Scenes from New Hampshire

Last week, Sam & I hopped on a plane and flew across the country to the beautiful state of New Hampshire to visit family & attend my cousin's wedding. Here are a few of the {photographed} highlights from our visit:

{The one I couldn't have traveled without!}

{A couple of nights at a beautiful bed & breakfast,
courtesy of my dad & step-mom}

{The bride + groom and the main reason for our trip}

{2 out of 3 of my brothers on my dad's side}

{My step-mom & step-brother tearing up the dance floor}

{Sierra & I first met back at my wedding - 3 years ago -
but we seemed to pick up right where we left off :)}

{A long overdue picture of my dad + I}

{Me + my swim buddy}

{Wilson, the pup, finally warmed up to me}

{On the way home after a long day of travel}

Other highlights not pictured:
*Finding an job I'd love to work in someday - wedding planning!
*Enjoying the old feel to the New England towns
*Learning to play the Wii
*An Italian birthday meal with the whole family
*Spending hours just talking with family I haven't seen in 3 years!

While I spent many summers back east when I was growing up, this time felt different {in a good way}. I can't wait to go back and sincerely hope it's not as long between visits until the next time!

Farewell 2010!

Oh my! How has another year has just flown by? I'm still trying to figure how to slow everything down just a little bit, but until then shall we revist 2010?

January - New Years was low key, but I did share some resolutions that I think I did a pretty good job keeping; I started the year with a little courage & bared my soul with a letter to my younger self and some of the ups & downs of life; my outfits of the day {OOTD} made their first appearance; and I found out I'd be getting another {amazing} sister!

February - I shared {the one & only} check up on my resolutions; we took a trip to Silver Falls; I talked about my favorite {free} iPhone apps and a few of my favorite things in our home; and found happiness in what is around me.

March - Sam & I {as well as one of our friends} were hit with food poisoning; and I posted a couple of my favorite OOTD's.

April - we hosted Easter at our house this year; I recalled a trip to Minto-Brown park with the pups; Spring Cleaning hit our house; I introduced my 'personal assistant'; Sam & I bought tickets for the 6th Blazer playoff game {& had a great time!}; and we took one last trip to Bend before my mom moved.

May - I gave a shoutout to my favorite little guy - Levi - on his first birthday; we jammed a wedding shower, engagement photoshoot, & Sam's birthday {plus more!} into one weekend; I flew down to Napa for my mom's 50th birthday; my good friends took some {memorable} family pictures for us; and my SIL, Laura, & I threw a couple's shower for Matt & Krista.

June - we had another multi-event weekend - this time with a wedding, a bridal shower, & also we fit in some yard work; I got deep again when I talked about where I'm at & the chapters of life; Sam & I went back to Bend for one of my high school friend's wedding, but this time we stayed in a hotel {so weird for me!}; we had to say goodbye to a very beloved dog way sooner than we thought; and we had a low key celebration for our 2nd anniversary.

July - 4th of July was spent with Sam's family again {except this year was unseasonable cold}; I took the plunge & got bangs; I was very spoiled on my birthday; we officially got another sister; and I shared a few thoughts.

August - I went to my best friend's beach bachelorette party & then she got married on a farm {both very magical events!}; I won a giveaway!; my OOTD's changed a little; New Orleans was pressing on my heart {again...}; our pup decided to be a little mischevious; and we had another great Grable Family Beach Weekend.

September - we hiked Ramona Falls with my MIL & FIL; I shared some finds from the internet, as well as several more OOTD's; and we found out we were going to auntie Meaghan & uncle Sam in May {except it wasn't public knowledge to the blog yet :)}.

October - these stencils had me smiling from ear to ear; I recounted a scary moment in my life; I saw my aunt after she ran the Portland Marathon; my countdown list was full; and my best friend & I spent a lovely Saturday together, catching up & eating cupcakes.

November - Pumpkin Carving 2010 was held at our house; Sam took his first official photoshoot; I drove over to Redmond to see the Heaters for the first time in almost a year; I created some fun holiday photo cards {except I didn't end up actually buying any}; and of course I shared what I was thankful for & our Thanksgiving trip to California.

December - a lot of the regular posts continued {WIWW & Love...}; our sister, Krista, sang again at her church's Christmas concert and we were lucky to attend; the news of a niece made us all excited to meet the little one in May; we went to 2 Portland Trailblazer games & they won!; there were plenty of weekends of fun in Sandy, including Christmas; and lastly, our annual Christmas picture.

This year was filled with highs & lows for us, but through it all, I've continued to enjoy the art of blogging. As for next year, only time will tell where things go and I'm excited to see happens. See you next year!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

I think I'm one of those people who breaks up the year into the traditional seasons - Spring, Summer, Fall, & Winter - due to the fact that I grew up in a place where we saw all four seasons through the weather, both the good & the bad. So since September is right around the corner, I thought it fitting to share a few things to bring in the new season.

First, where has our summer gone? The last 3+ months have been jam packed with family & friends and we are pretty worn out. Between several beautiful weddings {congratulations once again to the Carrillos, the Grables, & the Di Cristinas!} and the passing of our sweet pug, I think the reasons are pretty clear. This summer will be one we won't soon forget.

Secondly, how do you like the new look here at Grable Tales? Thanks to Krameymartin Designs and Jonathan David Photography, we've got ourselves an updated look here and I'm loving the change! What do you think?

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

Weekend Highlights*: Ben & Kelly's wedding!

Last weekend, my college roommate/maid of honor/best friend {Kelly} married the man of her dreams {Ben} in her wedding field outside of Eugene. In one word, it was beautiful! Per usual, here are the highlights:

The morning of the wedding day was actually quite peaceful in my opinion.
How can you go wrong with coffee, bagels, & girl talk?

"The Bridesmaids" - our album cover when we decide to start a band :)

Kelly + a few of her favorite women!

Here comes the bride!

One of many touching moments throughout the ceremony.

So blessed to have this man by my side. He lend a helping hand before he was even asked on multiple occasions throughout the weekend to make this unforgettable for Ben & Kelly!

My first picture with the new Mrs. DiCristina!

I couldn't be happier for these newlyweds and as I said in my toast at the rehearsal dinner, "I've never seen Kelly as happy as she is with Ben" and I look forward to where life will take them as husband & wife!

*I know most of my recent posts have been 'weekend highlights', but lately that feels like how my life is measured so thanks for bearing with me until life gains a little more normalcy.

Weekend Highlights: Bachelorette Edition

This weekend was all about my best friend and throwing her a weekend to remember with some of her closest friends before she gets married on Saturday. Here are a few highlights captured during our time in Pacific City, Oregon:

We started the weekend off with a minor detour because we were having so much fun talking.

It was pretty clear early on that we wouldn't have a shortage of food for the weekend (part of dinner on Friday night).

Shameless plug: check out the sash I made for the bride! Simple & classy, just like Kelly!

Luckily, the weather was on our side and we were blessed with one of the nicest days I’ve ever had on the Oregon coast.

And of course we supplied the bride-to-be with plenty of gifts. Enough said :)

Although I can really only speak for myself, I have a feeling that everyone who attended this weekend had a great time & was honored to share in the memories of Kelly's last weekend as a single woman! A big thank you to all those who came to love on our beautiful bride!

OOTD 7.18.10 - Wedding Edition

On me:

Jewelry: American Eagle

(which I wore at my wedding too!)

Dress: Anthropologie

Belt: Anthropologie

Sandals: Kohls

On Sam:

Suit: Men's Wearhouse

Tie: Kohls

Shoes: unknown

Remember that wedding I can't seem to stop talking about? Well here are our outfits for the lovely event! Sam was the best man, so his attire was pretty easy to nail down, but as someone who wasn't in the bridal party, but still wanting to go with the color scheme of the wedding (since I'd be photographed some due to being in the family), I put a lot of thought into my dress and was exstatic to find this beauty for over 75% off a couple months back!

Sneak Peek: The day we got another sister!

It's been mentioned before, but this summer is full of weddings and this weekend we crossed one off the list & got ourselves a new sister out of the deal! To say we couldn't be happier is an understatement!

Here's a sneak peek of a few pictures I snapped with my camera (but I can't wait to see how Jonathan David Photography's pictures turn out!) :

Sisters - it's official!

The groomsmen having a little fun with mustaches on a stick.

Love this shot of the bride & groom, plus Jonathan David Photography at work!

Lighting the unity candle.

Sam toasting the newlyweds!

I'm sure this isn't the last you'll see about this wedding, but I couldn't resist putting something up for those wanting to see a couple pictures and announcing again how happy we are to have Krista in our family officially now!

Weekend Update: Back to Bend

Last weekend brought Sam & I back to Bend for the first time since my mom moved away (after over 20 years of living there).

We headed over the mountain on Saturday morning after a delicous breakfast at Busick Court with the Weathers. Once we arrived in Bend, we were a little lost as to what to do, since we couldn't check into our hotel and were early to meet my brother for lunch, but we found something to occupy our time (my favorite - shopping!). First, we stopped by Best Buy for Sam and then proceeded down to The Old Mill Shops for me. And before we knew it, it was time to meet my brother for lunch, which consisted of Red Robin fries & milkshakes.

After saying our goodbyes, we headed to the hotel to get ready for the wedding we were attending that night (the reason for the trip).

The wedding was for one of my high school friends, who I actually became very close to my freshman year in college. It was held on one of Bend's private golf clubs and although being unseasonably cold, it was nice to be there to support my friend as she walked down the isle.

Sunday brought family, food, & lots of driving! We headed out of Bend after breakfast so we could make it up to my in-law's for Fathers Day lunch. The meal was delicious and the company was great! We hung around for a while after, then continued on our way home. After a total of 4+ hours of driving, we finally made it home with enough time to relax and rest up some for the week ahead.

While it was a little weird to be in Bend without seeing my mom, it was nice to visit. I was also glad it worked out to be able to honor my FIL for Fathers Day. And cross another busy weekend off our schedules :)

1 Wedding + 1 Shower + Some Yard Work

= Our weekend!*

Friday, we attended the beautiful wedding of Jessica & Jake!

{The bride & groom, officially}

It was suppose to rain, but thankfully the weather remained dry for the wedding activities so everyone could really enjoy themselves. Following a wonderful ceremony (performed by my awesome BIL, Josh), we spent the evening eating, chatting, & dancing the night away.

{Jessica & my BIL, Matt}

Saturday, we devoted some time sprucing up the exterior of our home.

I neglected to take a "before" shot, but if you just imagine waist-tall weeds as far back as the eye can see, then that's pretty much what it looked like. But after a couple hours of manual labor, this is our current "after" - not completely done, but definitely better than it was!

Sunday, I attended my SIL-to-be's bridal shower!

{Krista opening one of her (more appropriate) gifts}

It was held at a beautiful golf course near Eugene with an "around the clock" theme. This let the guests get a little creative with their gifts depending on the time they were given! Not only was it fun to see all the presents that Krista received, but it was also fun to put faces to the names that she speaks so fondly of.

{Sisters!}

All in all, another good (but busy) weekend. We may be down one wedding & one shower, but there are still more to come!

*I'm a numbers girl so yes, I get a kick out of silly equation sentences.

OOTD 6.4.10

Top: Anthropologie
Trousers: Gap
Wedges: Seychelles
Photo courtesy of my husband :)

Remember all those weddings were attending/involved in? Well one of them took place on Friday night and WITHOUT any rain (hooray!). Yes, the forecast called for buckets of rain all week leading up to the wedding, but thanks to some serious prayer, the night was completely dry. Plus the best news of all is that Jessica & Jake are now happily married! Congrats Carrillos!

Quick Update

Oh my, it's almost been a week since I updated? I do apologize! Life seems to be flying by over here and when I think I've got a hang of it, something else is added to our plate (and no, I'm not complaining, just explaining).

Sadly, this won't be a substantial post by any means, but rather a quick update on another (wedding-related) weekend - the focus being Jessica's last hooray as a single woman before her wedding on Friday!

We spent an enjoyable evening at McMenamin's Edgefield, which is always a good time in my opinion (my bachelorette party was at McMenamin's too!) with good food, fun conversations, & some creative presents. A good time had by all!

Summer of Weddings

It is complete wedding mode over on Sam’s side of the family right now. Between May & July, there has been/will be three bridal showers, bachelor & bachelorette parties, plus two weddings*. Neither of these upcoming nuptials are new to this blog (see here & here), but as a forewarning, please be prepared for a few more wedding-related posts in the next couple months since my life will be sort of be full of it all!

This weekend we crossed one of the above events off our list – Matt & Krista’s couples shower!

My SIL graciously opened her home for the party & (with a little help from me) organized food, games, & a devotional for the blissful pair. It wasn’t anything fancy, but more about the couple & those there to show their support for them. And I think I can say they were very blessed throughout the entire day!

{don't worry, there was more food, it just hadn't arrived yet}

{The game - shower gift BINGO}

{The happy couple!}

*My best friend/maid of honor is also getting married this summer (August), which adds another bridal shower, bachelorette weekend, & wedding to the calendar :)

Weekend Recap

Our busy, but fun weekend included:

*Having Charles & Kristi over for dinner, then to see Iron Man 2 (in honor of Sam's birthday).

(picture from Kristi's masters graduation)

*Co-hosting a shower for Sam's cousin Jessica's upcoming wedding.

(getting ready to announce the shower game)

*Sam taking some fun engagement shots of Matt & Krista.

(the amazing couple!)

*Celebrating Sam's birthday once more with a weenie roast & some family time.

(the weenie roast)

(one of Sam's birthday presents - the book, not the dog)

*Staying up late talking with my in-laws (both happy & sad tears were involved).

*Honoring the mothers on Sam's side of the family with a potluck lunch & delicious desserts.

(the "mom" pie I made)

Another weekend full of memories & fun. Can't wait for the next (which isn't too far off)!