Thankful Thursday

I'm borrowing this idea from Blair who I believe borrowed it from Neisha.  For now, I'm not sure whether this will be a short lived thing but I've been feeling so very thankful lately that when I saw this on Blair's blog last week I knew I had to join in for at least a bit.  I think everyone can use more gratitude in their life,don't you?

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.  - John 1:16 (NIV)

And so, on this first Thursday I am thankful for the three beautiful women who will stand next to me on our wedding day just under 60 days from today.

First, I'm thankful for my sisters Kristi and Audra.  We may not always get along but in the end we will always love and support each other.

And then, I'm thankful for my best friend Alyssa.  More to come about her soon in another post.

I've got a really long mental list of items I'm thankful for so look for this to continue at least for a few weeks! :)

(And I've currently got at least 6 half written posts waiting to be finished, so look for my first vendor review and other wedding related details soon!)

This is what's important.

This is what's important.  In 74 days we will be married.  We will have made it through all of this drama that seems to have attached itself to our wedding no matter how hard we have been fighting it.  We will have survived.  We will meet at a chapel that sits half way between where we each grew up and we will leave it having vowed to be together for the rest of our lives.  Doug will be my husband and I will be his wife.  For better or for awesome, for I have decided to accept nothing less.

Responsible for the photo that reminds me why we are doing this thing is Clary

Being a dog Aunt will have to do

I have talked several times here about how I would like to have a dog, see my collected works for the background story.  However, lately I have been thinking that for the time being "borrowing" a dog is a good option.  I love coming home to visit my childhood dog (and maybe my parents too) whenever I can.  Also, my sister (and MOH) got a beagle puppy a few months ago.  Even though he is a crazy little puppy with an extreme amount of enthusiasm for life (aka- running around like a psycho for long amounts of time) I think being his Aunt (favorite!) is great.  He makes me laugh hysterically and is a real lover when he's not being insane.  On Tuesday my sister and I took a drive to scout out some houses for Doug and I to look at (we're moving!) and we took Copper with us.  The whole way home he slept in my lap with his head nestled on my arm, while I was driving of course. :)  My heart majorly melted.

Here are some pictures I took of him while working on a Christmas project.  Hi, my name is Copper and look what a cutie I am.

I don't really understand why you are trying to make me sit still and nice with this stupid hat on, but since you're my favorite Aunt I will try to go with it.

You can only ask so much though woman, because I would much rather eat this hat than wear it.  This is the one that I framed for my sister because I think it is the most representative of the true Copper spirit.

I fully intend to make him my running partner when the weather isn't so yucky and when we have moved (!) closer to my family.  And because he is way too cool and important to be left out, here is a nice picture of the first love of my life, Rascals.

There once was a girl

And she met a boy. And the boy was great and they liked each other very much.

But the boy had a cat. And the cat, he didn't much like the girl.And so he tried to hide from his feelings and from the growing affection between the boy and the girl.And he tried to use male bonding to drive the girl out.And he tried to have a heart to heart (or head to head) with the boy about the girl.But the boy's mind could not be changed and so they got engaged and then the next year the girl brought her things to the house of the boy and his cat. And the cat expressed his displeasure.But the girl did not leave. So, the cat laid in her freshly laundered towels.And he again expressed his displeasure. He said, "Why are you here and ruining my life?"But the girl did not leave. And eventually the boy and the girl decided that it was time to once again bring balance to the house. And so, in their most spontaneous and least thought about decision of the year, they adopted a girl kitten.
And she was happy and cuddly and wonderful.And they named her Halo after the boy's favorite video game at the time. And she kept the girl company through long nights of Xbox.And she served as a guard of the girl from the cat, albeit sometimes a sleepy one.And they all lived happily ever after. Except the cat who is suspected to be incapable of happiness. The end.

A nice reminder

While shopping with my wonderful mom (who now reads my blog- Hi Mom!) yesterday, we of course talked about Doug a lot. But, kind of out of the blue she said, "You know Jamie, you really got a good one." While I obviously know this and thank God every day for the great gift he has given me, it is always nice to get a little reminder/confirmation.

I am also so thankful that my parents love Doug. I think this line from the Edwin McCain song my dad and I will dance to illustrates how they feel: "And I can't help thinking that I'm the lucky one, You're still my baby daughter and now I've gained a son." Coming from a few past relationships where my parents were, let's say, less than thrilled with my choices this is completely refreshing. It's so nice to be able to spend time with both Doug and my parents at the same time and to really enjoy each others' company. Most weeks this is comprised of at least one weekly dinner and sometimes more and I love it.

I have a couple of other posts swirling around in this head of mine but for now they must wait as I fight with my camera to get decent pictures of some of the recently developed "small" wedding details.

I'm lucky

Maybe its the lack of sleep, but a random comment made by Doug while he was playing Halo a few minutes ago just had me laughing so hard.

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend.

What a good weekend!

I had a fabulous weekend for four reasons. In no particular order:

1) No Halo! Doug's primary Halo buddies (my brother in law and their mutual friend) were both otherwise occupied this weekend and I have not seen a single bubble shield, battle rifle, or energy sword since Thursday! More Doug and Jamie time and no Halo makes me a happy girl.

2) Dinner and a movie with my best friend Alyssa! I didn't think I was going to get to see her so soon after she moved, but she came back to take care of a few errands and Doug and I enjoyed a fab evening with her and her boyfriend Jeff. (Sidenote: Night at the Museum 2 is pretty cute, but I think I was more excited about the Harry Potter trailer that came before the movie. Half Blood Prince opens in 46 days in case you were wondering.)

3) Bonding time with mom! My dad had to go to my high school's graduation and mom came down and went shopping with me. I love anytime spent with her because she is an awesome mom and a great friend.

4) For the last few weeks, my friend Jessica and I have been doing what we call "imaginary shopping." We have repeatedly filled countless imaginary online shopping bags with clothes that we wanted but had no money to buy. Today, mom and I went shopping and while I didn't buy everything on my virtual list, let's just say I might have enough new stuff to last me the whole week! (Sidenote: Thank you AE for bringing back your Artist jeans!)

Hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend!

Happy 23rd birthday to my wonderful fiance! (To my knowledge, he doesn't read this blog, but maybe I will send him the link.) I couldn't ask for a better friend, protector, supporter, and debate partner and I am so excited to add husband to that list in only a few days more than a year. Doug, I love you!I have been working on a post about our engagement story, but have not yet perfected it. I promise to have it posted in the next week. :)

We did it!

Bridesmaid Alyssa and I at graduation tonight. She is moving to Michigan for her new job, and wow, how much I am going to miss her! Definitely going to have to figure out how to get to Michigan and for the sake of my sanity, I imagine I will be spending a bit of quality time on whatever road is between here and there.

Love you Lys!

Wow.

There is nothing like a life-altering event to make you realize that little wedding details are unimportant.

Found the love of your life? Hold on tight, cause he (or she) is what's important.

I'm sure I will go back to thinking about tiny wedding stuff. In a while. When the shock wears off and a new sense of normalcy is established.

Really hard questions

Liz kindly provided me with these questions to help me in writing a post since my head is currently full of useless strategic management and business law crap.

However, these questions are so hard that it took me 3 days to answer them. Please excuse any subpar answers.

1. When did you know you and your FI were headed for marriage?
I honestly think we knew from the very beginning. There was instantly this high comfort level between us. Looking back, I think I may have known from our very first date. Our first kiss was perfect. That awkward first kiss feeling was completely absent and it happened so naturally I couldn't believe it. When it got to be 2 am and I had to usher him out of my residence hall because of the overnight guest policy, I had no idea where the time had gone. I knew then I was in trouble. Later, I have realized that even though I had thought I had been in love before, I had no idea.

2. If you had to eat one food for a whole week, what would it be?
My grandma's mashed potatoes. I just ate a full meal and am still salivating at the thought of them. Supposedly my mom makes them exactly the same, but there is definitely a difference.

I was going to say Italian food so I could have more of a variety, but I'm guessing that is a bit of a shady way to answer.

3. If you were a color, what would you be? Why?
I honestly have no idea. So, I googled it and took a quiz. The quiz said I was blue because "You give your love and friendship unconditionally. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive." I have no idea if this is the truth, but I had to find a way to answer the question.

4. Do you have a theme song?
So, I totally had to break out the ol' iTunes to think about this one. And I have decided that my life certainly has an ever-changing and varied soundtrack that includes everything from Styx to Edwin McCain, to Kenny Chesney, Chris Botti, the Foo Fighters and even more artists from all parts of the spectrum, but I'm not sure about a theme song. I have decided on Keith Urban's "God's Been Good To Me" because it's true and it's something I try to remind myself every day.

"Oh the sun is shinin' on down in Tennessee
And right now where I'm right where I wanna be
I've never felt so loved, so peaceful and so free
Hey there ain't no doubt that God's been good to me"

5. What is your perfect job when you get done with school?
This is the only easy one for me. I would love (and believe I would excel at) a position in cost accounting with a major St. Louis manufacturer. For me, the power of accounting does not lie in the debits and credits, but in the large amount of knowledge about operations that can be gleaned from all of the information once it is collected and how it can be used to make improvements. Anything I can do to analyze operations and assist a company in becoming more efficient and profitable interests me. In real life, I will be taking any position that presents itself to me and is in any way related to accounting, finance, or economics.

Looks like I might like him, huh?

This was at his cousin's wedding last June, just posted by his father (don't know how I feel about Dad's on fb, btw).

Trisha, I promise you are next, I've got to make sure I can give your pics the attention which they deserve and I most definitely don't have, as I am now facing what is quite possibly my longest to-do list eva.

My bridesmaids

I have been in two weddings. While I am sure there is photographic evidence of the first, my aunt's wedding sometime in the late-ish 90's, it will never be seen here. The second, my sister Audra's, was in 2006. My sister Kristi, my maid of honor, is to the immediate left of the bride (although half her face is being overtaken by the bride's veil).

My third bridesmaid is my best friend Alyssa. We met randomly at a lunch on a scholarship interview day when we were sitting at the same table. We both received the scholarship and have lived near or together 3 of the last 4 years as well as been in several classes since we are both super awesome business majors. We also serve on the executive board of a student org together. That being said, I just tried to think of any pictures we have together and if we have taken any, I don't have them. Lys, we must remedy that, at the very least, at graduation!

To all three of my girls, I love you!