It's a girls thing...

My maid of honor, Tamara, and my Mom hosted a perfect bridal shower for me on Saturday. Unlike our Ohio shower, this one was for girls only! (The guys all went skeet shooting. I think they had to do something especially manly since we were all dolled up doing something especially girly!) We all gathered at my Mom's house on Saturday morning for a brunch. We had quiche, bagels, fruit, cupcakes, cookies, mimosas, and, of course, gummies! We laughed, we cried, we talked, and we laughed some more!

There were about 12 of us total and at the beginning of the shower everyone went around and either told a story or said something nice about me. I'm not usually one to bask in the spotlight. Quite frankly, I loathe the spotlight, but this day had the perfect shine. It meant so much to me to have the people there that came, and I was, and am, so thankful to have all of them in my life. I was certainly overwhelmed with gratitude that I just completely lost the words to describe it. (I think I just kept saying 'thank you' over and over. I know I have a larger vocabulary than that. I know I can express my feelings using other words. I know I can, but for some reason I couldn't that day.)

The highlight was definitely the game that Tamara created. It was a 'How Well Do You Know Your Mate' game! She asked Brian a series of questions about himself and recorded his answers. Then she asked him a series of questions about me and recorded them too. (This was all done during a covert mission between the two of them the night before. Those two are tricky, I tell ya!) At the shower she then asked me the questions and then played his answer to see how well we actually know each other. It was hilarious! Some of our answers were spot on. Some of them were a bit off, but it was a blast!

The shower was simply wonderful. I was able to see some friends that I hadn't seen in forever. It was so special to have them attend. It was intimate. It was lovely. It was perfect. I wouldn't have changed a thing! Thank you, Tamara, Mom, Amy, and all the other helping hands that made this shower a success!

a-e-i-o-u and sometimes y

Tonight we are meeting with Scott, our pastor, to review our ceremony information. We're going to swing by the lovely Goodale Park, check out the site, and provide him with our thoughts on how we hope the entire ceremony will run. We are seven weeks away from our wedding and while we are confident that we know our vowels (a common mistake that, for some reason, always makes me laugh!), we have started working on our vows to include them with our presentation to Scott.

Scott is such a wonderful man. We have been working with him for the past seven months with our premarital counseling. (No, we are not having problems. We are just dotting our i's and crossing our t's in preparation for our future together.) When we first met with Scott it seemed like our wedding was so far away. He told us that it would be here before we know it, and now here we are...planning our ceremony!

Scott is extremely well spoken. He has a very calm demeanor, and his words are truly inspirational. Having him marry us, coach us, and be a friend to us is truly a blessing. We couldn't be happier with his decision to walk with us down this road.

And for your viewing pleasure, a sneak peek at our gazebo at Goodale Park, where we will officially say, 'i do':

The Four Seasons

We had our first couples bridal shower this weekend at Brian's Aunt Kathy's house. Our theme was creatively decided as the Four Seasons, and there were four rooms decorated as such. (I suppose the theme was generated with the thought that we would love each other through all four seasons, but, come to think of it, I don't think we actually got the true explanation. Any one have an idea?) Either way, there was a Spring, Winter, Fall, and Summer room, and they were all decorated with elements of each season. It was quite a site!!

When we arrived, we were in for a special treat: front and center seats for the never before seen Broadway show in which Brian's Aunt Kathy, Uncle John, Aunt Colleen, Uncle Bob, Grandma, and Grandpa performed a custom song in our honor. We even got to play along! "Now kiss your Bride, Brian! And hug your Groom, Erin!" It certainly set the stage of an evening all about us.

There was tons of great food, lots of good people, and all in all, we had a wonderful time. We played frisbee, chatted, opened lots of gifts (thank you cards coming soon...), ate, drank, and were quite merry!

We owe a huge thank you to everyone that helped put this entire shower. We are so thankful to have so many loving and caring friends and family members.

Yes, No, Maybe So?

Since we've sent our invitations out everyday has been like Christmas! We wonder how many responses we will get from our invites. We place bets on the numbers that come in through the mail (I think Brian has one upped me on this), we anxiously await the mailman's arrival (technically, I am typically at work so I anxiously await Brian's text that the mail has just arrived), and it is all so much fun! So far we have 24 response cards that have come in that have 'joyfully accepted' our invite and 1 that has 'regretfully declined'. We are extremely happy with the outcome, so excited to see all of our wonderful friends and family, and are really looking forward to sharing our special day with everyone.

Not too long ago, it felt like we were so far away from our wedding. Now, the countdown ticker that so blatantly lists how many days we have left is, I swear, counting two days each day instead of one. We are 56 days away! Is that really possible?!

Falling Into Place

We are well underway with our plans for our wedding! We had an extremely productive last week and weekend, and with 60 days left in the countdown, we've got an extremely exciting week ahead of us!

Last, last Saturday, May 29th, we received our box of final invitations. They look absolutely incredible! We are super impressed with the outcome and so happy that we were able to incorporate our own originality and creativity into our design. We had originally planned on getting the invitations in the mail a bit earlier than the eight weeks, which is typical for wedding invitations (mainly because we've got quite a few out of town guests), but we really didn't have a choice, and the final product was well worth the wait! In the end, we met the standard deadline and we were able to send our invites out on Tuesday, June 1st.

Then, over this past weekend, Brian and were able to scan in some of our old photos of our younger years. (Note to our future kid(s): If you ever decide to have a digital slide show at your wedding of pictures of your younger years, you are going to have it so easy.) Technically, I suppose in that amount of time there will some sort of advanced technology that our human minds just cannot comprehend right now. There will always be a technological advancement. (Sometimes I need to remind myself.)

We also had the opportunity to create our seating cards. They turned out incredibly, and we had a blast making them! That's all I'm going to say about that! :)

On top of it all, we also had time to create our rehearsal dinner invitations! (They also have turned out awesome! This entire wedding is just going to be unbelievable!) We're working on our wedding program and menu this week. (They will both turn out incredibly. I am very confident!) Once those are complete, we will be off to the print shop and we'll have three more items to check off of our list!
(Like I said, we've had a very productive last week and weekend!)

(And finally, on to this week:)

On Wednesday, I have my first dress fitting. (This is much more exciting for me than it is for Brian!) While I have seen my dress (once) since I bought it, I have not put it on. It will surely be a special moment. AND, in less than one month, my dress will officially be ready for me to wear...as in completely done! That is just a fantastic thought! I am so excited for Brian to see what I've selected. Actually, I am so excited for him to see the entire get up - hair, make-up, dress, flowers... I think he is going to be extremely impressed! He has certainly been quite curious throughout the last few months!

We also have our first shower in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday. Brian's Aunt Kathy, along with some very helpful hands, are hosting a 'Couples Shower' at her house. We are certainly looking forward to seeing our families, friends, and special out of town guests.

I am sure that there will be little things that Brian and I will be able to take care of throughout the week. If you weren't aware, we are both very excited about our upcoming nuptials, and as the time gets closer, the excitement level gets higher. Everything really is ... falling into place.

The BP (Part III)

July 9th through July 11th!

Hen Night!

Orlando, Florida!

Girls, Girls, Girls!

(If that's not enticing, I don't know what is!)

My bachelorette party is officially set! We're headed to Orlando, Florida for a weekend of relaxation by the pool, lots of laughs (I'm sure), and good ole girl talk! I am so looking forward to hanging out with my bridesmaids and best friends. I'm not entirely in the loop of all the details planned, but there is no doubt that we are all going to have a blast!

Saturday Night Fever

What a lovely weekend! Matt (aka Chevy) and Jen's wedding was wonderful. Jen looked absolutely incredible, the food was delish, and the company was just right! Chevy displayed quite a few proud moments as the Ohio State fight song played right before their first dance, and we displayed quite a few laughs as Brian delivered his Best Man speech. Yes, Brian was Chevy's best man, and a wonderful best man at that. (I let Chevy loan him for a couple days. He's always my best man! :) )

I know that it's nerve racking to deliver speeches in front of so many people, but Brian did wonderfully. He even had props to pass around which made it even more fun!

I hope that my maid of honor, Tamara, and Brian's best man, Mike, aren't too nervous when they give their speeches. I know that, no matter what, they will both be perfect!

In other wedding news, we received our final copy of our invitation this weekend and Brian and I are both blown away! It looks fantastic! We cannot wait to get them in the mail. (We're just slightly overdue with that, but they are well worth the wait!) We can definitely speak highly of Erin, our lovely invitationista, with DFMI Designs. She has been patient with us and has given us exactly what we were looking for for an unbelievable cost. You really can't beat that!

In other non-wedding news, our puppy, Jack, had his first go with the water hose this weekend. Until Sunday, he has always barked at it like it was some sort of attacker. We think he likes it now! Check out the video below!

In the end, it was a wonderful weekend. Brian and I are both still so excited for our wedding! Seeing Chevy and Jen's has heighten our excitement by a ten fold, and each day that passes we get closer and closer to our big day!

28...and counting!

Today is my birfday! I'm officially 28, not a day more, not a day less, and I couldn't be happier! I've got 28 solid years under my belt, and life continues to surprise me. Three years ago, I could not have told you that I would be marrying the man of my dreams in just two and half short months! Five years ago, Ohio would not have been the first place that I would have thought about moving to, and ten years ago, I would not have imagined that I would have the most incredible family to come home to each night. Brian, Bun, and Jack truly mean the world to me. I am thankful everyday to have them all in my life. I am thankful everyday to have the opportunities that I do and be surrounded by the loving family and friends that I have. And, today, on this monumental day (ah hem, yes, my birthday is nearly a national holiday), I am thankful that every year that I turn slightly older, I am truly happier. (Ok, the national holiday thing may be a slight exaggeration...) Today is just a wonderful day!

Tonight we are headed to one of Brian's great friends (and groomsman's) rehearsal dinner. Matt and Jen will be married tomorrow. We are excited to attend their rehearsal dinner and wedding, especially one of a good friend, since we are smack dab in the middle of planning our own! We will surely post some photos upon our return!

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes

The BP (Part II)

Stag night. Bull's party. Buck's night.

Why, it's the Bachelor Party, of course!

July 9 through July 11th Brian is in for a fantastic weekend with many of his wonderful friends and family at Put-In Bay, Ohio. It will be full of sun, fun, and quite a few adult beverages, I'm sure. (After all, that's what Bachelor Parties are all about, I suppose!)

I know that he is super excited to celebrate this wondrous occasion, and, more importantly, to have the opportunity to hang with all of his mates.

It will truly be a memorable (we think) weekend! Perhaps there will be a decent picture or two that we can recap with! ...Perhaps!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

A week and a half ago I started a new job ... It has been a complete 180. I literally went from having absolutely nothing to do (not a joke) to working 10-12 hour days and weekends. It has been quite an awakening - wedding planning just got a bit more challenging.

Despite the work load, I'm confident that I've made a good move. I'm hopeful that I will have a more regular work schedule in the near future, and I certainly enjoy the people and the work one million times more than I did with my previous employer. That has truly been an added bonus so far.

There has been one minor detail that has really thrown me for a bit of a loop though. Since Brian and I will be married in August (in 2 and a half months...oh, my gravy! Time is flying by!), my employer has essentially already changed my name. I'm not kidding. My business cards, my email, my username, etc. They are all what my married name will be...if I choose to take Brian's last name. (I may let him take mine.) He figured it would make the most sense rather than ordering new business cards and changing everything around again in a couple months. So, I get the gist. I'm all about efficiency, so it does make sense...I guess.

The weird thing, though, is I can't say my full married name. It's crazy. When I introduce myself to my clients, I just say my first name. When I hand them my business card, a huge part of me wants to explain that 'my last name is actually blah, blah, blah, but I'm getting married in August so blah, blah, blah', but then I realize there really is no point. It kind of feels like I'm cheating, or that I'm not really that person, yet, because I guess I'm not. Half the time, I don't even recognize what my name really is. It is quite strange, if I do say.

I wonder if it will still be strange once we are actually married. I suppose I would actually fit the bill then. For now, I will just have to keep quiet and pretend, but every time I see my 'married name', Changes replays through my head...over and over and over again! (And yes, once again, I was born in the 80's. Don't hate.)

Ch-ch-ch-changes
(turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Don't wanna be a richer [wo]man
Ch-ch-ch-changes
(turn and face the strain)
Gonna have to be a different [wo]man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time