Bridal Shower Weekend!

I just got back from a long weekend in Philly for my sister's bridal shower and I have to say, it went really well!  The bridesmaids and I pulled it off, with the help of my family who contributed some side dishes and helped run errands.  It was a great day and Tina had lots of friends and family there for her, which was awesome!

I headed up to PA on Thursday and Tina and I ate at Bertucci's (yum!) and then went shopping and found the cute purple dress she wore to her shower.

Then on Friday morning the weather was gorgeous, so I decided to head out for a leisurely walk/run.  I have to say that I felt pretty good.  Granted I was basking in the fact that it wasn't 95 degrees by 10 AM like it is in NC right now.  So, I went out for a total of 30 minutes and I probably ran a total of 10 minutes and walked 20, but it still felt good to get out there again.  I wore my HR monitor and kept my HR between 130 and 150 the whole time.

Then, I got brave and finally took my belly button ring out.  Yes, it was harder than I thought (both physically and mentally).  I never really thought of myself as attached to my belly button ring, and I always said that I would just leave it in until I got pregnant, but I discovered that I was oddly attached to that thing.  I mean, I've had it for 11 years!  I kind of felt like it was a symbol of my youth or something and that made it hard to part with.  I even made Tina take pictures to document the occasion.

Before

After

Let me tell you, getting this sucker out was no easy feat!  I thought I would just pry it open with my fingers and pull it out.  Oh no, it was on there tight.  My friend texted me and said to try pliers. ...PLIERS???  That seemed extreme, but turns out, that's what I needed to do.  Tina and I were both hunched over my belly button trying to tag team this whole pliers idea.  And, finally, we got it.

Whew, glad that is over with.  Bye bye cute belly button ring....hello pregnant belly!

Friday evening Tina and I headed to a bridal expo, at which she was a vendor.  It was a pretty cool set-up and my sister had a nice little table at the expo, so hopefully she'll get some business from it.  The only problem was that a lot of brides that go to these expos already have their photographer.  But some didn't, so we'll see how many inquiries she gets.

Tina's old college roommate flew in from Ohio Friday night and we hung out and just chilled all day Saturday, then out for dinner with a bunch of her friends at a cute little Mexican place on Saturday night.

Sunday was......the bridal shower!!!  Though the morning was stressful with the setting up, getting the balloons blown up, Mom getting lost on the way to pick up the food, etc, it was all worth it in the end.  My friend helped us decorate (because we all know how inept I am in that department), one of Tina's friends brought flowers, and everyone chipped in with the food.  Despite the fact that all of us bridesmaids are living in different cities (and I'm in a different state!), we pulled it off and everyone had a great time!  Whew!  Here are some pics from the day:

The food spread

Close up of the cake.  Awesome, right??!

The Bride (mimosa in hand)!

The Bride in her official chair of the day

Bridal bouquet

Outdoor decor

Close up of the gorgeous flowers that one of her friends brought (yes, she is a florist)

Me and my sister...The Bride!

Bride and Groom!

All in all, a great bridal shower and a great overall weekend with my favorite sister.  We discussed our future plans of living next door to each other (like we always do when we get together), and who knows, maybe someday we really will!  I do know that I love my sister a lot and I miss being able to see her all the time.  We'll see what the future holds....Hershey anyone??

A little pregnancy side note: I cringe when I say this for fear of jinxing myself, but the nausea is gone!!  Gone gone, like I wasn't nauseous at all this weekend!  Hopefully it won't creep back into my life, but for now, I am feeling good (if not still a little tired)!

Also, I had looked up that AFP lab test that I was gonna get drawn today while I was at my sister's, and I found out that it is elective, not standard.  I then decided I probably wouldn't do it because it would cost extra and I'm not high risk.  But then, I went to the Ob today to pick up my prenatal vitamin samples and they told me that most insurances cover it and I felt like maybe I should do it.  So I wandered over to the lab next door and had my blood drawn.  Now I just have to wait for the results....and the bill. 

It's gonna be a really busy next few weeks, as I am working the next three days and then flying to Seattle Friday morning.  Getting back from Seattle next Thursday night, then working Friday and Saturday.  Heading to the beach with Mike's fam Sunday morning, getting back Tuesday night, and then working Wed, Thurs, and Fri.  Sooooo, it may be awhile before my next post.  But I haven't abandoned you, my little blog.  Life just gets in the way sometimes :)