As we unpack from our trips and settle back into our day-to-day life as a married (!!) couple, we have one last wedding-related item on our “to do” list — writing thank you notes. It can feel a little overwhelming when you have many to write at once but the Mr. and I have developed a bit of a strategy. So when Amanda of Love Creative asked me to write a guest post for her while she’s off getting hitched, I knew exactly what to write about! Check out my “thank you note” guest post to find out the particulars. (photo by Lupa & Pepi, left to right: custom notecard, Vintage Seed Packet forever stamps via USPS, Sensa pen)

Molte grazie, Amanda, for the opportunity to guest post! Felicitazioni!

Miami International Airport during our layover en route to Managua

Remember when my husband (still not used to saying that!!) and I went on our “minimoon” a few weeks ago? Well, now we are off to the real deal… our honeymoon! I’m still reeling from our big day and looking forward to my brother’s impending nuptials but can not wait to unplug, unwind and kick back in Nicaragua. We’re starting our trip on the beach on the Pacific coast and ending it at Lake Nicaragua. Arrivederci!

For many months my brother meticulously planned his proposal to his girlfriend. They live in Las Vegas and he knew from the get-go that he wanted to take her on a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon, pop the question and then, when they came back to the house, there would be a surprise party waiting for them. There were a lot of moving parts to this equation most of which involved coordinating the surprise party guests’ arrival from out of town. Needless to say, it all went off without a hitch! I’m thrilled that the cat is finally out of the bag because 1. we can celebrate!, 2. I don’t have to keep this plan a secret anymore (I was so worried someone would slip up at our wedding just 2 weeks ago!) and 3. we have another wedding in the family!! Felicitazioni, Dave and Keath!

I’m now officially a Mrs.!! Wow, what a whirlwind, amazing wedding weekend! I’m still digesting it all! Since it isn’t quite time for us to take off on our honeymoon, we’re taking a “minimoon” — a.k.a. few days to relax and catch our breath! This is our view (pictured above) from El Encanto — nestled in the hills of Santa Barbara. Not only is the view stunning but the food is spectacular and the spa is magnificent too! Couple all of that with a glass of wine and my new husband by my side… è perfetto!

We are officially in the final countdown! We leave for our wedding exactly one week from today (eek!). You may have noticed, my blogging schedule has been a bit spotty as of late. The days are flying by and it feels like for every two things I cross off my “to do” list, three more appear! As I shift my focus to wedding related projects (like the little sneak peek pictured above!) please rest assured that there will be plenty of posts in the future to fill you in on everything that has been keeping me busy… all in due time.