Inspiration Board for Sasha Cipriano & Ryan Dale

My dear friend, Sasha is getting married in September and as a bridesmaids/wedding-obsessed friend, I have been working with her in realizing her vision. Their wedding will be fun and vibrant with hues of rust and turquoise throughout. It will be classic, with inspiration coming from the 1950's. Below is the third in a series of inspiration boards I have created, as this wedding has and will continue to evolve. One thing for sure, this wedding will be as fun and timeless as it's bright and vintage theme!

(Make sure to double click the Inspiration Board in order to see it in full!)

Spring has SPRUNG

It's been awhile since I have posted and now Spring is here! In fact, Summer is just around the corner. I know we always say how busy we are, but when I say we've never been busier-I REALLY mean it this time!

Aside from us both working full-time (and our work loads have increased in both our jobs) and then Chris in school, I am also working part-time, which I know I have mentioned before, with True Event, but now it's wedding season and if I am not spending the weekend at a wedding, I am either doing a DIY project, researching trends t blog about, and assisting however I can and it seems True Event is on my mind more than anything else. Chris is dedicating his time to the Army and is spending two weeks in Georgia and Alabama for annual training. It seems we only see each other in passing these days-which is something we need to work on changing.



The good news is in a few weeks we'll be getting a well deserved and much needed break when we jetset off to Bermuda. This is our second anniversary trip-can you believe it!? SECOND anniversary-we can still be newlyweds, right? I sure hope so....we feel like newlyweds still and cannot wait for the warm sun (haven't been getting much of that here lately) and pink sand beaches-not to mention the escape of our overly chaotic lives. We'll also be joining my parents, who will be celebrating their 30th anniversary! And we think our 2nd is a big deal! Cannot wait...seriously, it is the only thing keeping our sanity at this point.

Hopefully, Bermuda will give us the opportunity to reflect on our lives and see how we can simplify and make more time for each other.



Bermuda pictures to come...until then hope everyone is having a great Spring season and hopefully we see you in the Summer! xoxo!

Chris and I on my 25th Birthday at The Animal Kingdom at Disney World Orlando, FL

Winter Blues? Not us!

This winter has been a weird one-we never really had any blizzards, but just lingering snow and cold rain, enough that there is always some snow or at least slush on the ground. Most people grumble and complain about how they're "so over winter" and I cannot deny that we love the spring and even more the summer. But-there's something special about winter. The bare trees against the sunset (I marvel at this every evening driving home from work), the stillness and silence while the snow falls, the perfect excuse to indulge in hot cocoa. Even the harshness of the cold is enticing.

Ok, ok-I miss the sunshine, don't get me wrong. Both Chris and I live for the summer heat, but unlike most people we are enjoying the winter instead of just getting through it. Currently, Chris is still burying his head in books for graduate school, while staying very busy with work and continuing his intense gym routine. I have spent the last few months doing some serious soul searching. Asking myself the question, "am I doing what I love?" and found that what I am doing, although I have a great respect for the field of H.R., is not what I love. Once I came to this realization and once I said it out loud, I literally felt a weight lift off my shoulders and float away. I've always known what I love to do, what inspires me, what brings me fulfillment-events! Everything about them! This led me to reach out to any contacts I had in the biz! Amazingly through this effort I received the opportunity to work with True Event part time as an intern and finally it's like the stars have aligned.

So for most people, winter might be that time of year you wish would fly by, but for us, winter has been our season!

Happy Holidays

This is my favorite time of year. The kid in me is still very much there when it comes to Christmas. I literally feel giddy when I think about it. I love the music, the shopping, the time with family and friends. I think if I ever took a part time job it would be wrapping gifts at a department store-I just love the whole process of this holiday.

I also enjoy this time of year, because it is a time of reflection. I look back at all the amazing memories from the year and this year I feel especially lucky. Chris and I both got into Graduate School, Chris got his CPA, we traveled a lot, we got a puppy, we watched some of our best friends get married and engaged and we watched our family grow with the birth of Samantha Marie Kenyon. It's been a beautiful year!

Christmas plans this year, once again, promise to be busy. We have multiple friends with whom we get together to exchange gifts, then we're heading to New Hampshire to see our Barkhouse Granparents and spend most of Christmas Eve with them, then driving back to CT to see the Nagle family for Christmas Eve as well, then home to celebrate Christmas day with Mom and Dad. The one thing I always remind myself is to find some down time to really enjoy the true meaning of the holiday and to not let all the chaos overwhelm the joy. I hope you all remember to do that.

As we mentioned, this year we got our first puppy, who just turned one year old on December 3rd. His picture is below with his first Christmas tree. Also, we just returned from Paris and below you'll see a few pictures from our trip.

Happy Holidays!!!

Summers End 2009 Update

Hello Loved Ones,

I figured now would be a good time for a follow up. It's been awhile. This Summer has been an absolute whirlwind. We thought that after our wedding was behind us that our lives would slow down, but not quite. In fact, this has been the busiest Summer, probably ever. We have the honor of being in our old roommates, Dan and Sam's wedding in October. I have been helping Sam with her wedding plans and planning her shower. I am also in a wedding on August 23rd for my dear friend, Bethany. Her shower is now behind us and it was beautiful. Aside from those we also have two other weddings to attend. I absolutely LOVE to help with the planning of these event, so they have been a blessing, but boy, it has kept us busy!

We just celebrated our first wedding anniversary. To celebrate we traveled up to Acadia National Park (for letter "a", since each anniversary we will travel with the alphabet...next year we're going to Bermuda for "b".). It was incredible!! The scenery was amazing and we did some intense mountain climbing. Many memories were made.

We also booked a trip to Paris in November. We will be leaving on Thanksgiving Day-so we'll miss our family very much. This is the first in 24 years that I will not have celebrated this holiday with family. I am a bit sad about that, but am ecstatic about our trip to France. We're spending about 4 days in Paris and one in Reims (Champagne Country) touring the Champagne Houses. I love champange!!! Many pictures to come of Paris, as you would all expect.

Career/school-wise, as you know, Chris recieved his CPA and we both were accepted into Graduate School. We start the end of this month. Chris will attend University of Hartford for his Master's in Accounting and I will attend UConn for a Master's in Professional Studies in Human Resources Management. We are both nervous and anxious about returning to school.

Aside from all of this, we continue with our hobbies of running and working out, cooking and scrapbooking (ok, well that one if just me) and spending a lot of time with our puppy, Duke, who is now 8 months old. Marriage rocks and we are so happy to share this wonderful life together!

HELP SAVE MORGAN

So my sister Sarah just got a puppy. Her name is Morgan and she is a german shepard/golden retriever mix rescue from Alabama. After having her for less than two weeks they found out she has a congenital condition called Liver Shunt, basically meaning her body is like a toxic waste dump and is killing her. Unlike most puppies, Morgan doesn't bark and jump and chew. Without medication, she can only sit in place and cannot make eye contact. The condition is curable with surgery, but costs $4000! She has already spent $500 in one week on two antibiotics and an ammonia blocker. She is not one to ask for help-BUT I AM! We are asking people to give even $5 to save this puppy. Email me (troxell712@yahoo.com) or call Sarah at (603) 313-5159. See Morgan's picture below. Thank you, again, for anything you can do.

Introducing: Duke Troxell

So, we took the plunge. We were so hesitant, but when a breeder contacted us to let us know, "I have one boy and one girl left", we couldn't resist. I was at work and called Chris. I was more reluctant, knowing the responsibility it takes to raise a puppy. Chris said, "Let's do it!". I let him call and pick boy or girl. He called me back saying, "It's a boy!". So, Duke, it was. Chris loves the name Duke for a child. I say it works for a dog, that's it.

Duke is an American Eskimo, a very tough breed to find as they are rare in this area. We drove up to Auburn, NY to pick him up. So far he has been so sweet. He is quiet and very calm and submissive. Unfortunately though, he is teething so he is chewing on everything.

He is 13lbs. right now and will grow quickly, so check his picture out below. We are cherishing the puppy-phase, but we're excited to have this companion with us in our future.