we all tend to get "cabin fever," we enjoyed the down time on the boat. There were many games of Kings in the Corner and we even took part in cruise organized bingo and trivia games! Marcus and I dominated the "Name that Broadway Tune" trivia.

Because we took so many pictures, I've broken my Alaska re-cap into 4 different posts. You are going to love the pictures in the upcoming days. I still find myself gazing at them in total awe of the magnificent creation that God whipped up!

xoxo, E

Perfectly Planned

I have always been a big fan of office supplies. New sharpies or monogramed notepads are the perfect gift for me! My desk (at home and at work) is an explosion of color and and personality.

After reading about the Erin Condren Life Planner on a variety of blogs, and with the big goals that I have for myself in the next year, I thought it might just be the right time for this organizationed gal to invest. I am seriously SO glad that I did!

Here are a few of my favorite features!! More to come on the big goals I have for myself in this 2012-2013 year!

Every day I grow more and more in love with my planner. I just know it's going to be a perfectly planned - ok, that's a joke - year!

xoxo, E

Currently Obsessed

I am a die hard fan of a lot of things, and it's always fun to add new items to my "love list." Currently, I'm obsessed with:

lululemon
I've been a fan for the last couple of years, but only recently has my admiration turned to obsession. I can contribute some of that to another love of mine that will show up on the list in a minute, but part of my "head over heels love" for this brand is simply due to the fun colors, unique designs and extreme comfort. I love to workout in these clothes. And that alone is reason enough to purchase!

Barre3
Over the last 2 weeks, I have had my booty kicked by an awesome workout. Any day that I don't have to run on the treadmill or power climb the elliptical is a good day. This workout combines the ballet barre, yoga and pilates all into one workout that makes your muscles quiver.

You can bank on hearing the instructor prompt you, with a smile, to "embrace the shakes." My inner thighs might hate me, but I'm starting to hate them less. I can already see results! And that has me sold - more like obsessed - with Barre3! I may or may not be doing 3 classes, 3 nights in a row, this week.

Bridier Baubles
I can thank many of the ladies in the blogosphere for introducing me to this great online jewelry retailer. I am absolutely obsessed with my "Boca Grande Necklace" in green. My wish list also includes the white "H bracelet" and either the orange or blue "Lucky Necklace." The best part? The pieces are so affordable!!

And to round out my mini-list of obsessions, I'll conclude with a staple obsession of mine... Anything Monogrammed. I certainly do not have a shortage of belongings with an inscription of my lovely initials, however, don't you just die over these lovely little delights?!

 

It's important to have a few little things that make your heart pitter patter a little bit faster!

xoxo, E

Mrs. Doublemint

My best friend from college, affectionately known as my "doublemint twin," got married on June 16th. I know that I'm biased, but she was without a doubt the most beautiful bride.

The ceremony was at Perkins Chapel on the campus of SMU in Dallas. It was the most perfect little white chapel, and her photographer did a wonderful job capturing the moments and memories from the day.

I will keep my voice to a minimum in this post and let you experience the day my Doublemint became a Mrs. through these amazing photos!

One of the best moments of the day was surrounding sweet Mere before it was time for her to enter into the most sacred of commitments and pray over her and Stephen's future. This picture is just so beautiful to me!

The reception site was stunningly beautiful. Mere did such a great job working with the florist to create the perfect centerpieces. The DJ was fabulous and even taught the guests to swing dance! The food was Texas to a T - and the cakes were of course, DELISH!

Making the marriage official!

These are my favorite shots of my Maid of Honor Speech - I definitely started shaking and got choked up. Looking at our faces in these pictures brings all those emotions back!

I got so tickled when Chas (best man) asked Nana to dance with him!

Seriously, how cute are doublemint's mama and daddy?!

Ending the night with a special dance just between the bride and groom as guests prepared for their grand exit!

I foresee many of these photos showing up in various frames in my home and office. Love, love, love!!

xoxo,
The proudest Maid-of-Honor & Doublemint Twin

Getting Doublemint Married

Let's take a trip back to June, shall we? My doublemint got married!

I still can't believe that she has a new last name... she has a husband... and she is a Mrs. It's all so exciting!

The days leading up to the nuptials were just too much fun. She picked the best group of girls to be her maids. We all had such a blast together and the laughs were never ending!

What do you get when you combine mani/pedis, a gaudy sash and baseball? A great start to the bachelorette night!!

 

Then, it was off to the bridesmaid's luncheon, the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner - oh my!

And to leave you wanting more, here are a few of my favorite photo booth snapshots from the wedding reception!

My sweet Mommacita

Seriously, we have too much fun together

So lucky to have this girl in my life - My sweet Doublemint Twin!

I cannot WAIT to show you the beyond gorgeous shots of Doublemint's wedding day. Coming tomorrow!

I really want to blog

I really want to blog. As in, I really want to stick to blogging. When I was in college, I had no problem consistently blogging the happenings of this college chick's life over at Olive My Life!

It seems that post-college, I can't seem to get my act together. I'm sitting here watching Cupcake Wars right now and 2 of the 4 contestants said "I was working in (fill in the blank here) for 8 years and decided that it wasn't for me anymore, so I opened up a bakery." Boy, did these ears hear that!

Don't worry, this dessert-aholic isn't about to open a cupcakery. However, I have been pondering a few potential career changes. I just don't feel like I'm doing "it." Is that normal for a 20-something? I am also fearful of being the girl who is always going to be: an event planner, or a writer, or a doctor, or a dancer, or an entrepreneur. I just want to pick something and be the most bomb-diggity at it!

I read so many blogs of these amazing women who seem to have it all together, and I want to be like that! But maybe they were where I am at my age...

Get to the point, Elizabeth... I really want to blog, so I shall. Even if I feel like my life is too chaotic and ever-changing, there are still some really awesome things happening!

So, add me to your "daily reads" because it's going to be worth it. Well, some days it won't. But it mostly will!