Winner winner!

Well, we didn't win the Mega Million but we sure won something! I have never played the lotto, my dad has always played weekly (Fantasy 5 or something) and from what I understand Danny has purchased tickets a few times in the past but never hit off any numbers. Since the jackpot was up at a record high at 640 million dollars we decided "Hey, why not?" So yesterday he stopped off on his way home and purchased $5 worth of tickets. When we decided to check our numbers I read them off and Danny looked at me like "wait, are those really the numbers?" He said we had 3 numbers PLUS the mega number! For someone who has never played the lotto and HATES getting her hopes up I remained pretty calm. Danny's aunt and uncle made a surprise appearance here last night so his aunt was sitting there yelling at me "why the fuck are you so calm?!?! you just got 3 + mega ball! that's something! WHY ARE YOU SO CALM!!!???" I didn't want to get my hopes up! It could have been like money back or something...$5 yippeeee! LOL but we found out it was about $150 and it turns out it is $158. WAY better than $5 and we only spent $5. Not bad for a first timer! Plus, it's $158 more than we had yesterday! I like that he has NEVER hit off a number in all the past years until he played with me...maybe I'm the lucky one? :) So far, 2012 hasn't been too bad to us...let's see what the rest of the year has to bring!

And this my friends is why every single medication should be by prescription only...

I'll admit, a few years back I was "fix it all with a pill or syrup" girl. If I was sick, I'd pop a pill or sedate myself with nyquil. But more recently I have been trying to not use any medications unless they were absolutely necessary or prescribed by a doctor (even then I've been guilty of not filling the prescription). But this time around I got my antibiotics and of course, didn't listen to her when she said to get a nasal spray. The idea of spraying random drugs up my nose just doesn't appeal to me in anyway. It took a lot for me to take the antibiotics. I ALMOST bought simply saline (which is all natural water and salt basically) but the fact that it used the term "irrigate" on the package to "irrigate" my sinuses just turned me off. I am not irrigating any part of my body, thanks. So I broke down and got sick of being stuffed up and got talked into the sudafed extra strength shit. I came home and took one...after 2 hours it wasn't working at all (this is another reason why I have stopped taking meds, they don't work). I decided to make myself hot water with lemon and honey (what I normally do!) and what do you know, my all natural remedy instantly cleared me up and soothed my throat...the heck with this other shit. Well shortly after I began feeling light headed and looked very pale...I was talking to Jess and after I had said out loud what I had taken today I realized "OH SHIT, THOSE TWO THINGS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE TAKEN TOGETHER" meaning I took Dayquil this morning which I forgot about and then took Sudafed this afternoon...I have always known not to take these things (or not to take sudafed and tylenol and dayquil has tylenol in it) but I didn't think about it...it had been 5 hours in between but I still panicked. I called CVS and of course they said don't take them together and I said, "no you don't understand I have already taken them"! She said I would be fine but not to do it anymore. I didn't like her response. I text Kayla's sister-in-law who is a nurse, Kayla's mom who is also a nurse, and my other friend who is too. Finally I got a response and all three said I was fine and even though they can't be taken together the dosages are safe if accidently done. PHEW! But seriously, I can't believe I did that and I have dumped all medications and am going to back to "no meds unless prescribed". They don't work anyway...they make you feel jittery and lethargic...what's the point? "Clear your stuffiness, but feel like a jittery drunk in return" No thank you. Oh and I'm STILL stuffed up. I should have just bought the all natural saline "irrigator" LOL. I'll be sticking to my lemon and honey water and vitamin C thank you very much.

I can't wait till I'm healthy enough to sweat out all these poisons I have ingested...

Home again...

Ay yi yi! I thought I was doing sooo well! I felt as if I may be getting better last night and when I woke up this morning everything was going great. I got to work and realized "I should not be here" I was so stuffy, and coughing, and tired, and just plain lethargic. At about 11 I realized, "I need to leave". We have a total of 5 teachers out sick in our school...OUCH! I feel guilty for not working because I know how we all need each other to be there but there comes a point when I need to say enough is enough and pushing myself to be there just isn't going to make me better any faster. Not only is it hurting me, I am exposing the kids to whatever it is I have. Although, a good amount of kids sound like me and I feel like they may have what I have and could have been the cause of my sickness! LOL. So here I sit, again, home...ugh! I am so concered about MONEY too...I hate missing work because I hate losing the hours. Monday morning a huge determining factor of staying home was me losing pay...I get 10 paid sick days eventually but not right away...so I did the math and I really wouldn't be losing a lot because we have 2 extra days in this pay period. I text Danny and he replied with "Seriously? You're concered about MONEY when you are this sick? Just stay home, stop being ridiculous." So today I thought that to myself and left. Why force myself to work when I am so miserable? It's not good for me or the kids. Thank god they are so flexible and were able to call in a sub right away and get me home. I hope things get better...I feel like they are getting worse...I just want everything back to normal!

Yes, I love being right!

A while back I began thinking and wondering if I may be lacking the proper amount of Calcium. I started this whole "I'm calcium deficient" kick but Danny just brushed it off and told me I was probably fine. I began thinking this because I realized I stopped really drinking milk regularly 5 years ago, ditched soy milk a while back, wasn't buying calcium fortified almond milk, and stopped eating yogurt as well. I noticed that my vitamins only have 50% of my RDA and other than cheese I don't eat a solid source of calcium. Well I began to let go of my supposed deficiency and then recently Danny decided that maybe I was deficient in calcium...WTF? LOL Now because he stirred up this idea in his head he believes it! haha...I swear, I could tell him something and unless he agrees, it's not true.  Most of the time, I am right about these things!! There have been so many other instances (all usually in regards to health) that I have said and he won't believe until he reads it for himself somewhere. So I decided that I would wait and ask my doctor before I went out and bought anything. Sure enough, she supported the calcium idea and said that it is very common for women to not get enough calcium. She highly recommended some and I went out and bought them. Since I already get 50% from my vitamins, I only have to take it once a day because each one has 50% as well. I've also read that calcium is a fat releaser so let's hope this helps! :) I love being right....one day he will learn!

I also must add just how much I love my doctor. At the end of the year I found out she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was so bummed for her. She is such an awesome lady and such a breast exam advocate! Everytime I'm in there she would ask "are you checking your boobs everyday?" and I'd reply with "uhhmmm no...well, er, once in a while!" and she would lecture me about how I need to do it daily in the shower and how it takes two seconds. She is right and because of her daily exams on herself she caught something and was able to get help in time. Always listen to your doctor! Even though my appointment was scheduled wrong and I didn't need a physical she still took the time to come in my room and talk to me for a long time and answer my big long list of questions. Everything from Calcium, my virus (that I didn't even mention! She just heard me and decided to prescribe me something and get me better), my extreme night sweats from a while back (that I figured was just me breaking a fever and I was right!), future planning for pregnancy, and my back issues I saw her for a while back. She answers everything so thoroughly and follows up to make sure I was clear on RX info, got the right calcium, nasal spray (which I didn't buy because I'm not fond of the idea), and to see if my bug was getting any better. She also always starts every appointment with "so what do you have this time?" Because she knows I am a nut about googling stuff and looking on webMD and self diagnosing myself with stuff.  She is also Kayla's doctor, and another friend of ours doctor. It's funny because I actually knew her before she was my doctor because her family is friends with my other friend's family and we were often at the same summer get togethers.  I am so happy I found her and I am also happy to know that Danny's insurance will cover her so I won't have to change doctors. I am also very happy to hear that she is healthy and will be continuing to practice!

I haven't been to the gym the past 2 days and it has been killing me...but, doctors orders. Plus Danny got a little mad when I tried to get up Tuesday morning to go before my doctors appointment. He said "good god just rest, what the hell is wrong with you?" LOL yeaaaaa, I guess he was right...there's plenty of time for working out, right now it's all about getting healthy. I am hoping to be back in there tomorrow morning. Maybe Friday at the latest! To be honest, I am not too concered at this point lol.

Home sick...

So over the weeekend I felt a bit worn down and I figured I was just tired from this past week. Come to think of it, I felt pretty beat all week but I just assumed I wasn't getting enough sleep. WELL, Saturday night I was babysitting and started to feel kind icky...sore throat, and just feeling BLAH! Sunday it was a bit worse and by Sunday night I felt awful. I had a hard time falling asleep which could have been the emergen-c I took right before bed and then I woke up at 4am and thought to myself that I am not going to be able to make it to work. I debated it and tried to fall back to sleep knowing I had an hour before my alarm went off for the gym...I couldn't fall asleep and by 5:15 I reset my alarm for 7:15 and said f*** the gym...so I figured I'd feel better by 7:15 with a little extra sleep...wrong...I woke up feeling even worse. I text my head teacher after finally deciding to give in and told her I wasn't going to make it in. I hate missing work...I hate letting my kids down by not being there...she knows this because she has seen how OCD I am in the class with them and with letting other people do things with them so she knew I was legitamately not feeling well if I actually decided not to come in. I figured it was best for me, and for the kids because I didn't want to give them whatever I had...even though I'm sure they are where I got it from! Anyway, at 7:30 after I decided to stay home I got up, made myself eat something small and took my vitamins and some tylenol and went back to bed for a bit...I woke up feeling better and decided to not skimp on the gym if I'm feeling ok. I did that and then came home and made myself this delicious lunch :). Homemade tomato soup that I had made a while back and froze a ton of and a grilled brie and spinach sandwich on some cracked wheat sourdough bread. DELISH! It was perfect. I'm glad I got sick this week because I have today off now, tomorrow I go in late due to a dr appt in the morn, and Friday we are closed for the Holiday. Nice short week to recover.  I am not sure  how I would have done it at work today. I've gone in feeling shitty and it is awful...I'm excited to go back tomorrow and see my kids! I'm anxious to see how they were today and I know they were well taken care of! :)

Easy throw together pasta

I make this (and other variations of this) when I'm looking for something quick. It's whole wheat penne, fresh spinach, grape tomatoes, parmesean, olive oil, garlic, and lemon. I cooked the pasta, put the spinach in the collander before draining the pasta. I poured the cook pasta over the spinach in the collander to "steam" the spinach. Then return it to the pot, add olive oil, garlic, parm, italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes (if you want a little kick!), lemon zest, lemon juice, grape tomatoes that are sliced in half, parm, stir and warm up and enjoy! It's so easy! I have also added kale before, or used orzo pasta with a little bit of arribata sauce (spice red sauce), spinach, kale, lemon juice. You can really play around with this as far as flavors go! I love it.

These are a few of our favorite things!

Robert Mondavi <3 We splurged a little, but not a lot, it was on sale! We usually buy the private selection one but we figured, "hey for the sale price of this, we may as well!" This isn't our *favorite* but it's definitely one of our top wines. Our favorite we can't find anywhere but Napa unfortunately! Guess we have to go back and stock up.

 Pure Organic bars...my on the go snacks...if you know me or are around me enough, you know I always have a pure bar on hand! These are so good!

Kale and Edamame bistro salad

Two of our favorite "cheap" wines

My lunch one day last week, I had way more than this but this was all that was left by the time I got to the picture :). I love cheese in any form. I will eat it all! I especially love brie...it probably isn't the best cheese for you but it sure is delicious! I also love fruit. I will eat it all. I pack at least 4 different types of fruit every day in my lunch. I get anxious when I notice our fruit supply is running low. And you can't go wrong with celery and peanut butter! :)

Falafel chips and spinach and kale greek yogurt dip. Reduced guilt, full flavor! This stuff is not even close to being bad for you and it's absolutely delcious! We might be are addicted to it!

Changes

I have noticed huge changes in my body these past few months. I have lost a little weight and toned up.. I am really excited to put my dress on again in May! I hope it's too big ;) I can see the changes and so can others and it makes me feel good to know that people notice as well. Going in the mornings has made all the difference in the world for me. I have more energy to put into my workouts and the gym is very quiet at that time so I have access to everything and anything I want.  There is a group of us that are in there every morning and I like knowing they are going to be there everyday as well. They hold me accountable and make me want to show up.  They are strangers, but I feel that if I don't go, they may think bad things! haha. It's funny because I like to go on the weekends still so the staff still sees me actually coming since they aren't there in the mornings when I go.  For me it was about just pushing myself harder.  I have always had a good mindset in terms of working out but I often got stuck in the same routine of workouts or I wouldn't always keep track of what I did and with how much weight so I was doing less, or the same amount of weight everytime.  I started committing myself to a small notebook that I write down in everytime and it has helped me keep track of my progress and to push myself harder to beat my records from the previous time. I have never struggled with the "eating right" portion of fitness (well, maybe back 10 years ago, but I was also 30 lbs heavier so that explains that!). I know how to eat and cook healthy, it's all I do! But I needed to just up my workouts to make them a little tougher and it has worked wonders. Cardio is a huge part of my life and I feel it is so important to any workout at any level.  I can honestly say that I have never been happier with my body (and I hope in a few months I can say this again!). I have accepted my flaws and embraced my positive aspects and it has made me much happier. I have been a bit worried about my calcium intake and I have a doctor's appt next week and it's on my list of things to talk to her about while I'm there.

I have also never  been as obsessed with food as I have become. It has been gradual but now, I am more cautious than ever about what I put into my body! After reading Skinny Bitch five years ago I did a complete 180 on my diet. I have never stopped reading or caring about the way I ate since. I am so particular and picky about food and snacks now it's crazy...sometimes I feel like it has  become an obsession, but it's a good obsession. People have such high standards for everything else in their life, so why don't they with food? It's not about "not eating junk" because trust me, I eat my fair share of sweets every now and then...it's just about WHAT you eat and what is in those sweets...I love working across the street from trader joes and we have access to a farmer's market every Saturday in Davis. Whole Foods is also coming to Davis so I will be excited to go when it comes in. Healthy eating has been and always will be a passion of mine and Danny shares it as well so it helps a lot. I am never opposed to trying something new. READ LABELS MY FRIENDS! If you can't pronounce half of it, you probably shouldn't be eating it...

Welllll that's all for now! :)

Every blog turns into wedding talk...

Lately I feel like we have just constantly been going, going, going! Planning the wedding, birthday parties, work, gym, etc. Every weekend is always booked and everyday feels like we're up at 5am and don't sit until 9pm!

It's amazing to me how time is flying by. I can't believe we are almost out of the 200s until our wedding...all of our major stuff is booked and ready to go but it's just so crazy to think that before I know it things will be happening!

Kayla has been planning my bachelorette party like crazy (which reminds me, I need to email her back to answer a list of questions she asked me in regards to details for it) and my shower as well. We were going to try to do things back to back weekends in August but I am not sure that is going to work anymore. My head teacher is getting married in August and is taking off a lot of time. Kayla wants my bachelorette party to be a Friday night and a Saturday night thing so we talked about waiting until September so I don't have to worry about taking time off while she is gone. I know I could get it, but I am also committing to taking over for her while she is gone. So we were thinking that my shower could be at my moms sometime in August and then the Bach party can be sometime in September. Which is totally fine with me considering Jess will be in California and Meg can make the trip up and it would probably be easier for her to make 2 trips because of sharing her kids with Collin as opposed to one long trip.  It is still unreal and hard to believe that this is all happening for me! Our engagement pictures are a little over a month away and I have been putting a lot of thought into what I want to wear.  I had ideas initially but that's when our pictures were going to potentially be in SF...now that it has changed, I need to rethink it. Our pictures are going to be done in Tahoe and for all I know, it could still be snowing...we are actually kind of hoping there is still snow.  I am confident that no matter what the weather, they will turn out beautiful and I'm a little more excited to be taking them now. Who cares if it's a year later! haha.

Danny has been working hard at some stuff at work that hopefully will benefit us here soon.  He is really looking forward to Josh coming as well. We were talking last night and he is so happy that Josh will be able to be here for his bachelor party.  Having our friends back in California with us is truly an amazing thing, it couldn't have happened at a better time either.

I am hoping that soon we can go check out bridesmaid dresses...Becca and Kayla both don't want to try anything on until they've both lost the weight they are in the process of losing which is totally fine with me but I would like to go look to get ideas. I have been changing my mind lately on things and I want to see stuff now as opposed to just thinking it. Once we went to the lodge, I realized that there were things that I "love" idea wise that don't quite fit with the venue. Which I honestly don't care about becausae we made other things work perfectly. So hopefully within the next few weeks we can head out and browse. Becca has also been scouting out ideas for invites. She really wants to make mine, but depending on the price to make them, will depend on what we decide in the end. I still have plenty of time to decide on that! I have also found our save the dates (I think) so now I just need our engagement pictures so I can order those! I also want to take Danny to try on a few different colored suits so we can get an idea as to what looks good on him to choose his and his groomsmen's suits.

Oh and I got my wedding shoes!!!! I have known since day one I was wearing flats of some sort...I immediately thought "comfort" a long day in heels is not my idea of fun...I thought I would change later but then I thought about it and if my dress is long enough for heels, it's going to drag all night once I change to flats...so I decided flats for sure. I was going to look for some cute fancy ones, but then I decided to look into the Toms wedding collection and I found cute ones as well. THEN I found these crochet Toms and they were sold out! BUT...they came back out with more and I was able to get some! So my wedding shoes are done! My future sister-in-law actually ended up getting them for me as an early gift because she knew I wanted them.  She also got a pair! So we can marry brothers in the same shoes. Very sweet of her! Comfortable, cute, and will wear again. I just have to refrain from wearing them until the wedding. I will purchase a back-up pair of flats JUST in case it rains on our wedding day. Toms and rain do not mix! :)

Final decisions will be made eventually, I just need to find the right attire and I'll be satisfied! :)

Chicken (and tofu) with black beans and rice

This is one of our "go to" recipes.  It's quick and easy and Danny has made it himself millions of times if I'm getting home later or just to be nice lol. Anyone can do it! It tastes yummy too! This can be made strictly vegetarian if you just omit the chicken as well :)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 1/2 to 3lbs chicken, diced (we use the breasts, your choice)

1/4 block extra firm tofu, diced (this is OPTIONAL...I add tofu for my dinner)

2 tablespoons of cooking oil (coconut, canola, olive, etc.)

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1 - 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes with onion and green pepper, undrained

I cup tomato juice

1 cup frozen whole kernal corn (or canned corn, whichever you have)

2/3 cup brown rice

1/2 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1. In a large resealable plastic bag combine flour, 1 teaspoon of the chili powder, the salt, and black pepper. If you are doing tofu also, have a separate bag with these things in them as well, to be honest, you don't need to measure, it's just to coat and season the chicken and tofu. But if you must, measure away for both! Just keep them separate. Add chicken (tofu) pieces.  Seal the bag; shake to coat.

2. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat and brown chicken and tofu on all sides.  Heat about 10 minutes turning occasionally. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, the beans, the undrained tomatoes, tomato juice, corn, rice, cayenne pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Bring to a boiling. Boil for about 5 minutes or so, not too long but we found that the brown rice needs to be boiled a bit longer so it cooks properly. Transfer rice mixture into a rectangular baking dish. Arrange chicken and tofu pieces on top of mixture.

3. Bake covered with foil in a 375 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender. We have found that it may take a little longer because of the brown rice :)

Enjoy!

Great news to come in the following months...ahhhh I'm so excited I can barely contain it! But I have to...until I'm allowed to share!

I must say though, 2012 has really turned out to be our year...so many great things have happened and more to look forward to! So happy to be able to share it with someone as special as Danny and to celebrate these things with all our friends.

<3

Home at last!

Ahhhh he finally returns! Danny left March 3rd and finally got home (after 7 long hours of delays!) Wednesday at 12:30am.  I can't begin to explain how long those 10 days felt and the 7 hours of delays felt even longer. He went to visit his brother and watch him play during spring training.  I won't lie, I'm jealous he got a Florida vacation but I needed to stay at work...10 days is a long time to be out and away from my kids and unfortunately I don't get paid to go on vacation like he does (yet! but those days when I get them will be saved for wedding/honeymoon/etc.).  So, I stayed home and he soaked up the sun in Florida *sigh* haha ok no I'm really not THAT bummed about it lol! I was more bummed about being home alone for so long because I can't handle it that well. Although, I surprisingly slept fine and began to feel better and better about it as the days passed. I figured out our alarm system, our door chimes when it's opened, and I can set the alarm while I'm in the apartment.  I felt much safer.  I don't know why I don't feel "safe" I don't even think it's that. We live in a great town, and the best part of town, there's nothing I should worry about BUT I think it's more of those "worst case scenario movie/tv show type stuff" that I worry about. Stupid. I let my mind get the best of me and it's hard to control it. But, I got into a nice routine, and I made it! I was scared to even tell people he was gone, or speak the words outloud.  Not many people knew, and I avoided posting it anywhere because who knows who could have seen it! But he's home now so now I can say it!

While he was gone I did do some decorating. :) I redecorated our spare bathroom, I added some decor to other parts of the house, and I bought a couple wedding decor items.  I discovered a new store called (and a new found love) Kirkland's that reminds me of a cheaper Pier 1. I love Pier 1 but I don't love their prices...so Kirkland's is a great alternative.  He is never going to want to leave me home alone again for 10 days that's for sure. :) At least he loved everything I did...phew! lol Although, I probably wouldn't change anything if he didn't. haha. He likes to think he's Mr. Interior Decorator sometimes...lol! He's not bad though I will hand him that. His apartment was decorated to the T when I met him with a beautiful wine tapestry (which we still  have) and lots of dark wood furniture (all of which we still have) and a lot of other stuff that we still  have! He did do a great job so maybe I shouldn't make fun of him for having such a strong opinion haha. BUT regardless, I kept myself busy while he was gone and it was nice.  I also spent both weekends gone which was nice. The first weekend I went to Kayla's and got my hair done and then hungout with Jake so Kay and Jay could have a night out. We spent Sunday shopping and meeting with the wedding DJ and then I went home. The second weekend I went to my parents. Saturday we went to the antique fair which was fun, then of course, my mom and I went shopping. Then Sunday we well, did more shopping! lol! Sunday is when we went to Michael's and I got my PENNY frame! YES! a large frame...for only a penny! It was originally 40% off anyway so it was like 15 dollars, she offered to buy it and when the girl rang it up it rang up as a penny.  I never get that lucky! I even went back to see if there were more but there wasn't. I of course, kept up with my working out while he was gone and he actually made a comment out of nowhere and said I looked great! HMMMM maybe you should leave more often for a week and a half so you notice the difference more! ;) It made me feel good in knowing that somethings are changing lol.

Monday was back to the work grind and Tuesday he came home! He had an awesome flight itinerary, he flew Virgin America from SFO to Florida direct flight there and one layover here.  The layover home was in LA so he basically got a direct flight home as well...until the nasty storm hit northern Cali and all runways except for one was closed at SFO. They were using this runway for flights to go out and come in! It delayed planes all over the US.  First he called and said 2 hour delay (leaving at 6 instead of 4), at this point I had already left work but I stopped by our house to change and he caught me. I figured I'd run to Kirkland's and Target for a few things I needed to waste time. Then he called again, another hour delay.  Then, I got home and checked online and it now said 10:20! Such a bummer. I could have stayed at work lol and he could have rented a car and drove home in that time. I began searching other airlines and found a ticket from LAX to Sacramento for 99 (military discount).  There was two of those and one would have gotten him here at 930 and one at 10...I was so tempted to book them...I wanted to so badly but we decided spending 100 dollars for convenience wasn't smart.  He wanted me to just so I didn't have to be out so late to pick him up but it wasn't worth it. Anyway, he finally made it home. Very happy!

Now of course, he is looking at Florida real estate...he does this everytime we come back from Florida...Jupiter in particular. It's beautiful and really nice there. He went by the Jupiter police dept to see about a job in the future but they are such a small station they aren't open all the time...they have patrol cars out but don't always have a person at the front desk.  This usually lasts about a month (the home searching). He's been talking about getting a job there for years...but we'll see what happens. We still have a for sure year here...maybe more.

New neighbors?

Transfer season is upon us and it's time for friends to start moving again! Luckily, we moved last year so there SHOULDN'T be anymore for at least a year...or three! But we did find out a while ago that our good friends are moving back to CA. SF to be exact. :) My friend Jess, her husband Josh, and their daughter Alyssa will be back this summer. Josh got stationed at Sector SF with Danny (Danny is beyond excited) and they are looking into moving into our complex! HELLO I think this is the best case scenario I have ever seen come out of the Coast Guard and all this moving crap. Even if they choose not to live in our complex, they're still going to be VERY close and that means I will have another bridesmaid in the area. The only one I'll be missing and I have a feeling will never be closer is Meg. BUT she is in California so that's not bad at all. I am so happy to have another friend back here. I have made so many good friends since meeting Danny and it's sad that just about all of them have moved away.  July can't come soon enough, I am excited beyond words to have them home.  I cried when I found out he got SF, I cried when I found out they were going to be together when they moved home, and I'm sure I'll cry when I see them. I can't believe it's already been 3 years since they left. I remember the day like it was yesterday.  Possibly one of the worst goodbyes of my life.  Over the course of the 3 years though I had a chance to visit Texas (YUCK), road trip it back with Jess, pretty much spend a summer with her, celebrated my 23rd birthday MONTH with her, and have skyped, text, mailed packages, etc. back and forth for 3 years. I am so happy that I haven't missed a step of their lives and they haven't missed any of mine. No matter how far they go, military friends are lifelong.  I am starting to see this now. They will get here in July and we have the summer to spend together, she can help plan hands on my shower and bach party with Kayla and my sister, and I know she will have no issue being there now.  We can all go dress shopping together! I can have my flower girls shop together...it's just all working out in a great way and I am so happy. This couldn't have been better timing. <3

Jake Robert Simons...the cutest baby...Oh how I love him!!!!

Time for bed!

Playful! This is his new face! haha!

He loved my dad!

Giving auntie kisses <3

and receiving many from auntie!

such a happy boy!

More kisses...he loves it!

Loves his bath!

time for snuggles and bed!

Ready to go meet the DJ!

Happiest boy around

I just love him! I can't get enough of him. <3 <3 <3

Kirkland&apos;s...the new guys in town!

So maybe a couple weeks ago we saw this sign go up for a new store where Borders used to be called Kirkland's.  We automatically assumed it was a furniture store owned by Costco because that's their brand haha! Silly but I don't think we were the only people who thought that! Anyway, last weekend my mom and I decided to go in there to check it out and my oh my is it amazing. It reminds me of Pier 1...just much cheaper. I have gotten a few cute things there for our apartment and I know I am far from done. I also found something there for our wedding! They have really neat stuff at great prices. I am in love. I have so much more I want I can't wait to go back for more. Oh yes, Kirkland's you may be my current favorite! :)

The cursed corner table

So a while ago I posted a DIY book and mason jar decoration for our corner end table. It just wasn't cutting it. Before I came up with that I had been on the hunt for the perfect plant to go there and couldn't find what I wanted so I settled for that. Well finally today my mom and I went to Kirkland's and I found the most perfect vase that matches our color scheme annnnd put together this arrangement and it looks perfect! I'm so much happier with it now. I can stop stressing over it and looking for something everytime I'm out. The books were cute but I didn't want cute and it wasn't tall enough. Corners need height and that wasn't cutting it. So here it is!


This was before..."cute" but not what this table needed...I moved this to a more appropriate place in our house...

And after....ahhh yes! much better! the flowers are red but they look pink in the picture...

I also picked this up for our laundry room! :)

and I got this for above our cabinets...I have a few more things to get that I want for up here...still a work in progress...hopefully not for long if I can find what I want!

Danny's never going to want to be gone anymore because everytime he leaves I add decoration to the house ;)

annnnnd MORE wedding!

So yesterday we hit the 8 month mark...ahhhh 8 months until our wedding...BIG HUGE SIGH! I feel like I need to do more than I'm doing but I have no clue what!!! On Sunday Kayla and my parents came with me and we met with the DJ to give him our deposit and lock him in for our big day. I must say...I'm really tired of writing these giant checks to people I know everything is worth it to make our day go as smoothly and perfect as ever but it's stressful.  Knowing the amount of money that this is costing...and what else we could actually do with all that money...it's insane how much a wedding costs.  Initially, we were debating on whether or not to even hire a DJ and just use my sister's boyfriend (who is a professional DJ) or our good friend Josh...who isn't a professional but is pretty good and has played at shows and such for the public.  I didn't talk to Josh as much as Brian but he really had me set on using him for our wedding since he was FREE.  All along though even after telling Brian yes, I was debating it and hesitant. I had so many questions going through my mind...have you done weddings? Yes. Do you have lighting, a mic system, a wireless mic system, two systems; one for the ceremony site, one for the lodge, do you have a timeline, an order of events, do I have to do anything or will you be on it, are you going to ask me questions on my wedding day? because if you are...you're going to get your head bit off...alllll these questions.  I just really would rather have friends there as friends and vendors as vendors. I don't want any friends on the vendor side of things for the sake of something going wrong and me freaking out on them.  I didn't go to the vendor fair because I thought to myself, I didn't need anything else. To be honest, I was anxious, nervous, and stressed. When I went to the Forest House cocktail party Brian Taylor (their preferred vendor) was there as the entertainment for the night and I immediately had a gut instinct to go talk to him and ask about his services. Within 10 mins I was SOLD. I ran back over to Danny, told him his price and his play time and he was in as well.  I hate to say it but I'm basically paying for my sanity.  His price beat any other DJ I researched in terms of play time and cost. Most DJs only have 4-5 hours to start in most of their packages and then you have to add on additional time which adds up quickly per hour. Because our ceremony starts at 3, four-five hours of play time would get us to 7 or 8pm and that's like through cake cutting and first dances...then I'd have to pay for extra hours but realistically only 2 extra hours would be doable as for money and that's only 10pm! Our venue is designed to go a bit later and I couldn't afford to have a DJ for much longer paying for all the extra hours. UGH! That's what made me really turned off about the whole hiring a DJ thing...but when I talked to Brian (the DJ is Brian as well as my sister's boyfriend lol) his price included unlimited time with no overage charges. The price he costs is equal to or less than what I would end up paying in extra hours for a DJ. Then when we talked with him Sunday, I was so relieved. I have no doubt in my mind that he is going to run my wedding smoothly and perfectly.  He's done 200+ weddings at the Forest House Lodge, he knows that place like the back of his hand. He had food suggestions, he has been in the business for 30 years and he's only 45! That's a LOT of experience.  He's a great guy who knows his stuff and I feel so confident in turning my wedding day over to him to control.  So that's the last vendor we needed to book.  Sunday I also purchased something for the decor...whoop whoop haha!


It's coming time to purchase things, make things, get things in order and start deciding on save the dates and invites. I have also spoken with the lady who is doing our flowers and we are going to meet soon and come Fall, we are going to go to the flower mart with her to play around with all the flower options. I am so relieved I'm saving so much money...flowers are so overpriced it's ridiculous. So that's something we I mean I will probably do...Danny couldn't care less about flowers! LOL

*breathe*

As for video...I debated it for a while in the beginning, but I decided just not to do it and save there...as much as some people feel that's super important, I feel just having it on video whether it's a professional or home video is all that matters to me. Crystal and Scott have a really nice video camera that takes great video and they said they would gladly tape it for us.  They will do all the important moments and that's all I need. I will also have another person (maybe 2) to video JUST IN CASE! LOL. Videographers are just so expensive and I really can't justify it. If I could, or felt that strong about it, I definitely would pay for it. But I just don't. Video is video and we will probably watch the video once every 5 years, if that! haha!

My dress should be here in May sometime! I am so excited to put it back on again! I have the itch every single day to just go in there and try on the floor sample again! Just to put it on! I can't wait! I just hope it fits...god forbid it doesnt...I would absolutely die. I haven't gained weight since the day I got measured and ordered my dress but I'm just so worried about that!

*breathe*

Our engagement pictures are scheduled for May 11th in Tahoe and at the rate the weather is going, I'm counting on snow. LOL winter has not come at all...I bet it will come later and we may be taking pictures with snow on the ground but I'm not opposed to that...why not!

*breathe*

Speaking of winter, our DJ also made me feel REALLY confortable and even more accepting of the fact that with a November wedding in the mountains, it can rain! Or SNOW! and I was so stressed because the ceremony site is GORGEOUS and I wanted to use it...but, I just told myself "hey, whatever happens, happens!" I can't control the weather so I can't stress over it. It could rain in JULY if it really wanted to...so I was totally ok with that! I would still go up to the site for pictures if we could and take pictures in the rain (even bring my rain boots and umbrella!) It would be fun and I have accepted that. But where the DJ came into play was he told me he actually preferred the feel of the indoor ceremony there! He said it's so cozy and romantic...all candlelit and with the rain or snow coming down outside it's just perfection. So I don't feel as stressed or worried at all! Phew! They initially told me they make the call 30 minutes prior to ceremony start time...and that even if it's misty or wet they will do a standing ceremony if I really wanted.  I originally said "perfect" but after putting thought into it, do I want 125 people having to stand in the mist just so I can get married outside and end up with frizzy hair and a wet muddy dress? NO haha! If there is any wetness, indoor it is! and I am ok with that! :)

***Just breathe***

oh and people keep asking about a honeymoon...because I've totally thought about that now! I know we will go on one...but where? I have no clue yet! we've tossed stuff around but not even really! How can I think about spending MORE money!??? haha!

*breathe*

I feel more and more stressed as things start to get closer. I'm having a hard time spending the money...it just seems insane...as much as I have always wanted the whole shabang for a wedding, it's just crazzzyyyyy how much it costs and it means a lot to me the lengths my parents have gone to do everything they can to help us make this day amazing.

big huge deep breath in.........................and OUT!