Traveling with Baby

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Now that we have one trip under our belt, we found a few things that worked well for us, and some that I worried about that I didn’t need to. Here’s a look into how we prepared for and traveled with Logan. Our trip was 10 days long to a town without a Target (!), so preparing was key!

–Before we left, I ordered some supplies from Diapers.com (a favorite website). I had diapers, wipes, bottles, baby dish soap, a sponge, vaseline, shampoo and lotion, and some other odds and ends shipped to our hotel. We figured whatever we had leftover we would ship home and use as extras when things run out.

–I also placed an order from a company called Baby’s Away for some furniture and toys. Since Logan is just three months old, things like a bouncy seat and swing are very important to our routine! He takes two great naps in the swing daily (well, sometimes). I ordered a crib (that came with bumper and crib sheet), bouncy seat, swing, bath tub and a changing pad with cover. All were in great shape, clean, and so necessary. All were also waiting in our hotel room on arrival and were picked up after we left.

–I was very worried about his eating schedule. Since Mountain time is one hour behind Central, would we adjust him, keep him on Central, or just wing it? We sort of did a combo and ended up just feeding him when he was hungry. Most days he had a normal 6 feedings, but a few had one extra. If he normally eats first at 7 am and last at 7 pm, the range was somewhere within an hour both ways of each feeding. It really wasn’t a big deal.

–What we did realize is that Logan was affected by the altitude more than we anticipated. On the first night, we heard him wheezing in his sleep. When we went over to him and saw his eyes still closed, we felt bad that he was having trouble breathing. We ended up using a humidifier next to the crib and elevating one side of the crib. It sort of helped, but he still needed some help staying asleep by extra soothing, putting paci back in, and he still woke up to eat.

–Thanks to Jeffrey’s cousin/pediatrician, Eve, we think he may have had a headache or just needed some more hydrating. She gave us permission to try a little water which we had never done and that seemed to help a bit. He also seemed extra hungry, so on those days he ate extra.

–For the airports, I ended up wearing him in the Bjorn on the airplane and gate checking the stroller and car seat. We checked the car seat base for no cost, which I think is normal. I also decided to carry on the Boppy pillow on the way there, but decided to ship it back home. I ended up not using it on the plane, but I did use it in the airport on the way there because I had to feed him twice before we left because of a cancelled plane and second delayed one.

Aspen in June, Part 1

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Our wonderful summer vacation has ended and we are sadly back in Houston. We had a great time walking and biking and strolling Logan around town. Jeffrey was only with us for half of the trip, and Logan and I definitely missed him!

You really can’t beat the views, temps, and the cute town. This was our second summer here, and I hope it’s a new tradition. Picture below–view from our hotel room. It really looks like a painting.

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It was fun dressing Logan in some clothes for cooler temps like outfits with pants and hats. In Houston, he wears light clothes and hats to stay cool, not warm.

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First night dinner out. Me and sis. I also enjoyed wearing clothes in the summer that are for cool temps, like summer scarves! In Houston, I would overheat.

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We went on two bike rides during our trip. I am pretty much a novice cyclist. I rode once last summer here…and once in Kiawah Island, SC in July 2008…and don’t even know when I rode before that. I was a bit nervous riding, especially since I just had a baby and lost all core muscles. And because it’s Colorado and there’s the altitude thing and hills. But I did great, no falls, had fun, got sore and tan. Good time!

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Some views on the bike path. Hard to imagine everything covered in snow in the winter.

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A little posed reflecting by the river.

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On this trip, I used a lot more bottles for Logan so we could all get out more and not be bound to our hotel room so much. That meant Logan ate where ever we were, including shady park benches!

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We had one family dinner minus baby before Jeffrey left. Such a pretty town.

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Look at that smile we caught on camera! Happy baby.

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One day, we also took the gondola to the top of Aspen Mountain. We did it last year too and went sledding because there was still snow. Because of the mild temps this Winter and lack of snow, there was not a flake left on the ground. We were hoping to sled again! The temps at the top  of the mountain were in the mid 40s and the sights were great for snapping a few pics and heading back down.

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Jeffrey and my dad played golf one day.

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And my dad and I walked on a beautiful trail one day too. The trails are so pretty with lush trees, along little streams, not crowded, and relatively flat.

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And since we had the baby on the trip, my mom and I took turns staying in. One night I went to dinner with my sister for sushi. It was the first time having sushi at a real restaurant and not take-out or from Whole Foods. I also had a glass of vino and we ate outside. Just heavenly! Missed Jeffrey though.

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That’s it for Part 1, Part 2 includes people-watching at The Food and Wine Classic and more sights of the town.

Aspen through baby’s eyes, Part 1

This week, we are on summer vacation with my parents and sister in Aspen, CO. Jeffrey left this morning to go back to work (sad face), and we are staying until Saturday. Another week and a lot more firsts for baby. This week included first plane ride, first time wearing a jacket, first time in the pool, first time going out to lunch and dinner in a new city, and first time for a later bedtime and a more relaxed schedule. Logan also started clasping toys and using his hands more like for pulling my hair!

We’ll be back in Houston for another first–first Father’s Day.

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Logan was excellent last Thursday for our first plane ride with him. It was a terrible day of travel–we left our house at noon for a 2:30 flight. It was cancelled at 12:45 p.m. We got on a 5:45 flight, it was delayed at 5 p.m. indefinitely and took off a little before 7 p.m. He ate two meals in the airport and one on the airplane. I fed him one bottle that I prepared for his 1 p.m. feeding, and breastfed in the Continental President’s Club at 4 p.m. Then a bottle at 7 p.m. as we took off. He slept in the Bjorn on me for most of the flight.

We also decided to gate check the car seat along with the stroller, which I originially thought we would check. Because the first flight was cancelled, I thought we would want the car seat to lay him down, rock, walk around, etc. to help him rest. It was a very good idea and no problem to gate check. I also carried on the Boppy pillow. It was helpful for the two feedings in the airport, but he ended up sleeping in the Bjorn and I didn’t use it on the plane. It also got dirty going through security.

Logan was so good on the plane and on the way to the hotel. He slept through all of that, and was too tired to eat more, so we just changed, swaddled and put him to bed. Probably the best traveler of us all!

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Logan got some yummy bottles from his Grandma Soupy who loves spoiling and holding him.

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He loves the cool mountain air and took some nice walks through town.

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He also got to wear some wintry clothes for a chilly day.

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We took him out to dinner a few times and he went to bed a little later. He was very good enjoying his new surroundings.

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And one afternoon he got to go swimming with Dad for the first time! He loved the warm water and was very happy and content walking around the pool. Right after he got out, I took his wet suit off, wrapped him in a towel, and he fell asleep for about 40 minutes. Can’t wait to swim again in Houston.

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Look at that cute smile! Back with more soon, he turns 3 months old on Wednesday!

Tips for Traveling While Pregnant

Over the first 30 weeks of my pregnancy, we traveled a lot by plane and by car. It’s not unusual for us before we got pregnant to be gone a couple of weekends a month…every month. Holidays, weddings, football games, visiting family keep us on the move. So when we got pregnant, we didn’t really slow down!

In the first trimester, we flew to Florida twice, drove to Dallas once, drove to Austin once, and flew to Laguna Beach (it was a terrible trip coming home with an extra night spent in LA, a 5 a.m. wake up, and a day spent at the airport for nothing, but otherwise fun!).

In the second trimester, we flew to Chicago, Birmingham, Atlanta and drove to Austin and San Antonio once each.

And in the third trimester, we flew to Florida and drove to Austin.

That is 12 trips in a period of 6 months.

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I don’t really have wise words, but I did a few things each time to make it a little easier on me while traveling.

1. Carry snacks–nothing new here, I always have snacks. But for all of these trips, I really made sure I liked my snacks and ate them on the planes, at airports and while we were gone. Favorites were:

  • 18 Rabbits granola bars (I used to pack Larabars but I can’t even think about their texture anymore)
  • dried fruit with nuts, especially apricots
  • an apple for a snack the same day we traveled
  • peanut butter crackers (always in my purse, always)
  • dry cereal for breakfasts (to go with yogurts below or I can find a milk)

1 a. We also started traveling on car trips with a small cooler of cheese, yogurts and cold water. And I request a fridge at hotels at no charge. Highly recommend doing this!

2. Get an aisle seat–Usually our trips aren’t that long and I don’t mind the middle if Jeffrey is on the aisle. But the new rule became this: “If you have a baby in the tummy, you get the aisle.” Sometimes we each had an aisle, but sometimes Jeffrey got the middle. Sorry! It really did help to have extra leg room to stretch into the aisle and it made it easier for frequent potty breaks. Doctors orders are to get up and stretch!

3. Eat before you leave–We luckily didn’t have flights too early, but in the very beginning, I had to eat something within a few minutes of waking to avoid nausea.

4. Carry on a good lunch–Twice while traveling on airplanes, I picked up a delicious falafel wrap from Whole Foods and ate it at the airport. It was sooo much better than anything I would have found, and so much more filling. Can’t eat deli meats while prego, remember. Doesn’t leave a lot of choices at an airport when you’re in a small terminal with just a Subway and Starbucks and you need some protein. Before car trips, I would eat a good sandwich too. You learn that letting yourself get hungry is when nausea sets in, especially in the beginning.

5.While in your visiting town, build in some afternoon time to rest! Even though your head is telling you that you can go-go-go like you used to, your body will need a break. You have to literally put your feet up, take a snooze if you are a napper, or just watch TV for a short while before your night activities. The worst thing is to overdo it, then you’re no good to anyone.

6. Drink your water! Dehydration is also a big no-no and can be real bad when traveling, so you have to drink up. Lack of fluids and lack of protein are the reasons you get lightheaded or nauseous. Cheese, nuts, hummus, lean proteins are all things you can snack on and are portable.

7. Take your potty breaks. Your head can tell you that you don’t need to pee every 30 minutes, but your body will say not so, especially later on. It’s no fun when the flight attendant won’t let you get up while the door is closed but you haven’t taken off yet. Always go when you can!

We had a busy season of travel, and I’m glad I felt good the whole time, especially in the beginning! I’m also very glad it’s over and we are home. It’s a little nerve wrecking to be away from home, I never slept great, and it’s tiring.

It was also a little sad to know that air and car travel will never be so simple again for us!

My Pregnancy Journey: Week 30

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Hello! This week the attitude is “holy crap, I’m 30 weeks pregnant!” We are in the single digit week countdown. Just to compare and show you how big I’ve gotten, the next picture was 19 weeks. Can you believe it? And how big I probably thought I was then? I can’t wait to wear my cute exercise clothes again.

Well someone has been very busy kicking and growing and taking up a lot of space. And of course, the next question is “if that was 11 weeks ago, how much bigger will I get by 38-40 weeks?!”

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Back to this week, BabyCenter says it is the size of a cabbage! It says the baby is 15.7 inches long and about 3 pounds.

This past weekend was our final trip away from home. We were in Austin for a wedding on New Year’s Day where Jeffrey was the Best Man. It was a really fun weekend, and the weather in Austin was picture perfect. I got in two one hour long walks on Town Lake, my favorite trail in the state, and had relaxing days before the night’s festivities. My friend Sharon said I even kept up on the walk with her pace (thanks!) And I successfully made it until midnight on New Years!

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I also wanted to show you this cute gift from the Four Seasons. I follow them on Twitter and Facebook and tweeted to them that we were excited to stay there for New Years. They snooped on my blog and realized we are expecting and left this very thoughtful gift and note in our room when we got there! How nice is that?!

For the wedding, I got this navy Rosie Pope dress that got a whopping two wears. I wore it to a wedding in Houston two weekends ago. I ordered it online after Thanksgiving and hoped it would work. With a little tailor magic, it was just what I needed–not too much material, comfortable, and pretty. I am happy to retire the dresses for all the weddings we’ve had over the last few months!

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Other random things from the week–

  • I have my next doctor’s appointment on Monday. I never heard from my doctor about my GD test (Gestational Diabetes), so I guess I passed?! I didn’t really want to call, figured they’d call me if there was a problem.
  • Sleep was not so great at the hotel (not the bed, it was me), but I slept great our first night back home.
  • I exercised with just walks four times in the last week. I enjoy walking, especially with a friend to pass the time!
  • We can’t believe it’s January and we are getting really close!

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It was great to ring in 2012 in Austin with our friends. We are excited about what the year will bring!

Weekend in Austin

Our very busy Fall continued this weekend with a 24 hour trip to Austin. The main purpose was Saturday’s game, and it happened to be the only game I’ll go to this year. I picked a great weather weekend and a winning game! From now on, I only plan to go to games in November. Too hot in September and October! I even got to wear jeans and long sleeves.

Lily came for the trip too. She is a good car traveler but must be the center of the action. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

It was chilly in Austin on Saturday morning, Lily needed her new seater for her walk!

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We snuggled on the couch on Friday night. Jeffrey and I went to Perla’s on South Congress for dinner, a new-to-us seafood restaurant. Great fish choices, we both loved our dishes. Then we went to Amy’s Ice Creams for dessert. We only eat Amy’s when in Austin (rarely ever go to the one by our house in Houston), and it was even more delicious to indulge in while pregnant. I got S’mores ice cream with Oreo mixed in. Oh yeah.

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On Saturday morning, we went to Torchy’s Tacos and had an excellent breakfast. I had never ordered breakfast tacos for myself before! I’m usually a sweet or lighter breakfast person, but these were filling and delicious. Great for before an 11 a.m. game because I wasn’t hungry for a big lunch and ate out of my purse from things I snuck in. I had one egg, bacon and cheese taco, and one egg, potato and cheese taco. The bacon one was my favorite. Sooo good for trips to Austin!

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Then my parents came over to say hi before the game. They really just wanted to see Lily.

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And now in our seats before the sun moved over us.

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And after the sun moved up.

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The part before the game starts is my favorite. This game had a flyover and four parachuters come down to deliver the flags (US, Texas, UT) and game ball. Pretty cool!

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I snuck in an apple, mixed nuts and peanut butter crackers. Then my mommy gave me one of two PB&J sandwiches she snuck in. Isn’t that nice? I had the sandwich and apple at 1 p.m., snacked on some nuts, and then ate some Babybel cheese and string cheese on the car ride back.

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Lily and I shared the string cheese. She was so tired and slept on the console most of the ride home. This is her usual car trip seat.

We were back by dinner on Saturday, and even slept through the time change on Sunday! Everyone was so tired. Great to wake up in our own bed on Sunday and have the day to rest up.

Can’t wait to show you some of the things I cooked on  Sunday.

Weekend in Chicago

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Hello there! We spent the weekend in Chicago with Jeffrey’s family for a wedding and to sight see. I had actually never been! Glad I crossed it off my list, and I can’t wait to go back. I’ve asked for next October, same weekend. Seems the weather is best in April and October, and April isn’t going to work for me this year. What a beautiful city, although we had excellent weather. Can’t imagine it in the Winter.

It seemed so much more liveable than NYC, a nice mix of normal city and big, urban metropolis. I loved the waterways, architecture, trees changing color, and how it was pedestrian friendly.

If you are friends with me on Facebook, I have 133 photos in an album. Here are just 10!

Below are me and Jeffrey, his sister Amy, and his parents. We are at the Adler Planetarium for the Rehearsal Dinner. Beautiful space and view of the city!

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On Saturday morning, Jeffrey and I took a walk to see the Bean, then we did an architectural tour by boat. Very cool! I love walking around cities. We are good at the auto-camera timer.

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Seeing the Bean for the first time for us both. Very cool, especially at 9 a.m. on a Saturday when it was pretty empty!

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On the boat tour, also very fun and chilly! We learned so much. And I had my first hot chocolate of the season.

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On Saturday, we also went up to the top of the John Hancock building, walked more, and then got ready for the wedding. This is the dress I mentioned last week by Rosie Pope, maternity expert from NYC. I hope it lasts at least one more wedding in three weeks. It was already more snug than when I bought it.

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The wedding was at Union Station, a fully functional train station, except when it’s rented for a party. The chuppah was larger than life, 360 degrees, and had a 4-sided jumbotron on top. A jumbotron.

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The Gilberts again.

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Enjoying the wedding.

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Everything was beautiful.

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Amazing table details, china, food, etc.

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I can always make doggy friends. They had two doggy topiaries at the wedding and I saw them again on Sunday morning at the hotel.

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Again, my Facebook album has many, many more pictures from the weekend!

Summer Summary

This summer has been very memorable filled with great trips with friends and family. Between some trips back in April three times to the East Coast for me (NYC, Chapel Hill, NC, and Washington, DC), and then my summer trips below, I have covered the country from coast to coast.

I have definitely gotten good at packing, eating snacks from many ziploc baggies, and learned how to eat creatively in airports. Luckily, we only had one bad airport experience, and it was the last flight of the summer! It took a whole extra day to get home, but it could have been worse. I could have been stranded without Jeffrey (he has better Continental perks than I do), or in a city without family. The story is too long to tell again, but I had some rude rants to Continental on Twitter if you follow me.

It was fun to see each coast, and I do enjoy beach vacations, but the mountain trip to Aspen was new for me in the summer, and I really loved it. Can’t wait to go back and try to ride a bike again.

Here are the places I went this summer with links to the blog posts I wrote about them.

Aspen, CO

 The sights of Aspen

Riding Bikes in Aspen

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Destin, FL for the 4th

Beach trip with the cousins

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Dallas for a wedding

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Destin with Friends

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Laguna Beach, CA

A Laguna Beach Wedding Weekend

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Enjoying the Laguna Beach Weather

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Hope you enjoyed the pictures from yesterday’s post of the wedding. Before that event, we got to enjoy the outdoors some more. It was so nice to spend so much time outside, and neat how everyone’s activities were focused on being outdoors. It’s completely opposite in Houston. I like the other way better.

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The houses above were just feet from this view. Pretty awesome to see this every morning while walking the dog!

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The beaches were packed, but it was different than the beaches we are used to going to.

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The houses had such beautiful flowers in their yards. Biggest roses and whatever these pink balls are.

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I always think this little town square lifeguard tower is cute.

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We walked down to the sand just because we were so close to the ocean.

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And I stuck my toes in because, why not? The water was icy cold.

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That’s about it for this trip, our last vacation of the summer! We have one more wedding in Austin, and then I’m home for many weekends.

A Laguna Beach Wedding Weekend

Hello hello! Pardon the hiatus for the weekend from the blog. We were in California for a wedding, and I didn’t bring my computer to try to travel light. I also left my big camera at home and took our new Canon PowerShot. It’s a great camera with a quick shutter speed and extra clear images. If you’re looking for a new camera, I’m happy to share the details.

Anyway, we had a wonderful weekend enjoying the weather especially and catching up with Jeffrey’s friends from law school. This couple met in Austin during law school and the wedding was a wonderful tribute to city of Austin and their new home of California.

I loved everything about this wedding, and I promise, I don’t say that lightly. I loved the colors that matched the ocean and outdoors, the flowers and details of having bridesmaids carry different white flowers, the food, band, and after party Austin club theme.

Here are a few pictures of the wedding.

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Ceremony at 2 p.m. at a church, I’ve never been to a mid-afternoon wedding.

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The reception–St. Regis Hotel outside, overlooking ocean in the distance and hotel all around. Such amazingly beautiful grounds. We have stayed at the hotel before, and I always thought attending a wedding on the lawn would be so cool. Check!

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My afternoon cocktail with a fun straw.

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The colors were coral blue and white. It extended on the invitations, wedding program and table runners. Lights hung above the tables and were turned on after dark.

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Cute sweetheart table. Honestly, I am usually not a fan of these. It’s your wedding! Talk to your guests! (told you i’m honest) But they weren’t there for maybe 3 minutes, and it was pretty cute.

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Such beautiful orchids, tulips and other flowers I don’t know the names of.

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It’s a pretty great place to get married.

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Bride and groom entering.

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The Hoffmans and Gilberts.

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Afterparty at “Spill.” Their favorite Austin club on 6th Street when they were in school.

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More photos on my personal Facebook page if you’re friends with me. More to come of the rest of our trip.

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