We're going to Sonoma!!

I got an email late last night (well, let's face it I was sleeping at 11pm when  it arrived, so I got it early this morning) from my friend Liz. Liz has been the longstanding organizer of the group. To herd our high school friends is like herding cats, but Liz generally does quite well. Combine Liz's fantastic organization skills with our friend Sarah's knowledge of San Francisco and its surroundings... and you get a ridiculous well-planned and thoughtful wine weekend. Oh, I should also mention Sarah's boyfriend Nick has the inside info, so that doesn't hurt! So, Liz's email detailed the dates, the cottages (so cute), and the general plan for the trip. I read the email twice. Then I felt defeated. I wasn't quite sure we could throw a long weekend trip to California in our plans. But, with the agreement of my wonderful husband, we decided it was a weekend we couldn't miss.

So, we are going to SONOMA! Just for three days, later on in the spring. But, a trip with my best friends and the equally fun men in their lives, has been a long-time dream. And since two of the group (Sarah and Melissa) live on the West Coast, we owe them a get together on their side of the country. I am so excited!! We are staying here:

We are staying in the right red arrow, but Liz also reserved cottage Sonoma, the left red arrow!

This map alone makes me ravenously hungry. I should plan to gain 5 pounds in our short trip out there. Can you tell how excited I am?!  I also love this picture:

Okay, I have no idea what any of it means. But it sure looks to me like all signs point to wine. yes, please.

I seriously cannot wait for this short but bound to be amazing trip. I wouldn't trade these women for the world.

Who wouldn't want to go on a vacation with these people?!

my yardley girls! Melissa, Sarah, Me, Rach, Jess, Liz.

Cheers to Sonoma!

Dinner Party Reunion.

I love a good excuse to wrap up some napkins in ribbon and make the table look inviting. I also love my college friends. A lot. Over the past years, we've all lived all over... but now most of us are in a 3 hour radius, from Philly to DC. This weekend, we decided to have a mini potluck reunion. So I laid out some pretty platters and spruced up the house with some (cheap) flowers from the grocery store.

The blue serving platter that the utensils are on and the blue bowl with the candles were both wedding gifts. I spent a total of $6 on flowers for the house. And those cute little plates with martini glasses? On major sale from Crate + Barrel.

a view from the top!

So... in the midst of dinner party prep... Came a major snafu. While I was cutting the bread for my "bread salad", I was not paying attention and managed to slice halfway through my finger with a huge serrated bread knife. Yep, it was 5:35. Guests were arriving at 6:00. I had to go to the ER. Pronto. Jamie wasn't home and I knew it was actually an emergency, so I drove myself to the ER with two towels wrapped around my hand to save my car from the blood. I'll save any further bloody details, but when I got to the ER it was packed. I decided to take a chance, left the ER, and went to the Urgent Care down the road. Best decision ever. Walked in at 6:11 and out at 6:45. Four stitches, local anesthetic, and pain killer later.... The dinner party was back on!

And here I am, with the hospital bracelet on one hand and bandage on the other hand. Ouch.

But, even though I decided to massacre my finger, I was feeling so thankful my friends would be waiting at my house when I got home.  One of the most fortuitous happenings in my life is that I've been blessed with so many amazing friends. Here's the gang toasting to our reunion, minus Sarah who refused to be in pictures last night.

We all made food. So much food. We love to eat. Sarah even brought two trays of Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets. Here are some photos of the spread. It included bread salad (thank you Alli for taking over bread cutting for me!), mini mac and cheese bites, italian wedding soup, spinach and cheese dip, olive + tomato tapenade, pepperoni and cheese cracker bites, two kinds of stromboli, bruscetta with ricotta on toast, and cream cheese wasabi dip. The food was delicious, and we stuffed ourselves.

yum. just waiting for the olive and tomato tapenade...

such amazing food.... this picture accurately represents our friendships-- all we do is talk, talk, talk.

Before our dinner party night, I had the idea of a clothing exchange. We all have some great clothes, but let's face it, we get sick of them. We don't want them anymore. We leave them lonely in our closet, longing to have someone wear them. So, everyone brought a bunch of things they were willing to give up. And we had an exchange. The rule was that  you took nothing you brought back home. So, if someone didn't want the item, it went in the good will pile. I'll drop our (very nice) donation bag off this week. See how nice? We got to spend time with friends, eat amazing food, get new clothes, AND give back to those in need. We are class acts.

See the clothes draped allll over the place? Those were all given up! This is my friend Lauren in a "singlet" as we came  to call it.

At one point, Jen got caught inside a dress. I jumped in to give her a hand!

me with my newly acquired jcrew sweater!

We all took home some good items, but I think Cauffiel won with the singlet in the end. We had a great big sleep over, and then some delish breakfast and coffee in the morning. So glad to see these girls, and so glad we all live close enough to do this more often!

Cheers! xo

Here Comes the Bride(s). Part Two. Foran-Tuller Wedding Events

So, soon after the engagements and planning began, we realized we actually had three weddings on our hands. With three bridal showers. Three bachelorette parties. Oh, and I was living halfway across the country at that point. But, we managed. And we had a blast at every event.

Let's start with Kelly's wedding. Kelly and Mike met at Lafayette. After Mike following Kelly to Philly, and then Kelly deciding to take the trek up to Connecticut to be close to Mike, they were ready to take the plunge. I can still remember Kelly talking about Mike during the first few months of grad school, and that nice letter he wrote her. I'm pretty sure at that point Kel already knew he was the one. Kelly is one of the most unique people I know. She is feisty, assertive, and competitive. But, she is also the most compassionate and loving person. Once she loves you, whether you are her husband or her friend, she gives her whole heart to you.

Kelly's bridal shower was thrown by her bridesmaids with the help of her mom mom with the help of her bridesmaids. Last April, I flew home from Columbus to be there, and barely made it in time (driving Jamie's then-truck and a GPS that kept recalculating was total disaster). But, it was gorgeous! It had an almost ethereal feel,  and was perfect for Kelly. Her mom did an amazing job with all the details, which are my favorite things about these events. Well, next to seeing my best friends. Here are some of the pictures:

Gift tree... which was totally full by the end!

Menus

Sarah with the Baskets-o-Wine for every special life occasion.

Kelly + Bridal Party

 June rolled around and it was time for Bachelorette Party in Boston! I flew up and my brother and his wife picked me up. They live outside of Boston so I got to hang with them for Friday evening, and meet up with the girls on Saturday morning. We all met up at the hotel, went to the Red Sox game, ate some major italian food in the North End, and then partied the night away.

Not surprisingly, Sarah was a bit unprepared. The two of us went down to the salon in the hotel, where we removed our nail polish and put a new coat on-ourselves-because we didn't want to wait for, or pay for, a pedicure.

a typical fink-tuohy move.

After we got ourselves organized, we gifted Kelly with some Red Sox gear :)

Sarah, Kelly, Me in Boston

We made it to the game after getting some lunch beforehand. It was HOT there. Really really hot. Also, Kelly managed to lose her wallet walking in. This is not good when you are Kelly, and sometimes still get carded to get into bars, and it is your own bachelorette party. LUCKILY this friendly officer found it! Woohoo!

Thank you Boston PD!

And Kelly made it back just in time to see this awesome display, organized by Joelle, our Boston-local.

In case you can't read that, it says "Congrats the Future Mrs. Kelly Tuller" Love, Your Bridesmaids. Yeah, we know her name is Foran-Tuller, but it was the best we could do :) 

After spending the afternoon hydrating ourselves with beer and lemonade, and tanning sweating in the sun, we headed back to the hotel to get all beautified for an evening out.

I think it's fair to say our night included a lot of fun... but unfortunately we could not find pizza at the end of it. Fail. The weekend in Boston was incredible, and got us excited for more to come.

August 13 rolled around way faster than I expected. Since I was moving back to the East Coast in a week, I decided to pack up my car early and drive home--- and then just fly back for my short week. I couldn't believe Kelly was actually getting married. I know we had planned. I know we had bachelorett-ed. But it was the first real wedding! We were so excited.

Rehearsal was at Plough & The Stars in Philadelphia. As always, the details were so cute. I particularly loved hearing Ryan, Kelly's brother, sit at our table and talk about how he is the Anti-Foran.

Rehearsing at the church.

Groom's cake. Go Yanks!

Menus

loved kelly's dress.

Did I forget Kel's organizational skills? This is my schedule...

Happy Couple.

So after a great rehearsal, we headed to NJ.... On Saturday morning, it was off to the salon to get ready. I was obsessed with the bags Kelly gave us. I still use mine even though my initials are different now, it's a good bag and a great memory.

My dress + bag all set!

Kel with the sign I made her for her chair.

Lunch at the bride's home.

All of Kel + Mike's AMAZING stationary and paper from the wedding process... LOVE this.

One of my better photog moments... THE DRESS.

I loved getting ready with all the girls, and getting excited for the big day. After we were all dressed, we took a few more photos... and then we were off on our way to Philly!!

I don't have photos of the ceremony, because it would be tacky for a bridesmaid to have a camera in hand. But, it was really beautiful. The tears flowed of course, I am such a sucker for weddings. And even more when I love the people getting married.  But, here's a few reception photos!

Yay! Hubby. I think Jamie single-handedly explored EVERY cocktail hour food option. It was phenomenal.

Place settings. Do you adore the gold and glass chargers as much as I do?!

The Tullers!!

These are two very tired bridesmaids, circa 1 am, waiting for someone to open the suite to get our things out.

The wedding was perfect. Kelly and Mike swayed on the stage to "Don't Stop Believing" for their last song. Kelly and her dad danced to My Girl in running shoes. The decor was gorgeous. The bride was stunning.

Kelly on her Wedding Day!

All of that... and that was only 1/3. Two more still go to! (Or since they are now in the past, two more to come on the blog!) Congratulations Kelly + Mike. You guys will have a fantastic marriage, hopefully lots of kids for my (future) kids to play with, and hey, if you don't mind, can you move back towards Philly?

xo

Here Comes the Bride(s). Part One.

Six years ago I met two of the best women I know. Kelly and Sarah quickly became my friends and confidants. I thought when I got to grad school I'd find some acquaintances; I had enough friends. I was wrong. These two wove their way into my life, and found their way deep into my heart. My affection for them is only outweighed by my admiration of their success both professionally and personally.

Rewind 2.5 years. In November 2008, I opened our hotel room door in Orlando at a psychology conference to see Kelly with her brand new gorgeous diamond on her finger. We toasted, we made her wear bride Mickey ears.
Fast forward 4 months. March 2009. Sarah gets engaged. We flip through endless bridal magazines over the next few months. We talk about how Chris found her the perfect ring. I start to wonder when my turn is coming.
Fast Forward 4 months. July 2009, Jamie proposed. It was simple and perfect and solidified every reason I knew Jamie was right for me. By that point, Sarah had moved to Hoboken and Kelly to Connecticut for residencies. But, still, we celebrated again. Sarah drove down from new york to see me and gave me a subscription to bride magazines (jackpot!). The next week when I was in CT to visit my grandma, Kelly and I went to dinner and she gave me a "just engaged" tank top, which I love love loved.

So, here we were, three engaged best friends.  Kelly picked August 14, Sarah September 25, and me October 16. This meant, in eight short weeks, we'd have three weddings. Three bridesmaids in each other's weddings. It also meant three bridal showers, three bachelorette parties, three differing wedding planning techniques, and a whole lot of laughter and fun. And mayyybe a little stress. Just a little. 

So intermixed into the house tour, as I get good pictures of the rooms and such, I will do a quick remix of the wedding events of 2010. Here are three pictures, from three weddings, of two of my very best friends.

Sarah's Wedding in Vermont

Kelly's Wedding in Philadelphia

Just some dance moves @ My Wedding at Winterthur in Wilmington, DE.

So that was the beginning..... more to come on each wedding and wedding events! xo

THON IS ALMOST HERE!!!

THON 2005 with Clay.  Who is Clay you ask? Read further.

Since I was an undergraduate at Penn State, THON has been the philanthropy that can bring me to tears, laughter, and all other sorts of emotions from minute to minute. As a Penn State college student, everyone assumes life is about sorority formals, frat parties, and of course, football weekends! And, it was. I wouldn't have traded that for the world. But, the most important lessons I learned in my four years came from THON: Put other people first. Work a little harder than you have to. You can indeed make a change in the world.

What is THON? Well, THON used to be a 48 hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon. They've kicked it down to 46 because it has gotten so big that they had to move it to the BJC from Rec Hall. THON raises money for children with cancer at Hershey Medical Center. THON provides the money that makes it possible for families to have free cancer treatments. After watching so many of the families I've worked with at other hospitals struggle financially after a cancer diagnosis, I realize what a magnificent gift this is. THON holds a college together. THON gets college kids out of bed at 7 am to stand outside with cans that say "Help Kids Fight Cancer" and stay outside until they reach their quota for the day. Are you in love with this cause yet? I am. So DONATE!!

THON has grown and grown over the years. Last year, Khloe Kardashian even tweeted and blogged about it got the word out. You can read about that here. I can't explain THON well enough, or how closely I still hold it to my heart. Or how thankful the parents are that PSU kids take their time to do this. Here, let's see if this can give you SOME idea:

Okay, I'm still not even convinced you get it. I'll post another video at the end. I love the promo videos every year. In college, I was in Alpha Chi Omega. We paired up with the brothers of Pi Kapp every year to fight for every penny we could for this cause.

Here are the AXO dancers the year I was THON chair, standing in front of our sign.

THON taught me so much. And it showed me the path to take in life. I knew that my life needed to be working with these kids. With kids who were sick,  kids who had to deal with chronic illness. Years later, doing a fellowship in pediatric psychology, I know I'm where I belong. So thank you, THON. Not only did you give me the best memories of my life, but you helped me realize what is right for me in life. I will try to help you now. So in case you haven't already clicked the first link, here's another to DONATE!

Let's talk a little bit about my THON kiddos. The cutest little buddy in that first picture, Clay, was just a tot when I was a THON chair for my organization. We sponsored Clay's family and Holly Gaston (Junkin!)'s family as well. Clay is now cancer-free and doing fantastic. He is 8 years old. Wow.

Holly, Holly, Holly, you amaze me continuously. In you, we didn't just have a "THON child", we found a friend. And years later, I think it is fair to say we all stand in awe of all you have become. Holly is officially "cured" from ALL. Woohoo!!! Since I left PSU, Holly somehow managed to grow up, go to college, do a semester abroad, get engaged, and get married. Here's to you, Holly. You are one tough cookie.

Holly + Ben on their wedding day! Holly, I totally stole this picture from your facebook page. I hope you don't mind :) 

THON was literal blood, sweat, and tears. But do you know what? It was worth it. During my year as THON chair, we made millions for the kids (FTK). Last year, they made over $7M.  Who knew college kids could be so motivated, with no other payoff than that we feel good. Well for the most part we feel good. Did I mention the 48 hours no sitting no sleeping part? That's nothing compared to chemo, radiation, more chemo, missing dances, missing school, losing hair. If 48 hours with no sleep is all we have to endure to help these kids, we can handle that. So, my days of being a PSU student at THON are (sadly) over. None the less, I love love love love love loooooove this cause. When I danced in THON, I broke out in total body hives. I went to the ER to get meds, and kept dancing. That's what we do for these kids.  And while I'm not a student, I can still help. We made donations to THON for our wedding instead of having favors. And, I think Joe Paterno said it best.... THIS is what we mean when we say.... WE ARE.... PENN STATE!!!

Here's the THON 2011 Promo Video. 

So, there's 15 days left.

DONATE!

THON 2011 

FTK! xo