Nationals Bound!

My alarm clock is set for 2:30am and I will be heading to school to meet my students and then we are off to Louisville.

We will be hanging out with 60,000 friends at the National FFA Convention. 

This is always one of my favorite weeks of the year, let's hope this year lives up to my expectations. 

Wedding Wednesday: First Look

After a crazy morning of getting ready it was finally time for the first look! From where I was getting ready in the locker room of the country club I could peek outside and see C as he got ready for the first look. The photographers had him standing along this path near the trees. As I was walking up to him I said a silent prayer hoping to be able to take in everything throughout the day and really soak it all in. I wasn't nervous, but I was so excited to see his reaction and it was absolutely perfect.

When he turned around he couldn't stop smiling and looking at me, it was the cutest thing. He told me that he loved my dress about 20 times. It was great to be able to talk about our morning and the night before because we hadn't see each other all day.

After that we went right into all of our pictures and it was a lot of fun. Our photographers were wonderful in making us feel comfortable and giving us good direction to get great shots. They also let us be ourselves and take any pictures that we wanted.

I actually wanted to go into the forest to try and get some pictures and those are some of my favorites. We enjoyed the time and it went by really fast. After first look we went right into our bridal party and family pictures. I'll share those next week! :)

Linking up! 

Weekending: Homecoming

This weekend we went back to my my college, Washington State University, for homecoming. I love WSU, a lot. The spirit there is something special and we truly are a Cougar Family. It was an absolutely perfect weekend. We left right after school on Friday and made the trip there (about 5 hours) with one of my college roommates and her boyfriend. I haven't seen her since my wedding so it was great to catch up.

When we got there we went to my brother's apartment (he's getting his phD right now) and dropped off our stuff and then headed to the bar. It was crazy crowded, but wonderful. There was a pretty big group of us, we were dancing, singing, and having a great time. 

Me && my brother 

Saturday was GAMEDAY! :) We went to the store to get some things for breakfast and then started getting ready for the game. We headed to campus about 3 hours before kickoff and watched the band for a little bit and walked around to enjoy the festivities. It was the most beautiful day, sunny and 70 degress. Absolutely perfect. 

 We found our mascot, Butch! 

The game was a blast! We had a group of about 15 of us all in one section so we had a great time. Our team did amazing (which doesn't happen often) and we ended up winning! 

After the game we had dinner, took a nap, and then headed back to the bar. We were there until it closed at 2am. I would call that a success. :) 

When they turn the lights back on...you know it's time to go.

My roommate wanted to leave early so we were on the road at 7am. I wasn't feeling very good and slept most of the way back. I was so glad I wasn't driving. It was such a blast, the perfect weekend reliving our college days. I'm so thankful that even three years later I still have such a solid core of friends from college to go and have fun with. I think next year we are going to rent an RV and tailgate, regardless as long as we are back and can enjoy a game together, that's all I care about. 

Two down...one to go! Maybe by next year she'll have a ring too. :) Love my roommates. 

Linking up with Meghan!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! 

Favorite Song: Good to Be Alive 

I am obsessed with this song. I play it in almost every class period and then switch to Andy Grammar radio, it's been a great station. Very upbeat and fun! 

Favorite quote:

I'm struggling this week with not feeling appreciated and I'm trying to use that as a motivator for me to show the people that I care about how much I appreciate them. 

Favorite Show Week: Dancing with the Stars 

I am a sucker for reality TV and this is one show that I love. I think it's super entertaining and always something new each week. This season Bindi and Derek are my favorite. She did a tribute dance to her dad last week and I cried like a baby. Feel free to watch if you need a good cry. 

Favorite thing about this week: Homecoming Spirit Week! 

 I got to have fun and dress casual all week, PINK out on Monday, Tye-Dye Tuesday, PJ day on Wednesday, Decade day on Thursday, and Spirit on Friday. Loved being comfy all week. 

Favorite Book: In A Dark, Dark, Wood

My book club picked this book for this month and it was so good. I read it in two days because I couldn't stop! It kept me guessing right until the end. I would highly recommend it. 

Linking up with Amanda!

Have a great weekend, everyone! 

Crock Pot Pizza Bites!

I found this recipe on Pintrest and couldn't wait to try it. I made it this weekend and it was delicious! 

The ingredients are simple: a can of biscuits, pizza sauce, pepperoni (or other toppings), and cheese. I always opt for turkey pepperoni, a lot healthier and still delicious! 

You cut up the biscuits into 8 pieces each and mix them with some Italian seasoning, then add the sauce. 

Place that in the crock put and put the pepperoni and cheese on top. 

Cook it on high for 1.5-2 hours. Make sure you put a paper towel over it and secure it in the lid. This keeps the condensation from dripping on it and making it soggy. Behold, the finished product. 

I give it at 10/10. I ate the leftovers throughout the week and it was so delicious! The biscuits were soft and flaky. When I make it next time I am going to add more pepperoni and a little more cheese throughout. It was delicious and super easy! I'd recommend it. 

Wedding Wednesday: Getting Ready!

Here we go, finally getting to my wedding day! 

Getting ready was a really fun part of my day. One of my goals from the beginning of wedding planning was to make sure that I had plenty of time so that I could enjoy the entire morning and not be rushed or late for pictures. I had pictures scheduled starting at 1:30 at the venue (me getting dressed) so I wanted to go to the venue around 12:30 to double check all of the decor before I had to get dressed. 

So...my bridesmaids and I stayed in a hotel the night before my wedding. I slept with my maid of honor in one room and the other girls were across the hall. My best friend and I had some snuggles and chatted when we woke up before we started getting ready. 

We went to Starbucks to get the traditional 'Bride' and bridesmaids drinks and grabbed a light breakfast from our hotel. 

 When we got back, it wasn't long before the hair stylists arrived. I had a lot of drama with having a stylist, her moving unexpectedly and having another lady at the salon do my hair. Neither of my trials were exactly perfect for it gave me some anxiety. She also brought an assistant who worked on my bridesmaids. 

My hair took way longer than it was supposed to and when I got up and looked at it in the mirror, I hated it. Literally I wanted to cry. My mom and bridesmaids were all like, you look so pretty, its okay...but it was bad. There was no poof like there was supposed to be and it was so matted down with hairspray. It was nasty. I had to just hold it together and get my make up done because my make up artist was there waiting.

Finally, 4 hours later we were all ready. Thankfully my make up was amazing, I felt like a supermodel. That made up for me hating my hair and I tried to not let it get me down. We packed up our stuff and headed to the venue in our robes. We took this teaser picture for me to put on facebook, I'm a little obsessed with it. :) 

After I checked out everything in the venue, it was time to get dressed! My mom officially zipped me into my dress put it took all of my bridesmaids to get it all on right. There's a lot of poof! My bridesmaids were the best and kept the morning so fun and light hearted. They were constantly reassuring me, checking in on me, and making sure I was doing okay. I love them. 

Adding those finishing touches! We had a nice 'locker room' to get ready in at the country club. There was nobody else in there and plenty of space. We could also peek out of the windows as they set up the ceremony decor so that was fun. I also got to watch my future husband walk out to his spot for the first look before I went out. 

Next you'll get to see the first look! Writing this was so much fun, I love re-living the memories and all of the feelings I had on that day. 

Linking up! 

Wedding Wednesday: Rehearsal Dinner

Happy Wednesday!  Today we are taking a look at our rehearsal dinner. Since my fiance's family doesn't live anywhere near where we were getting married, my mom graciously hosted our rehearsal dinner. It was quite the large affair because I wanted to invite all of my family who traveled from the west coast. We also invited all of his family who traveled for the wedding. Add to that the bridal party and we had about 50 people at our rehearsal dinner, good thing my mom has a big backyard! 

I made this big sign to make sure everyone knew where they were going. 

Me && my beautiful bridesmaids. <3

We had italian food since that is easy for a large group. My mom and I prepped it all the day before so all we had to do on the day of the rehearsal was put it in the oven. Our menu included lasagna, chicken alfredo, meatballs, bowties, caesar salad, and rolls. There was so much food and it was all delicious. 

Some of my friends, plus yard games in the back. We played ladder ball and bocce ball. 

My cousins from New Jersey! There is one missing, hence the space, but it meant the world to me that almost my entire family flew across the country to be at my wedding. 

This is a re-creation of a picture that we took 16 years ago. 

It was such a special evening and the perfect start to my wedding weekend. Next week, we'll start getting to wedding pictures! :) 

Linking up! 

Weekending: Lack of Sleep

This weekend was crazy and I have very little pictures to prove it.

Friday night we had an auction for FFA to raise money for our students going to Nationals. We are taking 13 students this year and this year's auction was a hueg success. We raised enough money to cover the rest of the trip (flights, hotel, registration, rental car) for all of them! We made over double what we did last year. As I was counting the money I could not stop smiling. The parents and booster group have worked so hard to put this auction together and all of that work was totally worth it.

After the auction ended, we got in the car and drove 3 hours to Eastern Washington to where my husband is from. We arrived around 2am. Thankfully one of his friends came with us and they stayed up and chatted while I crashed in the backseat. I didn't sleep much, but I didn't have to feel guilty after not walking to talk the whole way. I was drained.

We spend Saturday at a marching band competition. There were a ton of great groups, saw a lot of C's friends, it was a fun time. We were in the stadium or walking around with groups warming up from 10am - 10:30pm. It was a marathon day.

We drove home pretty early on Sunday which was great so then I could clean up the apartment, do laundry, and relax on the couch. I needed a restful afternoon after the busy weekend.

I don't have too many meetings this week so I am really excited, we also don't have school on friday. Woo!

Linking up with Meghan! && Bianca!

Five on Friday: October Favorites!

I am so excited about this month! There are so many fun things going on that I have to look forward to. 

1. Halloween fun with friends! 

One of my friends asked if we can go to the corn maze and have a Halloween-y party and of course I agreed! I am not a huge fan of scary things, but as long as we go to the corn maze during the day time I am totally down. Plus, who doesn't like a reason to get together with friends?

2. WSU Homecoming!

My husband and I are heading back to our college town for the homecoming football game in the middle of the month. Both of my roomates are also going with their respective significant others, as well as a few other friends. Even though we graduated 3 years ago it feels like no time has passed and I am looking forward to the hitting our favorite places in town and cheering on out team. 

3. FFA National Convention

As part of my job I am an advisor for our school's FFA chapter and I have the privilege of taking 13 students to Louisville for the National Convention. They are all competing while we are there so that is stressful, but also so rewarding. 

4. Growing in Faith

I am in a bible study group and we just had our third meeting and I am really enjoying it. I was in a small group before through my church, but this is a little more challenging and I like being with a new group of women. I also am meeting with my Pastor next week to talk about being a leader for a teen group which is both intimidating and exciting. I'm just praying for guidance and that if it is meant to be, I will be a good fit for those girls. 

5. Wedding Planning.

If you've been reading my blog you know that my wedding has already passed, but I am a bridesmaid in 3 weddings over the next year so there is still plenty of planning to be done. One of my friends has her first dress shopping appointment this month and I can't wait for that and all of the other fun things that will be coming up.

Linking up with Amanda!