We did it!

And ya know what?! It didn't happen at all how we envisioned or even close to how we had planned, but at the end of the day the three of us became a family, and that's all that really matters, right?! The love in the room was palpable, there were tears of joy...a few snags but nothing earthshatteringly horrible, and of course we both looked hothothot!! teeheehee

I do promise to keep my promise and give a full-on re-cap, with pics of course, but right now I am a bit tied up at work and simply cannot pull myself away from a rapidly approaching deadline. Soon though...soon.
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And to the anonymous poster who mentioned using/stealing my ideas...steal away!!! Seriously! There is nothing here that wasn't already borrowed from another bride or inspired by someone elses imagination. It's all about tweaking the details reflect you and your intended, which is what I hope we acomplished with our planning. I would be flattered if anyone stumbled across this blog and decided any of it was worthy of recreating on one of the most memorable days of their lives.

I won! I won! I won!

I have nevereverever won anything in myentirelife...so imagine my surprise when I clicked on Weddingbee and saw my name as the winner in the contest for favor boxes from I need a favor from Kate! During my all out squeal-fest this morning, I even woke the Little Bear, who proclaimed "Momma, is everything okay? I heard wild pigs outside my window". Oops.

We will be getting the pyramid shaped box from the photo above, but in this print:

Here are my favor inspiration pics....

I am envisioning them being similar to the larger photo on the plate, but without the branch, obviously. I've already purchased the little nests at Michael's, along with some moss. I'm hoping to find a few glittery birds during my annual Christmas ornament shopping extravaganza to add to the nests. I also am going to order dark chocolate Cadbury speckled eggs online, since they are only available in stores over the Easter holiday. I realize that jordan almonds are more traditional, but honestly, I don't know of one person, other than myself, who actually likes to eat them. And who can resist chocolate, right? So what do you think?

Oh, and I know it says we won 50 boxes, and are only having 18 guests, so we've decided to hand deliver the exciting news to all our friends who we were not able to host at the actual event. We're going to give them all one of our nest favors along with the announcement. Good idea...or not?

I couldn't have won a more perfect prize! I was having such a hard time finding a gift box that would allow me to wrap our little bird favors without having to lay the birds down on their sides...which of course, once opened, would just make them look like a little nest filled with dead birds, not love birds. Sooooo not romantic. At. All.

Thankyouthankyouthankyou to Weddingbee and to I Need a Favor from Kate. Kiss Kiss Hug Hug.

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And I do want to apologize for the lack of posts lately. Between the Thanksgiving holiday and working long hours, there really hasn't been all that much going on that anyone would consider "blog worthy". We did meet with the second photographer, and are anxiously awaiting his quote before we make any final decisions regarding pics.

Thanksgiving

Now that the food has settled I can take a minute to sit down and ramble about a few things. What a great day this Thanksgiving was, family, friends and of course the two best things to ever happen to me, yes Delilah and the big kid. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a holiday as much as I did this Thanksgiving, it gave a whole new meaning to being thankful. My wonderful wife to be cooked up a fantastic dinner, yes I did do my part, that was stay out of her way and make last minute trips to the store. Of course I ate WAY to much food but then again who didn't, how's a guy suppose to say no to such a fantastic feast?

Visiting with family has become much more important to me over the years. I have a great niece and great nephew that are in their early twenties that mean the world to me, I treasure every minute I get to spend with them. I will explain the Great niece and Great nephew thing later. I have also realized just how much I really missed Delilah's family over the years that we were apart, from what I can gather they missed me just as much, what a great feeling.

I hope everyone had a Thanksgiving as wonderful as ours was, I have so much to be thankful, what a lucky man I really am.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I am most grateful for...

The love of my family.

They may not always be the most affectionate bunch, but they've ALWAYS been there through thick and thin. There are no doubts in my mind that no matter what the struggle or celebration, they will all be there by my side to comfort me or cheer me on. This past year has been a very trying one, and without the love and support of my family, I know for a fact, I would not be the happy (and somewhat emotional, financially & physically stable) gal I am today.

The most amazing, sweetest

and affectionate little boy...EVER!

Had I been able to personally hand-pick the teeny angel who was to become my son, I could not have chosen one more perfect. He is spirited, smart, kind, generous, creative, funny...the list goes on and on. I thank my lucky stars on a daily basis for sending him to me. He's been not only my baby, my little boy and my best friend but now and I watch him learn and grow, I get glimpses of the man he is going to become. I am so proud and honored to be his maman.

True Love

How in the world am I suppose to be able to find the words to express how grateful and thankful I am to the universe for bringing my Bob back into my life? There will never, evereverever be a proper term to define how unbelievably happy, safe, content and loved he makes me feel. I'm so blessed to have him in my life, not only as my confidant, friend, lover, and fiance...but, as the most amazing father and husband to a little boy and his mother, who once believed that they were not worthy of the kind of fairy tale life they are currently living.

Oh...I almost forgot.

And tiny puppies with bad breath.

So. um. yeah. wow.....Totally random thoughts.

For once in my life, I am at a loss for words. Not much going on around here, that's for sure. Well, other than the regular 'ol day to day workworkwork, home, parenting stuff. But, I'm not really complaining. It's a nice break. I do apologize for the lack of posts and photos lately though. I'll make it up to you next week 'kay?

Wedding planning is at quite a stand still, and with the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, it looks like there won't be time for much other than stuffing our faces full of yummy goodness and visiting with family and friends. It's going to be torture to not spill the beans or slip up regarding the wedding planning during conversation. Wish us luck! Bob has already started inviting people by word of mouth, and it got me all flustered and thinking that the sooner they know about the "party" the more time they will have to figure out the surprise ahead of time...totally ridiculous, I know, but I can't help it. Have I mentioned that I'm a worry-wart?!?

We do have a meeting with a local photographer (not the one I spoke of earlier) on Monday, for the sake of looking through his portfolio, getting a quote and discussing our Plan B details. I'm still sold on our first choice photographer, but this one definitely has more pro's than cons as well and because he is local, just may be a better fit. Only time and budget will tell. Both of our choices have equally beautiful online portfolios. Just as soon as we make a decision, I'll definitely be posting a link.

I'm also been thinking a lot about hair. Mostly because mine is a complete and utter mess right now and in serious need of a cut and blowout. Granted, I look nothing like the lovely Masuimi Max, but she and I share the same hairstyle and hair color in this pic. I pretty much do the side bang with alice band/scarf/barrette on a daily basis. I've been growing out my uber-short Bettie Page bangs and the length is becoming out of control. Not to mention my hair is pin straight and won't hold a curl to save my life. I think I just may pay a visit to my stylist for some advice. Here are a few photos of hairstyles I've been coveting.

What do you all think? Should I go for something a bit more fresh and modern, or stick with my usual look? Keep it simple, or glam it up?

Work it girl!

Whew! What a weekend! Where does all this time go?!? I swear, all day yesterday I thought it was Saturday and then some party pooper had to go and remind me that it was in fact Sunday and another work week was upon us. UGH! I barely had time to relax or have any fun at all and it's already Monday.

I think a lot of my Monday blues this morning are stemming from the fact that I've taken on a second (or actually, technically 3rd) job in order to bring in a few extra dollars for the wedding and I'm simply exhausted. I had a big wake-up call about a month ago and realized that if we didn't start bringing in some extra cash and saving our pennies soon, there would be no wedding...or at least not the wedding we are envisioning.

Now, I realize that you are probably thinking that it really doesn't cost all that much to basically have 20 or so people out to dinner, but add the cost of food and drinks, plus cake, officiant, transportation, photos, rings and attire and the budget gets blown rather quickly. Hence, a part-time job in retail to combat the quick rising cost of this whole soiree. Not to mention the holidays are quickly approaching, Bob and I are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at the tree house, as well as Christmas gifts for LB and the rest of the family, and throwing a cocktail party for New Years. Cha-ching! My Bob has a t-shirt in the closet that boldly states "I'm having an out of money experience". Right now, that's exactly how I am feeling. And I know it will all work out in the end, as it always does, but it doesn't take away the fact that I am a wee bit stressed about it.

In planning our budget, or lack of, we're having quite the time trying to figure out where our priorities lay. Should we spend more on food and drink, or is photography more important? Should a bulk of our budget be spent on rings and attire, or opt to save some cash for our honeymoon? As I type this, I honestly don't know. How is everyone else coming up with a budget and whats on your "must have" list?

Take it off! Take it all off...

Okay, so I'm feeling a little frisky this morning. TeeHeeHee!

In an effort to get healthier and of course, look like a bombshell pin-up on our wedding day, I've been dieting. Oh, how I hate that word, but I'm using it for lack of a better term. For the last, oh, about 6 weeks or so, I've been steadily losing weight by counting calories and paying a little closer attention to where those calories are coming from. Upping the protein, dropping a bit of carb. It's been a pleasant little surprise every Friday to step on the scale and watch that number go down, down, down. The smaller pant size is quite the ego boost as well.


But....
For the last 2 weeks...nothing. Not even one little ounce lost. What's up with that?!?! I've been a good girl. I haven't indulged, at all. Well, other than 1 piece of birthday cake, but you know, it's like wedding cake. Calorie free, right?!?


The only thing I can think of is that since I took a second job, I am on my feet more and might be retaining water? Or, since I am not home in the evenings to cook for myself and my boys, that I have been eating more processed foods like Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones and Healthy Choice, all of which might contain some extra sodium?! It's frustrating to say the least. I'm seriously losing motivation, which really sucks. I suppose it may just be a dreaded plateau, and I will have to wait it out, but in the meantime, I'm asking for suggestions as to what I can do to shake up my metabolism a bit and start losing again. Got any super-secret weight loss advice or tips for me? Anyone? Please. Pretty please?


I'm hoping to take measurements for my dress sometime the beginning of next month, so Whirling Turban can get started on my scrumptious dress. Cross your fingers I can drop one more size by then. I've also got to get my booty out there and find a corset ASAP. One that will give me some killer curves, yet be smooth enough to wear under my dress without a lot of bumps and lumps showing through. I'm thinking of trying these on for size...

Does anyone have any experience with either of them?

The first one is from www.whatkatiedid.com and is basically a waist cincher. I'd still be able to wear my own strapless bra, which is a definite plus. I'm just not sure how bulky this style of corset is, as I've never worn one quite like it.

The second pic is a Goddess long line underwire bra. It appears quite slimming and even comes in my size. It's a steal on www.amazon.com right now. I think I may just order it anyway. If it doesn't work, I can always return it, I suppose.

Can you recommend another that I may be overlooking? Keep in mind, that I am 5'7", a very curvy size 10 (hoping to be an 8), and quite "Big of Boob" (36DD). If I go the full corset route, I'll definitely be seeking out something with an underwire. HELP!