fill in the blanks

1.  I like anything pumpkin. Pumpkin coffee creamer, pumpkin waffles {yes I found them yesterday} pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, pumpkin breads...you get the picture.

2.  A life goal of mine is to be an amazing mom. I so can't wait to have a little bun in the oven, even though we will be waiting a while fore that.

3.  The last thing you would ever expect me to like {even though I secretly do} is jamming out to hard core rock & roll/punk music in my family room, just not when anyone else is home.

4.  Some wise words that I love are from 1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." That was one of our wedding passages, and it couldn't be more true. Love casts out evil.

5.  Most mornings you will find me waking up early at around 5 am to make coffee, breakfast, and lunch for my new husband. Then I cuddle back up in bed with coffee and flip on the tv to Charmed. Don't judge, I used to watch Charmed as a little girl so watching it now reminds me of the good old days.

6.  Right now I am super into any sort of home improvement/DIY/renting or buying your first home type of show. HGTV is pretty constant around here.

7.  Right now I am super over politics. For better or worse the people have spoken and we have to live with the decision.

Check out Lauren over at the little things we do to see the source of the 'fill in the blanks.'

our honeymoon in paradise

My mom says I look like I'm 12 in this picture and Brian looks 15,
well maybe that's what a honeymoon does to you

Sometimes I close my eyes and I can still hear the white ocean waves crashing up on the beach outside our honeymoon suite. We have been back to the cold weather of Minnesota for a few days and we already want to go back to the safe haven of our honeymoon. It was 8 days of weather in the 80s, room service {even at 1:30am, which we did one night}, 3 pools to choose from, maid service, swim-up-to bars in the pools, being disconnected from the rest of the world in our own little bubble of relaxation.

Before I started planning a wedding I always thought it would just be a bonus to get away for a honeymoon. I never really understood the importance of getting away from everything. And by going to Mexico, my new husband and I really did get away from everything. We didn't have internet {for more than 5 minutes in the cafe} our phones, our regular TV shows, we didn't know a soul there, and it was wonderful! We were totally disconnected from our regular lives and it was amazing. As a new husband & wife we really needed that time to spend together.

We didn't live together before we got married, and while that may surprise a few people it was never an option for us. Living together is very intimate and that was something we wanted to save for marriage. God intended us for 1 person and I am very happy to say that my husband is my 1st and only. The relationship that we now share is stronger than I even thought possible, and with our honeymoon we were able to see our relationship grow even more.

We squished our toes in the sand, sailed with dolphins, enjoyed the warm rays of sunshine, I coached Brian as he swam in the ocean for the first time {seeing as I am a California girl}, got some pretty funny tan lines that I will NOT share online, captured amazing photos, most days accomplished nothing but relaxing {which we havn't done in months}, went to bed whenever we wanted and slept-in till whenever we wanted, enjoyed amazing food including more guacamole than I have had in years,

So my advice for future brides: make sure you plan a honeymoon. By the time your wedding comes you will be so thankful you did. Even though wedding planning is an amazing experience, it is pretty stressful, totally exhausting and the most amazing party you will ever have.

As far as other bridal advice, that is coming up soon. I have a whole lot of advice that I wish I would have known before I started planning our wedding.

Our Love Story

 5.20.11     he saw her in that purple skirt

  6.8.11      they met at “Arise & Shine”

 6.10.11     he kissed her

 6.15.11     the Italian food was delicious

  8.6.11      he stole her heart

 8.13.11     “I love you so much”

  2.9.12      he popped the question…

  2.9.12      ...and she said yes

 3.10.12     their engagement celebration

10.19.12    she stole his last name 

back at last

It's been 2 long months that I have been without the blogging world, and I have missed it tremendously. To make a very long story short, my computer crashed due to what we think was a lightning storm. After many attempts to fix it, we found out that it would take another at least $200-$300 to fix and more months of sponging off my sisters outdated laptop.

Well, last week a pretty brown package arrived and in it was my new lap top. I took the plunge and am now am a proud owner of my first lap top. Yes I know some of you will laugh at my excitement, but I have always had a desktop computer. I love being able to take my wedding planning/work/bogging with my wherever I go. There are just so many things to update you on, I feel like I am having coffee with a friend whom I haven't seen in weeks.

Here are a few highlights from the past few weeks:

Family vacation:

B's surprise birthday party:

Family trip to Lambeau field:

Brian & I take a trip to the Minnesota State Fair for my birthday:

It's good to be back. Next...a major wedding update. Hard to believe that it's only a couple of weeks away!!

my new companion

I have finally joined modern technology and took the plunge of smart phones. For years I promised myself I would never really need a smart phone, but when Brian got one all bets were off. Once I really saw just how much can be done with a smart phone I was just biding my time till I was due for an upgrade. After a terrible storm and me dropping my phone in a puddle, I now had a real reason to upgrade my chunky high school very outdated phone.

After lots of research I decided on the Samsung Exhibit II and have been pretty happy with it. Along with the phone comes the new perks, like finally joining the Instagram bandwagon {username Blissfulmae}.

While I am loving my phone I have resisted to be totally obsessed with it. It's been helpful when it comes to wedding planning, email, staying up to date and connected with people, but it's just a phone. I have taken my cues from fellow bloggers Beth and Jessica, and know that this new piece of technology will not run my life. Technology should just be one of the ways that we connect with people, it should not define our relationships or our lives.

color tour of our apartment

Ever since Brian and I got engaged there have been lots and lots of questions asked about us.

Where will you live?
When will you start applying for jobs?
Will you move back the town where both your parents & lots of friends currently live?
When and how many kids will you have? {the most popular one
Is your place really right on the lake?
What is the color palette for you apartment?

The list goes on and on of the wonderful questions Brian and I have been peppered with over the past few months. With 3 wedding showers coming up, I am getting the last question on my list asked a few times a week. So I thought of a good way to share with people what colors we have picked to liven up our new place.

The other day I made a special trip to the paint store {not for paint of course} but to picked out some fabulous colors swatches to send by 'snail mail' to those who have been inquiring about our place. I was literally in the process of cutting and pasting some pictures from the internet for those who were inquiring and ready to send them in an envelope when it hit me like a brick wall. HELLO Emily, what is a great way to share your ideas, thoughts, inspiration with others? If you aren't there already you are as slow as I am today...my blog. That is how big of a "blogging rut" I am in lately. I credit this epiphany to Nate Berkus, he always gets my creative ideas flowing.

Anyway, short story very long... here is a 'color tour' of our apartment. {Side note this is not our place, these are just pictures that I take inspiration from}

Family Room & Kitchen: sea foam blue, cream, white, chocolate, tan

Bedroom & bathroom: cranberry, cream, tan, chocolate, taupe

Photo credit: all these pictures are on my pintrest {which has links to each site}

he calls himself "old"

 It was just 'a few years' ago today that my amazing man came into this world and made it a better place. For every year that he has graced this world with his presence I will share with you 1 reason why I love him.

He is the best protector a girl could ask for
He is so gentle and loving with his nieces, sometime I just sit back and watch, imagining him with our kids
He loves my family {and I adore his too}
He can talk to my Dad about electronics/machinery and do more that just smile and nod {which is sadly all I can do some days, my Dad is really smart}
He is patient with me even when I'm sure he wants to pull out his hair
He always takes care of me
We compromise very easily about many things and hardly ever argue
He has great taste in clothing and I never feel like I need to help him out when he picks out an outfit {he still does ask what I think though}
He has the best smile
He communicates with me what he is really thinking, I never have to dig it out of him
He gives the best comforting hugs
He talks about "our kids" as if I am already pregnant {while we aren't even married yet}
We have our 'Sunday night shows' like an old married couple
He calls me randomly throughout the day, to just say hi and see how my day is going
He is such asnuggler
He never thinks my dreams are silly and supports whatever I dream up
Even when he is most upset, it only takes a minute and you are back to his cheerful self
He really truly understands me
He knows that "I'm fine" really means "I'm not fine but I don't want to admit it"
He loves me even when I'm crabby and is one of the only ones who can cheer me up
Him and his family are the most welcoming people I've ever met
He always keeps me laughing at his silly ways
We are totally content to have our lazy days on the couch
He is the hardest worker I have every met {lately he's been working lots of 14 hours day}
He loves to be involved with the wedding, he's not just a sit back and watch type of groom
He is very flexible and open to trying new things
He is just as obsessed with snacking on goldfish as I am
He lets me be a little ocd about things and just laughs instead of making fun of me
He is never afraid to show how much he loves me in public
We love each other more than anything

If you counted all those up you get the number 30. That is how old my sweetie is turning today, and if you do the math you will see that we are 8 years a part, oh boy! I couldn't even imagine my life without this amazing man.

what I am lovin in spring

It's been ages since I did one of of my favorites posts and I really do miss them. My life has been a ball of chaos lately and I wish I had a better excuse for my lack of posts. It seems like everything else is take a priority in my like and my blog has taken a back seat for the past few months. Well, no more! I have lots of exciting events coming up in my life and I can't wait to share them with you. The first of those events was a family vacation that I just got back from to Green Bay/Door County, so I will be sharing pictures soon.

For today, I just felt like sharing some of my latest obsessions from this past spring.

Lush's Solid Shampoo Bar in Jumping Juniper
Travel is a major part of my summer life. This is great for airplanes so you don't have to fill up your liquids bag with a whole bottle of shampoo. This bar lathers up into an very cleansing foam that keeps your hair feeling fresh all day.
Photo source: here

Beatles
My cousin can attest to this on our summer vacation last week: I have had Beatles fever lately! It seems like every time I start humming a tune or dancing to a beat it's to the Beatles, one of my all time favorite bands.
Photo source: here

Breyers Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
I have a love affair with ice cream. It's my favorite food and while I will eat it any time of year, summer is when it hardly stayed in the freezer for 2 days when Brian and I are together.
Photo source: here

Revlon Color Stay Nail Polish, Top & Base Coat
I have a new base & top coat and it's these babies. If you want a strengthening base and a glossy finish that keep you nail polish in place, then these will do the trick!
Photo source: my own photo

Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Dry Oil
While this isn't really a tanning oil, it's a great way to protect your sun while still getting a little bit of color. And the best part: it smells like coconut & Mexico. Amazing!
Photo Source: here

Cherries
Whether we eat them in a pie, have spitting contests to see who can propel them the farthest, or we enjoy them covered in chocolate, cherries are a staple food in the summer.
Photo source: my own photo

My Brothers Sewing Machine
This sewing machine was graciously gifted to me by my "3rd grandma" and we like to call her. I've been loving experimenting with the sewing machine that I always dreamed of having.
Photo source: here

Flip Flops
It seems like 96% of the summer I spend my days in flip-flops. While they may not be the most supportive shoes, they are the most convenient and the cutest {since I have a pair in every color of the rainbow}
Photo source: my own photo

Maybelline Mineral Powder Foundation
This summer is a hot one. It's full of humidity and with that comes oily skin. This powder is an amazing finishing powder to keep you makeup in place.
Photo source: here

bride DIY: coloring mason jar

I adore mason jars, cold hard fact. I have always been a fan and started collecting them in high school. I always dreamed of using them in my own wedding, so guess what project I started this week?

After a visit to the store with over 80 jars in tow I started in on my project. I have seen a few DIY tutorials about coloring mason jars to incorporate the colors of you special event, and I was instantly hooked. Mason jars with a hint of pink was the perfect way to add more color into our decor. It took a few rounds, but after some 'trial and error' this is my version of coloring mason jars:

How it works:
You add color to some mad podge and coat the inside of a mason jar. As the jar dries the mod podge will dry just about clear leaving you with a wonderful translucent hue of color.

Ingredients:
-mason jars {what ever size you desire}
-food coloring
-mod podge
-popsicle stick or something disposable for stirring
-wax paper
-paper towels
-heat proof tray
-disposable cups

Step #1:
In a disposable cup mix together mod podge and a few drops of food coloring. I added about 7 drops to a cup of mod podge. Add a few tsp of water to make the consistence a little more runny.

Step #2:
Pour a few tbs into a mason jar and swirl around, coating the whole inside of the jar. Hold upside down for a few minutes, pouring out excess mod podge back into the cup.

Step #3:
Place upside down on a paper towel to absorb the excess fluid for about 10 minutes. Place on wax paper and a heat proof tray.

Step#4:
Put upside down jars on the wax paper and in the oven {set on the lowest temp} for about 10 minutes. Turn right side up and keep them in the oven for another 30-40 minutes.

Step #5:
Take out of oven when there are no more streaks and let air dry for a few hours before you continue with your decoding.

This is such a cute way to add color in a very inexpensive way. It's also a great project for you to invite the girls over and make a day of it. My jars vary a little in color, but I really enjoy that each jar is different from the next.

And now for the obvious comment of the day: of course you can add any food coloring you want to the jars to make them fit with your style. I choose red food coloring to make my jars light pink and it turned out perfect. It pretty much looks like pepto or liquid bubble gum to me, but dries just about clear leaving the pink color behind. Perfect for our wedding!

firsts and lasts

This past year has been filled with firsts and lasts:
- the signing of our first apartment lease together
- his first time being a Godfather
- my last year of college and got my first career job
- his first visit to California
- my first permanent ring on the 4th finger of my left hand
- our last 'first kisses'
- our first family vacations with each other
- the last time we have to wonder about our forever's
- our first road trip together
- first time we gained new family members
- our first holidays together
- last time dating another girlfriend/boyfriend again
- first and last time he proposed and I {after many 'oh my goodness'} said yes

A year ago there was only one set of feet in the picture.....


....now there are 2

The picture above was taken last weekend at the 20s & 30s retreat: Arise and Shine. Does that sound familiar at all? It's been a whole year since we met there. Who knew how different our lives could change in just one year. It was a whole different going back there with B, knowing that all of our firsts happened there. The first time he held my hand, put his arm around me, hugged me with his protective arms. But it was more then just the physical aspects, he looked me in the eyes and seemed to be looking right into my soul. Not sure if that makes sense, but for those of you who remember the first few days that you spent with your best friend, you know what I mean.

 It's places like these that we will continue to visit each year as we grow as a couple. The Brad Paisley song seemed to run into my mind so many times over the past weekend. Last year I thought how much I liked him, this year I know how much I love him, and I'm sure next year....I will think: I thought I loved him then, this is a whole new kid of love.