home sweet home!

After a wonderful weekend in DC, we are back in Atlanta. We have been traveling so much since July so our plan is to stay put until Thanksgiving, with the exception of the camping trip we are starting to plan (yes, I am going to go camping... I'm as surprised as the rest of you)

Now for the trip recap...

Kyle and I got to DC Friday afternoon and took a cab to Jenn's place. We picked up our furry friend Hero and headed to take a walk in Old Town and get some coffee. When Jenn got home from work it was party time and we had such a fabulous time!

The party was at a lovely French restaurant called Bistro Lafayette. We reserved the second floor of the restaurant which has its own bar and a grand piano. We got to meet Jason's parents and had a great time celebrating with Jenn and Jason's friends. Lots of Jenn's friends from grad school came which was great. I am so glad that I have been able to visit Jenn so much and get to know her friends, it makes events like this so much fun.

Checking out Jenn's fab ring!

The families

My mom decided that since Dad and I will have a chance to give toasts at the wedding, she would like a turn. It was such a sweet gift to our newly engaged couple and she did a beautiful job.

Between my dad, Jason's dad and myself we had the toast documented from every angle!

I also got to give the happy couple a little gift I found on Etsy. I have been wanting to show this to all of you, but had to wait since big sis is one of my most faithful readers.

What's that? You want another picture? Perhaps one where the trinket is sitting on a grand piano?

I purchased this from Miniature Rhino's shop. She was so helpful and I love how this turned out. I loved this because it is so different than anything I have seen. I'm a big fan of monograms and all things personalized, but didn't want to get something that they were likely to receive from someone else. This was a *perfect* find! I highly recommend shopping with her. If you purchase something, let her know I sent you!

On Friday and Saturday nights the second floor of the restaurant turns into a piano bar. The restaurant pushed back the starting time so that we could still have our party. We all had images of some fabulous pianist showing up around 10 and playing some jazz music. We were all quite surprised when this precious little lady came in...

And my friends, she did not play jazz. She started out playing some classics in the background. As our party crowd started to shrink, her crowd of regulars began to grow. Before we knew it, there was a small group standing around the piano while she played show tunes. Everyone was singing along and putting on quite the show. If there is one thing the Simar sisters love, it is musicals and show tunes. We jumped right in and joined the singing group. It was hysterical and so much fun! We sang songs from My Fair Lady, Meet Me In St. Louis and a fantastic little song from Music Man which featured both the gentlemen and the ladies. It was like a scene right out of some ridiculous tv show! I think that some people may have preferred some soft jazz in the background, but Jenn and I could not have been more thrilled!

This picture cracks me up! This guy was our biggest singing competition (as if you can't tell by how very dedicated he is to the song!)

On Saturday we went to an art festival where Jenn lives. The only picture we have from that day is one that my dad took of these little cuties that we found taking a break. The one in the red hat looks so much like a little guy I used to babysit. Check out the ice cream on his nose!

On Sunday we took a trip to the American History Museum and went to see the Constitution. For some reason none of those pictures will upload to my computer, so maybe I'll share part two of our weekend later!

Check back this evening or tomorrow for pictures of my new scarf from Meredith's scarf swap. I also plan on sharing a delicious cake recipe on Friday. If you like whipped cream, caramel and heath bars you won't want to miss it!

Hope that you are all having great weeks! Today I am going to start transitioning my closet for fall, a task that I am actually pretty excited about. I think my fall clothes will get more use this season than ever before. In fact, I may need to pick up a few new pieces to get me through this cooler weather....