Lots of Catching Up To Do...

It's been crazy stressful in this new job, but it's finally paid off.  I was awarded a nice promotion recently, as well as the ability to reorganize to give me to Associate Directors to assist me.  Even better - it came with a nice little salary bump!  Yahoo!!!

Here's what's been happening in my life while I've been working away...

Birthday Fun!

Wine-paired dinner at Michael Smiths (now a tradition) with Shane vineyards!

So excited to meet both!

More Birthday Fun at Saucer with Damon, Andy, Jeff & Jen!

Fun crowd!

Another event that's become a tradition - Hop Fest!

Card's Game! What a fun May!!

At the end of May we headed to NJ/Philly to purchase a new car from Chad's Uncle.  

Chad was more than ready for this!  We love the new Jeep!!!

Even better that we picked up lots o' beer along the way!

We did make it into downtown Philly before we left.  Love the city!  

Wish we could have stayed longer!!

We flew out to Philly but drove back to KC - with a brief overnight stay in Indy.

Road trip!!!

One of my favorite sights in Indy...

In early June, we headed home to STL for Jaime & Evan's wedding!

We started it off with their rehearsal dinner at Charlie Ghitto's - where we went after Chad proposed - nostalgic!

The wedding was held at the little church on Daniel Boone's property.  So adorable!

The reception was at Chandler Hill Vineyards.  So picturesque!!!!

Must end this blog with two of my favorite people!  How cute are they?!?!?!

Cheers!

Easter fun!

We made the trek back to The Lou again for Easter this year with one additional passenger in the car - Lehni!  The Gakinya's couldn't make it home until Saturday, and I didn't want to miss out on our annual Friday night egg coloring, so I picked her up on the way.  The iPad might just be the most amazing invention for a 6 year old on a long car ride!

We had a great time coloring eggs and helping Grandma prep for brunch the next day!

Brunch prep always gets a bit crazy the next morning!

I love having the family together on holidays.  Even Jude was able to come for the 2nd year in a row!   Weekend trips home are so short, and it's difficult to fit in time for family and friends.  I was so glad that she could make it!  Good times!!

The Gakinya's made it over on Saturday, which meant I got to see more of this little man...

On Sunday, we had our traditional egg hunt...

...and then Chad & I headed over to Dad's for lunch before the long drive back to KC.  It was a short trip, but we enjoyed every minute of it!!

Mr. Miles

Our family has been graced with the presence of Mr. Miles - born on Valentine's Day.  Here's a few pics of our visit with him...

Hey, who got me that cool bib...

...and made me that awesome blanket?  Oh yeah, my awesome Aunt Lisa!

Just found out that I get the blessing of being the godmother for this cool little man!  
Can't wait!

NYC Baby!

It's been so crazy at work lately that I haven't had a moment to post.  Better late - than never, right?  Here's a few pics from our trip to NYC in February for Eric & Jessica's wedding...

We stayed at the Roger Hotel near the Flatiron District.

Our first day in the Big Apple was spent taking in Times Square...

 

...and the Top of the Rock.

Hey look - there's Yankee Stadium!

Who knew there was a radar up here???

Day 2 was spent in the West Village via the Subway.  I loved the subway!  The people watching was fabulous...

...the brownstones...

...and everything else in the West Village, including Washington Square.

We even had time to stop for a cupcake at Magnolia's Bakery...

...and a few brews at the Blind Tiger, which might just be my new favorite pub.

We ended our night at Mario Batali's Eataly, which was fabulous!  It's almost an overload of stimuli - probably why I have no decent pics to share.  Love!

Saturday was wedding day, so we laid low during the day.  The wedding was at a gorgeous church in the Chelsea district.

The reception was held a few blocks away in another church - even more gorgeous!

A few more wedding candids - Eric, Chad's cousin, and his stunning bride, Jessica...

      

...and the bride with her new sister-in-law, Jillian.

We were planning on leaving Monday, but due to storms coming back home, we changed our flight to late Monday.  So we made the most of our last day in NYC with a tour of Ground Zero - breathtaking...

...a little Brooklyn pizza and a visit to the Brooklyn Brewery...

...and a quick pit stop at the water's edge before heading to the airport.  

What an amazing trip!  I literally cannot wait to go back!!