Observations, Comments and Other Ramblings

*It's hard to think about December when it 103 degrees outside.

*Someone told me the wedding countdown thing on the sidebar of this blog is off, but it looks right to me. Does it look wrong to anyone else?

*My parents and I acquired almost all of the decorations for the ceremony and reception last weekend.

*Four weeks is too long to not see one's fiance.

*I actually packed five boxes worth of stuff yesterday, which is certainly a record for me as far as early moving preparations go.

*I feel like for every one thing I cross off "The List", I think of three more things to add. It's scary.

A Bit of an Update

Things are going slowly here at Wedding Planning Central. I'm at the point where most of the things I need to take care of involve lots of shopping around for price quotes. Currently, I'm working on photographers, jewelers, and movers. I also need to get working on the DJ issue as well as make decisions on some decor items.
The cake I want has a bunch of those little silver BB things on it, which are edible, but not really edible (they're actually illegal in the state of Texas), so I have to decide if I want to go with those, which I like, or pick out something that I don't like as much, but are less likely to be a problem. Ahhh, more decisions.
Stephen and I did pick out tuxedos last weekend. That is SO much easier than bridesmaid dresses: you just pick out a whole outfit - including shoes and accessories, give the guys the reference number, have them get measured and it's done. No fair. (Also, not as fun.)
We also tried on wedding bands and looked at apartments while I was in sunny (and not NEARLY as hot) California. We are making progress! Plus, I now have my first shower scheduled (in Nacogdoches), which is exciting!
In the midst of all this, I have great intentions of getting my Christmas shopping taken care of and high hopes of making my annual Christmas CD, so I can have them in the mail before the wedding. We'll see if that actually happens.

Love/Hate (Wedding Edition)

::I love the idea of planning a wedding ::
::I hate feeling overwhelmed by all the things to be done ::

::I love that I have so many friends that have great ideas::
::I hate that I have to make so many decisions myself::

::I love that I’m moving to California::
::I hate that I’m leaving Monroe::

::I love that I’ll get to make new friends::
::I hate that I’ll have to look for a new job::

::I love that I get to see Stephen this weekend::
::I hate that it’s only for a weekend::

::I love Stephen::

Ask and You Shall Receive

Because you asked so nicely, here is a picture of my beautiful ring. It's hard to get a good picture of it, but my sister tipped me off that if I shot it under water, it might turn out better, and wouldn't you know it? She was right. That's why I keep her around. The photo still doesn't capture the true fabulousness of the ring, but you get the idea.
(Click on the picture for a closer view, and please ignore the do-it-yourself manicure.)

Falling Into Place

Things are starting to come together. Most of the "big" pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. Of course, we've got the church booked, the reception facility booked, I've picked out my dress and the bridesmaids' (actually, all brides matrons, if you want to get technical) dresses are picked out, too. I have some idea of what food we'll serve at the reception and how we'll decorate the church. I think I even have the wedding cake picked out. Of course, there are many more details to be taken care of, but I'm feeling good about how things are shaping up.
The best news of the week though, is that I'm going to California in a few weeks to see Stephen! It will only be for the weekend, but the longer our relationship goes on, the tougher it gets to live so far apart. 17 days and counting...

Brainstorming Needed

I'm having a major problem finding a reception facility that is reasonably priced, large enough to accommodate the number of people I anticipate and available on December 1. I've called several churches (First West, North Monroe Baptist, Parkview Baptist, St. Paul's, Lea Joyner, FUMC, Covenant Pres), country clubs, restaurants, King's Palace, Grand Plaza, and The Atrium. Does anyone have any other ideas? I'm getting desperate.

In Process

This wedding blog may be a total flop, but I thought it would be a good way to keep people posted with things that may or may not be going on with wedding planning, showers, etc.
So far, I've done pretty much nothing, but I have a lot of ideas in my head. Hopefully, those ideas will translate into reality and go as seamlessly as they do in my head.
Since Stephen has been here with me the last 2 weeks, we decided to enjoy our time together instead of stressing over wedding plans. We did get a few things done (like registering), but the planning really begins now.