Man Oh Man

Sooooooo tired. There aren't enough "o"s to express my state of tiredness, so I will stop at 8.

Jenn's shower was a great time for a great lady! I was the only one who didn't stay the night, but I had a good time while I was there. (I was also the only one not drinking, since I was the only one driving home. I felt a little odd... but no big deal.)

Did I mention I am tired?

Today I am hoping to look at a calendar and figure out when I will buy what. We have three weeks left. That's 5 paychecks between Brett and I, but there is LOTS left to pay for.

Are you tired of hearing me talk about money? I'm tired of thinking about it. But it will all be over soon. And I will be married to my best friend and the greatest guy I know =-)

That was kind of a waste of a blog, huh?

Honeymoon

There are lots of things that I am looking forward to in the next month. Several of which will take place on the honeymoon ;-) But the one that I can't stop thinking about today is SHOPPING for the honeymoon! I discovered a Lane Bryant coupon that I had forgotten that I have, so today I went to the website. I'm ready to shop!

Being married makes me want to dress more grown up. My job is super casual, so I wear jeans daily. Today I am wearing jeans, a three quarter sleeve slightly embellished black t and my new cute black flip flops. No jewelry. Frizzy hair. That's me... at work. And no one cares. But I wouldn't mind dressing a little nicer. Especially if my weight is on the way back down.

I wish I had that coupon with me RIGHT NOW! I would SO go shopping after work!

The end.

Sunshine Day

The weather sure has been nice this week. Nice enough for an outdoor wedding, if I do say so myself. Let's hope that 23 days from now, the nice weather is still here.

A Successful Mission... I Think

I got several things done tonight. Nothing major, but probably 10 little things. And when I say little, some of them were VERY little. Like buying mousse. But listen, when I'm out of mousse, it's not a pretty site. So it was still a good thing to get done! I'm very thankful that Brett was flexible and let me take care of some things.

I THINK I bought shoes to wear under my dress. I had kind of decided that I would just wear the shoes that I have been wearing to the fitting. Originally I thought I would wear these to the fitting and find something the same height (practically flat). But I have been looking casually and not seen anything great, so I thought "no one will see my shoes anyway" and decided to wear my sweet little flats that I've been wearing. UNTIL, at the last fitting, I realized how much of the shoe peeks out under the dress when I walk. They are SO pretty, but they are a very pale pink. I'm afraid they will stand out too much. So tonight at Payless, I found some white shoes. They are really casual, but also very sweet. I think that because they are white, they won't stand out when I walk. But just in case, I am keeping the receipt. My dress is ivory, so if these shoes are just as noticeable as my others, I will take these back.

I feel guilty about buying shoes. I didn't buy one pair of shoes. I bought three. It's BOGO time. That was totally unnecessary. I really like all three of these shoes, and I know that I can use them, but I may take them back because I know I can make it without them. I will think about it for a few days. Sigh.

Okay, but back to tonight. Actually, the first thing that I did was run to Macy's. Turns out that I had registered for the wrong size salad plate. There are LOTS of sizes, and I wasn't careful enough selecting things when we registered online. My family bought us some dishes and they arrived yesterday and I was shocked by the little plates! But it was no problem to return them. I returned 4 small plates and was able to buy 3 larger plates for the same amount. So there you go. I feel good getting that done and having that corrected on our registry.

Then I stopped at Payless. We all know how that went.

Then I stopped at Michaels. We have a lot of little things left to buy and I have been rethinking my flowers. Since I ended up buying silk flowers for the bridesmaids, I have been wondering if I should make my bouquet with silk flowers so that it will be done. I was planning to make my own bouquet. Every time that I mention that to someone though, they express doubt at my abilities. Go figure. What I pieced together in the store tonight was pretty. Nothing special, but the color will look nice in the pictures and I guess that is all that matters. I'm a little sad, but I think it was the right thing. hehe... maybe I should hold onto that receipt also, just in case.

At Michaels, I also bought a guest book, a flower girl basket, flowers for her basket (they are paper flowers... super cute, and bio degradable!) and a couple of table decorations. So that is good! The ring bearer pillows were overpriced, so I decided to wait on that. Maybe I will just make one. Or think of an alternative.

Then I headed to the apartment, but on my way I got gas, stopped and Walgreens for mousse and a little cash for stamps, and then at the post office for said stamps.

And since getting home, I have updated the RSVP list, emailed the addresses for the rehearsal dinner to my MOH that is heading that up and fixed the Macy's registry.

Now I need to wrap Jenn's present and (STINK! I just realized I don't have a card for her yet... I only have $1. Hmm...) frame the pictures for her reception that I had printed. And then I think I can get to bed.

Goodness. I have a lot to do!

Ho Hum

I feel like blogging. I can't seem to get started though. I have so many thoughts floating around in my head, none of them seem to make sense...

Today is the slowest day we have had in a while at work. We were slow for a little while around the holidays, like we always are, but the last several weeks have been plenty busy. Not crazy busy, but busy enough to keep me occupied all day. But now I am caught up and sitting here hoping that we will need to fold something later today.

The wedding is 24 days away. I think that my dress is done... I should have it this week. It still fits, but it is a little tighter than I would like it to be, so I decided to avoid carbs for 4 weeks. I haven't done that in years! Things are a little different. The bars that I used to buy are no where to be found, but the bars that I did find... holy cow! Seriously, one of them tastes just like an Almond Joy and the other tastes just like Snickers. It's crazy! And I am more educated about nutrition in general, so I feel like I am able to be "carb conscious" in a much more healthy way than I was years ago. Of course, all of it is a waste if the dress doesn't look right on March 21.

I'm so tired. I have been going to bed a little earlier this week. Monday night, it helped. I felt better during the day yesterday. I was still tired last night, but still, it was an improvement. Today, I guess I didn't make it to bed quite early enough last night. I'm really tired. And I look tired. I have shadows under my eyes that don't belong there. BUT, so far, this week has been more productive than last week. We got the rehearsal dinner figured out yesterday, so that's a huge relief! I just need to email Brett's mom and see if the total cost is a number that she is comfortable with, or if we need to split it with her. Either way, it will be fine, and I like the way things ended up.

Jenn, my college roommate and bridesmaid, is getting married this coming Saturday. I am excited for her, but my life will easier when her wedding is over. Not that I've been a huge help to her and I have tons left to do for her big day, but it has taken some time and energy that will be helpful to me once it is focused on MY wedding. She just told me what I need to wear to the wedding, and I need to make sure that the dress that I have that fits the criteria still fits me.

Most days, I leave work and head to the apartment (sometimes after running a quick errand) to clean up a little and make dinner for Brett. But because I'm losing the next few days to focus on Jenn, Brett said that it would be okay if I ran some errands after work and he will make dinner for me when he gets home. We're trading places =-) That is really nice of him... I know he will be tired after a day of work. I hope I get some things done tonight so it is worth it!

Okay, that's all I got I guess. I wish I were napping.

Just An Observation

Has anyone noticed that President Obama looks like Jimmy from "Degrassi"?

Once Again, A Very Full Weekend

I feel like everyone that I say this to tells me that they experienced the same thing - I feel like I didn't get much done last week. Maybe there is something about the third week in February... it's the Bermuda Triangle of the calendar year. You float into it, and then all productivity disappears. But, as always, it was a very full weekend.

Hmm... it was actually busy enough that I don't remember it completely. Let me think. Oh yes. Friday night we stayed in and played Street Fighter. Street Fighter IV came out on Wednesday (have I mentioned that already?) so Brett has been patiently trying to teach me how to play. And then we watched Return To Oz. I LOVED that movie growing up! Brett bought it for me for Christmas this year. He originally told me to wait to watch it until we were together. Yeah. I couldn't go 24 hours without popping it into the dvd player. In fact, I may have put it in to watch on Christmas night. haha. But this past Friday was his first time to see it. He thought it was weird. It was definitely created by some very vivid imaginations, but I love it!

I went home a little early, well, early for a Friday night, because my Aunt Carol and Cousin Emily were coming in town for my wedding shower on Saturday! They live in Round Rock, but they are AWESOME and wanted to come and show me some love! Emily had a basketball game, so they didn't get on the road Friday night until 9:00 or so. They got here just before midnight and we stayed up talking until almost 2. And then I was up wrapping a couple of presents for a bit longer. So I didn't get much sleep Friday night.

Then Saturday morning we all got up and got ready to go to my family shower at 11:30. It was really fun! I love my family! They are so generous and so funny and so kind and I am thankful for every time that I get the opportunity to spend time with them. And they literally showered us with gifts! AND gift cards, which I love! I LOVE to shop, so gift cards are always exciting to me.

After the shower we took a group over to see the apartment and drop off the gifts. It was me, Melanie, Madilyn, my mom, Brett's mom, my aunt Carol, my cousin Emily, Grandma and Mamaw. Brett is such a sport! Then we took everyone home and I headed back to the apartment at 3:30 or so. 

Brett and I spent a little time together and then planned our evening. Brett had a couple of returns to make at Fry's, and we knew that Macy's was having a one day sale, so we decided to go use our gift cards! We went to Target, then Fry's, then Best Buy, then a comic shop, then another Target, then Macy's, then Bed, Bath and Beyond, then Cotton Patch Cafe, then home. We took care of a lot of shopping needs and bought some really great things for our apartment, only two of which were impulse buys that we hadn't originally put on our registry. Oh, and one other thing that wasn't on our registry, but it wasn't an impulse buy... we knew when we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond that we wanted a hamburger press.

We got home, I think, around 9:00. I laid down on the couch to watch Brett play a little Street Fighter. I'm not sure when, but at some point I fell asleep. It must have tempted Brett a bit because at some point, he laid down and fell asleep too! I opened my eyes and it was suddenly 12:25! I jumped up and rushed home so I could crawl into bed, but ended up being up for a bit. I updated our registries and finally fell asleep around 2. Again. SO TIRED!

Today, after church, Brett and I went straight to Big Lots. Last week we found a table that we liked, but they were sold out. The woman working told us that they get shipments in every Thursday, so we wanted to check again. We didn't have enough money for a table and four chairs, but we had enough for a table and two chairs, so we wanted to grab them today because we had a great coupon that was good today ONLY! Well, they had in fact received more tables on Thursday, but they only got 2, and they were sold immediately. The guy there was SO helpful though! He gave us a sheet with the phone number and address of every Big Lots in the Dallas area. There are a ton! We called the Bedford store and they had one! So we called my parents to see if they could meet us at the Bedford store with my dad's truck and they said yes! We all headed that way! When we showed the set to my parents, my dad wanted to buy us 2 more chairs so we could have the whole set. My parents are amazing. So we bought the furniture, had a quick lunch and then headed to the apartment to unload.

As soon as we unloaded, I had to run! I was supposed to be at the seamstress's house between 2:00 & 3:00. We left to head that way at 3:05. Everything went well there and we left at 4:45 or so. She said she would finish the dress tonight, and I believe she is delivering it to Melanie tomorrow. The sleeves look perfect - like they were always a part of the dress. She did a great job!

I got back to the apartment at 5:30. Brett was napping and I was exhausted! But I knew that the Oscar pre-show would be in full force at 6:00, so I wanted to do some dishes, laundry and vacuum before they started. At 6:00, Brett started to assemble the furniture. Tonight, he put together 2 chairs and the table. They look great! Here is the picture of the set from the website. I haven't taken a picture of ours in the apartment, but I will! We are not buying the bench. We are going to start with 4 chairs, and eventually have 6. Woohoo for furniture in our new home!

I am minutes away from passing out, but first, I will upload the pictures from my family shower. This is me with me gorgeous family!

Me with the

shower

hostesses.

My cousin

Ragan,

my Aunt Pam

and my

Aunt Dinah.

Me with

my sisters!

My Grandma

and Aunt Carol.

Jenna

and

Chris's

Ragan.

How cute

are they!

Me and

Madi

The

beautiful

and

delicious

cake!

All of

my Aunts!

Pam, Dinah

and Carol.

All of the

cousins.

Rian,

Emily,

Ragan

& Haley.

Me with

Carol &

Emily

who

love me

enough to

drive from

Round Rock!

Me with

my Mom

& Margaret.

My hair

looks great

in this

picture!

Me with

Grandma

& Mamaw.

Grr

My arch nemesis showed up at work today. That's right. John Harris brought donuts. My salad was less than satisfying at lunch, and now I can hear the donuts calling me from the lunch room.

Please, 5:00, hurry  up!

Change of Plans

I thought that I was going for my final dress fitting after work today, but my seamstress had a schedule change, so I am not going until Sunday. So I was planning to go to Target at lunch today to buy gifts for my shower hostesses, but since my after work plans changed I decided to wait to go to Target so I could work through lunch. I got here late today!

I hope the afternoon goes quickly! I'm eager to buy those gifts. Mostly because I have no idea what to get. I hope I find something cute!

That is just the kind of Friday that I like. Leave work at 5, run to Target, go home and make dinner for my love and watch a movie after we eat =-)

I'm SO thankful it is Friday! And I am excited about tomorrow's shower!

Thank You Lord...

... for simple pleasures.

For a cool glass of chai tea at the end of a long day.

For the laughter of friends who are just as giddy talking about the wedding as I am.

For Brett's arms... that hold me so tight when I feel like I'm starting to fall apart.

For packages in the mail!

For unexpected gifts.

For warm beds and soft pillows.

For weekends.

Thank you Lord, for getting me through this week. Please Lord, help me to follow you closely next week. I will be running a fast race, and I don't want to let anyone down. Help me to be a good friend, a grateful daughter, a supporting sister and an affirming fiance.

Savior please, keep saving me.

You're Got To Be Kidding Me

I can barely handle one wedding! I just read this story on Yahoo and I am flabbergasted!

Because of her multiple marriages, the fictional character Erica Kane on ABC's soap opera "All My Children" has the longest name for a television character: Erica Kane Martin Brent Cudahy Chandler Roy Roy Montgomery Montgomery Chandler Marick Marick Montgomery. But one real-life Indiana womanwould have her beat by a long shot.

She was born Linda Lou Taylor, but the 68-year-old Anderson, Ind., woman has had many names over the past 50+ years. That's because she's been hitched 23 times, making her the most married woman in history.

Linda can't remember her husbands in order, but she remembers the first one vividly. She and George Scott married in 1957, when she was just 16 and he was 31. They stayed together for seven years, making the marriage her longest.

Her shortest marriage? Thirty-six hours to Fred Chadwick.

Linda now goes by the surname Wolfe. She and husband Glynn "Scotty" Wolfe did not marry for love, however. The two wed in Arizona in 1996 as part of a publicity stunt. Scotty was the most married man in the world, and Linda was his 29th bride. Scotty died just a few days before their one-year anniversary.

If you think your ex-spouse story is bad, imagine having 23 of them.

Linda has been married to a convict, a preacher, a musician, bartenders, homeless men, electricians, and even two gay men. One husband beat her. More than one deserted her.

But this hasn't discouraged her from walking down the aisle again.

"I would get married again," Linda told The Indianapolis Star, "because, you know, it gets lonely."

Matt Bartosik, former blogger of The Chicago Traveler and editor of Off the Rocks' next issue, thinks his name is quite long enough.

Copyright NBC Local Media / NBC Chicago

30 Day Update

30 days until the wedding. Oh my!

I have one more dress fitting tomorrow and then I should be able to pick it up on Sunday. I don't know the final cost yet, but I hope I have enough to pay her in my check tomorrow!

My "To-Do" list seems to far outweigh my "Things I Have Time To Do" list. And I don't feel like I've been as productive as I need to be this week. I went to the doctor yesterday, so that is done. And HOPEFULLY, tonight Brett and I are going to get online and buy table cloths. Those are two big items to cross off. And when I get my dress that will be a biggie. But I need to get it dry cleaned. I need a veil. I need to figure out a hairstyle. I need jewelry. I think that I am just going to forget about shoes and wear the pair that I have been wearing to the fitting. No one will see my shoes. And I love these shoes. They are sort of pink, but seriously, NO ONE WILL SEE MY SHOES. So why worry about it?

I am ready to take some of my things to the new apartment, but I need some time to go through a few boxes and some time to pack a few boxes. The garage sale is the first weekend in March, so hopefully I will get rid of all the extras that day and make enough money to buy our dresser. Hopefully.

Tonight Kyndall and Erin are coming over for dinner. I am so excited to hang out with them for a bit! And today is Kyndall's birthday, so that will be special. I am going to grab some flowers for her and Erin is bringing a cake. I love those girls.

I had my first wedding dream last night. It was a bad dream. Halfway through the reception, I realized that my photographer hadn't shown up. And then I realized that Jeff Moss hadn't either. It was terrible. Jeff, please pack a flying carpet so that if your car breaks down, you can still make it. I need you.

We were planning to buy our dining room table and chairs this week, but we over spent on a few things somehow, so now that will have to wait, and the next few weeks will be really tight after we pay rent. But we acquired some things for the apartment that we really needed and have been a blessing already. I am all about storage!

My final shower is this Saturday. I am looking forward to celebrating with my family, and I am looking forward to unpacking gifts again. That was fun!

I went to the doctor yesterday, so that is finally done. All I can do is start taking the pills when the doctor told me to and trust that God is in control. We also had our second pre-marital counseling session yesterday. Bob Harper is the man.

Okay, that's all I have time for. I got to work late today and I left work early yesterday so I need to not be taking a lunch break. Sigh.

A Word of Praise

I had a really wonderful exchange with a caterer this week and I just want to give her props. Katherine at Great Endings is the nicest lady I have encountered in a long time! She has been a caterer for years, but just recently opened a lunch shop. That is how I heard about her. Her restaurant is near our work and people here order lunch from her all of the time. She has a standard menu, but she emails out a special every day to people on the email list, and there is always at least one person here who orders the special for lunch. I am smelling her Jambalaya at John's desk right now. Yumm!

At the wedding reception, our plan is to have a taco salad bar. We want taco salad shells, taco meat and then all kinds of condiments so people can build their own taco salad. Well, I am having trouble finding taco salad shells. So I went to http://www.greatendings.com/ to see what Katherine offered. She had a "Fiesta Meal" or something that sounded similar to what we wanted, so I emailed her for a quote. It was a little more than I can afford, but she was SO nice!

The food is excellent, and she is awesome, so if you are ever looking for a caterer, I hope you will consider her.

I've Got It!

I have figured out the perfect music mix for my month-before-the-wedding mood. I have been needing something mellow lately. Mellow, but at the same time uplifting. And I have finally found the right combination. And it had nothing to do with Pandora. Good ole iTunes totally came through.

So here is the mix:

The soundtrack from Garden State

The soundtrack from Jerry MacGuire

The soundtrack from Once

The "Nighttiming" cd by Coconut Records

The "Call Me Irresponsible"  cd by Michael Buble

"Wildwood Flower" - Reese Witherspoon in Walk The Line

"Landslide" - Smashing Pumpkins

"As Tears Go By" - The Rolling Stones

"Ruby Tuesday" - The Rolling Stones

"7 Bridges Road" - The Eagles

There you have it. They are all in a folder and it is on random play, and it is PERFECT! Perfect today, and I am thinking it will be perfect for the next 32 days.

I Can't Believe I'm Awake

I was so tired this afternoon, when I laid down for a nap I couldn't even open my eyes to glance at the clock. So why am I up? My head is full. I need a distraction. So I turned on the computer to watch Moonstruck for the hundredth time on Hulu and I thought I might empty my head a little in here before I get back in bed.

It was an interesting weekend. Valentines Day kind of snuck up on me this year. I knew that it was coming, but we have been so focused on the wedding, and money has been so tight... I mean, I told Brett that I wouldn't be able to get him anything cool, but Friday afternoon I realized that I hadn't even bought him a card yet! I ran errands every day last week! I couldn't take five minutes to look for a card? What's with that?

The only gift that I had for him was one of those little coupon books that you can get at Hallmark. You know the ones. It's a little booklet and it has coupons in it that say things like "Stop Everything And Snuggle" or "Date Night On Me". It's a little cheesy, I know, but this particular book had some really fun things in it. And honestly, when it comes to our relationship, cheesy is kind of our thing. We love to do little things for each other. Brett used to tape flowers and love notes to my car at night so that I would walk outside for work in the morning and have a surprise =-)

But I still felt bad that I didn't have more of a gift. So I decided to jazz up the delivery a little. I had a little bit of money, so after work, I rushed to Walmart - the budget friendly, one-stop shop! I grabbed a card and a giant balloon and 5 bags of inflatable balloons. Then I ran home and filled out the card. The giant balloon had a little weight at the bottom so it wouldn't fly away. I shortened the string a bit and stuck the balloon in the shower. Then I blew up the 5 bags of inflatable balloons and filled the shower with them. Then I wrote on the card "I'm sorry I couldn't shower you with gifts this year, but I promise I will always try to shower you with love". Hows that for cheesy! haha. I love it! I finished blowing them up right before he got home! It was perfect timing!

When he got home, we ended up going to our favorite place to grab Italian food, The Macaroni Grill. We stopped at Bed Bath and Beyond and got a few things for the apartment that make a big difference! We found bar stools on clearance for $30. Brett really wanted bar stools. So now we have a pair. We also found the Ryu Street Fighter controller that he has been looking for. And we got some tasty Italian on the same trip! Penne Rustica, how I love you. So Friday night was fun.

Saturday was, once again, a very full day. I got up at 8:07, brushed my teeth and threw on deodorant and clothes and headed to Frank Parra. It was time for an oil change and new tires. I left there just before noon. It took my morning, but I feel much safer. Brett called while I was there. He went to take a shower around 9:30 and found his Valentines surprise. We had a good giggle =-) Then I went home to shower and change and then picked up my Brett. We ran a few errands, my favorite of which was the trip to Target where my baby bought me an AWESOME new purse for Valentines Day! We had lots that we wanted to do, but we wanted to be home by 4:30 or so to get ready for the party! 

We had the Singles 1 Valentines party at our new apartment! Brett said this in Sunday School this morning, and he's totally right! It was the first time that we have had people over who didn't carry boxes. We had people help us move, and since then, the only people who have come over were either helping me carry in gifts, or coming to get our used boxes. Well, that's not true - Jennifer came over to see the apartment! But anyways, it was our first social gathering. We played Scene It and Rock Band and ate goodies that the class brought over. It was a good time.

Today was our last day in our leadership positions at Plymouth Park. About a year ago, Brett said that for the first 6 months of our marriage, he wanted us to take a break from big ministry positions. We need to develop and nurture our primary ministry - our marriage. About 6 months ago, we realized that the 6 month break needed to begin a month before the wedding. So today, I gave announcements and Brett taught the class for the last time. It was a great lesson. Brett really is an amazing teacher. He would make a great college professor. He is so learned and so patient.

After church we ate a quick lunch and then came to my house to meet a friend who was picking up some tables that Brett was getting rid of. The green tables. They're legendary. And now they are gone, off to their new home with our good friend. Then we went to Big Lots. Brett got his tax return on Friday so we want to buy a dining room table and chairs. We found a great set at Big Lots today! But they are sold out =-( The woman told us that they get shipments every week and that we should check back on Thursday or Friday. So bad news - no table today. Good news - possible a new table by this time next week!

After that we went home and slept for a couple of hours. It was killer to get out of bed. I'm exhausted. But I had to get going because I had a dress fitting tonight. The sleeves are looking good. We finalized the pattern and the length. She is going to hem the dress finally and put on one sleeve in the actual material. I am going to try it on Tuesday night and if all is well, she will finish it up this week! Crazy!

The wedding is now less than 5 weeks away. 5 weeks from right now I will be on my honeymoon. I am still looking forward to a lot of the things left to do, but I am honestly stressed more often than I am excited. This week, we have our second premarital counseling session, I have my doctors appointment (supposedly) and I would like for us to buy the table cloths. AND I may get my dress! I hope that there is enough in my check on Friday to pay for it because the wedding account is almost drained.

OH! And I have to mention the coolest thing that happened this weekend... MELANIE GOT ENGAGED! I mean officially engaged. Mel and JD were in the same boat that Brett and I were. They were ready to get moving on the wedding before they could afford a ring... so they have been planning and getting ready while JD made payments. Saturday night he took Mel to dinner and surprised her with the ring! He paid it off early, so she was totally surprised! And it is GORGEOUS! We are all so happy!

Here are a few pictures from the Valentine's party! Hope you had a great day!

Still Crazy

It is SO nice outside today. The temperature is perfect. I hope it is like this the day we get married =-)

I am pathetic. I didn't get to see Brett yesterday. I went to run some errands with my mom. And today, I miss him so much it is choking me. I am going to see him in  6 hours, but he is all I can think about. 

36 days and I will be able to fall asleep in his arms every night. I realize that I won't actually fall asleep IN his arms EVERY night, but the opportunity will be there. 

Sigh.

All In A Days Work

Okay, so when lunch time got here, I had the choice to either work through lunch and make up the hour that I missed this morning and just struggle through my rapidly unraveling day, or take a breather, run an errand and try to feel like I accomplished something today.

It just so happens that an errand has been awaiting me all week. My chica bonita, Jenn, who is getting married 21 days before me, called me on Monday (or was it Tuesday?) to let me know that all of the wedding merchandise at Hobby Lobby is on sale for half off this week. I could only think of a couple of specific things that I might find there, but I told myself that if I found time, I should go check it out. Well, I decided that today, my sanity was more important than an hour of pay. So I went to Hobby Lobby.

Wow! I'm so glad that I did! I found the thing that I was HOPING HOPING HOPING to find (I don't know what it is called, but we will serve drinks from it) and it was half off! It is a tall glass thing. There were probably 2 dozen in the store in the "decorative glass" section, and THREE, count them, THREE had spigots on them. They were $60 each and I bought TWO for $60. One will be filled with tea and one with lemonade. Brett doesn't drink punch, and we are serving a casual meal so I thought tea and lemonade would be just perfect!

I also found pre-made bouquet balls for my bridesmaids. There were 12, but 3 of them had a missing ribbon, which means they had 9 fully functionals. How many did I need? NINE! They are white. I wasn't thinking that my bridesmaids would carry white flowers, but I like this idea! I will wear white and carry fuchsia flowers, and they will wear fuchsia and carry white flowers. I dig it! They were regularly $6.99, on sale for half off. Great deal! I am going to jazz them up a bit, but they are pretty to begin with, so I am really happy about finding them! I need to get them home and find a way to hang them that won't crush them. Hope they are still okay in my car...

I also bought 300 cups for $15, 3 boxes for $3.87 each to be a part of our elaborate cake stand, and a few other goodies that I can't think of right now (one that I won't admit to because it was a want, not a need - but it was only $10, so I don't regret it), but are all equally helpful!

So the day was not a disaster... I won't deny there were some major disappointments, but at the end of the day (I made it through the work day!) God is still in control, and I am still madly in love. So there you go.

Seriously?

The dress fitting that I had scheduled for tonight was just cancelled. The wedding is in 5 weeks and 2 days. I feel sick.

=-(

The Opposite of Tuesday

Tuesday started out with little happy surprises. Today started out with a big disappointment. The doctor's office called me to reschedule my appointment AGAIN! This is the third time. Brett wants me to find a new doctor, but the rescheduling really couldn't be helped. The first time the appointment was cancelled because it was the day the roads were icy, so they didn't come to work. The second time, the doctor was called into an emergency surgery. Today her son had a high grade fever and she needed to take him to a doctor.

I cried when I hung up the phone. For about 15 minutes. I hate when things go wrong and there is nothing that I can do about it. But when I tell myself "Kim, there is nothing you can do about this, so worrying won't help anything" it calms me down some. God is in control and he is going to direct our life, not some pill that I take.

I wish I had started this process months ago so that when they cancelled on my three times, I would have options. It's too late now. If I called around and tried to find a new doctor, I doubt I would get an appointment earlier than next Wednesday, which is when I was rescheduled for this time. And this doctor was recommended to me by someone that I really trust, so I feel comfortable going to see her.

I'm so tired. I stayed up extra late finishing my thank you cards because I thought that I was going to sleep in a little today before my appointment. I'm glad that they called me at 7:30 this time so I could rush around and get to work by 9:00 (I can work through lunch and not have to make up any time), but I wish I hadn't been up until 2:30 in the morning. I didn't think it would take that long to write all of the thank you cards, but it did. So there you go.

I'm exhausted, which makes me extra emotional, but I am going to do my best to not make any mistakes today so no one can talk to me like I'm an idiot and cause me to go cry in the bathroom for five minutes. I guess I have to stop blogging to do that.

Once again, Hi ho.

Simpsons Quote of the Day - 2.14.09

Marge: Grandpa, are you sitting on the apple pie?

Grandpa: I sure hope so...

Simpsons Quote of the Day - 2.13.09

Ralph: Bart's my bestest boyfriend.

Simpsons Quote of the Day - 2.12.09

Homer: (On the phone) Hello, Jerry? Homer Simpson. Remember last month when I paid back that loan? Well now I need YOU to do a favor for ME.

Simpsons Quote of the Day - 2.11.09

Dr. Nick: (Looking at a human body book) That's how we look inside? It's DISGUSTING! (Turns a page) Oh, that woman swallowed a baby.

National Charity League

We do a booklet every year for a group called the National Charity League. It is some sort of community service organization for high school aged girls and their mothers. The intro says:

The goal of NCL is to foster a sense of community responsibility as well as to strengthen mother-daughter relationships as they participate in philanthropic work, cultural events 

and educational activities.

Every year they have a banquet to honor the seniors. I love laying out the book! These are all families with money. "To whom much is given, much is required." How's that for a motto?

It is fascinating to read the biographies that each girl has on her page. Summer camps and private schools... it's just so interesting. To see how these girls, who live a couple dozen miles away from me, grew up in an entirely different culture than I did because they grew up with money.

It blows my mind a little.

Another Day

Sometimes sleeping in a little late spells disaster. Other days it's a huge blessing! I needed a little extra rest this morning. I'm glad that I woke up a little late.

Brett bought me some groceries last night, so I have good, healthy food to eat for a while, and that makes me feel good. I am hanging out with my  mom tomorrow night, and that makes me happy. And today is Wednesday. I'm ready for the weekend. I need some uninterrupted Brett time. Have I mentioned that I have a weeknight curfew? It would be so easy for me to stay at the apartment until all hours of the night. That's where I want to be. And there is a lot for me to do there. We are still putting our home together, ya know? But I don't live there. Not yet. So we gave me a 9:45 curfew. That gives me time to get home and take care of some things and still get to bed by midnight. But it means that we don't get a lot of time together during the week. Brett doesn't get home from work until 7:15 or so. I usually  have dinner ready, so we eat, and then it's 8:00 before we have time that's not occupied by a task. But pretty much every other night, our time together IS occupied by a task because we just have so much to do right now. Like last night, we went to the grocery store. And we have been unpacking a lot and working on wedding things and calendars and all that. So our only large blocks of time are on the weekends. Our busy, busy weekends. But I still look forward to them. I need more Brett time.

This weekend, I will be getting new tires and an oil change during the day on Saturday and then we are having a Valentines Party on Saturday night. I can't remember what's going on Sunday at the moment. I know that it is Brett's last Sunday to teach. And we will probably go to lunch.

Okay, here I go again. I hope it's a good day. I HOPE to do a little shopping. We'll see how that goes.

Simpsons Quote of the Day - 2.10.09

Ralph: Even my boogers are spicy!

For Fans of The Office

I work with a Michael. You know how when Michael (Steve Carell) is telling a story, but it's SO obvious that he is making up facts? They are always over the top to prove his point.

Oh goodness.

I work with a guy who totally does that! He tells ridiculous stories, "there was this guy, and he said at work one day that he hated his boss, and then his boss mysteriously died, and then that guy didn't show up to work, so they went to his house and it was full of poison cause he's been planning for a long time to kill his boss. It was on the news." 

That's how he ALWAYS ends his stories. "It was on the news." And then he follows it up with "what's wrong with people" or some other brilliant exclamation.

Seriously? Can you not just be quiet if you don't have anything to say? And even if you do see some random story on the news, does that make it fact? And do I really need to hear about it?

I just went into the lunch room to get a bottle of water and I heard him say "The FBI said that 80% of crime is gang related." Really? They told you that this morning when you were talking to them?

Why do some people have to be an expert on EVERYTHING!

Now I want to watch The Office =-) 

We used to watch it on Hulu while we ate lunch. We still do sometimes, but right now John is back on an Arrested Development kick.

To Veil or Not To Veil

Okay, so I thought that Celebration (the awesome shop by my work where we found the bridesmaid dresses) had veils for around $45. I remember seeing one that I liked for $45. But when I went at lunch today, they were all $80-$90. There was one $55 veil, but I didn't like it.

Originally, I didn't want to wear a veil at all. I think they are a little silly. But I didn't lose weight like I thought I would. My face is too round right now. So I feel like a veil would help to shape it a little more. And honestly, when I put on a veil the day I was buying my dress, it looked really great. There is something about headpieces... maybe because we don't wear them often (unless you're a rodeo clown or cop), when we do wear them, it feels special. Provides a sense of occasion.

My mom bought a pattern for a veil this weekend. We are going to Joann's tomorrow night. I am not paying $100 for a veil. It's just not going to happen. And maybe I should just skip it all together. Find a pretty flower or something to put in my hair?

I have no idea what I want to do with my hair for the wedding, but it's time to figure it out!

No Way!

Wow. For the first time in a long time (I can't remember how long exactly) my day is off to a good start. Totally unexpected!

I always check my bank account online when I get to work to see what has gone through and what hasn't. Today I had a surprise! My tax return came! I didn't expect it until Friday. Nice! Of course, I can't spend it on anything useful. I have to buy new tires with it. Stupid tires. Why can't you last forever? But still. I'm glad I have the money and can take care of that.

AND, a few weeks ago, I created a Billy Joel station on Pandora because I wanted to hear one song. River of Dreams. We listened to it on Sing Song and it reminded me how fun that song is. Well three weeks of listening  to the Billy Joel station has been awesome. Plenty of Piano Man and Uptown Girl. But I had yet to hear the song that I created the station for... until now. River of Dreams was the first song this morning. Nice!

Maybe it will be a good day? Maybe my boss will be in a great mood and when I go to Sam's tonight I will find everything that I am looking for at a really great price. It's possible!

Okay. Hi Ho.

Not Quite a Zombie, but...

I'm so tired. Mentally and physically. I am so thankful that we have been getting so much done, but there is still so much TO DO! The wedding is 40 days from today, and I am starting to look forward to the rest almost as much as I am looking forward to the sex. Almost ;-)

My First Shower

Oh my goodness! My shower was SO wonderful! I can not believe that I am so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.

First of all, it was gorgeous. Jenina has the perfect house for parties. Her mom brought beautiful flower arrangements and the table was so nice! Mini quiche... what is it about making it mini that makes it so wonderful?! I think you get more crust per bite when it is bite sized. Good stuff! And Aubrie is a genius because the pigs in the blanket were the perfect touch. There was tons of yummy food and everyone really enjoyed it!

Jenina had a really neat idea. Instead of playing a shower game, which is always risky when you have a mixed crowd, she had everyone fill out a card with marriage advice on it for me. As I opened gifts, the person who gave me the gift would read me the advice. There were lots of sweet moments, several giggles, and a little blushing from my newly married friend, Kelly, who didn't realize we would be reading the cards out loud.

It was wonderful! We were given so many lovely gifts! I can't wait to find places for all of them tomorrow. (We already hung the clock and washed the towels, and put paper towels on the paper towel holder. I needed that!

Here are a few pictures!

Me with my

Matron of Honor

and hostess, 

Jenina.

Me with my

Matron of Honor

and hostess,

Jennifer.

Me and my

gorgeous

sisters.

Yes, I am the

only brunette.

Laura,

Mel,

Me,

Jenna.

Me with 7

of my

bridesmaids.

2 couldn't

make it, but

we missed

them!

Us again.

Jenina's sister

insisted that

we do something

"magical".

She is adorable.

Me and my

gorgeous mother!

My niece, Madilyn!

My with my

former roommate

and AWESOME

friend, Nikki!

Me with Melanie

and Emily.

Two of my most

stylish friends!

Aren't they cute!

Me with Kamille!

The only girl in the

youth group brave

enough to come to

the shower.

I love you Kamille!

Some lovely ladies

enjoying the cameras!

A Bit of Humor For You

This is from the book I am reading as part of our premarital counseling. It was part of the intro on the chapter about submission. I have been wanting to share it all week. It might blow your mind a little. The () are my comments. Can't help it.

Back in 1955, in a magazine called Housekeeping Monthly, an article for women appeared in the May 13 edition. It was titled "The Good Wife's Guide," and it outlined, in detail, the unique role a wife should play in a healthy marriage. Here are some of those tips for being a "good wife" – at least in the 1950s:

• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. (Okay, it starts out not too crazy. I love having dinner ready for Brett when he gets home. And I do hope that it is one of those little things that lets him know that he is always on my mind and that I want him to be provided for.)

• Prepare yourself. Take fifteen minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair, and be fresh looking. (Uh huh. I'm sure that after 8 hours of work and then coming home to do laundry, clean the apartment, take out trash, do dishes and make dinner, a ribbon in my hair would make me look "fresh".)

• Be a little gay and little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

• Clear away the clutter. Take one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc., and then run a dust cloth over the tables. (I have to be honest. Part of why I want the apartment clean is for his benefit, but it is just as much for mine. The dishes and shoes everywhere and stacks of madness don't seem to bother him as much as they do me. So I HOPE that he enjoys the apartment more when it is clean, but I would do that for me regardless.)

• During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too. After all, catering for his comfort will provided you with immense personal satisfaction. (Okay... I think it's true for everyone that when you provide for and comfort your partner, it is satisfying, but light a fire? What am I, Smokey the Bear?)

• Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures, and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, or vacuum cleaner. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him. (I do think smiles count... for everyone, not just your husband.)

• Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first – remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours. (hahahahahaha. And one more thing. HA!)

• Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner or to other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax. (hmm... his very real need to be at home and relax... after going out to dinner and "places of entertainment" without me?)

• Don't complain if he's home late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day. ("gone through all day"? Um... what was he going through all night when he didn't come home?)

• Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing, and pleasant voice. (Well, I don't really arrange pillows and if I tried to take off Brett's shoes, he would think I had gone crazy. But I do like to have a Dr. Pepper ready for him when he gets home. Or an orange crush or water... whatever tickles his fancy. I want to "make him comfortable" at the end of the day because I want to BE comfortable at the end of the day. I rub his back, he rubs mine. That kind of thing.)

• Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him. (No right to question him. Brett is marrying a partner. Not a secretary.)

It's Like I'm Taking Crazy Pills!

5 points to anyone who can tell me what movie my subject line is from =-) Daniel, I'm looking at you.

Goodness gracious. Stress does bad things to me. This week was a little rough. I am not getting enough rest to keep up with my busy schedule. I have found a few things that calm me down, but some of the them are less productive – and healthy – than others. Funny though... sometimes my breakdowns are breakthroughs. I feel like I learned something about myself this week. Nothing that I would care to share, but still, it's good to be informed!

Even with all my craziness, it was still a semi productive week:

I DID get to meet with the cupcake lady yesterday. She was super cute and had some great ideas. We are going to have an awesome display for our goodies!

We put together another bookcase. I was calling it "the final bookcase" and now I am calling it "another bookcase" because ten minutes after we put it together, it was pretty much full and I still have my things to bring over. So there you go.

I bought a veil at lunch today. I'm not sure that I'm going to keep it. It is super simple, which is fine with me, but it is really full! I am going to play with it this weekend and if it's too much madness for my head, I will take it back on Monday. It was really inexpensive though, so I would love if it looked okay. That would be a great item to cross off of my list!

And we are going to accomplish some things this weekend, so that's good news. I am taking Brett to the reception site tomorrow. He hasn't seen it yet. hehe. And we are meeting with our sound guy to make sure he will be able to work with what we've got. He's pretty much a Jedi when it comes to wiring and all that, so I am not really  nervous. If there is a problem, he will have a solution, I am sure.

And I'm super excited about my shower on Sunday! A little nervous, but mostly excited. Okay, maybe equally nervous and excited. But still, there's lots of excitement!

Tonight we are going to play Lunar Golf with our Sunday School class. It is our second to last event with the class. Tear. Lunar Golf is not really my thing. But we are hosting the Valentines Party at our new place next weekend and I am super excited about that!

Okay. I am not really feeling like working much this afternoon. But I'll see what I can get done =-)

PS. I love the grilled chicken Caesar salad from McDonald's. Good Eats!