brian and jaclyn + lucy

Jessica and Luciano’s Wedding

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On April 10th Brian and I attended Jessica and Luciano’s wedding in Ohio. Although it was raining and snowing on Friday the skies cleared and the sun came out for a beautiful wedding day on Saturday! The ceremony was at Assumption Church and the reception was at Firestone Country Club in Akron. I was honored to be one of the bridesmaids in the wedding. Everyone had a great time and the wedding was beautiful! It was great to see family and friends, many of which I haven’t seen in a very long time. Congratulations to Jessica and Luciano! We wish you love, laughter and happily ever after!

More pictures of our dog

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Since getting our Canon 50D for Christmas, I’d estimate at least half of the pictures we’ve taken have been of Lucy. Can you tell we love our little pup? But recently Dog-a-holics offered a pet photography session for $20, so we took advantage of the chance to get a family photo and some glamour shots. What do you think?

Shedd Aquarium

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Today we went to the Shedd Aquarium to take advantage of Brian’s day off of work. We got there early and the line was still way out the door. We spent about four hours there and got to see the Fantasea show, jellyfish, dolphins, the beluga whales including the new baby and much much more. We really enjoyed our day there.

Valentine's Day

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To celebrate Valentine’s Day we enjoyed a delicious dinner and great cocktails at Sepia. We also got a cake from Bittersweet Pastry Shop which is where we got our wedding cake. It was absolutely delicious and we savored every bite!

Lucy's First Birthday

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Lucy turned one year old today! It’s hard to believe that we have had her for eight months as she was only four months old when we got her. Lucy was only 15 pounds when we got her and she is now fully grown and weighs about 37 pounds. We love to look back at the pictures of when she was so tiny and could fit on our lap.

To celebrate her birthday we got her a new (supposedly) indestructible dog toy. She also got one of these at Christmas which she destroyed in one month. We also got her some delicious dog treats which included a chocolate/peanut butter cup. She loved it!

Christmas and New Year's Eve 2009

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Brian and I spent Christmas in Cleveland this year with my family. We went to my sister’s on Christmas day for brunch and to check out all the toys that Santa brought the boys. Then my mom made Christmas dinner for the family at my parents house. Christmas was nice and Lucy got to play in all the snow that Cleveland got before we arrived.

The day after Christmas I had my 10 year high school reunion downtown at The Clevelander. Beforehand we met Danielle, Louie, Jess, Denon and Mike for dinner at Pickwick and Frolic. It was great to see everyone!

The day after the reunion we packed up and headed to Virginia to visit Brian’s parents. While there we went to The National Archives and saw the Terra Cotta Soldiers. We also enjoyed some great dinners while there.

We headed back to Cleveland on the 30th and spent the night and then headed back to Chicago on New Year’s Eve. Lucy did very well with her long trip but was very happy to finally get home on New Year’s Eve. It was a long trip but it was great to spend time with our family and friends over the holidays!

For New Year’s Eve Brian and I went to 33 Club in Old Town and enjoyed a delicious dinner. We stayed until the ball dropped and had some champagne to celebrate! We then came home to spend the rest of the night with our pup. Happy 2010 to everyone!

Christkindlmarket

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We went to the Christkindlmarket this year downtown on the Daley Plaza. We enjoyed shopping for little German gifts, eating some good German food and drinking hot chocolate in the bitter cold.

Thanksgiving Day Parade

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We celebrated Thanksgiving in Chicago this year. We decided to go to the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade. There were lots of people and lots of balloons.

Notre Dame vs. Navy

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Each year we try to make it to at least one Notre Dame game. This year we went to South Bend for the Notre Dame vs. Navy game. We met our friends Denon and Mike there for the game. We thought it was going to be a cold one but the day ended up being beautiful. We got to enjoy walking around campus, watching the band march in and then watching the game! Unfortunately we did not see a win – the score was 23-21 Navy.

We Adopted a Puppy!

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On May 31st, 2009, almost a month after getting married, we adopted a puppy from PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving). PAWS is a local no-kill animal shelter. We got her at their Angels with Tails event at the Ralph Lauren store on Michigan Avenue. We had seen her online and knew we wanted her so we got to the event early. Luckily we did because there were others lining up to adopt Lucy after us. Lucy, or Berta as they called her, was about 4 months old and only 15 pounds when we first got her.

Our Honeymoon

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Brian and I left for our honeymoon to St. Thomas on May 10, 2009. While there we stayed at Frenchman’s Reef Marriott for seven days. We visited Magen’s Bay on St.Thomas, Honeymoon Beach on St. John where we went snorkeling. It was a nice relaxing get-a-way!

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Our Wedding

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On May 9th, 2009 Brian and I were married in Chicago at St. Mary of the Lake Church. Our reception was at Architectural Artifacts which really displayed who we are and showed our creative sides. And although the day was a bit chilly it was a beautiful day and fun was had by all. We were very happy to celebrate this special day with all of our family and friends!

Our Rehearsal Dinner

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On May 8th, 2009 we had our wedding rehearsal at the church and then dinner at Scoozi in River North. Before dinner, my nephew Kenny, sang “Going to the Chapel” for Brian and I to prepare us for our big day! After dinner we continued the fun at the W hotel, where most were staying, to have a few cocktails with everyone.