Friday's Favorites

This week has certainly flown by.  Per usual, it has been a whirlwind of work and wedding tasks.  While I can't talk about work, I can talk about the wedding.  This week, we managed to send out our Save the Dates, and I scheduled a hair and makeup trial appointment.  Oh, and I did one more thing, which has to be #1 on this list...

1.  I bought my first pair of Jimmy Choo shoes!  While I have beautiful Kate Spade flats to walk down the gravel path to our wedding ceremony, I wanted to get small heels for the reception.  So, after much debate, I went for it!

These pricey but gorgeous pair of shoes have definitely brightened up my week!

2.  What else has me smiling this week?  Well, I got a Save the Date for this year's Taste of the Nation Boston.  This year, it will be held on April 19, 2012 at the Hynes Convention Center.  I had such a fun time last year and I'm really looking forward to nibbling and sipping on some of Boston's best culinary treats for a great cause - to combat childhood hunger. 

One of my highlights last year was hanging with some of my favorite
food bloggers...and meeting Tiffani Faison!

If you are interested in attending, there are a couple of great promotions going on for 20% off the ticket price:

• DRAGON2012 (valid from January 23 - February 6)
• VDAY2012 (valid from February 1 - 14)

3.  This past week also marked my four-year anniversary with Bret.  He sent me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers to my office on Monday.  While some of the flowers are now wilting, this bouquet has seriously brightened up my office all week long!

4.  I signed up for the B.A.A. 5K!  Last year, this was the first 5K I ever ran and I'm so looking forward to running it again with some friends this year!

Look at me!  I actually look like a runner!

These are the things that have me smiling this week as I'm ready to head into the weekend!  I'm looking forward to a really jam-packed but fun weekend, which includes visiting my sister's new place, doing some volunteer work, and cooking up a storm for the Super Bowl!

Tell me, what has put a big smile on your face this week?  Also, GO PATS!

Our Engagement Anniversary Celebration

Almost a year ago to date, Bret took me on a surprise picnic at the Boston Public Garden.  As some of you may know, this date was incredibly special because Bret proposed during this romantic picnic!  Since then, we've slowly started our wedding planning by setting the date, picking a location, asking our best friends to be a part of the wedding party, launching the wedding website, and most recently, buying a wedding dress!  It is hard to believe that a year has already gone by since we got engaged, and we decided to do something special to celebrate our special engagement anniversary.

Just moments after got engaged (May 4, 2010)

To kick off our engagement anniversary, Bret surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of tulips.

Since the proposal took place during a picnic, it was only fitting for us to celebrate with a picnic.  Last Wednesday was the actual one-year anniversary date and it was unfortunately raining all day.  We weren't going to let a little rain ruin our plans so we decided to celebrate with an indoor picnic in our living room!

Our picnic menu was simple:

•  Sliced French baguette
• Carr's Table Water Crackers with Cracked Pepper
• Gouda cheese (which is Bret's favorite cheese)
• Yancey's Fancy's Buffalo Wing Cheddar (which we first sampled at the Spring Wine Fest)
• Vermont Summer Sausage
• Organic strawberries (which were also used to garnish the champagne flutes)
• Cannellini Bean Dip with Truffle Balsamic Vinegar
• Sabatino & Co.'s Black Truffle Sauce

We sipped on sparkling wine and a bottle of the engagement soda to wash it all down.

It was a simple meal but a lovely way to remember this special occasion and I'm looking to celebrating many more anniversaries with Bret!