Friday, June 28, 2013

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday Ladies!! 

Getting out of bed all this week has been a beast!  I have been trying to change myself into a morning person, but this first week was an epic fail! {does anyone have any tips on getting up early without hitting snooze a thousand times?!}

I am awake now though and ready to dish with the lovely ladies for "5 on Friday"! 

{one}
All bridesmaid dresses have been delivered and wedding planning is in full force! I am now on the hunt for the perfect pair of mint shoes to go with their dresses.
{two}
Afternoon lunch break to enjoy some deliciousness on Wednesday!
{have you tried the "refreshers" at Starbucks?...yumm!}

{three}
Finally got my car back from the shop!  Little Jetta has a brand spanking new behind!  And it’s looking good!
{four}
I have a wedding flower appointment tomorrow morning.  I am completely clueless when it comes to flowers, or plants of any kind, so this should be interesting.  (if you follow me on PInterest, be prepared for my “flower” board to explode!)
image source

image source

{five}
Looking forward to a summer cook out tomorrow at our friend’s new house!  Yayy for christening their new digs with a party!
Head on over an link up with girls! 


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Ways I Wore It Wednesday {Red and Blue Striped Dress}

Today we have this perfect dress for 4th of July festivities!  What better way to celebrate than with Simply Style Boutiques button down striped A-line dress!


Pair with a jean jacket for when the sunsets so you can stay cute and comfortable while you watch the firework show!
jean jacket: TJ maxx
necklace: Groop Dealz

Monday, June 24, 2013

Weekend Shenanigans!

{Friday}
Brandon and I spent Friday evening after work in pre-marital prep classes.  We are getting married in the Catholic church and this two-day class is a requirement.  It was not as dreadful as I expected, Brandon may have a different response, but I do have to say we were laughing through parts so it was not terrible.  (we go back in July for the full Saturday class)

{Saturday}
Started the day with a trip to our wedding venue to meet with the lady in charge to discuss table arraignments, DJ set-up and food choices.  It was a beautiful day and she is such a sweet, amazing lady. 


Then it was over to the famer's market to pick up some fresh strawberries to take to Brandon at the firehouse.  As soon as I got there, the guys went to work on making strawberry ice cream.. sad I didn't get a bowl of that!  Ate a quick lunch with the guys then hopped over to the local flower wholesaler to schedule a bouquet appt and see their inventory!


Made a quick trip to church with my dad and then dinner with him and my older brother.  My mom was out of town in Pa visiting her mother and my sister-in-law was away with work, so we chowed down on some ribs and margaritas (odd mix, I know!)
Finally it was time to go out and meet up with the girls (and Brent)!  Lauren's little sister was out to celebrate her 22nd birthday so we all tagged along for some drinks at the oceanfront!

We had to hop on the sand to get a picture under the amazing moon!
Holly and Brent!

Love her!  New favorite picture!

engaged bffs!!

It was a fantastic night and I was so happy to get to give a big "yayy you are engaged hug" to my bff and her fiancé!!  I cannot wait for all the festivities for their wedding to begin.  (first up a trip up to visit them for their engagement party :D ) *Holly, I am so excited!!

{Sunday}
I woke up remembering that I am out of shape.  Holly and I did some dancing and let me just say my legs still hurt this morning... sad, I know!
Brandon and I went back to the reception venue to have lunch with his dad's cousins who will be our mistress' of ceremony at the wedding.  I left with a big to-do list of info to get them.  I am getting so excited as we get closer!!
We spent the afternoon lounging and finished the evening watching the Skywire guy walk over the Grand Canyon.  My dad said he had to stop watching when they showed the view from him looking down (the man who flew planes for years is horribly afraid of heights.  he says you can't fall out of a plane, but you can sure fall off the wire!)

Now it's back to the work week and me praying for 5.  I am so ready for a nap!!
Sami's Shenanigans
Link up over at Sami's Shenanigans

Friday, June 21, 2013

Five on Friday!

Linking up with the lovely ladies for the weekly Five on Friday!

{one}
The apparently awesome hair day I had yesterday.  I got a ton of compliments on how great my hair looked.  my secret * wake up late for work and use the car window's down as your personal hair dryer (oh and don't use a drop of all those fancy hair products you spend so much money on! of course)

{two}
First day of SUMMER!!!  Love this time of year!!  Beaches, Bars, Bikes... all the great B's happen in the summer!!


{three}
Finally getting to work on our wedding invites!  I am a great 'planner' without a lot of the follow through.  We are getting down to the wire and while my pinterest board may be overflowing with wedding ideas, nothing has really been happening!  My misson this weekend is to fix that!  So this weekend with Brandon is jam packed with tux fittings, marriage prep class, and meetings with wedding people galore!!

{four}
My brain is overloaded with house plans!  We are still nailing down the exact plans as our well and septic guys get to work (oh the joys of living in the country!)  This is one of those incredibly exciting and gut-wrenchingly anxious moments in life!  But I am very thankful that we even have the oppurtunity to build our own home!

{five}
My BFF is coming to town this week and I finally get to give her the biggest hug!  She got engaged memorial down weekend and I haven't seen her, or that mega rock of hers, in person yet!!  My heart is so happy for them! 


Thursday, June 20, 2013

Let's Hear it For the Boys!

I am linking up with April at A. Liz Adventures for Spill About Your L-O-V-E


While she was away she had some guest bloggers talking about their significant others and has now opened it up for everyone to share!  I am noisy, so i am loving reading about everyone's man! Link-up and join in!

{1} Describe your dating life prior to finding your fiancé.
B.B. {Before Brandon} –
In high school I didn’t really date.  I was involved in everything under the sun, and kind of a late bloomer in the boy department, I guess you could say (but oh did I always have a crush! Haha)
In college I dated here and there.  A few boyfriends, a few first dates and I had one serious relationship sophomore through junior year.  He was a great guy, but I just had a lingering feeling I was missing out on something big.  Senior year was when I met Brandon!
 
Our first picture together!  This is still my favorite photo!
{2} Describe your fiancé in one word. How would he describe you in one word?
Brandon: passionate {When he has an interest in something he is all in, nothing will hold him back.}
Me: outgoing or talkative {ha, I don’t know if most people would take this as a compliment but I would (the other answer of ‘ungraceful’, not so much.)  Brandon is a quiet guy, so whenever we are in group settings, I always am the one talking for us, and that is how he likes it!
 


{3} You had a really silly fight. Embarrassing silly. What was it about?
The one that comes to mind right now is over camo!  For our wedding, Brandon’s dream would be to wear a camo tux! My argument is that we are not auditioning for My Big Fat Redneck Wedding and he says it’s the only thing he has asked for.  I like to think he is kidding, but I know deep down he would rock that camo tux if I gave-in.
{I have a secret up my sleeve that may make put a smile on his face!}
 
2011 at the Grand Canyon
{4} In three sentences (and only three!), describe where you both hope to be in 5 years.
Brandon will be chief in the fire department (or as close as he can be), that boy takes every training offered.  I will be the fitness director for one of the city’s rec centers and still running Simply Style Boutique on the side or, ideally, full time with boutique, and maybe even running a little store front of our own.  Hopefully we will have little ones running around too (or, since it’s 5 years out, crawling around).

{5} Tell us something about your fiancé we wouldn't know from reading your blog.
He loathes pictures, taking them and even more to be in them.  Lately he has started to groan a bit less when I hand him my camera to take a picture of outfit, but normally it is like I asked him to chop of his arm with a butter knife! 
Heaven help me if I want a picture of the two of us.  But when I can capture that smile… perfection!  He is in for a long life of pictures marrying a blogger!
 
This is a terrible photo of both of us! ha it was senior year of college at the end of a long night at the bars.  But I love it cause this photo is the one Brandon refers to when he said he always looks dumb in photos!

In this photo, if you look close, the easter bunny is holding down Brandon cause he kept trying to get away!

{6} What's one thing you never thought you'd do in front of your fiancé, but you did?
Cry.  I know that seems like a silly answer, but I am really not a crier (ask Brandon this week, and he may say differently.  Stupid ‘time of the month’).  It is just that growing up, my family wasn’t very affectionate or emotional, not in a bad way though.  I mean, we knew my parent’s loved us, and they loved each other, they just never got emotional, and we weren’t huggers!
But there is something about Brandon that makes me feel so safe and comfortable that I can just be.
Oh and my movie crying is out of control now!  Growing up I would always leave the room around my family if I thought a movie was gonna make me cry.  I got more comfortable in college around my roommate and friends, at least when it came to Grey’s Anatomy (Every week they got me!).  But with Brandon, it is no holds bar.  I am talking big ugly crying.  Have you ever seen “Cinderella Man”, when they came and took his kids away I lost it. Every time we watch a sad movie Brandon will look at me and jokingly say “oh man, are you crying already” and I will lie and sniffle back the tears and say “no” then he’ll laugh at me and cuddle up to me.  Man, I love that guy!


From my brother's wedding.  I had some tall heels on!

From our engagement session!


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Ways I Wore it Wednesday _ Lime Lined Lace Tank

Back with another round of Ways I Wore it Wednesday!  (I have been excited since last week thinking about what I would post!)
 
Today I am featuring the Lime Green Laced Tank from Simply Style Boutique {www.simplystyleboutique.com}
 
 
This shirt is great for an easy outfit and perfect for packing for travel (not easy to wrinkle and it is a great statement piece)
 
And here is how I styled it...
 
 
 
 
 
 
bottoms: Target
sandals: Target
hat: Christmas Tree Shop (nothing to do with Christmas, but an amazing shop... a whole post may need to be dedicated to this place)

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Father's Day Weekend Recap

I enjoyed getting to spend Sunday celebrating the hipster on the left Father's Day!
 

Disney World - 1987 with my Uncle Jim on the left and Dad and baby me in the right

The weekend started with Friday evening at the pool hall with Brandon (we play in a pool league and had a tournament on Saturday, so Brandon wanted some practice time).  We both had a long week so we headed back to my house to relax!
 
Saturday morning we got up early and headed to the pool hall.  This pool tournament had a prize of a paid trip to Vegas for the big-time tournament in August.  {our team won this trip last year}  Sadly, we lost, but not without putting up a good fight. 
Serious concentration
Brandon had to head back to work and I headed to his brother's for a fun little cook-out with some friends.
 
Brandon's sister-in-law and baby Tenleigh!
 Sunday morning Brandon and I met his family for a Father's Day lunch with his aunts, uncles and granddad.  We crushed the all you can eat sushi bar.
 
 
 
 Brandon went home to sleep, poor guy got about one hour of sleep on his shift.  I headed back to my parent's for some pool and family time (always a successful combo!).
Worked on the tan some and enjoyed the end of the weekend!
 
My sister and I
 
{My brother's new puppy}  LifeVest and a floatee, and poor Pancho was still a little unsure about the pool
 
Happy Father's Day to the man who does it all!
 
How was your weekend?! {better late then never, right?}
 
Sami's Shenanigans

Friday, June 14, 2013

Friday Letters (mostly to crazy people)

I would like to make some small public annoucements after the craziness this week has been.  What better way than linking up for this week Friday's Letters!

Photobucket

Dear Lady in the toilet stall at the gym: Why do you choose the gym bathroom stall as the best place to check your facebook page, this seems like a pretty unsanitary choice.  Also, it makes the other people in the locker room feel awkward.  (and I know you are checking facebook because you are having a loud conversation with your BFF outside the stall about it, and when she left, you giggled very loudly!) 
signed, Uncomfortable {input 'awkward turtle' hand gesture}
Dear gentleman signing your kids up for summer camp: I am not sure that you understand how the name legacy thing works.  You can name your son 'John Smith Jr', but your next child born doesn't get the title 'John Smith the 3rd', that would be Jr's son's name.  And while I know it is legal, it seems silly to name two of your children 'John Smith' Jr, (but yes, I do understand they were from two different baby mamas).
signed, the lady who is going start a petition to have laws for naming your children
Dear Credit Score: I do not understand how you work.  Why do you go down when they check on you for our home/construction loan?  This doesn't seem fair :(
signed, the lady who use to have really awesome credit (and doesn't understand loans)
Dear Storm: You really had everybody up freaked out Thursday.  Thanks for letting me get home before you let it rain, that was quite nice of you.  And I must say, you ended with a pretty impressive show.
signed, big fan of sunsets


Dear Criminal Minds: You are an amazing show.  Thank you for being on ALL THE TIME.  You are definitely giving Law and Order a run for there money.   You are my new workout buddy on the treadmill and this makes me happy!
signed, Crime-drama addict
Dear Brandon: Thank you for spending the entire weekend with my incredibly loud, gigantic and outrageous family.  I think we are pretty awesome, but I know we can be a bit much (my grandmother usually turns of her hearing aid when we are all around because of the ringing).  I love you so much and can't wait till we start our own outrageous family!
Love, your soon-to-be wifey (and thanks for letting me use the term "wifey")

Thursday, June 13, 2013

I've Come to Realize...

I laughed so hard when I was reading Holly's post last week "Things I've Come to Realize" and when she mentioned a link-up, I knew I was on board!
So here we go

I have come to realize... that on a bad day, your paycheck will never seem worth it
I have come to realize... that you should cherish every moment of college when your friends live one building over, the real world stinks when your wine night buddies are hundreds of miles away
I have come to realize... I should have taken a finance class in college
I have come to realize... college was a lot longer ago than I think (yea, I still think 2008 was last year)
I have come to realize... checking the clothing label for machine-washable is very important before purchase
I have come to realize... that backing up your computer is very important
I have come to realize... that quiet nights in on the couch can be a million times better than a night at the club
I have come to realize... sunshine and a beach are vital for existence
I have come to realize... I would rather eat chips and dip for dinner for the rest of my life than take time to cook
I have come to realize... DIY projects are a thousand times harder than the cute, skinny chic with great hair makes it appear
I have come to realize... that I will never be a good dancer (at least in other people's opinion, I personally think I am AMAZING)
Oh my gosh, I could go on forever!! 
Thanks Holly for a great link-up!!
Hope on over to Hey, Hollywood and share your realizations

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Ways I wore it Wednesday

Mixing in a little Simply Style Boutique love today to start a "Ways I Wore it" Wednesday!

the top - Ribbon Back Tank
and the outfit I put together -  




jacket - Charlotte Russe
pants - Express
shoes - Target (get yourself a pair... they are amazing!)