Easter egg hunt

So I'm not shy.  I'll let you know that I am 26 years old.  Jon is 27.  And yet, we still have to participate in the Easter egg hunt.

Don't get me wrong - I love getting candy and a couple of dollars here and there, but I do feel a bit foolish digging through the bushes next to our 3 year old cousins.  Believe it or not, that's not even the worst part.  The worst part is that Jon and I almost always lose.  You read that right.  Jon and I, the oldest cousins, always lose to his little baby cousins in the egg hunt.  Every year.  Without fail.  I'd like to blame things like my heels or the fact that we care less, but the truth is that we look.  We look hard!  And we still lose.

This is our cousin Molly and Grandma and Grandpa's dog, Ginger.  Molly helps Jon and I find our eggs by giving us hints.  Oh! Did I mention that Jon and I are the only "team"?  Yes, the 3 year old is looking for his eggs on his own while Jon and I look for ours together.  I'm not proud of this, but it's true.

This is Jon's mom's dog Bella.  She has a boo-boo on her foot.  But that didn't stop her from chasing everyone around all day.

Everyone is gathering around to listen to the rules of the egg hunt.

This is my baby Eli.  Eli already has two eggs while we still have 0.  Eli is almost always running away from me because I "steal his monies" from him when he's not looking.  I adore this kid.

I have no problem finding everyone else's eggs.  It's just ours that we can't seem to locate.

Here is our little cousin Yisaak.  He also found most of his eggs before Jon and I got any.

Sweet sweet Molly trying to give me a hint about one of our eggs.  She's so clever.

Lydia is my other love.  She's getting way too grown up though.

Owen is the youngest cousin on Jon's mom's side.  He located almost every one of his eggs while Jon and I were on our second one.  Isn't he precious?

Everyone is almost done with their egg hunt.  5 eggs each.

Lydia and Eli are on their last egg.

Jon and I give in.  We had to get help from mom to find our last egg.  So sad.  So, so, so sad we are.

Here's one of our eggs.  In a tree.  I'm thinking grandma might have a new career in hiding things.

 A group picture of all the cousins.  You see all those babies there that got all their eggs before us?  You just wait until next year!  When we once again miserably lose.

Oh well.  I get over things fast when there are deviled eggs around. Yum!

And Kielbasa.  Delicious Kielbasa.

As for the older boys?  They golf.

And there you have it.  Easter came and went just like that.  You ask, who is this?  This is Setota.  She's the life of the after-party.

Join us next time when I tell you all about my Sambuca.

Mike & Kari's wedding - continued

Today was a long day with a visit to see Jon's family in Western MA.  I'll post about Sambooka, my little puppy niece, and the Easter egg hunt later.  For now, I'll stick to Kari and Mike's wedding.

Kari and Mike are now on their honeymoon in VT.  Lucky!  It's supposed to be a gorgeous week so we're excited for them.

The Bridesmaids watching Kari's entrance.

The ceremony was amazing and funny.  So very perfect for Kari and Mike.

Ah!  The kiss!  Mike and Kari are officially married!

Everyone got bubbles to blow bubbles after Mike and Kari were married.  Here's Jon blowing some bubbles.

Totally awesome wooden shoes displayed on the guestbook table.

And every table assignement had little pairs of shoes for the guests to keep as favors.  I missed the picture of all the shoes because everyone was eager to grab their pair.

Courtesy of Made of Memories, the table assignments.

Jon, Alex and Laura looking sharp and enjoying the cocktail hour.  I can't wait for our vacation next week!

Laura's half-eaten plate of food.  Because I like food.

The table center pieces.

Jon and I at the wedding.  Crazy to think that this summer we will be married for 3 years!  Time flies when you're having fun.

Kari and Mike, joining us in the ballroom.  I love her hair!

The couple's first dance as a married couple.

Here they are again, finally relaxing at their table.  And by relaxing I mean posing for about 500 pictures that everyone was taking.

Yummy cupcakes that Mike's sister made for the wedding.  They taste even better than they look.

Me posing with the bride.  Don't you just adore her dress?  So elegant and simple, it suits Kari all too well.

Laura and Kari.

There.  That's more my style.  I love candid shots.

Kari's fun pink hair.

Her totally awesome rings.

And then there was dancing.  But instead of posting pictures of dancing, I'm posting this picture of my husband.  We'll be married 3 years this summer.  Hmm...perhaps I should re-think the "time flies when you're having fun" comment.

Congrats Kari and Mike!  We love you guys!

Mike and Kari's wedding

The wedding season has officially started and our first attended wedding of the season is for Kari and Mike.

Kari was a young college graduate when I hired her as an intern for my company.  By the time her internship expired, we decided we couldn't lose her and hired her full-time for a new position.  Kari has been a part of Sightlines ever since.

Mike and Kari met while on a little get away while visiting their best friends in Maine.  They were both from the same town and High School but a couple of years apart.  When they returned from their trip, they decided to start dating.

A few months ago, Mike and Kari went on a hike together and Mike proposed.  A few months later, they bought a house just a couple of miles away from ours.  We were ecstatic because by this point we were all great friends.  Today was their wedding day.

I can't think of two people more perfect for one another (current company excluded).  They're the ying to each others yang.  They complete one another.

Jon and I at Kari and Mike's ceremony.

This is Laura and Alex.  Laura started working at Sightlines at the time that Jon and I did and we have all been best friends since.  Alex came into the picture almost as soon as we all got to know each other and has therefore been as close to us as Laura. We love them both dearly.  In fact, the 4 of us are going on vacation soon!  Can't wait.

This is Janice and Eric.  Janice started with Jon and I as well.  We were all part of the mighty 8.  Eric came in as an intern about a year after and ended up coming on full-time post graduation.  Janice and Eric hit it off pretty well and ended up getting married last November.   So Jon and I aren't the only Sightlines employees married to one another anymore.

This is Emily and Jordan.  Emily joined us a couple of years ago followed by Jordan.  They had been dating and decided to go for the same job.  They're now engaged to be married.  Another Sightlines couple.

Here are the boys waiting for the bride.  Don't they look handsome?

Well, that's it for tonight.  We're all tired and I don't want to give it all away on our first night together.

What to do on in CT when your boss lets you out early

Like mentioned many moons ago, Jon and I work together.  So imagine both of our excitement and surprise when we found out that we could go home at 3pm today!  Good Friday indeed!

We got home and stared at each other.  Almost 2 extra hours on a gorgeous Friday afternoon - what do we do with ourselves?  Naturally, we packed up the dogs and headed to Hammonasset State Park, about 2 miles down the road.

Usually, Hammonasset is my running spot.  The soft gravel paths, the view of the ocean, and miles and miles of relatively flat ground makes this place amazing for a good 5-6 mile run.  And due to that soft gravel, it's also easy on the knees.

The dogs know when we come home early that they're in for a treat.  The ride itself is worth it.

So excited!

I can feel the wind in my hair.

Ah, I just love the ocean.  It's so peaceful.

What's the face for, sweetie?  It's the pink leash isn't it?  You don't like the pink leash, do you?

Me? I love the pink leash.  It matches my pink shirt.  And my pink phone.  And my pink everything else.  Oh!  Guess what my favorite color is?  Quick!

I love the beach.

And Jon?  Jon loves the birds.

Even when they try to poop on him.

Do you know how I know that Jon likes birds?  Well, there are about 150 pictures of these seagulls on the camera.  From this one trip.

Ah, finally I have the camera back.  No more birds.  I just had to sit through a slide show of 150 pictures of birds.  Some of them pooping.

Back to the water.  And the sand.

And the sunsets.

And shiny rocks?  Ok, I'm not sure how that one sneaked in there.

So there you have it folks.

When your boss is nice and decides to let you out of work early on a gorgeous 70-degree day, you go to the beach.  And take pictures of birds.

Check out this product review

I follow a few blogs myself and one of my favorite ones is Steece's Pieces.  Suz (it's like we're long time friends although I am 75% sure she has NO clue I exist) is like the most positive person I know.  I have been following her blog since pretty much the day that she gave birth to her VERY adorable quads, but I even went back to day 1 of her blog and read the whole thing from top to bottom.  Since then, I've followed her blog and check back daily.  Her positive take on the world and life even after struggling with Quads just makes my heart melt and always puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day.  She's pretty amazing.

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