Suit Shopping!

So I was finally able to drag Will out shopping with me yesterday, and it was almost too easy....we pulled up to Mens Wearhouse and saw a great suit in the window right away. We both thought that that must mean that there are tons more, so we let a salesperson show us around. The one in the window was linen so he immediately by-passed that since September 5th was "too cold for that" (seriously.... that's 5 days away from AUGUST in NC!) and he showed us a few others. He really didn't seem to get what we were looking for though, so eventually he led us back to the original linen one and it was perfect!!! It's a medium tan color Calvin Klein three piece suit and it looks amazing on! The inside of the jacket and the back of the vest are made of a cotton material that is a darker brown with baby blue stripes- how perfect!!! The best part.... BOGO! Haha....I thought BOGOs only happened at the grocery store and at payless....not on a $500 Calvin Klein suit!!! We called all the boys to make sure they were all okay with linen (I told Will the decision was ultimately up to him, but since we are asking the guys to buy them and not just rent them, we thought it would be best to make sure they approved). So, as of now I think Will is going to get the vest but the other guys will just wear the pants and jacket. Unless TJ wants a vest, since he is the Best Man. I guess we'll let him decide....if Will buys a vest, we'll get one free, so someone should take it, even if they don't wear it for the wedding!! So... for the guys pants and jackets it's only going to be about $210. We'll buy their ties for them as part of their gifts and they'll just need plain white button down shirts. I know renting can cost up to around $175 or so, so I don't think asking them to pay $210 to OWN a Calvin Klein suit is too bad...




I'm so excited to have this done!! Everything really seems like it's coming together now =)

Haha....ignore the goofy smile on that last one ;)

Now to just find ties similar to these but that DON'T cost $40 each..... And also I need to figure out what the Dads should wear.....

On a different note.... my dress is here!!!! I get to go with my Mom and pick it up this week- that sounds like the perfect thing to do on my last day of work!!!

Shout Outs:

• Will- for finally going shopping with me- see? I told you it would be fun! I know you're more excited about the wedding now!
• Sadie- for being the cutest puppy in the world and keeping me company for the next couple days while Will is at his "outing" for work.... aka 3 days of eating, drinking, playing golf, and staying in a nice hotel. Lucky duck.

Prayers:

• Chris- (My future-mother-in-law) that she has a safe trip down to FL tomorrow
• TJ- that everything goes smoothly getting out of the hospital this week
• Shannon's Papaw- that he hangs on and pulls through these health issues
• Kelly- for a safe trip to LA and back!

The Perfect Shoe

So I have been on the hunt for a great pair of Carolina Blue shoes, or ones that I can have dyed. Not as easy as it may sound.... some of the dyeable styles are cute, but I haven't found anything I *love* yet, and I've never had a pair of shoes dyed, so I'm not sure how it works....like are they totally ruined if you walk through damp grass? Comments on this topic are welcome!

Anyway...yesterday a fellow knottie posted a picture of her wedding shoes and I fell in love....hers are hot pink, but they also had one in "china blue" that looked perfect! Although the picture doesn't look quite as fun and fabulous as some others I've looked at, I think this one would be perfect with my dress since is has pleating that matches the "roushing" (or however you spell that word) on my dress, and the strap that sort of swirls across the front, which is similar to my dress. I also thought I would have more of a chance to wear these beauties again (I'm thinking future Rams Club/Alumni events possibly? Although I have no idea with what dress....) than some other dyeable ones.

So- I called my mom right away and she was going to order them for me right then and there....but they only have a size 8 left. There is just no way my size 9 fat foot is going to fit in it =( . So now I am on the hunt to find it at a department store, either in the china blue, or in the plain white and have it dyed, since I really really just love the shoe that much.

Wish me luck!!

Almost forgot....

Shout Outs:

• My Mom- for keeping me excited about wedding planning, through all the stress right now!
• My MOH Katie- for being a great friend...and YAY the dress fits!!! =)

Prayers:

• Shannon's Papaw- for a speedy recovery and all that he has left to look forward to!

A great shopping day and finally downloaded pictures!

Yesterday a "new" girlfriend invited me to go shopping at Concord Mills and we had a blast! We left around 11:00 and ended up going to another shopping center while we were down there and didn't get home until almost 8:00! Then we went to dinner at Olive Garden =) It was a great day!! And I managed to do it without spending too much money! I bought this dress from Anne Taylor, just a comfy cotton one. I'll need a few dresses this spring/summer between Kelly's 2+ showers, Kelly's reharsal, my 2 showers, our rehearsal, Box and Jill's wedding in July.... whew! The only other things I bought were gifts for my BMs, so if you wanna see pictures of those, you'll have to ask ;)


I shouldn't really say Carissa is a "new" girlfriend- we actually met her and her then-fiance Greg about a year and a half ago I think- they used to live across the street from us, but now they live across the street from Will's parents! Anyway- we've gotten together with them more and more over the last few months and Will and I are both SO happy to have more "couple" friends! They're great and I look forward to many get togethers in the future! =)

So it's Sunday afternoon and *gorgeous* outside! Will left to go play golf around 2:00, so I took Sadie for a long walk and then sat out in the sun playing on the computer and I finally downloaded some more pictures!!! Let's see what I can show you......

Mia's flower girl basket! Just have to add some blue and brown ribbons- probably just bows on each end of the handle. Can you see the price tag? Yep- $3.. I'm still proud of that!

Here are the bubbles that I've done so far. Still need to finish about 30 of these, and figure out what sort of container to put them in so that Mason can hand them out before the ceremony (galvanized pail? basket?). I want to include instructions in the programs that guests can blow these at us as we walk back up the aisle after the ceremony. Since the wedding and reception are in the same place, we won't "walk out the church doors" or anything like that, so I thought this would be a cute way to still be able to do it- I love bubble pictures!

Here are two lanterns I got from Kohl's after Christmas- I can't remember exactly how much they were, but I want to say they were less than $20 combined, so it was a great deal! (They're huge- the larger one is probably 16-18 inchese high). I want to use these somehow- possibly on the bar, or maybe on the guest book table. (Please excuse the dust on the top...two words- DRY WALL. Ugh.)

I also got a TON of these candle 4-packs from Target after Christmas. They're about 2 inches high- silver mercury glass holders with little white candles inside with silver glitter on the top. I'll probably use a few of these on each cocktail table and scattered around on the cake table, bar, etc.

These confetti-like flowers (in blue metallic and pearl metallic colors) I got from Michaels and will scatter around wherever I use the candles above.

I got this tank top from the trash to treasure board on the knot- it's from the VS "Sexy Little Things" line and I hope to wear this, with the VS "Sexy Little Bride" hoodie the day of the wedding. Our ceremony isn't until early evening, so I hope to have some girl time in the morning- possibly brunch together and then we'll probably have someone come to the hotel to do our hair/makeup. I can't wait to get some cute pictures of all of that!

Speaking of....here's a pic from the day we all went dress shopping! This is not my dress, BTW, but these are the BMs- L to R is Molly, Me, Kelly, and Katie (MOH). They are 3 very different girls and I have very different relationships with all of them, but they're all awesome and I am so lucky to have them share my special day with me!

Alright, that's all for now... I have a lot more pictures to share, but those will have to wait! I've got to get ready to head over to Will's parents house for dinner. His Dad got home from Florida today, so hopefully we'll get an update on TJ.

I caught up on Carissa's blog today and liked how she is ending each post: shout outs and prayers. (I'll call them prayers because it's easier than typing out best wishes/positive thoughts/good vibes, but you can call it whatever you want!) So here goes...

Shout outs:

• Carissa- thanks again for yesterday!
• Shannon- for encouraging me to start a blog
• Will- even though he won't see this (or he better not, anyway! Not till after the wedding)- for being a great brother, a wonderful fiance, and my best friend

Prayers:

• TJ- you're doing great, keep up your positive outlook, your strength, and your sense of humor and you'll be just fine. I love you!
• Shannon's Papaw- hope the recovery is going well!

Settling back down

Well it looks like things have calmed down a little bit, at least for now. TJ is doing well- they have moved him out of Baptist Hospital to a room at Western Florida University's Rehabilitation Institute. He's got the Navy on his side, so I am assuming that this is the best rehab place available to him. As of yesterday he was sharing a room with a 75 year old man with a broken neck (poor thing), but he is getting his own room sometime today. While he is there he'll be doing a lot of pretty intense PT- I think they said about 5 hours a day, although I am assuming that is spread out. He's only allowed visitors between 5:30 and 9 pm, so we are waiting to go back down to see him until he has a little more free time, or until he gets to go home, but we don't know when that will be yet. We're just sort of playing it by ear each day.

He sounds like he's doing better emotionally, so that's a relief. He had a rough couple days when they took him off of the heavy duty pain meds, which I was afraid of. Hopefully he'll keep up his positive attitude though and will have the strength to get through this. He's a tough guy and he is definitely motivated, so I think he's going to do great! The time is going to be the hardest part... he's looking at a year of recovery before he's back to where he was and ready to return to his training. He's going to get anxious and frustrated, but hopefully the time will pass quickly and he'll progress at a steady pace.

The Navy is behind him 100% and he has received overwhelming support from not only his own squadron, but his commanding officers, all the way up to the Admiral (which is basically the top of the food chain). As long as everything goes well with his rehabilitation, TJ will be the first Naval Flight Officer with an amputation. Which will make him kind of a big deal... people will know him! :) Haha.... TJ was born to be famous... who knew this was how it would happen!

In other news.... I found out last Tuesday (right before I left for Florida), that my position is being eliminated, so I will be laid off in the near future. I have no official term date yet, but it is looking like either the last day of the month, or I may stay on into April, maybe just as part time, since my boss just had shoulder surgery last week and will need some time off for her PT appointments for the next few weeks. She's also been out all this week and probably most of next week, so they begged me to stay at least until she returns... ironic, isn't it? (It's all quite complicated, I know!) I've applied for a couple positions and will probably apply for a couple more today, but I haven't heard anything back yet and it is looking like I will have to collect unemployment for a little while. Will would hate me for saying this, but I'm kind of okay with that. I could definitely use a break for a little while, and I know it will be tough financially, so I'd probably have to get a part time job waiting tables or something, but that wouldn't be the end of the world. What a crappy time to graduate college...any other 07 or 08 grads out there, I'm sure you feel me on that one! Since graduation I've had two "real" jobs, both of which I was over-qualified for and under-paid, and BOTH of which I've been laid off from. It's like... "Welcome to the real world, too bad you spent 4 years working hard, and will be in debt for the next 30 years, but MAN it was fun, wasn't it?" Haha...at least I have great memories, made great friends, and met my wonderful fiance at UNC. Otherwise, I might be pretty pissed about the whole thing!

Okay, well on to what this blog was meant to be about.... my WEDDING! My BM dresses came in and I picked them up last night!!! They look good, but they are definitely going to need to be altered. I hate that for my girls, but I don't think there's a way around it. Because of the style, the straps to the halter and the "decorative" straps on the back are going to have to be fit specifically for each one. My camera was dead last night, so I'll add some pictures to this post later so you can see what I'm talking about.

I also found the perfect FG basket at Family Dollar yesterday!! Mia is going to be so adorable =)

That's all for now....thanks for reading my mini-novel! I promise to be better about updating.

Prayer Request

I don't have the emotional energy to post about all that has happened this weekend, but Shannon said most of it for me. Please check her blog, Mr and Mrs in Training (http://gregandshan.blogspot.com/2009/03/prayer-request.html), and pray for my brother-in-law. I'm not even that religious, but we need all the good vibes/prayers/support we can get.I love you TJ

March 5th...

I should have posted about this yesterday, but I didn't figure out how to even do this until late in the day and I ran out of time.

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of Eve Marie's death. While I can't say that I was ever "best" friends with Eve, I can tell you that she was easily one of the nicest people I have ever met. Her death had such a profound impact on me, and probably on many UNC students/alumni, and it's hard to believe it has been a year already. Even though Chancellor Moeser got some harsh critiques for making Eve's funeral/memorials more about UNC than about her, I do wholeheartedly believe that Eve embodied the Carolina spirit and what we've come to know as the "Carolina Way."

A year ago today I left work to drive back to my alma mater and attend a memorial service on campus. I had dinner that night with one of my best friends and we talked about a lot of things. About politics and gang violence and gun laws and the state of our country. We talked about how scared we were for the safety of our friends, now that something so terrible had happened so close to home. But we also talked about how it really made us see that life is precious and can be taken from you in an instant. We both said that we would use the powerful emotions we were feeling that day to drive us to really cherish life and to do meaningful things, as Eve had. Well, my friend is now living out her promise and having an amazing adventure traveling and volunteering and making a difference and I am so proud of her! But I feel like I have let myself down. I haven't done a lot of the things I told myself that I would and I hate that.

So this time I am putting it here, in writing, and I am going to hold myself accountable for it. I enjoy my life and have no grand dreams about changing the world, but there are things here that I can do to make a difference- and I will! Check back with me in a year to make sure that I have kept my word!

We miss you Eve.

I did it!!

Okay, I knew this would take some playing with...pics of Valhalla are in my first post. Here are some others:

My Dress!

Bridesmaids Dresses: The sample in the store was tiny and would only fit Kelly, but it was in the right color so this is what they will look like!

Once the dresses arrive, I'll decide if I want to add a sash or not (either in Carolina blue or a shade of ivory/tan). I'm also still looking for shoes for the girls. I don't want to make them purchase a certain shoe, but I would like them all to be similar- like at least the same color or same style, since they'll be seen! (If it were a floor length dress I wouldn't care). This is one option I found that I thought was really cute, but it's not my MOH's style. Something similar might work for the other girls though...

First things first...

Welcome to my blog! I never thought I would do one of these, but if you know me and know how detailed I am with planning anything, you'll understand. If I can keep most of the wedding chatter here, rather than annoying the crap out of my friends and family, I'm hoping everyone will enjoy the planning process a lot more!

I also have to give credit to my friend-from-the-knot Shannon for encouraging me to do this. Haha- love ya girl!

Alright, well here's what I have so far:

We picked a venue in January- The Barn at Valhalla in Chapel Hill, NC
We set a date- 09.05.09
We booked our caterer- Visions Catering
I ordered my dress and the BM dresses from Bridal Mart in Burlington
We ordered Save The Date magnets from Swoozies in Greensboro
We bought kits for invitations and programs from Michaels, as well as matching Thank You cards and a few other small things
We got bubbles from fellow knottie, Cici, and began tying blue/brown ribbons on them
... a few other small projects/purchases that I'll write more about later!

I'll get pictures of these things up as soon as I figure out how to do that! Bear with me here, this is a learning experience!

Photo Credits: Becki Dickinson and Silvas Photos