The Secret's Out

Yesterday was such a great day. I left the house around 10:30 in the morning to go get a much-needed manicure before grabbing a Starbucks skinny latte and meeting up with my girls Cathleen and Heather. We drove together to Freehold for a special day, Nicole's bridal shower! As much as I love Saturdays with my boys, I couldn't wait to spend the afternoon with this group of friends from college.

Nicole was my sophomore year college roommate and I love her to death. She has a big heart and such a great sense of humor, and  I can count on laughing til my belly hurts pretty much every time we hang out. I can't wait for the wedding, she's going to make a beautiful bride!



The surprise shower was held at La Cipollina, a cute Italian restaurant. As soon as we arrived we were served glasses of wine while we mingled and waited for Nicole to arrive. I spent a lot of time admiring the cake.

The shower was wine-themed, so all the decorations, guest gifts and even the cake were centered around wine. Isn't that the greatest cake? It was pretty delicious too, with fudgy chocolate ganache and toasted coconut.

The tables were decorated with wine bottles covered in chalkboard paint with messages to Nicole, and roses in Nicole's wedding colors.

The food was also delicious. Instead of traditional salads, we were served a plate of homemade mozzarella (which was still warm, omg), charred asparagus, homemade roasted red peppers, garlicky eggplant and tomatoes with pesto and balsamic reduction. Yum!

 

The main course was served family style at each table, with a variety of meats, fish and side dishes. I had a piece of red snapper with peppers and capers, some penne with vodka sauce and arugula, a bite of roasted potatoes and some sauteed spinach. Everything was great.

Our table was right next to a huge window, and things got really sunny really quick. Cathleen wore sunglasses all through lunch which cracked me up. Doesn't it look like we're sitting outside?

Love these girls!

The best part of the shower was that her bridal party finally announced where we're going for Nicole's bachelorette party. Thank goodness, now I can stop worrying about slipping up and telling her by mistake. 

We're going to MIAMI! Woo hoo! At the end of this month we're all flying down to Miami/South Beach for a long weekend to celebrate Nicole's upcoming wedding in style. I absolutely cannot wait. If yesterday's bouts of laughter and silliness are any indication of what's to come, that's going to be one fun weekend.

A lot of the girls went over to Nicole & Joe's after the shower to continue the fun, but alas, a babysitter's not always in the cards for us so after dropping off Cathleen and Heather I headed home to spend the evening with Riker. Matt went for late afternoon bike ride and when he came home, we were both in the mood to splurge on a carby dinner.

We almost ordered a pizza, but then remembered we had two slices of homemade pizza in the freezer from a while back, and I was really in the mood for a good old bowl of rigatoni and red sauce. Hey, when the mood hits hard, I go with it. We each had a small slice of pizza for an "appetizer" and then a bowl of pasta in our PJ's with a movie after Riker went to bed. A few months ago I DVR'd The Peacemaker and we hadn't had a chance to watch it til last night. It's an oldie but goodie, and totally underrated in my opinion. Classic George Clooney.

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Matt's left at 6 AM this morning to go fishing with his school fishing club today, so it's just me and Riker today. He had a rough night last night since he's teething again, and I got only sporadic sleep here and there, so I have no plans on the agenda other than relaxation. I was too tired to make it to the gym today, but it's a beautiful sunny day out so I'm thinking a trip to the park for a nice long walk will be good for both of us. After I get caffeinated, of course. I'm breaking into the big bag of coffee beans we bought in Saratoga last weekend to keep my eyelids open. ;-)

Hope you're enjoying the weekend!