Love is in the Air

This weekend was an absolutely amazing one! My baby sister got engaged! I am so very happy for her. Marc is an incredible man and he absolutely adores her. And it's always good to be adored by your man, right? I got the phone call at 7:04pm. Amanda couldn't get in touch with mom and dad, so I was the first "official" phone call! Woo hoo! I love that! Little did Amanda know, Marc had arranged for Curt & Cheryl to meet them (along with Marc's parents) at a restaurant in Mt. Adams for a celebratory dinner. I guess the place is pretty small, so by the time Amanda and Marc arrived, everyone already knew the whole story. My sister was so happy to see our parents there. So I guess technically the parents all knew first....but still....I was the first phone call. So there. :-P

I am so excited to be planning my wedding at the same time my sister is. We have similar tastes in some things, but our styles are very different. I'm looking forward to seeing what we come up with.

On my end, planning is going well! We've booked the photographer, picked the colors and finalized the guest list. All pretty big tasks! Our photographer is Marie White, and she's amazing. I thought that all photographers were old men. (My apologies if you are indeed a photographer and also an old man.)

http://www.mariewhitephotography.com/

Plus I feel really comfortable with her, which is important, right? My colors? My colors are blush and bashfull. Just kidding. (Steel Magnolias.....remember???) My colors are chocolate brown, purple and apple green.

The darker purple in this bouquet is the color I'm referring to. I never thought picking colors would be so tough! I've always wanted a fall wedding. Always. But when it came time to pick my colors, I didn't want something typically fall. I didn't want to go with the reds and oranges (although they are gorgeous). My sister actually found the chocolate and deep purple color combo in a magazine and I loved it. I've never really considered myself a purple person, but I guess maybe I am. My prom dress was the same color, interestingly enough! The apple green is a nod to my mother, whose signature color is lime green. Plus it looks really good with the purple and brown.

So a couple of big decisions down! By next week I want to finalize invitations and cake!

Intervention

Tomorrow will be a fun day. I'm headed over to the old 'hood (Wendover Court) to scrapbook with my "old" next door neighbors. Most of you GMHS people remember that Kirk Hensell and I were next door neighbors. What you may not know is that Kirk's sister (Sharon) and her husband bought "my" house (AKA the house I grew up in) when my parents built their current home in Reynoldsburg. It's pretty cool, because Sharon used to babysit us when we were little. Plus, I can go back and see the house I grew up in from time to time. Anywho, we're putting together a scrapbook together for Pat from her 75th birthday party. I'm hoping to get it just about wrapped up tomorrow, because I have lots and lots of scrap booking to get done before the wedding! And Tom's stopping by after work tomorrow to meet Pat, Donnie & Sharon, which should be fun.

But before we head over to Wendover Court tomorrow morning, I need to do an intervention. See, I decided to come hang at the parentals tonight so I won't have to drive across town early. And Tom's working all weekend, so I have the perfect opportunity to do something super exciting tonight.....like enter my guest list onto an excel spreadsheet. Haha.

And I just spotted something very disturbing. Puzzles. Everywhere. Now, you may know that my mother is a big fan of puzzles. But I had no idea how many puzzles she has or how deep rooted her addiction is. I counted 15 out in the open. But how many does she have stashed in the closet? Has she started throwing away the boxes so dad won't find them? Is she buying them under the guise of donating them to a senior center?? Does my dad know how serious this problem is? The last time I asked him he said, "Oh - your mother can quit any time". So it looks like I'll have to take matters into my own hands and deal with Cheryl myself. I'll let you know how it turns out....

Wedding Planning!

Today was inventory day at my store, which OFFICIALLY marks the end of the holiday season for me. Woo Hoo! January is a big "get it cleaned back up" month, so there's a lot to do, but it is A LOT slower all the same. Anywho, I'm now getting focused on wedding planning.


The church is booked - The First United Methodist Church in London. (That's Ohio, not England!)


So is the reception spot - The Golf Club of Dublin. The front of the building, in my opinion, is prettier, but this is a pretty awesome shot, isn't it?

I have some definite ideas of what I like, but I'm having a difficult time finding a theme. And an even more difficult time picking my colors. I love purple and chocolate brown w/ hints of apple green.


Aren't these flowers gorgeous? And I really am lovin' the idea of a candy bar. I think that would be a cool alternative to wedding favors. I mean, who needs another matchbook? No offense intended to anyone who handed out matchbooks at their wedding, of course! In fact, I keep matchbooks in a jar at home! No matter what, though, I just want the wedding to be a super fun celebration of us and our family and friends. I'm trying not to get too stressed out about wanting everything to be perfect. But, honestly, it's difficult because that's just how I roll. It's all about the marriage, not the wedding, right?

New Year's Resolutions

Well, it's that time again. Yep. For the past 2 years I've done pretty good about keeping my New Year's Resolutions. Of course, I included resolutions such as "Eat more cheese" and "Take more bubble baths". So I can't get tooo much credit, can I? My friend, Shannon, is calling her New Year's Resolutions "Areas of Focus". Hmmmm.... I like that. So I think I'll copy that idea. So, without further ado, here are my Areas of Focus, 2011 edition:

1) Health & Fitness - I'm not going to call it a diet. But I need to get fit in 2011. I was doing pretty good in the fall with my running....just need to start it up again. Of course, the idea of having over 100 eyes on me as I walk down the aisle in 277 days is a pretty good motivator. And I want him to be able to carry me over the thresh hold without maiming himself. But, most importantly, I want to be able to live a long time so I can have many years with my Tommy.

2) Financial Responsibility - Tom and I are working very diligently to enter into our marriage debt free, and I want to continue on this path! Plus, I'm used to buying whatever I want. I need to do a better job of asking myself, "Do I want it or do I need it?" Of course when I want it, the answer is always a resounding, "Yes, I need it!".....but I digress.

3) No Bridezilla - My family....for some reason....seems to think that I will turn into a bridezilla during this wedding planning. I don't think I will, but I need to remember that it's all about the marriage, not the wedding day. I think my family and dear friends will keep me in check. :-)

I'm sure I will think of others, but this is a start! Happy New Year!

Two Days Off!!

Today is New Year's Day....the day that I traditionally blog about my New Year's Resolutions. Well, I'm going to put that off for a few days and recap the holiday season for ya'll. I've been scrapbooking today with Cheryl (aka mom) while my Tommy and Curt are up in the loft watching football. (Apparently today is a big day for those football-watching types.) They say you will spend the year doing what you do on New Year's. So hanging out with family and my man is what I'll be doing a lot of in 2011, I'm okay with that!

I have officially survived my 19th Christmas in retail. Wow!! I never, ever, ever thought I'd be this old! :-) Honestly, this year wasn't too bad. I tried very hard to focus on the happy guests and not let the mean, grouchy, rude ones ruin my day. Plus, I gotta admit, Tom made things so easy on me. More than once I came home to find him waiting there for me with dinner. I am so very lucky to have such an understanding better half!

I did manage to find time this holiday season to join my family (the Starner clan) in Logan for Thanksgiving. Tom got to meet everyone, which was (I think) a little overwhelming for him. We also spent the Christmas Day with Tom's family in Springfield and with my family here in Columbus. Another exciting winter trip is right around the corner. In mid January, I'm taking Tom to North Carolina to meet the Potter family. I'm very excited about this, but a little apprehensive, as the girls can be a little much for those that aren't used to them. But I love me some Potter children, so Tom needs to get used to them!

Plus, we go back to normal operating hours next week. 10am - 9pm thankyouverymuch! No more of this 6am-midnight...or....much worse....88 hours straight! Yikes! Good for business, bad for your sleep schedule! And now I have two days off! In a row! Two whole days off!!! I haven't had an entire weekend off since early November and I'm going to spend it wisely! Happy new year to all my family and friends! I'm so excited about 2011!!! It will be a good year!

Posts Coming Soon

Yes, I know I've been terribly lax about blog posts lately.... I have a lot to update everyone on, that's for sure! As soon as I get a day off, I will be sure to post!

Car Woes

As many of you know, I've had some issues with my car lately. And when I say lately, what I really mean is since 2006, which is when I bought it! There are sooo many things I love about my car. But everything is so expensive! EVERYTHING! I think it's a German conspiracy...but I won't go into it now. 2 weeks ago tread on my tire came off, which left me stranded somewhere around Hague Avenue. But fortunately, AAA came to my rescue. Side note about AAA: This has been the best give I've ever received. My dad has given me a AAA membership as a gift every year! Fabulous! So last week, driving home from work, I was sideswiped by a car on I-70. Fortunately, no one was hurt. My car, on the other hand, not so great. Very sad, indeed.......