Friday Favorites

Favorite Song

I found this song last night when I was looking for wedding music and I forgot how much I love it. It makes me want to do a dance with my mom just so that I can play this song. The words are so sweet. 

Favorite Verse

This has been a great reminder this week. I've been super stressed with work and upset about the littlest things. I need to get back into reading the bible daily because i know it will give me the peace that I need. 

Favorite Food

I made a pintrest meal this week and it was so good! I served it with whole wheat pasta and peas instead of rice and it was delicious. I definitely want to make it again! 

Favorite Part of the Week

I talked to my dad and my grandpa this week. They both live on the east coast and I am lucky if I see them once a year. It was so nice to talk wedding with them and talk about their travel arrangements for the wedding. I'm so excited that they will both be there for my special day. 

Happy Friday! :)

Wedding Wednesday: Bridesmaids!

I'm not gonna lie, I had a really hard time picking my bridesmaids. It's not that I have a lot of friends, but I have friends from different places and times in my life and it was really hard for me to decide who I wanted to include and who wasn't going to be in the bridal party. I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings or have anyone feeling like they weren't as important because they weren't selected. I also had to try and decide on a number that C liked too because originally he only wanted 3 and I told him it would be impossible for me to limit it that much so we settled on 5.

My maid of honor was easy, my best friend since 5th grade who is basically my sister. We've gone all through school together, including college, and now we teach in the same school district. We are those crazy girls who plan on trying to be pregnant at the same time so we can also have kids the same age. I was her maid of honor is August and I'm thrilled that now she will serve as mine.

My four other bridesmaids are all really close friends. Another best friend, who was my partner in crime all through college. We were in marching band together and were co-section leaders for two years so we spent many, many, hours together. I convinced her to move across the hall from me in our dorms sophomore year so that we could be together 24/7. We are almost total opposites but balance each other out so well and I know we will be friends for life.

My two roommates are in my bridal party and I am so happy to include them because there were so many nights when we would be partying and then end up in one of our rooms hugging and saying, we will be best friends forever and all in each other's weddings! I'm the first one to get married and thrilled to begin the tradition. They are both amazing women, so fun, loving, and kind. They also put up with my fiance basically living with us when we were in college and never complaining once. They love him as much as I do and it's only fitting that they will be there when we say 'i do'.

My final bridesmaid is one of my close friends since high school. We met when we worked at McDonalds because we were both new at the same time. It started off as just a work friendship but progressed to much more. We spent lots of weekends together in high school having adventures or saying home watching movies until the wee hours of the morning. She's a friend who has been there through so much and now that I live back in the same town I grew up in we have connected a lot and I'm glad that we are still so close.

Those are my wonderful ladies. I asked them by making them all custom cards and wine bottle labels. It took a while to ask them all because they live all over the state but I finally did and they all said yes! I am one happy girl and I am so happy to have them all there with me throughout the entire wedding process.

Any tips on making sure I'm sweet and my bridesmaids all still love me when the wedding is complete?

Happy Fall!

I have to say this summer was one for the books, talk about so many wonderful things happening! But now that summer is over and fall has arrived (the weather even got the memo) I'm looking forward to it!

Hello, boots! Such an easy go-to for when I need to make an outfit look better. I'm on the hunt for at least one new pair this fall and I hope I find them sooner rather than later! 

I'm stealing this idea from Meaghan but I am obsessed with idea of making glitter pumpkins!

We are taking our engagement photos in a couple of weeks and I'm so excited for all of the pretty trees! 

There's still plenty of time left in football season so I'll be cheering for my teams. && my fantasy is also doing really well! I'm second in my league and this is the first time I've done it...beginners luck?

I'm not going to lie, I've been feeling a little down and unmotivated for school but this post made me think about some positives of the upcoming months and lifted my spirit a bit. Plus after fall we all knows what's coming... 

Weekending: College Gameday

So I wasn't at the college game day, but I had my own college gameday experience this weekend and it was amazing. I went to Washington State University and absolutely loved every minute of my time there. I'll jsut throw it out there, we kinda suck at football. My freshman year we won 1 game, I think the other 3 we won like a total of four Pac-12 games, it was rough. I was in the marching band so we had to be there, all game, every day. Even though we aren't the best our school has the most unreal school spirit. If you've ever watched college game day you've seen our flag flying proudly, we're going on the 151st consecutive episode next week I believe.

That being said, I am obsessed with the college town and when we get to go back and visit it is so wonderful. It's a small town, all college kids, in the middle of wheat fields with nothing else. We always joke that it's like living in a bubble because its so safe, you don't really know what is going on in the outside world, and everyone looks out for each other.

I drove over with my fiance and 3 friends and we spent most of the weekend together. We had two nights at the bar with the football game in the middle. We help the marching band so we get to go on the field during pre-game and halftime so that's a lot of fun. It was so great to see some of my old friends and be back on campus. My little brother also goes there for grad school now so I got to see him too.

Our team was playing Oregon who was ranked 2 in the nation (we are unranked and far from being ranked) and we gave them a run for their money. The stadium was sold out and it was SO LOUD! It's been a long time since we sold out a game and since they didn't totally blow us out the entire crowd stayed the entire game. I love college football. We didn't win but it was one of the best games I've ever been to.

I'm exhausted and not feeling well after the long drive back home today but it was worth it for such a fun weekend.

Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Expo

This weekend I went to a wedding expo with my best friend (who will be my MOH but it isn't final yet since I'm waiting for gifts to arrive from Etsy). It was a lot more fun than I thought and not as overwhelming. I really enjoyed talking to vendors and getting ideas from them. My venue was there and I was so excited to talk to my coordinator and see more pictures. I'm so obsessed with it and know that we made the best decision. We got a few big things done this weekend that I feel really good about.

1. We booked our photo booth!

This seems silly and little but the lady was so nice, it comes with a ton of awesome props, it was a great price, and it was available on my day. I was sold. I put down the deposit and booked it on the spot at the expo. Score! I can't wait for my guests to have fun taking goofy pictures and getting some for ourselves.

2. We picked our colors! AQUA && SILVER! 

3. We selected the tux rentals for my groom and the groomsmen. 
It's all set up at men's warehouse and now I just need to get the guys in a couple weeks before the wedding to get fitted.

I'm meeting with a photographer/videographer tomorrow so I'm really excited! If we get that booked then I am going to feel so relieved and relaxed.

What have you guys accomplished this week?

Weekending: Checking things off the list!

This weekend was great, I feel like I say that every weekend. I guess weekends are just that awesome!

Friday night we went bowling with one of my good friends from school. We ate pizza and bowled for a couple of hours. It was great to catch up and hang out. C loves bowling so he was so happy that we went. I also won the first game, which I was pretty happy about.

Saturday morning I went to the wedding expo with my best friend. It was amazing! I loved talkin gto a ton of vendors and it really got me in full on wedding planning mode. I made a couple of big decisions and those will be talked about on Wednesday. That afternoon my fiance and I went out to lunch and then went and tried on tuxes! I know we have a long time but he wanted to pick the colors based on what he liked for the men to wear (weird I know) but I wanted to let him be involved. Thankfully he liked the same color as me so that was decided!

I came home and spent a long time online looking at wedding things and chatting with one of my friends who is a catering coordinator. One day she will probably run her own wedding planning business but in the mean time she coordinates weddings at a really fancy venue in our area. We were chatting about my wedding and also her wedding (which will hopefully be happening in the next couple of years). I was also working on grad school since I'm trying to finish my masters online before our wedding but thats a race against time. It's so hard to not spend every minute on weddingwire or pintrest but I'm trying really hard.

Sunday morning we went to church and ran some errands afterwards. We came home and relaxed for a little bit. Then we headed to the fair to watch my kids show their sheep. I'm one of the FFA advisors but I don't do the animals, I do the plants and leadership portions but they still are always happy when I'm there and I want to be supportive. I brought my fiance with me, I bribed him with fair food. :)

How was your weekend??

Linking up with Meghan!

Wedding Wednesday: The End of the Venue Search

After debating over venues for what seemed to be forever (even though it was only a little over a month) we have finally made a decision!

A little background, I was set on a winter wedding. I wanted sparkles, branches, and lots of silver. Well, my fiance is from the other side of our state which means you have to go through mountains which can be treacherous in the winter. He started vocalizing that he didn't want a winter wedding and then when my mom was more on his side about it, I realized that I'm going to lose that vision.

After a few days I accepted it and found the positives in a summer wedding. I'd be way less stressed since I wouldn't be in school, it should *fingers crossed* be sunny, I can spend more time with out of time family, etc. This also meant we could expand out venue hunt. I found this place online and fell in love. When the catering manager e-mailed me back with prices and it wasn't too far out of our price range, I was even more in love. We visited Saturday and I was sold. 

Reception space with draping, chandeliers, a wall of windows, and see those branches on the far wall?! I can get them even in the summer. :D 

 

Reception space below on either the pavement or the grass, lots of options and beautiful backgrounds. 

This is a huge weight off my shoulders but now that the wedding is less than 11 months away I need to get on engagement pictures asap so I can send our save the dates. Regardless I feel so much better knowing that we have a venue and a date, let the planning continue! 

Linking up with Mary! :) 

Weekending: Football Games && Fair Time!

I had such a busy, but awesome weekend! After school on Friday my best friend and I went to Hobby Lobby. I absolutely love that store all of the Christmas stuff had me in heaven. I cannot wait until it's time to decorate for that holiday, it's my favorite by far.

C and I went to the football game for the school I teach at and I got to introduce him to some of my coworkers and students. It was fun to socialize with the other teachers and our team won, by a lot. We came home and watched the football game from our college that we recorded. It was a night full of football, sounds good to me!

On Saturday we went to look at another wedding venue and it was AMAZING. I'll be writing more about it on Wednesday because it needs it's own post. :)

We went to the fair in the afternoon and that was wild. Our state fair is a really big deal, and when it's opening day on a gorgeous weekend it's a mad house. There's so much packed into a small area that it's practically impossible to move without bumping in to other people but we still had a good time. Looked at some exhibits, ate some good food, and explored the animals. I'll be there a lot more next week with my FFA kids but it was nice to go with my fiance and mom.

That evening we had some friends over and played Rummikub, it's such a fun game!

This morning we went to church and then went out to lunch with some people we met at church. I love connecting, meeting new people, and building friendships. I am excited to see where this goes. We've spent the afternoon watching football and I've been preparing for a full week of school. Let the crazy continue! 

Linking up! :)

Friday Favorites: Teacher Memes

I [almost] survived the first week of school && it was actually a lot of fun!

I'm doing a meme powerpoint today to go over procedures and rules and it cracked me up making it. Here are some of my favorites. Thanks E for the idea. :)

Happy weekend! Mine is going to be a busy one so I'll tell you all about it on Monday! 

Linking with Amanda!

Dear September...

Dear September,

You are an exciting month! I am really looking forward to many things that are happening this month and I hope that you live up to all of my expectations.

First and foremost, school is starting! I'm going into my second year of teaching science and agriculture at the high school level and I love it! I can't wait to meet all of my students and start this year on a positive note.

I want to get back into running and I set a goal of 70 miles this month. I've never in my life been a runner but I had a 100 mile sin June challenge that I accomplished so I decided to try that method again. I'm running a 5k at the end of the month and I can't wait to see how much I can improve my then. Please bring good weather for running outside and lots of motivation. :)

I get to go back and visit my college and attend a football game towards the end of the month. College was, by far, the best four years of my life and I love going back to visit. I loved our campus and everything about my school. My brother is attending graduate school there so not only do I get to visit a place I love (and often refer to as the happiest place on earth) but I also get to see my brother. It will be a win win. On top of that I have field passes to a football game, talk about an awesome weekend.

There are some hard dates to get through this months, an anniversary of a death that is still very painful for me and I'm hoping that I can make it through that time without too much pain. I know that grief is an ongoing process and even a few years later the wounds are still not healed. I'm hoping for time to process things and accept that it's okay to be sad but know that I will get through it.

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What are your hopes for September? I hope it's a great month for all!

Weekending: Labor Day Edition

With Labor Day behind us, it appears that summer really is over. I'm glad I was able to have such a busy weekend and take advantage of the last moments of freedom.

We went to a BBQ at our friend's apartment on Friday night. We were celebrating her getting a job at a physical therapists office (she just graduated from PT school in June). We got lost on the way there and were kinda late but it was nice to enjoy the evening and hang out with friends.

Saturday we went to another friend's house for our fantasy football draft. We spent way too many hours watching college football and then doing our draft. It was my first year and these boys I am playing with are INTENSE! I was definitely intimidated and I'm not sure how well I did but it was fun.

Sunday we went to church and then I went to my friends apartment to make some freezer meals. At first I was just going to hang out with her but I decided to make a few myself as well. I ended up making BBQ Pork, chicken teryaki, and creamy ranch chicken. They all looked good and I'm pretty excited to try them this week! It was only about $30 for 5 meals and it's almost guaranteed we will have leftovers from each. I think it might become a regular activity. 

I went shopping later Sunday afternoon and got some new clothes for school! I have a shopping problem, but at least there were great sales! Two shirts (coral/grey patterned & purple) new dark skinny jeans, grey checked dress slacks, a chambray shirt, and a blue and green patterned maxi dress.

We spent the extra day of the weekend with our friends at the horse track. This is one of our favorite summer activities and it was a blast! My fiance ended up coming out even and I only lost about $15, not too bad for a day of betting. 

Overall, it was an awesome 3 day weekend! 

Linking up :)