Wedding Planning

Having a wedding on two student's part-time salaries is not going to be easy, but I'm positive that we can make it happen.  As of now, we are aiming for sometime between June 2011 and August 2011.  We can't set a date until January because we have to wait for Shaun's National Guard schedule, so hopefully our vendors will be accommodating.  At this point, after being engaged for 2 years, I've already planned the whole thing in my head!

Both photos from Davidsbridal.com

This is the dress.  I have been dreaming about this EXACT dress for six years. Luckily for me they still make it! I can't wait for the day when I get to go try it on!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cupcakecentral/4277723505/

Most people that know me know that I love cupcakes.  I think they are cute, delicious and they are SO IN RIGHT NOW (sometimes I just can't help but quote things. It's a disease).  You may call me crazy...but I'm going to make my own wedding cake.  Since we are having a smallish wedding (about 70 people) I think it will be totally do-able especially if I enlist the help of a few friends.  I'm going to make 30 red velvet with cream cheese frosting, 30 chocolate with a delicious "cooked frosting" and then 30 gluten-free vanilla with chocolate frosting. I'm also going to attempt to make an 8" red velvet cake for the top, with fondant.  The above photo is my inspiration, but I'm going to make it my own by incorporating our colors (blue and brown), and finding a cute cake topper!

That's all for now folks!

Motivation

So much for blogging everyday, right?  It seems like the things I love the most are the things that it takes the most effort to get motivated for.  I have a baby quilt (one step away from completion) sitting in my living room collecting dust. I have another quilt still in the early stages of blocking...that I have been working on for a little over a year. I have empty frames, and empty photo albums.  And I don't even remember the last time I picked up a camera for an artistic reason.  Why do we so often stand in the way of our own happiness?  I've been wondering this for a few days now.  Almost everyone does it too!  Sure, there are certain circumstances in life that prevent people from pursuing their passions...but right now there is nothing stopping me, other than these excuses I tell myself.  I don't have kids, I'm only working part-time (although I'm looking for a full time job), and school is out for the next two months. 
Like may parents have told me since I was a small child, you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to....and that's what I intend to do.

By Sunday I will:
- finish said baby quilt and talk to my dad about helping me sell it.
- reach page 300 in Duma Key by Stephen King (the book I am currently reading).
- register for the July 31st PRAXIS exam.
- work out three times.


Hopefully by setting smaller goals for myself, writing them down, and saying I WILL do them rather than I HOPE to do them will make it easier!
That's all for now, the washer and dryer are calling my name...

Blogging

One of my goals this summer is to establish more positive habits.  Doing yoga every morning. Not procrastinating. Cleaning up the dishes at night, rather than leaving them for the morning. Drinking more water, and so on.
As I lie here in bed, with a pretty bad cold, I thought of another one: Blogging.  It feels good to get my thoughts and feelings out. And just like the other things...I think blogging more regularly will bring more happiness and peace to my life.

I'll leave tonight's post short and sweet (the Nyquil is starting to kick in). Goodnight!

Lottery.

Picture this...On you're way home from work you stop at the nearest gas station. Laying on the ground beside the pump is a one dollar bill. No one else is around so you pick it up. You've had a recent string of good luck so you make the impulse decision to buy a power-ball ticket.  Later that week the drawing comes and goes, as you've forgotten about the ticket still sitting in your wallet. A few days later you flip on your local evening news. The reporter is standing outside a gas station, and you recognize it as the one down the street from your office.  The reporter says that the jackpot ticket was purchased at that gas station and no one has yet claimed the prize. You're heart starts beating faster and faster as you rip through your purse, trying to find that ticket. You open up your laptop and wait, anxiously, as the website loads. You look at the numbers and then at your ticket. You nearly pass out when you realized that you have just won 215 million dollars.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what it would mean for me if I won the lottery. I've never purchased one, but it is so fun to dream. Here's a few things I would do with the money...

Buy a house on the beach.Plan a beautiful wedding. Give some money to family. INVEST. Get my dogs! Take our families on a vacation...and about a hundred thousand other things.





What would YOU do?

10 Things Wednesday: Dreams

Like most people, I have quite a list of future dreams.  I would like to share a few of them with you!

1.  Have children. I CAN NOT wait to have kids. It's one of the few things in life that I know, without a doubt, I will be great at.  However, like most of the things on this list, it is something I'm going to have to wait quite a while for.  Shaun and I both need to have stable careers, have a large majority of our student loans paid off, and it would be nice to have a house. Also as a sidenote: I would have put Get Married on this list but A- We're already engaged, and B- Aside from the date, we've basically planned the whole thing out!


2.  I would love to create a photography business.  I would photograph people's events. Do family/maternity/infant/senior portraits, and sell prints of my "artistic" photographs.  I've already told Shaun that the first thing I'm saving up for (when I land a teaching job) is a digital SLR camera.  Photography is something I've always had a passion for, and I've only recently realized (from looking around at local wedding photographers) how much money people are willing to pay for some good photographs.

3.  Be a great teacher. I've really struggled this last year, trying to decide whether or not teaching is truly my calling. Young teachers are getting laid off by the thousands in this country, and living on two teacher salaries will not be easy once we have children. Luckily I have my photography and Shaun has his writing. We've also considered owning rental properties!  All in all teaching will be a rewarding career that will allow us to spend more time with each other and our kids.

4.  I want TWO West Highland Terriers! 


5.  Publish a book.  I don't care whether it's a children's book, a work of fiction, a book of my photography, or a self-help book...I just want to be a "published author."


6.  Someday, if we win the lottery...or we get financially blessed in some other way...I want to design and build our own house.  I won't go into great detail but basically I'd want land for the kids and dogs to run freely on. 4-5 bedrooms (Master bedroom, a bedroom for each child, and a guest room).  3 full bathrooms. A writing room for Shaun. An office/library. A large eat-in kitchen with lots of cupboards and stainless steel appliances. And of course a family/living room!


7.  Get a Master's degree in education.
 
I could only think of seven at the moment, but I think I've got my work cut out for me!

Back.

We're back from our wonderful vacation. Here are a few pictures:

A little later this week I will post more photos, along with a few stories!

10 Things Wednesday: Florida

Here's a list of the top 10 things I want to do/see in Florida!

1. Animal Kingdom. I can't wait to see all the African animals!

2. Seeing a Polar Bear! It is my favorite animal.

3. SeaWorld!

4. Seeing Cinderella's castle, and going to all the rest of the Disney World parks!

5. Going to the Rainforest Cafe.

6. Walk around Downtown Disney.

7. Spend a day with a good book on Daytona Beach!

8. Visit the Ripley's Museum!

9. Visit Shaun's Grandparents!

10. Go to the Hard Rock Cafe!