Feels Like Home....

New Year, New life- New Start!

2012-01-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

At the end of 2012, we welcomed a little baby girl into our lives. It really is the most incredible thing and I adore being a mom! Due to being nauseous most of pregnancy I only gained 15 pounds. It was a huge blessing as I was already overweight and wanted to not have to lose as much afterward. I'm already at pre-pregnancy weight but that is definitely not my end goal.

With the new year rings in all the goals that we all place on ourselves. One of the top of course is always fitness, weight loss or something to that extent. Of course I am no different. But to me, this year is a start of a new life. I'm a mama now. I have to practice healthy habits in the kitchen and in exercise. I need to show my daughter that she doesn't need to be afraid of food but neither does she need to allow it to take over her life. She is in control of her habits and that life is so much better when we're able to live it to the fullest instead of always "what ifs" and "I will whens".

So my "what if" this year will be me in a smaller size of clothes- lookin' good! My "I will when" is now an I did. I did join a gym and I did work out today. Instead of getting upset at myself when I miss a day, I'll just make it the next day. Each day fits into the bigger picture so each day is a step to the goal. I'm so excited to be able to say when I've lost 5-10-20-50 pounds but even more so I'm excited to be able to tell my daughter that if Mama can do it- so can she.

Our Birth Story

2011-12-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

Almost 3 weeks ago our life changed forever with the birth of our baby girl- Sophia. Her due date was 12-18-11 but since we were intending to go all natural we knew it could be about 2 weeks on either side. We were so willing to wait but of course so antsy to meet her! It didn't help at all that she was LOW from about 36 weeks.

A friend of mine had introduced me to the Bradley Birthing Method when we were searching out child birth classes. Of course (if you know me, this is absolutely NO surprise to you), I had done quite a bit of research on child birth, different methods and techniques and our options prior to the class but I felt like it would be a great experience for Joe and I together. As much as I wonder if I really needed the class, I know that it cemented good things into our heads and best prepared us for what was to come. Our Bradley instructor assigned different topics to each couple to give a pro/con and information about. Ours happened to be vaginal exams. Interestingly, very few couples know that this is an actual option. You do not need to start vaginal exams at 36 weeks or really ever. They are not perfect, always helpful or always predictive of how things will end up.

Our hospital OBGYN clinic rotates you through doctors towards the middle/end of your pregnancy so you meet each one just in case your doctor cannot make it. We had 2 appointments left before we went back to our doctor at 38 weeks and decided to not have the exams at either one of these. At 36 weeks they did a quick ultrasound to confirm she was heads down and the doctor commented on how low she was in my pelvis. Again at 37 weeks the next doctor was surprised at how low she was. 38 weeks we were back with our preferred doctor (who really was awesome and a super blessing as she fit us as a couple great), and we decided to do a vaginal exam to see how far I was progressed. The guess that everyone had that baby was low was no joke as she was at 0 station at 38 weeks. I was also 2cm dilated and 90% effaced. This really brought hope that she might come early but I tried not to get my hopes up knowing that she could also come 2 weeks late! My mom arrived just days later for her scheduled trip. She bought an one way ticket to come help me prepare, be here for delivery and help transition into motherhood after. Since it was just a couple weeks before Christmas we finished up our Christmas shopping which really doubled as a great workout and exercise with all the walking!

At 39 weeks I was checked again and was at 3 cm, +1 station and 100% effaced. We were given the option to have a membrane sweep which basically stimulates the prostglandins which help jump start labor (that is IF and ONLY IF your body is actually ready- otherwise you're just uncomfortable for a couple days). Our doctor cautioned us that if it worked then we would be in labor within 24 hours. Again, it was hard not to hope but just wait it out...

This appointment was on a Tuesday and I continued to have cramps that I likened to period cramps until Thursday. Around noon I called L&D and asked how long the cramps should continue and they gave me the heads up that these were contractions and I should start timing them. For the next two hours I did so and realized that they were coming about 1 min apart and 1 min long... We piled everything up and headed to the hospital to get checked out. They confirmed that I was indeed having contractions, that baby was fine but I was only 3.5 cm and they wouldn't admit me until at least 4. Back home we went to wait! In the meantime I took a nap, played cards and tried to relax. The contractions quit for a while so I had a slumping feeling that maybe baby wasn't going to come that night. My sweet hubby decided not to go to work as he had the hopes that baby was going to come even still... Around 10 everyone decided to try to get some sleep, which they did successfully but I started having strong contractions again. After laying in bed for awhile I decided to get up and start timing the contractions. I was having them again 1 min apart and for 1 min long but this time MUCH stronger. After about an hour of them I went upstairs to let my mom know what was going on. She reminded me to have patience and wait (so hard when you just want to meet your little girl!) so back downstairs I went to continue to time the contractions. On my way down the stairs however, I had another contraction. My mind immediately thought of the fact that real contractions happen while in movement and Braxton-Hicks do not. Of course this gave me some hope and I continued to time... About half an hour later I decided to wake up Joe since I had continued to have contractions while I knelt, stood, swayed etc. I wanted him to time me while I took a bath. This really was for two parts- I couldn't get warm and I wanted to see what the contractions did with water. They continued to go strong and at the same rate if not go faster so we decided to wake Mom up and head back to the hospital.

We arrived at the emergency entrance (all others were locked at that time of night) at 2am, filled out paperwork and headed upstairs to L&D triage again to get checked out. They again confirmed that I was having contractions, baby was well but I had only progressed to 4 centimeters which wasn't enough to admit me. After an hour of waiting they They gave 2 options: 1- go home or 2- get a sleeping "cocktail" if you will. This cocktail was a shot of morphine and an ambien to help me sleep in hopes of dilating more. It was real labor at this point so it really was just a matter of time and I couldn't help but think that there was no resting for me with the strength of contractions and that I really needed my sleep. We asked numerous questions about the safety of the drugs and I had Joe help me make the decision. As I told him: "My head is just not clear". We decided to go ahead and get the medication. I'm sure the nurses at this point were probably shaking their head thinking that I wasn't going to follow through with the drug free birth since I was taking these meds. They moved us to an actual room at 3am where Mom settled in on the sofa bed, Joe on cushions on the floor and I in the hospital bed. I was given the medication and tried to relax through the contractions. They continued to be strong and strong enough that I vocalized through each one. Long low oooooo's. In between I would go to the bathroom just from being uncomfortable and feeling like I constantly had to go. Between about 4:30-5 on one of these bathroom trips my water just burst as I was sitting on the toilet. I likened the feeling to a water balloon being popped with a pin. After finishing a contraction I called the nurse who came and checked for amniotic fluid. She confirmed that it was my water and did another check. To her surprise I had jumped to 7 cm. She quickly realized that this was indeed labor and was going to going to happen soon. She gave the doctor a heads up and let me labor. During one of her stops around 5:15-5:30 I told her I felt like I needed to push so she checked and was completely taken aback that I was now at 9 3/4 cm and really could have the baby at anytime. At this point she called the doc and told her to hurry and suited up just in case she needed to deliver. A respiratory specialist was called in just in case since the labor progressed way more quickly than they imagined it could (especially for a first time mom) and I had the morphine only about 4 hours before. The nurse kept having me breath through the contractions in order to resist pushing. It was probably the hardest thing to do and felt like hours even though it was probably only 20 minutes. About 5 till 6 our Doctor came running in. She tied up her hair with a big smile and asked how I was. Within minutes she was suited up and the bed was transitioned so I could push. We had already discussed with the doctor not wanting to push while being flat on my back since it is better to lessen the chances of tearing as well as quicken labor. Within minutes of pushing the doctor told me that she could already see the head and to keep on going. At 6:15 our little Sophia Grace was born. She was able to be immediately on my chest for some loving before being checked out. She had absolutely no respiratory issues and was as alert as could be. We had asked to delay the vitamin K shot and the eye ointment so in the meantime while waiting for the placenta to be delivered and for me to get some stitches (I had torn some) we just got to love on her.

We couldn't have asked for a better crew to work with in the hospital. We had several nurses that weren't assigned to us stop in and check out the "beautiful baby". We were told that she was the prettiest baby in L&D, which of course we are biased and agreed. She was born without a cone shaped head since she didn't sit in my pelvis for long and had the prettiest skin. Even though they were all so supportive of our plan and never once asked if I wanted pain medication everyone was very surprised that we made it without an epidural, Demerol etc. They were never intrusive or rude and just worked with our hopes and wishes. I actually felt very comfortable and relaxed in the environment despite labor pains. They were wonderful helping assist in nursing and teaching me about little tricks and tips which I really believe helped in me wanting to continue even with having to use a nursing shield. Not everyone has this experience in a hospital but we were truly blessed.

Announcing Sophia Grace!

2011-12-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

Sophia Grace was born 12-16-11 at 6:15 am

a perfectly petite 6lb 14 oz and 19 inches

It has been an amazing two weeks with our little baby girl. Who knew your heart could swell so big with love?

Thankful

2011-11-23T19:14:00.000-08:00

I was going to start this out on facebook but the list of what I'm thankful for just quickly grew and grew until I knew where it would end- my blog!

The last year has had its share of downs. We have struggled with where God wanted us, the losses of what seemed to be "the perfect job" for hubby, the frustration of waiting for our baby (we tried for over a year), relationship struggles, being squished in a hotel for 6 weeks among other things... These really don't compare though when I get to thinking all about the ways that God has blessed us this year. We may have struggled with where God wanted us and a job for J but we ended up in a way that couple be described as nothing short than a miracle in a job in Austin with an AWESOME company. We may have waited for over a year but when the stick turned positive so did my angst into joy. We may have had relationship struggles but have found a great church family that we feel is home along with many great new relationships blooming. We may have been squished into a hotel but we found a home that we get to grow into with a price tag of a much smaller home. It was an absolute blessing.

I'm so thankful this year. I'm thankful for:

-My God, I'm never deserving but He has really showered the blessings on us. He has provided beyond what our needs are and loved me beyond measure.

-My husband, he's been nothing but supportive this year. He's been such a hard worker, wonderful provider, excited father to be.

-My baby girl, I had hoped and prayed for her for over a year. I have yet to meet her but she's already completely changed my world. She makes me not only think of what kind of mommy, Christian, role model and woman I want to be but motivates me to be that person.

- My family, I've been so blessed to be in a family that truly loves each other. My parents and siblings have come beside me and completely supported my pregnancy and been so excited to be grandparents in a way that excites me too! I cannot wait to see each and every one of them interact with my baby.

- My husband's family, it's been so different to actually have family nearby and great to get to know them.

- My many friends and extended family, I've really come to see so many relationships in different light this year especially as they come alongside in their excitement about the baby. So many people already love this baby. She's so blessed... I have so many sweet friends that have blessed me this year and so many new friends that I can't wait to get to know better.

-Our dogs, they continuously make me laugh and smile and really remind me about the simple things in life.

- Our home, I never expected a home like this at 23 but am so blessed by it!

- J's new job, It provides for our needs and more as well as provides wonderful insurance, stability and future.

-Military, Especially being a veterans wife, I understand the military life and have a very great and deep understanding for the military family and their serving member. I am thankful that there are members that serve so that we have freedom. There are many that will not be able to be home with their family because of their sacrifices and my appreciation is very deep.

I know there is so much more out there that I'm thankful for that I just can't think of now. I am going to be really making a conscious effort to make every day a type of thanksgiving. We are truly blessed beyond measure as a nation and should live every day that way!

Thanksgiving according to a TCK

2011-11-16T06:21:00.000-08:00

TCK: Third Culture Kid- "someone who, as a child, has spent a significant period of time in one or more culture(s) other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture." This really is a great definition as its what I feel I went through. Spending 9 years overseas really gave me several different cultures to integrate into my own. I couldn't tell you where one part starts or ends, it just is woven into my being. When it comes to a holiday I find that often times I don't celebrate or see it normally.

Fall wasn't a normal fall when the weather was 90 degrees and up every day. There were no leaves changing colors and no raking to do. Pumpkin pie was only in the foreigners grocery store in limited quantity. Even with it being completely different you would still find all the expatriates trying to make it as much like home as possible. Out came the fall decorations and the cookbooks!

Our thanksgivings were never the same each year. We made the classic dishes with whatever we could find imported at the grocery store. The guests would rotate each year depending on who was needing a home to go to or who our close friends were. There were often times some dishes from other countries that other TCK families found to be "home" as well. We never knew what exactly Thanksgiving would entail except for a couple common denominators: lots of food, laughter and friends.

Now as thanksgiving approaches (next week! eeek!) I keep being reminded of how my thanksgiving was different growing up and how I wouldn't change it for the world.

Life is still a choice.

2011-10-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago, everyone in our church was praying for this sweet family. I missed service that Sunday so hadn't seen this in person or heard the whole story. I just knew that a couple in our church was going to be delivering a little baby and within hours was going to have to say goodbye since the child did not have any kidneys.

http://vimeo.com/31201221

As I sat watching this video, I couldn't help but cry. I have a little one in my womb... I haven't met her yet, have no idea what color eyes she will have or hair. What her sweet little nose will look like or what her favorite things will be... But she is mine. God gave her to my husband and I and allowed us to be parents. What an amazing blessing is that? It still astonishes me daily.

Having a psych background exposed me to so many stories of anomalies and differences in personality, attitude and capabilities. Regardless of what our little Sophia will have, she is still my little baby girl. The love I have for her is indescribable and unfathomable.

I know without a doubt that the love I experience for our little one is the same love that this family had for their little Caroline Joy. I think its such an amazing testimony that when faced with the option in July that they could abort their baby or deliver knowing that she wouldn't survive the day that they still chose to give her life. It puts into perspective for me, that we are not in control of who lives or who dies. God is. God created each and everyone of us and placed us in our mothers wombs. He didn't make a mistake. It simply amazes me God can use such a heart-wrenching circumstance to highlight how he will work regardless.

I just pray that I can teach my little one all the amazing things in life... including life itself. I hope and pray that I can impress upon her how important life is and that it grabs at her heartstrings too.

What have we done? A beginners view...

2011-09-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I started to look into becoming a doula... For those that may not know what it is, a doula is a birth coach... They support the mother AND father and help make the birth as comfortable as possible. Typically they support unmedicated and as little medical interventions as necessary. The reason isn't because they just are holier than thou or because they are more hippy but because there is actual research to show how much healthier, usually quicker and satisfying for all those involved. Because I started to look into this I learned a lot and it just makes SENSE!

Now that I am pregnant myself, we're planning a birth based on these things and Joe is quite supportive. He agrees that it makes sense and so we are being active participants in both our pregnancy and planning for birth. We are asking important questions, making sure that we have the right support, and being realistic but hopeful. I'm not going to say that without a doubt I'm not going to have a c-section or medications however I'm going to do all that I can to prepare so that it doesn't happen. I'm preparing mentally and emotionally. I'm being an informed consumer within the medical realm... Not all doctors are just out to get ya but there are some things to be really cautious about. With all this being said... The main reason why this is a blog posting is because it's seriously irritating me with how uninformed, unprepared, and brain washed so many people are when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth. I'm not going to say by any means that I'm a expert in fact I believe I'm barely scratching the surface but why aren't other people even trying to scratch at the truth?

Regardless of whenever you believe the world began, women have been having babies for a long time. Until approximately the 1920-1930's doctors were not the common ones delivering babies, midwives were. The switch became drastic, it went from women that knew about birthing and were actively involved to going to hospitals and literally having babies drug from them. These women in the hospitals were heavily drugged and forceps etc became common in these deliveries. For years this was the common way of birthing until it started changing in the 70's-80's back to women being active participants in their births. My own mother was unmedicated in the late 1980's-early 1990's for my brother, sister and I...

The doctors have changed by far in their approach but still there are certain things that are in common. They are medically trained to fix a problem, ie broken legs, heart attacks, illnesses etc. Childbirth doesn't really follow this guideline. But too often in our society we have begun to classify childbirth into this category. Women can choose to have unnecessary drugs, interventions and even serious surgery aka cesareans. Most women unless they search for answers are not told that these drugs can actually intensify labor pain (pitocin), increase length of childbirth (epidurals), and increase chances of serious long term injury to the mother (both pitocin and epidurals). They're not told that these interventions can lead to infections (vaginal exams), cause more unnecessary procedures (constant fetal monitoring can lead to more cesareans). They're not told that cesareans ARE serious surgery, make it harder for women to breast feed (another topic for another time), don't allow for natural helpful things to happen for the newborn (ie, giving birth vaginally helps expel liquids etc out of lungs and prepare for the world) along with many other possible dangers. These are just a few of what happens within the medical model. DON'T get me wrong. If it means that the baby or Mom are seriously in danger then it makes sense and is the reason why we have these interventions. This is why I believe God has given us doctors and these options. HOWEVER too many interventions happen without cause. Many officials and organizations approximate that the cesarean rate shouldn't be higher than 10 percent however the national average is approaching 36%!!!

Ok, sorry y'all i needed to vent about this. I'm just so sick of hearing these type of comments around my friends "whaaat, they're letting you go another week? They should have induced you LAST week" (that friend just hit the 40 week mark), "more drugs the merrier" etc....

The best things a pregnant woman can do is ASK questions, make sure she's informed. RELAX- how do you expect to give birth to a child when your body is so tense? PREPARE- work out (ok this is an area that I'll admit I should increase), allow your mind to catch up with whats happening to your body... and Don't listen to whatever everyone else says! I was told that I didn't need any child birth classes to just arrive at the hospital and the doctors will tell me what to do... Waiiiiit. So this is like not preparing for a marathon? Who would do that? Please don't get me wrong, I don't think anyone is stupid or won't be their friend because they decide to get an epidural etc not everyone has the information or thinks to do homework on this because its how society has made it. So why are we such informed consumers about everything but not so much this area? What have we created in this society? Women that think that their bodies are incapable and aren't given support but rather fed more information into that they're not able to do it all... I'm not saying that its not going to hurt or that there may be doubts in the mind.. However there are ways to reduce pain naturally and empower women to do what God created them to do... Oh and, WHO says that the baby has to be delivered BY the 40th week?! The average gestation is 41.7 weeks!

I'm going to be giving birth in a hospital, however I am going to child birth classes with my husband and asking my doctor many questions about how she works and believes. We either agree or come to very acceptable middle grounds (for instance, we're going to use fetal monitoring but only for 15 minutes each hour). We're going to labor at home as long as possible and head to the hospital when we're certain that labor is progressing well and are close to birthing our sweet baby girl (we only live 10-15 minutes from the hospital). There ARE ways to use both the medical model and natural in a cohesive way. It just takes patience, deliberation (make sure that the medical team know what you want and that you have good support so that you're not the only one pushing for informed consent during childbirth- husband or mother or doula GREAT for this), and training...

The move.

2011-08-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

Moving about every 2 years definitely had me in the "I have moving down" mindset, or so I thought! The difference was that before, I had my mother! And my mother had a company that paid for GOOD movers to come and do most/if not all the hard work! We were just responsible for making sure that anything we could want in the mean time was separated out.

I didn't expect our move to be a walk in the park, but MAN! was it different!!! I pushed us doing a move without government movers because I had heard horror stories of things getting stolen or broken. I really wasn't a fan of that happening PLUS, I knew we could make some money off the move which would be helpful in the whole finding a place to live situation.

Soon after we found out about the move, I called every type of moving company from you pack it storage containers to moving trucks. After calling back and forth with Penske and Uhaul (which over all seemed to be the smartest idea... the containers were going to cost 6k!) I ended up being able to talk Penske down to match and beat Uhauls price. Penske had benefits too... better trucks, longer time to move and unlimited mileage. We were going to put the Taurus on a trailer behind the truck and I'd drive the Escape while he drove the truck. During a conversation with my madre, aka mom, she mentioned that it was too bad that my brother couldn't help us move. Which got me thinking- what if we bought a one way ticket for J's youngest brother? Thankfully that idea worked out with a reasonable price and he was able to come to help us drive back (which was super helpful especially since I was first trimester exhausted and didn't know it yet.

We had a plan to drive outside of Nashville the first night, Texarkana the second and in the 3rd, but we made good time and ended up huffing it into Round Rock late on the second...

It was quite the drive. Nothing special about it... Just lots of truck stops along the way! But definitely, quite the experience!

The giraffe

2011-08-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

So I know I promised to blog about the move, that one is still coming however I found something tonight that I felt needed to be shared.

It all starts with a sweet baby giraffe toy that looks similar to this one.

From the second we said I do, we got asked when we wanted kids and given plenty of advice on when we should have one... Whether this advice was wanted or not (more on the latter side) we were told we should wait or not wait, how long and just way too much TMI information. We knew that we really wanted to have kids young. We wanted to be the fun parents, able to be involved and play on the playground. Be young when our kids go to college, have babies of their own and almost more so... We wanted to be young when they they left so that we could have a lot of young time together. Maybe sounds silly but we really wanted to be able to enjoy each moment and not just be the parent in an easy chair. Maybe this stems partially from the fact that my grandparents are almost 90 and I never really had any of that with them... Who knows. All we knew is that it's what we really desired. Add onto that fact that we both like kids and it was really a no brainer.

Joe came back from deployment in August of '10 and we just put the baby in Gods hands. In truth we really were hoping the answer was sooner than later. As the months rolled on, I couldn't help getting concerned. I blossomed young and never had any female problems, always thought I'd be "fertile myrtle". We did have some concerns with Joe since he got shocked by about 1200 volts and was around a lot of radiation in the navy, we hoped though since the radiation had been off that things would be ok. More months rolled on and I got more and more emotional (although I always tried to make myself not) when I knew that I hadn't gotten pregnant yet. I remember tears just rolling down my cheeks saying, "God, I would love a baby. A baby would be so taken care of in this family. Why not me?".

A dear friend of our family found out she was pregnant in late fall before her husband deployed and while we couldn't be more excited for them, I still ached for that child. One day we were at target with them and saw a sweet little giraffe that was on the end cap marked down to just dollars. It plays a gentle melody and seemed perfect except for the fact that the belly seams were coming apart. Joe fell in love with it and said it would be for our kid, or maybe for our friend's but either way, "I could fix it right?". I said sure and brought it home and with hope for that one day stitched those seams up.

Months continued to roll by. We were almost at an accumulative year of no news. The sweet giraffe sat in our guest room closet where it would make me smile and tear up at the same time. We thought that we would start looking into adoption, especially since I always did love that idea anyway. Although the science is there, we never really wanted to go heavy into infertility treatment because we didn't want blame to get placed or hurt to happen between us.

Joe got the job and we just figured that maybe it was a good thing that I didn't have a newborn in my arms (or 9 months pregnant) as that would have made the move difficult... Anything to still remain optimistic but really in my heart of hearts I had given it up to God. He knew my heart and if that meant that some sweet orphan needed a home we could give it to him/her... Along with a giraffe.

The move came and went and one day in the car with Joe's mother, she sighed on the fact that she wouldn't have a grandchild in 2011, "Unless you're not telling me something..." We laughed about it but later on counted the days... Somehow in the move, we kind of, well forgot! The next morning I told Joe I wasn't moving from the bed until he got me a pregnancy test and so off to the pharmacy he marched... It wasn't the first I'd taken but hey, I was late! I came out of that restroom absolutely in tears and we both jumped up and down. God had given us our baby! I was overwhelmed.

I hadn't seen that giraffe again until tonight. I unpacked a box and it was sitting on top of everything. I got tears in my eyes. We're going to have a baby to give that giraffe to after all. God just needed to teach me a little lesson about patience and hope, trust and love. At least thats how I see it... Maybe he has some more ideas up his sleeve for me. I'm ready for that though, he really has good plans for this family!

How this all started...

2011-08-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

When we first got married, we were all for staying in the military for 20 years until retirement. Joe had already been for a couple years, we had done the whole dating relationship via long distance and were just ready to do it! Being married is a completely different scenario. Joe enjoyed being home and it slowly began being harder and harder for him to get away (for both of us.) As we thought about a family we knew that it would have to be worth it in order to stay in. Worth it to us meant progressing well, ie either getting into the Officer program or going the LDO way (another way but ending up as officer). We started the long process of applying for the said program and he the bulk ended up happening during deployment which was good and bad. It did mean more stress for him and less time on the phones/emails but it also meant it getting done without taking away face to face time. The door was closed on that program in a way that to me meant that God had a hand in it and something better planned. Because he wasn't going to be able to make officer for years and maybe never due to the low retention rates etc we decided to look outside of the military. Looking at what he may be actually enjoy along with what appreciates military experience over just a degree we started looking into a police officer position. After another extensive process, during the 1st interview round God shut another door. My poor husband had a lot of not so good feelings during these two closed doors but we had to remain hopeful. In February Joe was home early and decided to check out some job boards. He impulsively decided to apply for a job in Austin in the Semiconductor agency and two hours later got a call saying they want him to interview. Pretty amazing! This job ended up being for Samsung and they said they wanted him in May... The soonest we could get out of the military was August! Lots of praying and thinking and finagling and we found a de-manning clause in the navy where he was able to apply and GET an early out! So incredible! Lots of worries and stress involved but we got the job and we're now in Round Rock where Joe works at a stable job, we have a great house we bought and a little one on the way. We're so blessed and can't wait to see where God takes us next, even if they're little changes!

Next blog on the move!

Oh how life changes!

2011-07-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

I so apologize to any that actually cares that I haven't blogged in forever! I do intend to start again but we'll see how long that lasts!

How our life has changed since the last post...

1. J applied for a job on a whim and 2 hours later got a call saying they wanted him to interview. (February)

2. J got the job (in Texas) and was told they wanted him to start in May (he wasn't supposed to get out of the military until September- we kept thinking how is this possible!?!)

3. J was able to go through a "loop hole" if you will and was able to start leave 1st week of April.

4. I quit my job and started the moving process, planning where to live, how to move, put in our apartment notice etc.

5. J's brother flew out to help us make the drive. We put the car behind the huge Penske truck and drove the SUV with hotel bags and dogs as the pilot car.

6. We lived in a hotel for almost 2 months while we found a house and closed on it. We moved in at the end of May.

BUT meanwhile

1. Joe started his job at Samsung

2. AND we found out we were expecting an addition to the family- We're pregnant!

Talk about changes!!! In the upcoming blogs I'll explain more but feel free to ask questions!

What being a military wife means to me

2011-02-22T11:13:00.000-08:00

I've written many different definitions and explanations over the years. This is by far one of the hardest I've ever thought to write. Quite simply the answer could be being a wife to a member serving the country. I think, however, that answer would be given by those that haven't been there. Answers such as in urbandictionary.com (go ahead, search "military wife, I don't have the heart to put it on here) are what many military wives actually face. I've heard "you knew what you were getting into" and so have many other of my fellow military wives. Interestingly enough, I was speechless in January when a man living in my parent's home town was insistent on meeting not only my husband but myself because he wanted to personally thank "US". He put much emphasis on that I serve right along my husband and that the job of a military wife is far from easy. Before we left to fly back to where we're stationed, this man called and left a message on my parents answering machine. This message included a prayer for strength and safety and blessings on not only my husband but the one who was serving next to him: me. This brought tears to my eyes. I had never heard someone say these kind words to me. Sometimes my husband but not me.

I'm not in it for the accolades. None of us are. Trust me, the accolades would not even scratch the surface on making it worth it all. We get asked why we do it... In truth I think for all of us is that the price it takes to be with that individual is worth the cost. We're willing to have our significant other leave us for 6 + months at a time with no visit. Some people have tried to compare deployments to business visits. I can assure you that my spouse does not think of it like that. There is no overtime available first of all. Secondly, the hours are not the same. Most of deployment my sweet husband would only be able to sleep 4 hours a day. Sometimes that was long. Business men get hotel rooms, ours - bunks with 3 inch thick mattresses. Even though they are ugly, paintings are on the walls but on the ship all they see is gray. Oh and the food? Plane food is often more edible.

We're willing to be the other woman. The navy is their first wife. When it bids they must go. There is no possibility of saying no, or later. No sick days. Their schedule can change on a whim. It's normal to have to work 36 hours straight. Not once a lifetime but twice a week. It's a military wife's struggle to abstain from telling someone they don't know what they're talking about when they complain about missing their husband after a couple hours.

We learn another language- military acronyms. We know how to sew on patches or send them off to our favorite shop. Having a power of attorney is a normal thing, so is knowing their last wishes. Their favorite beer is always stocked in the fridge- that is when they're home. Phone cards are steadily filled and refilled and we quickly learn how to connect in a 15 minute max phone call. Sometimes only once a week. Other wives teach us their tricks or tips such as numbering emails because they easily get lost somewhere in the transit.

Any commercial, song, video, news report etc that has anything to do with a service member will have us crying. Patriotism has a whole new meaning.

We become the extra shoulder when the day is tough. Willing to never completely understand or know what they have seen overseas but love them in a whole other way. We are willing to never be able to plan anything. Just being with our spouse has to be enough. Theres very little time for vacations. This was something I learned even before we got married. I knew that there wasn't going to be time for a honeymoon. It's still tough though to swallow jealousy when I hear of other people's honeymoons.

We're faced with the reality of the "real world". Do we leave the haven of "free insurance" (trust me we pay for it in other ways), of no layoffs (as long as you continue to make rank, stay fit etc), of commissary's and NEX's and the dysfunctional military family? People telling you both sides. Do it and Don't do it. "I don't know how you can do it" comes into play again but this time not on how we can maintain a household while not knowing where our spouse is, this time its how to completely change our life.

The answer is always the same though: we do it because we have to.

"God, what is YOUR plan?" leading to... "I'm just on for the ride"

2010-11-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

This week my kick "a" husband is in Austin for interviews for a potential job because next year he will be getting out of the navy. Some history on this is in the last two blogs... He did a ride-a-long with a police department which is good for his applications and also just for his knowledge. He absolutely loved it... It was awesome to hear the excitement in his voice. To know that the future job that your husband may have is one that he's going to love is the best feeling ever.

This morning, I got the worst feeling ever. I got a call at 8:30 from my husband who was supposed to be in the middle of testing. He had to do so many sit-ups and push-ups and a good run. The guy holding down his feet was leaning too far forward and made it difficult for J to complete a situp because he was going to hit the guys head. So because of this, he was unable to go as fast as normal and thus was one less sit up than they required. My husband is in the military and very much in shape. This test was supposed to be no problem.

So we thought.

My husband was upset with himself and of course the stupid guy. He was bummed and was worried of how I would think. I did not blame J by any means but just was astonished that they would disqualify him that easily and would't let him try again. I couldn't believe that this was how it ended because we believed there would be no problem.

We had this all figured out. All planned out. We were overconfident with OUR plans.

So my mind starts running, "Was this not God's plan? What is His plan? What now?".

My sweet mother-in-law put it succinctly, maybe this IS God's plan? Maybe God is sending us in another direction to protect us and he had to use that guy....

So my heart still wonders but the anxiety isn't quite as prevalent. Rather, I'm excited to see what God has in store for us. I know it's going to be big. It's so scary but I'm getting so excited. God is good and man am I glad that I'm not in control! His control is sooooo much better and I know his plan will be too...

So again, just another little piece in this family's saga. This should be super interesting! Stay tuned.

God is in control...A lesson in letting go. Part 2

2010-10-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

After that one phone call question that seemingly changed everything, J and I began discussing our future. Where did we want to be in ten years? What type of people did we want to be? Where did we want to raise our family? How did we want to raise our family? These types of discussions led to another comment. I reminded my husband of a comment about his desire to be in law enforcement and asked if this was still the case. This was the beginning of our new direction. After months of preparing Joe's package to try to do the switch between enlisted and officer and a quick swift door closing in that direction, we were started on another long interview process.

We began thinking, where would we move? We do have have family's in the same state and I have never truly been able to call a place home. We both are not crazy about Virginia and I know my allergies will thank me for leaving so Virginia has never been a real option but rather a last resort. With the decision that we wanted our kids to be raised with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins we knew that Texas or Montana were our first two places on the list. We talked about Montana where my parents are currently residing but how long would they remain there and how was the job market? Did we want to deal with the cold? (Joe had no problem with that last question, but I was a little iffy.) We then moved on to Texas. Did we want the heat? Yep, that was the only real question. All of Joe's immediate family lives within a 3 1/2 mile radius and the majority is within 30 minutes. The job market was good as there are so many different police departments. We also both love the city. So while Joe was still deployed he began the second interview packet. This interview packet included some very personal questions and a lot of digging... I caught myself thinking, man am I ready for this? This was a big change. No longer would I be able to ask: "Do you have a military discount?" (this may seem trivial but it just is a small part of the big military picture.) We would have to pack up, and move our two vehicles, two dogs and (multiplying) belongings over 1300 miles. We would have to find a place to live, I may have to find a new job.. and oh that thing called friends which are finally starting to happen. Yep- gotta leave them again.

In so many ways, it really is like starting all over again. Was I ready for this? Were we ready for this?

While visiting Joe's family in August, Joe delivered his huge (I believe it was like 60 pages) application to the Austin City Police Department. He scheduled his next interview (They go through 2 sets of interviews and then you have to go through the academy) for the first week of November. This interview consists of physical and mental exams. He will have to take a polygraph test! (I laugh at this from the psychology perspective... so not accurate!) We had to buy him a suit and a plane ticket and reserve a rental car. This is a big step! Not only are we trying to get out of the navy but we're putting hundreds of dollars into this interview process.

Can you say trust?

I started doubting and wondering and just being my little worry wort self. Along with this is the question that I think just about any married couple asks. The question of children. I work with kids all day long and as much as some people may think it is great birth control, I just wish I got all the happy moments too.. I get the tears and the naps and the lunch time meal but I don't get the cuddles in the evening and all the laughter and happiness. I can't wait to have that myself. Now that we're married and in a different place in our life I find that we are around a lot of couples with kids. J has gotten the opportunity to hang out with children and see what a blessing they are. We have met a great couple and they've truly become such blessed friends. Their daughter is such a joy and it just warms my heart to see how happy and content J is with her.

Beginning on the wedding day, we started to get comments about when were we going to have babies... Crazy how people start that early huh? We get advice whether we want it or not on starting early or waiting and having kids later in life. We have come to realize how to turn off our hearing for this unwarranted advice and know that in so many ways we will never be completely ready. It's a life changing experience for many reasons. Since we're both family oriented we knew that we wanted kids earlier on in life... The question was just when.

We kept wondering when God wanted us to have kids and started worrying about this and that. My weird and worry wort worries were about adding a kid to the mix of moving. God used my mother in laws blog to speak to me. Her story is one in many ways similar to ours. The young couple decided for her to quit her job and her last day of work she found out she was pregnant with baby #1. It was a lot of finagling and concern about money but God never failed them, their needs and then some were always met. God is truly good and never failed to provide. This hit me hard and by the time I was done reading I had several tears rolling down my face. I kept wondering when would be the right time to have kids and wondered if it was before we left the navy, if it was during the academy or waiting till he was done with the academy or maybe when Joe's career was settled. Everything had its positives and negatives. Mama B's testimony just reminded me that God never failed and no matter having Him in control of the ride was the best place to be in...

I feel like the last year has aged me, but in a good way. I learned some lessons to never forget. God is in control. It's never easy to relinquish control or to assume the back seat. It's never easy to recognize that sometimes our own wishes and goals do not align themselves with God's will. But without a doubt, it is a path worth taking.

I can't wait to see where this path leads. Who knows where we'll be a year from now... Keep yourselves prepared! This family is on the move, and it may be one heck of a ride!

God is in control...A lesson in letting go. Part 1

2010-10-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

Children raised in the church all hear one way or another that God is in control:

"He's got the whole world in His hand..."

They're rightly taught as we're raised that God has placed our parents in control of us on earth and that we need to listen and do as told.

Then they grow up. Many go to college and fight through feelings about what is right and wrong and comparing what their parents taught them to what they want to believe. Usually, they come to their new values, some right some wrong and continue onto their new life with these. Often times, as they grow up they tend to go back towards what their parents have told them (your parents are right after all! { :) } ). These now grown ups have to make their own life decisions based on these values and the goals they want to see in their life. And its never easy.

This is what I'm starting to learn recently. God has humbled me and through many different occasions has used a two by four (or larger) to teach me a hard lesson that I should have just known. But being the hard headed individual that I am, it took a lot for me to let it sync in with my will and my life.

Even before college I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to help people and wanted to help by talking people through problems. In college I got the degree that would help me get to this goal. Of course I wanted a family but I never knew when my knight in shining armor would come around, so it just naturally made sense to start on my own path. I never would have guessed that I had already met my knight and a week after I graduated with my double major in Psychology and Spanish that we would be getting married. I never would have placed myself (although it makes sense) as a military wife and understanding every acronym (or most) that comes my way. I also would never have guessed that my identity would get so caught up with being a navy wife. Commissary, TRICARE, NEX, deployments, rates, benefits, ships, commands, etc are part of my daily vocabulary. I knew I was going to be a navy wife before we got married. I became ok with it. I guess you could even say I became excited for it. For the mission that we may be able to do while being in the service.

Since being a navy wife was first and foremost for me, my job would come second. Since my husband's hours have never been stable and the times he is home is always precious, I needed a career that could work around it as much as possible. Going back to school could have been great but it was not in the budget. So I found a job as a nanny and eventually started my own career as an Arbonne rep.

8 months after marriage, January arrived and J deployed for 7 months. It was less than ideal but I knew we were both strong and would be fine. This deployment opened our eyes in many ways. We realized where our emphasis as a family laid and we knew that we never wanted to have a one parent household with the other one drifting in and out as the military pleased. We both love family and everything it stands for and this just wasn't for us. All of this came about in a single question I asked my dear husband one cross global phone call: "Do you like your job?". J had signed up for 6 years and we're now past the 5 year mark. We have 1 year to go and this is the crunch time where we either sign up again or we find a job.

So with all this back ground being said, this is where God has taught me so much. I know regardless of what the end result will be, these times will be so pivotal for me. I have learned more than ever, I am such a small being in God's huge world. And HE is in control.

Part 2 to follow...

Months down... About a month to go.

2010-06-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

Best intentions hmmm. Yep I had the best intentions to begin my blogging debut big time while J was gone but did that happen? Well, just look back at the blogs and you can see that this didn't happen. Go me! HA.

The good news however is that we're down to a little more than a month left before the hubby comes back. I can NOT wait! I have this weird idea that even though I know he's not supposed to come back till August that he is just going to walk up the sidewalk any second now. I had this feeling this morning and even though I had just talked to him I still hoped that this was going to happen. My head knew the truth but my heart hoped otherwise.

This fall J will be in the navy for 5 years and only have one left. We're trying to see what our next step is since one door just got slammed shut. We know God has something out there for us but not sure if its within the navy or outside. It's not easy to start talking about this while he's gone and I can't wait for him to come home so we can really lay out the options and pray together.

Scary Things = Reminders that hubby is deployed

2010-04-17T17:01:00.001-07:00

You know your Saturday isn't going to be good when you wake up to hearing your dog barfing in her kennel. As I went closer to investigate, I realized how sick my poor Charlie was... For those that haven't met Charlie, she's a one year old lab mix and is about the most hilarious active dog ever! She is always bouncing around and ready to attack your face with kisses. So when I opened her kennel door and had to coax her out instead of her usual racing out I knew even more something was wrong.

If these were the only symptoms then I wouldn't have been too worried, but along with her being extremely lethargic were two cases of explosive diarrhea of which one was red. Yeah no good. The vet didn't have an appointment, and I only had 5 hours until they closed. I was told to drop her off and they would look at her in between appointments. I know I'm going to be a worrisome mom, because this got me so scared!

Now, I'm just waiting for a third thing to happen, bad things come in threes right? At the same time of me dealing with a sick dog, I also was told that my grandma was in the hospital. She wasn't feeling well last night, and as a result my grandpa and grandma stayed up and at 2am, it sounds like she fainted off her chair. I am still waiting to hear about her test results. All prayers are highly appreciated... My grandparents are almost 90 and still live at home. Health issues are starting to become more and more debilitating and my need to move into an assisted living facility. I know it may sound silly, but I've always wanted my grandparents to meet my children, and although I've started to realized that they probably won't meet all of J and my future kiddos, I still dream of them meeting our first (no this is not a confession, no bun in my oven yet!).

Thankfully, Charlie is back home with me and laying at my feet. She hasn't eaten much but is drinking a little water. They couldn't figure out what was wrong with her but gave her some antibiotics, anti nausea and nutrition shots. She's doing better and I'm hoping to see my little spunky black kiddo when I see her in the morning!

These moments are moments where you realize maybe more than you had hoped to that your spouse was deployed. These were moments were I had realized that I was going to have to be strong without J. I didn't know when he was going to hear about Charlie, or how he was going to react, or when I was going to be able to speak to him... All I wanted to do was crumble and have him hold me and tell me it was going to be ok. So not easy.... People have told me time and time again, during deployment you realize how strong you really are. It is so true.

Home Sweet Home!

2010-04-01T09:04:00.001-07:00

After two long weeks and a plane trip from hell I am home! It was wonderful to spend some great time in Montana with my family and enjoyed laughter, healing moments and sweet memories. It may take me some time, so bear with me but I look forward to share these with you in the hopes that they will make you laugh, smile or uplift your spirits.

I left with snow on the ground and showed up late last night so didn't get to see the weather here but when I woke up, I saw GREEN! Beautiful beautiful green grass and Spring!

Also folks, today is the first of April which means one more calendar turn towards the return of my husband! I can't wait!

Enjoy your first bite of April and laugh at those April Fools jokes!

Lawn mower? Mowing Lawns... UHHHH

2010-03-09T18:02:00.000-08:00

In between my junior and senior year, I was able to travel to Honduras to visit my cousin and her little family. Holly met her husband Alex on an educational mission trip and he is the youth pastor of a church in Tegucigalpa. I was able to create it as a family trip but also as a missions trip.
ANYWHO
One of the things I was able to do while I was there was help translate with another mission trip group. This group was from my cousin's home church that helped support the church in Honduras. One of their church support practices is to introduce the mission group members to the church family so that they get a face to face interaction with the people they support. My cousin Holly had to organize these dinner get-togethers and arranged for there to be a translator with each group. They ended up needing me to be a translator. I hardly was able to eat because I had to listen to the English and the Spanish at the same time and be able to translate. I was able to manage just about everything
THEN
one of the young men tried to explain what he does for work during the summer. He mows the lawn. I'm sitting there trying to rack my brain for the word for mow, grass or just about anything that can help give a explanation or translation. My mind is going through any synonym or word that can explain. I'm thinking green, outside, summer, and then start making noises and demonstrating what exactly I'm talking about. I even stood up and made hand motions demonstrating that a lawn mower does this... Both cultures were very amused as I'm struggling to come up with the word...
Now I know exactly what it is so that it will never be nerve wracking and embarrassing again.
Cortar el césped

About US!

2010-03-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

I happen to love these type of things... They get me hooked and heck while I'm loving on my fruit smoothie I will complete it! Recipe to follow... MMMMM and so healthy!

1. What are your middle names?
-- Christine and Christopher no joke!

2. How long have you been together?
--2 years in June.

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
--6 years

4. Who asked who out?
--He asked me out about 5 years ago but I turned him down. It just kind of clicked one phone call in June.

5. How old are each of you?
--I'm 21 and he's 24

6. Did you go to the same school?
--Nope

7. Are you from the same home town?
--Nope

8. Who is the smartest?
--We are smart in two different ways. J is incredibly smart in science and maths etc. I'm more of the english, languages, emotion smart!

9. Who majored in what?
--I was a psychology and spanish double major and J doesn't have his degree yet but he did a electrician apprenticeship

10. Who is the most sensitive?
--We both are, he hides it more.

11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
--Our pseudo honeymoon, we drove from Montana to Virginia.

12. Who has the worst temper?
--HMM... I think I have more little flairs but J has the bigger ones

13. How many children do you want?
--I love kids, keep them coming but we've agreed on 5 tops.

14. Who does the cooking?
--Mainly me!

15. Who is more social?
-- That one is so easy, I am.

16. Who is the neat freak?
--We're both fairly similar to where its not a huge deal but we do like to clean together

17. Who is the most stubborn?
--Ha! Both of us!

18. Who wakes up earlier?
--J typically but when he doesn't have to work then I definitely do.

19. Where was your first date?
--I'm trying to remember... Can't really recall... Maybe my Birthday dinner at Ferrano's. Oh the trials of a long distance relationship.

20. Who has the bigger family?
--J does, he's one of 6 siblings and all of them but one are married now!

21. Do you get flowers often?
--no, I told him that I wasn't crazy about cut flowers. Why? I don't know... I'm crazy sometimes. I do love them actually

22. How do you spend the holidays?
--We're trying to do one year with his family and one with mine. Last year he came to MT to meet my family and this next year we're going to be there again but we're going to see his family in the fall.

23. Who is more jealous?
--I think he is.

24. How long did it take to get serious?
--Immediately. I wrote in a journal less than one month later that I loved him and couldn't wait to be married to him.

25. Who eats more?
-- Very debatable.

26. What do you do for a living?
--I am a stay at home wife and work for a couple families as a mommy's helper.

27. Who does the laundry?
--Me.

28. Who's better with the computer?
--Me.

29. Who drives when you are together?
--He does

30. What is your song?
--We don't really have one. We danced to Feels Like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk for our first dance but we have such different musical tastes so he doesn't like to listen to it. HA!

True Story Tuesday

2010-03-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's already been another week! They're flying by!!!! I feel like doing a fist pump yess!!! This means that deployment is also flying by and that is fantastic news.

This week's true story takes place about 11 years ago in Shanghai, China. My family had just moved to China and in normal moving fashion we were living in a furnished apartment until all of our furniture arrived on the slow boat to China (quite literally!) My parents had left for a work dinner and my siblings and I were at the apartment with an old family friend, who is also like a big sister to me. She had actually moved to Shanghai before we had and it was wonderful to have her there for support while we lived there. My brother and I got the wise idea to tie on our roller blades and slide around the very slippery wood floors of the apartment.

Now, if you don't know me or don't know me well then you do not know that I am the biggest klutz ever! I will walk into a wall or trip over my own feet so the fact that I was wearing really nice and fast roller blades and newly waxed wooden floors was a horrible idea. Add to this first horrible idea was the one where somehow tag got started with a ball. My brother was throwing a ball at me and one throw hit me on the back of my leg at a reflex spot. Instantly I was down with my right leg underneath me and I was screaming in pain. Our family friend came running and I kept saying it can't be broken it can't! I had broken my right arm less than 2 years earlier... We were able to get the boot off after a long lengthy process of slowly pulling and stopping because of the excruciating pain. I was only able to make it to the doorway of the closest bedroom and fell asleep. My parent's woke me up and got me into bed where I spent the rest of the night watching movies because I just couldn't sleep.

The next morning, I got sat on an office chair so that they could wheel me to the elevator and then downstairs to the waiting car. We were then off to the Expatriate Doctors office. After a miserable time getting my leg x-rayed (the technician kept pulling my leg in horrible positions) I was told that my leg was broken. Not just broken mind you, but broken with a spiral fracture! The doctors couldn't set this because it required surgery. My leg was temporarily set in a fabric cast so that I could get on a plane to Hong Kong. I got wheeled straight through the metal detectors and carried onto the plane where I caught up on some sleep. Once reaching Hong Kong, the taxi took me straight to the hospital so I could get two pins placed into my leg...

What an adventure! In one of the other true story Tuesday blogs, I will let y'all know about how recuperation and surgery to get the screws removed felt!

Wonderful Giveaway!

2010-03-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

Hello Fellow Bloggers! Especially for the military ones... There is this wonderful blog I follow and she's doing a giveaway! It has actually been an item that I was thinking of buying.. So please! go check her out and maybe become her fellow blogger.

AWESOME GIVEAWAY
(click here)

Following Christ and Listening to the Call

2010-02-28T16:36:00.000-08:00

Today, both the Sunday school and the pastor's sermon had something to do with following the call as you listen to Christ. It got me really thinking about what could be my call. I specifically recall a conversation I had with my father at a restaurant before I began dating J. We had discussed how that I felt a certain calling in my life to the military. My dad recommended for me to get into the Peace Corps, since of course he wanted his baby girl to be safe and use her education. Soon after, J and I started dating and I had an AHA moment. It made sense that by being J's wife, I could also be serving my country. There was another side that I had forgotten about till today. How do I serve God with this also? I had mentioned to J awhile ago about a type of ministry that I don't see much of but it could definitely be used. J had told me about how hard his early days of military were, with not having a place to go and working through so much. Many military men join the military to run away from bad circumstances or no circumstances. I told J that I would love to make our house a place where they felt comfortable and could learn about Christ. More than this, I would love to have a mission to the wives. I would love to have a mission also with the wives.

I would love to hear y'alls opinion on what you think could be the best way to do this, what is most needed and what you needed at some point of your life....

Also, what is God calling YOU to do?

True Story Tuesday

2010-02-23T17:23:00.000-08:00

I had gotten this idea from a blog I follow... If you want a good laugh then please go read hers... too funny! I'm going to try to do it every week in an attempt to actually be better as a blogger! Thanks for being patient with me y'all...

When I was a sophomore in high school, my parents hosted "Final Friday Parties". On the last Friday of each month we had friends over and would do all sorts of crazy funny activities. My parent's wanted us to have a drug and alcohol free location where we could be ourselves and feel comfortable to invite friends. Somehow my brother and I came up with this interesting game with Saran wrap. We hunted down a costco size roll and at the next party put it to use. We wrapped eachother up from shoulder to mid calf and would have wars.

(This is actually me, in my saran wrapped glory)

The purpose was to knock each other over but you had to make sure to have at least two unwrapped people to each wrapped since you would have no center of balance and flop over and can't get back up! So after several matches we decide to walk down the road just for kicks. As we walk down a soccer mom stops and asks if we need help. She thought we were intoxicated. Soon after that, one of my friends fell over but because of her large bust her nose didn't even touch the asphalt. This was just one of my many hilarious and fun experiences with Final Fridays!

Husband is Deployed Awareness Day

2010-02-14T12:45:00.001-08:00

hello, my husband is deployed awareness day. I royally hate you. Next year, I'll love you but this year... Can you please go away with all your pink and red and lovey dovey goodness? With all your radio station "I hope you dance" type songs and all the cute couples getting dressed up for dinner... Just go away day.

The toughest job

2010-02-05T17:11:00.001-08:00

Being a navy wife.. It's the toughest job in the navy.... We have to be strong for them. I started watching army wives and they said something that really hit me. We have to be strong for them because if get shaken and if they can't perform their job because they're worried for us then not only is their life at stake but so also is our country. This is why it is so tough we must hurt but be strong. Love but let go. Get but give big.

In the meantime...

2010-02-04T16:43:00.000-08:00

While the man is gone, I've realized that this is the last time in my life that I will be alone for this amount of time. Next deployment we will have a family most likely and then we'll have retirement so I'll never have this much time again. So I figured I should take advantage of this time! Do what I need to do! One thing is losing THE weight. I lost 30 pounds in highschool (see picture- THOSE are my skinny days! ;)

(My brother and I, Austin Texas in 2004)
Then I got to college and believe me you, the freshman 15 are not a lie! Second semester freshman year I got mono and had to deal with the weight gain that it caused. I was able to manage it for awhile but because of all that I managed during my last two years of college my body was inhibiting weight loss. After getting married, the adjustment took me for a little loop and I had to finally put the foot down on the desire to give Joe whatever type of food he wanted! So with all this being said... It is time!

So what workout and weight loss tips do y'all have?

Lonely

2010-01-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

The past week has flown in some ways but I feel like its been so long since I heard the key turn in the door and "Honey?" I miss my other half so much. I feel the most lonely at nights and on the weekends and since its both the night and weekend, its the worst. I don't know how to explain the feeling... like there's a hole in my heart... J has also been super busy so the emails aren't quite as long as I'd like but then again they will never be long enough?
I haven't lost it and just cried since last Thursday when he left, but I just did... I miss my other half.

I miss his presence. I miss his smile. I miss his voice. I miss his laugh. I miss his touch. I miss him.

Getting back on the horse, so to speak...

2010-01-24T17:43:00.001-08:00

I have a confession. I'm a follower of Christ but I haven't been following as much as I would like... I've failed at keeping that relationship with Christ going! Now, I'm ready to go for it! I'm so passionate for God and I can't wait to keep going in my walk with Him.

Church was awesome today! I learned so much in both church and sunday school... One thing that hit me in church was a huge conviction on how my heart isn't passionate enough for God. I remember how I once heard that God wants a hot or cold heart not a warm one... Recently, I would classify mine as warm but I have so much passion for learning and growing that its getting hot and I couldn't be more excited about it! Pastor Eric said some great things... One was that just showing up at church and going through the emotions aren't enough for God, our heart is the most important thing! I have always known this, but today it hit me.... Does my heart beat for the pleasure of God? This was all stationed around the passage of Genesis 4 with the story of Cain and Abel... They both had very good offerings to God. Both the fruits of the soil and the fat of the firstborn (Gen 4:3-4) were even in the mind of the Lord. So why was Cain's not good enough? Because of his attitude! The Bible says that God looked at them and THEN their offering... Cain's heart wasn't in the right place. I am so often guilty of that.

Pastor Eric then went on to talk about sin. I know I sin, I know I'm wrong often and I think many know that as well... We're not perfect, we all fail. How often do we think about our response to it? Not only do we need to have a passionate heart for God but at the same time we need to rid ourselves of the sin in our life. We need to adjust to Gods word, and rule over that sin! Sin sits at our door, feeds on our selfish desire, leads us to hide and deny it and act like its not there and it results in death! (James 3:14-15 and James 1: 14-15)... "Pride is self-seeking on steroids" (Pastor Eric). Who wants that? Definitely not me!

In Sunday school we talked about something that may be true in the not so distant future... Being good Christian parents. That we need to set an example for our children and not just tell them but SHOW them... Its walking the talk! With everything else that had hit me in church, this also hit me in that who do I want to be for my kids? I want to be passionate and understanding, loving and respectful, I want to be recognizing my own faults and dealing with them.

What a growing day!

The little reminders...

2010-01-23T17:58:00.000-08:00

I'm used to J being gone on underways... In some ways, it has gotten to be very normal. A couple days here, a couple days there, a couple weeks here is the norm in the military. With this being said, it was very surprising about the emotions that I've been having. It's the little things that get me... However I have noticed that its a love/hate relationship in that I also love them because it reminds me of him and gives me a sensation of his presence! The little things that usually irritate me while he's here are now things that I wish would happen every day because that would mean he was here! You know, like the pair of underwear on the bedroom floor or the beer bottle caps that didn't quite make it to the trash can. I love that there is shaving cream in the shower, pictures on the way, loving touches that we've done together... because it means it's a sign of him being here even though he isn't. I love that when I opened a kitchen cabinet today I saw the the Vanilla Infusion that Joe and I put together before he left... It's a bottle that he gave me for Christmas with vanilla sticks that you add vodka to, and then wait 6 months to use it as a vanilla extract (i believe). We're going to wait one extra month to use it and that means that he'll be home! I cannot wait!

While J's gone, I have some challenges and expectations to accomplish!
1) Further my relationship with Christ
2) Further my marriage with J
3) Lose weight
4) Get my business with Arbonne going
... amongst other smaller things!!!

While I was working out yesterday, I watched a bit of a discussion with Obama at a college... -I'm not a Obama lover, I voted for McCain- He was talking a lot about health-care... What do y'all think? I'll post more about this next time!

Numbness is gone, reality set in...

2010-01-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

The last week has been one big week of chaos! J had some alignments to do in his division that he had to do in the evenings so he was switched to the evening roster.... They allowed for him to be duty free since his days would be so off anyway which was a huge blessing! We had the days to get things done that we had needed to do for forever and a day! Thankfully this also worked out perfectly since he was supposed to have duty the day before deployment (yesterday). However, as the time came to a close, of course the plan had to change as well... Someone on J's division told chain of command that the alignments were done (which they weren't) and then they pulled these guys off of the evening shift... So of course what does that mean? They throw him on duty and we have no clue if I will be able to spend any time together before he leaves. AHHHH! He was able to come home for a couple hours before watch so he could help me finish packing for him! At 7pm he sent me a text and said, I'm coming home! Pick me up at 9:45! YAY! Being able to spend the last night with him was the most incredible thing ever... Just to see him, and hold him, to smile at him and laugh with him... to cuddle and to sleep knowing that I had a short amount of time made me completely enjoy every second!

We got up at 5:15 so that he could be on the ship at 6am. I grabbed Skip-bo on the way out thinking that we would need to keep things light-hearted instead of freaking out and talking about the impending deployment the entire morning. The Captain allowed for civilians to be on the ship till 9 am and the ship was scheduled to pull out at 10am. Finally at the call for Civilians to leave the ship we walked out and the reality of why I was there started to set in... The wives were crying all around us and it made me tear up as well. Before we wanted to let go, the call for the sailors to go back on the ship happened and we had to say our "see you later's". One of the worst things and best things ever was to watch him across the edge of the pier as they took forever (1 hour) to get the ship ready... We were able to talk a little and I tried to be strong by making faces and making both of us laugh... I realized in the last couple days more than ever how much I LOVE my man. He's the most incredible person and he's proved to love me more than I could ever expect. He made my heart melt last night when he told me that he never thought that he could love me more than he did when we started dating and that he's fallen more in love with me every day. The feeling is so very very mutual... I know so sappy right?
I watched as the ship left and as my husband's wave got smaller and smaller... I then transitioned to the other side of the base so i could watch them leave... In some ways it was difficult, in other ways I'm glad I got to see them leave. It will be so neat to see the ship pull back in from the same direction that they left... Lets just fast-forward these months shall we?!
I was able to drive myself home (I had arranged for a girlfriend to pick me up if need be)... Then i pretty much crawled into bed. 2 hours of watching the ship leave in very cold weather made for a very frozen Sara. I was so completely numb that one of my best friends had to remind me to eat... After I finally ate, I realized how hungry I was!!! (It was 5pm and I hadn't eaten since 6 am and I'm a 3 meal a day person). With my belly full of food, the numbness disappeared and the reality sunk in...

I'm trying to be so strong. I am married to one of the most amazing men ever and am so blessed!!! I can't complain about him being gone when I have him the rest of my life. I will be strong, I will be strong! (The little engine that could...)

The countdown is almost over...

2010-01-17T14:13:00.001-08:00

...and I'm going to have to say "goodbye", or rather "see you later". I know I'm made of tough stuff but this is where it gets tested. Within a week I will be saying goodbye to the love of my life for 7 months and it still scares me. We have so much left to do but thankfully have been enjoying some wonderful time together. I will miss you so much J!

Bear with me until I can post again.... There will be many more later on as I will be alone.

This and That

2010-01-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

A couple posts ago, I mentioned that J and I will be a first time Aunt and Uncle... We couldn't have been more excited... Now we couldn't be even more sad for his brother and sister-inlaw, they lost their baby... I can't even imagine what that may feel like. I know that lots of people go through it especially during the first trimester but I cannot help but hope that it is one loss that I will never have to go through. Please say a prayer for them if you would... It is a very difficult situation.

I'm trying to keep it all together these days... Many wives have told me that when the deployment is impending it is very easy to snap and allow little things to be big things... I am aware that I also fall into this category and being aware does help because then I'm aware of how I'm reacting (or over-reacting ;P) In many ways I want time to just stand still but in others I want it to fast forward with quite high speeds till August... I have decided though that the way for me to get through this is to make it "my time". I may never have this time again and I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts... I'm going to put my health on the top of my priority list, but not before God. He is my number one!!! I want to grow leaps and bounds in the next 7 months. "I want to know you, I want to hear your voice, I want to know you more"....

Christmas "Spirits"

2009-12-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

J like the typeical Sailor he is, has enjoyed his fair share of bar nights both in the US and overseas. Since we've gotten married those have become quite rare however we do still enjoy a nice cold one (or ones). One thing that we are both looking forward to are finding some new little fun drinks to enjoy! We recently bought four of these fun martini glasses and tried our first drink in them last night....

DELISH! It's called the "Diddy" and its so simple and smooth!

1 1/2 ounce vodka
3 ounces lemonade(we used minute maid)
shake on the rocks and pour over lime wheel

What are your favorite drinks?

The good things in life...

2009-12-19T08:01:00.000-08:00

I'm that happy go lucky, very optimistic, crazy smiley type of person. That person that usually doesn't visibly show that she's sad or frustrated or stressed.... My dear husband on the other hand, can tend to look more on the pessimistic side. His job is very stressful, and as those in the military or with military experience know, its never just a job... its your life! They own it! On the days that he has duty or he's just run down, he tends to also see everything that is bad. I asked him to tell me 10 things that were good... They were hard for him! We get to the point in our upset pessimistic mind where we don't want to see anything good... When he finished with them. he began to realize that life wasn't so bad!

During the month of November, I hopped on the lets be thankful every day on Facebook. Sometimes it was easy and sometimes it was very very hard. But it taught me that even when I think the world is out to get me, its not... That I really do have everything I need- and more!

I still try to sit back and think about the good things we have and I encourage you to do the same. Remember especially during this holiday season but also during every part in our lives, that we do have so much to be thankful for. A home, a roof over our heads, plenty of food, indoor plumbing, dogs, a husband, clothing, a christmas tree and ornaments, presents under the tree, tv, freedom, God, love, family.... I can keep the list going...

One huge thing I'm thankful for! J and I are going to be a first time aunt and uncle! This baby is going to be so loved!

It's Christmas Already?

2009-12-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

I'm sure many have a story very similar: They want to have the wedding in a specific month but family members want another month.. One side wins or some kind of compromise ensues... The month I wanted was May or June and my parents wanted more time to prepare and would have preferred August or September. J and I have now been married 7 months as of yesterday.

Another similar story for many... This is the story of the military. Even though they may have a pending deployment that will take them away from loved ones for 7 months, the ones in charge set up many "underways" (short little bouts out to sea). If I were to add up all the underways that we have had this far J and I have been apart 2-3 months. There is no way to say it but that it just purely stinks! The fact that we got married in May however, provided extra time together before the deployment... Invaluable time.

Take these two things along with one last thing... an impending deployment and you get reality. J will deploy during the last part of January. Specific songs do get me teary eyed and so do movies, pictures, stories... all right- anything can get me emotional! The reality is setting in that in one month I'm going to have to say goodbye.

As we prepared for Christmas season, I was really excited! I LOVE Christmas and so does J. We are like two kids... in fact as we went to pick out a Christmas tree I actually caught myself skipping! We picked up a countdown decoration.. We get to turn the spinner each day till Christmas. It's a lot of fun, and I can't wait for Kids one day to join in... However, now I pass by that countdown and realize that the countdown till deployment is getting lower as well.

My Christmas spirit has dampened. I wish it could freeze in these next two weeks forever. I wish I could have the time with J and the dogs. The good times with the new Wii, making breakfast together, decorating the tree, going to the dog park, snuggling, all are times that I wish would never end.

But I'm determined. I want to have a wonderful Christmas, make memories... We need those memories to make it through till next August. I'm also determine not only to make it through deployment but to conquer it! We will be successful!

There are three things that last: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love. - I Corinthians 13:13

2009-12-14T04:52:00.000-08:00

The Beautiful Story of Our Day...

Getting Ready:

I enjoyed getting ready with my closest friends and family...
These people have blessed my life immensely.

As a gift to the bridesmaids, I made each of their identical necklaces and earrings...

After searching for bridal jewelry, I decided to make my own...
Hopefully before long these can all be a part of a company that I would like to start...
I'm thinking about calling it Sassafrass after what my hubby calls me.

My bracelet actually came from one of my best friends and bridesmaids. L gave it to me a couple years ago and has been something special to me. It was neat that it coordinated so well.

I wanted to take the get ready photos somewhere fun and different...
My parent's rental cabin was being used by family members in town for the wedding, but it just made it for more of a family centered event as we finished getting ready there.

I was so excited! I loved this time with everyone and our photographer was a blast to work with as well.

Bridal Portraits:

I was having a hard time letting loose as you can see from the first couple photos
however soon I was able "let my hair down" and couldn't stop laughing and having fun!

I had decided that it was going to be too expensive to have someone come do my hair (they would've had to travel 1 hour one way) and too far for me to go! SO I had decided to figure something out... However after many failed attempts I was worried about how it would turn out... One of the bridesmaids did her hair BEAUTIFULLY! and I asked her to do mine... She did! She should go professional... I'm blessed...

We put together the bouquet in the morning before getting ready... The berries actually came from a dollar store! You can find things anywhere!

More pictures to come.. I have so many that its difficult to pick from! All thanks to two wonderful photographers... Ginny Emery at wanderingalbatrossphotography.com and Kelly Kirksey http://kellykirkseyphotography.com.

Lost in time it seems!

2009-12-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

Months have gone by haven't they?! I kept meaning to post, but found other things more distracting... However, I've been really wanting to start up writing again, maybe even finish some stories I've started. That would definitely be quite the day. So here I am again! And I think better than ever! I love how my life has changed even though it may not be exactly what I have expected. I would not exchange or alter it for anything.
An overview which will be extended in blogs to come:
- J and I have been married almost 7 months! I can't believe how time has flown.
- We have two puppies that we have added to our family this summer... We got Charlie as a rescue in June. She's a Lab mix... We were looking but not sure if we were ready to add more chaos but when we saw the photo of Mack, a Brittany Spaniel, we just couldn't resist and I am so glad. He is the sweetest thing and just adds so much!
- I work as a part-time nanny now! I'm not sure when I'll go back to school (however I did get accepted into Liberty University's masters program for Family and Marital Counseling), or get what some people would say is a "real job". For now, a real job is one that will allow me to be with my husband when I can...
- I am the Vice President for J's ship's Family Readiness Group... It keeps me busy and I love the people that I meet!
- J is busy as the ship prepares to stand-down for Christmas and deploy shortly thereafter. He's been out to sea much since we've been married but I think its a good warm-up!

So please let me know if anyone is still reading this and I hope y'all enjoy.

To wet your appetite...

2009-06-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos to wet your appetite.... The rest are will be sprinkled about...
I got to do a fun bridal portrait where some of them where similar to a trash the dress session. I absolutely loved it! All the photos have turned out spectacularly! Both the photographers involved are highly recommended... They both love to travel. So check them out:

Ginny at Wandering Albatross Photography
and
Kelly at Kelly Kirksey Photography (where you can see more photos of mine here...)

And the aftermath....

2009-06-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long hasn't it ladies? I always told myself that I would catch up on it and actually post in the mean time. But how the heck do you newlyweds do it?! I graduated from college, moved, got married and moved again within a span of two weeks. Yep, not much time there! I will start sharing my thoughts and feelings on the matters in the days to come. Now that I'm a new navy wife with a husband who works 11 hours a day, I have some time on my hands.

Finishing College!!!
It really was a bittersweet moment. I decided not to walk because I just had way too much on my plate. Wait really? Is graduating, moving, getting married and moving again enough? yah. Those are my thoughts too. For those that don't know, I graduated with a double major in Spanish and Psychology. I had both senior theses my last semester so yes there was a lot of writing and editing and more writing. Perhaps that is why blogging became the last thing on my mind. Again, the 30 page psych thesis and 15 page spanish thesis (yes in spanish) was not enough. I did have more classes which also had more writing required. This is not to mention the many wedding planning things I had to do or the packing that happened in the mean time.
This is how I felt in the middle of it all:
Packing!
Since many times my head was like the reference you can only imagine what my bedroom looked like! I decided that until I had actual time, real picking up was not going to happen. I knew that it would take waaaay too long to catch up and I needed to focus on school first. So getting to actual packing was intense. The day that i finished with all papers, tests etc both my mom and my brother came to help me out. We were able to get a good girls dinner in before the fun began and able to finish all of it in less than 14 hours including sleep.

So I finished college in three years. In three years, I graduated from high school and moved from Asia to Michigan, finished my first year at a private college in dutchville Michigan, moved to Montana where I went to school for a straight two years no break; after which I got married and moved to Virginia. In three years I grew up; I found my dream. In three years I learned many of life's hard lessons. In three years I became myself. I found who I was and stuck to it. In three years, I lost the layers. The layers of what could be fun, of what I would love to be. I lost the layers of who I really wasn't and peeled myself back to the layer of who I really am. In three years, I fought what I was taught and struggled through what I was told. In three years, I went through heartache and tried to love someone that I never should have. But through that heartache I found a new side of myself. I found a self that was strong and could push through the impossible. I found a self that could. This could self was the self that finished in three years. This self was the self that tried to push through for years. That was underneath all the layers. And in three years I became ready. I became ready to date the right man. I became ready to prep myself to be Mrs. B. A Mrs. that would instantly join the ranks of the Mighty Military Wives. The ones that could, the ones that can and the ones that will. Three years passed. Sometimes three years crept by. Three years flew by. What a wonderful three years. Now I pass over to the ranks of the married women. I have so much to learn. So much to work on but I now can....

Long time no Post

2009-05-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

I know. I'm horrid.. Let me just recap as quickly as I can... Graduating = many papers and tests.... And moving. I moved out of my apartment with the help of my brother and mom in 12 hours (including sleep) and am now permanently at the ranch (until the wedding that is!) So! I have lots to do here in order to make my mom feel comfortable that everything is clean and ready for guests.... I Promise I will be better about posting after the wedding and recap on everything...
I GET MARRIED TO MY LOVE ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!!!!

Hair trial!

2009-04-27T20:30:00.001-07:00

I had my hair trial on Saturday and this wasn't just any hair-trial. I had to have my stylist talk me through how to do my hair since I will be doing my own hair for the wedding (unless things change). I don't have the time to take 2 hours out of my day just to drive the distance... So! I'm gonna do it.. I'll have an update when I try to do it myself probably by this next weekend. Comment Ladies!

dress finally!

2009-04-21T18:30:00.001-07:00

Finally finally found the rehearsal dress the other day. You won't be able to see it till I actually wear it.. but I got it at Ross! for like 12 dollars and couldn't be more happy about it! So look outside the norm and don't be afraid to go to the cheaper discount stores. Sometimes they're so much better.

First Mrs. B...

2009-04-19T15:07:00.001-07:00

Today I got my first hint at what it would be like to be Mrs B. We received a check from the officiant who married my parents and were good friends: the check was written to Sara and Joe B.... and on the outside of the envelope said Mr and Mrs. Joe B.... I love it! The only fall-back.. I can't do anything with the check until we're married. But! That's only 27 days away!!! God is good and I cannot wait to marry him.

Going With the flow, Favor saying, Taper Candles and Dessert Bar.

2009-04-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

I have been so so crazy busy with EVERYTHING! Momma got pneumonia, I'm a month away from graduating with a double major, and 30 days from being Sara B instead of Sara S. I realized its been 9 days since I've even checked my blogger! Yep I had a LOT of catchup to do... Good thing I have class time- cough cough-.

So so much has gotten done in the last couple weeks! Hallelujah! You all saw the favor bag that I got done... I did figure out what I'm going to put inside the bag... Its not exactly what I was thinking about but I actually like! After so much stress and pressure, I've just decided to lose my OCD tendencies and my perfectionist personality and go with the flow! It will be beautiful. As many brides have said there is a huge self-esteem issue and wedding craze issue when it comes to seeing everyone else's weddings and the perfection that the photos entail. I assume however (some of my assumption is actually factual since many brides have said the same thing), that many ladies realize that its not going to be perfect and that almost always does SOMETHING go wrong. Instead of getting distressed and stressed I'm going with the flow and already LOVING my decision. Ok so off of my rabbit trail... This is what is going inside of the bags:

"What a wonderous time is spring,
When all the tress are budding
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming;
That's how it is with God's love,
Once you've experienced it.

Publish Post

You want to sing, it's fresh like spring,
You want to pass it on. " Kurt Kaiser

As well as a note of blessing, prayer and thanks to our guests...

At the reception, we're mixing different textures to produce a "delicious" feel. I searched the Web for inexpensive taper candles but was actually able to find them at a grocery store which likes to keep costs down... We ended up ordering about 160 different ones (Always good to have extras) for 120 dollars. Not bad at all.

We were able to find the groomsmen ties at JC Penny's... They are striped burgundy and black and little bits of gold.. Perfect! They were at buy one and get one half off.

I have mentioned that we're doing a dessert reception... And oh boy oh boy I can't wait... Sink your teeth into some of these photos!
From Here:

from here:

We're going to tier all of the desserts with fabric draping. Candles will be mixed in and so will some flowers (but minimal). Above all of it will be this lovely sign from Martha Stewart. Instead however, it will say: "Eat, Drink and Be Married". The B's from the favor bag actually came from there... A pretty inexpensive way to look very put together.

Until next time... any comments or suggestions!?!

Favors and Sweets

2009-04-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

With it being a May wedding I wanted to do something that was totally spring. I also am a true believer of doing things that are usable. I didn't want to spend money on 100 favors of which half are left behind. Thirdly, a lot of my guests are coming into town for the wedding. Some favors are inpossible for them to be able to fly with. So I found a good middle ground. Wrapping up flower bulbs so that people could plant them are small, reasonable and economical. This is what they ended up looking like. I'm planning on inserting a poem about seeds and blooming and planning on asking the guests to pray for us everytime it blooms. A neat momento!
I had my cake testing last weekend... We've all seen every type of cake and if I'm not unusual we all think that many different types are pretty... Am I wrong? I'm getting my cake done at Sweet Pea Bakery. The cake baker is a graphic designer so the cakes are gorgeous and they are able to translate ideas into beautiful works of art. I'm doing a simple two tier cake since we are doing cupcakes for the cakes... With the idea of the wedding being Fruit of The Spirit...the cake is going to have fruit flowing down the sides of the cake and lining the edge of the two cake layers. Cake is a vanilla with fresh strawberry filling.. Kinda like a strawberry shortcake!

Speaking of cupcakes! A good friend of mine is making my cupcakes as a labor of love. We're going to do 50 chocolate and 50 vanilla... We did a cupcake trial two weeks ago. I highly recommend doing trials.. You get yummy leftovers! We are going to put little pieces of fruit in the middle of each frosting "flowers". I'm exciiiiited!

What do you ladies think?

Photographer, Shower and Programs

2009-04-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

The photographer is set and I'm so so so excited. I love her photography style and I think it will be so very much fun. go check her out: www. wanderingalbatrossphotography.com

This weekend is my bridal shower! I'm so excited especially because I get some good girl time. My BM- D is planning on coming up on Friday and both my BM-E and K should be there! My little sis will be there also... I can't believe that its so close!

I bought linen paper yesterday for the programs... I'm planning to roll them and tie them with ribbons! So beautiful!!!

Constant Frustration!

2009-03-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

So! It all started with trying to order this adorable dress from Nordstroms that is on back order til middle of June. And that is definitely not going to work when I need it for the rehearsal dinner!
Then of course, I find out that my shoes from zappos have turned out to be completely the wrong color and I attempt the shoes from anthropologie... They were then on back order till May 20th! And no that is not going to work either... So i was browsing tonight and found the same shoes on another site! Then I browsed some more and found this dress at delias.com:
So not as cute but definitely cute! and a cut of the price.... So finally coming to a close! Lets just hope the shoes and dress work!

Shoes!

2009-03-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ok! So the pair that came back and the color isn't right is being sent back and this one! from anthropologie was ordered.. Can't wait! (Sorry they won't let me show the photo!)

Guestbook!

2009-03-26T19:24:00.001-07:00

I couldn't be more excited! I just found my guest book and it couldn't be more us or more perfect. I found this at Barnes and Noble but Amazon.com is where I got my photo! It's a photo book of Life's collection of best photos. Its just classic! Notice the top left photo! My fav~! There are perfect spaces on the corners for people to sign.
What about you ladies? What are you doing for something fun and unique or are you going classic?

Going through the to-do list...

2009-03-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy just doing without telling whats going on!

We were able to find a venue that is soooo very very reasonable. Let me just say that my dress and the venue cost less than $500 put-together! The laptop has become my best friend as I have been just searching sites up and down for the best deal. Not only have things been reasonable but they've been what I want! That is truly the best part.

The reception venue is in my hometown and is just way cute. It made my day even more when I found out what they offer: approximately 500 black iron chairs (very french cafe-esque), several banquet tables for food etc and about 10 black iron tables. When my mom asked the lady about clean-up, the gal says "Don't worry about it- its my job!" Plus we can start setting up as early as there is nobody else scheduled. Cha Ching! I love that I don't have to rent/buy chair covers to cover hideous folding chairs. (Can we say a savings of minimally 200 right there?!?) My hometown church is where we are getting married in is just 5 minutes up the road. My dad has a 1954 Chevy Truck and several other friends have vintage cars. I can just see the bridal party driving off in these vehicles, can't you?

My mom and I have been hitting up the second hand stores for different glass vases, candle holders etc. We've come up with quite a few things for less than 100$ ! Its really incredible how you can save without cutting back on what you like. Everytime my dad tries to make sure that I'm trading budget for happiness, I just simply respond- I'm more happy though! Its true.. I've always been one of the girls who loves a good deal and would much rather a good deal than spending money on a designer. We were also able to find 8 different vases at Ross for like $15 dollars each. Granted not incredibly cheap but a good value for the size of these things! They are about 3 feet tall and the main stay look like this:

Ok so I jumped the gun, the wedding and more will be in the upcoming days!

Catch up time!

2009-03-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

I know. I've been miserable. Its been a very very busy couple of weeks though.
My parents just moved back to the states and their shipment came thankfully while I was on spring break. So i spent spring break helping them unpack and move. I definitely crashed every night. BUT! knowing that I only had so long prior to the wedding I needed to also work on some things here and there, mainly when everyone had gone to bed. I thankfully got the wedding invitations done. (thanks to costco.com- highly recommended) They turned out to be very nice! I loved them and was so giddy when they arrived.

My MOH dress arrived and my little sis tried it on while i was there. It definitely was NOT what we thought we would look like. SO it got sent back and we tried to find a new one.

My hairpiece from Ella's Alley on etsy.com arrived also and I LOVE IT! It is so beautiful and lifelike. I couldn't be happier. I tried to do my hair a couple evenings ago because I decided to not get it done. I want more time to myself (since I would have to drive an hour away to get it done.... it would definitely cut out my day) and with my girls!

We ordered the shoes. Mom called me last night and said that they had arrived and I wasn't going to like them. Just what I wanted to hear! Supposedly the leather is a lot darker than previously thought. Anybody know of some good places to check for a cute pair of flats.

I'm going to be laden down with all of the appointments and meetings as time gets to a close. But it will be good....

More to come ladies!

Welcome Basket!

2009-03-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

I'm definitely one of those that think the small details are not the end all but can make a big impression... I want a lot of small details that will just have to go away, but one that I'd like to keep is the Welcome Basket. Most of my guests are coming from out of town and I'd like to fill a basket of goodies... I also saw this at Martha Stewart Weddings:
So So cute!

I'm trying to think What would need to be in the welcome basket.... My list thus far:
Water bottle(s)
Chapstick (s) (you need it out here with how dry it is!)
maps
snacks
phone numbers
list of fun things to do...
and I'm not sure what else yet! any ideas?

Ironic isn't it?

2009-03-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Before I was actually able to plan my wedding... I was on here more! Maybe that attests to all that I've done!?
Lets see.... Waiting to get a check to my venue. Couldn't ask for a better price or better included items! Instead of having to rent white chair covers I now have black iron chairs that are going to go great with the feel of the wedding. I am so giddy! Just ask my dear room-mate.
I ordered my hair piece.... From Ella's Alley on Etsy and so far she's been fantastic!
And my aisle runner:

I also may have found my photographer.. Just waiting back if she can do the dates or not! but sounds good... Wandering Albatross

Oh and I almost forgot.. We ordered plastic (yes plastic!) wine goblets, tumblers, white coffee cups and black and white square plates.... From the most fantastic site ever. I seriously think I found my crazy quirky match. Smarty Had A Party ... The best name too hey?
So there's my update for now... oh and whatcha think about these from Zappos?

Another great picture...

2009-03-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

Another great one of how to utilize fruit... Cranberries and oranges! love it! Can you imagine the smell too? It was from here: http://indianweddings.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/wedding-table-decorations/

More Hair ideas

2009-03-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

Alright ladies, give me your opinon.. also to bird-cage veil or not?

Tackling the To-Do List!

2009-03-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

Mom came over last night and we had a fairly quiet girls night with a lot of "tackling" involved. We went to bed working on wedding stuff (she fell asleep on me!) and then after some bill-paying continued on the wedding stuff...
We booked our DJ! He's great.. I met him at a bridal affaire and feel confident that he will be just right. He understands our vision of everyone having a good time and helping MC through the night...
We bought bridesmaid dresses! (From Spiegal) We found these and figured out how perfect they matched so we just went for it! And they will look great on everyone... Abby is going to be wearing the second one. (Its from Davids Bridal- go there and look for a better pic..)

We also bought rose petals in 4 different colors, and white paper bags to hold the luminaries and the favors.... The Favors are going to be flower bulbs with something corny but awesome to the extent of everytime it blooms remember us.
We narrowed down photographers and finally hunted down the number for the reception venue. We're trying to talk to them... Its a small town I would be blown away if it were already booked.
We also have the hotels down to two that we may reserve a block of rooms in and are just waiting till Monday to contact the Manager!
Its been busy but has been fantastic. Loved the time with mom!!!

The date!

2009-03-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

So here you are ladies. Believe it or not! We are getting married May 16th... Yep that is 2009! 72 days away! Crazy I am, but totally ready to tackle it and marry the man of my dreams! YAY!

Did you know? and some good ideas!

2009-03-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

Did you know:
1)that Spraying canola spray in a candle holder before you drop in a tealight can make the candle wax slip out easily. Makes sense but i like it!
2) you can use cake stands as candle displays? use multiple levels of candles and it looks really neat!
3) a couple drops of bleach can elongate the life of your flowers
4) wine glasses can be used as candle holders, especially looking pretty with some coffee beans or sand in the bottom.

Good ideas:
1) Tall vases lining the aisle of the church with candles

Lucky..

2009-03-02T15:07:00.000-08:00

I heard the song Lucky for the first time today and it makes me tear up. I really am lucky to be in love with my bestfriend. Even so more than that I am blessed to be so in love and to be so in love with such an amazing. I just say, "Praise the Lord."

Moroccan Inspired theme?!

2009-02-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

I was trying to find a way of how I envisioned the fabric draping... basically I see it as the Moroccan theme with the fabric being like a champagne and the colors coming from the tables. It will add even more to the romantic evening wedding feel.
Some of the pictures are no longer available.. but maybe these will give you an idea :D

check this one out here:
check this one out here:

Veils and the like.

2009-02-25T18:57:00.001-08:00

I am getting so excited and didn't think I wanted a veil. But! I love the bird-cage idea....

here :

here:

with something like this on the side...

oh and i love this:

More new..

2009-02-25T15:11:00.000-08:00

As I start to think about all the different ideas with the new plan, I get so excited! I am so excited to marry the man of my dreams and my best friend. Theres so many little things that I think as they add up will truly make it a beautiful evening.

I love history and traditions and the reason for why things were done the way they were... One thing that has really been impressed upon me is the idea of the marriage covenant. Marriage is a serious thing to take into account and to think of it as such is an important part of the ceremony. I love that the white aisle runner is symbolic of the covenant that the couple is taking before God. This is a symbol that I want to be present at my wedding.

I'm looking through Koyalwholesale.com for some ideas.. They have some reasonable items... A couple of my thoughts are bubbles! Some people say that they stain but I think that it would be fine running through as we say goodbye. They also have disposable table and chair covers... a fairly non-expensive way that will look attractive.

I'm not a huge fan of wasting money on favors when nobody really cares about them anyway. i have seen so many weddings where in reality the favors just get left behind. If the wedding should be in May.... I will probably go with this idea: Take a flower bulb and place it in a white bag and attach the same flower (but silk) on the top.Windy City Novelties so far has the cheapest set of them.

I've been thinking a lot about invitations. Since we are getting close to maybe having a date and since there is a possibility that the date might be 79 days away from today... I think I need to have these ready as soon as possible! I was looking into this one invitation because I thought it was going to be easiest, but I looked at this one site and found inexpensive address cards.. Now I can go back to my idea of getting the invites from costco... Here are some of my likes!:

New New New!

2009-02-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

Last night my parents and I sat down and talked wedding... It was a huge block coming off of my shoulder and a huge exciting moment to spring forward. We are waiting to hear back from the Navy and hopefully May will come back as a go for it!
We are now planning on getting married at my home church. We're going to drape fabric and change the whole feel of the place. We're going to romanticize it and make it intimate and beautiful. I cannot wait! We're planning on having our reception in the fellowship hall and then move down to the Wilsall Dance hall for just a big party.
So now! Onto some new planning... Here are some ideas that I'm loving and photos to boot.
i love the fabric draping of this photo

and my favorite little pom-poms
the richness of these colors with the twigs... The simplicity with the beauty and purity
yay for signs and dancing

the rich colors and contrasts with candles The different textures and colors
These are from tying the knot... Love her!

Chinese Takeout anyone?

2009-02-21T16:38:00.000-08:00

I love unique centerpieces... See the possibilites? Now the website is one of my favorite's go check it out ladies: Beau-Coup

I'm going to do all my RSVP's via online and phone... So I won't need to have all the envelopes and what not... These have some really great options...
1) Custom Creations

These are some ones that i want to check out later in the future.. just a little of a reminder: i ran out of time now...
http://www.thestationerystudio.com
http://www.pronto.com/
http://www.shop.com/
Vista print has like 50-80% off!!!

Just wanna scream!

2009-02-19T18:47:00.001-08:00

I am soooo excited! I don't know what date we're getting married yet. Finally we are just down to one person left to sign off if you will... The navy! I know.. one of the biggest ones but you gotta be optimistic. May is right around the corner and is a high possibility. So I could be married in 85 days! A lot of work to do in between now and then but oh my goodness this is so real and exciting! I cannot wait to marry the man of my dreams and spend the rest of my life with him! SO SO SO exciting!

I've got a couple big things left to do in the mean-time though...
1) Guest List
2) Invitations
3) Finish up wedding registry
4) Buy Labeling software
5) Buy stamps
6) Buy pre-marital counseling book
7) Start pre-marital counseling

But you know what?! I still can't wait. Nothing is able to crush my spirit at this point. (This is as of today... Tomorrow I may be a little bit more pessimistic but I'm gonna try to keep it to a minimal) Just a little more of my ranting... But YAY

Reception... part one of many

2009-02-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:19-23, New International Version)

This now is the theme of the wedding reception. Each table will be labeled with each fruit of the Spirit with a spin off of it... I want to intricate fruit in the decor:
The cake is not going to look like this... but I like how its intricated! How neat!

Good Reminders...

2009-02-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

I have borrowed these reminders sent to Molly from Clink
and i just have to share then.. (mostly cause I want to remember them for myself..)
I will add to one of them... I will not forget to take a couple moments with my parents. That will be something i'll never forget.

1. When people said “things will go wrong; you’ll just have to go with the flow! Don’t stress!” I (from my horse, upon which I sat very high) thought “pshaw [ed. note: yes, pshaw], what could possibly go wrong? Everything is under control! I am a casting producer! I produce actual shows, for television. Clearly I can produce a wedding.” And then, of course, things went wrong: the priest turned out to be a bit of a bi-polar psycho, the organist played all the wrong music, the groom and groomsmen forgot to put on their boutonnières before the ceremony, there was confusion over a table assignment, there was (as you well noticed) an ICE SCULPTURE at the raw bar, the band played some 70’s music when I specifically asked them not to, did I mention the slightly psycho priest?

So, what I mean to say is that even though it seems highly unlikely given all the blood, sweat, tears and martinis you have poured into planning your wedding, there are a few details that will not go according to plan. And you - the one in the white dress, the one everyone is focusing on - will have no choice but to, yes, go with the flow. Boutonnieres can be applied after the ceremony, people will still dance to 70’s music and scathing letters dripping with pure, unadulterated hatred can always be written to slightly psycho priests (and also, the archdiocese). At the end of the day, it all works out. Just like that fairytale crap that the 5,000 bridal magazines now inhabiting the back of my closet (want some? PLEASE?) tell you.

2. I mentioned this before, but Listerine strips in the pocket of the groom (because, clearly, you have no place to carry them) are essential. You will be talking. A lot. Especially during the receiving line or table visits. When you talk a lot, your (your = not you specifically, everyone) breath can get stinky and thanking Aunt Diane for coming all the way from Wichita with your hand covering your mouth is just going to look awkward.

3. In the words of whomever that crossover country music star was: “If you have the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaance!” But seriously, dance. You will not regret it. Dance with your husband. Dance with your mom and your sister. Dance with your bridesmaids. Dance with your friend Clink who loves you. While I tried to say hello to everyone, my general philosophy was “if someone wants to talk to me, they can talk to me on the dance floor.” Which is exactly what you did. And then we got to talk (RED FLIP FLOPS) AND dance. Win-win.

4. Choose your bridesmaids wisely. I know it’s a bit late for that and I’m sure you already made perfect choices. To be honest, the bridesmaids helped set the tone for my wedding. Every time I looked up, they were breaking it down in their adorable chocolate brown dresses on the dance floor. They were the ones who wiped sweat from my brow during pre-ceremony photos and touched up my lipstick and pulled me away from Aunt Diane because they knew I’d rather be dancing and made sure I had water when I needed it. And not because they thought they were my indentured servants for the night; chocolate brown dresses or not, they wanted to help. Because they are good people. Because I chose wisely.

5. The pre-ceremony pictures were worth it. I see both sides of the (sometimes very heated) argument and I would’ve been fine seeing M for the first time when I walked down the aisle. Instead, we ran into each other’s arms at Columbus Circle (photo op!) while tourists clapped and took pictures (”Statue of Liberty, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, oooh look! That’s one of a total stranger’s wedding! Yeah, New York was awesome”). It was a magical moment and I guess that’s my point - it’s a magical moment whether you see each other before or while walking down the aisle. You will not be robbed of that magical moment either way. Plus, taking photos before ensures that you and the bridal party are totally fresh. If you do choose to see Michael for the first time while walking down the aisle, make sure to try and focus on him. There will be people smiling and waving and taking photos and your dad will probably be muttering something funny and dad-ish on the way so it’s easy to lose sight of the most important thing: the man you’re about to marry, who is waiting for you just a few feet away.

6. Sometimes you’re just too damn tired to have sex on your wedding night. And that’s okay.

7. Try to eat at least a bite of everything. Before my wedding, I was adamant that I would not be one of those brides who went through the entire wedding without consuming a bite of food. I thought brides who “didn’t have a chance to eat!” were just anorexics in disguise. Little did I know. My stomach was in knots - good knots, butterfly-y knots - the entire time and food was the last on a very long list of priorities. I had a few bites of appetizers in the bridal suite before the cocktail hour, a bite of my sea bass entrée and the requisite bite of cake during the cake cutting. Now when people tell me that the food is the best they’ve ever had at a wedding, I feel both happy because yay, well-fed guests and also jealous because I barely got to have any of it.

8. Steal a moment with Michael. And trust me, it’s not going to be easy because, um, everyone wants a piece of you two (as they well should). I managed to steal two moments with M - once in our bridal suite (but that was mostly us just shoving food in our mouths) and then once on the rooftop, where the photographer had grabbed us to take a photo with the sunset in the background. We stayed up there a few extra minutes just to tell each other that we loved each other and to marvel at the fact that we were married, and everyone that we loved and cared for was celebrating that in the room below. I will cherish that moment forever.

9. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t get to spend as much time with everyone as you might like. I was consumed with guilt on the flight to Hawaii because I barely got to spend time with everyone. But I guess that’s the point - when there are 180 people present, you only get to spend a little time with everyone (the alternative being a lot of time with only a few people, which is clearly not what a wedding is about). Your guests understand and they will love you regardless.

10. Get all of your emotions out during the rehearsal dinner. As I told you, I was a MESS during the rehearsal dinner due to the speeches I gave (to my bridesmaids, to my parents, to M). I was literally sobbing and I ruined all of my make-up and thus looked like I had two black eyes but it was just so overwhelming for me to put into words what all of those people mean to me. It actually worked in my favor, however, because I was able to keep it (mostly) together during the wedding. I was a bit emotionally spent.

11. Borrow my Polaroid cameras for the guest book! Of course I would never force you to do this but I can honestly say that the photos accompanying the notes were the best part. Polaroid cameras are always fun (instant gratification!) and it gives your guests something to do if the band is playing 70’s music.

12. Have a card box. I don’t know if this is a given or not, but most people will be giving you cards and unless you had pockets sewn into your wedding dress, you will not have anywhere to put them. A card box solves that problem (and if it is placed in an obvious area, most people won’t bother handing the cards to you).

13. Right before the wedding, there will be drama. I can’t predict what it will be, but you will face some sort of curveball. For me, it was one of my friends calling two days before the wedding to inform me that she couldn’t attend because she could not get out of work. She has known about my wedding date since June of 2007, when I booked my venue, so it wasn’t like she didn’t have advance notice. It felt like someone punched me in my gut - she is not some periphery friend who I was on the fence about inviting; this was someone who I was extremely close to and even considered asking to be a bridesmaid. I had a good cry (angry tears, mostly), let M talk me out of it, updated our guest count with the venue and then I moved on. Which - like I said about things going wrong - is the only choice you have. You can’t let it eat you up. Any emotional fall out can be dealt with after the honeymoon.

14. It is impossible to enjoy your honeymoon in the age of Facebook. Because there you’ll be, snuggled up to your husband (!) in the terminal of LAX waiting for your delayed flight to Honolulu and you will not be able to resist the siren song of a T-Mobile Hotspot for only $9.95 so that you can SEE THE PHOTOS. It is all about the photos. (The wait for the professional photos is nothing short of excruciating.) Trust me, just pay the $9.95. You will have the rest of your life to snuggle with your husband (I hate the word snuggle but it is the most appropriate here.)

15. Make sure you look and feel like you. This is important for the hair & make up trial. You want to look like nothing more than a beautiful, bride-y version of yourself. I say this only because at my first hair trial, I did the half-up, half-down thing because the stylist talked me into it. She said too much of my hair down would be sweaty in July and it should be off of my face, blah blah blah. Well, I didn’t end up using that stylist. I went to another, who did my hair mostly down (like I asked), said she would “spray the shit out of it” so that it stayed in place and who cares if it got a little sweaty underneath? And she was right. My hair was fine. The sweat even helped the curls a little bit, as gross as that sounds. I’m not a girl who ever wears her hair up and I am now thrilled to have photos in which I look like myself, only bride-ier.

16. Speaking of, you. will. look beautiful. Even if you aren’t at the weight you hoped you’d be at. Even if your arms don’t look like Jackie’s from Work Out on Bravo. Even if you feel a little bloated (like I did.) There’s a little thing called the Bridal Glow and lo, it is glorious. It is the happiest day of your life and every single photo - from the candids to the posed to the ones taken with a freaking camera phone - will reflect that. I spent far too much time before the wedding agonizing about my appearance. On the actual day, once I got past hair and make up, it was one of the last things on my mind. The first? Marrying someone amazing. Also, dancing.

17. Tell your bridesmaids, mother, sister, etc, that if anything goes wrong at the wedding? Unless the venue is on fire, you don’t want to know about it. It is their job to protect you from Uncle Dan’s complaints about how loud the band is or the fact that only half of your favors arrived. Whatever it is, it’s probably not something you can do much about so they should just handle it the best they can and let you enjoy dancing to the Motown Medley.

18. Enjoy every moment because it goes by fast. This is a cliché piece of advice but it is cliché because it is true.

19. Also cliché but true? It will be one of the best days of your entire life.

20. Marriage is awesome. Like being engaged, but more…sparkly. Yes, sparkly. Shut up. It’s not a visible change, it’s just a slight shift. You always knew you’d be connected forever and now you are. And you have the beautiful bands, sweet exhaustion from dancing and the time of your life with family and friends to prove it.

Cute pic of the day

2009-02-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

Chinese Lanterns...

2009-02-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

Pom-Poms and Lanterns just make me giddy with excitement. I don't know why! i think they've got the floating feeling but they're just so romantic and beautiful. The Chinese Lanterns bring a bit of my heritage into the wedding and there is nothing that I love more than that!

This bridge is between the meadow and building that I hope to have my wedding at! How pretty would this bridge be lined with lit up lanterns? I found a couple places that have fairly reasonable lanterns, its definitely do-able!
Good websites to check out are:
Pearl River - Also has a lot of other Chinese inspired products. Maybe my shoes? Maybe some fun Chinese parasols? hehehe.. I'm having way too much fun
Party lights: They have lanterns, but they also have any type of lights. Beautiiifulll!
Luna Bazaar- More Lanterns, Parasols etc. But! From Martha Stewart likes them... So might make the costs more expensive...
Asian Ideas- More Lanterns... And Accessories...

I'll just have to go t hrough and look and what stuff I like better and which ones have the cheaper items.

if you know of any others, please let me know!!! What do you ladies think?

the little things count

2009-02-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

I bought some spanx the other day! I was given a 50$ gift certificate toward the bridal boutique that I had modeled for in a wedding show. So yes I'm going to be wearing these lovely babies. I have a friend who might be able to lend me her bridal bra. That will be nice since I'll never need it again.

Shoes!

2009-02-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

Like every other brides... I'm hung up on shoes! Since the dress is pretty simple, I can have some fun with the shoes and accessories. I'm along with everyone else in the colored shoe fad. Even more so... I'm loving the idea of the indian inspired flats with beadings and maybe color! One way or another, the shoes need to be fairly flat, maybe a fun pair of cowboy boots. But these are some other ones that I've liked...
I love the vintage fun style of these.. from here:
Something about these are sooo fun and cute!
Simple and elegant and something that you'll never regret... but are they "me" enough?

Ok so wayyyy fun! But do I want them in orange? the only orange would be in the flowers...

These are just an idea of the maybe ideal indian flats. They are just like back home in Asia.
For a pair of boots, these might be pretty fun... A little fun with the class. But none in my size.. Overstock is something you've kinda just got to jump on.
Since the dress isn't white.. These could be good! Very classy boots. But once again none in my size and overstock.
These are actually in my size... So they are a huge possibility. plus the toes wouldn't scuff as easily
I would love for these to be my something blue... I love that idea! I dunno though... also.. Sold out! ergh.

Wahoo!

2009-02-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

I could scream from the mountaintops right now. Life is so good! Everything that I could ever have asked for has come true faster than I ever thought it would. I just stopped asking and prayed! God is good!!! All family things are now settled, I can set a date! Now we just have to jump through all the hoops with the navy and vendors and family dates, other than that... We can get married!!!
It may be a small thing.. But we also found out that we can paint and change any light fixtures in our apartment. It is so exciting that we can make it how we want it! It's gonna be home!

cute pictures of the day!

2009-02-05T16:56:00.000-08:00

I love love love these pictures and especially the top right because my dad has almost the exact truck and i fantasize thinking about pictures of it!

I love this photo because its an intimate moment with a note that he wrote.. I love that idea!

There's something about this that is just unique and beautiful. Love it!

Beautiful poem!

2009-02-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

I just read this from here and had to yell how cute! How perfect! How true...

LOVE

I love you not only for who you are,
But for who I am when I am with you.
I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself,
But for what you are making of me.
I love you for the part of me that you bring out;
I love you for putting your hand into my heaped-up heart
And passing over all the foolish, weak things
That you can't help dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked quite far enough to find.
I love you because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern, but a temple.
Out of the works of my every day, not a reproach but a song.
I love you because you have done more than any creed could have done
To make me good. And more than any fate could have done
To make me happy.
You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign.
You have done it by being yourself.
Perhaps that is what being a friend means, after all.

- Roy Croft

Cakes!

2009-02-04T22:16:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to figure out if I'm going to make my own cake or if I can find someone that I trust to make it.. I want a simple white cake with textured cream cheese frosting with maybe fresh flowers and/or fruit on each tier. Since its going to be a dessert buffet, the cake needs to be small. Something like this...
I'm going to do a cupcake tier, I'll make the tier and then have the same cake batter into cupcakes...

An acquaintance of mine does a beautiful job doing cakes.. They are delicious and very professional looking. She made a cake for my friends wedding and I was so impressed! She even made the fondant!!!So! I asked her if she would want to do them... And that I would have time to help out and would pay cost plus. I'm so excited!

So here's an idea of a how I can make the cupcake tier... It's beautiful! Yay!
Its from here : and there are directions too...

Multiple Flower Girls

2009-01-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

I have the hardest time being able to pick one girl to be a flowergirl with the amount of family and friends little ones that I know. Thankfully, this problem is turning out to be a really neat addition to our wedding. Kids have been such a blessing to my life. I love their laughter and giggles and all the fun things that they give to our lives. So here's my idea... Any (or most) of the little girls that are able to make it to our wedding are going to be in the wedding. I will just request that they were like a pink or white dress. Here are a couple options that I've found. Most little girls have a dress of those type in their closet anyway...

Happiness is.

2009-01-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

Albert Schweitzer:

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

Benjamin Disraeli:

Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.

Allan K. Chalmers:

The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

Happiness is something that I've been thinking quite a lot about. I am so happy! My life is stressful and crazy and there are so many what ifs and unknowns. Usually I would be wrapped up in this and be frusted and not too happy with my life. But when it all comes down to it. Life is absolutely amazing. Too many people sit back and allow things to happen to them, and do not realize what can be doing to their morale. So love what you do, do something about it, love someone and never forget to hope for the future. Your dreams are accessible and are readily available. Reach for the stars.

Brother David Steindl-Rast :

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more.

Depending on the time of the year...what if it rains?!

2009-01-28T11:42:00.001-08:00

Well.. I have that covered... i have seen some really cute ideas that would allow us to take photos outdoors and still love our photos! It would not be a bad idea to have these all ready, JUST IN CASE. like the emergency kit!!!
I think these boots are adorable! I would love to find something a bit more funky or antique, but I think they're way cool.
You can get umbrellas in just about any color now, but wouldn't clear be really neat?
So my adorable pictures have to do with the rain theme..

Signs!

2009-01-26T12:02:00.000-08:00

My mom's best friend thought about painting some signs for her wedding and asked me to do them. As I started to think about this I realized how much I liked this! I found some old wooden shingles for 10 dollars a package at a second hand store in town and think that I'm going to give this a shot. I'm not sure what all the signs are going to say... a couple of my thoughts are: Ceremony, Reception, Parking.. But maybe A couple sweet ones placed around too. Like the fruits of the spirit? Love, Joy, Peace, Hope, Perseverance?

Heres a couple sweet photos that I like

This one needs an explanation: I love the idea of taking a photo with a thank you note which you then send out in the thank you card... So cute! So thoughtful! Both are from Etsy.com...

Damask, Pom-Pom's etc

2009-01-25T09:18:00.002-08:00

I love love love Damask patterns!!! I saw it and just fell in love. It may just be in the invitation, or I may find another way to intricate it all. I'm loving the idea of a travel theme. Each table is from a different place that we've been and where we want to be. Damask on top of this may just be too much... But who can't love this?!

I also love the ideas of other ways to decorate instead of using hundreds of dollars. I love the ideas of candles and mixed textures.

The best part, is that they are DIY and easy!!! They are going to cut down the cost of a wedding for sure and look great!

Some more insight...

2009-01-24T23:27:00.000-08:00

I jumped right off into the deep end with dress and hair, but how about the basics? Like the building blocks :insert sara typical grin: My wedding colors are going to be champagne and merlot. Not intending to be wine themed! But definitely loving it anyway!
The main color is the champagne, really light but pretty. Tableclothes, napkins etc will be the champagne and the overlays on the table will be the merlot. I've decided on David's bridal, as cliche as it might be for the bridesmaids. Since they will be coming from all over, its too hard to get it from a boutique or anywhere that isn't national. Each one gets to choose their own knee length champagne dress. My Maid of Honor, my little sister, is going to wear a little spin off of the champagne. Its champagne with a black overlay, its very suiting and "Abby". I want the guys to all wear black suits... I don't really care if they're tuxes... Even Joe's can be a suit!! I love the playful nature of a suit versus a tux as well as its versatility. So here's the boy band shot.... (haha Yes i do know whose photo i picked. but come on if you're gonna go boy-band...)

I love the casual-nature and fun of this next photo!!

Alright, so I love some cute photos that I've come across and I want to share two with y'all!

Flowers!

2009-01-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of my thoughts on flowers... i want carefree... fun... DIY able!

i actually already bought some floral pins... they were on sale!!! couldn't resist..

Now the hair!

2009-01-24T13:39:00.001-08:00

Thanks to here comes the bride for a couple thoughts.. I'm not sure.. I know i want something fairly easy manageable, not slicked back and "perfect". I love the idea of a chignon, classic and timeless.

First the Dress... Now the hair?

2009-01-24T12:06:00.000-08:00

Or at least hair-pieces.. I have a couple way fun flower creations that I might order. Or I might be the complete DIY bride... (here's my info for that decision) Let me know your thoughts!
The first is a lovely piece with some pink!!! Which could be fun cause it could coordinate well with the colors!
I think this may be my favorite, it is bendable and can be molded how I want it...

Ok maybe I lied... This one is gorgeous!!!

I am not sure a veil is up my alley... if i do one I will have one sit under the flower and not over my face. I might get claustrophobic if it stays on top!!!

The first Hurrah...

2009-01-24T11:48:00.001-08:00

After starting my wedding scavenger hunts for anything and everything to do with how I might dream of our special day, I started finding everything that I love and writing it all down here and there. I loved reading everyone's blogs, especially anything to do with vintage, class and romance. One morning, I realized how much easier it might be to just put it all down and let people see where my ramblings might be going. So here is to a new blog! I cannot wait to share with you all my thoughts.

Yesterday my wedding dress arrived. Let me tell you! I cannot wait!!! It is beautiful, simple and elegant. I started to worry about its fit but it was meant to be... It fits like a glove. It was sad though, I opened the box all alone, and was full of butterflies and hope. After a draining couple of months, I began to fear that I would never hold a candle to the beautiful brides in those lovely magazines or websites of the photographers that I could only dream would photograph our day. I was never one to little-girl-plan my wedding, because I knew that it was not going to be right if I planned it without the other person that makes it a wedding. What I did dream of, was moments of girl-squeals and laughter; of my mom crying because her little girl is getting married. It reminds me of the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music. I cannot wait to have my family here, with me and planning... The mean-time is difficult however. So here's to the meantime and maybe the after... Cheers!