Newlywed Chronicles

Chilaxin in the pool

2010-07-08T14:43:00.001-05:00

Chilaxin in the pool

99 Things I Ought to Have Done

2010-02-28T21:15:00.002-06:00

I stole this from Heather at Heather Drive

Instructions:
Copy the list, bold the ones you've done (with explanations if needed), share with friends.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars (many times as a child)
3. Played in a band (I played the clarinet in band, starting in middle school and going through senior year in high school)
4. Visited Hawaii (after 5th grade)
5. Watched a meteor shower (Jen and I went to do this in college when we should have been studying for exams)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (been to Disneyworld many times though)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (scrapbooking/wedding crafts - soon to start construction (furniture building))
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (It's been years, but I've done it.)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (like, the cities? yes.)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (Dad and I rode in the ambulance to get looked at after a wreck)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snorkeling)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (QuikDrop franchise)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I was a Brownie and a Girl Scout!)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (happens to the best of us)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (the jerk who stole our $ from Summit Ballrooms)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

39 out of 99 @ 32 years old. That's not too bad, right?

We put in an offer!!

2010-02-15T13:25:00.001-06:00

We are waiting to hear if it was accepted. Waiting....waiting....waiting

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Luke's first Christmas

2010-01-02T21:32:00.003-06:00

All tuckered out...

Luke was baptized on 12/27/09

Cousins - Luke and my niece, Taylor

Here is our cutie!!

Here are some recent pics of Christmas with our cutie!!

This was my year....what a year it was!

2010-01-02T21:31:00.005-06:00

Prayers Please

2009-12-07T11:21:00.001-06:00

Urgent prayers are needed for my Uncle Steve (the one dressed as Santa in the pix with Luke). He has lung cancer. In the month since those pictures were taken his health has declined rapidly and he is having trouble breathing and sleeping (because of the breathing). He and my aunt are en route to Houston to go to MD Anderson in hopes that they can treat the cancer and provide him some relief. Because of his health, they had to abandon many of their Christmas job duties (He was the Santa at Bass Pro in Olathe, KS) which will be a big financial difficulty for them. Please pray for quick healing and comfort for him and for the strength and comfort for my Aunt Carol as they walk this journey together. In the weeks ahead please pray for their finances. We love you Santa Steve!! We know you will get your strength back and feel better soon!

2009-11-10T10:38:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Luke is home now!!

2009-11-01T15:38:00.003-06:00

The doggie in the uniform

Luke is ready to catch the football!

Luke is wondering what this is all about...

Every costume needs a hole for your tail! :)

Here is our little Cowboy!

Luke came home with us on Friday!! Yay!! He is such a blessing!! We roomed in with him at the hospital on Thursday night as a trial run. We have been home 2 days now and have been having so much fun with him! Grandma and Grandpa Morris came to visit yesterday and helped us get settled. Mimi and Papa came to visit in the evening. Keli, Rocky, and Landon came today and Katie is on her way over. Other than the sleep deprivation - life couldn't be better!! :)

Knowing my husband could you really be surprised by Luke's Halloween costume? :) One of the nurses suggested that we go to Build-a-Bear to get a costume that would fit - so we did!! We got the doggie to go with the costume for Luke when he gets a little older. :) Isn't Luke the cutest thing? :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR!!

2009-10-24T08:22:00.002-05:00

My sweet beautiful niece turns one today!! I wish we could be there to help you celebrate!! We love you bunches and bunches!! Hugs and kisses from Aunt Jen, Uncle John and Luke!! See you soon!!

Luke is one month old!!

2009-10-22T18:01:00.004-05:00

Where has the last month gone? I seriously feel like I am in a time warp. I have one more week left of leave before I have to return to work. I'm saving a few more weeks for when Luke comes home. We are hoping that we are able to have him home soon! He is up to 4 bottles/nursing sessions a day - just have to double that :) This may be TMI for this but it's my blog so I'll say what I want. I am really struggling with not getting upset about my milk production. It has gone down significantly in the last couple of weeks. I'm trying everything that the lactation consultants recommend...I'm really hoping that we can get it going and that we don't have to move to formula. I want him to get the benefits of breast milk as long as he can. Plus as much as I know it isn't - that feels like a failure on my part. John's being really sweet and encouraging. I know he is frustrated too that he can't help me not feel like it isn't my fault. Please keep me and my ta-tas in your prayers!:)

Luke is now 4 lbs 4.1 oz and is in a big boy bed (the bassinet - not the incubator). He did good on his eye test. They will keep increasing the amount of his feedings (thus the reason for my stress about the milk quantity) and the number of times that are bottle/nursing until he is completely off the feeding tube. All in all he is doing great!! We love our little punkin!!

2 weeks old!!

2009-10-04T15:27:00.003-05:00

Well at 2 weeks old he now weighs 2 lbs 13.6 oz (getting very close to that 3 lb mark!!) His cord fell off leaving a cute little belly button. He is 15.1 inches long .6 inches longer than he was when he was born. Our little cutie is doing so great!! We love you sweet baby boy! :)

Luke Olen Week 1

2009-09-26T10:51:00.003-05:00

Luke is 1 week old today!! He is doing so good!! He is breathing great, digesting great and is surpassing his birth weight now at a whopping 2 lbs 9.3 oz!! They removed his iv today because he is able to get all his nutrients from me now. Yay!! I know he is much more comfortable without that in him!! He is just so cute!! We started being able to have kangaroo time with him this week. Me in the morning, daddy at night. That is my favorite part of the day. He curls up and is just so snug against you - the best natural high ever!! Here are a few updated pictures. For those that follow me on facebook - there are more pictures there. Love my little punkin!! :)

I'm a MOMMY!!

2009-09-21T00:22:00.003-05:00

How tiny are his diapers!!
Mommy and Luke right after delivery

Papa's arm along the side of the incubator to show length

Daddy's hands on Lukes head and feet

What a week this has been!! Friday I had a headache that continued to get progressively worse during the day. I haven't taken any medication my entire pregnancy. This was so bad I decided to try some Tylenol which dulled it slightly but not really. I ended up taking a 2nd dose in the middle of the night which still didn't work. Saturday morning the nurse talked to my ob who decided he didn't want to wait any longer to deliver. The headache was a symptom that my blood pressure was escalating and combined with my other symptoms - it just wasn't safe for Luke or me to wait. This was the first time I was scared about how things might impact me. Before I was mainly worried about Luke's health and development delivering so early. It's hard to keep from being panicky! They prepped me for my c-section and wheeled me back to the operating room. It was so surreal. I didn't know what to expect and was scared out of my mind about everything that was going on. The nurses tried to get me to calm myself down and breathe normal. The epidural was very painful going in. It was such a weird feeling after it was effective. After I was all situated they brought John in the room. He sat up near my head as they delivered our little Luke. We asked ahead of time if there was a possibility that he may not cry because he was so early - just so we wouldn't freak out then if we didn't hear it. Turns out we didn't have to worry at all. He was crying up a storm! He sounded like a little kitten!! John went over to where they were so he could see them doing their testing. He scored between and 8 and 9 on his APGAR test - which is AMAZING for this little earlybird!! Praise the Lord!!! He is breathing on his own and not even on oxygen anymore! They have a ventilator there with room air just in case he needs it. I got to hold him today while they cleaned his little sheets. I look at his little face and wonder how someone cannot believe in the awesomeness of our Almighty God. It's just AMAZING!! I'm so blessed to be Luke's mommy and I know his daddy feels the same way!! Thanks to everyone who has lifted us up in prayer along this journey!!!

We may have an earlier birthday than we thought....

2009-09-18T09:16:00.003-05:00

I was informed that I am horrible about keeping up with this blog. I know I am. Sorry!! Well the latest news is that I have been in the hospital since Monday. I went to a specialist appt Monday morning and have been at the hospital for observation since. Everyone thought I was going to have to have a delivery today based on my numbers but this morning the labs came back ok. That is kind of a relative term because the only cure for preeclampsia is delivery - so ok means simply that I'm not getting worse at the moment. Baby Luke is healthy and happy right now. It's just about monitoring my levels so that it doesn't become too toxic for me or him. At this point we are waiting for Monday and get to relax the weekend. We are 29 weeks and 5 days today so hitting Sunday's 30 week mark is the first big milestone. Every day he can stay in the womb is another day he gets to continue to grow stronger. Please keep us in your prayers! Those prayers are what is helping to keep me sane right now. I'll update as I'm able either here or on facebook.

My beautiful little Taylor!!

2009-09-01T19:03:00.005-05:00

My beautiful little niece is 10 months old! Where does the time go? Here are some pictures of her adorable self!

So Funny!!

The foot by the face helps with digestion!!

Such the little flirt!!

Who is that pretty little girl in the mirror?

Beautiful Taylor Morgan Hart!!

I miss you baby girl!!

I'm still here....

2009-08-26T08:09:00.003-05:00

I don't know if anyone still reads this - but it's been harder for me to keep as updated since they blocked it at work. It was fun to do in my downtime... Baby and I are doing good. Doctor was concerned about protein in my urine that could possibly lead to preeclampsia but thus far I don't have any of the other symptoms. I went to a specialist and he said that we will probably be fine - we'll just keep monitoring it to be sure. I have my follow up appt with the specialist on Monday.

I just learned this Monday that I will need to find a new ob. Mine decided to close his practice. We are supposed to be getting a letter telling us why and what to do about our records blah blah blah. So now we are trying to find a new one. Something I really didn't expect to have to deal with - espc with 13 1/2 weeks to go. Trying not to stress because that isn't good for anyone - but I can't get it out of my mind. Whose recommendation should I take for a doctor? I have many from friends and family. The ob is supposedly sending a few in that letter. What a mess.

I'm at home this morning because the apartment people are supposed to come do an inspection. Gotta love it. I'm sooooo ready to be in a house. I'm hoping that when our lease is up in March that we can seamlessly move into one. It was too optimistic to hope we could be in there before the baby. That's fine with me at this point. There is no way I'd have the energy for a move right now.

I've been feeling Luke wiggle around for a while, but on Saturday I felt him move with my hand. He hasn't done it like that again to where John would be able to feel it yet. I'm sure if he did it once then it will start becoming more frequent.

So anyway - that's the update.....

IT'S A BOY!!!

2009-07-14T21:02:00.002-05:00

We are so excited and can't wait to meet our little Luke Olen!! :) Olen was John's grandfather. We are halfway there!!! Yay!!! :)

The baby moved!!

2009-06-23T12:11:00.001-05:00

I guess I haven't been maintaining this blog very well. Life just seems to be so busy. We are now 17 weeks pregnant and things are going well. I felt the baby move a couple times yesterday which was a weird, wonderful feeling! Last night we went out in the 100 degree heat for John to pitch his first ever shut out softball game. We find out July 10th whether we are having a little boy or a little girl! We can't wait!! 17 days!! The baby's bones are solidifying into bone from cartilage right now, which must explain my undeniable craving for milk!

Our adorable little niece will be 8 months tomorrow and has already mastered the art of crawling and is pulling herself up to a standing position as well! Yay Taylor!! :) I love that little munchkin!

We are getting our ducks in a row to be able to move into a house. Our lease is up in March, so most likely it will be after the baby is born - but who knows!! ;-) We are both so tired of this apartment complex.

Well that's the update from us....I'll try to be more regular with updates :)

Pro Wedding Album Pix

2009-05-26T23:20:00.010-05:00

Here are the pages of our wedding album :) I thought it would give a better variety of photos than having to upload tons of them. Enjoy! :)

What happens when Texans see snow!!

2009-05-22T19:01:00.003-05:00

This was our last night and following morning in Tahoe...We were so excited that we got to experience the snowfall! John even had to dig our car out of the snow!! So fun!! Glad it's not an every day event - but it was so fun and sooo beautiful!! Just made our honeymoon even more magical!

Like Sands Through the Hourglass...

2009-05-21T15:42:00.001-05:00

It is amazing how quickly time passes! The last year has been a whirlwind! We have been married for 2 months. I'm pregnant. My niece is 7 months old and has 6 teeth and can crawl backwards. :) My parents are finally able to enjoy the fruits of their remodeling. I'm almost about to celebrate my 2 year anniversary both dating John and working at my job. We get our wedding pictures back on Sunday. I absolutely cannot wait to see them and our video! I remember people saying that day - just take time to take it all in. I think that in the whirlwind of a day - I still experienced it all. I remember how I felt as I was getting ready. I remember how I felt when I was waiting to go in - so overwhelmed - but I didn't want to cry... The little church was packed. I couldn't see John until I rounded the corner. Some said he was teary. I was almost giddy. So many thoughts running through my head...this is it....we are getting MARRIED NOW!!....these stupid shoes are killing my feet...I hope I don't fall....gosh I love him....he looks so handsome.....I wonder who all is out there...is my train straight? Kinda like what Mel Gibson was experiencing in What Women Want....:) I don't think we truly relaxed until we were on the plane to Tahoe. The wedding reception kind of had a flow of it's own. Perhaps if it was an evening wedding it might have had a more relaxed feel but we still had so much fun! Walking through the door for the first time - the room full of people standing and cheering for us! It was such a surreal feeling. We had to wind our way to the dance floor. The reception was a blast.....John dropping cake down inside my dress....dancing....re-connecting with friends we hadn't seen in forever...the limbo...the train...and even that horrendous song that the dj played - we made the best of it and had fun! After the wedding we went back to Mom and Dads...and they had Tino's catered in...YUM!! We stayed at the Marriott in Plano off of the Tollway and Spring Creek the first night. We wouldn't tell anyone til after to avoid any pranksters. We weren't used to such fancy accommodations. They upgraded us to a suite. Well - how were we supposed to know that this suite - had 2 doors with the same room number on them. John went to go check out our key with the front desk while I stood with the luggage in the hall pulling all the 500 bobby pins out of my hair! How funny to know that we just had to walk down a few more steps to get to the correct door. We got up the next morning to go have breakfast with the fam before heading to the airport. We flew first class - so the way to travel!! :) I had a mimosa on the plane. We read all the wish bowl wishes from our guests. We were both so exhausted that we crashed. When we were trying to land - the pilot hit a wind sheer and lifted the plane back into the air. We circled around Reno and then tried to land again. That was absolutely terrifying. I'll have to post about all the fun stuff that we did on the honeymoon (the g rated version :) ) another time....

Can you see the baby?

2009-05-19T19:39:00.003-05:00

We ended up having an ultrasound at our apt yesterday. Baby is healthy and wiggled as if to get away from the ultrasound. Baby's hand waved as well. We have an official sono next week with the technician. God is so awesome!! If you can't see the baby in the picture - the ultrasound is turned on end - head at top with the baby in a seated position with his/her legs scrunched up. :)

Sportin a new 'do'

2009-05-13T17:25:00.003-05:00

I knew that I wanted to chop off my long hair. I didn't plan on it going this short. When I went to the salon yesterday she said that if I was willing to do 10 inches, I could make a donation to Locks of Love. Since in all likelihood, I will never have hair long enough to where I could cut off 10 inches and still have it look decent, I decided to go the extra couple inches and donate it. I probably will settle on a length an inch or two longer than this but my hair grows so fast and being pregnant might go even faster. It's still long enough to pull in a little ponytail, so all is good. Whatcha think?

It's picture time - and not the one you were probably expecting!!

2009-04-27T20:57:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted in so long because I couldn't share the news that I have been bursting to share!! We are pregnant!! Due 11/29!! We are so excited and though this is indeed very quick, we know that God's timing is perfect and we can't wait to meet our little honeymoon baby! Can you see the baby? That tiny little speck? Now the baby is about the size of a grape and has officially graduated to a fetus! :) We'll find out sometime in June whether we are having a boy or girl. I'm feeling fine pretty good. Nausea hasn't turned to getting sick so far - so if that's the worst it gets - I can handle it. So 2009 definately is a banner year in the Morris household!! :)

Wedding Photos!!!!

2009-03-26T18:54:00.005-05:00

Here are some pics from the wedding...

John and the minister waiting for the bridal party to enter...doesn't he look handsome?? :)John, the minister and the groomsmen waiting for me to enter....

My bridesmaids watching me walk down the aisle...Kissy Kissy...During the unity candle...The original kissy kissy... :)My cake - yummy yummy - had a strawberry filling...
John's Dallas Cowboys cake....surprised? Didn't think so! ;-)

First dance...

Toasting...do you see how RED that punch is? Was scary to toast that way! I was convinced I'd be wearing it!!

Daddy Daughter dance...

Mother Son dance

Our parents being honored for both celebrating their 40th anniversaries!!

Aggies doing the Aggie War Hymn!!

The Sendoff!!

Those are some pictures that my uncle took....I'll post the professional ones when I get them in a few weeks!!! Hope you enjoyed!! :)

Wedding Pictures - Part 1 Pro Engagement.....

2009-03-23T12:24:00.006-05:00

A teaser pic from the wedding reception...my sister Julie and my niece Taylor.... the rest of the pics are engagement....;-)

We didn't do our engagement pictures until a few weeks before the wedding. So here are a few of the professional shots from the photo shoot at the Dallas Arboretum.

I think my mom has some of the wedding pics that family members took - so when I go over there later, I am going to see what I can find :)

I'll update on our wedding/honeymoon in spurts - partially for your reading pleasure and partly so I can print this out at some point and have a record of all the events that transpired. We had a blast!!

Enjoy these for now...I'm off to run some errands!!

WE ARE MARRIED!!!

2009-03-17T15:32:00.002-05:00

Tahoe is a blast and we are loving being married! The wedding was awesome and everything fell into place. I'll post pics and stories after we get home.... Off to go play in the snow!!

It's TOMORROW!!

2009-03-12T08:36:00.004-05:00

Wow - It's finally here!! This will be my last post before the wedding because I won't be back home until Sunday just to drop off the way to the airport. Yesterday was a whirlwind but it was a lot of fun..Hair, nails, dress.... Also found out some sad news about a wedding that was called off by someone I know and care about. 2 months away from the date. I could say a lot of things here but we'll just leave it at that. My heart breaks for him and we are praying for him and his family.

It was so good to get to visit with family yesterday evening too! Some we had seen relatively recently (this summer) some that we hadn't visited with in years.

Everyone will be hanging out at mom and dad's today, but I don't think we will get to see everyone again until the rehearsal tonight. We have soooo much to do still!! That's why I am awake at this horrible hour. John had one stop left to do so he is out doing that and then I will pick him up at 7.

We're about to kick this journey up a notch...I'm so excited!! :) 30 hours.....wow...the countdown is in HOURS!!! I'll post some pictures after we get back from Lake Tahoe!! Ciao! Pray the rest of the time goes smoothly!!

2 days!! The Wedding that Almost Wasn't!!

2009-03-12T07:52:00.004-05:00

Only 2 more days!! What a deal!! Yesterday was such a tornado of a day!! Oh my goodness! In addition to the hustle and bustle of trying to wrap up things at work - I happened to be looking at the website to get the marriage license address as we were going to go pick this up on Friday when we were both off work. Well - I hadn't remembered from looking at the site previously that you had a 3 day waiting period which meant - we HAD to get it yesterday or we couldn't get married this Saturday!! Yes, John was less than thrilled at my oversight, but we went down to the office and got it all taken care of so we can officially be married on Saturday. Praise the Lord that I went on that site yesterday and not today or tomorrow!!

My sister came in town last night so got to love on the baby a little. She is so adorable. Julie brought pics of Doug as a baby and she is the spitting image of him. Too funny. She showed off her rolling over trick and had some laughs before it was bedtime for the little punkin.

Today will be a busy day...The real final fitting at 9:30, hair at 11, nails this afternoon, have to take guest bags to the hotels this afternoon and finish up wedding paper products. Cutting the silly program paper will take the most time because this batch didn't line up as smoothly as the first 100 for some reason. Family starts coming in tonight....and we have a big dinner planned at mom and dad's with whoever is here. It's getting really real!! :) Yay!!!

Last day of work!! 3 more days!!

2009-03-11T06:36:00.003-05:00

It's my last day of work!! Whoohoo!! Well working at the job...lol I still have a lot of running around to do...last minute things...hair...nails...final fitting... It's getting very exciting!! Julie, Doug and baby Taylor come tonight!! John had a softball game Monday night and it was so windy that the dirt got caught in my sinuses so I was a sneezy mess yesterday. Claritin D didn't do much to help, so I made a quick trip to the doctor for some of the strong stuff. Normally, I would just let it run it's course but I can't have allergies turning into a full blown mess like they did a couple months ago. My wedding is in 3 days for goodness sake! So I got some medicine that has a bunch of scary side effects to it (on rare occurance of course). Hopefully it will just do it's job and the only job the tissues will need to do is wipe tears of joy....

All the DIY stuff that I was going to try to do....well some of it got done. The aisle runner got nixed because it was too much a pain in the booty. The tears of joy packets were just an excessive cute thing that I didn't have time to do. The programs are still in process. Almost done but still working on it. I need to get a new print cartridge and finish up the table signs. We also need to do laundry and pack. I'd like to go shopping for a new outfit or two but I don't know when I will have the time. We are getting our marriage license on Friday. I wish we hadn't waited until the last day to do it but it was hard to coordinate a time for both of us to take off to do it.

Only 3 more days!! The rain woke me up early this morning, so it's still only 6:45am. Well I guess it's time to get this last day on the road. Lots of loose ends to wrap up. Do you ever worry a little bit when you go on vacation that you'll come back to chaos because of things that happened while you were gone? I pray that isn't the case.

4 days!!

2009-03-10T08:08:00.003-05:00

Only 4 days left!! Julie comes in tomorrow and the rest of the fam will trickle in Thursday and Friday! I'm excited, stressed, nervous (just about the little details - not about getting married), ready to relax, and at the same time wanting to soak in all the moments. Only working today and tomorrow this week. Off I go..... Next time I blink it will be here!!

Single Digits!!!

2009-03-04T21:28:00.002-06:00

Wow!! Can you believe in a couple hours we will now be in the single digit countdown to our wedding day? I'm starting to feel overwhelmed at all the little things that still have to be wrapped up. It will all come together...I know....it's just a crazy whirlwind right now!! People start coming into town next Wednesday!! 1 week from today!! Ok - back to the program printing!! No time for blogging these days! I promise I'll post pictures of the big event stuff for those who are interested! :) So fun!!!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-02-27T19:51:00.002-06:00

Johnny is 35 today!! :) Let's Party!!

Prayers for Jen and Brad....

2009-02-23T12:41:00.003-06:00

Wow...I just heard that one of my best friend's future mother-in-law died this morning. She is getting married the weekend after we are. Such devestating news and such horrible timing!! My heart is breaking for them. I didn't know her that well, but she has been a friend of my parents for a long time. If you are reading this please say an extra prayer for Jen and Brad and their family.

Shower the people you love with love....

2009-02-20T12:36:00.002-06:00

Yay!! This weekend has so much fun in store!! Bridal shower is tomorrow with so many of my fabulous friends and family - some who I have not seen in years!! My sister and niece will be attending via webcam (isn't technology fabulous?) I can't wait!! After the party I probably will hang with the fam. John is on call so I don't know if he will be able to venture over to Plano or not. Sunday morning he found someone to fill in for him and we are venturing out to the Arboretum to do our engagement pictures. I know the wedding is 22 days away. Why are we just doing them now? Well - because we hadn't had time to and we wanted to do them before the wedding. :) We also are going to do a little video montage thing. I think some people play those at the reception or whatever but I think I'll just treasure it as a keepsake for us. I'm making a slideshow for before the wedding. So this weekend is all about our wedding!! How fun!! The excitement is building!! Yay!!

A proud auntie brags....

2009-02-18T10:39:00.001-06:00

Check out those dimples!!

This is my FAVORITE!! Such a beautie!!

This expression makes me giggle!!

Sleeping Beauty

I found my feet!!

This proud auntie has to brag on her beautiful niece!!

25 days!!

2009-02-17T23:05:00.003-06:00

Days are just counting down!! :) I think I have almost everything purchased now!! Maybe a new outfit or two - we'll have to see. Need to get our rings appraised and see if John's ring is engraveable. 3rd fitting tomorrow and hair trial on Thursday!!

A Win!

2009-02-17T22:58:00.004-06:00

They won a game!! John's team finally won a game!! Way to go guys!! John got several really great hits and did a great job pitching. He picks up softball again in a few weeks with a different group of guys ... so this has been great practice!

26 days

2009-02-16T11:29:00.002-06:00

2 big checks this weekend and both happened at the same time. I was going to go veil shopping this weekend. I mentioned this to one of my besties and she suggested Craigs list. What could it hurt - I started poking around on there Friday before John got home and found a lady who had exactly what I was looking for - the same one I had been eyeing on David's Bridal. To make it even better - she was selling a headpiece that was mostly pearls with some Swarovski crystals - which is also exactly what I was looking for. We got both for what we probably wouldn't have even been able to get the veil for. What a deal!!

After that, Mom and I went shopping at a local mall looking for the right jewelry. I already had in my head what I wanted it to be. I guess I'll just have to get the ones I wanted online. We did have another exciting find though. Well - exciting for us anyway because we saved a lot of $. Carlton Cards is going out of business at the end of the month in this mall. Everything was 75% off!! I was able to get 200 Thank You cards for $13.00!! Wow!! Amazing!!

I love good deals!! :)

Happy Valentines Day!!

2009-02-13T14:34:00.002-06:00

John had roses delivered to the apartment yesterday! They are beautiful and came with a very sweet note that earned him a few brownie points! 29 days until we are married!! Less than a month now!! 4 weeks from tomorrow!! Yikes and Yea!! Yikes because there is still sooo much to do and Yea!! for obvious reasons! I wish that it weren't to some extent a numbers game. I wish that anyone who wanted to would be able to come. We invited too many people and now are having to hope that the count comes in lower. Kinda stressful but we did it to ourselves! This weekend Mom and I are going to find a veil, headpiece/pins and jewelry for me. I have another fitting on Wednesday and a hair trial on Thursday that I need the hair accessories for. Pray I can find something beautiful and relatively inexpensive. I wish my sister's veil wasn't preserved with her dress because it would be great to be able to borrow hers. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend celebrating the joy of loving and being loved.

One room down

2009-02-09T11:05:00.003-06:00

We spent a lot of yesterday unpacking (well - I did - John was building me the cabinet to put a lot of the kitchen stuff in. So the kitchen is done. Yay!! Now on to finding a home for the other boxes piled in the dining room. Hopefully we can knock through some of that tonight (and maybe tomorrow night if John's softball game is rained out as it sounds like it might be). It would be so nice not to live in an obstacle course anymore. Of course the fur babies will probably miss sitting on top of the boxes in the middle of everything - but se la ve. :)

Angriest Bride in the Metroplex

2009-02-06T23:02:00.003-06:00

Isn't that funny? I didn't even seem mad in the interview.... It ran at 4, 6, and even headlined at 10!! At 4 it was funny because the story was tucked behind an exclusive on the rise in sales of granny panties. Hee hee hee!!

I'm on TV!!

2009-02-06T14:46:00.002-06:00

Well - I reported the reception venue to ABC and NBC news - NBC contacted me and wanted to come out and interview me! Yikes - I thought he was just going to get an audio of my voice - but he videotaped me. Yuk! Hopefully this will help us getting our $ back. It will air today at 4pm.

TGIF!!!

2009-02-06T10:12:00.004-06:00

I don't know that I have been more ready for a weekend than I am today. This week was a doozy!! I have a second dress fitting tomorrow and then we go to our new venue to add our signatures to the contract and take a tour of the property. Because we were working, we weren't able to see it before we had my parents sign - just the online pictures. The excitement is back! I can't wait for March 14th!! :)

YAY!!! SUCCESS!! WE HAVE A VENUE!!

2009-02-05T10:52:00.005-06:00

It's perfect! It's official! It's even more beautiful than what the evil Summit would have been. They even include the chair covers and bows which I wanted initially but unfortunately weren't in the budget. It's all included. Now if we could only get our $ back from the thieves, we would be all set.

If anyone knows anyone who was affected by Summit Ballrooms untimely departure or is planning a wedding in the DFW area, I now have a list of vendors that I would recommend in a heartbeat based on their incredible willingness to help out those of us fielding this curveball. Leave me a comment if you would like me to email their information out to you.

A few other lessons learned: 1) If you pay vendors with your credit card, you can have recourse through your credit company if the company does not honor it's contract. (Dave Ramsey would not approve though ;-) ) 2) Wedding insurance may not be such a bad investment - though it may not allow you to recoup all of your monies(some is better than none, though right?) 3) Listen to what other brides have to say about vendors/venues. (Though everything I heard about the Summit was great at the time) 3) Ask questions - LOTS of questions....

One step closer...

2009-02-05T09:26:00.003-06:00

Well we have 2 beautiful options with 2 wonderful facilities that are willing to work with us. Drawing up final numbers will help determine which one it is. It seems that people in this whole industry are as sickened (well - maybe not to the same degree) by this horrid company as we are and have bent over backwards helping brides affected by it to network for replacements. Some have even helped to make phone calls along with us. Our wonderful friends and family and even online friends have offered wonderful suggestions. I've heard of some brides who were left with only a week or two before their weddings. I'll feel much better once we have a signed contract, but until then.....it looks promising...keep praying it through!! :)

a small glimmer....

2009-02-04T12:22:00.001-06:00

Ok - so we have a meeting tonight at 6 to check on this one venue that could be a possibility. Say a prayer or two or three!

No answer yet...

2009-02-04T09:12:00.002-06:00

I feel like I'm losing my mind. I've realized in the last 24 hours though -that there are still compassionate people out there and that I have the absolute best friends in the world!! Not that I didn't realize that previously but it's like everyone is networking trying to help us figure out how to get this all resolved. No answers yet....working on it still. 38 days and counting...Yikes!!

WTH?? No Reception??

2009-02-02T23:50:00.004-06:00

I'm so frustrated and sad right now. I took off the afternoon to go get fitted for my wedding undergarments. On the way back home, I stopped by the post office to get my mail. A letter from my reception venue - oh they must be wanting to confirm our final meeting seeing as the wedding is in 39 days....but NOOOOOO this letter was a half-assed apology saying that they had gone out of business. No signature - no real promise to repay our money - just kind of a we "hope to" but don't know when non committal crap. What do we do now? We have 39 days to find a venue that will hold our reception. The dj and catering were booked with this as well. When mom called the dj tonight, he didn't even have us on the books!!! He was very accomodating though and worked something out. So now we have music back - just no where to hold it and find out tomorrow about the food. After we finished moving on Sunday I was finally starting to get excited and be a little less stressed. Why? I know in the grand scheme of things - it's not that big a deal - but it's our wedding - and we had it planned so nicely. It was such a pretty venue. Now - what do we do? Will we get our $ back? What are our options? I'm still kind of in shock. John is more mad than sad because of all the money and because of how upset I am. I guess it doesn't help that it's that time of the month where my hormones are running crazy. I'm not even to the point of being mad yet (I'm sure that will come) I'm just flustered at how this can possibly turn around. I feel bad too because it's not fair that my parents or us have to put out any more money!! Well I guess I'm going to go try to lay down and fall asleep. Pray we find out some good news tomorrow.

18 months!!

2009-01-29T10:34:00.002-06:00

John and I have been together 18 months as of today. How time flies! 44 days until the wedding!! 3 more days of moving then we are all done!! Yay!! :)

Icy Mix Through Wednesday!!

2009-01-26T13:41:00.003-06:00

I just heard there is icy mix expected through Wednesday. Ugh. I have just gotten over being sick. From 70 degrees to 30 degrees and back again. Normally, I'm all about winter - but we have too much to do!! The only good thing possibly - (for the work we have to do - not for John) is that John's softball might be postponed tomorrow.

Spinning in Circles

2009-01-26T11:49:00.004-06:00

What a whirlwind of a weekend!!

We took Friday evening off - which perhaps we shouldn't have - but John won that one. We went to dinner and then to see Paul Blart: Mall Cop. It was funny - kind of in an I Love Lucy way where sometimes you want to just step in and stop the humiliation - but it was an enjoyable movie.

Saturday, I had my dress fitting. The lady doing the alterations kind of looks like Whoopi Goldberg. She is a trip. I was about to do some major flipping out though because she got 2 drops of blood on my dress from opening the box that my dress came in with a razor blade. Luckily she had a solvent that took it all out - can't even tell that it was there. Lucky!! I love my dress. Wish I looked different in the dress - but nonetheless - here we are and that's what we have to work with. I have to make a trip over to the Maddox shop this week to get some wedding unmentionables customized for the dress. Can you believe that the alterations were almost as much as the dress??! Yikes!! I'm so glad I got flip flops for the reception. The pretty heels I bought to wear for the wedding really are just for the pictures. After standing in them for about 30 minutes while we decided what to do with my dress my feet were about to revolt. I can see it now. I'll be up at the altar supposed to be thinking about this wonderful man who is about to become my husband and all I will be able to focus on is when I can get out of these heels.

After the fitting it was time to get serious. We spent the rest of the day packing up stuff at Johns. We went over Sunday before church and Sunday after church to work on it some more.
We put linoleum on the floor on top of the carpet in the cats' room - to make for easier cleanup with the little terrors. That linoleom was quite the pain. Yes - that is why it is not supposed to be set on top of carpet - I realize this. I wish I had a video camera to capture my parents, John and me trying to keep this silly covering against the walls. My wish is to have the new apt settled by the wedding so we don't have to come home and deal with all this moving clutter. Once it is all in one apt - we can work on getting it a little more organized. We both have donated and purged so much stuff. Why were we keeping it????

I'm hoping that we can possibly be ready to move into a house by our first anniversary if not soon after. No, I can't fathom packing and moving AGAIN but hopefully that time would be for at least the next 5-10 years if not longer. They are building a new subdivision right behind the airport. I would love to be able to move into a new house. How awesome would that be?? Waiting and hoping and wishing and praying.....

First Dress Fitting Tomorrow!!

2009-01-23T11:00:00.003-06:00

I have my first gown fitting tomorrow morning!! Kind of excited and kind of anxious. 50 days! Yikes!! Not nervous about the marriage - just nervous about all the stuff that has to be done before we get to that point!! At least I'm finally feeling human again. Let's hope this weekend will be a productive one:

-First dress fitting

-Get everything moved from John's apt

-Get stuff situated with apartment people. They are trying to mess with us and I'm really irritated over it. Hopefully we can come to a resolution.

-Get apartment a little bit more unpacked and settled.

We only have this weekend so I don't know how unpacked we will get - but I'm tired of living in a state of chaos with half unpacked boxes everywhere.

Happy Days Are Here Again!!

2009-01-22T12:58:00.004-06:00

Lost has returned!! So very exciting. My goodness! And did it start off with a bang last night!!! Season 5 is going to be an exciting one!! Any other Lost finatics out there? Someone said that this is going to be the season of Sawyer. Whohoo!! :) He makes me smile.

Almost 3 months old!!

2009-01-21T15:06:00.004-06:00

Just like Daddy

I need a nap!!

What you lookin' at Minnie?

Such a cutie! Look at all those bubbles!

Yup I'm cute and I know it so there!

I can't believe this little angel is almost 3 months old on Saturday!! Time sure flies!! She coos all the time when I call to talk to Julie like she thinks Julie is talking to her the whole time.

This and That

2009-01-20T14:31:00.003-06:00

Ugh - a week later and I'm still sick!! I stayed home Wed and Thurs and relaxed/packed most of the weekend so you would think I would have had ample time to get this out of my system. Nope. Voice is still week and my throat is stilll sore :(

John is so sweet. He got all up in arms because someone I don't even know sent a nasty message on our wedding site. I really don't have the energy to care but he was getting all protective on me. It's sweet.

Obama was inaugurated today. Though I did not vote for him, I'm intererested to see where it leads. I hope he doesnt pass some of the more liberal stuff he talks about and that he is able to positively affect the US Economy.

My dress should come in today. We got our printers/scanners hooked up so I can start scanning family/John's pictures for the wedding. It's going to be hard to narrow it down.

I am so tired - need a nap...

I'm over it

2009-01-16T14:23:00.004-06:00

I'm so over feeling like this. Really. The very next day after I got over whatever stomach bug/food poisoning I had - I got sick. I had to take off work 2 days. :( I haven't done that - maybe ever. Have you ever been so sick that even your hair hurt? Ugh...now I have very little voice and still have a lump in my throat. I made it into work today but need a nap. My energy levels are very low despite the coffee I got at lunch.

My wedding dress is supposed to arrive today. You'd think I'd be more excited. I'm just tired. I'm glad it's here. I can't wait to try it on - but I need to buy undergarments and I need to get it altered. It's being here just represents the next whirlwind that needs to start spinning.

I have my shoes so that's a plus right? I need to schedule a hair trial. I need to pick out a veil. I need to start making my programs etc. But what I really want is a nap.

John is on call this weekend. I hope he doesn't get many calls so he can help me pack his place. 3 weekends to get it all moved. Well - really 2 weekends to move - 1 to clean. That means the felines will finally make the move. Did I mention I need a nap?

So many things to do - so little time.

Tummy hurts

2009-01-13T09:50:00.002-06:00

I have just not been feeling well the past few days. I'm thinking food poisoning - but shouldn't that be done by now? Maybe it isn't such a good thing that we discovered the only Bennigan's left in the DFW area....Ugh...I'm tired of feeling icky.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-05T10:28:00.006-06:00

With this grand entrance into 2009, I figured I would update my 101 goals in 1001 days to see what progress has been made:

My 101 in 1001:

For Myself:
1) Read 2 classic books (0/2)
2) Get a massage (0/1)
3) Change my hair design (0/1 - will be changing soon after the wedding though)
4) Get nails again (0/1 - soon to come for all the wedding hoopla)
5) Get my rings cleaned once a month (4/4 - clean at home almost weekly - probably need to make a trip to Jared soon to have it professionaly cleaned)
6) go to dinner with friends 3 times a month (4/4)
7) Go to the dentist (0/0 - on the to do list for 2009!)
8) Get a new car (Success!! - we got a new Honda CR-V in November)
9) Laugh daily (Always! :))
10) Create pre and post wedding scrapbooks (0/2 - someday)
11) Go to a Dallas Cowboys game (0/0)
12) Go to a Bed and Breakfast (0/0)
13) Buy a new purse (0/0)
14) Buy elfa shelving and become organized (well - we havn't bought elfa shelving - but we are in the process of getting organized in the new apt!)
15) Buy 3 new bras (0/0)
16) Host a dinner party (0/0)

For my health:
17) Work out 4 times a week (working on it)
18) Go to Chiropractor (Not as often as I should - but I go regularly)
19) Visit the Dentist (Didn't I already mention this - it is on the to do list for 2009)
20) Put on Sun screen during the summer (Wasn't out in the sun really this summer)
21) Cook healthy meals (Check)
22) Keep house clean (After it gets organized and past the move in phase - it will be)

For our love:
23) Have a date night at least once a month (check)
24) Sit down for at least an hour each night (check)
25) Take a vacation once a year (Tahoe in March baby!)
26) Work out together (working on it)
27) Cook a meal together (Eh - usually it's me cooking)
28) Watch 2 movies; One for him, one for me. (we do this all the time)
29) Always kiss goodnight (check)
30) Take an "us" picture once a month (hmmm - we have not done this - maybe we'll start after the wedding)

For our home:
31) Purchase a king size bed - probably not a soon to be purchase
32) Clean the sink every day (Flylady) (not yet)
33) Light a fire during the winter (our fireplace is sooo tiny - we barely fit the candalbra in there)
34) Decorate for every holiday (we'll start after we are organized)
35) Purchase stainless steel appliances (when we get in a house)
36) Plant a garden (when we get in a house)
37) Hang our pictures on the wall (after we finish moving in)
38) Take our shoes off before walking on the carpet (we do this now)
39) Spring cleaning every year (still in the process of - I'm so anti clutter now it is amazing)
40) Hang fabric stylish curtains ( when new house is purchased)

For our wedding:
41) Complete wedding day projects (I am so behind - I need to start!!)
42) Pick a Bakery (check)
43) Pick a Limo company (we are driving away in our new car)
44) Update guest list (check)
45) Purchase honeymoon outfits (to do)
46) Purchase Guest book platter (check)
47) Get married (68 days!!)

For my family:

47) Dinner at least twice a month (check)
48) Call once a week (check)
49) Write letters/emails to cousins who live far away (need to do)
50) Make a personalized birthday card (need to do)
51) Play with the cats (missing my cats - they are waiting to transition to the new apt)

For my Finances:
52) Pay off debt (working on it!!)
53) Start Emergency Fund (when the last check comes in from the closing)
54) Have a garage sale (ugh - no thank you)
55) Set up funds for future kids (tbd)
56) Set up fun savings account (tbd)

For my Hobby:
57) Cook 1 new recipe once a week (working on it)
58) After married - learn to sew
59) Take 20 random photographs of funny street names - after married
60) Design 10 new necklace/earring sets - after married
61) Take a cooking class - after married
62) Explore Etsy as a business - after married

For my Soul
63) Spring cleaning - donate to battered women shelter or goodwill
64) Get involved in program at church - after married
65) Journal - daily or weekly - check
66) Do Devotional and Bible Study - need to be more diligent
67) Decorate - working on it

For my Brain:
67) Learn Italian - after married
68) Learn more about Adobe Photoshop -after married
69) Learn to budget - check
70) Write poetry - writers block
71) Buy an Interior design book, then pick out one design and create it - picked out the book
72) Go to bed before 11pm - do most nights
73) Work on keeping certifications current - need to update one

For my Future:
74) Revise will and beneficiary - after married
75) Reassess Life Insurance needs - after married
76) Vote at presidential election - check
77) Continue workouts (4x a week) until goal is reached - working on it
78) Change all light bulbs to energy efficient - working on it
79) Do Laundry so it doesn't pile up -check
79) Have a baby - after married
80) Go through all documents and only save those needed - working on it

For the Blog:
81) Blog about everything wedding related - a little slow - but note things as they come up
82) Take pictures of all my DIY projects. During and after completed - kinda slow on the draw on DIY stuff
83) Continue blogging after the wedding
84) Blog about everything on this list
85) Blog about decorating - check

For the Randomness:
86) Buy a new jacket every winter - check
87) Clean the shower once a week for a whole month - moved -
88) Buy a new piece of furniture every 6 months - after wedding
89) Buy new car - did in November
90) Keep house organized - working on it
91) Have a lazy weekend - what is that?
92) Visit the in-laws - need to do more
93) Take an aerobics class - working on it
94) Wash my car once a month - check
95) Get my oil changed on time - its getting about that time
96) Get rid of the clutter - working on it
97) Go to an Aggie football game - maybe next year
98) Go to a Tech football game - maybe next year
99) Wear jewelry more often - working on it
100) Host a party - after we are settled
101) Visit my sister and family - we got to see the baby!! :)

Begin Date: Wednesday September 10th, 2008
End Date: June 22, 2011

Follow me on this journey....It's going to be quite a ride!!!

75 days and counting

2008-12-29T10:12:00.002-06:00

Christmas is over - can you believe it?? It doesn't seem possible that we are about to enter 2009!! 75 days til the wedding!! Agh!!

We had a few fabulous days in Pensacola. A very short trip but wouldn't have traded it for the world. I got to see my baby niece Taylolr for the first time. She is so stinkin adorable! 2 months old on Christmas Eve. We all fell in love and decided that we live entirely too far apart. Mom and Dad got us webcams for Christmas so we can all see Taylor when we can't actually be there.

Was fun to visit with cousins that I don't get to see much anymore...

75 days - wow....I know those will fly by....still seems like we have so much yet to do!! Time to get serious!!

Oh by the way...

2008-12-22T14:31:00.003-06:00

We got the money from our closing today. I should be happy, right? Instead I kind of feel like this picture of the pissy cat. Yanno - I really thing it should be part of the job of the people walking you through the home buying process to anticipate any "normal" problems that could come up.

- Originally I was told that the money would be available to me on that day. I wasn't told there was a possibility that because we were closing on a Friday that we might have to wait until Monday. Surprise! (A simple heads up that this could be possible would have been nice.)

- A week ago I checked with the title company to see whether I should make final payments to the mortgage company and home owners association. She said - you take care of the HOA, we will roll the mortgage into the closing. I was hit with double payments - because they took it out of the closing AND I had paid like I was supposed to. Surprise!

- At the closing, as we were going over the closing she explained that the year end taxes had been taken out because the mortgage company hadn't paid them yet. Almost $1700. This seemed ok until this morning I logged into my account and saw that indeed the mortgage company had paid them!! Double payments again!! Surprise! Luckily I caught it early enough that the title company hadn't sent the money off to the city, county, school taxes yet so they are going to hold it until they get comfirmation that these were already paid.

I totall understand that the mortgage company has to take the taxes out. And I get that the city can take a few weeks to post the payments - BUT don't you think that people who deal with this for 20+ years should be able to anticipate that maybe this might be the case and at least warn a first time seller BEFORE she has to freak out and figure this out herself? Seriously?? I wasn't even aware that the year end taxes would be part of the closing - I just figured that the mortgage company had taken care of it like they do every year - which they did. If I hadn't called to investigate this when I did then I would have to fight each individual that the taxes were sent to to get my refunds. I guess this is all part of the learning curve.

On a happy note - I was able to confirm our flight and reserve a car for our honeymoon this morning. That and a nice little blue tablet of Aleve helped resolve this monstrous headache that resulted from this morning. Now let's think happy thoughts of snowflakes and jingle bells...and beautiful little baby Taylor that we get to see in just 3 days!! :)

CHECKS!!

2008-12-19T09:34:00.004-06:00

Today is the day!! With one big check (hopefully), 3 big checks off of the list! House sold - check! Invitations purchased - check! Honeymoon tickets bought - check! What a HUGE relief! We have a roadmap and are ready to roll!! Can you believe next week is Christmas? With the sale complete - I have some shopping to do!!!

**UPDATE** Well - the closing went fine - but because it didn't start on time - by the time it finished - it was too late to wire transfer the funds for this days business....so they'll do it tomorrow and I have to wait until Monday for it to be in my account. Grr. Oh well - it is done. I met the lady who bought it. She seems nice. Kinda looked like Mary Lou Retton but taller. So I guess shopping will be postponed until next week. Nothing like last minute eh? Mom and I did go get our wedding invitations so that is 1 1/2 (the other half will come when I get the money) of the 3 checks.

Movie Quote Trivia

2008-12-18T15:17:00.003-06:00

Ok - here's how it goes - I post ten movie quotes - and as faithful readers - you try to guess which movies the quotes are from. Have fun! :) Answers updated on 12/29

1. I rode through the rain! I'd - I'd ride through worse than that if I could just hear your voice telling me that I might, at least, have some chance to win you. (Mr Knightly (Jeremy Northam) to Emma (Gweneth Paltrow) in Emma)

2. The hardest thing is loving someone and then having the courage to let them love you back. (Nick (Dermot Mulroney in The Wedding Date))

3. Miss Stoeger, I would just like to say that physical education in this school is a disgrace. I mean, standing in line for forty minutes is hardly aerobically effective. I doubt I've worked off the calories in a stick of Carefree gum. (Cher (Alicia Silverstone) in Clueless)

4. Francisco! That's fun to say! Francisco... Frannncisco... Franciscooo... (Buddy (Will Ferrell) in Elf)

5. I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong. That's getting married. A wedding is an entirely different proposition. (George Banks (Steve Martin) in Father of the Bride)

6. Ted Nugent called, he wants his shirt back. (Danny (George Clooney) to Rusty (Brad Pitt) in Ocean's Eleven)

7. Oh, no, we're not asking you to lose weight. That would be illegal. We just want you to be healthy, by eating less. So go home, weigh yourself on a scale, write than down. Then subtract 20 from that numbr. And weigh that. Yeah. (Jill (Kristin Wiig) to Alison (Katherine Heigl) in Knocked Up)

8. Look, I'm sorry, I'm not up on all this jive talkin', home boy lingo, what's that supposed to mean? "There's a spider on your head"? (Nick (Tim Robbins) to 'T' (Martin Lawrence) in Nothing to Lose)

9. Every man dies, not every man really lives. (William Wallace (Mel Gibson) in Braveheart)

10. Is it this? Is this what you see? I assure you it is human. But if that's all you see, then you don't see me. You can't see me. (Justin McLeod (Mel Gibson) in Man Without a Face)

The Home Book

2008-12-18T15:02:00.002-06:00

I bought it. I love it! I know it is just a coffee table book - BUT - it has sooo many wonderful pictures and inspirations! Probably a little more than should be spent on a book - BUT - my house sells tomorrow so this is my little present to myself in celebration. That's allowed right? Of course it is! Who said picture books were just for kids? A cup of coffee - a warm blanket - and a huge heaping of dreams....mmmm heavenly!

A little nostalgic

2008-12-18T14:50:00.005-06:00

We loaded up the last few items from my condo last night. After all the boxes were in the car, I went back inside, sat on the stairs, shed a few tears, and just sat wrapped in the nostalgia of it all. Lots happened in the time span I lived there. Jen and I moved in a few weeks before 9/11. Job changes. Life changes. Love changes. It was the first house I purchased. It's where I lived for most of my 20's. It's where I was living when I met my Johnny. I'm not sad about moving forward - quite the contrary - but you have to take the chance to remember and properly say goodbye, right? I think it is a single lady that is moving into it. I hope it will be a great place for her to live too. Tomorrow afternoon my Melrose Place will become part of the past. Let's take a moment. Ok - now let's party!!!

All Moved!!

2008-12-16T12:00:00.003-06:00

Well with the exception of a few straggling items that wouldn't fit in the truck or U-Haul - we are completely moved out of the condo. The weekend was a whirlwind! Moving then to Athens and back made for tired people and late nights. Next time we are hiring movers! A few quirks to deal with at the new place but overall all is well. 3 day until closing...what a relief that will be! I can't wait!

Everyone freaks out when winter actually visits the metroplex. Just drive slow and allow extra time and it's not that big a deal. It's those that don't get that your driving actually has to change that reak havoc for everyone. It will be 70 by Thursday. Hopefully that doesn't mean a new round of colds/flu for everyone!! I wish our winters were as pretty as this picture!!

Christmas Questionaire

2008-12-16T10:32:00.003-06:00

1. Fresh Tree or Fake Tree
Fresh is ideal - but for now fake works just fine - plus it is pre-lit!!

2. Favorite Ornament
I have several ornaments from my grandparents. Each year they would give us one and attach a little note to it that says something to the effect of "hang this on the tree every year and remember us" Because they are gone - those ornaments are the most special ones.

3. Favorite Christmas Song
O Holy Night by Josh Groban and It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

4. Favorite Tradition
Visiting extended family - I LOVE big family Christmases!!

5. Favorite Gift Ever Received
I love the necklaces that I received last year from Johnny and my mom!

6. Favorite Christmas Meal
Turkey, dressing, hashed brown casserole, broccoli casserole, rolls, and pie.

7. Favorite Christmas Cookie
Krispies - special k/peanut butter with a chocolate/butterscotch topping...mmmm

8. Favorite Place To Be
Wherever my family is....

9. Favorite Memory
When we would to to Pensacola for Christmas - Christmas Eve all the grandkids would gather with Grandma and Grandpa to get our ornament for the year. Sometimes they would tell stories - but it was a very special time for all of our extended family to have fun being together.

When we would go to Kansas City for Christmas - we would all get bundled up and go to church service on Christmas Eve and then go look at the Christmas lights on the Plaza. Grandma would get so excited to see all the lights.

When I was 3 I used to recite the night before christmas - I could "read" it - I had it memorized what words went on what page - so it looked like I was reading :)

10. Favorite Christmas Movie
Elf, It's a Wonderful Life, While You Were Sleeping (the family scenes always make my family giggle because it's so us.

Crazy Dallas Drivers and Stupid Motorola Phones

2008-12-12T12:54:00.003-06:00

So I'm driving on the access road at lunch today and this idiot who is driving through the construction blockade to try to turn left at the light (HELLO GENIUS! That is why they have all these orange cones diverting traffict away from that area!) When he is like a carlength away from the light he realizes his moronic behavior and swerves sharply into my lane causing me to swerve sharply into the right lane. If I had not been alert or there had been a car to my right - it would have been a very bad accident because he would have smashed right into my driver's door while he was accelerating. Not only would I have been badly hurt but my poor little 2 week old car would have had some major repair work. It literally made my heart jump in my chest and I started getting teary and had to try to catch my breath after that. Thank you God for preventing a major catastrophe!!

I have the worst luck with cell phones - especially Motorola cell phones. When I went to bed last night - I had 2 battery cells. When I woke up this morning - it was dead. It wouldn't respond to the car charger. It wouldn't respond to the wall charger. I took the battery out.....put the battery back in. Nothing. I knew this one was having some issues - a couple of the buttons had fallen off - but it still worked and it was going to last until after next week. What bad timing is it to not have a cell phone when it is a week away from the closing on my house!! Grr - This is the 2nd Motorola Q I've had since the initial contract. The last one just died as well. I think it's time to go back to LG or Samsung. They make good phones. I loved my LG - sigh - this is ridiculous.

Moving Hodge Podge

2008-12-11T10:13:00.002-06:00

Making my list and checking it twice. There is so much going on that if I didn't have my list I think I would go crazy. I just booked a U-Haul for Saturday. 2 days!! I can't believe moving day is finally almost here!! We go sign the lease tomorrow evening!

After we sign the lease - we go to dinner with some dear friends. Saturday, John will drop me off at U-Haul, go to choir, and then come back to help me move. Sunday we go to the early service for the Christmas Cantata and then head to Athens to have Christmas with John's family.

What a whirlwind of a weekend. Next week won't be any less busy. John has to work to keep even with all his stops then next weekend he is on call. I close on my house on Friday and as soon as that money is wired - need to get my Christmas shopping done.

Christmas Eve - we will leave for Pensacola as soon as possible - stop somewhere along the way when we get tired and drive the rest of the way on Christmas day. I really really dislike his company's December policy. It needs to be on a rotating basis so that those of us with out of town families can be able to enjoy the holidays with them.

I still haven't heard back fromt he appraisal yesterday. Hopefully all went well. I really don't like loose ends. It is way stressful.

This seems to be a hodge podge of randomness doesn't it. Oh well...enjoy ;-)

Checks on hold???

2008-12-10T16:32:00.003-06:00

Ok - one minor freak out resolved. I had an inkling that I should call to check about whether or not a hold would be placed on the check I get from the sale of my house when I deposit it in my account. They said - yes - up to a week!!! Now that won't work!! I need it for Christmas!! I called my realtor and she said very casually that they can do a wire transfer instead and it would be available immediately. When I was trying to sort this out with the guy on the phone - you would think he would have suggested this as a possibility rather than let me freak out. Sigh...9 days....9 days....9 days....

They had the appraisal today. Pray that the results are good and that the price doesn't have to change!!

Counting down...

2008-12-09T12:43:00.003-06:00

4 days until the new apartment. (Yay! I get to decorate!!)

10 days until we close on the house. (Yay for a nest egg and honeymoon tickets!!)

16 days until Christmas. (Yay for Jesus!!)

16 days until I get to see my precious baby niece. (Yay for Taylor!!)

22 days until 2009. (Yay for the year of my wedding!!)

42 days until we have Obama as President. (I didn't vote for you, but please fix the economy. Thanks.)

80 days until John's birthday. (Happy Birthday baby!!)

95 days until we get married. (Yay for wedded bliss!!)

125 days until my birthday. (Hello 32 - let's have a year full of laughter and fun!!)

Some pretty big days ahead. I think I need a nap.

It's Moving Week!!

2008-12-08T10:39:00.003-06:00

This weekend went by really fast. John had to work Friday night, which I didn't know until last minute - so I spent a quiet evening home alone relaxing. Saturday we went through some stuff at my storage unit. I found a couple more things I am going to try to sell on eBay and found 3 or 4 boxes that will either be for the combined yard sale with my parents and me or for donation. I know there are more to go through. The only stuff that will be going with us onto the next juncture in life will be stuff that has a purpose.

The apartment we are going to move into is almost as big as my condo, which will be nice. I'm getting excited. 6 more days!! I believe we can go look at it tomorrow. It's going to be a crazy weekend. Friday I imagine we will be getting some stuff together at the house...renting the UHaul on Saturday morning. John has choir practice until noon on Saturday. After that we will begin to load all the boxes and furniture into the uhaul and drive it to Irving. Everything is pretty much packed except for the decorative stuff we left out for staging. We still have John's apt through the end of January so we have that luxury of taking our time to get things loaded from there. That's good - because we always get sidetracked when we start talking about getting his house packed up.

I think I am going to try my hand at re-finishing John's end tables and coffee table to try to make some of the wear and tear a little more palatable for a while. :) We will be able to fit most of our furniture in the new apt. The only furniture that won't go is furniture that we agree we will not use again. Ultimately we will probably replace all but 2 or 3 pieces - but that will be over the long haul. We'll get a slip cover for the couch and make that a little more up to date looking. Best of all - I think there will be a place for everything. Yes we will be using the 2nd bedroom for storage boxes - but I don't think it will have to be a cluttered storage - at least that is my vision for it! :)

1 cat, 2 cat, 3 cat, 4 cat

2008-12-06T11:14:00.003-06:00

For those who may look above and think we are the crazy cat couple...we didn't start out that way - I had 2 - he had 2 and neither one of us can say goodbye to our babies...soooooo here we are...with our four fabulous felines.

Blast from the Past

2008-12-05T12:52:00.004-06:00

People from your past ... Some inspire a sense of nostalgia and some just bring an unsettling feeling because of the drama that ensued around their presence. Maybe it's not all negative - just the ending. Some paths intersect for a while and then are meant to go in opposite directions without any chance of a future re-connection. There are only a handful of people that fall into that category. 5 I can think of off the top of my head. It's not really about forgiveness - that has happened already - but it's more about not needing that negativity anywhere in my life and being stronger now not to put up with it.

99 days!!!

2008-12-05T10:10:00.003-06:00

Can you believe that we only have 99 days left until the wedding?? Double digits!!! Exciting and scary because there is so much yet to do!!

Google Tag - just because it's fun

2008-12-04T21:00:00.005-06:00

Type the following things into google (image) and see what comes up. Pretty fun.

First name: Jennifer

Middle Name: Lynne

Last Name: Harrington (Harrington family crest); Soon to be Morris

Favorite Pastime: home decorating

Age:31

Nickname: Jenny (only to John - Jen to everyone else)

Something on my wishlist

(MacBook)

Favorite Movie:

Dream Vacation: Ireland

Occupation: Human Resources

Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving and Christmas

Favorite Snack: fruit

(LOL someday I'll join the fruit of the month club haha ;-))

Favorite Color:Aggie Maroon

Favorite food: Salsa - mmmm me too - love me some Mexican food!!

I tag all of my readers - Go! :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2008-12-01T11:14:00.004-06:00

Don't you just LOVE Christmastime? There is something about the ambiance that just brings out the giddiness in me (and a lot of others). It's the excitement about spending time with family you haven't seen in a while. It's the anticipation of all the holiday parties. It's the nip in the air and the frost on the windows. It's the joy in the air about celebrating the birth of our Lord. I can't wait until I have a house that I can decorate. We each decorated our own apartments last year, but this year unfortunately with the hustle and bustle of moving and feeling so cramped with all the stuff as it is - I doubt that decorations will be doing much more but changing locations in their boxes.

The many expressions of Taylor

2008-11-30T09:42:00.005-06:00

These make me giggle! That tongue!!

So intense - lol above she looks like she is about to cry or just mad and below she looks like she is really worried.

Simply beautiful!! :)

Thanksgiving, New Car, and Home Repairs

2008-11-29T15:58:00.004-06:00

Yay!! We got the car that was in the previous post and we just LOVE it!! Very glad that we opted to do this. The lease thing may not work all the time in life - but at this juncture - it was the best option. It's comfy, roomy, and cute - and gets GREAT gas mileage! What more could you ask for?

Thanksgiving was fun spending time with both John's and my families. Time seemed too short as always. I was trying to be in keeping with the spirit of the holiday and suggested we go around the table and tell something we are thankful about. Invariably Grandma was mentioned which brought about boo-hooing. Ultimately we had a great time of sharing and had a fun day together.

We got the inspection report back on my house and they asked for some really petty stuff to be fixed. We fixed some - but not all - hopefully that will be good enough. The appraiser comes this week. One more hurdle. Please pray we don't have to lower the selling price any after that. My realtor was optimistic - but I am a little apprehensive - just feeling like Murphy is workin overtime right now - praying he isn't.

Guess we can only wait and see. Cross your fingers, say a prayer, send up some thoughts - we can use it all...

It feels like tomorrow should be Monday, but I'm so relieved we have another day to relax. :)

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Poll: Too girly a color?

2008-11-26T18:11:00.004-06:00

We most likely are going to get a CR-V - this is the color the leasing agent is going to show us on Friday. I'm going to be the one driving the car most of the time because John has a work vehicle - but does anyone think this color is too girly a color?

Another spoiler??? GIG EM AGGIES!!

2008-11-26T18:05:00.004-06:00

Even though the Aggies football program has been less than stellar in recent years, the Aggies still often manage to pull out the spoiler against those danged Longhorns. Let's do it again Aggies!! :) Not just for Aggie redemption - but so that Tech can rise up in the standings once again. I'm a proud Aggie - but also about to be a Red Raider fan by marriage. My sweet Johnny was so sad when Tech lost to OU last weekend. Let's see Oklahoma State kick some OU bootie this weekend and let's see the Aggies hang on and pull out this spoiler over Texas! Should make for some interesting football this weekend!! :)

Happy Birthday and Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-26T17:49:00.003-06:00

Today is my Dad's birthday. We are celebrating tomorrow since John and I are going to the in-laws tonight to be there for Thanksgiving lunch. My aunt and uncle came in town today for the holiday festivities. I'm going to try to remember the happy times and to be thankful for all the blessings I have to be thankful for. I still miss you Grandma. I wish you were here too! Hope all of my faithful ~~stalkers~~ readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families. Remember the things we have to be thankful for and who it is that we thank. I heard George Washington's speech on enacting Thanksgiving as a holiday. It was very moving and really makes you focus on the heart of the holiday.

New Apt!!

2008-11-25T15:32:00.003-06:00

We'll find out on Monday which one it will be. The current resident will help determine that for us. Kinda hoping for the 2br 2ba bc they would work a deal with us because it wasn't what we were looking for initially. Guess we will see on Monday!!

CRV or Rogue?

2008-11-25T15:10:00.003-06:00

Looks like we are moving forward with getting a new car!! We will test drive both of these on Friday and possibly get it that day as well! I think I'm leaning more towards the CR-V based on how it holds its value and the features it comes with. Kinda scary that it is all moving so fast but exciting as well! First experience with going through a lease. I'm optimistic about how it will go through!

Moving on....

2008-11-24T15:41:00.002-06:00

Change. That seemingly small word causes such a stir. It makes me happy, sad, stressed, anxious, relieved, scared, excited and thoughtful all at the same time. Here are the things on our plate at the moment:

-Thanksgiving. Normally my favorite time of year. This year - my sweet Grandma will not be here to celebrate with us. I'm still having a hard time accepting she is gone. I've been trying to understand why her death hit me so much harder than my other grandparents. I miss them terribly too. I think hers still hurts so much because it really came out of the blue and because there were so many disappointments associated with the timing of her death. Yes she was almost 90 but she wasn't sick - she still was in overall good health. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad she didn't suffer - but the sudden nature of it - still makes it feel like it happened yesterday in my heart. I miss her so much. I have a special tribute in mind though. I think she would have loved it. She and my Aunt and Uncle have come down to celebrate Thanksgiving with us for about the last 10 years. The last 3 of those Grandma has stayed for a few months after in what will definately be remembered as some of the most precious memories. We will be driving down to Athens on Wednesday to celebrate with John's family and head back this way to have dinner with mine.

-We are going to look at an apartment and possibly put a deposit down on one this evening. Pretty excited about this. 2br 1 bath - in a brand new building for a great deal and across the street from where we are now. Love me a fresh start!

-My house sells/closes on the 19th. What a huge relief that is!! We signed the offer and are proceeding with that. The inspector was supposed to go by today and what should he find but the water was disconnected. I called my former neighbors and they said the city was working on a water main and the water would be off most of the day! Of all days!! I hope we don't have to pay for a second inspection!!

-Before we go to Florida for Christmas, we knew we were going to have to either get my car fixed or get a new one. Well - the guy who usually gives me an employee discount doesn't work at the dealership anymore. It actually would be cheaper to get a new car/lease a new car than keep fixing this one. Lately it is always something with it. I talked with someone about a lease today. Pretty interested in pursuing that - even though you aren't building equity - I think right now it is the best way to get us in a reliable suv.

All these things are good things - but a lot of things to have swirling around in my mind right now. What is that song? I'm ready for a slow down...

Taylor is 1 month old today!!

2008-11-24T15:39:00.002-06:00

I know I kind of spoiled this post by posting a few days earlier that she was almost 1 month old - but sweet little girl is officially 1 month old today!! Julie said she smiles now so I bet that is a lot of fun :) I absolutely cannot wait to meet her!!

Offer pending

2008-11-20T13:31:00.002-06:00

So....many of you know the last offer fell through. For whatever reason the lady flaked out and wouldn't even call her own agent back. Oh well. My realtor called me today and said someone new put an offer on it. We countered. There it stands for now. Join me in prayer that this offer will go through. They want to close on 12/19. Would be a WONDERFUL Christmas present!!

I'm sick

2008-11-20T11:26:00.002-06:00

Ugh - I just want to be at home asleep in bed. I hate being all achy and sniffly.

Almost 1 month old!! Time flies!!

2008-11-17T13:16:00.004-06:00

So beautiful!!

Sweet Lil Punk'n

She looks like Julie here.

Look at those adorable dimples!!

Just checkin it all out...

Sweet dreams (here she looks more like Doug)

November 8th

2008-11-12T09:22:00.002-06:00

Life is so unfair sometimes. One of my best friends lost her mom on Saturday. Saturday was also Grandma's birthday. I'm so sad for her. I know how devestated I still am at the loss of my Grandma. I just can't fathom losing your mom. It's not fair.

I met her just once at Bonnie's baby shower when she was pregnant with Maren. We were doing that silly game where you put a tennis ball in a pair of panty hose and tie it around your waist and use that to try to get another ball across the room. We did it in groups of 2 and her mom and I were a group.

My mom is going with me tomorrow to her funeral. She's so sweet to go all that way with me. It's a 3 hr drive and we are leaving at 7am. Yikes!

Keep Bonnie and her family in your prayers. Love you girl!

Face of an Angel

2008-11-06T19:09:00.003-06:00

Isn't she beautiful? I absolutely love this picture. It is kinda funny too because it looks like her foot is up by her face and she is in some kind of contorted position but really those are socks on her hands to keep her from scratching up her beautiful little face. You can almost see those adorable dimples!! :) I can't wait until December when I can see this little miracle for myself!! :)

Uncertainty is the Only Certainty

2008-11-06T10:56:00.001-06:00

Still waiting. My future is a big question mark.

History...Values have left the building

2008-11-05T08:25:00.007-06:00

Wow. A day that will live in infamy. Kinda like Pearl Harbor... only this time it's an inside job.

Hopefully people will come to their senses and block his extremely liberal agenda one bill at a time. Aside from lowering taxes - what good does he promise to accomplish? He is right - anything is possible - or it was possible. The country that enabled him to rise this far is the very country he is trying to unravel.

God has a plan. Maybe it's kind of like when you let a child have his way so he learns the lesson the hard way. The only problem is - those of us who already get it - are punished too.

God, please help us. Protect us from socialism. Protect the babies who survive abortion attempts from Obama's support of infanticide. Protect those small business owners and those who were thinking of pursuing such an endeavor because now - they will be penalized greatly for their success. Protect us from the most liberal agenda to ever think about hitting the White House. Protect us from Obama's terrorist friends. Forgive those who put him in office. They know not what they have done.

The Promises of a New Day

2008-11-04T08:06:00.003-06:00

What a day this promises to be. Top on my priority list is finding out probably this afternoon about the pending counter offer on my condo. Hope to get that all wrapped up today. Praying hard that comes through!!

Other prayers go out for this historic election. I know God is in control no matter who takes office. I pray that whoever fills those shoes works to the benefit of our great country and not to the detriment of it. Kind of a nail biting day for me and for our country.

Many more thoughts on the subject I have - but I'll keep them to myself and just say another prayer.

Lord, protect us and this great nation. You know who will be the next President and you know the challenges that lie ahead. Help guide our country in the way it needs to go and protect it from those who intend to bring it destruction. In Jesus name, Amen

Monday - still waiting...

2008-11-03T15:15:00.001-06:00

Waiting waiting waiting. I just talked to the Realtor again. She said the buyer isn't stalling - just trying to get things in line. I'm chomping at the bit to get this in writing. The sooner we do that, the closer we are to getting it finalized. Please come back with an acceptance and soon!!!!

Still waiting

2008-11-02T22:45:00.001-06:00

We are still waiting on acceptance of the counter offer. My Realtor expects that we should hear something tomorrow afternoon.

TECH WON TEXAS LOST!!! WOW!! :)

2008-11-01T23:56:00.002-05:00

We just got home from watching the Texas Tech/Texas game. Wow! It was amazing. So many key plays and when the clock was about to run out...and it looked like Texas would win...Tech scored an amazing touchdown. Texas was knocked off their high horse!! Wow!! A&M won today too! I miss the days when they had this kind of excitement. I know it was possible - they won the Big 12 when I was there! We watched the game with a couple of John's buddies that are Texas fans - how the moods shifted from John being sullen and pouty to them being sullen and pouty - all within just a few minutes....:) It was fun I have to admit!
Gig Em Ags :)
Wreck Em Tech :)

Dual Loyalties

2008-11-01T14:03:00.005-05:00

Normally - our house is divided on Football Saturdays.... John is a Red Raider (Texas Tech) and I of course am an Aggie (Texas A&M) (though it would be much more fun if the Aggies could get their football program to be a little more competitive....)

But today....we are all on the same team hoping that Tech beats the everloving stuffing out of University of Texas.

Go Red Raiders!! Saw 'em off!!

I GOT AN OFFER!

2008-11-01T11:16:00.002-05:00

I got an offer on my condo last night!! We are countering this morning and hope to have a contract sometime today. Please pray it through with me!! I'm so excited! I just hope it pulls through!

I VOTED

2008-10-31T15:18:00.001-05:00

Did you?