fill ins

1.   When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is, check my phone and take my temperature.

2.   I can hardly wait for summer. I looove the warm weather, styling some nice shades, living off of popsicles & ice cream, wearing tank tops, wearing little to no make-up, sporting a little tan....

3.   The quickest way to my heart is a sweet kiss/rubbing my back {or if you are not my fiance}a tight embrace because that makes my feel loved and treasured.

4.   A little known fact about me is that when I talk to myself in my head {which happens quite often} it's with a British accent. Weird I know, but Lauren wanted something that not many people know, or in my case nobody knows...till now.

5.   The best part about my job is that I get to help people in a very direct way. One of my jobs is in the medical field, I get to care for them, console them, be a shoulder to lean on or just a good listener. I also work with kids, and a little smile, 2 arms reaching out for me, hearing the word "teacher" exclaimed and knowing they are trying to get my attention...that makes all the challenging days totally worth it.

6.   Something I just can't live without is my family {and my extended family of friends}. There would be no living without them.

7.   Something useful that I wish I knew how to do is survive in the wilderness. Maybe it's the influence of reading The Hunger Games, but if I were stranded out in the woods I would probably die in a matter of hours!

welcome

 

For some reason sharing pictures of our new apartment feels just about as personal as it gets on my blog. This is our world that only Brian and I know, but now I am sharing it with you. Week by week, we add our own personal touches to our new place and it feels more like home with each visit. It's been almost a month now, and it's surprising how so much things can change it such a small time frame.

There are so many aspects to this apartment that we fell in love with. First off the view. Pretty breath taking. We enjoyed a fresh snack on Sunday {B's homemade salsa}.

Our couch is finally here! It is the most comfortable couch I have ever sat on {of I really should say reclined on}. You really must try it out.

 Our 2 butt kitchen, good thing we don't have a personal bubble problem because while this kitchen has a plethora of storage it can be a little narrow for those who are used to cooking by ourselves. 

Just look at those hardwood floors, aren't they amazing! We think so.

The kitchen table & chairs that we put together on a Sunday afternoon.

This beauty arrived with the couch and Brian can finally get the support needed from a real bed, not the floor.

Can you tell I love to add flowers to bring spring in doors? Daises really are the more cheery flower.

 

Here is the out door patio down by the lake where B and I frequently come to grill out.

 B's boat will soon be in the water and we are jumping at the opportunity to cruise around on the open waters.

The view of our porch from the docks. Brian is going to love seeing the boat from our windows.

Simple breath taking, and it's even better in person. I am so bias but don't care in the slightest.

Disclaimer, just so we are clear: I am not living there yet, not till after we get married but it is still our place.

It is our place and each week I seem to add a few more of my belongings to make the transitions nice and smooth. I told Brian from early on that I don't want to have a weekend of 'Emily Invasion' right before we get married, so this is a lovely transition through the months of our engagement, one weekend at a time.

 

fill in the blank friday

It's been ages since I did a fill in the bank from Lauren. Hop on over to see her lovely little girl.

1.   Today is a great day because,  I get to spend the afternoon with a great group of girls!

2.   Tomorrow is a great day because,  I got to spend the day with my guy!

3.   My favorite time of day is  morning  because  it's the start of a new day, with no mistakes in it...not yet. {thanks to Anne with an 'e' for that saying}

4.   Sometimes you just have to  relax and take a breath.

5.   A song that I just can't get enough of lately is  'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri. It's super popular but so pretty I can't help myself.

6.   My favorite accessory is  a gleeful smile and cute hair style.

7.   My favorite thing about this week was  meeting with our florist for the wedding. She has a great vision and will be a delight to work with.

older

In the words of Stevie Nicks:

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changing

Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older and I'm getting older too
Oh, I'm getting older too

We are getting older.

Some times it hits my like a wake of emotion that leaves me paralyzed. It leaves my mind spinning in the most inconvenient of places, like the canned goods isle of the super market or while I'm waiting for the light to change from red to green. I had a few more of 'those moments' this week. It washed over my again as I cleaned out my desk this week and discovered little bits of my childhood: notes from high school, my baby teeth, confirmation announcements, diaries filled with my dramatic stories.

Another grown up moment came {this was a few weeks ago} when I found out that a dear friend of mine is moving away. I know I will be moving myself in a few months {well 6 months to be exact} but it really won't hit me till I start packing away my room.

I suppose that's why I have been a little absent from here lately. I seem to feel stuck in between. Between my 2 homes. One with Brian in the new appartment {which I will be sharing pictures of next week, once we get a few more touches on the place} and one with my family in town.

I feel sort of restless, in between 2 world. The new appartment is filled with what will be. It will be our place to live after we get married. It will be the place we spend our first year {or maybe more}. It will be the home of my possesions, but not yet. My home here is filled with memories. It reminds me of my childhood and makes me feel as though I am a kid again. It is a place where I would love to paint and decorate but seeing as though I will not be living here in 6 month's time, it seems useless. This is the reason for my feelings of restlessness. I have been praying to have a content heart between my 2 delightful worlds.

Has anyone felt the same way during their engagement? I would love to know that I am not the only one to feel as though I am stretched out between 2 places. Both equally amazing, but so totally different.

our place

the view from our kitchen window
   

Normally just the thought of moving has people running away faster then they can muster, but for this girl, I welcome it with open arms. I love to pack, give a good clean to old spaces, move heavy boxes into newly painted rooms, and wash dusty dishes until I get prunie hands. I love going shopping for new house supplies and taking before & after photos as we put our own touches on our new apartment. Those were just a few of the fun things we did this weekend as we moved Brian into the new apartment.

The crazy things is, it's not just his apartment.

Right now, it's our apartment meaning: we both contribute to it in our own way {you can only imagine the ideas I have racing around my head to decorate the new space} but he lives in it until we get married. In a few short months it will be our apartment meaning: we live their together as husband & wife. Our place to live.

That was so hard for me to really picture until this weekend. We got just a little taste of what it will be like to be married, and I can only say that......I can't wait!

It feels like a piece of me is still with him in our place as each weekend I will bring a few more items to add to our growing collection. One of the things on my list to bring for next weekend is a dream that recently became a reality. Ever since I was a little girl watching movies like Anne of Green Gables, and Pride & Prejudice, I have wanted one of these treasures in my house. I will save that for my next blog post.

yes to my dress

Photo source: the always lovely blog style me pretty

This is not my dress by the way, just a stunning picture

My stomach had been in knots all day as I ran out of work, forgetting a few things left behind but not bothering to care. It was 4:30 and I was just 30 more minutes away from a moment I had been dreaming about for years, but at the same time so nervous I could barely stand it.

I was on my way to my 1st wedding dress appointment. It would be my first appointment of many {I automatically thought}. Boy was I in for a surprise. I credit those thoughts partly due to one of my favorite wedding shows "Say Yes to the Dress." It seems like many of those brides have tried on dozens of dresses and just can't find the right one. I just thought going to different stores, getting measured, having many tedious fittings, and some sort of catastrophe/melt down was just part of the experience by now.

Once again I was in for a surprise.

I met with my wedding dress consultant and instantly knew we would get along like 2 peas in a pod. She is just one of those adorably sweet people who is positive and not at all pushing what she likes on you. As we {my mom, sister, close friend and I} made our way to the room filled with racks of glistening gowns, one in particular caught my eye.

I had a strong feeling I knew just who the designer of that dress was. I have actually been a loyal fan of this particular designer for quite a while and was tickled pink that one of her designs happened to be the one that first caught my eye. It was hugging the manikin next to it's dashing partner clad in a fetching suit....and it took my breath away. It was overwhelmingly beautiful but glancing at the size {a size too small} & price tag I sighed and tried to push it out of my mind.

For my dress, I knew I wanted some sort of straps up top, so that went into the choosing process and the 5 of us ladies searched through the racks of gowns pulling a few that were similar to my vision.

Dress #1: loved the bodice, but too poofy & way to heavy

Dress #2: favored the laced up back, but not my style

Dress #3: would have looked amazing on my sister

Dress #4: now we were getting somewhere but still not the dress

Dress #5: similar to what I wanted, but just not enough

Now it was time to grab a few more dresses. Do you remember that first dress I mentioned? That first one that took my breath away. Well, it was still on my mind and I couldn't help but let the words slip out "Can we just try that one?" and everyone knew which one I was talking about. So my consultant slipped it away from it's current resting place. I got goose bumps as her and I took it back into the room. Even though it only took a few minutes to get on, I was instantly impatient to step back out onto the floor and surprise the girls with dress #6.

They could see it in my face as I lit up, I was glowing. Likewise, their faces lit up as my eyes filled with tears. The dress was so much more then I thought possible and I was done. I was done looking at the dozens of fancy wedding dresses wondering if that would look good on me. I was done worrying about when I would find my dress, or how many stores we would travel to till we found the perfect dress. I had found it!!

By the end of the night everything was worked out: a few minor adjustments were decided on, my consultant made a wonderful deal to bring the price down a little, we picked out some lovely accessories, and I truly felt like a bride for the 1st time in my life. I was blessed enough to have such amazing people around me, and even a surprise visit from my future parents in law.

In some way, I wish I could share a picture of my real dress, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. Once again, the picture above is not my dress, but just a lovely picture. If Brian can't see the dress, then neither can you, not yet anyway.

Some people might say {or already have said}, "how did you pick it so fast?" or "don't you want to keep looking to see what else is out there?" but finding the perfect dress is just like finding your perfect guy. When you find the one who truly gets you, your best friend, the one who loves you for all that you are, why would you keep looking for another man?

For me, the same was true for my dress: it's the one that makes me feel amazing, it's what I dreamed of and so much more, and most importantly it's the one I will wear when I marry the love of my life.

it's picture time

Upon the request of a few eager people, I thought I'd share a few engagement pictures from our little photo shoot with my sister from a few weeks ago. Even thought it was bitterly cold and we were ready to head in doors to a cup of tea after about 30 minutes, we braved the chilly winds came away with some lovely picture. These are a few of our favorites.

  

 

lovely leading ladies

Choosing who I would ask to stand by our sides as Brian & I joined together in marriage was no easy task. It is safe to say that there were a few teary nights when I realized that having a dozen bridesmaids really wasn't that practical. I limited myself to 5 of my closest girl. Now that I was past the difficulties task of deciding, I was on to the enjoyment of asking them in a creative way. I took much inspiration from Bethany's 'be my maid?' boxes and did them in my own way with our colors. So thanks Bethany for the inspiration!

My supplies:
- 5 wooden boxes from any craft store like Micheals or JoAnn's
- paint to cover the wood feel in the color 'eggshell'
- paper in a variety of pinks, creams, and grays
- decorative ribbon in the same soft colors
- an afternoon of wedding shows like 'Say Yes to the Dress' on in the background

After a couple coats of the eggshell color + a few coats of clear varnish it was time to decorate the inside. I added a personal note for each of my 5 girls: my sister and secret keeper, my tree loving grade school buddie, my partner in crime, my sunshine supporter, and my new sister. I also added a note with details about the wedding, like the date, the location, our colors {displayed with buttons sewn onto each note}, and a list of the other lovely ladies.

I also added a few pictures for an overall feel of the wedding, so they would know what to expect, and also a picture of what I am hoping for in regards to the dresses. I also added a little delight for each of the girls in the form of chocolate m&ms in our colors. I want the girls to feel special and have a great time right along with Brian and I as we experience these special months of planning together. I finished off each box with a decorative accent ribbon to add a little touch of elegance.

 

This project did take a little longer then expected, but that was partially because there were 5 boxes to paint & fill, and 2 of them had to be shipped off hundreds of miles away. It was totally worth it, to give each girl a keep sake for being a bridesmaid and thank them for agreeing to stand by our sides.

This was my 1st wedding DIY project of many exciting adventures to come. Next on the list....save the dates!!

sneak peak

Now that I got the jitters out, it's time to focus on the planning. It really is so much more overwhelming then I ever thought. Not overwhelming in a bad way, but more overwhelmingly amazing then I thought possible.

So many people have warned me that engagement can be a time of arguing and tempers rising. Even though I didn't think it possible, B and I have grown closer knowing that with ever decision we are closer to becoming husband and wife. For me planning a wedding is never a burden, but a privilage that I feel honored to be doing together with B.

Anyway, sorry for the overwhelming amount of mushy lovey-dovey talk as of late. I just can't seem to get around spilling out my feelings for everyone to read. I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at what we see our wedding to be like. We have decided on the color pallet of light dusty rose pink, cream/ivory, and soft gray. We are striving for a vintage, antique, classy look incorporating things like maps & books in to the decorations of the wedding.

The pictures that you see here are all taken from my new obsession. Yes, I broke down and got a pintest account. I have been wanting one for months but knew that once I opened that account, once I joined the montage of inspirational boards I would get totally engrossed and want to spend any free time I had looking up creative DIY projects.

I was proved correct, especially in the first few days, spending about 2 hours a day paging through the ideas that filled my mind with wonder. Who knew so much creativeness could be on one site! I guess I really didn't know what I was missing.

Here is a link to my new obsession.

wedding jitters

Just a little sneak preview of the engagement pictures we took this weekend, thanks so my sister, the maid of honor.

Random but true, I have had some strange day dreams, and fears about our upcoming wedding. Don't get me wrong, I have never been happier, but it can be a little nerve racking. I guess B has gone through something similar, {just another thing we have in common....worry}. He had a dream about getting stuck in the bathroom while our wedding service was supposed to start. Not exactly earth shattering, but not the best way to awake from sleep.

My fears have been a little more substantial: like what if it rains....what if a DIY project that I spent hours on suddenly went wrong and I have to pitch a projects that I poured dozens of hours that into....what if one of the bridesmaids suddenly gets sick....what if there's a snow storm!! Yikes! My head just starts spinning when I think about all the things that could go wrong.

I'm sure there isn't anyone in their right mind that couldn't get stressed out from a little worry on their wedding day. But instead of worrying about what could happen, I have decided to put my effort into thinking about what will happen:

#1 I am blessed enough to marry and be bonded to the love of my life

#2 B and I get to declare our love for each other in front of our friends and family

#3 We get to have an amazing party {lasting days before and after} to celebrate our marriage

#4 Even if something goes wrong, the Lord has a reason for it

#5 After we get married we won't have to travel every weekend to spend time with each other

#6 We will be going on a honeymoon to relax after our action packed few months

#7 We get to decorate our very own apartment and make a new life together

#8 Our family member numbers will double in size as we join each others

#9 We will have fabulous photos and memories that will last a life time

#10 The Lord has blessed us with spending the rest of our lives as best friends