Showered With Love!

My Bridal Shower took place this weekend and the one word that comes to mind is "WOW!" What a beautiful and perfect day!!! To kickstart it, the sun was shining on a February day...it made me wonder if I was in Pittsburgh - haha! Last February was completely snow-covered and I'm not just talking a dusting...we were completely covered, pretty much buried the entire month! So seeing the sun shining and the snow melting is a very different thing to see - and I liked it! The shower was at Donato's in Fox Chapel and as always the food was wonderful. It's always a good thing when your guests come up to you to tell you how good all the food was and that happened a few times which I loved to hear.

There were about 55 of my closest friends and family members that came out for the day. Some came farther then others...my friend and Bridesmaid, Hope came out just for the day from Las Vegas, Nevada! Another friend from college, Christa, was in from Rhode Island! Patrick's mom, Linda, came in from their home in San Antonio, Texas and his Grandparents drove down from upstate New York! Another Bridesmaid, Colleen, traveled down from Erie for the day! My friend Jessica, who I worked with at WPXI, now lives in Cleveland Ohio and she sent her sister to the restaurant to deliver my gift - so, so sweet! So many little moments and acts of kindness didn't go unnoticed!!!

I even had guests who weren't feeling their best but still came out for the day which meant more to me then they'll ever know!!! My friend and Bridesmaid, Kim, had spent time in the hospital this past week and was there with a smile and helping hands! My Godmother, Lois, recently broke her leg in three places and came in a wheelchair and a smile. I know how hard it is for her to get around so seeing her there meant the world to me!!! Also, my "Aunt" Peg is a full-time care-giver for her husband who recently suffered a stroke - she found the time to sneak out for a bit. And my Aunt Rose and cousins were there despite the fact that their 9 year-old granddaughter/niece had surgery just a few days prior. All of this meant more to me then any gift ever could!!! But gifts I did get...and this picture doesn't even begin to showcase the magnitude of gifts!!!

By the end of the shower I'm 100% positive guests were sick of seeing me open gifts - lol!!! There were so many! We got a ton of stuff off of our registries and we got a handful of surprises. So, so nice! It took us 4 vehicles to get everything home!!!! Then it took us all night to organize - haha! We are now finally organized 4 days later...Thank goodness we now have a clean basement to store some of the stuff that will be traveling to Tennessee with us in a few short months (God willing there is an NFL season and Patrick is still with the Titans :-)

During the shower my mom passed out an advice book and I had SO much fun reading through it at the end of the day! We got some great advice and a lot of laughs too...some of my favorites are...

"If you're going to fight - fight naked."
HAHAHA! Personal fav!

"Always remember that every day is a date and every night is a sleepover."
Made me grin!

"Don't be afraid to make breakfast for dinner."

"Never go to bed angry. Laughter is the best medicine. Always tickle."
Patrick's favorite...thanks...lol

"Always take a vacation!" YEAH!

"Say I love you every day! And cook together - it's so much more fun!"

"Hold hands - you're never too old for that."
So true!

"To assume is to make an "ass" out of "u" and "me" - Remember that in general men don't take subtle hints so explain yourself and talk about your feelings"

"Never go to bed mad - you'll sleep so much better if you make up :-)"

"Always remember the love you feel today."

"Remember how blessed you are!!"


WELL SAID! Those are some of the best pieces of advice! Love it!! :-)

We passed out recipe cards in the invitations and we got about 30 back...so many great recipes! I guess this means I have to learn how to cook....LOL! Just Kidding! I do want to take a cooking class to help sand out my rough edges...but I'm not completely clueless!!!

I had some really creative guests!!! My mom's friend, Moira, gave me a fabulous bath-basket and a basket full of candles. I initially thought they were to "set the mood" but actually each color had a meaning. There are candles to burn the first night in our house as husband and wife, ones to burn after our first fight, when we have our first child and eventually a pair of silver ones on our 25th wedding anniversary! So, so sweet - and such a unique idea!

My mother orchestrated two unique gifts...one was a poem where I was given food and cleaning and food the other was a poem giving me pieces of lingerie that I will use throughout the years...starting with a one-piece cozy footed pajama that I will be wearing on our 50th wedding anniversary - haha!

All the way down to a box containing what I will be wearing on my wedding night...which had nothing in it - hahahaha! Clever ;-)

(Sorry - no model picture included there haha! But below is the picture of me opening the box of nothing)

Now starts the thank you note writing...my hand may fall off given the fact that I am so thankful for everything we were showered with!!! We have such awesome people in our lives that love us so much - we are blessed for sure! I'll wrap the shower portion with a Smilebox slideshow of pictures :-)

This free slideshow design made with Smilebox

In the process I have to keep up on the wedding plans though because we don't have very much time left and if I don't, well, things will fall apart. Together we...

•  Completed our Texas invitations :-)

• I ordered our fabulous cake accessories :-D 

No Picture here but hint: It's FABULOUS!!!!

• Completed our Pre-Cana classes

• Selected our music at the Cathedral - yay!

• Anddd have completed our entire shopping list for those involved in the wedding :-) Wrapping too!

We still have a ways to go though as now we are getting into final meetings with all the vendors helping us with our wedding. I'll be meeting with our florist, videograpger and DJ by weeks end. Andddd I have my trial runs for hair and makeup this weekend! It's getting real! :-)

I'll keep you posted as usual on all the latest happenings - but not too posted as there will be surprises come March 19th ;-)

Bye for now!

XOXO