When it rains…

…it certainly pours. Family drama is exhausting, especially when it is not your own. I hope this storm passes soon.

There was a fire at our sister complex today. 20 units burned. It really makes me want to move when our lease is up – preferably to a landlord apartment rather than a complex apartment. I love our apartment here but I hate relying on other people to not be stupid and cause fires. This is the third one for our complex in the last few years. We’ll see where things are at the end of the summer…because the family drama also makes me want to move far, far away. I am really terrified of fires though. I was so scared that there would be one while we were in Florida last month that I cried when I had to leave my kitties. I don’t care about material posessions but the thought of a fire happening when I’m not home to save my babies is enough to send me into a major anxiety attack that comes complete with tears and heavy breathing. That just makes me a devoted and loving cat-mom, right? My brother thinks it makes me crazy.

The weekend is almost here and I am so glad…it is incredibly slow at work right now and the day just draaaaags. I will probably have to take some time off next week because John’s grandma died and the wake is Monday and the funeral is Tuesday. I feel incredibly guilty for being excited about getting an afternoon off considering the circumstances but like I said…family drama. There haven’t been any tears shed in our house over this. John has (or had, I guess) no emotional attachments to his grandmother and is not broken up over this in the least. But apparently having that sort of reaction when your grandmother dies brings lots of “how could you not feel sad?!” types of questions.

You know what I say? Better to be honest and feel what you really feel than to fake feeling sad to please someone else. Honesty is the best policy, right?

dreams do come true

Disney’s Wedding Pavilion

Remember the time I said I was getting married in Disney World?

I am so excited about it. We won’t officially know the date until September because Disney has difficult policies. We can’t book our ceremony until 12 months out and we can’t book the reception until 8 months out. Since we know where we want to have the ceremony and the reception, and we are (I am) very adamant that both of them get booked, we are going to be flexible with our date. So, I’ll still book our ceremony at 12 months and cross my fingers that the reception venue will still be available at 8 months. We’re hoping to get May 24, 2011 as our date. At the very earliest, I could officially have my date on September 25 of this year and THEN all the real planning can begin.

We want to have the ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, which is right in between the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and the Polynesian Resort. We’re hoping for a 12:00 or 2:00 ceremony. The reception would follow at the Whitehall Room at the Grand Floridian. It’s an adorable octagon room that opens into a gorgeous outdoor patio. The patio would be exclusively ours for the day, which will be perfect for John’s nephews to run around in. The reception would start at either 2:00 or 4:00, depending on our ceremony time, but a pre-reception would go on directly after the ceremony while we are having pictures taken.

Following the reception we are going to have a private dessert party on Sago Cay, an area of the resort that is right on the lagoon, to watch the Wishes fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom. (The Grand Floridian Resort is right on the lagoon that overlooks the Magic Kingdom). They will rope off the area so that only our wedding guests attend, and they’ll have dessert tables set up for guests to choose from. The soundtrack to Wishes will also be piped in to Sago Cay.

Aside from that, there’s really not much to report. I will get my wedding planning kit once we book the date and send in our deposit. Next weekend we are going to try on wedding dresses…so that will be fun! I’m not sure what I’m even looking for. We are doing a fairly casual beach theme, and John and the guys will wear Khacki’s with nice (read: non flashy) Hawaiian shirts and sandals. I am almost positive the girls will be wearing tea-length pale yellow dresses, just not sure of the style yet. So, I can’t go too crazy with my dress – which is fine because I do not like super elaborate dresses anyway.

Oh, and I think I want calla lilies for my bouquet. Other than that, I’m still looking at things. I have a while before the big day, and it’s hard to plan anything without having a date! Send me suggestions! (Especially for dresses!)

wishing for warmer days…

I am officially sick and tired of winter.

The below-freezing temperatures and constant gray skies are incredibly depressing. I get home from work, make dinner, clean up dinner, look out the window at the dark, cold skies and completely lose any gym-motivation that I mustered up during the day. Bundle up to walk the 50 yards to get to the gym – or – curl up in my fuzzy pink robe on the couch for American Idol? Do you see how this could impede on my efforts to get to the gym?

I so miss the long endless days of summer when the sun doesn’t go down until 9:00pm, when it’s so warm that I look for reasons to get out of the house. Winter zaps all of my energy and motivation – all that is appealing right now is wrapping myself up in my old quilt and cuddling on the couch with the boys.

Tomorrow is the first day of February, which technically means there are only about 7 weeks left of winter. In these parts, though, it stays cold until the end of April. We will be lucky to have temperatures in the 50s during April, but I will take that over the 13 degrees that we have right now. Hopefully, if there is a weather-god out there, we will not have any snow after March 1st.

Seriously…I am going to make a concrete effort to drag my cold butt to the gym three times this week. And do my pilates dvd three times too. I’ve lost 3.5 lbs in two weeks so I am off to a good start!

feel the burn!

Last night I did 30 mintues of Pilates for the first time in… oh, a year.

Tonight I went to the gym for the first time in over six months.

I have learned that it is a lot easier to do pilates when my butt is not screaming in pain. The difference my surgery has made is incredible! Even though the recovery was excruciatingly painful, I am really glad I did it. It is even easier to work out on the treadmill and elliptical now. I must admit, I am very out of shape – I guess being nearly 100% sedentary for five months will do that to you. It felt so good to get my heart rate pumping, and although my legs were screaming at my by the end of my 35 minutes, I enjoyed moving again.

It’s so nice not having to pay for a gym membership. Our apartment complex has a small gym (3 treadmills, 3 ellipticals, 1 stationary bike, a couple weight machines) but it’s got everything I would use at a real gym anyway. My goal is to do some cardio at the gym 3x a week, pilates 3x a week, and a long walk on the weekends. My job is so sedentary – the most activity I get is getting up from my desk and walking 10 feet to the copier and back. I really need to make time for exercise – I always feel better when I do.

Off to snuggle with my boys before bed…Marley is still getting over his scary visit to the vet to lose his manhood. He adores Milo, he follows him around everywhere and loves to snuggle up with him when they nap. My little man is growing up so fast!

 

what they do best ;)

well hello there 2010

Have I really not posted since November 12th of last year??

I suppose there’s a bit to update on.

I had surgery on November 19th that put me seriously out of commission for a month. I’d had a cyst on my tailbone for ten years and since September ‘09 it was constantly getting infected. I had one ER visit and 3 different antibiotic prescriptions in three months, so my doctor recommended having it surgically removed. He said it would be really painful but I honestly was not expecting it to be as bad as it was. The first week was hell on earth – I have never been in so much pain in my entire life. The intensity of the pain kept me awake for over 48 hours and made me feel so incredibly nauseous. I think I cried myself through those first 48 hours, it was really that bad. Luckily my surgeon was able to prescribe me a much stronger narcotic that took the edge off and I was able to get some sleep. Still, it was very uncomfortable for the first week…I needed help walking and going from laying down to standing up and vice versa. I couldn’t sit down for well over a week and couldn’t lay on my back for three weeks. Now that is has been two months I am glad I had the surgery, but I would not wish that pain on anyone.

About a week after surgery – that donut pillow came in handy.

December brought my very last weeks of college. I graduated with a 3.52 GPA and got a 3.8 for that semester. Considering I missed so much school due to surgery and ER visits, I am really proud of that GPA. 3.8! I also got an A on my senior Thesis on the Holocaust. Yes, an A. I never in a million years thought I could get an A on a 35 page thesis, but I did. I don’t know what to do with myself now that school is over. I admit that I’m a little afraid that my brain is going to become dumb. Ohh, but I won’t miss homework or papers or exams. Is it terribly selfish of me that I am a little bummed that no one is throwing me a graduation party? My university eliminated December graduation ceremonies so I don’t really feel that I graduated or got an recognition for graduating, as childish as that sounds. I am proud of myself though!

Christmas was low-key, we didn’t really have the money for gifts this year. We had the usual Christmas Eve with the Swedes and John’s family came this year, so that was nice. We saw my parents on Christmas morning and went to his sister’s house for Christmas dinner which was delicious. The kids (and John) all got remote helicopters and they kept everyone busy that afternoon. We didn’t do much on New Year’s Eve, went to dinner and watched the ball drop on TV. Well, John watched. I was asleep before it dropped.

Cooper and his new bone on Christmas morning

Then, of course, we headed off to the land of sun, fun and magic…Disney World! This year was a lot different because it was SO COLD. We had record low temperatures and spent a couple hundred dollars on sweatshirts and jackets because we were not expecting 30 degree temperatures. It was still fun – it was our first trip using our Vacation Club so that was exciting. We also got to visit the Wedding Pavilion and the Grand Floridian where we will be HAVING OUR WEDDING! Yes, we have changed our plans. This will have to be another post because there is lots to talk about. The trip was fun, albeit cold, but the drive home was not so fun. John got the flu and was sick the whole way home, leaving me at the wheel. Remind me to never drive again!

Now we are home and settling into a routine. Life should calm down, with me being done with school and the holidays having passed. Tomorrow my pre-wedding diet begins with the goal of losing 20 lbs. I should be able to do that in one year…if John stops bringing me chocolate once a week!

once upon a time

 

I just love Taylor Swift.

Not only does she make amazing music that virtually any teenage girl (or older!) can relate to, she is also not your typical basket-case teenage celebrity. She doesn’t drown herself in alcohol or throw herself all over every person with a Y chromosome. She doesn’t pose naked on magazine covers for thousands of dollars or turn to drugs when things don’t go her way. She is as normal as she can be considering her job. She is a good role model. She is also honest, raw, and down to earth. Another awesome quality: she is kind of nerdy, which I love.

I watched her youtube video of the CMA nominee announcements, where she found out she was nominated for five awards. In sweatpants. With her dog. Broadcasting her excitement for all the other nominees, not just herself. It is rare to find a nineteen year old with her charisma, modesty, and talent.

Her music is really good, too. She’s got a great voice, real lyrics, and stories that real teenage girls can relate to. (If only she were around when I was in high school…)

So, I was pretty happy when she won Female Vocalist of the Year…and three other awards. I think she deserves it. She’s had a HUGE year.

When she won Entertainer of the Year? I cried. This is a girl, just like any of us, who had a dream of making music. In the process of becoming a music superstar she has touched millions of lives with her real-life songs, and she’s an amazing role model at the same time. She just looked truly surprised, honored, excited…everything. I think it’s awesome that she giggles on stage and shows her excitement…look at what she just won! She deserves it.

 

Besides, it’s about time Kenny Chesney stopped winning the award.

 

and i think to myself, what a wonderful world

After this weekend, I may or may not have wedding fever.

Jenny & Stephen’s wedding was absolutely beautiful. My mom and I kept saying to each other the entire night “I have never seen a couple look so happy!” “I have never seen a couple so in love!” Really, it makes a wedding that much more special when you can look into their eyes and just know that it’s the stuff fairytales are made of. (Of course, this is even more of a reason why Disney was the perfect place for their honeymoon). I don’t know if anything has ever made me happier than to be able to send them to Disney. I’ve been so excited for them to go ever since we booked it, and all day today I was thinking about them. I looked at the clock at 10:30 – they’re landing now! 12:30 rolled around and I wondered if they’d made it to the resort. I wonder if they are in Epcot yet, I thought at 3:30. Maybe it’s because I LOVE Disney…I’ve just been bursting with happiness all.freaking.day for them. I cannot wait to hear all about it and see their pictures.

The happy couple

Cousins xo

My very own future-husband xo

There is nothing happier than love. Or weddings. Or maybe even wedding planning…which is something that is making it VERY hard to concentrate on my last semester of school. A fifty page paper due in less than a month? A paper due Thursday? Two group projects due in two weeks? A quiz tomorrow? Pshhh… clearly they are all much less important on my to-do list than reading my wedding books!

P.S. I’m 5.4 lbs lighter than I was two weeks ago! Go me : )

and dance forever

Right before John and I got engaged, the infamous youtube video started circulating.

We got engaged two days after I saw the video for the first time. That week, he saw the video for the first time and promptly shut down any ideas I may or may not have had about dancing down the aisle at our wedding.

I still realllllly love that video though.

I’m really glad I am graduating in December because it is almost impossible to concentrate on schoolwork when I could be reading a bridal magazine or spending hours on theknot.com making my wedding website or looking at favors or centerpieces.

Not to mention that I have spent countless hours throughout my entire college education procrastinating by looking at wedding dresses online.

There are soooo many pretty dresses, how do you pick just one??

Pumpkintown, USA

Ryan and me with Barack Gourdama. ; )

“This one is my size!”

Ryan and Uncle Johnny visit Jail!

Ryan goes for a ride with some pumpkin-kids!

“I don’t want sprinkles!”
What little boy doesn’t want sprinkled donuts?? ; )

hello autumn

I dislike how quickly fall goes by. It smells wonderful outside, and the trees are the prettiest colors.

Tomorrow, John and I are taking his youngest nephew Ryan to Pumpkintown, USA. It’s a cute little park for kids with pumpkin people and hay bales and yummy apples and other autumn goodies. Friday night we are taking him to the fair while the older boys are at the Trail of Terror. I love fall fairs…the smell, the midway, the crafts. I really want to go to Gilette Castle too, since this is the last weekend of the season. Hopefully we can squeeze it in on Saturday or Sunday.

Marley is growing too fast, but he gets cuter everyday. He is teething and my hands have the marks to prove it, but I don’t mind. Milo had to go to the vet last week and we found out he had a viral infection via an ulcer in his mouth – his meow sounded awful, like he had a cat version of strep throat or something. He is on anti-histamines twice a day until Friday. He’s not happy about taking them, but he sounds ten times better.

John turned 26 yesterday. I had his family over for taco salad and birthday cake, all made by yours truly. I will post pictures when I get around to putting them on my computer. I’m so proud of who he is and al that he’s done in his 26 years. I loved making his cake, too. I felt like a true (almost) wife.