Mr. & Mrs. ~ March 1, 2014

**Be forewarned that this post will be filled with TONS of photos!**

This past weekend we celebrated the marriage of my super sweet friend.  I love this girl to pieces and I seriously cried when I found out her now-husband proposed to her! I knew the wedding would be beautiful and she would be gorgeous. 

Like I said last week, The Husband doesn't love weddings.  I don’t know why that is, especially for reasons mentioned here.  But he’s a crazy person ;) 

We met up with some friends of mine and their spouses before the wedding to have a drink.  Oh and might I mention, The Husband packed a cooler/bar in the truck! We all shared a drink and then dashed to the ceremony.  When we pulled into the parking lot, shots were taken and we went to find seats. 

    

The ENTIRE wedding and reception were outside.  It was the most beautiful day for a wedding!

The ceremony was to the point, which is my favorite kinds of ceremony – hence, ours was a total of 18 minutes I think. 

   

After the ceremony, we were all herded to the back of the house for cocktail hour.  I feel like they weren’t ready to accommodate all 300 people who were in attendance so it was cramped back there.  I snapped some pictures for the bride since her photographers were otherwise occupied with her, the groom, and their wedding party.  

  

BTW - champagne with rock candy is fantastic! 

I saw the bride before the reception and it made my heart so happy! oh and let me make note of her "mrs" necklace - so jeals of this thing! Note to self - tell Husband I love it! and I just realized you can't see it in this photo haha! ooops! 

A group of us made our way back to the parking lot – and by parking lot I mean open field – for more drinks.  I stopped at the reception site to take pictures of everything before anyone arrived, again I knew these would be the only detail shots of the reception and the only shots she would have before anyone arrived.  

           

By the time I was finished the “Trunk Bar” was in full swing!

    

Everyone had enough to drink that entertaining ourselves and partying it up with hot dance moves was NOT a problem at the reception.  

       

And a photo of The Husband breaking it down with my friend Fabia, who I am pretty sure thought it was me or Kristen shaking their booty all up on her! 

 

I’m so glad so many of these ladies were able to be a part of this day for our sweet friend.  Oh and you better believe a large order of greasy Waffle House hash browns were on the menu Sunday morning! 

Is It Friday Yet?!

Seriously I needed a fast-forward by the time I stepped out the door this morning.  Can it just be mid day Friday already?! One thing I have to look forward to for today is lunch with a girlfriend...too bad that isn't for another hour.  I text her and asked if we could just have like a 7 hour lunch.  She agreed.

How does this happen?  I have days and days of happy and positive attitude and then today - not so much! Which brings me to my next thing.  When you argue with your significant other/spouse, do you still say “I love you”??  Sometimes The Husband and I get into it (usually about something incredibly stupid) before one of us has to leave or get off the phone.  When this is going on and nothing more needs to or can be said, do you still kiss them and say you love them?

 We do, and sometimes that breaks the tension because our tone is still hurt/upset but we are saying something meaningful.  The reality is that just because we are fighting, arguing, disagreeing, or annoyed with one another doesn’t mean we love each other less.  We don’t just love when it is easy, we said that in our vows.   Sometimes the I love you sounds so pitiful that we kind of laugh about things and get over it. 

How do you get over it?  Sometimes for me to fully let go of anything, the person I’m arguing with and I HAVE to apologize to one another. It has to happen.  I can’t feel comfortable about moving on until apologies are made.  If they aren’t, it remains an open ticket in my mind. It doesn’t matter who apologizes first, it matters that there is something that ends the awkwardness.

This married stuff isn’t for the faint of heart, you know. It also isn’t easyl. Ideally you get married and live happily ever after but it isn’t all happy.  It can’t be.  This isn’t some fairytale where love triumphs over all. Marriage, relationships, it all takes more than that.  I believe that Love isn’t the end all, be all, magic potion and sometimes, just SOMETIMES love isn't enough.   Now, I love my husband with all my being and I LIKE my husband. We are friends and companions in life, this relationship, and his company.  

Some days I want to just cuddle up with him and never leave the house.  Other days I want to pull my hair out.  We are such different people – our minds function so opposite on so many things.  That’s why I’m a self-proclaimed communication freak.  I will talk things to death but I want to make sure we see eye to eye and are all on the same page. Sometimes things get convoluted into a giant, confusing mess but hey, happens to the best of us right?!

This weekend is full of friendly gatherings that we are really looking forward to –  one is this girl’s wedding and apparently The Husband doesn’t love weddings – weird I know!  But we will be together and I have an amazing dress that will be arriving tomorrow.  So what does he have to complain about? Celebrating a new marriage of really sweet people, free party, food, and drinks whilst I am in a hot dress and heels? Nothing. That’s right.  Men are weird.

And to end my super randoms – I met my girlfriend yesterday for lunch and she brought her adorable 9 month old daughter.  I’m so glad her husband was promoted and they were able to return to Florida! I missed her terribly while they were living in NC!

 

 

Alright beauties, that's all I have for now - Just lunch dates and arguments over really dumb stuff.
Oh! and tomorrow's Friday! YIPPEEE!!

Dreaming of Being on the Lake Again

My weeks and weekends blend together and we have been insanely busy...that is starting to sound like a broken record.  No, seriously - we are non-stop all the time.  These are exciting times though so I am definitely not complaining, even in my sleep depravity.

I did manage to get a nice hot sunburn - just in time to go to a wedding this weekend. BLEH! =/ These lines (thanks to my racer back tank) make it insanely difficult to find a dress that isn't intensely matronly but I do believe I found one that will be arriving by Friday.  Here's hoping (fingers are crossed too)!

Where did I obtain these gorgeous lines you ask? On the lake. It was sunny and beautiful (albeit hot - but I will take hot over snow basically any day ever). It made me realize how much I miss going out on the lake or on the water at all.  I told The Husband we need more of this.

  

Is it the weekend yet?!

Former & Current Women of Alpha

Last Wednesday I met a big group of women at a German restaurant North of home for a Paint Nite. This group of women has seen it all - and I mean that in a very good way.  We have all supported each other during one time or another, both through good and bad.  Some of us got out and moved on to new jobs (read happier places) but we have managed to stay in touch. 

This night of painting was the first time all of us have been together again since the end of April.  Let me just tell you that planning something during which you are supposed to listen and pay attention was probably not our best decision/option.  ESPECIALLY since it had been so long since seeing one another.  We were that really loud group who all kind of squealed any time someone from the group showed up.  It was amazing but probably really irritating (based on the snarky looks we were getting from the 'pro painters' and by 'pro' i don't mean the artists leading the shindig) Gimme a break - if you are taking this that seriously, go home and paint alone!

  

  

If absolutely nothing else, we had a fantastic time.  I will say this. if you want to do a girl's night with women who you haven't seen in a couple months, this is not the activity for you.  Doing it with a couple close girlfriends, your mom, sister, etc - great idea!

This is not the kind of group you want to be with if you are sensitive, BTW.  A lot of the ladies made fun of one another (in friendly fashion mind you) and a LOT of people in the session had problems with our rowdiness.  This is not Ladies Tea Time here people! It's Paint Nite!

Of the two paintings I have done, I definitely preferred the Eiffel Tower scape and I am really looking forward to the painting my mom, sister, and I have planned for the end of March.  I may need (really, I need???!!) to do another before the end of March!! Hmmm....I have the second week in March available....

But seriously - if you can have a group of women like this in your life...well, you will find yourself to be incredibly blessed...

and exhausted because let's be honest - it takes a lot of energy to keep up with this many rambunctious personalities!