Wiley in Heels

I thought I would share this picture of Wiley because it's so darn funny.
He is constantly pawing everything... and last night he kept putting his paws on my friend, Katherine's, shoes. I helped him in them and he loved it! He happily stood in them until I didn't feel like holding him in there anymore.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! That little leprechaun above is my nephew Brady... don't you love the green tuxedo shirt (and the green visor AND the green bagel in his hand)?

Kevin and I live across the street from an awesome Irish pub... and since Kevin is still home with me and has not had to leave for deployment yet (like he was supposed to do today) ... I know exactly where we'll go when I get home from work!

Oh! and a very Happy Birthday to one of my oldest and best friends Kellyann Hennessey!

Ouch

Yesterday was a bad day. I slipped and fell while I was stepping up from a curb onto some very wet grass (it rained all day here yesterday)... it caused me to do the most unnatural split of my life - the right half of my body landed in the mud and my left half landed on pavement. It caused some serious damage folks: my left ankle is bruised, I jammed my thumb and cracked that nail, I got really muddy, and saddest of all.... I broke my glasses. If you laughed at my glasses breaking, I don't blame you. It was a really sad sight to see.

Luckily, no one was around to see it... but it was still awful. When something like that happens to me I really need someone around to feel bad for me and comfort me... unfortunately, Kevin is away right now... so I did what any other person would do... I called my mom.

picture above found here

Weekend

Well I guess I lied to you on Friday... we ended up having a jam packed weekend and there was no lounging to be had. One of the fun things we did was go to a concert with friends on Saturday night at The Casbah in downtown San Diego to see Justin Townes Earle. It was the first time I had heard of him but he was really awesome and put on a great show. He's playing in New Jersey in April if anyone back home is interested in seeing him (which I totally recommend).

P.s. How did everyone like the Oscars last night?? Some highlights for me: Anne Hathaway did a wonderful job hosting, I loved Reese Witherspoons hair, and I loved both acceptance speeches for the best supporting actors

TGIF

Happy weekend everyone! I'm a little jealous that as I type this it is 5:00 pm on the east coast and officially the weekend... I have 3 more hours to go :( ... Oh well, I'll get there soon enough.

For the first time in literally months Kevin and I do not have any plans for this weekend which I'm actually really excited about. I'm also pretty excited that the forecast shows rain for this weekend. I never thought that I would hope for that but the weather is always perfect here you feel guilty not going outside and sometimes it's nice to be lazy and have an excuse to just lounge around.

Whatever you all do... hope you have fun... see ya Monday!

Super Bowl!

Kevin and I are headed to Dallas this weekend for the Super Bowl! Yee haw!
We went last year and had a blast... so I'm super excited for this year.
And even though Dallas is having a bit of an ice situation right now I'm still super pumped about it. I'm hoping we get as cliche as possible... have a big steak, see some bull riding, go two-stepping... you get the idea. We're only going to be there for approximately 2 days (one of which will be at the big game) so this may not happen... but a girl can dream.
Anyway, check out some of my dad's articles for the big game. Yes, that's my handsome father below.

I don't think that it's been much of a secret that Kevin and I have had to change our wedding date... more than once. Turns out that the Navy can be a really inconvenient factor in planning a wedding. I think that's why I stopped blogging for a while... the Navy was discouraging me from thinking I could ever have a wedding planned more than a month in advance. Recently, things are starting to look up again and it looks like the wedding is set for August (I hope I didn't just jinx myself).
Anyway... now that I'm cautiously proceeding back into the world of wedding planning I thought I would share this website I found 100 Layer Cake. It's a great place to get decorating ideas, find vendors, and best of all buy/sell used wedding decorations. So all of those candles, vases, etc. that you bought in bulk for your wedding you can resell them on this website... or scoop up someone else's at a good price.
Also... Kevin and I are finally getting our engagement pictures done next weekend!!!! I really wanted to get them done in San Diego to capture our time living out here (and to longingly flip through while Kevin is deployed... kidding!... kinda)... so we'll be heading to the beach and pier for a fun Cali vibe.  Check out the photographers website here.

SoHo Girl

Ok... I've been saying that I need a hiatus from the blog because I've been busy. Truly, I've been up to a lot and the last thing I can think of during the craziness is how to photograph then document these events. Maybe I'll eventually cover my and Kevin's first Thanksgiving, first Christmas tree, etc. but it could take a while and I'm not making any promises.
However, recently I've been getting into a New York state of mind (cue the Billy Joel song) because I'm making my way back there in just a few short days for Christmas.
Well anyway...  I stumbled upon this blog called I Want to be Her and I couldn't help but be reminded of my time living in NYC. You always see these girls there that look so effortlessly put together! I always think "how did they know to put those pants with that top... and that jacket! where did they find that jacket?!?" I don't even try to compete with it anymore... I'll continue to stick to the JCrew sale rack and Nordstrom junior department and hopefully come out the other end looking halfway decent.
Anyway, this blog really made me laugh because this it's pretty spot on... I chose to show the SoHo girl because that's what I used to be surrounded by... and I think they're the trendiest of all

Bloody Mary

There are two types of people in this world... those who love Bloody Mary's and those who don't. I love them.
And since recipes don't have to just be for baking and cooking (which I've been doing a lot of lately, thank you very  much)... I figure what the heck... I'll give this one a shot - but I'll hold off until this weekend... maybe.

A Kissing Blog

"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves." -- Albert Einstein

This blog is so much fun! It has really great pictures and quotes.

I'm back!

Well... I'm here! Sorry for the lack of posts... it's been a little hectic getting all settled in - plus we're sharing a computer over here and this MacBook confuses me!
Anyway, where do I begin??? I arrived last Saturday... we spent most of the weekend setting up (unpacking, food shopping, etc.) I took naps and went to bed early which I attribute to lack of sleep in the 2 weeks prior to my arrival and jet lag. Monday - Kevin and I both had off so we went down to the beach and enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day in California.
I started work on Tuesday and that's been an adjustment. I like it so far... but I sure do miss my old coworkers.
Last weekend was fun... we did some exploring in the San Diego area and spent a lot of time on the private beach on Kevin's base.
Now we're in the process of looking for a new apartment! I'll keep you posted on that one.

Hotel del Coronado

Well I'm officially moving to San Diego on Saturday (holy crap) and one of the places Kevin and I are really hoping to live is out on Coronado. I was out there to visit a couple of weeks ago and we had lunch at the Hotel del Coronado and it was awesome. There is a reason that place is a famous landmark. We saw a wedding take place on the lawn there and it looked like the most beautiful place in the world to get married - well 2nd next to Middletown, NJ :) .

This brings me to a gorgeous wedding that was featured on Style Me Pretty today and took place on the lawn of Hotel Del. This wedding is incredible! They managed to balance the detail without overdoing it. I love their use of color with the flowers and decor - it just looks romantic and whimsical.

I'm in love with how they decorated the aisle..

This photo is stunning.

I just love the pinks and yellows

So gorgeous... how do people come up with this kind of stuff?!

“I'll Be There For You” by Louise Cuddon

I love the blog A Cup of Jo...so it was no surprise when I discovered I loved all of her posts on her very own wedding.
She had several poems read at her ceremony and I thought one was especially lovely...

 “I'll Be There For You” by Louise Cuddon:

I'll be there, my darling, through thick and through thin
When your mind's in a mess and your head's in a spin
When your plane's been delayed, and you've missed the last train.
When life is just threatening to drive you insane
When your thrilling whodunit has lost its last page
When somebody tells you, you're looking your age
When your coffee's too cool, and your wine is too warm
When the forecast said, “Fine,” but you're out in a storm
When your quick break hotel, turns into a slum
And your holiday photos show only your thumb
When you park for five minutes in a resident's bay

And return to discover you've been towed away
When the jeans that you bought in hope or in haste
Just stick on your hips and don't reach round your waist
When the food you most like brings you out in red rashes
When as soon as you boot up the bloody thing crashes
So my darling, my sweetheart, my dear...
When you break a rule, when you act the fool
When you've got the flu, when you're in a stew
When you're last in the queue, don't feel blue
'cause I'm telling you, I'll be there.

Pumpkin Spice!

Hello All... and Happy Monday!
It really feels like Fall today... and in the spirit of fall I thought I would share my Pumpkin Spice obsession. Beginning September 1st I began drinking Pumpkin Spice coffee 3 times a day (which is already available at Dunkin Donuts- yay!). I don't understand why Pumpkin flavored products are only available during the fall but since I have limited time with this delicious flavor I take full advantage of it.
Kevin set up our brand new Keurig yesterday and you better believe I will be stocking up on those little Pumpkin Spice coffee pods....yummm

Snacks and the City

I was inspired yesterday by a dear friend (and bridesmaid) Leandra. I checked out her blog and wound up logging some serious time on it checking out all of her incredible posts. Her blog is appropriately named Snacks and the City and it is so great because she writes exactly the way she speaks - which is quite simply, hilarious. Leandra and her twin sister Giavanna are by far and away the two funniest people I know. But I digress... You should really check out her blog about dining in NYC. She's a foodie from wayy back... growing up she could literally rattle off the top of her head all of the contents of my pantry at home and somehow scrape together a delicious snack to enjoy over a bad (but sooo good) Lifetime movie.  She has always been my Go-To gal when it comes to finding great treats and fabulous restaurants in the big apple and now she is spreading her wisdom to the public. She is pictured below with some Asian candy...

Anyway... her blog is so friggin good that it is actually motivating me to spruce up this here blog (hence the new tree picture).

Planning Ahead...

I'm getting very excited about moving to San Diego (if you couldn't tell). One of my oldest and bestest friends, Kellyann, gave me a very thoughtful and practical gift for my birthday on Tuesday and I have read it everyday on my commute since. It's a guide book to San Diego! I have literally marked down on the map in my book where my new office is, where Kevin's "office" is, where are current apartment is... and then options for our future apartment. I know. I'm sure if my cousin, Jacqueline, is reading this she literally just thought to herself, "get a life!" In my defense... it's been hard to focus on anything else these days. Soo I'm doing lots of research for my new city. Check out my work below...

If anyone is from - or very familiar - with the San Diego area I would LOVE your advice!

Lots of changes...

Big news! I'm moving to San Diego! In 10 days!
SO...  Obviously lots has happened since I last posted... let's see... I found out I got a job, I found out I only had a day off in between my jobs, bought a car (and a very necessary Garmin), Kevin found out he'll be getting deployed this winter, and we realized we needed a new wedding date! Welcome to the Navy!
This is truly a lesson of learning to rollllll with the punches. No matter what though... I am truly excited for this new adventure I'm about to set out on with Kevin. Wish us luck! and I promise I'll do my best to keep everyone informed and entertained on this little blog.

Wild Animal Park

On Saturday we spent the day at San Diego Zoo's Safari - Wild Animal Park

We went on a tour of the park and were able to feed and pet the giraffe's and rhino's

This next picture made me laugh out loud when I saw it... I love how Kevin is just holding his hands behind his back posing for the picture while I was being harassed by the giraffe! The giraffe found my food and kept on nudging me to get it - keep in mind their head weighs about a hundred pounds and was HUGE.  Kevin had no idea this was going on.

We also were able to get some great shots with the rhino's...

Here's a great one of my engagement ring getting up-close and personal with the rhino...

I also just have to throw this one in here too because Kevin and I laughed about it on and off all day...

It's a child in a monkey harness/leash in the parking lot of the zoo

Something Blue...

Ooooo... imagine these as your 'something blue'?

Or... these!

Made famous here...

Apartment for Rent!

Hey Everyone... I know a lot of friends and family read the blog so I thought this would be the best medium to get the message out that I am looking to sublet my SoHo apartment... effective immediately!!!
It's just one of the million things I need to do before I relocate to San Diego so if anyone is interested... or knows a friend who is interested... just send me a quick email at annie.kirwan@gmail.com and I'll be happy to give you all of the information.
It's a really awesome apartment (completely renovated last year)... and lucky for you it comes with an awesome roommate!
Thanks for your help and I hope to hear from you soon! :)