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wedding

Cheers to SIX Years ! // and a COFFEE Prize Pack Giveaway

April 20, 2018 by Rachel 25 Comments

Six years. Six years ago, tomorrow, Chad and I eloped on an empty beach in Portland, Maine.

It truly feels like a lifetime ago. We were about 13 weeks pregnant with Ari at the time. We had been dating for what seemed like forever, so we decided why the heck not go get married and make it official!

When I say we ‘eloped’ I mean that we were the only people present, besides the justice of the peace, our photographer, and her assistant (whom also acted as our two witnesses for the event).

Our parents knew we were getting married; but no one else did.

It was perfect. And I love looking back on the photos from the day…

And here we are — six years and three pregnancies (and almost three babies) later — still in love, even though our lives look much different than before.

To my husband — you are still the love of my life — even if our lives look tremendously different than we imagined, and even if we get lost in the hustle and bustle of parenting and work. I love you. 

I’m certain our anniversary will look even more ‘boring’ this year — as I’m working a fundraiser and Chad will be working — but it will be special, nonetheless. ♥

And to help us celebrate our anniversary, I’m hosting a giveaway for a Dunkin Donuts Summer Prize Pack. It includes everything you need to celebrate this Summer!

2 Dunkin’ beach towels
2 Dunkin’ drink containers
1 donut pool float
1 donut drink float

Use the rafflecopter widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Photographer: Justine Johnson
Resort: Inn By the Sea
Jar Cakes: Etsy

Location: Portland Head Light, Crescent Beach, Lobster Shack at Two Lights

Filed Under: #MomLife, domesticity, elopement, events, family, Family Travel, giveaway, life, live happy, marriage, mommyhood, parenthood, pictures, road trip, travel, Travel Adventures, weddings Tagged With: #MomLife, being a mom, domesticity, elopement, events, family, Family Travel, giveaway, life, Live Happy, marriage, mommyhood, parenthood, pictures, road trip, travel, Travel Adventures, wedding

Get Your Smile Camera-Ready with Crest Whitestrips

January 20, 2016 by Rachel 1 Comment

I have a wedding to attend here in the next two weeks and there are so few things that I can control, looks-wise. Of course, I’ll be rocking the mega postpartum look. But the one thing that I have on point is my hair, makeup, and smile game! Sure, it’s nice to attend a wedding as just a guest (without the pressure of being in the bridal party!), but there will still be pictures. And I want to look flawless in them!

Since I’m a mom on a budget, I’ve been using Crest 3D White Supreme Flexfit Whitestrips, and opting out of those $500+ laser whitening treatments! The ideal time to whiten for a wedding is two weeks in advance of the big day. Crest 3D White Supreme Flexfit Whitestrips whitens in just one hour a day for 2 weeks!

whitestrips-3
To document my whitening journey, here’s a little before picture:

whitestrips-before
One thing I can say about motherhood is that we don’t always take care of ourselves and put ourselves first. In fact, I know I’ve pretty much put myself on the backburner. But these last two weeks I’ve been following the whitening routine! And it has worked!!

Here’s my after picture [ignore the silly face… it’s hard to take a serious selfie. I’m just not good at it.]:

whitestrips-after
A little whitening is a magical thing! And so is a little pre-wedding dress up/makeup time!

Whitestrips use the same enamel-safe, teeth-whitening ingredients dentists use and provide a comfortable at home teeth whitening experience. Bonus? They can be found everywhere! Drug stores, big box retailers, and online for just $64.99 per kit! Way more cost effective than visiting the dentist for treatments!

whitestrips-4
And now I’m ready for my big postpartum, wedding debut! Watch out, world! And by all means, go out and grab some of these for yourself! ♥ ♥

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Filed Under: money saving tips, pampering, pictures, review, sponsor, weddings Tagged With: money saving tips, pampering, pictures, review, sponsor, wedding

anniversary // number 3.

April 28, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

It’s hard to believe that we have been together for 6 and a half years. Honestly? Our three year wedding anniversary is JUST THAT. The anniversary of our vows. But we’ve been exclusively, wholeheartedly, together for six and a half years.

At the last minute, we decided to call a friend to see if she would be willing to babysit Moosh. If not, no big; but to our surprise (and excitement) she was available for a babysitting/playdate sesh! Before Steph, our friend and sitter came by, Chad came home with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers I have ever seen.

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My heart was in awe of these flowers. For the first time in my life I was sad that flowers wouldn’t last forever. Because these flowers were so gorgeous that they were meant to last forever.

Then on to dinner… It’s rare that Chad and I get a dinner out without a toddler. When we left the house we reminded each other “OK, remember — EAT SLOW; CHEW YOUR FOOD; RELAX.”

It’s harder than one might think. To be honest, sometimes the best way to feel like I’m having a “child-free” moment is with an adult beverage. And what better beverage to have than a marg from Nuevo, the local Modern Mex restaurant in Akron? They make everything from scratch — even the juice for their awesome (and often spicy) margaritas!?

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We are so pathetic. We were so excited for our big night out that we knew pretty much exactly what we wanted by the time we arrived. The margarita came and we were ready to order.

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First up, guacamole. Chad makes a mean guacamole, so when we go out and order it, I want something fun and different. So we ordered the White Bean, Rosemary, and Garlic guac.

Chad was nervous that the guac would be too “beany”… I think that’s a term he actually used. Actually, I lie. He was worried about that. But I made up the term “beany.” It wasn’t. It was delicious. The perfect flavor combinations of avocados and other veggies. My preference with guacamole is a bit of spice, via jalapeños. This guac did NOT disappoint!

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My entrée order was no surprise to my husband… that’s the beauty of being together for so long. He looked at the menu and knew EXACTLY what I was going to order — the Smoked Pork Poutine Tacos — House Smoked Pork Shoulder, Pickled Veggies, Root Fries, Queso, and Pork Gravy!

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Everything was perfect. The pork, the beans, the rice, the guac, and the margs! Everything. was. DELICIOUS.

Like I said, we tried to eat slow; but we knew what we wanted before we even arrived. So our dinner was complete within like 45 minutes of arrival. We looked at one another like, “Umm, now what?” We didn’t want to go home right away; but we didn’t have much else going on. So, don’t judge us, we went to the local Market District for Gelato. YEP. We went to a GROCERY STORE for gelato. That is a big fat suburban win, folks. Ha.

We were home within 2 hours of leaving for our date — and we were totally taking our time. Pathetic, but I love it — because we were able to make it home in time to not only put Moosh to bed, but to give him some gelato before he went to sleep. Ha!

All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better evening with my better half. <3

 

Filed Under: Akron, april, Ari Davis, date night, desserts, domesticity, drinks, explore locally, family, food, life, love, marriage, mommyhood, Moosh, Ohio, parenthood, pictures Tagged With: akron, anniversary, ari davis, being a mom, celebration, children, cleveland, date night ideas, dude mom, elopement, explore locally, family, food, foodie, fun, kids, life, life with a toddler, Live Happy, local, marriage, motherhood, ohio, parenthood, pictures, wedding

our 3rd anniversary //

April 21, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

I’m keeping it short and sweet today. It’s our THIRD wedding anniversary! That’s right… on this day three years ago we were getting couples massages at the Inn By The Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine — just outside of Portland. I had my hair and makeup done, and we met our photographer (who would act as our witness) for the first time.

It’s amazing that three years later we have a 2.5 year old Moosh; a photographer that we keep in regular contact with (and who will do our family pictures AGAIN this Summer); and 1,095 days of memories!

And yet again, I’m sharing our wedding video…. Enjoy. Or don’t! 🙂 But I will!

[youtube=https://youtu.be/udamT5uRudw]

Filed Under: life, marriage, mommyhood, pictures, vacation, video, weddings Tagged With: anniversary, celebration, elopement, family, life, maine, marriage, portland, vacation, video, wedding

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