Progress Report #7

It has been close to two months since my last blog post… I will let you guess how busy school has been. My mind has been filled with all sorts of things ranging from diagnostics…. cerebral cortex… SOAP notes… phonemes. But let’s not forget about what is really taking up 95% of my brain mass: planning this wedding. So much has gone down on the wedding front. I guess that’s the perk of it being only 2 months away. Yes, two months. As in 66 days. As in 9 weeks. So, now that I have got a grip on the psychometric principles and structural integrity of a standardized diagnostic test, I guess I can take the time to reflect back on this wedding process and see the exciting wedding biz that has occurred.

But let’s be realistic… “wedding” has not been the only thing on my mind. Georgia football is a close 2^nd. The Dawgs don’t stop for wedding planning; Wedding planning stops for the Dawgs.

Wedding Bands:

 The “exchanging of rings” is a crucial part in any wedding ceremony. So in order to do that, we needed to purchase these bands of gold. Seth and I went to the jeweler one Saturday and tried them out. It was odd enough having to get used to a ring on my left hand for these past 9 months, but to see Seth with a ring? It is just strange. Like not even cool… just strange. But regardless, it didn’t take him long to pick out his favorite. I mean, he is not a diamond stud kind-of guy, so the choice was easy.  Supposedly, his ring is so strong that it “couldn’t be cut by the Jaws of Life.” That is perfectly fine with me because I don’t want anything but the dear Lord himself taking that ring off. Picking out my band was a little more complicated. The indentions in the band had to match the curves in my ring. After repeatedly going back-and-forth, we finally picked one. I recognize my bias, but I think it is really pretty... if you are asking my opinion. It compliments my engagement ring well. Now the next step in the wedding band process is deciding what to get engraved on the inside. I came up with a couple of choices, but Seth wasn’t too fond of them. Personally, I don’t see the issue:

·         Seth’s ring: “2 Gether”, Liz’s ring: “Fo ‘eva”

·         Seth’s ring: “To infinitiy”, Liz’s ring: “And Beyond”

·         Seth’s ring: “Thank you Lord for my smokin’ hot wife” Liz’s ring: “Amen”

You can’t get more original than those. But on a more serious note, we have decided to get the same thing engraved in both of them: “December 15, 2012 Song of Solomon 3:4” So you don’t have to look it up, that verse says, “I have found the one whom my soul loves.” And regardless of how appropriate my other ring sayings were, I do believe that I have found my “soul mate.”

Invitations

You can fake this wedding planning business all day long; but when you order the invitations, things get real. Fast. I ordered invitations about a month ago so they could have time to be printed and shipped. Once I had approval from all parties (Seth, our parents, friends) and spell-check was completed, it was time to place the order. It took me about 15 minutes of mental-convincing to click the “Confirm Order” button during check out. I had everything in place, but this was such a big deal that I just sat there hovering over the button. I think I was eating some Chex Mix at the time, and I had so much anxiety that I ate my way through the bag before placing the order. It’s just a big deal. Finally, I ordered the invitations, and they have arrived. Once again I may have a little bias, but they are beautiful. Simple, elegant, and classy. Remember how I said in my last blog that my thank you notes match the invitations? Well, here is a picture of everything. When things coordinate, my heart is happy.

Miscellaneous

There are several little detailed things that can’t be placed in a category, but I still value them as being important. First, I had my first shower at the beginning of September. It was Pampered Chef, hosted by some incredibly sweet and caring people. They really went all out for it, and I feel so blessed. One of the neatest things they gave Seth and me were these old Coke bottles. First of all, you all know our story and significance behind Coke in a glass bottle. Second, you don’t have to be told our love for the Georgia Bulldogs. Therefore, these National Championship Coke bottles are perfect. Now, whether or not I will see a National Championship in my lifetime is debatable.

Throughout my engagement (which feels approx. 3 months in length), I have received some cards, magazines, sweet messages, etc. from different people. I keep all of these little knick-knacks in a box so I can look back on them on day. Who am I kidding… I look back on them now, and I am not even married yet. Another thing that I am proud of is my garter. Most people don’t notice this at the wedding, nor do they care to do so. But with me being a detailed person, everything has extreme importance in my book. I wanted a cute little garter and toss away. I got it handmade from this small little craft store called Etsy (heard of it?). Since the majority of people at the wedding won’t make an effort to see what the garter looks like, I will help you out and post a picture of it. Oh and remember the homemade jelly I talked about in the last blog? Here is a better picture of it. Cute-tee-pie!

My dress is in the final stages of being altered. I guess that means it is time for us to decide what Seth and his posse will wear. You would think this would be easier than picking out a wedding dress, but no sir. Tuxes are a lot more detailed than I had anticipated. Satin lapels? Patterned tie? Cumberbun? Vest? Two buttons? Three buttons? Oh and not to mention that we have about 13 people to round up that need to be fitted. (And we all know how “forgetful” and “last minute” boys can be!) But finally we got the tuxes picked, and this item can be checked off the list.

Within the next 2 months, we will begin to see: programs, final payments, dress fitting, showers, luncheons, parties, counseling, mailing invitations, marriage license, and much more. I got to fit school in there somewhere. At the end of all of this, I will be looking forward to some major relaxation (i.e., Jamaica) where there is no mention of “somatosensory input,” “client report writing,” “articulation,” or “phonemic inventory.” Yes, I will miss the wedding planning and all of the fun it has been, but I am looking forward to my marriage even more than the wedding.

Progress Report #6

Well, we are back into the swing of things. I am learning how to manage the demands of graduate school and putting the last minute touches on this wedding. And yes, we are in the “last minutes” folks. Time is flying by, and the days are going by faster and faster. I think I am getting to the point that I think I want things to slow down just a tad. Anyway, school started back. It is Seth’s last semester, so I think he is enjoying that part and the Senioritis that comes along with it. My school on the other hand… well… just add me to your prayer list. I’m flattered that people think I can give therapy to someone right after undergrad, but quite frankly, I can’t. But I was not given an option when it came down to it; so here I am, one week away from administering therapy. You know what, add my client to your prayer list too while you’re at it!

In the midst of prepping for school and the wedding, we have had some major milestones happen. One of the main ones is me giving Seth a haircut. He has been asking me to do it for some time now, but at first I thought he was kidding. Surely. So, joking or not, I took it upon myself to buy some nice shears, a spray bottle, and some combs. When I told Mr. Bad Boy Seth that I was serious too, I think there was a streak of fear on big boy’s face. But we got over that, and before he knew it, I was wrapping my hair cape (towel) around him and trying my hand at being a beautician. It wasn’t too hard of a job, and I took pictures to prove that I didn’t do half bad! If only he would let me tackle to trash-stash. I’m pretty sure I would do an even better, more thorough job on that!

Wedding wise, we are winding in down in the planning aspects and are now more focused on the purchasing and implementing of these plans. One of my most exciting purchases thus far is my thank you notes. I know that this is an odd thing to be excited about, but they match my invitations! Most people wouldn’t place so much emphasis on what their thank you notes look like, but not me. I am a very detailed oriented person, so little things like this matter a whole heck of a lot.

I have had a streak of creativity, so I channeled this energy to wedding crafts. With showers starting, I need a gift record book for keeping track of the things we receive at showers. I have never been simple, and I am detailed oriented, remember? So, I made my own. I took a 54¢ black/white composition book, wrapped it in fabric. Then I covered the bottom half with lace. I mod-podged everything before adding the little “accessories” such as buttons and a flower. I was pleased with how it turned out. It has character.

Yet another craft we have done towards this wedding is homemade jelly. My family loves, loves making jelly. Yes, we pick our own fruit (blackberries, grapes), and make some pretty mean jelly. I guess I have to give the credit to my parents for this. They are good at these “country” tasks. (I am afraid to even refer to myself as “country” after such shows such as Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.) We made these with the intention of using them to give to various people for "thank yous" for your help. Anyway, my family made homemade jelly, while I made tags to attach to them with twine… for a rustic/Pinterest look. The tags say “Thanks for sharing in our sweet beginning.” Now, how cute is that? Get it—jelly, sweet? Oh man. I crack myself up.

One of that last main things happening in our lives is Seth’s move to the new house. And when I say the new house, I mean the new house. The one we will start married life in. But before we get there, Stephen and Seth have to have their 4 months of bromance in a mock-marriage, as you may call it. The house it cute, and I have been over there quite often trying to “fix” things the way I want it. But there is only so much you can do on a grad-student’s budget. Instead, I spend my time on Pinterest dreaming of what I would do. Moving Seth in was fun, and guess what the first thing in the fridge was?

Well, that is all for now. In the meantime, I will be moving along the wedding continuum doing things such as addressing invitations, ordering programs, meeting with the photographer, writing vows, attending counseling, and making sure all details are just right. Oh yeah… and squeezing school someone in there. We have less than 4 months left. I’m not sure if that is hitting home with anybody else, but we only have 7 UGA home football games, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and finals separating us from wedding season. Where did Valentines, Easter, and summer go? Until next time…. 109 days and counting. 

Progress Report #5

I realize that it has been a while since my last wedding-related post, but this summer has allowed me to get a lot accomplished! So, I feel that it is necessary to do another progress report to keep you all in the loop. One of the main things we have done this summer is look ahead at the upcoming 4-5 months and see what weekends we need to come back home to Cochran due to various events (i.e. counseling). I already have a feeling that whenever there is an away UGA football game, Seth and I will be in Cochran. Yes… even though we are planning a wedding, it doesn’t mean that we can’t work around game days. It’s Georgia football, for crying out loud. After all, the beginning of our engaged life started at the headquarters and breeding grounds of our beloved Bulldogs.

This summer has been eventful to say the least. Besides the showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," wedding plans have consumed me. Speaking of Batman, below is a picture of my popcorn bucket that was never finished due to a theater malfunction. Needless to say, I wasn't happy to be home at 1:30am when I was supposed to be watching Christian Bale do push-ups. No worries- I have seen it twice since then. 

Here is just a quick recap of all that is happened over the course of June and July:

Surviving Africa

Well, as I am writing this post, I am eternally grateful that both Seth and I survived Africa. NO cannibals, NO plane crashes, NO spears, and NO toilets. It was a long 11 days, but I was able to catch-up on some pool time, Bachelorette, and reading while he was gone. So, in a sense, this made his trip all worth it! I planned to pick Seth up at the airport on Tuesday, July 3. After making a peanut-buttery goodness welcome home treat, I took off in the Milan toward the airport. This was monumental for me; I have never driven in Atlanta, nor have I ever had the desire to do so. “Scared” and “nervous” would be an understated way of explaining how I felt. But I put my big-girl pants on and did it anyway. I left Athens way earlier than I should have… expecting 4^th of July traffic to be terrible. Well, it wasn’t. At all. So I ended up having a good 4 hours at the airport to waste. I ate a “delicious” room-temperature hot dog and embedded myself in a good book, while people-watching all at the same time. I would have had a shorter wait if the plane landed on time… but that’s neither here nor there. For a moment there, the plane was redirected to the Charleston airport due to unfavorable conditions in Atlanta. And you better believe that I was already mentally packing up the Milan and heading to South Carolina. But I never had to cross that bridge, praise the Lord. When he finally got through customs to me, it was good to see him… trash stash and all.

House Preparation

This weekend, Seth will move into his (our) house. So, a lot of our summer has been spent preparing for various projects and needs that normal home-owning adults do. With the help of birthday and graduation money, we have purchased a nice couch/love seat. I am not above having used furniture in the house, but the couch at Seth’s apartment was in no condition to be used any more than it already has (imagine 5 guys, bats, potato-gun dust, etc.). For the bedroom furniture, we are redoing his Memama’s dresser, chest of drawers, and end tables. We have struggled with this particular project. Seth took a shot at it first, and it didn’t turn out to his liking (for the record, it was fine with me). Now, I am trying my hand at it… and well… it is …“getting there”, to say the least. Hopefully we will get this done so we won’t be living out of Sterilite containers. Soon after Seth moves into the house, we will have to paint because currently the rooms are baby blue and brown/green striped. So, yeah… we are painting. Something else I am looking forward to is using my Kitchen Aid mixer. My dearest Seth bought me one as a graduation present. Best-Gift-Ever. I decided to wait and take it out of the box whenever Seth moves into the new house so l can just keep it there. I promised myself that the first thing I would make with the mixer is homemade bread. Nope, I have never done that before so it might be an utter disaster, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be the mixer’s fault! We are becoming more and more like a married couple, one milestone at a time.

Registry

We finally hit the 5 month mark meaning that is was time to register. I knew from Day 1 that this would be my favorite part. But it was a lot more stressful that it may seem. Don’t get me wrong… I loved it, but it wasn’t an easy job. Last Saturday, Seth and I planned to go to Macon to register at both Bed, Bath, & Beyond and Belk, so we could get it done in one day. However, we majorly underestimated how long it would take. Our first stop was Bed, Bath, & Beyond. Seth had the excitement of a 5 year old once he got control of the “gun.” His one job the whole time was to scan what I told him to scan. He did fabulous considering I was worried that once I went back and looked at the registry, I would see random items such as a cat statue or a Ga Tech Tervis Tumbler… but I did not. After 2 hours well spent in BB&B, we were hungry and knew that if registering at Belk took near as long, we wouldn’t have time. So, we ended our night at the wonderful Texas Roadhouse, as we took out 8 rolls between the two of us. The next weekend, we went back to Macon to finish our registry at Belk. It still took a long time, but we had a better idea of what we were doing. We got Texas Roadhouse again. And 8 rolls. (No judgment). What made registering so difficult was thinking that we are picking out stuff for other people to buy us. Neither one of us like the thought of that, because it kind of make us feel bad. This caused us to attempt to be very considerate as we picked things out. Overall, it was a lot of fun. For those of you wondering, I am registering for 2 sets of china: everyday and Christmas. I thought it would be appropriate to get a Christmas pattern considering the season we are getting married!

·         Everyday China: Mikasa American Countryside

·         Christmas China: Lenox Winter Meadow (Holly Pattern)

We are also registered at Welcome Friends in Cochran and Pottery Barn.

Dress, Flowers, Catering

I got a call a couple of weeks ago saying that my dress had arrived. I went to go pick it up, because I needed to take it elsewhere to be altered. I tried it on, and it was even better than I remembered. The only problem is that I can’t eat until December (aside for Texas Roadhouse rolls). It will be worth it though. I also purchased my veil at the bridal store. So, I was able to try it on with the dress to get the full effect. Everything was great and dandy.

We had two different meetings this past weekend with the florist and the caterer. As if it didn’t beforehand, it is really starting to hit home that this wedding is sooner than we think. Both meetings went great, and I left feeling very excited. I am ready to see what the ending result is! Guess I have until December for that though. I will not give away too much information regarding the meetings, but I can assure you that there will be food, and there will be flowers. No worries. I am lucky enough to have a roommate/bridesmaid/best friend that spent several years working at a florist. Not only did she work there, but her talent is incredible. So I get ideas from her and trust everything she suggests. After all, the only flower I know what it looks like is a rose, so any help from her is great!

Everything is coming together, and as I look at my to-do list, I realize that there is not a lot left. Things are getting done in a timely fashion, and I could not be any more satisfied. Looking ahead, the groomsmen will come into the picture as we round them up to get measured, showers will ensue, and I will attempt to continue planning this wedding while being a graduate student. Time never slows down, and thankfully, I don’t want it to! 

Surviving Africa

Hi, Bloggers and Bloggetters! Unfortunately this is not a progress report stating the most recent wedding plans that I have made. However, this is a report talking about a slightly different type of progress: surviving Africa.

Seth left on June 23rd to a small little continent you may have heard of… Africa.  He went with a group of people from our church on a mission trip to a baby orphanage in Uganda. First of all, I would like to begin by saying that I am extremely blessed that my future husband has such a passion and pursuit to serve the Lord. I may not be married yet, but I know that a relationship with God is a necessity and more important than a relationship with each other. So, to see my fiancé’s heart and willingness to serve makes me count my blessings and look forward to a lifetime spent with him. Maybe one day I will be half the person that Seth is.

Most would think that the person I was most worried about surviving Africa would be Seth. But that’s not necessarily the case… I was worried about my own sanity and survival. There are only a lucky few who have shared in my struggle with this issue. And if you were one of these “lucky” ones, then you know I was uneasy from the first day that summer started, and I will continue to be until the day Seth lands in Atlanta. I guess I could not help but be hesitant about him going because we are so close to getting married (5 ½ months to be exact), and I cannot imagine not getting the chance to marry my own Captain America after looking forward to it for 6+ years.

You may be saying, “Why be worried? It’s just Africa. You are being a little dramatic.” Well, yes, I am being dramatic, but that is because I have no idea what to expect. Personally, the only “out of the country” experience I have had is when I went on cruises… but we all know that this is cheating because “foreign countries” on cruise routes are just Americanized, sheltering you from the drug cartels, etc. So I admit that I am a little naive about what goes out outside of the United States. Therefore, when I heard that Seth would be island hopping via boat in the middle of Lake Victoria, my mental image was not a good one. I envisioned Seth floating in a rackety canoe in the midst of branches and briars (kinda swamp-like), coming up on different tribes who are all wearing loin cloths holding hand-made spears. This is what was going through my head; hence my concern. However, I have some really comforting people in my life who tried to mentally help me through this. One thing that stood out to me was when someone asked me, “Don’t you think that God loves Seth even more than you do? So, why would He want anything to happen to him?” After hearing this, I would tell myself “Shut up, Elizabeth” on a daily basis.

There is a 7 hour time difference between Georgia and Uganda, Africa. This, along with other factors, (including lack of Wi-Fi, no 3G network, and enormous international phone costs) has caused communication between the two of us to be scarce. That is fine… in fact I was expecting it. However, at 8:30 on Monday morning when I saw a text message from Seth saying, “You there?”, you better believe I threw down my hair dryer and stopped what I was doing to answer!  We didn’t get to text long, but that didn’t matter. At least I knew he was safe, and there had been no sighting of spears, loin cloths, or cannibalism. (I’m telling you… I have a distorted view of the outside world.) On Wednesday, I had an even bigger surprise when I got a call from him. We didn’t get to have a good long talk about life, love, and marriage, but at least I got to hear his voice. He said that the fruit over there was great… even if it was cut with the same knife that the fish was cut with. Also, he felt like safety was not an issue at all… but they got to ride 4 people on a motorcycle. Looks like I have been worried about the wrong things.

Chain countdown for Seth's re-arrival.

Technically, we still haven’t “survived Africa,” but with him coming home in 4 days, I can say that we are well on our way. This summer has been eventful and dangerous already: If it’s not a bat infestation we are worried about, it’s riding illegally on a motorcycle with Africa natives. So, if we make it through this summer, I guess you could say we are doing alright.

Now on to more pressing matters: what good American staple should I cook for Seth when he returns? Something fried or the biggest Reese peanut butter cup you can find? Hum…

Progress Report #4

Well, the summer is upon us. And as much as I would like to be lounging by the pool, I have other “adult” things to do, such as work. That’s exactly what I have been doing since school got out. I am not complaining because it has been great. Plus, that’s what you are supposed to do after you graduate, right? Find a job? Make a salary? At least for the time being. But in the midst of work, I have a wedding to plan. I mean, let’s get our priorities straight. Thankfully, my job allows me to do that while working. I just sit here at a desk, answer two phone calls, smile when people enter the door, and plan my wedding. It’s a pretty good get-up don’t you think? However, there is only so much of a wedding you can plan. So within the first two weeks of working, my wedding was done. I mean every little detail was planned—just because I had the time to do so. A couple of my favorite websites this summer have been: Pinterest and Etsy. So, with the help of these two little crafty sites, I have planned, what I think to be, a great imaginary wedding. Now, let’s see if what I planned comes to fruition….

Now that I am done (well, not really) with mine, I need someone else to get married so I can be planning their wedding.

Bridesmaids’ Business

I love my bridesmaids. All 8 of them. They have been so cooperative and have made this wedding process so enjoyable, that I am considering do it again and again… with rededication ceremonies of course ;)  I’m not sure what my bridesmaids will think of me when I hand them a folder that has a calendar from now until December as well as some other information that they would need to know. (Like I said, my work causes me to have a lot of time on my hands. So I get this crazy ideas to create folders for my bridesmaids so they could keep up with everything. I’m sure I am the only one excited about it, but that’s probably because I am the only one diagnosed with OCD.) I mean, you cannot help but agree that the folders are a good idea. Right? Just agree with me…

Did you know that the attendants’ dresses could take up to 14 weeks to come in?! Being my first (and only) wedding, I didn’t know that either. So, even though my wedding is still several months out, my girls had to go ahead and order their dresses if they wanted time for alterations and such. After all, who wants a baggy bridesmaid’s dress? On June 1^st, they were ordered. And either the bridesmaids know how particular I am or they are similar to me because I did not have to go chasing down any of them to get their measurements! They all had them in a promptly manner… well, except for my sister (of all people). Being the older, alpha, and more organized sister, I had to physically go take care of her dress order. I guess she was at a disadvantage being the only one not in Athens… but still. Just call me, her second mom. (But we both wouldn’t have it any other way!)

 House

As much as I liked the idea of not leaving my roommates in December, and just having Seth be the 5^th wheel in a 4 person apartment, I knew that there were probably better options out there. But that doesn’t mean that I won’t join my friends for a midnight run to Kroger for a date with Ben & Jerry. I mean, come on now. Since me moving in during the middle of the school year kind of puts a damper on who we can live with, we had to come up with other options. So, I signed a 6-month lease at my apartment, and Seth signed a lease on little house that we will call our own in December. Have no fear, Seth will not be living alone for the first semester. My cousin (and Seth’s fellow engineering guru) will be living in the little love shack until he graduates in December too. And trust me, he will be moving out...despite all this joking that he will decide to stay and go to grad school. As far as I’m concerned, the Holiday Inn would suit him just as well! I am not worried about the condition that the house will be in while I am not there. Although Seth has a history of breaking down doors, punching through walls, and befriending bats in his previous apartment, Stephen is just as clean, if not more, than I am. It must be in the blood. Just as an example, he requires you to take off your shoes at the door before entering. That sounds a whole lot better than firing off a potato gun inside the house… (*Nudge* Seth). Plus, they will both enjoy each other's company as they rattle off engineering conversations over dinner. 

Anyway, this little chateau, love shack, or whatever you want to call it, is on the Jefferson side of Athens. It’s in a cute little neighborhood, and most importantly, it’s not associated with the college atmosphere. Because, after all, we will be grown up and graduated by that time, and would have put our college ways behind us... Nah, who am I kidding. Since we are both southern born and bred, living in a cookie cutter neighborhood will be a new adventure for the two of us! Maybe we will do cookie cutter stuff like make muffins for the neighbors, go on an evening stroll, trade in our cars for a SUV, etc. Oh the joys of life in the suburbs. To quote Seth’s role model, Duck Commander “You need to be able to take a leak in your backyard.” Well, we will get to that point eventually. But for now, let’s enjoy the life that our 2 bedroom, 2 bath (little) suburb house can offer us!

Graduation

On May 4^th, I turned 21. Seven days later, I graduated from UGA with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I live an eventful life. Graduation was the most organized chaos that I have ever been a part of. My OCD senses were tingling as we walked into the stadium in a herd-like formation while standing in the seats and talking on our phones like nothing was happening. But regardless, I graduated, with Seth soon to follow in December. As I was on the field for graduation, I couldn’t help but remember the last time (and first time) that I was on this very field. There were not near as many people there with me, and I was able to stand on the “G” and the glorious grass that is between the hedges. If you are having trouble remembering yourself, then go back and look at my very first blog post... Maybe that will RING a bell. Although I graduated, I am not done with school. Just like everybody else, I will be going back to the same college, same building, with some of the same people, in August. Then, in 2 years, I will be able to say that I am done!

 

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer, however you are spending it. Just know that if you are at the beach, I am jealous. Please keep Seth and me in your prayers as we plan the rest of this wedding, but most importantly, the start of our new life. 

Pictures Worth 1000 Words

All of the pictures are in! They are great. Period-The End. And I’m not being vain by saying that either. Ashlee did so good of making both me and Seth look good and in-love… which takes talent. So, all the compliments are due to her. Instead of keeping them all to myself, I thought it would be appreciated if I shared some of my favorites with you all. So throughout this post, please enjoy some pictures that cause me to squeal on the inside.

Before we even took the pictures, I knew that I wanted two different outfits: a more formal one, and a more casual one. Honestly, I was hoping that with the more casual outfit we would be able to go on in Sanford Stadium again to get some pictures there. But dearest Seth felt uneasy about doing that again and asking for permission to do that one more time. He didn’t want to push any more buttons than he had to. After all, it was purely by the grace of God that we got to be on the field for the proposal…. or so he says. That is fine though. I picked my battles, and left that one alone. Although we were not going on the field I did want some sort of “UGA Spirited” outfit/picture combo. We accommodated this request to North Campus and got some shots with our bulldog attire, the arch, and the infamous red and black Coke bottles. Props go out to Seth for having that bright idea!

Although my ring has always been sparkly, and will continue to be sparkly, I knew that for these pictures, I might want to get it shined up just a bit. Since the jewelry store that Seth purchased my ring from was about an hour and a half away, we had to come up with a plan B on getting this thing cleaned. So, the two of us moseyed over to the mall a couple of hours before our pictures were scheduled. We walked in a jewelry store and “were looking at wedding bands.” (Yeah right.) As we were “looking” and I was trying some things on, I casually mentioned that my engagement ring doesn’t look as bright as the wedding band that I was sporting. I further inquired about how I could fix this. The poor, innocent jeweler hastily suggested that she would be glad to clean and shine my ring so it looks as new as the band! (Bingo) Once the mission was accomplished, we gradually made our way out of the store with promises to return and “purchase the wedding band” we were “looking” at. Pure genius.

This is my first wedding. And as a result, my first engagement shoot too. So I was not entirely sure how this would all go down. I was hoping and praying that Seth and I would get some sort of direction with how to pose, act, etc. And praise the Lord we did! Otherwise, they would have turned out 10x worse. Seth and I probably wouldn’t have even touched each other if not instructed. (Well, maybe not really, but you never can tell.) I know I have mentioned this in a previous post, so I won’t run it in the ground, but we aren’t the most mushy-gushy-touchy-feely couple you will meet. So any kind of instruction is good instruction! Another prayer request of mine was that the awkwardness would be at a minimum. No matter how much in-love you may be, imagine how strange it is to be looking at each other for a minute straight while being no more than an inch and a half away from the other person’s face. (And breath). But I am glad I did it because it made for some great pictures! Oh and about the awkwardness… it was not that bad. We do love each other, you know.

Lastly, the weather couldn’t have been better. I just knew without a shadow of a doubt, that it was going to be raining. Why? Well, it has rained on every important event in my life thus far, so why not then? (Rain visited: both proms, graduation, moving in/out of dorms, birthday, etc.) Because of my attraction to rain, I knew it was a good idea to stay away from the outside wedding idea. It’s a great thing that December weddings don’t lend themselves too well for that anyway. But for engagement pictures, the weather was great. Not only did it not rain, but the ground wasn’t wet and the sun was shining! Of course we couldn’t get away from 0% humidity—Note the frizzy hair. But I will take what I can get!

I hope you have enjoyed these pictures as much as I have. Feel free to check more out under the “Pictures” page on my blog. Since I am so thrilled with the pictures, I will have a hard time picking just ONE to go on Save the Dates, and ONE to go in the newspaper. So, don’t be surprised if you see a photo collage of us in the paper. Just joking, of course. But they are all too good to pass up! Thanks to the wonderful and talented Ashlee!! (And Seth for his cooperation!)

Note: Seth did have permission to wear his cowboy boots in our photo shoot. It was one of those "battles" I chose not to fight. Plus, he looks kinda cute in them anyway. 

Progress Report #3

It’s April already? Time is flying by, things are getting done, and my checklist is getting longer and longer. I just recently added something else to my wedding “toolbox”: a calendar. As I go on with this process, Irealize the importance that vendors have on due dates. Bridesmaid’s dress measurements due this date; Cake deposit due that date; Send out these by tomorrow. I may be good—but not that good. So, I needed a calendar that has all of these dates in one place. You know I’m OCD, right? With that said, maybe it’s not surprising for you to know thatI have a “calendar legend” on the front. This legend is color coded depending on what it’s associated with. For instance, things highlighted pink deal with bridesmaids business. Things in green mean that deposits are due. For those of you planning a wedding yourself, you’re welcome for the tip!

Like I promised, I am keeping you updated with this weddingprocess. Here are some of the things that have gotten checked of f the list! (And the infamous calendar.)

Cake

Being the (amateur) cake decorator myself, it is only expected that I have a nicely decorated cake. In fact, I do not care if the cake is coconut on the inside (yuck), as long as it’s pretty to the eye! I’m sure that most of you wouldn’t be surprised to know that I brought my own hand-drawing of the cake to the meeting with our baker. Micromanaging at its finest. My sketch had everything from each flower placement, to each piping design. Yeah… I take this stuff seriously. Maybe I get this from my mom. Although she is a simple person, her wedding cake was pretty darn legit. There were a total of 7 tiers, not one but two bridges joining it to the other realm of cake, a fountain that lit up, and a figurine of each member of the bridal party. So, as her daughter, I had to live up to this cake-epicness in some way. (Hence the sketched cake drawn to the tee.) I will leave my cake up to your imagination, but I can tell you that there are no bridges! But I cannot promise there won’t be a lit-up, twirling, music-playing, multi-colored fountain! (Well… maybe I can.) Enjoy the pictureof my mom’s (and dad’s) wedding cake.

Bridesmaids Dresses

Well, it is about time that I decide on their dresses. I have not been able to fully pick-out my colors for the wedding until I decided on the dresses. I have always known the color scheme that I would want, but not the specific colors. For instance, being Christmas and all, I thought that golds and reds would be pretty for a wedding. But how broad is that? There are 100 shades of gold and 101 shades of red. But finally, I picked a dress, and in turn, colors. I won’t tell you what the dresses look like exactly, but I can tell you that they are floor-length: Because it’s winter, and I don’t want white, ashy legs showing. No offense, girls. Anyway,since there is such a spectrum of color options for gold, I feel comfortable enough telling you that the color of the dresses is “Latte.” Now it’s up to you and your perception to decide on what exactly is “Latte.” Sounds yummy, ay? By the way, you might be surprised about how difficult it is to pick out a dress that fits 8 girls (literally).But I have the best friends ever because not one of them gave me a problem during this process. Yet again, this is another reason why I love my girls. (And a reason why they are in my party.)

Engagement Pictures

This was probably the single most event that I was looking forward to. Because I got to get my nails done, of course. But really… I was excited, maybe a little bit too excited, about this. As I said in a previous post, we took pictures on April 15 with Ashlee Culverhouse. Since we are not getting married in Athens, but it is still an important part in our lives, we decided to take our pictures on NorthCampus. (Which is hysterical because neither Seth nor I have classes up there.)Anyway, they were a lot of fun. And surprisingly, it wasn’t too awkward. Why would it be awkward you may ask? Well, as you all know, Seth and I are not Mr. and Ms. PDA. You will very rarely catch us holding hands, being lovey-dovey, kissy-kissy, or touching, for that matter. But I like it that way. In fact, it’s a little sickening seeing others act like this more than they should. (If you want more on my soapbox, just let me know.) Anyway… on to the real point of this post, taking pictures was so much fun. I had to make sure that the outfits were perfect. Both of ours. Ashlee did a fabulous job. There are some “sneak peaks” already on Facebook, but I will be sure to post more pictures as soon as I get them. All Iwill say right now is that a chalkboard, Coca-Cola, and cheetah print shoes were all involved in the making of these pictures. For now, enjoy a picture as teaser: