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Monday, January 30, 2012

It's Monday...and it's random

Happy Monday friends!! Some random things to tell you about...in list order, so this post won't be a complete hot mess:

1. My friend posted a link to this website on her Facebook the other day and it. is. HI-larious! I don't really understand the whole Ryan Gosling "hey girl" phenomenon, but these are specially for teachers...so if you're not a teacher, you probably won't get any of them! But if you are lucky enough to share in the same great profession as me, here are some of my faves:




Bahahahha...I'm dying. Please don't think I'm weird if you don't find these as hilarious as I do.

2. We are closing on OUR HOUSE tomorrow! YAYayayayayay! I'm so excited!!! And then we MOVE this weekend! OMG!!!! I will literally PAY someone to move my stuff for me; I hate moving so much! I just want all of my stuff to magically appear at my new house! :) But, I am looking forward to not have to move for a very, very, very, VERY long time after that!

3. Speaking of the new house, once we move, I will be less than a mile away from this:
YES. 
That would be some deliciousness from the the *brand new* TCBY that Kathryn took me to Friday night--it is literally down the street from our new house. Like, I can walk there. This could get very dangerous!

4. Some recipes I've whipped up recently:


And tomorrow, I'm planning on making this:

I've been trying to work my way through the January issue of Cooking Light! So many good recipes in there! Well, I make it following the recipe, then Trav comes into the kitchen and adds some of whatever he thinks the recipe needs! He's so good at that! He always knows how to make it better! :)

5. Last, but not least, how could I forget to mention another important birthday today?! It's the birthday of my fabulous sexy girlfriend/bridesmaid/chica from high school (we go wayyy back!), Dana!! 
{I was feeling kind and put a more recent pic of us...no awkward high school pictures here!}

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIRTY DANA!!!! :) 

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's 61st birthday!


Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we, Dr. Tom?! 
{whoa check out that beard}

{in FL for my bro's graduation}

{getting his DOCTORATE degree! He's pretty smart...}

{with his sibs}

{with my mama in Scotland}

Next year, I can put up a picture of my dad walking me down the aisle (tear!!!!)!
Happy birthday to the most educated person in our family!!!! Love you Dad! 


PS-Thanks for all of the honeymoon advice (even if you didn't leave a comment but told me in real life!)...I think I've convinced Trav that Aruba is the way to go! :)

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Great Honeymoon Debate


It really shouldn't be this difficult to pick out a honeymoon destination! 
If you've been with me thoughout this wedding planning process, you know that I ALWAYS get stuck choosing between two things. 
First, it was this venue versus this one
Then I couldn't decide between two dresses. Then I couldn't decide between 2 churches. Then I couldn't decide between 2 bridesmaids dress colors. Then I couldn't decide between 2 florists. Then I couldn't decide between 2 cake bakers. Then I couldn't decide between 2 invitations. Seriously. 
Basically, I am not good at making decisions. 

And now, I can't decide between 2 honeymoon locations! 
Will you help me?! 
Here is the deal: 
We are all set on going to Aruba. It was not a third world country (my MUST) and it had a Sportsbook (Trav's must...ugh, don't ask!), plus it had beautiful beaches and we wouldn't have to worry about hurricanes. 



We even had our hotel picked out and our whole trip planned! We were going to stay at this 4-star resort and do all-inclusive so we could booze and eat to our heart's content! Plus, the resort even has it's own private island; the boat leaves right from the hotel lobby and there are bars and restaurants on their island that we could enjoy as well. So we were like yayyyy ARUBA!

BUT THEN...Travis found this amazing Living Social deal on Monday for St. Maarten/St. Martin. 

{just as gorgeous, right?!}

FYI, St. Martin also is not a third world country, and also has a Sportsbook. But, basically, in St. Martin, the hotel that comes with this deal is only 3 and 1/2 stars (oooo, a whole 1/2 star difference, I know), but the reviews on Expedia and Trip Advisor sound a lot worse than the Aruba hotel! But everyone I know is like "Ohhh you should totally go to St. Martin!" I know there would probably be a bit more for us to do there (like we could take ferries to Anguilla and St. Barts because they are nearby), but do I really want to do all of that on my honeymoon, or do I really just want to relax? Plus, the resort in St. Martin is all-inclusive, but I don't know if I would want to do all-inclusive there because I've heard the food on the island is so great! But then, St. Martin has a lot more culture than Aruba, which I like. But then, can those Living Social/Groupon deals be trusted? And do you think the resort will be more crowded with everyone buying this deal?

And here's the real kicker....the St. Martin trip is $900 cheaper than Aruba. My fiance is a financial analyst....trust me, if there is $1 to be saved on this honeymoon, we will be saving it! 

So, if you were me (and Travis), which would you pick:

ARUBA
With the private island 
(this is a picture of it...with flamingos! GAHH!), 
nicer reviews, higher star rating, but I need to convince Travis to spend $900 more...

or...

ST. MAARTEN
{Oh yes, I forgot to mention...the hotel is right next to the airport, so while you are laying on the beach, planes are literally flying like 2 feet from your face! Relaxing?!?}

We can stay for $900 cheaper at a not so nice hotel, but get to explore a bit more of the Caribbean and culture.

What to choose, what to choose....
let me know what you would pick! 

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Sick Day

Today is literally my THIRD sick day...ever...in 5 years of teaching! I tried to go to school today, but I only made it an hour before I decided that I couldn't go on for 6 more hours! So they sent me home! 

Do ya think I've used enough tissue?! 

Thank god there's a RHOC Marathon on all day today to keep me entertained! 


Before I got sick, I had the best time Friday night with some of my teacher friends! We went to Copper and I had Indian food for the first time!
I got Chicken Tikka Masala...it was sooo good!


I spent the rest of the weekend researching our honeymoon (which I'll discuss tomorrow)!

Another random note: the lady I used to nanny for (and still occasionally babysit for) was on national TV today! Apparently, she just wrote a book, and there was even a big article in the Charlotte Observer. So go buy her new book because I watched her kids!! :) 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Taking a Bite Out of...the Teacher?

Oh yes....'tis true my friends...I got bit today. HARD. 
By a 5 year old!
{This was about 20 minutes after it happened} 

{and this is what it looks like now, about 9 hours later}

Good grief. Sometimes I really wish I could just go to work and TEACH! (Novel concept, I know!) Is there another break coming up that I don't know about?!?!?


ANYways....moving on to more exciting stuff, let's talk WEDDING! :)

We picked out tuxes Friday!!! Originally, we were thinking suits, but by the time the guys buy a suit (Men's Warehouse doesn't rent them), and then a shirt, tie, shoes, etc., it would end up being like $500! And we didn't want to put all of Travis' friends through that, so we decided to rent tuxes, which will (only) be about $150. 
Here's the sticky part. My bridesmaids are wearing navy, so we wanted something to coordinate with that. However, Men's Warehouse has ONE non-black tux, and it was this weird grey one that I did NOT enjoy. So we are getting black tuxes with navy vests and ties. Trav will also have a black tux, but with a white vest and tie.
I'm thinking it will come together something like this:


{obvi with different flower}


This looks okay, right?!?! I'm a little worried that the navy and black will make our wedding party look like a huge bruise, and my mom thinks it is too dark for June. We were going to do Carolina blue vests, but the place doesn't have that color in a solid, just in weird, funky patterns! What are your thoughts?!


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Random {Somewhat} Wedding Related Things...

Happy Hump Day friends! I don't know about you, but I am SOOOOO ready for this week to be over! 3 day weekend coming up-woop woop!!!

I have been getting SEVERAL packages in the mail!!! I just love getting mail...and getting packages is even more fun! 
First this week, I got my WEDDING SHOES!
AND...be proud of me...because they are $298 at Nordstrom, but I found them for {only} $180 at endless.com!
I wore them around my apartment for about 2.5 seconds and then quickly put them away before Travis came home from work (he needs to be surprised in all aspects of my wedding day look)! But they were super comfortable!! :) 

I also got this Christmas ornament...yes, I do realize Christmas was almost 3 weeks ago, but I wanted to make sure to get an ornament for our engagement year before I forgot! 

I'm so happy with how it turned out:

I ordered it from here...and I can't wait till next Christmas. I'll have to get a "Just Married" ornament AND a "First Christmas in Our New House" one, too!!!

I also FINALLY got my k-cups (Trav was excited about that one, too!) and my Vistaprint order that I posted about last week--I loooooove Vistaprint! Everything I have ever ordered from them turns out way better than I expected!! :) Yay for fun mail!!!

Now, onto my DIY projects! 
First, I saw a teacher friend making these for her wedding, so I asked her where she got the letters. I want to make them, too, but maybe instead of moss, put flowers on? Like this, maybs? Only in different colors....

 She got the letters at Joanne Fabrics online....but unfortunately, they only have "weird" letters (U, X, etc.) and not M and T! I'll just have to keep checking back...you can check back too for me! :) Let me know if you find anything!!! 

Next, I'm thinking about making ribbon wands for our exit from the church! I think they look so fun and pretty...plus it's something different! I'm kinda sick of the bubbles thing...no offense :)


Anyone want to help me make them?!?! Haha!

I am also trying to figure out table numbers! I wanted to do something creative, like I was going to put pictures of me and Travis at each age (ex: Table 2 would have pictures of us both at age 2), but then I realized that tables 9-18 would be TERRIFYING! I don't think people would want to eat looking at those awkward pictures of us! Then, I was thinking maybe doing meaningful numbers (i.e. 12=the day in February we got engaged, etc.) or I was going to put a picture of each month we had been dating (i.e. Table 1 would have a pic of our first month of dating)? But I don't know if I have a picture of us from every month of our relationship! So if you have any creative table number ideas, send them my way!

And finally, 2 recipes I'm making this week! I just got the latest issue of Cooking Light, and it was FULL of yummy recipes I want to try!

 Here's last Sunday's:


And tomorrow night, I'm planning on making this:

Have a super rest of the week!! :)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

An eventful past few days...

Oh HEY friends! :)

The past few days have been CRAY CRAY

Let's start with Friday....oh dear. 
School was SUCH a doozy! 
Here is a breakdown of the day:

1. Had a 2 hour meeting and didn't even teach pretty much all morning!
2. Came back to my classroom after meeting and found I had a new student-SURPRISE! Ahhhh
3. I had to evacuate my classroom TWICE with my class to teach in the hallway because I had a little friend who was completely out of control...
4. Let's just end the day with this student being so out-of-control that he had to be carried out of my classroom (after dismissal, so no other students saw this-thank GOD) by not 1, but TWO police officers. It was the worst situation I've ever experience in my 5 short years as a teacher. I felt so helpless and, more importantly, I felt bad for the child. I am still have flashbacks and am seriously scarred from this situation. It was awful :( 

On a lighter note, while the police were in my classroom (typical), Travis was texting me about something VERY exciting....unfortunately, I couldn't focus on the news until everything had calmed down, but when I did, I realized 
WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!! 
We started looking at houses in early December, and luckily for us, we found one we LOVED right away! We made an offer, the sellers counter-offered, we counter-counter-offered. And then we were STUCK--the sellers didn't want to come down any more. So our Realtor suggested we get an appraisal done early. If the house appraised for what the sellers wanted, we would buy the house for that price. If it didn't appraise, they would either have to come down on the price, or we could walk away. So that is what we did; the house got appraised Thursday, and we found out Friday that it DID appraise for what the sellers wanted! So now we are just waiting on an inspection (which we are doing a week from tomorrow and-fingers crossed-everything will go ok!), and then we close February 13! It has been a very crazy, stressful process, but I am sooooooo excited to be a home-owner and get out of this squishy apartment!!!!

Here are some pics of our new home:


Yes, we may have really liked that this house is Carolina blue, but we also LOVE how it is move-in ready and so bright and "new-looking" on the inside!! So exciting! I can't wait to decorate!!! :)

And finally (because let's just make this the longest blog post ever), last night we went out to celebrate Jillian's birthday! It was so fun to see all of my friends at my old school...I miss working with them! 

 The birthday girl lifting up the table!
Actually, they crank the table and it is suspended from the ceiling when they bar starts getting crowded--I was sooooo entertained by this! Ha!






Whew! What a weekend! If you made it to this point and are still reading, I LOVE YOU! Good job! 


Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Wedding Wednesday!

I want to try to post every Wednesday about my faaavvvorite thing ever (and a big reason why I started this blog)...wedding planning! 

I came home the other day to a large package! I thought it was the k-cups I had ordered, but no...it was my invitations! 
Here is what they look like:
(from the website, you'll have to wait to see the actual ones with our names and wedding date on it!)


I know they seem plain, but that is what I wanted. I wanted them to be timeless, so I could frame them, and not look back and say "OH that's SOOOO 2012"(That's basically my mantra for the entire wedding). My parents have similar wedding invitations and I like how they still have one hanging up and it doesn't look dated!
We ordered 100 invitations, inner envelopes, outer envelopes, reception cards, response cards and response envelopes....they each came in their own little box inside of the big box! Now I just have to figure out how to put them all together...! (ahem Kathryn?? help?!)

My second exciting wedding-related thing (well to me anyway) is discovering Vistaprint!!! I used them for my save the dates back in the fall, and I was really happy with how they turned out! 


Lucky for me, I recently found a Groupon (for some random city in Texas...they were posting about it on theknot message boards!) for Vistaprint...$70 worth of stuff for only $17!!! I MAAAYY have bought 2....
I used the first one to buy directions cards (boring) and these super cute sticker labels:
I am going to put them on paper bags (Carolina blue of course) for people to put candy in at our candy buffet! 
I can't wait to use the next $70 Groupon! I think I'll buy ceremony programs, maybe a big sign, maybe escort cards....? Ahhh so fun!

Last, completely un-wedding related, I made a new recipe tonight!


Since it has been soooo cold here (and we STILL haven't turned our heat on!), I wanted to make something that would warm me up! It was super easy and pretty good, although I'd definitely recommend adding some spices (I added paprika, creole seasoning, poultry seasoning and salt and pepper). 
Enjoy! :)