It's been forever...

Yes, it has been awhile since I last updated...we've been very busy running around doing lots of things and keeping very busy.

We had a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of friends and family. We spent time in Mechanicsburg with my family and in Scranton with Adam's family. It was nice to spend time with everyone and just hang out and relax after the craziness of the wedding was over.

On New Year's Eve, we hung out with Adam's sister Cara and my friend Laura. We had a really nice dinner and then played some games until midnight. On January 1st, Adam and I threw our first big dinner party since we've been married. We hosted both families and had a great time laughing, talking and watching football.

Last weekend, we headed to the PA Farm Show in Harrisburg and had a great time looking at all of the animals and exhibits.


We are planning on sitting back and enjoying the rest of the winter months without too many big plans. Graduate classes start again for me next week and I will be taking two classes, both on Thursday night. Adam and I can't wait to stay in Baltimore, stay warm and enjoy being newlyweds for a little while.

I thought I'd show you Tobey's favorite spot to nap, right in front of our space heater:

Christmas Cards

Every year, people at work hand out Christmas cards. This year, someone handed out a card with this picture on the front:


I just found it kind of strange because:
A) I didn't know that Native Americans visited baby Jesus in the manger and
B) I didn't know wrapping paper and bows existed when Jesus was born.

You learn something new everyday.

It's probably one of the weirdest Christmas cards I have ever seen.

Top 5

Currently, we are snowed in and the snow it just keeps piling up. Right now, we have over a foot and the "winter wallop" as they are calling it, is supposed to continue until tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, I thought I'd post what Adam and I voted as the top 5 funniest pictures of the wedding reception, which by the way, was a blast. So here they are:

#5: We think it looks like Adam's Mom is doing Mr. Roboto in this picture.

#4: During dinner, we had a special surprise, the Hershey Kiss showed up! Lots of people posed for pictures with it, and my niece Charlotte hugged it about 25 times...but Adam's coworker Rob really got some action with the Kiss. Don't worry Rob, I won't tell your girlfriend. By the way, we still have no clue if there was a man or a woman in the costume.

#3: The last 3 pictures of the night were all similar to this one, I think anytime grown men are holding bouquets of flowers, it makes for an interesting picture.

#2: The groomsman in this picture has been Adam's friend since Adam was in elementary school. I also happened to grow up going to church with him, and we both know that he likes to have a good time. He was the life of the party, and I saw him dancing with many women, including both my mother and Adam's and my aunt. I also like this picture because my sisters are pointing and laughing at him in the background.

#1: This is the best picture of the entire night, who knew that my brother-in-law Andrew had such amazing dance ability? This must be his signature dance face, because there are 2 more pictures where he has exactly the same look. I'm sure my sister is very proud.

Here Comes the Bride

On the morning of December 5th, we woke up and headed out to the salon to get beautiful. The snow had just begun to fall and everyone was asking me if I was anxious about it. I thought it was wonderful and was very happy about the fact that it was not sticking to roads. After the salon, we came back to have lunch and get ready. All of the bridesmaids looked incredible and it was so nice to be able to talk and laugh with them all day.

Once we got ready, it was time to head to the church. The limo driver was a bit directionally challenged (I know how that is), but eventually we made it to the church and had just enough time for pictures before the ceremony. I only had to wait for about 30 minutes in the holding cell room before the big walk down the aisle.

The ceremony was perfect: the church had just been decorated, so you could smell the fresh greens and all of the candles in the windows were flickering away. The sermon was great, and it was so special to be married by the same minister who married both of my sisters. Adam was very handsome, and the best man didn't forget the rings. Overall, it was a success and by the end, we were the new Mr. and Mrs. Adam Cianfichi.

There are hundreds of pictures of the wedding, and you can check them out here.

The Best Day

December 5th was by far the best day of my life. I know I'm bias and everything, but my wedding was amazing...actually, it was beyond amazing. The day was everything that I had pictured in my head since I've been engaged, it even included the perfect amount of snow: enough to make it beautiful, but not enough to hinder people's ability to come.

If I jammed the entire wedding into one post, it would be a book, so I'll break it down.

On December 4th, we had an incredible day of relaxation before the big day. It started at the spa, with manicures and pedicures. Adam's Mom even got her first pedicure EVER, and now we know what gift certificates to get her for all major holidays.


On Friday night, we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. The rehearsal went off without a hitch...everyone was on time and cooperative. The Cianfichi's had gone to so much trouble to make the rehearsal dinner beautiful, relaxing and fun. The Two Mile House in Carlisle was the perfect setting and the food was killer. It was nice to sit and laugh with family and the bridal party before the craziness of wedding day started.

Christmas Preparation

Even with all of the stress and craziness that goes along with the planning of this wedding, last night Adam and I took some time to set up the few Christmas decorations we have. Now, we will return from our honeymoon to a festive apartment and be able to enjoy the final 2 weeks before December 25th!

This ornament was attached to one of the gifts we have already received, and it quickly became the focal point of our little tree.

Tactics

Usually when I leave work, there are various homeless people out in the plaza in front of my building, and they always ask for money. Once one of my coworkers that I was walking out with said that he was probably alot less likely to give money to a homeless person when he was just leaving a very long day at the office.

Yesterday, I was walking out when I saw a young guy (probably my age) dressed in nice jeans, a button down shirt and a Polo blazer. Honestly, he was probably dressed in more expensive clothing than what I was wearing. He claimed that he had recently become homeless and then, in a southern accent, asked me for money. I don't ever carry cash, so I didn't have anything to give, but it got me thinking about whether that is a good tactic.

Giving the guy the benefit of the doubt (because I have no idea if he really was homeless or if he just wanted to go buy a pack of cigarettes at the CVS), I would be much more likely to give money to him because he is less threatening to me and also because I can picture myself if that kind of situation (hopefully that never happens). It made me want to go out and do an experiment to find out what type of homeless person gets the most money, although I don't really think that would be very ethical.

Bachelorette Bonanza

Last Saturday, my amazing sister Sally threw me an incredible bachelorette party with 10 of my closest friends. My oldest sister flew up from Atlanta and even Toni traveled down from New York City. Every time I get together with these friends, it feels like no time has passed since we've seen each other. We talk, laugh and goof around and it was so nice to catch up with all of them before wedding day.

We started the day off with lunch at Sally's and then visited two different Maryland wineries: Basignani Winery and Boordy Vineyards. We tasted about 25 different types of wine between to two and even got a tour.

After sipping wine all afternoon, we headed to Sally's to hang out and get ready for dinner. Around 7:00 we went downtown to Pazo, one of my favorite restaurants. We paired up, ordered lots of different types of tapas, and I even got to drink two really fun cocktails.

After a 3 1/2 hour long dinner, we went to Powerplant Live, where we witnessed the shortest dress I have ever seen as well as some pretty interesting pole dancers. We were there for about an hour before we decided to go back to Sally's and go to bed.

I had a wonderful time with amazing friends and I'm sure I'll remember it forever.

Improv Everywhere

This morning I was cruising YouTube and found Improv Everywhere, a group that goes to different public settings in NYC and breaks out in song. Some of their music videos are hilarious, but this is my favorite. Can you imagine being in a grocery store and having this happen?

T-Minus 1 Month

So the big day is only a month away and I am getting more excited by the minute. I have various countdowns going on as well....30 days, 5 more grad school classes, 15 more days of work, 4 more weekends, etc.

On the planning front, everything is running smoothly and I am confident the day will be beautiful and really special. We've met with the musicians, the florist and the photographer, and we've also ordered all of the place cards and thank you notes. This Saturday is the final meeting at the reception venue. We even have about 98% of the responses and it looks like an amazing group of friends, family and coworkers will be there.

I feel like I've been waiting forever for this day (well, 17 months is a pretty long time) and now I'm afraid it's going to be over in the blink of an eye. So, I'm going attempt to sit back, relax, and not become Bridezilla because at the end of it all, I am marrying my best friend and the perfect guy for me, and that's nothing to stress over.