My Wedding Story part 2

2. When you knew he was the one: self explanatory.. but how and when did you know?

He knew I was the one long before I knew he was.  We were together about 1 1/2 years before we moved in together.  I guess I knew for sure after that time.  Living with someone is WAY different than just dating and you really get to know each other.  He was there when I needed him and he loved me in a way no one else had ever loved me.  That's a pretty good sign to me and so far a decision I have not regretted.

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My Wedding Story part 1

Since my posts about my wedding have been practically nonexistent, here is a fun questionnaire that should help fill in the blanks.  I'll answer one question every Sunday. Sound like fun? Feel free to join in!

1.  How it all began: how you met, first date, first kiss, how long did you date? first picture together.....etc.

We met at church when I was in high school.  We were friends but honestly I was closer to his brother initially since we were closer in age.  His family moved to a different church so I didn't see him for a while until I ran into his dad at one of our church events.  From then I got a hold of Matthew and we started talking and hanging out as friends.  Eventually, well, you know the rest ;)

It's hard to pick a first date because we did all kinds of things as friends, particularly going to the movies and Starbucks.  It's difficult to tell where the friendship ended and the dating began.

Our first kiss was at Cove Springs in Frankfort.  We were walking around and he kept trying to kiss me but I kept avoiding it.  He must have gotten tired of it because he ended up putting me in a headlock to kiss me!!  It makes for a funny story but believe me I didn't mind a bit :)

We've been together for almost 5 1/2 years now.  We were dating for 4 1/2 years before we got married.

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Wedding Bells.

I spent the weekend in Indianapolis to celebrate my stepsister's wedding.  It was a beautiful ceremony and the happy couple did not stop smiling the entire time! The receptions was also a hit, so overall it was a very successful event!

As wonderful as the weekend was to celebrate the beautiful union, it was also extremely busy.  My stepsister did my flowers for my wedding, so when she asked me to be in charge of her cake I couldn't say no. She wanted cupcakes with a small two-tier cake on top to cut and save for their anniversary.  My dad and I drove up to Indy very early on Friday to use the church kitchen to bake the cupcakes.  I had already made the two tiers of the cake and only needed to stack and ice them.  The kitchen had a huge convection oven that held 8 12-muffin trays at a time and cooked the cakes in 1/2 the time of a regular oven, so baking went pretty fast.  They also had an industrial mixer which was fantastic for mixing multiple boxes of cake mix at a time! In roughly 5 hours we made about 290 cupcakes, all iced.  It felt so good to have them finished.. that is until we went to pick them up.

Apparently, the church doesn't believe in air-conditioning the kitchen, and the cream cheese icing on the cupcakes started to melt.  Add that to the 90+ degree weather and the drive to the reception area and we had cream-cheese-icing-soup on top of the cupcakes! It was a gooey mess! We managed to get the cupcake tower up and got the cakes on it.  We hid the extra messy ones in the back and put the pretty ones in the front haha! The florist came in afterwards and decorated everything with flowers.  In the end, the cakes looked great and were a huge hit! My first adventure making a wedding cake was ultimately successful!!

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Friends and wedding

Has it really been almost a month since my last post? Time has really flown by me! I guess that happens when you get married, go on a honeymoon, go back to classes, unpack your house, and fight with your bff. Needless to say, I have so much to post about. I think that, along with lack of time, has been the reason for my lack of posting. I get overwhelmed thinking about everything that I just freeze up. Well, here goes attempt numero uno at getting over that.

I suppose I'll start with a few days before the wedding. I finally got to meet my best bloggy buddy! Her and her husband flew down (with a major delay... good ol Lexington Airport) to attend the wedding. Hubby (I LOVE calling him that!) and I took them to Applebee's their first night here and it was like we were old friends! I believe it is safe to say we have found lifelong friends in each other, and I can't wait to plan a trip to go visit her! The only thing I'm disappointed about was my lack of time to spend with them. I'm excited to visit with them and actually have time to just hang out instead of running around doing wedding stuff.

The wedding itself, well, I don't remember much. I know I promised myself I would not stress out about anything. Amazingly enough, I was able to keep that promise! I know the ceremony was about 35 minutes, but it felt like 5 to me. The same with the reception. We were being pulled in all different directions for dances, pictures, cake cutting, etc. I want to see the professional pictures and the video! I did hear, though, about some comic relief my family unintentionally provided before I walked down the aisle. My stepbrothers were ushers, and while they were lighting the candelabras that air conditioning kept blowing the candles out. Also, the struggled with the aisle runner and pulled it out from being pinned to the carpet. I believe they were eventually able to get it but not without my stepdad trying to help by going for the middle (which meant his butt was stuck up in the air facing the guests) and guests in the pews reaching down to help hold it down. I'm kind of glad that stuff happened though because it makes it more real and helps everyone relax. I'll do a separate post for pictures, especially when I get the professional pics.

So there you go, my first post as a married woman :)

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Moving On

We have one month to the date until the wedding. OMG!!!!!  *SQUEE!!!* and all that jazz :)

This week has been a whirlwind, and it's only Wednesday. ugh! I've been sick today, so I left work early and came home for a two hour nap which was fantastic (the nap, not the sick part). I've also had some bridal party drama. I'm not sure the whole story, but I know I'm tired of it. I put my foot down on something, and a couple of members aren't thrilled about not getting their way. Oh well... whatevs.

On a better note, we ordered our cake today!! I'm so happy to finally have a cake set up. I was really worried we were going to have to have donuts or something instead (which wouldn't have been awful... especially if they were Krispy Kreme donuts. But then Matthew and I would probably eat them all before the guests arrived lol).

We also found out we should be closing on our house this weekend! Yay!! I'm SO ready to get out of this apartment. On top of the new house, Matthew got a new car on Monday. He got a 2006 Saturn Vue and it is very nice! It's a beautiful color, leather interior, and a very smooth ride. Now we both have dependable vehicles which makes things much easier and less stressful.

I still have a lot to do, but we are getting closer and closer to have everything ready. We still need to do our passports, meet with our dj and photographer, and I have to have my trial hair and makeup sessions, as well as put together the programs, buy the favors, and tie ribbons on all the bubble wands :) It will be here before I know it!

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My Weekend.

The weekend went by way too fast, just like it always does.

At least I got a lot accomplished in these few days of relaxation. I have done some shopping for wedding stuff, all online since Matthew's truck is officially out of commission and he used my car all weekend. Luckily he gets a new one tomorrow so I get my wheels back.

1. I bought all the attendants' gifts, the napkins, the bubble wands, the unity candle, and the guest book and pen.
2. I wrote my vows and started working on the programs.
3. I put the last two invitations in the mailbox. Now I get to wait around until I can see my dad to get all the rsvp cards.
4. Made my appointment to get my dress altered.
5. Went to the mall with the Bestie to look for dresses for the bridal shower this weekend and the bachelorette party in a few weeks. I didn't find anything I liked, but I have a few days for one and a few weeks for the other. 
6. Bought flower petals for my flower girl and the favor bags.
7. I found a cake baker!!! At least one that is available that weekend and actually responds to emails. I think that's a good sign :)
8. Filled out our applications for passports. We have to go to the post office tomorrow to file them.
9. Finally figured out the makeup for the bridesmaids

So that's all I've got for now. Sorry for the boring post... I just feel better being able to see everything I finished! Even with all of this I still have a TON of stuff to do, but it is all worth it. In a month I will be Mrs. Matthew Savoie :)

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Hello.

Hello bloggy world.

I apologize (once again) for my absence. I'm back, but not sure for how long. Life is crazy here at LLA, that is for sure! Every once in a while the title of this blog is very very appropriate. Matthew and I are getting ready to start multiple adventures. So hold on tight! Things are going to get fun...

First, there is only less than 2 months left until the wedding. I know I keep saying it, but I still have so much to do!! I picked up our invitations today though. They are SSSSOOOOO cute!!!!

As if that isn't enough, Matthew and I decided its time to move out of Lexington. We could have just rented a place outside of town, but how adventurous is that? Nah, we have to do things the fun way. So yeah, we are in the process of buying a home! Our offer was accepted on Monday and we completed inspections yesterday. We are hoping to close by August 1st :)  Our landlord gave us an extra month for our lease since it is technically up at the 31st of this month. The house is perfect and we can't wait to get the keys. You know I will be clicking away to have pics to share.

I've also started a sort of mini adventure of my own. I have started a little garden out on our balcony. I got one of those tomato plant hanger things and my mater plant is doing really well. No maters yet, but it has started to bud so I should have tomatoes by the end of the month. I also have a little herb garden (parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, and cilantro) and another pot for chives. Besides the edible plants, I have a pot of blue hydrangea and a moon flower. I can't wait for the moon flower to bloom! I should really take pics to share, but it's miserable hot outside right now. Maybe I'll take some this weekend when it cools down.

So there you go. I know I owe you two weeks worth of answers and who knows what else. Ugh, at least I'm trying :)

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Aaaahhh!!!

With it being summer and me not having a job (yet, fingers crossed!) I guess time has just slipped on by me. Here I was thinking I had ALL summer to do wedding stuff. Then I got a friendly reminder from theknot.com that I have 3 months left. THREE months! That's hardly no time at all! And I still have SOOOO much to do!

AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

Well... I feel better now....

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STDs

No, not sexually transmitted diseases. I'm talking about save the dates!

Bet I got your attention though ;D

My wonderful stepmom came down yesterday to help me out around the apartment and help me with my save the dates. A few of my bridesmaids came over to. We got SOOO much done! And they are so cute I want to scream! It feels so good to see them actually coming together instead of just looking at piles of cardstock numbers and rolls of ribbon. The wedding is 108 days away so having something here that I can actually see (compared to my dress I have heard absolutely NOTHING about since ordering it back in Feb.) makes me feel so much better.

Since they are so super cute I can't keep them to myself! Let me know what you think :)

All the numbers strung with bows attached and waiting for the glue on the envelopes to dry.

 

Aack!! I LOVE it!!! Pull the little bow and...

 

 Voila!

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New toy.

This semester has been pretty rough, and has definitely taken its toll on my emotions. I visited the bestie a few weeks ago, and afterward she told me that her grandmother asked if I was ok. She said "for a bride-to-be she looks like she could slit her wrists." I guess I took that a little hard, but it made me think. (Don't worry, I am DEFINITELY not suicidal. Apparently I just LOOK that way). I am getting married in less than 6 months. This is supposed to be one of the happiest times of my life! School is really affecting that, and I hate it. So I have decided that I am not going to let school do that to me anymore.

Wedding planning should be fun, not a chore. I've been stressing over save-the-dates and trying to find a way to order them. It has really been a pain. So today I made a decision. Call me crazy, but I'm going to make my save-the-dates. Yep all 100+ of them. I'm going to be a DIY bride :) I have messed around on photoshop and actually came up with something, but I found a design today that I fell in love with. I got the picture/idea from here:

Isn't this adorable?! I think I'll put a picture on one side of the tag and our information on the other. My bridesmaids are going to hate me for making them help me, but I think it will be fun. A good chick flick, a bottle of wine (or something a little stronger)... what else could a group of girls need? To help out, though, I ordered a nifty little thing for cheap from Amazon today. So this little beauty should be showing up at my dad's by the end of the week.

This is a cricut cutter. The girls are going to love this because I will be able to mass produce the numbers instead of making them cut each one out individually. Amazon had it for $120, whereas the cricut website has it for ~$180. To make the deal sweeter, I got free shipping! Yay! It was still kind of pricey, but I know I'll use it for more wedding things and for scrapbooking, etc. I'm so excited to get it and play with it, and I can't wait to make my save-the-dates. You know I'll post pics :)

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6 months

I can't believe I only have 6 months until the wedding!

Time is flying by and I'm not sure I can keep up.

I still have soooo much to do!

It's going to be great though. Let the fun begin!

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Back at it

Ok, so first I want to say that my computer just flipped out on me and published this before I wrote anything. Weird!

Second, I want to apologize.

You see, I've been quite selfish here at LLA (haha, you like the nickname?). I have a lot to share with you, and I've been keeping it all to myself.

I promise you it was not intentional. You see, I've not been feeling my best the past week or so. Call it Seasonal Affect Disorder, call it stress, call it the creeping-crud-that's-been-moving-around-my-classmates, or call it all of the above. I dunno, but something is "off" here lately. So in order to get myself right, I'm going to share all my wonderful news to make myself feel better with you.

I guess I will start with Friday. It was my four year anniversary with Matthew! I can't believe it has been so long already. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun :) For those of you who were around this time last year, this anniversary was INFINITELY better than last year. We spent most of Friday together and finished the night off at the Melting Pot. This time they put us in a private little corner table which was super romantic. The food was, of course, AMAZING.

On Sunday, I went dress shopping for the first time. A small group of us drove to Richmond and had breakfast at Cracker Barrel (yum!) then got lost on Eastern's campus, then ultimately called the dress-store for directions haha. Once there, the owner locked the store so no other customers would be there. How cool is that? I was her first and only priority. I tried on 7 dresses, each one getting progressively better. I was freaking out thinking I wouldn't be able to decide, and then she put me in dress 7. She hadn't seen it on yet and she wanted to know what it would look like. I think it was fate that I was the first person to put that dress on because I fell in love with it! It was perfect and everything I could want in a dress. She put a veil on me and I was sold. Lucky for you, she let us take pictures. The dress is from a private collection so there are no pictures online and even the store-owner doesn't get pictures. The pics don't really do it justice, but they will have to do until September :)


*update. Apparently Matthew actually does read this from time to time. Don't worry, he didn't see the pics. Luckily he told me in time. So sorry, if you missed them you are just going to have to wait until September!*

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Engagement Pics!

These are just a few of the 88 pics we ended up with. Let me know what you think :)

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Eventful Weekend

I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post! I'm so sorry!

First, I owe you an update on the doctor situation. I wrote my nasty-grams and like the chicken I am hoped to slip them in their mailboxes before they noticed I was there. That definitely didn't happen. The one who owed me money saw me and brought me my check (finally). I talked to her about the tax information but she said the other doctor handled that stuff. That night I got an email from the other doctor apologizing for not having taken care of it, saying their old secretary did all that stuff for them so it wasn't on there "radarscreen." They gave the forms to their current office manager (my classmate) to give me tomorrow. Yay! That means I can scan them and email it to dad to get my taxes filed and my financial aid stuff filled out. One big check off the major list of things to do this month.

Yesterday was a big day for Matthew and me as we were able to cross a few more things off that "list." We signed the contract for the reception site! My fantastic dad offered to pay for it. I am so lucky to have him as a father (and not just because he pays for stuff). He does things for my sister and me because he wants to, not necessarily because he has to. It makes it that much more of a blessing :)

We also took our engagement pics yesterday. We had so much fun and our photographer is amazing. I just love her! She did my senior pics in high school and she is the go-to photographer for all of our family's picture needs lol. I have been checking facebook obsessively waiting for her to post them. As soon as she does I will put my faves on here for you to see.

Last but not least, we went to the movies last night to see Valentine's Day. I heard some mixed reviews about it, but overall I liked it. There were a few things I knew were coming, and a few that totally caught me off guard which I really enjoyed. Besides a few narrow-minded people in the audience, I enjoyed the whole experience. We don't get to the movies very much these days, so it was a nice treat and a perfect ending to a pretty wonderful day.

I have some other pics I wanted to show you, but my camera isn't connecting to my computer for some reason. I'll try again later :)

*update: my camera/computer decided to behave. Here are two pictures I took and messed with on photoshop :)
Our little visitor Saturday morning.
The image is real. I only messed with the color saturation.

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Success!

The video was a somewhat success. They laughed at it at least, so I didn't feel too bad about it. After the video, I said "Now some of you probably think I'm the coolest TA ever for showing you that, and the rest of you think I'm a dork, but whatever" and they laughed. I also told them to get in groups and anyone who didn't get in a group would have to go to the front of the class to debate Edward vs. Jacob. They laughed again, but they definitely formed groups and actually got into the assignment! It took me a while to get their attention after they had been at it. It made me so happy!

In other good news, Matthew and I picked out a reception site today! I have the DJ, the caterer, the photographer, and the videographer, but no where to put everyone. Problem solved :) It is a vineyard very close to the church, so my guests will not have to travel very far. It also has an amazing view of the Castle. I plan on making that a common theme through the wedding since the church is right across from the castle. I'm so excited! I feel like things are slowly coming together. September 4th will be here before I know it!

I've posted this picture before, but here is the castle I keep talking about. For more pictures, click here to see the photo gallery on the website.

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Good month

Before I get started, I lost .8lbs this week. Off to a decent start for the month :)

So anyway:

I can already tell February is going to be my month.

No, I'm not psychic, I just have a feeling!

I looked at my calendar and I realize I have something fun going on every weekend of this month. This hardly EVER happens... seriously, my social life is terminal (usually).

This weekend Matthew and I are going to my dad's. I have been missing my dad, and I'm so glad Matthew was mysteriously off this weekend so we can go. We are heading up Friday afternoon and will be back Saturday night. yay!

Next weekend is Valentine's day. Matthew and I do not have any plans (our anniversary is this month too) but I'm going to cook him a nice dinner. We are also going to go to the movies that next week to see Valentine's Day, so I still consider that part of the weekend ♥

The weekend after that we are having our engagement pictures taken! I am so so so excited about this! I do not have a lot of good pictures of us together. I can't wait to get them and choose a good one to frame for our living room (and post a bunch on here for your viewing entertainment) :D

And last but not least, the final weekend of the month holds double the fun. On the 26th is our four year anniversary, so naturally we are going to the Melting Pot. YUM! Of course my diet will be screwed for the week, and may (slightly) hinder the other fun thing for the weekend. On the very last day of the month, I have my first appointment to try on wedding dresses! SQUEEEEE! I just hope I don't overdo the fondue (haha I rhymed) so I can look decent in the dresses. It is going to be so much fun!

So now you know why this month is going to be my month. I can hardly contain all the excitement just thinking about it. I will try to remember to take/post lots of pics from my fun adventures!

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Registry, Games, and Memory-Loss

You may be wondering why I didn't update with THE plan yesterday. Welp, here's why. I forgot about the ww meeting last night. I guess I wrote it off due to the holiday and just assumed there would not be a meeting. I was wrong. I will probably go tomorrow, so I'll let you know then :)

On to more positive news, Matthew and I started our registry yesterday. Now, I am NOT one of those brides obsessed with the gifts. I would actually prefer to not do a registry at all, but it makes things easier on the guests. I hate asking for things, etc, and I'm not marrying him for the gifts. Regardless, it was kind of fun. We went to Bed Bath and Beyond to start it off. Our "guide" for the afternoon was really fun. He is as gay as they come, but super nice, friendly, and helpful. When he released us to do our scanning, he would randomly pop up and say stuff like "I noticed you went with the sterling silver cookware, not that I'm stalking your registry." It was great, because he was totally stalking our registry haha I didn't mind though, he was just doing his job and he had great recommendations for us!

I have so much to do today (like laundry, dropping off and picking up prescriptions for Matthew for his surgery this week (wisdom teeth), cooking dinner, finishing my syllabus, just to name a few) but I'm really looking forward to going to the basketball lottery tonight. My cats are #1 right now and undefeated (18-0 I believe)! This is the first lottery of the season I'm going to and I hope we get really good seats. I'll let you know!

*update*

No tickets for us :(

Memorial Hall was packed with students. Every student gets a number, and there are 50 of each number. They randomly list the numbers, and that is the order students are called to buy tickets. There were five columns with roughly 30 groups in each column. We were towards the end of the second column, so we figured we still had a chance. Unfortunately, the announced there were no more lower-level tickets when they were still calling numbers from the first column! We knew we would get nose-bleed tickets if we stayed, so we just left. Oh well.

On a brighter note, I got a phone call today from one of the vendors at a bridal show I went to a few weeks ago. It was a DJ service that I really liked, and I was a winner of their drawing! I get $100 off if I decide to go with them. Since I was seriously considering them before I found out I won, I think I have definitely decided. I'm so excited, and every bit of money saved helps!!

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Moving Right Along

Matthew and I met with the Pastor this morning at Matthew's parent's church. Finally, the date and location is set! We will be getting married on September 4th of this year at King's Way Assembly at 2pm :) We also booked the church for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Everything is starting to sink in now. I'm actually getting married this year :D

Short post, but I needed to post something happy for now. Hope you all are staying warm!

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Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas. I know I did :)

I feel so blessed right now. It took me so long to get in the holiday spirit. I'm not sure if school was to blame, or work, or missing George, but whatever the reason it took me FOREVER. So naturally it would find me on Christmas Eve... guess that's better than nothing!

I was reminded yesterday that I serve a truly amazing God. He loves me and cares for me and takes care of me. He blesses me with way more than I deserve, and His timing is soooo much better than my own. I can't even explain how this makes me feel. I get goosebumps thinking about His grace.

I don't want this to be a huge post, but I know I haven't posted in a while. I guess for now I'll explain what I meant about the "timing thing" and hopefully will be in the mood to catch you all up on everything else! So you may know that I had been trying to get a TA position. Even a half a TA covers half of tuition and gets a nice little stipend. Well, I finally got one. It is a half, and I only teach one section on Fridays. This is fantastic because I will not have to work next semester for extra income. Aside from that, this means next fall I will be more likely to get a full TA (which covers all of tuition and gets double the stipend the half TA gets). Conveniently enough, I'm getting married September 4th (Yep.. write it down in you calendar lol) so I will not have to worry about the few months between getting married and finding a real job. I can also get insurance through the university for those few months when I can't be on my dad's anymore. It just seems like everything is falling into place, and it feels amazing to not have to worry about how we will take care of ourselves. God is good... ALL the time :)

Merry Christmas!

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Exhausted

I'm worn out!

I went to London today to visit with some of my mom's family. I had a blast, but it was definitely exhausting. I'll post pics after my stepdad sends them to me.

So the family officially knows now, and my mom was quick to post it on facebook! Who would have thought she would almost beat me to it!

OK, random and short post, but I'm tired and still have a ton of homework to do. Goodnight!

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