:: foto friday :: bridezilla

Kyle thinks he is SOOOO funny.  He made me this after my "minor" flip out on our wedding planner. ;)  It is me - as bridezilla.  Truthfully: it did make me laugh out loud.

I am alive.

I know.  I know.  It has been FOREVER since I posted anything.  I was in St. Louis from Sunday - Wednesday and my hotel with "free Internet" actually had Internet that would not work so I couldn't keep anyone posted on anything.  Plus, I was pretty busy with work and dinners that by the time I got back to the hotel I was exhausted.  Needless to say.  I am very happy to be back in Atlanta!

The St. Louis Arch.  I was so excited to see it when coming home from dinner, I snapped a picture at a red light.  Yay for being a tourist. :o)

But bullet form an update on my life & the wedding.

• Kyle and I LOVE our wedding rings.  We got them from my parents and last night tried them on.  His is big, mine is a little big.  But I didn't want to take it off.  So there is a slight chance I wore it around the house for awhile.  Hopefully, that is not bad luck.
• Our minster is no longer missing in action.  YEAH!  Him and his wife RSVP'd yes to the wedding festivities.  So with that said.... we have a minister.  Now Kyle and I just have to read some pre-marital books.  Fun Fun.
• I have my 1st wedding shower this Sunday.  Stay tuned for a picture filled post.  I have 2 friends coming in from Alabama so I am so very excited for that reunion.  I am not going to lie.  I do get worried since our wedding registry has not changed much and pretty much everything "fulfilled" I already have in my possession.  I just wonder why people don't buy straight off the registry - I mean it is a slam dunk.  You know we want it.
• We are also getting RSVPs back and it is so exciting to see who is coming to the wedding.  We are so far at like 56 people.  Sadly, a lot of invites have gotten lost in the mail / people moved and did not forward their mail so I had to order more invites and *hopefully* those will come soon so I can get them out in the mail ASAP.

• 

  A RSVP from my dear friend Heather.  Girl is crazy!

   
• Speaking of my dear friend Heather -- she just took a job in Tuscaloosa with the University so I am so excited that she is closer.  I now think I should make trips to T.Town and see her often and eat lots of bad for you food.  And better yet - Kyle and I can now go to a game or just to town and have a place to stay!! Yeah for friends in Tuscaloosa! =D
• MY DRESS FITS!  IT IS NO LONGER 2' TOO SHORT.  Victory!  But... it is kinda loose now from all my workouts so we will see March 4th how much they need to take it in.
• Non wedding related :: today is my Mom's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  We're doing dinner with her tonight since she is in Atlanta {they really should just move here}
• Kyle and I have a minor "words with friends" addiction and last night we were laying in bed, talking, watching TV and playing each other in Words.  This is where technology is taking couples.  ;)  But at least we're hanging out.
• I actually won a $50 gift card at my company's kick off event last week and I am excited that Kyle and I can have a dinner date somewhere nice soon.  I am thinking our 5TH ANNIVERSARY! Originally, I wanted to get a cabin and we could escape {and of course take the dogs} but it ended up being too expensive and we're really trying to save our money.  So, dinner date it is.

As of today we're 58 days out!!!

:: wedding update wednesday ::

Oh my goodness!  So many wedding related things to share.  But before I go into EVERYTHING I have to admit that I am marrying one awesome fella.  This week has been a total stress filled with breakdowns and tears, but Kyle J has been able to find the "good" in everything and the silver lining and make me smile.  He has been cracking jokes and just really been someone I can vent to.  So I am forever grateful for him. ;)

1.  Wedding Rings.  We have them! =D  And goodness  do we have them. after all the stress that was getting them sent to Virginia {worst.decision.ever} just so we would not pay sales tax we have them {well not in our possession, but in my parent's possession}.  I absolutely LOVE my ring.  It is not what I thought I would want or would end up with, so I guess I don't love the flashy shine as much as I thought I did.  Kyle's ring is amazing too.  And for the pricetag it better be amazing. =D We did good REALLY good deals on the rings - especially Kyle's (we got $800 taken off).  And not only am I forever grateful for Kyle, but I am thankful for my parents who had to deal with the shenanigan that is our wedding rings.

2.  Marriage License.  We have that too!  =D  Kyle and I can officially get married in the state of Georgia.  That made it all seem SO real.  The woman was like "congrats, you can get married now" and I couldn't help but smile. 

3.  Enagement pictures were taken {again} and Justin with 375 Photography is amazing.  I am SO happy with our final photographer decision.  He was so organized and knew what to do - directed us and we were done in a hour. Easy.  He had a way of making both Kyle and me relax {and with Kyle that is a true accomplishment} and he was fun to talk to.  And even though it was COLD very COLD, in fact Friday morning it was snowing... we still had a fun time. 

4.  RSVP cards are still rolling in from our very on the ball wedding guests.  We are up to 26 guests thus far.  So if you have not sent your RSVP back - send it send it!! ...And the notes people are writing on them are so very very sweet.  I have really been blessed to have so many awesome people in my life. 

5. I have ANOTHER dress fitting on Friday. This one is to make sure my dress is not still 2" short and to make sure the top fits right.  Then I won't have another fitting *hopefully* until the 1st week of March to make sure that it still fits right.

6.  I got Kyle's wedding present last week and I am absolutely in LOVE with it and cannot wait to give it to him. I really wish I could blab and blab and blab about what it is, but the secret it safe with me!! Now, I just need to get my thank you gift for my Mom and also get something for my Dad.  But I have an idea for my Mom.  But I hope Kyle LOVES his gift and I have a feeling he will.  But I think it was such a bad idea to get it so far in advance since I cannot keep looking at it and just want him to open it up and we cannot do that since it is a WEDDING present.  Not a January present!!!

7.  Our minister situation may be figured out.  Since he does not need any special licenses in the state of Georgia, he does not need to do anything but show up. Now I just need a little more faith that he will show up.  Everytime I talk specifics (like: we have your hotel room. your wifey is invited. you're invited to the rehearsal dinner) he clams up. I.Do.Not.Need.This.Stress. And he wants Kyle and me to read some books {they're long. I want to find books on tape} before the wedding since we cannot do premarital counseling with him, but he is looking into some churches that will do weekend counseling. 

engagement photo faves.

I got our engagement pictures back today and i LOVE them.  I wanted to wait until Friday to share some, but I can't!  I am SO happy with the photographer we chose.  Granted, both Kyle and I look totally exhausted {to be expected after traveling and working and running wedding errands all day} .... I wanted to share some of my personal favorites with you!

Beyond Stressed.

I have 67 more days to go until the wedding and I am on the verge of a total mental and emotional breakdown.  Honestly, I do not think I can take any more blows and things going haywire. 

Minister. Ours is MIA. Legit. MIA. Him and I have swapped a few texts today about how "he does not think it will be a problem" -- so I have now sent an email to the Gwinnett Courthouse to find out if it is okay or not okay. And on top of it all, I need to plan out my ceremony and I need to TALK to my minister to do so.  But since he is so MIA I am getting worried that he will even show up. =/
However... on the topic of Ministers.  I did find out that there is no "cleric registry" here in Georgia {whatever that means} so he is 100% good to go in Georgia to marry us.  Now.. it just comes down to WILL HE.  Like if he does not want to do it - that is fine - just say so.  But with 67 days i kinda need to know so I can start making other arrangements.  You know?
Rings.  FedEx just called me and said that they *probably* cannot release the package to my Mom since she is not me.  Something about Federal regulation since it has to deal with mail, but I call BS on that because how many times have I signed for a package that was not for me while at work or at home. So as of right now, I have sent an authorization form to the FedEx Facility & it will be the shipping manager's call if he will or will not let my Mom sign for it. 
Invitations. They went out like 2 weeks ago.  On the 6th.  And there are a bunch of people who have not moved and who have not received their invite.  Granted I know the RSVP date is February 24th - so we have time to get the RSVPs in but it is still not fun to know my invites are somewhere in the postal service land.

I feel like every wedding has its moments that try you and make it hard... but Kyle and I were talking and we feel like it is one thing after another.  If it isn't the bridesmaid dresses being ordered late {but luckily still making it on time} it is the store that has the bridesmaid shoes deciding not to restock the style and refunding every one's money.  Or is it my wedding dress alterations lady cancelling my 1st fitting to go to New York and it is my wedding venue trying to reschedule each and every appointment on the books and forgetting that I made changes to the ceremony site and flowers and being asked to "remind me again".

I legit feel like the only thing that has not caused me stress is my photographer and that is because he is calm and level headed and insanely organized.  Therefore, I am thankful for him.

But seriously, when you get engaged why does everyone tell you that this is "such a fun time" and to "enjoy it, it flies by" ... how about a honest "congrats" followed by a "it really won't be fun".

:: thursday thoughts ::

I have almost survived another week - I am hanging on by a thread - but I am alive and making it.  Who would have guessed traveling can exhaust you as much as it does.  Thank goodness for a day off tomorrow - even though it is not a relaxing day off.

1.  MOST EXCITING NEWS EVER!! KYLE J GOT A PROMOTION!!  He wanted one (of course) but did not think he would get one, but then he did!  I am so so so excited for him and have been calling him the "Sr. Accounting Associate" rather than Kyle!  Hard work and patience does really pay off!

2.  I am not exactly sure why I am admitting this to the world wide web, but if this blog is 100% about honestly then why not.  So.  I was in Florida for work this week.  Started in Melbourne, had to go to Daytona Monday night and then had to go back to Melbourne.  Well.. Monday was the national championship {roll tide} .. at 7:00 PM in New Orleans.  I, for some unknown reason, thought that meant that the game was 6 PM my time.  No. No. It was 8:00 my time.  We are 1 hour ahead of New Orleans.  Worst part, I told the girls in the branch that I had to head out early to make sure I got in my hotel room and got settled in time for the 6:00 PM game.  Yeah.  I never said I was a math major or a brainiac. 

3.  I made the decision that I do not want a Volvo anymore but I want one of the new Jeep Cherokees.  Oh gosh do they drive like a charm and there are so many cool features.  Now I have to save my pennies {and Kyle's} to get one next year! =D

4. This past weekend my laptop decided it no longer wanted to be alive.  It went kaput. So Kyle J and I got to trout over to Best Buy so I could get a new laptop in time for my work trip.  I now just need to connect with my brother so he can pull important documents off my old computer.  You know things like wedding plans, our DJ Planning packet, and photographer shot list.  Yeah... all that fun stuff.  Along with my music and pictures from Mulligan's childhood {like his 1st birthday and 1st christmas}.  Gotta love all the financial blows.  Car. Laptop. Wedding Rings. Honeymoon.  Legit.  I need a part time job.

5.  I need a nap.  I am just so exhausted from all the work travel and I get to do it again in 2 weeks.  Weeeeeeee.  I think between traveling for work, wedding planning {that is driving me nuts} and life in general when I hit the beaches of St. Lucia I will be READY!

:: wedding update wednesday ::

1. I had my 1st dress fitting last Friday.  And the dress pretty much fits.  it was like 2" too short, so I had to get them to add length and they had to take it in a little at the chest ... but I do need to stop feeding my food baby as much because I want to be able to breathe when I sit down!  The dress is gorgeous and I cannot wait to show it off. =D ...I do have to go back next Friday just to make sure 2" was enough to add.  Oi.

2.  March 24th-27th. Showers, then fair, quite mild.  That is the weather prediction for my wedding weekend/the week after.  SHOWERS = RAIN = UNHAPPY BRIDE TO BE.  I am a fan of the mild weather, just not the potential rain.  I mean really?  I 100% chose my venue on the outside ceremony space and the potentially gorgeous outside pictures. I know that this is just a prediction, but this still makes me want to cry and makes me "hit the panic button" (as Kyle calls it) about potentially ugly wedding pictures.  Rawr.  Double Rawr.

3. Friday (as you know) Kyle and I are having a wedding filled day.  Marriage license, then wedding rings, and then engagement pictures in the city.  Which by the way - we are gonna freeze.

4.  Round 3 of bridesmaid brunch invitations came this week when I was in Florida and I am getting them in the mail to all my girls tomorrow.  They look so so so good so I am excited about them!  I like them way more than the ones I ordered before with the march 24th date on them.

5.  Wedding invitations went out last week and we have started getting RSVPs back.  And I LOVE that people LOVE it.  I have gotten a lot of compliments and that makes me happy. people people people get them back to me.  my venue needs a legit final headcount by march 8th. if you have not responded by them we are revoking your invite. kidding. i kid.

6.  And we have started getting wedding presents which means I got to get a start on thank you notes! =D

:: Florida Running ::

melboure beach. gorgeous.

Do I have to go back to  Atlanta and back to reality??  Please say no!  I have spent the past few days in sunny Florida for work and man, it was hard work.  (Actually, it kinda was at times).  When I landed in Florida on Sunday I was WAY overdressed in my cardigan and scarf combo.  Fashionable in Atlanta... hot in Florida.  I got my rental car, checked into the hotel, and made my normal, "I am here" calls and caught up with Kyle.  With the beach just steps from my hotel room (and knowing this) I was kicking myself for not packing my bathing suit.  I thought about going to buy one, but instead I opted for a run along the surf.  The weather was gorgeous, there was a breeze and you cannot beat scenery and sounds like the beach.  So, I laced up and hit the beach.  And let me tell you, it is much harder to run on sand than pavement and dodging the waves and keeping your balance on the slight stance, I worked muscles that I have not worked in a while.  But it was such a nice run.  My legs were still tired from the 3.1 the day before and all the Pure Barre so I cut it short at just 1.61 miles and then I let myself just stand in the water (and again kicked myself for no bathing suit ... the cold water would have been marvelous for my aching muscles).  For a quick moment, I lost my shoes and thought they had been washed away - but no.  but seriously, how pretty is that beach!! can i move here?!

daytona beach - from my balcony!

I spent Monday night in Daytona Beach - kinda a sketchy gross little touristy town, but whatever.  when i checked in, I noticed the fitness center and knew that I needed to/had to get in some miles.  But when I got into my {way too big for 1 person} room, I did notice outside my window a nice little brick boardwalk and I told myself that I had to had to had to run it.  I only got in a little under 2 miles, but the sun started setting pretty fast and I didn't want to be out on a boardwalk with sketchy people alone night so I headed back to the hotel.  It was a good little run and it made me wish Atlanta was pancake flat - my legs and body felt good for the most part {I am trying to REALLY listen to my body more} - i ran some stairs which HELLO worked my thighs and tired me out faster than it should have, but honestly, I just really enjoyed the cool breezy beach air.  I mean, I really could get used to living by the beach and running with the breeze off the water and smelling the ocean water air.  Something about it is just peaceful and makes for a good mind clearing run -- which was much needed after the day I had.

I did not get a run in today, since I was way too exhausted from the past two days and I may have stayed up way past my bedtime watching the National Championship {ROLL TIDE} and plus when I got back to Melbourne, it was dark.  But all in all, I got in 2 really good short runs while in Florida and I am happy with it.

I will leave you with this gorgeous sunrise from this morning in Daytona ....

Twisted Resolution Run 5k :: Race Recap / Review

This morning I got up for a little "fun run" put on by The Big Peach Running Company in Decatur.  It was a Resolution Run 5k - but not a race race, more like a legit honest to goodness, get out of bed, quit being lazy group run.  I liked the idea and I liked that it was free and seeing how I have a half marathon in like a month I figured I needed to add to my Pure Barre work outs.

The 1st mile was good.  Honestly, cannot complain about it.  The pace of the group was good and manageable and I was just cruising.  Around mile 2 my legs started to get tired.  I think it was a combo of the hills and the Pure Barre workouts.  So I started taking walk breaks.  I wanted to listen to my body and not push myself too hard.  I actually buddied up with some lady who said "I want to keep up with you" and it kinda shocked me since I was slow and trotting around.  Mile 2 - 3.1 were the most unfun just because of hills and my tired legs.

The ran out of water at the middle point so by the time I got back to Big Peach I was thirsty and was getting a headache.  And they were handing out "resolutions" on the run - but I got so tired of carrying them, I ended up ditching them.  But one of my resolutions was to buy new spring gear.  Yeah right - I am poor!

What I have learned - I need to foam roll and stretch out my muscles a little bit more! =D

But I came home to  deader than dead laptop which sent Kyle and me to Best Buy. Oi.  But that means I got to load my Garmin onto my computer and it actually works!! So now I can look at elevations and my splits again.

...but, I have a lot of work to do.  But I am headed to FL tomorrow and I want to do some beach running!!

foto friday :: work shower wedding invite

This shower is not till February but the invites went out a few weeks ago  =D  It is a TRC tradition to throw ladies getting married a wedding shower and mine is scheduled and on the books.  I am so excited and my buddy Afton could not have picked more fitting shower invites.  The bride is brunette (like meee!) and it is purple (a wedding color).  I am so so so excited.  And of course, I will post pictures!

And the best part -- I already have it "attached" to a page of our wedding guest book so all the guests can sign it and give us our best wishes and it looks so so so good.  =D

thursday thoughts.

Hello 2012!  Happy New Year! =D

1.  Currently I am LOVING Taylor Swift's song "Ours" --- I love the chorus "So don't you worry your pretty little mind. People throw rocks at things that shine. And life makes love look hard. The stakes are high, the water's rough. But this love is ours."  Le Sigh.  I will leave it at that for now.  Maybe in due time. <3  But I am blessed to have such an awesome future husband (who I already refer to as husband).

2.  I start traveling for work on Sunday.  I am off to both Melbourne and Daytona Flordia to serve as site support for our company's applicant tracking software change.  January is going to be a crazy busy month for me - which is both good and bad.  I am looking forward to soaking up the gorgeous weather and hitting the sand for some running.  And as excited as I am to head out of town and meet the people in Florida I am a little apprehensive and I am gonna miss my Kyle J and  these 2 crazy kids of mine!  Lucky for me Kyle got an iPad for Christmas so we can FaceTime with the dogs and see each other from a far! =D 

3.  Speaking of a CRAZY January.  Here is the run down. January 6 :: 1st dress fitting and Christmas with my bridesmaid and bestie Chrissy! January 8 - 11 :: Florida for work.  January 13 :: Marriage license. Wedding rings. Engagement photos {{round dos}} January 18 :: Welcome Reception for out of towners for our annual kick off event {evidently working out of home office now means I get to rub elbows with people} January 19 :: Work awards banquet.  January 22 - 24 :: St. Louis for work. January 29 :: 1st wedding shower.  Le Sigh.  Oh in all that mix 2 Blast900 classes and 7 Pure Barre Classes.

4.  I am running a 5k this weekend and I am really excited about it!  It is not a tradition 5k, just a little fun run put on by a local running store near my house.  And even though it is nothing serious I am gonna love having the motivation to get out and just run 3.1 miles.  Best part ... it was FREE.  And with January draining my bank account & savings (wedding rings, marriage license, honeymoon, outfit for the shower, GROAN) I really need free.

5. I set a reading goal of 24 books this year.  If I want to accomplish that I need to spend less time surfing the Internet for things that I don't need (clothes, Etsy purchases) and I need to cut back on the trashy television that I watch.  And I just need to make a much better effort to put down the phone and pick up a book and just read.  Granted, I think with all the traveling I am doing this month and then the honeymoon I will knock out some books but that is only 2 months out of 12. 

6.  So.  My school is playing for yet another national championship this upcoming Monday the 9th. I am going to be cautiously optimistic.  LSU really is a good football program, but so is Alabama.  And that was one depressing loss on our field earlier this season, so I hope our boys come back with revenge running through them.   Bring home #14 boys!  =D

7.  Currently - my body hurts from Pure Barre and Blast900.  But it will all be worth it come March 24th.  Speaking of March 24th - I am still kicking myself for my bridesmaid brunch invite whoopsie.  Rawr.

:: wednesday wedding update ::

seeing that we are in the HOME STRETCH I am going to try and make this a weekly update.  Wednesday = wedding fun.  Brace yourself fine folks it is going to be a bumpy ride from here on out.  (kidding. i hope it is smooth sailing.)

1.  The Bridesmaid dresses came in a few weeks back and they look amazing and i mean amazing... they ended up being the right fabric and the navy is a really dark striking navy and I am a huge huge fan.  And I think they are going to fit every body type perfectly and I think they will look fabulous with the shoes I have asked everyone to order.  Needless to say - it feels great to have that stress done and over and crossed off the list.

2.  We actually only have 65 things left to do on our "wedding to do list" on theknot.com -- and seeing how we are under 80 days away, I feel like we're doing pretty good.  And some of the to do things are on the schedule for this month, like wedding rings and marriage license, but we still need to connect with my friend Brian and plan out the ceremony (and he seems to be hard to get in touch with) and also work on some other details.


3.  And by other details I mean things like :: finish up the candy bar (ordering the candy & putting it in the apothecary jars and putting all the signs on it.  wedding ceremony programs (ugh ugh ugh).  packing up everything in the plastic bins.  getting the rest of the stuff for the hotel welcome bags. making sure kyle gets groomsmen gifts. finalizing the bridesmaid brunch details.  yeah 61 other details.

4.  Speaking of wedding programs - I found these babies on Etsy and kinda sorta really really love them.  I love the simplicity of them and how they fit the vintage vibe that we are going for.  I really wish I had some sort of head count so I would know how many I would need so I could get a price point.  Oh Etsy, I love thee.


5.  The wedding invitations have been addressed and *should be* in the mail NEXT week. Which literally makes this whole thing official.  And I know I have said that a million times (dress. venue booked. save the dates going out. 100% registered.) but this is for real.  Wedding invitations in the mail = wedding quickly approaching.  People : get your RSVPs back to me in a timely fashion.  Don't make me stalk you. ;)


6.  I have my 1st dress fitting on Friday and I am kinda excited, kinda scared, kinda overwhelmed.  =/  My friend Chrissy is coming with me and then her and I are doing dinner so it should be fun and hopefully I won't cram too much mexican in my mouth after the fitting.

Woe Is Me.

Ok.  So the Bridesmaid Brunch invites (round 2) came today.  And as I was inspecting them I noticed a flaw.  An error on my part that I so should have caught when the proof came to me.  Now, lets play a little game.  Can you tell me what is wrong with this picture?!

Did you find it?  Did you figure it out?  Probably not so let me tell you / show you! 

The date!! I put March 24th on them.  The Brunch day is March 23rd  the wedding is March 24.  So don't mind me as I order Bridesmaid Brunch invites for the THIRD time!   Obviously I think I have all sorts of disposable income.

You see I had to ditch the beautiful 1st invites because they said "6 fabulous friends" and now I only have "5 fabulous friends"  {rawr} and the 2nd go around has the wrong date.  Hopefully, the 3rd time is the charm.

But I snapped this fabulous photo as I sat in 285 traffic today.  I gotta say, Kyle did a great job on my ring.  And I don't think I have shown it off before - so here it is!

Oh How I Forgot

I started back up with both Pure Barre and Blast 900 last week / this week.  And let me tell you - I forgot just how painful {{ but awesome }} both are.  I went to Blast for the first time in MONTHS yesterday and you know you're in a hard class / have a hard teacher when people who teach Blast classes attend her class.  Yeah it was pretty rough and today I am hurting.

Pure Barre is a whole different kind of pain and it is probably a good thing that I accidentally forgot my Pure Barre clothes at home on the counter.  =/

I have 9 more Blast classes on my schedule and 29 Pure Barre classes before the wedding with running in the mix too.

Happy New Years!

It is 2012!! =D  HAPPY NEW YEARS!!  Kyle and I really had an uneventful night.  We started by taking down 95% of Christmas (still waiting for Kyle to take apart the tree) and watched a Christmas Carol.  We then spent the night by sitting on the couch (me in my PJs).  We watched Auburn win their bowl game and played each other in Words with Friends.  We then of course, watched the ball drop and then played more Words with Friends. Watch out Atlanta.... we are an exciting couple!

We also got Mulligan ready for any traveling he may do in 2012 {{he looks MISERABLE}}



And by the end of the night, Kyle and I were not the only ones who were super tired

HAPPY 2012!  IT IS GOING TO BE AN EXCITING YEAR!!