Drama drama drama...

Yesterday I told you that I'd explain how my cute way of asking my girls to be in our wedding (cute little dress ornaments) turned into drama.

If you all remember, a week after MG and I got engaged, a couple friend of his asked us to change our date because it was "too close" to their wedding (ours is 3 weeks before theirs). Last week MG finally talked to the guy and explained our rationale for having our wedding on the date we chose--my dad's health being the main reason, but also b/c I'm a teacher and it's my Spring Break (which we shouldn't have had to explain anyway). He responded with "Oh, ok, if her dad is the reason, no problem at all. We just thought it was ONLY because it was Jenn's Spring Break" (to which I wanted to say "and so what if it was??")

Needless to say, we thought the issue was put to rest, as he had said it would be. During the same conversation, MG found out that this guy's best friend had just been medi-vacced to a hospital, and was in a coma on life support. We both prayed for his friend that night.

Cut to Sunday afternoon. My friend had posted the pic of the ornament dresses on facebook a day or so before and said how she's excited to wear a purple dress for my wedding. 
We are in Charleston with our friends and I get an email from the girl in this couple. THIS email to be exact:

Hi Jenn - I saw that you signed at the venue and were able to get a church too - that's great!  Congrats :) This is when all the fun stuff starts!  I feel like I was stressed until I had a venue, and then things started to click into place.

Since our wedding dates are very close together, I thought we should keep an open line of communication on decisions we both make during the wedding planning process, so we can avoid having identical weddings three weeks a part.  I am not saying that if I have a plated dinner, you shouldn't have a plated dinner - but I am talking more in terms of style and distinction such as color theme, bridesmaids dresses, groomsmen attire, wedding songs, etc.  Does that make sense?   We both have very different styles, so I am sure our wedding plans won't align too much, but I think this could be good to discuss just in case. We really want to avoid similar elements such as {MG's} groomsmen wearing the same thing as {C} & his groomsmen, the same invitations, same favors, etc., and I am pretty sure my girlfriends wouldn't be too happy about having to wear the same or similar bridesmaid dress that was worn three weeks prior.  

Since {C} & I have been planning since December, we do have a few wedding items confirmed already that I wanted to tell you about right off the bat.  In general, our wedding scheme is different shades of purple, ivory, with hints of green.  And you may already know that the bridesmaid dresses are purple, and from Alfred Angelo - (bought, paid for, and coming in September yay!), and I can send you the style number if need be.  {C} & his groomsmen are wearing three piece gray suits. We have intro songs, first dance songs, etc picked out haha, but I am sure you haven't started thinking about that yet.  Actually, we have a lot confirmed so far because I am a crazy planner, but that's all that I think would matter right now :).

Regardless, I think both of our weddings will be amazing, and a great time.  I just want to make sure they are both as unique as we both are, and I feel this is the best way to have stress-free planning! 

Cheers,

{R}

Keep in mind, the ONLY parts of this email that were changed were names. Also remember, that when she sent this email C's best friend was still in the hospital on life support and in a coma.

Also realize that we have MAYBE 12 friends who would be going to both of our weddings. None of which are IN our wedding (some of which are in theirs).

I'm pretty sure I cussed more after reading this email than I ever have in my entire life. MG was LIVID (as was I). We spent the rest of the weekend talking sporadically to try and figure out what we should do to handle it (since we didn't want to let this ruin our vacation with our friends).

Well, Monday night when we landed back home, MG got an email saying that C's friend had passed away. Obviously, this is the worst news to get. None of us wanted this to happen. Our hearts go out to C and all of his friends.

And now, how to handle this situation? Instead of addressing them/her as we had planned, I think we have to ignore it for now until it is brought up again, or until a better time arises if there ever is one in a situation like this. I've been having a hard time not getting angry (or even furious) every time I think about this situation, though, and dealing with the fact that this is now looming over us. We aren't heartless people, though, and our hearts go out to them dealing with losing a close friend. No one should have to go through that.

I want to know you guys' thoughts on this. I've heard it from our families and friends....I just want total outsiders' opinions on the whole thing. What do you think of her email? Her requests? How to handle the situation? 

Thanks in advance!

*hugs*

Will You Be My....?

As you all know, the trend in asking your lady friends to be in your wedding party is to do something creative and/or cute.

I wanted to find something cute to buy or make, and after looking for a long time, I found a great Etsy site, My Swedish Farmhouse, that had really cute wooden ornaments that are painted in a color of your choosing (I chose purple, since that's the main color in our wedding), and personalized with each person's name and their "role."

They were too cute to pass up (and, win for me, I didn't have to make them myself!)

When they arrived, I was SO excited to get them into cards, envelopes and in the mail, because, let's be real, it was KILLING me not being to say anything to the girls! (I caved the week after I got engaged and asked my best bud if she would be my Maid of Honor, but I was still sending hers to her.)

The ornaments came packed super nicely so they wouldn't get damaged, each dress had it's own bag and was tied with a cute twine bow:

And this is what they looked like outside of the packages:

I loved the little "pearl" details and the pretty purple ribbons on each dress.

So cute!!

And now you know the lineup of my ladies!

I had bought cute purple cards with matching envelopes earlier that weekend in anticipation of the ornaments arriving (so that I could send them out ASAP and finally let my secrets out!!)

Unfortunately the dresses were JUST slightly too big to fit in the cards I got and therefore the envelope. So, I got creative:

I re-wrapped each card in the plastic bag they came in, placed them in bigger envelopes (that weren't as cute as the original purple ones--boo) and mailed them on their merry way!

I thought they would be super cute for everyone to have when we're getting ready, hanging from their dress hangers. Photo op, anyone?? :)

What are some cute ideas you've done, seen, or want to do?

*stay tuned tomorrow to see how these cute little ornaments sparked drama with MG's friend*

WILW and Oh How Pinteresting

Another Wednesday??? How is it already Wednesday??? I guess time flies when you're having fun and not working (don't hate me!)

Time for another round of WILW and Oh How Pinteresting with Jamie and Michelle:

I'm loving that MG and I had such a fun trip to Charleston this past weekend. He has great friends from HS and it was fun to hang with them, and their cool girlfriends!

I'm loving that MG has my back. There is a TON of drama going on with one couple friend of his (ours...but his from college) which is really putting a HUGE damper on our wedding planning, but he's got my back and I love him for it!

I'm loving that I got together with the girls from work yesterday for Happy Hour. I'm super glad to have made a new bunch of friends at work, and that we are actually hanging out when we don't have to! :)

I'm loving that I finally have a tan! After spending some time at the pool/beach in Charleston, I finally don't look like I'm dead anymore. Woooo to the hoooo! :)

I'm loving that I'm going to get my ring looked at today by the jeweler who made it to see if it needs to be re-sized. I'm not loving that I'll probably have to give it up, but Im glad that it'll fit super great when I get it back!

I'm loving the time off from work I've had this week before I go to work summer school next week. Much needed break!

And, as always, I'm loving Pinterest!

I've been pinning....

Love, and want, this entire outfit!!

Summer project??

Pepperoni Pasta Bake
Pepperoni AND pasta??? Is the world ending?

lol

Amen. I need to remember this. Especially when dealing with
selfish people!

Happy Summer-loving Pup!

 Check out some of my other cool pins!

Happy Wednesday!!

P.S. I'm only THREE followers away from 300--and once I hit 300, I'm going to do a giveaway!!! My followers are the best :)

Charleston is SO fun!

I'm back from our long weekend trip to Charleston, and omg was it a good time!

Friday morning we went to the airport, flew down to Charleston (after a slight delay sitting on the tarmac), and arrived around 11AM. We spent the day walking around near the water front, and had lunch at an old pier. We saw the infamous pineapple fountain, and walked through the University of Charleston's campus (which was SO pretty).

After a day of walking (and sweating) we went back to the apartment and spent some time poolside before getting ready for a night out.

We went out again in the same area we'd been during the day and had a SUPER fun night, meeting our couple friends' friends. (And eating some yummy BBQ pulled pork grilled cheese sandwiches):

The next morning we headed to the beach and spent the day there until mid afternoon:

(It was more fun than the pic looks)

The sun was strong, but it was nice being by the ocean and catching the breeze there.

After we soaked up enough (too much) sun, we went to a close by restaurant to have a delicious lunch and Game Changers. "What's a Game Changer?," you ask....

THAT is a Game Changer. The pic doesnt show you just HOW big this glass is, but let me tell you, it's BIG. I don't think any of us were able to finish it after getting our food.

After we were done stuffing face, we went over to another water-front area to hang out for a bit. My favorite part was the fact that there were DOLPHINS in the water. I was in my dolphin-loving happy place

We spent the rest of the day there, enjoying the weather, and spending time together:

This was by far the best day of the trip!

We all headed home to shower and have dinner. We spent the night in, watching tv and playing silly games. The next day, the other couple that had been visiting had to head home, so we went to the Open air market in Charleston before taking them to the airport.

{via}

Later that night, we went out a dinner/movie place and saw Superman (which was good, just much longer than it needed to be. But, the guy who plays Superman is a TOTAL babe!)

And then Monday we had to leave. We were supposed to leave at 2:50, and ended up finally taking off at 6pm because of thunderstorms in the area in SC, and around DC. We eventually made it home around 8, after suffering through the delays, and an incredibly annoying and LOUD woman who sat behind us the entire time.

And today I get to enjoy getting a cavity filled at the dentist. Not quite what I wanna do after such a fun vacay, but at least I get to get my Coopy pup back today.

Overall, Charleston was great! But, I'm pretty sure that if we had been anywhere, it would have been fun because we were with such great people! It was just made that much better because Charleston was a SUPER fun city!

Adult ABC's

I'm still in Charleston, SC, but I didn't want to leave you hanging, so here's a fun post!

My girl, P!nky tagged me in this fun little post: Adult ABC's. (Is it bad that when I first saw ABC, I thought of the liquor store? .....Don't judge me! :)

Let's get to it! 

~.~.~.~

A. Attached or Single? Attached...and 10 months until wedding day!

B. Best Friend? My bestie Genna (who is also my Maid of Honor), MG--my rock, and my mom

C. Cake or pie? mmmm, I will NEVER turn down apple pie

D. Day of choice? Hands down, Saturday. I can sleep in, relax...whatever I want. Plus, more quality time with the fiance and friends!

E. Essential item? I'm gonna agree with P!nky on this one: chapstick. I'm a total addict!

F. Favorite color? PURPLE!!! :)

G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears...the worms creep me out.

H. Hometown? Maryland, about 20 minutes outside of DC

I. Favorite indulgence? Cheese. Pretty much any kind as long as it isn't too stinky. And bacon. Mmmmm, bacon.

J. January or July? Definitely July. Fireworks, warm weather, pool, no school (unless you're working summer school like an idiot....*D'oh!*), BBQ's...what's not to like?

K. Kids? Sometime in the near future, after we get married in April.

L. Life isn’t complete without? my parents, friends, MG and Cooper

M. Marriage date? 4-12-14!!!!

N. Number of brothers/sisters? Zero, by blood. Two sisters-in-law (to be) who are already like family to me.

O. Oranges or Apples? Apples

P. Phobias? Drowning

Q. Quotes? "Everything happens for a reason"

R. Reasons to smile? Cooper and his wiggly self, warm embraces from the one you love, hugs from mom and dad, friends who you can count on.

S. Season of choice?  Spring, minus the allergies

T. Tag 5 People. Trish, Katie, Shay, {Jessica}, Tori

U. Unknown fact about me? You might know this from previous versions of this question, but, I can't swim. I know how in my brain, but admittedly, not really well. But when I get in water that's above my head, I panic. I'd really love to be a better swimmer, especially in time for our honeymoon.

V. Vegetable? Carrots, raw or cooked. My mom made the best cooked carrots when I was growing up. Every time I have them now, I think of being a kid 

W. Worst habit? Worrying

X. Xray or Ultrasound? Ummm, either? I've had an Xray before...never had an ultrasound.

Y. Your favorite food? mmm this list could be long: Sushi, Mexican, pizza, salad, Thai....it's all my favorite, depending what I'm craving :)

Z. Zodiac sign? Pisces, the water sign. Which is why my fear of water is also ironic haha.

That was fun! Thanks for tagging me, P!nky!

Charleston Bound!

I'm not around for my normal post because I'll be in Charleston, SC for a long weekend with MG, his best buddy and his girlfriend, to visit their other buddy and his girlfriend.

{via}

It's going to be an absolute blast! Let's just hope the weather cooperates so we can fully enjoy everything that Charleston has to offer!

Charleston ladies: if you see me around your 'hood, say hi!!! :)

I'll probably be the one in the middle of a rowdy bunch of fun :)

P.S. I'm only 4 followers away from 300, and I think I'm going to do a giveaway when I hit 300!! Love my followers!!!

Sometimes....

Sometimes....

.....people are mean, rude, selfish.

.......people think that they are better than you

......people believe they deserve something for nothing

......people make themselves the victim

......people can't/don't put themselves in someone else's shoes

......people create drama where there doesn't need to be any.

But sometimes....

.....other people show that they care

.......other people lift you up and help you soar

......other people are humble

........other people are your hero

.....other people can see a situation someone is in and empathize

.....other people fix a problem before it begins.

Which person are you? Be someone's champion today. Put yourself in someone else's shoes today. Ask someone how they are doing. Do something for someone else, for no other purpose than to make their day better.

Lift someone up.

WILW and Oh How Pinteresting

It's Wednesday, and you know what that means!!

I'm loving that MG and I found our venue AND our church. I'm actually dropping off a contract and deposits at both places today!

I'm loving that today is my first official day of FREEEEEEEDOM from school! (Too bad I only have a week and a half off before I'm back to working summer school, but a break is a break and I'll take it!)

I'm loving that we are going to be in Charleston, SC this weekend! Hoping the weather ends up nicer than the forecast is predicting right now, but either way it will be a lot of fun times with fun people!

I'm loving that there are some fun letters going out in the mail! (more on that later)

I'm loving that I got this super cute dress from Loft, on sale, for $29. It's so cute and comfy:

I'm loving that I'm 6 followers away from 300! (My followers are awesome!!) :)

I'm loving Pinterest and all of its creative awesomeness!

This week I've been pinning...

Someone wanna buy this outfit for me?
I'll love you forever if you do! 

Skinny Mediterranean Pasta Toss
YUMMY!

DIY storage ottoman? Summer project? Maybe!

It's all about perspective!

I know a few people who fall into this category....

wedding bouquet idea?? 

 Check out some of my other cool pins!

What have YOU been pinning this week?

And, here is a question for you to ponder: Why would a grown man take (and post) selfies on facebook? (and we are not talking 1-2...we are talking multiple times a month). I seriously do not understand.....

Product Review: Cardstore

Have you heard of Cardstore before? 

I hadn't until I was contacted by them to try out their fun site where you can make and personalize your own cards!

{via}

I took the opportunity to make a card for MG, just letting him know how special he is to me and how happy I am to be starting our future together.

You can choose from a variety of cards including ones that are pre-made, or ones that you customize yourself. 
I chose to do a photo card, and I was able to customize pretty much everything about it, including the amount of pictures on each part of the card, what was written in it, as well as the text font and colors.

(don't mind the blurry quality, that was my camera phone, not the site)
This shows all of the pictures I was able to add to the front of the card, and I was able to customize the
message and the font color.

I was able to choose what the inside of the card looked like, as well

The whole process was actually really easy, creative and fun. The site gives you plenty of opportunities to look over what you've made, and edit as needed. And the rest is super simple!

What I really liked about the site was that the price of the card, with shipping, was about the same as buying a card in the store! And they will either deliver the card to you, or send it directly to the recipient. I thought it was really fun to be able to personalize the card with pictures and my own words!

Here is the final product when I received it:

It only took 2-3 days to get to me, too (despite the 7 days the site had projected)!

If you're in the mood to send a card, make your own card, or just send someone something that has a personal touch, I would definitely take a look at Cardstore since they have tons of options for you! I will definitely be using them again for some creative cards!

Weekend Update!

This weekend was filled with a TON of fun stuff!

Friday after work my coworker/friend and I headed into the city to see the Boyz II Men, 98 degrees and New Kids on the Block Package Tour!

Let me just say, it was AWESOME! All 3 groups were good and the music brought me back to various stages of growing up. I was in teeny-bopper heaven...me, and a bunch of other chicks (many of whom were there and super pregnant!), and the few poor guys who got dragged there (why? why would you do that to a guy??)

 I thoroughly enjoyed that NKOTB was on for TWO hours!

(My iPhone didn't do such a fab job of capturing the awesomeness)

One of the jaw dropping moments was when Donnie Wahlberg full on kissed a chick in the audience! (I'm pretty sure I would have peed my pants lol) Fun fact: She was missing a tooth.

 At one point the show kinda turned into a version of Magic Mike when the guys were gyrating around on the stage, ripping their shirts off and grabbing their "packages" (now I really understand the double meaning behind Package Tour)

Needless to say, it was a SUPER fun night!

Saturday morning I stumbled upon my favorite movie on tv from when I grew up: Mannequin!  So of course, I had to watch it! It fit in with my 80's and 90's theme from the night before :)

 I had a baby shower to go to later in the afternoon, and then took it easy that night since MG and I were getting up early to go to church services at one of the churches we've been looking at for our ceremony.

We got up Sunday morning and headed to services at 8:30. The church was beautiful on the outside:

And the inside was stunning. It was exactly the setting I've pictured myself getting married in--intimate and pretty. The service was really nice, and the pastor was funny. He had the best Southern drawl--I liked him as soon as I heard him speak! Not to mention, everyone there was so nice and welcoming to us.

Going to services also kinda helped put some recent happenings with a couple of our friends into perspective, which was needed. Sometimes it takes a little help to change your view point on things and realize what is most important.

After services were over, we met with the pastor (who shares the same first name as MG--I saw that as "a sign" when first looking at the church), who went over what we should expect, etc. if we got married there.

Annnnnnnd, we loved it SO much that we are dropping off our deposit this week! Now we can cross of "find a ceremony site" from the list!

We're also signing our venue contract by this Wednesday, too! *excited*

So, the date is official: April 12, 2014! (4-12-14...a nice, balanced date!) :)

The rest of Sunday was spent calling our dad's to wish them Happy Father's Day and running errands.

So thankful for my dad!

All in all, it was an awesome (and productive) weekend!

Thanks to everyone who gave me their opinion last week on the wedding chair situation, too! It's really helped me in deciding what to do!

And now, today I'm stuck spending my second to last day of work at an all-day training. NOT happy, but gotta do it. I'll just day dream about my weekend, and those men gyrating on stage, to get me through! ;)

Have a good Monday!

Book Review: The Storyteller

For my latest book club book with some friends, we read the book The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

{via}

Amazon's description of the book is:

"Sage Singer is a baker. She works through the night, preparing the day’s breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother’s death. When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can’t, and they become companions.

Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shameful secret—one that nobody else in town would ever suspect—and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well. With her own identity suddenly challenged, and the integrity of the closest friend she’s ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she’s made about her life and her family. When does a moral choice become a moral imperative? And where does one draw the line between punishment and justice, forgiveness and mercy?"

And that description is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this story.

I can't tell you how much I got into this book. It was incredibly well-written, with 2 other stories happening within the main story. This book has love, hate, war, sadness/despair, hope.....it's impressive.

It was nothing like what I expected going in, but I'm so glad that I read it. I think anyone who reads it will agree that it is incredible.

To Chiavari, or Not to Chiavari? Opinions Needed!

THAT is my big question right now...

We're in the midst of going over our contract with our venue and I'm stuck with the question of, should I push for the Chiavari chairs, or not and wait to see what the table set up looks like when everything is complete, and then add them if I need to?

{via}

My problem is, the venue we are using has yellow chairs. My color scheme right now is purple and silver, with maybe a few splashes of green here and there. I dont see how yellow chairs are going to tie in with this.

There are a few "pros" to using the yellow chairs:

-they are free/included in our package; Chiavari chairs would cost us $15/chair (and at 150+ people, plus sales tax, we are talking easily an extra $1500 +...for CHAIRS)

-everyone has said they don't remember what the chairs look like at a wedding 

(but I'm not convinced that it's because people had hideous chairs and no one noticed, or people splurged for the Chiavari's and that's why no one noticed).

-they are more comfortable than Chiavari chairs

Left: prom set up when we went to see the place on Friday
Top Right: what the chairs would look like at a table with white linen
Bottom Right: Set up for a conference, but you can see the chairs

The PRO of Chiavari chairs is that they are pretty, and classic. That's basically it. They will be a neutral at the table and let the colors of the table and the room pop.
(I found a place in the area that would do it for $5.50/chair, but I dont know delivery cost and that's still about $800)

I could try and push for a concession on the venue, but I'm not sure that the venue will just give them to us, free and clear.

Also, chair covers aren't an option because those are $12/chair and the timing of our reception won't allow for the time it takes to cover each chair and tie them up, we've been told.

Is it worth it? Tell me, people who have gotten married....is it worth it? I feel like I could better spend $800-1500+, but I don't want the reception to look jacked up and ugly cuz of these mustard yellow chairs!

Help!!

WILW and Oh How Pinteresting

Happy Hump Day people!!! Time for some link-up fun with Jamie and Michelle:

I'm loving that MG and I have found our wedding venue! My mom is in the process of looking over our contract, and assuming all looks good, we will be signing within the next week! EEEK!

I'm loving that there is now officially less than a week left of school before summer vacation! Wahoooo!

I'm loving that I'm getting closer to having my office all packed up in boxes. It has been quite the chore, y'all!

I'm loving that in 9 days, we will be visiting friends in Charleston, SC. I've never been, but I've heard amazing things and I can't wait!!

I'm loving that I've been having lots and lots of convos (via phone or text) with my bestie lately. I miss that girl, especially now that I'm starting the wedding planning process, and wish she could be here for all of it!

I'm loving that I got in some pool time this past weekend with MG. I haven't been out in the sun since Puerto Rico and girrrrrrrl, these legs were WHITE. They're still a shade of pale, but at least we're working our way to tan....and yes, while using sunscreen!

I'm loving that I've made more time for reading lately. I fell off the reading wagon for a few weeks, but now I'm back on, and just finished reading a really awesome book! Review to come soon!

And, as always, I'm loving Pinterest. It's my guilty pleasure and I'm ok with that!

This week I've been pinning...

Love the light skirt and cute pop of yellow!

Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Um....HECK YES! Definitely making this

Really cute craft idea to personalize a mug

I want this. I see this coming in handy a million times over.

I don't even understand the term "too much Parmesan cheese"
Does not compute.

lol, this reminds me SO much of Cooper who will either run
and hide from the vacuum or attack it

 Check out the other cool stuff I've been pinning (I promise, it's not all wedding stuff! :)

Happy Wednesday!!