11 Days

...since my last update? Not bad! I have decided that I am no longer participating in the 30 Day Challenge. Mine was a 16 Day Challenge over the span of 3-40 days. :)

I have LOTS of updates to share with my bloggy friends! Let's start at the beginning...ok it was just last month. WE GOT A NEW CAR! Yay! It was much needed, however not so much wanted. Matt and I were both getting used to the idea of not having a car payment, especially because I really enjoy spending money you know, to save for the wedding. About every 6 months or so my old Dodge Neon would break or something would need to be replaced. This was getting to be really frustrating. And old. And did I mention frustrating? Nothing like spending your entire tax return on your car! So when our 6 month break was up and my transmission (or something) needed fixed (or replaced) we talked, and Matthew researched too much, and we decided to lease a new Nissan Altima. Let me just say, I. LOVE. THIS. CAR. It's so cute and it smells SO good, it's perfect for us and gets AWESOME gas mileage. So perfect I may just try to convince the fiancé to let us keep it after our lease is up!

Next up, wedding season has officially arrived! We traveled to Atlanta a few weeks ago for Matt's friends wedding! I spent the first day and a half alone (and kinda bored to be honest) but, after much begging and pleading, Matt said we could drive our own car so I wouldn't be stuck in our hotel while he was out partying it up with his friends. He wasn't happy about this decision, but I was, which in turn makes him happy too. He said so himself. The wedding was beautiful! I got a lot of ideas for our own wedding and we met so many wonderful people! Next up is one of my really good friend's weddings. I've known Kari since she was 2 and I was 4. I can't believe she's getting married in ONE short week!! Congrats Kari! Can't wait to watch you walk down the aisle! After Kari says "I DO" we have a small break before the next 2 weddings. My friend Kelli and Matt's brother Mike are both getting married in July (not to eachother). Good times. And to think, only 380 more days until my very own wedding! :)

My last update is just a little something...nothing huge.

I BOUGHT MY WEDDING DRESS!!!!!! I went to Alfred Angelo with one of my sisters and two of my friends to try on some dresses and found THE dress. I wanted to make sure my mom got to see me in it to make sure she agreed that it was the one so I made a follow up appointment last week, and yup, she agrees. It's THE dress. I'm SO happy I bought it when I did because it just-so-happened to be on sale!! I also purchased my veil and a headband (very obsessed with said headband). Is it too early to schedule trial hair appointments with my hair stylist/friend, Chelsea?! ;o) THE dress should be in in about 10 weeks. Which puts us at June 25th. Perfect timing for my soon-to-be sister-in-law to come to my first fitting! -- I think that's how it goes anyway, do you do your first fitting as soon as the dress comes in? My consultant at Alfred Angelo, Tess, was awesome. She should get a raise. My sister and  niece came with me to purchase my dress and we couldn't pull Shai away from the flower girl dresses! Tess was so awesome and actually let Shai try on some flower girl dresses, even though we are no where near close to deciding that kind of thing! She got to try on two dresses and got to wear HIGH HEELS for the first time! Check out this pic...

Adorable! I wish my other flower girl was there to try them on as well! I think my mom is getting really excited for our wedding as well. She seems to be interested in what she's going to wear too! Keep in mind, I haven't seen my mom in a dress....ever?! And she's willing to wear one for OUR wedding! Yesss!! She's going to look beautiful in whatever she chooses! Can't wait to start looking around with her!

On a side note, I'd just like to mention how incredibly proud I am of Mr. Matt. Spring is here which means he is VERY busy working. He's been working really hard and has taken on so much new work this year! He has such an amazing work ethic and never quits even when you can tell he's absolutely exhausted! I love that man!

<3

Oh, I'm a blogger?

...I seemed to have forgotten that in having joined the blogging world...I would need to update my blog on occasion!

I officially suck at the 30 day challenge. Remember that? I was supposed to blog once a day and each day there was a topic to blog about. I ended at Day 7! I should be at Day 22...this post might be a long one!

Day Eight:
A Picture of Something That Makes You Angry/Sad

For this one I can't even post a pic because that would mean I would have to search the internet and this topic makes me so angry/sad...I am disgusted to even have to think about it. The pictures that make me most angry are the ones of abused animals. Anytime those commercials come on with Sarah Mclachlan asking for money for animal abuse, I have to turn the channel. Reason being...I'd probably end up giving all of my money away AND because those pictures devastate me. To think about an innocent animal being abused makes me sick to my stomach. Moving on.

Day Nine:
A Photo You Took

My sweet baby nephew, Tyler, sleeping! :)

Day Ten:
A Photo of You Taken over 10 Years Ago...

I have to skip this one because I don't have any pics of myself that are over 10 years old on my computer!!
Sorry!!

Day Eleven:
A Photo Of You Taken Recently

This picture was taken this past weekend at Matt's friends wedding! This was our first wedding as an engaged couple...and to think we only have 3 more (so far) until our own wedding!


Day Twelve:
Something You Are OCD About

One word. Laundry.

Day Thirteen:
A Fictional Book

I am a little confused about this. Does this mean a fictional book that I like? Well let me just tell you...I just finished reading this book called Another Life by Donna Andres. It was good. And scary.

Day Fourteen:
A Non-fictional Book

Again, a little confused. A non-fiction book that I really liked was I Do, Now What? By Bill and Giuliana Rancic. The stories they told about their relationship were really funny and although I am not married (yet) the book includes a lot of helpful information on the subject. Mainly though, it was just funny.

Day Fifteen:
Your Dream House

Well...my dream house. Here is the link. Think it will still be for sale when/if I can afford it?! Hehe. My Dream House!

Day Sixteen:
A Song That Makes You Cry (Or Nearly)

There are several..however the one that gets me always is Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton. It reminds me of my nephew. RIP DMM.

.....to be continued.... after I eat pizza. 

Oops...

...Hi. I didn't forget about the 30 day challenge! I promise! I'm a few days behind! Today is catch up day!

Day Three:
Your Favorite Television Program...

You know I can't pick just one. There are a few faves. Mostly because these shows are the shows M and I started watching together when we first started dating, and for as long as they are on the air, we will probably watch them together. :)

1.) American Idol - I never really got into this show until I started watching with Matthew. I used to work until midnight, and he used to be nocturnal, so at the beginning of our relationship I would go to his apartment after work and we'd watch American Idol and vote for who we wanted to win.

2.) The Real World - I know, I know. I'm a grown up. I shouldn't still like this show - but I do. It's another show Matthew and I started watching together! I will never get over the drama on this show!

3.) Modern Family/Cougar Town - These two shows are tied because one comes on right after the other, and they are both equally funny!!

OK...That covers day three!!

Day Four
Your Favorite Book...

1.) The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch: who could not love this book? This is definitely a humbling book. I don't know how Randy and his wife were able to stay so strong knowing he only had a short amount of time left here on earth. I love that his kids will have this book and his last lecture to remember him.

2.) Sh*t My Dad Says - Justin Halpern:  this book is SO funny. I could read it over and over and still laugh just as hard as I did the first time! If you don't want to read the book (do it, it's hilarious), you should check them out on Twitter.

Day Five
Your Favorite Quote...

My favorite quote isn't really a quote...well it is, but it's not like, "great minds think alike." or something. It's from the Notebook... silly I know. But I think it's cute. Here it is.

"So it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, for ever, you and me, every day."

Day Six
20 Of Your Favorite Things...

Just when I thought playing catch up was getting easy!

1.) My Fiance, Matthew.
2.) My dog, Teddy Graham.
3.) My nieces and nephews: Katy, Maddie, Regan, Hailey, Dylan, Cheyanne, Shai, Braden, Ethan, Tyler, and *Devon*
4.)The internet
5.) Popcorn
6.) Warm weather
7.) Holidays, 4th of July being my top fave
8.) puppies, in general
9.) babies, in general
10.) House shopping online, even though I'm not buying a house for at least 1 year.
11.) Car shopping online, and I really do need a new car.
12.) Breakfast food
13.) Desserts
14.) Date nights
15.) Board games
16.) Cooking out
17.) Weekends
18.) Any day off work that's not a sick day
19.) Going to the pool
20.) Sleep!!


Day Seven
A Photo That Makes You Happy...

I love this pic so much. My two favorite things in the whole world are displayed in this photo! :)

Day Two: Your Favorite Movie

This is another diffucult topic because I love movies oh-so-much! I love all kinds of movies...scary movies used to be my favorite but, believe it or not, I actually can't watch them anymore. I usually some how end up alone at the end of a scary movie and become extremely paranoid that either I'm going to become possessed as Emily did in the Exorcism of Emily Rose, or that Freddy Kreuger or Jason is going to be hiding in the back seat of my car, or that Leatherface - or whatever his name is - will be waiting for me in my room. Of all the scary movie creepers out there, the scariest by far is Michael Myers. I get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about him.

These days I like to stick to rom-coms and the like. Pretty much anything with Adam Sandler, Vince Vaughn, or Leo DiCaprio will keep me entertained for 120 minutes. Ok, so again, in no particular order- here they are:

1. P.S. I Love You - Oh. My. Gosh. If you don't like this movie. You're crazy. Or a guy. I try to watch this movie as often as possible when the future hubs isn't home. It's a great movie to watch if you feel like you just need a good cry. Necessary items while watching: a bottle glass of wine and/or a pint of your favorite ice cream and a LARGE box of tissues. :)

2. Gran Torino - I love this movie because it's proof that people can change. The movie follows a Korean War vet who pretty much hates life. His neighbor, an asian teenage boy seems to be the brunt of all Walt's anger. By the end of the movie he's formed a friendship with the family who lives next door. I don't want to give away too much of the ending in case anyone who hasn't seen it wants to watch BUT, you may need tissues for this one too!

3. Just Go With It - This is a new movie that came out this year. Matthew and I saw it sometime last month, and it was hilarious! I laughed out loud more times than I thought I would during this movie. Maybe because the storyline is so far fetched- whatever it was, this movie made me laugh. Adam Sandler plays a plastic surgeon who manages to convince his assitant and her kids to be his ex-wife and children. They take a "family" vacation to Hawaii with the new girlfriend and chaos ensues. I have only seen this movie once and it has become a favorite. So I highly recommend it!

So difficult to pick just one favorite, so I gave you three! Hope you're happy. :)

30 Day Challenge....

I stole this 30 Day Challenge off my good friend Emily's blog...I figured it would be a good way for my bloggy friends to get to know me over the next 30 days! So each day I will post the answer to the daily question- should be fun!


Day 1 - your favorite song
Day 2 - your favorite movie
Day 3 - your favorite television program
Day 4 - your favorite book
Day 5 - your favorite quote
Day 6 - 20 of my favorite things
Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11 - a photo of you recently
Day 12 - something you are OCD about
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - your dream house
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)
Day 18 - my wedding/future wedding/past wedding
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a youtube video
Day 24 - where I live
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - my worst habit
Day 28 - what's in my handbag/purse
Day 29 - hopes,dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - a dream for the future

And so it begins...

DAY ONE:
My favorite song...hmm...this is a tough one since music is such a huge part of my life! Right now I would have to say I have 3 favorite songs. Here they are, in no particular order:

1.) Highway 20 Ride - Zac Brown Band:  There are certain songs that remind me of my dad (or the relationship I wish I had with him), and this is one of those songs.

2.) Marry Me - Train:  This song makes me cry every time I listen to it. If I didn't already think it was going to be the song that a million engaged couples dance their first dance to, I would pick it for ours!

3.) Only You Can Love Me This Way - Keith Urban:  I have loved this song for, hmm, forever?!  This really is the song Matthew and I will dance to at our wedding! :) This is another song that makes me cry every time I listen to it! If ever I'm in a bad mood on my way home from work (this isn't uncommon-we'll get into my work life later), and I accidentally-might-sometimes take my frustrations out on the future hubs in text  messages during my not so good day, all I have to do is listen to this song and it puts me in a better mood, after making me feel guilty for being not nice to my sweetie.

All of these are sappy songs, but, I'm a sap. What can I say?

There you have it folks. My favorite song(s). Day one complete. Whew. That wasn't so hard!!

Earlier today something popped into my head. WE HAVE TO GET ENGAGEMENT PICTURES TAKEN IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS! Must. Start. Working. Out. NOW!  :o)

No news...

...on the wedding front these days... We have our church (Worthington Presbyterian), our reception location (The Venue), and our photographer (Addvision) booked so far. Considering that our wedding isn't for another 412 days we are ok w/ taking a mini break from planning. No worries though, it will resume full force in May...or June!

Not planning anything doesn't mean I'm not thinking about it :) every sunday at church I invision our wedding, I still (mostly) pay attention during service. And I'm thinking of creative ways to ask my my friends/family to stand next to me as my bridesmaids! I have come up with what I think are some really awesome ideas. I hope I can pull them off! :o\ We've been working on our guest list which seems to be growing- oops. I'm really proud of Matthew because he made (or perhaps downloaded) a program that allows us to enter in our ALL of our guests information and calculates how many invitations we'll need. I think that has been his favorite part of the wedding planning process so far! ...The main thing that's been on my mind is COLOR!! I can't decide on colors to use for flowers or BM dresses or anything else that involves color at a wedding! HELP (I guess I really need to get on asking these ladies to be my BM's so I can ask their opinion on this matter)!

That's all in the way of wedding plans so far, but everyone assures me 5/5/12 will be here in the blink of an eye so I better not let my planning fall too far behind!

Spring has officially sprung, so bring on the warm weather! Oh, and if anyone wants to come to my apartment to do a little spring cleaning, it would be much appreciated - especially by Matthew because it would get him out of helping! I'm sure he would be willing to pay! ;)

Before I go, I wanted to share this cute picture I took of Matthew and our nephew Tyler...

This was taken a few months ago...but I L-O-V-E LOVE this picture! He's going to be such an awesome papa one day! :)

Coming out of hibernation...

Hello, my bloggy friends, are you there? Sorry I've been gone so long! I haven't been as busy as I've been stressed! Stressed about work, who me? Never! Hehe.

Here are a few updates on what I've been doing the past few weeks and what's to come...

I went on a spur of the moment wedding dress shopping date w/ my mom and my friend Emily! You can find Em's blog here. I had my eye on a Jim Hjelm dress that I originally saw online at Theknot.com... I found a store that carries the dress in Columbus and called to get a little more information about it. The dress is somewhat out of my price range BUT I didn't want to not try it on just in case it was THE dress. :) My mom works most weekends and I really wanted her to be able to see me try on dresses at least once, it was a lazy Saturday, and the salon had an opening, so we went. LOVED the dress. Although it's not not exactly in my budget, I'm not ruling it out. Yet.

Also, we officially booked our reception venue! I'm so relieved this is completed! I feel like at this point we can relax and enjoy being engaged. I'm shocked at how quickly some places book up!! The Venue (that's what our venue is called) is officially booked for every weekend in May of 2012! I'm not really planning on planning anything else for a little while. I'm kinda nervous about picking out colors/flowers - although I have a general idea of the colors I'd like to use - I know nothing about flowers. Thank goodness for google!

I also became a member at the church where we will be married! Worthington Presbyterian Church. Matthew and I decided that when we got engaged we would start going to church on a regular basis so that when we start a family we'll already be in the habit of going (is it wrong to say we'll be in the habit of going to church?). I love that we are getting married in "our" church where we will attend service each Sunday. I love the church because it's beautiful. And I absolutely love the idea of getting married in the same church that M's parents were married in, as well as his sister, Marie, and her husband, Joseph. I think it's sweet. Check out Marie's blog here!

That's what we've been up to the past few weeks. Now I'm just waiting for this winter weather to be over with for good! We have a lot of fun things on our schedule in the next few weeks. This coming weekend I am going to a bridal shower for Missy (M's brothers fiancé), and a baby shower for Marie! I cannot wait to meet Baby W who will be born at the end of May. We're also planning a trip to visit Marie, Joe. and Baby W in Chicago when he/she (he) arrives! Next weekend, we will celebrate the second birthday of Austin. He's my best friend Kristin's, son. So adorable! Our weekends are packed full and I'm looking forward to all of the fun things in store for us!

Matthew is asking if I'm writing a book over here... I think that means it's time to go! :)