Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Thursday, May 06, 2010
One Hundred Days
Today is one hundred days from the wedding! Woot woot!! I'm excited. Of course, I started thinking of all the things I still have to do as far as planning goes...but it will get done! And anyway, if everything goes wrong in the wedding, as long as we both say our vows and the preacher announces us married, that's fine with me! I mean, in the long run - I'll have to admit I'll be upset if everything else with the wedding goes wrong. But later it could make for some really good stories. I've also heard that you're not officially married until something goes horribly wrong. Haha. Funny, but a little nerve-inducing. I would prefer for nothing to be set on fire and/or have someone have a seizure or something - the fainting thing is no biggie, unless it's me or Ryan.
Despite being a tomboy, I am in many ways a typical female. I have always wanted to get married. However, I never really had a particular vision for my wedding. I always knew I wanted it to be unique, different, and representative of me and the groom (whoever he would be). I honestly looked forward more to the actual marriage part, rather than focusing on the wedding. That is not to say that I haven't gotten caught up in the glamor of it all; I am (perhaps somewhat selfishly but generically) excited about having my own big day. Even when eloping was brought up (as I firmly believe is done at least once with every engaged couple), the thought of not wearing the wedding dress I'd already picked out made me sad. When that happened, I thought, "Who is this woman who suddenly wants to wear a big dress and get made up?!" If you know me at all, you will know that that is against my normal stance on clothing and general presentation.
Nevertheless, I am so very excited. I am marrying a man I love and who loves me and is so very good at showing it. God brought us together, and I know He will keep us that way - even if Ryan leaves his clothes on the floor and I only cook every two weeks and clean every six.
Despite being a tomboy, I am in many ways a typical female. I have always wanted to get married. However, I never really had a particular vision for my wedding. I always knew I wanted it to be unique, different, and representative of me and the groom (whoever he would be). I honestly looked forward more to the actual marriage part, rather than focusing on the wedding. That is not to say that I haven't gotten caught up in the glamor of it all; I am (perhaps somewhat selfishly but generically) excited about having my own big day. Even when eloping was brought up (as I firmly believe is done at least once with every engaged couple), the thought of not wearing the wedding dress I'd already picked out made me sad. When that happened, I thought, "Who is this woman who suddenly wants to wear a big dress and get made up?!" If you know me at all, you will know that that is against my normal stance on clothing and general presentation.
Nevertheless, I am so very excited. I am marrying a man I love and who loves me and is so very good at showing it. God brought us together, and I know He will keep us that way - even if Ryan leaves his clothes on the floor and I only cook every two weeks and clean every six.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Whoa
So, to completely break from my normal posting schedule of...well, whenever I got around to it...I had to post twice on the same day because I just found out some crazy news:
Jennifer Knapp came out. Of the CLOSET.
I'm not sure how many of you remember Knapp, but I freaking loved her. She was/is? a Christian artist who had a folksy feel to her music and a great voice. She disappeared like forever ago (apparently seven, to be exact) and has now reappeared to knock my socks off - both with her coming out and her new album. She doesn't want to be labeled as a Christian artist, which is fine with me. Her music didn't always follow the all praise route of Christian music, which is something I liked about it. Not that that's bad - I just have my preferences. I want music about the person actually struggling with things, like real life.
Now, this is much more surprising than the revelation about Ray Boltz's sexuality. Really? Look at the 80s hair and clothes he was still rocking and tell me you didn't think about it. I did.
Here is the CNN article about Jennifer Knapp:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/16/jennifer.knapp.gay/index.html?hpt=C2
Don't even think for a second I'm not buying her album. It doesn't matter to me who she dates - her music is just fantastic.
Jennifer Knapp came out. Of the CLOSET.
I'm not sure how many of you remember Knapp, but I freaking loved her. She was/is? a Christian artist who had a folksy feel to her music and a great voice. She disappeared like forever ago (apparently seven, to be exact) and has now reappeared to knock my socks off - both with her coming out and her new album. She doesn't want to be labeled as a Christian artist, which is fine with me. Her music didn't always follow the all praise route of Christian music, which is something I liked about it. Not that that's bad - I just have my preferences. I want music about the person actually struggling with things, like real life.
Now, this is much more surprising than the revelation about Ray Boltz's sexuality. Really? Look at the 80s hair and clothes he was still rocking and tell me you didn't think about it. I did.
Here is the CNN article about Jennifer Knapp:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/16/jennifer.knapp.gay/index.html?hpt=C2
Don't even think for a second I'm not buying her album. It doesn't matter to me who she dates - her music is just fantastic.
Yeah, It's Been Two Months...
This is possibly the longest time I've ever gone without posting since I started this blog. I could be wrong, though, but I don't care to go back and check that fact at the moment.
I've actually been missing school. Weird, huh? I know it sounds a little crazy, although some working adults may disagree with me on that and feel the same way. The good news is, I will be returning to school! I was accepted into the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Masters program at University of Memphis and will be starting said program late August! :) Unfortunately, it will start only two weeks after the wedding, so we won't have a lot of downtime before I jump back into the world of academia. I am excited, though. Memphis has a great program, and I like to learn about things I care about - like helping people. In two and a half years, I will be out in the work world again, but this time I'll be doing something I truly care about. Yes, a job is a job - but it is so much less stressful and more fulfilling when your heart is in it.
A friend of mine is getting married tomorrow, kicking off the "Year of Weddings." For me, anyway. I know a couple people who have already gotten married this year, but this is the first one I am actually attending. The good thing about having several weddings to go to this year is that I can get a few ideas for my own. If I copy you, just consider it flattery. ;) I read an article yesterday that talked about copying wedding ideas, actually. It's alright as long as you make it your own, which I completely agree with. I've always wanted a unique wedding that wasn't quite traditional, and that's what I'm working towards having.
I have to admit that I have applied my usual procrastination techniques to the wedding planning process. Although I am getting things done and I know I'll be fine, sometimes I feel a very minor panic attack coming on when I realize what I've done to myself by putting things off. I'm really not far behind, though. I never realized how much stuff there was in a wedding. I knew that it wasn't a cake walk, but sheesh. I also now understand how people can spend a ludicrous amount of money on a wedding. Just add chair covers, specialty plates, awesome guest favors, tons of flowers, a full bar, an insane cake, an insane groom's cake, monogrammed everything, a band, a DJ, a dramatic entrance with a Zambini, dancers, a wedding decorator, a wedding planner, gilded everything...
It's ridiculous. And that's not even half the stuff I've seen, and not including the $20,000 wedding gown - or more. If you want to go all out, you can go beyond that and make your guests' heads spontaneously combust with the amount of crap you put into your wedding. I, however, have no such ambitions - so be glad.
I get the feeling that over the next four months (just four months!) I won't be writing about much of anything besides wedding stuff. I could promise otherwise, but there's not much else I've been thinking about. Well, except for the fact that in a month I turn 23, Ryan turns 21, and then he graduates the next week. It doesn't bother me now, but I think I'm not going to be real happy when I turn 30 two years before he does. And then 40, then 50... And that's enough! I shall resist thinking about it. Haha.
We are trying to get into the process of buying a house, which I'm told is not the most fun process ever. What adult thing is? Well... Anyway, it's interesting trying to find a "safe" neighborhood in Memphis. We looked at one, told that was bad, looked at another, got directed once again... We were told by a Memphis police officer that Cordova is our best bet, so that's where we're headed. Now to get preapproved, talk to a realtor, check out houses, make offers... I'm tired already. But we will succeed!
I am so thankful it's Friday. Monday and Tuesday went by so slowly, they were killing me. I woke Wednesday, and thought, "Hm...tomorrow is Friday, so casual... Wait. It's Wednesday, isn't it?? Crap!" Disappointment prevailed. However, Friday did finally arrive, so I can't complain. I shouldn't ever complain, I know, but what human doesn't complain?
Ever since the Suggestion box on Facebook showed up, I have been lamenting its existence. There are some people you just do not care to reconnect with, which is why you never looked for them in the first place. Also, if I have ONE friend in common with this person, WHY do you think that means I automatically know them, Facebook?! And now it not only suggests new friends, it wants to constantly talk to EVERY ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS. "Reconnect with Jason! Send him a message explaining why you haven't visited his profile, wrote on his wall, commented on his posts, or messaged him since last week!" No, thank you. I just went into ranting mode for a second. Sorry. I just wish they would give you the option to not show that box, but they probably realize that everyone would delete it. You can click through each thing to clear it, but give FB two days and it's back with completely new random people you don't want to connect with.
Speaking of reconnecting, I did actually reconnect with someone this week, but that stupid suggestion box had nothing to do with it - even though it started on Facebook. It was a fantastic reconnection, and one that should have happened a LONG time ago. I'm going to stop calling it a reconnection, because it makes it sound like a liaison instead of ridiculously long FB messages then a three hour phone conversation. I'm creepy even when I don't mean to be...
I would say that I've made up for two months of not posting, but within the boundaries of the average lengths of my posts it's safe to say that I haven't. Nevertheless, I will give you a respite and cease typing for now.
I've actually been missing school. Weird, huh? I know it sounds a little crazy, although some working adults may disagree with me on that and feel the same way. The good news is, I will be returning to school! I was accepted into the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Masters program at University of Memphis and will be starting said program late August! :) Unfortunately, it will start only two weeks after the wedding, so we won't have a lot of downtime before I jump back into the world of academia. I am excited, though. Memphis has a great program, and I like to learn about things I care about - like helping people. In two and a half years, I will be out in the work world again, but this time I'll be doing something I truly care about. Yes, a job is a job - but it is so much less stressful and more fulfilling when your heart is in it.
A friend of mine is getting married tomorrow, kicking off the "Year of Weddings." For me, anyway. I know a couple people who have already gotten married this year, but this is the first one I am actually attending. The good thing about having several weddings to go to this year is that I can get a few ideas for my own. If I copy you, just consider it flattery. ;) I read an article yesterday that talked about copying wedding ideas, actually. It's alright as long as you make it your own, which I completely agree with. I've always wanted a unique wedding that wasn't quite traditional, and that's what I'm working towards having.
I have to admit that I have applied my usual procrastination techniques to the wedding planning process. Although I am getting things done and I know I'll be fine, sometimes I feel a very minor panic attack coming on when I realize what I've done to myself by putting things off. I'm really not far behind, though. I never realized how much stuff there was in a wedding. I knew that it wasn't a cake walk, but sheesh. I also now understand how people can spend a ludicrous amount of money on a wedding. Just add chair covers, specialty plates, awesome guest favors, tons of flowers, a full bar, an insane cake, an insane groom's cake, monogrammed everything, a band, a DJ, a dramatic entrance with a Zambini, dancers, a wedding decorator, a wedding planner, gilded everything...
It's ridiculous. And that's not even half the stuff I've seen, and not including the $20,000 wedding gown - or more. If you want to go all out, you can go beyond that and make your guests' heads spontaneously combust with the amount of crap you put into your wedding. I, however, have no such ambitions - so be glad.
I get the feeling that over the next four months (just four months!) I won't be writing about much of anything besides wedding stuff. I could promise otherwise, but there's not much else I've been thinking about. Well, except for the fact that in a month I turn 23, Ryan turns 21, and then he graduates the next week. It doesn't bother me now, but I think I'm not going to be real happy when I turn 30 two years before he does. And then 40, then 50... And that's enough! I shall resist thinking about it. Haha.
We are trying to get into the process of buying a house, which I'm told is not the most fun process ever. What adult thing is? Well... Anyway, it's interesting trying to find a "safe" neighborhood in Memphis. We looked at one, told that was bad, looked at another, got directed once again... We were told by a Memphis police officer that Cordova is our best bet, so that's where we're headed. Now to get preapproved, talk to a realtor, check out houses, make offers... I'm tired already. But we will succeed!
I am so thankful it's Friday. Monday and Tuesday went by so slowly, they were killing me. I woke Wednesday, and thought, "Hm...tomorrow is Friday, so casual... Wait. It's Wednesday, isn't it?? Crap!" Disappointment prevailed. However, Friday did finally arrive, so I can't complain. I shouldn't ever complain, I know, but what human doesn't complain?
Ever since the Suggestion box on Facebook showed up, I have been lamenting its existence. There are some people you just do not care to reconnect with, which is why you never looked for them in the first place. Also, if I have ONE friend in common with this person, WHY do you think that means I automatically know them, Facebook?! And now it not only suggests new friends, it wants to constantly talk to EVERY ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS. "Reconnect with Jason! Send him a message explaining why you haven't visited his profile, wrote on his wall, commented on his posts, or messaged him since last week!" No, thank you. I just went into ranting mode for a second. Sorry. I just wish they would give you the option to not show that box, but they probably realize that everyone would delete it. You can click through each thing to clear it, but give FB two days and it's back with completely new random people you don't want to connect with.
Speaking of reconnecting, I did actually reconnect with someone this week, but that stupid suggestion box had nothing to do with it - even though it started on Facebook. It was a fantastic reconnection, and one that should have happened a LONG time ago. I'm going to stop calling it a reconnection, because it makes it sound like a liaison instead of ridiculously long FB messages then a three hour phone conversation. I'm creepy even when I don't mean to be...
I would say that I've made up for two months of not posting, but within the boundaries of the average lengths of my posts it's safe to say that I haven't. Nevertheless, I will give you a respite and cease typing for now.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Wedding Planning Stress
I definitely have it. I don't do well when I think something is going to be fairly easy and it turns out to be significantly more difficult than I thought. Maybe we're the ones being difficult by wanting less than traditional things, like nontraditional ceremony music and a 93 lb. Labrador Retriever for a ring bearer.
However, I am excited. Truly. We've seriously considered just running off to a courthouse and being done with it, but I have to admit that I want the whole she-bang. I want people to celebrate with us, I want to wear a pretty dress (shocker, I know), and I want to share my happiness with others. Maybe because I was a tomboy, I didn't spend a lot of time imagining what my wedding would look like; I just knew I wanted one. When we first got engaged, Ryan and I both kept getting realizations of what was actually happening - and getting excited all over again each time.
I found my wedding dress! :) The dress didn't even stand out to me when I first saw it, but I was trying on whatever looked pretty and had some of the important details I wanted. I didn't expect to cry over finding my wedding dress, but I probably should have known better. It just kind of hit me all of sudden that this was the one. Haha. I am such a sap... I felt some stress melt off of me after we purchased the dress; it made me feel like I was actually getting somewhere or getting something done. Btw, Low's Bridal in Arkansas = fantastic.
I started running yesterday for the first time in...I don't even know and probably don't want to know. Some time last fall. Anyway, I plan on losing a little weight before the wedding, as I know pretty much every bride does or wants to do. The problem is, I love food. Like a lot. Chocoholics run in my family, believe me. I guess I could try to stick to only sour candy, but then, as my parents told me for years before they figured out it wasn't doing any good, it rots your teeth out. Give me extra weight over losing teeth any day.
Which reminds me - I still miss that candy store that was in the Jackson mall like 10-15 years ago. It was like a death in the family when they went out of business, because my favorite candy EVER is sour belts, which you can only find at the candy stores you typically find only in malls. So tragic. I was in the mall some time last week and had a craving for sour belts, making me mourn the loss of the store all over again.
I'm considering putting a disclaimer on this blog: "DISCLAIMER: Blogger is repetitive, distracted, random, and sometimes irrelevant to the initial topic of a blog. The title of any blog is subject to dissections, diatribes, and deviations." That's all I've got for now. I'm hungry and therefore slightly distracted, as I know that I have another hour and a half before I leave for lunch. Now I'm just thinking about where I want to eat.
K bye.
However, I am excited. Truly. We've seriously considered just running off to a courthouse and being done with it, but I have to admit that I want the whole she-bang. I want people to celebrate with us, I want to wear a pretty dress (shocker, I know), and I want to share my happiness with others. Maybe because I was a tomboy, I didn't spend a lot of time imagining what my wedding would look like; I just knew I wanted one. When we first got engaged, Ryan and I both kept getting realizations of what was actually happening - and getting excited all over again each time.
I found my wedding dress! :) The dress didn't even stand out to me when I first saw it, but I was trying on whatever looked pretty and had some of the important details I wanted. I didn't expect to cry over finding my wedding dress, but I probably should have known better. It just kind of hit me all of sudden that this was the one. Haha. I am such a sap... I felt some stress melt off of me after we purchased the dress; it made me feel like I was actually getting somewhere or getting something done. Btw, Low's Bridal in Arkansas = fantastic.
I started running yesterday for the first time in...I don't even know and probably don't want to know. Some time last fall. Anyway, I plan on losing a little weight before the wedding, as I know pretty much every bride does or wants to do. The problem is, I love food. Like a lot. Chocoholics run in my family, believe me. I guess I could try to stick to only sour candy, but then, as my parents told me for years before they figured out it wasn't doing any good, it rots your teeth out. Give me extra weight over losing teeth any day.
Which reminds me - I still miss that candy store that was in the Jackson mall like 10-15 years ago. It was like a death in the family when they went out of business, because my favorite candy EVER is sour belts, which you can only find at the candy stores you typically find only in malls. So tragic. I was in the mall some time last week and had a craving for sour belts, making me mourn the loss of the store all over again.
I'm considering putting a disclaimer on this blog: "DISCLAIMER: Blogger is repetitive, distracted, random, and sometimes irrelevant to the initial topic of a blog. The title of any blog is subject to dissections, diatribes, and deviations." That's all I've got for now. I'm hungry and therefore slightly distracted, as I know that I have another hour and a half before I leave for lunch. Now I'm just thinking about where I want to eat.
K bye.
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