Tag Archives: wedding

7 Years Together

Posted in Liz's Life, Married Life by

This weekend will be 7 years since Luke and I were married on a sunny, yet cool day in Chicago.

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To be honest, before we got married, I had a lot of anxiety. It was such a big decision and I didn’t want to screw it up! I knew in my heart Luke would be a great husband, but it was still scary.

You hear so many stories of couples who divorce, or worse live life together unhappy. I heard the saying “marriage is hard work!!” a lot and honestly, felt like I needed to steel myself for it to be difficult. I wasn’t exactly sure I wanted to step into a “hard” situation.

Of course I got over this fear and am SO glad I did!

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I know our marriage is still young, but after seven years (10 together total) I can honestly say being married to Luke has never once felt like “hard work.” It’s difficult for me to imagine a situation where it will in the future too.

We’ve been through cross-country moves, stressful jobs, raising three young children and the doozies – miscarriage and infertility. None of these things were easy, but they were made easier having Luke by my side. Situations that could have driven us a part only made us cling to each other more.

Throughout these seven years, we’ve evolved and grown. Both as individuals and as a couple. We’ve learned to communicate like pros, give support when the other needs it and serve up some tough love when it’s due.

One of the things I love and admire most about Luke is his desire to be a true partner to me. There really aren’t many fixed “roles” in our house. He carries his share of the childcare, housework, yard work, errands and more while working a stressful job. He is in tune with my needs and never makes me feel guilty when I need a break or time away to recharge.

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When we do have an argument, it’s typically over in 5-10 minutes. Neither of us like to be at odds, so both of us are eager to talk it through, come to an understanding and move on. I think it’s just that we both agree that nothing is worth damaging our relationship over.

I often tell Luke that I really feel like our souls are linked. When he has to travel for work, I feel restless and unable to relax. I sleep poorly and just feel like something is missing. My life is always, always better when Luke is near to me. Thank God he works from home and is with us most days!

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When I started this blog, Luke and I had just gotten engaged. The posts were filled with my love for him and my excitement for the future. Three kids later, my posts have shifted to stories about motherhood, but make no mistake, Luke is still the most important and cherished person in my life.

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These seven years have flown by too. Sometimes I still feel like a love-sick 20-something who just met a tall, strong man named “Batman.” I hope someday when we’re old and have lived a good life together, that feeling will still be there giving me butterflies.

Luke, I love you so much! Thank you for being my person. I can’t wait to see what adventures this life brings us! XOXO forever.

 

 

 

 

Lila Kate The Flower Girl

Posted in Lila, Liz's Life by

Two weekends ago Luke’s sister Emily tied the knot with Kenny in Bloomington, Indiana. They are a great match and we were all so happy to see them become husband & wife.

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One of the highlights of the weekend for us was getting to see Lila be a flower girl. Lila was equally excited. A princess dress? Flower crown? Cake? All her family? Sign Lila up!

Lila tends to be a little shy. I hate using that term because I don’t want to label her as one thing or another. I typically say “she needs a little warm up time” or “she’s feeling a bit bashful.” Needless to say, we were anticipating that she may have trouble getting down the aisle once she saw all the people watching her in the church. Two years old is a bit young to really “get” the whole flower girl thing too.

Emily sent Lila some flower petals to practice with in our house and for the weeks leading up to it she “walked the aisle” in our living room. We also tried to prep her as much as possible – “there will be a lot of people there that will want to say hi to you, so if you feel uncomfortable, you can just smile at them.”

I got her the perfect little tulle, silk and lace dress off Easy, and even made her a flower crown from fresh flowers we got at the farmer’s market the day of the wedding. She looked perfect!

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Finally her moment came. She was at the back of the church with Luke while I was in the front coaxing her down.

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Wouldn’t you know it? Our girl nailed it! She walked the whole way down the aisle, gently tossing her leaves and even looked around and smiled at all the people around her. I was so proud!

What got cut off in the video is that as soon as she got to the end, she was very adamant that ALL of her leaves be out of her basket, so she stood at the end and urgently threw them all out on the floor. Then seeing the big pile of leaves, decided “this looks fun!” and proceeded to roll around in them saying “I want to play in the leaves!”

It was pretty adorable. I swooped her up and we watched Emily make her grand entrance.

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As she walked by, Lila said “she has a cape on, mama!” I told her “It’s called a train, honey.” This confused Lila to no end “What train? I don’t see a train? Where’s the train??”

Our girl had lost her ability to be still or quiet at the point, so I took her into the hall until the service was over and we could get on with the real business of this wedding (according to Lila) …. the cake!

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Congrats Emily & Kenny!! We had so much fun at your wedding and are honored you had Lila part of your special day. XO.

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Thanks to my MIL Felicia and various other wedding guests for snapping of these photos. 

Looking Up

Posted in Liz's Life by

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the many messages, comments and calls I received after my last blog post. It touched my heart to hear from so many of you about your own experiences and stories. Thank YOU for sharing with me. Knowing you’re not alone as you go through something difficult is sometimes the best thing to bring you through.

This past week I feel as though a weight has been lifted and life has gotten back to being good. Scratch that, great. I have so much to be thankful for and this week I really tried to slow down, notice and appreciate the joy in my life. Like…

Little girls who love their daddies.

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Watching your best friend get married to a great guy.

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Wine tasting outside in the summer air.

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Un-rushed mornings at the Zoo.

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No-filter-necessary flowers.

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Getting dolled up and feeling beautiful.

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This week seemed to be filled with many little reminders to enjoy life. I really believe in the signs the universe sends, and this week they all pointed ahead, telling me “things are getting better and the best is yet to come.”

Where We Go From Here

Posted in Party Ideas by

Since my wedding, I’ve been asked several times if I plan to keep blogging  and what I will be blogging about. I do plan to keep blogging, but what about is still yet to be worked out completely.

I really enjoyed finding adorable gifts, decorations, dresses ect. as they related to weddings, but now I feel like my scope needs to broaden.

So in addition to writing about my day-to-day life and adventures in cooking, I plan to continue to share some of my favorite party finds. For example, I came across this “Vintage Toy” child’s birthday party theme on www.thoughtfullysimple.com and had to share.

The party was designed by Bella Grace Party Designs and has to be one of the most adorable themes ever! I need someone in my life to have a baby so I can have a reason to buy one of those vintage radio flyers. Any takers?

Anyway….expect more of this from me.

Also, if there’s topics you’d like me to tackle, (like how I snagged a good man or how I am eating like a caveman or what it’s like to be taller than your teachers in 5th grade) let me know.

Now that our wedding is over, I will be looking for content to keep you all reading. :)