2011 was pretty great! I definitely didn't blog as much as I wanted to, but oh well! Here's a few of our favorite mems for the year (and I have to say, I think March was my fave!)!
January
- Marta came to visit Greenville for the second time in 3 months! We celebrated New Years with friends and Justin's brothers - one of the best I have ever had!
- Our little man, Romeo, turned 2 years old.
- I had to rush Justin to the Emergency Room for severe stomach pains. The ER was a total nightmare and we still don't know what in the world happened.
February
- I threw my first “hired” party! Our good friend, Josh, asked me to design
a party for his wife, Theresea's, birthday. She loves pigs so much, so I went with a pig-inspired theme. She was so surprised!
March
- I helped my friend, Jody, throw a huge Rockstar-Glam Birthday Bash - Oh yes, costumes included.
- Marta visited again! She came to celebrate Justin and my birthdays with a huge beach-inspired party for J and a trip to Charleston!
- We took a short trip to Asheville.. Justin got his first tattoo!
- We went on an amazing roadtrip to West Palm Beach, FL with friends, Josh and Theresa.. Lots of great memories and more birthday celebrations!
- I celebrated my 27th birthday, which Justin surprised me with an incredible party (which he decorated all by himself!) filled with our best friends.
- Justin's birthday gift to me was also a huge surprise.. our new puppy, Coco Chanel!
- I was hired by another friend to design a bridal shower inspired by Anthropologie
- I designed and hosted a jungle-themed baby shower for my good friend, Tiffany
April
- We traveled to Virginia to see Justin's brother, extended family and his immediate fam, who drove down from Wisconsin. We had an packed weekend, including juggling our 2 pups and catching up with relatives we hadn't seen in a long time!
May
- We celebrated Easter by hosting a colorful, little lunch party with Justin's bros. Unfortunately, Justin was super sick and missed out.
- Justin had to have an unexpected surgery, and was hospitalized for 5 days. Not a fun memory.
- Jody and I hosted a fun oriental-inspired cookout. The food was to DIE for.
- We saw Sleigh Bells in Asheville and ran into our friends, Gina & Curtis. Incredible show.
- We finally told our friends that we were planning to move. Wow, it was definitely more difficult than I imagined.
- I hosted a small Mexican dinner party for our close friends. Dinner was awesome, until towards the end - Romeo decided to have massive, explosive diarrhea.
June
- We said 'goodbye' to many of our dear friends - including our Shepherding Group - which we were welcomed by a gorgeous farewell party on our last night with the group
- We threw our own farewell party and an emotional last few nights in Greenville
- We endured a handful of days of nonstop packing for the big move. Cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning with my sister, her fiance (now hubby) and our closest friends
- We moved from South Carolina to Minnesota, journeying with 2 vehicles, a giant moving truck and 2 very needy pups
- Summer began and we lived it up before finally finding some jobs.. We saw Foster the People, late nights watching movies, hottubbing, a Father's Day Jazz Party and silly memories at the Drive-In
- I began freelancing for Chanel again! It felt so good to be back with my all-time favorite cosmetic line
- My good friend, Jade, got married! I was honored to be a part of her big day as her Personal Attendant
July
- We rocked out with my parents at a Black Keys show - our birthday gifts from them
- Celebrated the 4th watching fireworks overlooking our beautiful MN Boat Club venue where we had our MN Wedding Reception in 2008
- My friend, Ash, offered me a free ticket to see Britney Spears live! We had fantastic seats and sang our little hearts out!
- I hosted (with some help from Jade!) a garden-inspired baby shower for my good friend, Mulder and her unborn twins. The whole experience was insane and amazing at the same time! {Photos}
- Our planned "family camping trip" quickly shifted to an indoor weekend after some rough weather {Photos}
August
- Vanessa and I hosted a Cuban-inspired bachelorette/bridal shower dinner party for our little sister, Lanae. All the work put into it was so worth it! {Photos}
- I designed and helped host a second bridal shower for Lanae, inspired by lemons
- I was offered a job as the Business Manager for the Minneapolis Macy's Chanel counter.. Definitely one of my dream jobs (aside from my career in therapy)
- After couple years, we finally were able to go to the MN State Fair and stuff our faces with handfuls of greasy food
September
- My dear high school friend, Laura, got hitched - I was honored to do makeup and be a part of her special day! On the same day, in all of the craziness, Coco went into her first heat. Talk about bad timing..
- Mulder finally had her babies! I finally met them despite all of the chaos with my new job, and we celebrated her birthday
- My little sister got married! I was honored to do almost all of the decor for the wedding/reception And yes, I cried like a little baby.
October
- Justin and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary
- We took advantage of some time off work and traveled to southern Wisconsin to visit his family and Marta
- My little blog turned 2 years old!
- I helped with decor for Lanae and Jordan's Spooky Halloween Party
November
- We celebrated a Gold + Aqua Thanksgiving with my family for the first time ever. I threw the party decor together on a budget of $2.99! We girls laughed our heads off as we rushed around, serving food and maneuvered through the messiest kitchen in the world!
- I left my job at Macy's for an incredible opportunity to work in therapy again (plus, paid grad school tuition!)
December
- I publicized my new Starter Site "alannaandes.com", kicking off my plans to create a business in party design and planning
- Lanae (my sister) and her hubby got a new pup! Little Bernie is the cutest little Boston!
- I started my new job at the MN Autism Center School - So far, I love it!
- I helped my mom throw an Italian-inspired Christmas dinner party on Christmas Eve! It was such a fabulous night and the food was delish!
- We traveled to Wisconsin to celebrate a belated Christmas with Justin's family and ring in the New Year in Galena with Marta & Justin's brothers!
- Our little peanut, Coco Chanel turned 1 year old! I love her to pieces and I really can't believe how big she is!
Miscellaneous Photos from 2011
