Houston, we have a photographer!

Had a Skype meeting today with a wedding photographer and we decided to go with them!  I'm so excited that Joma Studios is going to do our pictures!  We've known these girls for a long time (I went to high school with one of them, and our moms went to high school together) and it makes me pretty excited that I'll be able to feel comfortable with the photographers - nothing like the paparazzi I have to deal with all the time. Just kidding.  I'm not Kim Kardashian.

Speaking of Kim Kardashian, I watched her wedding this morning.  It was beautiful!  I'm not usually much of a crier (ok, let's be honest. I'm more of a crier these days than I used to be.), but I did get a little teary during the episode.  She got overwhelmed while she was going through her dad's old shirts and broke down.  It made me really sympathetic and I got choked up.  It was sweet.  I can't imagine not having my dad around for my wedding.  That would be something I would never want to have to deal with.  Say what you want about Kim Kardashian, but at the end of the day, she's still a person, and she still had to go through her wedding day without her daddy.  That's tough.

What else did I do today besides watch TV...  Oh. I worked out.  Yeah, I've been trying to be consistent!  I went to the Fall Festival over the weekend (AMAZING) and so now I'm really into the watch-what-I-eat get-skinny-for-your-wedding routine.  Monday I went to an awesome zumba class and also ran a little, yesterday I did a light aerobic and light weight training workout at home, and today I did a lower-body workout DVD.  Ok. It's a Kim Kardashian DVD.  I can't help it I love her so much! lol I'm not like the crazy people who comment on her blog or show up to her milkshake stand in Dubai (what?!), but I do watch the shows, and I do own her workout DVDs.  I appreciate that they're focused on the curvy woman's body - which I have.  I love my curves. I just need to tighten them up a little bit, so that when I shake what my mama gave me I don't cause an earthquake.  The lower body workout is my FAVORITE!  I can never walk the next day, but that means it's GOOD!  Jason bought me an aerobic step, too, so now I can do the whole workout!

Now I'm at work, doing my job. Oh, wait. I'm actually blogging, so...  Thanks for reading!  I'll catch up later :-D

How do you choose?!

So, it's 10 months till the wedding!  I'm SO excited!  Today The Knot told me a few things that I should be doing 10 months out from the wedding.  One such task is start a gift registry.  I'll be honest.  I'm pretty pumped to go register for gifts!  I've been waiting for this moment for a long time.  Immediately after I read what The Knot had to say, I started browsing kitchen, bed, bath, and home items online.  I'll tell ya.  It's tough! 

How do you decide what you want?  Out of all the things in the world, you're allowed to pick a few that you REALLY want people to get for you.  How do you know which 32-piece dinner set is right?  It has to be timeless and classic, but you also want it to reflect your and your husband-to-be's style.  But it can't be too current.  Because 10 years down the line, it'll be dated.  Do you go square or round?  Solid or patterned?  Sale or expensive?  Bah!  So many decisions!

I think I'm leaning towards classic white. lol

Lord, I was borrrrn a ramblin' [wo]man...

I think I'm just going to ramble for a little bit. Why? Because I'm at work, it's 9:45pm, and there's not a lot going on. I'm not in the mindset to craft an eloquent and whimsical blog post, but I want to say some things, I guess. So here goes.

Today I went to Plainfield and did makeup for the models at a Fashion Bug fashion show. I really need a GPS.  Yes, those two statements are related.  You see, I don't have a GPS currently, and I've been getting along ok without it.  In fact, I feel kind of proud of myself when I can travel "old school" with a map and some directions and the basic knowledge of cardinal directions and highways without having to rely on some woman telling me what to do.  However.  Google Maps just isn't cutting it these days.  Today I printed the directions from my apartment to the Fashion Bug in Plainfield.  Boy.  Am I glad I left early!  What was supposed to take about an hour ended up taking about an hour and 45 because I got "lost" a couple times due to faulty directions.  AND THEN I got all mixed up trying to get back home, too.  So that was pretty tragic and stressful.  So I think I'm at the point where I'd enjoy having a GPS.  I don't have a fancy phone with a fancy app that will do the trick, and I don't have a fancy car with a fancy built-in GPS system.  So, I probably don't need a fancy GPS either.  Just one that gets me to and fro.  I'd like it for Christmas, please.  Anyway, back to the models.  So, after I finally found where I was supposed to be, I did makeup on two models.  (Jennifer, another Consultant, was there too, and she did 2 models as well.)  It was a good time.  We didn't have ANY idea what to expect when we got there.  Good thing we're flexible!  That was my first experience putting makeup ON someone's face.  Usually I just give application directions, teaching women how to do things themselves so they can go home and replicate it.  But I was better than I thought I would be!  It makes me excited to do things like this in the future.

What can I ramble about next... Ah, TV.  Jason and I caught up on a TON of TV in the last few days.  I'm excited for all the fall shows that are back again!  Some new shows that are in my life are: Raising Hope, Up All Night (FUNNY!), and The New Girl.  Let me just tell you.  The New Girl is totally me.  I know, I know... everybody thinks that the main character of a TV show or a movie is "totally them," but I'm pretty serious about this one.  I tried not to say anything about it as we were watching the show because I didn't want to be cliche, but after it was over, I said, "Why is she me?"  And Jason said, "I don't know, but she just is. :-/"  (Yeah. He totally said the slanty face part.  With his face.)  I hope she proves me wrong during the rest of the series.  I hope she's not me, because I see me everyday.  I would love to see someone else.  Who's that girl?  IT'S JESS!

Did I mention how frustrated I was with those horrible directions to Plainfield today?  SO frustrated. I wasted a quarter-tank of gas!  That's so ridiculous... Ugh. Can't get over it.

So, I picked out my wedding dress!  It's the one I loved from the start.  I'm just excited that I made a decision about it.  It had a little bit of competition with another dress, but then when I tried it on again on a different day, I just forgot all about that other dress. I'm SO EXCITED!! It's so pretty!!!  When I went and tried it on yesterday, some random woman in the store said, "Oh wow. That dress was made for you."  Totes the right dress.  Time to get skinny I guess!  The sales associate lady told me that it would take 15 weeks for the dress to come in (because I'm getting extra length put at the bottom so I can actually wear a little bit of a heel).  I've got time.  I've got motivation.  I just need some ACTION!  HELP!  (It's so hard to be skinny when you're lazy!)

My best friend ran a 5K today.  Maybe I should run again.  This time last year I was about to run a half-marathon.  OK. Run/walk a half-marathon - who am I trying to kid. lol  I'd like to get back to that point, if not farther.  So... looks like I'll be hitting the gym tomorrow!  After church and a Mary Kay party, that is! :-)

I suppose that's enough rambling for now.  I've successfully used up 18 minutes of my shift :-)  Thanks for reading!  You're a champ for reading this whole thing!

Fall is here.

I'm starting to appreciate Fall more.  I do enjoy the changing leaves.  I like to wear scarves.  Also, I like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival.  I like football games where you have to take a blanket.

However! 

Summer is still my favorite. Nothing will ever replace that.  I live for the feeling of the sun touching my skin and toasting me on the outside.  I think maybe I'm solar powered.  I get so much energy and my mood always gets so much better when the sun is shining and I feel its warmth!

But Fall will do.  For now.

Wedding Planning!!

I feel like I'm going just a little bit crazy.  We're not quite 2 months into being engaged, and I feel like I have to plan the whole wedding by tomorrow!  I know that's not the case, but I just like to get stuff done.  So far we have:

• A ceremony site
• A reception site
• Bridesmaids/groomsmen (mostly)
• Colors
• A pastor (probably... he's checking his schedule with his wife)
• Save the Date cards

Here's what I'd like us to have sorted out:

• A photographer (because I'd like us to get our engagement pictures done soon)
• A finished guest list, complete with addresses

Here are the things that I keep thinking about, but I KNOW I don't need to worry about for a long time:

• Invitations
• Catering
• Programs
• Musicians
• DJ
• Catering
• Dresses of all kinds
• Salon madness
• Catering
• Ceremony stuff
• Seating arrangements
• Did I mention catering????

Catering is just so darn expensive! It stresses me out to the max.  Buhhh. I'm pretty much dreading that conversation, but I'm also excited to eat food.

OMG. I forgot about the cake!!

Boring?

Do you ever wish you were more exciting?  That you were the life of the party?  Sometimes I wish that. 

I'm really great at being a hostess.  I am accommodating, a pretty good cook, kind, inviting... but for some reason, when friends come over, I feel like I bore them.  I don't know if that's necessarily true, but it sure feels like it sometimes. 

I've never been one to "party," but I do love a good conversation, and I certainly love to laugh.  Lately, however, I just feel like the only people who appreciate my style of hospitality and friendship are my fiance, my best friend, Marly, and my family.  I guess that's really all you can ask for in life.  But I sort of always pictured myself as a person who would have friends just bursting from the seams of her little 1 bedroom apartment - always too full of laughter and the warmth of good friendship.  And I pictured when I got married that my husband and I would have so many other "couple friends" who would come over for game nights and movie nights.

The last few times I've tried to open my home to other couples and groups of friends, I've just been completely underwhelmed.  Usually I end up feeling extremely exhausted after the fact because of all the effort and energy I put into making my home beautiful, preparing the food/whatever, and putting myself into that vulnerable state of being a hostess.  Then, when it seems like others just really aren't interested in spending time with you, it's like a big gust of wind just sweeps you off your feet and lands you really hard on your back on the ground.  My feelings hurt, my soul hurts, and I just want to curl up and sleep.  For days.

Sorry to sound all emo, but this is just how I've been feeling for the last few days.  A little disappointed to say the least, and a little hurt and confused to say the most.

I didn't know I was so boring...

Be still.

I think I need to start establishing more quiet time with the Lord.  Ideally, I'd love to start each day with a good half hour of devotional and prayer time.  I've not had a good devotional time in my life for a long time, and I'm getting to the point where I desperately need it, and it will actually fit in with my lifestyle.  I have SO MUCH going on in my life right now.  I really need to intentionally be still and rest in the Lord.  We talked about prayer in Sunday school this morning, and I felt really convicted to spend more intentional prayer time with God - after all, you need to communicate to actually have a relationship.

My first day of grad school orientation starts tomorrow - including our entrance exams in music history and theory.  THANK GOODNESS we get 2 chances to pass the exams.  I haven't studied like I should have (surprise, surprise...).  I'm doing a little cramming this evening, but I'm not sure it will be enough to pass either or both of the exams.  We'll see! 

Where has the summer gone?!  So, I've got orientation this week, plus move-in tables with work, plus I need to solidify my opera audition aria (and schedule a coaching or two and a lesson), plus I need to get moving with Mary Kay.  Also I think I'm babysitting for a couple hours on Friday. AHH. What a week.

On top of that, I'm starting to look at different apartments online for Jason and me to move into when we get married next summer.  Ideally I'd like to start setting up appointments to do some walk-throughs as soon as possible.  Apartments get rented up really quickly in Bloomington, so the sooner you can sign a lease, the better!

So far the wedding planning has been pretty smooth.  We've got a date, a ceremony site, an officiant, some bridesmaids and groomsmen, and a pretty good idea of a photographer, reception site, and a DJ.  It's pretty stressful trying to plan a wedding out of town.  You have to schedule meetings back to back during weekends.  It's pretty challenging.  I'm excited for when things will just start falling into place.  But I am enjoying it!  Planning your wedding with the love of your life should NOT be a stressful and horrible time.  It should be so fun and exciting!  Aside from the typical stresses, we are managing to find the fun and excitement in it! :-)

Speaking of fun and exciting, have I mentioned before how much I love my job as a Mary Kay consultant?  I really do.  My goal is to become a Sales Director, which means that I'll have to be working really hard on that this semester as well.  I'm definitely going to be praying for a sense of urgency and fearlessness as I approach this next quarter.  Taking a month off while I was in San Francisco makes right now feel like I'm starting all over again as a brand new baby consultant!  My director and my national director believe in me, and that makes me feel so inspired!  I'm so blessed with this career opportunity, and I can't wait to share it with other women.  It really can change lives!

That's all for now.  Time to continue reading about Notre Dame polyphony and 13th Century troubadour songs. :-/