race to the altar!

Of course Gretchen and Al couldn't just relax and spend time getting ready on the morning of their nuptials, they needed to schedule some more (friendly?) competition.  

Guests rose bright and early to take part in a Race-to-the-Altar run down the island.

the bride and fab friend Tara writing up the signs Saturday AM

the 2 mile turnaround for the 4-mile loop

HYDRATE!

 Pardon the blurry pic - running and snapping is tough work!

The race finished at the Pass Club's beach house for a picnic lunch of sandwiches, salads and sweet little treats - all catered by the delicious Morsels Bakery - a fav breakfast and coffee spot for the bride and groom.

In keeping with the games-and-competition theme of the weekend, cornhole was also featured beach-side:

While Samantha and I opted out of the run, we were excited to get all dolled up to meet more friends and family for the picnic.

with cousin Wyler

(who was a total natural!)

with middle namesake Charlotte, the bride,

and my brother's lovely girlfriend Julia

the groom's fam, the bride and the MOB

the bride and grandma Judith

The event wouldn't have been complete without some wedding-logo koozies. :)

Before long, it was time to shower up and get ready!  

xoxo

KK

introducing mr. & mrs. mathews!

Just about one month and a week ago today, my little sister Gretchen tied the knot!

Gretch with her fabulous groom Al

The entire wedding weekend was so jam-packed with non-stop action and super thoughtful details that there is NO way for me to pack it all into just one post.  You'll be getting lots of updates on the happenings of the weekend.

Because this activity-and-game-loving couple can't stand sitting around, they scheduled a full itinerary of plans for their guests.  Along with their gorgeous invites (done by the lovely Holly Hollon), guests got a beautiful accordion outlining the schedule. 

First up on the wedding week countdown: Friday!

They kicked off with a golf tournament for serious golfers only in the AM.

the gorgeous Gasparilla Inn course

This obviously excluded Stefan and I but from what we heard, the course and competition was sensational.  While the winners were not announced publicly to avoid hurt feelings in this just-for-fun (but who-isn't-competitive-in-this-family) match, I congratulate them both - they know who they are. :)

Then it was onto a friendly tennis tournament Friday afternoon:

the bride crushing it

After some quick showers to clean up, we moved onto a gorgeous rehearsal dinner hosted by the groom's lovely parents.  We enjoyed yummy apps, classic Caesar, melt-in-your-mouth fish and a plethora of top-notch toasts.

the soon-to-be-married with the fashionable 

and oh-so-sweet mother of the groom

Complete with the Pass Club's famous "baked potatoes" - 

decadent vanilla ice cream rolled in cocoa 

topped with "sour cream" (whipped cream) 

and "gravy" (divine hot fudge)

After that, we joined the full crew for Welcome Drinks at the island's gorgeous outdoor public library.

Since it was Halloween, the groom's parents outfitted the crew with classy fun fare to spice up the night:

The bride with her besties:

Before we knew it, it was time to call it a night and rest up for another sensational day of action-packed fun on Saturday.  More details to come!

xoxo
KK

back at work

Today is my first day back at work.

I'm excited to get back into the swing of things, but I'm sad.  Real sad.  This little munchkin is one lovely babe to spend time with.

We've had a busy past few weeks - there has been so much excitement that I haven't had a moment to tune you in. 

The highlights include...

Having Stefan's lovely mother stay with us to explore SF, help out, and hang with Samantha:

Taking Samantha on her first flight:

Dressing her up for Halloween:

Celebrating my fabulous sister's incredible nuptials:

And spending some time in Milwaukee with my parents:

It's been a pretty incredible finale to this pretty incredible maternity leave.  More details to come I hope although I'm in uncharted territory here with the whole working with a baby thing.  I make no promises.

xoxo

KK

the mackenzies

Greetings friends!

It's been awhile.

Since I've chimed in here last:
we've had bridal showers and baby showers, 
this bump has gotten a whole lot bigger (t-minus 6 weeks!), 
I finally took my miserable test, and 
my best, best friend tied the knot!

There's lots to report back on but I'll start by filling you in on this past weekend: the sensational nuptials of my fab friend Charlotte.

After some picnic-ing and tennis playing Friday afternoon (both the bride and groom are athletic all-stars), we rehearsed our ceremony duties and got cleaned up for the Friday night festivities.  

The rehearsal dinner and welcome drinks Friday evening were a total success.  Top-notch toasts, amazing appetizers, thoughtful touches, a delicious dinner, incredible ice cream, and lots of celebrating.

some of the maids with the bride during cocktail hour

the mother of the groom went all out 

with her "perfect match" theme

Saturday I carried out my very taxing duties as a bridesmaid:

sending the bride off on a morning run,

getting my hair done,
getting my make-up done,
eating lots of delicious food,

hanging out with the bride,
lounging about in a comfy bathrobe,
getting my picture taken.

It was a really tough day.

At 5pm the bride and groom sealed the deal in the most gorgeous of settings:

They then surprised all of their guests with an adorable, perfectly choreographed dance number that charmed the whole lot. 

I was waterworks galore watching them tear up the dance floor.

Again, the party was a smashing success and full of fab moments, best of which was watching how over-the-moon happy both the bride and groom were.

Sadly, the weekend was over just as soon as it started and I was back on a plane to SF.  Luckily, my fabulous husband spoiled me with a business-class upgrade (one of the few pros of him traveling all. the. time.) so I nursed my sadness with warm nuts, a made-to-order ice cream sundae, and lots of on-demand movies.  Had to take advantage of my last pre-baby flight! :)

More news on happenings here soon.

xoxo

KK

red and white

Many have told me that their favorite posts here tend not to be those about the happy days, but rather the ones about the ridiculous missteps or silly-stupid moments that are inevitably a part of everyday life (at least for this gal).  Case in point.  

Luckily for you, I have lots of those, so I figured I'd try to incorporate them whenever possible for your reading (laughing) pleasure.  

One such incident occurred just this past weekend whilst I was in Florida for my dear friend Charlotte's bachelorette.  As already told, I arrived in early Friday AM and spent the day pool-side with Char and her sisters.  It was decently overcast with a touch of sun here and there but I opted to do 55 on my face, chest and arms and 30 on everything else.

The 30 happened to be a spray, which I quickly spritzed on my belly and legs, in an effort to get back to catching up with the bride-to-be.

1

That night, however, it quickly became apparent that my spray job had been perfunctory.  

I had a nice red-and-white pattern cloaking my entire lower half.

While normally I would be beyond thrilled at the prospect of a beach photo shoot (I LOVE playing supermodel) which was our scheduled Saturday afternoon activity, the thought of documenting my sunscreen faux pas and exposing my tender Northern skin to any more rays seemed unbearable.  What was a girl to do?  

Luckily, the bride lent me one of her beautiful beach cover-ups that allowed me to hide all traces of the incident while still allowing some sun on my upper half.  

No one was the wiser.

Except you. :)

xoxo

KK  

bacharlotte!

This past weekend I headed to sunny Florida to celebrate the last nights of maidenhood for my dearest friend Charlotte.  As far as bachelorette parties go, this one was a total slam dunk: just the right mix of activity and relaxation with enough bachelorette-y type festivities to check all the boxes.

Wanting to take full advantage of my trip down there, I took a red-eye Thursday arriving in Friday AM in time for brunch with Charlotte, her sisters, and her mom.  The afternoon was spent doing some ample sunning at the pool before the rest of the girls arrived that evening for a casual BBQ.  

The next morning (in true Charlotte fashion), we headed to a high-intensity work-out class decked out in matching neon t-shirts (compliments of Char's youngest sis and co-maid-of-honor).

The class involved lots of cycling...

...as well as copious exercises that have left me walking gingerly even 3 days later.

the bride showing off her crazy strength with some weights

After that, we headed back to the house for a decadent brunch of eggs, toast, fruit and yogurt.

again - right up this healthy, wholesome bride's alley!

The groom's sister - who is also getting married this year and lives in LA - couldn't make it to the festivities, so she opted to surprise the bride with an extra special afternoon activity: a beach photo shoot for her and all her friends.

en route to the beach with all of our "props" - compliments of the groom's sister

More (professional) pictures to come!

That evening, it was time for more traditional bachelorette activities: 

a lingerie shower

(details concealed!)

Cocktails with Penis Pretzels 

(homemade by the Mother of the Bride!)

We then rented a stretch limo and headed out for an evening on the town.

Bride with her two sisters / co-maids-of-honor

The next morning people were up early for runs and walks before a relaxing yoga class and then brunch at the club.

en route to brunch!

All in all, a fabulous weekend!  Congrats Charlotte!

xoxo

KK