Dan and Rachelle - July 24, 2010

10 days!!!

2010-07-14T18:24:00.000-05:00

That's all we've got left!!! 10 days! (Now I can start counting down SINGLE DIGITS!!!!) I left Texas a week ago today and have been enjoying Indiana ever since. Between great time with Laura, Allison, and Jyl; bible study with a great group of girls; GAIL'S WEDDING!!! (yay!!); and my second wedding shower, it's been a great time! I've spent the last two days working on wedding projects! I met with our dj, finished up the wine glasses, made the first display board for the escort cards, and decided on the escort card design.

The last 18 months have come and gone. In only 10 days we'll be MARRIED!!!! We've definitely been through a lot and have tested our relationship in the last 18 months. We’re now in the home stretch, when a lot of plans I’ve had since last summer are coming to fruition. Surprisingly, this also came with the feeling of new. Abstract items relegated to email folders and printouts in the wedding binder are actually becoming real. It was further proof that even my best-laid, most-worried-about, and most-reviewed plans are just that: plans. The real thing is the real thing. As simple as it sounds, it’s more complex than I gave it credit for.

We make such a great team and are so devoted to making sure each other is the best possible person. Dan makes me want to be a better person and I do my best to make sure he knows that each and every day he is my number one priority... even on those days when the only time we spend together is spent sound asleep! I can't wait until I get to be Mrs. Dan Finck. It's only 10 days away and I'm SOO incredibly ready!!!

Wedding Day Glasses

2010-06-25T14:35:00.001-05:00

I have a confession to make...

I always thought I would be without my glasses on the day of my wedding. The thought of putting on the same glasses I wore in college when cramming late at night for a calculus final or while sick in bed didn't seem like something a beautiful bride would be doing. I loved being in my contacts and couldn't see myself any other way...

And then last November rolled around and everything seemed to change. My eyes had gotten MUCH worse. I was having trouble judging distances, especially while trying to stop at stop lights & traffic jams and FORGET being able to see at night when a car was coming in the other direction. I knew I needed to see a doctor quickly! I made an appointment, went in, and was in SHOCK about what he told me. My eyes had started to degenerate in the last 2 years. Wearing my contacts constantly had actually made my eyes start to attack itself. Basically, I was told that I couldn't wear contacts ever again and I needed to start wearing my glasses 24/7. I had already had a great pair of glasses... I picked them out shortly after graduating from college and my 'script changed.

Here they are in all of their glory... My actual glasses are purple, surprising for me, I know! I love them. I really do!

And then I started thinking about how I wanted to look on my wedding day and I realized that my glasses never really played into that scenario. I always thought I would be without them, looking stunning, and showing off my amazing green eyes! Glasses just wouldn't do on this day...oh no! So I tried walking around the house without them just to see how I handled the change... and after a ton of bruises from running into objects like, oh wait, the island in our house or the couch or the bed, I realized that THIS wasn't an option either. I would HAVE to wear my glasses on my wedding day. There wasn't really a way around it.

So I hit up google and tried to see what was out there... and low and behold, I fell in love with pictures of beautiful brides sportin' their glasses proudly and looking absolutely stunning in them.

Source

I will be one of these brides and I will look equally as amazing in them! I've had to re-think my make up and such for the day, but I figure that I really don't want to look TOO different from my everyday self anyways so this is actually perfect for me!

I DID have to get a pair of prescription sunglasses now that I'm in Austin and the sun shines 360 days a year! I picked them out on Monday and I can't wait to get them back and enjoy them! Puerto Rico is looking BETTER AND BETTER every day!!

Pencil Skirts & Reply Cards

2010-06-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

We've got one month left!!! ONE MONTH!!!!

In the marathon of our engagement, the finish line is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!!!!

We've heard back from quite a few people, that's for sure...

As of right now, we have:
92 can't wait to party's

50 can't make the party

68 we still have to hear from.

This weekend will be full of phone calls!

And now it's time for thoughtless Thursdays over at Katie's blog, Life In The Fulmer Lane. Today I thought I would show some pictures of what I would wear to teach if money were no issue! I'm HIGHLY in love with pencil skirts and would wear them every day if I could!!!

This blog gives some great ideas for wearing them:
http://thedailyobsession.net/2009/01/five-ways-to-wear-a-pencil-skirt/

Wedding Flowers

2010-06-23T15:47:00.001-05:00

After talking with Dan this weekend, I decided to actually look into some florists outside of Valpo and Merrillville to see if the look I'm trying to create is possible if SOMEONE ELSE does the work for me. As of right now, I'm doing all of the bouquets, centerpieces, & bouts for the wedding. If I can find someone that can work with our budget and take some of that stress off of me, I'm ALL for it!!

Since I had to actually put what I wanted into words and pictures, I came across some GREAT things on the internet...

Here's what I came up with for my bouquet...

And the girls' flowers...

And a cross between the following 2 for the centerpieces...

Hopefully she can work within our budget to make something very similar happen for us!!!

Another Classic

2010-06-21T12:26:00.000-05:00

This weekend was full of great things! I spent a lot of the weekend cleaning and working on the yard. While I was working, a GREAT song came on the radio:

In order to get ready for the trip north in a few weeks, Dan and I decided that his best friend, Mitch, is going to come down on Sunday and spend some time with us before he and I drive back to Indiana for the weddings. It will be great because then we can celebrate Dan's birthday with Mitch and have a GREAT time!!! I'll probably have to give them some "guy time" (oh darn) and get away from the house for awhile... oh darn! Dan's really excited to have Mitch coming down to visit.

Turning Over A New Leaf

2010-06-19T12:03:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I had an epiphany...

I'm not going to have any more "pitty parties"...

I'm not going to take out my bad days on Dan. It's just not fair and he doesn't deserve it...

I'm getting married in 5 weeks and I need to get excited about it again...

Dan is my best friend and I need to be thankful for him each and every day...

I truly am marrying one amazing man!

One of My Favorites

2010-06-17T18:59:00.002-05:00

I was in the shower this morning and a few songs I hadn't heard in a LONG time came on my ipod... and I started crying like you would not believe... The one that hit me the hardest???

Jimmy Buffett - Little Miss Magic

And with that, this girl has some writing to do...

Thoughtless Thursday

2010-06-17T09:49:00.001-05:00

Today is the last day of summer school for the week and I can't WAIT for a 3 day weekend! Last weekend I didn't get to sleep in that much since I was home with my family and there was LOTS to do for Scott's open house. I'm in dire need for some sleep - in time, though! Perhaps I'll spend the afternoon soaking up some rays (and working on that wedding tan) by the pool tomorrow! (and maybe today... who knows) I might run into Austin/Cedar Park today to get some supplies for the guestbook and check out some sales at Barton Creek!

I spent the afternoon yesterday in Pflugerville getting ready for the new job and I can't wait now! There was a LOT of information yesterday and now I just need to process it all! I even got my badge yesterday and, since I'll need it all year next year, it's the first thing with my married name on it! (I was rather excited about that part!!!)

I watched the premiere of the DC season of Top Chef last night. I'm not sure what to think about the season just yet... it's still too early to pick out favorites and decide who the idiot of the season will be. I always love to see what they make and how it either works REALLY well or flops MAJORILY! (fat free liver mousse?!??! Really?!??! REALLY!?!?)

Anyways... Today is Thoughtless Thursdays over at Katie's blog. Her weekly "bumpdates" are always humorous and I normally don't participate in her weekly Thursday post, but I figured today would be a great day to start! So anways... here goes nothing: my first attempt at shutting off the brain for a post...

In 39 days, I'll be on the sandy beaches of Puerto Rico!!! Between the beaches, the hourseback riding, rainforests, arroz con pollo, and long awaited QT with Dan, it's no wonder I'm counting down to this AMAZING trip!!!

I'm also considering making one of these for the morning of the wedding & the plane rides to PR...

SUPER excited!!!

Source

Top 2 Tuesdays

2010-06-15T12:20:00.001-05:00

I got back from my trip to Indiana yesterday and it was GREAT to be home and spend lots of time with the family! I didn't take any pictures, mainly because I forgot to pack my camera, but Scott had a great time at his open house.

Today's topic for Top 2 Tuesdays at Taylor's blog is Guilty Pleasures. Mine are:

1.) Getting massages. I try to get one at least once a month... or whenever I feel the need to just relax and get away from wedding planning for a bit!!!

2.) Watching Everwood. Laura and I watched the first season together during our first year of teaching together and can't wait to watch more of them. They came out with the second season on DVD so I still need to get it, but I'm waiting on the third and final season to come out again too.

I'll be finishing up a few projects this week for the wedding. Tomorrow I go to Pflugerville to sign my contract for next year and get the insurance information from them. Then I'll be free to lay by the pool for the REST of the summer!!!!

Closing One Chapter... Starting Another

2010-06-06T11:49:00.002-05:00

Friday marked the end of yet another school year. I've now got 3 under my belt and many more left to come. It also marked the end of my time at Bastrop Middle School. I am changing districts and moving to a school closer to the house. Dan and I spent a lot of time this year deciding if this move was the right one to make and, I'll tell you what, that man has been a saint while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do. I haven't been the nicest person this year and he's always been 100% supportative of whatever I wanted to do. I spent the majority of March & April getting ready for certification exams & a few job fairs so he was able to help out with wedding prep as well. Especially since Spring Break was more like Invitation Overload!

Next year, I will be at Park Crest Middle School in Pflugerville. There, I'll be teaching 8th grade math & algebra 1. I'm REALLY excited about the transition and can't wait to see what the next adventure has in store for me!!! I am still teaching summer school at BMS and then I'll be finished. It was bittersweet and there were lots of tears on Friday as I said goodbye to everyone. (Although it's not REALLY goodbye, as I've made great friends that I will continue to get together with and enjoy our Friday afternoon happy hours!)

I am spending today at the pool while Dan is at work. I tried to put together our glider yesterday so I could enjoy a book on it today but the directions were just pictures and I'm not THAT good with putting things together so I'm leaving it for Dan to work on this week while he's off.

Now that school is out for the summer, I am going to have more free time to work on the Wedding to - do list I have created for myself. I only have a few more weeks to finish it all but I can do it!!! The list includes:

Make flower coursages for all moms, grandmothers, & Jill
Make guest book for ceremony
Pick picture(s) for photo mat at reception
Find candles for the wedding (pillars for the jars & votives for the tables)
Make gifts for the girls (which I still haven't decided on 100% yet...)
Take photos of wedding date & frame
Make program insert, basket, & sign
Order flowers

Then I have my own HUGE list to do when I get into Indiana. Next weekend I'll be back in town for Scott's open house but there will be MINIMAL wedding items done then...mainly the things that HAVE to get done rather than want to get done... like meeting with our organist to pick out the music for the church and then emailing all of the info to Trinity for the programs.

And with all of that, I'm off to soak in some Texas sun and enjoy a good book!!!

Weekend Update

2010-06-01T12:29:00.002-05:00

This weekend was the LAST weekend of school. It was GREAT that it was a 3 day weekend because now I only have 3 days of school left... well, really only 2.5 at this point, but who's counting, right?!?!

Saturday I got up at my usual "SUPER early for a Saturday" time and worked on a few wedding things...like trying to figure out if I want to MAKE our rehearsal dinner invites or just buy them from a store online. I found a few that I like, but I'm still up in the air on the whole ordeal... I left the house around 10 and headed up to Cedar Park to have my watch fixed (which was suddenly working... Oh my luck!), scope out Archivers to see if they had any ideas I could work with for the invites (which they didn't, leaving me frustrated...), and stopped into Maurices to see if they had anything cute for my trips this summer (which they did... but nothing fit me quite right!! BOO!!).

After leaving Cedar Park rather frustrated, I headed into Austin to finish up a few errands before Dan's dad and stepmom arrived from Amarillo. I had a great lunch from Panera.. the BBQ chicken salad is FANTASTIC! I wanted to try the new tomato mozzarella salad, but they were out of tomatoes... REALLY, PANERA, REALLY?!?! I headed to Target and finally stopped off at Zales to drop off my ring. It needs to be deep cleaned and dipped before the wedding. Everyone I talked to said it would take about 4 weeks to get it back so I had to take it in NOW rather than wait any longer so I'd have to back by the time I have to leave for Indiana in July. I am left feeling rather off since I can't wear my ring right now. I find myself feeling for it or having a "phantom" ring feeling and when I go to play with it, I freak out when it's not there... oh how the next 4 weeks will go!!!

Anyways, I digress.... Dan's dad and stepmom arrived Saturday night and we just went to eat in town. Nothing TOO eventful that night, that's for sure! Dan had to work 13 hours that day so he was POOPED!!!

Sunday we went to Fredricksburg and spent the day looking around all of the shops on main street. It was a great way to spend a relaxing Sunday!!! All of the sun tired me out, though!!! I'm starting to develop a bit of a tan and am LOVING it!!!

Monday we woke up and drove back to Austin. On our way, we decided to stop into Gardenridge to see if they had any rocking chairs for our front porch. We've wanted to get a few for a long time, as it is the BEST way to relax after a long day. We found some rockers like we liked, but they weren't on sale... We did find this, however, and it is just as relaxing!! (Plus, I can curl up on it and read a book during the summer!!!)

All in all, it was a great way to kick off the last week of school... And it can't come soon enough!!!

Wedding Wednesday

2010-05-26T07:09:00.001-05:00

Jen over at A Girl With Pearls & A Boy with Toys featured me on her Wedding Stories blog along with another wonderful bride. She used a lot of the photos we took with Romonda when we had our engagement shoot over Spring Break. I get excited everytime I look at them!!!

Today my kids are going on a field trip and we're ALL counting down the last few days of the year... only 6 left and NO MORE MONDAYS!!!! I'm in the process of packing up my room for the big move to the 200 hallway to teach 8th grade TAKS remediation next year. I'm still not 100% about the decision, but I have the entire summer to get there!!!

Enjoy this day!!!

2 Months... 2 months... 2 MONTHS!!!!!

2010-05-24T12:02:00.001-05:00

As of today the end is officially near...

Today is the last monday,
There are 8 days left in school,
Today marks 2 months left in wedding planning!!

I spent Thursday and Friday at a conference which was rather pointless for me so I spent a lot of time working on wedding details. The timeline is almost complete!

Rough Draft:
July 8 - Arrive into Chicago (Whether this is via jeep or plane is still undecided...)
July 9 - Drive to Warsaw & Spend some time with friends
July 10 - Gail's wedding
July 11 - Possible shower at my aunt's house (we talked about this at Christmas, but not much since then...)
July 12 - July 17 - Last minute projects / plans
July 20 - Dan in town, Hair trial, Flowers arrive, Prep & Clean flowers
July 21 - Make bouquets, bouts, and centerpieces (store in Dan's mom's basement for safekeeping)
July 22 - Pick up Melissa from airport, Meet with Pastor Scales about last minute details, Bachelorette party in Fort Wayne (YAY!!)
July 23 - Drive back to Valpo, Drop off reception pieces to Turkey Creek, Get mani/pedi, Rehearsal at church at 6, Dinner at Tony's at 7.
July 24 - Breakfast at Suzies at 8, Hair appointment at 9, Photographer arrives at 11, Arrive at church at 1, Wedding starts at 3, Take pictures from 4 - 5:30, Reception starts at 6, be back at hotel around 1
JUly 25 - Leave hotel around 4, depart for Puerto Rico at 8, arrive in puerto rico around 2.

It's been stressful to plan it out, but I'm glad to have it on paper so I can start prepping for it and gettign everything taken care of!!!

Off to fill my kids in on their TAKS scores. BMS did GREAT and has a LOT to be proud of!!!

Mission: Possible

2010-05-11T09:18:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning...

looked around my house...

and realized something...

~~a bomb could have gone off and you wouldn't realize it...~~

MY HOUSE IS A MESS!!!!

I'm on a mission to get it CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN today!

Now that wedding invitations have gone out, I have a LOT more time on my hands... so this house will get clean and STAY clean!!!

**Here's to hoping!!**

Weekend Plans

2010-05-07T09:09:00.003-05:00

This weekend is going to be a "good busy", as Dan's friend Ali likes to call it... I can't wait to get some sleep, though! This week has been insane, as it was a short week for my kiddos but still a productive one. Plus, I've been sick and really unable to sleep for long periods of time. I'm starting to feel better, though... just in time for the weekend!!!

**Today we are getting our NEW furniture delivered to the house! We bought a sectional couch, a recliner for Dan, and a sofa table that we'll put in the entry way for our keys and the mail. (Although, it DOES mean that I need to either find a place to put my shoes, or start putting them away each day... I've been getting bad about this!!!)

**I need to clean our kitchen. It's been awhile since it's had a DEEP clean and it definitely needs it!!! Between scrubbing the stove and cleaning out the fridge, it'll keep me busy tonight... What a way to spend a Friday night!! (Oh boy!!)

**Tomorrow is my second dress fitting! I can't wait to see the dress ACTUALLY fit! I've lost more weight since trying it on in December so it'll be reassuring to see it finally fit!

**I was looking at some blogs yesterday and I found THIS wedding!! If I could, I would LOVE to have this wedding... Oh the country love!! And those cowboy boots!! What's better than a bride in cowboy boots & driving away in an AUSTIN HEALEY!!!!

**We might have some friends over tomorrow night for a night of make - your - own pizza and game night. It's been awhile since we just hung out with friends and played games like Cranium and Monopoly! (I think the last time was my birthday, actually!) These always HAVE been the best nights with friends and I'm looking forward to it!!

**Sunday we get to go see our friends Keith & Susan. They have two adorable boys (and Dan jokes that their youngest is my "boyfriend"... he's going to be a heartbreaker though!!). Susan and Davis, one of their boys, are celebrating birthdays this week so we're going over to celebrate with them.

**School is almost out.. we're down to 19 days left. Today Rashard Mendenhall is going to be on campus to talk to my 7th graders and I'm SUPER pumped!!! (But would that surprise you!??)

**We got Dan's wedding band last weekend. We haven't really talked about whether or not we want to get them engraved. His will be easy since it's rather thick... Mine is rather thin so I'm not sure it will be able to, but we haven't really looked into it yet so who knows.

**The invitations went in the mail today to be delivered! We got our first reply yesterday from the ones we delivered to our friends here in town. We knew it would be a "no" reply but it was still exciting to open the mail box and see the envelope waiting for me!!

**I still need to find a dress for the rehearsal dinner. One of the girls I work with had on a REALLY cute dress yesterday that I might go try to find this weekend while I'm out... who knows!!

**I got both of my swimsuits for Puerto Rico and now I just can't wait to wear them in the sun EVERY day!!! One is teal (go figure) and the other is purple. I'm READY to get out and be on my honeymoon!!!!

I probably should go be productive and actually DO something!!! :)

"Launch yourself on every wave and find eternity in each moment!"

My Wish

2010-04-30T13:14:00.001-05:00

No, this is not a post about a cheesy Rascal Flatts song...

Instead, it's just a picture and a few choice words...

I wish you all love - filled happy marriages that last forever!

I'm off to do a few flower trials this weekend and celebrate some long overdue birthdays with friends this weekend!!!

More Fun Times

2010-04-30T10:21:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon two great blogs today while at work:

http://kadeeswedding.wordpress.com/ We even share our big day!!!

http://ladiej37.blogspot.com/

While there, they both had this questionairre that they filled out... thought I'd give it a try!

How long is/was your engagement? It will be almost 19 months long.

How many bridal salons did you visit before purchasing “the one”? I went to three stores, but only tried on dresses at one... first dress I tried on and the one I knew would be "the one" all along!

White shoes or colored shoes? SUPER cute teal shoes!!!
Heels or flats? Heels for the ceremony (as Dan is a full foot taller than me...), and flats for the reception. Flats are my daily staple and I love them but I wanted to add a bit of sass to my day!!

Hometown wedding or destination? It's a "destination wedding" for a few of our guests, as well as us, but we're going back home to be with our family!

How many venues did you visit until you found the perfect reception space? We have a very unique situation. We only visited one site, the one that we were 99% sure was going to be the one... but we had to do a TON of research online and through our family before we came to this decision. We visited the golf course when we were home last June and prayed that it would be perfection.

Ceremony and reception at the same place? Nope, ceremony in the church Dan grew up in and the reception will be at a local golf course.

Walking alone, both parents, or dad giving you away? I struggled with this for awhile. I will be walking down with my grandaddy. :)

Taking/took professional pictures? Yes, and I can't WAIT for Marah and Allison to share this day with us!

More than 200 guests? We've invited 207, but I know 5 of them can't come since they're here in Bastrop but I doubt there will be 200 there with us.
Spring/summer/fall/winter wedding? Summer, summer, summertime

What did you/are you going to DiY if anything? Can you say... EVERYTHING! I did the save the dates, invitations, bridal party gifts, escort cards, guest book, all paper needs, flowers, etc....

When was your first dance song first released? 2008, I think... maybe 2009. It all runs together.

Are you having a cake or cupcakes? A small cake on a beautiful vintage cake stand!

One thing you loved at first, but now you think is kind of ugly? Umm, okay... I always wanted a very "modern" wedding, but I'm glad we're going for a more vintage/rustic wedding. I don't think modern weddings are "ugly", just not what we're going for.

Fun Times... Fun Times!!!

2010-04-29T15:35:00.002-05:00

The game of tag about your man:

Who is your man? Dan

How long have you been together? A year and a half
How long did you date? Before we were engaged? 6 months...

How old is your man? 25

Who eats more? Him

Who said "I love you" first? He did

Who is taller? He is of course

Who sings better? I do...
Who is smarter? we are even there but I think he is ...He is more "guy smart" and I'm more nerdy, book smart!!!

Whose temper is worse? Both of ours... we're both pretty stubborn

Who does the laundry? Me, by far!!

Who takes out the garbage? he does

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Him, he stole it from me!!!

Who pays the bills? we split everything but I take care of most of them...

Who is better with the computer? He is better at fixing it, I am better at the creative things...

Who mows the lawn? He does

Who cooks dinner? I do, but he will cook if I've had a long day.

Who drives when you are together? It depends on what car we're driving but usually him

Who pays when you go out? We both do...

Who is most stubborn? I'm not sure there is a "most stubborn"... we're both pretty stubborn!!!

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Neither one of us... we hate being wrong!

Whose parents do you see the most? His

Who asked who out? It was more of a "mutual" decision.

Who proposed? He did!!!

Who wears the pants in the family? Dan, but he's really good about asking my opinion on things and talking about decisions before they're made.

Top 3 Thursday :)

2010-04-29T10:24:00.002-05:00

Today is my first day back with my kids since they took their TAKS test on Tuesday... can't wait to hear their side of it all! We're watching Hoosiers today and tomorrow as their "break" though...

But on to today's post of it all... Top 3 Thursdays over at Kelly's blog today is:

What's your top 3 favorite places to shop?

1.) Target

2.) Gap

3.) Aerie

I didn't have the chance to get the flowers yesterday... Dan and I went into Austin and wound up looking at swimwear and sheets instead of getting the flowers. Besides, we were in north Austin rather than south Austin... I'll head out there tomorrow or Sunday and do the trials then. This weekend I'm headed out with a bunch of friends to celebrate, although Dan isn't going with us. :(

Update

2010-04-28T15:33:00.001-05:00

TAKS is officially OVER for my kids!!! They took their test yesterday and now it's back to wedding plans for me...

Either tonight or tomorrow I am going to drive into Austin to get the flowers I need for my bouquet trial runs, and probably try my hand at a bout or two... We'll see about that, though.

I also figured out what we're doing for our guest book... we're going to do a combo of both the photo book that I'll put together here soon and a wedding mad - lib. Guests can fill these out and I'll put them in the book for laughs later on.

Dan is working on booking the limo. I also talked with Marah and got everything scheduled out for the morning of the wedding. It's going to be busy, but it'll be well worth it!!!!

A few blogs I follow have done this so I decided to join in.

42 Questions About Make Up!

1) How many times do you wash your face daily? I wash my face twice a day. Morning and night.

2) What skin type do you have? I have very red, blochy skin that is dry in the morning and oily at night. My chin is ALWAYS oily, though.
3) What is your current facial wash? Clearasil oil cream cleanser

4) Do you exfoliate? Not as much as I should...

5) What brand do you use? Clearasil

6) What moisturizer do you use? Dove facial lotion with some acne cream mixed in

7) Do you have freckles? Nope

8) Do you use eye cream? I used to... then I was told by my love that it smelled bad

9) Do you or did you have acne prone skin? Only on my chin... no where else.
10) Did you ever have to use Pro-Activ? Nope, it's not that bad, just frustrating!

11) What foundation do you use? Covergirl Aquasmooth Foundation in Creamy Natural

12) How about concealer? I need to find a new one, but currenly Covergirl is in my bag.

13) Do you know your undertone colour? Pink, for my pink/red skin...

14) What do you think of fake eyelashes? That they look fake...

15) Did you know you were supposed to change your mascara every 3 months? Did I know, yes.... Do I follow, not usually...

16) What brand of mascara do you use? Covergirl's red tube... don't remember what it's called.

17) Sephora or Mac? Sephora... when I can afford it!

18) Do you have a Mac Pro card? No

19) What makeup tools do you use in makeup application? Sponges & brushes...

20) Do you use makeup base/primer for the eyes? No, but I most likely will for the wedding.

21) For the face? Again, not usually but probably for the wedding.

22) What is your favourite eyeshadow? Colour or shade? My tride and true is the Green Eye Enhancer collection from Almay. Every now and again I'll use a neutral shade.

23) Do you use pencil or liquid liner? I use a gel pencil in brown.

24) How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil? When I first started wearing make up, I wore it a lot... not so much now, though!

25) What do you think of pigment eye shadows? idk...

26) Do you use mineral makeup? No, but I've considered it the last time I was in Ulta...

27) What is your favourite lipstick? Chapstick... it's my usual staple!

28) How about lipgloss? Bath & Body's green tube.

29) What is your favourite blush to use? Normally, I don't need any blush so I don't use it...

30) Do you buy your makeup on Ebay? No

31) Do you like drugstore makeup? If you can't tell by now we have a problem...

32) Do you go to CCO's?Cosmetic Company Outlet? Never heard of it.

33) Did you ever consider taking makeup classes? Yes, especially since I am doing my own for the wedding.

34) Are you clumsy in putting on makeup? Clumsy, no... Tired, yes!!!

35) Name a makeup crime that you hate? Definitely all over color. I think wearing harsh blush, dark lips and eyes at the same time is gross... oh, and forgetting to BLEND, BLEND, BLEND!!!

36) Do you like colourful shades of makeup (lipstick or eyeshadow) or neutral ones? I like colors on my eyes but pretty much neutral everywhere else...

37) Which celebrity always has great makeup? Reese Witherspoon, Carrie Underwood

38) If you could leave the house using just ONE makeup item, what would you use? tinted moisturizer

39) Could you leave the house without any makeup on? Yes I do pretty much everyday especially on work days. My mom always stressed that I needed to give my face time to "breathe" as she called it!!!

40) Do you think you look good even without any makeup on? My skin is pretty uneven and I'm not a fan of my rosy cheeks, but I don't think I NEED lots of makeup... Just enough to help the confidence level a bit!

41) In your opinion what is the BEST makeup line? Best... Sonia Kashik, but Covergirl is my stand by of choice!!

42) What do you think of makeup? I love makeup. It makes me feel put together, more confident and when dressed up, it finishes the look for me. I know I have been lazy over the years ( I wore more makeup in HS than I do now on a daily basis) but hopefully I will get back into some sort of routine to doing a little something each day.

The Girls

2010-04-20T20:49:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of songs that go on and on about how wonderful girlfriends are and how precious they are. While I couldn't agree more... I can't put how wonderful these girls are into words!

Earlier in the month, I promised an introduction to the girls that I will be sharing my wedding day with. Now that I have a few moments to spare, now's better than ever!

First off is Laura. She is one of two MOH's that I've chosen. She and I spent our first year of teaching together. Between dinners just to get a break from school, to bible study, to late nights at school scrambling to finish grades, Laura & I spent a LOT of time togther... and I mean A LOT!!

Here she is... my VERY tan friend

Gail is the other MOH that I have chosen. She and I met through Laura at bible study one night. I had decided it was time for me to start going after hearing such wonderful things from Laura and Jill. Gail is getting married 2 weeks before I am, so we are sharing a LOT of these experiences together and working through the stress of planning this whole thing together!

Here she is... bottom middle

Marci and I went to college together. I actually met her through her older sister, who lived across from me during football camp my first year of college. She went to Manchester and we quickly bonded over things like Grey's, Gilmore Girls, and Reality TV...

**For some reason, I can't find ANY of the pictures of us together... I'm a horrible friend!**

Last, but definitely not least, is Katie. Katie is Dan's little sister. Katie and I would hang out in high school whenever I would go over to Dan's house to plan pool and hang out with my usual group of friends... of which I was the only girl... Needless to say, we had a good time!!

**She's in the blue shirt next to her brother! We took this picture at their cousin, Natsha's, wedding last July!**

Finally, are the last few girls who are playing a HUGE role in the wedding!!! Jill is going to be a vital part of our ceremony and do a few readings for us. Jill and I both went to MC, although she graduated 3 years before I did, but we also taught together with Laura, and lived in C City, and went to bible study together...

Allison is the assistant of our photographer and I can't wait!!! She and I met at bible study as well. (Do you notice a trend?!?!)

Here is a picture of all of the bible study girls during a trip to Chicago in the spring of 2008. It was a great time and I've never laughed / had THAT much fun with a great group of girls before!!!

**From right... Gail, Me, Jill, Allison (w/ the camera), & Laura**

OH how I miss ALL of these wonderful ladies!!! I can't wait to be back in Indiana and spend quality time with all of them!!!

Busy...

2010-04-20T20:20:00.000-05:00

"Launch your self on every wave... Find eternity in each moment."

Lately, it seems that I have to constantly remind myself to do just that... enjoy every moment that I am given. The month of April has been the busiest month to date, but that's mainly because of TAKS testing and all of the prep that goes along with it. The TAKS test is next Tuesday, so the end is definitely near but it's still a long ways off... at least, that's what it seems like!

On a happier note, I have a phone date with Laura tonight (hopefully...). We haven't talked since her trip to Thailand and I'm definitely missing her! I'm really looking forward to catching up with her, finding out about her trip, talking about bachelorette plans, and filling her in on the events of my own existence!

Oh yeah, in other news... Scott has decided where he's going to school next year. My amazing brother is going to be going to IU!! I'm SUPER excited for him because I know how hard he's worked to get to this point!!!

Editing the To Do List...

2010-04-17T16:22:00.003-05:00

I sat down over the last week and took a GOOD look at the list of projects I had planned for the wedding...

After talking with our pastor, there's no need for us to have a unity candle....

I'm not doing anything for the church. Trinity is beautiful on its own and I don't think there's a huge need for them. We might do some sort of potted plants at the front, but that's where it will end I think.

The program insert will not be going in the programs. The church is printing them for us and they'll be awesome.

Escort cards and favors are still up in the air... Dan and I differ on both.

And now for the things I've actually ACCOMPLISHED:
Map cards are printed and cut...CHECK
Hotel cards are printed and cut...CHECK
Envelopes are printed...CHECK
Dan got fitted for his tux on Tuesday... CHECK

Slowly things are coming together. I'm just ready to have the invites assembled and in the mail on May 24!!!

A Milestone

2010-04-16T15:35:00.002-05:00

As of today... the end is OFFICALLY near!

When Dan proposed, we had 537 days to wait through all of the planning in order to get married... Now, as of today... we're down to DOUBLE digits!

438 down, Only 99 days to go!!!

Every Day Is A New Day

2010-04-13T09:16:00.002-05:00

Lately, it seems that my days are all running together. Each and every day seems to run into the next. Between school, ACE, wedding planning, keeping the house clean, working on wedding planning, and making sure the house doesn't fall down.... :), there's a LOT on my plate lately.

Over the weekend, I worked on that never - ending to do list... I finished the map cards and the hotel cards. Now I can assemble them all, print addresses, and get them ready for delivery on the 24th of May.

I am working on putting together the week - of schedules for the girls and getting the next "update" out to them soon. I might make a newsletter this time, rather than the "pocket love" that I did last time... oh well. To each their own, I guess! :)

Dan and I are going tonight to get him fitted for his tux. I'm working on going through all of the DIY stuff and seeing what I need to get done now and what I can work on in the week between the weddings. The week of mine, I'm not wanting to have to do anything major... other than working on the flowers. Oh the joys!

Dan and I have been lucky enough to get to spend more time together lately. It's been a blessing, for sure!!! I think this weekend, I'm going to plan a surprise for Dan. He definitely deserves it with all of the work he's been doing lately! Hopefully I can pull it off this time, unlike last time which was a burning ball of disaster!!!

An Ever Changing Adventure

2010-04-11T09:18:00.014-05:00

My good friend, Gail, described the upcoming months as a new adventure. As she & Pat is getting married 14 days before Dan & I, I couldn't agree more! We tend to share milestones, counting down the days to each other's weddings, sending texts to each other to help in the planning process, and getting each other motivated to get things done... sometimes easier said than done considering both of us are teachers! With spring breaks to take advantage of, we both have gotten a LOT accomplished...

Gail and I the first time she came to visit!

The state of Texas gives students the TAKS test in April... making students freak out about the work TAX (as in April 15th taxes) even before they KNOW what a W-2 is. I've been spending the majority of my time, including weekends, getting ready for TAKS prep. My curriculum has been taught in it's entirity and now I am left reviewing everything with my students. I have more time blocked in for this sort of thing, but I still know that I can't hit EVERYTHING as I wish I could... but, thus... I digress!!

After spring break, I sat down at a local Panera and made out my final to - do list before the wedding. While I know I have gotten a LOT accomplished, this list was still TOTALLY overwhelming and left me freaking out for a good week or so. Now that TAKS prep has taken over my life and I know I can't tackle a large chunk of this again until May, I'm finally okay with the list. There are 104 days to get all of this taken care of... although, I want the MAJORITY of it done by the time I leave for Gail's wedding, which means I really only have about 85 days or so... but I DO have to have something to keep me busy inbetween the two!

Here's the list as it stands right now:
Finish printing Map card
Design Hotel & Accomodations card
Print Hotel & Accomodations cards
Put assigned numbers on back of all RSVP cards
Assemble invitations
Print addresses on envelopes
Mail out invites (may 24th)

Make scrapbook of engagement pictures
Attend 2nd and 3rd dress fittings (2nd one scheduled for May 8)

Buy candles for wedding (tapers, votives, & pillars)
Decorate candles for unity candle
Find stand for unity candle

Decide on decorations for church... something minimal, but still something for the altar
Make gifts for the girls (this is a To - Do list on it's own...)

Design escort cards
Print escort cards
Cut & fold escort cards
Make escort card table arrangements
Make table numbers. I'm thinking of doing something w/ either Austin or Chicago landmarks.
Make escort card display board... (Something like my friend Brandy made for hers...)

Photograph house numbers of 07, 24, and 10 for the escort card table... Something like this:

Make program insert. (The church is printing our program folders, but I wanted to include a personal note to our guests & our parents)
Make program sign
Design program basket

Put together list for DJ
Print & Mail Rehearsal Dinner invites

Decide on guest book layout... I'm torn between a photo book and a recipe style book... like these:
http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/2009/08/wedding-wednesday-guestbook-ties-registry.html
http://community.shutterfly.com/gallery/post/start.sfly?postId=/gallery/1/post/GMGDFg2bs3LRu3Yiq49gqA

Order flowers
Make bouts for fathers & grandfathers (done day before...)
Order flowers for mothers & grandmothers
Make bridesmaid bouquets (done day before...)
Make my bouquet (done day before...)
Make centerpiece bouquets (Done day before...)
Get river rocks for second centerpiece
Assemble centerpieces for delivery at Turkey Creek (can be done week of...)

Get Dan fitted for his tux
Pick up Dan's wedding band
Get my ring cleaned & dipped

So there it is.... in it's entirity... I'm sure there are some things that I'm forgetting, and they'll get added as others get taken care of.

Coming up soon... the next Bridesmaid update & a "meet & greet" of my bridal party! I love my girls!!!!

Enjoy this day!

Favorite Fridays: Celebrity Couple

2010-04-02T14:57:00.006-05:00

Every Friday, the blog, A Girl Wth Pearls & A Boy With Toys posts a different "favorite" topic...

This week, the topic is Favorite Couple (who's still together...)

Mine is...
Faith Hill & Tim McGraw

Can you find a more PERFECT hollywood couple? These are two genuinely wonderfuly people who love each other in the way a married couple is SUPPOSED to love each other. The songs they record together are SUPER sexy and you can FEEL their love for each other!

This weekend is going to be an awesome one. I'll be working on a lot of school stuff as well as some wedding stuff, but Sunday is all about spending time with friends! Have a GREAT Easter!

WANT ONE!!!

2010-03-30T10:11:00.001-05:00

Okay, so one of the blogs I read all of the time is giving away this AWESOME picture frame that I have wanted ever since I saw it last year. If I don't get this, it's going to be my "wedding present to myself" for the house!

Here's to hoping!!!!

Stressed!!!

2010-03-26T11:27:00.003-05:00

I didn't think my first week back to school would be nearly THIS stressful. It was a 5 day week for me but a 4 day week for my kiddos... which doesn't sound bad, but considering that it was the first week back after a MAJOR break, it was very taxing!!!

Dan's mom was here this week and it was GREAT to see her! She helped out a LOT with the invitations and they're ALL DONE!!!! (YAY!!!)

Tomorrow I will be MIA for about 4 hours... which will be WELL worth it! Then I'm relaxing with a manicure and (MAYBE) a pedicure!

Sunday, Dan and I are getting engagement pictures taken by one of the girls I teach with. She knows what we're going for, in terms of the feeling we'd like, and she has some GREAT ideas!!!

Also... while Dan's mom was here, we bought my wedding band. It wasn't expected to come in until this weekend, but it was ready for us to get it on Monday! It was AWESOME! It's beautiful and I can't wait to wear it everyday! (actually, having the ring in the house makes me want the wedding here THAT much sooner!) The ring is a simple channel band with a slight curve in the center of the ring. With the amount of metal work on my engagement ring, a standard channel set band wasn't going to fit well, but I was starting to become okay with this idea until the owner of the store pulled out the curved ring and I fell in LOVE with it!!! I'll take a picture when I get home today and post it... it's B-E-A-U-T-I-FUL!!!

Why is it that my weekends seem just as busy as my work week???

Invitations... Well Under Way

2010-03-19T12:48:00.005-05:00

I've spent the last 2 days working on the inserts, rounding corner after corner on the invites, and getting them all put together. Right now... I'm finishing printing and cutting the inserts and waiting for Dan's mom to get here from Dallas...

Here they are... In all their glory:

As they will arrive in the mail...

The pocketfold in all it's glory. They were a pain in the butt to make, but well worth it! For details on how I did it, see this. Heather does a WAY better job of outlining steps than I do!!!

The inside of the pocketfold.

The actual invitation.

Inserts... In the order they appear:

Contact Info

Response Card

Ceremony and Reception Info

Map and Directions Card. This is one insert...just double - sided!

Things left to do:
Make the Hotel Info page
Designate Hotel on Map cards
Mark where Church is on Map card
Make the belly bands
Attach invites to pocketfold
Address Envelopes
Send them off!!!

All in all, I'd say it's been a rather successful Spring Break!

Spring Break Check - In

2010-03-17T11:43:00.003-05:00

Spring Break 2010 is almost half over! :(

Monday was a very productive day, as I wrote about last time...

Yesterday, though... was rainy and yucky out. I had every intention of cleaning out the house and giving it a good deep spring cleaning, but part of that included opening every window and just letting the air in. Since it was raining, I wasn't about to start cleaning... So I worked on 2 planners for girls at school instead. One of them is compeltely done and the other one just needs to be assembled. More than likely, I'll have 4 of these to make in my future for some very special ladies as well, so I'll have PLENTY of time to use my new hole punch!!!

Today is cleaning day. There's really no way to avoid it any longer.

Tomorrow starts March Madness so I'll be in front of CBS Sports watching the whole thing. Since I can't spend a day doing nothing, it will also be wedding day #2. I'll be getting the invitations completed... from finishing the pocketfolds (that I'm contemplating re-doing to adjust the layout... crazy talk I know!), to making the belly bands, to rounding all of the corners on the invitations and reply cards, and attaching the invitations to the pocketfold... I'm going to be one busy girl! Let's see if I can get it all done in one day!

Friday Dan't mom will be in town so we're headed to Cedar Park to get my ring made and probably stop by Archivers!! (Shh... Don't tell Dan!!!)

Saturday and Sunday are still up in the air. I was hoping to go go Rachael Ray's SXSW show downtown on Saturday, but I don't know if that will be able to happen just yet. I do have a massage on Saturday and I can't WAIT!!!!

Then it's back to school on Monday... hopefully my to - do list will be completed by then. Although, something tells me that there will still be more to do! And now I'm off to start ALL of the cleaning ahead of me!

Productive Monday

2010-03-15T17:44:00.014-05:00

Today was the first day of spring break and to say I hit the floor running was a bit of an understatement...

I started off the day with lunch with Dan at the hotel... just a few brief moments.

Then headed for my first dress fitting! EEK!!! I don't need to go back until May, but at least it's done and out of the way!!!

Then after I left there, I went to The Flower Bucket downtown to try out a few flower options that I've been looking for. I'm going to order our flowers from here and have them delivered to Indiana the day before the wedding. I didn't know how much of each to order so I had to go and play around a bit... and I was VERY successful in my endeavors!!!

The centerpieces will be a mixture of mason jars with candles inside and mason jars with daisies inside like these:

Then... I have ALWAYS wanted to have a hydrangea bouquet but everyone I talked to said it wasn't possible for my budget... BUT I have found a way!! 5 white hydrangeas with the green ribbon I've bought earlier. It will look like this:

And the girls' flowers will look like this:

I'm going to try my hand at bouts and corsages this week and see how it goes, but I'm not holding my breath. If I need to order these from the pros, I'm okay with that...

And I ended my afternoon with a trip to Michael's for a few supplies. Tomorrow is wedding invitation day and I need to get the ribbon for the belly bands and the tape to put them together. I'll post pictures tomorrow when they're all finished!!!

DONE!!!

2010-03-11T10:44:00.002-06:00

Thank you cards are in the mail!!!!

Now I just need to work on getting my last 2 calendars done for tomorrow and getting all of my grades done for my kiddos for tomorrow as well!!! (Let's see how this goes...)

Spring Break will be here before you know it... and it's going to be C- R- A- Z- Y!!! It entails...

Getting belly bands done for Invitations
Printing the inserts for the Invitations
Printing Addresses on RSVP Envelope
Printing Return Address on Outside Envelope
Printing Address on Envelope... (MAYBE..)
Attaching the Invitations to the Pocketfold
Stuffing Invitations
Dress fitting in Austin on Wednesday
Cleaning the house for our visitor
Finishing laundry
Putting together mock - ups of my bouquet, the girls' bouquets, and the centerpieces for the reception
Figuring out what kind of flower arrangement for the front of the church
Making the wreath for the church

And..

MARCH MADNESS starts in 6 days!!!

Determined...

2010-03-09T08:05:00.003-06:00

Yup, that's me!!

I'm bound and determined to go home today after a full day of teaching and FINALLY knock out the rest of our thank - you cards from my first bridal shower... IN DECEMBER. Yes, I've been the worst at it lately. I got a whole stack completed shortly after coming back from Christmas vacation, but I have basically sucked it up since then.. what can I do, though... it's not like life stops just because you're getting married...

In other news, last night was probably the BEST way to spend my birthday. We only have 2 people over last night, but we just played Cranium.. which I am secretly ADDICTED to and would play every night if I could. I need to push through these next 3 days and grade like crazy, use my time wisely at school, and get everything accomplished on my school to - do list... that way, spring break can be wedding, wedding, wedding.

And I am debating on putting together one of these for the next year ahead... but in the same token, I know I am going to be UBER busy with the wedding and all of the life changes that go along with it so I don't know how I would do with it. But there's nothing like having a goal right!?!?

And be looking for one of these posts here soon...

I know... I know... how big can my plate get?!?!

Welcome 25...

2010-03-08T17:31:00.003-06:00

...I've been anticipating your arrival!

Today was the first year in awhile that I've had to teach on my birthday, but it was definitely a GREAT day! I do have grand plans for a night of homemade chicken enchiladas, queso, a pitcher of margaritas, and good times with friends! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

And...
You know that HUGE list I wanted to tackle this weekend??? Well.. I got a whole lot of ZERO done lately... Dan surprised me and took Saturday off for my birthday and the to - do list I had created for myself went FLYING out the window! So, needless to say, I'll be working on that stuff during spring break and getting it all taken care of.

As for now... I'm off to celebrate this birthday of mine and enjoy my night!

It's FINALLY... FRIDAY!!!!

2010-03-05T15:14:00.004-06:00

Can you hear the song playing in your head??! Cuz I know I can!!!

After giving the TAKS test on Wednesday, the weekend couldn't get here soon enough! This weekend will be FILLED with lots to do!!!

I'll be working on getting pictures of the save the dates up, as well as the mock - up of the invitations that are coming along VERY well. Hopefully I'll be able to get the majority of the belly bands made for them this weekend and MAYBE start working on the inserts. So far, the pocketfolds have been made, the invitations and the reply cards have already been printed, but that's about where it all ends. I've still got a LOT to do on them and with some major projects coming up at work, I doubt I'll be able to work on them over spring break like I originally thought. Plus, Dan's mom is coming to visit during the last part of the week, so I have a feeling I will be rather busy that week as it is.

I went by HEB on Wednesday and picked up some small daisies and some gerber daisies. I'm going to work on putting together 3 different options and emailing them to the girls to get their input on them. I like all 3 of them, so I will DEFINITLEY need help deciding! I'll post pictures on here as well.

I did go for my first price quote on the alterations of my dress last night. I went to a place called Triana Tailors and they were fantastic!! The owner gave me a lot of really good ideas. I was, and still sort of am, in a bit of sticker shock over the price of alterting my dress. I knew that since it was lace it would be more than normal, but I'm just not used to seeing alterations be over $300. However... I DO have to keep reminding myself that I have lost a bit of weight since buying the dress, which is great but is also causing the reason for the majority of my alterations. I have 2 more appointments at other stores to see how much they would charge me for the same alterations.

Then... the best part... on Saturday, Dan and I are meeting some friends to celebrate my birthday. It is LONG overdue, especially after the way this week has gone. I can't wait for an evening of fun with good friends! I have a feeling it will be JUST what the doctor ordered! It's definitely been a LONG week and I'm ready for this weekend!!!

Enjoy this weekend, all. It's going to be a GREAT one!!!

Pictures

2010-02-27T08:46:00.002-06:00

I got an email this morning from a photographer in Austin... I met her at the bridal extravaganza that Dan and I went to in January. I checked out her website and, needless to say, I am in L-O-V-E with her work!!! (She gave me the same goosebumps that Allison and Marah did when I first saw THEIR work!!!)

I've emailed her and hopefully she'll be able to do something for us here in Austin. I would really like to capture Austin in our wedding somehow and this seems to fit out budget WONDERFULLY!!!

5 Months To Go!!!

2010-02-26T17:40:00.003-06:00

In the next 5 months there is LOTS to do! I'm looking into my options to get my dress altered. David's Bridal wants to charge me an arm and leg for simple alterations. Plus, I'm rather fond of the search I have created for myself. I have my monthly massage tomorrow afternoon and I'll probably get a manicure while I'm in Austin too.

I am also going to Michaels tomorrow to get the supplies for my newest idea for the favors. The favors were an idea that I got from the shower gifts my cousins made for me. I'll post pictures when I do a test - run. Dan and I have great ideas... let's just hope they'll work!!!

Also planning a bit of a surprise for Dan in the coming days... We'll see if we're able to pull it off...

Too Soon...

2010-02-22T19:09:00.004-06:00

And I spoke too soon yesterday...

THIS is the forcast for the next 24 hours...

Yes... that is SNOW you see...

I might just lose my mind!!!

At least my bday is in exactly 14 days...

Spring Break begins in 20 days...

March Madness starts in 22 days...

We get married in 152 days...

(Not that I'm counting or anything!!)

Weather

2010-02-21T15:24:00.003-06:00

It is currenly 75 and sunny in Austin, Texas...
And I've spent the entire day with Dan doing absolutely nothing but watch movies!!!

This is just what I needed to pull myself out of the winter FUNK I've been experiencing lately! I do feel sorry for Dan because, sadly, he's taken the brunt of the majority of it...

I can't wait for Spring... and the H-O-T weather that is soon to follow!!!

March Madness starts in exactly 23 days!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!

What A Week!!!

2010-02-19T10:16:00.003-06:00

It's Friday... and I DEFINITELY have my Friday face on!!! This week was a short but but it wasn't short on things on my "to - do" list. The 6 weeks ended today so it was a mad rush to get everything finished for my students by their major test today. Right now, I really should be finshing up a few grades, but where's the fun in that?!?!

After the MASSIVE migraine I endured all day yesterday, I'm just glad that my head isn't throbbing today.

This weekend, however, should be a TON of fun...

**I'm going to see Valentine's Day with a great group of girls tonight. It's definitely going to be a great way to end the week!!!

**Tomorrow I'm cleaning the house, as we will have a visitor next week.

**I'm also hoping that I'll be able to go to David's Bridal to pick up my shoes soon so I can make the phone call and get my alterations done relatively quickly. I'm debating on waiting on this until after Spring Break but I wonder if I would be freaking out, hoping that it would be done by the time I need to leave for Indiana in July.

**I'm also looking in to driving up to Indiana in July. With the extended length between the two weddings I'll either need to rent a car or have my own up there and I think it would probably be best for me to have the jeep. This does mean, however, that I will probably be driving by myself and have to make the drive in 2 days.

**In this midst of ALL of these changes, Dan and I have been talking a lot about our careers and making some changes. It's no secret that someday I would like to go back to school and get my administrator's license. I'm just trying to figure out when would be the best time for this and when we can afford it without having to take out massive loans again. My student loans will be paid off shortly so I should be able to adjust finances accordingly, but Dan and I are in the process of trying to figure out when would be the best time to start this next adventure.

**Who knows, maybe I'll get some baking done or some crafting done over the weekend since I really won't have loads of grading this weekend...

Here's to hoping!!!

Wedding Update

2010-02-15T11:41:00.003-06:00

In the months since returning from Indiana, it seems that the wedding planning has really been put on the back burner right now. Between work, school, cleaning, and taking care of things here it seems that wedding planning just isn't high on the to-do list right now. Granted, we're still 5 months away but I started out doing so much so early that now I feel like I'm behind on a lot of things. With my day off today I'm working on getting a few things taken care of, like finally making all of the ribbon bands for the invitations and maybe attaching the actual invitation to the pocketfold. We'll see, though. There is a LOT to do today...

Go into Austin to get some supplies
Get to the grocery store so we have food
Finish 2 agendas that are LONG overdue
Clean my kitchen - it's basically a disaster zone right now
Clean the living room
Unload my new coffee maker!!! :) (I can't wait to use it tomorrow!!!)
Make some jalapeno cheddar corn bread for Fat Tuesday at work tomorrow
Work on the invitations
Watch some of the Olympics.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the Olympics??? They're basically the best thing about winter... too bad they're only here once every 4 years. It's that time again... Time for me to get all caught up in the tremendous life stories of athletes, watch sports I normally don't give a crap about, and root for people I've never heard of before. It's time to stay up way too late every night, get a little teary at the sound of "The Star Spangled Banner" as it's played for someone standing atop a podium with a medal around his or her neck, and feel myself fill with pride for the good ol' U.S.A.

I've been in a funk all winter, although not NEARLY as bas as they used to be in Indiana, and I'm just glad the Olympics are here to give me something to look forward to. Shortly after they're over, I'll be looking forward to my birthday, Spring Break, March Madness, and a visit from Dan's mom.

And then it'll be about time to eat, sleep, and breathe the TAKS.

And then it'll be time to eat, sleep, and breathe the weddings of July!!!

159 days to go!

Snow Days

2010-02-10T19:09:00.004-06:00

As my Indiana friends are enjoying the snow days and 2 hour delays... we get rain. Lots and lots of freezing rain. It's not too bad, except that right now I could use a snow day to catch up on sleep, cleaning, and putting things away!!! Luckily, we get a work day on Friday and then we get Monday off. It'll be excellent to have 2 whole days with Dan!!! (Maybe I'll get him to help with some of the cleaning!!!)

Enjoy your snow days!!! I'm off to make some chicken tortilla soup for the first time... Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Our Vision...

2010-02-05T09:33:00.002-06:00

Dan and I celebrated our anniversary on Tuesday. With the shadow of the groundhog, Tuesday marked the one year anniversary of our engagement. We've spent the last year planning many details of our day, with a lot of little things left to go. It's amazing that in 5 months, we'll be married and we can get on with being husband and wife. He's my best friend and, in the words of one of my favorite blogs, he's my favorite. I'm surprised at how much being away from each other for so long has affected both of us. Originally when I knew Dan would be working longer, crazier hours, I thought he would get on just fine and I would be driven insane at the thought of being in the house alone. Quite the opposite has occured... It's brought us closer together. We've enjoyed our time together THAT much more because we know it'll be a long time before we get uninterrupted time together again. It has helped me get caught up on school grading and making planners for the girls at school. I'm still behind on 2 of them, but I hope to finish these this weekend!

Tuesday, though... Tuesday was a break from the norm for the both of us. For the first time in a LONG time, both of us were home beofre 4:30. I quickly changed from my work clothes into a new dress that I bought at White House / Black Market when I went to the outlets with Melissa last weekend. We went to a restaurant called Moonshine in downtown Austin. It was definitel a place to keep on our list! (They even had popcorn on the table!!!)

When we were at dinner, the topic of our wedding and our marriage came up in the conversation. When I asked Dan what he wanted for our wedding, he surprised me when he said he just wanted everyone to have fun. It didn't have to be fancy or thrifty. I couldn't have agreed more. While our wedding will celebrate everything we have promised to each other, it will also have to be a great party where everyone could kick off their shoes and have a great time. We both agreed, though, that we wanted our marriage to be like our grandparents. We wanted to look back in fifty years and be as much in love then are we are now. We want to find comfort in the quiet times and the last moments before we both fall asleep. We want to know that we'll be there for each other no matter what... through the thick and the thin.

I think we're both just ready for the day to be here where we can make the commitment to each other in front of our family and friends and celebrate the love we have for each other.

The weekend is filled with cleaning, crafting, and celebrating one of the greatest holidays ever... SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!! We're having a small group over to the house to watch the game Sunday so it should be a great time for all. Chili and appetizers are on the agenda.. maybe some guacamole..we'll see!!!

I'm In L-O-V-E with Lady A ... and Dan, of course!!!!

2010-01-29T10:37:00.001-06:00

The new cd is AMAZING!!! Too bad Target didn't have the new Michael Buble cd. It may be for the best, though. That way each CD can get it's fair share of equal play time. (Yes, I AM that sort of dork!) I'll be going into Austin again this weekend in search for a dress for dinner with Dan on Tuesday, so hopefully I'll find the CD then... **Fingers Crossed**

Dinner with Dan will mark the fateful day one year ago when he asked me to share our lives together. He asked me where I wanted to go and the ideas he had definitely won't disappoint! This foodie didn't have any complaint about the food choices!!! (strange, I know!!!)

Wedding stuff has been put on hold for a bit as this week has been BEYOND crazy! Between UIL wrap up, late nights at school, and an empty house I've been able to focus on finishing up my last 2 2010 planners for girls here at school. They'll be getting them on Monday... only 32 days after 2010 has officially begun, but who's counting?!?!

I did find the cake stand on eBay this week and will probably be purchasing that this weekend as well. AND working on the next bridesmaid update for my wonderful girls... and getting valentines out... and working on treat bags for 5 very cute girls in Indiana!

Hopefully your Friday is enjoyable and you can relax this weekend... as I intend to. Paper tends to do that lately!

Enjoy this day!!!

Coming Right Along

2010-01-27T13:32:00.001-06:00

Wedding plans are coming right along. Dan is hard at work trying to line up transportation for the wedding day. This weekend has been BEYOND crazy. With Dan's new job and UIL in full swing, it's been a VERY long time since we've seen each other for more than a few hours.

On Sunday, however, we decided (on somewhat of a whim) to go out to Gruene and see what's out there. We're looking for a milk glass cake stand, but are finding that our efforts may not pay off in time. We want something like this:

The joy of going to Gruene is that there are antique and thrift shops ALL OVER the place!!! While we didn't find the cake stand. We find a BEAUTIFUL blue cakestand, but it was WAY more than we wanted to pay for it.

We went into a store that was closing down and I found the PERFECT necklace to go with my dress. It's GORGEOUS! When I get home tonight I'll take a picture of it and post it.

I've also thought about wearing one of THESE lovelies in my hair during the reception as well. I might try and make one via the instructions in the blog HOW ABOUT ORANGE. We'll see though.

The rest of my day is comprised of teaching, working ACE after school, getting a massage in Austin, and then... WAIT FOR IT....

WAIT FOR IT...

GETTING THE NEW LADY ANTEBELLUM CD & THE NEW MICHAEL BUBLE CD!!!

It will be the highlight of my day!!!!!

Bridal Extravaganza

2010-01-12T13:37:00.001-06:00

Dan and I went to the bridal extravaganza this weekend in Austin and got a LOT of good ideas. Here are the pics we took.

Wreaths for the outside of the church

Pew flowers for the church, if I can find a way to attach them.

Centerpieces for the reception - half in mason jars and half in cowboy boots

My bouquet - all hydrangeas and maybe a few others

The reception decor that we'll be workin with.

2010 Resolutions

2010-01-08T14:33:00.001-06:00

With the start of a new year and the second half of my school year, I decided to set some goals. I'll probably be making a mini book to help track my progress throughout the year. I know some of these things might be difficult to do once the wedding is nearing, but I can always try and then set myself back into it later. It'll have a "sticker" chart like this... yes, it's elementary but, let's face it... if it worked then, why not try it again.

Here are my resolutions so far:
Have at least one date night a month
Have at least one movie night with the girls a month
Curb my spending habits
Work out / Run for an hour a day four times a week
Get crafty once a week
Write notes to my girls more often!

We'll see how far this gets me and if I start laughing in December when I look back on the blog after the wedding.

Wedding Checklist

2010-01-06T20:23:00.001-06:00

Today was the first day back with the kiddies and, dare I say it... They were actually much more well - behaved than I expected. It was definitely REFESHING!!!

Anywho... While Dan and I were home we got MUCHO done for the wedding! I can't believe we're under 200 already, and yet it seems like we're much closer than we actually are!
While we were home we:
Met with the baker and ordered the cake
Met with the photographer
Met with the caterer / reception planner
Met with our pastor
Had our first bridal shower (well, I did... Dan had wings with the boys!)
Got the wedding invitations completely designed
Met with a florist about flowers
Planned out the ceremony

While there's still a lot to do, I knew we HAD to get these things done before we left or we'd basically be up a creek for these! (Hi, can you make me a cake in only 2 weeks?!?!)

I've been working on our wedding website as well.

But today... today was awesome - ness!!! While I was reading one of the blogs I usually go to for crafy ideas, I came across GREATNESS!!! I found an amazing set of vows that another Lutheran church was using... After reading them out loud (and bringing a few tears to my eyes), I promptly forwarded them onto Dan for his opinion of them... And HE likes them too!!! I emailed them to our pastor for her approval and she LOVES them too!!! It's fantasticness!!!

"_________, I take you to be my wife/husband from this time onward, to join with you and to share all that is to come, to give and to receive, to speak and to listen, to inspire and to respond, and in all circumstances of our life together to be loyal, to you with my whole life and with my being."

199 days until I marry my best friend!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T16:48:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas to all.... and to all a good night!!!

Here's to a safe and merry holiday!!!

209 Days To Go!!!!

Signed, Sealed, & Delivered

2009-12-16T12:09:00.000-06:00

well... not QUITE delivered just yet..

But the save the dates are out and about with all of the other christmas mailings this season on their way to your homes!!! I'm SUPER excited to have these out. It's one HUGE thing crossed off of the list right now and it's a great relieft not to have to worry about them any more!!

Plus... we got the invitations when we picked up the magnets so those are ready to get attached to the pocketfolds. That will be my next project... finishing up the invitations. I just have the following left to do:

Finish Belly Bands
Create Reception Info Card
Create Directions Card
Create Accomodations Card
Print Reception Info Card
Stamp Reception Card
Print Directions Card
Print Accomodations Card
Cut Reception Info Card
Cut Directions Card
Cut Accomodations Card
Address Response Card Envelopes
Assemble Cards
Print Envelopes (maybe calligraphy.. who knows how ambitious I feel!)
Man the Post Office for Another Hour and Get Them Mailed!

Plus for a select few I still need to create the rehearsal dinner invitation, which means we need to nail down these details here soon.. perhaps while we're home?!?!?!

I'm definitely ready for a break though... a break for crafting, a break for relaxing & reading, and a break for getting things in order for this next chapter that I can't WAIT to open!!!

It's only 220 days away and I'm READY to marry my best friend... like YESTERDAY!

Checking Things OFF The List This Time!!!

2009-12-12T12:37:00.001-06:00

For the first time in a while, I feel like I'm actually getting something accomplished!!

The magnets and invitations came in Thursday evening so I spent my Friday night printing off the Christmas Card insert, cutting them out, and then stuffing and sealing envelopes. Thank goodness for Diners, Drive - ins, and Dives, Bud Light, and Say Yes To The Dress. Pandora played a huge roll in that ordeal too!!! They'll be sent off on Tuesday when I have a spare moment at work. I can't WAIT for you to get them!!!

This morning I worked on getting the flowers pinned down. My bouquet will be cream garden roses kind of like this. The girls will have smaller ones of purple irises like this. The centerpieces on the tables will most likely be vases of dahlias with candles around them. When I'm home I need to see if I can order the flowers from someone or if I need to order them online and have them shipped up north. Who knows, more to figure out I guess.

Pictures

2009-12-08T22:23:00.000-06:00

Here are the pictures Chris was SO gracious to take on Sunday. It was rather cloudy and somewhat foggy out so we took a few on the grounds of the capital campus but then moved inside to get out of the nastiness! They're wonderful and I'm glad they turned out as good as they did!

They look awesome, Chris. THANK YOU!

Pictures of the Save the Dates will be coming here soon as well!!

Christmas

2009-12-07T10:27:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that 2009 is almost over. There are only 22 days left in this year and it seems like just yesterday I was in Austin celebrating new years, buying a new jeep, getting engaged to a wonderful man, and many other milestones that have occured this year.

This holiday season is turning out to be full of family, friends, and handmade details. I'm calling this my, "Handmade Holiday". From making christmas presents for family and friends, to working on save the dates and christmas cards to spread some cheer, to celebrating the holidays with great people, I've spent a LOT of time working on handmade details... granted, probably MORE than I should considering the end of the semster is only 10 days away... (Not that I've been counting or anything.)

My time in Indiana is becoming very full, and honestly, I LOVE it that way!!! I get in on the 19th and it seems like I'm running until we leave on the 29th or 30th. Between meetings with photographers and our pastor to cake tastings and booking hair appointments, it's going to be a full time but I will get a LOT done and it will be VERY worthwhile. Our friend, Chris, is coming up with us so we'll be able to show him a bit of where we grew up and where the wedding will be in July. There are only 232 days left (I just checked an article on The Knot, I'm not counting THAT down... yet!!!)

Yesterday, Dan and I took some pictures around the capital. I'll post those later on today when I have my camera handy. Chris took them and they are definitely Austin! They're not your typical, catch me randomly as I stroll down the street with my love. They're us... in Austin... in love! They'll make an appearance in some holiday gifts this year too. I'm QUITE excited to frame some of them and get them up in the house! We need some pics of our friends and family and we only have ONE of us...

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:52:00.000-06:00

This year there is MUCHO to be thankful for... At a time when things are especially crazy with work, holiday shopping, prepping for the trip up north, and the vast other realities of adulthood, it's nice to spend a day with wonderful people just being thankful for what you have.

Turkey cookies are out of the oven and I will be spending the morning decorating these.. maybe there will be pictures later if they're cute... It's my first attempt at this so we'll see. Then later today, I;ll be firing up the oven and getting underway. I'm cooking everything here this year and now that we have the room we are able to open our doors to the wonderful people in our lives! Allison, Alison, Olive, and some friends I have not met yet are sharing their Thanksgiving around our table. It makes it even more special since we are all around my uncle's old table that he gave me.

Dan and I are both so thankful for everyone in our lives - friends, family, coworkers. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful people around us. We know there are many who we can't be with today but we will call many and give thanks for them each and every moment of today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To - Do List

2009-11-14T09:02:00.000-06:00

The to - do list for the wedding seems to be growing each and every day...

One thing I MAY have checked off earlier this week is the bridesmaid's bouquets. Since they're dresses are ADORABLE in green, I think purple flowers would make them POP even more. If I can find them at a decent price, I am almost POSITIVE the girls will get a bunch of dark purple irises to carry for the day, most likely tied with yellow grosgrain ribbon! I'm SUPER excited to find the flowers and make one next weekend!

As for my flowers... well, that's another story. I'm still at a loss there too! I've got plenty of time to figure it out, though. I bought my ticket home yesterday and made sure I gave myself PLENTY of time to work on wedding stuff and not cram it all into a few days, like I tried to do in June.

I sent the girls their bridesmaid update for this year... I thought they were VERY, VERY cute! We'll see what they think of them in the coming days.

One of the girls I work with is making my jewelry for the wedding. We've had all sorts of fun looking at different pictures and coming up with ideas. I can't WAIT to see what she comes up with!

Those Bears

2009-11-08T17:25:00.000-06:00

After waking up this morning and realizing that I actually GET to watch a Bears game AT HOME today... I was PUMPED for my day!

And then the game began....

Those bears of mine, they're an interesting team. I guess they, like the Cubs, will always be the team you say, "Well, there's always next year..."

So after that game, I worked on the info for the girls' updates. I finally got those done and they'll be going out in the mail in the coming week. Now I'm working on the invitations and getting those cut out and ready for the cards to be printed next week... HOPEFULLY. (fingers crossed)

Dresses & Flowers

2009-11-04T20:42:00.000-06:00

I have officially found THE dress that all four of my lovely ladies will look AMAZING in! I'm super excited about it too!!! They'll probably get something wedding related around Christmas time with all of the info in it... I'm SUPER excited about THESE too!!!

As far as flowers are concerned I've been throwing around a LOT of ideas lately. I know I want hydrangeas and the sort for my flowers and I know how I want the girls' flowers to look but there are more details to worry about...

Mostly... do I make my own bouquets or do I have a florist at least make mine? I know I'll need help on the corsages and the boutonnieres, I can make the bridesmaid bouquets on my own, but I've just been toilling on the idea of making my own. I know what I REALLY want and what will probably be more realistic... Hydrangeas + Indiana humidity = droopy flowers. :(

Perhaps this will be an experiment for the coming weeks... An update is going to come SOMETIME soon!!!

Registry

2009-11-01T12:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we spent the day registering at some of our favorite stores. Dan's favorite part of the day... you guess it, the price gun!!

Here are the links to the registries:
Target

Sears

Pottery Barn

Save The Dates

2009-10-15T16:45:00.000-05:00

Things have definitely been CRAZY CRAZY around these parts!!

We had the house-warming party last weekend, so with both of my teams on a bye week last weekend, I spent the majority of the weekend working on getting the save the dates done. Yes, I know it's early...BUT, we're having the magnets printed for us, as well as the invitations and response cards, so we needed to get the ball rolling on that part. Plus, they will need to go out shortly after the first of the year. Between work and a trip up north, I doubt there will be enough time to get them done.

Needless to say, though... I'm in love with them!!! The save the date magnets are a complete reflection of our wedding theme and the paper itself is wonderfullnesses!!! I'll post pics shortly!!!

I had a revelation, yesterday, though... Dan and I originally talked about Bears colors for the wedding colors, but didn't think we could do it well... I realized HOW we could have done it yesterday while sitting at Wings and More with Tom and Dan watching football.

I love our invitations, though. I do find it funny that two Bears fans have chosen Packers colors for the wedding, but what can ya do... we have the same combo in the house so I guess it's okay. After all, the paper has already been ordered, so it'll just have to do!!!

I'm off to get some stuff done before Grey's tonight. More than likely, I'll be working on wedding stuff before it starts.

Tomorrow is Friday and the weekend CAN'T come soon enough!!!

Step One: The Big Question...

2009-10-11T12:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I know I'm about 8 months past due in telling this story to MANY different people... but now is better than never.... RIGHT?!?!?!

So anyways... Here goes nothing... The day Dan proposed.

February 2, 2009 (aka - Groundhog Day)
Dan had the day off from work and, being a non-school holiday Monday, I was in my classroom ALL day. I had spent the vast majority of my day dealing with TAKS, math questions, homework that didn't get done, and report card blunders... So when lunch time came, I was ready to bolt out of my room and hang out in the lounge and laugh for a bit!! THEN my phone rang..

Dan wanted to make me dinner (YAY!!!) and wanted to know what I wanted... We all know how indecisive about food I usually am so I'm sure it came as a surprise to him when my first response was TACO SALAD!!! He asked if I needed to get anything from the store or if he wanted me to just go ahead without him. Since I really didn't need anything, I just told him to go ahead and I'd meet him back at my apartment...

Then disaster strikes... one of the other math teachers had gotten sick and wasn't able to run tutorials that night. I agreed to take both nights and went about my day... forgetting about dinner. So I called Dan after school, told him I'd be running late, and that I'd text him when I left school. After the two hours of tutorials, I needed to set up car insurance for my new Jeep (YAY!) and call Chase about a few things... next thing I know it's 6:00 and Dan is calling me wondering where I am...

I hurry up and pack up all of my things, NO WORK TONIGHT..NONE!!!, and headed out to my new pride and joy... I texted Dan and told him I was on my way home but I needed to pay my rent and check the mail before I came inside... After I paid my rent, I turned around and the gate had shut on me, locking me out... so I call Dan and ask him to come let me in.... as he's coming around the corner. (WEIRD... Dan wouldn't leave food on the stove, would he?!?! Maybe he wanted to wait for me...) I get the mail and head back to my apartment with Dan.

When I get inside, it's COMPLETELY dark... and rather warm... so I open the blinds and the balcony doors. On the floor I breifly see red dots and think that I spilled all kinds of juice on the carpet this morning and start to curse to myself for being such a clutz... Then I go into my bedroom to put on some sweats and get ready for my favorite meal ever, taco salad. (Don't judge.. I don't make it like you do.. I make it like mom does, and It's FANTASTIC!!!)

On my bed are two stuffed animals.. No big deal, they're always there... except one has a dozen red roses and the other has a black and silver box. (FREAK OUT 101!!!!) I FINALLY realize what's going on ... (And realize that I didnt spill anything this morning.. stupid, those were rose petals...) and start to get REALLY excited... Then I open the box....

AND IT'S EMPTY!!! (Needless to say, I start to get mad.. if this is some kind of joke, Dan will NEVER live this down....EVER!!!) I turn around with the empty ring box in my hand... and there is Dan, on one knee, asking me to marry him... Of course I say yes and he shows me the most BEAUTIFUL ring EVER!!!! I couldn't have ever imagined a ring like this!!

So yes, we had our taco salad (FABULOUS) and took some time to call all kinds of people. There wasn't a huge ordeal to explain, although in reading this there are a lot of details... I spent the night smiling and looking at my ring. And I took some time to reflect on what had just happened in my life. And there was some kissing... and laughing...

There wasn't a romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant...
My hair wasn't hot...
My clothes weren't sexy...

It was so us, so everyday. So, "Hey, I love you. Be mine. Forever." And for that very reason, it was PERFECTION!!! Yes, I had imagined that moment in my head for a very long time. From the day we looked at rings online. From the day Dan asked what my ring size was. But I couldn't have pictured a day like this... this day was the perfect beginning to our life together. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't overly - hyped up...

It was us. It was perfection.

I am in love with a man. A very good man.
I am planning a wedding. A very good wedding.

And So It Begins...

2009-10-06T12:58:00.000-05:00

And so it begins...

I've jumped on the "wedding blog" bandwagon, rather than creating the ever popular "wedding website" for all of our guests to browse through...

For the most part, though, this will be more for myself in keeping my thoughts together and creating a sort of journal of the next year or so. Between school and planning, I wonder how much of this I would actually forget if I didn't force myself to sit down and actually process my thoughts.