Welcome!!

Isn't this cute?! I wonder where we could put it....

hmmm... maybe above the gift table?

Monday, Monday

Another week starting up and I can't wait for this upcoming weekend already:) Bridesmaid dress shopping with my ladies!! Once I have the color of the dresses...look out craft projects! But I guess I have to get through the week first.

Last Thursday I went in and picked up my dress! It looked perfect and to top it off, I only have to get it hemmed and put a bussel in for alterations:) I consider myself lucky that not a lot of work has to be done on the dress. Plus, the lady at the shop is also making a veil for me - one that is simple and compliments the detail on the dress. Now I just need some pretty jewelry and shoes and I'm good to go!

Joe and I also picked up a Bocce Ball game to add to our game area for the reception, picked up the last dozen glasses we needed, and saw an ad for the same plates we need to get to make our set complete. (They were holiday plates so I wasn't sure if we'd find the same ones.) I know getting the rest of our glasses and plates is more exciting to me but it's another thing we have done for the big day!

My goal...

Pretty dress right? Wrong. I'm looking at her arms. Those toned, good looking arms. What does this mean? Joe and I have been pumping the iron so I can have pipes just like her come this July 23rd.

I've never had arm muscle and if it's in there you have never be able to tell. Now, I'm not working out all of a sudden because of the wedding. I've actually been doing it for awhile. And gasp, I even like it! I feel great after shedding some sweat and feeling sore the next day. Joe and I are always trying to do something outside whether it'd be running, biking, playing tennis or frisbee or anything else we may want to try. In fact, last night we went out around 8:45 to play frisbee because it was 64 degrees outside! Man, was that a lot of fun!

Bottom line, I have 254 days to get those arms:)

Yahoo!

Before I get into studying again for this weeks quizzes I wanted to let you know....

that my dress came in!!

It's here!!

Whoo-hoo!

It only took a week to come in and I was originally expecting at least a month or so. Now, my next battle is to figure where I'm going to keep it safe until the big day. Can't wait to see it again....

Today is MUCH better...

From Monday to Wednesday this week, I was crammed into textbooks as I had five quizzes/tests to do in those three days. Yesterday, all my brain wanted to do was shut down. I finished up some notes cards for Anatomy but other than that, all I did was stare. I didn't even want to surf the web, or look at wedding stuff...nothing seemed so desirable that it was the only thing I wanted or needed to do at that very moment. I tried writing something to post on here but I couldn't even think of what I wanted to share with you! So after doing nothing really productive and going on a date with Joe to a somewhat fancy, organic-like restaurant last night, I feel a little more refreshed today. Thank goodness.

It's the eve of deer opener and I'm making the terrible decision to drive home tonight. Let's hope I can make it up in under three hours! But I promise I have a good reason for making the drive. As family tradition, the ladies in the family start making Christmas cookies while the boys are out hunting. Since I'm not planning on going home again next weekend when the majority of the ladies can make it out, my Mom, Sadie and I are headed out to my Grandparent's to start baking away! To get me in the mood, I've been dabbling in Christmas music and it sure gets me excited for our first snowfall! (At least I waited until November to publicly announce that:)

Joe will be hunting with his Dad at his grandparents house until Tuesday but we'll be able to enjoy a few hours of the weekend together for his other Grandpa's 75th birthday party on Sunday! Oh and we should be getting our "real" guestbook today with the correct date on it! :)

Sweet Treat Idea

For dessert, Joe and I have decided to forego the usual cake for our guests and replace it with homemade cookies, a little candy, and lots of mini cheesecakes! Yummy. My mom has graciously been picking up these cute jars everytime she runs to the store and I think the next step will be deciding what to fill them up with! I came across this idea, mini lunch bags with a cute stamp on them, to use as a "to go" container. If you're too full to have something after dinner, then you can grab a bag, fill it with some goodies and save it for your midnight snack!

The search is FINALLY OVER!!!

I went to the bridal shop in Stillwater with my sister Mel Saturday morning and tried a few dresses on. I knew going into the store that they would be more expensive than the other shops I've searched through and lo and behold, I didn't find much in my price range. The ones that were, the material on them made me sound like a walking wind jacket. My favorite dress was a nice $3000 so I decided to pass on that one:) Although, I didn't find "the one" at this place, I knew the one I found last Monday was going to be my dress!

When I got back into town, I drove straight over and put in my order! When the gal was plugging it into the computer, she popped her head up and said, "Wow. I've never seen that before. Your dress is going to be discontinued." Thankfully, I am still able to get the dress but if I would have waited much longer my search very well may have been back on. Praise God on that one because dress hunting is stressful!

There was also a flower/feathery clip that I had tried on with the dress and unfortunately they no longer had it but told me the lady who makes them was over across the street in their other house. I met with her, showed her the picture, and filled out a form to have her custom make me one of my own. As I was standing in line to pay, she came down the stairs with the flower in hand saying she found it tucked back in a corner! Whoo!!

I am so excited that I found my dress! I have a WEDDING DRESS!! Me! A pretty white dress!! And I have an amazing husband-to-be that started it all:) It's hard to believe that in a little under nine months I'll be walking toward the love of my life in that dress, ready to start the next chapter in our lives.... sigh*