Updates, updates, updates

Soooo, it's been a while since I last posted. And 11:34 pm is probably not the time to catch up, but I'm going to try.

Corey and I came home on Thursday, July 29th, anxiously awaiting his parents' arrival on Saturday. Sunday was not only his mom's birthday, but also our SECOND ENGAGEMENT PARTY!!!! My parents worked so hard, and it was AWESOME!!!

During the time that Corey's parents were here we were able to make a trip to Short Pump in Richmond. We showed Corey's parents the bridesmaids' dresses and the color, and the moms enjoyed looking at what dresses were out there for them. Corey had seen this awesome deal that morning for Jos A Banks and we headed over to check out suits. (Let's backtrack here a little) While I've been trying to personalize the wedding to our tastes, I realized that I KNEW that Corey didn't HAVE to wear a tuxedo for the wedding, but did he know? It's a big deal to get Corey in a tie, and with the wedding being OUTSIDE in JULY I thought it would really be a good idea to let him know he has some wiggle room with what he wanted to wear. That eventually got us looking at tan/khaki suits.

So we're in Jos A Banks and we're just not finding the "right" tan color suit that everyone can agree on. I had tossed around the idea of grey suits when I first introduced the idea to Corey but we quickly decided on tan. On a whim we asked Corey to put on a grey jacket. I know I'm partial, but HE LOOKED GOOD!!!! We found a suit (separates) in this awesome medium charcoal grey, and I'm so excited. Corey really seems happy with it, everyone seemed really happy with it. Now just on to deciding what shirt/tie we want to put with it. Changing the suit from tan to grey also meant that I could contemplate my original thought of using yellow for the boutonnieres.

Which brings me tooooo........the past two days Mom and I have been scouting out potential florists, stopping in a couple shops (and having a little too much excitement in one-as one of the employees suffered a seizure while we were there). We actually returned to this shop this afternoon. It is run by a Mom-daughter team, and they are the sweetest people ever!!!!! I went to one consultation this morning, and the lady was definitely helpful, but I felt HER vision was much more traditional, and at times pushed her own ideas on me. She had a lot of great suggestions and it was a good experience. However, meeting with the second florist this afternoon was a much better experience. I feel that they not only wanted to understand my vision, but actually understood it and took it to heart. Also, looking through books of their previous work, I saw many elements that I want in our wedding. They completely understood the whole vintage/romantic/garden wedding feel that I'm going for. Not to mention they had soooo many vases/lanterns/flower stands that are just EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!!!! I also felt that they weren't out to "nickel and dime us to death" as I think the saying goes. The first florist wanted to charge us $10 for each vase just to hold the bms bouquets in before the wedding. RIDICULOUS!!!!! The second florist said they wouldn't charge us for vases, even ones for centerpieces. I won't get an estimate from them until a week-10 days from now, but the lady said she would give us a price range and include as many pictures as she could so that I would understand what she is talking about. She also welcomed any pictures I wanted to send her. On top of everything else, she has done work at the Lodge before, is only 2 blocks away from the Lodge, is familiar with Kathy (our wedding coordinator with the Lodge), and also knows my day-of coordinator. As we were leaving she kept saying "you're practically family now". It's good to work with family

Credit to Whitney Powell

I loved this post so much that I read on my friend Whitney's wall that I just had it to share.....


Weddings will change your entire vocabulary. BMs and STDs are no longer taboo terms, but terms that I hear EVERY day. BMs are super helpful and something you enjoy in your life and STDs can be ordered in Hallmark, online, or from local experts. I see more than one BM a day, which I hear is healthy. I am checking out my options for STDs, and I am leaning towards ones that I can order online and that stick to things!
Like I said, weddings will change your entire vocabulary. Who knew that BRIDESMAIDS and SAVE THE DATES had such funny abbreviations.

Wedding Updates

I think a wedding is a great time to learn more about each other.....but it has also proven a great testament to how well we already know each other. For instance, as we finally narrowed down our venue choices to the Williamsburg Lodge, my fear of rain and a "backup plan" for our outside wedding rose once again. Corey, knowing it wouldn't be enough just to TELL me that he was sure it wouldn't rain on our special day, went on almanac.com and told me out of the past 10 years it had only rained once on June 25. When we were debating whether we wanted to change the wedding to July 2, my mom followed Corey's lead and checked the almanac (but I already knew my momma knows me better than I know myself:) )

I've also come to know that the little details that NO ONE will even notice also serve very little importance to Corey. Not that he doesn't care, it just isn't that important in the grand scheme of things whether there are four or five candles on the table. I think planning has also taken me on somewhat of a self-discovery (although things such as being INDECISIVE I already knew too well about myself, and boy has that shown through during planning!) My professors have a knack for referring to my grad class as the most type A class they have ever seen come through.....my attention, no obsession, to details in the wedding are only affirming this for me.

All in all, it's so much fun, but I think the fun and passion come from the fact that it is OUR day....and I want to make it perfect for Corey. Although, I think when we're standing there saying our vows, or having dinner, or our first dance, I don't think the number of candles on the table will all of a sudden strike importance :)

Here is an inspiration board for what I'm now thinking for the wedding. Thankfully I haven't done one of these for every idea I've had since I've changed my mind numerous times about, oooo...wedding colors, flowers, centerpieces.....

I know the colors seem a little all over the place but the concept is supposed to be vintage and romantic.

We were originally using a very natural palate.....blue, yellow, and green. I still really like that and all those colors are going to be incorporated but as I keep saying I am "enhancing" the colors/decor by adding in some peach and pinks-mostly in the flowers. The main reason is I've been fostering a desire to use pinks and peaches and stumbled upon this bouquet.....

I completely fell in love with it, and it just scrreeeeaaammmmeeedddd VINTAGE and ROMANTIC to me! The more I thought about it, and after consulting with my mom she agreed, the especially with doing an outside wedding, if we decorated with just white and green, it might all get lost. We also visited the Lodge again when I came home on a spur of the moment trip Tuesday. It was sooo helpful since the room was divided into the one end section we will be using for the wedding. The space didn't seem quite so massive, but the room does have a lot of character on its own. I felt the neutral/natural palate we were going to use would get lost in the room, not to mention white centerpieces would fade into the white tablecloths without some punch from other colors.

So far it's been a productive trip home and I feel that I am finding more and more a "theme" or vision for what I want the wedding to look like. I think part of the indecision before was that I wasn't following any type of theme, it was just "I like this...I like that" and trying to make it all work.

Quick Update

SOOOOO.......it's finally here. Tomorrow Corey and I hop in the car to drive to Newport News. Friday morning we wake up bright and early to catch a plane to TEXAS!!! Fly into San Antonio, have lunch at the Riverwalk, drive up to Austin for FORD AND NATASCHA'S WEDDING WEEKEND!!!!! As Corey puts it we're both "bustin at the seams" with excitment that this weekend is finally here. There are so many things to be excited about. I haven't been home much this semester, or at least the past month. I will finally be going home, even though it's only for a few hours-there's always something magically renewing that happens when you go back home and see family. Corey and I get to make our first trip together and we both have expressed how excited we are to fly TOGETHER for the first time. I'm always so proud to be seen out in public with him :)
We never made it down to San Antonio when I visited Texas over Christmas. When Corey booked the tickets for this weekend, he surprised me by telling me we were flying into San Antonio so that he could take me to the Riverwalk!!!
Once we get to Austin Friday afternoon it will be all things wedding....and although I'm jealous it is not our own wedding this weekend, Corey and I could not be happier that we are attending a wedding of two people that love each other so much. And I can't wait to see Natascha...she is going to make such a beautiful bride. (Trust me....there will be many pictures to come after this weekend). I believe Friday is going to consist of the rehersal dinner and then going out, possibly to 6th Street. Saturday I'm sure will be golf for the boys and girlie things for the girls. I'm so excited to see Katie again, and I know Corey can't wait to see the boys.
Corey's parents and brother, along with his family, are coming down sometime Saturday. Corey's dad graciously booked the hotel for us, and we are staying in the same place as them. Sunday we will wake up and hang out with his family until it is time to sadly say goodbye to Texas once again.
It will no doubt be an exciting (and exhausting) weekend. Corey and I won't get back to NN until around 10-10:30 and our lives go on on Monday (I offered to drive so that Corey can sleep).
I've got to get back to work now.....between writing this post, checking fb, and starring at my ring, I've successfully procrastinated finshing my work due today. I'll write again when we get back.
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!!!
Love to all

Easter

Easter service was absolutely amazing!!! I'd love to say more but I have to go study for resonance, but I wanted to add our limited Easter pictures :) (mostly for my momma)

Spring has sprung

Spring has sprung in the valley.....or actually it's more like summer. Today was the second day where the temperature reached above 80 degrees, but oh was it glorious!!

I took some time to soak it all in.

Spring brings on so many wonderful sights, sounds, smells, and feelings. Downtown smelled like melons today-the arboretum smelled like wildflowers-and campus smelled simply of spring. Yes, today I was a "nature-freak" as my friend Shannon told me :) But because I was, I have pictures to share with you all....a little taste of spring:

Spring is....

flowering trees

bulbs promising to bloom

clear, blue skies making perfect backdrops

make-shift Easter egg hunts

(if only pictures could play sounds....so I could

share the joyful sounds of kids laughing

and calling to each other)

pastel fingers

(no picture is ever going to do my ring justice...)

bright, bare toes

Spring also means first nights of Pennybacker's rooftop being open...which is where Corey and I ended up having dinner. It was so good. And nights like tonight really make you appreciate where you live, even if it is a small town.

No matter how much joy I receive from food, or flowers, or egg hunts, or blue skies, nothing will ever compare to the pure joy I feel now, as I sit next to my fiance, and know that I need nothing that I don't have in this moment.

Spring has most definitely sprung :)

Alive

Alive....that is how I feel today, or at least how I felt this morning. I don't know if it was waking up knowing that I was going to get to see Corey in the morning, or the fact that I ate breakfast (with him), either way, I felt alive. So much so I decided to work out!!!!!

Being that Corey is a strength and conditioning coach, and always on my case about working out, and the fact that my Nana is battling cancer for the third time, I decided that it was best that I start being as healthy as possible NOW!!!!

So after having breakfast (at D-hall) with Corey I promptly headed home, made a new playlist for my iPod, and headed to Purcell Park to run. I had all intentions on jogging the track twice, but as I neared the end of the first lap, I decided it was sufficient enough; probably better to ease myself back in anyways. Although the cool morning air flared up my asthma, and the budding flowers flared up my allergies, it was a very enjoyable run. There's definitely a calming peace about running by yourself; however, since I don't see a stroller or a dog in my near future, if anyone is interested in being my running partner, I'm all for it.

After running, and about half walking, I headed to the gym to try to tackle a workout. The worst part about starting working out again is realizing how out of shape you are. I only did body weight work-outs, as directed by my wonderful fiance. I'm not sure I feel alive anymore...more like....jello. And I have a funny feeling I will feel DEAD tomorrow. But it's all worth it in the end :)