Random post

I'm feeling random today - so let's hit up some bullet points.

• I totally avoid our university library during the school year, but in the summer it is so peaceful and I can come in, get an iced coffee, and get some work done in peace



• Loving the summertime - just wishing I could spend more time at the beach! I can't wait for our trip to Cape Cod at the end of the summer, I'm already getting a mental packing list ready (and some new CDs for the looongggg drive).



• Wine is fat free. According to my book (and an official calorie counter book) that means its perfect for my low-fat summer diet. Which means I can indulge in all the vino I want (i.e. 2 or 3 glasses! Whoohoo.



• I have this particular disease - its called "I can't relax until the sink is cleared of dishes and the bed is made." I really can't, it bothers me so. This also leads to the clear fact that I AM without a doubt turning into my mother. Oh God.



• I needed to rant the other day about a few things that have been annoying me: 1. I have a friend who is getting married. And is clearly in a RACE to finish everything before Me (getting married in Aug.) and our other friend (getting married in Sept.). This girl is getting married in NOV. and is pushing on everything - we got September's STD in the mail just 3 weeks before NOV sent hers in May. Come on now people, I'm all for getting things done ahead of time, but seriously, I feel that she needs to lay off. 2. Future Sister in law volunteered to help paint a few rooms in FI's parent's new house, before they moved in - guess who is doing the majority of the work now? FI & I, b/c she realized that her recruited help couldn't make it and she couldn't do it by herself. Not that I mind, but really we never volunteered and we have so much other stuff going on....its. just . annoying. 3. The professor I works for wears the exact same Hawaiian shirt every. single. day. And he clearly doesn't wash it either. 4. J.Crew. Give us a real sale. And please don't sell out of the white capri that I realized I needed for the summer. Thanks, your loyal customer.



• Enough of ranting, we don't have much planned for this weekend except a bazillion loads of laundry and the aforementioned painting. OH and I love this Anthropologie top - I've got a "luau" themed party in a few weeks for an engaged friend of mine - I was thinking this with white capris and gold accessories? What do ya think?

• Check out this great WalMart Find: That's right it is a seersucker dress/cover-up/nightie for $10.00 ( I never actually saw it in the store but a friend directed me to their website) Great steal for the summer and they have it in pink too!

Memorial Day!

Hoping everyone has a great day enjoying the holiday in white, madras, seersucker, while having a few cocktails and honoring our armed forces!

I'm in the library, on the other hand, but it is a neccessary evil because I just haven't been getting any research done. I think we are going to have a small, low-key party tonight, just grilling out burgers and hot dogs!

So far - its been a nice weekend - we have been doing a lot of organizing, getting rid of old clothes, cleaning and a little home improvement. We went to one of those unfinished wood places and bought a new dresser for FI and the greatest butcher block. We have been painting and finishing and so far everything looks great! We have been watching a lot of movies lately - summertime makes me want to chill out at night. We watched Casino Royale, which was a good James Bond (FI was a big fan), Babel - I would say an international "Crash" movie with Brad Pitt - not as good as Crash, in my opinion, and Pirates of the Caribbean (first) - I hadn't ever seen it! I thought it was a fun summer film.

Well, I'm over wedding planning. GASPS all around. I'm just ready for the party to get here. I'm sick of making decisions and I just keep thinking about/planning the honeymoon. We are going to spend our week in the Keys (mainly Islamorada) in an awesome house on the beach. I know my FI has always wanted to go deep sea fishing - so, I thought, hey wouldn't it be great to plan a day out on a boat and surprise him. Well, 2 hours later on the internet, I realized I was just way out of my league. Since the deep sea fishing is so hardcore there, I had no idea what type of fish/fishing or boat to even look at. Sadly, no surprise for FI, but I think we will probably do some sort of day on a boat, I just realized he had a better knowledge of what to look for.

Speaking of surprises/gifts - I have a shower/brunch coming up - hosted in my hometown by my bridesmaids mothers - what do you all suggest as nice and thoughtful gifts for the hostesses?
I've a few ideas in mind, but I'm not sure yet.

Also, I'm really liking some of the Boden bathing suits they have - has anyone tried these? How do they fit?

Oh, and quite a few of you have talked about Jen Lancaster's "Bitter is the New Black" - I bought that and "Bright Lights, Big Ass" last week and could not put down "Bitter is the New Black" - I thought she was hilarious, and could relate to so much of her sarcasm. Doesn't she have a blog - I'm going to look it up now! (so much for research eh!?)

Its been awhile folks! Whew, what have I been up to?! You ever have those times where you feel so busy and then you think, what the heck have I accomplished?
Since I'm off to the personal trainer this morning, I'll be making a so handy list.

1. Personal trainer (PT) is going well so far, just have to meet someone 2 mornings a week, who keeps up on my cardio schedule & eating, is a good thing. No weight loss so far - but I've been working hard so cross your fingers.

2. PT suggested I do a low-fat diet, well in the world of carbs/South Beach & counting calories, I hadn't been looking at the fat on the nutrition label! Call me an idiot, but its so much easier (and we've been eating bread, pasta and rice - dear lord!) of all things...I've been so used to looking at carbs, that I forgot about the fat! It seems to be a good thing, as Martha would say. Geez. Anyhoo, enough of the diet.

3. When is J.Crew going to have their monthly sale??I've got a few things in my shopping bag, but I just KNOW when I decided to click purchase, they will go on sale. Usually they have something by now!

3. Picked up a couple things from Anthropologie and Patagonia. I'll post later. We also stopped at some outlets last weekend (including a Pottery Barn outlet, sahweet) and got an adorable cropped, lightweight jacket and some neutral, cream wedges for $20.00 from the Banana Republic outlet!

4. We stopped at the outlet as a reward for spending our weekend at an Engaged Encounter, for all you Catholics out there who are getting married, you probably know what this is. I believe it is a good thing (although, FI & I are open about everything and there wasn't anything that we really didn't know about each other, soo..) BUT for 2 days of camp like experience of writing journals - we were ready to get back.

5. Speaking of marriage, We went ahead and the made the decision to move my stuff to FI's new apt (becoming ours after we get married). There are a lot of people who disagree with this (ahem our parents & family being the main culprits). But really, I have a roommate who annoys me (turns off the AC in the middle of the night, in South Carolina, when we are on the third floor, directly in the suns path...don't get me started), without consideration for me, even after I tell her...anyway. I spend most of my time at FI's, its where we cook, watch tv, etc. We have the TIME now to do it (moving the week before the wedding, probably would have been a stressful induced effort!) and we want to! So I feel like I've been movvingg forever, but I think we will have a better summer for it. We've been in the process of merging styles - aka, FI coming to terms with my pink galore/shabby chic gear - but to be honest, I'm ready to move onto a different style, keeping my pink in some places. Oh, but to foresee the future, ( i love him death), he broke the shower when trying to replace a showerhead - we have had baths for the past 3 days. Hmmm.

6. I'm a creature of habit, and although I needed a break from school, I just don't feel like I can think straight unless I'm in my concrete schedule. (Boy, that makes me sound like a real ball o fun, eh?)

7. I'm just getting excited for the wedding - ready for it, I have lists upon smaller lists of things to do (and I would gladly turn those over now) because I'm just like a kid waiting for Christmas now.

8. As we are trying to plan our summer amidst showers, parties and visiting friends...we are making the trip to Cape Cod at the end of June for a week - are we crazy? Probably. Will we drive 18 hours each way? Probably. Will we love having some time to ourselves at the Cape? YES!

Thats it for now!

Still Busy! Loving the summer weather but just getting back into summer schedule of work/study & wedding planning. I'll probably be in and out checking out blogs for the next few days but I'll post a full re-cap very soon!

Its Been a Busy few days...

We made a trip down to our wedding site & did some contract signing/checking up on things/meeting with the florist. I really really like our florist and I'm excited to see what she does. We decided to add more color to our flowers, using just white & shades of green. The bridesmaids will have green & white hydrangeas along with those flowers that look like little buttons of moss (appropriately called the "Kermit") - the guys with have a small white flower (can't remember the name now) with the kermit as their boutionneres. Then all of the centerpieces (for the church and the reception) will have all of those flowers, including green "belles of ireland" and white "deli" flowers. (Sorry about the descriptions - can't you see why we needed a hands on florist!) Anyway I'm really excited about them now that I can visualize them - i like the white & green and hopefully it will create a fresh/modern look.

Then we have been moving FI into a new apartment for the next few months. Its been taking forever, I never realized he had so much! And why does he insist on hanging on to some of the ugliest furniture I've ever seen - Goodwill eighties beach style pink & green (and not in a good way) couch. Thank god for slipcovers!
Moving also makes us realize that we wish we could register for a nice new couch/dining set ehh - realizing the prices of furniture we want is a little disappointing!

I started last week with the personal trainer last week and so far so good! I like it so far and I think I'll really like it once I get into the schedule. Its also good to have to answer to someone about your workouts/food habits (not that she's militant, but she does question!). Now, I have started the food diary, which has honestly been the worst week to start it. I have been burning the calories (probably enough to eat pizza every night) because I have been running up and down stairs/carrying boxes for the past few days in this heat, too. But you know when you are in the process of moving, its hard to cook - ya can't find utensils, etc. So, we have been pretty much eating out every meal (and consuming a few "light" beers) after a hard days work. I want to tell the PT, please lady understand that I don't eat this way all the time. Nonetheless, I'm glad FI's moved in and we will both be getting back to regular schedules soon.

I'll post more later but hope everyone has had a great week.

Rehearsal Dinner outfits

Got this sweet little package in the mail from Banana - review: the sandals are comfy and oh so perfect to dress up outfits for the summer & the skirt is FABULOUS, if you are looking for a classic jean skirt (that isn't a mini or pencil), this is great - I'll be wearing it alllll the time.



So our rehearsal dinner is our alumni themed with colors of orange, white and purple. FI is wearing (probably) orange or orange seersucker pants with an orange/purple tie. (We may still do the matching VV college sash and tie, but Im not sure). Anyhoo, I want to follow the theme but still be bridal. I want a white dress with a sash/grosgrain ribbon and I'll probably do an orange headband or jewelry (just use accessories for the color)

Here's a sash from J.Crew I could use:



1. Here's classic white Lilly P eyelet dress, I really like this one and it's beautiful


2. Can't remember who this is (I think Anne Klein maybe) but I really like the shape and style - not sure if its bridal enough for me though?



3. I found these all on NOrdstrom by the way but here is one that I'm loving this season, I love that rounded neck. Obv. I couldn't do a waist ribbon or sash but I like the shape.




4. Ok, this is my favorite (according to internet viewing) - I love love love the mix of ivory/white, the eyelet - I just think its so pretty. However, this "babydoll" style is not the greatest on my figure - I've said this before but I would like to try it on.




5. I could do this J.Crew white boatneck (or the strapless one everyone has) in white - kinda typical but classic, ya know?



6. This might be my second favorite - another white Lilly eyelet. I really like the style, this shape is more flattering for me and quite a classic!

So readers, please weigh in - I'd love to hear your opinions!

We've been busy here with dress fittings, getting a veil (yay!), designing our invitations/paper stuff, getting appointments with florist and stuff next week. We are also moving FI this weekend and its graduation so we have a couple parties/dinners to attend. I'm making the yummy 7 layer dip tonight for a friend's cookout.

Thats about it in news here, I'd love to be giving you more in-depth posts & ideas but I'm just busy! Loving the bloggers/blog world though - jealous of the Boston event this summer, so make sure you take pictures!

Confetti!

OH, for all you brides to be or anyone who enjoys British/dry humor please watch this movie:


It is hilarious and speaks to how ridiculous some brides/weddings can be (for those of you who peruse the Knot websites, you know what I mean!). The basic premise is a magazine/wedding corporation (aka sounds like the Knot) called Confetti runs a contest for 3 couples to compete for the Most Unusual Wedding Theme to win a house. Heheh. The themes include a tennis couple, a nudist couple (note: some totally unnecessary nudity) and a Broadway musical theme couple. It shows the couples meeting with some hilarious wedding planners who help to create their vision. So funny and ends up being sweet about the couples after their crazy months of planning.
(This is the tennis bride in her visionary attire - sorry so small)

Good morning Monday!

I had the most relaxing weekend, in a long time (and probably will be FOR a long time!) Poor FI (who actually has 10 hr/day job) spent his weekend helping a buddy move but thats what you get when all your friends are rugby alumni!

I ordered a few things from Banana Republic with that great %15 Spring items discount (its over now) and free shipping.
I tried this skirt on in the store & really loved it, this is the skirt that I will probably wear everyday, great quality.


Ordered this neutral wrap, I thought it would be a great thing over tanks, when the weather does get chilly or just hanging around the house (or FI's house who has a permanently 68 degree temp.)
I also ordered the cork thongs, I discovered these & thought they would be perfect for dressing up summer outfits - and just enough of a heel - not too flat at all.
We went to our concert in Atlanta at the great Mable House Amphitheater - so nice. It was very new, very small & laidback. I enjoy that type of concert a lot better than big huge auditoriums. We brought coolers, drank some wine & beer and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Saturday, I didn't really do anything except watch a few hours of this:


Can you tell me why I love this show? I don't know, I always thought Hugh Hefner was a dirty old man but for some reason, E's version of their lives is better than I thought.
"i loved my outfit. and when i love my outfit, i have a good time."-bridget from "the girls next door"

Anyhoo, then we just grilled some pork chops for dinner Saturday & I made a pseudo "eggplant parmesean" type thing (just using some stuff I had laying around). I roasted a tomato and eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper. I put them together in a small casserole dish with some tomato sauce and layered fresh mozzerella on top. It turned out well, very cheesy (yum!). However, FI isn't picky about food at all & eggplant just isn't one of his favorites (he still ate it) but I think I'll keep the eggplant for myself.


Sunday, I did a little "chick" reading:

Cute book , very British & about a lovely British home (hence, the title!). Anytime I read a book like this (which I love the chick lit, especially the British ones), I desperately want to be BRITISH. Desperately. I want to be so proper, drinking tea and wine with my cheeky friends and wacky family. I want to live in London and visit all of the pubs where they drink. Ok, enough, you get the idea. I always channel Kate Winslet's character from The Holiday. But, cute book, if you are looking for that British tone about family fights, relationship issues and funny characters - it is a great summer read.

Aha! Then, I made these:
No Pudge brownies, say it isn't so!


I'm a real brownieaholic and these fit the bill like whoa. All you have to do is add some french vanilla yogurt, mix and bake. They are fat free and low in calories. If you like realllly chewy brownies (which I do), then use the yogurt, otherwise they have alternative ways if you like "cakier" brownies. Yum, probably doesn't help that I have eaten half a pan in two days. Oh well:)

I'll be busy the next few days, so I'll be randomly posting when I can. I've got to run home to work on dress alterations, veil, accessories and all that good stuff. Then, FI has to move this weekend & I'll be painting/cleaning while he is at work. Next week, we are going down to the coast to visit all reception/rehearsal sites & go over my ideas with the florist. I'm getting so excited, I just don't know how I'm going to concentrate on much else this summer!

I did celebrate last night with 2 margaritas, fish tacos and a live mariachi band!
And we are going to a concert tonight in Atlanta (Mablehouse Ampitheater) on the lawn for a bluegrass type band, Old Crow Medicine Show. I believe its BYOB too, for beer and wine, if any of you ATL gals know, would you let me?!
I'm looking foward to a really nice weekend in store and I think I'm going to be making some online shopping orders as well.

I posted a few days ago about my quest for a personal trainer (PT). I had a few options, so I checked them out. Like I said, I just really want to meet someone a few times a week, so they can push me to a better toning workout & give me advice/info & make sure I'm doing the right kind of cardio.
First place I went was the only 'chain' gym in town, a famous one (cough cough Gold's Gym). I did like their set-up, I really liked the women's only gym part and the fact that they were moving less than a mile from my apartment. But, you ever get that feeling you are getting hustled?! Yes, I just wanted to say let it chill buddy and at least let me check out the bathrooms before I sign something. Then, I came back to meet with the actual PT (because when I came for my first appointment, he was in the middle of cardio "running on the treadmill" and couldn't stop to say hello). Let's just say the meeting was not about my goals or what I was looking for in a PT but how HE could fit ME into his schedule, which is "already kinda booked sooo...I dunno..."
Then, I found this place in the city 45 minutes away, (next to the Whole Foods we go to), which was not a gym but just a small space enough equipment for 3 PT's and 3 clients at one time. And it was nicceeeee. Like celebrity goes here to get their bods into shape nice. I felt very out of place, just because I'm really not used to someone handing me a water bottle before the workout & defintely not used to someone handing me the weights so "clients won't scratch up the walls with them" (what am I crazy, would I be throwing 6 lb weights?!). And it was way way too expensive plus the cost of a 45 min. drive each way/3 times a week. And I just got the feeling that it was all about that appearance and $, ya know.
So, I've contacted a local lady, who works out of a brand new gym built about 5 minutes from me. Its smaller but nice and new. I can meet the lady 2 or 3 times a week for 3 months and sounds like she keeps you pushed & says that her clients get results. And the money is right. I'm going to meet with her sometime this weekend, so hopefully I can get this party started!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Well I'm doonnee and it feeells soo gooodd (to the tune of "reunited & it feels so good), that goes right? haha. Can ya tell my brain is fried??

I'm done for a 2 weeks until summer school begins again & I plan on taking advantage of time off (and by taking advantage, I mean getting wedding stuff done, surprise!)
Ahh, well I haven't worked out that much this week (maybe 1 or 2), my hair is a bit greasy b/c I'm not exactly sure when the last shower I had was (gross right, thats what 2 days in the library will getcha), I'm contemplating how I pretty much ate an entire special 12 oz size! of hummus in the past 3 days & how much I need a margarita!
So, I say to celebrate I'm going to throw caution to the wind and have a giant margarita and chips and queso for dinner b/c ladies, after this it will be a summer of slim fast & lean cuisine!

Ill post more tommorrow about my experiences with trying find a personal trainer and whats been going on here (besides the HEAT!) and let my brain get back some of its juices..ok what?!
I'm outta here!

Lilly for Prez!!

With this Summer 2007 line out...I'm voting for LP -
I love everything and wish that I had a big fat credit card to put it on!

As Perfectly Pink said this summer's line hold different colors schemes & things, but I really love it!

Here are some of my favorites: