A full picture of the dresses, girls, and guys....

Officially Mr and Mrs Laskoskie- I loved my dress and felt like a princess. Mike chose tails and looked incredibly handsome :)

Groomsmen- (left to right) Mike's best friend Semmel, my brother Larry, Mike's brother Frank, and Mike's nephew Frank. Mike picked out the morning jackets- they looked awesome.

My girls ( right to left)- My friend Jenn, my friend Meredith, my sister Helen, and my sister Mary Beth.

My dad and I walking down the aisle. You can see the dress here. It was beautiful- all lace and short. The shoes were torture and came off after the ceremony but looked damn good when they were on :)

This and That... (talks of the honeymoon and wedding photos)

Now pronounced Mr and Mrs Laskoskie :)

Mike's brother Frank.

Mike seeing me for the first time.

Mike and I returned from our honeymoon at the Jersey shore on sunday. Unfortunately, we took absolutely no pictures. I don't know what happened except we were having such a good time that we never thought to take the camera... It was a lazy week of sleeping, reading, eating, and just enjoying each other's company. We were originally scheduled on a cruise but with all the madness of wedding planning, wedding payments, work etc- we rescheduled the cruise for our first year anniversary. Instead, my parents handed over their beach house to us. It was a much better plan. We had so much fun doing lazy walks around the lighthouse, eating at fabulous restaurants ( I gained 6 pounds, Mike gained nothing), reading, and sleeping.

I managed to read 4 books (all fabulous and I recommend them all)- the forgotten garden and the house at riverfront by Kate Morton and Shopaholic and baby and Mini shopaholic. The Shopaholic books are light chic lit. TheKate Morton's are phenomenal and I would tell you all to pick them up. They are english novels/ mysteries set in the early 1900's and flipping between present and past. I inhaled them. I could not read them fast enough. Mike and I had bought the ereader/ nook color from Barnes and Noble the friday before we left. Mike barely used it, I however got our money's worth within the first 3 days...

OFFICIALLY MR AND MRS

Instead of a "Rapture" party, we had a wedding. At 5pm on May 21, 2011, Mike and I officially became Mr and Mrs. It was a wonderful time but flew by. We are floating....

We return after a prolonged absence

I am afraid that I have neglected my blog. Life has been in fast forward and, unfortunately, my poor blog has suffered...

Life has been good. We have had nothing but good news here. My sisters left their hated 9-5 jobs and opened a retail store in Redbank NJ. Visit their website at feplush.com and show them some love, they have awesome stuff. My middle brother was married last month and is having a baby in October; and Mike and I will tie the knot in 21 days. Every thing but the last minute things are done. We had our engagement session with the photographer last night at Valley Forge Park and also finalized the details with the country club. Today was my second to last fitting and my bridal shower is next sunday.

I am typing this from our new (to us) refurbished iBook G4. Mike got it for us as a "wedding gift", I have been coveting this for quite some time now and we are trying this out for size before we spend the money on a brand new model... I am LOVING it :)

I hope this finds everyone well. I ask for prayers again, Perry (a fellow blogger) has a daughter Andi who is suffering from horrible headaches and has been hospitalized with confusion and difficulty with speech. She is a young woman with 2 young children and a loving husband. Tests have been negative thus far and she is being discharged home with plans for speech therapy but no answers for the time being. Please pray for a speedy recovery and answers for this family... Also, my friend K is pregnant again. Good thoughts/ prayers are appreciated for a peaceful pregnancy with a healthy birth...

Prayers are needed

Have you ever felt guilty because you are having the time of your life and can't stop smiling while someone else is experiencing hell on earth?

Two of my work friends are having some pretty awful times and I am asking for the praying type to add these families to their prayer lists.

My friend K has been trying to get pregnant for the past several years. Six months ago, after several failed fertility treatments, she concieved. I can honestly say that I have never seen a happier pregnant person, she glowed. At her 5 month ultrasound the brain was not clearly visualized and a more in depth ultrasound was ordered for the next month. Last week, she had that ultrasound to find that the baby's brain had never developed and would not be able to survive. She was induced last week and delivered her baby girl last week, stillborn. K and her husband are devestated but are talking of trying again to concieve once able.ung

T's young wife has cystic fibrosis and has had a rough year. She is around 30 years old, a nurse, and a loving mother to 2 beautiful girls. She has been sick on and off this past year, having had a feeding tube placed because she could not maintain her nutritional status, has become oxygen dependant but still living her life as well as she could. They were recently on vacation at the shore and she became ill. She was hospitalized at the shore but has since been transferred to the University of Pennsylvania's intensive care unit. She is now intubated and unable to breathe on her own. She has been added to the Lung Transplant list. She is fighting for her life. I cannot imagine how terrifying this is for her husband, her family, her daughters...

So, if you are the praying kind, please pray for these families. They are going through certain hell.

Making Progress...

We have been quite busy here. Unpacking continues and for all but one room, the house is guest worthy. A huge accomplishment, let me tell you. Last weekend, Mike worked quite hard, while I had a fabulous afternoon with the girls and my mom, to clean the dining room and make it presentable for my friend Jenn (who was coming to dinner and spend the night).

Last Saturday was spent shopping for wedding dresses. That makes it sound like we spent the day jumping from dress shop to dress shop. We did not, we went to Priscilla of Boston in Ardmore, Pa and had an awesome time. I tried on 7 dresses- some better than others, long and short- but ultimately narrowed it down to 2. After looking at the pics Mary Beth (Cats, books, life is good) took, it was clear which dress it would be. This Saturday, my mother and I had a larky day ordering/buying THE dress and wandering through the lovely shops at Suburban Square. AND as a final topper to the day, my mother bought Mike and me an iPad :). Mike spent last night playing with said iPad and all I kept hearing was "this is so cool" over and over again.

Sunday, we went and met with the photographer. I am amazed by his pictures and his personality is laid back and friendly. He is a little nontraditional and has a wonderful way of capturing candid moments. Check him out, Sean Marshall Lin. (I am having issues getting his website to post but here it is seanmarshalllin.net).

Today we are cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning, babysitting for our friends seven month old son, and yard work. Right now, Mike is on the computer, I am posting, and pioneer woman's spicy pulled pork is filling the house with yummy smells... Happy Sunday :)

We have a date!

Two weeks ago, Mike and I had dinner at the Reading Country Club. We loved the food, loved the setting, and really loved the deserts. I emailed the staff and found that very few saturdays were available for 2011. Not wanting to wait until late 2011 or (heaven forbid) 2012, we agreed to meet with Angela S. and see the ballroom and grounds. It was love at first sight. The ballroom is light and airy with little balconies around the room. The patio looks out on the 16th green and is lovely. They offer a very nice menu with decent liquors and tasty wedding cakes. It was a done deal. We signed a contract and gave them a deposit. Mark you calanders, we are getting married May 21, 2011 at 4pm...

Now for more fun, I get to go dress shopping :)