summer as newlyweds

The sweet smell of summer officially lingers off in two days. Months of cool weather, colored leaves and warm fires await us; while the hot sun, bright skies, and beach days of 2011 will become fond memories for people of all ages to look back on while yearning to create more next summer.

For us, the summer of 2011 brought the deepest love we've ever felt for each other, beautiful memories we surely won't forget, and the start of our lives together as husband and wife. It was our summer as newlyweds. Looking back 4 months ago, we were knee deep - scratch that - neck deep in wedding jargon. We were excited beyond belief for what was to come. We had the summer ahead of us, which included our wedding, our honeymoon, and quality time with family and friends. While we started our lives together 9 1/2 years ago, we knew this summer was the start of our lives together as a family - to include memories and traditions that we'll continue to do/make our whole lives through. This past summer for us was unforgettable.

Finally, the summer recap as I promised:

There was that whole wedding thing. And honeymoon thing. You know, no big deal - only the most AMAZING things we have gone through together yet :)

Then that post-honeymoon thing...where we soaked up the sun, fun, and had bonding time with family and friends in South Florida. Newlyweds.. :)


There was a trip to Tallahassee to reminisce on all the beer-drinking, cheap-eating, late-night-partying, awesomely stupid days we had together + the football games, classes, and residences we shared together. There was time spent with our favorite friends there, along with their precious baby girl - a smart little reader :)

Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?

We eventually made our way back to Georgia, where it was time to relax and enjoy while having NO wedding planning to consume our time, minds, or destroy our house with endless projects! (Well, they ended, and now I miss them! But I think I'll manage...)

There were game nights, beer nights, friend/family nights, even a trip to the Varsity thrown in between...


...days of 'Just Dance'-ing and delicious home-made frozen drinks (we had to test out all the new wedding gifts) ...

dog days...

painting days...


and trips to the Chattahoochee river (only a 10 minute drive away)...

a trip to Pensacola for Jason & Chiaki's wedding..(more newlyweds!)

a crab boil with friends..


random dinners with friends...


our very own made-up pretzel and beer tour of Atlanta...



town center days...

(apparently, they play frisbee with their feet...?)

more trips to the river...

we watched teens jump off the bridge and realized how old we are because we thought they were kinda stupid..

grizz spent his 4th birthday party here with canine friends...


there were bbq days...


suwanee beer fest...


camping trip in NC...


brunch days...


concert nights...



....and so much more!

There were numerous moments we'd love to have captured, but were too spontaneous for a camera...and moments like that are wonderful. I was thankful to spend so much time with our family and friends.. and our time together with just each other was something we'll always remember.

It was the summer we were married - our summer as newlyweds <3

Mooners :)

It's been just about a month since we returned from our honeymoon and we have kept very busy since then (which I will be updating about soon!) - but in the meantime, I just had to share our honeymoon with you! Spending 8 nights at Secrets Maroma Beach in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico was absolutely incredible and we are blessed to have such fond memories of our honeymoon. A honeymoon is a once in a lifetime trip; yes, we can go back there in the future, and yes, we hope to visit and explore an abundant amount of places/resorts in our future, but there will not be another trip like our honeymoon. I highly recommend taking your honeymoon immediately following the wedding, if possible, because that week was such a special time for us. We were on a natural high and feeling so in love. We were able to share such vibrant memories of our wedding as it was fresh in our heads, and celebrate the fact that we were exchanging vows and rings and shedding joyful tears just days before. It was a once in a lifetime trip that we certainly made the most of!

Just a little recap - we left the Monday following our wedding and we were beyond excited after months of planning. It surely lived up to all the hype! Upon arrival, we were given champagne with fruit, treated like royalty, and the moment we walked out from checking in, our concierge greeted us with "Welcome home, Mr. & Mrs. Barr!" Not only did we have no clue how he knew our names already, but we were also basking in glory with the thought of "Mr. & Mrs. Barr." He showed us to our room (with chilled champagne and fruit awaiting our arrival) and then it begun - a week of pure bliss! The food, the drinks, the staff and the atmosphere were everything we could have wanted and more.

Oh, and the photographers were just as great...

Secrets Maroma Beach - you were wonderful!

Oh, the things we have to look forward to!

I can't complain right now! 3 weeks from today, we will be waking up with feelings we cannot even imagine. Ah, the excitement, anxiousness, nervousness, joy, and everything in between fills my thoughts right now just thinking about waking up on June 18th! I know it will be a wonderful day, no matter what the day brings. It is the day my love and I will be getting married and officially committing our lives and love to each other. I'm excited for us to feel whatever it is we are going to feel for each other that day, I'm excited for family and friends to surround us, and I'm excited to have all the fun I know that all 105ish of us will have together. Then, 2 days after that, paradise awaits us...

Ready for this view out of our room...

Can't wait to post up at the swim-up bar...

while overlooking this...

Then sit under here enjoying a strawberry pina colada and chips&guacamole with my new husband..yesss! :)