Registering ...

I really wish I wasn't so indecisive. Life would be so much easier and pleasant. Or maybe it's not me. Maybe it's the layout of Bed, Bath and Beyond that drives - no forces - one to BE indecisive. Rows upon rows of walls upon walls with trinkets that they make you think you really need. Colors upon colors of different dish towels in hundreds of different sizes, textures, prints. It really makes a fun process exhausting and my brain literally hurt. It's like a land of kitchen SAT's ... ouch! Luckily, once your registry is created at where ever you create your registry you can go online and modify it, because we don't need 6 different spatulas or 4 different whisks or to choose from 6 different crock pots that ALL look alike online. Even if Bed, Bath and Beyond would like you to think otherwise.

The GOOD thing about BB&B is that they link to your registry if you are registered at Macy's. Which is great because even though we registered for our fine china and flat wear and stem ware at Macy's it shows up at BB&B. Which is the only good thing thus far about BB&B.

The other GOOD thing about registering in general is that Mike is very adept at manipulating the registry gun. Which was very helpful. That way I could focus on being indecisive.

All is Fair in Love and Procrastination ...

I know it has been some time since I have last updated on what's going on in the land of wedding planning. You hear from everyone how it ramps up at first getting the venues and then slows down and then it starts to pick back up again. That seems to be fairly accurate. I don't think I would recommend a lot of time between when you get engaged and when you married, at least if you are like me and interpret "time" as "time to procrastinate." These next few months are going to be filled with To Do's, but! at least they will be fun and a definite learning experience.

Like flowers. I don't know a lot about them. What's in season when, what smell and what don't ... all I know is that a.) I like to receive them at work, b.) White roses are my favorite and c.) Smelly flowers, i.e. fragrant flowers, give me a headache. So, it'll be good to talk to a florist about what they recommend. One thing I am willing to do is let the professionals do their job. As long as they are pretty and fit with my general "elegant, formal, classic" theme we're good to go. Luckily just about anything goes with Black & White.

One thing is for sure however, my bridesmaids are NOT procrastinators. I think I have the most "on top of it" group of gals in the history of ever. They all have their dresses already! Which is great news. And not one reminder e-mail had to be sent. Rock stars they are. Which is why I love each and every one of them :)

A few weeks ago our Save the Date's came in. I ordered them on-line at Pioneer Color. Talk about reasonable. I got 200 photo magnet Save the Dates and 200 return address labeled envelopes for $199 including shipping costs. Maybe I am naive but that sounded like a deal to me. They look great too, we have them all over our metal door and fridge. I can't wait to send them out! I read somewhere that it's a good idea to send out photo Save the Date's if you have a lot of out of town guests and/or family that you haven't seen in a while. This way it lets them see what you look like now, and if some of your guests haven't met your fiance they get a preview of what they are going to see on your wedding day. I thought this was a capital idea and since we had that fantastic engagement shoot - we couldn't let all those glamor shots go to waste!

The other fun thing we are about to embark on is registering. Which we are doing tomorrow night (starting - this will likely carry over into next weekend too). Very exciting. I have wanted my whole life to register for my very own fine china place settings and I am so glad that I am getting that chance. I have it all picked out and I am very much in love with it - Bellina by Lenox if you want to see it on-line, or head to your nearest Macy's to see it in person. It's much, much prettier in person than it is on-line ... FYI. My Mom was a total doll and gave me a list of some everyday dishware that is led and SARS free so we'll check that out too tomorrow. We need everything though. And I mean EVERYTHING. Mike has all bachelor stuff and I have all "graduated from college, attempting to live on my own" stuff. It'll be nice to have cabinets full of stuff that I am proud of and that is a fresh start, to signify our new beginning together.

Welp, we'll end on that good note. There's lots more to come, and I promise I will be better about updating this site! Love to you all! Goodnight!

Welcome to the Family!

Good news continues to abound...recently in February my brother and his then girlfriend, Katie got engaged! I still can't believe how grown up my little brother has become. And I am so happy that he chose Katie as his wife - she has certainly help make him the man he is today. She's funny, kind, beautiful and down-to-earth...all good qualities in a sister-in-law!

I've always admired my brother Johnny. He's smart, handsome, TALL(!) and has never let what other people think: a.) bother him or b.) affect him and who he is. Did I mention he's smart? There's not a sport he can't excel at, and the level of concentration he has for video games is astounding. I could watch him play Guitar Hero on Expert for hours and I love going home and staying up late and having late-night chats. When I had Lovie and lived at home the amount of love he showed towards Lovie was incredible, and provided a wonderful example of an honorable man to Lovie. He will make such a good husband, and one day, father, and continues to be a wonderful uncle. I look up to him and commend my Mom and Dad for doing such a good job on both my brothers.

It truly is a wonderful experience watching your siblings grow up right before your eyes. One minute they are little kids eating "cup of o's" on a bench watching Wizard of Oz with you and the next they are joining you on the journey towards marriage.

I'm very happy for them and tickled to add Katie to the list of bridesmaids on the right-hand side.

It's exciting having a sister - another girl in the family - and hopefully, in years to come we'll get another...one brother down...one to go!

Love you Katie and Johnny!

(Note: I am fortunate to have two wonderful brothers who I love very, very much. This post is about my excitement and happiness for Katie and Johnny and in no way means that I don't have equally loving, and admirable comments for Michael. Just wanted to make that known :))

Non Planning Planning

Lately life has been pretty busy and so has mother nature - leaving little time for wedding planning. There is so much to do still, short list:

1.) Send out Engagement Party invitations
2.) Send out Save the Dates after Engagement Party
3.) Contact photographer about photo for Save the Dates
4.) Choose Bridesmaid dresses
5.) Flowers...

Those are just some of the long list of things to do. Luckily, TheKnot.com has a great checklist by month. So far I am doing pretty good. I just have to make sure I stay on top of things.

Most of you know that we had Engagement pictures taken back in January when it was 60 degrees and not snowing...imagine that. I have a link and tab to them on my Facebook page - if you haven't seen them and want to let me know and I'll hook you up! That was a really fun time.

We have an Engagement Party date! March 27 at my parents house. I can't wait to see everyone and for everyone to meet each other - for those who haven't met each other yet. It'll be a good time with good food.

Hopefully, before then we will have picked the bridesmaid dress style. If it ever stops snowing for us to get out and actually do that :)

We're going to have snow drifts until June I'm convinced.

See you all in March - if not sooner HOPEFULLY!!!

Lots of love to all!

Escapades in Bridal Land

I must say. I really am enjoying being a bride. Not because of everyone wanting to see your ring or congratulating you - actually that tends to get old and makes you want to post a sign on your forehead with your wedding date. But because of the guarantee to see good friends and family all along the way. Today defined one of those great bridal moments - at a bridal show here in Richmond. With my mother-in-law-to-be in town for a visit, my maid of honor Jec-Jec and bridesmaid Crystal, and my Mom and Jec-Jec's Mom, we were able to look at a lot of vendors for the services we still need: flowers, cake and stationary. It was a lot of fun but definitely sensory overload! Thankfully, I am ahead of the game so I didn't need 80% of the services there, it felt good to not have to worry about a photographer or dress or even reception site - I could see how something like this could make a bride into a bridezilla. It was a nice day to be inside with it being so cold 'n all.

The other great thing about being a bride is the dress - what a great time trying on dresses. They all looked great but then I tried on "the one" and my heart melted and I didn't want to take it off. It's so funny how you do "just know." I certainly didn't expect to find one so soon - which is why neither my Mom nor I were excited about the experience (sample sale) nor did we have high hopes (sample sale again). Thanks to the sample sale though we were able to get a dress for 3x's less than it would've been if we had paid full price. Which is great because it leaves some of the budget open for the question mark of the moment - head count at at the reception. That's the next big check on the list.

What probably has me MOST excited right now is our photographer. He was at the bridal show today and was so warm and welcoming and his photographs are so natural that I feel even more fortunate to have him on our big day. On the 18th of this month we have our engagement pictures taken and I can't wait to see how they turn out. I am looking forward to a third party capturing my love for Mike and his for mine on camera. Especially with downtown Richmond, the city that enabled us to fall in love, as the backdrop. Plus, the name "Mike" tends to be a lucky charm in my life - and that's his name. He used to be the White House photographer and you can tell in his level of professionalism and ability to capture picture perfect moments that aren't posed. It's just very, very exciting.

I guess this post is just to say that I'm having a lot of fun and more and more I can't wait to share this day with all of you.

A First & A Last

Christmas 2009.

A First - homeowner, engaged.

A Last - single person.

Crazy. Happy. Nervous. Excited.

Crazy - My friends know, I never really ever thought I'd be in this position. About to get married. But welp, here I am. About to. Crazy.

Happy - This has been a great Christmas. I love family - and we spent Christmas Eve at my parent's house. And by spent, I mean, actually stayed over at their house - packed bags, carted the pack-n-play over and all our presents. And by "we" I mean - Me and Mike and Lovie. Yes, my parents live only 3 miles away, but this is probably the last Christmas I'll be able to do that. So, having Mike and Lovie there on Christmas morning was great. Mike got introduced to our Christmas day traditions - waiting and waiting and waiting and more waiting for the brothers to drag themselves out of bed, opening presents amid mayhem and Jack, eating breakfast and then the disappearing brothers as they mosey back up to bed to sleep until 3pm. Christmas was riddled with tradition and next year I look forward to continuing some (Christmas Eve shopping with my Dad - we've done this every year since I can remember) and making some new ones of our own. As married people.

Nervous - Last Christmas with my last name. Getting married next year (it's still 2009 so I can say that). Lots of big changes are in store. 2009 was the year of change and it's pretty nerve racking. I get nervous with change, the unknown. Lovie was the last time I was this nervous - because I loved him so much that I didn't want to break him. Same with Mike. I love him so much I don't want to break him. And, um, tomorrow - first day of trying on wedding dresses. It's not a big deal and I'm not expecting a lot out of it (80% off sample sale) - but I'm still nervous. Perhaps a better word would be surreal.

Excited - I'm trying on wedding dresses for the first time in my entire life tomorrow. That's pretty super exciting. I'm getting married next November to a man that I love more and more every day even after we argue. And I get to spend the rest of my life with him. That's pretty super exciting. I'm marrying a man next November who has more patience with Lovie than I could ever hope for, who loves him as if he were his own and with all his heart. That's pretty super exciting. I'm marrying my best friend - and I'm pretty super excited about that.

Tradition. Family.

Two ingredients for a truly perfect Christmas.

One Year

So, today is our One Year Anniversary, and boy what a year it's been. Yesterday, was the first time Mike and I met. Since we met on Match.com the "find-out-if-your-a-psycho-or-not" meet and greet happened on our lunch hour at a mexican restaurant called...Mexico. As our lunch date was nearing to a close he asked me on a date for the following night - and I excitedly said yes. And before the year was up I said yes to another very important question - which leads us to this blog.

I feel so lucky that we were able to find each other - even if we had to resort to the internets to do so. Even though we were living in the same city, went to the same Richmond hot-spots and like the same kinds of food - I'm confident we wouldn't have met each other had it not been for good-ole Match.

What's most important to me is how well he gets along with Lovie, my family and friends. As the years have passed and boyfriends have come and gone - those three groups of people are the ones who mean the most to me and their approval was critical. He passed their test with flying colors.

Today is also the five year anniversary of my cousin Michael's passing. Today is a mixture of emotions - sad for obvious reasons and happy for other obvious reasons. But I feel very strongly that Michael played a part in helping me find Mike. He's my guardian angel and from the birth of Lovie to my now engagement - he's been there every step of the way to make sure all went according to His plan.

I feel blessed to have both Michael's in my life - protecting and guiding every step of the way.