Married Life and Whatever Comes Next...

Mrs. Grissett....oh that's ME!

2010-03-22T19:23:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post to share some of my bridal portraits that were taken back in October. I kept them under wraps from pretty much everyone. But since the wedding was Saturday, the cat's pretty much out of the bag at this point. =)

Robyn Barnett of Studio B Photography took them. Such a wonderful and talented friend!

My Wedding Present....A Little Early

2010-01-26T19:23:00.000-06:00

My fiance and I love each other so much (I'd hope so since we're getting married in a month and a half, right?-hee hee!). We also love to get each other things that we've wished for. I LOVE to surprise him. And to be honest, he likes to surprise me too, but he grew up pretty much knowing what he was getting at any given holiday. People ask him what he wants, he tells them, and that's what they get him. Or he gets money. For me, that kind of ruins all the fun! And that's not the way I work, which frustrates him. =)

That being said. We've already discussed what we really wanted for our wedding gifts that we're getting for each other, if we can... Well, my fiance is a GOOBER (code for wonderful) and gave me mine early! Granted, he wanted me to be able to use it for events leading up to the wedding. But I think he just truly couldn't stand to wait. LOL

He told me a "story" about where he was Friday afternoon while I was running errands after work, checking in occasionally-not odd for him. Meanwhile, he's driving all over Montgomery and even out to Prattville to get the awesomeness that is my wedding present! =) I get home and he's there already and we talk about our wedding gifts again over dinner-also not unusual, so I'm not suspicious at all. I go in the office to work on wedding stuff and a few minutes later he walks in with THIS, and asks..."is this the kind of bag you mean?"

I was shocked and just about speechless....I just asked..."Did you get the WHOLE thing already??" He said, "oh yeah, I've been lying to you all afternoon and was afraid you'd spot me driving around Montgomery this afternoon! LOL" So for all you readers who are completely confused or just on the edge of your seat at this point. This is what my wonderful fiance got me for my wedding gift: The Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera, 18-55 mm Lens, 55-200 mm Zoom Lens, 2 lithium batteries, charger, 2 4 GB memory cards, a lens hood for the zoom lens and the Nikon bag to put it all in!! I can't wait to find my settings and get comfortable with it so I can use it everywhere!!

Above is the back of the camera showing the swivel LED screen open...I love it!

The whole shebang! (above)

I already have a light meter, external flash and tripod, so i'm all set to go! =) I even have growing room if I move stuff around. There's so many pockets and possibilities with this bag.

This shows the swivel LED screen turned all the way around and ready to use.

I feel a tad guilty that I can't give him his gift yet, but whenever I get to play with my camera, I get distracted and just grin a lot. He doesn't mind, and I think he gets a kick out of surprising me and seeing me happy. I love him so much and can't wait to be his wife!!

My First Christmas in My First Home!

2009-12-14T21:32:00.000-06:00

Drum roll please..........the photos are here!
Well, I had to be sensible and remember that we still have a wedding to pay for, but I definitely wanted to do something to decorate my first house for it's first Christmas. Occasionally, it hits me still....I actually have a house I can decorate, that's mine! LOL
Josh and I haven't done much yet as far as painting and new furniture goes since we are still preparing for the wedding in March and our new lives together, but I was so excited to at least get our tree up and decorated. My very good friend, Melissa, even got us our "First Home" ornament that I will treasure for years to come! I also got a few extras to adorn our mantel and go with the tree. I think it pulled together quite nicely. Maybe next year we can tackle the outside. Hope you enjoy it too, and if I don't see you, have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

It's Almost Here!

2009-12-08T18:21:00.000-06:00

...my first Christmas in my new house! (NOT IN THE APARTMENT!)
Pix coming soon. I wanted to post something short so those that check this would know something new is on the way...FINALLY! lol

Engagement Portraits

2009-10-05T18:40:00.001-05:00

So, I'm going to let these speak for themselves. My friend, Robyn of Studio B Photography is so incredibly talented!!! Click on the words "Studio B Photography" above. Josh and I had our Engagement Portraits taken a week ago Friday and they're already finished! I was so excited, and I'm in love with how they turned out!! I'm picking up the cd tonight!

The Proposal Story

2009-06-07T22:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks so much everyone for the well wishes! I'm so excited to finally be able to share this special time with the special people in my life.
Here's the Proposal Story for those that want to know:

It was simple, but so sweet (all i could ask for) and sentimental to both of us, which is what i wanted. I will need to go back almost a year to the day (I didn't realize this until he was talking about it on Saturday (June 6th). We got back in touch last year (May 2008) and had been corresponding over the phone. Finally, he was able to arrange to come to Montgomery for the day to see me. We met up in town and went to Shakespeare to sit and talk.
Those of you who don't know, we dated once before about 6 years ago and have known each other for almost 11 years total) Well, being almost 30 last year, and knowing I could very well endanger my heart again if I was allowed, I wasn't wanting to play games. So I came right out and asked Josh, "What do you want?" He just as plainly said, "I want you"...Fast forward to Saturday, June 6th, 2009.
There we were, sitting on a bench in the Shakespeare garden again. He started talking about when we were here last and I realized what he was referring to. He told me since this is the place I asked him what he wanted. And this was the place he told me, it was me...he wanted to bring me back here to ask me to spend the rest of my life with him. I was beaming already, so all I could say was YES!! We took the long way back to the car and just walked around for a while, but then he wanted to get me home while there was still daylight. Me being me...of COURSE I was going to want to take pictures of the ring and us. So I did =) -see the post below.

Well, there it is. Nothing extravagant, but it was perfect to me and as I said...sentimental to the both of us. He told me in 2001 (before we even dated) that we were going to get married someday. He wasn't kidding! Thanks for reading.

I'm Engaged!

2009-06-07T12:14:00.000-05:00

So I've been a little preoccupied, what with closing on a house and all...But it's finally happened! As of last night, I'm Engaged!! I have a fiance, we bought a house and are finally getting to start our lives together.
I'll tell the story to who wants to know, but I know most of you are just interested in the photos I'm sure!! LOL
So without further adieu, here they are:

I'm a Homeowner!!

2009-05-26T22:05:00.000-05:00

As of today, I join the vast world of homeowners...It was nasty and rainy, but closing went off without a hitch. I even have a key!! But, alas...I can't move in until Saturday morning. But it's ok; I've got some last minute stuff to do until I'm ready. But I'm almost there.

Anyway, I say that to inform you that I will hopefully be posting pix soon of the new digs, but I will also be offline for just a few days until the cable guy can come out and get me back online.

See you soon!

30 & Flirty Birthday Dinner

2009-02-05T14:59:00.001-06:00

Here are some of the photos from my wonderful birthday, complete with boyfriend, sister, brother-in-law, my wonderful friends, awesome new party dress and my Giani Bini shoes!. We had such a nice dinner at Garrett's restaurant in Montgomery, AL .

I know...I know...

2009-01-20T22:20:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know. Christmas has come and gone, along with New Year's Eve... My big "3-0" has even passed us by without an update...

I have pictures from that, I promise. I will get them posted as soon as my friend, Lacy, gives them to me. She was my elected photographer for the evening to commemorate the event of my getting older than dirt!! But it was so much fun!

Fill you in soon!

Christmas is Almost Here!

2008-12-10T14:57:00.001-06:00

The tree is up and decorated!! And, as of last night, has wrapped presents under it. My first full size tree! No pix of the gifts, but here's a few of the decorated tree. Merry Christmas everyone, it's almost here!

MIA

2008-11-10T12:41:00.001-06:00

Sorry, I have been MIA for a while... Lots to do and no time to do it in. I have an event coming up where I will be selling a lot of my stamped/hand-made items. So I have a bunch of stamping to do this week to make sure I'm ready. I'll post pictures before, if I have time, if not, I'll post afterwards.
Since it's my first event to have a "booth", i'm pretty nervous. We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck!

Quilt Giveaway is CLOSED

2008-10-16T13:39:00.000-05:00

I didn't win, but I had to share. She's such a talented individual, even though I don't know her personally.

Poor neglected blog....

2008-10-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

Sorry, haven't forgotten about my blog, just nothing new to post. Here are a few of my favorite pix from lacey's wedding to keep you occupied until I have time and something new to talk about. Didn't Allena, her photographer, and my great friend, do a wonderful job??!! =)

Lacey's wedding

2008-08-20T09:58:00.000-05:00

So...I was a tad busy and didn't have time to take any photos... =( *sniff*

BUT!! I have wonderful friends and family who caught different aspects of the action of the day. I've uploaded these couple from a friend's camera and here's a link to my cousin's blog with a great summary of Lacey & Brandon's Wedding Day.

http://staciajohnson.blogspot.com/

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to see the official ones based on how great THESE are! =)

Why I'm Happy/Busy these days...

2008-07-31T15:10:00.000-05:00

This is a REALLY old photo (5 years old to be exact), but you get the idea. This is my boyfriend, Josh. We've known each other for 10 years and dated once before.

So we've both grown a lot in the past several years, randomly got back in touch a couple months ago, and still have very strong feelings for each other. We're giving it another shot and seeing where life takes us. =) I'll try to keep you posted.

4th of July with the Fam

2008-07-11T14:57:00.000-05:00

I finally got to take a trip to Clayton, GA to see my grandparents' new house! It was absolutely gorgeous! All of us were there (mom, dad, me, lacey, levi & Brandon-lacey's fiance). We had a nice surprise Friday, the 4th too. Our Aunt Ginny, Uncle Steve and 2 cousins came as well. We all had a blast cookin' out and shootin fireworks. Here's some of the pix from the festivities. Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th this year!

Finally got the children organized so we could make some cool shots with the sparklers! =)

Lingerie Shower Extraordinaire....

2008-06-02T19:38:00.000-05:00

...Self proclaimed, obviously. And I only say that cause I've got so much shower stuff at my apartment now, I could throw several more even after Lacey's Lingerie Shower this past Saturday! (all of them will be pink and black of course because that's what I've got) But it sure was fun! Here's some of the pix without giving too much of the afternoon/evening away...Brandon has to be surprised! LOL

We had so much fun all dressed up in our "little black dresses". The themed shower turned out to be a big hit. Here are some of the pix:

Ok, on to the people that were actually there! I couldn't help it! A lot of preparation went into this thing and I've never thrown one of these before. i wanted to take note of how I made it happen...obviously I was getting into the pink and black theme a little. We had a blast!

Maid of .....STRESS!

2008-05-30T20:25:00.001-05:00

So my sister is getting married......YES, before me! I'm over it. I'm so excited for Lacey! In fact...the Lingerie Shower I'm throwing for her on Saturday is going to be so much fun -I can't wait!! Obviously no pix yet, but here are a few UNTOUCHED photos of the happy couple. I've been so busy with the shower plans I haven't had any quality time with photoshop yet. I took these engagement photos at the end of April if memory serves me correctly.....that's how crazy it's been so far and we're not even to the 1 month/2 month count down yet!

There will be shower pix, I promise. I can't promise how quickly they'll be on here, but....anyway. Here's my WONDERFUL sister, Lacey, and her fiance Brandon!

Road Trip!- Florence, AL

2008-04-02T20:55:00.000-06:00

So I'm finally going! My friend, Lacy, and I are going to see our friend Jill in Florence, AL. I've never been, but I also have an old suitemate from college who lives there with her husband and 2 children (whom I've never met). Unfortunately, she won't be there, but I'm SO excited to see Jill. A whole weekend instead of just shoving down lunch on a Sunday afternoon when she's on her way out of town! This pic is from the last time she was in town. Just a preview of the many I'm sure we'll take this weekend! YAY! Love me some Jillian!!

March Workshop

2008-03-18T17:41:00.001-06:00

Ok, so these didn't upload exactly how I intended, but you get the idea. Here are some pix of the projects we did at my March Workshop. (minus the candle- no picture of it yet). This first one is the kids project i did for the 3 little girls that were there as well. Then the adults and I did a candle and the two cards. The bottom photos are the altered chocolate bars I used as door prizes. The wrapped ones I gave to my hostess, Julie! Thanks again Julie! I look forward to stamping with her in the future as she will be a member of my Hostess Club starting in the coming months. Thanks for looking!

Shannon

The Open House was a Success!

2008-02-28T18:59:00.001-06:00

I had my first Stampin' Up! Open House to kick off my recent demonstratorship. It was last Saturday, and I think it turned out really well. I had a good group of ladies, ALMOST as excited as I am! We made 3 different projects, had yummy refreshments, placed orders and booked workshops. I can't wait to get the projects together for those. Here are pictures of the projects we made last week. The others are pictures of the door prizes I gave away during the Open House. Just the beginning I hope.

Happy Stamping!

Shannon

Independent Demonstrator

These two samples (above & below) are made with the Embrace Life set

The sample below was made with the Baroque Motifs set

The two door prizes below were made just using the Stamp Around stamp-Forever Flowers and the Scallop Punch!

This one, I used the Scallop Punch, Spring Sillhouettes Designer Paper and the Together Forever stamp set.

This one is also the Spring Sillhouettes Designer Paper, Lovely Labels stamp set and Scallop Punch.

The World of Rubber Stamping...

2008-02-10T14:42:00.001-06:00

Stamping isn't just for cards anymore!

As of last week, I'm officially a Stampin' Up Demonstrator! I cannot wait until my first Open House on Feb 23rd. I'm so excited to share my new hobby with everyone. It's kind of an extension of Scrapbooking and my love of Photography. It's another way of displaying photos since you can make a custom mats, photo albums, etc to match the decor in your home or make a sweet keepsake for someone special. I've always loved scrapbooking as well and now I can try new ways of preserving my memories.

The photos I've uploaded are just a couple samples I made while playing around with what I had. Who knew you could "stamp" candles!? I'm definitely looking forward to mass producing these. I also made a little gift set (card, post-it note holder & pen) to go with a friend's birthday present, but I think it's a great idea to use for door prizes as well...Hmmm

Something to look forward to for those that are attending my Open House! =)

Gotta Run! More brainstorming and playing to be done!

Happy Stamping Everyone!

Christmas & New Year's are gone....hello 2008!

2008-01-11T23:06:00.000-06:00

So I'm a sucker for Christmas decorations....obviously. I just wanted to post something new (as a result of my nagging cousin!-j/k) Anyway, I really did want to post a few pix from Christmas and New Year's Day.
I just love stopping at my Aunt's house on my way to Savannah to see my parents. She decorates so beautifully, I spend most of my time taking pictures of her house than visiting with everyone! (or making her think her house is on fire because my flash keeps going off!- lol) So I was bad and didn't take many pictures of Christmas morning with the family, but here are some of my favorite shots of my Aunt's house all decorated for the season.
At the bottom are some shots of me and my friends ringing in the New Year! Here's to a great one!

2007-11-16T09:43:00.000-06:00

Just a quick update... Since June:

Lacey moved in with me and started working at Alfa in the Life Dept where I work, we're in line for a 2 bedroom apartment at my current complex...Work is busy as usual. And as you can see, I got a haircut recently! It was time for something a little different.

I've been getting into Stampin' Up (hand-stamped cards, scrapbook pages, gifts, tags, etc) a lot lately and hopefully looking at becoming a demonstrator in the next few months if all works out. I hope everyone else is doing well too. Let me hear from you!

Gotta get back to work now. Later!

10 Years, Already!!???

2007-06-20T09:57:00.001-05:00

Well, I went, we had a blast, and reconnected with a lot of old friends. This past weekend was my 10 year high school reunion(Enterprise High School), Class of 1997!! Here's some of the pix from a wonderful weekend. Can't wait to see my friends again soon!

Graduations Galore!

2007-05-30T09:50:00.001-05:00

I feel like I've been doing this nonstop this year...but we crossed another important bridge a week ago. My brother, Levi, graduated from South Effingham High School in Guyton, GA (near Savannah). Not sure what the future plans are exactly, but he's looking at SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design) We'll see as it plays out. I feel so old, but so proud that he's made it this far. Here's a just few pix from that proud evening.

Pomp & Circumstance...

2007-05-14T14:51:00.000-05:00

Well, she's done it. My sister, Lacey, is a college graduate! (Harding University-Bachelors in Music) Don't I feel old! Next weekend is my brother's High School Graduation. Busy year for the Fry family. Here's some pix from our great weekend...

Meet the Claybrooks!

2007-04-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

I know, I'm behind because these are some of the pix from the wedding I photographed at the end of January in Brundidge, AL @ Hamilton Cross Roads COC. But I'm just now getting around to putting them on here. Anyway, this is my very first wedding! I was rather pleased with the shots I got. And this wedding wasn't supposed to happen until later this year! That's a whole other story...and long! LOL Well, for those of you that wanted to see them, here they are!

April Already?????

2007-03-30T13:51:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know. I'm a slacker!!! It's going to be April on Sunday and I haven't blogged since January!! I could have blogged sooner cause I had stuff to talk about, just no time to upload pix or anything. This is going to be quick as well...but just so I don't get in trouble for not updating everyong.

I had my first wedding in January (as a photographer)- pix will come later. I had Family Portraits last Sunday, I have a child's 2 year portraits coming up and a Bridal Portrait session in May. There's also a possible Cap & Gown session I just found out about today. We'll see what happens with that....

Anyway, February, I had a little fender bender in my little red Miata. She's ok, and I'm ok....we ended up with new parts and a brand new paint job! (no before picture, sorry) but here's what she looks like now! Especially after our bath last weekend! =) we have new parts, new paint job, oil change, new tires and new brakes coming in April. Its like a whole new car! Or will be! lol

So my schedule will get hectic as soon as April starts. I've got Creative Memories crops, Portrait sessions scheduled, Stampin' Up events (like creative memories, only stamps) , T-Ball games to get pix for a friend. When I'm not doing that, I'll be traveling. May I have my sister's college graduation from harding university, my brother's high school graduation in savannah, ga, then my family reunion the next weekend.

In june, get ready for this, I have my 10 year high school reunion!!! my alma mater is Enterprise High school. I can't wait to see everyone, but it'll be bitter sweet after the tornados this month demolishing my old school....

Well, gotta go for now. I'll add more later! Consider this a crash course update!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-03T12:02:00.000-06:00

So I actually did something this year for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day...So I thought I'd post a little.

It was kind of a last minute thing, but Dad called and the plan was to ride motorcycles New Year's Day with the Harley Group to Thomasville, Ga...have lunch...and then ride back to Dothan/Enterprise.

It all started out fine...I drove to Enterprise,AL Sunday evening and had a big New Year's Eve dinner at Ron's with Ron, Donna, Dad and Ron's son, Scott, and his girlfriend, Kathy...complete with deep fried Turkey! Yum!!!! It had been raining but the rain was supposed to be gone in time for the ride the next morning. Long story, short, it didn't clear fast enough and Donna didn't want to ride in the rain on her new bike which hadn't been dirty/wet yet. I was even ready early that morning (7:30 am!) and all set to get on a motorcycle, rain or shine. It's been so long since I've been able to go on a ride, I was just glad to have the opportunity. Oh well, the Harley jacket went back to the closet, and the 4 of us hopped in Donna's Jeep Cherokee and rode to Thomasville with 3 bikes and another vehicle. It ended up being a group of 12 all together and a good visit and lunch! =) Didn't get to ride the motorcycle but the end result was the same....Great trip with Great company! Here's some pix from the previous night and the adventures from New Year's Day. Hope everyone had a great one too!!

Ever seen one of these up close? I HAVE!!! My dad and Ron were trying to put a few of these together so they'd fire as a group so I could get a picture. well, 2 of them went up and knocked the 3rd over pointing back towards us. All I heard was dad say "uh oh"-not having a clue where it had gone! Luckily there was a vehicle between me and it. All I could do was bunker down and hide the camera. Nothing happened besides a show UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL. Those things are a lot bigger up close!! LOL

Eating at the Farmer's Market in Thomasville, GA with members of the Harley Owners Group.

Donna & Ron
The Big Oak in Thomasville, GA

From underneath The Big Oak...

Cypress trees in John & Gabriel's backyard in Bainbridge, GA

Happy New Year Everyone!!

So you haven't seen my family lately?.....

2006-12-29T08:32:00.000-06:00

I don't really have anything specific to blog about, hence the lengthy gap between now and my last blog. But I've been requested to post more of my family for those that I don't see often enough (or has been years since I've seen!) So per Kisti's request...here's some recent shots of the fam (at least the ones I have on THIS computer) I can get more later. Some of you may not even recognize my sister, but especially my brother! I'm hoping to look different soon myself (New Year's Resolution to lose weight), but here we are....Have a great weekend and safe New Year! oh...and before the comment comes, the day we "paired off" and took the pix at Thanksgiving, Lacey had already left. Then Christmas came and it rained and still no pic with Lacey....My sister pix are on another cd at home. I'll do better next time, promise! =)

How I measure up

2006-08-24T11:15:00.000-05:00

So I've been slowly but surely getting things going with my photography business. I'm all licensed up and even have business cards. I'm still taking my courses at home, but while I am, I can now make money when I'm asked to take photographs of someone/something.

My best friend, Amy, sent me an ad about a Photo Contest that's continuously taking entries. I'd looked at it before, but didn't put much stock in it. Well, I guess out of sheer morbid curiosity I entered one of my photos (the wedding glasses), just to see how i measured up....if it even got noticed. I'm just eager for any kind of professional feedback on how i'm doing so far. I have a hard time not comparing myself to others on a daily basis, and now to other photographers. Not that I expect to win awards for my photos, but I'd like to know how I'm doing to help me find out what I need to fix or learn...and then maybe help me find my direction. (what i'm going to specialize in) I like SO many types of photographs, I can't decide. And I don't have the energy to try and do it all! =)

Just some thoughts as I start this journey of doing what I love.

A New Addition...

2006-07-10T12:55:00.000-05:00

My parents came to visit this past weekend and brought me a new friend! His name is "Taka" (officially Bartok) but this is what I'm going to call him on a regular basis. He'll be a year old in October and already seems to be adjusting very well. Those of you that knew/met my last cat, Chloe....Taka is the total opposite!!! LOL

He's pretty laid back unless he wants to play. But he likes to love and be loved on. The way I'm holding him in this picture is the way he likes to be held all the time. (if you hold him any other way, he will panic) He meows occasionally, but even then, it's quiet. I think it's more when he wants something.

I was afraid he'd be all stressed from going to my parents house (with another cat and large chocolate lab), then to my aunt's house (with ANOTHER cat and large yellow lab), then to my apartment (all with new people) and the car rides in between. As long as they let him out of the carrier while they were driving, he was fine and seemed to take the transitions rather well.

As you can see in the following pictures he wasn't real concerned about any of it. LOL

I just wanted to share my excitement. I think we'll get along great and hopefully some of you can come meet my new buddy in the near future! He's not afraid of strangers either!! =)

I love my Family!

2006-06-22T13:07:00.000-05:00

This is actually a shot of just my section of family. This Gattis Reunion was started with 10 children (Gattises). The people in this photo are just the decendants of 1 of those children, my great-grandmother Welch, who passed away almost 2 years ago. There is only one child still living as Uncle Tom, one of the last 2 passed away this year. They will all be missed and hopefully we can keep up the wonderful tradition that brings our family together each year. It's up to us "KIDS"!!

As the Family Reunion drew nearer this year, I decided I was going to take many, many pictures this time! Since the last reunion I've been to, (2 years ago) I have purchased an SLR and a Digital-Sony Cybershot...so I was going to have some fun! Well, little did I know that Grandpa Fry had plans for me! He asked me to take pictures for the scrapbooks we make every year and to get as many faces as possible. I chuckled to myself, since I had planned on doing that very thing anyway! =) So I told him what my plan was. He let me use his SLR since he had the film and I used my digital since I was more familiar with it.

I absolutely LOVE when I get to be with my immediate family, and even more so when more extended family are there as well. The more the merrier!! Here are some of my favorites from this year's Gattis Family Reunion:

* This is a distant cousin's little boy. It was SO hot out that weekend!

*The thing to do is ride stuff out at the Frys'- this was the John Deere tractor!

*This is one of my dad's sisters- Janet

There are so many more shots I love, but it wouldn't let me add them in this blog. If you really would like to see more, just click here to see my MySpace profile and watch my slideshow.

I made it!

2006-06-13T10:25:00.000-05:00

So I did it! I got into the dress and looked pretty good in it, if I do say so myself. Got Ashleigh all married off and everything pretty much went off without a hitch. Any issues we had were quickly solved and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. (weather wise)
The shoes, on the other hand, were a nightmare! They hurt so bad and quickly came off as soon as they were able (after getting to the reception).

I was so glad I got to spend a few days with my friend and be with her during this special time in her life. But hopefully I'm done for a good long while. (at least until my sister gets married!!) LOL

The Saga of the Bridesmaid Dress!

2006-06-07T08:43:00.000-05:00

Ok, so the big weekend is finally here! Yet another wedding I'm in for my best friend from Junior High...but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me rewind and tell you why I'm talking about this in the first place:

It's Summer 2005...Ashleigh calls and says Waylon proposed (finally-they've been together 7 years) , and she wants me to be in her wedding. Soon after, she sends me the picture of the pink dress (but they are ordering blue). Very different from the others I've worn, and I was getting excited. We figured out the size and she ordered the dresses for all 6 of us Bridesmaids. Now, some of you may be wondering, why in the world (if the wedding isn't until June 2006) why are the dresses being ordered in summer of 2005?? Great question!! LOL

Ashleigh (the bride) found out that the dress she wanted (above) wouldn't be available this season and she really wanted this dress, so she ordered them LAST year. *No pressure* (note the sarcasm). So here we go! I've got several months to lose weight or at least not gain...well the pressure seems to have gotten to me and I gained (at least since February).

The other issue was, Ashleigh was just going to hold my dress until I got there for the wedding 2 days before (the wedding is in Illinois!)-that's my blue dress hanging in the picture. Well, she started stressing and I was stressing too, so she offered to mail me my dress a few weeks ago. Thank goodness she did! Cause the dress was too small!! (I can tell you I now know what a stuffed sausage feels like). So small (on top) in fact, that even with helpful, sucker-inner undergarments women are forced to wear, there was no way this dress was going to zip up! I thought I was going to have to back out of this wedding, or wear something completely different from the other 5 girls...I was not looking forward to that phone call, and had not yet told Ashleigh it didn't fit. I didn't want to stress her out even more weeks before the wedding.

So my friend Lacy, and I, frantically go from store to store finding the undergarment I wanted, then I was going to try letting the dress out as far as it would go. Well, my mom being the genius she is had the idea of trying the bridal shops here to see if maybe THEY carried this dress or something the same color, in the event we had to add material to the sides of the dress. David's Bridal was our first stop after that and they didn't carry that brand, let alone the dress. The lady looked at it some more as we explained my dilemma and said to hold on a sec. She went out on the floor to look for a shawl. When she came back, my mouth fell open (literally). She not only had a shawl, but it was the last one and the EXACT color of my dress and made of the same material as the top layer!!! And it wasn't even the same brand. PLUS, the shawl was on sale and was only $8!!!!

I was having a friend at work let the dress out for me, then any detailed stuff I was going to let a seamstress do...She went to let it out and, at closer investigation of the inside layers, discovered that someone had purchased the dress, had it taken in at the top and then never wore it!!!! I was appauled and exctatic at the same time! Here I was, feeling like a fat cow cause my dress didn't fit and it wasn't me to start with. Someone needed the size dress for the hips but then had the top taken IN! Well, when she let it out, she didn't even let it out all the way and it fits!!! =) So, I ended up not needing the shawl for material at all, and have it to wear if I ever wanted to wear this dress again. (if I don't burn it first!)

So the saga of the bridesmaid dress finally comes to a close...as the dress now fits and I took up the shoulder straps myself and it's perfect! I'm all packed, the car is loaded, and I head to Nashville today and on to Illinois for the pre-wedding festivities tomorrow morning! =) I know I feel better now that I can enjoy spending this time with my friend and will be wearing the same dress as everyone else on Saturday. And, on Sunday....IT'LL ALL BE OVER! LOL

Wish me luck!

I'm not LOOKING.....honest!

2006-05-31T15:16:00.000-05:00

Seems like everytime I talk to someone about wanting to find a guy or have the possibility of dating, they tell me "You'll find them when you're not looking, so stop looking"....I don't get that. Cause I'm not "looking" per say. I don't date (not that I don't want to...). I don't go out much. I barely meet new people cause I live in this "bubble" and new people don't seem to enter into it very often (work, church, apartment). Every once in a blue moon I'll meet someone and briefly think, "what if" or "it would be nice to get to know them better"....but it usually doesn't get any farther than that, cause I'm a big chicken or the person doesn't stick around long.
I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to STOP looking when I'm NOT! If I stopped looking any harder, people would call me a HERMIT! (or a hobbit, since i'm about the height of one really) LOL But you get my point, at least I hope so. There's the occasional set-up which everyone seems to think is their job, but i haven't persued anyone on my own in a very long time and don't foresee that happening any time soon.
Anyway, just venting a little about the mystery of being single. It takes too much energy to actually persue anyone and it's safer most of the time to just be single and work on being the best "ME" I can be....so why does being single feel so crappy most of the time??

Not sure what there is to talk about...

2006-05-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

So I'm trying this blog thing out for a spin...Not sure if I have anything worth talking about right now and don't have a computer at home yet, but here goes.

I am on the road to being debt free and just paid another one off today!! =) That's 1 more down and 2 left to go until I'm debt free!

Until something else interesting happens....