est.
2014
GRATITUDES + BREAKTHROUGHS // MAY 15, 2018
Gratitudes
It’s been a full week! I had my first official wedding of the year and it was poppin’! Nurah + Vito got married at Airlie on Friday! They were surrounded by their closest friends and family. Vito has his family come all of the way from Italy, where he’s from. So you know I was excited to hear Italian chattering all day! They planned for a garden wedding with touches of greens, pinks and a soft white. Their ceremony was in Airlie’s formal gardens with lush trees and blooming florals. Cocktail hour was lively with their signature cocktail, “The Rossini” it was their take on a bellini (champagne and fruit puree). They had passed hors d’oeuvres with Italian influence too! Their reception was held in the pavilion, it has beautiful natural light with glass windows and doors all around including skylights and strings of romantic bistro lights. It was a really fun way to start off my 2018 wedding season!
Saturday morning my Mom and I prepped for an exciting day. My sister Katlyn is pregnant! She and her husband Russell were going announce to the family the gender of their baby. If you know our family, we are choked full of girls, the same with Russell’s. Guests were instructed to wear blue, if they thought the baby would be a boy or pink if they thought the baby was a girl. I opted for pink, because well I like to make decisions off of research and history. Together the guests at the party gathered into the living room and we were given black balloons and a pin. With a lively count down 3…2…1…POP! We found out with flying confetti that our family would have another GIRL!!!
As usual our family celebrates holidays a little offbeat. Our schedules didn’t align so we decided to do a small celebration for my Mom and Grandma after the gender reveal party. We hooked Grandma Jean up with another facial. We got her a gift card last year and she absolutely loved the experience. For my Mom we went with keepsake earrings because it was her first official “Grandmother’s Day” too. As well as a Washington Nationals t-shirt and dinner party name cards.
Monday was my Grandma Ruthie’s birthday. We lost her close to 5 years ago. My family took her in while she was on hospice and helped take care of her until she passed. It was a hectic and emotionally charged time trying to care for your elderly and sick grandparent, as well as watch your Father anticipating the loss of his mother. But our family got through it. For as long as I can remember we always associated rainbows with her side of the family. When my Grandpa Freddie passed every time we saw a rainbow we said he was stopping by. Sometimes he would make his presence known at graduations, birthdays and anniversaries. Yesterday though, my Dad mentioned after dinner that it was her birthday and we talked about her for a while. Last night with the intense storms a rainbow appeared right about the time we wrapped up dinner, we said it was Grandma coming by to say hello!
Breakthroughs
With Mother’s Day passing this weekend I wanted to reflect on the attributes I received from some special ladies that I know.
My Mom and Grandma Jean have easily been the two most influential women in my life. My Mom has shaped me to be independent, encouraged creativity, introduced me to the language of sarcasm and showed me just how selfless a woman can be for her family. My mom raised 4 daughters while working 12 hour night shifts. She was at school functions and basketball games and never complained about being tired – which I don’t understand because she doesn’t drink coffee.
Grandma Jean and I spent a lot of time together when I was a little babe. I was her baby sidekick while my parents worked. She planted in me a need for seasonal potted plants, the pull to always travel and explore and to have a big huge open heart.
And to my younger sisters who are now becoming mothers, it’s been so special to watch you grow from silly kid sisters who snuggled with me on the cough watching Disney classics, to traveling across the country for basketball tournaments, middle and high school dances to college and now your married and working to build your best life. It’s been an honor being your biggest fan, personal stylist and I cannot wait to be the best Aunt Krysta!
As always, thanks for reading! xoxo.
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