Thursday, December 30, 2010

Thankful Thursday 2010

This is the last Thankful Thursday post of the year! I can't believe that in two days it will be 2011.

This year, I have been most thankful for...
  • Finding a home church that we feel comfortable in.
  • God. Of course.
  • Meeting new friends.
  • Completing and earning my Bachelor's degree!
  • Being able to visit family and friends in California.
  • Vacations. North Carolina and California were great!
  • Starting my teaching career.
  • Family and friends that are supportive and loving.
  • Phil finally proposing!
  • Being able to plan a wedding. It is so much fun!
  • Moving to a bigger and nicer apartment.
  • Philip. He is the most caring and supportive man.
  • Being able to take a month off of work during my job transition.
  • Losing 11 pounds. Not as much as I was hoping, but it's still a good start!
  • Feeling blessed beyond measure.
This is just a short-list of what I could think of. 2010 has been such an amazing year! What are you thankful for?

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Engagement Pics Part 2

It's been long overdue, but we finally ordered and downloaded some of our favorite engagement pictures from our amazing photographer. We were so happy to be able to have the opportunity to take pictures with her before the wedding, so we would know how she operates and she would know how unphotogenic we are.

I love how happy he looks



I just love this one!

Isn't he adorable?!

Hope you have a great Wednesday!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Growing Up

I feel like I've grown up a lot since moving. The summer of 2007 was when I made the life-changing decision to leave my family in California and move to Virginia. I was completely unaware of where my life was going to take me and what that decision would lead me to, but in order for me to grow up, I needed to figure things out for myself.

It was a hard adjustment at first, but it got better when I was able to visit my family and see how much I had grown. I left what was comfortable and familiar behind with my family in California and I was making a life for myself out on the East Coast. It was different, but I had a great support system and I learned a lot about who I was and who I wanted to become....and so, the transformation began!

When I stop to think about it, I notice how different I am now. I value different things and want different things. Instead of throwing any "extra" money I get into something that I want, I would rather put it into savings or towards something that I need. I absolutely love finding good deals and ways to save money. I'm learning when to spend more money on something upfront and when it's ok to take the cheaper route. I would much rather watch a movie on Netflix then spend the extra money it costs to go to a theater...plus, I hate movie theater popcorn!

The best thing about growing up is finding the man that God has for me and accepting him the way he is. God has opened my heart and my mind and has blessed me with such an amazing man who inspires me to constantly strive to be a better person and who supports me every step of the way.

Growing up isn't always fun. There's bills to pay, jobs to work, and a home to take care of, but it has led me to a better place and a great man.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christmas Break!

Christmas break is finally upon us! I am so excited to have some time off and be able to unpack and relax. In fact, I can't wait to go home, vacuum, and finish things up for Christmas. Phil is coming over after work and we are having dinner with some friends tonight. We're pretty much done with our shopping, except for a couple of little things, and I can't wait to give Phil his present!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Wedding Wednesdays



Response cards are sent out for people to respond, right? It appears that with every wedding, there are a number of people who either respond late, or do not respond at all. This tends to make it incredibly difficult when it comes to planning out tables and giving the final head count to the caterer/reception site.

Originally, I was not going to do response cards because it felt like it would be a waste of postage when they weren't sent back, but I folded to the pressure of being "proper" and sent them anyways.

We were lucky to receive most of them back by the RSVP date on the card, but we still have a number of guests who have not responded. I have decided that I will wait until after the holidays and start contacting those who have forgotten to respond.

In the event that people just don't respond...what do you do?

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Grocery Shopping

aka...the greatest grocery store ever (according to Philip)

Phil was able to come over this afternoon and help me get back into my apartment after the flea incident last week. We had to bring all of my clean clothes back in, wash my sheets and comforter, make the bed up with clean sheets, and run to the grocery store.

I decided to take Phil to Aldi's since he loves saving money and groceries get expensive. Aldi's can be significantly less expensive and their food is pretty good. The one downside...it's way smaller than most grocery stores so it doesn't offer everything at a larger store, but it does carry most of the things we need.

Let's just say that I've never seen Phil so happy and excited in a grocery store EVER. Usually, when we go grocery shopping, he's groaning at the cost of the ever growing list, but this time he was shocked when he saw the prices! He had no problem picking out what we needed and was scouring the aisles for great deals. When we left, he even said that we would have to do this again because he loves saving money and he loves that I picked Aldi's to go to and he loves when I save money! It was pretty awesome.


Monday, December 20, 2010

New Traditions

This year will be the only Christmas that Phil and I will be engaged. The last two Christmases, we were dating and next year we will be married! With this said, I've decided that it's time we start our own traditions.

Last year, on Christmas Eve, we exchanged the stockings that we filled for each other. We also went to our church's Christmas Eve service. This year, we decided not to do stockings (because of the move). We will still go to the Christmas Eve service, but I am hoping that we can watch a Christmas movie or something together.

Christmas day will be a little different this year. The past two years I have stayed with Phil's family and had Christmas morning at their house. Every year I get frustrated because they don't do anything in the mornings, in fact, they don't open Christmas presents until Noon! Oh the horror! Since they don't really do much in the mornings, I figured that Phil and I could spend the morning together and I would start the tradition of making this for breakfast...
Don't these just look so good?!

After breakfast, we'll head back to his parents house, open gifts, and have Christmas dinner.

This year will be awesome, but I can't wait until next year when we'll be Mr. & Mrs!

Friday, December 17, 2010

It's Been a Crazy Week

This has been a very challenging week. I found out that the new apartment had fleas. It was a struggle to get an exterminator in to take care of the issue, but we were finally able to get it taken care of. The apartment complex wanted to use one of their contractors, but it would have taken them an entire week to get them in and they wanted to fog the apartment rather than use a non-toxic spray. We found out that fogging will only take care of the adults, but will leave the eggs unharmed resulting in more fleas two weeks later. We decided that the out of pocket cost of calling in our company was well worth it. There were enough fleas that I had to stay with Phil's family--that is how bad it was.

Phil and I both took off today to make sure we could get what we needed done before we head to Virginia this evening for a Christmas party at my friend's house. It has been too long since we've been down for a visit and I can't wait to see my friends down there.

Hope you all have a great weekend...I know we will!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Weekend Recap

This weekend was definitely a busy one! We had a lot going on and I must admit that I can't wait until things "settle down" a little bit.

On Friday it decided to snow! It was one of those unexpected snows which meant the roads were pretty bad and some of the kids couldn't go home right away. I was lucky enough to have a co-worker drive me home in her 4-wheel drive vehicle. Phil met me at my apartment and since the family dinner was cancelled, we were invited to play Texas Hold 'Em with some friends!

Saturday was a lot of fun. Some of the people from my church and I went to the Baltimore School of Massage and got massages. When we showed up, we found out they had a 2 for 1 special so it only cost $12.50 for a 50 minute massage! Once we left, we headed over to Red Robin for lunch where Phil met us. It was a lot of fun and Phil and I shared a Red Royal Burger...it was so good. After lunch, we met with Phil's parents and went to the Christmas tree farm. After walking around for a long time in the cold, we finally found our tree....I'll post some pics of it soon. We were able to get the tree set up and order this kitchen cart for extra prep space before we headed out to babysit for a friend.
Sunday morning was super interesting. I woke up to find out that the electricity was off. I was concerned since that meant no home phone or internet, but luckily, it was fixed within the hour. Phil and I managed to run to Homegoods and Walmart before meeting his dad to go through the apartment and do the checklist to turn into the leasing office. I was able to build the shelf-thing to go over the toilet and Phil hooked up the Wii, home theater system, and vcr so that I would have things to do this week!

My camera came in and I did take some pictures of the tree. I just need to download them onto the laptop and they should be posted soon!

Did anyone else do anything interesting this weekend?

Friday, December 10, 2010

Fun Friday

This weekend I have a lot of things planned, as usual. I thought I was going to have a free afternoon today, but I was called last night and asked to sub for Kindergarten. Since I work part-time, I try to take all of the subbing I can get. After work, Phil is going to meet me at my new apartment and pick me up on his way home to meet with his family for "Friday night dinner."

Saturday is starting off with a much-needed massage! I seriously can not wait. My back has been screaming with pain and has been cramping on a regular basis. It will be nice for my back to feel better again. After the massage, I am meeting up with Phil and his parents to go to the Christmas tree farm and get a Christmas tree! I am hoping that he and I will decorate the tree and the apartment. Saturday evening, we are babysitting one of our friend's little boys and I am sooo excited. He is super cute and a lot of fun. Hopefully, my new camera will come and I will be able to take some pictures of the tree and the apartment.

Sunday was supposed to be a relaxing day, but is now a "clean the old apartment" day. Fun times. I am hoping to get it done in this one trip since we've already done some cleaning this week and it sucks.

Somewhere, in all of this busy-ness, we need to get more boxes unpacked, take a trip to the grocery store, and figure out some stuff in the apartment.

We're busy now, but it will be worth it when it is finally done.

What are you up to this weekend?

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thankful Thursdays

Today I am most thankful for...
  • Moving. Everything is over at the new apartment and it feels so cozy.
  • Family and friends that help move.
  • Having our first "dinner date" with friends tonight at the new place.
  • Working part-time. It's so nice to be able to have the extra time to figure things out, although I'm usually booked anyways.
  • Phil. He is more than I could have ever wanted and exactly what I needed.
  • Christmas. I love everything to do with the season...not to mention the fact that with out Christ, Christmas would be obsolete.
  • Yummy food. Enough said.
What are you most thankful for this week?

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

So What Wednesdays


So What If...
  • I have a million more boxes to unpack. I have a lot of stuff and putting it away can be a lot.
  • I haven't been to the gym consistently in months. Life has been hectic and I've been enjoying it.
  • I don't want to have kids right away when we are married. We want time to enjoy ourselves being married and save more money before we have a child.
  • I like real Christmas trees. They're better than fake ones!
  • I skip the morning devotionals every now and then. I've been exhausted and that extra half-hour of sleep really helps.
  • I change my lesson plans regularly. I really try to make the right decisions for what my classes need and sometimes that is a day off from learning and sometimes that's going over the same lessons to make sure they get it.
  • I haven't slept at my new apartment yet. We're still getting the basics unpacked and I refuse to stay there if I can't even shower.
What are you saying "So What" to this week?

Monday, December 6, 2010

Weekend Recap

Moving day was Saturday. We had a 15-foot moving truck, a pick-up truck, SUV, CRV, and a van to help move and we still have to go back today to get the rest of the boxes. Clearly, I have way too much stuff for one person.

The move went well and the furniture is where it needs to be. My job was to stay out of the way, pick up lunch, and point and tell people where things go. It was awesome!

The apartment looks great with all of the furniture in it and I can't wait to actually sleep there. I am in the process of trying to get internet and phone hooked up there after our horrific experience with Comcast on Saturday.

This afternoon, Phil's mom and I are going to get the rest of my stuff from the old apartment and move it in to the new one and continue the unpacking process. She is such a huge help because she has so much energy and is quick to unpack.

Last night was the Christmas tea at church. I have been pretty busy for a while now with selling tickets and the ticket sales starting in October and ending last night at the tea. I also hosted a table and my friend, Nikole, graciously stepped in to be the co-host kind of last minute. The tea was lovely, as usual, and it ended with Phil and I being Mary and Joseph for the reading of Christ's birth. It was great to be able to have so many women there having a great time and supporting Compassion and our church with the child-survival project we support.

I will post pictures soon...I have a new camera in the mail and plan on using it!

Friday, December 3, 2010

We Have a Full Day Ahead of Us

Moving day is tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited! There's still a few small things to pack, but all of the big things are packed away in boxes, labeled, and have a post-it on it with a color to show what room it belongs in. Yes, I am one of those people when it comes to moving.

I am also loving my job right now. It gives me so much flexibility and allows me to change things last minute. That's the great thing about being a teacher!
We still have a lot to do today that is not packing related, but that's ok. I welcome other things at this point. Some of the things we have to do today are:
  1. Go to the Circuit Court to get our marriage license (yay!)
  2. Go check out and decide on the tuxes the men are wearing.
  3. *Hopefully, pick up the key for the new apartment!!!
  4. Get Phil's desk and computer ready to move. It would be a lot easier to do now with the truck we're getting rather than waiting until February.
  5. Finish packing my apartment.
  6. Go to the bank to get the certified check for the first month's rent.
  7. Pay rent at my other apartment.
I'm sure there's tons more, but that's all I can think of right now.

ps...I'm also ecstatic that our wreaths came in and the bridesmaid's gifts came in today as well!!!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Wedding Wednesdays

Figuring out the bridesmaids' gifts were easy. I knew exactly what I wanted to give them and it was just a matter of finding out where to get them from and buy them. Unfortunately, this was not the case with the groomsmens' gifts.

With Phil being the groom, I really wanted him to think of something to give the guys. I should have known better! Phil is such a great man, but when it comes to deciding on gifts for people, he tends to have no idea what he wants to get them and waits until the last.possible.minute.

I had been asking him for months what he would like to do for the guys, but he had no idea. None of the "traditional" gifts seemed to match any of the men. We even thought of doing individual gifts, but that was even harder to think of. We really wanted the gifts to be useful and not too cliche so, we sat there and thought about it again and again and finally came up with this...


A monogrammed leather wallet.

We figured that a wallet is something that every man uses. The website we ordered them from even had great reviews for these! The best part is that Phil really liked the idea and seemed happy and relieved to have finally found the gifts to give the guys.

What did you give your groomsmen?