New Beginnings are Good For New Looks!!

As some of you know, this Wednesday is my last day with Starbucks. 

Working for the company has been such a wonderful experience and I have learned so much (as well as moving up quickly) in these past 2 years. I have taken a new job in the area that will allow me to have more time to relax and be home with my family. Nick and I have both agreed that making numerous trips home to PA while I'm working 45-55 hours a week has just been extremely tiring and stressful. In the next few months we hope to find a home that we can nestle into and make our own. This is the time for new beginnings!

No longer will I require my green apron and non-slip shoes (LOL!) but now I'm onto business professional attire. I scored some AWESOME finds at the JCrew outlet near our house as well as Ann Taylor Loft and Target. NOW is the time to go shopping if you're looking to update your wardrobe because there are some serious sales going on. 

I also got a new pair of glasses (HELLOOOO Ferragamo!) and some highlights. I think I'm ready to tackle this new business setting of mine:o)

A GIVEAWAY!!!!!

For the past few months I have been doing giveaways on Neely's blog and they have been a HUGE hit...to say the least! Thank you to all who have joined in, I wish you luck in winning these awesome products. 

This month I am giving away an all-in-one organizer from my Thirty-One site in the most popular print that they have right now, Best Tweets. 

These organizers are GREAT for all of you teachers who are looking for a way to keep your classroom simplified and in order. File folders fit perfectly inside and you can label them Monday-Friday for each day you have a lesson plan. Then just grab your organizer off your desk, take it home and set up your lessons for the next week. How easy is THAT!?

Go on over to Neely's blog and comment, telling us which product you would love to have off of my Thirty-One site. 
As a follower of both my blog and Neely's, I am offering a special discount for all of you! You will receive 10% off your entire order when you email me at angela.kolachny@gmail.com and mention NEELY10

Happy Friday Friends!

xo

The Vow

Nick and I rented the movie, The Vow, last night from Redbox and boy was I surprised. I thought it was going to be this awfully cheesy, guess-the-line kind of movie but it wasn't at all. The movie was based on a true story and the casting director couldn't have chosen two people that played the parts better than Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum (SWOONNNNNN!). 

Of course, being a woman, I began to analyze the movie thinking, "oh my gosh! I give them so much credit. How did he manage to do that! What if it was us??".  While I have many other thoughts about the events, it all boils down to one thing.

 Love. Love will get you through anything.

Yes, I'm about to get married in a year. 

Yes, I'm a sucker for love stories.

Yes, I am head over heels, MADLY in love with my fiancé.

So I'm biased. 

BUT...

with anything in life, if there isn't love, its not worth fighting for.

Nick and I recently had a conversation where we were talking about jobs, and finances, etc. We are very fortunate to live a comfortable lifestyle. I feel very fortunate that I was able to move into a brand new city and find a job that would pay me a comfortable salary because, let's face it, I love to shop:o)

But as Nick said, "Yes, you have a job that pays what you want. But are you really happy?"

I sat there looking at him like, "What? What is that supposed to do with anything?" and low and behold, he was right. If you're not happy, why are you doing it??

I realized that this guy could care less if I was working on a fishing boat gutting fish or if I was working as a corporate executive assistant for a living. He just wants me to be happy. 

I saw a sign in a store that said, "Happy Wife. Happy Life", and it was true. I make a goal out of making my fiancé feel like he is the most important person in the world each and everyday. He's the love of my life and he deserves that because, he too, works his tush off. But guys are simple. They don't ask for much in return. It's the women who are really a pain in the butt, and I can attest to that! Mood swings, rants, "this doesn't fit", "I don't feel like cooking", etc. and the guys just sit there saying "geez Louise, relax!".  

We both have made promises to each other that I think are really special. They aren't written in an email or a text or even in a handwritten letter. We have sat across the table from each other and said,

 "even with all this crazy stuff in life. I PROMISE, I will do this for you."

So, Nick, if you're reading this...think back to that conversation we had a little while ago, promising what we would do to make our life together the best it can be...

I think we just wrote our own set of Vows.

xo

Summer Favorites

Ahh, summertime...I've missed you. What I love about summertime most is that it slows people down a bit, but in this area I've noticed that it doesn't slow people down enough to make you nuts:o)

Here are some other things that I really love about this time of year:

fresh produce & farmers markets

sangria!

 the beach, my heaven. the ocean is where I belong

 beautiful flowers in bloom

 Jeep rides-top down- with my little (err...not so little anymore) brother

 planning for our wedding! we sent out our save the dates

walks through trails with Nick and our dog Nelly

cooking dinner on the grill

sundresses and flip flops

longer days of sunshine

wine festivals in VA wine country

live concerts outside (we are going to see Counting Crows and Martina McBride!)

fireflies

spending more time with family and friends<3

Bridesmaid Luncheon

A few weeks ago, my Mom threw my bridesmaids a luncheon so that they could meet and chat about all things bridal. We had a BLAST! The weather was perfect, we had great company and she did a great job planning it all. THANKS MOM!

 Dia Doce Cupcakes, winner of Cupcake Wars, provided the cupcake desserts for our luncheon!

Their food truck was ADORABLE!

Tanks I made for my bridesmaids

and my matrons of honor!

Our save the dates!

 Mimosas of course!

 Nick's mom made this letter L initial that I was DYING to have. 

I couldn't believe how well it turned out!

 Dia Doce Cupcakes, they were amazing. My favorite were the ones with rose water icing.

Me and some of my bridesmaids! We missed you Lauren and Caitlin!!!

Teacher Appreciation MONTH!

I don't think teachers get enough appreciation at all. One week out of the year is just not enough for the hard work these wonderful people put in! 

Since I went to school to be a teacher, I wanted to reach out to the teachers in my area to say "thank you". I had several ladies who are involved with the PTA organizations here and I was SO excited to help out with their silent auctions.

I put together giveaways from my Thirty-One business because these products work very well for teachers and businesspersons. They were floored when I walked in with these big bags!!

Are you a teacher?? I'm offering 15% for teacher appreciation MONTH! During the month of May, you may take 15% off of your total order from my Thirty-One page! 

Interested in having a catalog party?? It's easy! I'll mail you catalogs to distribute, your guests order online or through you. YOU get the hostess rewards! WOOHOO! 

To order or for info on a catalog party, email me at angela.kolachny@gmail.com

HAPPY MONDAY FRIENDS!

xo

Meet Baby Jake!

My stepmom gave birth to Baby Jake about 2 weeks ago, and I am so excited to share some pictures with you! Even though we are 27 years apart, I can already sense that we are going to be inseparable. Welcome to the world little one!

 Kisses from Dad!

 Meg looking absolutely radiant as a mom!

The One Where It Gets Real: A Woman's Need to "Do it All"

Hi friends, I have missed you.

 Just a few minutes ago, I got a message from my soon-to-be Mother-in-law saying that she missed reading my blog and loves to read my posts. I've also had several messages from you all, and it's not that I've been ignoring you, I just haven't had time to sit down and...write. So here I am:o) It feels good to be here.

I must say, there have been SO many wonderful experiences in the past couple of months. In February, I was promoted to store manager of the Starbucks store that I now run. Nick and I took our first trip to Disney together with two of our best friends. I joined Thirty-One in order to meet new friends in my area and to have some fun working while I'm not actually at work. In March, I lost almost half of my staff at work, only to hire some of the best and hardest working partners I could ask for. I asked my bridesmaids to be in my wedding and they all said "YES!". Now, in April, I am leading community service projects at work. I am doing very well with my Thirty-One business, earning a great incentive prize, and it's only halfway through the month. I have met a new group of friends that I can actually connect with. My step-mom is about to give birth to my new baby brother (literally, as we speak-and I'm sorry I can't be there with you Meg!). I mean, there's just SO much to be grateful for!

But there's always a catch, right? There's always clouds in a sunny sky? Yes.

And what I struggle with, and what most women struggle with, is feeling the need to "DO IT ALL". And guess what ladies? It will never happen! You CAN'T do it all. 

It's something I've wrestled with for awhile now, and I constantly push myself to do the best I possibly can. And you should! You should ALWAYS do the best that you possibly can. But what's not healthy is when you try to be an overachiever. I, for one, bring way too much upon myself. No one is perfect. 

I believe it's all about letting go.

 It's ok to ask for help at times. 

It's ok to be vulnerable. 

It's ok to laugh at yourself.

I find myself thinking about things that have happened during the week in yoga class. My instructor, at the front of the class, saying to "let it go, let it all out", "breathe". But she also says to "focus on yourself for this next hour, without thinking about what's going on outside of these four walls." My response is usually a confused look, like, "yeah ok, easier said than done." But I'll just close my eyes, breathe, and block it out. I give myself that one hour, a full 60 minutes, to think about me and only me. To think about my health, my breathing, my soul, my spirit. It's a great feeling by the way. If you haven't experienced a yoga class, I highly recommend it. And when you do? Let me know how you like it. Email me and we will chat!

I recently had an argument with a family member who I was very close with my entire life. It wasn't until a few years ago that the foundation began to crack. I'm not completely sure what happened, how we allowed it to get that way, but it did. Instead of trying to repair the cracks with glue, we let it sit until it crumbled. Sad? Yes. I tried to reach out to this person and let them know that I am so very hurt and hope they would understand how I feel, but the look in their eyes said otherwise. I became hostile towards this person for awhile, but the more I thought about what was going on, the more I realized that they were fighting the same battle. Trying. To. Do. It All. Trying to be the perfect example, perfect cook, perfect Catholic, perfect friend, etc. The reality of it is, it's impossible to be perfect at everything. But putting everything else aside, it's necessary to put your family first. More directly, the people who have been a constant in your life, supporting you with anything that should come along. 

A friend of mine recommended a great read called "You're Already Amazing" by Holley Gerth. I was hesitant to read it because I'm not much of a spiritual person, but I thought, what the heck? I gave it a go. I loved it. The book is in a way an affirmation that reassures you that, no matter what happens, you are amazing. We were all put on this Earth to love and be loved. 

So as you move forward after reading this, just remember that you are wonderful. Put you and your family first and everything else will fall into place. Somehow, someway. It always works out. And if not? It wasn't meant to be, let it go.

Namaste. Love.

Keep Calm and Make Sticky Buns

Just when you think you need a glass of wine or a really strong margarita...make yourself these sticky buns, sit back and relax! Enjoy!

You can find my Mom-Mom's famous sticky bun recipe, here at my cooking blog!

Fill in the Blank Friday

I always think that Lauren's fill in the blank Friday posts are fun, so join in if you want to have fun too!


1. My favorite place I've traveled to is Jamaica, and North Carolina, and California. Actually, just about everywhere. I traveled to Greece with my Dad a few years ago, my first international trip. It was an experience to say the least, I'm REALLY glad I went but both of us agree we would never go back. We are going to Disney in less than a month, that might just hold my vote for #1!


2. Italy and Ireland are places I'd love to go someday. We are going to Italy in September 2013 for our honeymoon!! yea!

3. I pass the time on a plane (or bus, or car ride or train) by reading. I'm alwaysssss reading. I can't sleep on planes, but reading a great book passes the time. I also love to dive into some good magazines too!


4. My three must-haves when I travel are my iPhone, a book and booklight, and either a cozy wrap/pashmina or a lightweight blanket (especially on a plane when it gets chilly). 


5. My favorite travel companion is: my fiance Nick. I am NEVER on time for anything but work and I ALWAYS pack wayyyyy too much when I travel. Because Nick travels a lot for work, he teaches me all the tricks of the trade, plus we get to take advantage of his preferred status. 


6. The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is when I was in Greece and I saw people protesting with flags and torches in the streets. I visited Greece when the riots were going on and it was a disaster. Thank goodness we were part of a travel group to keep us safe. 


7. The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling is Greek food. Again, traveling around Greece was quite an experience. They don't use refridgeration, so they cook food in the morning and then it sits out all day. Needless to say, the lamb and veal that I tried...was room temperature and pretty much coagulated. *GAG* My Dad jokes around and says that I came back a diabetic because I refused to eat anything but baklava and drink anything but Ouzo (licorice flavored liquor). Hey! When in Greece...


8. If I could live anywhere else, I'd live in South Carolina. I absolutely LOVE the south, and South Carolina is absolutely soulful. I would move there in a heartbeat, just to experience it for a few months.


9. I have been to nineteen states in the U.S.

Happy Friday Friends!

Let's Be Real...a Raw Post

I've always been a loyal friend. You can say that I would rather have 5 best friends than 10 friends. I was raised to always keep in touch, return phone calls and send thank you notes. Now that I've moved away, its killing me not to be right around the corner from my friends. I always try my best to visit them whenever I make a trip back home.


I asked one of my best friends to be my MOH (Matron of Honor) in my wedding. I've known her for more than half of my life and she knows everything about me. She's gone on family vacations with me and even calls my grandmother, "Mom-Mom". 


I was a cheerleader for 14 years, and most of my close friends are ones that were on my team. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were cheerleaders, it was because they are the most genuine, truthful friends I could ever ask for. Unfortunately, my MOH has never really accepted the fact that I am not a clicky friend. A friend is a friend regardless of their athletic ability or group of people they hang out with. 


We recently had a conversation in which she said that she thought I felt obligated to ask her to be my MOH. In all honesty I felt let down. I didn't think I would ever feel a comment like that from her again. We had an argument after high school that came between us and we didn't talk for years. I swore to her I would never let that happen again. So by asking her to be my MOH I thought that would show her the high regard I have for her. I wanted her to be there standing next to me, helping me get everything together, helping me shop for my wedding dress. The past couple weeks, I hadn't heard from her as often as I did before. When she finally decided to tell me what was on her mind I froze. I just couldn't believe I was hearing the petty excuses again, especially that I would feel obligated to ask her anything. I really don't want the drama and tears unless they are happy tears. 


I haven't asked any of my friends to be in my wedding party yet. I had a really special idea in my head of how I wanted to ask them in the spring (one year to our wedding). The truth is, I could have asked any of my friends to be my MOH. I wouldn't be asking them to be my bridesmaids if I didn't want them standing next to me on my wedding day. Every girl means the world to me, so I decided I'm going to call them my "best maids" instead of bridesmaids. 


Have any of you had to deal with losing a MOH or a bridesmaid? Email me, I could really use some advice. 

xo

Starbucks Humor

So you all know I run a Starbucks store and I absolutely love, love, LOVE my job. We see a lot of interesting orders come through, for instance "Can I have a caramel light frappuccino with breve (half and half), extra whipped cream and extra caramel." *cue the blank look on my face, lol*

Anyway, I was at a meeting yesterday and a barista showed me this comic. I thought it was pretty funny, enjoy:o)

And just to make a side note, I prefer regular brewed coffee over a handcrafted beverage but that's just me! On with the comic...

There's No Place Like Home

I can't say it enough. I really love living in Virginia but there is no place like home. I grew up in Pennsylvania, about 40 minutes outside of Philadelphia, I lived there my whole life and moved to VA in November 2010. I've enjoyed beginning a new life with my fiance and creating a home of our own, but there will always be a void in my life from moving away from my family. It's a tough struggle, and I find it difficult to get home as much as I would like. I've gotten much better with making time to come home, lately it's been once a month (hey, I'll take it!). I work holidays so that I can give my staff time to be home with their families, and then I in return get a personal day to use to come home and visit my family. For now, it works. I've always said that when I have kids I'll never move far away that my parents won't be able to babysit and visit whenever they want. We have no plans on having kids anytime soon, not for another 3 years at least. So for now I'll enjoy coming home and visiting with those who I can't live without:o)

We decided to come home this weekend, my brother is home from college for a few days. It's the best feeling walking into a familiar space, closing your eyes and just listening...smelling...taking it all in. I love going to my Mom-Moms farmhouse in the country, seeing the ducks in her yard, the vast amount of land all around her, and smelling the delicious food that comes out of her kitchen. To say that she cooks comfort food is an understatement.

My Mom's house has the ambience of being a full house at all times. She has three kids and two dogs, when we come to visit we bring our dog, Nelly, so that makes a total of three dogs and three kids. CRAZY! But she loves it, and doesn't mind the chaos. It's nice that she greets me with a smile and a hug and says "HI!".

My Dad and his wife Meg live in Manayunk, about 15 minutes away from center city Philadelphia. Going to visit them is always fun because we are able to go and explore the wonderful city of brotherly love. They know all the hot spots and some awesome places to eat (so far our favorites are anything from an old diner to Steven Starr restaurants). Besides, a girl wants nothing more than a hug and a kiss from her Dad<3

Nick's parents don't live very far from where we grew up, and have an awesome group of neighbors. I think it's so neat to be able to jump over their deck and visit with friends we went to school with. His Mom always has a new craft started and she teaches me all the tricks of the trade! Plus, his Dad is an Eagles fan and backs me up with Nick's awful choice in professional football teams! Sorry Nick, but Dallas SUCKS! :o)

I'm watching the snow fall outside, it's about 2-3 inches total now. Hope you are all enjoying time with your families and friends this weekend! Take time to visit those you love and if you can't see them face to face there's always phone calls and FaceTime! (Thank you Steve Jobs!)

17 Things You Might Not Know About Me

I love the blogging world simply because you get to meet a lot of really great people! I think its always fun to learn new things about each other.

Here are 17 things you may not know about me:

My favorite place to be is Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. It's such a simple place with the most wonderful people you've ever met. There truly is nothing better than looking at clear blue water, feet in soft, white sand and the taste of the freshest seafood on the East Coast. Not to mention its the home of my favorite tv show, Dawson's Creek.

My favorite color is pink, but lately I've been attracted to the color yellow. I think it's a happy color that is great for cheering you up!

I absolutely love daisies and white roses. I HATE red roses.

I listen to country music, I have absolutely no clue what's new in the pop music world (next to the train wreck Nicki Minaj-does she even SING!?).

I prefer summer over fall or winter.

I love to cook, I have a cooking blog (click on the button with the yummy cookies on the left of my blog).

My favorite drink at Starbucks is a tall cup of Blonde coffee with one Splenda and a splash of milk.

I think I'm qualified to be on Wheel of Fortune (ha! Seriously, I'm awesome at that show).

I live in VA, but I don't hesitate to plan a trip home. Truth be told, I've used all of my personal days to go home to PA and be with my family and friends. I would not be where I am today without them. Thank you!

I love anything with bananas. Weird? Maybe. But I love a sliced banana on top of waffles, cereal, and I even hunt down banana Laffy Taffy's in a penny candy store.

As much as I envision a bride wearing a big poofy dress (a la Kate Hudson's Vera Wang dress in Bride Wars), but I'm going for a more classic style wedding gown. (Think Kate Middleton meets Grace Kelly-that's all I can say, Nick reads my blog!).

Philadelphia will always be my home sweet home. It's amazing how safe I feel when I'm walking the streets in the city. I love looking up and seeing the beautiful historical building, smelling cheesesteaks in the air and hearing people say "YO!"...hey, it's a Philly thing, don't knock it.

I'm obsessed with my Erin Condren planner, it is a blessing in disguise. It keeps me organized with work, home and everything else in between. She's a genius.

I HATE eggs. I won't go near scrambled eggs, eggnog, French toast that's soaked in eggs, frittatas, etc. The smell of them makes me gag.

I'm super competitive, hence the reason I won't run with Nick. He's much faster than I am and I always feel like I need to out run him. It's a great way to keep my butt in shape though!

I'm a daddy's girl. It's that bond that will never be replaced. I have a very special relationship with my Mom too. I feel extremely lucky that my parents worked together as a team to raise me with all the love in the world.

I am TERRIFIED of snakes! I tense up and get chills all over my body when I see one. I think I would pass out if I ever came within 5 feet of one! EEK!

Ok, now it's your turn! Tell me something I don't know about you! As always feel free to email me, I love chatting with you!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

It's been an awesome start to the New Year and I'm hoping that you all have set your resolutions and they are on their way!

My resolution isn't really limited to one thing, there are certainly a lot of things I would like to accomplish this year.

My goals:
-To lose 40 pounds by next January, and continue to live a healthy life
-To master the art of organizing a 2 bedroom apartment, keeping it simple and minimalistic
-To save enough money so we can buy a house that we love
-Run a 5k this April and run a 10k in the fall
-Get myself to the next level in my yoga classes
-Do one creative task everyday

Here's what I'm loving this week:
The Biggest Loser tv show (if that's not motivation I don't know what is!)
My Moleskine Wellness Journal to track what I do for my health each day
The beautiful springlike weather we have had lately
Our newly painted and decorated living room pics to follow this week!
The game Bop It
Cuties clementine oranges
The NEW Blonde coffee at Starbucks (if you don't go to Starbucks because our coffee is too strong, go get a sample of Blonde coffee, it's delicious,)
Tim Tebow (hey, I might be an Eagles fan but I don't know anyone who isn't a Tebow fan after this season!)
Being able to use a personal day to go home to PA next weekend! Yea!

Its OK Thursday

I'm linking up with Neely today for Its OK Thursday!

Its OK that I still have my Christmas decorations up. Im off today so I will be taking them down and putting up Valentines Day goodies.

Its OK that my friend Tina and I will be wearing hot pink shirts with Minnie Mouse ears on them while in Disney. When in Disney, wear ears! Nick and I are SO excited for this trip.

Its OK for me to write down every single thing I eat, I'm getting married in Spring of next year and then heading to Italy for our honeymoon. I want to look the best I possibly can, and most importantly I want to be as healthy as I can.

Its OK that I choose not to read certain blogs or tweets anymore. To be honest, I was really hurt by a tweet that came across the lines yesterday and I am pretty much convinced that people need to either offer advice or talk themselves up just to make themselves look good. In reality, everyone has insecurities, why not offer words of encouragement? Kindness will get you much farther, and people will remember you for that.

Its OK that I got teary eyed when I left one of my best friends house over Christmas. We got to spend time with each other and her beautiful daughter, and our friend from high school stopped by to visit too. We talked, laughed, it felt great. I missed them so much!

Its OK that I refused to upgrade to nothing other than the new iPhone4s. I love that the iCloud puts all of my stuff on each device (iPhone, iPad and computer) without having to sync it everytime. Plus, I adore Siri.

Its OK to flip out a yoga mat even when I'm not in class, because I think a nice stretch and deep breath is key to living a healthy life.

Its OK that I'm usually late except for anything work related. When it comes to the professional world, if you aren't 15 minutes early, you're 10 minutes late.

Are you linking up today? Happy Thursday friends!

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week-Christmas Edition

Merry Christmas Friends!!

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday with all of your loved ones, I know we sure are!

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week for Christmas:

getting to come home for THREE DAYS to PA to visit our friends and family

getting to celebrate my sister's 10th birthday

listening to Christmas songs for the last time this year ("I'll Be Home for Christmas" is my fav)

attending Christmas Eve mass at the little country church we will be getting married in

sparkly, glittery eyeshadows and nail polish

peppermint mocha

the smell of fresh Christmas trees

twinkle lights

the warmth of a fireplace (even though its in the 50's here!)

believing in the magic of Santa Claus

Ready to Go Home for the Holidays!!

Hi Friends!

I have been MIA on my blog for months, but thanks for keeping in touch with me via other areas of social networking! Work is wonderful, crazy busy, but I love my job. Two days ago, we joined up with another district in our area and went to sing Christmas songs to terminally ill children at a local hospital. The best part was, we brought an insane amount of gifts for these kids! I could not have been more proud and this was certainly a highlight of my career.

Nick and I are so ready to home for Christmas and visit our families. Christmas is our favorite time of the year and we had our tree up and home decorated just days before Thanksgiving! we are heading to Disney with two of our best friends at the end of February so we have a lot of fun to look forward to:o)

So from our family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It&apos;s Ok Thursdays

I'm linking up with Neely and Amber today for It's Ok Thursdays, fun!

It's ok to lay in bed under the covers with your iPad on your day off until 11 am.

It's ok to sign up for a 5k when you have little running experience.

It's ok to have a pile of laundry on your dresser that needs to get ironed, folded and put away (and it's ok if that pile is more like a mound).

It's ok if I make a huge pot of chili and freeze it do I have "go-to" dinner options for busy nights.

It's ok if Nick and I have watched Disney movies the past two weeks (we are going to Disney in the spring with friends of ours).

It's ok if I'm obsessed with my job and the company I work for. Who doesn't love Starbucks!? I take pride in the fact that it took me only 10 months in a new company to get promoted, woo!

It's ok if I plan on making Thanksgiving dinner at my house this year.

It's ok to feel that certain people just do not care enough to have you in their lives. I have found that enough people make me smile and love me to pieces that the few who don't, don't really matter:o)

Go link up with the girls and tell us what's on your mind today! Xo

A letter to my soon to be stepmother!

My Dad is getting married this weekend to one of the most wonderful people I've ever met. Since I won't be standing up to say a speech, I want to dedicate this blog post to her.


Dear Meg,

When I met you two years ago, I remember having butterflies in my stomach with any normal feelings a girl my age would have meeting someone new in my Dads life. You see, for Dad and I it's always been "you and I, just us two", always thinking the same and, more often than not, acting as if we were the same person. I wasn't sure if you would be intimidated at the fact that my Dad is my best friend and the bond will forever be inseparable.

After meeting you, I guess you could say that I was the one who was intimidated. I sat back and watched my Dad look at you, in a way I've never seen since he was married to my Mom. He glowed, his smile stretched across his entire face. You could immediately see how much he loved you, even from so early on. But what I saw coming from you was something I'll never forget.

I saw you looking back at Dad, with the same glow, the same big smile and the same admiration that he has for you. I instantly thought, "wow. She really cares for my Dad". The idea of the love two people have for each other being completely mutual does not happen that often. Usually one is told to love the other person more than themselves. But you care about each other as a whole. There are no sides, no separations. You are a team and working together in that way will take you so far.

What I absolutely love about you is your big heart. Your heart contains enough room for the love of animals that shows through your work, your love for children which shows in your family, your love for friends which shows in your personality and even your love for shoes which shows in your closet (which, let's face it is the best part...especially the Manolos!). You are never afraid to stand up for what you believe in. You are always there for people, even if you've had the most busiest day.

The notion of having a close friendship with your Dad's girlfriend is usually an odd concept for most. However, I like to say that our friendship came quite naturally. Thank you for always giving me a big hug when you see me. Thank you for always calling me just to say hi. Thank you for remembering the little things about me (such as my adoration for Princess Diana) and Dad too (he likes a hand towel with dinner and extra lemon with his iced tea). Thank you for laughing at our bad inside jokes and THANK YOU for learning so much about Philadelphia sports!

Meg, when you marry my father this weekend you will officially be a part of our family, even though we have embraced you with open arms since day one. To see you as my fathers wife will be a great feeling, but to keep you as my dear friend will be an honor.

I can't wait to see you in your gown, dancing the night away. Congratulations!

All my love,
Angela, xo