I swear, one of my worst habits is misjudging how much am I able to get done in a day. I am either woefully behind on my to-do list, or I get the whole thing done in half the time and am at a loss about what to do with the extra hours. (Though admittedly it's typically the former, rather than the latter.)
Two weekends ago was my bachelorette party, and while I'm obviously not going to post pics of everything that happened — suffice to say my sister made me a scavenger hunt that involved weird things like "kiss a bald guy's head" and "copy someone's dancing without them realizing it" — my 'maids and I looked hella cute so I wanted to post a few tame shots :)
Bachelorette weekend started in Athens, at my alma mater, with a couple of bridesmaids who also went to OU. We grabbed dinner with my sister, Anna, who's a student there. She's too young for bar-hopping, unfortunately, but Emily, Hayley and I participated in a shuffle of sorts. Athens has something like 20 bars, and a popular pastime is to do a "shuffle" — get one drink at each bar. I'm far too old for that ish, so we did what I dubbed a "selective shuffle," only going to the good bars. I had about nine on my list, and we made it to about seven of them (thanks to a huge turnout for a festival the next day, some good bars had huge lines)...with the last one hardly even counting, as I got a drink I didn't even want and didn't finish, haha.
Anyway, part of the shuffle includes signing the bathroom walls at each stop with the name of your shuffle. Hayley took it upon herself to add a few names: EmGettNMurried and TheHentIsOver (Hent being part of Matt's last name).
We met up with my friend Aisha, who also went to OU and happened to be in town that night.
We stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast (highly recommend Bodhi Tree Guest House to anyone staying in the area). Breakfast featured locally milled polenta cakes and black beans with eggs and crème fraîche. Unbe-freaking-lievable.
Back in Columbus Saturday afternoon; I refueled the only way a basic bachelorette should: Starbucks drink in one hand and a "Bride-To-Bellini" (as named by my sister, Ellen) in the other...complete with an inappropriate straw, of course.
My other sister, Abby, planned the whole shindig on Saturday. She and Ellen got some awesome, tastefully tacky accessories and I was thrilled that I didn't have to wear anything crazy-inappropriate.
Abby and me at the hotel, before we all headed to the Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar.
All the bridesmaids (minus Anna) at Big Bang. Sadly, I failed to get many picture with the rest of the girls who came...womp womp.
Being serenaded by a stranger, as per the scavenger hunt. It was "Let It Go" and it was awesome.
For breakfast the next day, nothing but a chicken-and-waffle from Taste of Belgium in the North Market would do.
This past weekend, I was feverishly crafting with Hayley, Ellen, her fiancé, my mom and Tiffany, another bridesmaid. After a few weeks of worrying that I'd be short a dozen centerpieces, we finally finished them! It was such a weight off my shoulders; with just 12 days to go, I feel like I can relax a little and enjoy my last two weeks of engagement!
And yesterday, Matt and I got our marriage license! Aaahhhh!
sweater: Forever 21
skinnies, boots: Target
necklace: giveaway win
watch: Coach (secondhand)
Rest assured that, despite my lack of posting outfit photos, I have in fact been wearing clothes these last several weeks. Some of the outfits are even originals/non-repeats! Shocking, I know. I wore this just last week, but I jumped it to the front of my queue of "outfits to post" because I have an important question related to it...
Just when exactly does boot season end?!
I know this might be a no-brainer in some parts of the country or world, but here in good old Ohio, it can be 75 degrees one day and 42 the next. I am not kidding. So while we're looking at a high in the low 70s today, this sweater-and-boot combo was totally weather-appropriate when I wore it on Friday. Not very springlike, but hey, I was comfortable (if not seasonally accurate).
In other news, I completely failed to acknowledge my four-year bloggiversary! It was on April 8. BUTTTTTT my first outfit post was on April 14, so I guess this counts as a recognition?
It's hard to believe it's been four years since I started balancing my eight-megapixel point-and-shoot on a table or balcony and setting a self-timer. So much has changed since then! To name just a few: I grew my hair out and cut it all off. I upgraded from boyfriend to fiance (ha, here's hoping he doesn't find that offensive). I got a better point-and-shoot, then received a DSLR camera and fell absolutely in love with photography. I clawed my way out of debt and changed jobs. I discovered a love for dance and ran my first 5k and developed my rock-climbing skills. And of course I've met some fantastic fellow bloggers.
I don't know how much longer I'll keep blogging — I'm waiting until things settle down after the wedding to make the call officially — but I do know it's been an awesome ride so far. Thanks to everyone who's still reading. You guys keep me at it :)
Edit: Due to a weird change with Flickr, I inadvertently deleted all this post's photos. It's a lot of photos, and honestly I can't remember which ones I posted originally. So if you really wanna see these pics, feel free to check them out on Facebook. Thanks!
Howdy folks! I can't believe this is my first post in April. Well actually, I totally can. Between work, photography projects (four shoots since my last post!) and of course the neverending to-do list of a DIY bride, I've been swamped. I'm surprised I even have time to sleep! Still, I did have a glorious moment this week during which I realized I had finished my entire to-do list for the day — something that hasn't happened in weeks — and it happened an hour before my bedtime. I could've cried.
With only a month to go before the wedding, I think I'm finally getting caught up. I have no plans this weekend, other than crafting the hell out of some centerpieces, all day, both days. With any luck, I'll get them finished! Cross your fingers for me.
In other, more interesting news, Matt and I had our engagement photos done recently. Actually, my friend Emily did them months ago, but none of us accounted for the fact that Matt hates getting his picture taken...a fact that I don't think he even realized the severity of until he was staring down the lens. Fortunately, our phenomenal wedding photographer was gracious enough to squeeze us in at the end of March. Matt had a shot of Jameson to loosen him up, and it really made a difference. Unfortunately, it was freezing — no literally, some freezing rain started to fall right as we were finishing up — but we got some really lovely photos just the same.
In addition to the 55 or so photos that he edited, our photographer also sent us something like 150 unedited photos. So naturally I had a ball with those.
Well, that's it for me for now. With any luck I will be able to get back to posting more than once every two weeks after this weekend!
Well hey there! Popping in with a quick Budgeting Bloggers post here. I didn't forget to do this last month; I just stuck to my guns and didn't buy anything! I wasn't going to buy anything this month, but I realized I was severely lacking on swimwear for our honeymoon and swim separates were BOGO half off at Target...I walked in for some groceries and a birthday card, and after 20 minutes in the store the only things in my basket were two bikinis. Story of my life.
I also scored a sweet deal on a secondhand Coach watch thanks to a buy/sell/trade group I belong to on Facebook. I was going to be done for the month after the bikinis, but I've been wanting to wear watches for a while now (I'm so sick of going to check the time on my phone and getting distracted by a million other things and forgetting to actually look at the time), and this deal was too great to pass up.
1. Coach watch with interchangeable bands via secondhand. It's like three watches for (less than) the price of one! | $25
2. Navy striped two piece separates via Target. The top comes with a removable halter string thing, which I prefer as a "just in case my boobs aren't big enough to actually hold this thing up" backup. | $26.98 for both with BOGO {exact top, exact bottom}
3. White two piece separates via Target. Because a trip to Mexico is apparently incomplete without a sexy white bikini. | $28.98 for both with BOGO {exact top, exact bottom}
(Not pictured) I also bought some underwear at Target with their 5 for $20 sale, but I don't like to post pics of my underthings. I'll show you my bikini, but not my bikini briefs. I don't get my logic either. | $21.30
Grand total: $102.26 with tax. Right at my $100 budget, but still more than I had planned to spend this month. Oh, well. At least I'm set for swimwear!
How did you do on your clothes budget this month?
We are just inside the seven-weeks-to-go mark for our wedding, and every time my brain so thoughtfully reminds itself of that, I feel kind of like throwing up.
Don't get me wrong; I'm looking forward to this day so much it hurts. But I might be looking forward even more to the days following, when everything will be calm and I'll be relaxing on a beach, secure in the knowledge that I'll (hopefully) never have to plan such a massive event ever again and that our cat is being kept company by some good friends who will be kind enough to house-sit. (Hear that potential thieves? Our house will still be occupied, thanks.)
I'm sure you all are sick of hearing about wedding things. I know I'm sick of hearing myself talk about it. My friends, family members and future in-laws have started making gentle comments about how every single Facebook status I post is somehow related to the wedding or wedding activities. Part of me feels bad about being so word-vomit-y about the whole thing, but the other part of me is just too excited to care. Because in just under seven weeks (cue stomach turning), my time-sensitive projects will be complete and I can luxuriously tackle some neglected house projects at my leisure. Oh, it's Saturday and I feel like sleeping in until 11, brunching, taking a nap, then watching Netflix for six hours? Yeah, not a problem. After May, anyway. Until then, my life consists of crafts, a photo project that I probably should have passed on, and trying to squeeze in time for a run or climb to keep all my stress-eating weight off.
It's not all stress, though. This weekend my mom and sisters threw a bridal shower for me, and my bridesmaid Hayley threw another. (The first was family and in-laws-to-be, the second was friends.) It was so great to sit back and let someone else do the planning...though I have to admit, guilt got the better of me for some strange reason and I kept insisting that they let me help with stuff.
I'm sure most of us ladies have been to at least one bridal (or baby) shower; I myself have been to a dozen or more at this point. But it was so awkward for me to be the one at the center of attention! It's funny, because I'm usually a ham at parties; I love cracking jokes and generally being incredibly outgoing. Apparently, this is not the case when I'm the planned center of attention. I did manage to relax, though, and wound up having a great time at both parties. Didn't my mom, my sisters and Hayley do fantastic jobs? (These photos are deceiving; I forgot my camera for the family shower, and we had to rely on my mom's ancient point-and-shoot, which we later found out only took blurry photos, and my sister's iPhone. Super bummed at myself, but at least we got a few snaps!)
Clockwise from top: The mantle; Anna tied figure eight knots on the jars as decorations (did I mention the shower was rock/climbing themed?) | My mom, Ellen, me and Anna; sadly this photo is super blurry so the only way it looks halfway decent is if it's really tiny | White-chocolate-covered Oreos, YUM | Guests wrote advice for "rocky" times on rocks that Anna gathered at Ohio University, my alma mater and her current school | The cake!
Clockwise from top-left: Matt's family and on the end, my friend/bridesmaid Tiffany | My mom's side of the family | Me and my mom :)
I wish I remembered what was so uproariously funny in that shot on the right...
Wine and an apron, what more does a girl need? (Not pictured: The games! My sisters did a mad libs-style game with advice for the couple, which included the sentence, "Matt, always remember to hide Emma's baby." Ha! We also played a celebrity couple matchup game and my personal favorite, "who said it?" Anna grabbed Facebook status from Matt's and my profiles over the last few years and we had to guess who's status it was. She picked hard ones! Of the 15 questions, even I missed three.)
Clockwise from bottom-left: Me with my friend/bridesmaid Emily | Me with my friend/bridesmaid Hayley, who threw the shower | Beautiful decorations that Hayley made | Some kickass sangria that I drank wayyyy too much of because it was delicious ;)
Clockwise from bottom-left: A bunch of us gals | Playing the "how well do you know the bride?" game; I made the questions WAY too hard, and Hayley scolded me for saying "well, if you put this instead of that, we'll take it." | Hayley did this really cute "underwear to last your whole marriage" gift. It started with a white pair to wear on the wedding night, and ended with a ginormous pair of granny panties for when I'm an old lady, haha!
Opening gifts. Gotta love those wine accessories; the one in the bottom-left corner is a Corkcicle | On the right: Can we just appreciate my face for a second? Tape is hard when you have short nails.
Clockwise from bottom-left: While bragging about how good I am at not breaking ribbons, I broke a ribbon! (It wound up being my fifth between the two showers; I broke three on purpose at the first just to appease everyone, then accidentally broke a fourth. Guess Matt and I will have a big family after all, haha!) | The "lifetime of underwear" from Hayley. She gave me the gift receipt and insisted I pick out something that I might actually wear :) | It's hard to see, but that potholder has Ohio on it. I love my state!
Are you married? Did you feel as awkward at your shower(s) as I did, or did you just bask in the glow of the event (like I should have)?
