celebrations

29 WEEKS!

December 16, 2016

The weekend of my Syracuse baby shower! :)

My sister and I drove out to New York on Friday night and had such a nice time. My mom and Meg helped host the party with my cousin Kristin at her cozy, Christmas decorated home and it was so great to see everyone who came! I got a lot of adorable clothes and some essentials from my baby registry.

Zan and I are having another shower together in January with our Boston friends and family and it’s really wonderful to have everyone so excited about the new baby. This is the first grandchild for both our families, which makes it even more special! So much love for this little girl and she isn’t even here yet!

I’m feeling so good, but also feeling really pregnant. Go figure, right? :) I can’t believe how close we are, but also still so far away. How much bigger can I get? 10 weeks bigger, apparently. I don’t like sitting too long at the end of the day because my back starts to hurt and my insides feels smooched. But for a majority of the day I feel awesome and I’m sleeping well so I can’t complain about too much! I also have a lot of energy. A friend at work asked if I was tired and taking lots of naps, and no! I am feeling active and not sleepy at all. Still drinking tons of milk and buying lots of little outfits. Target has some of the best and most adorable things! But of course they do.

This weekend we are starting on the baby’s room. Walls are being painted, a rug has been found, and we went with this IKEA dresser (and Anthropologie knobs!) — which will double as a changing table too.

I can’t wait to start decorating and adding all our gifts and purchases to the nursery soon. Thank you, thank you for everyone’s happy wishes and all the amazing presents. Super thankful, happy heart.

2 Comments · Filed Under: baby, celebrations ·

the first christmas letter.

December 24, 2015

Happy Christmas, everyone!

Our very first Christmas card! Our very first Christmas letter! Our very first Christmas spent together! It’s all so exciting, I love it. Here’s to what I’m hoping is an annual tradition— an update of sorts and a wish for the happiest of New Year’s to one and all. We have had the busiest, most exciting year together yet– An engagement, a wedding, and the cutest puppy you ever did see. :) With the internet these days, and my devoted love for instagram, an old fashioned piece of paper seems hardly necessary, but I have looked forward to writing my own typed letter to friends and family for years and YEARS and so I will begin our tradition right here, right now because dreams are always best when they come true.

Speaking of…. ! We’ll start this letter off on the very eve of the New Year, 2014. Zan and I made plans to head into the city for Boston’s First Night before we’d be hosting our own New Year’s party with family close to home. While walking through the Public Garden, Zan surprised me (yes, very much surprised me!) with a beautiful diamond ring. We celebrated eight and a half years together with the promise of forever and I cannot remember a party so joyful.

From there our days were thrilling and b-u-s-y. We knew the way you just know that summer is our season, and so we set the date for June. Six months to sign seal and deliver and we did it with sparklers to boot! I had the best time planning our day, from designing the invitations with my Aunt Heidi to dress shopping with my mom and Meg. I printed (almost!) every single piece of paper on our home computer, and spent plenty of hours with the paper cutter after school.

If you were at the Mandana Barn that pretty summer day you know that the sky was bright and a little bit drizzly, that flowers were placed in every nook and cranny and that love filled the space like magic. We said our vows under a beautiful (Zan-made!) arbor and danced and danced until the very last chord of “Don’t Stop Believin’”. We loved that day and the people who were part of it. The Best Day Ever, the Twentieth of June.

Do you know what happened next? We took ourselves to Europe! 21 days in Italy and Croatia— the best company, the best sights, the best food! In Italy: Venice, Rome, and Positano. In Croatia: Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar, Plitvice Lakes, the hills of Istria and Rovinj. Our time away was fantastic and overwhelming and exhausting and amazing. Rome was agreeably our favorite, and the water off the coast of Croatia! We have never seen anything so blue. Bitten by the travel bug, we’re already pumped for wherever our adventure will lead us next. Suggestions are always welcome!

August brought us lots more excitement and a little bit of scoundrel when Pennylane Winchell became part of our family. Zan’s aunt Crissy rescued her in L.A. and sent her east to be a companion for Nell’s dog Rue. Except, lucky us! After a weekend in New Hampshire we brought that cutie pup home to our house and can’t imagine it any other way. She’s the sweetest fluffiest little love.

After Summer came Fall and we’re back into the everyday swing of things. We are still living on the 2nd floor of the big house on Summer Street, where I’ve enjoyed creating the coziest space to call home. Zan is doing well and keeping busy at work and I still love teaching those littles– my third year in 2nd grade, having fun every day of the year. On weekends we like to explore, both near and far and every place in between — we spent time in Nantucket, Denver, New Hampshire and the Berkshire’s, Tampa, NYC, Maine, North Carolina and Syracuse, New York! When winter comes we’ll be on the slopes in Vermont, Zan loving the mountains and me, the hot chocolate. :) I can’t say I love the cold but I do love the cozy. Cozy we are and happy we’ll be.

We love you all very much and think about you often. MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY 2016!!

Wishing you the happiest! Lots of love,

Anna and Zan

Merry Everything.
Happy Always.
Joy to the World.

2 Comments · Filed Under: celebrations, holiday, life, nostalia ·

on my birthday.

September 17, 2015

Hi! How are you? I hope you’re doing fine.

I’m in a busy season of life, I think. Turns out the year you get engaged and get married and travel on a three week honeymoon to Europe AND get a puppy is one for the busy books. Who knew right? But oh, it’s been a dream!

And wouldn’t you know, today is my birthday! We always make a celebration out of these sort of happenings over here. It’s probably so cliche to say this was the best year yet, but, honestly it was. It absolutely was. And 32? Well, I’m ready for it. The start of another year is so exciting and curious! What kind of surprises will this year bring? Would it also be cliche to say I think it might keep getting better? That each passing year is more divine than the last? Because that’s true as well. How could it not be? At least that’s what I believe to be so. I have more memories than ever, from all the years and all the moments, all bottled up and carried around in my soul. Piling more and more in my heart with each passing month, day, year, second. Surely getting older is the most amazing thing to celebrate. Surely getting older is collecting all the good you’ve had, and the promise of what’s to come.

Last night we stayed up making red velvet bundt cake, so today we can eat it. In the morning we’ll wake up early and have Eggs Benedict and walk the puppy. I’m packing peanut butter and jelly with potato chips for lunch {because it’s my favorite} and tonight we’ll have family over for tacos. I’ll give my class an extra recess {just because!} and wear a favorite dress and buy myself some flowers. I’ll call my mom to tell her that I love her, and wish her a happy birthday too!– I was born on her birthday all those years ago and it’s one of the very best things I could think up to share. I love you mom, to the stars and beyond, and I hope your day all that you wish. ♥♥♥

Today is going to be a good day. And thirty-two is going to be great. ♥

11 Comments · Filed Under: celebrations, life ·

photobooth favorites!

August 3, 2015

The photobooth was one of my favorite parts of our wedding. Everyone had such a blast and after much debating beforehand, I am certain looking back that it was money well spent! I’m not exactly sure where my mom found the adorable paper cut-out props from, but I did a little research and found out that you can purchase them online here. I also happily discovered they were designed by The First Snow — the same etsy shop where I bought my bridesmaid thank you cards that I seriously love so much. A favorite illustrator for sure!

Below are my very favorites.
So many good ones it was hard to choose!