This weekend was AMAZING!! We had our reception celebration on Saturday, so the weekend flew by, but it was the absolute best. For real. I can’t even explain to you how much this weekend meant to us. I didn’t have my phone on me during our reception very much, but I’ll share a bunch of pictures that were sent to me! (Also, if you were at our reception and took pictures, I’d love to see them!!!) I wish I would’ve done a better job of taking pictures, but I was having way too much fun talking with everyone (and drinking Moscow Mules)! Before we get started talking about Saturday, let’s back up to Friday.
Another piece of avocado toast to start out my morning. It was delicious.
I did a little bit of computer work then headed our for a bike ride. I took my Nuun with me and wore my new Qalo ring! I got 15 miles in around town. I definitely see what Jake means about getting a road bike. I LOVE my mountain bike, but I think a road bike would make some of my rides a little easier. I rode a pretty hilly route and I was dead by the time I got back to the house.
Lunch was leftovers – veggies and quinoa with dairy-free cheese. Mmm.
I love these as snacks.
If I’m sitting in the bar stools at our kitchen counter, Lu ALWAYS wants me to hold her. She will stand with her paws on the foot stool and just stare/cry at me until I pick her up.
I caved. Of course.
Some of our friends from out of town were here for our reception, so we took them to 4 By 4 for beer, Galloway for dinner, and then to Creekside to listen to Lyal Strickland. He’s incredible.
Jordan and Jyssica met me at my house Saturday morning and we headed to Wilson’s Creek to run ten! We pulled up to drive into the park and it wasn’t open yet, so we parked on the shoulder and ran the first half of our run around Wilson’s Creek. Wilson’s Creek is a super hilly five-mile loop, so we had planned to do two loops. I’m kind of glad we only had to do one, but I think we got in more hills BEFORE we got onto the loop!
After our first five, we fueled and then headed into the park to do a loop. It was a good run, but the last two miles really hurt. (Knock on wood), I think I’m entering this next training cycle HEALTHY. Remember my dang 10 month hammy injury? Yeah, super not fun. I WILL be smart as I begin my marathon training – I start next week!
I came home and made a breakfast burrito!
Jake rode to Two Rivers, ran trail there, then rode back home, that’s about a 50 mile ride and he did a 9 mile run. I don’t know how he does it! While I was waiting for him to get home, I packed and got ready to head downtown. We stayed at the Hotel Vandivort after our reception. It was amazing! I’ve always wanted to stay there, so I was SO excited that we were able to get a room. My friend, Cassie, who owns the Ozark Mtn Flower Truck, gave us a bunch of baby’s breath to use in our centerpieces. She’s the best. Jake got home from his training and we packed up the car and hit the road! Our reception was just downtown, so we were 15 minutes from our house.
We stopped by Missouri Spirits, which is where our reception was, set everything up super fast, and then relaxed. It only took 20 minutes to put out the centerpieces. I’m glad Missouri Spirits is such a cute place. We didn’t want to do much to it! My Dad made us these candle holders. Aren’t they awesome?
We headed to Harbell’s for lunch when we finished!
We ordered all of our favorite things!
After we ate, we headed to our hotel and got ready.
If you’re in Springfield, you have to take a selfie in the bathroom at the Vandivort. It’s a real thing, I didn’t make it up! The lighting is super cool! We always take one when we go.
Then we headed to the bar at the hotel to have an Old Fashioned.
Our reception started at 7, so we got there about 7:15 so we could be introduced and do our first dance. Like I said, I don’t have many of my own pictures, but I’m going to share some that were sent to me! I’ve loved looking through these. We seriously had the best time ever and didn’t leave until 12:30.
This is some of my family from Iowa – they made a super fast trip to celebrate with us and it means the world to us!! <3
I was pretty excited about that duck. Not really sure how I ended up with it…
My parents!
These are the only three pictures I took all night!
My feet were so sore the next day from dancing. I even switched into flats toward the end of the night. Totally worth it!
At one point, I looked over at this goobers and they’re limbo-ing with a stuffed animal…a bob cat, maybe? I have some pretty great videos of it and I cannot stop watching them. We have some pretty awesome friends. We just try not to take them into public very often… ; )
Jake took my Grandma out on the dance floor. I think they two-stepped. It was adorable!
Missouri Spirits has two swings and our friends LOVED them. Here’s one of many swing pictures that I have…HA! I think they’re cheers-ing across the swings? Seems safe to me!
My Dad’s best friend from high school and his family traveled from North Carolina to celebrate with us. We love them all SO much.
We slept in Sunday morning and I definitely woke up with a little bit of a headache, but it was SO worth it. Jake and I had the BEST time. We went to The Order for brunch, which is the restaurant in the hotel we stayed in.
I had the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict. It was delicious.
After we ate, we went home, packed up our babies, and headed to the river for the day!
Lulu LOVES the water. She would jump into the current, let it take her down, then she’d swim back. She would do that over and over again. Aspen loved to do that, too, but only for a little bit. Lu would also just stand in the water like this and stare at leaves.
Lu tried to help her Dad fish. Jake didn’t catch anything….I can’t imagine why. Maybe because Lu liked to chase the hook any time Jake would cast? It was hilarious. Don’t worry, we didn’t let her get close to the hook!
Aspen preferred to sunbathe.
I mentioned our friends who traveled from North Carolina earlier, well, Jeff, my Dad’s best friend from high school, is an incredible cook. He treated all of us to an amazing dinner Sunday night. We had whitefish topped with crab meat – I’m sure Jeff can tell you the actual name, but I was WAY too focused on inhaling this deliciousness. ; ) Everything was SO GOOD.
My all-time favorite cookies – Monster Cookies! My Mom made these for our reception using my great grandmother’s recipe. I LOVE them.
We opened cards when we got home – we seriously have the BEST friends and family. How adorable is this handmade card from one of family friends? I love it! <3
I cannot stop smiling when I think about our weekend. It was absolutely perfect. Thank you to everyone – your kind words and love mean so much to us. We love you! And being a Bradley is super awesome.
Happy Monday!