Rambles Part 1

Not sure if anybody really reads this, but I am really appreciating the outlet!  Sometimes, I just want to ramble on and on about what is going on in my head.

And it is definitely easier to write than to make somebody listen to me!

 

I have to get ready to go look at wedding dresses for the first time in a bit. 

Inexplicably nervous. 

Nothing to be nervous about. 

It is going to be awesome.

I am going with my family and trust them.

I am just going to blame my nerves on hormones. 

Stupid hormones.

 

Ty wants me to get a sexy-princess dress.  Wonder if that is a category they have at David's Bridal ;)

I used to love dressing up and buying clothes.  Since I gained the weight, not so much.  I am hoping that I don't leave the store feeling like a whale.

Guess we shall see.

 

See?  Rambling.

I can't help it.

 

Oh, and this is just part 1 because I am sure I will have more rambles.

 

 

 

Not Impressed

We went to our first cake tasting/consultation today.  It was at Designs By Anne located in Sunnyside Florist.

It sucked.  We have the choice between two bakeries because we chose the package at Bristol Oaks that includes the cake. 

This place was set up very nice and she had some very nice cakes on display.  Problem is, because we were getting the package, we are only allowed the basic cake flavors with white frosting and one of 4 designs.  That's it.  No color, nothing.  In order to get color, it is an upcharge.  Ridiculous.  And she had the personality of a very angry old woman. 

If she was great, or even her cakes were AMAZING, it would be worth the money. 

So, no, we will not be going with Designs By Anne. 

 

In other news, due to our landlord deciding to not write Doom Kitty into our lease, we will not be keeping her.  I am heartbroken, but she will be going to live with one of our ushers, Kyle.  He will take good care of her.  I know I am going to miss her, though.  She is my cuddle buddy.

 

I also am feeling very content right now.  Everything feels so right. 

 

 

Oh, and...

 

tomorrow is my first dress shopping trip! 

Excited, but kind of nervous.

I am so lucky to have my aunt and Angela coming with, but I really wish my mom was well enough to be able to be there, also. 

Even if we got her there, it wouldn't be the same. 

Ah.  No time to be sad!  Time to feel happy and enjoy my wedding planning.

Those Nights

Let me start this post by saying that I am hormonal and on my "woman time". 

Every once in a while, my past sneaks back up on me as I am trying to fall asleep and makes me feel things that make it hard to relax.

Mostly, they are bad feelings.  (The good ones do not keep me awake...)

Makes me wonder 'What if'.  Makes me think about things I could have done different.  Makes me wonder about how those people would see me now.  Would they be proud?  Honestly, I don't know.  And that makes me really sad. 

I would not change my life for anything.  I am so ridiculously happy with where I am, especially considering how rough the path getting here was. 

I wouldn't change it to have any of those people back, or to go back and change my decisions.  If I changed those moments, I might not have Ty or Whimzy. Or even this amazingly clingy cat on my shoulder.

All of that logic does not help me on "those nights".  It just frustrates me that I cannot make myself feel the way I should.  I just wish I could force my emotions into the little boxes that they belong in and keep them there. 

I know, not wedding oriented.  I did warn that this was not going to be all about the wedding anymore, though. 

Time for sleep.  Whimzy does not go easy on me in the mornings just because I am tired. And, now the cat is in cahoots with her. 

 

I will be fine in the morning.  I always am.  

Menu Tasting

Well, Bristol Oaks is amazing! 

We got there a bit early, but the manager gave us drinks on the house while we waited.  That included about 50 straws that Whimzy played with.

Then, we were escorted into the hall to a table that was set up pretty close to what it will look like before our decorations are on.  It was really cute.  They even had little centerpieces so we could imagine what ours will look like.

Then, the general manager, Pino (super awesome guy with an Italian accent), poured water for us.  He then brought us out salads and all of the available dressings.  We picked french and italian. 

We got to try a couple of appetizers, then along with fresh baked rolls. 

Then he brought out the main dishes, four of them, in tasting sizes (3 slices of the beef, one pastry puff, and one of each type of chicken breasts that we chose).  Plus, the garlic noodles and buttered baby potatoes  were both amazing. 

We made our choices for the menu and even picked out the wine choices for during dinner!  Want to know what we picked?  Look at our website ;)

 

Oh, and once everybody has a chance to check out the website, I will write a review of the dishes we tried. 

 

The atmosphere was amazing, as well as the view.  If Whimzy had not been there, it would have been a really nice as a date night.  Whimzy was very appreciative of the juices from the beef.  She literally drank it.  Weird kid.

 

 

Doom Kitty and Dj Rino

So, on the wedding front, we officially have our Dj booked!  Dj Rino, aka Ryan Guerrero.  He is a good friend of mine and will be doing the ceremony and the reception.  I am so excited to have him aboard for sure. 

His facebook page (consider him for your parties!):

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dj-Rino/140452762635022

 

 

On a more personal front; Ty, Whimzy, and I have a new family member!

Meet Doom Kitty!

The name came from the show Ruby Gloom. 

Our pets are now Wicked Awesome and Doom Kitty.

I think we are pretty awesome at naming pets.

She is an amazing cuddler, so far, and the only big problem we are having with her and Whimzy is that Whimzy thinks the litter box is a sandbox.

She sleeps on my books in our headboard.  A kitten after my own heart ;)

 

Back on the wedding front:

I know, I am obsessed!

We have our tasting for our first bakery and for our meal at Bristol Oaks.  So excited!  Free steak and cake.  What could be better?

 

Oh, and we got our engagement pics!!!!

 

 

So happy with how they turned out!  My photographer is amazing and a ton of fun.  Our wedding pictures are going to be even better.

 

Off to relax for the busy, busy week coming up!

 

<3



One Step At A Time, or Just Jump All The Stairs!

So, until last night I felt like I wasn't moving forward enough with my wedding planning.  I felt like I needed to step it up and get going!

I had been making calls for the past week to try and set up appointments, but hardly anybody was calling back.  So, yesterday afternoon, I re-called everybody.  I finally got responses from who I needed to. 

So, after weeks of not doing much of anything, last night I (I mean we...*cough,cough*) decided on our bakery, that we are going to have a sit-down meal, and got all of the tastings set up for both.

Feeling productive.  Not to mention, my dress shopping is finally going to start next week! 

Woo-hoo! 

Now, I believe it is naptime.

Tastings!

Well, we have our two cake consultations and our menu tastings set up!

We are doing consults with Designs by Ann and Robin's Nest Cakery. 

Based on the info available on Facebook and the internet, I am DEFINITELY leaning towards Robin's Nest.  She does not do upgrade charges, might be on Cupcake Wars, and was really nice. Plus, since we doing the package deal through Bristol Oaks, Designs by Ann charges for anything above white cake, white frosting, and one of only four designs.  Everything else means we have to pay extra.  Still going to do the tasting, though.  Love me some free cake!

 

We also decided on a sit-down dinner, based on the selections available and pricing.  We are going to be trying the Chicken Piccata, Chicken Oscar, Roasted Sirloin of Beef, and Vegetarian En Croute for entrees; garlic pasta and parsley butter baby red potatoes for starches; and a couple of Hor d'oeurves.  Super excited to pick our menu and really get started on invitations and such.

 

And, of course, I will be posting reviews of the service, taste, and overall feelings about everything!

 

Now, I am going to go try to stay awake because Ty got home from work early and is all full of energy. 

 

 



Reality Rocks

Completely official!  I will be having two men walk me down the aisle.

My dad and my uncle are going to be giving me away and I get 2 father-daughter dances!  I could not pick between them and I wanted them both, so I got them both. :)  Now, just to wait to see what songs they pick for the dance.

I am so lucky to have somebody to stand in for my mom for my wedding.  Besides having two 'dads' walk me down the aisle, I also get to have two 'moms'!  My honorary mom, my aunt, and then my real mom. 

In fact, my aunt, my maid of honor, and I went to the Bridal Show in Milwaukee at the Sheraton yesterday.  Then, we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and spent the evening with the rest of family (besides Ty :(  He was at work).  The bridal show was fun and got a few ideas.  Most of the big stuff, I already have done and booked, though, so it really was just fun and not as productive as it could have been if we had more stuff left to do. The setup of the event was weird, though.  We are really hoping that there will be a Kenosha bridal show sometime this winter.

I set up my first appointment for my dress, too!  Since my honorary mom is going to be traveling alot, we found a day that she will be home at the end of the month.  I want her there for at least the first and the last dress appointments.  I made it at David's Bridal because they have the biggest selection and I can figure out more of what I want.  I don't think I want to buy from there, though.  I would rather go local and go to somebody that has a little more creative design and is a little more unique. 

I apologize to anybody who is going to want updates on what the dress looks like.  Ty is being adamant that he wants to know absolutely nothing about the dress, so I am not going to be describing it on here.  Want to know as I go along?  Contact me personally :)

I felt so mushy and lovey-dovey yesterday at the show and then afterwards while I discussed it with my uncle and dad.  Feeling the leftovers of it today.  I just want to float around with flowers in my hair telling everybody how much I love Ty and then cuddle up to Ty and not move the rest of the day while we discuss the wedding.  I just am so sure about this decision so sure that this is the man that I want to be with for the rest of my life. 
 

 

 

Oh, and besides the wedding stuff, I officially have an Associate's degree and am working on my Bachelor's.  I just finished my first BA class last week and received a 99.65% final grade!  Doing pretty well in the second class, also. I am winning life right now.   
I never thought I could be this happy and satisfied with life.  I never thought that I would actually enjoy reality better than a book, and I finall do.  I am really loving it. 

 

 

<3

Do This, And That, And That Other Thing, And Stay Sane!

So, my to-do list just keeps getting longer and longer.

Today, I had a modest list of things that needed to be done

*clean out the silverware drawer and junk drawer

*wipe down my bathroom

*do one load of laundry

*do some light tidying

 

Well, I got carried away and did an extra drawer as well as a few other minor things around the kitchen. 

Main problem?  My purging is causing an overfill in our coat closet of things that I am getting rid of.  I want to sell it all, or at least some of it, but I can't seem to find the time.  Seems a waste of money to just donate it, so that got added to the to-do list.  I do appreciate purging's therapeutic effects, though and refuse to end up with drawers, boxes, bags, etc. of stuff I haven't used in years.

Also, Whimzy is starting to change in her preferences and what she is capable of doing, so some re-arranging and installation of stuff is needed for her room and some things in the living room along with some more purging of her stuff!

Oh, and I am currently looking into getting my mom into a new nursing home. 

Don't forget, I took lead on a group project for school, have approximately 12 pages of notes to take (that is the pages of notes that I am taking, not the number of pages I am taking notes on), have an individual paper due soon, and have to get my stuff for the next class that starts next Tuesday...

Plus, the storage space downstairs needs to be gone through and organized.

And we can't forget:  I am planning a wedding! 

There is also a myriad of other things that need to get done and all of the stupid maintenance stuff that needs to be done on a daily-ish basis. 

(Like washing Whimzy.  Keeping her clean seems to be an impossible task lately.  Ten minutes after I give her a bath it looks like she is a wild child that was raised by very dirty monkeys.)

Side note: I felt like an adult today like crazy when I actually cleaned out my silverware drawer.

 

So, sorry for the vent, but my head is spinning and I am tempted to lay down and take a nap. 

 

 

 

• 

Baby Dolls, Little People, and Baby Fever

First of all, I mean the plastic toys "Little People", not actual small people.  Thinking of it the other way will make this post very confusing... ;)

 

In the last few months, I have gone a bit crazy with buying Whimzy Little People stuff and My Little Pony stuff as well as clothes.  I have been buying it all used, so I really did not spend that much money, but her room is sure...well...we will just say "busy".  I just got so excited that she was finally really playing with toys that I went a bit overboard and I absolutely loved it!  Granted, I hate picking up all of the pieces and she routinely mixes her Little People with her ponies, but hey, I am all for creative playing!

And as of today, she is showing interest in playing with baby dolls!  So excited!  I loved playing house when I was little and I cannot wait to play with her! Finally, something I can do that I know that I will better at with her than Ty is!  Mommy's day is coming, just you wait. 

 

The thing is that her room is not exactly huge.  The Little People have already taken up residence, so space is at a premium.  If she would just potty train already, that would solve the whole issue...darn it.... 

 

Wow, talk about first world problems...

Just so excited to move to this next stage of play with her! 

 

 

And the final idea of the day:  Baby Fever.

Yeah, I am having crazy nostalgia for baby cuddles, baby smell, and baby toes.  Not going to happen.

I can seriously not even count how many times I have heard "So, when is the next one coming?"

One isn't enough?

Where is this law that says I have to have another one?

Yes, they are adorable and I miss having a little baby, but no.

It would be financially irresponsible.

(Not that Whimzy was very well planned or was the best idea at the time, but we made it happen and are finally in a place where we can take care of her the way we want!)

Plus, I want to finish school.

The timeline looks perfect.  By the time I will be looking for a full-time job after earning my Master's, Whimzy will be in school.  Add another kid to that and it really complicates things. 

As big as the grins Ty gets when I mention a late period or that I miss having a little baby, I know.

Besides, hard enough getting a date night with just one kid...

 

hmm...I should write about that...maybe tomorrow...

 



New Blog Name

So, because I want to expand what I am writing about, I changed the name of this blog.  It is now "Backwards Life: Planning A Wedding". 

It feels weird, planning my wedding this way.

It seems like an unneccessary step.

I mean, we live together, our finances are already merged, we already have a child together...

So, why would we bother spending all of this money for a wedding like we were just starting out?

 

BECAUSE WE WANT TO!

We love each other, we really do. 

We want this public show of affection and confirmation that we are in this for the long haul.

 

We want to remember this day for as long as we can. 

We want to show off how amazing we are together.

 

So, now this blog is not going to be just about our wedding, it is going to be about us; Ty, Whimzy, and I. It is going to be about my feelings about everything. 

 

Don't personally know me?  (Ty's family, friends, etc...)

Well, here is an awesome way to get to know me.

I am going to use this as a journal.  (Within appropriate themes, of course), and I am going to document all of us.  Our crazy obsession with Sci-fi shows on BBC and the SyFy channel, our love for a certain teal colored platypus, our dreams, our jokes, and our lives. 

 

Hopefully, everybody enjoys our crazy awesomeness as much as I do.



Officiator and Photographer!

Within the last week, we booked our officiator and our photographer!

 

 

Our officiator is a pastor at Southport Baptist Church and works through Ty's work to provide services.  He has agreed to do a simple, non-denominational ceremony and even help us write our vows.  We have 6 meetings with him to do some counseling and workshops together starting in January. 

 

 

And our photographer is Stephanie Juga with Sealed With A Kiss Photography.  She is willing and excited to give us some unique pictures as well as had AMAZING pricing :D 

 

http://www.facebook.com/#!/SealedWAKissPhotographyS.Juga

 

 

The Save The Dates are here, the guest list is almost finished, and all of the major vendors are booked! 

 

Time to look at the details...dress, decor, menu choices...

 

 

Wish me luck!