I am a reader. I probably make it through about 7-8 books each month. I know that seems unbelievable, but I do. Barnes and Noble employees know me by name. My Nook goes everywhere with me. I use books as decor, stacked artistically under photos. I truly believe a house is not a home without a bundle of books that have been read repeatedly.
I do not think I need to go into the explanation that there is no way I have one favorite book. There are so many great ones out there. So many authors that I love, so many books that have spoken to me on a higher level. However, for the purposes of this blog, I am going to list ONE book that has impacted me strongly as of late. (I know, I am finally following the rules!)
This book. Wow. I do not have enough words to describe the amazing depths of this novel. It is a young adult novel. It is a sleeper hit among giants like Twilight and Harry Potter, but it is every bit as engrossing, and dare I say? Even more well written.
As some background: this is a novel set in the near future in what used to be The United States. The country is now called Panem, and instead of all the individual states that used to comprise the USA, Panem is split into several separate districts based on what goes on there. For instance, there is a fishing district, a mining district, etc. Because of a revolution which the general public evoked upon the rich upper class people living in "The Capitol" the entire country pays a daunting price each year. As punishment for this revolution, the districts must select 2 young children each year to participate in "The Hunger Games" The children are thrown into an arena, which has been designed with many obstacles to hurt them and they must fight to the death...all while being televised for the amusement of the upper class.
This novel is absolutely gripping. I could not put it down. I believe I devoured it in about 4 hours. There are also two sequels, which are equally fantastic. It is equal parts Survivor (think reality TV televising extremely private moments and personal despair) and a study in humanity. The subject matter is unthinkable. But honestly, what would you do in that situation? You either kill or be killed. Collins brings about a slew of characters that you will despite and some you fall in love with and that will break your heart. I have never read a more thought provoking novel. It really brings to life what humans can do to each other. It is terrible. Beautiful. Astounding.
Typically, I am one of those people who really hates watching TV all day. The rare exception to that is if I ever wind up on TLC or Discovery Health. I could watch those shows like "Mystery Diagnosis" all day long. I think they are fascinating.
I am also one of those people that thinks the "reality phenomenon" has gone way too far. Despite the fact that one of my all-time favorite shows is the reality grandparent, Survivor. There have been some stupid seasons, but there have also been some really great ones. I absolutely LOVED Survivor:Australian Outback. It was one of the more exciting seasons to date. I love all the All-Stars like Boston Rob, Colby, and Rupert.
Apart from silly reality shows though, there have only been a few shows that have really caught and held my interest. My top three:
FRIENDS. My first favorite show, even when I did not understand all the jokes. I love Chandler. And I am Monica. Its just a fact of life. Could this show BE any more hilarious?!
One Tree Hill. The show that is my guilty pleasure. Well, not so much anymore. Once Lucas and Peyton were gone it just was not the same anymore. Great music always plays throughout these shows. I have grown to love all the characters. Plus, they're just so pretty.
LOST. My most recent addiction. I started watching it after it was already off the air. Thanks to Netflix, I had finished the whole series in about 2 months. This was an addictive, mysterious, frustrating engima of a show. I LOVE the characters...Sawyer, Sun, Hurley, Locke and Boone. And got a little annoyed with others *ahem* Kate. SLUT! Haha. I actually liked the end of the show too...lots of people felt cheated by it, but I liked it. There was some good closure, and it left room for the imagination too.
Twenty three years ago, on this day...something magical happened. My Joshua was born.
Although I was only eight months old at the time (yep, I am the cradle robber here), I am sure something happened to me to let me know my soulmate was just born.
All kidding aside, I cannot believe that a person like him even exists. He is the epitome of strong, growing up the oldest of 6 siblings has a way of taking your innocence rather early. I have never seen a day where Josh would not be willing to drop absolutely everything for one of this brothers or sisters. No matter what they needed. The love for his family is unlike anything I have ever seen. It is deep, unwielding...and honestly does not judge. I have never known anyone who can just love. Without judging. It is a sight to see.
He has such a funny streak, although he does not flaunt it or even think he is particularly funny. He has this mischievous twinkle in his eyes sometimes, and his favorite thing to do is tease and tickle. The only reason it is okay is because he does it to be silly. And it works. Usually I end up splayed out on the floor with tears running down my face from laughing so hard. His laugh makes my world complete. There is no chance that you can hear his laugh and not light up inside. It comes all the way from the depths of him. But he is not one to laugh out loud often. He is more of a reserved person. If we are watching a movie, he's more likely to crack a smile than laugh out loud unlike (obnoxious) me. This makes his laughs even more precious. I wish I could capture them and put them in my pocket.
I really just cannot imagine my life without him. I know it sounds cliche, but he is honestly my best friend in the world. He knows everything about me, and loves me anyway. He knows exactly what to do for me at any given moment. If I am fussy, he'll just walk in the door with a Coke...even though I tell him I cant drink Coke anymore. And he'll just stand there offering it to me because he knows I want it. He doesn't boast about knowing it. Just smiles and pulls me into a hug when I crack the bottle open. Somehow, he thinks most of my worst flaws are cute and endearing in some way. I do not know how he puts up with me sometimes, but I am so glad he does. I do not enter into this marriage with him lightly. We have both had our share of baggage. Some that still tries to pop up incessantly. But he is always there to remind me that none of it matters. That he loves me and would not want anything else in this life BUT to marry me. *melt*
Happy Birthday, baby boy. Without you, my heart would be missing the best parts of itself. No one else can make me smile, feel and love like you. You are my everything.
I won't even bore you with the typical speech about how I cannot just select one thing in life. Just know this: its not possible.
I love all kinds of movies, I am even that girl who loves to go see an action movie in theaters. Something about the explosions and super loud speakers. It is exciting! I love when movies cleverly reference other movies or books. I love actors and actresses. And celebrities. I make it a habit to check PerezHilton.com on a regular basis. Yep...I am just that cool.
Here are (some of!) my favorites!!!
DO.NOT.LAUGH.
I am being absolutely one hundred percent serious when I say that this is my absolute favorite movie. It came out when I was about 11. Back when the Leo DiCaprio fad was sweeping the nation. And yes, I had a lifesize poster of him next to my bed. I went to see this movie with my whole family on opening weekend. I don't think my parents were fully prepared for the booby scene. Awkward! After that, I saw it about 12 more times in the theaters and also reserved my VHS! copy at Blockbuster. I remember that it came in a two tape set, and I would always just watch the first tape so I didn't have to watch the sad parts. The other day, I found it in the $5 DVD bin at Wal Mart. I had to buy it. I can recite this entire movie from start to finish. I love it. It started a life long adoration of Kate Winslet and Leo. On a completely unrelated note, I despise James Cameron. He just seems like a money hungry jerk, trying to take the claim of releasing the "best movie ever made" Avatar?! Uhm. No.
This is my go to movie when I am having a bad day. I cannot be in a bad moon if this is on. Actually, during stressful times, my family just knows to put it on. For example, while fighting with my sister's hair for prom...as I am about to lose all patience, my mom just slipped it on and all was well with the world. You can constantly hear Josh and I throwing lines from this movie out in everyday conversation. And it makes no sense at all. One of my personal faves, "Yay! I'm a llama again!!!" Kronk is my favorite.
Did you know that this was the true story that inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet? Well, you do now. This movie has everything I love in it. Action. Romance. Tragedy. James Franco...oh wait. Uhm...I really do love this movie for the story, the beautiful dialogue and the unhappy ending. Yes, you read that right. It kinda bugs me when every movie has a super happy ending. Real life does not work that way. I watch this if I am feeling particularly sappy or wanting a good cry.
It figures that the hardest question in the world for me to answer would be the first one on my little bloggy assignment. You see, I have a problem. A big one. I love music. I can find a love for almost any genre of music, artist or song. The lyrics are just as important as the melodies and I commonly refer to every song on the radio as "mine." Yes, I am that annoying girl who is always saying, "Oh my God! I LOVE this song!!!"
Ahem. That said, just know there is absolutely no way for me to pick just.one.song. Mmmkay? So here are my top five. I told you, I cannot be trusted! I am a rebel. Sheesh.
1. She's Everything - Brad Paisley
The moment I heard this song, I knew...it was going to be "our song" forever. Josh heard it on the radio and played it for me later that night. He told me the lyrics reminded him so much of me, and him...and us. "She's a cross around her neck, and a cuss word cause it's Monday..." Then, for my 21st birthday, we went to the Brad Paisley concert. The lights lowered, thousands of shimmery lights started bouncing off the roof and faces around us, and Josh grabbed me, in the middle of an arena full of people and slow danced with me in the tiny space in front of our seats. I cherish that moment. And this song. This is going to be our "first dance" song.
2. Cavanaugh Park- Something Corporate.
This song. Oh...this song. I always wished and hoped that I could be one of those awesome people who could sit down at a piano and play. Anything. I am not. I took lessons. I can play with music in front of me. But I cannot create. My brain doesnt work that way. This song is just...what I wished I could be cool enough to create. Classical piano technique mixed with punk-pop vibes. L.O.V.E. This is one I always put on in my car and just blast.
3. Love the Way You Lie - Eminem and Rihanna
I am sooooooo feelin'this song right now. I love Rihanna's raspy, controlled trills during the hook. And I love the lyrics. I can almost rap it out now too ;) Josh loves when I do that.
4. The Way I Loved You - Taylor Swift
Little Tay Tay. I am surrounded by a bunch of Taylor haters. And I just do not see how anyone could hate her. She's such a little doll. And I absolutely adore the lyrics of this song. 5. Rain is a Good Thing - Luke Bryan
There's not a whole lot I can say about this...except I LOVE it and its fun. Super redneck country, loud and silly. ......................................................................................................................................................................
I just asked Josh his favorite song. He gave me a crazy look and said, "I don't know!" Is it possible for ANYONE to have one favorite song?
After lots of digging and much harrassing (on my part), he tore his eyes away from Madden 11 and said, *gasp!*
Simple Man - Lynrd Skynrd.
That's my Joshy. His mama used to play him this song. He wanted to learn this song the most when he started playing guitar. And he can! I love this song too...it is just so....Josh. Understated. Honest. Real. And a little out of control in the middle : )
I realize lately, that my blog has been a little lacking. Part of that is because planning a wedding, working and dealing with a move keeps me nice and busy. But the major reason for this is, I can only whine and fuss so much over wedding to-dos. I mean, how interesting can that be to read? And until I get more things DONE and photos taken to show you, I am deciding to participate in this 30 day blog assignment. I will be posting regular posts as well, but this will just kick it up a notch. And give me a record of how I was thinking and feeling the month before my wedding.
Here's the dealio. Each day, I post about one of these topics:
Day 1 - your favorite song
Day 2 - your favorite movie
Day 3 - your favorite television program
Day 4 - your favorite book
Day 5 - your favorite quote
Day 6 - 20 of my favorite things
Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11 - a photo of you recently
Day 12 - something you are OCD about
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - your dream house
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)
Day 18 - my wedding/future wedding/past wedding
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a youtube video
Day 24 - where I live
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - my worst habit
Day 28 - whats in my handbag/purse
Day 29 - hopes,dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - a dream for the future
And because you know me...and I am a rebel, I will most likely expand on this thoughts much more than is exactly necessary. But that's why it is fun!
I think I am going to make this a little nifty-er and have Josh throw some input in here too, just for kicks. Since this is actually a wedding blog and about not just me (I know...I know) but Josh and me. And oh how I love that man. :) Come play along with me!
Here we are: 5 weeks until the wedding, and sooooo much left to do. The funny thing is, I am not stressed about any of it! I have this new frame of mind, it goes something like this: Everything will be fine. And if everything is not perfect, no one will even notice!
Maybe its denial. Or Exhaustion. Whatever it is, I like it.
Josh and I finally decided it was time to move again. We had been nurturing this wild hair that we would actually be able to get into a house before the wedding. The only problem with that theory? Uhm...a wedding in the middle of that dream. But oh well. We decided we would just move to a cute little one bedroom apartment for a year and try to save up the money for a down payment.
Last Saturday, we drove to a couple apartment complexes in our area. This time around, we were looking for something a lot cheaper than the "Luxury Apartment Home" we lived in last time. Psssh. "Luxury." I am pretty sure all that meant was fake crown molding and built in bookshelves. As we looked around, we found that was exactly the case. We were looking at apartments way bigger than the one we used to live in, but hundreds of dollars cheaper. All because there were no lame "amenities" like crown molding.
We selected our favorite, which ended up being our favorite because they have a community doggie park! And they offer free Comcast. Two big perks. There's lots of space and it seems like a clean, peaceful apartment complex. We get to begin moving our stuff in this weekend, although technically our move in date is not til September 1st.
Its so crazy to think that the day we move into our new home will be exactly ONE MONTH until our wedding. Phew.
I have my "bustling" appointment this Friday. I've been forewarned that it sucks. A Lot. Around three hours of standing on a pedestal in 4.5 inch high shoes while I get pinned, tugged and pulled every which way. YAY! But after that, the dress is allllllllll mine!!!
My latest task that I-just-don't-want-to-care-about is the wedding cake. Its funny that at the end of all this, something that was so monumental to me at first, I just really do not care about! I know we need one though, so I will have to tackle that really quickly.
*Sigh* I know it is coming up so fast, but it still feels like so far away. I cannot believe in five weeks, I'll be walking down the aisle.
Finally. After tons of drama: materials, formatting and even computer drama...I have to share with you, photos of my invitations. In all their finished glory. I really don't think there was any better feeling in the world than staring at a big box of completed, stamped invitations. Then I dropped them off at the post office. The relief was tangible. I could breathe again! I could stand up straighter, go back to my LIFE!
Then, only a couple days later...people began sending me text messages, posting things on my facebook or calling me about how beautiful they were. And again...that was the best feeling in the entire world. They were so much work. But they did turn out so beautifully. And people were telling me so. Awesome. This must be why DIY is so fulfilling.
Since then, its been a game every day. Check the mail, find a stack of pretty metallic brown envelopes. I even went super overachiever (read: nerd) and made a spreadsheet so I can keep track of who is coming, what they're eating, etc.
Anyway, here they are:
The night before assembly, we sat down and addressed all the envelopes.
I used Envelopemall.com to order my envelopes. The main invitation envelopes (on the left) are Stardream Metallic A7 Euro Flap Envelopes in "Opal." They are so, so unbelievably pretty. They are an ivory color with a slight sheen. I feel like they complimented the invitations really well. They were $18.95 for 100. I ordered 100 and cut it pretty close. The RSVP envelopes (right) are Stardream Metallics A6 Envelopes in Bronze, which is the same paper I used to make the pocketfolds. These envelopes were 4 3/4" by 6 1/2" and so my RSVP cards were a pretty tight squeeze, but it all ended up working out.
Once opened, this is what the completed pocketfold looks like.
Excuse the terrible photos. I could not find my battery for my big Canon, so these were taken with my old crappy point and shoot.
You can see how we formatted the inserts to be descending steps. This very thought contributed a LOT to the stress we had with making them look just "so." We used the same script for the insert headers (Chopin Script from DaFont.com) as we did for our names on the main portion. I feel like this added a little extra elegance and just tied everything together. All the rest of the font was the same as well (Goudy Old Style, done in Caps Lock...because I'm a rebel)
Here are the inserts, up close and personal:
I actually "custom made" this map using newly learned photoshop skills. I did a screen capture of a google map, then opened it in Photoshop, traced the roads I needed, added the icons and the names. Sounds easy but it was honestly a HUGE P.I.T.A.
The RSVP Cards. My Favorite part. The bane of our flipping existence. I decided early on that I wanted them to be personalized. I thought it was fancy schmancy. And awesome. And I would not take no for an answer. Even when mom and I were literally drinking whole bottles of wine and laughing hysterically to try not to rip our hair out and kill things. Through all the struggle, they turned out so incredibly beautiful. *Sniffle* I am so proud. And THANKFUL for my mom, the formatting queen.
So stinkin' cool. The names of our guests were printed in the Chopin Script. Just cause. :)
Reception Card. We had fun trying to figure out the wording for this one. We did not want to sound too snotty. Or too casual. I am pretty sure we read it aloud over 50 times.
And lastly, the Accomodations card. We tried to squish all the words down so you couldn't see them above the pocket. Then we decided that was just silly.
Originally, I was just going to stick the RSVP envelope in the pocket behind all the inserts. Too bad I used coverweight paper for all the inserts and the fit inside the pocket was just too tight. A few pockets even popped. After a little meltdown and some histrionics, we finally decided to just hook the flap of the pocket of the RSVP envelope over the back of the Directions insert, so it would lay flat on top of the inserts. It kind of took away from the impact of the inserts at first, but then I figured, people would just slip it off and all would be right with the world.
Then all we had to do was slide on the belly bands. I LOVE the belly bands.
As I have said multiple times, these babies were a lot...a LOT of work. But in the end? Totally worth it. I feel like people close to me will treasure these as keepsakes. Because they are. I think they are much more special than a storebought invite because each one literally has my blood, sweat and (many) tears involved. I may or may not go into business making these now, because...well...I am a pro now.
Oh Lord. What would the last few weeks of wedding planning be like without some...issues...
The good news is this: the invitations are done and out. I went and bought postage, had an addressing party and sent my babies out. I have even started to get some RSVP cards back in the mail! I have all these gorgeous photos to blog about and with...but here's where the issue comes in. My laptop? My beloved laptop loaded with my beloved photoshop and my extensive wedding budget and check list. I am hoping it is just the power cord, which I compromised by holding that thing on my lap at all sorts of weird angles. The cord just got loose and no longer charged my laptop, no matter how I manipulated it.
We ordered a new one from Amazon that we found a deal on. A new one of those suckers cost $70! Anyway, this new cord was supposed to be delivered yesterday...haven't seen it yet, so I tracked it on Amazon. Apparently, they tried to deliver it on the 11th, deemed it "undeliverable" for God knows what reason and it is already on its way back to California or wherever it came from. Lovely, right? So now...I am sure I will not receive it for another 5 days. UGH! I never realized how much I depend on that computer until now...it has not been fun.
Anyway, I have lots to show and tell but that will just have to wait until we get this particular *issue* worked out. Hopefully, I have the patience to wait it out! I struggle with patience. A lot.
I only ask this because these God-forsaken *ahem* lovely invitations of mine have given me hurdle after hurdle to jump over. At the (almost) end of all this, here is the most valuable lesson I have learned:
PERFECTIONISTS SHOULD NOT DO THEIR OWN WEDDING INVITATIONS.
Honestly, had I been a sane person, these invitations would have come together quickly and been sent out by now. Who cares if they're a little unevenly matted or the embossing is gloppy. Well...too bad I am NOT sane and I develop a twitch if things are not *just so*
Let me tell you a little story about my DIY invitations:
Things started out smoothly enough. I found the instructions online, clicked over to Anchor Paper and ordered all my materials: a ream (250 sheets) of ivory linen paper to make all my inserts and the main section of the invite, 100 sheets of bronze stardream cardstock and lots and lots of Super Tacky Tape to glue them all together. I found the other materials I needed to make them at Michael's or Joann Fabrics: a Cricut cutting tool with a scoring blade, a bone folder, and a new shiny pair of sharp scissors.
Once all that was assembled, I got my actual pocketfolds done in about a week. Then the struggles came.
I believe I have mentioned the embossing powder debacle as well. We pretty much tried at least 12 combinations of stamp/ink/embossing powder before I decided on one I liked. Then we stamped and embossed everything really quickly.
Then, we needed to figure out how to format all my inserts so that when printed, they would all lay out properly tiered against each other. HA! HA HA HA! Wow. Okay. Well that was a P.I.T.A or a pain-in-the-...for those who do not know my lingo. My mom and I went rounds and rounds. Printing samples, cutting, measuring, printing again...etc. Once we finally had it, we took the first insert to Office Max. I asked the young man there to fix something on the page that I hadn't seen. These particular inserts were printed two to a page. He printed all 100 sheets of them and then I saw that he had only corrected the mistake on the top part of the page. After fighting with him, he determined it was MY fault that I didn't tell him it was still wrong and I had to pay for the 2nd set of them to get printed correctly. *sigh*
After that, I was none too keen on spending 40 bucks on each set of inserts I had to print. (Which was 4 more sets...) So, Mom and I bought our own printer cartridge and printed them at home. I'll make a long story short by saying we had a heck of a time making the ink match between my main invitation and the seperate inserts. BAH. Once we had finally made it look right and figured out the formatting, I reached into my nice big ream of paper and found that I did.not.have.enough.remaining.paper to complete my invitations. (Because of a nice gentleman at Office Max who wasted 50 sheets of my paper.) Uhm.Yeah. That paper? Non existant in Denver. I ordered it from Minnesota. I am now 8 weeks from my wedding. These invites were supposed to be printed and sent out over the weekend, but alas...now I had to order more paper.
By some MIRACLE, my mom found a gal on Craigslist who had my exact paper that she had used for stuff at her own wedding. The only problem? She was selling half a ream of it for $20. Non negotiable. I bought an entire ream from halfway across the country for $26. I love throwing money away. LOVE IT! I decided, well screw it...she has it...I'll buy it. So I did. And now my invitations are printed, cut and assembled.
They are currently sitting in my wedding room. Now that we are 7.5 weeks out from the wedding. Tomorrow is my day off. I plan on spending it addressing envelopes til my hand falls off. Oh...and then going to the post office to pay millions of dollars in postage, since I am sure my beautiful, 4 layer invitations weigh a 1/4 pound each. I will be so relieved to finally see them go. I hope everyone gets them on time and has time to send them back. *Sigh*
Do you ever find yourself getting obsessed with certain things for little spurts of time? Maybe it is because I have an "obsessive" personality. Once I start enjoying something, I have to completely embrace it and almost overdo it until I get sick of it, or it stops existing whichever comes first. I do this with everything: songs, beauty products, foods, etc.
Sometimes obsessing over things this way has some bad consequences. People tend to define me by what I love. When I was in high school, I bought a purse from Wal Mart because it had Tinkerbell on it (you know, from Peter Pan). I have always been endeared to her because she is little and sassy and full of spunk, like me. I bought the purse because it was adorable and I did not believe in carrying a backpack. That was super lame in my world. So I carried all my notebooks in this big tinkerbell purse. After that, for every birthday and Christmas for YEARS I was given loads of Tinkerbell stuff. I don't especially want to decorate my home with Tinkerbell alarm clocks and throw pillows, but my minor obsession led people to believe that was my life's goal.
Another time an obsession led me astray was also in high school. I had developed a love affair with Code Red Mountain Dew. Despite the fact that this stuff was probably the most disgusting drink ever invented, something about cherry mountain dew just really did it for me. I would buy the cute little skinny bottles all the time. During this time of my life, I was watching two little boys pretty regularly. One day, my sister and I had a dentist's appointment. We went, and I could not quite figure out why the dentist was grossing me out so much on that particular day. Something about the taste of the flouride and the hands in my mouth was not sitting well with me. When we left, I still felt a little funky but I convinced myself I was just hungry. So Meg and I stopped at a gas station and picked up some Pringles and some Code Red. About 5 hours later, I remembered that my boys I watched had had the stomach flu the previous week. And I knew it was coming. Let me tell you something: projectile vomiting Code Red Mountain Dew into a trashcan is not something I will soon forget. It's not pretty. Not pretty at all. *shudder*
Anyway.......despite those negative days in my obsession ruled brain, I still do it. And sometimes it is fun to share with others things I am obsessed with currently. I love learning about a great new author or lipgloss from someone who sings its praises. So with no further ado (or vomit stories, I promise) here are my current obsessions:
Yes. The kind you used when you were 4. It is still the best, glossiest, yummiest and cheapest lip gloss in the entire world. But it HAS to be strawberry. None of that Dr. Pepper nonsense. I have tubes of it everywhere. In my car, my purse, my bathroom, Josh's truck. It goes good over lip color too. I like embracing my inner child.
My absolute favorite right now (and probably of all time) author is Charles Martin. He writes books in the style of Nicholas Sparks (who I also enjoy a lot...and is famous for his books that are now movies like A Walk to Remember and The Notebook) but he does it better. Yes. 10,000,000,000 times better. And that is honestly no exaggeration. While Nicholas Sparks has all the right ideas for romantic books, Charles Martin has the pen and the talent to take those romantic notions and pack an extra punch. They are all set in quaint, Southern towns...which I love. And his books are found in the "Christian Fiction" section of bookstores, which I still have yet to figure out. They are not preachy or really about God at all.
This is currently my favorite book. It ruined my soul and rebuilt it all at once. I was sobbing and smiling. It speaks of a rare and truly selfless brand of love. Just beautiful and amazing. I want to go read it again.
As you may know, I am a pretty high stress person. I would not be surprised if I have an ulcer later in life. This delicious, creamy, soothy (yes I made that word up) line of goodies makes me relax. Really. I love the moisturizing body wash. It smells just so delicately of lavender and vanilla and its the best thing in the world to shave your legs with. And I have multiple little bottles of the lotion. Its so soft and not sticky at all. mm.
This pretty green can might as well be an accessory on me. I buy one every single day. They are 99 cents so I don't feel guilty about it. Since its summer, it is so refreshing. And since the can is huge and lasts me all day, I don't fuss over keeping it super cold. It actually tastes good warm. And feels good on your throat. Which, since mine is always scratchy this time of year is a bonus. Did I mention the can is pretty?
*Ahem* My wedding shoes. Aren't they f a b u l o u s?! These are not only one of my wedding colors, but will also serve as my "something blue." And they're saving me approximately $400 on a hem for my gown because they are 4.5 inches tall. *Deep breath* and repeat: "I will not eat it on my wedding day..."
I would like you to know...I have a problem. With Junior Mints. Its big. And Bad.
When I was in high school, I was given my first "big girl" perfume. Aka: not bought at Wal Greens. It was called Halo by Victoria's Secret. I am still in love with it and have a teeny bottle left. Sadly, about a year ago...they DISCONTINUED it. And I cried. For days. Not really, but I was sad...and it took me forever to find something I loved as much:
Say hello to my new best friend. Marc Jacobs Lola. It is vibrant and sweet with a little bit of a spice to it. I am told it is quite lovely by almost anyone that can smell it. That's the beauty...it is not overpowering or stifling. I even have a customer at work who calls me Miss Lola...because I told him to buy it for his wife. He did. And she loved it. And now he loves me. I just love spreading happiness!
Speaking of spreading happiness...I am OBSESSED with this delightful, hilarious, witty woman:
This is The Pioneer Woman. And her adorable, crazy, funny blog is my new favorite thing. She was a ballerina. A city girl who fell in love with a cowboy and was transplanted to a real live cattle ranch. She chronicles her new life with her "Marlboro Man" and her four "punk" kids. She cooks. She jokes. She sings Ethel Merman songs. She takes the most amazing.flipping.photos I have ever seen. She's my hero. I feel as though we are kindred spirits. And I love her.
I also absolutely adore talented people who are not yet famous. No big heads. No fancy studios to auto-tune every word you sing. Just raw talent. And cuteness. Tyler Ward, for those of you who don't know is an incredibly talented and *humble* musician. And he performs on Youtube. He is always recruiting people to sing with and help them in their journey. As a singer, he makes me melt a little...and be jealous I didn't meet him. Meet one of his prodigies...and him. Singin' this gorg-eous Miley Cyrus song. She's a doll. And her voice is like butter. Its been playing on repeat all day.
The time has come when this wedding has shifted from months ( I remember saying, oh we are getting married in 8 months! And it seemed so so far away) to days (once we hit the 100 day mark, that was definitely something to celebrate and everything got a lot more real then) and finally, we have come to rest on weeks. I know weeks are greater than days, but considering we can now say we are getting married in E I G H T weeks, it is no longer real...it is amazing and gives me buttferlies and nervous dreams every day.
I think this is common for brides, all swept up in the glory and fantasy of their wedding day. To just constantly focus on the wedding and the details and get sidetracked away from what the day itself actually symbolizes. So today, with exactly 60 days, or approximately 8 weeks until our wedding, I'd like to tell you all about the man I am going to marry...and how special and wonderful he really is.
Joshua started out as this adorable little pumpkin:
Now that I have his "grown up" face memorized, looking back on him as little one just makes me all tingly inside. He is just so full of sweetness here. And, though I know this about Josh already...his baby pictures just backed up the theory that he can be quite...serious...at times.
As he grew up, he was blessed repeatedly with the gift of brothers and sisters. 2 baby brothers and three baby sisters. Josh is the oldest of six. One of the things that melts my heart the most about him is how fiercely protective he is of his younger siblings. Josh is definitely not a fighter. He does not walk around with that cocky attitude most men with that amount of muscle do, just trying to start a confrontation. Quite the opposite. Josh is very quiet, pensive and dare I say? Sensitive. Sorry baby, but I am just tellin' the truth! He sometimes just waits on the sidelines, watching, thinking, planning...but a few times I have seen him hurt or mad enough that he would go in, fists flying. Every single time it was because someone had hurt me or one of his siblings.
Joshy also has a playful side. A very silly and mischievous twinkle comes across him, like the look you see in the photo above. These are the moments I am not so thankful for those 5 amazing siblings he has, because he tries to "wrastle" me into submission the way he does to them. It never works. Ne-ver. :) You see, I am a middle child and I will resort to childish measures to get out of being tickled or held down against my will. And I am a pincher ;) Either that, or I will cry that he's hurting me until he lets go.
See that look of mischief? Tell me that's not the same look from up above.
Even though he gets a *little* crazy sometimes, Josh treats me like an absolute treasure. Before Josh came along, I did not even know what that felt like. To be honest, I was a little bit of a lost cause when Josh and I started dating. I went from being a naive little girl to a woman thrust into the adult world way too fast. My naivity was shattered during the brutal divorce of my parents when I was 17 and the loss of my first "love" around that same time. Josh picked up the pieces of me. Told me to stop looking at the negative and stop going on about how life was not fair. He brushed me off from that fall from grace, stood me up and supported my full weight until I was able to stand on my own two feet.
Once he had gotten me to the point of independence, then he started showing me what a relationship should truly be. Understanding, nurturing, fun and romantic. Josh is all of those things. He sweeps the hair from my forehead when he kisses me goodbye in the morning. He pulls me tight against him if he can tell I am getting frusterated ever...right before the tears start to fall. He holds my hand everywhere we go, even while he is trying to drive a stick shift Toyota Tacoma. Without fail, if we are on a date, he holds his arm out to me so I can walk in my precarious high heels, he opens the car door for me and pulls out my chair. He tells me to use my "filter" when my potty mouth comes out in front of my mom, because "that's just not ladylike" and he loves me anyway when I tell him I don't need a damn filter. He is the epitome of everything I have ever wanted in a man. Strong and sweet. Wise beyong his years and heart full of his own struggles. He will one day make the most amazing daddy.
When I look into his eyes, which are the most amazing color of slate gray mixed with emerald green, I just cannot imagine my life without him. He saved me. He sturdied me. He let me grow alone, but stood there waiting to catch me if I made a wrong step, which I have many times. He loves me unconditionally. And he is not afraid to defend me against any naysayers there are in this world. Like me, Josh has a stubborn streak...and to hear him come to my defense might be the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. Our relationship is not perfect. Who's is? But its real. Real sweet. Real amazing. Real passionate. Just Real. And I cannot wait until October 1, 2010 at 3:00 pm when I get to walk down the aisle to his open arms.
