Merry Christmas!!

I'm writing from the Minneapolis airport tonight as we make our way from J's family to mine. I'm feeling very thankful that the weather that is affecting other parts of the country are not going to keep us from getting home.

Tomorrow is Christmas with my parents and we still have a whole week off before we have to go back to work - HOORAY!!! Christmas recaps to come, but in the meantime here is something to keep you in the Christmas spirit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've had a severe lack of motivation when it comes to the blog. I've been so busy at work and the last thing I've wanted to do it come home and get on a computer again. BUT I'm hoping that will change now that the holidays are here!

We are going up to my parents' for Thanksgiving this evening, but I've had the whole week off, so I took advantage of my extra time and got the inside of our house decorated for Christmas!

I'm looking forward to sharing the things I have planned for the holidays, and hopefully it will get me back in blogging mode.

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving and here is a peek at the newest addition to our Christmas decorations... We finally have a tree topper!

Pitch Perfect Changed My Life

I'm a HUGE fan of Glee... I love music and I love things that verge on inappropriate.  WELLLLLL, the other day, a friend from work told me that she saw the most amazing movie and that I had to go see it with her.

OMG - Best Movie Ever!!!

It's got it all... great music, hilarious comedy and a little bit of a love story, but not one that takes over the whole movie.  If you haven't seen it, I would definitely recommend you see it ASAP, buy the soundtrack and then watch for it to come out on DVD and buy it!!!  That's what I'll be doing...

Sorry for being MIA recently... I'm getting ready to go present at a conference next week and then I should have a little more time for the blog when I'm on my computer instead of it all being spent on Power Point.

Happy Hump Day!!

Wedding Wednesday

By the time you get around to planning the rehearsal dinner, you may be exhausted and completely out of brilliant ideas.  I wish I would have thought of this super cute idea...

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So much fun in this cute little bag...

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They included a wedding day schedule and a list of phone numbers with the title "Call Anyone bu the Bride"... GENIUS!!!  Simple, modern, and a little bit quirky... what could be better?!?!

You can check out this and all my pins on my Wedding Wednesday Pinterest Board!

Happy Hump Day!!

A very special day

Today is a very special day... it's my Mom's Birthday.

My Mom is one of the most caring, thoughtful and creative people I know.  I am so lucky to have her as my mom and because she does so much for me & J, for her Birthday, we got something special for her... we are taking her (and my dad) to see...

She is very excited, and even though it's not until the beginning of December, it's something all of us have to look forward to!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

A Tuesday to Look Forward to...

After a fun trip to IKEA on Saturday and a full day of running around and putting together furniture on Sunday, Monday was a hard pill to swallow.

Although there is not much about Tuesday that I particularly look forward to, tomorrow is an exception.

Tomorrow night, J and I are going to the IU Auditorium to see...

I am so excited... I have never seen it on stage, but I love the movie (the Renee Zellweger version) and I cannot wait to have a fun date night with my hubby!!!

We are going to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in B-Town, Malibu Grill (J has never been there) and we are going to have a really fun night!!!

Searching for Energy

I don't know where this week has gone, but I've been EXHAUSTED and wishing that I'd just have some energy appear... it hasn't.

We had a great weekend LAST weekend, full of wedding fun, and now we are about to start ANOTHER full weekend of stuff.  I know what you're all thinking... what kind of person complains about the week flying by and the weekend being here?  Believe me... that's not what I'm saying... I just look ahead and see no "free" weekends in my future and all of a sudden, I'm exhausted.

This weekend, J is going to work on our deck, which badly needs a make over, and I'm going with a friend and my cousin to the happiest place on earth... no, not Disney World...

(cue the sounds of angels singing)

Yep, we are packing up and heading for Ohio for a day of shopping!!!!  This means that tonight, I will be cleaning up the room where all of this furniture will end up... the room over the garage.

I'm committing my Sunday to building whatever I buy (putting furniture together is one of my most favorite things in the world to do) and getting the room in order so that it goes from wedding/junk room to family/sewing room and office.  Before and after pictures coming soon.

Wish us luck on our excursion... I'm hoping to be back on track next week  :)

Wedding Weekend!!!!

When my cousin asked me to be her Matron of Honor, I was so excited.  She has always been more like a sister to me than just a cousin, and as we have gotten older, we just continue to get closer.

Hannah's High School Graduation - 2007

A trip to Maryland to see our cousin play basketball - 2007

Hannah's 21st Birthday in Texas - 2009

Michigan State for a basketball game - 2009

My wedding - 2011

So it's the day before her big day... I can't believe she is getting married, but I am so excited for her and her fiance to start their new life together.  He is an amazing guy and I know they will be such great supporters of each other as she finishes school and he grows in the professional world.  I am so honored to be standing with her on the day that they commit to each other.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVYD AND HANNAH!!!

Wedding Wednesday

As you saw on Monday, I really love lace.  There is something so classic about it, and it just screams ROMANTIC to me.  For anyone who is trying to really pull in a vintage feel to their wedding, you can't go wrong with lace, and when I saw this amazing accessory, I had to share!!!

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It may be something that is more appropriate for a bridesmaid than a bride (depending on the bride's dress), but I don't think you can go wrong with something that is delicate, but makes a great statement!

You can check out this and all my pins on my Wedding Wednesday Pinterest Board!

Happy Hump Day!!

The Bridesmaid Dress

I just realized that I'm only a few days away from being a bridesmaid for the first time, and I haven't even shown you my dress!!!  My cousin told us she wanted us in short black dresses, but beyond that we got to choose what they looked like and what fabric they were.

Since it's fall, I felt like I didn't really want anything strapless or halter... I don't know why really... maybe because you never know how cold it's going to be here in October and I thought I'd want my shoulders covered?  I also feel like there is no better occasion than a wedding to bring a little lace and sparkle into your life... and so I did  :)

I got this at DressBarn, which is a place that I can usually find a dress when I need one.  They have dresses for people who have actual curves, which always makes shopping there a more positive experience.  They have really great occasion dresses that you can't always find in stores, but there's a huge selection online.

One of the things I love most about the dress is the way the skirt fits and flatters.  The really great gathering on the side makes the front of the skirt very flattering.  The shape of the skirt is amazing and it fits my hips so well, which is usually my biggest challenge.

I really love the top of the dress.  It's black lace over a nude base, and it's got just a little sparkle with some  black sequins which you can just barely see shimmering in this picture. 

I'm really excited to wear this dress... there's really only one thing I have left to figure out... WHAT SHOES AM I GOING TO WEAR?!??!

I live in the land of terrible shoe stores, so my mom is going to go out this week and look for a few options for me, but the major problem is that my cousin and the other bridesmaids are short.  I'm probably 5"-6" taller than them, so I don't want to look like a tree standing next to a bunch of pretty littler flowers...

I have a few options to take with me, but I'm hoping my mom can find something for me that will be comfortable and go with the lace which is the hardest part in my opinion.

Any suggestions on what kind of look I should be going for on the shoes???

Friday Bride Day with The Green Bride Guide

My cousin gets married next week!!!!  I am so excited to get to be a part of her wedding as her Matron of Honor, and because I'm officially calling it wedding week (since the fun will start a week from today), I'm going with wedding inspired posts all week!

Because it's October in Indiana, the weather is unpredictable at best!  Fall is definitely my favorite season in the midwest because of the colors and the crisp air.  BUT you never know what the weather is going to be on any given day.  We've had 3 days of rain the past week, which led to icky humidity, but this weekend is supposed to be 70 and beautiful!

SO, as I was thinking of all the ways we could prepare for unpredictability on my cousin's wedding day (with an outdoor ceremony), a post on The Green Bride Guide really caught my attention!

They have some really great ideas on Keeping Guests Comfortable in Cool Weather, which include my personal favorite... a big, warm, fire.

Luckily, we are going to have the best of both worlds at my cousin's wedding... an outdoor ceremony that could be moved inside if absolutely necessary (for rain, not cold), a great indoor reception location, and one of my favorite of all of her plans, a transition of the balcony from a ceremony location to a fun outdoor space with cocktail tables and cornhole boards, where you can still go out and get that fresh air fix.

Have a great weekend!  More wedding fun to come next week!!!

Wedding Wednesday

I found this really awesome aisle runner turned "love time line" that I just love!!

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From what I can tell, it starts with photos of them as kids, chronicles their first date and so on... how cool is this!?!?!  It would be so fun to look at old photos and memories as you make it, and what a cool thing for guests to see!  If you're someone who doesn't want anyone walking down your aisle, though, you'll definitely have to block this out... guests will DEFINITELY want to see this!!

You can check out this and all my pins on my Wedding Wednesday Pinterest Board!

Happy Hump Day!!

This Weekend

J and I were on vacation again last Wednesday-Friday, so I hope you enjoyed the Chicago recaps while we were gone.

We went to the lake, to my aunt and uncle's house in Kalamazoo for a visit, and to my cousins' house in Grand Rapid's to see my uncle's art work that was displayed at Art Prize.  The festival has created another great reason for a family get together and my cousins were great hosts!

Rather than getting a hotel, we decided we would camp.  Let me just tell you... I am not an outdoorsy girl.  I hate bugs because when they bite me, I'm miserable... not like "stop breathing" miserable, just really itchy for a really long time.  I also really like running water.  I have curly hair, but my second day curls kind of suck, so not being able to shower and do my hair can make for some really bad hair days.

I've decided that I can handle this type of camping (backyard camping) for two main reasons...

1. There is a bathroom/shower just inside the door

and

2. I got this!!!

I know you've seen it before, but I'm really excited about it!!  I did forget to mention one other reason I'm agreeing to camp... my cousin has an 8 person tent, in which she has promised me we can fit 2 air mattresses.  I don't think I'd like sleeping on the ground... even in my pouch.

Hope everyone had a great weekend... Art Prize recaps coming soon!!

On the Way Home from Chicago

J and I took the South Shore Line from Dune Park into Chicago, so we made the trek up I-65 and back during our most recent Chicago vacation.

On our way home, we stopped for gas and I realized that we were not too far from where I lived in West Lafayette.  Because it's been a while since I had been there, I asked J if we could go find my old house.

I lived in West Lafayette from ages 3-10, before we moved to Texas, so I went through Elementary school there, and we lived in the same house that whole time.  We had a great neighborhood there, and I remember riding my bike all over the place!  There was a baseball and softball field next to our house and my elementary school was just down the street.

We drove into my neighborhood, and it looked the same and different all at the same time.  I remembered the houses, some of which were completely different colors than they used to be, and everything is much closer together than it seemed to be when I was little.

We drove up to my house and it looked nothing like it used to...

It used to be tan with brown shutters and trim, and the bushes are so overgrown now... it's not nearly as welcoming as it used to be.

We parked over by the baseball and softball fields, which is right next door despite the fact that it seemed like it took me forever to run over there from my house.  We stopped by a small memorial that still stands right by the softball field.  

One of my friends from pre-school, Tom Skehan, died in 1990 at his brother's baseball game when a storm with high winds blew in and knocked a tree over, killing him and another boy.  It was the first time I remember losing someone I cared about, and I was not quite 7 years old at the time.  It also gave me a strong fear of storms, which still lingers a little today.  The softball field that I spent so many summers on is also named for him.

We kept driving down my old street and by my elementary school, where I went to Kindergarten through 4th grade.  It looks just about the same as it always did, but it's a lot closer to my house than I remember it being.  That walk or bike ride used to seem MUCH longer!

It was cool to see where I grew up... and also kind of weird.  It's the first time I've been back in a long time, and it was a great stop over on our way home.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Chicago Recap - Part 3

After breakfast at Eggsperience, we headed down to Navy Pier to do some more sight seeing.  It was kind of a gray day, but it was nice to have a break from the hot sun while we were outside.

After Navy Pier, we hopped on a water taxi and went down to Michigan Avenue, where we got off and walked to Millennium Park.  We stopped to see the Bean, of course, and then paid a visit to the funny fountains that have faces on them.  If you haven't seen these and you're in Chicago... you have to go see them!

We headed back to the hotel and showered, and then met up with Chris and Jess again, added my cousin and uncle to our group, and took a trip our to Allstate Arena to watch my cousin play against the Sky.

Not a great game, but always fun to go cheer Kris on!  After the game, we met Kris for dinner and then decided that we were tired, and that all the walking had caught up with us, so we went back to the hotel.

On Monday morning, we didn't have much time before we headed for the train, but wanted to get a couple things in.  We got on the Brown Line and went to the Sears Tower.  I know it's not called that anymore, but that's all I'll ever call it.  J and I didn't really care to go up to the observatory deck, so we found a nice little bench and sat and relaxed.  The line was an hour and a half, so Wade and Katie decided not to wait and we hopped back on the train so we could grab some pizza before we had to go.  We went to Pizzeria Due and had an amazing Chicago pizza!  Small personal note... I liked Pizzeria Due much better than Gino's East (that's my own personal opinion, I have no affiliation with either restaurant).

We headed back to Millennium Park where we caught our train and Wade and Katie headed back to the park to hang out for a couple of hours.

It was an AMAZING trip, and Katie and I decided that next time, we would meet up in New Orleans!

Wedding Wednesday

I just love the creativity that can be used when making Save the Dates.  I have seen lots of photobooth save the dates, but there was something about this one that I loved even more than any others I have seen... maybe it's the way they've edited the photos so the colors stand out!

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You can check out this and all my pins on my Wedding Wednesday Pinterest Board!

Happy Hump Day!!

Chicago Recap - Part 2

We were up and out the door at around 9:30 am on Saturday morning.  We hopped on the Red Line and headed to Wrigleyville.  After a good breakfast at McDonald's (my favorite!!) we walked around Wrigley and saw the sites!

Harry Carey

After some time walking around the ballpark, we went to O'Malley's to find a place to park for most of the day and watch college football.  We started the morning with Bloody Mary's and beer.

I got a hold of one of my BFFs, Chris, who lives in Chicago and he met us down at O'Malley's.  We sat by the window that overlooked the first base entrance to Wrigley.

J's friend and his gf left for a while to go find scalpers and go into the game for a while, so they could see the inside of Wrigley, and we continued to eat and drink at O'Malley's.  Chris' girlfriend Jess met us down there and we made plans for dinner that night.

We went back to the hotel and showered and changed and then headed to Quartino, a wine bar down the street from our hotel.  The wine was good and the food was alright... it's definitely not a place to sit and talk with people.

We finished dinner and went to one other place to grab a drink and finished our night.  Well... the girls went to bed... the boys went and had a couple more drinks  :)

Don't miss the ending... it's coming soon!

Chicago Recap - Part 1

It's been a couple of weeks now since we got back from Chicago, but it was a really great vacation and I've been clinging to the memories of fun, since work was tough last week.  J's best friend from high school (who was the best man in our wedding) Wade and his girlfriend Katie, who live in Montana, met us in Chicago for a Friday-Monday, long weekend.

We both arrived around noon on Friday and just happened to be on the same Red Line train, even though we were coming from different parts of the city... WEIRD!  We checked in to our hotel and got organized and then went to lunch at one of my FAVORITE places EVER... Portillo's

After lunch, we walked a little, took them Wade and Katie to Garrett's for some popcorn, and then got ready for dinner.  Jenny, a girl that worked for me last year, just moved to Chicago to work for Macy's so she met us for a drink after work.  We went to Rush Street and tried Whiskey Bar and Grill... they have some really great drinks!!

A group of girls came up and they were sampling some tequila  (the brand escapes me), so we said we'd love to sample a margarita.  I thought we were each going to get a little dixie cup size margarita... OH NO... we got another drink.  We looked like lushes when the margaritas got there, but I must say... the tequila was good!

Katie, Jenny and me

Me and J

After drinks, we went to dinner at a restaurant called Mity Nice.  It was in a weird location in the Water Tower Mall, but the food was great, the drinks were great, and I loved their decor and stories about people who are doing good things (mity nice people).

On the restaurant's back wall... love it!!

Homemade, unfiltered ginger ale...
not as good as I thought it would be.

To finish our night, we headed up to the Hancock building.  We went up to the Signature Room on the 96th floor and had one more drink to end our night.  Wade is TOTALLY into tall buildings, because apparently there are no tall buildings in Montana, so he was in heaven!!

Nightcap

We went to bed kind of early that night because we had to get up early for our full Saturday!!

To be continued...

This Weekend

I have to stay in town this weekend because I'm on call at work... I am planning on using this time at home to get some crafting done!  I have big plans for a DIY Birthday present for a very special 1 year old whose Birthday I'll be attending in a couple of weeks... more on this coming after the Birthday party.

I'm also working on some fall decorating ideas.  I know I want to make a wreath and I want a new centerpiece for our dining room table.  Here's what we had last year...

I'm thinking something more like this... maybe with a burlap table runner, and maybe some stuff around it...

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As far as the wreath goes, I'm thinking that I like one of these options...

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I also want to do something on our steps/porch, but I haven't quite gotten there yet  :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend and Chicago recaps are coming next week, for sure!!

Wedding Wednesday

As any bride who has worked tirelessly on things for her wedding, the morning of my wedding started with a much needed cup of coffee.  If you are a coffee drinker and have bridesmaids that are too, these would be a really fun thing to add to the scene... such great pictures!!!

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You can check out this and all my pins on my Wedding Wednesday Pinterest Board!

Happy Hump Day!!

Well Hello There September!

After spending most of my time on the couch this weekend, trying to recover from whatever it is going on in my sinuses, I got the strength to get my computer out and write my first legit blog of the month.

I can't believe it's September and we have a LOT of stuff coming up in the next couple of months, so I'll delay the Labor Day trip recap a little longer and share the things that I'm looking forward to in the next 6-7 weeks!

I have a lot of work this week... I'll be there late Tuesday and I'm on call next weekend (good time to get some crafts done), but I plan on taking advantage of some flexibility in my schedule and sleep in this week so I'm not exhausted again by the end of the coming week.

J and I took some days off the following week.  We are going up to the lake for our last trip of the "summer", and just taking a couple of days to relax and hang out with each other!  Then we will head up to Michigan for a family gathering.  My uncle is an amazing artist, and has found a spot in the Art Prize weekend in Grand Rapids, MI so there are about 25 of us heading up there to see his art and to spend some quality time together.  We are actually planning to camp in my cousin's back yard, and so we ordered these...

They are only rated for 50 degrees, but I feel like I could wear some long sleeves and sweat pants and I'll be plenty warm... especially with that cozy hood  :)

The following weekend, J is going to meet a bunch of his friends in Wisconsin for Oktoberfest so I'll be left here to play Glee Karaoke on Wii fend for myself.  I also have a very special Birthday party to go to... our friends from work have a little boy who will be turning 1... and I get to take pictures  :)

The following weekend is my cousins wedding... SOOOO excited, so I'll have a short with that week, too.  I can't wait for their wedding day... I know she is so excited for it to be here, and I'm so honored to stand beside her on her special day as she did for me!  I may need to write a speech for this...

We have a weekend "free" (although I wish we were going to Texas that weekend for the Texas/OU game) and then the following week we are going to see Chicago (the musical, not the city this time) and then my mom and aunt will be here the weekend after that for a visit and to celebrate my mom's Birthday!

To round out the month of October, I'll be heading up to Detroit to present at a conference.  I'm feeling exceptionally special about this because they actually contacted me to ask me to present, are paying for me to fly up there, and taking care of all of my accommodations.  It makes me feel so fancy!!

So, as you can see, our next couple of months will be very busy, but hopefully that also means I have a lot to blog about!

What do you have on your agenda to kick off the fall?

Awwwww

I feel like crap today either because of allergies or because I'm getting a cold, BUT there's nothing like a super sweet husband to make you feel better with these... Just because...

Wedding Wednesday

I thought an inspirational photo would be a good way to start of the month of September!  I still see wedding photo ideas that I love and I can't help but share them here, for those of you who may still have a need for them  :)

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How strikingly beautiful!!!  I'll definitely be sharing this idea with my cousin whose wedding is exactly 31 days from today... HOORAY!!!!!

You can check out this and all my pins on my Wedding Wednesday Pinterest Board!

Happy Hump Day!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAND, I'm back!

After the 3 busiest week of the year and a Labor Day weekend trip to Chicago, I have returned!!

Chicago recaps start on Thursday and then I'll be back for good... well, at least until we get to the next busiest time of my year... Spring semester.

Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend... we sure did!!!

Wedding Wednesday

It's nice to have something to read while you are waiting for the big event to start, but nothing beats a wedding program with some personality...

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Check out the link for the entire program and it's contents.  I must say, not just any couple can pull this off, but if you are one that can, you gotta do it!!

You can check out this and all my pins on my Wedding Wednesday Pinterest Board!

Happy Hump Day!!