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Wow! It has been a very long time since I have last blogged here, and I think I'm ready to talk again.  Between planning the wedding, buying a home, and trying to have some time to myself, I took a little break from the blogosphere.  Please forgive.

It's been almost 3 weeks since the wedding, and it seems like a lifetime ago I woke up ready to promise to be loyal to the love of my life for eternity.  It was a wonderful experience to be sealed to my husband, and so far, marriage has been both what I expected and not what I expected.

What I didn't expect was how normal being married would feel. Life goes on. We spent a heavenly week in Maui, filled with beach time, snorkeling, and long drives.  Then, all of a sudden, we snapped back into our normal routine.  We both went back to work, had bills to pay, errands to run, dinner to cook.  It's been wonderful, comforting, and very normal. I'm very happy to not be in shock from a gigantic life change, although I must admit some feelings of homesickness have washed over me several times.  Not for home, but for nights watching movies at Trev's parents house, our long drives and slurpee runs.  I'm sure we'll get back to that once things settle in a bit, but oh how I have missed it as we've been planning and running around getting the necessities done.

I've also become a little more thoughtful lately.  Maybe it's because my mind is no longer filled with flowers, cake, and wedding decorations.  I'm ready to pursue some bigger things in life.  I recently saw this quote: "Die with memories, not dreams", and it's really made me think about the dreams I have and what I can be doing NOW to make them a reality.  I'm ready to buckle down and pursue some of my wants and wishes I've been too tired, overwhelmed, or lazy to pursue.  I'm a professional procrastinator and I'm ready to change my ways!

You may be thinking to yourself "Wow, Debby Downer, way to kill the mood".  But really, I hope to be able to make changes in my life now to really feel fulfilled.  I hope to be someone reliable, put together, and kind.  I know these things are already part of who I am, but I really want to emphasize them.  I'm ready for a full makeover, if you will.  Do you get what I'm saying?

I am very excited to begin sharing many photos from the wedding day with you, but for now, here's one from the happiest day of my life so far....

And here's to many, many more happy days with my one and only by my side.

Wedding Cheesiness

Today, I need to blog.  I'm getting extremely excited for my coming wedding (79 days!), and this morning I was able to have my final fitting for my wedding gown.  I had debated on which belt I wanted... yes, real big problems here... and finally chose the perfect addition to my gown and belt placement as well.  Turns out depending on where you put the belt can change EVERYTHING about the dress, and I am beyond excited that we found the perfect look today. 

Let me tell you a little bit about my gown.  It is fairly form fitting, and makes my bum look extra great.  It's actually two separate pieces, one is a lining, and the other is a beautiful lace and mesh overlay.  I can hardly stand how beautiful I feel in this glamorous gown.  It is sparkly and hangs just right in all the right places.  I haven't been too emotional about it until today, and it was such a great experience to have so much support as I am preparing for one of the biggest days of my life. In fact, here's a photo. 

But to be honest, it looks way different in person on my body & with our alterations, but you can still get a general idea:

Trevor and I have decided that he is not to see the dress until we take our bride & groom photos (but he has seen this photo on the model).  Our photographer is going to take a first look photo for us, and I couldn't be more excited.  I have always pictured my husband seeing me on our wedding day for the first time, but I am even more excited about having that moment captured forever. 

You sick of my wedding cheesiness yet?

These past few weeks have been zooming by scarily fast, and just this morning it really started to sink in that very soon I will be marrying the man of my dreams. 

*siiigh*. 

Life is good, people. I hope I never snap out of this twitterpated phase.

Weekend Plans & Made by Girl

It's Friday, and this weekend is going to be extremely productive.  I can hardly wait to get stuff DONE.

First of all, I got paid today, and I'm sure all of you can relate when I say that there are a few things on my list I have had to wait for because I needed some money. (I do not live in a rich man's world... unfortunately, although I do enjoy ABBA) For example: I am 300 miles over my oil change mileage limit... and about a month over the date limit.  Yeah, my poor car is probably really unhappy. 

Also, engagement photos are happening this coming Thursday and I couldn't be more excited!  Trevor has agreed to let me have a makeover this week, so I'm getting my hair done, and investing in a set of extensions.  Haters gonna hate, but my hair is too thin and grows too slow for me.  Also, I'm still a pageant girl by heart, so wearing someone else's hair is like second nature to me.

Lastly, I'm sure you've all heard of the Made by Girl Blog.  If you haven't, you've got to check it out. Links Galore!

Anyway, Jen Ramos (the editor of Made by Girl) is an extremely talented artist, and I'm obsessed with her prints and paintings.  A lot of them actually inspired my wedding colors.

I actually just splurged and bought the foil prints, both the LOVE print, and the Paris 4 pack.  I'm very excited to incorporate these things into my wedding.  You can find all these items at her shop.  Or you can simply click here.

Enjoy!

88 Days & a Weekend Update

Monday! I sure do love you. Well, at least today I do.  We are now down to 88 days on the official wedding count down, and I'm pretty sure it feels like yesterday when we reached 100 days. 

Part of me loves how fast time is going, but part of me is also starting to have random daily fits of panic as I realize how much there is to do between now and August 2nd.

I mean, we haven't even taken engagements yet for heaven sakes!  (On the calendar for May 16th, though.  I'm beyond excited.)

This weekend was pretty laid back, I don't have any exciting stories or photos, but to give you an idea of how things went... here's a post weekend recap. (Mostly for me so I feel a LITTLE productive..)

Friday: Talked to insurance agent, got discount on car insurance & also a quote for Trevor.  I was satisfied when I found that my insurance is a whole $20 a month cheaper than his.  I realize this mostly is due to the fact that he is a male in his early 20's, but Trevor wins at everything, so I take what I can.

Saturday: Got my hair done (thanks, mom!).  Helped my little sister get ready for prom.  She looked beautiful, and I felt like a winner.

Don't they ALL look great? She had the best group.

Sunday: Went to church.  Made some dinner for me and my bestie, and got some date time with Trevor.

So, really, it was a pretty average weekend... I'll hopefully have some more exciting events next week to share (if I share them at all, really... sorry little blog!)

Bloggers Block

Oh hey there, little blog! (brushes off dust)

It's been awhile.  Where have I been?

Well, here and there.  I've been feeling a little, well, pooped lately.  Blogging has turned into more of a chore than a break, and I found myself comparing my measly little blog to other great and beautiful blogs, and feeling a little small.  Yes, I know this is no true measure of my character, my success, or my value as a human being, but it's hard to see all the great things other people are blogging about and not feel a little left out.

He's a quote that explains my problem:

"The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel." -Steve Furtick

And I firmly believe it is true, but does anyone else feel like they don't have any highlight reel moments? At all? Man, I sure do.

I feel like that would be exhausting.  I feel like I may have been blogging for the wrong reasons, but I still want to blog.  What is wrong with me?  PMS?  Probably. I don't know what I want.

That's really what it's like, fellas. ^

But anyway, I feel like this week is going to be a good one.  I have some very exciting news I want to share, but I am waiting just a bit longer until the good news is 100% set in stone.  I'm a little skeptical that it's actually happening. But it involves me, Trevor, and Lehi, UT. Whoopie!

I'll be back again soon, I swear!

I Said Yes to the Dress!

How's that for a cliche title?  But yes, it's true!

Yesterday was a great day. I went dress shopping at Veronica Michaels in Spanish Fork (Utah).  This shop is really special to me.  I absolutely ADORE the owner, Leslie.  I have been purchasing dresses from her, and practically only her, for over 5 years (we figured that out yesterday), and was so excited to be able to have that be my first wedding dress stop.

It was also really great to have 4 of my best friends there: two of my roommates (and best friends since Jr.High -- See Photo Below), my mom, and my 8 year old baby sister. Couldn't have been more perfect!

Well, I am happy to announce that I found my dream dress yesterday! It was the 2nd gown I tried on, which is ironic because my ring is actually the 2nd ring I tried on. But holy hannah, is this dress gorgeous. It's an ivory sheath gown.  It's really neat because it's actually in two pieces.  The lining is a gorgeous satin, and you can actually wear it on it's own if you REALLY wanted to, and the 2nd piece is a stunning lace overlay with applique and crystals. I can hardly stand how perfect it is. Leslie pinned it up to fit me like a glove, as she always does... she's amazing, is doing alterations and getting it perfect for my big day. I am seriously ecstatic.

I would post a picture of it on the sample model, but I'm afraid that Trev would see it, and I want him to be completely surprised when he sees me for the first time... we're going very traditional for this wedding of ours! So you'll all just have to wait a few months for pictures. :)

I really just wanted to share that exciting news. Usually I take a break from blogging over the weekend, but this news was too exciting to not share!  Hope everyone is enjoying their last day of weekend!

Emotional Roller Coaster & A Makeover

After reading my previous post, you may think that I'm an emotional roller coaster.  Why? Well, because today I am on the opposite side of the spectrum and am over the moon about this coming year.

A few things may have contributed to this 'tude change:

a. Wonderful and thoughtful comments from dear friends.
b. A phone call with my momma.
c. A tough personal decision I made last night, that made me feel like an empowered woman.

Also, the sun is shining, and that always is a good thing.

On another note, as I've been pondering I've been thinking about giving myself a top to bottom makeover.  This is not a good time to do this, as I need to save, save, save!  However, what better time to look & feel your best than right before your wedding?  Yep, it's happening.

Here are some recent finds that have gotten me excited to get this thing going, as well as some of my beauty products that I will never stray from.

Click on images for details.*

The most important thing to me is making sure that my skin looks good. I used to have really bad acne on my cheeks, and still have some remaining scarring and bumps, so I need that COVERED. I love, love, LOVE L'Oreal's foundation.  I use their True Match foundation mixed with a tiny bit of moisturizer to give me a good color and enough moisture to not dry out.  I get really dry skin very easily, especially during the winter.

I also use their compact makeup two shades darker as a bronzer.  Lately, I haven't been bronzing quite as much, just along the forehead and the sides of my nose.  I use this powder foundation instead of a bronzer because I hate feeling like a vamp from the Twilight series.  No glittery face here, please!

The blush I use and will ALWAYS use, is Wet N Wild's Icon Blush in Pearlescent Pink. It's perfect for my skin.  I've been going a little heavier with the blush lately, and Trevor is always commenting on how he loves the way I've been doing my makeup.  It makes me feel glamorous.

As far as eyes go, I will always apply my eyeshadow first.  I like to put the darker color into the crease first, then apply a more neutral color to the rest of the lid.  I know that's backwards from how most people do it, but I find it easier to blend that way with my lack of skills.  This pallet is one I am planning on buying, but I do have an Almay pallet right now and I really like how it goes on.  Use E.L.F.'s lid primer ($1 at Target), and you will be set.

Liquid liner, please!  Currently I think I am using some Maybelline liquid liner, but I'm going to be purchasing the Almay liner pen in black.  I used to use it, and regret switching.  It's the best, and the tip is pretty stiff so you'll have more control.

Lastly, I will usually throw on some natural looking falsies on the weekends.  If you put your eyeliner on first, then get them close enough to your lashline, nobody will even notice they were $3 lashes from Walmart.

I would have added a mascara, but to be honest, most mascaras work fine for me.  I'm currently using Maybelline's Colossal Lash mascara, but I'm always just buying whatever's on sale.     

And that, my friends, is my daily makeup routine.  It probably doesn't mean much to you, because I don't have too many personal photos on the blog at the moment, but I feel like that's a good start to my makeover motivation.

I'm Not a Wedding Planner!

I've been trying really hard to blog more lately.  I am so full of so many emotions at the moment, I'm finding it appealing to write & share, yet so difficult to get what I want to say into actual words. 

If I were to tell you I am completely at ease with planning this wedding, I would be lying.  I've been having headaches, losing sleep, and am just plain out exhausted.  I am so excited to be married to my best friend, but this whole wedding reception thing is a beast.  And OH so expensive, might I add.

I've been feeling a little guilty, because I know that this should be such a fun time!  I mean, we're only going to be engaged once in our life together, right? Trevor is holding it together like a champ, working overtime at his job (which is a bit miserable for him -- Thanks, babe!), keeping in touch with our realtor, and also taking any tasks off of my hands that may just push me over the edge. So efficient. 

Anyway, here are a few inspiration points for our wedding:

Does anyone have any wedding planning advice for us?  The wedding is 6 months away, so I have tons of time, but I just can't help but stress.

Lazy Mondays & a To Do List

Monday, Monday.  Here you are yet again.

I'm feeling like I need a vacay already, and we've still got 4 days until the weekend. I'm probably especially feeling that way because I am creating my weekly to-do list.  Maybe I should start creating those at the beginning of my weekend so I can procrastinate a few days before beginning?

1. Contact wedding venue to schedule walk-through of the space.
2. Call Mom to tell her what you scheduled. 
3. Try to hit the gym 3 times this week.  You can do it!
4. Deposit cash.
5. Budget for groceries.  Go grocery shopping.
6. Contact Golds Gym to ask why they raised your rate by $15.  Jerks.
7. Begin looking for wedding decor.
8. Have girls night.
9. Get a higher tax return. You can do it!
10. Remind Trev of his to-do list. (He really never needs reminding.  He's the best.)

I have posted photos from Trevor's proposal on Facebook, and will share those here soon.

Does anyone else feel like work is getting harder and harder to go to every day? I always get into a January slump. I just want to take a week off, and plan all things wedding. But, alas, I have to work so we can actually pay for things.  Weird how that works, isn't it?

I hope you don't get sick of my wedding updates, but it's just too much fun.  Last week I was feeling a little overwhelmed, but after a much needed pow-wow with my mom, I'm nothing but excited to plan this thing.

More updates soon!  I have an inspiration-board in the works and can't wait to show it to you all.

The Wedding Planner & Organizer

I am so bad at posting on this blog!  But I just love it so much, I need to make it happen.  Sorry little guy, I promise to give you more attention.. uhm.. eventually?

But anyway, things are so crazy.  I find myself not wanting to do anything wedding related right now.  It could have to do with the fact that it's still 7 months away (No date yet, but it will be in August), the fact we're trying to buy a house right now, or maybe the fact that I'm a born procrastinator at heart, but I just can't do it!

I did happen to buy this helpful piece of organization heaven from Amazon last night, and I'm hoping it helps! The reviews from other brides were nothing but fabulous, so maybe it will give me the boost I need.  I love organization!

Does anyone have any wedding advice for me?  Where should I begin?  Maybe it will help when we officially pick our date... but I just don't want to do that either!

What is wrong with me!?

On another note, I am truly loving being an engaged woman.  It's such a thrill to look down at my hands and see a gorgeous reminder that someone amazing loves me. Life is so good.