Thankful Thursday #7

I think I have officially had the longest week ever.  Training for your new job while training your replacement is exhausting!  Actually it might be better phrased as training your replacement while working the hardest week of the month in your new job after little to no training.  Either way you say it, while my bank account thanks my employer for the overtime, I'm physically and mentally drained.  If tomorrow wasn't Friday I'm not sure I'd be able to convince myself to get out of bed.

Therefore this Thankful Thursday is inspired both by my stressful week and that which got me through it.  I'm going to leave it at a bible verse and a list of things that helped me through this week.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (The Message)

Things I'm thankful for this week:
Funfetti cupcakes - give me all the homemade cakes in the world and I'd probably turn them down for this cake from a box
Bomb Pops - brings me back to my childhood and a nice (only 40 calorie) treat when I'm craving something sweet while still trying to stick to my calorie limit
Mail - see my Tuesday post
Bridal Solidarity -Brit's a girl after my own heart
Having a job at all - had a couple friends lose their jobs recently and I'm extremely thankful for mine even if it is difficult right now
Working out - Chalene makes my day better every time
A cuddly kitten
Sisters - both in the traditional sense and my bff in MI who is as good as, and yes I know I used them on my first TT but they've all helped me in some way this week and this is my post so get over it :)
Two (more) pounds lost!
Not having to study - there is no doubt that God knew the right time for me to rotate was during the month break I have from CPA studying, having to come home from working OT and then study would not have been possible

So this week, while I am thankful for the new challenges and learning opportunities that my new job have brought me, I am even more thankful for a God who knows what I need to enable me to get through what he knows I can handle (even when I'm not so sure).

Oh, Monday...

Today was one of those days that goes on forever. Just one problem after another and the only thing that was keeping me going was knowing that in just three weeks Doug and I will be here on our first vacation in three years:

 Wouldn't it be nice if there were always something like this to help get you through a bad day?

A Good Cry

It seems to me that lately the only thing that seems to be coming from the dwindling of days between now and wedding day (the official count is 189, by the way) is an increased frequency of wedding related drama and therefore, for me at least, a lot more crying. I can't even remember the last week that went by without me breaking down over something. So far I have chosen not to address these things here for fear of this blog being discovered by those causing the crying. For now I think I will keep it that way but let's just say there is a group of people who seem to find anything and everything we decide for the wedding to be wrong and bad. And they have to tell us. This explanatory/defensive post, for example stemmed from one of our encounters with these people. If you know me in real life, I would imagine that you have already heard one, two, or all of these stories but another one happened today so feel free to ask.

So obviously none of those are good cry's and the topic of this post is actually a good cry from a few weeks ago. I arrived home on a Friday afternoon (not usually a crying event) and had received a package in the mail (also, not a crying event). I opened it to find the bouquet charms I had ordered from Etsy seller DesignsbyTami. And I cried, but this was one really good wedding related cry. I sat there by my front door and cried and just remembered and thanked God for the blessing that both of my grandpas were to me and my families.I initially ordered these to adorn my bouquet, and they will. However, I know these will find a more permanent place in my life post-wedding. I miss and think of my grandpas often and these charms will be such a nice way to carry them with me always, not just on my wedding day.

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." Philippians 1:3

This has got to be a first

I have a wedding venue that not only won't respond to numerous phone messages, but also has ignored a tweet from my fab planner! Now, I'm just not sure this is something I can support.

In other news, I need some feedback here. If our ceremony site's rules state : "The following activities are not allowed on University property: ..... 3. Posting of signs on trees, lampposts, fences, buildings, street signs, etc." That still means I can get Doug to make us a cute sign like this and be perfectly legal, right?Source

In other, other news, my sister and I had a nice chat tonight about possibilities for my bridal shower and I am really excited! We don't always get along, as with most siblings I think, but I am so happy that she agreed to be my maid of honor. Love you K!

Priorities

I spent today home sick and pinned to our couch by two cats who with a human present to nap on could find no piece of furniture suitable to them. Therefore, while I should have used this extra time to study for my upcoming cpa exam or graduate class, I was hardly in a physical (by both definitions) position to do so. Instead I spent the day cuddling with my kitties and having a bit of a long overdue conversation with myself.

Lately I have been in a very "Hey world, I see you passing me by, but there's nothing I can do about it because I'm too busy" kind of mood. My daily routine begins with getting up for work after not getting enough sleep, working, and then coming home and either studying or falling asleep on the couch because I'm too tired to do the studying I need to be doing. I feel like I am never catching up on things that need to be done. I feel guilty when I fall asleep and should be studying or when I choose not to study and instead do something I want to do. And I'm tired of it. I've decided that I need to prioritize and simplify.

While it's still a work in progress, I think these are what I've decided to focus on:
1) Work - pretty obvious
2) The remainder of my CPA exam sections - Credit for my first passed one will only last so long, but I'm not going to rush myself either
3) Wedding planning - our countdown stands at 229 days and there are so many things left to take care of
4) Getting healthy - I haven't worked out in at least a month and let me tell you it does not feel good. My eating habits are in a similar state of disarray. I'm not necessarily concerned with losing weight but definitely getting toned and just overly more healthy.
5) And certainly not last, Doug, family and friends - I'm sick of not having enough time for them and/or feeling guilty for spending time with them instead of other commitments. There are also some people who I haven't been making time for at all and that's going to change.

And what's going to go:
1) My master's degree - The class I am currently in ends the end of this month. I will definitely be taking time off until the middle of February and am considering waiting until May or later to begin another class. I just don't feel that I need to immediately get this degree. It certainly isn't immediately necessary in my current position and it will be a while before it will be needed for me to move up. I definitely want to pursue it and I don't want to wait forever to do so, but I think a break is justified. So it's going for now.
2) The lack of a positive schedule - My current routine sucks. I want to wake up well rested. Go to work. Come home, work out and eat dinner. Followed by an hour or two of studying comprised of a specific study plan. Not studying all night and not studying whatever I can tolerate that night. Then I want to do stuff I want to do- recreational reading, tv, time with friends and family, blogging!, and working on wedding stuff. And I don't want to study and catch up on household chores all weekend either.
3) Dealing with other people's random drama that seems to be forcing itself into my life and wasting precious time that could be devoted to other things

So, what do we think? Anyone have to do something similar to get their life back under control? Anyone see something I'm missing or not thinking properly about? Thoughts, please!

Ain't that the truth

While listening to Pandora just now I heard an ad that went something like : "Marriage: It is the only family member you get to choose and it gives you a second sane person at the dinner table."

Given our recent experiences with a couple family members, I would have to say this is a fairly accurate statement.

Anyone have any terrible inlaw related stories to share, because they would sure make me feel better.

Why we want a small wedding

Now I know small is a relative thing, but I consider our hope for the guest list to be as little over 115 as possible to be small. Especially considering we have 75+ in family between the two of us.

And yes, it's partially a budget thing but for the most part it's not because there are so many other good reasons!

1. We want to spend this incredibly important day with those that are most important to us. Our families and close friends are both incredibly important to us and we want to share our wedding with those we love and who love us. Random people that aren't actively in our lives could only detract from that experience.

2. Less random extra people = less anxiety. Both in the planning and execution stages as well as the actual events. Being immersed in a day spent celebrating with good friends and family, where everyone (and us especially) is completely comfortable. We want our day to be a joyful celebration of our marriage, not some sort of big show or spectator event. A small group promotes a closeness where emotions can flow naturally and comfortably.

3. We want to be able to spend time with our guests! The smaller the group, the more time per guest. We don't want one of those weddings where the bride and groom can't even remember who they saw or talked to. I want our guest book to remind me of the good time we had with each individual, not whether they were there or not! Also, we want to spend time with people who we are actually interested in spending time with. No use wasting precious time making conversation with people out of some forced obligation when we could be enjoying the most important day of our life so far with those most important to us.

I just picked up the fabric swatch I ordered for the bridesmaid dresses and the color is exactly what I imagined! :)

While this pales in comparison to the major wedding related drama occurring right now, it's a little thing that made my day a bit better. Maybe it only went from terrible to bad, but I'll take it.

What was I thinking?

As of five minutes ago, I am officially registered for all four parts of the CPA exam before the end of the year.

I am also officially terrified.

July 25th - Business Environment
August 29th - Audit
October 17th - Financial
November 28th - Regulation

While doing this I will definitely still be wedding planning, and will either continue to be a grad student or working full-time at some yet to be determined job.

What was I thinking?

I have major stress and drama going on right now

but let's not talk about that, ok? How about something light and really inconsequential?

This is my save the date inspiration. I apologize to whoever on the knot I took it from a long time ago for not having a source.
and this is what I have so far:

The question of the day is: does the photo I chose work ok? I searched and could not find a suitable picture (that includes our heads) to fit in the required space. I really think that one of the key beautiful things about the inspiration picture is the white date over the b/w picture.

I'm also on the fence about using the quote in the original (which I love) or the quote I put on ours (which was part of Doug's proposal, but hardly anyone knows about).

Tell me what you think, please! I believe, though, what I am really looking for is support to justify another e-pic session for Doug and I, so anyone who wants to lean their advice towards that solution is especially encouraged. :)