tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58684481545967099112024-03-12T17:44:50.596-07:00one single girl's quest to become a wife...this is going to be the craziest roller coaster of my life thus far...raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-66501599894723567952010-11-14T19:04:00.000-08:002010-11-14T19:10:39.916-08:00whew...that was a whirlwind!life is crazy right now, especially for the past month (after getting back fm the honeymoon), and things are just NOW starting to come together...sort of! at least the boxes are broken down finally, and the dining room is set up (minus pictures on the wall). great progress was made yesterday!<br /><br />so i'm hoping the tasks for this week to be accomplished are as follows:<br />- wash the new towels and sheets bought yesterday with my bb&b gift cards<br />- put away all the new goodies bought at bb&b<br />- study my butt off for my new job (same place, just more challenge!)<br />- get a couple more rooms together - i think the art room is my next project!<br />- go out to dinner with my husband on a date :)<br />- maybe paint my art room purple this weekend since i have no current plans...YESSSS!<br /><br />i must say married life is great, minus the mini-adjustments that we must go through where one of us gets frustrated. but those happen with everyone when living with someone new. i love him very much and i dont' know what i would do without him!! :)<br /><br />i'll let ya know how the checklist works out! ha!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-77933565071417228612010-10-22T12:16:00.000-07:002010-10-22T12:17:25.536-07:00we're baaaaaaaack......and hopefully will be able to update everything on sunday!! :)<br />just know that it's coming! :)raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-18279769519914091252010-09-29T18:50:00.000-07:002010-09-29T18:59:14.022-07:00do-over? all signs point to 'YES'!!ok, so mayyyyyybe i haven't been the world's most faithful blogger...in fact, i might just be the worst. but i'm really hoping that when all this wedding stuff calms down, i'll be able to sit down a couple of times a week and give updates about how married life is treating us. well, that is, if we both show up next saturday ;) i think we're just ready to make it to the day, get it over with, and have a great day with our friends!<br /><br />new updates (in a nutshell):<br /><br />-most projects are COMPLETE!<br />-ok, so maybe only 20 more tissue paper flowers to complete...<br />-and maybe putting paint on programs...<br />-rehearsal dinner venue fell through and switched back to original location<br />-bridesmaids dress crisis averted<br />-i'm obsessed with a couple of the new shows that debuted this fall...<br />-those being nikita, hellcats, the event, mike & molly, and a few others...<br />-i'm SO excited to spend the day with all of our friends and family on october 9th that i can barely stand it!<br />-i'm just AS excited to go on a 2-week vacation with my new husband...even if we don't have everything quite figured out yet. at least we'll have fun! AND eat at bobby flay's mesa grill...YUM!<br />-i'm NOT stressed. and i think that stresses everyone else out. so to all of those stressed out bridezillas out there, do what i do. laugh!<br /><br />i love you guys and i hope to see all of ya'll next saturday!!!! :)raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-23678639968756123552010-06-28T13:23:00.000-07:002010-06-28T13:28:16.706-07:00now back to the wedding side of things...i have a TON of stuff to do...<br />invitations, invitations, and MORE invitations are on the list...<br />i'm really hoping to blast through the majority of them this week/long weekend.<br /><br /><br />the only 4th of july weekend plans that i have are to go to dinner at my future sis-in-law's boyfriend's new house saturday night. and then it will be back to the drawing/painting board. i HAVE to get these done in the next few weeks...but my calendar is already busy and filling up as we speak!<br /><br /><br />july 10th - amanda's bachlorette party<br />july 16th - tom's birthday<br />july 24th - amanda's wedding!!<br />july 30th - close on our house!!!!!!!! :)<br /><br /><br />which will be followed by complete and utter panic...ha!<br />hopefully we can get it all together and have a great time on october 9th. i know i will! ;)raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-60570641387959955272010-06-18T18:54:00.000-07:002010-06-18T19:11:40.940-07:00BIG changes!!so, there's a reason why i haven't been blogging too much lately. and i promise it's not just because i forgot - because i haven't. i've been dying to tell everyone, but i didn't really want to hear the feedback until we had it figured out....<br /><br />...we're buying a house!!!!<br /><br />it all spurred from one little comment from my friend keri about her neighbor's house going up for sale. it was a really cute house (just like theirs, but mirror image), so when she told me about it, i thought well, maybe we can look at it. travel down the road of time three months and i get a call from keri saying that they put a sign in the yard that day...<br /><br />i went and looked at it and fell in love with all of the possibilities that lied ahead of us. i pictured our furniture, painted walls, and OUR home. that sunday, tom and his family came and looked at the house and liked it as well. side note: if you know me at all, i like to THINK that i'm a planner but when the urge strikes, i like to jump on it and take advantage of a situation. tom, not so much. he's a muller, if you know what i mean. he wanted to think, and i wanted to jump on the opportunity. i think this is why we chose to only tell a few people about our venture (at this point) - due to the fact that some people would think that we jumped into it all too quickly and maybe think that we shouldn't make a rash decision.<br /><br />anyways, later that week, we made an offer on the house...<br />alas, it did not work out. it was a foreclosure that had just went on the market, and the bank was not willing to budge (at that point - it has since been reduced)<br /><br />so, now we've got the fever...and i mean fev-vah! ha!<br />tom decided that he wanted to start looking for a house due to the fact that we now realize that it will be cheaper than rent to actually invest in something. side note: i knew this already having played the apartment game for a couple of years after college...<br />he also decided that he wants to start looking in the spring hill area - due to the good prices, new shops, proximity to work, etc.<br /><br />we found a fabulous realtor - jill elkins, and it took us 2 days and 15 houses before we found 'the one'! :) it's a columbia address, but i promise it's not THAT far out - and i can't wait to get everything worked out with it and have everyone over and get married and start our life together!!!!!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xZG9UM-tSg5RFqh8PIBf92igNIlCf6-GmD93-ierYHGQZx53UPKgDFxYkmgW7C5yR2o16eWkaGqanUwpnFHdmcfmihLTbrbXtIZyGIfPDEkNz3LneJTNFPEIslRvUwGFXmmHhllwRhvU/s1600/house.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xZG9UM-tSg5RFqh8PIBf92igNIlCf6-GmD93-ierYHGQZx53UPKgDFxYkmgW7C5yR2o16eWkaGqanUwpnFHdmcfmihLTbrbXtIZyGIfPDEkNz3LneJTNFPEIslRvUwGFXmmHhllwRhvU/s320/house.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484301271142801586" border="0" /></a><br />we close the end of july, and besides a room or two to paint (if we choose to), it's ready to move into! life does not get too much better...except that hopefully these wedding projects will get done soon! ;) keep your fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-59741310199032206152010-05-21T08:20:00.000-07:002010-05-21T08:33:29.343-07:00hello, weekend...<a href="http://beaut.ie/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/Lost_Sawyer_2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 248px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 347px" alt="" src="http://beaut.ie/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/Lost_Sawyer_2.jpg" border="0" /></a>TGIF!!!!!<br /><br />too bad we still don't have full house, boy meets world, step by step, and family matters to lead us into the weekend like we did back then...it was THE best part of television. well, that's excluding saved by the bell on saturdays...ha! :)<br /><br />anyways, it's going to be another busy weekend for this betrothed lady:<br /><br />today: heading to chapel hill to attend my friend scarlett's purse party - should be fun, although i'm going to have to completely restrain myself in what i purchase. i DO have my eye on a really cute beach bag though!<br /><br />saturday: heading to dickson to work on invites and paintings that need to be done in the next week or so...ahhh! pressure!<br /><br />sunday: beginners spin with laing and then it's LOST all night long, bay-bee! as long as sawyer stays afloat, life will be good. and on the <a href="http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/04/20/may-sweeps-scorecard/">ew.com spoiler scorecard</a>, there are only TWO spots left for deaths this season...and it's GOT TO BE from LOST! someone has to die. it's almost like with the LOTR trilogy - i was SOOO disappointed that at least ONE main character didn't die. even though i've heard that the boat was technically them passing on into the next whatever...i want drama and tears! just spare sawyer! and put him together with juliet, and this fan will be content!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-85087652089103715202010-05-20T06:25:00.001-07:002010-05-20T06:54:57.568-07:00back to the gym!so, after being out of the gym for a week or two (i know, i know!), i'm getting back into it tonight! i'm going to my bodypump class with laing, whom i have recruited to join the YMCA with me...i'm definitely excited to have her to go with 2 nights a week. let's hope i can go a couple more times a week PLUS the two classes we go to!<br /><br />we've got engagement pictures on june 9th with the fabulous anna howard of <a href="http://dailyikon.com/">daily ikon photography</a>. i have not met her yet, but thanks to a fabulous groupon fm back in december we have the great opportunity to work with her. check out her work - you will be impressed! so THIS is really why i need to get back in the gym and get crackin...granted, i know that a whole lot probably won't change between now and june 9th, but i'm determined to try!!<br /><br />after the gym, the grey's anatomy finale comes on tonight...now, i'm not a huge fan who makes sure to clear their calendar whenever there's a new episode, but the finale DOES look crazy good. so i'm thinkin i might spend an extra hour on the elliptical watching part of it, and then during commercial zip on over to tom's to watch the rest! :) we will see!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-51704704352199438102010-05-19T13:15:00.000-07:002010-05-19T13:19:58.384-07:00beautiful day...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://msbrowne101.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/paintbrush.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 88px; height: 182px;" src="http://msbrowne101.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/paintbrush.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />it's so beautiful that i think my evening will probably consist of sitting outside and listening to one of my MANY library books on my ipod while i paint invitations. i've already done 10 today, so maybe i can get at least that many done a little later during my 'field trip'.<br /><br />i can't wait to have our own place where i can actually have space to paint! then maybe i'll get some of the ones that i'm dying to finish worked on! :)raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-31214228813065893602010-05-18T19:27:00.000-07:002010-05-18T19:31:09.982-07:00and the pressure begins...my friend amanda's shower on june 5th<br />baby shower with paintings in hand on june 6th<br />engagement pictures on june 9th<br />tom's getting a wisdom tooth out after june 10th<br />invitations to be done<br />registering at a couple of stores should begin soon<br />guest list to be finalized<br />rings to be looked at<br />tuxes to be chosen<br />amanda's bachlorette party on july 10th<br />amanda's wedding on july 24th<br />and at that point, we're only 2.5 months away...O.M.G.raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-1109368121521008462010-04-22T09:01:00.001-07:002010-04-22T09:04:14.620-07:00i feel like jessie......from saved by the bell.<br />you know which episode i'm talking about.<br />the one where she's taking the pills and and starts screaming and crying to zach how there's NEVER any time...yeah, that's how i feel right about now.<br /><br />invites need to be printed and painted.<br />my friend's wedding shower needs to be planned.<br />things need to be picked out.<br />michael's stores need to be scoured.<br />concrete steps need to be poured and created.<br />a room needs to be organized.<br />ahhhhhh!!!<br /><br />help? ;)<br />it's all coming along - just not as well as it should.<br />although i'm staying quite calm under all the pressure! so, go me, right? ha!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-9246260896197445702010-03-21T08:27:00.000-07:002010-03-21T08:39:13.688-07:00wow.i can't believe i haven't REALLY blogged in over a month - it's just not fair. life has taken a crazy turn, and it's all i can do to stay afloat. work is bananas (as i've said before), and i hope that i can make it until may. if i can make it til then, then maybe it'll all be ok. i look back now and i realize THANK GOODNESS that we didn't decide to get married in april - there'd be NO way i could get it done... so i'm glad that tom stepped and suggested that we wait a little longer in order to get some things in order.<br /><br />just to give you a glimse into it all -<br />i haven't gotten home before 9 pm in i have no idea when (ok, maybe friday, but that's just because i had plans in dickson with my dc gals), but between working, working out at classes at the y, any other social plans, and trying to attempt to see tom every now and then, i'm exhausted.<br />i couldn't go to gatlinburg with my family this weekend because i have so much work to do - and i couldn't just go up there on saturday and come back sunday. but you'd better believe that i'm going to taking a mini-vacation fm work once busy season for me is over!<br />i haven't seen tom since last sunday (my birthday), and i won't until lunch tomorrow and i think i'm going over there to watch LOST on tuesday...i miss him.<br />in between all of this, i'm also helping my friend amanda, whose wedding is july 24th, plan her wedding and bridal shower/bachlorette party. so in a way i feel bad for trying to plan mine when hers comes first (in the calendar year).<br /><br />i have got so much that needs to happen soon, that something's got to give, and i think it's going to be sleep! haha! less sleep means more stuff gets done, right?! haha!<br /><br />i promise that i'll be better about updating even if i'm doing it on the weekends while i'm watching tv! i really want to keep a written journal of what i've got going on with this wedding planning process so that i can have it for myself later :)raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-14260886962568808412010-03-18T15:13:00.000-07:002010-03-18T15:14:26.231-07:00omg!!!i'm such a slacker...<br />blame it on work!!! ugh...it's driving me bananas currently.<br />i have no time...NO time!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-88901473493994835412010-02-10T04:20:00.000-08:002010-02-10T04:25:28.083-08:00long overdue update.i haven't had a whole lot of time to update this thing, and i must say that i haven't really DONE a whole lot of wedding planning lately. sad, i know...<br /><br />but the ball is back on track, and it's slowly coming together.<br /><br />right now, i'm trying to create all of my documents for my invitation - invitation, rsvp, hotel list, directions...fun fun. ha! well i got the rsvp done - and i must say it is rather cute! i wanted it to be semi-formal while still being fun without offending anyone.<br /><br />so on the check box reply part, it says:<br />____ is/are planning on celebrating, dancing, and having a great time with us!<br />____ is/are sorry to have to miss out on all the fun.<br /><br />i must say that i was pretty proud of myself...i know it's not a completely NEW idea, but i think it's something that shows that it's a laid back kind of deal.<br /><br />ok, i PROMISE to update more - i've got a ton of stuff going on today, so i thought i'd procrastinate a little more and update the blog with the latest... :)raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-69773496937288445762010-02-01T07:27:00.000-08:002010-02-01T07:28:31.300-08:00wedding dress = ordered!!!!!ahhhh!!! :)<br />enough said for this post...<br /><br />want pictures - text/email me<br />why? because i have a craztastic fiance who will most definitely cheat and look on here if i happen to post anything....raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-56166945825454424212010-01-18T17:32:00.000-08:002010-01-18T17:39:50.936-08:00bridal show...my mom and i went to the bridal show on sunday, and boy! was it crazy, white & pink, overwhelming chaos! but i really loved every minute of it... i signed up for a lot of giveaways, got a LOT of great ideas, and (potentially) found my dream dress! :)<br /><br />on the dress front, we saw a lot of cool dresses during the 3!! fashion shows during the bridal show, so all the places showcased are on my list of places to visit before i make a final decision... i have an appt at davids bridal on thursday afternoon to begin my search (said dream dress will be there!), so hopefully i can narrow down my list of dresses that i like from my tabbed catalog to a couple to get some more opinions! :)<br /><br />ok, on another front, i've cleaned out my closet and moved my bookcase to the living room and now i have NO excuses to start work on my wedding projects - except laundry...maybe i'll do THAT tomorrow...just kidding! but seriously...ha! this weekend i'll be at tom's house, so if i can get my invites PRINTED by friday, i'll feel really accomplished!<br /><br />we'll just see if that happens...ha!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-44810210847710412292010-01-12T18:54:00.000-08:002010-01-12T19:01:20.584-08:00wedding planning depression...i'm having a bit of a 'bridezilla'-ish moment...<br />nothing in particular has caused it, and it's not directed at anyONE, but i'm just questioning everything and thinking about things. this could be attributed to the oncoming sinus infection.<br /><br />things such as:<br />will my wedding go the way i want it to?<br />will it be able to even hold a candle to the other weddings that have been there in the past?<br />is one day enough time to get everything decorated/setup?<br />will tom be able to finagle a sound system outside?<br />is there a huge to-do list out there somewhere that's specific to ME and me only? ha!<br /><br />i know it'll work out...if anything, we have a place, a photographer, a pastor, and us. so if all else fails, we just need a marriage certificate, right? at least that much is for sure!<br /><br />i need to get over this, and quickly because there is a ton of work to do.<br />plus, i have to help with my friend amanda's wedding that i'm in too!<br />so, wish me luck and feel free to pass on words of encouragement - i definitely need them.raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-80524251731368905402010-01-10T17:04:00.000-08:002010-01-10T17:06:55.543-08:00dress time?! really?!oh lord! so i've been saying ever since july that i would start looking at wedding dresses in january...well, january is here! crazy, huh? i guess that makes this wedding pretty serious. ha! so i think i'm going to begin the search in about 2 weeks. i definitely will NOT be in wedding dress shape that i wanted to be in, but that's OK! just because i start the search doesn't mean i have to order it the day i try it on or who knows if i'll even find one anytime soon...and that's fine too! :) just wanted to give some sort of semblance of an update...<br /><br />whoohoo! let the games begin!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-35610294082453023282010-01-03T17:05:00.000-08:002010-01-03T17:08:11.866-08:00kindle vs sony readerjust in case anyone reading this ever needs to know how i feel about either of these devices, you can read my other book blog for my biased review. ha!<br /><br /><a href="http://tryingtokeepupwithmylife.blogspot.com/2010/01/kindle-vs-sony-reader.html">kindle vs sony</a><br /><br />wedding planning is back in full force!!! :)<br />going to go check out bridesmaids' dresses up close on wednesday & saturday with amanda - while we look for bridesmaids' dresses for her wedding coming up in july! :)raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-55092992434839774102010-01-01T19:35:00.000-08:002010-01-01T19:38:19.443-08:00happy new year!!!new year's resolutions:<br /><ol><li>take more pictures any chance i get (i'm currently the world's worst at taking ANY)</li><li>be more spontaneous (this is an ongoing resolution that just gets better and better with age)</li><li>plan my favoritest wedding ever! (i wasn't sure how else to word that but i know it'll be the best day in our lives in 2010 - so i think it gets my point across!)</li></ol>what are yours?<br />hope you're having a great day!!<br />i spent mine spending more $$ than i needed to on christmas wrapping paper and a really cool sculpture wall hanging thing for our new place next, i mean THIS year!! :)raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-37794340847103750702009-12-30T07:30:00.000-08:002009-12-30T07:42:35.253-08:00how could i forget?!we booked our honeymoon!!!!<br />ok, well, not the WHOLE thing...<br />but we've put our deposit down on the cruise and have payed for our hotel!<br /><br />ok, here's the plan...<br />we definitely wanted to go on a cruise, but with the way the one we wanted to go on was set up, there was no way we were going to make it in time to get down there in order to catch the cruise unless we didn't go to sleep on saturday night and left at like 2 or 3 in the morning. i'm sorry. it doesn't work that way, people! i wanted to be able to get up, and just get down there whenever we wanted to... well, unfortunately, the people who set up flights did NOT like that idea. come on, people, it's our honeymoon...everyone should be at our beck and call. ok, maybe not ;)<br /><br />anyways, here's a bit of a backstory for you -<br />when i was 13, i went to disney for my first and only time. when we were walking through the streets, there was a couple where the man had on a black top hat with mickey ears and the woman had on white minnie ears with a veil. ever since then (no joke!), i've wanted to honeymoon at disney. cheesy, i know. but it's the truth...<br /><br />ok, back to now...<br />since we didn't want to be rushed the sunday after the wedding, we've decided to drive down to orlando on sunday - i tried to convince tom to only drive halfway, but he has insisted that he wants to go the whole way on sunday. but that way we don't really have a specific timeline - just to be there on sunday at some point! :) we are staying at the <a href="http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/OrlandoChampionsGate.aspx">omni hotel - it's awesome!</a> with a 850-ft lazy river!! i know what i'll be doing after hitting up the parks...relaxing on that river!<br /><br />so we are going to stay there for 7 nights - hitting up disneyworld & seaworld (tom has never been to seaworld!!!!) and doing whatever the heck we want to until the next sunday.<br /><br />and then...we are going on the cruise that we wanted to go on in the beginning. leaving out of port canaveral in orlando and heading to the bahamas for 4 more days of awesomeness!!! :)<br /><br />i'm so excited about it! i know it'll most likely be the last 2-wk vacation we'll get to go on for a while, so i'm hoping it'll get here soon...even though i have a TON of stuff to do before then!<br /><br />hopefully i'll have a chance to share my new years resolutions tomorrow...<br />whoohoo for 2010!!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-86346666777998499092009-12-22T04:29:00.000-08:002009-12-22T04:46:33.886-08:00still slacking!what is wrong with me?!<br />maybe the holidays have brainwashed me to forget about the blog for days on end...<br />new years resolution: keep up with blog + 3 other resolutions that i have determined to take on.<br /><br />there's nothing really new on the wedding planning front, but it's been a couple of weeks, so here are a couple of updates about life in general:<br /><br /><ul><li>many many christmas parties - ok maybe only 3. ha!</li><br /><li>2nd annual wrapping party @ laing's last friday - pizza, wrapping, caramel popcorn, and snl's gilly christmas - fun times were definitely had by all</li><br /><li>we had the dc girls christmas party sunday over at keri's house which was awesomely decorated as always - she is one of the neatest girls that i know and so creative with everything! i got some fabulous ornaments to hang on my tree next year! AND keri was so nice to let us have one of her extra christmas trees for FREE!! i was definitely excited about this...we were planning a trip to find the cheapest tree on the day after christmas, but now i can probably go solo and find ornaments/decorations that day. ;)</li><br /><li>yesterday, i went to chuy's with savannah, and let me just say that i really don't quite understand why everyone hype's it up SO much, but it was really good. best part? the queso dip - i think we are going to start a love affair. sorry, thomas. ;)</li><br /><li>and last night, i had my first (but definitely not last) experience at <a href="https://www.sipsnstrokes.com/home.aspx">sips n strokes</a> and it was definitely a lot of fun...the painting was relatively simple, so i would like to go when there's a little bit more difficulty involoved, but i LOVED the way mine turned out! it's definitely one more decoration that we can hang up for christmas next year! </li></ul><p><br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418039588507888114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8vTi5g9ePQPJH9_34VGq28_R06tj5Z7lyMB5uRBxqKmb52BCVQ9fjfdRUbg5p5c4cPx35blpIHMt2sKplvuj1CNYXijrZZeFIT45x9IS0xlc90-r45znpJciDld06OZdyINoY9AzeNH7/s400/wreath.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>and now for upcoming events:</p><ul><li>tonight is christmas with my immediate family</li><li>tomorrow is christmas with tom's immediate family</li><li>thursday is christmas eve with my extended fam</li><li>friday is christmas with everyone!</li><li>saturday is shopping til i drop because i NEVER get the day after off - yay saturday!</li></ul><p>so all in all, it's going to be a busy couple of days, but i promise that i'll keep it up soon. plus, after the first of the year, i've really got to buckle down and get some of these wedding projects done + dress shopping + planning everything else! oh lord! there's only 291 days left!! ;)</p>raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-11006293660798949652009-12-10T16:17:00.000-08:002009-12-10T16:51:19.941-08:00wow. i'm slacking...ok, so i've been slacking a little bit lately...<br />maybe it's the non-wedding planning that i've been doing...hmm.<br />i've replaced it with christmas shopping for the time being, but now i'm done! whoohoo! i'm not sure that i've ever gotten done this early before - but now i have to wrap everything.<br />anyone want to volunteer to help?<br /><br />so - in wedding news:<br /><ul><li>we have a place to stay the night before the wedding - and when i say we, i mean all of the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and some of our amazing friends, along with us of course! :) we rented 2 of the brand new renovated villas at montgomery bell - they are really really nice! check out the pics online! <a href="http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/parks/MontgomeryBell/gallery/villas/index.shtml">Montgomery Bell Villas</a></li><li>i received our return address stamp fm the fabulous gina over on etsy.com! it looks great, and she totally customized it the way i wanted it...i'd totally recommend ordering fm her if you like any of her designs! i KNOW that once we get a place of our own, i'll be getting another one! check her shop out - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/lettergirl">lettergirl on etsy</a></li><li>2 days ago - on groupon.com - i got an amazing deal (thanks, laing!) for a hour session and a 30-pic cd that we can do whatever we want with for $65 for our engagement pics sometime next year. and the photographer takes amazing pics! definitely excited about that one! it's a package worth $650 - so we are totally saving money there!</li></ul>i think that's about it - and i promise, once the holidays are over, i am hardcore saving and will be in wedding mode! but it's all starting to come together... :)raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-6529818966177567652009-11-27T12:56:00.000-08:002009-11-27T13:04:01.289-08:00black friday......they should really call it red or pink or blue friday.<br /><br />today, laing and i got out in the madness, not really to fight the crowds, but because tom went in at 5:30 this morning, and i didn't really feel like going to dickson just yet this morning when i left his parents' house.<br /><br />shockingly (and pleasantly), the crowds were really NOT that bad! seriously!<br />pretty decent parking spots, great company, and saving $$$...fun times!<br />i haven't gotten back out on black friday since i quit working retail, and i still feel sorry for all the folks having to get up at the crack of dawn to serve the crazies that come out, but as far as the shopping goes, it was actually quite fun. AND...i got most of my christmas shopping done! yay! and i might have gotten a couple (or ten) things for myself. ha!<br /><br />i was (hopefully) able to get all of the christmas lights for the wedding reception that i need too fm home depot today, so some of this is about wedding planning! ;)<br /><br />i also bought our first ornament for our tree next year!! :)<br /><br />happy holidays, everyone!<br />hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-15064271176460658422009-11-23T13:06:00.000-08:002009-11-23T13:07:58.790-08:00new section...ok, for the record, i am a nerd. a big one.<br />so i decided that i wanted to keep track of all of the books that i read fm now until, well, who knows. so i've added a section on the blog where i can keep up with it :)<br />i have a feeling that it'll be pretty sparce this year with the wedding and everything, but it's still something i've been wanting to do for a long time!raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5868448154596709911.post-49568887073328973552009-11-23T08:25:00.000-08:002009-11-23T08:26:29.849-08:00i know, i know...i'm being lazy when it comes to the wedding planning...<br />hoping to get on the ball after thursday.<br /><br />so, just give me ONE MORE WEEK, and then i'm back...i PROMISE! :)raynahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00995675044707322063noreply@blogger.com0