So.....

Almost three months have passed since my last posting! Things got busy in April with the house and final wedding preparations. I also moved into our house in the middle of April and had no internet making it hard to post.  So here we are.....

1 month into marriage and it has been amazing!!  Obviously!!!  Here we are! I'll post more in the coming weeks!

9 sleeps!

Till we are home owners! I cannot wait! Owning a home seems a lot more frightening then getting married.  When I think about getting married, I know I am making the right choice and that Tom is the man I am supposed to be with for the rest of my life. I am certain of that and find peace in knowing that we will grow old together.

Owning a house however, makes me NERVOUS!!  We have seen the house 2 times and can we really know everything about it from those times? NO? I have recently become addicted to HGTV and therefore have watched a lot of Holmes on Homes. This show makes me nervous. In the show he goes into homes where home inspectors have failed to see things that are major and cost major MOOLA to fix.  I likely need to STOP watching this show so that I stop worrying about it! Whatever happens we will roll with it! We can handle it....hopefully!!

This weekend we are also going home and we are meeting with our DJ, my hair trial and first fitting! So its a busy day on Saturday. But exciting to get to see my family again! We wont be home in April but parts of my family will be coming here about 3 times in April so that will be nice!!

Less than 2 months till I am a wife!

Time is a flying!

So 2 months, 1 week and 5 days to go....got some things more or less done lately...or at least brought up:
- Decide songs for dances (parents, BP) and what not to play list       
-Wedding party gifts boys done - got about 2/5 figured out
-Mailed Invitation to our international guests and my sister here just for fun!!
-put stamps on all invites and will mail them Monday


My mom is coming to visit this weekend so we will be looking for what she will wear or  a wrap/top to go with the dress she wore for my sister's wedding 4 years ago.  Also plan to get her to help me with wedding party presents!
I am also technically on holidays tomorrow and Friday! Yeah!!  I have some work I need to do but it will be nice to be off and sleep in! 

New Month - New List...

...or the continuation of the old ones. So up for this month:
-Design Menus (heard from caterer need to finalize)
-Reception Décor (by March 1st) oops!!  unless we find something cheap for backdrop it may just be as is heck with it! 
- Ceremony Décor  I think the church is fine how it is but am going to try to make pew bows
- Decide songs for dances (parents, BP) and what not to play list       
-Wedding Programs designed - just waiting to ask readers and finalize songs
-Wedding party gifts boys done - need ideas for girls
-finalize bar
-finish card box (still need to do)-Dress fitting  (March 26th)
-Katie's rings in for check and cleaning 
-Hair Trial (March 26th) -Marriage License
-Set up of hall - # per table
-Meet with DJ
-Mail Invitations - International - early March - regular - March 14th  

I wish I was here......

If I was here, that would mean I was married! If I was married I would be happy! Not that I am not happy now - because I am. But right now everything in life seems to be leading to that day when finally, FINALLY!!  I can say that I am married to my beloved and that we will live forever as husband and wife.  I look forward to not just that day but all the days to come after - to being married.  Not having to plan and think about what I've forgot or what needs to be done....just be! 

Oh Jamaica!! I'll see you soon!!

First Wedding Shower

I was back home this weekend and my mom and sisters surprised me with my first wedding shower!  It was great! Tom and I are so blessed to have such great family and friends.  It's exciting to have things to put into our home and now that we have a place we will call home its exciting.  The house is ready for us to move into (freshly painted, new carpets, etc). But there are some changes that we plan to make that will make it ours.  One being the dumb cupboards that were added to the kitchen that took out over half the front hall closet and 2nd access to the attic.  We also want to put in new counters in the kitchen.

But one thing we will be working on before we get married is the bedroom.  When I got my 2nd apartment here I needed a dresser (the apartment before had a GIANT closet with shelves so it was not necessary). So in looking at dressers and what they cost Tom and I ended up finding a nice bedroom set that got me not only a dresser, but also a queen bed, mattress (much better than the futon I had been sleeping on) and bed side table.   So we have that bought and good to go.  We have found a sheet/duvet cover set that we love and hope to get.

Our plan is to then paint the walls a light grey and bring in pops of colour (ok the last little bit is my plan but Tom will go along with it). For now it will be with my red curtains.  So that is exciting!!

So the countdowns continue: 37 days until we get our house! Only 88 days till we are married and will be husband and wife for the rest of our lives! Time is a flying! 

96 days!

We are at less than 100 days!! It's crazy to think that in just 96 days we will be husband and wife.  There is still so much to do. Since the last update we have done a few things (slowed down by buying a house).
So in the past week:

• we received our favours and are working on those
• ordered the groomsmen gifts
• ordered some of the ladies gifts
• we've finalized the wedding cake and dessert choices (thank you Two Cups of Sugar sistas!!)
• we've also put our 2 MC's in contact with one another so they can start planning and talking

So lots still to do this month to keep up on the checklist. A good number of things are in progress/ongoing. These include:

• program design - almost finalized (will start printing once we confirm readers, and music)
• waiting to hear back from our caterer so that I can get started with either printing or ordering our menus (from vistaprint - sweet site!!)
• reception decor - ridiculous!!!!  so hard to figure out
• Church decor - to flower or not to flower...that is the question!!
• music -  working on figuring out songs and such for the reception
• gifts for me ladies!

So lots to do but its all exciting! And now we can add thinking about house renos to the list!! But wedding first....then marriage and house renos!!!  

A new Outlook

Life is good. This week has been good. Ever since Tuesday I cannot complain.  I was successful in crossing things off the list....let's see the list and what I accomplished: 

So up for this month is:
-Schedule Dress fitting early February done
-Design Menus (mostly designed - waiting to hear back from caterer)
-finalize wedding cake and desserts 
-Reception Décor (by March 1st)have contacted another rental place about a backdrop and have been pricing out DIY options
- Ceremony Décor  simple....is key....
- Decide songs for dances (parents, BP) and what not to play list       
-Wedding Programs 
-Wedding party gifts am having some brilliant brain waves for my ladies!! Tom has the guys figured out just need to purchase.
-Order/buy favour supplies bought half!!!!!  waiting till next month when my Mom's down to buy the other half....or maybe not.....forgot about a discount a certain STUDENT can get me....hmmmm
-Jr Groomsman attire and shirts for the guys
-sort out bar with the hall have contacted them
-finish card box (ribbon around it-will do when home in 2 weeks) 


So looking good. Plus we have a hot prospect for a house!! Stay tuned!!!

110 Days

Almost in the double digits!! So exciting....as it is the end of January let's review the to-do list:
-Tuxedos
-Tom will finalize
-Invitation envelopes and RSVP cards
- Contact caterer and Finalize menu and desserts (emailed him just waiting to hear back.....)
- finalize wedding cake and desserts  (in the process)
-Reception Decor
-Ceremony Décor
-Decide timeline for reception 
-Wedding Programs (designed just need to ask readers and finalize songs)
-Hotel for May 21st and May 22nd
-Gifts for Bridal Party
- Finalize favours (more or less decided)
-Ask Readers
-Baptismal Certificate


So not the most productive month but better than nothing. A lot of the items have been started and were going to carry over anyways. But we can add to the list something that was on the list for March - we bought Tom's wedding band!!

So up for this month is:
-Schedule Dress fitting early February -Design Menus (mostly designed - waiting to hear back from caterer))
-finalize wedding cake and desserts (see above) 
-Reception Décor (by March 1st)
- Ceremony Décor
- Decide songs for dances (parents, BP) and what not to play list      
-Wedding Programs (same as above)
-Wedding party gifts
-Order/buy favour supplies
-Jr Groomsman attire and shirts for the guys
-sort out bar with the hall
-finish card box (ribbon around it)

So lots up to do this month.
PLUS we are also starting to seriously look for a house. That is taking time and energy. The past week I have done nothing wedding related because my free time was looking at houses. I need to get back into the groove of wedding planning and cross things on this list!!!

Blogging FAILURE

So my goal of once a week clearly did not work out! But here's hoping I get back into it. Many times I thought to myself, "I should go write a blog and get this out of my system."   Oops!!

So life is zooming along.  last I posted I was moving into Tom's parents and I have. Its been an adjustment to going from living alone to living with 3 other people. Then Tom's friend John moved in shortly after while his parents are finishing the house they are flipping. So its been fun!

Wedding planning has been busy. Only 123 day to go! Over Christmas Tom and I picked out flowers and booked a limo. I am very excited for our flowers. I really don't have a favourite flower so what was more important to me was the colour.  Since researching for flowers, I had discovered dahlias which I loved. So we are having roses, dahlias and wax flowers (which are real flowers).  The roses will be the colour of this rose and all the rest will be similar.  The girls will have more white and some colour.  I am excited!!

On our way home from my parents for Christmas we made a very organized list with what was left to be done and what month we should do it in.  Most things according to the list should be done in April with the exception of a few things that need to wait for rsvps.

So this is our to do list for January 2011
Tuxedos - Tom will finalize
Invitation envelopes and RSVP cards
Contact Brian and Finalize menu
finalize wedding cake and desserts 
Reception Decor
Ceremony Décor
Decide timeline for reception 
Wedding Programs
 Hotel for May 21st and May 22nd
Gifts for Bridal Party
Finalize favours
Ask Readers
Baptismal Certificate 

Some of them will carry over but that is ok. It fits into the plan! At least we have some things crossed off!!

Hopefully Ill write again soon!!

Almost another fail!!

I almost made it through another week with no post! But working today has given me time to write a post!! HAHA!!

So next Saturday is craft day. Before work tonight I thought i would get a good chunk of the printing for our invitations done!  So about half way through the one page I look over, and for some reason it printed just half the page and then spit it out...ok weird!!  Then I look back and it all of a sudden started printing in red ink. It is supposed to be black! I have set it to print ONLY black ink....what is happening! After many attempts to restart and try again I have gave up for today!! Monday I will be back at it!!

That and changing my address!! I tried online but it doesn't let me use the number from my birth certificate for some reason. So I am going to have to go in. Darn government!!! BOO! Then I'll have to change it all again in 6 months anyways!! BOOOOOOO what fun!!!

Registering!!

This Monday, Tom and I spent a good 3-4 hours registering.  Over the past few months I have been creating a list of things we should register for. I have looked at what I have and will still keep (ie/ I bought and it is in good shape and not a hand-me-down) and decided what needed to be replaced.  My plan was that the more organized I was before hand the less painful it would be for both of us during the whole registering process.  It did cause some struggles beforehand but I know that Tom appreciated it when we hit the store.

I had my list organized according to room in a hypothetical house that we may or may not buy one day (we will).  While the store didn't necessarily line up with my order (how RUDE) I know that it helped us in not getting to excited and zapping everything with the gun!  We started at the Bay and did well I think.  We found a lot of what we were looking for and that was exciting.  After the Bay we hit up Sears hoping to be able to finish off the list....but we were in for a surprise! Sears was anything but useful as far as registering went.  We were so desperate to find stuff and it just didnt work. So we left with only a few things zapped.  Last night I went to Home Outfitters and happily found everything we had on our list at Sears plus things we were missing from either store. So we will be hitting the registering road once again this Friday at Home Outfitters. What fun!! I know we will likely be going in to add stuff to the lists over the next 6  months but its nice to have the big registering time out of the way -  or to know we will come Friday night.

Other than that life is good! My apartment is being shown a lot lately which makes me excited! Moving in a month!!!

One a week=fail!

So I failed at writing last week! Oops! But I have had a few weeks lately with more than one post so it's just fine!!

It was just Thanksgiving weekend and it was great to be able to spend time with the people I am most thankful for in my life.  It seems like we very rarely get to be all together because of where we all live and our crazy schedules. So the fact that all my sisters were able to get together was great! A big blessing!!

So life is good! Busy but good! I am excited about what the future holds. so much will be changing in the next year with getting married, and hopefully starting school again!! But we'll see!! I want it all to happen now!!!

Nothing new has really gone down with the planning.  I have recently decided to include light pink (I think) as a accent with our SANGRIA! Hopefully it works out. We just need SOMETHING!!   Also been thinking about flowers. I know NOTHING about flowers but I know I like peonies!!! If they are cheap I am in! I have a very hard time spending money on things that in the end I wonder if anyone will even notice. My goal is to be not cheap but smart. Spend money on things we will remember and that are important to us. Not on details that we will never look back on and notice. So that is my philosophy that is also applying to flowers. Something nice and simple and smart (read=cheap).

Wedding planning is hard work!

Since getting engaged, 500 million ideas have flashed before my eyes and into my head! There are so many great things that people have done and I want to do them all (well...maybe not all because some are hideous!).   The challenge in idea overload is to sift through and decide what goes together and what represents who we are as a couple and who we are individually.   I have done a pretty good job (I think) of trying to keep everything flowing throughout. One thing I love and regret at the same time is the colour we chose for bridesmaids dresses. Sangria is BEAUTIFUL and I like how it looks on everyone.  But it is IMPOSSIBLE to find anything in sangria. I found ribbon that is close and will do.

So the purpose of this post is that I am currently working on trying to decide whether or not to go with one idea I like or not. It's an out there idea I would say. One that would require time, crafting and maybe some money.  So it is time to see, is this idea something that will be worth it? Will it make me happier than the alternative? Will it end up costing more money?

So off to thinking and researching we go! I'm not going to share my idea because I love it too much! So maybe you will see it before the wedding or maybe at the wedding or maybe not at all!

Labels and Ring!

My return address labels have arrived!!! Yeah!!! The save the dates were waiting for them so they could be sent out. Still waiting on a few addresses from Tom but once that happens we are good to go!! yeah! So excited! We are getting married!! In less than 8 months!!

Yesterday I also got a voice mail message from the jewelery store that one

of my rings was ready to pick up. So in I went hoping it was the engagement ring - and it was! I missed it. But honestly if one more person asked me if I was getting married soon and that was why I

had it rhodium plated I was gonna freak out! It's free people! Who wouldn't want a sparkly ring!! So now we wait on my wedding band. It's getting sized and likely I will get my engagement ring

sized too eventually. The wedding band will be a 6.5 and the engagement ring is a 7. It fits fine and hasn't fallen off so we'll see.

Tom really did a great job picking out the ring. It's simple and elegant - like me!!! hahaa! My camera is not the best but I felt like taking some 'artsy' pics today. In the pic above the green reflection in the diamond is my camera.

This next picture is another attempt at being 'artsy' which I am not but I still like it. The pic in the pic is of Tom and I on what we say was our first date. On June 23rd, 2007 we helped out at the wedding of the daughter of the camp director of the camp we met at. That night was really the night that changed my mind. Up until that night I had been very hesitant about starting a relationship because I was leaving for NET ministries for 10 months. What was the point of starting something. A good friend of ours talked to both of us individually that night and while I don't know what he said to Tom, I know that what he told me greatly influenced the start of our relationship. He helped me to realize that if I didn't open myself up to what could happen, if I didn't tale a chance and see what could be, that I would always wonder what could have been. So here we are now three years later planning our own wedding. I thought the idea behind the picture was good.

A favourite activity of mine is going for walks and stepping on CRUNCHY pine cones!! I love it!! When we worked at the camp, it was prime pine cone crunching location!! So many pine cones! So little time!!! One day after we were engaged (I think) Tom came over after he was working and brought me this pine cone. He had been out on a walk with a young person at work and stepped on pine cones and he brought me one home to step on. Of course I didn't and instead it sits on my tv unit. It's hard to see the ring on the top of the pine cone but it's there. The shine made it too flashy!

All in all, I'm happy.

My DIY Jewelery

So while I won't be posting pics of my dress on here, I will let you in on some sneak peeks of the jewelery I have created to wear on our wedding day.

First is a pair of earrings. This was my first attempt at making earrings ever so I think they turned out well. Really all I did was attach the earring part to the chandelier type thing and add the dangling bead in the middle But it's a DIY nonetheless!!

Here is a picture of the bracelet I made. It was inspired from a bracelet I saw at roots that was strings of black seed beads braided together. I attempted the braiding but it was also a P.I.T.A. so I changed to his idea and I love it!!! I am excited to wear it. I just need to try in on sometime with someone else doing it up because I lack the skills. It may also be a bit small so I might have to re-do it.

So there you have it. A little sneak peek into my wedding attire!

8 Months

So today it is 8 months to our wedding. Today was a good day getting things done...sort of. Last night I got addresses for Tom's family and friends and now have just 12 addresses remaining to get and confirm. So I set out addressing the remaining envelopes for our Save the Dates. As I was stuffing envelopes with our cards for the out of town guests, I realize that I did not put on their save the date, 'Formal invitation to follow.' I am going to confuse so many people maybe?? I hope not. There will be some no doubt who ask about it but whatever they will survive!!

8 months out and today we bought my wedding band! It was a bit more than planned but it's the band that goes with my engagement ring so it seems like a good fit! It's currently getting sized and we should have it next week. I also had gone in to get my engagement ring rhodium plated and found out after that it was going to be 7-10 days. Until I get it back, I'm wearing my $12 ring Tom bought me back when my ring had to be fixed.

Things are going well wedding planning wise. We heard back from the caterer today too!! Which was good! I had been waiting forever for that. It seems like we might be saving a good chunk of money there (compared to what I had put in the budget). So that is a good thing - help us to get back on track!

I realized the other day that I had about 26 DIY projects to do as of one year out and have not completed nearly enough as of late. This means it is also time to get back on track with all the little detail projects that need to be taken care! That is the goal for the next 2 months!! Plus CRAFT DAY is coming up in November!!

It's ok to cry!

If you know me, which I hope you do if you are reading this, then you might wonder why I titled this, 'it's ok to cry!' I have always been a crier. I remember many occasions growing up where I would cry, for one reason or another. I am just in touch with my emotions and not afraid to let some tears flow - like they are now.

You may ask, "Katie, what caused these tears to flow?" To which my answer is, "I have NO FREAKING CLUE!" Just minutes prior to tears flowing down my cheeks, I was searching around my apartment for stamps I bought 6 months ago on sale. I was looking for stamps so that we could hopefully send out our Save the Date cards in the next few days or weeks but cannot for the life of me find them. No doubt I put them somewhere safe - hopefully. So that's fine! I'll survive. Then I try to print more envelopes - and the new printer Tom and I bought for wedding printing activities has been a P.I.T.A.!!! It is constantly smudging when I am printing on the envelopes so I had to not print the return address on them (instead I had to buy some - $5 for 240 aint bad!) So once again, the envelope smudges -just one of three but enough to make me bitter. Bitter because I have already wasted a number of envelopes on this printer and the box of envelopes I bought contained just enough envelopes for our out of town save the date cards!

So conceding defeat on getting any further ahead in the Save the Date department, I sit down and start checking out the many wedding websites I check out and get many ideas from. One contains blog post from a recent bride who is recapping her wedding festivities. While looking at pictures of the bride and her bridesmaids getting ready, and their rehearsal tears begin to fall.

At Pete and Jenn's wedding rehearsal I remember having this weird feeling in my stomach. A feeling that was anxious and nervous - not for them - for me! It is so surreal now realizing that we are next. It's all us. For so long it was them, and then them and us and now....it's just us. I feel pressure that isn't really there. I keep freaking out that there are a million things I need to do and there won't be enough time to do any of it it. Which is crazy because in reality, I am way ahead of the game and have most things planned. So why the stress??? I don't know but stress=tears.

The other night, as Tom was leaving my apartment we ended up standing at my door holding hands and pretending to say vows. As we were doing this, I teared up! Oh man! All I have to say is, Nicole you better have kleenex on you at all times (your dress has pockets for a reason)! Tom the same goes for you! Make-up is getting done professionally so it's waterproof. And expect tears - maybe at the rehearsal, maybe getting ready, maybe during the Mass and maybe during the reception. And at any point in the next 8 months and 4 days!

But tears are good! A nice cleansing! And often happy!

DIY Power Hour

In a matter of hours (a few) I managed to tackle a lot of DIY projects last night - surprising since I was up late the night before and had to work this morning early and yet I was still raring to go on some projects.

So last night I tore apart the box I bought for a card box - by tore apart I really mean I took one panel off - then I stained it. I also bought stuff to try out a 2nd centrepiece idea and created a little mock-up of it (it's not ideal cause not everything is the exact version of what I was envisioning so we'll see). I also played with rhinestones and put them around a heart that I am going to use somewhere.....who knows.

AND I put some DIY stuff away!! Out of my living room!! It is great! I have to clean off a shelf of my storage closet to make room for all the DIY stuff to fit but it will be good.

All in all a good night and I am surprisingly not too tired today at work! Praise God!

11 months!!!

So time flies!!

Something I have learned more and more lately. Now that we have a count down going till we get married, I am noticing weeks and months FLY by so fast!! It's hard to believe its been almost 4 months since we got engaged with a beautiful ring....that I broke!!

That's right folks, I have the strength to bend the claws that hold the diamond in my ring without even noticing it. Seriously!! Who does that? Me apparently!! We took my ring it to the store and the one sales lady was like "You got to take the ring off BEFORE you punch him!" We laugh. Then they say "you must have hit it very hard to do this!" I think "Shouldn't I remember doing that? Shouldn't I remember thinking 'oh crap my precious ring!!!' or something?" Apparently not.....so it was hard to hand over my ring....and then she told me it would be gone for ten days!! I asked Tom very nicely to buy me a new one....and led him over to the e-ring part of the store. He wasn't quite up for that.

So then Tom, my mom and I headed to the Bay to pick up gifts for a wedding shower for Pete and Jenn. Tom left my mom and I and headed to the jewelery to buy me a stand-in ring!! So cute!! So I am no longer not visibly engaged...still taken my friends!! I never was a big jewelery person but having to say good-bye to my ring and have another ring on my finger has made me realize how much I LOVE the ring Tom bought me!! It's perfect for me!! Just like him!!!

so 11 months left and lots to do. With mom and Krista down this weekend we talked a lot of wedding Saturday night and talked through some great centrepiece ideas. So I think that might be the next thing I will try to nail down and figure out 100%. I am hoping to finish the memorial candles this coming weekend. I have bought what I hope will work as a card box we just need to stain it and figure out how to put the slit in it. I am excited for that project. So lots to do OBVIOUSLY! Also trying to decide if I want to be brave and make my own pocketfolds for invites, or if I even want to do pocketfolds......so we'll see....and you may too one day!