Monday, March 31, 2014

If You Knew Me...

If you knew me, you would know...
 
I love coffee and tea (hot tea, sweet tea, and unsweet tea if I am dieting).
I love pickles (especially fried pickles). Olives too!
Steak night is my favorite, and we have steaks almost every Sunday night. A nice bonus of dating someone in the industry Nick is in!
 
I hate talking on the phone.  I never answer my phone calls. Seriously, just text me I will answer that immediately.
I use baby talk when speaking to our dogs.
I absolutely love being from the South. The slowness you notice isn’t from unintelligence, it’s a slower pace of life.
I have a very hard time forgiving, and have been known to hold a grudge. I am **TRYING** to get better about this, it does not come to me naturally.
I love my best friends like they are my sisters, and try to be there for them no matter the time or place.
I'm an only child. That is probably part of the reason I am so close with several of my girlfriends. I've had the same friends since high school and/or college with a few additions in recent years.
I am excited for:
 Our wedding day!! (26 days y'all!)
And maybe even more so for the honeymoon!
My best friend having a baby in June.  Looks like he will probably be named Jamison. I call him George presently, which is what his five year old sister calls him, or sometimes Dennis after a man we met on my Bachelorette Weekend. The Dennis we met was quite a character, hence my suggestion that the new baby be named Dennis.
Waking up next to Nick for the rest of my life (well, on the weekends as he travels for his job).
Having time, energy, and more funds to get our home more together and decorated after the wedding is over.
Weekends on the lake this summer. I am still a little bitter and feel cheated about all the rain we got last summer. Last year we did not get our boat out once in the month of July because it rained almost every.single.day. Bring on the sun!
And lastly if you knew me you would know I got a little carried away at Pink Sorbet Saturday morning…

..and I really want to go back for the bow belt!
Happy Monday everyone.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Bridal Meltdown

Friday is here, and not a moment too soon!!! I have had a crazy week, including TWO tests, and an unfortunate invitation mishap.
 
 Last night I wanted to go lay in the street and die. I was going to wait for a car to hit me. I was crying having a nuclear meltdown. I learned that my grandmother mailed out my wedding invitations with no return address, no address on the RSVP envelope, and no stamp on the RSVP envelope (although I provided enough stamps for both the invitations and RSVPs).
 
 
But, as sad and embarrassed as I am (now my invitations look redneck), I know am just going to have to say screw it and go on. It is really not what I wanted, and I should have done them myself, but it is done now.
 
I think this serves as a hard lesson for me that if you want something done a particular way, you need to take responsibility to do it yourself. I foolishly gave myself a pass on doing everything myself because I work full time and go to graduate school part time. 
 
 
{Love Sookie and my old job at the Islander reminds me of Merlottes!}
 
I really can't be mad at my grandmother because well, who would be mad at their own sweet grandmother? She was handling them as a favor to me.
 
 I hope your Friday is off to a better start than mine is!!!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Weekend Recap

 We had a great weekend! Friday I was off work for my bridal portraits, and got to sleep in. My Mom came over around noon and we left for Charleston.
 
After hair and makeup, we found some great places to shoot on Lagare St. I was super excited to be on Lagare St. because I've read most of Karen White's Melanie Middleton books. After Lagare St. we went to Battery Park. My digital proofs should be ready tomorrow. I can't wait to see them, and I know it will be difficult to pick which ones to get.
 
My Mom's little dog DixieAnna came along as a bridal portraits assistant.
 
 
We got back to Blythewood around 10 pm, and Nick took us out for Mexican for dinner. The next day my Mom and I went to Michael's and ran some wedding errands. Wedding stuff just getting old at this point. It will be a long time before I want to go in a Hob Lob or Michaels again. I am just ready to have the wedding now! 32 days.
 
Oh, and I guess you've noticed I went back to brunette! Nick never reads my blog, so I can post this pic w/ Jenna's my veil in it. My Mom made this veil for my friend Jenna to wear, and I borrowed it.
 
 
Happy Monday! I am ready to finish this work day and get to pure barre. Feeling like I need to burn off some calories from the weekend.


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Weekend Recap

It's a little late for a weekend recap, but better late than never. This weekend I went to my friend and bridesmaid Jena's bridal shower in Greenville. She is also getting married in April (but is smart and is eloping in Key West!). Her shower was held at Brick St. Café in downtown Greenville and the food was phenomenal.
 
 
The shower was Steel Magnolias themed, and was complete with a red velvet armadillo cake. I am hosting a baby shower with two of Jena's aunts in May and I CANNOT WAIT.
 
Monday was one of the crappiest days I have had in a long time. I was using vacation time to complete some observation hours that are required for my graduate program. I showed up at the high school I was doing the observation at and waited and waited. The SLP I was observing never showed up. Turns out she was at home sick, and forgot that I was scheduled to come. I went on in to work, and was very lucky to be able to get in the hours that afternoon at another facility because an instructor was willing to help me. However, I think I was forgotten about during that observation, and was left for a few hours. Needless to say, I was not in the best mood when I got home. Nick and I went on a date to Moe's and Marble Slab. Nick, our two pups, and Marble Slab made me forget all about the bad day quickly!
 
Love these three.
 
Happy Hump Day!
 


Thursday, March 13, 2014

Midweek Randoms

1. My wedding is in 45 days and I feel remarkably calm.
 
2. I L-O-V-E the bridesmaids dresses I chose! Ours are similar to this, but in light pink. I think the ruffles are really feminine.
 
 
3. I got my mom her very first Lilly Pulitzer item. I got her the Worth jeans and she loves them. Here she is teaching school in them yesterday.
 

4. I CANNOT WAIT until May. I am not taking any classes in Maymester so I can just come home from work and do whatever I want. I am taking two classes this summer.
 
5. I just have to say I LOVE my doctor. I was telling him how stressed out I was about school (now that the wedding is pretty much done), and he was so understanding and accommodating.
 
Have a great afternoon!

 


Monday, March 10, 2014

Bachelorette Weekend Recap

I had an absolutely AMAZING Bachelorette Weekend!! My MOH, Jessie, and her sister Jena (also a bridesmaid) planned my weekend. They did a fantastic job!
 
We had a great group-Jena, Jessie, Ashley, Marcia and myself.
 
 
We started with brunch at Jena's new house. Jena made some wonderful homemade quiches, and naturally we enjoyed several mimosas. After brunch we hit the road and headed to North Carolina. Our first stop was a wine tasting and outdoor picnic lunch at Burntshirt Vineyards. It was absolutely gorgeous! I kept saying what a great place it would be for a wedding, specifically a fall wedding with a chocolate and merlot color scheme. Now one of my friends needs to have this wedding!
 
 
Next we went to Mountain Brook Vineyards. It was both beautiful and peaceful. We enjoyed meeting the owner, Dennis, and the tour he gave us of the cellar.
 

We had dinner in Asheville, and then went back to Jena's house. We put in one of our favorite movies, which several of us saw in the theatre together, and watched about thirty minutes of it before falling asleep.
 
Next weekend is Jena's Bridal Shower, and I am very excited about what I got her! Jena is my bridesmaid who is also a bride, and another expecting a baby in June, so it a very busy and exciting time for us all. 

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Progress!

I am happy to report I have been flying through wedding preparations. There is not much left on my check list to take care of. As a result, I am feeling anxiety free and more like myself. I was super stressed a few weeks ago.
 
Here is my list. I had no idea where to start, so ended up straight up copying and pasting this to do list from a blog and then changing it to fit our needs. I will say I did not find budget worksheets helpful at all, and didn't use one.
 
Set a date
Book venue
Book photographer
Book DJ
Ask bridal party to be in wedding
Book caterer (me) & alcohol (Nick)
Create wedding website 
Register
Book florist
Buy wedding dress
Take engagement pictures
Select bridesmaid dresses
Select and order groom & groomsmen attire (still need ties)
Purchase veil and accessories for dress (doing March 15)
Book cake baker
Hire day of coordinator
Buy cake knife & server
Order save the dates  
Finalize guest list 
Send save the dates  
Book officiant   
Hotel room blocks
Engagement announcement in Anderson Independent
MOB  dress shopping 
Order wedding shoes
Find wedding jewelry
  Order garter
Book hair and makeup
Take bridal portraits (March 21st!)
 hair & make up trial
 
Dress Measurements/ final dress fitting (March 15th)

Order ceremony programs (working on this)
Something to put programs on and/or in
Figure out where I'm getting ready & where Nick is getting ready 
Day of itinerary (email out ahead of time like Stacy did)
Go over itinerary/vendors with Catherine and Blair and Jennifer
Order invitations (working on this)
Mail invitations 
Rehearsal dinner  (Nick)
Buy rehearsal dinner dress 
Order koozies
Order cocktail napkins
Order matches
Buy bridal party gifts 
Bachelorette party (March 8th)
Bridal showers
Order fabric
Take fabric to Deb (already paid Deb in full)
Get dresses from Deb
Get big silver tubs to put koozies in

Centerpieces (thank you Gran)
Order wedding bands 
Put together picture list for photographer 
Get marriage license (!!)
Book honeymoon 
Music selections to CJ the DJ (working on list now)
 Pick out first dance song
Finalize wedding-day timeline
Find easels for decorative sings
Get ring cleaned
Prepare final payments!
Order thank you notes
Walk down the aisle & say I do!
Remember passports!

Wedding announcement in Anderson Independent

Send out thank you notes
Wedding announcements in alumni publications (USC & Coe)
  

Now it really cannot get here quickly enough.
 
Have a great Tuesday!