Gifts for the Parents

We have been struggling for a little while trying to decide on wedding gifts for our parents.  I was in a wedding last summer and the bride and groom gave their parents a weekend away at a bed and breakfast.  I thought this was a really sweet idea, but with my parents being divorced, maybe it would not work given our situation!  After much consideration, we decided on these beautiful picture frames:

Waterford Lismore frame

We had engagement photos taken a few months ago and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to share the photos with our family (none of whom have seen any of the photos yet :)

 

Kristen Joy Photography

(don't mind the ghetto Walmart Charlie Brown Christmas tree in the background...)

Better Late Than Never

I worked Thanksgiving so J and I celebrated the holiday today. I got off work at 7:30 this morning and hit up Bed Bath and Beyond and Target for some deals. With the wedding quickly approaching, we decided to keep Christmas simple this year and not go all out with gifts. We decided to get a gift together this year for the both of us instead of exchanging gifts with each other, so my big Black Friday deal this year was a Keurig Coffeemaker. And it was marked down, with an additional 20% off I wound up saving $50! Not bad. Seeing that we both work long, crazy hours, this purchase is a big deal in our household!
While I was busy shopping sleeping, J cooked a huge meal just for the two of us. Turkey and everything. He is the best. I'll take cleanup duty over cooking any year.

My (only) contribution to our Thanksgiving meal...

hahaha

Yummy turkey

 

nom nom nom

And here's a visual reminder as to why I am NOT in charge of cooking the turkey (and why I cannot be trusted in the kitchen)

burnt.  and yet still raw inside.

 

The photo above was my 249248th attempt at Ina Garten's Engagement Chicken.  Needless to say, we dated 4 years prior to getting engaged...

So this year, aside from the holiday food and Black Friday deals, I have so much to be thankful for.

Family

My foxy hubby-to-be

My wonderful job

Among many many other things....

I am so blessed.

Hair Trial

Friday afternoon I had my hair trial for the wedding.  I had never been to this particular stylist, but she was recommended by the girl who normally does my hair and works at the same salon.  It turns out she's a retired nurse so of course we hit it off instantly and I couldn't be more thrilled for her to be doing my hair on my wedding day!

Originally, I wanted my hair down and curly.  I had a feeling that this would not be the best look for my dress and the stylist confirmed my suspicions when I showed her photos.  We agreed that the hair down would take away from the detailing on my dress so we decided to try a loose updo with curls hanging down.

You can't really tell but the veil is outlined with a thin string of rhinestones

So while it's not what I went in there thinking I wanted, I think it's going to fit perfectly with my dress.  Next on my to-do list: the make-up trial

Remembering Margery Gill

Earlier this week I heard about a tragic accident that left a local woman dead.  At that time, she was unidentified and the only information provided in the news report were the crossroads where the accident had occurred.  I came home from work the next morning and told J about it.  I remember saying "I hope it wasn't a parishioner from our church" as the location of the accident was right around the corner from our parish.

This morning, upon arriving at church, I learned that a dear friend of mine had passed away on Tuesday.  I was in shock.  As we made our way into church to be seated a thought occurred to me.  "Oh my god" was all I could say.  I whipped out my phone, and sure enough, the woman involved in the accident earlier in the week was Margery.  Words cannot begin to express what a loss this is not only for myself personally, but also for our local community.

Margery was one of the kindest people I have had the pleasure of knowing.  She sponsored me when I converted to Catholicism, accompanying me to church every Sunday for a year.  She went out of her way to make me feel at home, answering my questions and supporting me throughout the entire RCIA process.  I felt like she genuinely took an interest in me and I immediately felt a connection with her that I thought would last a lifetime.  She was there for my Baptism and Confirmation and is even listed as my Godparent on my baptismal certificate.  I remember being scared the first time I went to confession.  Margery came with me and walked me through the whole thing, making me feel at ease.  It was so special to share with her these very significant events in my life.

Margery is well known in our church community for her active participation in numerous committees and small church communities.  She was a both a lector and Eucharistic minister.  Aside from her church involvement, Margery was a huge part of the our community.  She taught in Las Vegas for over 40 years and even in her retirement remained active, mentoring young teachers and assisting in lessons.  To say that she will be sorely missed is a huge understatement.

Margery never married or had children.  This always striked me as odd as she was one of the most loving people I have ever met.  Looking back, I think she devoted her life to serving others.  Some people spend their lives serving their family alone, their charity failing to extend beyond their own home.  Margery was not that way.  She loved everyone she met and cared for them accordingly.  How fortunate that I was able to receive just a piece of that love.  She had such a gift for making you feel special and worthy.

The gifts that I received from Margery in the three years that I have known her will remain with me for my entire life.  She was a wonderful example of the kind woman I would like to be.  I wish that I was able to adequately thank her for everything she has done for me, but words could never express how special she was to me.  I have a feeling that I am only a small part of a much larger group of people whose lives were positively impacted by this remarkable woman.

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

-- Unknown

The Dress (that isn't THE dress)

I have mixed feelings about posting dress pictures of my dress prior to our wedding.  On the one hand I am so anxious to share it with the world because I love it SO MUCH, but on the other hand, I kind of want to wait until after the wedding to post actual wedding pictures.  So in the meantime, why don't we discuss the dress that isn't THE dress?

J and I flew home to spend Christmas with my family (in Delaware) last year.  We wound up having a huge snow storm a couple days after Christmas that basically shut down the whole city.  Businesses we generally closed, as were several main roads.  For whatever reason, my mom thought being snowed in would be a perfect opportunity to go dress shopping (ya, it didn't make sense to me either...)

So she made a few phone calls and everywhere was closed.  Except for one shop, Claire's, which just so happens to be where I bought my prom dress back in the day.  The store is a family owned boutique that mainly does bridal and pageant/prom gowns.  It's kind of a strange mix but it's FABULOUS and special to my family since my Grandma has been going there for years when she and my Grampa used to ballroom dance and she would buy all sorts of fancy-schmancy get-ups. 

Anyhow...we went to Claire's and I told them I wanted a lace gown.  The style and everything was negotiable, I just wanted LACE.  I also said I loved covered buttons but I was open to trying other options.  These dresses were my inspiration:

Maggie Sottero - Beatrice

Maggie Soterro - Paigely

My sister wore a Maggie Sottero dress and it was STUNNING.  Wanna see?

The pictures don't do it justice, but it had a little bit of rouching and gorgeous crystal detailing and it was perfect.  So I was convinced I needed a Maggie Sottero and was disappointed when we got to Claire's and I learned that they no longer carry her collection. 

I did, however, find an Allure gown that I loved and I now affectionately refer to as "the dress that wasn't the dress"

Allure 8680

I somehow managed to delete the picture of the back, but it was SO pretty from behind and just ok from the front.  My mom and grandma agreed that it lacked the wow factor we we moved on.

I found several dresses that I liked, but nothing that blew me away.  I think our bridal consultant could sense that I was disappointed and asked if she could pull a couple of gowns that were different.  She was concerned that all of the dresses I wanted to try on looked the same, and looking back on the experience, I would have to agree.  She pulled a dress for me and I took one look at it and said I didn't like it.  She urged me to just give it a try and that she thought it would really pop once it was on.  Well needless to say, I LOVED IT.  It was everything I thought I didn't want but I couldn't deny that it was stunning.  So I bought it.  Yep, I literally went to ONE store, on a whim, and bought the dress that I didn't like on the hanger.  And you know what?  I don't regret any of it for a second.

Wedding Hair

I scheduled my hair appointment for this Friday and now realize I need to figure out how I want my hair done.  Like stat.  I had always imagined I would want it down with big, full curls, and then I saw this (posted on WeddingBee awhile back)

Stunning.  Natural.  Not over-done. 

The issues that I am having are the following:

1. I am wearing a veil and it needs to attach to something so therefore I need at least some of my hair up (I think?)
2. My dress has pretty detailing that I don't want to be covered!  (I know this is vague, I'm still not sure I'm ready to unveil my dress for fear of J running across it)
3. I'm not sure I want to go that natural.  But I don't want prom hair. 

I realize this is incredibly unclear and I need to have a plan of some sort in place for Friday.  I don't want to leave it up to the stylist and have her try and read my mind.

So here is what I like:

And I (surprisingly) found an updo that I lovvvvve so I'm bringing these for inspiration:

Beautiful Nail (just one)

This girl is so funny. I love Asian nail salons and their cheap manis.  They are literally everywhere out here....but beware that in Vegas there is a HUGE discrepancy between nail salons and "Asian Spa's".  Salons have actual work hours where as the Asian spa is open 24/7...and is incredibly creepy...

Anyhow, I stopped getting gel polish manicures over the summer in attempt to save money for the wedding. Instead, I have been buying nail polish and doing my own at-home manicures. This week's purchases:

Gold Shatter

...and it only took three tries to get it to properly crackle!  It really shouldn't be that hard!

Fun multicolored sparkly nail polish from OPI's new Muppet line

Domestic Diva

I was supposed to attend a conference today for CEU's for my nursing licence, but after the disaster of yesterday, I decided I needed a personal day to chill-the-eff-out.  I got up this morning and cleaned the apartment (which I find oddly relaxing) and went for a lonnnng run outside.  I was feeling particularly domestic and decided to cook AND bake this evening.  Seriously, this probably happens twice a year.  So I made delicious homemade soup, pumpkin bread (J's favorite) and pumpkin cupcakes! 

The cupcakes were so easy.  I saw the recipe on Pinterest.  You literally mix cake mix with unsweetened pumpkin puree. 

Seriously amazing.  I'm not a really a sweets person but this is such a yummy treat. 

Mmmm delish...

I am so feeling the changing season and it is finally starting to cool off in Vegas.  We may not have the gorgeous foliage of the East Coast, but we do have lovely sunsets and palm trees :)

This picture may or may not have been taken outside the local Cheesecake Factory :)