Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Makin' The Move!

Okay, this will be my final post over here at Typin' Away With Jesstagirl. I've loved this name, but it's time to move on.

So without further ado, please change your subscriptions, retype your bookmarks, and come follow me over at:

http://jessicalynnwrites.blogspot.com

And don't worry! The name may have changed, but the "old" content still there!

Doname Change

Heh. Do you see what I did with the title of this post? It should be "domain" but I changed it to "doname," oh, I'm so clever sometimes!

All cheesiness aside, I'm considering changing the domain (URL) of this blog. My reasoning is because I've heard from some people (who don't have this bookmarked or subscribe to it) that "jeslynn02" is confusing because it's one "s" and two "n's." Plus I want it to be simple and have this blog name correlate with my professional Web site (debuting sometime within the next few months!).

But here's my problem. I've been blogging under this URL for quite some time. I think I know a way to easily swap out domains and leave a nice little message at this one in case people still show up, but here's my dilemma: I like to link to past posts and I'm afraid that those will all be broken links if I switch names.

Oh maybe I should just start a whole new blog all together since I'm kind of starting a new chapter in my life anyway.

Hmmm...decisions, decisions...

*I'm so sorry if this is going over your head. I think I'm mostly writing this out so I can try to figure out what I'm doing!*

If you kept up with this and know what I'm talking about, advice would be greatly appreciated!

To Do Till We Do

Today marks the nine-month mark. Yup, in 276 days we'll be tying the knot! I made a to-do list of all that I could think of that I need to take care of before the wedding, so I thought I'd share it. Feel free to let me know if I'm missing anything!



The Look:

  • Dress DONE! (Brides by Demetrios)
  • Engagement Ring: DONE! (Blue Nile)
  • Veil:
  • Garter:
  • Ceremony shoes:
  • Bride accessories (earrings, necklace, etc.)
  • Bridesmaid dresses:
  • Flower girls dresses:
  • Groomsmen suits/tuxes:
  • Rehearsal dinner dress:
  • Something old
  • Something new
  • Something borrowed
  • Something blue
  • Talk to custom jeweler about creating my band:
  • My wedding band:
  • His wedding band:
  • Find MUA:
  • Find Hairstylist:
  • Makeup trial:
  • Hair trial:

Pre-Wedding:

  • Wedding website DONE!
  • DJ: DONE! (my brother @ Tuffersound
  • Photographer: DONE! Kim Jackson Photography
  • Pre-wedding photographer:DONE! Don James
  • Videographer DONE! my cousin @ Kiko Productions
  • Engagement pictures DONE! (ask for link)
  • Wedding Planner: DONE! Karen with Celebrations! Style
  • Get e-ring insured
  • Check with fire marshal to have candles at reception
  • Guest list
  • Design Save The Dates (Laura)
  • Make/print Save The Dates
  • Send Save The Dates
  • DIY Invitations
  • Send out Invites
  • Registries
  • Block rooms at hotel
  • DIY Programs
  • DIY Guestbook
  • Have our Tasting
  • Find a florist
  • Decide on Honeymoon
  • Rehearsal dinner location
  • Book Honeymoon
  • Pickup Marriage License
  • Gifts for BM and parents
  • Family must-take photo list

Ceremony:

  • Ceremony location: DONE! (Hotel Albuquerque in chapel)
  • Ceremony music:
  • Pick “readings”:
  • Find faux petals:
  • DIY Pomanders for aisles:
  • DIY flower girl baskets
  • DIY Table Runners
  • DIY Labels for wine bottles (if venue allows it)


Reception:

  • Reception location: DONE! (Hotel Albuquerque in the Franciscan)
  • Music
    • First Dance:
    • Father/Daughter:
    • Mother/Son:
    • Bouquet Toss:
    • Garter Toss:
    • Cake Cutting:Sugar Sugar, Pour Some Sugar on Me, How Sweet it is (to be loved by you), Build Me Up Buttercup
  • Get coffee beans for centerpieces:
  • Get square vases for centerpieces
  • Get flowers for centerpieces
  • Cake:
  • Groom’s Cake:
  • Cupcakes:
  • Photobooth (?)
  • DIY cupcake/cake flags
  • DIY crossword puzzle:
  • DIY photo upload cards:
  • DIY Centerpieces
  • DIY Napkins (?)

GET MARRIED!!!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Gimme A Break!

Sorry for the lack of blogging over here, there's a lot going on in my life right now and yesterday the stress took over. I love that post-it note to the left because it's exactly what I feel like doing lately.

Just for shits 'n giggles (really? who came up with that phrase?!), here's a look at what I have going on in the next several months, and why my IBS is kicking up all of a sudden. Oh, was that TMI (too much information)? Sorry!

May 22 - flying out of ABQ at 6:50 pm to Denver.
May 23 - arrive in ATL at 6 am
May 25 - driving to Pensacola, Florida with Kenny (this is a new change of plans thanks to the Air Force)*
May 26 - flying from Pensacola to Atlanta, from Atlanta to Denver, and from Denver to ABQ. Woot.
May 29 - flying to San Diego at 7 am
May 31 - HALF MARATHON - YEA!!!
June 1 - flying back home at 8 pm
June 7 - friend's bachelorette party
June 12 - friend's rehearsal/dinner
June 13 - friend's wedding
June 28 - ATM Chef Knockout
July 3–July 6 - Georgia to see Kenny
July 11 - FSIL (future sister in law) bridal shower
July 24 - Brother and FSIL rehearsal
July 25 - Brother and FSIL wedding!!
August 15 - Absolute last day to get TNT fundraising money in
August 24 - Vegas for my cousin's 21st birthday
September 1–September 15 - Going. Back. To. England!!!! (I booked my ticket last night!!!)

Um. So. Yeah. I'm kinda stressed. Not to mention, work is kinda stressing me out at the moment, but I think that's more due to thinking about all of the above than actual work. I also want to start working on all these little DIY projects I have for the wedding since I "have so much time," but now I'm afraid all the time is going to fly by without me doing any of the fun projects I want to do.

And as a completely different side note, can I share a major pet peeve with you? I can't stand it when people call pets (usually dogs) their "kids" or "babies." For some reason it just gets under my skin. No offense if you have an animal you love just as you would another human being, it's just a thing that really bugs me personally!

Okay, there's my rant for today.

*The Air Force likes to mess with Kenny and I all the time. It seems like whenever we make solid plans (usually they include purchasing a non-refundable airline ticket) they give him or change his orders a couple days after we get the ticket. For example: We bought the ticket on Friday and on Monday they told him he's going to Florida for work the day I'm supposed to leave. Oh, Air Force, you're really quite annoying.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Favorite Things

Hey Readers,

This is my 400th post! Whoa! So in honor of making it to number 400, here are a few of my favorite things (in no particular order, and I know I'm leaving things out).

Kenny
Ranch dressing (specifically from Dions, Chilis, pelicans, The Quarters BBQ)
Baked Flamin' Hot Cheetos
Garlic croutons
Green chile
The dry climate in Albuquerque
Flip flops
Blogging (here and here)
Planning my wedding!
Trying to pay it forward
My wedding gown
Traveling (cars, planes, trains, automobiles, truck stops, airports, etc.)
Coffee ice cream with apple pie filling, and cinnamon from Cold Stone
Schmumfy and Harry
Chick flicks
cupcakes

Okay. I think that's all for now! Leave a comment with your favorite things. Hope you had a good weekend :)

Friday, May 15, 2009

Friday Poll

Whoops! I almost forgot to post a new poll for this week. Here are the results from last week, and I'm very happy to see there are two other readers who are left handed just like me (woot woot!):For this week I'm curious what you guys top your salads with! Are you all about the creamy ranch or a light vinaigrette?

Salad Dressing Preference:
* Ranch

*Blue Cheese
*Vinaigrette
*Thousand Island
*French

*Lemons

*Nothing

*Other


About 10 minutes ago, Kenny and I bit the bullet and bought a ticket for me to go see him over Memorial Day weekend. I couldn't be more excited about this, because that means I get to see him one. week. from. today!!!!! I must have spend at least two cumulative hours trying to find a flight that would give us the biggest bang for our buck, so to speak.

Here's my flight info so you can see the craziness I go through to see my man! Luckily I love traveling and usually don't have any problems sleeping in airports or on planes.
(click to enlarge and get the full effect)

I love the feeling after I buy a plane ticket somewhere! Hope you all have a great weekend.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

The Pain Game

I'm possibly being the laziest person ever right now. You see, as I type this—from the couch—there's an extremely fit woman hosting a Comcast OnDemand Bridal Shape Up on my TV. Yup. I gave up on it, so here I am.

(Side note: I wasn't completely lazy today, I even did this workout before I clicked for the bootcamp, and you know what? It was freaking hard - seriously, watch that segment and then try doing it! I hate how these trainers make it look like a piece of cake!)

I think I forgot to mention that I hurt my knee about two weeks ago, and the back story to that is that it's the same knee I had surgery on several years ago. My knee has never given me trouble before, but the second I felt—and heard—a not-so-pleasant feeling I knew I did something bad. Luckily it only hurts if I put a lot of strain on it (i.e. walk up hill, downhill, do jumping jacks, squats, lunges, etc.), so I'm still continuing with training for my half marathon (16 days away!!!).

But here's the crappy part.

A couple days before I hurt my knee I kinda sorta ordered my wedding gown (WOOTY WOOT!!!), but I may have ordered it in not one, but TWO sizes smaller than what I am right now. Yup.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Hello, my name is Jessica and I just became a crazy bride. So now you can see why a knee engery is kinda cramping my style - literally. It hurts to do cardio and I need to do cardio because that, combined with my healthy-eating lifestyle, is how I will lose weight.

These are some of the videos I've been using and actually enjoy working out to, but I think I may need to take up swimming again until I get this knee problem under control. It's really a gigantic inconvenience because I actually like working up a sweat in the mornings. Lately I've been working a lot on strength and sclupt using hand weights, but I can only do so many arm work outs. If you guys can think of any other low-impact way to get my cardio in, please let me know.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Smell You Later

I opted for a healthy lunch today so I went to Subway, but I always forget about one thing when I go there: how much it stinks!

Seriously! If you've never noticed it before then you're sure to notice it now, but it just smells. And the worst part is that you reek of of "Subway" the rest of the day.

On the bright side, they do have tasty sandwiches if you managed to get a decent "sandwich artist."

P.S. Hello to everyone reading from around the world! I like the fact that even though I'm not traveling these days my blog is!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Not-Frequent-Enough Flier

I've been flying back and forth to see Kenny for the past two years and I try to visit him every other month. Now, I'm not good at math (I wrote papers about math and played tic-tac-toe in my college math class and I still barely passed— but that's a whole other blog post), but after flying more than 3,000 miles round trip each time I go out there, you'd think I would have racked up enough frequent flier miles by now to have a free trip, right? Wrong.

I'm sure this would be the case if I had stuck with one particular airline, but I'm cheap so I fly by who offers me the cheapest flight. This means I'm part of the Frontier, American Airlines, and Delta flier programs, all of which only give you super-flier status if you fly around a million miles with them.

I think I'm pretty close to getting a free flight (or at least the next membership level which means I'll get a free drink and movie on a flight - whoop) on Delta and Frontier, but here's my dilemma: I'm about to book two more trips for June and July, but the cheapest flight is on American. Do I pay around $100 more for each trip out there just so I can get the extra miles? Or do I go the cheaper route and just hope that someday I reach the next membership level.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

My Mama

(When I lived in England in 2004/2005 I would periodically send e-mails home to friends and family. This was one of those emails - I hope you enjoy! Happy Mother's Day!)

A Father’s Surprise

My grandma loves England. My grandma loves England so much that she's gone abroad just to go on a garden tour, yes, a tour of only English gardens. So when she found out that her only granddaughter would be studying in England for a year, she booked her flight to London and convinced her long-time college friend, Betty, to go with her. Really, it was a great excuse for her to visit the UK again; this would be her sixth visit to England.

I couldn’t be more excited to have them come out and see me. Not only would I get to be with family again, but I'd also get some much-needed ‘supplies’ from home (i.e. tortillas, batteries, shampoo and conditioner, scarves, and basically anything I could think of, because everything is cheaper in America.)

About two weeks ago I was talking to my mom on the phone and she mentioned that my dad was also sending me a surprise! ‘Oh fantastic,” I thought, “Maybe he’ll send me Reese’s Pieces (he knows I love them, and can’t get them out here), or an article he saw on a band I like since he likes clipping things from newspapers sometimes.” I thought of all the possibilities of what the ‘surprise’ could be….

My grandma’s flight arrived in London at 7:30am on Friday, the 29th of October, and she told me she’d call
if she could when she landed, to let me know she and Betty arrived safely, but she said ‘not too worry’ if she didn’t call since she would be busy and a bit stressed. She told me to expect the two of them sometime in the afternoon.

Around 2pm I began to get a little worried and considered calling Peter (the tour guide for the weekend) to make sure everything was ok. I also considered calling home to ask my mom and dad if they had heard from her, but I remembered that my mom was going to an all-day workshop and my dad was going to work early. I heard my mom's voice in my head telling me not to worry and to be patient. Luckily my best friend, who was also studying abroad in Australia, eased my mind and called me around 2:30pm. We talked for a little bit, but my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car.

I quickly got off the phone with her and ran outside. I gave my Grandma a huge hug and a kiss and I turned around to welcome Betty. But, there was one problem.

When I turned around it wasn’t Betty who I was looking at… it was my mom! MY MOM!!!! Thousands of thoughts were racing through my mind and I didn’t know whether to laugh, or cry, so I did both.
I heard her say, “Surprise! I’m Betty.” But at that moment I couldn’t comprehend what exactly was going on! I invited my mom, grandma and Peter into my house and gave them a very brief and scattered tour. They proceeded to give me treats and things from home. As this was happening I was still trying to put everything together – boy did they have some explaining to do!

About a half hour later we were ready to go begin our weekend of sightseeing and touring. And what do you know; the weather began to clear up the moment we left the university, and was actually unbelievably nice the whole time.

On the way to our Bed and Breakfast my mom and grandma filled me in on everything. They told me how EVERYONE knew about this surprise…EVERYONE, that is, except for me and all of my friends. So, for ALL of you who knew about this, I congratulate you for not letting the cat out of the bag!!!

It was on the way to the B&B when I finally calmed down and stopped shaking. I called my dad and thanked him for my ‘surprise!" I’m still so happy and so surprised; it’s very surreal. My papa’s gift was a very unselfish and amazing surprise, I’m very lucky to have such great parents!!!

Here are some pictures from the trip:

This one is hands down, my favorite picture from my entire time in Bournemouth, England.

Notting Hill on a Saturday!

Buckingham Palace changing of the guard.

White Cliffs of Dover

Stonehenge

Us posing in front of Stonehenge with a local paper!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

THE Dress!

The title of this blog may be a slight teaser, because you see, you're not going to see any pictures of "The One." Kenny sometimes stops by here and I'd hate for him to catch a glimpse of the dress.

(I know you all must be SO disappointed I'm not going to wear the one on the left...I kid, I kid!)

But! I am so giddy and excited over this gown. I didn't have the magical moment when I first tried it one, and it certainly wasn't the first one I tried on, but after I put this one on and "sat on it" for a few days I knew it's the one I wanted to wear. I know it's silly but I think about it often throughout the day and I'm really sad I only get to wear it for one day.

So far my mom, Laura (maid of honor), Natalie (bridesmaid), my dad, and my grandma have seen the dress on me, and I think I'm going to keep it that way. I want people to be surprised at the wedding.

Anyway, I decided to write about it today because I'm going back to try it on again and get the size to order. We already paid (half the cost) a week and a half ago, but now I need to go and sign the contract and all that jazz!

Did you (or are you planning on) show your fiance The Dress before the wedding?

Friday, May 8, 2009

Friday Poll

*Wow! Two posts in one day and three within 24 hours? Consider yourselves lucky!*

The media sure has a way of freaking out the human race (remember the Hanta Virus and the West Nile virus?) But with the Swine H1N1 Flu, I was really scared for awhile. Sure, I'm also sometimes a hypochondriac, but the flu is something people can feasibly get! Combine the real-life threat with the fact that I was flying on an airplane while this pandemic was spreading didn't give me much comfort.

But then I realized that hundreds of thousands of people get the flu every year and more than that, people die from the regular flu! Anywho, long story short, I got over the media-hype and realized that I just need to be sanitary (wash my hands, use sanitizer, and keep myself healthy...like people should always be doing!).

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought that this silly scare will fly by sooner or later. (Ha. ha. get it? FLY by? Swine flu? When pigs fly?" Ha. Okay, that was kinda lame...)

Now for today's poll:
Are you... * Left handed
or
* Right handed

I hope you all are having a great Friday!

For All You Do

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day and even though I haven't joined the ranks yet, I'm learning to appreciate all that spouses do for our country and our men and women. As a previous girlfriend and present fiance, I've had my ups and downs of already dealing with what the military dishes out. I've been through a deployment (and preparing for another one), I've had dates changed on me, and have realized that nothing is ever certain till he's literally in the air on his way to his destination...and even then I'm pretty sure things are negotiable.

I've been very fortunate to meet some unbelievable military wives who have already made me feel welcome and I can't wait to meet more women like the ones I've already met.


p.s. I'll post the results of this past week's poll later this afternoon, but you can start taking the next one now. Oh! And check out the post I did late last evening (below).

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Someday My Life Will Begin

Some day my life will begin, but just not at this moment.

I'm so ready for my next chapter to begin that I can hardly stand it. I just watched Grey's Anatomy tonight and it sure reminded me of what love is.

Love is wanting to still touch someone even when they're dripping wet from humidity.

Love is making new friends with strangers even when the thought of "people" scares the heck out of you.


Love is putting up with families that are as different as night and day.


Love is moving across the world to follow someone because you can't stand another day without them.


Love is finding comfort in an email or a text when your significant other is thousands of miles away from you.


Love is being patient when she doesn't understand how to make gravy or how to hang curtains.


Love is realizing that someone is just as beautiful after waking up or after working out than they are when they get all dolled up.


Love is having durn good inside jokes to make each other laugh.


Love is understanding two people are different by finding balances between the two.


Love is taking naps on his lap when you know he'd rather be doing anything but wasting an hour of his day.

Love is feeling your heart ache, because it's missing its other half.


Love is giving up your dream of eloping in Vegas at a drive-thru chapel because your fiance has a dream of wearing a gorgeous dress.


Love is always saying goodbye, but knowing there will always be a hello.

Love is all around.


Love is.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Nice To Meet You!

I've been noticing a lot of traffic lately on my lil ol' blog, so I figured it'd be nice for a meet and greet type of post!

So what do you say? Are you ready to share a little bit about yourself? I see you lurking on here from Canada, the UK, Brazil, Virginia, Massachusetts, California...oh how the list could go on!

I know commenting on a blog may seem scary for some of you, but I personally love knowing I'm writing stuff that people actually read. Besides, you don't even need to sign up for an account! Just click the little "thoughts" down at the bottom of this post, copy and paste the questions, and write your own answers. Or shoot, don't even answer the questions, just say hello and tell me where you're from! (See, I even purposefully made it "thoughts" with the idea that more than one person would comment!)

Here, I'll even go first:
  • Hi, my name is: Jessica
  • Do you have any pets? I have two hamsters, Schmumfy and Harry, and a dog named Oreo.
  • What's your favorite food? I love chile and Italian food.
  • Have you ever lived in another country? Yep! I lived in England four years ago.
  • Have you ever met a famous person? I've met Drew Carey, Eddie Izzard, several musicians, and...yeah, I think that's about it.
  • What countries have you visited? Oh wow, Mexico, Canada, England, N. Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and France.
  • Are you a 'morning' or 'night' person? Morning!
  • How many cities have you lived in? Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Atlanta, and Bournemouth.
  • What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Coffee or cookies 'n cream. Put if it's from Cold Stone then I like coffee ice cream with apple pie filling and cinnamon sprinkled in it. Mmmmm...so good!
  • What's your favorite color? Red and black, which surprisingly are not the colors in my wedding.
  • What season do you like the best? Fall - it's gorgeous wherever you're living.
  • Where do you live now? Albuquerque, New Mexico
Okay, now it's your turn! Please? Pretty please?

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Catchin' Up...again

My apologies for being MIA again for the past several days. You see, I took a little weekend trip to Georgia to go see my man and when I go out there I seem to forget what a computer is. Spending time with him becomes my top priority. Anyway, this weekend his base was hosting an air show, so I got to see lots of fast plans in action; twas very fun if you ask me!The Thunderbirds in action!

If only I had a video camera! This guy was doing flips, twists and flying upside down!

:) Good times. I'm surprised I'm smiling despite the yucky humidity!

This is where my airman works. Notice just how gigantic those computers are! I think someone needs to let the Air Force know that computers come in much smaller packages these days!

And this is the plane he flies on, called the JStar!

I have about 50 more pictures from my trip - all from the air show - so I'll hopefully get them on my photo blog very soon (as in later tonight, maybe).

Since I was gone on Friday I missed out on the Friday Poll, so let me just recap that and get a new poll up now.
It looks like we have a few die-hard tweeters, but the majority of you are "just saying no" to Twitter. I wish I could've done that, but unfortunately I do have an account; I just don't update it all that often. Personally I like Facebook more...

Moving on to other business of the morning. For this week's short poll I thought I'd take a cue from the recent Swine Flu scare and see if you're letting the H1N1 Flu get in the way of your life:

Swine Flu thoughts:
* I'm freaking out, man!
* This too shall pass
*Whatever
*Other

Whew! Okay, apology (check), air show (check), poll (check), mention the swine flu (check). Ah. I know what I'm forgetting....


As many of you know, to my family Cinco de Mayo is more than just a day to enjoy margaritas. It's the day my dad was diagnosed with cancer (click link for that post).

I hope, if you haven't already, you'll check out the little button to the right that says "Help Me Fight Cancer." And I hope even more that you'll donate something...anything. It's because of donations and research (and prayers) that my dad is still alive today. Some of the medicines he was taking during his treatment were outragiously priced, but thanks to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (and from people who donated money), they gave him a sort of scholarship, so we didn't have to pay $3,000 per dose - I kid you not.

So while everyone is out drinking Coronas and eating yummy fajitas and guacamole, I'll definitely be thinking about receiving that phone call from my mom four years ago today. I hope you all have a fantastic Cinco de Mayo, and I also hope that maybe when you dip your chip into that salsa you'll remember what today means to me and my family and maybe, just maybe (!), you'll come back to this post, click the link, and donate some money so other people can enjoy their families on holidays.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Engagement Photos!

Last week I gave you a sneak peak of our engagement pictures, so today I wanted to tease you with even more! Check out the end of this post for the link to see all 53 of them if you so desire. If you can't tell, I'm pretty darn excited about these, so I hope you enjoy them as much as Kenny and I do!



All photos by Kim Jackson Photography.

If you can stand to see more of us, head over to our SmugMug for 48 more.


P.S. you only have until tonight to vote on the Twitter poll on the right!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Trash Talking

I've been branching out of my normal training routine and stepping away from the treadmill at the gym. Recently, I've been walking outside around my neighborhood. It's just so nice outside in the mornings now, and today I even left my earphones out of my ears and let the birds sing to me. Everything about this morning's walk was fantastic...



...except for this:

Today's trash day in my neck of the 'hood, and whenever I'd get within 10 feet of most of these black and blue bins I could sure tell that some of that trash had been sitting in there for a good week. It kinda puts a damper on the nice, fresh air.

Monday, April 27, 2009

The Way I Always Look

This song just popped up on my iTunes and I immediately thought it'd be a great First Dance song.

The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra

But then I started really listening to the lyrics:
Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,
And the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart...
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it ?
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight.

Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look to-night.

I think they're really nice and would be great for a first dance, and as much as I want Kenny to remember what I look like on our wedding day, I want him to remember that he loves me even on the days when I look like crap, when I'm feeling sick, or when I just got home from running eight miles.

I don't want him to love me based on how I look on our wedding night while we're dancing the night away; I want him to love me just the way I look tonight...

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Possible Centerpiece?

I took a quick trip to Dollar Tree today to see if they have square vases, because the price for vases from fancy schmancy stores want to charge me mucho. I decided I'd like my centerpieces to be in square vases filled with coffee beans and have poofy light pink flowers. Something like this:












Since real flower centerpieces cost way more than I want to pay, I thought it'd be a better idea to try to make my own. Yup. I'm going to attempt to Do. It. Myself. Well, it won't be all DIY, in reality I'll need help from my mom and friends!

Okay, back to my quick project (seriously, it was quick. This took me MAYBE 15 minutes). I got a square vase ($1), two bunches white carnations (1 dozen, $2), and two bunches of light pink roses (1 dozen, $2 - but I only used six of them, so really it was $1 for that). So. The grand total for this centerpiece? Four bucks. When/if I do this for real I'll probably get some flowers from Hobby Lobby, because I don't really want white flowers. BUT, what do you think of the carnations? I think it gives it that soft, poofy look I like! The vase is also a little small, I think, so I'd need to see what it looks like on table set for ten people.
Just squint real hard and maybe you'll see coffee beans in the vase, and all light pink flowers.
So what do you think? Seriously, honest opinions!

The Day After

The day and the day after either I or Kenny leaves each other is always hard. We just get so used to being around one another that when they're gone you have to readjust your life. It's back to the IMing and texting each other routine. Yesterday I actually contemplated moving our wedding up several months, but the only feasible time we could have it would be too close to my brother's wedding, and I'm pretty sure that's a big etiquette no-no.

It's not that I feel like the next 302 days will be a waste spent out here, it's just that I want to get on with my life with him. I know it's going to be a somewhat rocky transition (with me picking up my entire life and moving/changing lifestyles/jobs), but I just want it to start as soon as possible, and 10 months from now just seems like ions away.

(I just liked this picture so much I wanted to use it again! AND notice how it's centered around Atlanta - how cool is that? If only the picture was taken about half an inch lower, a little closer to Warner Robins!)

I find myself checking out our engagement photos more often than may be considered healthy, but he just looks so darn fantastic in them that I want to look at him all the time. Hopefully I'll get those photos up somewhere sometime soon so you guys can see them, too. While I don't think they'll be as drool-worthy for you (because if they are I may have to sit down and have a talk with you and tell you that HE'S MINE!), I do hope you'll like them.

I'm spending most of today out in Tome, New Mexico watching my great aunt Tia while my mom and dad are spending a weekend out of town. She doesn't have the Internet there (GASP), so I'm taking a lot of work with me to finish. I wish I had some wedding projects I could start on!

Hope you all have a good Saturday!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Friday Poll

Here's a sneak peak of our engagement photos! I'm just waiting to get the CD of them so I can get them all online. That's one of my favorites :)

Based on my very un-scientific poll, I'm willing to guess that most of you live or are from the West side of America. I, personally, can't handle the taste of sweet tea. No sugar in that refreshing drink for me, thank you very much!

As for this week's poll, I wanna know if you Tweet!

Do you Tweet?
* I have twitter, but don't tweet
* I can't stop tweeting
* No, I refuse to sign up
* Other (leave a comment)


Thursday, April 23, 2009

An Almost Goodbye

This morning my dad asked me when Kenny leaves. I told him, “tomorrow,” but I must have said it with a gloomy tone, because he asked me why I was sad. Stating what I thought was the obvious, I said, “because he’s leaving!” And then my dad responded with, “Well you’ll only be apart for a week, you’re seeing him next Friday.”

And then it hit me.

People don’t understand. Some people just don’t get that being away from the one you love is hard, really hard. I realize Kenny and I both choose to be in this long distance relationship; I understand that I could have moved out there as soon as I knew I loved him so we wouldn’t have to go minutes, days, and months, apart from each other, but I didn’t move.
Knowing that I’m going to see Kenny next Friday (I’m going out there for the weekend) only makes saying goodbye tomorrow a tiny bit less hard. Couples in normal (i.e. not long distance) relationships rarely spend time away from each other, but my relationship will always be based around countdowns, hellos, and goodbyes, so I just wish people would take our situation a little more seriously.

After I see Kenny next weekend we’re not quite sure when we’ll be together again. The (hopeful) plan is for him to come out for my brother’s wedding in July, but that’s not set in stone yet. Nothing ever is when you’re life is determined by the whims of the military. Other than that, he’ll be deployed in the fall.


Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it sure makes the rest of you lonely. – Charlie Brown

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

In the Mean Time:

While I figure out what I want to blog about, why don't you take the survey to the right. And while you're at it, feel free to leave suggestions for other poll topics!

Monday, April 20, 2009

All Smiles

Talk about a whirlwind last several days! Kenny flew into town Wednesday morning and I’ve been attached to his hip ever sense. (Okay, in all actuality, I’ve been attached to his thigh since he’s a good foot taller than I am). I’ll spare you the hour-by-hour schedule, but it’s safe to say we got a lot of wedding “stuff” done and I’m feeling a lot less stressed about things. This is the only time he’ll be in town before December rolls around, so I thought of the things I wanted him here for and we went to town, literally.

Here’s a brief recap:
* Signed the contract for our ceremony and reception venue
* Checked out rings, tux’s, and started a brief registry
* Had a blast taking our engagement photos (we should hopefully get them back by this Thursday!) (We were originally going to take them at the airport, but after realizing the Sunport isn’t exactly photogenic, we opted to shoot them in Nob Hill. I really can’t wait to get them back.)
* Went over possibilities for a First Dance song, but that's still up in the air.
* And most importantly, I’ve enjoyed seeing my fiancé every day.

When you’re in a long distance relationship, it really makes you appreciate the time you have together.

I know I slacked on getting my regular poll up on Friday, so I’ll put one up today. But first, the results from the last poll!
It looks like the overwhelming response is that you all like Christmas/Hanukkah the best. I put my vote towards New Years. That’s when Kenny and I first met and I really like the traditional meal my immediate family has that night followed with a celebrations with my friends!

For this week’s poll, I want to know what you like to drink:

Which do you prefer?
1. Sweet Tea
2. Unsweet Tea

I still need to get my photos of the day up, so keep an eye out for those!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

After these messages

...I'll be right back!


*My man is in town, so I'm skipping time on the computer to hang out with him. I'll resume blogging when my life becomes boring again*

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Engagement Shoot Inspiration

Kenny and I are taking engagement pictures next Saturday and I managed to get the location for the shoot at the Albuquerque Sunport Airport. Do you see the connection? Kenny and I have been long distance our whole relationship, and with him being in the Air Force and all, well, airports have some significance in our lives!

So with that said, I went out into the world of the Web and found some other airport engagement photos. These are some of my favorites and I wanted to share it with you. Now, I'm almost positive there won't be any airplanes in our photos (just part of the deal I worked out because of silly liability reasons, but if you all cross your fingers and send us good vibes next Saturday, maybe they'll appear!

I'm really anxious to see what our pictures will end up looking like; this definitely isn't your traditional engagement shoot, but hopefully it'll all turn out great. Our photographer, Kim Jackson, possibly sounds even more excited about this than us, and I'm taking that as a very good sign!

So what do you think of our shoot! I also numbered these photos because I'm interested in which are your favorites (I have a few that really stand out and I'm in love with). Without further ado, here are a roundup of my favorite pics:

1:2:
3:
4:

5:
6:
7:

8:
9:
11:
source

So that's all of 'em. What do you think?

 
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