gearing up for the 2013!

What is it about the New Year that is so exciting for me? A chance to wipe the slate clean, and start all over again. Like a crisp sheet of paper and a freshly sharpened pencil. I always get excited and motivated when the new year rolls around. The past couple of years I decided not to make new years resolutions (& Id rather call them N.Y. goals) because lets face it....February-march rolls around and over half of my goals (if not ALL of them) are out he window. I always have the best of intentions but I loose my motivation or find that I simply don't have time to stick to my goals. And I know I'm not the only one this happens to. 

This year Ive decided that I once again will jump on the resolution band wagon. Why? Because I think its good to have goals in life. Something to strive for, because, as my husband says, "there's always room for improvement"

So this year Ill make a list of ALL the things I would like to accomplish in 2013 no matter how big or small they may be. Here is my New Years goals for 2013!

1. Get Healthier.- now, whose goals some how don't include to exercise and eat healthier? Its because those darn holidays roll around at the end of every year and on the table at every holiday celebration is ham, turkey, dressing, cookies, candy, a little hot toddy and Oreo truffles...oh the Ore truffles! DARN YOU! ::cue the waist pinching:: Here are the specifics of my Get Healthy goal :

                     - Diatomaceous Earth- You can read more about the body cleanse/organic pest control/ 
                        household cleaner here-->http://www.earthworkshealth.com/How-Diatomaceous-  Earth-Works.php

                    -Get moving-For those of you who don't know I work night shift, so alot of my days are spent sleeping. However, I only work 3 night a week (that's about to change to 4) and more recently Ive found myself on days where  don't work that night just being super lazy, probably due to the fact that my body probably hates me for not being on a continuous sleep schedule. So my goal is to get a good 3 30 minute workouts a week. Now this may not seem like much to some of you but for me this will be a big goal!


    2. Go GREENish- Now I'm not a tree hugger, nor do I consider myself to be crunchy (or granola as we say on Labor and Delivery:) but I would say I'm ...crispy :) I like the idea of lessening my footprint here on earth. And...ill be honest..I'm  cheap frugal. If i can save a buck..I'm in! So here are a few things Id like to try out

                     - Unpaper paper towels. In short, cloth napkins. In our house hold Jake and I go through a TON of paper towels. We currently have 1 on the holder and 2 rolls in the pantry. I swear 3 weeks ago there were at least 5 more rolls in our pantry! If we go through 5 rolls of paper towels a month that's 60 rolls of paper towels in our landfills each year! And about $120 a year in paper towels! So Ive already contacted a seller on etsy, moocowmomma who will be doing an order of unpaper towels for me. With the 10 towels per person they (who is they?) suggest, we are looking at 23.65 for all the towels we need! Now I'm sure at some point these will become worn an we will need to replace but if we replace every 6 months that's still less than $50 for our yearly "paper towels" I like the savings! And before you ask, I'm not worried about the cost of energy to wash those towels because we already wash regular towels and dish cloths so ill just toss them in with those! Voila!

                 - I would like to get better at recycling. We get the Sunday paper every week for the coupons. And the rest of the paper goes into the garbage. Horrible. The Hubbs also is a beer connoisseur so id like to recycle those bottles as well. This one we will have to work on because our apt is SOOO tiny that we really don't have room for recycling bins!
 
    3. ORGANIZATION!     oh lord. I am the most unorganized person. well...i take that back. In my head I dream of filing cabinets, labeled baskets and boxes but in reality its usually all I can do get my apartment cleaned much less organized! One of our biggest problems at this apt is that its simply not big enough. We don't have room for everything so lots of  things get left on counters and stacked in corners. However! I am determined to give organizing my apartment a really good go! Check back in a few month and my apartment will look like something out of Martha Stewart magazine. I hope.         

  4.Daily Devotionals: Another goal for 2013 is that Jake and I would start doing some couples devotionals together and that I personally would work on my spiritual walk with God a bit more. I'm currently working on finding a good couples devotional book. And we WILL be reading the 5 love languages together (Ive already read it but Id like for us to read it together)

5. This Blog. I really have a huge desire to blog, share and build my little corner of the Internet. In 2013 ill be working on this blog and hope to revamp in in the next few months so keep your eye out!:)

6.Attic Heirlooms- this is a company I'm gonna give a shot at starting in 2013! A vintage Rental company! dedicated to all things vintage retro and Fantabulous! Ill be doing my first wedding in June of  2013 and I'm very excited!

7. Reading- I use to be an avid reader! Last year however, with all the wedding planning, & starting a new job business I simply didn't have time to read. I don't think i finished 1 single book in 2012! That's just sad! So my goal this year is to read at least 6 books! I think that's totally doable! 1 book every 8 weeks! I can handle that! Now I just have to find a new series to read! suggestions?

This is all that I have so far but I'm sure ill be adding on as the year goes on! What are your new years goals?

-Mrs H

A quick wedding recap-in pictures

So this blog has fallen a bit behind because..well...I've had a bit of a writers block. So for this post I'm going to post some pictures from our wedding! Its been over 3 months and I still have moments where i start thinking "OMG! I'm a married Woman! A Wife! He is my HUSBAND! WEIRD!" it still doesn't feel real at times!

1st Married Chistmas!

This Thanksgiving/Christmas we started our very own family tree tradition! My Uncle co-owns a Christmas tree farm in Blairville Ga (Southern Tree Plantation-if you're in North Ga)

After visiting my family in Blairsville for Thanksgiving we went to the family tree farm, "hunted" down our perfect:not too fat, not to skinny, cant be too tall tree! Here are a few pics of that process:)

I cant wait to continue this tradition in the years to come & one day do it with our Little Halls:)

 

Here are some more pics from Thanksgiving:)

 

Jake Carving the family turkey

my sisters!

the beautiful momma

walking through the Christmas tree farm

Erin and her Beau

Marshmallow roasting!

And here is our Decorated tree! DRUM ROOOOOOOOLLLLL!!!

 

Isn't she pretty?

 

Freezer Meals Swap

 So...with cold weather approaching Ive decided now is the perfect time to get a group of women together and start a Freezer Meals Swap. Ive been looking online for tip and tricks to make this run smoothly and here is what Ive come up with!

How it Works:
 -Once a  month you will choose your swap dish. Now this does NOT have to be the entire meal, just the main course! Adding a few fresh sides will complete the meal. However if it is a 1 dish meal...FABULOUS! Just not a requirement!
- about a week before SD (Swap day) we will have a participant deadline. This is so we know who all is planning on participating that month.
-You will make enough to feed a family of 4, and will make 1 dish for each family. (Example: if 5 women sign up you will make your recipe 5 times (1 is saved for you, and 4 will be swapped)
- Each month we will designate a meet up spot (still working on the best way to do this since its getting cold)
- Bring all of your dishes in a cooler if possible. Makes for easy transport.
-We will all meet up at designated spot, pop our trunks and all swap our meals.
- I'm still working on making a list so that we can sign off when we receive each meal. That way we know no one is going home with duplicates of a meal ( a common thing I see when I look into other swap groups)

Its easy as that. They say the average prep for making 10 meals is about 4 hours, and then when you swap you come home with 9 meals! That's awesome!

Things to consider:
- Are their any allergies in your family? If so please list them on our FB page when you sign up
-Do you have any dietary restrictions? No Pork, Vegetarian etc
-make sure to keep an eye on our FB page. If you miss the sign up date, you will not be able to participate that month. This is because the number of ppl that sign up tells us how many meals to make! if you just show up, there may not be any meals for you to take home!

Tips:
 These are a few things Ive read in other Swap groups that may help you!

-Keep in mind that you only need a few swap dishes, if this month you make a soup and next month is a broccoli chicken casserole, the next month you could easily make the same soup again! You don't need a TON Of recipes! Just a few of your favs! Your top 4 should work!

-We will try to keep the swaps to the same time every month (at least the same week) so keep a look out for items as they go on sale throughout the month!

-One of the hardest parts of an exchange is..what do you exchange meals in?  You definitely don't want to use your best Pyrex, as you may never see it again! The suggestion is for soups, or meals you dump in the crock pot, to use either freezer bags or food saver bags. For casserole you just take out of the freezer and put in the oven, to use the disposable aluminum pans form the dollar store. After your meal is over if they can be salvaged, keep them and reuse them. (if anyone has any tips on cutting down the waste of ziplocs and pans let me know!)

- when your meals are ready make sure to label the bag/pan etc with the Date and whats inside. Its also nice to put on the bag how to reheat (example: 10/10/12, taco soup, place in large pot on stove top, cook on medium heat until thawed and warmed through, serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream) That way no one has to keep up a card telling them how to cook/reheat!

If you think of any other tips/tricks please leave a message here or post to our FB page!

XOXO-A

Wedding Recap! **LONG**

I'M BACK! & a MRS.! I must say as sad as I am that the wedding went by SOO fast, I'm oh so glad that the wedding planning and stressing is over! Here is a short recap of how the wedding week/weekend went!

Wednesday Sept. 26th.
 I worked night shift the night before but THANKFULLY a coworker agreed to split the shift with me and I only worked until 1. I was home and sleeping like a baby at 2. Jake's alarm clock went off at 6 am....and I got up with him... yup..only 4 hrs of sleep (in hind sight...NOT smart!)  First thing I did was to go to my girlfriends house to pick up my dress, and a few other things I had left at her house. After that was all loaded up, I went to my moms house to get all the wedding boxes packed into her car, make last minute lists, and give her the rings, and marriage license. After things were packed we headed to a local wholesale floral place to pick up my flowers. We shopped around for over and hour and left with a shopping car SPILLING over with flowers! We brought them all to my apartment and got them into bucks, coolers of water and the bathtub! (you should have seen my guest bathroom!)
  At this point I was really starting to feel the pressure of "times running out and I'm running only 4 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours!"  So Jake and I headed to our friends Beth's house to start working on the wedding favors. These adorable birdseed heart favors! Thank goodness for great friends who pretty much did them all on their own! I was almost no help! And I'm pretty sure I wasn't that pleasant to be around!:(
  On the way back from the favor making Jake dropped me off to meet my mom and go get our spray tan. This part went easy peasy:)

HOWEVER!....I get home and at this point I am SOO beyond tired! I still have a LIST of things I wanted to get done (or so I felt) I was getting nervous about everything getting done. I still had a MAJOR task in front of me to get done and to top it off I knew that we were scheduled to leave at noon the next day to head to the venue! Its about 11pm, I'm getting ready to go to bed....PEOPLE.....I STARTED WASHING MY FREAKING FACE (whats the big deal you ask?) I had JUST had a spray tan done 3.5 hrs before! I started FREAKING OUT! I'm talking,  blubbering, snot-flying, cry fest! I told Jake I was just ready for this to all be over. I'm pretty sure I scared him to death and I have no idea how he still wanted to marry me after my 1 and only Bridezilla moment! LOL

I was passed out by 11:20- puffy eyes and all....

Thursday Sept 27th (rehearsal day)
I get up, shower, and to my LOVELY surprise, my little face washing fiasco from the night before turned out to be fine! I had a light lovely tan glow and no streaky-orange face in sight (which was my nightmare)

Jake leaves to go do ...something ( cant remember now what it was) and I started on bouquets. This was by far my most favorite part of the entire wedding planning! For the first 45 minutes or so It was just me in my quiet apartment making my wedding bouquet! It was very therapeutic! My mom and sisters showed up and as I put bouquets together, they adorned the stems with twine and burlap. At about 10 am I realized we wouldn't be leaving at noon. My mom eventually assured me that it was fine...as long as we left by 3 we would be ok to make it to the rehearsal dinner. We ended up leaving at about 2, got to the hotel, changed clothes and make it to our rehearsal right on time. Rehearsal went great and although the service was "EHH" at the rehearsal dinner place, everything went great!

Friday Sept. 28th- WEDDING DAY!

I slept in semi late (7:30...i was sure Id be up at the crack of dawn!) and it honestly didn't feel like it was my wedding day...it was so surreal that it was here! We went and had breakfast at the hotels little restaurant. Packed our stuff and headed to the getting ready house. My hair dresser showed up at 10 on the dot and by 11 my hair looked lovely! Once my hair was done I did a quick dash to the venue to answer a few questions my coordinator had about decor and then headed back to the house because Jake was on his way with the wine and a few other things. by 2 my photog was there and by 230 I was slipping into my dress. Now let me tell you...I had been second guessing my dress for a few weeks, thinking it was pretty but just not pretty ENOUGH! But when I turned around to see myself, hair done, makeup done, jewelry on...it was soo pleased! I felt BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't wait for Jake to see me and I think this is the point where I started getting a tad nervous! 
  At this point they swept us over to the venue so the boys could come over to start getting ready. While they were getting ready we took my bridal pro traits, pics with my girls and then hid me upstairs where I grabbed a bite to eat while Jake came to do his pictures. At this point I realized it was only 415! I still had an hour and 15 minutes before ceremony time! It seemed soo far away! But before I knew it they came up and got my girls so they could go line up! I remember saying "what!? don't leave me" (this is when nerves hit me! LOL) to which my coordinator replied...do you want me to send your mom or dad up? umm "YES!" After my girls left and before my mom came up I just bowed my head and said a little prayer thanking God for giving me Jake, thanking him for bringing us to this day and then prayed he would just guide our ceremony and reception so everything would go smoothly and if it didn't that I would be reminded of why we were really here!

My mom came upstairs and about the same time it was time for me to go line up. NERVES! Seriously! Like stomach in Knots! LOL! My wedding coordinator kept telling me to BREATH! HAHAHA!

It was so strange to have all of our family and friends STARING AT ME! LOL But it was awesome to see the look on Jake's face when our eyes met for the first time! He looked so happy and like his breath had been taken away! (just the reaction I wanted LOL) The ceremony went great and before I knew it we were being pronounced ans husband and wife!!!

The reception went great as well! We had tons of compliments on the food, lots of tears during the dances and toasts and I really think everyone had a great time! I was a little nervous about us leaving so early ( we were scheduled to leave at 1030) but by 10 several people had left so we decided to go ahead and call it a night and BOY WAS I GLAD! I didnt realize how tired I was until it was over! LOL

On the way to the hotel I made Jake stop at gas station because I had a HEADACHE! LOL that was a sight I'm sure! :)....then I made him drive through McDonalds because we accidentally left the the food our caters packed up for us :( BEST CHEESEBURGER EVER!

All in all it was an amazing day! Great weather, great friends, great family! Wouldn't change a thing! :) pics to come!

Things WILL go wrong!

So much for writing everyday! HA! things have been so busy this has been the last thing on my mind!

Here is another piece of advice for future brides: THINGS WILL GO WRONG!...now I know people say "oh Ashley be positive" Well..IM POSITIVE THINGS WILL GO WRONG! lol

Here are a few bloopers we've had to manage and wedding day isn't even here yet!

1: FIs custom wedding band came in the mail a week ago...and not only did FI HATE it but..it was HUGE! :que small freakin out tears flowing moment for me: but after I cried for a good 5 minutes, i got it together and we decided to just deal! We got onto amazon.com, found a ring FI liked, ordered it in the RIGHT size and requested overnight shipping. And for $63 Fi has a ring to wear on wedding day :)

2: The distributor for our keg beer for the reception sent the wrong kegs and we were notified 5 days before our wedding. To keep a long story short, we need an unusual/rare size keg for the reception. When we called weeks ago a FEW of the size and beer we wanted were available. Well. the distributor sent the size bigger than we wanted. They are re-shipping the kegs we requested but they may not be here until Thursday evening. Well...that's no good because our rehearsal dinner is on Thursday night...the final outcome of this whole fiasco is unclear even now at 3 days pre wedding! but Ive handed all this off to FI and he assures me he is taking care of it! Fingers crossed!

3. Jake and I spent the first few months of getting to know each other over chips and queso and a tall glass of Texas margaritas on the rock no ice:) So we decided that for our cocktail hour we would do a salsa bar, and margaritas! Well.. the margarita bit went out the window a long time ago when we realized the budget was getting tight. But we still wanted to do the salsa bar so a few weeks ago we start getting quotes from local Mexican restaurants and they wanted to charge us a freakin arm and leg for queso! We literally today at 6 o'clock finalized where the queso is coming from, how it will get there and now much we will get. Talk about stressing out until the last minute!

Moral of this story: Murphy is real and he will come to join you the week/day before and day of your wedding. Accept him with open arms and just be prepared to DEAL!:)

XOXO,
Soon to be Mrs. Hall!

7 days and 7 nights & I will be a MRS.

I've said it a million times "I CANT BELIEVE IM GETTING MARRIED IN A WEEK!" Its crazy to me! 15 months ago it seemed like i had all the time in the world to plan this wedding and now just 7 short days to go and Im still scrambling to get it all done! LOL

Im going to try to do a post a day for the next 7 days to document my very last few days as a single woman!

For this post Im going to give my bits of advice I've learned through out this whole process that I would pass on to another bride:

• Dont be afraid to loosen the reins and let family and friends lend a hand- Ask my mom, ask Jake, ...ask ANYONE who knows me well and they will tell you Im a DIY queen and I have a hard time trusting others to carry out my vision. Through this whole process when someone asks me if I need help with something I always say "aww thanks! Ill definitely let you know when I come across something I need help with" But in my mind I KNOW that ill end up doing it all by myself. Not because ppl werent gracious enough to ask but because Im just that stubborn! Earlier this week I had a bit of a wedding melt down (an unexpected $200 fee for the venue, a custom wedding band that arrived today and didnt fit (and cant be resized!) and an ever diminishing budget) My mom finally gave me a little tough love, told me I was being stubborn and that I needed to trust her in helping me and I finally 7 days before my wedding have turned over a few last minute details to my loving mother so that I dont have a heart attack before my big day. Moral of the story: Delegate friends/family to HELP you...if they love you, they wont mind!
• Dont over analyze and dont read too many wedding magazines. Thing I did when I got engaged was buy 5 wedding magazines, sing up for several bridal blogs/forums and started building my pinterst boards! Although all of these gave me great ideas, I found that when I loved something and either couldnt afford it or my DIY of it turned out all wrong...it was a little heart breaking...Unless you have a generous or unlimited budget try not to get your inspiration from $60,000 weddings that had a professional planning from day 1. (maybe this was just me but I wish I had watched a few less, David Tutera wedding shows because at the end I couldnt help but pout and think how my wedding wouldnt be that lovely..:/)
• Dont stress about the details....and to add to that sometimes too many little details end up being too much detail! Pick a few key aspects that will make a bold statement and go with those. Unless you are going for a VERY unique wedding, I think its best to stick with the classic traditional. Like I said UNLESS you are going for CRAZY UNIQUE!
• Try to pace yourself when planning and so that the last week of your wedding you can sit back, and marvel in your last week as a single woman and just be excited for the days to come. I wish I could just sit back and relax these last few days.....I can assure you ..thats the opposite of what I'll be doing!!!

XOXO
FROM THE (VERY) SOON TO BE MRS!!!!

in my last few weeks as a MISS

Holy Moly! I cant believe that in 20 days Ill be MRS.HALL! Its crazy! I thought this day would never get here and now its just around the corner!

People keep asking me if Im getting nervous. My answer... NO! Im not nervous at all to marry Jake! I have days where I feel completely in Aw of where I am at this point in life. Its still crazy to me to think that the guy I was praying God would place in my life was Jake all this time! I feel truly blessed! I feel like I am about to marry my best friend!

As the days tick by im trying to tie up all the loose ends of wedding world! Final touches are being put on everything, tiny flags are being made for our dessert table, a marriage certificate is in the works and ribbons are being tied on sparklers. Ive spent SO many years thinking about my wedding..even to the point of cutting out pics and sketching certain aspects (yes im one of those CRAZY girls :) But to be completely honest im SOOO ready for the day to be here! To be able to simply sit back, enjoy and know that through any detail I forgot or anything that never got done ....its all gonna be ok and it will all work out! The moment I think Im most looking forward too is that moment when I round the corner and Im headed for my Husband (how weird does that sound!?) It feels like a chapter of my life book is closing but at the same time it feels like my pen has been dipped in fresh ink and is just waiting to hit paper to start recording what comes after this! Super excited and SUPER BLESSED!

Until Im a MRS!
Ashley

Wedding Update

Why  haven't I been posting a ton about our wedding you ask? Frankly....I don't give a damn anymore :) OK OK..its not that severe but I have been completely overwhelmed lately! So much to do so little time and $!!! If you didn't already know Jake and I are paying for this wedding all on our own! That's a pretty big feat! Weddings are NOT cheap these days! In order to help us along the way we've been cutting back ...for example Jake's brother Chris moved in with us to cut our monthly rent and utilities bill. Its been nice that our bills are lower but living with someone isn't super easy, and we've discovered that we will probably have to live with him the first 2 months of married life because we are trying to get in a house in the next few months and don't want to sign a new lease. We will see how that goes! Finger Crossed!

So I thought in this post Id just share with you some of the recent DIYs and wedding projects Ive done.

This is something I finished today! I think its pretty fabulous! Its an old window that I bought from a lady, filled it with our favorite Engagement pics and VOILA! Ill be hanging this somewhere at the reception!

This is the sign I made for .26 cents! Yup!! The wood is from an old pallet at Jake's work, and the paint was on sale for .26 cents a bottle!:) I love cheap and free!!;) This sign will great guests at the road where our wedding will take place!

This is the CUTE little ring bearer bowl I partially DIY-ed. The actually heart bowl I bought from a seller on etsy and cost about ...$11 with shipping. Bought the moss and already had the jute twine. A little hot glue and BAM-ring bearer bowl! I plan on taking the moss and string out after the wedding and keeping the little bowl on my sink as a place to put my rings!

This is a wedding knot I made! I didn't want the traditional unity candle or sand ceremony, so when I saw this I knew it was perfect! Each cord represents on of these: Bride, Groom, God. As our Pastor reads (Ecclesiastes 4:12 to be exact) which says:

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

Jake and I will braid the three strands together. After you secure it with a clear rubber band and once the wedding is over we will display it in our home. I think its unique and I like that it is a good conversation starter and a way to share our faith when family and friends come over to visit!

These are my 4 top DIYs so far! Ill try to post more as it gets closer!

In other wedding events news WE BOOKED OUR PLANE TICKETS FOR OUR HONEYMOON!

I'm so flippin' excited! We will be leaving Monday October 1st for JAMAICA and will be gone for 6 glorious nights!!!! Its gonna be great!

-XOXO

soon to be MRS.HALL! (59 days!)

sneak attack

Oh that little number?

Yea..that's the number of days until MY WEDDING!

Its playing a little game of sneak attack on me.

I turn around & BAM! my wedding has jumped out from behind the bush it was hiding behind and its say "PEEK A BOO! HERE I AM!"...and ill be here before you know it!

OMG!~

I promise to do a wedding/life update soon!

I'm. Just. So. BUSY!

Finishing up honest blogging

Day 26 — I would break the law to save a loved one if…
Well I'm pretty much a rule follower..so this would be a tough one. But I think if one of my family members was in harms way I would break the law if it meant saving them! Family is number 1!

Day 27 – I have an inner voice, and if a friend spoke to me the way my inner voice does at times....she would spent a lot of time arguing! I have a lot of two sided conversations in my head LOL

Day 28--If I could do one thing that is socially unacceptable and know I would not be judged, I would…
live in the nude. I seriously hate wearing clothes and could live everyday all day NAKED!:) Although I'm sure to many peoples dismay

Day 29 — My television is showing the same show on every channel. I really don’t mind watching ____________ (from the 1960′s) and I really love this show because…
 Well in the 1960's I was just a twinkle in my fathers eye but if I could go back to lets say...when I was 6-ish ...id love to watch reading rainbow, zooballizoo, and fraggle rock! I love all those old shows!

Day 30--One question or subject matter if I were asked here on 30 Days of Blogging Honesty I know I would refuse to answer or definitely lie about is…”
I wouldn't lie but I would definitely limit my answers if asked to tell things Ive done in my past that I regret. I regret them therefor I wish I hadn't done them , and that's something I simply don't want to delve into!:)

FINISHED WITH 30 DAYS OF HONEST BLOGGING!:) YAAAYYY!

XOXO,
FUTURE MRS.

Day 25: “My biggest pet peeve that has nothing to do with blogging, being online, computers, or anything else related to the Internet is…”

I cant stand it when people gloat about how much money they spend on items, how many of these so and so's they have AND like to continually comment that they don't have to work. Call this a bit of jealousy if you wish (probably is) but some of us have to bust our butts in our profession JUST to make ends meet. We are happy you don't have to go through any of these hardships (although I guarantee you your life is harder than you let on) but please. enough sharing mmmkk?

Day 26: “I would break the law to save a loved one if…”

This totally depends on the situation. I will tell you though that my mother, my sisters my dad and my future husband mean the MOST to me in this world and when someone messes with them I definitely get the mother bear instinct! I would do almost anything for my family. Now. With that said ill go back to my first statement. It totally depends on the situation. If they have done something very wrong...I'm not sure I would be able to do much to protect them. know what I mean?..I mean I'm not a law breaker..for the mos part. If it was something to save their LIFE though I'd do whatever I could to save them!



(anyone else sick of these Honesty posts? me too..but I must finish! Only 4 days to go:)

XOXO

Blogger 411- getting to know ya!

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed? Well...I'm a newbie blogger. Ive been a blog stalker for YEARS and I finally decided I wanted to join in on the fun. Plus I love the idea of being able to look back and see how life has changed. I made this blog in 2010 ( i think) but just recently started posted frequently :)
2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?  I went to school at a local community college, and studied Surgical technology. I now work on Labor and Delivery as a OB Tech:) Now before actually deciding on what I wanted to do I was all over the place at school! From Nursing to Art education to sonographer...im a bit indecsisive!
3. Where have you traveled? This is an area of my life that is lacking sadly. Ive never had the luxury of being able to travel. The only place Ive been is the Bahamas..but I am going to JAMAICA on our honeymoon!!!!yyaaayy!!!
4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy? A house! I cant wait to be out of our tiny damp apartment!
5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves? Lies, when Jake leaves his clothes EVERYWHERE! (does it take THAT much more effort to walk the ten steps to the laudry basket..seriously?) and dirty dishes in the sink <- which I hate to do...hence the pile of dirty dishes every few days :)
6. What is your favorite movie? Dead Poets Society...and the Notebook (I'm a sap!)
7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea? I wish I could boast that all I ever drink is water..but that's soo not true! If we are going the Alcoholic route I LOVE margartias! non-alcoholic? I LOVE iced Chai Lattes! YUMMY! and I TRY to drink as much water as possible!:)
8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time? Bubble bath and a good book!
9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be? The Gap. Love the classic style!
10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present. I try to advoid embarrassing moments at all costs...so its been a while since I had one. But I do hate it when someone waves at you, you wave back only to discover they were waving at the person behind you! lol and yes that's happened more times than I can count!:)
11. What day would you love to relive again?   I would love to relive my graduation day/weekend again! It felt soo good FINALLY being done, knowing It was a huge step towards our future AND Jake proposed only 2 days later! What a great weekend!!!:)

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you? I would like to think that Reese Witherspoon would play me. The only reason I say that is because I think shes so freakin adorable...not that we look ANYTHING alike:)

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years? I didn't work while in High school (spoiled I know) but after high school I worked as a data entry clerk for 2 years, then as a medical assistant for a year and then a preschool teacher for almost 3 years :)

OMG I cant believe I'm showing this picture! this is my and my BFF Catalina in...10th grade? love the braces.

14. Show us a picture from high school or college.
15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go? Id LOVE to go to Greece or Ireland..they both just look SOO beautiful in pictures!

I love this picture because its taken where Jake and I met! Oktoberfest 2007! Little did I know that cute brown eyed boy would one day become my HUSBAND!

16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you. 
17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now? In 5 years ill be 32 (wow) hopefully by then Ill have at least one babe and I ideally would love to be working from home so I can stay at home with my child(ren) I'd also love to have a house and a garden!!!!


Head on over and Link up!! from Mrs. to Mama I'd love to get to know you better!

Honest Blogging Day 23 & 24

Day 23: You step onto an elevator only to realize everyone already in the elevator is facing the back wall. Do you ask them why they are facing the wrong way or do you join them?
 OK. This was not the original question for day 23 but I didn't really like the day 23 question. So I changed it. This is actually a question I was asked from a school counselor who was helping our class prepare for interviewing for a job. Weird? Yes. But interesting when you hear the response. I think if this were me I'd be somewhere in the middle. I think I would get in like normal and face the front. I'm sure Id be glancing over my shoulder trying to figure out what was going on but I'm not sure Id ask anyone WHY?


Day 24: Given the choice between having to live the rest of my life without my voice, or living the rest of my life without the ability to hear, I would choose...

Wow!...that's a super tough question. Id have to say Id rather live my life without my voice than with out my hearing. I hate the idea of never hearing Jake's voice again (corny I know) or what my mom sounds like when she gets one of her giggle fits! I also hate the idea of not being able to hear my future children's voices. I think I would definitely be able to communicate well even if I didn't have my voice, but I feel like I would miss out on a lot if I couldn't hear. :)

XOXO,
FUTURE MRS.

Question 22: Allowing another person to fully love me means they must…

Honest, trustworthy, reliable, honest, loving and kind:)<----all of which my MR. is!:)


That post was a tad short huh?  I plan on making a post soon about all that's going on with the wedding planning...I'm only 77 days away!!! OHEMGEE!!!!

Day 21: If the stars and planets aligned perfectly for me (regardless of my current situation), the celebrity I would marry is ____, and this is why…

 this question is boring to me. and one i really cant answer. If you read my blog any further than my 30 days of honest blogging challenge, you'll know that I get married in 78 days! I am completely madly in love with Mr. Hall. so to pick a celebrity I'd love to marry is really hard, because I cant imagine loving anyone else the way I do my future husband!:) I will do my list of my top 5 hottest celebrities tho! and not in any real order

1.John Krasinski (Jim from the office) I think he is just adorable and I love his sense of humor on the office...oh and that little crooked smile:)


2. Ryan Gosling- the notebook definitely has something to do with this



3.  Brad Pitt

4.   Channing Tatum-- hello Abs

5. jOhnny Depp- He just seems dark and mysterious:)

There you have it my Celebrity Hottie list:)

Honest blogging day 20

Day 20 :“I’m half-naked, cold, tired, hungry, hurt, wet and just washed up on a deserted island. The first things I need to do to survive is…”

  OK lets be realistic here...after I scream and cry and ask God "WHY??!!!!"....I need to find shelter and get dry...I'm sure I could make some sort of makeshift shelter out of?....palm leaves, washed up pieces of wood? and then Id need to build a fire. Id gather small sticks, leaves, branches etc....now at this point Id hope I was smart enough to pack a lighter (which I probably wouldn't) so I'm probably try and try and try to start a fire like McGyver...like this guy

cant you see me doing this...just dub in some crazy animalistic groans and crying..because you know my emotional cancer the crab side would come out and Id be a sobbing mess!

*Moral of this story: don't get stranded on an island with me...id probably be of NO help:)

Day 21: “The person or persons that do not read my blog but I wish they would,  would be…”

I wish a lot of people read my blog. Id love to have tons of followers who get inspired by me. But at the present moment that's not happening! If i had to pick 2 people Id say maybe a fabu wedding planner who thinks to herself "this girl needs help finishing her wedding..I think Ill step in, take over and finish it for her...for free!" Yup. that would be nice! BWWAAHHHAAAHHAAA!

Honest Blogging:day 17,18,19 Catch-up day

Day 17: “There are many mysteries in the universe. If there were one truth I could learn, it would be…”

There are so many things I want to know...everything to be exact but 1 thing that comes to me immediately is whether or not there is life on other planets. Do Martians/aliens exist? Wouldn't it be nice to know if little green men were spying on us from Mars? yes it would!

Day 18: “I would agree or disagree that high school is/was the time of my life…Because…”

I would have to disagree...but a tiny part of me say AGREE! High school was a lot of fun! Can you say NO responsibility? To have a day where all I'm concerned about is what Ill have for lunch, what outfit ill wear and whether or not we are watching another movie in Mr. Bowling's class?,...aahhhh! But I also believe that the best is yet to come! For me married life, and children I think will be the time in my life. I feel like that's what life is meant to be. Family. & I cant wait to have one of my own!

Id also do High school way different if I could do it again! I wouldn't worry so much about what others thought, or whether or not I was in the "popular" group or not. Id be more confident in myself and more uplifting to those around me!

Day 19: “The film that best describe how my day-to-day life feels is…”

Honestly? most days it feels a bit like Ground Hogs Day....didn't I just do the exact same thing yesterday? Wake up, clean, bills, go to work, come home, crash, wake up and repeat. If I'm lucky though everyone once in a while I get a scene from a romantic comedy and sometimes even a few scenes from a Friends episode:)

another post coming later today on my Bridal shower yesterday!



Honest blogging: Day 16 (over half way!yay!)

“I’ve just been granted the power of resurrection but I can only use it to bring back one celebrity. I would bring back ____________ because…”

um....Jesus? Hello? how awesome would that be? and I get the chance to point at all the unbelievers and those who say Christians are crazy and say "SEEEEEE he DOES exist!!!!" :)




*side note: I'm so bummed that its Friday and while everyone else is getting off to go to dinner, hanging out with friends etc..I'm headed to WORK:( boo for working weekends!) but on the bright side my bridal shower is SUNDAY!!!! yyyaaaayy! AAAND Jake's mom thinks we may be able to purchase a house after all! It may not be by the wedding but it could be VERY soon after!!!:)

hugs and kisses,
soon to be Mrs.

Thankful Thursdays

Today I am thankful for my health. and I'm working on making it even better!
 - Ive never had any major health issues and I am so incredibly grateful for that. Today I started the Couch to 5k program because I want to be happy and healthy for a long time. For me. For my family. For my soon to be husband. and for the future little Hall's!

xoxo,
soon to be Mrs.

Honest Blogging Day 15

Day 15 : Given the choice between infinite time or infinite money, I would choose…

Easy Peasy answer. Infinite time. I'm ALMOST 27 (in 15 days if you re still wondering if you have time to buy me a birthday gift ;) and I almost daily wish I had just a bit more time! a bit more time for coffee dates with my girl friends, a bit more time for quiet dinners with my love and a bit more time to take in all the wonders of this beautiful world around me. But alas, I do not have infinite time. For now I will try my hardest to make every minute and second count and to not take any of it for granted!

Honest Blogging: day 14

Day 14 — Because my parents never found out, I remember getting away with __________ as a teenager…


this should be linked to the previous post. DRINKING. And its not that my parents didn't know I was drinking. ( if you are a parent and you think your 16,17,18 yr old isn't drinking at parties....you are a tad delusional...seriously) But I'm not sure my parents knew HOW much we were drinking. That money you gave me several times for the girls and I to order pizza? we were buying , 151, Vanilla vodka and Coconut Rum :)

Stressed out

Yup...that's definitely an accurate statement. Why you ask? Our living situation. Our apartment lease is up in August. We would PREFER not to live with Jake's Brother anymore...or anyone else for that matter. Being a newlywed..Id like to start a home with my husband...and NOT have roommates! Well...long story short, I don't think a loan is in our near future. And when we run our finances...even if we rent a house for a year at a fairly decent price...it leave us with hardly any money in the bank each month! So we can forget about A)actually being able to furnish a house and B) being able to start saving money for future things..(ie. children) Whats a girl to do..?

I know we aren't suppose to stress because lets face it..I KNOW God has all of this planned out already and that it will all work out..but THAT'S SO HARD!! I cant help but worry where my future will go and what it will hold....

end tantrum.

Honest Blogging: Day13

Day 13 — I once got so drunk and lost control and this is what I was told I did and have no reason to doubt it…


If you've heard me and some of my closest girlfriends ...(namely Holly and Catalina) talk you would know we spend almost every summer weekend from Sophomore year on...camping...and drinking...a lot! Catalina lived in a private community in Lake Arrowhead (LA) so that meant no cops to stop us underage drinkers.

Boy do we have some stories...some of which I will not share on here..because everyone doesn't need to know everything...am i right or am i right?

I do recall things such as dancing like fools around a camp fire, kissing cute boys and stealing road signs...yup that pretty much sums it up! and it never ceased to happen that Holly and I would end up in a bathroom somewhere sitting on the floors having long philosophical drunk talks about life and love and where we could go for some 3 am munchy foods (WaHo anyone?)

We partied so much that by the time I graduated high school, and then eventually turned 21..partying was out of my system. What fun is it to do crazy things when they become legal? ;)

Monday Dear Day

I'm introducing a new Monday series here on the ol' blog. Monday Dear Day!

Dear Iced Chai Latte,
 Why must you be so yummy? I could drink a gallon of you a day...Love, your addicted friend

Dear Wedding,
 You are only 88 days away, which makes me a little short of breath, makes my palms sweaty, and gives me a slight headache. Im not ready for you!...although I am ready to marry my prince!...Love, Soon to be Mrs. H

Dear Facebookers,
 STOP posting pictures of the temperature....I can easily step outside and FEEL how hot it is. Your pictures are filling up my news feed...and its slightly annoying!...Love, Sweaty southern Belle.

Dear My Friends at the beach,
 You are torturing me with all of your pictures! Myrtle Beach? Hawaii?...I wish I were with you all
:( Fingers crossed Im in Jamaica in about 90 days!!!!!!

Love, the Beach-less beauty

Dear Laboring Patients,
       Was there nothing better to do in September than a little Bow-Chica-wow-wow? Labor and Delivery has been HOPPING this month. Each shift I hardly had a chance to sit down and now my feet are achy.  This September try something different, maybe a little walk in the park? A good old game of checkers? There are other ways to entertain yourself!

Love, A joking OB Tech

Day 12 of honest blogging

Day 12: what song do you love to dance too when no one is looking?

NEWS FLASH! I LOVE TO DANCE! YUP!  The song that really gets me dancing is "Ive got a feeling by the Black eyed Peas. This song just reminds me of my Best friends Catalinas wedding for some reason. It just reminds me of leaving the ceremony, my best friend was married and now it was time to celebrate! IVE GOT A FEELING THAT TONIGHTS GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT! It just makes me excited for my own wedding in 88 days! But I seriously love to dance to anything with a good beat!

Hugs and Kisses from the soont o be Mrs.

Day 9-10 &11 of honest blogging

Day 09 — When the cashier gives me this amount of money for change I know it’s too much money to dump in the charity bucket…

this question is worded very wierd to me. Are you asking what amount of change do I deem too much to donate to the charity bucket and in turn just stick back in my purse? mmmm..good question. honestly? I rarely put money into a charity bucket ::hangs head in shame:: Im just never sure if its going to "Johnny O, who has termial brain cancer and cant afford medical care" ya know?  Now I do on the other hand ALWAYS donate to the firefighters or shriners who are collecting money:) ....is that bad?

Day 10 — The last time I snooped into something I wasn’t supposed to (like a medicine cabinet in a friend’s bathroom), I found…

Ive never come across anything bad when snooping.....OH WAIT! i did babysit for someone once and found a few "enhance your sex life" books and some strawberry flavored body butter...ehh..not too exciting...(let me say these things were on her nightstand so I wasnt really snooping right?) But i am a snooper... but more like snooping into there photo albums and stuff like that..I mean I dont rummage through peoples closets or anything!!! I just like to get a glimpse of what someones everyday life is like...im a bit of a life compar-er...dont judge.

Day 11 — When I’ve had a really bad day the first thing (not person) I reach for is…

2 people:

My mom: because my mom listens, and shes known me long enough that she knows when I want advice, just want to vent AND shes always on my side..and sometimes (whether im wrong or right) I just need someone fighting on myside!:)

Jake: I spend every day with him, hes the one I tell pretty much everything too. So when ive had a bad day, coming home to him just makes it better.



Bored yet?

Day 8 of honest blogging

Day 8: name the song that you know all the words too
I have two songs that come immediately to mind

#1
ok...this is quite sad...but the first song that popped into my head was "BABY GOT BACK" ..nice huh? Ill attribute it to all the days of cheerleading practice and riding a few times with the competititon cheerleaders where we would blare this over the bus speakers and dance downt he aisle:)

#2

 This one just makes me laugh..."SHOOP" by salt and peppa circa 1993! Now in '93 I was only 8 years old..no I didnt not sing this song at 8 years old! lol 

 Picture this: 16 year old, driving around in her tiny home town in her white Honda civic, on top of the world with her besties who would have consisted of Catalina Tudela, Holly Padgett, or Brooke Pate...yup that was me the crazy teenage girl doing my own "seat dance" to Shoop  ( and dont ever let Holly Padgett tell you she didnt join in on this seat dancing!)

Day 7 of honest blogging

Day 7: If I went to a psychic I would ask 3 questions:

Im changing this question because A) I would never go to a psychic and B) Life is a mystery and I think you take the fun out of it if you find out what it holds for you

so my revised question will be:

If you stumbled upon a old lamp, rubbed it and Genie (frim Aladdin of course) popped out, what would be your 3 wishes?

A) Two million Dollars: I know...what a common answer. Here is what I would do with that  2 Million Dollars. 1 million to my church to go towards missions work. With the other Million Id buy a nice house on a decent amount of land. Buy myself a new SUV. Pay off Jakes truck and buy him an old beat up Jeep (he has been wanting one) Buy us a boat because I love boating!!! and put the rest in savings

B) I wish for my family to be free from any burdens they have. For my mom a new house, all her bills paid off, and a nice vacation. For my Dad Id  do the same, and maybe hope he can get some steady work coming in. Erin, Id help her get a great internship for school, pay for her masters degree and help her so she doesnt have to work while doing either. For Dena, Id help pay for her during school, help her decide what she wants to do in school for that matter. And help her with some emotional/mental things shes dealing with! (see what I did there? like 12 wishes all rolled into one!sneaky sneaky!;)

C) Id wish for all of the orphan children in the world to get homes and mommies and daddies! Just watch this heart breaking story
12-year-old William holding out hope he'll find a family - San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.com



Thanks for reading!
xoxo,
Soon to be Mrs.

Day 6 of Honest Blogging

Day 06 — My worst cooking disaster involved _____________ and this person/these people…

OK just to give you some back ground. I grew up in a house where my mom at one point loved to cook! My dad however was a very critical foodie. Not only did he like it perfect, but he was a meat and potatoes guy...and by this I mean he did NOT want to try new foods! He had about 6-7 meals that he REALLY liked and if you went past that...he was not a fan. Therefore my mom quickly got burned out on trying new things and simply went for what pleased dad. Because of this Ive noticed now that I'm cooking for my future husband that when something does go wrong...I FREAK OUT! At first I would be so embarrassed and afraid Jake would be mad because I burned the so and so (its happened so many times I can put a specific thing!) or that if it wasn't very good. But Jake has always assured me that he likes it when I try new things and if they don't turn out right..oh well! He also is great when criticizing food...he will say something along the lines of "this is good , but i think next time if we added so -and-so it would be even better" So I'm saying all of this to say that I haven't had any really horrible cooking experiences that I can think of.  I did one time make pork chops, a few sides and rolls, we sat down, bit into our pork chop...and they were OLD! YUCK! I'm talking sour in your mouth pork chops...not so yummo! I amazingly managed to not get mad and we simply had to go grab fast food! eeehhh..what are you gonna do right?

Lesson? Don't let something like a bad meal ruin your day..sometimes (especially) if you're making a meal with your SO and it turns out bad..it actually ends up being a very funny moment and you can just add it to the memory bank" I love sitting with Jake and talking about "hey remember when this happened or that happened?" and laughing...this is real life people sometimes sour pork chops happen!

XOXO,
soon to be Mrs. (in 94 days to be exact!) ::SCREAM::

30 days of Honest Blogging:Day 3,4, & 5

If you don't already know, I work night shift at a local hospital on Labor and Delivery. Well this past weekend I worked Friday Saturday and Sunday night, which means my days were spent sleeping...and I wasn't able to get my honest blog posts done. So I'm going to try to catch up and answer for the days I missed. Bless your heart if you actually read all of this!:)

Day 3- Question:
 Regardless of your current situation do you think that one should save themselves for marriage?

 My simple reply is YES! I'm not going to share my status on this on here because well..honestly? that's very personal. But I will say that I believe that sex was meant for marriage. It is a wonderful thing and it was made BY God to Glorify God. It only glorifies him when it is done the right way and the bible says the right way is 1 man, 1 woman in the context of marriage. So if someone were to ask me this question the answer would be a resounding Yes! ;)

Day 4- Question:
  A blogger friend I've known for over 5 years told me she has been blogging anonymously all this time and most of what I know about her is just fantasy. My reaction to this is....

OK I read this question over and over and was like what? that's the question for day 4? So basically I'm going to tweak it a little. To me this question is asking how you feel when someone has lied to you...however this person who lied to you is simple a virtual friend so is there any real harm done?
Ill address this is two ways:  1: Don't lie to me.  Tell the truth plain and simple. If you are going to lie about something you obviously are a bit ashamed of something you've said or done. If so, you need to re-evaluate yourself. Maybe you need to look deeper and see why what you are doing or saying is causing you to lie about them? Maybe its time to change your ways. 2: If this person is not someone I have a really close one-on-one, face-to-face relationship with I'd probably say "wow. you should write a book!" I mean if you're reading a blog and it turns out to not be truthful, how is that any different from reading a fiction novel? That being said..this will not be one of those blogs that will be untruthful! I may choose to not share everything here but what I do put down will be 100% true!

Day 5- Question
  This is embarrassing but on average I cause the toilet to overflow about this many times a year....

 EWWWWW! what a gross question! I swear I'm not making these question up! I'm simply following the list! lol & this is a pretty easy question to me....this rarely happens to me! Thank ya Jesus! But seriously come on...who hasn't this happened too? If you raise your hand and say "me" I have 2 words for you........................YOU...LIE!...... :)

alright...that wasn't the best blog post I know..oh well..Ill try to keep up with it better so I don't have to answer 3 questions in one sitting! :)

30 days of Honest Blogging: day 2

Question: What is your guilty pleasure?

Hmmm...a bubble bath with a glass of wine (or dessert) and a good book! if you know me you know I'm a sucker for a nice hot bubble bath! For some reason if I take a bath I always want something refreshing to drink (maybe its because i usually take a 108 degree bath (exaggerating..sort of) so my body is screaming for something to cool it down :) & dessert? HELLO? is there ever a situation in life that doesn't call for something sweet? I think not.

Another one is shopping! I. LOVE. TO .SHOP. even when i have absolutely nothing I need and my wallet is dry. Ive actually perfected no money shopping it goes something like this:

-walk into target
-meander around & grab several cute things off the shelf I love but know I shouldn't buy
-walk around a bit more
-try to figure out a good reason to buy all the things in my buggy
-slowly decided I have NO need for any of the items and 1 by 1 put them back (in their proper place of course!)
-End result?: i get my shoppers high, walk out satisfied and still have money for gas the next week (and maybe a pit stop by Starbucks for a Venti Iced Chai latte:)

-you should totally try it for yourself...unless you have money trees in your back yard..in which case...wanna be friends?:)

XOXO
soon-to-be Mrs. H

30 days of honest blogging: Day 1

I'm all over this blogging stuff huh? have I ever mentioned before that I'm a bit obsessive? yyyeeeaaa. well two blog posts in 1 day probably relays that info pretty well.

anyway..

Ive decided that I'm going to do a 30 days of honest blogging series: Each day there will be a different question and I will try my darn-est to answer truthfully! Link up if you'd like to do the same!:)

Question Day 1:
The one thing that it seems like everyone else on the planet is into but I just cannot stand is…
 ankle boots with dresses...i simply DO NOT GET IT!  I don't even know how to even expand upon this...I simply think it looks ridiculous....

<--see...even on the ever so posh...Posh Spice...it looks like high heels and black socks from a distance...nnoooooot my thing!...don't judge:)

x0x0,
Soon to be Mrs. H

The best wedding planning tool(s)

When I first started planning my wedding over a year ago the first thing I did was to try to figure out how I was going to get organized. If you know me personally you know that I LOVE the idea of organizing..executing it?...not so much! So I went on the hunt for the best wedding organizer and the best wedding checklist. Here is the wedding binder I bought:
 I purchased it from  www.booksamillion.com
Here is what I loved about the binder.

1. I LOVED the calendar! it has nice large boxes perfect for jotting down all of my appointments.
2. I LOVED the budget breakdown. It tells you what % of your budget should go where
3. I LOVED the zipper pouches to hold bridal consultants cards, swatches etc

& here is what I ended up not being so crazy about

1. this thing is HUGE! I'm talking 3 1/2 in. trapper keeper from the 90's full of homework  cutesy folded notes passed during math class HUGE!. after carrying it a few months I found myself leaving it in my car/home more often than not.
2. It comes with several labeled folders (which leads back to my #1 dislike) which I'm sure to some would be great but at 99 days til my wedding I hardly have anything in them...waste of space

-If I could redesign this planner I'd nix the folders, add a few more zipper pouches, maybe a note pad on one side & of course I would 100% keep the Calendar. Id also try to add something where you can recorded spending. I know I know you can use excel (i like hands on & for me thats writing things out in good old pencil and ink) or I could just jot them on notebook paper ( i currently have 4 MEAD notebooks full of jots and number) I just wish it maybe had an excel-esque formatted notepad for keeping all my  number down. If I was at all honest (which Ill try to be) I have NO idea what this wedding has cost us so far. I obviously know all my major vendor prices and I can give you a really good guestimate of what my extras have cost but if someone wanted cold hard numbers?...id be in trouble!

In hindsight I should have simply bought a 3 ring binder (a simple 2 incher) added a calendar, notepad, and a few zipper pouches & called it a day. I still probably would be stuck on the whole record of spending deal..but maybe I should have sucked it up and done an excel spreadsheet? yup, probably so.

The other thing I wanted was an awesome checklist! Ive NEVER planned a wedding..DUH! and I needed someone to hold my hand and tell me what to do next! Enter PROJECT WEDDING! This site is absolutely amazing! Not only is a forum where you can chat with other Brides about wedding planning, post pictures, get their opinion (because lets face it, your wedding is a much bigger deal to you than to those around you. They probably don't want to hear what shade of peach looks better with your dress 5 bazillion times, or give you there opinion on your umpteenth DIY project) but it also has a FREE wedding website where your guests can RSVP (I'm going the paperless rsvp route) I love that it has a vendor review, where other brides can give you their review on Caters, videographers, florist etc.( nothing is worse than working with a horrible vendor only to hear later from other Brides that "oh yea I totally could have told you that"...awesome) & of course an AWESOME wedding checklist! It gives you month by month what you should be doing and when you check them off...they DISAPPEAR! which for me is great! Out of sight, out of mind! I can check it off and its done done done! <-love that! OK so now that you know what PW is, head on over and friend me! ashle1738! Let me know if you join and ill make sure you get a big PW welcome!

Hope your wedding planning is going Maaahhvalously!
xoxo- soon to be Mrs.