Where has the time gone?

I feel like it's been forever since I've looked at the blog, let alone had the time to sit and type something.  Life keeps on going. Whether I want it to slow down or speed by, it certainly keeps its own pace. 

I think I last left off before I went to California for my grandpa's birthday.  We (my parents and youngest brother Douglas) had a great time seeing family and catching up, and I definitely enjoyed the sunshine.  I like getting a better grasp on where I come from.

 This month has been especially hard because Chris' uncle passed away unexpectedly.  Needless to say, there have been a lot of emotions and tears, and we made a quick trip out to Ohio for the funeral weekend.  I can't even describe how close I feel to Chris and his family now.  My family now. 

Then just as I'm starting to settle back into life here in St. Louis, my dad calls to tell me my mom broke her leg in a skiing accident in Colorado.

Not just broken, annihilated.  I just felt sick to my stomach thinking about how close she was to hitting her head or having a more serious injury. (Though looking at the xray, I'd say she had its quite serious).  I think the emotions of everything from the beginning of the month hit me all at once after her accident, because Chris was pretty sure I'd gone crazy.  I mean, really, who sobs over their mom breaking her leg? Well, I guess I do.

Needless to say, I'm ready for April.  We're closing in on one year to go and I hope to get some more wedding things accomplished in the coming months.  I bought a groupon the other day for a one hour session with a really nice photographer, so hopefully we can get some engagement pics done later this spring.  I also want to drag Chris to a few different florists to get an idea of what flowers are in season this time of year...and I've been told we need to start shopping for a dj even though we're not getting married for another 12 months.  So, my to do list keeps growing and the wedding keeps getting closer. 

Like I said before, life just keeps on going.

What a Weekend

This weekend, Chris and I completed the required Pre-Cana to be married in the Catholic Church, and oh boy, was it interesting.  We were there from 8:30a.m. to 5 p.m., so it was quite a long day to say the least.  The content focused around commitment, communication, conflict resolution, budgeting and financial planning, and family planning. I'm not quite sure how Chris really felt about the whole thing, except that he apparently thinks we're the perfect couple and a lot of the talks didn't apply to us, because, why work on something that doesn't need improvement?  I found it very interesting, and while I agree with Chris that we're on the same page with pretty much everything, a lot of the content was helpful to just spark thoughts of what married life is really going to be like for us.

Chris and I still operate in the "Oh we're young and in love" mindset.  We laugh and play, and we rarely argue.  We have had similar upbringings and are blessed to have parents who have set excellent examples of what love and marriage is supposed to be.  We have a good little life that we've settled in to.  This weekend definitely reiterated all that, and I've never been more sure or excited to marry Chris.  My excited little brain has calmed down a bit though, because the reality is setting in that although Chris and I possess all the right tools and supports to have the most amazing and happy marriage (which OF COURSE we will), we're going to have to work on it sometimes.  It can't always be puppies and rainbows, but with the things we've discussed this weekend, I know we'll work through anything that we come up against.  I just love him so much and still can't believe he picked me to share his life with.

On a side note, this week I start a weekly yoga class with my lovely FSIL, Jenny.  I've gone to a few classes using a Groupon I bought, and I'm obsessed.  Jenny suggested I join her class that's offered through the local community college network as a continuing education course, so I did. :)  I'm excited to have weekly dates with her to catch up and have some bonding time that doesn't involve wedding planning.

Plus, at the end of the week, I'm flying to California for a family reunion/grandpa's 85th birthday.  I don't see this side of the family that often, so I'm really looking forward to it. Not to mention it's supposed to be almost 80 while I'm there, which will be a nice break from the dreary weather we've had here the last few days. 

Now, I'm off to help my sister out with an assignment.  She's using me as a professional consult for a psychology paper, so I have to make sure she gets an A :)

14 Months!

Exactly 14 months from today, we're getting married!  Chris teases me that its still far off, but I know how quickly time goes by and I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to be getting closer to the one year to go mark.

Unfortunately, its late for me and I really need to be going to bed.  But before I go, I wanted to share that Chris and I have officially booked our reception site, The Schlafly Tap Room. We are going to have the Club room for a cocktail style reception.  I.CANNOT.WAIT!  Seriously, I can picture it all in my mind and it is going to be fabulous :)

Now, time for some sweet dreams of dancing around the tap room with my love :)

Goodnight!

Happy Valentines!

Can I just take this time to say how much I love Chris?

We had such a great time on our date.  Really, we always have a great time, but theres just something special about being out on a date all dressed up.  Plus, our meal included complimentary champagne (yum!) which always helps bring out a good mood :) He makes me laugh and got me a super corny card (with a sweet note inside) and beautiful flowers.  I got him the season 5 dvd of one of his favorite shows, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  I just cannot wait to marry this man.  He's my best friend and I can't imagine my life without him.

Happy Valentines Day!

Ugh.

So, I got off work early today, which is a good thing.  And I got in a good workout at the gym, another good thing.  Then as I'm pumping gas, I had a major slip on the ice and now have scrapes all up my left leg, a sore twisted ankle, AND got my new nikes dirty.  Hence the "Ugh!" Oh, and I'm also doing laundry with Chris tonight...and I HATE doing laundry at laundromats.  I have fantasies about owning my own washer and dryer some day soon so I can wash clothes regularly instead of every few weeks when the hampers full to the brim.  Ugh.


Okay, I'll try to make this a positive blog from here out.

Chris and I went to Nashville this past weekend with our friends Nathan and Sarah, and we had a blast.  The live music there is just too much fun, and we recognized a lot of the bands from when we were there last year.  I fell in love with one of the bands who were playing a wide array of covers and asked about the possibility of them playing at the wedding....and then the singer told me the approximate fee and I about died.  He gave me a free cd though, so I didn't come up totally empty handed.  We also bought a Christmas ornament while we were there, thus starting our new tradition of collecting ornaments on all our trips to make sure our first tree has some sentimental ornaments on it :)

Isn't he cute?

This weekend, Jenny and I are gonna meet with a potential photographer. Wish us luck!  I've looked through their online portfolio and know a friend who used them for her wedding and she loved them.  I have high hopes, and it feels so good to be getting stuff done!

Next Saturday, Chris and I are looking at The Tap Room again, this time with an actual reception going on.  I feel bad crashing a wedding, but Chris needs a peek at it with people in the room before he'll let me put down a deposit.  I think once we get that settled, It'll all be smooth sailing.  At least until I start stressing about how to decorate the place.

Honeymoon wise, we found the coolest place, Hotel on the Cay in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, through my parent's time share company.  Right now we're on a waiting list, so hopefully people will trade a week out so that we can go.  A 5 acre island in the middle of the harbor, no roads, no cars, snorkeling on site.  Seriously, what could be better?  Our second choice is also in St. Croix at  Chenay Bay.  Stunning pictures, I can't get over how clear the water is.  Thank goodness Chris has a water proof camera, because wherever we end up, we both want to spend a lot of time snorkeling.

436 days to figure it all out :)  I definitely won't need that much time, but at least I'll have time to relax in between all the upcoming big decisions!

451 days to go!

We're almost there! ;-)

I think once we finally get to April this year, I'll be starting a daily countdown...maybe a paper chain or something for each week.  I'm just so excited.  I can't believe how much I've more or less decided on/achieved so far.

Chris and I are going to check out a cocktail reception at the potential reception site on Feb 18th to see what the space looks like with people and decorations.  Mostly it's just to appease Chris and his concerns that it may be too small.  He just can't see it like I can I guess :)  I'm ready to put the deposit down as soon as he gives me the green light.  I also put a call in to a photographer that a friend used for her wedding to set up a consult to look at portfolios and packages, so hopefully that gets taken care of soon too.  The only other big things left are flowers and working with my FSIL, Jenny, to design Save the Dates and Invites.  I'm so lucky to have a crafty soon to be sister :)  This is going so much easier than I ever could have hoped, lets hope it stays that way!

I've recently joined the SLU gym with an alumni membership package, and I have been working out like a madwoman lately.  It feels good to have a daily outlet and I've definitely been sleeping better at night.  Plus I have the best motivation in the world to stick to a regular workout routine...my dress is going to look awesome on me :) Plus I'll need my endurance up to be able to dance the night away at our reception.

I hope everyone else is getting through these bitterly cold days with as much fun as I am!


oh and p.s. I convinced Chris to buy today's local groupon for half off a horse drawn carriage ride down by the arch, so be looking forward to pictures of that experience sometime soon!

Spoiler Alert...

Not!

My lips are sealed, or I suppose my fingertips are :)  I bought my dress this weekend, but for obvious reasons (i.e. Chris reads my blog) not a single detail will be discussed on here.  I'd imagine the rest of you reading this were either there when I purchased it or were some of the few that got an email with pictures attached.  All I'll say is that its everything I didn't want and absolutely gorgeous!

We also checked a few other things off the list this weekend.
I found a to die for bridesmaid dress.  Claire and Jenny both tried it on and we immediately agreed, this was it...and of course the sample in the store was exactly the color I wanted.  It was a sign.

The whole weekend was full of signs actually, or maybe that's what I kept telling myself :)  We ate lunch at and toured the Schlafly Tap Room.  I have to say, I think it's perfect. I still have to sell Chris a little on the size, but if we go with a Cocktail style reception and get a DJ to keep the music flowing, I think we'll have the best party either of us could've ever imagined.  There was a C+K carved into a table in the club room, again, it was a sign.

Then, after saying bye to mom and Claire, Cindy and I sat in the hotel lobby waiting for Chris to get us for lunch.  She has the brilliant idea to ask about blocking out rooms there for our wedding guests, and I was absolutely floored at how good of a deal they offered.Oh, and they gave me a free key chain and coupons for shuttle services.  Seriously, this weekend could not have gone better. The perks of getting the big stuff out of the way ahead of time is apparently peace of mind and significant discounts.

I'm being asked (read FORCED) to look at other venues and hotel deals before signing any contracts, but who am I kidding. My mind is made up and Chris will just have to come around ;)

I am beyond excited, and I can't believe how quickly or easily this seems to be falling into place.  Probably helps that I kicked my fickleness to the curb a while ago.


On a side note, it was absolutely hysterical how well our moms got along this weekend.  They shared a hotel room and definitely bonded.  They described it as being like teenagers having a sleep over and apparently my mother woke up talking about centerpiece ideas.  Wedding fever permeates into dreams, didn't you know?