Finally Friday!!

Why is it that the first work week after a long weekend feels like it's never, ever going to end?!  I try hard not to wish the days away but good gracious, there were a few times this week when I was watching the minute second slooooowly drag towards 5 o'clock.  But FRIDAY is finally here and I'm pretty darn excited for the weekend!  We've hit that point in the summer where it seems like there are things happening every single weekend, so we try to enjoy the rare relaxing Saturday and Sunday whenever we can.  The next handful of weekends are jam-packed with wedding (squee!) and family things, so I plan to soak up every second of my free time in the next two days!

Every year for the last four years, Brian and his friends from high school put on a huge golf tournament.  And when I say friends from high school, it's like all friends and acquaintances-- there are 32 of them that group off into fours and drink and play the day away.  I actually kind of love it because everyone ALWAYS makes it a point to be here for the tournament.  Kids that have moved away come home.  Vacations are planned around the Daly.  All girlfriends/fiancees/wives make sure to write the confirmed weekend in their planners as soon as the date is booked because it would take an act of God to interfere with this weekend.  And now the guys are starting to get married, kids will come along in the next several years, and they all talk about how fun it will be when THEIR kids show up at the end of the tournament to see dad.  I mean really-- melt my darn heart.  

On the other hand, one of the requirements of completing the tournament is that you have to consume an obscene amount of beer before the 18th hole, so they're pretty sloppy by the end.  Enter moi, the yearly chauffeur.  There is no shame in my "You have no choice-- I'm picking you up" game, and Brian's best friends have come to rely on my driving services as well.  I even show up at the end of the night with a bag of McDonald's and Gatorade (prize-winning fiancee, right here) and drop them off in their driveways.  

While the boys are golfing, I fully intend to make my usual rounds to Target and Trader Joe's, stop by Michael's and Pier 1 to pick up a few wedding-related items, and then park myself at the beach for the day!  My second wedding shower is next Saturday and there are few things that look worse on a pale bride-to-be than a white dress.  So I'm trying to safely get a little color so I don't look like Casper Katie.  And nothing beats relaxing with your toes in the sand, a a good book in your hands, and the ocean in front of you.

Sunday we have zero plans, which I'm hoping leads to a late morning sleeping in, a yummy breakfast, and putting together a few wedding crafts (me) and watching golf/recovering (Brian).  Round that off with a date night dinner, and I think I've just described my perfect end to a weekend.  Hope you lovelies enjoy your two days ahead of freedom as well!

4th of July weekend in New Hampshire!

Kicking off the Monday after a fabulous long weekend is always so tough, especially when your last few days have consisted of sipping cocktails and relaxing in the sunny weather!

We drove up to New Hampshire early Friday morning and were lucky enough to not hit any traffic along the way!  Armed with my Kindle and the new Jennifer Weiner book (honestly, I kind of loved it and blew through it in a day and a half!), I was the ideal co-pilot/navigator.

With Arthur blowing into town, we were a little worried that we'd either get hit with really bad weather, or get stuck with everyone else heading out of Boston, but things were smooth sailing and after a quick stop at the liquor barn, we made it to Tilton in record time.  After a quick stop to check-in at our bed and breakfast, we headed over to Brian's family's condo for some fun... right about the time that the skies opened up.

There were twelve people in that condo, including us, so we had to keep busy or we'd all have gone nuts!  So we alternated between games on the beach when the rain slowed down and it was just lightly sprinkling, working on a puzzle on the porch... and drinking.  When it's raining and there's nothing else to do, how else do you occupy your time?!  One of the cousins had purchased 120 sparklers for the weekend, so we spent a good amount of time outside playing with those and trying to slow-spell words (big fat fail, thanks to no better cameras present than our iPhones).

Please note all of the patriotic gear.  Every single person came decked out in red, white and blue, completely unplanned-- loved it!

We stayed pretty late, hoping to wait out the rain since we had a decent walk back to our car from the condo.  People around the lake were trying to rally and set off a few fireworks here and there in the rain, so we turned off all of the lights and were sitting around on the porch to see that.  The whole fun of the lake on the Fourth is to take the boat out and see all of the fireworks going off all above you and around the lake.  We did it last year and it was the perfect end to the day!  Oh well-- can't help Mother Nature!

At one point, someone proposed the idea of telling ghost stories since we were all sitting in the dark anyways.  I hate being scared.  Legitimately just... hate the feeling.  And honestly, thinking about ghosts scares me WAY more than thinking of someone coming after me in the woods or something, a la Halloween/Friday the 13th.  No, Paranormal Activity will about do me in and knock any possibility of sleep out my realm for a good few nights.  So add ghost stories to the fact that we were staying in a spooky B&B and I was fit to be tied sitting there listening to all of that mess.  We finally left around 11pm and you can bet that I slept with the TV on in our room all night long.

Saturday we woke up the most absolutely GORGEOUS day.  After a quick breakfast, we headed back over to the condo to find EVERYONE sitting around on the boat or floating off of the dock.  It was the perfect way to start the day and just RELAX.

Unfortunately, "relax" isn't a word that resonates well with some of the family members, so sunning on the boat quickly turned into a field/beach day, involving several other families in the little condo community.  There were tournaments galore-- volleyball, corn hole, KanJam, washers.  

The volleyball crew, minus me and the girls.

 I can play corn hole all day long, but an athlete I am not, so volleyball just isn't my thing-- I actually kind of hate it.  So imagine my relief when the neighbors came up and wanted to play, too.  I quickly retreated to my chair with my Vino2Go and was ALL SET.

After lunch and a stop for drink refills, we headed out for a boat trip around the lake with some of my favorites!  Again, non-athlete writing here, so I enjoy the breeze and sip a beverage while cheering on and taking pictures of whomever may be wakeboarding at the time.

Fantastic friend, bridesmaid, and Brian's cousin's wife, Candice!

Brian all ready for wakeboarding

He's braver than me!

We had the big OAR/Phillip Phillips concert to get ready for that night, so we decided to head back to our B&B to shower and get ready (and to take a breather and relax for a hot second, justbeinghonest).  After a bath, coconut lotion, and a good sock bun, I was like a new woman!  I can't lie, after being going non-stop all day, I wasn't sure I'd be able to rally for the night (old person, party of 1), but once we'd made our way back to the condo, everyone's excitement for the night ahead was contagious and my yawns turned into smiles.  We had a quick dinner of burgers and salad, stopped for a few pictures, and then were on our way!

We went to see Journey (minus Steve Perry, so faux-Journey) last summer, and the venue was absolutely mobbed.  Apparently OAR doesn't draw quite as big of a crowd because the place was about half full.  I can't complain-- the sun stayed out all day, and once it went down, everything cooled off just perfectly, so on top of not being packed into our seats, and it made the evening that much more enjoyable!  We stopped for drinks then made our way to our seats for the show-- such a fun night!

#palepeopleprobs aka, our children have no chance of being tan

the scene of summer.

I was a little more excited about OAR than Mr. Phillips, so no pictures of them but they were pretty fantastic!  All in all it was such a fun night, and I think everyone agrees that a concert trip will become a summer tradition for everyone-- love that! 

Yesterday morning we were up and at breakfast pretty early (Hawaiian Eggs Benedict, oh yes ma'am!), made a quick stop at the outlets, then were back on the road by 10:30am to head home.  I'd heard horror stories about traffic coming back into Boston after a holiday weekend, so we both wanted to make sure we were well ahead of the rush.  Brian's cousins actually got stuck in the thick of it right around 2pm, so we were lucky!  We were back at the apartment by 12:30, and after a stop at the grocery store and easy dinner, I got to relax on the couch and finish my book while Brian cooked-- basically my perfect night.

And now we're back to Monday!  Thankfully the day is going by relatively quickly, but the work week after a holiday weekend always seems so terribly LONG!  Hope y'all had a fabulous Fourth of July weekend!!

High maintenance.

We have big plans for the weekend of July 4th to head up to New Hampshire to Brian's aunt and uncle's condo on Lake Winnisquam and spend a couple of days with his cousins and their girlfriends/boyfriends/spouses while indulging in lots of beverages, boat time and a concert on the night of the fifth which I am nerdily excited for... nerdily excited to the point that I almost don't want to tell you who's performing.  But I've reached the age of "I have no shame," so i'll share-- it's Phillip Phillips and OAR.  

source

I'm telling myself this will be a good combo, because I love Mr. Phillips and his Dave Matthews-esque stomping and dancing around the stage (plus "Home" makes me at least tear up every single time I hear it), and I think Brian's having a big ole flashback to yesteryear with OAR.  We've been debating what kind of crowds these two acts will attract, and we've settled on a combination of the following: a fair share of teeny boppers with "Marry Me Phillip!!" signs, frat-tastic bros, hippies (we're in backwoods NH after all), and the ever-present group of girls dressed in sundresses and Jacks and guys in polos and boat shoes in their mid to late 20s (in case you're wondering that's where we fall).  I think it will be a fun night, although it definitely freaks me out a little that we're now attending shows of bands that we liked when they were new and at their peak, they went away for awhile, and now they're back for a comeback tour (so, we're getting old).

The one negative of the weekend is that we'll be staying in a hotel instead of at the condo with everyone else.  That's not actually a negative for me because I love staying in hotels, but long story short, it would be saving a lot of buckaroos because the rooms weren't exactly cheap near a hugely popular lake the weekend of July 4th, and while Brian suggested a tent and I think he was half-kidding, I laid down the "I would rather not go than sleep on the ground outside in July" law.  The hotel ended up being our only option because while the condo is the perfect size for his aunt, uncle and their kids (and significant others), but once additional people start adding on, it gets a little cramped.  Plus there's only one bathroom and no air conditioning, and as bratty and first world problem as it may sound... I need the air conditioning.  This need is a source for many pointless arguments between myself and B, but I will argue for cool air probably until the day that I die.  This has earned me the honor of being called high maintenance, and I'm totally fine with that.

I blame it on being a born and raised Texan-- as soon as the temps hit the high 70s, the air conditioning came on, because although the heat may not have been bad yet, you could guarantee that the humidity would be stifling.  In the summer, you race from the house to the car, crack the windows and crank the AC to get the heat out before you get in, drive to your destination, and then sprint into the air-conditioned building.  I am not made for heat-- my hair loses its curl, I get angry and irritated REAL fast, and I will potentially sweat to death.  High maintenance.

When I first decided to move to Boston and began the apartment search, I was laughed off the phone by real estate agent after real estate agent when I said that I'd like a unit with air conditioning.  Needless to say, that was not in my budget.  But you can bet that the day after I moved in, I took the train to Best Buy, bought myself a window unit, carried it home in my arms on the train, and set it up myself.  It may have meant I spent the majority of the summer locked in my room with a towel shoved under the door so the cold air couldn't seep out, but I was nice and cool.  High maintenance.

When Brian and I first started looking for our first apartment together, I knew that central air would, once again, be a necessity.  If you're wondering, yes, we found it, and yes, aside from in-unit washer and dryer, it's the best decision we've made.  While central AC is becoming more and more common around here, there are still plenty of apartments and homes that just... don't have it.  Growing up, Brian's house had zero AC, and then when his parents remodeled once he was in high school, they took the jump and added it on.  So, he grew up with open windows 24/7.  There have been times that we nearly came to blows over the fact that we have central AC, I'm absolutely burning up, and he's covered up under a blanket, but he insists the windows are open.  We've come to a semi-compromise that if it's cool enough outside and the humidity isn't terrible, that we'll leave the windows open until bed, and then turn on the AC so I don't have to be hot during the night.  High maintenance.

And now we're house hunting.  Our budget is pretty fair for the average late-20s couple in our area (or so I'd like to think), so it is, shall I say... sort of limited?  We've been on the hunt for several months now and we've found maybe three houses that had "Our First Home" potential, and we lost them all.  I may or may not be complicating the process by refusing to look at any home that either does not already have central AC, or does not have the duct work already done to easily install central AC (a mere $1000, which I would gladly pay myself and YES, I have looked into it), and I refuse to feel guilty for that.  I want to be cool and comfortable in my own home, and there is nothing cool and comfortable about immediately beginning to sweat when you get out of the shower.  High maintenance.

At least I come by it honestly.  My mom, aunt, and two of my bridesmaids are planning my shower at home in Texas (which is next weekend, whoop whoop!) and when they went to look at the venue where it's being held, they had two options of rooms to decide between-- a loft space which was tight to fit everyone but had full access to the open deck, or a larger open room with plenty of space to spread out but no open patio.  My mom told me later that when the coordinator kept pushing for the smaller room with patio access, my mom finally told her "Look ma'am, it will be mid-June, and we do not like to be hot.  We would like the room with all of the air conditioning PLEASE."  High maintenance-- I got it from my mama.

Now, I'm not a completely ridiculous person.  I do love a good summer day like anyone else.  Being outside when I'm dressed and prepared for the heat?  Totally fine.  I love a good run outside on a hot and humid summer morning-- there's nothing more cleansing than spending an hour sweating all of the junk out of your body.  Going on a hike, sitting at the beach or on the boat, doing outside things... all fantastic, because I can prepare myself.  I can not do my hair, put on just a little makeup, and wear clothes that are going to make me the least hot.  But when I get full-blown ready and end up sweating my makeup off and trying to make my hair work in a topknot, things are going to get ugly.  So let's try to keep things nice and cool and I won't lose mine.

Wedding Wednesday: DIY Ribbon Drink Stirrers

When we first started planning this wedding, I knew that there were a lot of details that I wanted to include in the big day, but also knew that we were on a budget, and that I'd much rather put money towards great food and music versus... drink flags.  On a good day, I'm pretty crafty, and I like the idea of having a personal touch added to the extras, rather than just bulk ordering everything offline (no shame in that game though, because there are also things that would require more patience than I possess to make with my own two hands, so certain websites are already bookmarked to check THOSE items off of my list), so I thought I would venture out and tackle a project that was small enough to be completed and tucked away in our teensy little apartment until November.  

Enter the ribbon drink stirrers.  I've had this cute little idea pinned for a loooong time and went back and forth with different options, knowing I wanted fun little accents for the drinks but not realizing how many potential things you could stick into a cocktail glass.  

via Style Me Pretty

Cute except I couldn't get past waving a white flag and surrendering. 

via Style Me Pretty

A fun monogram AND a "Cheers!"  Yes, please!

via Martha Stewart Weddings

These were top of my list until B said "No, just... no." 

via Martha Stewart Weddings

Again with the cute saying and the initials.

via Martha Stewart Weddings

The color of the drink!  The polka dot straw!  The glass!  The mint!  Swoonworthy.

With (mostly) helpful input from Brian, we went with simple ribbon flags.  I opted to use this tutorial in an attempt to keep the ribbon simple, relating to our colors, and not take me hours upon hours to do when there are bigger wedding fish to fry than individually writing a message on a drink flag that people are going to throw away (thanks for the reality check, B).  
The image from the tutorial was a good starting point...

... but I quickly realized that I was going to have to fine-tune this project to be my own.

When I set out last Saturday afternoon to gather the materials for this little project, I thought I would just find a pack of stirrer straws, the cutest gray and white striped ribbon in the world, and I'd be on my way home.  THREE stores later, I was empty handed and standing in the ribbon aisle at Michael's about to lose my mind.  There was nothing close to a stirrer stick, and at one point I had a package of sticks used for cake pops in my hand and had to call Brian to ask if he could Google what they're made of and if they'd work for drinks (for the record, they're made of paper and no, they do not work for drinks).  Nearing my limits, I finally texted Brian this picture and asked him to pick two:

Of course I headed home with all three and found a package of wooden sticks that seemed suitable.  Once home, I set up a little work station on the floor, and started cutting ribbon.  And cutting, and cutting... and cutting.  At one point I must have heavy-sighed because Brian said "I think I'll have a drink-- want a glass of wine?  You look like you might be there awhile..."  Why yes please, kind sir!  And I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that last part.  Armed with my glass of red and "Horrible Bosses" on TV, I just kept measuring and cutting through the spools.  

Honestly, if you're considering this project for yourself, this was the most time consuming part, cutting the ribbon.  The first few were super short but I thought they looked fun and kind of kicky until B put one in my wine glass and demonstrated that it was perfect length to poke in your nose and he was sure he knew some of our guests who would find that fantastically funny.  That stick went in the trash, and I started measuring longer, right at 7 inches for each piece of ribbon.

All of the pieces were cut and I paused to eat dinner and then set up shop in the bedroom to watch a movie while Brian watched a game to start actually tying them on to the sticks.  After my first glass of wine, another with dinner, and a third accompanying me post-dinner, my eyes started to get a little heavy, but I kept on trucking, thinking that I really wanted it done.  Loop the ribbon, pull through, knot, tighten the pieces, tighten the knot.  Repeat times two hundred.  I thought I was doing awesome, but my hand got a cramp so I figured I'd wait a few minutes and pick back up.  

... and then my eyes opened, three hours later.  To the sound of Brian hysterically laughing as he woke me up.  I apparently had fallen asleep with all of my gray and gold ribbon pieces scattered around me on the bed, which he of course took a picture of and which I will not be sharing with you today.  

Sunday morning I picked back up where I left off and finished these babies off!  The final product?

A total of 200 fun little ribbon stirrers.  I ended up not using the gold because it was a little too light with the light wood stick, so gray and gold were the way to go!  It took longer than it should have because I remeasured a few times, but once I got going, the process flew by.

My first wedding DIY project is in the books!

Monday -3, Katie- ZERO

Good grief, today is such a Monday and 5 o'clock cannot get here soon enough, am I right?  

My morning started off just peachy-- I got Brian all packed up and off to work, and took my time getting ready, picking my outfit for the day... no rushing.  After flipping through every single shirt in my closet, I decided today was going to be a "You win some, you lose some" fashion day, and accepted the loss as a "You just aren't going to look fancy today, my dear" while pulling on a boring pair of black pants and a top.  

Brian's summer softball league starts tonight, so on his way out the door he left the credit card that he likes to use for gas and asked if I could fill the car up today (because we wasted an obscene amount driving around yesterday looking at open houses which was a big fat FAIL), and I said of course.  As I grabbed my lunch, stuck the card in my purse, and headed out the door, I was even the tiniest bit giddy because I was a few minutes EARLY (rare, very rare for me).  

The jinx started there because I hit every red light between our apartment and my parking lot, so by the time I parked and headed inside I was running a few minutes late (Monday -1, Katie -0).  Up the elevator I went, plopped my stuff down at my desk, and I went to flip on my laptop when... oh mother of *&*#@!* my laptop is sitting all packed up and pretty on our living room couch.  Friday afternoon I had worked from home and completely forgot to grab the darn thing this morning, so back to the apartment I drove (thankfully we only live a few minutes away, but still, Monday -2, Katie -0).  I figured I was already running late and would be staying late, so why not just get the gas now rather than fight traffic after work?  So I start digging around in my purse, looking immediately in the pocket where I knew I'd put it and... no card.  "Okay, Katie, don't panic... you must have missed the pocket and stuck it in the pocket in front of the zipper."  I park back at work and thoroughly look through my purse, also checking cup holders, the seat crevices (gag), the floor... NOTHING.  "SHIT.  Okay, now you may start to panic." 

I tore my desk apart, my purse and my gym bag, my lunch bag, my laptop bag... the mothereffing card is nowhere to be found.  And I didn't go anywhere in between the apartment, work, back to the apartment and then work!  I'm really really hoping that I picked it up at home and put it down somewhere and thought that I put it in my purse, but I really don't think so.  Thinking Brian would be uber pro-active and cancel his card, I let him know what happened and he told me to relax and just check again after work at home when I have time to really look-- thank goodness for an understanding fiance.  So, that's my plan after work-- go home and turn the apartment upside down looking for the darn tiny little plastic card.  I did fill the car up (both with gas and my own guilt) at lunch, so that's done, but the kicker is, Brian is ALWAYS telling me "Make sure you put my card in your wallet so you don't lose it!" and of course, I did not.  Monday -3, Katie -0.

And with that, I wave my white flag to today.  Thank goodness I keep Monday as my flex day for the gym, so if I go, then it's like bonus points, but if I don't, then I don't beat myself up over it because I never actively plan anything (like a class or a legs/arms day) on a Monday.  Remember, I have the apartment to myself for three entire hours (AT LEAST!!) tonight, so I totally plan to take a good ole bath while reading a book and donning a face mask, and then relax on the couch with my Real Housewives of _____ friends (I don't really care where they're from tonight, I just need to laugh at their nonsense).  

Could there be a better remedy for the Monday from hell?  I think not.

Wedding Wednesday... on Thursday

There were a couple of months not too long ago where I definitely hit a wedding planning lull, and I've told myself that that's not necessarily a bad thing, and that I likely needed a mental break!  We were at a point where we had booked all of our big vendors, but were too far away from the wedding to start really focusing on all of the little details, like DIY projects, figuring out favors, etc. so I just kind of took a breather and spent a lot of time browsing Pinterest (which will assuredly lead to being the end of me, I honestly have no doubt).

And then the six month mark hit a few weeks ago, and we're now looking at 170 days until I get to marry my best friend and EVERYTHING IS FAST FORWARD... but I'm so pumped.  Our day-of coordinator sent me our updated timeline yesterday and there was one bit of time set aside for "bride to be bustled" and then "bride and groom have first dance" and I got a little teary, and then couldn't stop smiling-- I'm so stinking excited for all of this, I almost cannot stand it!

Even more exciting is the fact that we're getting to that time where wedding events are starting to happen!  One month from today I'll be home with some of the best and closest women to me in the world, enjoying my very first bridal shower!  They've kept me completely in the dark about all of the details, so other than the guest list and vacation, I'm clueless (and I love it!!).  It will be so nice to be home with Brian for a few days to relax and enjoy time with my people.  I have big plans for a haircut on Friday afternoon, and my Daddy will undoubtedly be firing up the grill because ribs are Brian's "thing" and my dad makes the best!

Now, for checking things off of my obnoxious to do list!

PRE-CANA-- check!
Holy moly, y'all.  Two weekends ago we had our pre-Cana retreat at a little Catholic center about a half an hour away from where we live.  The class started at 9am, which meant we had to be on the road by 8:15am at the latest.  Go ahead and cue the grumpy fiance, add in a humid, rainy morning, and top it off with the fact that the class was from 9am-4:30pm, and you had two very unexcited soon-to-be-newlyweds.  When we arrived, they directed us down to a conference room for coffee and muffins, and said we could find everyone else across the hall.  We had no idea what to expect, thinking there would maybe be 2-3 other couples, and this would be a really intensive one-on-one kind of day.  Nope-- TWENTY other couples sat there looking just as excited for the day as we were.  

After 7 hours of small group work, lectures, and a full Mass, we received our lovely little certificate saying that we had passed (alleluia).  We'd had big plans to go to dinner and toast to our success at a nice little spot on the water, but we were wiped. out.  So what did we do instead?

We drove straight to the only Tex-Mex restaurant around and drank beer-ritas the size of our heads with a side of chips and queso, obviously.  And then we went home and drank wine and ordered takeout Indian food because REWARDS are just necessary sometimes.

Although we didn't have a choice to NOT take the class (in order to be married at our church, anyways), I was really glad at the end of the day that we had to sit through it all.  There was something kind of comforting as we went around our small groups and shared our grievances and the things that we love about our partners-- I realized that I'm not the only one who wants to throw away all of his socks when I find stragglers just laying around on the floor, and that having to compromise on TV time because a game is on (regardless of the team, it's just the fact that a game is on and apparently must be watched) is a common thing.  And I think it comforted Brian to realize that it was not a coincidence that he heard the word "Pinterest" float around that room 57 times and that his fiancee has not completely gone over to the dark side alone, and that girls as a whole tend to cry at the drop of a hat, particularly when elbow-deep in wedding shenanigans.  There were writing exercises for ourselves, and writing exercises that we shared with each other, and something about it made getting married so very real.  I am the biggest culprit of getting caught up in the "I'm Planning A Wedding!" side of being engaged and worrying too much about stirrers vs. straws, the stamp on our cocktail napkins, which font should I use for signage, so having that one full day where we had to sit back as a couple without any interruptions and focus on the marriage part of our wedding brought it all back home for both of us.  Our wedding is one day but our marriage is FOR-E-VER (points if you said that like Squints from the Sandlot), and THAT is pretty damn exciting!

GROOM/GROOMSMEN SUITS-- check!
This past Saturday we headed out to find suits for the boys, and Brian (of course) had them chosen in approximately 10 minutes.  When we first started planning, we had both agreed that we liked the less formal look of charcoal gray suits, versus tuxes.  I do love the classic, elegant look of a tux, but our ceremony is at 1:30pm, and I just feel like it's a little more formal than the direction we've pictured for our wedding, and Brian was pretty set on not having his guys waste $200 on a tux rental, which is understandable. We went back and forth and I finally told myself to pick my battles with this wedding planning, and let Brian have at it to choose suits for himself and his groomsmen.  The majority of his groomsmen work in the corporate world where an investment in a new suit makes sense, so off we went to make our decision! 

There was one point where we had 8 different suits in identical varying shades of charcoal gray and I think I started to feel chest pains.  Who knew that a suit had the potential to be stitched eleventy billion different ways?  Well, as of 3pm on Saturday, I did.  Brian's pretty good with suit shopping though, and he went in knowing what he wanted.  After trying on a few different options, he'd made his pick and we were off with instructions to start collecting measurements from the guys-- easy stuff!

I can't find a picture of the suit, but the color is similar to this (minus the vests): 

WEDDING BANDS-- partial check!
We technically have plenty of time before we need to choose our wedding bands, but let's be honest-- if I have a chance to go in and look for a suitable lifelong partner for my engagement ring, I'M GONNA DO IT.  I was also kind of (really) excited to see a ring on Brian's hand!  He is definitely not a jewelry guy, like doesn't even wear a watch, so it was a little weird at first seeing that lovely band on his finger, and I'm pretty sure he was equally weirded out!  We went through all of the metal options and widths and designs and... good gracious, there are lots of options for the menfolk!  But we both agreed on one that looks great and complements his personality and lifestyle (the man works at a desk and in meetings and plays golf, so he didn't exactly need the titanium), but are going to go in a little closer to the wedding to make the final choice.  We did have a small conflict when I pointed out, very jokingly, that the ring may affect his golf game and he looked totally stricken, and then said he would just take it off when he golfs.  I THINK NOT, DEAR SIR.  We'll see where we get with that one... 

I absolutely love the one that we chose for me too-- it has the same style and feel as my engagement ring but is a tiny bit different so that they're each their own thing.  I don't plan to have them soldered together, so they don't necessarily have to match and lay flush against each other.  SO, that was fun!

This week had a REAL fun loop thrown into the mix. All along, we've planned to have a 2pm ceremony without a full Nuptial Mass, which would allow us plenty of time to get to our reception venue for pictures afterwards.  We aren't doing a First Look, so while we'll take as many pictures separately as we can pre-ceremony, we'll still need pictures after, and since Daylight Savings Time falls the weekend before the wedding, we're literally racing against daylight for pictures!  We assumed there wouldn't be any issues but after speaking with our priest earlier this week, we realized that he most definitely was going to STRONGLY insist on a full Mass.  After using my legit negotiating skills, I not only got him to agree to letting a ceremony or full Mass being left up to our decision, but he also agreed to a 1:30pm Mass instead of 2pm.  I feel like a got a Catholic gold star-- this priest is extremely old school, so the fact that he was willing to work with me was epic!  SO, we're now having a full Mass at 1:30pm, and it will be fabulous.

This is the wordiest Wedding Wednesday (on Thursday) ever, so I'm outta here!

Six Months to Go!!!

Y'ALL.  As of yesterday, we are SIX MONTHS from the wedding!!  I am managing to feel thrilled/terrified/nervous/stressed/giddy all at once and it's kind of fabulous!  To say that shit is getting real around here would likely be the understatement of the year.  

Since Day 1, I've had a pretty legit list that has kept me sane/pushed me towards the edge, but it's nice to be able to go back to something and physically check things off, and see what else I have ahead of me to take care of.  Let me introduce you to my personal crazy...

Set a date 

Book church 

Book venue 

Book photographer 

Book florist 

Book DJ 

Book videographer - debating on this one

Book makeup artist and hair stylist - have salon reserved; need to stop in

Book personal trainer 

Ask wedding party to be in the wedding 

Email groomsmen with details 

Create wedding website 

Take engagement photos - Saturday, May 17

Register (Macy's Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel) 

Book flight for TX shower in June 

Book flight for bachelorette party in September 

Buy THE DRESS and my veil 

Choose bridesmaids dresses 

Order bridesmaids dresses - by May 16 

Choose and order groomsmen suits and accessories 

Choose shirt, tie, socks we'll give as groomsmen gifts 

Choose and order ring bearer outfit and accessories (shoes, bow tie, socks) 

Choose and order flower girl outfit (bow, shoes, tights?) 

Buy ring bearer pillow 

Buy flower girl kissing ball (Etsy) 

Book ceremony musicians 

Book cocktail hour musicians 

Book cake baker 

Order save the dates 

Mail save the dates 

Order invitations 

Find pretty stamps (zazzle?) 

Address invitations (calligraphy) 

Mail invitations 

Finalize guest list 

Meet with Father Cannon 

Confirm wedding with Father Cannon or Deacon Maddie 

Schedule pre-cana classes in Duxbury for May 

Buy or register for cake knife and server 

Order cake forks from JessicaNDesigns 

Hotel room blocks 

Order guestbook map 

Buy non-bleeding pens for map 

Price how much/how long it will take to have framed/matted to set out at reception 

Engagement announcement in Temple Daily Telegram and Scituate Mariner - submit in June 

Cake topper 

Calligraphy - PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE 

Take bridal portraits / hair & make-up trial - October

Shop for Mother of the Bride dress 

Buy wedding shoes 

Buy garter 

Grooms Cake  

Buy wedding jewelery (earrings) 

Menu tasting 

Give final selections to Kim - May

Choose and ask three readers - two have been asked, deciding on  third

1st dress fitting 

2nd dress fitting 

Book hotel room to stay in Friday/get ready in Saturday 

Order cute clutch with new monogram (to use again and again!) 

Something Old lace from my mom's wedding gown sewn into mine

Something New my dress

Something Borrowed 

Something Blue 

DIY ceremony programs 

Research printer for ceremony programs/have printed

Custom map

Order thank you notes for shower 

Order thank you notes for wedding 

Book honeymoon 

Look into passport renewals, and vaccinations/travel requirements for HM destination

Collect family wedding photos

Book limo for wedding party 

Book buses for guest transportation 

Decide on wedding favors 

Finalize contents of welcome bags 

Make day-of emergency kit 

Put together bathroom baskets 

Make sign to hang/post on bathroom doors at BRCC 

Menu/thank you for table (DIY) 

Order monogram from Southern Proper for guest book table 

Make canvas with monogram (DIY) 

Buy candles for cocktail hour/reception 

Buy candle holders for tables 

Buy bridal party gifts 

Buy groomsmen gifts 

Order handkerchiefs for Mom, Daddy, Meredith 

Order striped straws for cocktail hour 

Buy wedding bands 

Apply for marriage license 

Put together must-have picture list for CoCo 

Gift for Brian 

Put together must-play and DO NOT play list for Nick/DJ 

Playlists for cocktail hour 

Finalize menu choices with Scarlet Oak Tavern 

Buy going away outfit 

SHOP FOR HONEYMOON-- WHOOP!! 

Select music for ceremony 

Sort out final payments and tips for vendors (include note from Pinterest) 

Buy shower dresses, 2 

Buy rehearsal dinner dress - emailed Lula Kate

Hostess gifts for showers 

DIY sign for signature cocktail 

DIY sign for stationary displays 

DIY table numbers 

DIY card box 

DIY escort cards 

Pick-up marriage license in Boston!! (Thursday, 11/6)

Rehearsal dinner invitations (Minted) 

Bridesmaids luncheon for Friday 

Order koozies for reception 

Order pashminas for cocktail hour 

BACHELORETTE PARTY!! 

DIY signs for our chairs 

Wedding announcement in Temple Daily Telegram and Scituate Mariner 

Pack overnight bag for Saturday night/Sunday morning 

Wedding timeline for day-of 

Weekend timeline for welcome bags 

Order doorknob hangers for welcome bags 

Ask Jenna to be point-person 

Make and laminate vendor contact sheet (to distribute to Jenna, Kim at BRCC, Amanda, parents) 

Bring extra invitation suite for CoCo to shoot 

Create direction cards for guests driving to the reception 

Shoes to change into mid-reception 

Custom monogram 

WALK DOWN THE AISLE AND GET MARRIED!!!! 

Whew!  It makes me tired just reading that thing.  Tons of the little things are easy check-offs, just a matter of sitting down together and getting them done.  My plan is to tackle a few items every week so that it doesn't get too overwhelming, and so far, so good.  

As for tonight, we're ordering takeout Greek food and I'm planning on a nice, big glass of red wine, with a good long run tomorrow morning to start the weekend off right.  We have our pre-Cana class tomorrow from 9am-4:30pm, and dinner and drinks scheduled for after because WE'LL NEED THEM.  

Have a wonderful weekend!!