Pages

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!!
2011 was an amazing year!  So much happened this year!!  I can't list everything, but here are some highlights:

  • Flew to Walt DisneyWorld in Florida with my hubby
  • Ran the DisneyWorld 1/2 Marathon (hubby's first 1/2!)
  • Bought a house and made it our home
  • Ran four 5Ks
  • Ran the Disneyland 1/2 marathon (CA) without training (oops!)
  • Completed Disney's Coast 2 Coast Challenge
  • Completed 2 semesters of my MBA program with flying colors
  • Celebrated our engagement with lots of festivities (Engagement party, 3 bridal showers, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner)
  • Gained a guardian angel.  I love you Grammie and miss you every day.
  • Visited five states (CA, FL, MT, NV, NY)
  • Danced with my daddy at my wedding
  • Married the love of my life <3
  • Honeymooned in Costa Rica (post and pics to come soon!)
  • Welcomed two beautiful kitties into our family
  • Celebrated our 1st Christmas as husband and wife :)
Two thousand and eleven was a memorable year.  The year started out tough with the loss of my Grammie, but she was with us every step of the way in all of our celebrations this year!  We had much to celebrate, and I just want to say thank you to my wonderful family and fantastic friends...you guys helped make this year what it was.  Cheers to 2012 being just as fantastic!!!!



Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Our First Christmas! + Our Kitties :)

Christmas came and went so quickly!  We got back from our honeymoon just in time for Christmas, so it was a whirlwind!


After celebrating Christmas Eve at my parents' with my family and my in-laws, and enjoying my dad's famous Pasta and Meatballs (an old family recipe going back generations that dad has perfected over the years), waking up on Christmas morning next to my husband in OUR house with OUR tree was pure bliss.


Every year, Grammie hosted Christmas breakfast.  This year, I continued her tradition and made her baked eggs and roasted beef hash.  It was bittersweet and I missed her more than you know, but at the same time I was happy because I know that she would have been happy.  And my breakfast rocked!  She would have been very proud :)


The day before, Sean and I picked up our babies!!  Meet, Tantalum (pronounced Tant-a-loom) and Bagheera (think Jungle Book):
Tantalum (left) and Bagheera (right)

Bagheera tuckered out
Tantalum ready to play
Their Kitty Condo!!!!  80" tall!  They LOVE this!!
With getting home from our honeymoon just two days before Christmas, then picking up our kitties, we weren't able to decorate our tree until Christmas morning!  So before I started breakfast and before my parents and brother came over, Sean and I played with our boys and decorated our first Christmas tree :)  **Thank you Dad for picking up our tree, otherwise we probably wouldn't have had time to get one!



After breakfast, we went to my in-laws and spent the day with them celebrating Christmas and opening presents, and of course, watching the Lakers!  Christmas is not complete without the Lakers (although I'm very disappointed in the outcome of that game...we lost the lead and the game with 4 seconds to go, grrrr).
Later, we went over to my Aunt's house for a Christmas dinner which was wonderful.  Lots of good food, wine, company, music, and dancing!  My little cousin who is 2 1/2 years old was rocking out!!!  He sure has some moves!


I feel so blessed for everything.  December was a very special month for me and my husband with our wedding, honeymoon, kitties, and Christmas.  It was a beautiful month and a beautiful year.


So from our family to yours,



Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Our Wedding :)

I still can't we've been married nearly two weeks now!  I LOVE MARRIED LIFE!  I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!  Pictures are trickling in, and we get all giggly every time see them.  Everything about our wedding was beautiful and everyone had the best time!  It was the perfect day for me and my hubby and we are so blessed :)


Things I will never forget about our wedding:

1.  Staying at a beautiful beach resort and going to dinner the night before my wedding with my family.
2.  Waking up on my wedding day to the sun rising over the water.
3.  Enjoying a moment of solitude, sipping coffee, and feeling the warmth of the sun.
4.  A hummingbird (something that my Grammie loved) flying up to my face and hovering there.  I know it was Grammie wishing me nothing but the best :)  I felt her immensely that day.
5.  Getting ready with my bridesmaids, sister-in-laws, and parents in my parents’ suite while listening to music and getting dolled up by our fabulous hair and makeup artists.
6.  Putting on my wedding gown.
7.  The looks on my bridesmaids faces when they saw me.
8.  How beautiful my bridesmaids looked.
9.  How gorgeous my mom looked.
10.  How handsome my daddy looked in his tux.
11.  Riding in a white hummer limo with my parents and my girls to the venue.
12.  Seeing our handsome ring-bearer, my 2 ½ yo cousin with blonde curly hair.  He looked so cute in his tux and black Vans shoes!
13.  Standing with my dad arm in arm before walking down the aisle, and him whispering to me how much he loves me and how proud of me he is, and how he couldn’t imagine a more perfect man for me to marry.
14.  Seeing my groom for the first time standing under our beautiful ceremony arch with green rolling hills as the backdrop…he looked so handsome and unbelievably happy.  He was all I could see :)
15.  My dad giving me away to this wonderful man and so eloquently saying, “She gives herself freely with her mother’s and father’s blessing.”
16.  Sean taking my hand and whispering “I love you.  You look so beautiful.”
17.  My two sister-in-laws and Sean’s godson each reading a poem on love.  One of the poems was read at my parents’ wedding 32 years ago.
18.  Sean and I saying our vows.
19.  Our unity Sand Ceremony.  It was perfectly us.
20.  Our first kiss as husband and wife.  The world stopped.
21.  Taking our photos as the sun set behind the hills and how beautiful everything looked.
22.  Being introduced as “Mr. and Mrs. Sean O’Neil” at the reception’s Grand Entrance and Sean dipping and kissing me!  Everyone cheering!!!
23.  Our first dance.  Everyone around us blurred and it was just me and my husband.
24.  My dad’s speech.  It was incredible…I laughed, I cried.
25.  Best Man speech from Sean’s brother.  Memorable.
26.  Maid of Honor speech from my best friend Lisa.  Like a fairy tale.
27.  The father/daughter dance.  Dad and I took lessons and we rocked!!  “Father and Daughter” by Paul Simon.  Beautiful song.
28.  Trying to say hello and thank you to everyone!  It was such a whirlwind!
29.  Dancing and laughing with family and friends all night.  We tore up the dance floor!  My 12 yo nephew was even doing flips!
30.  Our photobooth.  Such a hit!!
31.  Cramming into the photobooth with my NYC girls.  Pure awesomeness.
32.  Dancing the night away in my wedding gown and pink sparkle TOMs shoes! 
33.  Fun shoes!  I changed into pink sparkle TOMs shoes, I gave my bridesmaids black sparkle TOMs and sisters silver sparkle TOMs.  Sean made himself and his groomsmen custom Vans shoes.  We are cool!
34.  Our sparkler Grand Exit!
35.  Being whisked away in a limo to an incredible beach front suite at the resort, and enjoying the moment alone with my husband while we talked about each moment of our wedding day.

It was more than a dream come true.  Thank you to everyone who was there to celebrate with us.  Thank you to my parents-in-law for welcoming me into your family with open arms nearly five years ago.  Thank you mom and dad for giving Sean and I our dream wedding, for all you’ve done for me and my husband.  I love you.

It was a fairytale :)





Monday, December 12, 2011

LA 1/2 Marathon!

A few days ago my blogger buddy Erin posted a giveaway on her blog.  The giveaway was a free race entry for the LA 1/2 Marathon on January 15, 2012!  Of course I entered because I'm a fan of her blog, I love half marathons AND it's a race close to home!  I never win anything so I entered and didn't think much of it.  To my suprise and total excitement, this morning I woke up to an email from Erin saying that I WON!!!  I'm so stoked!!!  I've never won anything and this is a super awesome thing to win!!  Thank you so much Erin!!!
LA, here I come!!!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Our Fairy Tale Wedding



On a beautiful December day in San Clemente, surrounded by family and friends, Sean and I said our vows and promised to love and honor each other forever.

It was the most perfect day and by far the happiest day of both our lives :)

Thank you Mom and Dad for giving us our fairy tale wedding.  And thank you to everyone who came to celebrate our marriage with us.  We had the best day laughing, dancing, talking with everyone, and being married!!!  I love my HUSBAND!!!!

Maggie and Sean
December 3, 2011
<3