wedding. stress.

Hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! D and I enjoyed the Arizona sun with family and it couldn’t have been better. We had a family bridal shower and it was just amazing, it’s wonderful to have supportive and thoughtful family! Now I am on the hunt for some cute thank-you cards to write those notes out!

Guess what arrived this weekend? My garter :) I went with a simple white garter, I thought about finding one that had to do with the Navy (D is in the Navy) but the ones I found were a little cheesy and not exactly ‘classy.’ Very exciting that we’re getting closer- hard to believe it’s already December! June 4th will be here before we know it!

I don’t know if any other brides-to-be feel the same way, but sometimes I get really anxious/stressed out (like keep me up at night) by the fact that yes, I do have 6 months before my wedding but I don’t feel like I’m doing/planning enough. I would just HATE for my wedding day to get here and look back and say "I wish I would have done this, I wish I would have thought of that…” I just want it to be perfect and I’m really not much of a detail oriented person, so in the back of my mind I know there are really important things I’m going to mess up. (There- that was the wedding rant/fear of the day!) I guess I just need to keep focused and busy and pray that it all goes smoothly.

D and I will be in Texas for Christmas, which is great because that’s where we are getting married and we need to finalize a few details. Something I’m semi-stressing out about is our rehearsal dinner. We have 18 people combined in our wedding party (thanks to myself being in a sorority and D attending the Academy), as well as their fiancés, our family members, etc. It just makes for a big party and I know I need to spend just as much time spending that as the actual wedding. Hopefully I’ll come up with some good/fun ideas soon!

Happy Monday everyone!

xoxoxoxo

thankful.

Forever thankful for…

A loving family that gave me the world

My best friend who I will soon call my husband

Experiencing love

A rewarding job

The best friends a girl could ask for (and I really mean that- how I got so lucky I have no idea)

Waking up every day with my health

And just because I am totally new to this blogging thing…a little about me…
(nope I wasn’t tagged but if any of ya’ll want to fill it out I do tag YOU!)

1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Your hair? blonde
3. Your mother? inspiring
4. Your father? gentleman
5. Your favorite food? sushi
6. Your dream last night? nothing
7. Your favorite drink? merlot
8. Your dream/goal? happy
9. What room are you in? office
10. Your hobby? yoga
11. Your fear? accidents
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? mother
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren’t? judgmental
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? X-3
17. Where did you grow up? everywhere
18. Last thing you did? e-mailed
19. What are you wearing? dress
20. Your TV? flat
21. Your pets? none :(
22. Friends? loving
23. Your life? blessed
24. Your mood? relaxed
25. Missing someone? always
26. Vehicle? gold
27. Something you’re not wearing? bracelet
28. Your favorite store? Nordys
29. Your favorite color? white
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Sunday
32. Your best friend? D
33. One place that I go to over and over? Texas
34. One person who e-mails me regularly? D
35. Favorite place to eat? Oceanaire





Happy Thanksgiving to ya'll! D and I are leaving in a few hours for Arizona to spend the holiday with his family. Stay safe and eat much :)

xoxoxoxo

Monogram Central!

I’m not obsessed with etsy I PROMISE.

I AM obsessed with purchasing things for our new home once D and I are married and live together (which is 191 days and counting!)

Like this:


It only comes with the vinyl decal, but I plan on purchasing a frame similar to that and hanging it. I just love monograms (I’m a little scared our house might look like monogram central but oh well!). ALSO, I want to purchase some Christmas ornaments to mark our “First (and only) Engaged Christmas.” Surprise surprise I’m thinking monograms, but I think it would be fun for me to have my current last name in the monogram instead of his- just so I have something to remember the Christmas I still had my maiden name!

I love these by the same etsy seller just without the polka dots and maybe on frosted glass bulbs…

xoxoxoxo

when it comes to registering...

I will admit when I first started planning my wedding, the idea of registering kind of made me feel uneasy. You pick your own gifts? Isn’t that a bit presumptuous?

I know that it is a very common trend and it actually helps a lot of your wedding guests, but it still makes me feel weird. It wasn’t until D and I were out yesterday (coincidentally right after we had registered at Bed Bath & Beyond) and his sister called to ask if we needed a cappuccino maker. We are having a small family shower his grandparents have generously offered next week and she was shopping for a gift. Now. I love cappuccinos just as much as the next coffee junkie- but by no means do I need a capuchinno maker in my home (I actually registered for the Tassimo HOW COOL is that thing). Thus, the whole gift registry made complete sense to me yesterday as D proudly announced she could go online and view our registry. I now view it as a tool for guests to use if they chose to do so. It may have felt awkward for my to scan my own gifts, but it will help people that don’t have a clue what would be useful for D and myself.

We have currently registered at Bed, Bath & Beyond as well as Crate & Barrel- love both of those stores and the lady at BB&B said guests love to shop for wedding gifts at their store because of the coupons that seem to be floating everywhere.

Registering was fun but definitely took FOREVER. By the end of the day we were both done for, and we didn’t even register for half of what they suggested us to. We didn’t register for china (which would have been fun) because D’s parents have started our collection of china from his alma mater and the set is BEAUTIFUL. I think that would have taken even more time so I was thankful we didn’t even have to venture into that department!

xoxoxoxo

and these are a few of my favorite things...

A few things I am currently absolutely obsessed with…

1. Blackberry Messenger (BBM)- seriously a god send. Whenever I tell people about BBM its just really hard to explain. There’s nothing really different about it except your text conversations show up similar to an AIM conversation. D and I BBM back and forth all day long (our relationship actually kind of started over BBM….go figure it is my #1). But I will also say I’m that annoying girl that when I find out a friend has a blackberry but doesn’t use their BBM, I make it my personal mission to get them hooked. And I must say, I’ve been very successful :) The only con is that the messenger is a little hard to figure out if you’re a newbie at it- if ya’ll ever need help let me know! Also, a trick I’ve learned along the way…when sending your pin to another contact, all you have to type (as a text) is ‘mypin’ and then press a spacebar and it magically shows up!

2. Using hot rollers after drying my hair- one of my best friends came to visit a few weeks ago and I noticed she was using those pretty hot pink Velcro rollers after she had dried her hair and straightened it. Ever the follower (ha), I picked some up at the store and started using them. LOVE THEM. Gives so much volume to my fine, thick hair. Another one of those things I blame my mother for not telling me!

3. Yogi ‘Breathe Deep’ tea- Awhile back I was obsessed with Comforting Tea from Aveda (I think that’s what its called, but I could be wrong- I think they only have one kind of tea?) but there’s no way I was going to pay like $14 for 10 tea bags (for real it was something crazy like that. Its good but come on- not THAT good). Breathe Deep IS SO GOOD. I just started enjoying/drinking tea a few months ago and this is by far the best I’ve tried. It’s got a wonderful mint/chamomile flavor that is to die for.

4.Fall on the east coast. BEAUTIFUL. I’ve never lived on the east coast in the fall, and now it makes me sad to see what I’ve been missing out on! I went to school in Colorado where we sometimes get a fall, but it’s usually really quick and not nearly as gorgeous. I also love the rain, so maybe that’s why I’ve been enjoying these past few weeks so much. Gives me a perfect reason to purchase those Hunters wellies ;)

xoxoxoxo

Last night I was on Etsy (which since starting to plan my wedding I have becoming OBSESSED with) and I found these:



How ADORABLE would this look holding a wedding dress? My thoughts exactly. I ordered one to real ‘bride.’ I would have loved to have a Mrs. ---- but D’s last name is far too long. On the drive to work today I started thinking that maybe I should have just ordered it to read ‘Mrs.’ but I like the bride so we will stick with that! But I seriously can’t wait for it to come in the mail! If I really like it I’m going to order them for my bridesmaids as part of their wedding gift.

I have also been on the hunt for embroidered handkerchiefs to give to my mother and MIL. Growing up my mother always used to cross-stitch so she is currently making me one (sewn in blue ribbon) to read my wedding date for me to carry with me (not sure where, I was thinking wrapped around my bouquet or in my dress). I just love how old-fashioned they look and they will be a gift they can keep forever.

xoxoxoxo

I have a secret...

Going to write today about something some of ya’ll may deem as a little hokey and maybe a bit too ‘magical’ for some of your tastes.

I remember awhile back I heard of ‘The Secret,’ it was on Oprah and people just loved it (similar to the whole current Twilight phenomenon which I just don’t get…I’m working on it though). It took me awhile to look it up, because for awhile I somehow associated it with Scientology and just didn’t think it was my thing.

Well, probably about a year and a half ago I finally looked it up (a video on YouTube if I remember correctly) and let me just say. Changed my life.

It’s hard to explain, but the way I think about it is that every thought you have has either a positive/neutral/negative vibe to it. The more positive thoughts and actions you have in your life and mind- the more positive things happen to you. This is seriously the dumbed-down version, and I just want ya’ll to watch the video if you have any spare time. I start every morning by repeating to myself as I get ready, “It’s going to be a great day…” over and over and over. And let me tell you- it helps. You wouldn’t believe how much those positive thoughts help make everyday so much better.

My roomie and I were having a seriously HARD time a few months ago, and at about 3 in the morning one night we just got into it- probably the worst fight/argument I’ve ever had with a friend. She was just really having a hard time (we had both just moved to a whole new city and had no friends and she didn’t even have a job yet) and I told her she just had to read the book and watch the videos. I will tell you she is a totally different person today. Much more positive- and much more positive things have been occurring in her life.

Ok now I’ll stop being so crazy. BUT REALLY. Read it :)

xoxoxoxo

New purchases!

Side note: Mr. Postman did deliver (I mentioned I was anxiously waiting for him a few posts ago) and I LOVE my Vera Wang Princess and TB flats. I bought the travel size VW Princess perfume with lipgloss and can't stop applying it! Just smells so yummy! The TB flats are a staple item I've been wanting to add to my collection for a long time so it just makes me so happy to finally see these puppies sitting in my closet!

I also took a trip to the MAC counter at Nordy's on Friday. I came out with:

Eyeshadow in Style Snob (below) and Mylar

Lipstick in CremePuff (which I'll use my MAC lipglass over)

Love all three of them. D had a fancy dinner event on Friday so I wore the Style Snob but it will normally be too dark to wear everyday. Its a deep shimmery purple that looks great on brown/hazel eyes!

I bought the Mylar (a matte white color) to wear everyday just as a base and to even out my eyelids.

Happy Monday to ya'll :)

xoxoxoxo

need a quick paris shopping trip...

I thought I had the perfect post today.

Yesterday, in my office we had a young man came in (looked like a very recent college graduate with excellent style) and he had the most beautiful briefcase I have ever seen. Just everything about it- the from the leather to the shape was perfect. And then to my surprise it had a Longchamp zipper. I LOVE Longchamp and their bags have NEVER failed me, they’re sturdy and last for ages. I commented to him that I loved his Longchamp, and he responded it was his graduation gift- and he purchased it in Paris.

I won’t be traveling to Paris anytime soon but I would LOVE to have one of these for my work laptop.

Currently, I’m using the ‘stock’ Dell briefcase that came with my work laptop. While functional, it doesn’t make my heart pitter-patter like this Longchamp did.

I’ve searched the internet and sadly cannot find it anywhere.

My coworker has a really cute pink one she got from Target, but I’d like to invest in a nice briefcase that I can use for the long haul. Any of ya’ll have suggestions or places to look?

XOXOXOXOXO

from sorority girl to housewife...

So all of you sorority girls know- when you live in a sorority chapter house while the experience definitely blesses you with some wonderful sisters and amazing memories- it robs you of becoming domesticated.

I'm saying I didn't know you were supposed to wash dishes with hot water.

Until last summer.

I am 22 years old.



I know a lot of you will say this was my mothers duty- and you're right. But I had one of those mothers that didn't let us touch the dishes because she thought we would either A) break a dish or B) put them away wet/incorrectly. I called her immediately after the hot water incident and she calmly replied, "Honey, women know these things."


I missed the memo. Entirely. I was using freezing cold water because it felt good on my hands.


SO anyways. Like I was saying. Living in my chapter house for most of college, we always had cooks and cleaning women that kept the house in great shape and our bellies full (a little too full hellooo college buddha belly...). So when I moved out, I was like a lost puppy surviving on frozen dinners and subway. Well, a few weeks ago I made a vow that I would try new things. D and I registered at Crate and Barrel a few weeks ago and I was amazed at how fun the kitchen/baking aisles were. Then, a week ago at the mall I stopped into Williams Sonoma to "look around." That was step one.

Purchasing THIS was step two.

D, the roomie and I made them last Sunday and they were so fun. D gave them out to his friends and they all said they were really good too! We mixed apples with sugar and cinnamon and I seriously could have eaten just that.

Every few weeks I'm going to invest in something kitchen related. I don't even have a muffin pan yet. But albeit a slow start- it is a start right?

xoxoxoxo

mixing things up a little bit...

So normally, I am a light pink nail polish kind of girl. I'm not a big fan of acrylic nails. I dont like how they leave my nails after I have them removed. I think they look great, but I just hate how ragged my nails look after a few months with them on.

This has been my favorite nail color for AGES:

Essie Ballet Slippers

But recently I started paying attention to darker colors and even some light greens that really appealed to me. So. I stepped it up a notch. I switched things up and am presently wearing OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark.

I must say I love love love this color. I have been converted from a pink only polish wearer to one that appreciates a splash of purple (almost black even!). I love it best on my toes, I will definitely be wearing dark polish on my toes from now on. My hands might go back and forth- but feet for sure dark.

xoxoxoxo

dear mr. postman...

pay me a visit!


I have this beauties coming my way!

I have been OBSESSED with this perfume for a long time. Every time I was in Nordstrom I would go up to the counter and inhale the scent. I don't know what it is but I absolutely love this stuff. I didn't buy it for a long time because D's ex-girlfriend used to wear it and I thought that might weird him out (it kind of weirded me out too honestly- you can't smell like the ex!). But, one day I was at Sephora and spirtzed it on and he commented that it smelled really good. He had no idea it was Princess- I think probably because it smells differently on everyone? Anywho, that night I put in my order and it should be here any day now!

Next: I've wanted these for a long long time and just finally got around to taking the leap and purchase them! I love the look of them and you can dress them up or dress them down. I'm really hoping to purchase there by Friday because D has an event I am going to with him and these would go perfect with my dress!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

The BEGINNING!

Okay, not going to lie.

I've been a SERIOUS blog stalker for a long long time.

Like check blogs for hours just reading through posts and loving every minute of it. Its actually my stress relief, after a long day of work to come home with a glass (or bottle, we're all friends here who is to judge?) of wine and read through tons of blogs.

I love how it's an underground world of amazing women spilling out their hearts to eachother- whether their posts be about household goods, beauty reviews, or broken hearts. I love it all and love to read it all.

So needless to say I am thrilled to join the world of bloggers.

More importantly...

Happy (early) Veterans Day.


Coming from a military family and soon to be marrying into the military- this day holds a special place in my heart. To my fiance, my father, my future father-in-law, and the millions and have served and continue to proudly serve today: Thank you.





Xoxoxo