As 2008 comes to a close....

...I wanted to get one more post in! Where has the time gone?! It's been 3 weeks since my last post and I really have no excuse why I haven't written. I feel like Christmas crept up on me this year, although I have no idea why since the Christmas stuff was in stores right after Halloween this year! I started my shopping early, got my cards done and mailed out in an orderly fashion, and felt good about it all. Then all of a sudden, I felt like it was here and then it was over.

While winter tends to be the time of year that I get the blues (hence the term "Winter Blues") I have been trying my hardest to keep my mind busy. Up here in NH, we don't get out much in the winter...seeing that one day we will have a foot of snow and then the next day it's a heat wave at a high of 50! It's dark when I go into work and dusk when I get out, so being outside is not something that is done a lot. I relish Monday, Wednesday, and Friday because I get to leave for 10 minutes to go to the bank for work. I take the "longer" way just to be outside to get fresh air. I am now the lucky owner of a Sony Digital Reader. It's the best thing I could have purchased for myself and I am loving it. I download books to it, pack it in my work bag, and spend the quiet hours at worked filled with reading and passing the time. Without my trusty little electronic, I am afraid time would move very slow, so I am happy to have it. And this weekend, I did start the Disney honeymoon scrapbook. I think part of me put it off for so long because I didn't want to really deal with the fact that it was over. But I am having a great time reliving it by looking through all of the pictures...the memories still fresh in my mind as if it was yesterday. Now if only we could get our stinkin' wedding pictures back...then I think my life would be amazing!

With only a day and a half until 2009, I am working on putting together a couple of New Years' Resolutions for myself. I am not one to usually believe in stuff like that and I don't want the resolutions to be stuff like "losing 10 pounds". I really want to work on making myself a better person, so I am working on a few good resolutions that may not be easy, but will be worth accomplishing!

In closing, if I don't get back on to post anything tomorrow, I will be back in 2009 :)

If it's true what they say about bad things coming in threes, then I think I'm good for awhile...

I had every intention to blog last Thursday to keep my "Thankful Thursday" theme going. I found myself thinking of things I am thankful for last Tuesday and Wednesday and told myself to hold out just a few more days to post on the actual day! Well, Thursday came and went and I was left with my head spinning! My life has been one big stressful thing for the past week or so and I have found myself feeling cynical and pessimistic...I wasn't in the mood to try to find things I was thankful for...
So, what could be so horrible, you ask?
Well....
1. Thanksgiving Day my credit card # was stolen. Yup, just the number. I was in possession of my card the whole time, yet someone managed to rack up $1500 on my credit card buying who knows what online. If there is something to be grateful for in all of this mess, it is the fact that my credit card company contacted me about the suspicious activity and closed my account right away.

2. Brian and I still do not have our wedding pictures. It has been 4 months since we got married and nothing. And let me tell you, this photographer is giving us a run for our money. Back in September she apologized for them being past the original 6 weeks that she promised us and offered us free prints as compensation. She keeps saying "They are almost finished", but that's all she says. It's our wedding day for pete's sake! I finally grew some nerve, took the next step, and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, to which she responded, "You filing a complaint with the BBB doesn't make me want to get your photos to you any quicker, just so you know". (sigh) (deep breath) I have yet to find the good in this situation...

3. As some of you know, I am an advisor with lia sophia. I had a show several weeks ago for Brian's aunt and she purchased some of the wrong items. No biggie...we mailed them back and waited for the exchanges to be made. Well, after not hearing from lia sophia, I decided to contact them and see what the hold up was. I was informed that the envelope showed up destroyed and empty...no jewelry! So, someone stole the jewelry out of the package and lia sophia is not responsible for it. (sigh) I am thankful that I have a 70% discount with the company so that I can replace the pieces for her.

So, this has to be it for me right? 3 bad things have happened to me in the past week...there couldn't possible be anymore, right?! I have to keep reminding myself that everything happens for a reason and that whenever bad things happen, things could always be worse. I need to stress the word "keep" because it's been a doozy of a week. So, in the midst of my anger, disappointment, and stress, I still have things to be thankful for:

1. Brian. I know he will be on my list everytime I make one because without him, things would be a lot worse. While his calmness can sometimes add to my anger, he does his best to help me see the good in bad situations.

2. December 5th Celtics game. Who knew that when I bought the tickets for Brian as a Christmas present that I would be getting so much out of the game as well? The game was last Friday and it couldn't have come at a better time. It was the end of the worst week and the game was just what I needed.

3. My family and friends. They are always there to listen to me vent and even when they don't know what to say...just listening is enough :)

So, in closing...I am keeping my fingers crossed that this week is better than the last. I do not know how much more stress I could handle right now!

Thankful Thursday..er, Sunday ;)

I migrated over to someone else's blog today through Holly's blog and thought that she had a great idea! She started something called Thankful Thursdays on her blog and while it is Sunday today, I was inspired to jot down some things that I am thankful for :)

1. My husband. Brian is one of the best people that I know and he makes me feel very important. He knows just the right things to say or do to make me calm :) He is a great listener, a great friend, a great companion, and a great coffee maker ;) I am very lucky to call him my husband.

2. My family. While we are all very busy and may not talk to each other as much as I would like, I am thankful for each and every one of them. I see how some other families are and it makes me grateful to be part of such a fantastic family unit.

3. Our home. There are times I wish we had more space to move around in, but I am thankful that we have a roof over our heads and that I have a place to come home to every day.

4. Ollie and Sophie. Yes, it may be silly to be thankful for my kitty cats, but they make me happy. They keep me company while Brian is gone to work and that give me great comfort.

5. My friends. Like my family, I don't talk to my friends as much as I wish I could due to busy and conflicting schedules, but I am always thinking of them. Without them, there are some things in my life that I am not sure how I would have gotten through without them listening to me and giving me advice.

6. My job. There are many days where my job is frustrating, stressful, and boring, but without it I wouldn't have weekends off...get out at 3pm...and of course, pay the bills!

7. Old Navy's 50% off sale! hehe...I know this is silly, but today, I am grateful for this! I was able to purchase some outfits for my new niece and some pieces for myself...all for $17!!!

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I am more pensive than usual about things that I am grateful for. However, I know that I want to stop more and realize the things in my life that are good. There is good in everything...sometimes it's harder to find the good in some things, but it is always there. I hope that you can all stop and take a moment to find the good things in your own lives :)

COMING SOON...BABY GIRL HEBERT!!!

The Hebert family is seeing pink today! Adam, Holly, and Bryson took a visit to the doctor this morning and of course Adam called my cell phone while I was at the bank for work this morning and didn't have my phone with me!!! When I returned, I saw his missed call, noticed the voice mail, but didn't even listen to it...just wanted to hear it from him directly. I could tell from the tone of his voice that it was a girl...I just felt it. How exciting! I had to go ahead and "steal" the ultrasound pics from Holly's blog, but I wanted to share just how cute this little 1 pound baby is already! She seems to already have a little personality..."waving" in the first picture to her viewers! And her feet are above her head in the second! Maybe we have a gymnast in the making?! Adam said they have another photo of her yawning, which I find amusing because what could she be so tired from? Floating?! :)

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, I can't help but think about just how grateful I am for my family...for our health...for each other...and just to have people in my life that are genuine people who all really care and love one another. This little baby girl is already loved a lot by her auntie :)

Tuesdays at work = dreadful!

It is only 7:43 am as I type this in my little office at work. It's freezing outside...I actually had to start my car this morning before feeding the cats, and wait for the frost to dethaw! I am not ready for the cold! It seems like we barely had a decent summer due to all of the rain! And not to mention the lack of sunlight! I come into work when it's still dark and as I am leaving at 3pm, it's beginning to get dark already!

While I tend to dread winter because of the short days, the coldness, and the lack of outdoor activity, I am trying to come up with some things that I can do indoors to pass the time. I have taken up reading again, which is good. I tend to go through spurts where I read a lot and then not so much. I actually joined a little reading group with a couple of friends (and a couple of new people that I don't know...but it's always good to meet new people!) last week! Our assignment is to read 1 book before our January meeting. I am working on this book, as well as a few others at the same time. It's relaxing and gives me something to do on the chilly nights when Brian is at work!

While I am beginning to dread these days at work, since it has slowed down tremendously, I am thankful that I do have a job where I can blog, read, work on my lia sophia business, and do other random things. However, the lack of work doesn't take away from the fact that moods are constantly changing here! With the economy the way it is, people just don't seem to be buying a lot from us here at the FC, which means people's moodiness rears its ugly head and I seem to get the most of it. By the time I get home, even though I haven't done much work all day, I am exhausted and just need time to "detox" myself.

On a more positive note...I am THRILLED for tomorrow! Why, you ask?! Well, my lovely sister-in-"love", Holly along with my fabulous brother, Adam, and oh so cute nephew, Bryson will take a trip to the doctor to find out what sex the baby is tomorrow! I have had more than enough people say, "You must want them to have a girl, since you already have 2 nephews!" What do you mean, must?! Yes, I have 2 nephews, but if I had a third one, it wouldn't make any difference. Healthy is my number 1 priority for the baby and Holly and if we all had boys, it wouldn't matter to me!

I would say I am leaving now to get some work done, but that's not true. Maybe I will do the crossword puzzle in the paper, or read the People magazine that my mom dropped off for me. We'll see what the day brings!

I'm Back!!!!

Where have I been you ask?! Well, here and there and everywhere! Lots of things have happened in the past 2 weeks of my life...so much so that I haven't even thought about posting a blog (gasp! I know!) so, I will fill you in :)

Brian and I left for our honeymoon in Disney on Saturday, September 20th. It was splendid. 7 full days of doing anything and everything that we wanted to do...when we wanted...if we wanted. Just to be able to spend that much time together was enough of a honeymoon for me! I didn't care what we did! Brian and I haven't really even spent that much time together in the past 6 months (maybe that's a little exageration!) but with him working nights and me working days, our time together is short! We arrived in lovely Orlando, Florida Saturday morning and went straight to our resort (Animal Kingdom Lodge) and boy, oh boy...those Disney people do not skip a beat on details! It's amazing...I really would like to be a fly on the wall when they are designing things...it's crazy the detail!!!

We met up with Adam, Holly, Bryson, Holly, and Chad at The Rainforest Cafe on Saturday night for dinner. How awesome to be able to see my family!!! We then spent Sunday with them and went around the Animal Kingdom park. We had great fun and as always, it's sad to say goodbye since the time spent is always quick and doesn't seem to be often enough.

For the rest of the week that we were there Brian and I swam with some dolphins (so cool!), toured all of the Disney theme parks, rode the rides that my motion-sickness body could handle, swam in the 80 degree pool, layed out in the 90 degree weather, ate awesome food, and just enjoyed each other's company. When Friday came and it was our last day, we were both so sad to see the week come to an end. While the trip is over, the memories will last a lifetime and I know that if we are lucky enough to get back there, it will be when we have kids and then we will have all of the great memories of our honeymoon when we go back. So, now it's just getting the 420 pictures developed that we took :)

So, we got back from Disney on Saturday night, the 27th. We spent that night just relaxing, doing laundry and hanging out with our kitty cats (who really did miss us while we were away!), Sunday was spent doing groceries and dreading the fact of returning back to work. Monday and Tuesday were spent getting caught up at work and then Tuesday night decided to throw us a little curve ball....

I went and ran some errands after work and was feeling a little pain in my stomach. I didn't really think anything of it besides the fact that I really had to pee and maybe my bladder was being stretched to its limit. So, I returned home a couple of hours later (after searching the town for the Sex and the City movie!) and finally got to use the bathroom! Hours later, my stomach was still bugging me and all of a sudden it went from uncomfortable to unbearable and Brian convinced me to let him take me to the ER. After several tests, it was confirmed that I had a golf-ball sized ovarian cyst and I was sent home with 3 different kinds of meds. Should be okay right? Hmmm...

Wednesday I woke up and felt worse than I did on Tuesday. I made an appointment with my girly doctor and honestly felt awful as my mom took me to the doctor (thank God for mom! This is one of those times you just need your mom!) Well, to make a long story short...I still have the cyst...they don't want to do anything too drastic right away since I did have one surgically removed 4 years ago and I am still young. So, I have been laying and sitting on the couch for the past couple of days and will return to work tomorrow.

I am hoping to get my energy back ASAP because I have some meetings to attend this week for my new endeavor...becoming a lia sophia advisor! I am motivated more than ever to start saving more money and I toyed with the idea of getting a second job, so I thought this would be a perfect choice! I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping it goes well!!!!

So, all you lovely readers (all 2 of you!), I am back and here...just sick and busy! tata for now!

Disney bound and so excited!!!

I am writing this in the midst of packing for our honeymoon in Disney, which we leave for in the morning. There is one last load of laundry in the dryer and then packing is on full force!

I am so excited to be leaving tomorrow! We are in need of a vacation and it's funny because for as long as Brian and I have known each other, we have never been on a plane together! We have taken many vacations together...even driving to Virginia for a Dave Matthews Band concert several summers ago, but never on a plane! Yup, I'm a dork...this little part of the trip makes me happy :) It's just one of many things that we haven't done together that we get to do!

Another reason why I am excited is because I get to see my brother, sister-in-love, and nephew tomorrow! Adam called me last weekend to inform me that they had received free tickets to The Animal Kingdom! How cool! While he insisted that it was our honeymoon and we were not obligated to see them at all, how could we not?! They live many miles away from us and now they will be in the same park that we are staying in! We are excited to be able to spend time with them...I know it will be fun!

As we are getting ready for this trip, I am reminded how lucky we are. We decided that we would register for this honeymoon and not for anything else. We purchased our home almost 3 years ago and got lots of new stuff then, so we didn't feel the need to register at Macys or Target, so we went through Disney. Between friends and family purchasing items on our registry, money raised for us at our Jack and Jill, and money given to us in our wedding cards, we have not had to pay one penny for this trip! How fabulous :) I know that we are very fortunate to have friends and family that are so supportive of us and very generous :) I just know that I am going to take advantage of every second in Disney World! We only get one honeymoon and I have already informed Brian that I will probably be one, big kid there!

So, I should get back to packing! I will be sure to post when we return and get settled back into home life! xo

To Sell or Not To Sell?! That is the question....

I made great progress in the past week or so, as you already know! I was able to throw away 2 LARGE garbage bags of things that we didn't need and put together several boxes of things that could be sold in the yard sale at Brian's parents' house that is coming up this Saturday. I was in the mood to clean, clean, clean! And boy, am I glad that I did that! I am even proud of myself for only saving a couple of things from our wedding, putting them in a Rubbermaid container, and placing that in the basement...the rest of the stuff is being put in the yard sale. That was the easy part...now I am going back and forth in my mind about whether or not I should sell my wedding dress. Right now, it's folded and sitting on the bottom of my closet...not where it should be! I am torn between getting it cleaned and preserved and saving it...or cleaning it and trying to sell it. I did some research yesterday and called a local (what I thought was) a little bit higher class consignment store. I always drive by and they always have wedding dresses in their windows. Well, I was informed of their crappy policy, which is:
1. They choose the price that the dress will be put on sale for.
2. You will receive payment if the dress sells up to 6 months from the "put on sale" date. Even if the dress sells the second you walk out the door, you still get your check in 6 months.
3. Dresses "rarely if ever" (direct quote from lady on the phone) sell for more than $200/$300 and after that, I would walk away with 50%. So, the most I would get is $150?! Come on!!!

Honestly, I know that I can't put a price on the memories that this dress has for me, so it would be difficult for me to try to price it, but I know that I couldn't just let it go for that amount of money! Not only because I paid WAY more than that, but it's a beautiful dress!

Brian and I have talked about it and he thinks that I should do whatever I want to do. He said it's my dress and it's my decision. And I even got so far last night as to download pics of the dress for Craig's List last night, but when it came time to posting the listing, I couldn't do it. This is obviously something that I need to think hard and long about. I am usually the type that gets an idea and has to do it right away...but this time, it's different. Once that dress is gone, it's gone. But at the same time, I could hold onto it for years and years with it just taking up space and then never getting around to doing anything with it!

So, the questions remains...to sell or not to sell?! We'll see what I decide!

Auntie x 3 !!! :)

I thought since Holly posted the BIG news on her blog, that it was safe for me to post the news on mine :) As can be seen from my title, I am going to be an auntie again for the third time! SO exciting!!! And to think...Holly was pregnant at our wedding and just didn't know it yet! It's amazing how time flies...it seems like just yesterday, Bryson was being born into our family! And now we have Mason who is 13 months old and another little Hebert on the way! YAY!!!
I pray that Holly is able to feel better soon. The poor girl has been dealing with a lot of morning sickness and dehydration :( Thankfully, she has my brother and a lot of great friends to take care of Bryson so that she is able to get the rest and relaxation that she needs and deserves!

Happy Labor Day?!

I haven't decided yet if I like Labor Day or not. Sure, I only had to work 3 hours this morning, which gave me time to start on my organization kick...and yeah, it's beautiful outside and I felt stress free today. However, Labor Day signals the end of summer. School buses will start popping up soon...kids are back to school...which can only mean fall is right around the corner. While I like fall, I like everything that this summer had to bring. So, maybe I am only undecided about how I feel about this Labor Day because it signals the end of the best summer ever...

So, as I wrote about yesterday, I am in the midst of getting our home organized. I got a great start today and Brian's parents (or should I say, my in-laws) set a date of the 13th for their yard sale, so that made me more motivated than before to declutter! How exactly do 2 people accumulate so much "stuff"?! I made a rule for myself before I started that if I hadn't seen something for the past year, then it was either going into the trash or going into a box for the yard sale. Well, let me tell you, I musn't go into my basement or my craft room closet very often because I was able to dispose of many things! So much that it filled a large black garbage bag (I am working on a second!) and 4 boxes for the yard sale. Not just any boxes either...one housed our microwave when we bought it! And 3 others were decent size. Most of the majority is from the wedding. I kept 1 or 2 of everything I had purchased for decorations and decided to part with the rest. So, now the men with the new washer and dryer will be able to have a clear path to follow to install my new "babies"! and we will now be able to open the craft room closet without the fear of "falling debris"! The next step will be to just tidy up the craft room one last time and tidy up the living room from bringing things I wanted to keep from the basement...and I think we're in good shape. Now, let's just see how long things will stay this way!

Determined to organize!

Due to the fact that we were busy planning a wedding for the past 8 months, and more so the past month or so, other parts of our life were put on hold for a little bit. Once the wedding buzz was over with, I was able to sit back and see things for what they were and I noticed a commonality...unorganization! It was (and still is!) driving my nuts and I am determined to get organization back in my life! I started last week with my craft room. This once safe haven looked like a tornado had hit it...hard! I am lucky enough to be able to work on craft projects at my day job, so I would pack wedding stuff up, complete projects at work, and then bring the bags back home and dump them into the craft room. Since the room is upstairs, Brian and I are really the only ones that see it. However, I was realizing that looking for something was taking a lot longer than it usually did. And I found myself not even wanting to step foot in the room because of the craziness of it. So, when Brian went to work last Saturday night, I spent hours cleaning the room, organizing it again, and even finding things to throw away and put aside to sell in an upcoming yard sale. phew...I felt better!
Then while cleaning my "Purely Pomegranite" craft space, I came across many items that I had purchased over time for projects that I intended on putting together. I ended up organizing all of these items into bags for the project it went with and even started completing some of these projects! My Italy album is almost complete...Mason's 1st birthday album is finished...a scrapbook of Ollie and Sophie is finished...and I was even able to put together a little album for myself of my nephews! Fabulous! Now to tackle the larger ones such as the wedding, bridal shower, and then Disney!
Another BIG accomplishment that I am proud of is the purchase of a new washer and dryer this weekend! I have been asking Brian for awhile if we could get a larger washer and dryer, so that it could cut the loads of laundry down, while saving water and energy at the same time. We looked here and there, but nothing really jumped out at us. It helped us a lot that we received a good amount of money for gifts from friends and family from the wedding, so we took a trip to Home Depot yesterday and purchased a set! Thursday is going to be a fabulous day since that is when they will be delivered! It's everything I could have hoped for! Front loading...very large...and a great price! Who knew that I could ever get excited over purchasing a new washer and dryer?!
So, while getting organized is a lot of work and the house will probably get messier before it gets cleaner during the process, I know that it will be a great sense of accomplishment when things get back to normal. And hey, if our "trash" can become someone else's treasure at the yard sale, then making some extra cash doesn't hurt either!

Hello, my name is Mrs. Soucy!

It has been several weeks since I last posted. I needed time to relax and take a break after the wedding was over, so I just sat back and did just that!
I know you are all dying to know how the wedding went! hehe...
The wedding day was the most amazing day of my life. It went better than I have envisioned it in my head and I think everyone had a really good time. Even though it started pouring on us when we started taking pictures (apparently, rain is good luck!), we still pulled through and took pictures in the rain. Our wedding party was awesome and was so agreeable with whatever Brian and I wanted them to do. I seriously could not have picked better people to be in the wedding party. I had read so many horror stories on my wedding website theknot.com about how some people had bad experiences with maids of honors, bridesmaids, and such. But honestly, we had no drama...everyone got along...everyone was helpful above and beyond what was expected of them...and I am closer to everyone now than before the wedding, which is a great feeling.
Everyone keeps asking me what it's like to be married. Honestly, I can't say that much has changed between Brian and I. Him and I have always been close, so I guess we have gotten closer since tying the knot, but I don't feel any different. Maybe it hasn't really hit me yet. Seeing as we just got our marriage certificate last week and I have started the process of changing my name, so maybe I will feel it soon (whatever it is I'm supposed to feel!).

And where are we going on our honeymoon you ask? We took a long weekend in Maine the weekend after the wedding, which was soooo nice! Brian works nights and I work days, so we rarely have time together, so to have that time was priceless. It was so peaceful and our hotel was beautiful...right on the water and so quiet. We had no real plans, but had a great time. Our "real" honeymoon is coming up in a couple of weeks. We are headed to Disney World, which we are really looking forward to! And then after all of this fun stuff is done, I will have time to scrapbook it all, which will be lots of fun! I have already started buying some stuff for my projects and hope to get started on some of them soon! My first project I want to do is my trip to Italy, which was last summer! That's how busy I have been! I haven't even scrapped something that happened last year!

So, that's the update. Nothing too exciting. Just trying to get back into "normal" life. Work is busy and I am enjoying free time and no wedding planning! Ciao :)

A moment's rest...but not for long!

2 days, 2 days, 2 days! I can't believe that the day is almost here! It's surreal. I don't know if it's really hit me yet...despite everything coming together, it still doesn't seem like something that I have wanted for so long, could finally be happening. I think I might need to pinch myself a few times to make sure this is all happening and it's not just a dream!
I am so glad that I only worked Monday and Tuesday this week! Those 2 days were enough for me and trying to juggle work and all of the last minute wedding stuff was driving me crazy! I was more stressed than I should have been and wasn't feeling good! Today went better. I am exhausted right now and haven't stopped all day, but it's nice to sit on my butt for a minute and relax. However, it's already 10pm and I still have plenty that needs to be done before bed.
I keep reminding myself that as stressful as some of these days have been in the past 8 months of our engagement, everything is going to be worth it on Friday because I am marrying my best friend. Many people spend their whole lives looking for "the one"...I was lucky enough to find him in 7th grade and to reconnect with him after some time apart.
I'm off to do more stuff...I know I will be sleeping good tonight!!!

Adventures in Wedding Planning

*Since my sister-in-"love", Holly, just titled her recent blog, "Adventures in Babysitting", I decided to take her idea for my title!*

Today I am tired (and annoyed). I really have had it up to here (my hand is above my head).
This is what I am tired about:
I am tired of people telling me what I should and should not be doing for our wedding.
I am tired of people making it seem like I have done so many things wrong (not just with wedding stuff, but with "everyday" stuff).
I am tired of people making me feel like I am at fault for things that they know nothing about.
I am tired of feeling like I "have" to do something just to please other people. Like my counselor, Alexis, always tries to tell me..."Whose needs are being met when you do what other people want of you all of the time?" (sidenote...I love Alexis because she is really working hard with me to ensure that I am getting what I want [within reason of course!] and that I am not always trying to please other people).
I am tired of feeling like if I don't do what people want from me, then I am going to disappoint them and that it will be held against me.
I am tired of everyone worrying about other people being hurt. What the heck about me?! Do I not matter? Maybe if people took the time to dig deeper into things, they would realize that I have been hurt a lot in the past and my actions have reasons behind them.
I am tired of people not seeing me for who I really am. To this, I say, the people that do know are the people that matter to me. They are the ones that love me for who I am...that don't judge me...that know that I would give you the shirt off of my back if you needed it.
I am tired of people being 2 faced. Don't act one way in front of me, only for me to find out from someone else something different. Liars are a pet peeve of mine...it bugs me...there is no need for it. Just be honest. It might not always be the most comfortable thing at the time, but at least nobody can look back and say, "Well, you never knew how I felt".

Where I am today is for many reasons. Where everyone is today is for many reasons. We make decisions everyday that can affect our tomorrow. Sometimes these decisions are obvious and we know that when we make the decision, we are essentially "laying our own bed". Others are not so obvious. This is part of what life is all about. I have made decisions in my past that I am not happy about, but at the same time, if I didn't take the "right" instead of the "left" then I wouldn't be here today. My life would be completely different. This is true for everyone. People need to realize that what they have done in their life not only effects them, but it effects others as well. These effects can last days, or they can last a lifetime.

In closing, I need to just say that wedding planning hasn't been very difficult for us. I have heard some horror stories from others and we have had it pretty easy, which I consider us lucky for. However, I just wish these final 6 days would go smoothly.

Licensed to marry!

Brian and I now have the go-ahead from the City of Manchester to marry! Woo hoo! We arrived at city hall not really knowing what to expect, but a half an hour later of painless paperwork, we were finished!
In addition to getting that checked off our to-do list, we were able to find a white dress shirt for Brian. You see, for some people this wouldn't be a big accomplishment, but when you work out like Brian does, it's a little more difficult to find a shirt that fits your shoulders and chest, while not being ginormous on your waist. That is exactly the problem we ran into! After a few hours of looking, we ended up finding one that he was happy with. Although it isn't short sleeved like he was hoping for, at least he will be able to roll up the sleeves. Task completed! I told him (jokingly) that he should just stop working out so his shoulders and chest wouldn't be so big and his waist wouldn't be so small...yeah right! He's a workout maniac! Good for him...God knows I don't have the motivation for it!
Tomorrow, we are headed to Sam's Club very early in the morning to purchase beverages for the wedding. I say very early because they open 7-9 for "special" people, so we decided to go at this time to avoid the crowds. Although, I must say I am a little disappointed that we won't get any yummy Saturday samples!
A nap will probably be in order tomorrow...especially since I didn't fall asleep until 12:30 last night and had to wake up for work this morning at 5:30. My mind is on overload...too much to think about...but it's all good stuff :)

Since when does getting married entitle you to a free for all for gifts?!

I say this because I know several people that are getting married this year and am shocked at how greedy people can be when it comes to their registries. I am not saying that Brian and I are perfect, I'm just saying, who the hell needs 2 sets of dishes?! 2 sets of silverware? Numerous bar glasses and countertop appliances?! Who needs all that stuff?! Shouldn't getting married be more about spending your life with your best friend, then about all of the expensive presents?! This is just my 2 cents. And maybe Brian and I aren't "normal" considering that we only registered at one place and it's for our honeymoon. I would rather have an amazing honeymoon experience then a bunch of stuff that will either never get used, or get returned when I realized how much useless crap I actually registered for!

(sigh) I feel a little better getting that off of my chest!

I think I have come down with baby fever...

Yes, it's true. I think I'm sick with baby fever. I had the symptoms several months ago, but they passed. Now they are back...what could this mean?! I told Brian, "I think I'm going through a phase." and he was surprisingly open to talking about it. Not like we are planning anything...there are a few things (testing of sorts due to Brian's blood deficiency) that need to be taken care of before we can think about having kids, but at least he was open to the idea. I am not naive by any means...I know that having a child isn't all fun and games, but it is rewarding. At the same time, I snap back to reality and wonder, "Will I be a good mommy?!" and that gets me over the fever for awhile.
I spent this evening with my nephew/godson, Mason so that Mindy and Calen could have some time out together and go to the movies. He just turned one and is getting brave with the walking thing. He is always in a good mood when I watch him and his 6-tooth smile melts my heart. I am amazed at how babies are born knowing nothing...they are a clean slate...and how they are raised and who they are raised with shapes them into the person that they will become. I was working on teaching him his nose, but he was more focused on dancing to the songs on the IPod...too funny!
So, maybe spending time with Mason with help with my baby fever...one can only hope! If not, maybe there is medicine I can take to help :)

A Free Weekend!!!

When I woke up this morning, I was feeling a little bit of anxiety. I attributed that to the fact that Brian was on his way to Maine to skydive and I knew I wouldn't feel better until I heard his voice telling me that he made it down to the ground safe and sound. I told him that if I didn't hear from him by 3, I was going to be nervous. It was already an agreement between the 2 of us that he didn't have to call me all weekend while he was doing his bachelor thing, but he had to call me to tell me he made it safely to the ground below.
I knew that they had a class to take at 11 that lasted a half an hour, so when he called me at 12 to tell me they wouldn't be jumping for awhile, I was happy to talk to him. So, I kept busy by going to my appointment to get my hair trimmed and highlighted and sure enough at 3pm my phone rang with Brian saying, "My feet have touched the ground!" He sounded so happy and it's such a cool thing that he was able to experience that with his closest friends. They even got together and purchased the DVD for him, so I will get to see his jump tomorrow...so cool.
I think everyone thinks that I was going to be lost without Brian for the weekend. I mean, he works the night shift anyway, which means he sleeps during the day, so it doesn't seem that much different, except for the fact that I can't just walk upstairs and see him, but of course it's always good to have our own things with our friends. It will be great to see him tomorrow...can't wait to hear about his fun and crazy time with the guys!
This week coming up with be spent doing last minute stuff for the wedding. I have to have a short meeting with the caterer to give him a final guest count and go over details. Then, one last conversation with the DJ to confirm everything, and then we are off to city hall to get our marriage license! This is my second to last weekend of being a single girl!

2 Weeks Left Until a REALLY Big Day!!!

Well, there are only 2 more weeks until our wedding and my head is spinning! I have literally been non-stop for the past 6 weeks. Brian's bachelor party is this weekend. Him and his friends are headed up to Maine to go skydiving and camping and I am looking forward to a weekend of doing nothing but getting my hair trimmed and highlighted!

I finally got around to downloading pictures of our invitations. I ended up having to make more because I ran out and we got some "no" responses from our A list, so we made more and sent them out. Here are some pics:

I am really happy with how they ended up turning out. I started out making them knowing what colors I wanted to use and knowing that I wanted a picture of us covered with the piece of vellum. Then, I just looked through all of my stamps and put the "S" monogram on the front and then went from there. It came together nicely and I have had a lot of people tell me how great they are. Someone even said, "I never save any cards that people send, but I am definitely saving your invitation". I thought that was a really great compliment!

I have to say that I have put Stampin' Up on the back burner for the past several weeks. I do love that about the company. When I am ready to pick it up again, it will be there for me. I am getting smarter about my stamp purchases. The retired list came out in June and usually I go through it with a fine tooth comb and make a big list to order before I can't get the stamps that I want anymore. However, this year I did not purchase one single set off the list! I am ready for the new catalog to come out in August because I have purchased everything that I have wanted out of the current one. And I even went ahead and went through my hundreds of stamps and took out the ones that haven't been used. Those, I am trying to find a new and loving home for. They have been neglected by me, so maybe somebody else can love them better than I could :)

I am surprised that I still like stamping after all of the projects that I have worked on for the wedding! Between 80 invitations, 50 bridal shower thank-yous, 75 wedding thank-yous, favors, and decorations it's good to find myself still visiting websites for ideas on what to work on next. I have a list compiled of projects to work on once my life slows down a bit!

So, with 2 weeks to go, as crazy as these past several weeks have been, I have an amazing calm to me. I am ready for this step in my life...I have been ready for a long time. I knew that Brian was "the one" for me from an early point in our relationship, so it's crazy to think that it's all finally coming together and something that I have wanted and wished for for so long is finally happening! I will post more as the days get closer and will definitely post pics after the wedding!