Honeymoon Part 1: Barcelona, Spain

Dan and I LOVE traveling. Neither of us had ever been to Europe (besides a layover here and there), so we thought that our honeymoon would be the perfect opportunity to take time off of work and see the places that we were dreaming to see. Asking for a month off was a bit of a stretch, but luckily our jobs were flexible enough (and bosses gracious enough) to swing it. Once we got the a-ok, Dan and I began brainstorming for possible destinations. “Should we go to one place and stay for a few weeks or should we travel all over and only stay a few days in each spot? Hmmmmm…what to do?” We ended up doing a whirlwind trip, stopping in 10 different countries and 17 cities! We thought it would be best to see as much as we could with the time we had.

Our first half of the trip was a Mediterranean cruise that started in Barcelona, Spain and ended in Venice, Italy with 8 stops along the way. And for the second half of our honeymoon we bought a Eurail Pass and traveled in a huge loop that ended in Paris, France. It was the perfect trip -- a grand adventure with my hub. We loved every second of it, even the running around like chickens to catch trains and getting lost in Berlin and Istanbul! It was all magical.

-- Honeymoon Part 1 –

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Our plane landed in Barcelona, Spain and we had 3 amazing days of exploring the city until we boarded the ship. We stayed in a beautiful hotel called AC Sants located near the SantsTrain Station and Plaza de España. The front desk was very helpful... they mapped-out all of the places we were hoping to see. It also helped that Dan is fluent in Spanish, God bless him and his bilingualism!

We took a walk down to the beach. It was fun to see the hustle and bustle of the Mediterranean cafe's and the colorful changing closets on the boardwalk. Dan jumped in the water and swam out to the furthest buoy {this is a habit of his}. The water was WARM and the beach was spectacular.



{Barcelona's fish sculpture, known as Peix in Catalan by Frank O. Gehry}

{Exploring La Boqueria was my favorite!}

{So many bright colors and tasty treats!}

There were tons of mini restaurants with bar seating in La Boqueria. We found a crowed counter at El Quim {crowded usually means good food right?} and we snagged two seats after a couple left. People were elbow to elbow, drinking wine and eating beautiful dishes like huevos fritos con llangueta y chipirones {Fried eggs with baby squid in ink sauce}.

It's always somewhat hard getting pictures of the two of us together when we travel {unless if you do the one-arm selfie}. Our tip is to ask someone who's holding a camera, chances are they're from out of town as well and they won't mind helping you out.  Offer to return the favor. "Can you please take our picture? We can take one of you too!"

{Gaudi's Casa Batlló and Casa Mila}

The gorgeous Sagrada Familia! Construction started in 1882 with Francisco de Paula del Villar and then with Gaudí until his death in 1926. Since then different architects have continued the work. They say it will take another 20 years to complete. Yikes! But what a magnificent sight it was!

{Feeling very small}

 {At Park Guell}

{Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia AKA Barcelona Cathedral}

{A lit door in the depths of the cathedral. What's inside!? }

  

I heard of this little gem -- Granja La Pallaresa on a travel show and knew we had to find it. They serve crispy churros  that you dip in thick hot chocolate! Gaaaa it was to die for. We got lost along the way and must have asked 15 people for directions. We finally found it amongst a menagerie of windy little streets in El Barri Gòtic.

Carrer de Petritxol 11, 08002 Barcelona, Spain (El Barri Gòtic)

 P.S. Danny looks so handsome ^^^^

{In our happy place} 

Churro Recipe Here!

 {I dig this house. When can we move in?}

The McDonalds in Europe are super luxurious two-story mansions with plush chairs, chandeliers and real drinking glasses. They even had macarons! We had to try one. Why can't we have fancy McD's at home?

{Barcelona you are beautiful and amazing}

Check out Part 2 of our trip in Monte Carlo!

Our Wedding

I can't believe it's been one year since we said "I do". Thank you for being the greatest husband I could ever imagine. Being married to you has been the best year yet. You make my heart melt every day. We have so many exciting years to come. I am thankful for every moment we have together and I look forward to experiencing all that life will bring our way. I'll love you forever Danny. Cheers to our 1st year! Here's our story and some pictures from when we first fell in L-O-V-E!

To all of you who read A Bit Of Bees Knees, this past year has been a busy one... we got married, honeymooned in Europe {awww so amazing}, settled into our little rental house, tore down our own house and started building 2, I traveled to Israel, switched jobs from nannying to manufacturing medical devices {how does that happen?} and tried to find time to write in-between the craziness. We were so busy that I never found time to share pictures from our wedding or honeymoon! Here are some of our favorite moments from our wedding day. We hope to share  some pictures from our honeymoon in the months to come...10 countries and 17 cities in 30 days! We've got pictures galore! What a wonderful year. We have so much to be thankful for.

{My lovely Bridesmaids}

My bridesmaids arrived at my parents home for makeup and hair at 6:00AM! Wow that was early, but we used every bit of time. My Dad made us breakfast and a few of our groomsmen surprised us with coffee...how sweet was that!? These girls are my support system. They make my day. I've known some of them since I was 3 years old! I can count on them for anything. I love these ladies.

{A pile of bridal essentials!}

Makeup, camera, cellphone and chargers, garter, perfume, letter for the Pastor and Wedding Planner, sunglasses, Family Bible with fake rings for the Ring Bearer, signs for pictures, fancy wedding shoes and my ballet flats for some seriously groovy dancing. Check and Check! 

{My Dress}

My Mom, Grandma and bridesmaids helped me get ready.

{The Studly Groomsmen}

Meanwhile, the guys got suited-up at our little house. Apparently they only needed 30 minutes to get ready. I heard there was a lot of relaxing, video games and food involved. Nice.

{It's almost time!}

  

{Here we go!}

{Bring on the tears!}

I was so excited that my heart felt like it was going to explode. I had waited for this exact moment for so long and it was finally happening! Many brides had told me that they didn't remember walking down the aisle -- they were so excited and nervous that it all seemed foggy when they tried to remember details. I used the last 3 minutes before I walked down the aisle to pray. I wanted to collect my thoughts and be thankful for all those years that had led up to this special moment. I wanted to remember every detail; the way Danny looked at me, all our friends and family in the church and holding on to my Dads arm. I wanted to be present. And I was. It was a really beautiful moment. Sure, I was crying...and it wasn't the pretty kind either {it involved chin quivering and a red face}, but I wouldn't have changed it for anything.

{Our First Look}

 {We do!}

 {The whole crew}

All the littles in our wedding were kids that I have nannied over the years. I love these babies!

{While we were taking pictures, our guests were at the cocktail hour}

So many neighbors, friends and family helped decorate our wedding. It was a team effort!

{My Mom used baby pictures of Daniel and me on our table numbers. Too Cute Mom.} 

{Getting ready to make our entrance with our wedding party}

{Our First Dance and Mother Son and Father Daughter Dance}

{Our beautiful cake made by a beautiful friend}

{White Sangria and Tea}

{Cutting the cake! Proceeded by smashing the cake into each others face. Real classy. But that's how we roll...we try not to take life too seriously}

{I made wooden silhouettes of us on the band saw. They came in handy as décor  for our wedding table}

{We made an horsd'oeuvres display with the picnic basket that Dan used when he proposed to me.}

{And we used my late Grandparents military suitcases as a card box and placed a picture of them next to the table}

{Some of our funny friends and family}

 

{Time to dance!}

{Someone looks really happy}

{Some of my sassy nanny babies on the dance floor}

{Bouquet toss!}

 {Too much fun}

{The Garter Toss!}

Photography: Dennis Tom | Invitations: Christina Pecora | Church: St. Andrews Presbyterian Church  | Venue: The Oasis Center | Catering: Stonefire Grill |  Cake: Katie Wahrenbrock  |  Floral Design: "Flowers by Becky" and my neighbor Ernesto | Linens & China: Baker Party Rentals | Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero {Beatrice} | Veil: Handmade by my Aunt Cheryl Ohlhaver | Tux Rentals: Friar Tux |  Hair & Makeup: Kenya Haynes   |Videography: Riley Hayes, Connor Luckey and Jake Carroll.