Friday, April 30, 2010

Wedding-Palooza!

Goodness!

Now with less than 50 days to go, things are all-wedding all the time!  Some things to report...

According to MarthaStewartWeddings.com and the great guest list manager they have:

40 guests said yes
14 guests said no
90 guets haven't responded

Also, my shower is tomorrow! Joe's sisters couldn't make it but they got me some great gifts!  Julie got me the Battles family cookbook, Andrea got me a beautiful serving tray, and Sara got me a set of our dishes.  So fun to get all these presents in the mail :)

I'm excited to see my mom, mother in law, and a bunch of friends tomorrow- should be so much fun.  I'm humbled that people flew in for this event.  And thankful to Kate for throwing the shower! :)

We even got a wedding gift yesterday from someone who can't come to the wedding- so sweet!

Keeping track of everything (vendor lists, guest lists, hotel lists, gift lists...) is getting increasingly more difficult by the day, but I like the online organizers and I hope that keeps me from forgetting something.

The next thing I need to do is figure out details for the rehearsal + rehearsal dinner.  It's going to be immediate family only, but we'll have drinks with anyone who is in town afterwards.

Oh, and look what my good friend made for me!  SO CUTE!  I love it!



In other news, I finished painting my office today- thank the lord.  A coat of primer, three coats of paint, painting the ceiling, and painting the trim.  I hate painting.  The floors get resurfaced tomorrow and I can move in all my stuff on Monday!  So excited and giddy about that :)

So yeah, things are awesome right now.  Crazy, busy, sometimes stressful, but awesome.  Also, according to the scale this morning, I'm down 21 pounds from November 18th.  Booyah!

Happy Friday, friends!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Bridal Shower

Got a dress today for my wedding shower.  $150, marked down to $50, then with my Macy's card + a coupon it was $37.  Awesome :)

Can't find it on the website, but it's cute :)

Hair + Makeup Trial!

love love LOVE it!

Getting so excited now :)


Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The Office: Before

Some before photos... working really hard on my office and will have more photos soon!  Painted yesterday and today.  I need to finish up a few things so I'll take some photos then.  It's all so exciting! :)








Things ordered for the office...


I *love* this light!  I'm going to spray paint it white.  From Overstock.com


Don't know if this will go behind my desk or somewhere else, but I love it :)  From Target.com
 Storage cubes from West Elm (on sale!) for under the console table
 Console table... from Target.com

And I have an awesome antique hutch!  I'm hoping the only other thing I'll have to buy is a rug.  Since they are hardwood floors (from the late 1800's!) I need to cover them, especially because they are being resurfaced on Saturday- so exciting!  Other than that, I'm using my desk from home

They power washed the outside yesterday and are painting the outside of the building for us soon.  Painting has sucked.  I primed the walls and have done two coats of paint already.  It's gray and I love it! But, I have to do one more coat, paint the ceiling (the worst part) and then paint the trim.  Oi.  It's a lot of work but it's worth it!  

I cannot wait to move in!  Hopefully after the floors are sealed on Saturday and dry on Sunday, we'll be able to move the rest of our stuff in.  I'm hoping to move my iMac over there on Thursday or Friday- hooray!

Been a busy week, but I love it :)

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Happy Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to my Joe, who is 27 today.

I'm sad I don't get to spend the day with him, but that's how it goes sometimes.

In 55 days we'll be celebrating all the good things in life... and then a day later we'll be off to KONA HAWAII for a WEEK where we'll float down the lazy river at our hotel, climb lava formations, drive our rental car all over the island, swim with the dolphins (cannot wait for this one!), sleep in, take lots of goofy photos, eat amazing fresh fruit, and just be together.

I love you.

mwah.

Friday, April 23, 2010

My Birthday Boy Joe!

It's Joe's birthday tomorrow!  We're both working tomorrow, so I got him a teeny little cake and a present for him to open tonight :)

But in honor of Joe's birthday, here's a little survey about him!




tell us about the first time you met and your first impression of him/her:
Well, in high school he was a goof ball.  In college he was a frat boy, but still my good friend :)
what’s a weird habit or quirk that he has?:
He will not drink or let others (even me!) drink from a cup he has- he will freak out.
what makes him/her happy?:
Sunny days, walks with the dogs, playing video games, enjoying a beer, watching a movie
what makes him/her sad?:
cold + rainy days, not being able to fix something
what makes him/her angry?:
not understanding something, bad drivers
what excites him/her?
A good meal, vacations, presents
tell us something funny about him/her:
Joe absolutely adores our 10 ten pound mini doxie, Gordon.  They are ridiculous together.  Joe is always snuggling up with him, carrying him around the house, giving him little kisses.  It is hilarious and super cute at the same time. :)
what’s s/he like at home?:
Depends.  Mostly he just likes to relax after his 12 hour shifts and watch TV and play video games.  But he also gets in these crazy clean moods (I chalk this up to the Army) and has to clean up and pick up everything.
what’s s/he like at work/school?:
In school he never tried, but was super smart.  He could ace a test and never study.  Jealous.  At work I'm told he's one of the only guys who knows what he's doing.  
describe his/her room:
Well, his "man cave" is very plain but he likes it
what’s his/her best friend like?:
His friend Chris is a hilarious goofball but very kind and sweet, as is his other good friend, Cameron.  They both are very thoughtful and  nice, but also very "hooah" and Army.
do you know who s/he hates the most?: He's like me- dislikes more people than he likes :)
have you met his/her exes?:
Nope.
do his/her parents like you?:
Yes and I like him- woo hoo!
what would s/he do in an emergency situation with other people involved?:
He usually can take control quickly and deal with it
which shop would s/he spend the most time at in a shopping mall?:
Best Buy
what would s/he have for a typical breakfast?:
Raisin Bran and OJ
where would s/he want to go for dinner?:
He loves this hole in the wall Mexican place near our house and would probably eat every meal there if he could.
what kind of movie would s/he choose at the cinema?:
He likes a mix, but anything military-related and he's hooked
describe his/her taste in music: Stoner music.  Led Zeppelin, Dave Matthews, etc.
what item in his/her wardrobe would you like to burn:
He has this ugly blue t-shirt that I call his "homeless shirt" yeah. that one.
what is s/he good at?:
winning conversations. :)
what is s/he totally horrible at?
golf! :)


what’s something about him/her that is annoying/infuriating?:
he's great at thinking on his feet- even in arguments.  Grr. :)
what’s something that you two fundamentally disagree on?: 
karma- I believe it hardcore, he doesn't.
what’s something that you two agree whole-heartedly on?:
nothing is more important than family.
is s/he possessive?: sometimes.
what is the coolest gift that s/he has ever given you?: some bling :)
what is s/he obsessed with?: Call of Duty and Survivor.  Ugh.
what does s/he avoid at all costs?: seafood
what does s/he spend the most money on?: going out to eat + to the bar. he also loves iTunes.
describe his/her typical sunday: depends on if he's working or not. but usually video games, video games, video games.
tell us about a time s/he looked absolutely gorgeous:
When we first went to go look at suits he tried one on that fit him perfectly.  My heart was flipping out!  I couldn't believe how amazing he looked.  I was surprised that I was so taken by him putting it on, but man, I was a happy lady :)
what’s something about him/her that would surprise all of his/her friends?:
he is not as quote as he pretends to be!
what do you love most about him/her?: The way he gives in to me. The way he treats little kids and animals.  The way that he doesn't complain about doing extra things because my job is crazy.
the biggest lesson you have learnt from loving your partner:  listening is good and sometimes there isn't a wrong or right answer.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Joe!

We went to pick up Joe's suit the other night- he looks SO GOOD!  So proud of him- he's lost almost 40 pounds.  The tie looks great with his suit.  Now the pants need to be hemmed and he'll be all set!

Ow ow! :)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Update...

Things are NUTS here.  It's been a busy and rough week.  Lots of editing and wedding stuff.  Very tired.



But one of my March couples (and my photo!) were in the Washington Post on Sunday!
And- I sent out our invites!  On exactly 2 months before- whew!


And I'm teaching a class!  Last Sunday went really well- can't wait for this coming week!
Other things... May 1st is my bridal shower!  Both my mom and Joe's mom are flying in!  Wow, so nice.  A few other friends are flying in, too.  I even got a shower present in the mail today- so sweet!  There will be NO games or silliness.  Making a bouquet out of the ribbons? Noooo.  But I hear there will be cake!  Thanks, Kate! :)  I'm sort of excited about that now :)

Other than that, just returning tons of e-mails, editing weddings (I have one this weekend, too) and prepping for my new office space.  So many things going on at once!  It's very overwhelming, but it's all good things, so I can't complain.

I've also had a few weird dreams.  I've had one wedding nightmare and another dream where it was all in Japanese.  After taking classes for 8 years (but haven't studied it since May of '06) I thought that was funny.  Guess I've still retained some of it. :)  But my dreams are getting wackier and more strange as June 19th approaches.

Time to edit.




Monday, April 19, 2010

Garter Launch Party!

A photo of all the people who made the Garter Launch Party happen!  Woo!  That was a FUN night!
(also, I am very, very short! LOL)

TWO MONTHS

Two months from TODAY the celebration will be here- whew!

And when we can go to KONA HAWAII!  We've got our honeymoon tickets and we are ready to rock 'n' roll!

Today I'm planning on putting together the invites... hopefully getting them mailed on Wednesday!

Woo!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Hutch


Went to an amazing tag sale today- it was outta control awesome- I could have been there ALL day!  I bought this hutch and a chair for the new office space.  Together they were $250.  I am SO excited!

I don't think I'm going to be buying much else for the space.  The rest of the things will be what I already have- my desk in my home office, knick knacks I have here (and I have so many!), etc.  I might have to buy a rug or two for the space, but we'll see.

Looks like we're going to paint on Wednesday!  WOO!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Sample

Our calligrapher sent a sample photo to me last night- LOVE IT!  Woo!



Things are really happening now- so crazy!

Monday, April 12, 2010

I Can Spill the Beans Now!

I GOT AN OFFICE DOWNTOWN FREDERICK! :)

I am sooo excited!  I went "in" with a few of my fave ladies who also own their own business (two own a  PR firm, one is an awesome graphic designer) to get a building right downtown- there are 4 offices, a kitchenette, and a full bathroom.  It was built in the late 1800's.  It's awesome.

We get keys TOMORROW.  Ahhh :)

I can't wait to get decorating and moved in.  We should be "open" on May 1st, in time for my bridal shower! :)

Friday, April 9, 2010

Welcome/Hotel Bags

While I wait for our wedding invitation envelopes to come back from the calligrapher (sometime next week!) I've started to think and get stuff for our Hotel/Welcome bags.

I think I've thought about them waaaaaaay too much lately, but since everyone is from out of town and staying in the hotel, we want to make sure they are comfortable and have some goodies and knowledge of Frederick.  Since most guests haven't ever been to Maryland I tried to get lots of MD stuff.

So far I have:

-bottled water
-Baltimore's famous caramel creams (so good!)
-Utz's Crab chips
-MD postcards (to tie onto the bags)
-Destination Frederick Magazine (they were so nice and gave me 50 copies for free!)
-Downtown Frederick maps + brochures
-personalized playing cards (Joe's family loves playing cards)

That's what's sitting in the guestroom right now... it's starting to get cramped in there.  I'm thinking of getting some other local goodies- like Catoctin Mountain Orchard's apple butter and Ralph's Cookies to finish off the bags... anything else I should include?

Time get get a move-on.. headshots in an hour and a wedding tomorrow- busy busy!

Plus, next week I get to make an exciting announcement :)  Probably on WEDNESDAY :)

MK

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Things I'm working On...

I made these CD cases today for two of my wedding clients and I think they turned out awesome :) I ordered them this afternoon and I can't wait to see how they look printed up... I did them in their wedding colors.  Should have them by Friday :)

I really never learned how to use photoshop so this was a feat.  Time and patience!



Monday, April 5, 2010

When work + home collide...

While doing a fun product shoot this weekend in my backyard, Gordon just had to explore.  I love working from home, and this is why :)

Buuut that's all changing soooooon.... (now there's a big hint!  Having a baby was WAY off the mark!)



Thursday, April 1, 2010

Hint...