Summer Update Part 1

We are almost done with July and I must say it's been an amazing summer so far. Mike and I set goals from the beginning to have a great summer by doing things that don't cost too much and maximizing our time with family and close friends. Here are some highlights:


San Diego

We spent almost 5 full days in my hometown. From the moment we got in to town, it was busy busy busy running around. My sister, mother and I went dress shopping for my mother's dress for the wedding. She treated us to lunch at Cheesecake Factory then split a yummy slice of cheesecake. Oh, forgot to mention that Mike got stung by a stingray while we were shopping; he said it was the most excruiating pain he's ever experienced. Ouch! The next two days were super family filled. My parents and my sister-in-law's parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Saturday. Mike saw a lot of family again and met some more for the first time. We ate mexican food (the guacamole was delish!) and played ladderball. The following day was filled with more family for my bridal shower. Brunch was on the menu, then we played Loteria and opened gifts. Mike, my brother and my fàther went to Viejas for brunch buffet then took a tour around San Diego while the ladies drank mimosas. Kristi, Lauren, Stephanie and my mom loved their personalized glasses from JudiPaintedIt. The nightcap was at my aunt's house; carne asada, guacamole, fresh tortillas and the pool. Our Monday morning was quick; we filled the car with gas, got some Breakfast Jacks and went to visit my brother and sister-in-law at their new home. We returned our rental car by 11:30am and we checked in early.

Beach and BBQ Galore

I don't recall ever being at the beach so many times in the 8 years that I've experienced New York summers - and I'm not sure why. It's a good thing that Mike's best man is a beach bum because we've been working on our suntans ever since it got warm. So far, we've been to jones beach 3 times and lido beach once. We are fully prepared for the beach right now with a rolling cooler, blankets and SPF30 galore. After the beach, we are usually at their place having barbecued dinners. It is a lot of fun to finally hang out a lot with them. We chill, we relax, we party and we enjoy the company.

and my last highlight is....Wedding Planning

Mike has been crazy busy with work, to the point where he's getting lots of overtime. I've had to pick up most of the slack with planning because he is busy at work. Either way, we are in the thick of it. Our invites are going out by the end of this week. Hoping we get some good responses and no surprises. Overall, the DIY invite process is time consuming and requires patience but I would not have it any other way. These invites have our own personal touch to them. It makes them all the more special. So we're about 80 days away. So close...I cannot wait to be Mrs. Cali!!

And that is my summer update - part 1.

Enjoy!
-Mari