Goodbye August...Hello September

Well that went fast! Seems like we were just celebrating my birthday, Mother's Day and Memorial Day and here we are coming up on Labor Day weekend - the unofficial last weekend of summer.

I haven't been too great about posting these past 2 or 3 weeks because we have been one busy family, as usual! I am VERY proud of Danny for completing the 2nd semester of his MBA. If he hasn't been at work these past 3 weeks, he's been studying and studying some more. He just got back from a whirlwind weekend of finals and orientation for his 3rd semester this past Sunday night. April will be here before we know it and Danny will be officially DONE with school!

Meanwhile, I've been juggling writing, my part time job, our very busy little girl (who's going on 14 months!), our house and 3 dogs. Yep, we're now a three dog family! When my parents moved into their new beach condo, they couldn't take all of the dogs, so Sophie has come to stay with us - not sure for how long. She's a sweet, older girl and not too much trouble. Just one more leash on our evening walks I guess!

A few late summer pics!

To all you moms and dad's out there, IKEA is a GREAT summer outing. It's all indoors, you can browse the huge display areas and marketplace downstairs, the kids section has a little play area and the food is delicious and inexpensive. We've brought Di twice in the past week - she has a ball and slept very well after all the running around!


My mom's birthday was August 16th and I wanted to give her a little break from unpacking their new place. We had everyone over to eat mac & cheese, cake and just hang out. Diana is still in celebration mode from her 1st birthday this summer so whenever anyone sings "Happy Birthday" she thinks it's her big day all over again and smiles and claps her hands!

Danny and I have been wanting to eat at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in Miami after seeing it featured on the Food Network show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." We finally did a "date night" two weeks ago with our friends Charlie and Nicole. The food was good, but the dessert was TO DIE FOR! I really haven't stopped thinking about the banana toffee panini with caramel ice cream and homemade peanut brittle...yum.

And last but not least, Diana was a little bundle of smiles and energy when Daddy got home from Gainesville on Sunday night and gave her a stuffed Gator the next morning!





So summer is winding down... Between the beach, big family dinners, Diana's first birthday celebration and Danny finishing his 2nd semester, I'd say we've had a pretty good couple of months. We didn't take any big trips, but really just enjoyed spending time with friends and family and watching our little girl grow up.

So goodbye August...and hello September!

One busy weekend!

Danny is doing the long-distance MBA program at UF which means he only has to be up in Gainesville for a few days every couple of months to take finals. It just so happens that one of our busiest weekends coincided with his 1st semester finals - I was a bridesmaid in my friend Lisa's wedding AND two of my closest friends from Pine Crest, Lindsay and Vivie, were in town from Cali and Chicago respectively and were coming over for Sunday brunch. I was bummed he had to be away!
Diana and I helped him pack up his suitcase early Friday morning and he headed out to try and beat rush hour and make it to Gainesville by lunchtime. My mom arrived a few hours later to spend the weekend as super grandma and babysitter! Aunt Jo, Grandma Sally and Uncle Brandon also came by at different times during the weekend to help watch little Di while I was busy playing bridesmaid!

The girls met up at the hotel on Friday afternoon for a little pre-wedding toast. After a quick rehearsal at the church we headed to Umberto's for a delicious Italian dinner. On Saturday, we all met at the hotel at noon for pictures before heading over to Saint Anthony's Catholic Church in downtown Fort Lauderdale (Fun fact: It's the longest aisle in a church in all of Miami and Fort Lauderdale). It was really special to see Lisa, or "Lu" as we call her, walk down the aisle and get married -after all, I've known her since we were 14 years old! After the ceremony, we took a party bus to the reception at the Heron Bay Marriott in Coral Springs - such a beautiful night! I was truly honored to be in the wedding party.
Today is Sunday and Diana and I had visitors! Vivie lives in Chicago and was down for a whirlwind wedding planning weekend with her mom (she gets married this September). She hasn't seen little Di since she was about 3 months old and even though she could only stop by for an hour, it was nice to catch up. We barely had time to put on a fresh pot of coffee when Lindsay and her husband Mark rang the doorbell. Lindsay was my partner in crime in high school and now that she lives out in California, I get to see her once a year if I'm lucky. It was my first time meeting Mark (he's a great guy!) and I got to see Lindsay pregnant! They are so thrilled to be expecting a little boy this fall!

Danny is making the drive back from Gainesville as I write this - all his finals went well and he's pretty happy with his grades. I'm proud of him for juggling school, work and our family and getting through semester #1! Diana is napping and I'm enjoying the first quiet half hour I've had all weekend. We all need some sleep tonight! (PICTURES Top: Di pulled things out of Danny's suitcase as he packed them! Middle: Me with the happy couple Bottom: Lindsay met Diana for the very first time)