Andrew and I decided to take a weeklong babymoon to Italy this April. I’m going to write separate posts about each of the destinations we visited—Naples, Pompeii & Herculaneum, Positano and Matera—but first I wanted to share a little bit about our decision on when to go, and also my fears and worries beforehand and how things panned out in real life. I want to preface this by saying this is just my personal experience. …
Category: Life
Our Christmas Tree & Traditions
Just like our yearly trip to Wightman’s Farm for pumpkin picking and hay rides, cutting down a Christmas tree is another holiday tradition I share with my husband, his brother, our sister-in-law and their kids. We rent a minivan and drive out to Algers Tree Farm in New Jersey, where each family chops down a Christmas tree, and we make an effort to snap a holiday picture for Christmas cards. This year’s tree just fits in …
Holiday Tradition: Kolache
When I was about 13 or 14, my parents shipped me to Youngstown, Ohio, to learn how to make kolache from my grandmother. Kolache (I say “Co-La-Chee,” but my grandmother always pronounced it “Co-Lawtch”) is the traditional family dessert that is always present at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other family events—even my wedding. My grandmother was Slovak, and learned the dessert from her mother. Our version is a nut-filled roll made with a buttery dough and …
Family Pumpkin Picking, Wightman’s Farm, NJ
My husband has been taking an annual October trip to Wightman’s Farm in New Jersey since he was a kid. He and his brother have continued the family tradition, so we rent a car each year and head out to New Jersey for pumpkin picking, a hay ride, and a try at the pumpkin slingshot. Our nieces, who are now 8 and 4, are the ostensible reason for this trip, but I think it’s as …
On Getting Laid Off
This May, I was laid off from my job of five years. It came as a complete shock and was especially difficult because I loved that job. I had been there for five years and would have continued to work there for the foreseeable future. I had been promoted to a manager position a year before and felt I was thriving in my new role. I loved my team, I loved my work and I …
Why I’m Starting This Blog and What’s Happening to Ultimate Bridesmaid
Hi, there. For those of you who have been following along on Ultimate Bridesmaid, you may be wondering what this new blog is and what’s happening to my old one. Well, here’s the answer. Is Ultimate Bridesmaid going away? Short answer: No. Longer answer: Maybe. The thing is, I started Ultimate Bridesmaid a little over five years ago, at a time in my life when attending weddings, bachelorette parties, and bridal showers was a new …
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Our Wedding
A lot of people asked me how Andrew and I chose Maine as our wedding destination since we’re not from there. The answer is that in the second year of our relationship, we took a trip to Bar Harbor together and fell in love with it (and which each other, duh). Afterwards, we talked about making a trip to Maine a yearly tradition and both strongly felt it was something we wanted to do. As …
My Charleston Bachelorette Party
I recently celebrated my bachelorette weekend in Charleston with my best girls and I am still buzzing with excitement. It was absolutely the perfect bachelorette for me, full of relaxing beach walks, classy specialty cocktails, delicious Southern cuisine, a little bit of dancing and hours talking and laughing with the ladies I love most. You can find my complete list of recommendations for a Charleston bachelorette at the bottom of this post. The Details I met up …
My Whole30 Experience & Results
I first heard about the Whole30 on one of my all-time favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess. Elsie’s post about her experience is well worth the read and a lot of things she said really resonated with me. At the start of her post, she talked about how frustrated she was that exercise never led to weight loss for her. She said: One of the biggest things I have learned is that fitness and weight loss …
Caitlin Kenney Smith 