Happily ever after

One month from today will be the first full day of our honeymoon!  We haven't been on a vacation since 2007 so this is a long overdue trip.  I think we are both very excited just to see some state other than IL and MO!

If you are wondering where we are going this item we received in the mail last week might be a nice clue:

For all the haters

I could go on and on about all my stories of people telling us "you can't do that" for the wedding or "that's a wrong choice."  I was even told (to my face) "well, that's stupid!" on more than one occasion!  It seems that weddings must be really good at bringing the worst out in some people, or at the very least their unsolicited opinions.  I'll spare you all the gory details for now, but let's just say we've dealt with more than our fair share of wedding haters.  However, when I saw the picture below in one of Darbi's recent wedding blog posts I knew I had to write about it.  

Dear multiple people who told us the guys could wear nothing but dress shoes at the wedding,

You all thought we had just come up with some crazy idea.  Even though I insisted it was a wedding trend and that it could look really cool you judged us and looked at us like we were insane.  When we bought our guys Vans to wear for our wedding, one of you even went so far as to forbid a guy to wear them because that was just "our dumb idea."  It didn't matter that all our guys were overjoyed to not have to wear dress shoes.  It didn't matter that we were really excited about the shoes and that we had carefully gone to multiple stores to get the right size for everyone.  It's our wedding and we are going to do what we want anyway, but here is proof we aren't crazy.  And see how nice they look!

Love, Jamie

Ok, so I've tried really hard not to let the haters get to me, as incredibly hard as that's been.  But I just couldn't resist posting this after I saw this gorgeous picture from Darbi's post.  Now after that brief pause for a little therapeutic moment, we will be back to regular wedding details tomorrow with a look at our to-do list before our wedding in 27(!) days.  :)

Thankful Thursday #5

This week I am thankful that I can see an (at least temporary) end to my CPA studying!  I am taking my next section Saturday at 8 am.  Then I will be CPA review free for one glorious month!  So that we can keep this a happy thing let's not talk about how my break is only on account of my ever looming and increasing wedding to do list, ok?  Thanks.


see more dog and puppy pictures

Thankful Thursday #4

This week's Thankful Thursday is sort of two parts.  I am thankful for both independently but was spurred to write this post based on the combination.

Part 1) I'm thankful that I work in an iPod friendly workplace.  First because I love music.  My dad is most definitely the reason for this, both for my love of music in general and for my love of such a wide variety of music styles.  One of our greatest bonding activities is seeing concerts.  We've seen Styx, REO Speedwagon, 38 Special, Journey, Foreigner, Kansas, Brian Culbertson, Michael Buble, Chris Botti, Kenny Chesney, some others I'm probably missing (and some boy bands too since, yes, I was a teenager in the late 90's.)  The songs on my iPod probably span all of the music genres because my dad has cultivated within me both an interest in and respect for almost all music styles.

The second reason that I'm thankful for an iPod friendly workplace is because of the escape it has given me during all these wedding related frustrations.  It's easy to say that work should be enough of a distraction, but that doesn't work for me.  I'm a thinker and those of you who know me IRL know that I will keep thinking forever, especially when it comes to problems.  The work and tunes combo, though, has been just the ticket for me to be able to escape the problems for a bit.  I get to just sit in my cube and work and listen to some great music and I've found that very relaxing.  I'm able to focus on those two things and not on the problem of the day and it is a great feeling.  Sometimes I have to resist the urge to do a little singing and dancing in my chair there in my cube, but I think it's worth the risk. :)

Part 2) One of our favorites to see, Edwin McCain, is my part two to this Thankful Thursday.  Lately, almost all of the time my iPod is set to my Edwin playlist.  It is 100% the best for my distraction/relaxation plan.  So not only did he give me the perfect father daughter dance song, but he is apparently very key in my anti-wedding stress plan as well.  If you've read my last post about him you won't be surprised and neither am I.  I'm not sure I could even begin to explain why his music is so powerful to me but I am so thankful for it, even more now that it has provided me so much relaxation lately.  Maybe this can help explain:

From his bio:
“But the highlight of what I do is playing for and connecting with the people that come out to see me live. The fans - and I hate to call them fans - the friends of music that survive the advertising campaign long enough to understand what music is truly about, and have incorporated my music into their lives to the point where it is a part of their memories and emotions - those are the ones I do it all for....  It’s not about chart positions or record sales or anything like that,” insists the man with 11 albums, a wall of platinum and gold albums that have sold in the millions, and reams of Top 10, 20 and 40 hits, “it just has to do with people coming together and sharing a moment, that's it. And that’s all I ever wanted to do. I just love that moment in the small club and bar where every single person in there has a moment where it’s silent and they get it and it’s beautiful, that moment where the music that’s coming off the stage is much more than the players and much more than the audience and something happens and you’re sitting there and your hair stands up. That’s it, man. I love it.”

I think he represents all that is good about music and what it can do for people.  We actually just saw him at The Pageant one week ago and that night was exactly what I needed.  A relaxing night of good food, great music, and awesome company in my dad.  It was a great show as always and we will never miss any show he has in St. Louis.  And my offer in my last post about him still stands of course, buy some of his stuff if you haven't heard more than "I'll Be" or "I Could Not Ask For More" and if you don't like it I'll reimburse you.  I don't expect to put any money out here because I know you'll love it.  Feel free to ask for a recommendation on which album to start with. :)

So this week let's say I'm thankful for my anti-wedding stress plan with two independent but equally important parts.  I only see it becoming increasingly more important as we get closer to wedding day.  We've been in the double digits for quite a while but now the first number is only a 3 and to say I'm terrified is an understatement!

Invitation Reveal

Now that the USPS has had time to deliver our invitations to our guests, it is time to reveal them.  I think they turned out great and to be honest after all the time and frustration that went into them I welcome positive comments and/or questions only. :)

Of course, no invitation photo shoot would be complete without the mustang in the background.

These are almost completely DIY, only the pocketfolders and monogram were purchased.  They were a pain at times but totally worth it.  As I've already mentioned I welcome questions and comments but keep any negative thoughts to yourself please. :)

Thankful Thursday #3

This week I am thankful for big families and good examples.

This picture is from my shower and with the exception of one Grandma represents just one side of my family.  In the front row we've got paternal gma and maternal gma.  Then we've got sister and MOH K, Aunt K, Aunt P, me, Aunt R, my mom, Aunt F, Aunt S, Aunt C, and another Aunt S.  And we are even missing one - Aunt J.  Yep, my mom is one of nine and I think that is awesome.  Big families rock.

The list of adjectives that can describe these awesome women includes but is not limited to: wise, kind, strong, fun, crafty, sincere, witty, loyal, caring, faithful, protective, understanding, and generous.  I am so lucky to have these women in my life and I thank God this Thursday for the great examples he has given me to learn from.  Their support has also been invaluable to me during all of this wedding stress.

2nd vendor review: Looks by JLW

Let me just start by saying I love Jenn of Looks by JLW.  Now that we've got that out of the way, I can tell you why.  First of all, she put up with me rescheduling my makeup trial about 5 million times and was so nice about it every time.  It actually worked out very well because she was available the morning of my shower and it was so nice to not have to worry about my makeup.  I also asked her if she could help me with my hair and she happily obliged.  Second, I think we could have chatted for hours, she is so personable and sweet.  And most importantly, I loved my makeup and hair!

I basically gave her no guidance whatsoever and it was like she read my mind!  I have never received more compliments about my hair and makeup in one day and I have to thank Jenn 100% for that.

I obviously already had Jenn booked for both my and my girls' makeup for wedding day but now I am also going to be scheduling my bridal pics around her availability as well.  I will certainly be recommending Jenn to other brides!  Rating: A+

Tuesday Shoesday Fail, a.k.a. life with cats

This week I wanted to do a Tuesday Shoesday à la Brit with my wedding shoes.  And so I set out to photograph them.  Apparently fuschia heels by Chinese Laundry are very interesting to cats.

Photo attempt #1: one cat laying behind the shoes and one cat getting blinded by my camera's flash

Photo attempt #2:  Still a cat napping behind them, but somewhat better

Photo attempt #3: Yep, still a cat but check out those 4 inch heels!  I know, what was I thinking?  Don't worry I ordered an extra pair of the flip flops I bought my girls for myself!

I guess professional pics will have to wait until we are in a cat free zone, so look for those after May 22.  I at least get credit for trying right?

Invitations are on their way!

After several frustrating weekends, our invitations went in the mail this morning!  One thing after another seemed to get in our way such as the printer refusing to print the right color, my custom made map looking bad when shrunk to the size it needed to be, and my adhesive choice being a miserable fail.  I am so thankful that my mom didn't give up on me and my very specific vision sometime in the last few weeks!

All the details are to come after we give the USPS some time to deliver these to their (hopefully) excited recipients.