Baby Kona is Growing Up

Baby Kona is now 5 months old! She's getting so big and curious about everything! She weighs in at a whopping 5.4lbs and I'd be willing to say 3lbs of that is fur! She looks so much bigger because of all the fur!

Her curls are just starting to come in and she's starting to look more 'Poodle' like! She's loving these rather warm early Spring days as she gets to hang out on the patio! I'm just glad she's big enough not to fit through the little slats so she can go out and play on her own!

Sadly, she wasn't feeling good this morning, but I snapped a photo anyways as she looks all cute and cuddly snuggled up in her bed with her 'friends'.

Where Has The Time Gone?

This past weekend our sweet friends hosted a shower for us. I wish I took more pictures, but I've only got a few. I left the others on the camera at home on accident, but here are two cute ones from the party. Once I get some from Devon (who co-hosted the shower and also is a professional photog) I'll post the rest! Thanks again to everyone who came and a BIG THANKS to Courtney, Devon and Maria for hosting the shower. We had an absolute blast ... even if the keys fell down the elevator shaft and there was chex mix on the floor. 

Our little family!

adorable personalized wine bottles!

In other news, I can't believe it's almost March...as in, tomorrow is March. Holy Crap! I'll be 27 in only 14 days and we'll be partying it up in Nashville for my Bachelorette party! Speaking of my birthday, this is the first year in I don't even know how long I wont be celebrating at one of the "LuckyFest/Lucky Day" St. Patrick's day parties. I know we'll do it up RIGHT in Nashville though and ring in 27 with a bang!

Tanning Experience Wrap Up

Decided to give spray tanning a try before our shower this weekend. My dress is peach. My skin is not so much tan...see where I'm getting at?

So yesterday I blogged about how I was trying out VersaSpa for the first time. The process seemed easy and it was pretty quick. I did the medium color with moisturizer. I left there feeling pretty confident in how it'd turn out. I did what they told me about put this here, don't touch there. About 1.5 hours after I got sprayed, I noticed HUGE streak lines on my legs and arms.I called the salon I went to and asked what to do. While you normally let it sit for 3-4 hours and the color develops over that time...mine only sat for half that time. Needless to say, the streaks went away when I showered BUT I was no darker than I was when I went. Fail.

Palm Beach Tan graciously offered to re-spray me for no fee today. I was weary that the same issue would happen. I hit up the office in the morning and then left close to lunch time to get ready for my spray experience again. I came home and showered and ex-foliated like no other. Headed back to the salon for my next spray. I'm about an hour into it and the lines aren't nearly like they were last night. So far, Ill give the experience a B. If my tan turns out alright after I shower off tonight (before heading to the Thrashers game) and it looks good tomorrow, I'll consider increasing my experience.

Overall, I really need to figure out how to get tan before the wedding!

Happy Friday

Happy Friday from Mike and Baby Kona!

and my boss got me this cool hat, I know you're jealous! 

Nails Done, Hair Done, Everything Did

Intermixed with my work day, I'll be doing a lot of pampering...pampering myself that is. Our awesome friends, Devon, Courtney and Maria, are hosting a shower for us this weekend. My dress is peach. My skin color is that of Casper the ghost. See where I'm getting with this? So to alleviate the Casper-ness I'll be getting my tan on, nails done and hair did.

Nails Done - Check!
Went to the nail place close to my office. While they are not my favorite in town, its quick and easy to get done during lunch time. I decided to go for a different color than I've ever used. Typically, I stick to pinks and reds but  a few weeks ago I tried out a purple. Me likey. So I went along those same lines. I stick to OPI for my nail colors, no idea why to be honest. I went with OPI's Eiffel For This Color.

image via here

Hair Done - Check back after 4pm!
Heading to my great hair stylist, Mary Beth Wood, this afternoon so she can get me all sassy and blonde for the shower. I met MB through my ex and have been going to her since. She's got a great price and does wonders with my unruly hair. However, she's mean these days because she wont let me cut my hair. I've been growing it out for almost a year. FML.


Tan Done - Check back after hair appt!
Trying out a new spray tan thing today over at Palm Beach Tan . I've had some bad experiences with spray tanning in the past but I was assured by more than one friend that the VersaSpa system that is offered at Palm Beach Tan is the way to go. Hopefully I will look less like an Oompa Loompa and more like a Sun Goddess.

About VersaSpa: MagicTan™ introduces VersaSpa™ the world’s first ever automatic treatment spa that integrates an unbeatable combination of versatile features and top quality skin treatment solutions.  With an open design there is no lingering mist and as a customer you can feel relaxed during your experience. The built in blow dryer also leaves you feeling dry after every treatment. For more information, stop by your local salon or visit www.versaspasystem.com

Not a bad day to spend a Thursday, huh?!

What Could Have Been ...

I often find myself thinking about what could have been. Usually it's when my mind is wandering, like in the shower (okay that may be TMI) or when I'm getting ready for bed, sometimes even when driving home from work. I think about where and what I'd be doing if I made different choices or if my life path had changed. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my life. I have a wonderful group of friends both new and old, my family is amazing, my soon to be husband is a dream come true, but I'd be lying if the thought "what if" never crossed my mind.

I've had my share of boyfriends...good and bad. I even work with my ex (who is the brother of my other ex...don't get me started!). It's hard to believe how life could have turned out so different if I was going to be marrying one of them in 66 days. I look at my ex and his new wife and think wow, that is what I'd be like if my life was on that path. Thank goodness it wasn't! If I had chose a different college, been a different major, made different friends....where would I be today? Who would I hang out with and what career would I be in?

I know that there is a reason for everything and that a path for me has been set, long before I was here. I just find it quite amusing as to how one little thing could change a whole big part. Kind of like the butterfly effect.

The butterfly effect is a metaphor that encapsulates the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory; namely, a small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere. Although this may appear to be an esoteric and unusual behavior, it is exhibited by very simple systems: for example, a ball placed at the crest of a hill might roll into any of several valleys depending on slight differences in initial position. The butterfly effect is a common trope in fiction when presenting scenarios involving time travel and with "what if" cases where one storyline diverges at the moment of a seemingly minor event resulting in two significantly different outcomes. 
(source : wikipedia)

I'd be willing to say, looking back...I'm not where I thought I'd be. I pictured myself married by 23 with 2 kids by now, working in a sports arena of life (physical therapy, athletic trainer, etc) and living in some really nice house. Real Life : I'm 18 days away from being 27, engaged to be married, no kids, working in marketing and living in a highrise. Not really the same. But like I said, I'm happy. Just funny to look back on what you wanted, correction, thought you wanted your life to be like. Is it just me, or does everyone go through this?

BRW 2011

One of the great perks to living in the city is that there's always good food within walking or driving distance. It's much harder to find fast food than it is a 4-star restaurant. Every year in Buckhead to they do BWR : Buckhead Restaurant Week. This year it's running from February 26 - March 6. 

A lot of local, both upscale and semi-casual, good restaurants participate in Buckhead Restaurant Week. For $25-$35 per person, you get to feast on a 3-Course Meal. Some of these meals would typically run upwards of $75 (if you're looking at The Capital Grille and a few others). It's usually pretty easy to make a reservation at these places and the portions are pretty good size. Personally, Mike and I are hitting up the The Capital Grille next Friday!

Later in the year there is also Midtown Restaurant Week (August 27-September 4) and Downtown Restaurant Week (May 28-June 5). If I were you and lived in the Atlanta area, I'd be making a reservation at one of these swanky, hip restaurants. If you can't make Buckhead Restaurant Week. shoot for one of the other weeks later in 2011!

Bon Appetit! 

Top 2 Tuesday : Top 2 Things You've Learned From Your Parents or Grandparents

Top 2 Things you've learned from your parents or grandparents

1. Trust your gut. If your mind/gut are telling you something, it's probably right! Don't discount what you think you should be doing and just go for it. No matter how it turns out, you'll be happy you did whatever it was. 

2. Believe in your dreams and go for it. If a door shuts, another will open. My family isn't full of quitters. We're all hard workers and go for what we want. If you don't try, you'll never know. If something turns up a dead end, there's a rainbow somewhere else with your pot of gold waiting. 

Where has the time gone? I can't believe this is the last full week of February. This year has already started to fly by. I've been pretty MIA lately and not so sparky on my wedding updates. So instead of wedding updates, how about a whole in general update, shall we?

We're 67 days away from the wedding. Holy cow it feels like the last months of our engagement have flown by in a blink of an eye. We're officially on the downhill of this marathon running home to the finish line. RSVP's are rolling in and we're about ready to start working on favors, seating charts and welcome bags that will be at the hotel. I can't believe in a mere 67 days this will all be over. What on earth will I spend my time on after this? Perhaps starting a family, working towards professional goals, maybe even run a half marathon. Lord only knows. But what I do know is that I can't believe we're so close to saying 'I Do' and being husband and wife.

On that same note, Mike and I are officially licensed to wed. We went and got our marriage license this past Friday. In the city of Atlanta, it takes 6 weeks POST marriage to get your marriage certificate. What I didn't realize, is how many of those said certificates I needed to work with different people to legally change my name. So far I've counted about 8. At $10.00 a pop, that's another $80 I have to spend ON TOP OF the $75 we spent for our marriage license. What a rip off. Regardless, we're now officially ready to get married.

A few of my good friends have had some great things to celebrate recently as well. My sweet friend Carla is getting married a mere 13 days before us in sunny Mexico. While we can't attend the wedding, we wish them much luck and love. My other friend Kristin and I will be hosting a shower for Carla on March 5th. We can't wait to celebrate with her. Kristin also just got engaged over Christmas and is getting hitched in August in Charleston. We are so excited for her and her Mike and can't wait to see them tie the knot. In other wedding news, our friends Megan and John are getting hitched the weekend after us in Tennessee. While we wont see them get married, we know it will be beautiful and wish them much joy and happiness! Erin and Jon recently got engaged and are in the thick of planning. It's been so fun to chat with her about all the things she wants! Can't wait for the big day a year from now! We also have some exciting family news, but you'll have to wait to hear what that is in a little bit. It deserves a post all in itself!

Mike and I's bachelor/bachelorette parties are only a few short weeks away. While he'll be partying up his single days in Las Vegas, my girls and I will head to Nashville, TN for a weekend of fun! Thanks to my sweet friend Lauren (and Sir Todd as well) for the Marriott hookup! I'm sure there will be more than one post about the bachelorette debauchery that will ensure in a few weeks. Not only will the trip to Nashville be my bachelorette party, it'll also be during my 27th birthday. Oy! I'm getting old! We're also having a "girls night out" later in March as a second bachelorette here in Atlanta for those who can't make Nashville. This will also help keep my mind off of Mike in Las Vegas! Can't wait for both of the parties.

Speaking of parties, we have a shower this upcoming weekend hosted by our awesome friends, Courtney, Devon and Maria. Needless to say, I CAN'T WAIT! It's a couples shower so there's bound to be lots of laughter, good drinks and good times. Thanks in advance ladies for all you have done and I know it will be beautiful and we are thankful beyond words for you hosting this for us!

Looking forward to the next 67 days and all the craziness that's in store.

Yeah, What She Said.

My sweet friend and fellow BAMA Alum blogged today about her take on the happening at Auburn. I am in 100% agreement. While I am a passionate Alabama Alumni and fan, stooping this low over a rivalry is a bit out of line. Hate it for all the Auburn grads, fans and students. I know that the tradition of rolling Toomer's Corner was big to them as are many of the Alabama traditions that we uphold.

I've Become A Stalker ...

Ever since we mailed our invitations out, I've become a stalker. A mailbox stalker that is. 

Literally the first thing I think about on my way home is, "I wonder how many pretty little envelopes will be waiting for me!?". Quite sad isn't it. We mailed out a total of 90 invitations to our guests (for a total guest count at 181). Only 2 mail days have passed and we've already received 17 responses back, leaving us a mere 73 more responses left (look at how quick I did that math!). Out of the 17 responses we've received, there is only one regret. At this rate, the wedding will be bigger than I thought!

So THANK YOU to those who have already sent their RSVP in. The way things are looking, I'll be able to turn in numbers and get my favors/seating chart board done early! We can't wait to get the rest and see who will be there with us on our big day!

My other neurotic stalking has become hotel rooms for the wedding. I swear I'm not crazy though ... it must be a bride thing! I check it everyday to see who has booked and to keep a tally of how many "welcome bags" we need to make! It's looking like a good group heeded the advice of staying and taking the shuttles versus driving (way to be smart, guys!). Maybe we'll stop by for an after party!

Speaking of booking hotel rooms, it's looking like Mike's Uncle Alan (and family) who live in New York are in the lead for furthest travelers from afar!

Congrats Are In Order!

Congratulations are in order for our sweet friends, Jon and Erin! Jon proposed this past weekend and of course, Erin said YES!

It's already been fun talking with Erin about wedding stuff and all the fun that comes with it! I know she'll be a beautiful bride and we wish them much luck and send lots of love during this wonderful time! My best advice...Enjoy the time as it goes fast and always remember to breathe, everything will be alright!

Sidenote, if you live in Atlanta and are looking for a vet, Erin is the BEST!

Sleepy Tuesday!

Miss Kona sure didn't want to get out of bed today. So instead of rushing her, I decided to have a little photo shoot! She loves the camera and even more than that, snuggling in bed until the very  last minute!

poking her head out when I told her it was time to wake up!

a bit of a morning hair look

really unsure about this whole waking up to a photo shoot thing!

still unsure, but feeling better about starting the day!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

While I know it's another Monday and a silly "Hallmark Holiday", I still love Valentine's Day. I tell Mike and those close to me that I love them all the time, but feel like today is a day to really make those who matter to you feel loved. I knew I'd want to be in a good mood today, so I hit up BLAST900 up early at 5:45 to get my morning started. When I got in my car, my navigation popped up a little note.

Guess this was his idea of a card? Either way, it was super sweet and cute. I wish it would stay on all day, but it only pops up the first time you start it up in the morning. Baby Kona and I got Mike some Valentine's Day cards and left them on the counter for him this morning.Got to work and had some chocolate waiting on my from my coworkers. They are too kind. Even though I'm watching what I eat and all, today is a splurge day (hence the workout in the AM!).

A little Valentine elf, perhaps Cupid himself, delivered some goodies as well.They are just too cute to eat! For now they can sit and stare at me from my desk! Mike really does like to make me feel special! Really looking forward to our dinner date tonight at Restaurant Eugene! I'll be sure to re-cap and give my $0.02 on how awesome the joint is.

To everyone out there in blogger-land, whether you "follow" and identify yourself or not, Happy Valentine's Day. Hope you enjoy it with the one you love, animal you love, or doing something that you love. If for nothing else, do something for yourself today! Everyone deserves to feel loved and special!

And They're Off....

The invites that is. We had a wedding party at my parents house where we worked out the kinks to the favors and seating chart board and stamped/put together the invites and I left them there in a pretty little box...organized and all.

taken @ the post office!

Well, the day has arrived. Today marks 8 weeks from our RSVP deadline. I'm one of those crazy people who like to have things in an orderly fashion and not to wait around for people to RSVP so instead of waiting the for the "8 weeks prior to the event rule", I went ahead and mailed my invites. I pranced on over to the Post Office near my work  this morning and delivered my 90 invitations (180ppl total) to the nice attendant. 89 of the invitations will be sent out domestic to people in 12 different states. The 90th and final invitation is being mailed to Papua New Guinea where my cousin, Sharon and her family live. I can't wait to see who travels the furthest to be in Atlanta on our wedding day. I might even do some sort of prize, because I'm just that cheesy!  I feel such relief and excitement knowing that they are on the way out to our guests! Most people will start to get the invitations as early as tomorrow and the rest will trickle into mailboxes early next week.

While our RSVP deadline isn't until April 9th, the sooner we get the RSVP's in, the better I'll feel and have a real idea about how many people will attend. With most of our guests being in Georgia or driving distance, I'm thinking we'll have a little more than the 70% response rate. Once the RSVP's start rolling in, we can start working on our seating chart board and favors. I'm hoping to get a lot of this done sooner rather than later so that I can enjoy the remainder of our engagement rather than stressing up until the last minute.

Tomorrow I hope to head to the store and figure out a way to keep track of the RSVP's. Some sort of box contraption that I can keep organized and on count for who will and will not be there. I can't wait to start receiving the pretty envelopes back with the RSVP cards in them!

Here's to hoping the guest count stays reasonable and that everything stays under control. Hold on tight, the ride is just now starting to take off!

Oh, and Happy Friday from Miss Kona. She recently got a haircut and had her first day at Doggie Day care!

Miss Kona post haircut!

All You Need Is Love

photo via here

Mike and I have decided to hit up one of Atlanta's little gems for Valentine's Day. While we haven't been to this restaurant before, we have heard nothing but rave reviews about it. Located on Peachtree Road in the heart of Buckhead, Restaurant Eugene is one of a kind.

Focusing on local farmers and creating dishes from scratch, Restaurant Eugene doesn't disappoint. Through supporting local farmers and suppliers they were able to start a Saturday morning farmers market just a few blocks away to ensure that their deliveries are fresh and local. This open air farmers market allows the public to also come and mingle, meet the farmers themselves and the ability to purchase local grown fruits, veggies and other healthy food! Typically we try to hit up this farmers market a few times a month. It's a great place to get veggies, health food and a quick and healthy lunch on a Saturday.

We're looking forward to heading to Restaurant Eugene on Valentine's for their 4-course pre-fixed menu. I can't wait to see what they serve us and to soak up the atmosphere. Post dinner we'll head home to hang out with Miss Kona and share the Valentine's love with her too since she's our baby girl!

No matter if you're spending Valentine's with your boyfriend, husband, wife, best friend or puppy... spend it with someone that you love and enjoy!

Dinner, Jousting, Comedy and Super Bowl Sunday....

I'm going to manage to have date night, watch a jousting match, get in on some improv comedy and watch the Super Bowl ALL in one weekend. Sounds exhausting already!

photo via here

Tonight Mike and I have date night. A nice way to end a rainy and cold Friday! We usually keep it low key on Friday's so I'm pretty excited to hang out with him tonight and Baby Kona after dinner. We're going to try out Highland Tap for dinner. We've gone for drinks before but never for a full meal. The rumor on the street is that they have great burgers and steaks!

photo via here 

Saturday is hopefully going to be a prettier day here in Atlanta than it was today. I plan on getting up early and hitting up bootcamp to get my metabolism in gear for what the rest of the day will hold. A lot of our friends are turning 30 this year so with that comes fun 30th birthday parties. The one we're going to Saturday night is a surprise party at Medieval Times. What is Medieval Times you might ask? Well it's 2 hrs of jousting in a makeshift 11th century style Medieval Spain castle. Fully equipped with a 4-course meal and hopefully crowns and tiaras. Only caveat...booze is pricey and there is NO silverware...as in, you eat with your hands. Needless to say, I'm stashing some from the office as my nails are too pretty to get nasty turkey leg under neath the nails and my clothes are too nice to have grease running down them!  We're also hitting up another birthday party post jousting and turkey legs. We'll be meeting up with another group for some laughs and hopefully not too embarrassing of a time at Whole World Theatre in downtown Atlanta. Looking forward to so improv comedy. Never been here but we were assured it will be a good time. I'll give you my full report post weekend.

Also this weekend is the clash of the cheese heads and steel makers. The XLV Super Bowl will I'm sure be boring as usual. Sadly, I'm not really a fan of either team so I'll be sporting gold since it is neutral for both teams. I really watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, though the last 2 years I've been quite disappointed with what the advertisers have come up with. Budweiser has already started their "teaser" commercials...even those aren't enticing. The one good thing about Super Bowl Sunday, Glee will have a new episode post game and it looks like Michael Jacksons' Thriller will be jammed out by the lungs of the cast. We're attending a party hosted by our sweet friends Jon and Erin at their home. Can't wait to help cook up some goodies and hang out with our friends. Here's to hoping it'll be nice enough to hang out by the fire pit rather than everyone being inside!

Who are you cheering for? 

images via here

images via here

Happy Friday and hope you guys have a great weekend!

89 Days Until Paradise!

Once the nuptials are said and done and all the wedding guests go home, it'll be time for Mike and I to head to paradise! We decided not to leave right after the wedding for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one was stress and being too tired! We'll be leaving first thing Monday morning (Day 2 of being a married couple...eek!). Next stop post wedding bliss....

image via here

Mike's parents graciously gave us First Class round trip tickets to and from our 2 week honeymoon to Hawaii as well as paid for all of our hotel stays during this time. We'll be there for 11 nights, 12 days and visit 3 islands. Mike has been doing a lot of research and has finally made us an agenda! Here is what we'll be doing while in Hawaii!

Week 1:

• Monday: Arrive in Honolulu, Hawaii. Check out the scene and hit up Bailey's Shirt Shop. Bailey's has over 15,000 alhoa/Hawaiian shirts to choose from! We'll be sure to bring some home for everyone!
• Tuesday: Depart Honolulu and Arrive in Kauai! Take the day to spend on the beach and relax! 
• Wednesday: In the morning, we'll be hitting up Kipu Ranch Adventures for an ATV tour! We'll be going on the Waterfall tour which takes you on a 4 hour tour around Kauai and see where they've filmed movies as well as play in the waterfalls and enjoy lunch! Later that day we'll hit the beach! 
• Thursday: Can't wait for Thursday morning! We're going snorkeling on the Na Pali coast with a tour by Capt Andy’s! We'll get to see a lot of what the Na Pali coast has to offer as well as snorkel with some fishies and hopefully some turtles and sharks! Another beach afternoon is in store for this day as well! 
• Friday: We are planning to hike from the beach to Hanakapi Waterfall and just take in the sights. Hopefully we'll be back in time for some pool and frozen drink action later in the day! 
• Saturday: Beach day and massages! Can't wait to get a much needed massage while in paradise!

Week 2:

• Sunday:Depart Kauai and head to Maui! Take the day to spend on the beach and relax! 
• Monday:We'll be doing the sunrise bike tour through Bike Maui! After arriving at Halekala's 10,023' summit, we get to bike down down and watch sunrise! Monday night we'll also hit up the Honua'ula Luau! I can't WAIT for this! I've always wanted to go and with this one being bottomless MaiTai's and walking distance to our hotel, it's gonna be great! 
• Tuesday: We'll also be snorkeling in Maui at Molokini with Trilogy adventures! This is supposed to be one of the best snorkeling sites in all of Hawaii!                          
• Wednesday: Another first for me will be Ziplining in Maui! We'll be going though Flyin Hawaiian. This 8 zipline tour will take us through West Maui mountains. Can't wait to see it from  high up!                              
• Thursday: Lastly we'll do the Road to Hana, hit up the beach and unfortunately by that time it'll be time to pack up and head back to reality! 
• Friday: Beach and Depart to head back home to Atlanta! 

 Needless to say, we're going to be busy, but when you're that far away from home and in a new place, you want to try everything! Very much looking forward to spending our first days as husband and wife in Hawaii and hopefully coming back with a nice tan, lots of pictures and some great memories!

Four Months Old and Already Spoiled Rotten!

Miss Kona is 4 months old today! She's more spoiled than most babies! We love her so much and I don't know what I'd do without her and I hardly remember what it was like to not have a puppy! She's growing, learning and  such a little cuddle bug. Her curls are finally starting to come in and she's starting to get wiggly teeth that are about to fall out! I forgot to take more pictures, but here are a few to hold you over...try not to get lost in the cuteness :)

snuggling with her toys

dancing in her UGA cheer outfit

hanging out in her new Valentine's tshirt!

how could you NOT love this face?!

3 Months and Counting...

Things are really starting to pick up on the wedding front! We're 88 days away from saying 'I Do' and from becoming just a couple to husband and wife. I can't believe how close it is and how much time has already passed!

We now have both of our wedding bands. I picked Mike's up in early January and it looks great. He isn't so sure of the idea of a ring yet, but he'll get there. In no time after wearing it he'll not even realize it's there...hopefully! We went with Tungsten for him since he didn't want anything too flashy or shiny. Mine was ready when we picked his up, however I wasn't happy with how thick the band was and how the diamonds were set. They had to redo it for me and I just picked it up yesterday. I was really impressed with how it turned out after the "re-do". Much better. It's a lot of bling though! I'd post pictures, but I don't want to share just yet what my band/ring looks like. You'll just have to wait!

Sunday was wedding project central at my parents house! Kerri, Danialle and Lauren came over for reinforcement! They were great little wedding elfs! We got all the invites organized, addressed and stamped up ready to go. While I'm not mailing these for another 2.5 weeks, at least I can rest easy knowing that the process is complete. For now they're sitting in a box ready for me to pick up and take to the post office!

We also worked on our seating chart board. I got inspiration from a Martha Stewart post a long time ago and was set on doing it! We hunted down some gorgeous ivory fabric with a bit of a pattern (nothing too overbearing), a 30x40 canvas, map pins and some little envelopes. I can't wait to see this all come together! I've always been the traditional with a twist kind of person and that's carrying right through my wedding as well!

The real jam came when we started working on the favors. I blogged about the mason jars I'm doing for each person attending.  While we tried more than a million different ways to make them work with the lime green krinkle paper, ultimately we decided to fill them full with M&M's. This was going to call for WAY more than we had anticipated however, thanks to the generosity of a certain "fairy", we're able to make this work. I'm ecstatic and FOREVER grateful to the "fairy" that made it possible. We're still waiting on the M&M's to arrive and then we'll be filling them up and tying on the tags. Can't wait to see how they look on the tables!

On the sour note, my first dress fitting didn't go as well as I wanted. While it fit beautifully in the legs/waist area...it didn't zip at the rib cage...even when clasped at the top. Our seamstress is letting the dress out about 1/2 inch to see if this will help alleviate the problem. I'm worried the shape of the dress will be lost (which would ruin the dress) and that it will look like it was let out. Hopefully this doesn't happen because if it does, we'll be right back at square one with no dress...and very little time! I'm slightly concerned about how it will now look, but am trying to keep my hopes up and spirits up as to it looking flawless.

Most everything else is right on track! We've got another shower on deck in late February hosted by our dear friends Courtney, Devon and Maria. Can't wait to celebrate with everyone and really kick it into party gear! Then it's onto the Bachelorette party, which is still in the works!

My sanity is still in tact, but I feel it slipping away. Any advice on staying calm and keeping it all in check is always welcomed and appreciated :)