This is 30!

My twenties are a thing of the past! If the last couple days are any indication of how this next decade is going to go, I say bring it. (Though I may need to pencil in more naps for myself...) My mom, sister, my mom's friend Denise and her daughter Jessica all came up to Minnesota/Wisconsin to visit my brother and I for Michael's 21st and my 30th birthday over the weekend. The first photo above was from my first night out with everyone at The Craftsman. 

(Eek! My food still had a face on it. SO GOOD.)

Michael was working and kindly sent a few extra appetizers and desserts our way. So delicious... please go if you haven't been!

On my actual birthday, I requested a morning in Stillwater, which is probably the most adorable town in the state of Minnesota. 

The girls and I started out the morning at Mara- Mi and shared a cupcake and I got a iced coconut latte... Fancy, right? We then met our group of ladies for a morning of perusing the shops. (I'm pretty sure Joe was glad to be at work for this part of the day, haha.)

We had a delicious lunch at Nacho Mama. We got to eat outside while Rosie took a stroller snooze and  I got to totally enjoy my birthday tacos.

 I also need to add that my dress was a gift from Joe and the girls. I love, love, love when they buy me clothes because they have great taste and they get so excited to dress me up!

 

Just a few pics above from some of the shops. Again, the stores are adorable and all of the displays/merchandising are just fabulous and almost make me want to go back to working retail. Almost.

After shopping we came back to our house (so Robbyn could see it for the first time!) and we shared some coffee and birthday cake that Joe and the girls baked for me. We forgot to get a picture of it before it was cut, oops! But it was definitely delicious (I also love how you can see Olaf waving "hi" from the center!). 

Post cake, we went on a dinner cruise, but that will be the next blog post ; )

I loved this morning because it was reminiscent of  when we lived in Chicago near 79th and Pulaski. For our birthdays, we would walk to Ford City with our mom, shop, have lunch (I would always end up with a new book) and then see a movie complete with Icees and theater snacks. It was always memorable, especially that one time when all of that shopping induced labor and my brother was born the next day!

After all these years, not much has changed and I still just want to hang out with my family, squeeze in a good meal, get my hands on a new book, and enjoy the end of summer while celebrating. August birthday are sort of the best ; )

Showering Robbyn & Jay!

The wedding festivities have officially been kicked off! This weekend I traveled (solo!) to Illinois to help throw a classy Mexican beach themed shower for my sister and her fiance. Thank you all so much to everyone who came and helped celebrate such a silly, special, (and ridiculously good-looking) couple. I know deep in my heart that their love for each other will never fail or waver (and neither will their love of Mexican food or a well-deserved vacation).

 

 We had a fantastic turnout. Nearly everyone who was invited attended!

Mad Libs once again proves itself a timeless and hilarious party game.

And we loved grilling the couple with questions. 

(What's Robbyn's favorite drink? Hint, not "decafe")

Thank you Laura for getting a whole bunch of fantastic shots of gift-opening! Isn't Robbyn having the best hair day? It's almost as good as Jay's. I can't wait to stay at their place next so I can use/enjoy everything that was gifted ; )

Such a treat to get our families together!

Lastly, I also cannot say enough good things about Robbyn's bridesmaids. This a group of such generous, talented, beautiful, and FUN ladies. From providing the venue, to making all the food, to whipping up an incredible cake and desserts, to creating gorgeous centerpieces and more, these girls literally had everything covered and it all came together seamlessly. The out-of-state-maid-of-honor- appreciates all of you immensely!

Robbyn and Jay, there are so many people who love you guys and can't wait to celebrate more! Til next time!

A Visit from Sister Bear!

There's no pick-me-up quite like a visit from my sister! The only downside is now that she's gone, I feel like I'm moping around, missing my coffee buddy and mind-reading soul mate.

What made the visit quite seamless is that we tend to be on the same wavelength when it comes to relaxation, productivity, outings, and food choices (aka, tacos every day). We had a spectacular few days together and the girls sure loved having their aunt around too!

Robbyn flew in on Saturday night. Bright and early Sunday morning, we had breakfast and a sister rock climbing date. Even though she hadn't climbed since high school, she kind of did crazy awesome.

In the afternoon, we hosted a little Chloe + Isabel party complete with many yummy snacks, great lady friends, and scrumptious caramel apple sangria (MAKE THIS. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.)

Monday morning, Cece weas off to school and we went bridesmaid dress shopping. (I am a girly girl to my core and love trying on dresses, so this was one of my favorite things.) 

After Starbucks and picking up Cece, we had a cozy afternoon of watching Inside Out. (Anyone else love this movie?? Anyone else cry too because of too many feels?)

Monday night, Robbyn accompanied us to Cece's dance class. It was also one of their dress rehearsals before their holiday recital, so this was a fantastic night to come visit.

Post dance class, Joe kindly babysat while we met up with our bro at The Craftsman, where he works, for a sibling date. (Organic, seasonal, and local ingredients... all that good jazz) The three of us aren't able to get together frequently, so I think it's pretty special when we do. Again, lots of mind reading, similar speech patterns, childhood storytelling, etc. By the way, the food was FANTASTIC and the service was great. Highly recommend!

Robbyn's last full day with us was on Tuesday. Even though the weather was icky for nearly this whole visit, we got out of the house and went to open skate. Cece and I probably haven't been on the ice since summer, but she did a wonderful job of skating unassisted. So did Robbyn. I guess ; )

Rosie was also anxious to take the ice. So. Don't judge me if I put skates on her this winter.

After coming home and resting, eating, and regrouping, we went on one last outing to our local library. (Close! Free! Fun!) A good time was had by all.

After the girls were in bed, we ended our trip with wine, good snacks,  and HGTV. And we were off to the airport, sobbing into our coffees not-so-bright and early Wednesday morning.

Now that I've pieced together a coherent blog post, I'd like to take a minute to say PLEASE COME BACK RIGHT NOW!!!! I MISS YOU!!!! And next time, we'll make sure someone takes a photo of the two of us together. And thanks again, Robbyn, for taking most of these photos. Otherwise there would be no blog post, haha.

That is all. Thank you for spending your vacation time with us! We love you!