Weekend Accomplishments

I was just about to type a new post here with some wedding updates and remembered I have my "new" wedding blog...oops! Go there to see what my sister and I did over the weekend.

www.amysallows.com

My Sister is Coming....

My sister is coming to stay with me over the weekend!! I'm so excited. We are going to work on wedding stuff on Saturday (centerpieces, invitations, etc) and we are attending a bridal show on Sunday.

Did I mention how excited I am....I've got so much stuff I want to run by her. Fiance isn't so helpful on certain aspects of the wedding so I need a "girls" opinion on a few things.

Moving Fast....

I feel like 2010 has already passed by in a blur. The days are moving by so quickly and I don't feel like I've cherished one moment so far.

I feel like my days are like a record stuck on repeat....go to work, make dinner, workout/clean, go to bed. I realized today that it's been weeks since I've had a "real" conversation with my fiance. Of course we talk every day, but it's either me complaining about my job, discussing what's for dinner, then complaining how tired I am and how little I've accomplished on my to-do list. I don't have a clue what he's been up to lately. I almost feel like when we are together I'm just too tired to even strike up a conversation.

I need to slow down and "smell the roses" once in a while. I need to reflect on the "important" things in life and make sure I'm taking the time to enjoy each of those moments. I've always believed in the idea that FAMILY COMES FIRST but lately I've been putting my job and my stresses in front of everything else.

This means I need to stop stressing out, over thinking, or complaining and put my troubles in perspective and try to enjoy the short time I have here with my loved ones. I need to savor and appreciate each moment because you can't go back. I need to appreciate life and cherish each moment instead of rushing from Point A to Point B.

I need to learn to do this quickly as I can only imagine how hectic and crazy life will become once the wedding date approaches.

Glad he bought the warranty.....NOT!

I haven't been wearing my engagement ring for over 3 weeks. I've lost 30 lbs and the ring no longer stays on my finger. Between the months of November and December I bet my ring fell off no less than 75 times. It would fall off at the gas station (and roll under other people's car), it would fall off at the grocery store (and get run over by a cart shooting the ring 10 feet down the aisle), it would fall of while I was shoveling (thank goodness the ring is still so shiny), it would fall off at work (and roll under equipment out in shop)........let's just say my ring has been through hell and back these past few months and it shows. The diamond on top has a prong loose and the row of diamonds that line the side are going to fall out any minute. The part of the ring holding in the diamonds is so severely bent that it isn't even touching them on one whole side.

I know that I need to get it re-sized but the jewelry store has now closed and the company that is supposed to be handling my warranty is a b*tch to work with. They are telling me it will take a minimum of 12 weeks to "look" at the ring. They want me to MAIL in my ring....yes, you read that correctly.....they want me to MAIL a $4000 ring to them. So it's not just the idea of being without my ring for 3-4 months, but there is no way on God's green earth I'm putting my ring in an envelope and hoping it reaches it's destination.

So, here is my dilemma.....what am I supposed to do now? Will another jewelery store do the work on my ring even though it wasn't purchased there? What is the cost going to be? Do you really think it's safe to MAIL my ring? And is 3-4 months a normal time frame to fix my ring?

New Wedding Website

My ever so kind IT God has created a new Wedding Website for me as a gift for our wedding. It is here that I will be posting most of my wedding posts from here on out. As the wedding date inches closer, it will be nice to have a place to post much needed information for our wedding party, parents, guests, etc.

I will continue to keep this blog for my personal posts about life, weight watchers, etc. And don't be surprised if a few wedding posts show up on here also as I am used to Blogger and still learning my way around WordPress.

So go, check it out and let me know what you think. Did any of you use a wedding site? If so, was it helpful for your wedding party, family, etc?

Dear Kindle

Dear Kindle,

Won't you be mine????

What would I do without my sister???

So, I had my first wedding dream (nightmare) last night! Don't you think it's a little early for me to be dreaming about the wedding? Most likely it's because there has been nothing but wedding talk around my house for a couple weeks now. As soon as the clock struck twelve and it was 2010 we realized we need to get on the ball and start moving. We get married in 186 days so the checklist has been brought back out along with a to-do list that's a mile long.

Anyway, back to my story. So in my dream I woke up the day of my wedding to find that I had slept in my wedding dress and it was all wrinkly. Well, as always, my sister Rachel was there to save me. She had a "spare" dress that was identical to my dress and she simply slipped the new dress on me and away we went.

I know it doesn't seem like much to those of you who don't know me, but that dream just solidifies the fact that I could NEVER face anything as big as my wedding day without my sister by my side. She has been, and always will be, my saviour.

I Feel Like a Bride....Finally!

I didn't admit this to many people, but after my wedding dress came in I HATED IT.....I tried it on the day I picked it up and started crying right there in David's Bridal. All the associates thought I was crying because I loved the dress, but that wasn't the case. I took it home and waited a few more weeks before pulling the dress out again. I was hoping that the feeling I had the day I purchased it would come back, but again, I felt nothing and found myself sobbing over this dress.

If you remember from this post I actually stated that "I ended up with a dress that isn't ANYTHING even close to what I thought I would like"......maybe that should have been a warning sign!!!

After much discussion with my fiance we decided that I had to get another dress. And that's just what I did......I, with the help of some girlfriends, found the most amazing dress. It was exactly what I had in mind all along. I feel gorgeous, classy, and most importantly, I feel like a bride!!

I'm not sure if you can tell in this photo, but I am grinning ear to ear!! I was just beaming....The dress is a trumpet style and it just hugs me in all the right places.

And the back of the dress was just as gorgeous.....look at all those buttons! Such great detail.

Here is a close-up of the front of the dress. So simple, but with enough bling to make it ME

In this picture you will notice a small bulge in my middle area.....this is NOT my stomach. We actually found that the dress was too big and the fabric was bunching up. Once the associate pulled it tight and pinned it there, the bulge went away

I was so worried that I would have to purchase all new accessories, but much to my surprise it all worked with the new dress. The necklace, earrings, veil and headband did not need to be returned.

I decided on purchasing a "trumpet slip" and it seemed to make a big difference in the way the bottom of the dress laid. It will definitely help keep the shape of the dress for pictures.

Feel free to go here to see another view of the dress.

I'm Back....

Obviously, I took some time off.....2 weeks without any blogging (or reading other blogs) is exactly what I needed!! Most of this was by choice, but also because the past 16 days have flown by like a big blur. I honestly can't believe that I am going back to work tomorrow after 2+ weeks off. I feel like I just had a long weekend, and that's not good. I'm totally not rejuvenated and could cry at the thought of reality slapping me in the face tomorrow.

When I started my vacation back on December 18 I had this big "to-do" list of specific things I wanted to accomplish during my time off. I looked at that list today and I was only able to cross off two items. I'm so disappointed in myself.

Needless to say, 2010 has not started off the way I had hoped. I'm physically and mentally exhausted and just pray that I can get back into the swing of things