30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 20 and 21

Here's a post for the weekend since I wont be around much with all the Halloween-ness going on to post!

Day 20 : Nicknames

I have more than I can remember I'm sure, but here are a few of the most common used in my life

• Mel
• Melouicious
• Melly
• Misser Pisser (don't ask)
• JYD
• Mad Dawg
• Melly Mel
• M-Dizzle (also my rapper name)
• Melvans
• Baby Bear

Day 21: A Picture of Yourself

Here's me a few Halloween's ago as an Oompa Loompa...ya know just to get you in a Halloween mood if you're not already! 

At St. Baldricks 2010

post Warrior Dash 2010

30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 19

I miss lots of things, usually people! I miss times in my life where things seemed SO much easier and now they seem harder, but that's part of growing up and being a real adult! Here's a short rap sheet of some of the things I miss!

College at The University of Alabama! I had a blast when I was there! Met a ton of great people (to which I miss most of them as well!), had some awesome adventures and learned what it was like to grow up. It was the first time I was "on my own".

My first car! I had a Chevy 2-Door Tahoe. Snagged one of the last ones in Atlanta! I loved that thing! His name was Patrik and he got me all the places I needed to be!This is a pic I snagged from Google.com but mine was in a bright green but looked just like this!

My friends who live too far away! 

My buddy from UA, Tyler! 

My other good guy friend from UA, Parker

My friend, Stephanie, who got married in June and then moved to Egypt! She'll be home in a mere few short months to be a part of our wedding! It's also her birthday today, so Happy Birthday, Steph!

My friend, Britney, who lives in LA but will be home in a few shorts weeks for Thanksgiving (YAY) and then again for our wedding as she's a bridesmaid too!

My other good friend from college, Alison, but I can't find a good picture of us on this computer so sorry, AL for not having one handy! 

Things Just Got A Bit More Real

After feeling crummy ALL day yesterday (and into today) and the weather being more than just gloomy, Mike finally was on his way home from work to get me as we had our first appointment to meet with the Pastor who will be doing our wedding ceremony!

When we arrived, Rev. Britt's sweet assistant, Jane, asked us how we would like our names on our marriage certificate...GULP! We haven't talked much about our marriage licence and such so the thought of this being so real didn't enter my mind until yesterday. I put on my best cheery face and told her "Michael Scott Morris and Melissa Ann Evans". Whew! Then it was time to meet with the Rev. himself!

Rev. Britt is super sweet and a gentle, definitely southern older man. Sidenote, he has the softest hands. It's crazy how soft they are. I swear he uses gallons of lotions and I don't know what else but they are SO soft. I joke that instead of having a receiving line at the wedding, we'll just have everyone shake his hands! Ok back to the meeting... we took some time to "get to know him" and told him about us and how we met all the typical stuff. Then he basically told us how the ceremony would go. Pretty much said everything and practically married us in my opinion without doing the formal thing and using rings. Listening to him tell us how each piece of the ceremony would be laid out was exciting, scary and fun all mixed in one bag of emotion (that emotion was also followed by sickness because I still felt like junk when we were there!).  Overall, both Mike and I are thrilled he is marrying us at our ceremony and feel very confident Rev. Britt will make sure that it is just perfect for us!

He encouraged us to get our marriage license as soon as possible, in fact, we have to meet with him again in March and wants us to have it by then! EEK! We're one more step closer to our big day! The closer it gets, the more anxiety I feel, though I know things are under control!

On a funny note, Rev. Britt did mention to us that 50% of people can't get the wedding bands on! He said it's totally normal and that we shouldn't worry! I think that put us at ease (as I know that's a fear of at least mine) and gave us a good chuckle!

30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 18

Day 18 : Something You Regret

There are many times in my life where I wish I had said something different or reacted different ways, but I can't think of anything I fully regret. What I have done in my life and how I went about things has made me who I am today. I think that you should live life with no regrets and whatever happens happens. Life is about chance and living it to the fullest. Here's a favorite quote of mine that kinda ties to this...

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right... forget the ones who don't and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance...take it. If it changes your life... let it. Nobody promised that it would be easy... they just promised that it would be worth it."

Brain Dump!

Today is one of those days. I woke up feeling blah and did all the things I knew to do to try to make myself feel better. Took a nice shower, dressed up nice for work, got Starbucks (thanks to my awesome future husband for the gift card!) and went to work. Got there, realized after 3 people told me I looked like a mess and not good...I turned right around and came home! What a waste of gas! Either way, I bring you this blog straight from me sitting in my PJ's on our couch!

So are you ready for the brain dump? I can only promise that this will be a mish-mash of stuff and try to stay with me. My head is in a fog but I've got a lot to blog!

Wedding Stuff:
-The great M&M debate thickens. Who knew M&M's were so freaking expensive! For us to get about 25lbs for our thank you's at the wedding in 2 custom colors (cream and grey) it'll cost about $250.00. SAY WHAT?! So my mom asked me about doing just regular colored M&M's instead and then saving close to $100. I thought long and hard, talked to Mike about it ... to which he responded "It'll look like a clown visited our wedding if we used the multi colored ones" ... to which I responded to my mother, "cream and grey it is!"
-Mike and I are meeting with Rev. Britt today of Peachtree Road United Methodist church. He'll be marrying us on our big day and we're excited to start the process of working with him on this. We've already attended a meeting with a marriage counselor who also works at the church and this is the next step in the process.
-Oh honey, honeymoon that is. I blogged about our honeymoon plans a while ago and now the plans are taking shape. The hotels are booked, main flights taken care of and now the daily planning begins. Mike has planned the first 2 days of our trip and he's got 10 more to go! My only requirement...we snorkel, beach, spa-it and eat good!
-Today I'll be sending off our table numbers and gift tags to be printed. Thanks to my awesome corporate print vendor for doing this for me for free.

Other stuff
-I blogged the other day on the 30 day challenge about hating tornado's. Bad news kids. As I sit here at home writing this blog, a tornado warning has just been issued for my area. AWESOME....NOT! I'm home alone and we'll have to see how this goes.
-I did a joint blog with my good friend, Lauren, about our ghost tour we did this past weekend. Go check it out and give us your thoughts on ghosts and supernatural beings!
-My dear friend Britney's husband just released the trailer to his movie The Ocean Black yesterday...go check that out!
-Had a super fun dinner with a girlfriend, Erin, last night at Verde. She's got a kick-A personality, is a vet and well, we just have a lot in common! Also, if you live in the Atlanta area and haven't checked out Verde in Brookhaven...you need to! Great food, great drinks always a good time!

That's all for now. I sure hope I feel better soon and hope that these tornado's stay clear of our little condo in Buckhead.

30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 17

Day 17 : Something You're Looking Forward To...

I have A LOT going on these days to look forward to! Here's a brief shakedown of some of the items

• Halloween Parties this weekend
• Andy and Erin's wedding next weekend
• Our trip to Mexico for Kevin and Jenny's wedding (with a vacation mixed in!)
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas
• New Years
• My Birthday
• A few more trips here and there
• A few races I'm running 

 saved the best for last....

MY WEDDING! 
All the planning is really starting to pick up! We've got meetings set up (a lot of them) over the coming weeks to settle out details and then all the little things will start coming together. I'm looking forward to all of it including showers, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner and then THE big day! As of today...only 185 days to go!

The Ocean Black

My bestie, Brit, and her husband, Marco, live out in LA. I've blogged about them before and hate they are so far away, but they are fully pursuing their passions in life. Marco is an aspiring movie director and just produced the movie trailer for The Ocean Black. Go check it out! It's an awesome trailer and I can only imagine the rest of the movie would be as good!

Here's to hoping all future meetings regarding this movie and others Marco will work on in the future will go well and that his career will flourish! I know Brit is on cloud 9 right now and I'd have to say I'm pretty proud of him too!

30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 16

Day 16 : Your Dream House

Funny this is mentioned on the 30 challenge because Mike and I talk about it all the time! Since we're living in his already purchased condo in a high rise, it'll take us a bit to get to this type of home. Hopefully we'll be in something along these lines in the next 2 years max!

• at least four to five bedrooms
• at least 3.5-4 bathrooms
• granite counter tops
• stainless steel appliances and updated and tech savvy kitchen with 2 ovens
• a deck in the backyard
• double sinks in the master bath with granite counter tops
• walk in closet in the master with custom closet design
• an island in the kitchen with 1/2 butchers cutting block
• a media room/man cave and alumni area for memorabilia
• hardwoods throughout home 
• high ceilings 
• 2-3 fireplaces (one in master, main and basement/media area)
• space for an office (one of the bedrooms)
• big windows and a beautiful view
• basement (probably housing the media room and second kitchen!)

Craftsman style or something similar. Don't want a cookie cutter home :) Beyond all the above, a house is a home and wherever and whatever it is we'll be there together to start our family and it'll be choc full of love!

Happy Halloween Week!

BOO! Did I scare you? I'm guessing not, either way, Happy Halloween week! 

I love this time of year! The fun costumes, parties, fun Halloween treats and drinks and of course, scary things! I've got a full week ahead, mostly NOT of Halloween fun, but I do have some on the horizon. 

I kicked off Halloween week by going on the Roswell Ghost Tour with my friend, Lauren, last night. We didn't see any ghosts per se, but we did catch some orbs on camera (stand by we'll blog about it on Lauren's blog!) and got chills in certain places and some strange things with breathing/tight chest when approaching scary locations. Overall, I suggest checking out this tour if you live i n the Atlanta area, though recommend not going Halloween week as it was pretty packed and choc full of kids. 

On tap this spooky week, I'll head to Jaemor Farms on Friday night with some of my girlfriends to do our yearly corn maze. This one is tons of fun, especially with a libation or two! Looking forward to catching up with these gals and getting lost for hours on end! 

Mike and I (along with about 40 others in full costume) will attend the 'Nightmare at Grant Park' Halloween party thrown by our friends Heidi and Matt at their house on Saturday night. Our costumes are cute and fun...I'm going as a Peacock and well, I can't tell you what Mike's going as just yet...check back next week for the reveal and photos from the party! 

Sunday night (actual Halloween) Mike and I will also head up to my BFF and MOH Kerri's house for a Halloween party and to hand out candy to kids in their neighborhood! Since we live in a high-rise condo, it's kinda hard to have trick-or-treaters! Can't wait to take our children one day and to live in a home where we can participate in handing out candy to little kiddies! 

Hope you have a spook-tacular week and get to enjoy some Halloween fun! 

30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 15

Day 15 : Bible Verse

This is one of my favorites ...

Philippians 2:14-16 (New International Version)¹⁴Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe ¹⁶as you hold out^[a] the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

(verse copied from here)

30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 13 & 14

I'll be gone this weekend, so here's an early day 13 and 14!

Day 13 : Goals

I feel it's always important to have goals in your life. I have met many of my goals I had set forth in my 26 years and currently have a few on the table. Some of these will be accomplished sooner than later, some maybe never, but here's a rap-sheet of what I'd like to do!

• Run a half marathon in the next year
• Compete in my first triathlon in the next year
• Get married (well, clearly I'm planning my wedding, but the goal can't get checked off til April 30th!)
• Surf
• Own my own wedding consulting/planning company
• Work for a non-profit company
• Be a Young Life leader
• Be a Mother (post the wedding of course!) 

There's plenty more but this is a good sampling of things I think I'll be able to accomplish in the near future!

 

Day 14 : A Picture You Love

(here's a couple!)

BAMA vs UF at the SEC Championship game last year!

A favorite photo from our eengagement pictures

 

This picture makes me laugh EVERY TIME I see it! Always puts a smile on my face and makes me think of good times with good people! We tore that bachelorette party up (and a few dresses too!).

30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 12

Day 12: What You Believe

I Believe That....

I Believe ... I am on this earth for a reason.

I Believe ...That I'm pretty lucky in life both with family, career, love and friendships

I Believe ...That the Alabama Crimson Tide is the best football team around :)

I Believe ...That one day I'll run my own wedding planning business

I Believe ...That I have learned way more through mistakes than I have through anything else in my life

I Believe ...That there is plan for my life whether I want to believe it or trust it

I Believe ...That my grandparents, friends I've lost and other loved ones are looking down from heaven on me all the time

I Believe ...That one day I'm going to find a 4 leaf clover

I Believe ...I'm going to get that pony one day!

30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 11

Day 11 : Favorite TV Shows

I must admit I watch a range of TV shows! From trashy ones to educational ones...here are just a few of my favorites in no particular order!

                                                 anything on this station is okay with me!

                                                      pondering trying to get on this show!

Love me some animal planet

who doesn't love Grey's!?

this show is addicting

these people are so weird. I get sucked in every time I watch it!

of course you know I love this show!

clearly a favorite of mine! 

such trainwrecks...can't NOT watch it! 

30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 10

Day 10 : Something You're Afraid Of

Funny, I blogged about this a few months back! My something that I'm afraid of is thunderstorms...well tornado's actually! I posted in  my blog a bit ago that I associate storms/tornado with a very rough patch in my life and my family.

(photo from google)

 Though I can handle them now and am at peace with what happened back then, they still scare me and I still dislike sitting through them alone. Luckily, now that I live with Mike, it's rare that I have to.


Isn't it funny how you can associate one thing with a memory and it never goes away. I get chills every time I hear thunder or hear about/think a storm is heading our way.

Vacay Wrap Up!

Monday morning and the end of vacation comes too quick! Hate to say that I'm back in the office after such a fun-filled vacation to Las Vegas, NV. Here's a wrap-up of our trip and some pictures!

Thursday: Arrived in Las Vegas about 11am local time (2pm Atlanta time) and headed off to lunch at PF Changs located in Planet Hollywood casino with Mike and his mom. Had a great time and was able to catch up with her since she's been in Vegas for a week already! Mike and I were pretty jet-lagged this trip so we made sure to take a nice nap and get ready for dinner at KOI (also in Planet Hollywood) and then over to Paris Hotel for the dueling pianos at Napoleon's .

Creepy Wood Nymp at Bellagio Hotel Conservatory

Friday: Got up bright and early and got a 3 mile workout in with Mike at the hotel gym. Felt good to start the day out right! Headed to Bellagio for brunch...which I must admit is one of the best in town...with Irene, my FMIL, and Mike. After brunch, Mike and I headed out to walk around town and see what we could get into. We went to MGM and checked out the lions...they even had 17 day old lion babies! Headed on over to the M&M World...it's our namesake of course! Rode the rollercoaster at New York New York and then walked down to Aria to do some window shopping and make dinner reservations at Mastro's Ocean Club and then finally went back to Planet Hollywood to play my favorite $.01 slot...Super Jackpot Party! After another afternoon nap, Mike, Irene and I headed to dinner at Mastro's...an amazing restaurant located at Aria/City Center. They have the BEST food and the coolest smoking cosmopolitans! Post dinner we met up with my future SIL and kids and then headed on over to Minus 5 ice bar at Monte Carlo. This place was AWESOME! Everything was made of ice. The walls, the seats, ice sculptures, the bar and even the cups! We had a great time and would totally do it again!

Mike, Irene and I at the conservatory in Bellagio Hotel post brunch

at M&M World

at M&M World

Mike and I at Minus 5 Ice Bar at The Monte Carlo hotel

Lizzie and Brody at the pool

Saturday: Got up and worked out with my future SIL, Melissa, and then headed over to Planet Hollywood to watch some pigskin! Took my future niece and nephew to the pool and had a great time playing around in the water, although a little chilly, and watching them swim. It's amazing to see how good Lizzie is and she's only 4! Brody isn't swimming alone just yet, but certainly is eager to start! Melissa and I took Lizzie to the world of M&M's and caught the 3D movie there...pretty cool if you ask me! 4 floors of M&M's in all colors, shapes and sizes. Mike and I then took my dad to dinner and The Beatles LOVE Cirque show at The Mirage. Dinner at BB Kings was great and the show was out of this world! It was really nice to be able to hang out with my dad while on vacation.

with my dad and Mike at The Mirage post The Beatles Love show

Sunday: Sat behind a screaming child and her super chatty brother all the way back to Atlanta :) The only saving grace, I could watch TV on the plane!

30 Day Blog Challenge : Day 9

Day 9 : A picture of my friends

Here are a FEW pictures of my friends! They are the BEST!

Kyle, Garrett, Me, Kerri and Todd at dinner when Garrett was in town. Great High School friends!

with some of the ladies at Courtney's going away party! 

My awesome friends at my birthday party at Fado

My bestie from college, Lauren! 

With Kerri! My BFF since 6th grade!

With my favorite Jager Ladies!

with Stephanie at her bachelorette party!

with Britney and her husband Marco at their wedding!