Going the Distance

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!

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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

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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?

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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...