Newlywed Diaries: March 2014

arizona in the spring.

Last weekend was such a lovely and sunny {and warm} mini vacation.

And not only was the weather perfect, but visiting my family and friends was the best.

I flew in super early Thursday morning, which kicked off a wonderful

"girls day" with my mom.

I really cherish the times we get to spend together, just her and I.

We ate breakfast at one of our very favorite restaurants in Scottsdale called

Arcadia Farms Cafe.

The food is delicious & and the atmosphere is adorable.

Afterwards we hit the mall and did a ton of shopping.

Buying for wedding gifts is always so much fun.

We loved spoiling the newlyweds-

plus we still needed dresses for the wedding.

So we were shopping all day long.

{Which is a good excuse to eat lunch at the Nordstrom Bistro}.

That night I met my dad at my favorite spot Pita Jungle,

and we got to do a lot of catching up.

I ate a lot on this trip, okay?!

Calories don't count on vacation.

And afterwards we had a girls night with the bride-to-be.

Slumber parties are the best.

There was lots of food and tons of laughing.

Friday morning was a busy one!

I met my lovely sister-in-law for breakfast-

Joes Farm Grill, of course.

Met one of my best friends/sorority sister/bridesmaid for coffee-

Liberty Market was our choice.
Did a little more shopping- and found my perfect dress!

And then I went and picked up my niece and nephew and we spend the afternoon poolside.

That night my mom, dad and I split a Barrows pizza and relaxed by the outdoor fire.

Oh and we also played a few rounds of ping pong and shuffle board-

my mom beat us all.

And then Saturday was the big wedding!

See this post for all the gorgeous details.

Sunday morning my dad and I woke up early and went on a good hike.

It was so nice being able to be outdoors without freezing are buns off..
{cough cough I'm referring to you Omaha}.

Then we went and saw Monuments Men with my mom-

such a sweet movie- if you're a history buff {or a Matt Damon fan} you gotta see it.

Afterwards we had lunch at Costco.

I mean, their churros and vanilla yogurt are to die for.

That night I went and met another best friend/ sorority sister/ bridesmaid who was also in town for the weekend!
And get this- she's engaged!!

And to one of Zak's best friends/groomsmen.

How adorable, right?!

They were certainly meant for one another.

Zak and I are so happy for the two of them and can't wait for their wedding day!

I'm so glad we were able to catch up.

Then on Monday I spent the whole day spoiling my niece and nephew.

We hit up Joes for Breakfast {yes second time}.

We went and saw Mr. Peabody and Sherman-

such an adorable film! If you have littles you gotta see it.

Oh and I let them have lots of popcorn, soda and candy..

Even though we just ate breakfast.

I'm such a good aunt.

Then we played in the pool all afternoon.

Then sadly they helped me pack my bags.

And we headed to the airport with my mom and dad.

One nice thing about the airport is that they have the best restaurants,

weird huh?

But anywho we got to eat one last dinner altogether, which was bittersweet.

Then the tears started shedding.

Goodbyes are stupid and always really hard.

Really, really really hard.

Especially when my 6 year old niece starts crying.

Okay I can't write anymore about that- it's too sad.

But then I was welcomed home by my amazing hubby that I missed like crazy!

And Romie boy.

I can't wait to finally spend some quality time with Zakary this weekend.

I've been working non stop since I got back and he's obvi in school,
all. the. time.

Saturday can't come soon enough!

xoxo

my best friends wedding.

My best friend is MARRIED!

Remember this post about her engagement?!

Well now she's officially Mrs. Judd.

What an adorable last name.

Anywho I traveled to AZ this past weekend for her wedding-

and I can't wait to share all the photos with you.

PS I'll do another post about the rest of my visit.

They wed on beautiful Saturday March 22nd.

All of her best friends were there to watch her get ready- it was so much fun!

Then, her and her future hubby left for the gorgeous Gilbert Temple.

It's stunning people.

We waited anxiously outside for their grand exit.

And then voila we met the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Judd!

We took tons of photos outside of the Temple, and then headed to a delicious luncheon.

Mexican food was served, mmm.

Haven't had real AZ Mexi food in such a long time.

Afterwards we headed to her reception to get things ready for the celebration!

The colors were pastel blues, pops of pink, gold accents, black and white strips with a gorgeous hint of orchid.

It was a classic backyard wedding.

Lush gardens, a canopy of string lighting, romantic 20's music with an old fashioned ice cream cart made up the scenery.

It was dreamy!

Everything came together perfectly- and looked spectacular.

Everyone hit the dance floor and celebrated the night away.

It was a blast.

And then the newlyweds ended the night was a sparkler grand exit.

Those two love birds are just the best.

And I'm so happy I got to be there for the big day.

xoxo

spring break.

Last week all of our chores, to-do's and lists were put aside.

Zak was on spring break, and we were set on just spending time together-

doing things we love.

It was wonderful.

Dreamy even.

He's back at school today..

but only three months left till he's on summer break-

wootwoot!

We..
went to the Omaha Zoo
FINISHED Harry Potter
watched all 8 HP movies
had a bbq with friends
found the best Mediterranean restaurant to date
read in the park
went on lots of walks with Romie
made a couple late-night ice cream runs to the store
looked at new apartments
planned a couple vacations
had a cupcake girls night
and bought tulips in hopes that Spring would come sooner