Sad News

Yesterday Louis' grandma passed away. We are all very sad at the loss of such a kind and funny woman but we know that she is in a better place. I am honored that I got the privilege of meeting and knowing such a strong and loving person.

Louis' grandma loved her boys (i.e. James and Louis). She would constantly tell me stories of them as little kids or how they would say or do the funniest things. She was certainly proud of the fine men that they have become. (Not to mention Louis' excellent taste by marrying me :) )

Please keep the Malic family in your thoughts and prayers. Kathy and her dad need lots of support this year.

We will be in Pittsburgh this weekend for the funeral so I hope my next posting can be more uplifting.

Rest In Peace Grandma Sweeney,

Love Jenny and Louis

MBA Countdown Checklist

This semester this is what stands between me and a MBA.

3 Tests
1 Midterm
1 Final
2 Papers (5-6 pagers)
4 Assignments (1-2 pagers)
1 Business Plan (LOTS of pages)

After last night I have been able to cross off 1 test. Tonight I will knock out another assignment. I still have a long way to go but I am getting there!

P.S. the Glee Britney episode is on tonight- get excited!!!!

V.I.B.

Today I got to go with Erin the V.I.B. (very important bride- see the pic below for the sticker she rocked) and Katie to the Chicago Bridal Show. I was super duper excited to go for many reasons:
1) I heart Erin and want to help her create the perfect wedding
2) Katie and I got to scope out our competition (we are way better!!!)
3) I love anything wedding related
4) It was a good excuse not to study for my test

Getting to the Bridal Show was entertaining as both the directions Erin wrote down as well as Katie's GPS on her phone somehow managed to get us turned around. We did get to experience some shady areas near O'Hare though (I don't recommend a visit there anytime soon).

At the show we all had our assigned jobs. Erin-- BRIDE!, Katie- holder of the brochures (she probably had the hardest job cause that thing got heavy), Me- getting Erin's card signed by the vendors and emotional support.

After weaving our way around and stopping at several cake booths to sample the tasty treats we sat down to watch the fashion show. Erin and I bought some wine which was pretty tasty!

Erin and I (P.S. how much do I look like my mom in this pic!!!)

Business Partners!!!


Before the fashion show starts they give away raffle prizes. I am notorious for never winning anything so I wanted to live through Erin. Katie and I had our fingers crossed that she would win something. Sure enough when they announced the winner of the Carson Pirie Scott mini shopping spree it was Erin. Katie and I started yelling and pointing and Erin looked like she wanted to run far away, haha. We made her walk to the side of the stage to get her prize. I was super excited she won something (offsets the cost of stupid parking)


This was the cute groom model, he was yummy and had dimples! (Don't worry Louis I still heart you the most)

Haha, you can tell who I kept wanting to take pictures of

Not a fan of the bowtie.

You might wonder why there are no pictures of the bridal gowns, well that is because almost all of them were ugly. Granted, everyone has their own style and taste and I am sure many girls loved them but they just weren't good enough for Erin.

I can't wait for Erin and Jon's wedding and going to this show got me in the wedding planning spirit. I plan on devoting my time to helping them once this silly thing called grad school is done.

On a random side note major thanks and love to my mom and dad who brought over dinner for Louis and I. We heart you-- that is exactly what we needed tonight!

First Day of Fall

Well today is the first official day of fall! Go figure that in Chicago it will be 90 degrees today. I guess the one good thing about living here is you really never can predict the weather. I am really excited though to bust out my fall decor. Although I don't have a lot (and Louis won't let me spend lots of money at Hobby Lobby) I am looking forward to mixing it up a bit. I also want to buy some mums and plant them. I have no ability to keep flowers or plants alive so it will be a challenge. (Matt, I could use your greenthumb knowledge).

I am excited for this weekend, in addition to studying for my test Monday (booo) I am going to the Chicago Bridal Expo with Erin and Katie. I really miss wedding planning fun so this is a great way to relive it through Erin! Poor Erin probably won't know what hit her when Katie and I get going. I will make sure to post all the fun excitement from the show.

Happy Grey's Anatomy Season Premiere Day/ First Day of Fall

I am a GLEEK

Today is the season premiere of one of my new favorite shows, GLEE! I will admit that the story line is less than riveting however, the singing is amazing. The cast is super talented and I secretly (or not so secretly) love musicals. If anyone wants to chat with me about the new season etc I am in!!

FOX 7pm CST!!

More Sonoma Wedding Details

I have posted more details from the Sonoma Wedding on SignitWithLove go check it out!

Time Flies

Today is Louis and I's 3 month anniversary! We both said that it has felt like a year since our wedding and yet it was only 3 months ago. Our summer went entirely too fast, most likely because we weren't in school and able to relax and have fun. It did feel appropriate though to wake up to thunderstorms this morning....what a good reminder of our wedding day :)

At work yesterday my co-workers and I figured out that there is already less than 100 days until Christmas. Can you believe that? To add to this, Kohls already has their Christmas decorations out and on sale!!!

As much as I don't want it to be winter time yet (I don't like the cold) I really would like these next 9 weeks to fly by so I can be done with school.

Sign it With Love

I was going to title this blog entry as "Big Annoucement" but I didn't want anyone to think there was a bun in the oven, hehe.

I am super duper excited to announce that Sign it With Love is up and running! What is Sign it With Love you ask? Great question, well Katie and I have started a business to create wedding invitations, save the dates, programs etc as well as all things paper (holiday cards, birth annoucements and more).

We have taken our love for weddings, design, paper and being newlyweds and turned it into a business/blog. This is our hobby, passion, entertainment and we hope to entertain as well as create beautiful paper designs.

Check out our site Sign it With Love

P.S. To all my Hewitt peeps if you are checking out the site at work, Hewitt blocks features so I recommend reading from your personal computer.

The Nate Berkus Show

I know that I work everyday and probably will rarely ever watch The Nate Berkus Show but I absolutely love his designs and style. Oprah knows her stuff because she picked a winner with this one. It also doesn't hurt that he is super cute!! (Don't worry Louis, he is gay). I am looking forward to constantly reviewing his website for design inspiration for our house. I have always said that if I were to ever let one designer have free reign on my house the only person I would trust would be Nate.

His website for his show is: www.thenateshow.com

Go check it out, or if you don't have a job or happen to be home sick he is on at 2pm on NBC in the Chicagoland area.

Back to School

Today begins the start of my final semester of grad school!! Since I didn't take a class during the summer (I had that little thing called my wedding/honeymoon) I am doubling up to finish in November. I know that most of you are probably concerned that I won't be able to keep up with my blog (aka my mom) but I am going to try my hardest to still post frequently. I hate it when I check other blogs and its been days since the last update so I don't want to leave you all hanging!

Happy Anniversary Mr and Mrs Sump

Happy 1 year anniversary to Matt and Mary! Your wedding was so much fun and I can't believe its already been a year!

LOVE YOU!!!!

San Francisco Part 2- Travel Tips

My original plan was to post the second half of our trip pictures tonight but then I realized they are on Louis' camera and he is at work so I don't know where the cord is to upload them to the computer. (granted, its probably by his camera but I am lazy and watching football). Instead, I thought I would share some observations/video about San Fran.

1. The temperature range is crazy! 50-80 degrees in the few days we were there. I highly recommend to pack lots of layers if you plan to visit.

2. There are lots of tourists in the touristy areas. If potential crowds aren't your thing you might not enjoy yourself as much. Although over the few days we were there, there were definite times that there weren't many people at all and you still got to visit all the fun places.

3. Places I recommend seeing/visiting: Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39 (including the sea lions), Golden Gate Bridge, Crookest Street, riding a cable car, boat tour under the bridge and around Alcatraz, Muir Woods, eating sourdough bread (at Boudin) and ordering crab.

4. Bring walking shoes! San Francisco is known for its hills and if you aren't training on a stair master prior to your trip make sure you can hack the walking.

5. Don't rent a car if you are planning on spending all of your time in San Francisco, its super expense to park it and you don't need a car to get around. If you want to cross the bridge or see Muir Woods and don't want a car-- they have tours that will take you.

6. Unfortunately, there are bums on the streets so be cautious about who you interact with

7. The hotels in the wharf area are pricey (actually all of San Fran is pricey). Only a few hotels offer free internet or breakfast.

8. Average price for a burger $13, average price for fish and chips $18, pop out of a vending machine $4

9. It is always foggy in the morning in San Francisco, if you plan on tours or want cool pictures wait until the afternoon when the sun is out and you can see more.

10. A lot of British tourists go there, and I love their accents so its fun to listen in on convo's

Here is a video I shot of us driving over the Golden Gate Bridge, I realize its not exciting but its still fun!!

This video is of the sea lions, if you listen close you can hear them!

A Sonoma Wedding

Being at Kassy and Ben's wedding made me want to plan my wedding all over again and do exactly what they did. The setting was perfect, Jacuzzi Vineyards in Sonoma, CA. I plan on blogging hardcore about all the fun wedding details later on but for now here are some pictures of the evening.

The vineyard

Aunt Laurie (Mother of Bride), Grandpa and Grandma

Kassy and Ben exchanging vows

Husband and Wife Kiss

Cocktail Hour

View of the ceremony setting

The grapes!

Sean, cousin Dane, Jessica (Dane's girlfriend)

Sean, Grandpa, Me

Me and the Bride

Me and Aunt Laurie

Picture of us in the vineyard

Kassy and Josh

Sean, Louis and I in the tower

San Francisco Day 1

I woke up at 3:30am to begin our trip to Cali. We had no airline issues and even arrived early! Woohoo to United, they may charge me for my checked bags but they sure as heck aren't Delta.

We got to the hotel at 10am San Fran time and luckily we were able to check in right away. We decided to take a walk down around the wharf and within 2 mins Sean spotted Dane and Jessica. Out of all the people on the wharf we run into my cousin!!

We started our tourist adventure with Ghirardelli Square.

Sean got cupcakes before 11am!

Louis ordered hot chocolate

San Francisco is chilly in the morning!!

Fisherman's Wharf

Alcatraz

On the most crooked street in the US

That street takes a toll on the calf muscles

Sea Lions at Pier 39

I ordered crab

Overall, Day 1 was great. It was chilly and foggy in the morning (in the 50's) but it was nice change of pace from the 90 degree summer we have been having.

Tomorrow's agenda is Golden Gate Bridge and Kassy & Ben's Wedding

ALLIGATOR ALLIGATOR

Tonight I am doing something I haven't done in over 5 years! I am heading back to Crystal Lake South High School (the last time I was there was to watch Sean graduate) My alma matter is playing against Bartlett in football tonight and I am going to watch.

Eric is one of the Bartlett coaches so I am going to support him and entertain Katie at the game. While I do wish Eric the best I will be wearing green and yellow to show my school spirit. Since we will be sitting on the visitors side, I am going to have to do the "Alligator Alligator eat em up eat em up" with just Sean... :)

Good Luck Eric and South! (I know that doesn't make sense but still I want Eric to do well and my team to win)

Tomorrow Louis, Sean and I leave for San Francisco, I can't wait!

San Francisco

On Saturday morning Louis, Sean and I are boarding a plane for San Francisco. We are spending Labor Day weekend (Sat-Wed) in Cali! We are going out to celebrate my cousin Kassy getting married in Sonoma. Woohoo to wine country (she is getting married at a vineyard). The wedding is on Sunday but we are still planning on doing all things that typical tourists do in San Fran. We are staying in Fisherman's Wharf and plan to take full advantage of the amazing weather. Here are some of the things we are planning:

1. Boat tour to go under the Golden Gate bridge, around Alcatraz and to see the sea lions on the pier
2. Pier 39
3. Trolly Ride!!!
4. Muir Woods

If anyone has ideas or recommendations on what restaurants or places to visit please let me know!

My goal is to try and post pictures while we are on the trip but I make no promises!