50 days and counting

  I can't believe that I am getting married next month! There is still so much to be done that it isn't even funny! I guess it will all be done in time but for now it has me (slightly) stressed. Tanning has been my 15 minutes every other day to just relax and not think about all the things still on my to do list. It makes me feel a lot better. I also think that I may try yoga to see if that makes me feel better. Oh, and this weekend is Tommy's drill weekend with the Marines. BOO! I hate when he has to go away. I think Maddie and I will go spend the weekend at my future in-laws. It tends to make the time go faster. I just wonder if it is too early to put my favors together? hhmmmm. On a brighter note, I picked up my dress last night. It fits great and is all pretty and clean. Can't wait until I say "I DO". Until then, I am going to try my best to knock things off all my lists just taking them one at a time.

Table Number Cards, Bouquets, and Guest Books

   These table numbers caused me to have a bridezilla moment at Staples. I asked the guy working there to cut paper I brought to fit their machine, then he had to play around with my template to see how to fit more then one on each sheet of paper. In the end he got it done and all with only a mild amount of teasing. (I did tell his manager how helpful he had been). Anywho, here is the final product. There will be 11 of them as that is how many guest tables we will have.

My brides maids bouquets and toss bouquet were also some of my most recent DIY projects. They turned out really nice and were way cheaper then what the florist was wanting. The brides maids have white and orange Gerber daisies, peach roses, an orange poppy, and some babies breath. The toss bouquet was white hydrangea, orange and blue Gerber daisies, and a monarch butterfly (for good luck). I tied all of them with blue ribbon. I feel very accomplished after seeing what I was able to do!

These are the brides maids bouquets.

 This is my toss bouquet. I really like the way it turned out!

My guest book I ordered from Shutterfly. I used our engagement pictures and was sure to leave lots of room for all our guests to sign. It turned out really well, except for the first one they sent said "Mat" instead of May. I called and they paid for me to send it back and they sent me a corrected one so it was really no big deal.

Fun Facts About Me

I figured since I am new to blogging I would go ahead and give those who are reading a chance to get to know a little about me.

1. I am mommy to a 18 month old little girl
2. Shoes are my obsession
3. I have 2 tattoos and plan to get more
4. Pink is my favorite color
5. I met my fiance online
6. Italian food is my favorite
7. I tend to drag my birthday celebration out for as long as possible
8. I am OCD when it comes to my wedding planning
9. Sick Puppies is my favorite band
10. Dexter is my favorite TV show
11. I just got my first designer purse this week
12. My fiance bought me my first designer sunglasses (Oakleys)
13. I never leave the house without my Blackberry
14. I like to sing in the car
15. Cheesecake is my favorite dessert
16. Buckle is my favorite store
17. My favorite movie (for now) is Life As We Know It
18. I love to read Stephen King books
19. Peacocks are my favorite animal
20. I was a vegetarian for a year
21. I ran track in high school
22. I am from New Jersey and all the shows based there are NOTHING like real life there
23. I have flip flops in every color of the rainbow
24. I am the oldest child of 3
25. My dad was in the Air Force my whole life. Now I am marrying a Marine
26. I love big cities
27. I am currently obsessed with animal prints
28. Urban Decay is my makeup brand of choice
29. I had never been inside of a tanning bed before I started tanning for the wedding.
30. I changed the color scheme for the wedding about 5 times
31. I tried on 23 dresses before mine
32. I never went to college but after Tommy is out of the Marines I plan to go for Medical Billing & Coding
33. My birthday is 4/4 my daughters is 10/10
34. I love Reeses eggs but not regular cups
35. I don't eat the orange skittles or blue M&Ms
36. I hate fishing and hunting
37. I have lived in 7 different states and some of them more then once
38. I know all the words to the Wonder Pets theme song. (Thanks Maddie)
39. My daughter loves ducks and I don't know why or what started it
40. Rum and coke is my favorite drink
41. Pina Coladas or Lemon Drops is my favorite fruity drink
42. I have never been out of the country (yet)
43. I have gone bungee jumping and want to try sky diving
44. Guess you could say I am an adrenalin junkie
45. I prefer Pepsi over Coke
46. I originally wanted to elope and get married on a cruise
47. I got a puppy for Christmas but my daughter and her didn't get along so Jazzy had to leave us
48. I have never been to Disney but can't wait to take my kids
49. I only want 1 more baby
50. I am the only person in my family with green eyes and blonde hair.

I hope this was as fun for you to read as it was for me to write! If there is anything you want to know about me just ask. I may answer!

Bachelorette Party Dress

  This is the dress that I bought to go partying in when I go to Atlantic City for my bachelorette party in mid April. It is super sexy and I am in love with it because I wanted a burlesque themed girls weekend.

The shoes are amazing too! I bought a pair of pink sparkly ones a few months ago but the heel broke the first time I wore them. So, these are the ones that I got to replace them. They go great with this dress which is an added bonus. I can't wait to go party with my girls in a few weeks!! I will most likely also wear the dress for my birthday party at the beginning of next month and my friends party in May. It is always good knowing that you will get lots of use out of something when you buy it. The dress is XOXO from Macy's in-case anyone was wondering and the shoes are from a boutique in Annapolis MD called Ego.  Does anyone have any sugestions for accessories? I was thinking maybe a black feather hair piece? I just don't know.

My Rant For The Week

   I feel like I really need to get this off my chest, so here it goes. My parents have done NOTHING to help with my wedding! Ever since I started talking about getting married someday when I was a little girl my parents always promised to help pay for my wedding. Now that the planning is in full swing they have done NOTHING to help. My fiances parents have been amazing and payed for the vast majority of everything but still, it's not right. I feel bad that they have done so much when even after asking repeatedly my parents wont shell out a dime. If it wasn't for my grandma my sister wouldn't have even gotten to be in the wedding because mom wouldn't help her get a brides maids dress. My sister is 18 and just graduated high school. She lives at home and yet mom refused to help her. Also, my brother who is 16 and has a job is one of my ushers. He wanted to buy a shirt and tie in my wedding colors (with his own money) and mom wouldn't let him! Ggggrrrrr... and she wonders why I don't go out of my way to visit. Anyways, that is my rant for the week. Sorry that you guys had to hear it out.
  On a brighter note my bachelorette party is planned and the room is booked! We are going to Atlantic City and staying at the Tropicana on Easter weekend. I am so excited to have a girls weekend.
  Thats all for now I guess. I promise tomorrows post will be happier.

Lazy Weekend

  For the first time in a while I didn't do anything linked to the wedding today! I got the oil in the car changed, payed bills, went grocery shopping , and went tanning. It was nice to be out doing errands without color swatches in hand. Tonight I am thinking is a Pina Colada kind of night. I don't plan on anything other then Smallville re-runs and drinks with umbrellas curled up next to my fiance! Sounds like a good night if you ask me.

What Is A Military Wife?

 This is what you are dedicating yourself to when you marry someone in the military. I spent 20 years being a military BRAT (kid) and am so ready to be a Marine's wife!!!!

WHAT IS A MILITARY WIFE?

Each one may look different and each is wonderfully unique,
But this they have in common:

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
.....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert,
The Arctic,
Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after
them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is
unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed; the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart .
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

-Author Unknown