Eat, Drink, & Get Married.

Cake, Cake, CAAAKKKEEE!

2009-08-27T21:51:00.005-05:00

So, I'm a little bit strung-out on sugar...STILL...from meeting with our cake lady today. Her name is Angela Bowden (Sugar Art by Angela) and she runs a cake business out of her home in South Port. She was SUPER nice and I know she's going to do a great job on our cakes.

She made a miniature white cake with butter cream icing and a miniature chocolate cake with butter cream icing. We got to test that out and it was DE-LISH!

She does all kinds of flavors, and I wasn't dead-set on any particular flavor. So, after trying the cake that she already had baked up...I just had to choose them. I hadn't planned on chocolate being incorporated into the wedding cake, but once I had hers...OH MY!

So, this is what we decided on:
It will be 4 tiers (each tier is double layered). The top tier, won't be used and will be what we freeze for the year later. The bottom layer is round, the next one is hexagon, the next round, and the top hexagon. The cake flavors will alternate with each tier. The top tier...will be chocolate, of course...because that's what I will want to taste again! Chocolate is one of my favorites! =D So, anyway--then between all the layers, we are going to have raspberry filling. After I told her I loved raspberry filling, she actually pulled some out that she had in her fridge from a wedding the weekend before. It was delicious as well! Then, to cover everything...the cake will be iced with an off-white/candle light white colored butter cream. There will be dots on two of the layers and a vine-ish looking design on the other two (alternating)...and our monogram on one side of the bottom hexagon layer. Each tier will also have satin eggplant colored ribbon around the bottoms. The very top will be topped with flowers that Kirby Holt (our flower man...from Blossoms in Chipley--AWESOME--I will have to tell about him in another post!) fix up for us. Think deep-deep purple calla lilies.

I don't know if you can imagine that in your head, but it is beautiful. I had a picture cut out of a magazine of the idea I had in mind, but I gave it to her for a reference...so, I can't show you. You will just have to wait and see at the wedding. =)

The grooms cake, I kind of want to keep to keep a surprise. I will say that the cake will be red velvet (both of our favorites) with cream cheese filling. The icing will probably be fondant (which I'm not a big fan of for taste) because of all the details it will have. That's all I'm saying.
=)

I will finish this post with two pictures--one is of my wedding band (obviously not on my finger...that's the salesman's finger) and a picture of a cake that helped me decide on the dots and hexagon part of the cake:

This picture does the ring NO justice. It's absolutely gorgeous...I LOVE it! It's hard to tell in the picture and they look darker than they really are...but those darker diamonds that look brown, are actually champagne diamonds.

The dots are going to be more like the ones on the top...not the really really tiny ones on the middle tier. I just love hexagon-shaped cakes.

Our Engagement Party...

2009-07-12T14:58:00.005-05:00

So, my parents and Chop's parents threw an engagement party for us. My grandparent's and aunts helped with it a lot too. I don't think we can ever tell them enough how much we appreciated it. It turned out so great! They did such a good job of putting it together...it was casino themed. After a game similar to that on "Here Come The Newly Weds" and dinner, there were casino type games set up upstairs.

It seems like they were all working most of the time that we were there, but I hope they were all able to have fun too.

It really was wonderful! It was great to spend the evening with all of our friends and family that care about us the most.

The countdown is down to 4 months now...exciting!!

Here are some pictures from it:

My future husband...I still haven't gotten used to saying that

With my cousins, Tiffany & Jonathan

With my mom and dad

With my future FIL and MIL

With my future BIL, SIL, and nephew/nieces

With my Aunt Cissy, Uncle Keith, and Brent

With my granny and poppa

The Couples Game

2009-06-27T20:07:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention in my last update that I had my appendix removed!

Some of you know about it and some of you don't, but here's a picture of it that the surgeon took with the camera they put in my belly during surgery. It's pretty nasty, so if you don't want to see it...don't scroll down.

Today is my first day back to work on the ambulance after getting off light-duty. Dang, it's good to be back!!!

Honeymoon...

2009-06-15T19:53:00.005-05:00

This won't be a long post, but I haven't written in a while, so I'm going to give a quick update.

I found a woman to do my wedding memory/guest book. She is awesome and she is handmaking it. Here is a link to her site. She does them in the colors that you choose and she does a questionnaire in order for it to match the couples that she is doing them for:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7047147

Also, we finalized our plans for the honeymoon. We will be flying out the morning after the wedding...out of the airport in Fort Walton. We'll fly to Denver, Colorado and then drive to Steamboat, Colorado from there. We will stay in Steamboat all week long and be at the Wyndham Vacation Resort. The next Friday morning will be check-out day. After checking out, we will drive to Salt Lake City, Utah and stay for 2 whole days and 3 nights. Then, we'll wake up early that Monday morning and drive back to Denver (it's cheaper to fly out of that same airport and do a round-trip instead of fly out of the SLC airport) to catch our flight back home. We should be home around 10:30 that Monday night.

I'm so excited! We're going to have a good time.

And, here is a picture from a wedding we went to this past weekend. It was the wedding of one of the groomsmen in our wedding. It was also the 5 month mark out from our wedding too. =)

P.S. I've never worn that "maxi" dresses before...or even tried them on, because I didn't think I was tall enough or skinny enough to pull them off. But, I finally tried one on the other day when I was trying to find something to wear to the wedding and I loved it! They are comfortable...and you don't have to "suck in" all day! LOL!!

Bridesmaid Dresses and Reception Dress

2009-05-03T21:57:00.004-05:00

These are the three bridesmaid dresses that I chose. I took Tiffany and Lindsey, my cousins, to David's Bridal in Tallahassee...with these in mind. They tried them on and they looked just as great as I had thought they would. They are made out of jersey knit, so they are a real heavy, but flowy material. Instead of making you look like you are in a potato sack and have no figure, it drapes around your curves that you DO have, without clinging to you and making you feel like it shows EVERYTHING. Maybe this way, my girls will not all be fretting and worrying about if they are having a day where they are bloated or just feeling frumpy. Also, this way...they can choose whichever neckline they want and makes them feel comfortable. =D I am also going to be telling them that if any of them want a shrug, or something to wear in case it's chilly, to let me know and I'll start looking for something like that too. We went ahead and put in Tiffany and Linds' sizes and now we just need to get everybody else's (or if they want to go try the three and see which neckline they like the best for themselves) and get them ordered. They look so good. I'm very excited about it.

The other day, I decided that I wanted to get a dress to wear to the reception. I am going to wear my wedding gown to do the dances in, and the cake cutting, and all the major things, but then I wanted to change into something that I wouldn't be as worried about spilling or people stepping on. Also, one that I can dance in! Obviously, I wasn't going to post my actual wedding dress, but this one looks so different from the picture I'm posting, to where I don't think it gives a real good idea of what it looks like anyway. LOL. Plus, I don't care if it's seen ahead of time. I'll probably even let Chop see this one before-hand. You can't tell from the picture, but it's a soft ivory color. The empire waist and shoulder straps have beading on them. The dress is made in mesh material that looks like tiny pleats all over. I don't know how to really describe what I mean, but it's very pretty...and comfortable! It looks a bit Grecian, to me. Well, the bridesmaid dresses do too, actually. I'm going to be getting my granny to cut it to where it's tea-length and she will also be putting some more embellishments on it to make it stand out just a LITTLE bit more. I got it from David's Bridal. Apparently, it's one of the wedding dresses they have there! I could see it being a good wedding gown for a beach wedding or something. Anyway, I'm really excited about it too. =D

Chop's Wedding Band...

2009-05-01T09:18:00.003-05:00

8mm Tungsten Carbide comfort fit wedding band with 18 karat white gold inlay

This is the ring that Chop picked out yesterday. I put the deposit down and now we're just waiting for it to come in. I really like it! It looks good on him. From what we can tell, anyway. It wouldn't go all the way on his finger because nobody just carries around a size 15 ring. LOL.

We went to Maharaja's first because that's where he got my engagement ring from. I needed to get my ring cleaned and certified for its 6 month check-up, so we looked there while we were at it. To make a long story short, let's just say that the price of men's bands...(with no diamonds, he doesn't want them) was ridiculous. We looked at the same designer as we were looking at there, while we were at Reed's and their prices were MUCH better.

So, at least we have his ring out of the way now. Now, we just need to find mine at some point. We still have 6 months, so there is plenty of time.

I'm just glad that he's happy with his. =)

On another note, we had to take Uga back to where Chop bought him from, this time last year. He is deaf and he is very hard to teach or get onto when he's bad. He just doesn't understand when you discipline him because he can't hear your tone or anything to let him know you aren't pleased with him. Well, he's had a chewing and dragging problem ever since we've had him. He tore up ours and Chop's parents grill covers. He's knocked both grills over in the middle of the night, numerous times. We tried to wait and see if he would outgrow it like Rocko did. We even fixed him to see if that would calm him down. He also killed Chop's mom's outside cat several months ago. So, on top of all that...everybody was worried one day he would be sleeping and one of the kids (one of his nieces or his nephew) would walk up to him and startle him, since he couldn't hear them coming, and that he'd bite one of them. We still decided to wait and see if he would outgrow it. He'd even go for a while and be very good and not chew things. Well, there was finally the last straw yesterday morning.

He broke out of their pin, which was already boarded up and "rigged" a bunch of times to where it looked like Alcatraz or something. Then, he messed up several things on Chop's dad's VERY expensive 0-turn (I guess that's what they are called?) lawn mower...including ripping up the seat and gear shifter. It's one of the mowers that they use for the family lawn business that they do in their spare time while they aren't at their real jobs. So, his dad was not pleased at all and Chop ended up having to take him somewhere. Thank God he didn't drop him off on the side of the road, or else I would have been EXTREMELY upset with him. But, the man that he bought him from took him back and is going to keep him there. He was willing to give Chop back the little bit of money that he gave him to buy him, but Chop didn't take it and told him to not worry about it and to just take care of him.

I was very very upset about it at first and it took me a while to get over being upset. Mainly because he didn't tell me until I got to his house, that he had to do that. And also because I didn't get to say bye to him. But, after explaining himself to me and explaining how aggravated everybody was, I see where he is coming from. Everybody loved him, but he was just becoming more problematic than it was worth and he needed to go somewhere where he will maybe get along better with a fenced in area or something. He was costing everybody their nice things that he was eating up too. I miss him, but I still have my baby Rocko. I'm just worried that Rocko will be lonely because they were buds. Rocko always watched out for him and always made sure he was right behind him. I feel like Rocko had the instincts enough to know that Uga couldn't hear. So, we're trying to give Rocko some extra attention right now. And he still has Chelsea and Jason's dogs that he can play with, so maybe he will be okay after some time.

So, anyway...
We've had some pretty bad luck with animals lately. =(

They Came In...

2009-04-28T13:42:00.005-05:00

The Save-The-Dates came in! Whew! Now, we just have to finish getting the rest of the addresses...and then address EACH AND EVERY postcard. Yikes! It's going to suck, but they look really nice! They turned out so good. I took a picture with my cell phone. They are really good quality...and thick. I was very impressed. I got them from Magnet Street.

I also realized that I never posted a picture of our new cat. We adopted her from the Alaqua Animal Reserve. Now, I usually HATE going to animal shelters. They make me sad and make me want to take every single animal home with me. This place looks more like exactly what it's called. A reserve. There are cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, ducks, chickens, etc...that all needed to be rescued or were malnourished or dropped off/stray. They take really good care of the animals there. We named or cat, Bodie. She is SO sweet. I donated some extra money after we paid the adoption fee, just because that's how much I loved the place. When I get some extra free time, I may even start volunteering there. The animals there were BEAUTIFUL! Here is a picture of her snuggling up to Chop. She does this every night. She gets as close to your face as possible and then wraps herself around your neck into a little ball and falls asleep. :) She's so sweet. She's not Bella, but we love her just the same. Also, her birthday is actually the same date that Bella died (obviously 2 years before that though), so I kind of think that it was meant to be that we picked Bodie out of all the other cats.

This weekend, on Saturday, I'm taking my cousin Tiffany (and hopefully Lindsey) to Tallahassee to look at bridesmaids dresses. I have a pretty good idea of the dresses I want everybody to wear, but I wanted to make sure they looked good on everyone before committing to them. They are all the same fabric and style...they just have 3 different necklines that they will be able to choose from. So, we will see what that ends up looking like.

Ordered S-T-D's and Logan Is Here...

2009-04-11T19:59:00.011-05:00

I picked out the Save-The-Dates today, finally...and got them ordered. Here is what they look like! Obviously, this is the website version and not our actual S-T-D's...

We have been putting off getting some pictures done, so we could choose them for the S-T-D's, because I didn't want to bother Katie with doing them, since she was about to POP with Logan. So, finally, I just decided that I'd get my mom to take a few pictures with a digital camera and also a non-digital camera. I figured that if we took enough of them, we'd surely get a few out of the bunch that we could use. Sure, they aren't as good as they would have been if we had paid extra money to have them done professionally, but I think they are good enough for S-T-D's, anyway. We went to Chop's station and used the ambulance there to take the pictures in (and around). I think it's pretty obvious why we chose an ambulance, but not all of his extended family has met me...and not all of my extended family has met him. By putting our wedding website address on the S-T-D's will help explain it a little bit though, once they read the sections about ourselves, to see that we both work with different ambulance services.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the ones Mom took:

The very next day, Katie was scheduled to be induced at 5am. She and Seamus went in and were going to call us when she was about 5-6 cm. Next thing I know, it's 11am and he text messages me saying she is at 8.5!!! We rush out the door and he says that he would have let us know sooner, but that she went from about 5-8.5 in the span of an hour!

She is the PERFECT pregnant woman, that's for sure. She only pushed a few times, once it was time, and he was out...and PERFECT. She was smiling the whole time and didn't even break a sweat! Not to mention the fact that she did NOT look 9 months pregnant!

His older brother, Gavin, who just turned 3...was not able to make it. He was on his way to the hospital with Katie's sister and he got sick on the way up. They think he has a stomach virus of some sort, so he's going to have to wait until his new brother comes home before he can see him.

Seamus is Chop's best friend. They might as well be brothers...everybody thinks they are, anyway. They also work together. So, Katie and Chop have always been very close too! When Chop and I started dating, Katie and Seamus were there from the very first date (it was a double date), so they have become some of my very best friends and I love them very much. I love both of their families too...they are all such good people! Anyway, we look at Gavin as a nephew and now we have a new nephew to add to the mix!

Here are a few pictures from his birthday (including one picture from the night before of Gavin and I)...and his measurements:
Logan Joseph O'Neill
Born on April 10, 2009 at 12:56pm
6lbs 4oz
20" long

Well, I think that's about all the updating I have for now... =D
I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!!

Very long update...

2009-03-08T21:15:00.010-05:00

Well, I haven't written anything on here in a while. I was planning on writing something earlier this past week, after the bridal faire that we went to, but we had a tragic accident happen Wednesday night that has just made me very sad and bitter for the past few days.

I don't feel like explaining what happened because I'm at work right now and don't want to start crying in front of the guys (The only person I feel "comfortable" crying around, is Chop. I don't even like crying in front of my family). But, to make a long story short, Chop and I lost our adopted baby, Bella, due to a VERY freak accident on Wednesday night. It was nothing we could have helped or that we would have thought to happen and be able to prevent. She was strictly an inside cat and we thought that nothing could happen to her with things being that way, as long as we took good care of her and loved her. Well, we were wrong and it was probably the only thing that could have possibly gone wrong to hurt her...and it did. Not only was that tragic enough, but we then had to watch her die while we couldn't do anything to make her better or hurt less.

We have both been very upset about it for the past few days and so I haven't felt like doing much of anything. We finally got out of the house last night, and I wasn't even able to manage getting through the whole night without tearing up several times. It may sound stupid to some people that we let something like a pet dying get to us so much, but she really was our baby. She was our first big responsibility that we had together (besides the dogs, but they are always outside and they walk around to his parent's house sometimes) and we were taking care of her so good and doing things that were best for her...and then she ended up dying. She wasn't like most cats where they like to be independent and be alone a lot of the time. She was always waiting at the door when we'd pull into the yard, she would stay right underneath us any time we walked to a different part of the house, and she'd lay around and be lazy with us on days that we were too. We could even put our head down next to her and she'd starting nudging her face up against our cheeks, as if she was giving us kisses. Chop didn't even want a cat to begin with. I had to beg him to let me get her...but, she was full grown, fixed, fat, and lazy and I was finally able to talk him into it. He ended up loving her and being just as attached as I was.

Anyway, that's enough about that...I just wanted to talk about how much I loved her for a minute. Then, I'll try to get onto actual wedding stuff. Here are a few pictures of our "Bella Button."

She loved on him every night when we'd go to bed. This was actually only a couple of weeks before she died on March 4, 2009. :'(

The day we brought her home, after getting her settled in...I was sooooo happy.

She was such a priss pot. Even if no one had told us she was a girl...we would have known that she was.

After giving him hugs and kisses, she would conk out on top of him...and then move over to me a few minutes later and sleep under my arm or on top of my legs.

Anyway, about the bridal faire...
It was freezing outside. I've been to two others and they were inside and it was so hot because of all the people running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to get their papers signed before the prize drawings. I wore a short sleeved shirt and brought a jacket because it was cold outside, but figured that SURELY it would be inside, since it was one of the coldest days all winter (it was the day that it snowed as close to us as Dothan and Troy). Well, we pull up to Pier Park...and it's outside. The wind is CRAZY and it's freezing! Chop and his mom were going to meet us there, so they brought a couple of blankets and Chop's extra jackets so we could bundle up once we saw that it was outside. We went around to all of the vendors as fast as we could and signed everything in record speed. The idiots that were supposed to put up the siding on the tent were about 3 hours late...and then once they got there, they acted like they'd never done it before.

The whole thing was very unorganized. While most bridal faires seem to last about 3-4 hours...this one was over the span of 6 hours. They had the drawings split up where they did a few of them every hour or so...but, it was never exactly a specific amount of time between each drawing. So, basically, it made it where you felt like you had to sit there the whole time to see if your name was called because you had to be present to win. Well, we pulled up the Excursion as close as we could, where we could still hear the announcer and just decided we would get out and run up if we won something. Well, my name was called during the first drawing and it was finally something better than a picture frame! I won a free Groom's cake, as long as I use her for my Bride's cake. I went to her website and her cakes are awesome. She had the best tasting cake there, that's for sure. The best part was that it wasn't dry like a lot of cake ends up being. (cakesbytanis.com if you want to check out her cakes)

We also went to Dillard's and registered for our flatware and our casual dinnerware.
A few days later, Mom and I went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond and registered some more, picked out formal dinnerware (china) and Chop and I have to go back and finish when we both have time and have a day off together.

Then, today...I got a phone call from one of the vendors and it was to tell me that I won her drawing for a free engagement photography session. I went to her site and she is just starting in the wedding photography, but she's been traveling, taking pictures of objects and people from a distance. She doesn't have her wedding photography site up yet, but she sent me to her traveling photography site and she's pretty good. She's not GREAT, but she's good...and a lot better than somebody that had no clue what they were doing. She also seems to have a good eye. Her camera just doesn't seem to be of GREAT quality...plus she uses transparencies and not digital. So, I think that could be why. I don't know much about photography, but I am pretty sure that digital pictures turn out better usually. But, free is free is free, so I'm not complaining. I'm still very happy about it. She also wants us to come to Panama City instead of her coming to DeFuniak or Chipley. So that's going to keep us from being able to do pictures in the ambulance that Chop works on, for our save-the-dates. I think we still may try to get that to happen though if our friend Katie is still willing to take them for us before she pops (she is pregnant and due next month). She was going to do them for free because she just takes pictures for fun. She's not a professional, but she takes pictures of her son and niece and she's pretty dang good...and she has a good camera.

Anyway, I think that's about it.
I'm going to leave you with a picture of Chop and I while we were in Dillard's. He's smiling SUPER HUGE in the picture because I had just told him that he could "shoot" things since I got to "shoot" when we registered at Target. He ended up going nuts with it when I wasn't looking and registered for all sorts of RIDICULOUS things, that I ended up having to delete online once I got home. What a dork.

Tagged again...

2009-02-12T12:37:00.002-06:00

I was tagged by Melissa Manzione. She added herself as "following" this blog, I'm assuming after seeing a comment I left on Leslie's page. Leslie is a friend I went to school with and she's also going to be the photographer at my wedding in November. But, little does Melissa know...that I looked at hers all the time, after seeing the pretty pictures that Leslie took of HER wedding. =D

So, anyway...that's how I got tagged, if that explanation isn't too confusing sounding.

So, here it is:

Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

Step 2: tag—eight other un-tagged people.

Make a list of things you can see without getting up:
American flag, Chris (my partner...I'm at work, obviously working hard), TV, filing cabinets, bulletin board, copy machine, computer, door open so some "pretty day" can come through. That's all I feel like listing, right now. =)

Favorite football team:
I love college football. University of Georgia football comsumes my life during the fall and winter seasons.

What are you wearing now?
Work boots, Nomex work pants, long-sleeved Walton Co Fire/Rescue t-shirt, underwear and socks (obviously).

What color is your bedroom?
Jamaican Dream (teal) and Mocha Brown.

What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading?
Something my cousin wrote me.

What was the last movie you saw?
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.

Who was the last person you hugged?
Chop.

What’s your current obsession/addiction?
Twilight, is and has been, for a while now. All this news about Chris Brown beating the crap out of Rihanna. I'd like to beat the crap out of HIM. Wedding planning =)

What was the last thing you said aloud?
"I'm never drinking that much diet coke in the morning, ever again!"

What websites do you always visit when you go online?
Gmail, Myspace, Facebook, Perezhilton, Blogger, Weighins, Theknot, my school stuff, my work stuff, and news sites.

What was the last thing you bought?
Supper, last night.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?
I would love to be able to snap my fingers and be somewhere. There is a lot of driving in my job. It would be nice to not have to do it while I'm not at work.

What is your favorite weather, and why?
Weather like today...sunny, with some clouds (so the sky isn't boring), and about 65-70 degrees. =D

What time do you usually get up?
If I'm going to work, 6:00.

Say something to the person who tagged you:
Your pictures are so pretty...and BRIGHT. =)

If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be?
Chipley, Florida. It's where I'm going to end up, once I get married, so I'd like to stay there. Plus, it's not far from home.

Favorite vacation spot?
Any vacation spot is my favorite.

What is your favorite children’s book?
Bernstein Bears.

Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you:
Reese's.

Favorite hair product?
I don't really have a favorite. Every time I run out of something, I switch it up. I'm not all that high maintenance. Usually, unless I'm going somewhere nice, I just wash my hair and let it dry on its own without even brushing it. LOL...I run my fingers through it so it isn't knotted up, but that's about it. It dries curly.

What was the first tape or cd you ever bought yourself?
Jock Jams. Wow.

Stupidest thing You've Done Today?
Well, it was technically today. It was earrrrrrrly this morning...probably about 3am. I wasn't thinking and felt something on my foot. My natural instinct is to get it off of me. So, I pushed really hard with my foot and heard a thud. The thud fully woke me up and I sat up and realized I had knocked my, DEAD ASLEEP/lard butt cat - Bella, off the bed. Poor thing. Since she was asleep she didn't land on her feet. She landed in the exact position as she was in when she was ON the bed. Only, she was looking up at me like she had her feelings hurt. =( I felt so bad, but it was funny at the same time. Don't worry...I picked her up out of the floor and hugged on her for a while, until she fell back asleep. =)

What is your favorite store and why?
American Eagle. Comfy, cute, affordable, and fits my body shape the best.

**Adding this one** What is your biggest pet peeve?
When people are hypocrites. I have others, but that's my biggest one.

My Wedding Party...

2009-02-09T11:20:00.002-06:00

Well, I have finally talked to everyone and they've all said yes... =D

I had been really stressed out and struggling for the past several weeks, because there was just no way that I could have TEN bridesmaids like I wanted to have. Chop had a hard enough time thinking of all of his guys, there's no way that he could have thought of 3 other guys to have on his side to even numbers out. I know that they sides don't have to even out, but it always looks better when things are. Not to mention, we are going to have a hard time, as it is, fitting the people we DO have...up in the choir loft. There are built in theater seats in the loft, so that's what makes it hard to stand everybody up there.

Anyway, I finally figured out a way to solve my dilemma!

On my side...it is going to be:
My cousin, Tiffany, as the MOH
My cousin, Lindsey
My future sister-in-law, Chelsea
My "might as well be" future sister-in-law, Katie
Three of my best friends: Rachel, Amanda, and Amber
Erilyn (my baby cousin...Lindsey's daughter) and Jaycee (my future niece...Chelsea's daughter)

THEN, I'm going to have three honorary bridesmaids:
Three of my other best friends: Dusti, Emily, and Carolyn
They will basically be involved in everything, except being in the actual ceremony. They are going to wear something nice in one of the colors and wear flowers. They are also going to sit up front with my family. So, they are still going to be able to be a huge part of everything...which makes me feel so much better about our "numbers" problem we had before.

On Chop's side...it's going to be:
His brother, Jason, as his BM
His "night as well be" brother, Seamus
His future brother-in-law, Matt J
His nephew, Blaine
His cousin, Heath
Two of his best friends, Matt O and Justin Ross
Gavin (Seamus and Katie's son...and his "might as well be" nephew) and Gunnar (Lindsey's son...and my baby cousin)

He said he didn't want any honorary groomsmen or ushers.

So, we have it all figured out and everybody has said yes to our request to have them as a big part of our big day!

It's such a relief to have it all figured out!

THE dress...

2009-02-08T10:48:00.003-06:00

I cannot believe it, but...
I found "THE DRESS!"

Well, we went to Dothan yesterday, just try some on to see what styles I liked. I didn't have any intention of finding something today and I didn't think that I would.

I've always heard that when you know, you know.
It's true.

It was the second dress I tried on. Granny had found it and I didn't think I'd like it on because I thought that it was SUPER poofy. Plus, I already had another dress picked out to try on, that had a lot of the same features to it...and it WAS too poofy and way too much dress and it was HEAVY. So, I took that one off and tried on the one that granny saw, to make her happy. I thought it was a pretty dress, hanging up, but I just didn't think I'd like it on ME.

Well, I tried it on and it was GORGEOUS. It fit perfectly with no alterations and granny says that's a good omen. Plus, it made everybody cry when they saw it. I didn't see anybody tearing up or crying, though, because I told them all that I didn't want to see ANY crying because if they started, I would start. So, if they were going to cry, they needed to turn their heads or something. I tried it on with a veil and everything and it was still perfect. It looks like a dress straight out of a fairy tail.

I tried on a few more dresses after that to try on the other necklines and styles...and fits (like straight, mermaid, etc...) and none of them looked as good as this one. They all said when I had it on, that it just looked like my face lit up and you could tell I loved it and that I was comfortable in it. =) So, we put the first payment on it (you only have to pay for half of it before it comes in) and ordered a brand new one and she said it would be here in about 4 months. AHHHH!

I kept saying that I just didn't feel right finding something the very first day I went to try things on, but I got to thinking about it and I just cannot even imagine finding one that would look better. Plus, they said once you know, you know...and once you have that in your mind, nothing else is going to look as good to you as the one you KNOW is it. My cousin, Lindsey (who is also in the wedding), got her wedding dress from the same exact place and that it was the very first day she looked. She said that she also felt like I did and didn't think she would find something the very first day, but that when she tried it on, she knew it was it. She tried on a few more afterward, but said that nothing else compared to it. So, I don't feel like I'm missing out on seeing anything else. It's just that now that I have the dress, I feel like November 14th is going to get here even SLOWER than it already is. Plus, keeping a secret from Chop for that long is going to KILL ME. He is my best friend and I tell him everything, so not being able to tell him about what my dress looks like...is literally torture.

So, anyway...it's gorgeous.
I would describe it or put up a picture, but I'd just rather it be a surprise to everyone. (Leslie, if you read this...you can be the exception if you need to see it for any kind of picture-taking purposes, so that you know what you're working with. I don't know how that works, or if you need to see it beforehand, so if you do, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you. Otherwise, it'll be a surprise for you too).

=D

Some random things, since I haven't posted in a while...

2009-02-06T22:28:00.008-06:00

It's been a little bit since I posted anything, so I figured I'd play a little catch-up for anybody that actually reads this. =)

I just realized that I never posted a picture of the ring on here for you family that I haven't been able to see yet...so, here it is!

I never did figure out how to get the camera to take a picture that looked like it does in person, so I settled on two pictures that showed the shape and stuff and then below, I was able to get 2 of how sparkly it is. I couldn't get both at the same time.

The other night, Chop and I grilled steaks on his new grill, at his house (Thanks, Mom!). We invited our very close friends, Katie, Seamus, and their son Gavin, over for supper. All three of them are going to be in the wedding. Chop and Seamus are best friends and get mistaken for brothers on a regular basis. We both consider the three of them as family and they have been there with us from our very first date! So, anyway...Gavin is hilarious. He's 2 1/2, so you can only imagine the funny things that he says. Well, while the guys were playing football on the PS3 (typical), I pulled out my computer to let Gav play with the web cam on it. I would put pictures of everyone up, but Katie threatened me with my life if I put any up that had her in them (She's pregnant and I guess she feels fat or something, but she's FAR from it. She's ALL belly)...and most of them are of her because Gavin sure loves his mommy. So, here are a few of them.

He has chocolate in his mouth in this one...and that's what is all over his face in the next two. =)

Right now, I'm working on a slideshow type thing for the rehearsal and the reception. It will be the same one, I just want my very close family and friends to be able to see it first, before anybody else at the reception. My brother, Matt, is going to be the one to put it together, once I pick out the pictures and the music and everything...so, I know it's going to be really good. =) He's also going to be playing a piano piece sometime during the ceremony. I'm just trying to find a good time for everything and also trying to figure out what all I want to be incorporated into the actual wedding.

I also found a website that has save-the-date postcards for a CRAZY good price! I just need to pick out which one I want to use, exactly. Chop said we can just use the same picture that we used for the engagement announcement, but I kind of want one that's more relaxed and more "us" for the save-the-date. One that's not posed in a studio like that one was; taken when we had his family's pictures done. Since my mom is insisting on paying for everything, I don't want her to pay extra just for engagement pictures, in addition to what we are getting done for the actual wedding, so we will probably just get Katie to take some pictures with her really good camera. She is pretty good, actually...she takes pictures of Gavin and her nieces and they have all turned out to look really nice. She doesn't do it professionally, or anything...she just does it for fun.

Ummm...let's see...what else?
Oh! I'm almost done getting the final head count so that we know how many invitations to order and everything. That will be a relief once I get that all typed out. But then, the harder part is going to be getting all of those addresses. Geez, it makes my head hurt just thinking about it.

Oh my gosh, how could I almost forget about this next thing...?!
Tomorrow - me, my mom, my granny, Chop's mom, Tiffany (My cousin and MOH), Lindsey (My "first" bridesmaid), and Erilyn (Lindsey's daughter and one of my beautiful flower girls) are all going to Dothan so that I can start trying on wedding dresses for the first time! Mom and I went and looked at Simply Elegant in Fort Walton, when she had a dentist appointment last week. I didn't try anything on because I wanted other close family to be involved too. I'm going to be trying dresses on, just to get an idea on what I really like (I SERIOUSLY doubt I'd find "the one" this early on...even though they say it needs to be ordered AT LEAST 6 months before the wedding), I'm also going to get Erilyn to try on several little flower girl dresses, and then get Lindsey and Tiffany to try on bridesmaid dresses and different fabrics and necklines. I'm pretty positive that I'm going to be letting all of the girls wear whatever neckline looks best on them, though, since everybody is shaped differently...so, we will see what we can find that offers that option.

Okay, I think that's about it, for now. Sorry this whole post is so choppy. I can usually write better than this because I enjoy that kind of thing (I've kept "journals" most of my life), but when I'm at work there seems to always be so much going on around me that I can't think straight to write things that flow well.

Things I learned from the bridal faire...

2009-01-20T10:12:00.004-06:00

1) I'm not as "graceful" as these other brides. I don't take everything as seriously, as a lot of the other girls I saw, do. I know what I want and I don't feel the need to look at EVERY. SINGLE. LITTLE. THING. at every single different table, just to make sure I'm not missing something that "I didn't know I wanted, to find out that I actually do want it".

2) Printed out labels. I need them. I want them. I will have them next time. I HATED bending over and filling out my name, address, wedding date, etc at every single vendor table...only to have my bag full of "goodies" fall off my shoulder and jerk my hand down while writing, in the process. GEEEEEZ. You girls that have been to one of these before...and didn't tell me about bringing labels...you're buttholes! LOL

3) I hate that they make you go to every single table to have a paper initialed so that you can be in the grand prize drawing. I understand the concept, but that doesn't mean it's not annoying.

4) All the fuss about pre-registering is bull crap. They made this huge deal about pre-registering and you would get in on a special drawing, just out of the people the pre-registered. It ended up being the very first drawing they drew for. They dumped out hundreds and hundreds of pre-registration papers, strowed them out all over the stage, and then drew one. They drew mine, to my utter and total shock...and guess what I won. A picture frame. It had to have been the smallest, cheapest, thing that anybody could have won at that entire thing. I'm glad I won something, because a lot of people didn't...but, a picture frame??? Really??? Why even bother?

5) Everybody that goes with me to the next one...will be a bride. I saw some of the oldest "brides" with TWO (not one) rings on the left hand, ring finger, than I'd like to think about. A lot of them...won stuff. AWESOME stuff. Such as money off of packages for pictures, wedding gowns, caterers, DJs...you know...the big stuff. The fact that everybody does it...doesn't make it right, but damnit, it would be nice to win something to help me out with costs a little bit! LOL

6) If I walk up to a vendor and truly am interested in what they have to "sell" me...then, I will ask. Otherwise, from now on, I will say that I already have whatever it is they are trying to "sell" me...figured out and that I just need them to sign my paper. I had a man, with HORRIBLE BREATH, talk to me for nearly 15 minutes (in the midst of all of these women being packed into this HOT conference center, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to get their papers signed too) about his videography company and how it compares to others. I DON'T CARE. LET ME JUST GRAB A FEW BROCHURES AND WALK AWAY!

7) I will wear my hair up. It was cold and windy outside, but the people running the thing, forgot to take into account that you have a bunch of hormonal women with hot flashes, running around with their eyes on the prize, trying to get initials so they can get something better than a damn picture frame, when it comes time for the drawings.

8) I will also wear as little clothing as possible...for the same reason as above. LOL

9) The "models" they have for the fashion show are not professionals. The girl that was so nervous that she looked drunk, made that obvious. If it hadn't been for the "flushing" of her chest and arms, I would have continued thinking she was drunk...but, I think she was just very nervous. It was pretty distracting, but also quite funny.

10) The reason for everybody being "brides" the next time we go...is because of this. Every "bride" gets a sheet of paper that they have to get initialed at each table. So, the more papers you have, the more chances you have to win something big. The reason I say this, is that one girl won a 4 night/5 day trip to St Thomas and the Virgin Islands. THEN, while she was still standing up talking to the travel agent at the correct booth...they call her name out for an awesome DJ, all expenses paid. What the hell. Those were the two biggest prizes that were in the drawing and she got them both. Obviously...she had more "brides" with her. So, I will have more with me too! HA! (On a side note...I checked out her ring when I walked by her...and she has a ROCK! She obviously did not need much help in the budget area)

Really, though...I did have fun. There was also a lot of good food and I did get some really good ideas and even found out about some things that I didn't know. I learned from this one and the next one, I think, will be even more fun. =)

Tagged...

2009-01-16T13:17:00.002-06:00

Well, Leslie tagged me, so I'm supposed to think of 7 random facts about myself and post them...

1) I have horrible nightmares almost every single night. They are different from just bad dreams that someone would remember when they woke up. These are nightmares that wake me up from a dead sleep. They are always involving death and I never wake up before I "see" the dead loved one that is starring in the particular nightmare.

2) I'm scared of bridges. They make me extremely nervous, I get hot flashes and my palms begin to sweat, and my heart rate speeds up a little bit. The fear is worse when someone other than myself else is driving and I have to keep my head down to where I can't see off the sides of the bridge. And, when people find out that I'm scared of them, and they like to swerve around and "joke"...I don't think it's cute and it really does piss me off.

3) I like the smell of gasoline, permanent markers, nail polish, nail polish remover, you get the point...I just don't like it when any of these smells are ON me.

4) I got an award for being an excellent "cutter" in kindergarten. Apparently, it was quite a big deal that I could actually cut things out and stay on the lines. They thought it was such a big deal that they called me out into the middle of the football field to receive a paper certificate. HAHAHA.......(I'm sorry...I'm not really sure why this popped into my head, but it asked for random, so you got it!)

5) I have VERY bad road rage. I'd probably be in prison if I carried a gun in my car.

6) Chop calls me Nonya.

7) I weigh myself every morning, but refuse to do it before I pee. You would be so surprised as to how much of a difference that actually makes. ;o)

I don't really know who else to tag...that hasn't already done this. My brother Matt is about all that is left...and he won't do it.

Confirmation...

2009-01-14T14:09:00.002-06:00

Well, today, we got confirmation from the preacher that I had when I was a pre-teen and into my early teens. I LOVED him. He was always my favorite. He preaches at a different church now, but we heard back from him that he would be happy to be a part of the wedding. Hopefully, the preacher at my church now, will allow him to do the actual act of marrying us and all...and maybe he could do a reading or some other part of it all. I guess we will work all of that out later.

Our flower guy also said that he is not booked up on the dates that we wanted him for...and we just need to send in our deposit to him. =) He wants me to start cutting out clippings of arrangements I like and colors and types of flowers, so that he can draw from all of them and make it into his own design, and so he will have an idea of what I like. He said he doesn't need to meet with us, though, until about 4 months before the wedding. So, I guess we are done with a lot of the decorating aspect, because he will be doing the ceremony AND the reception. WHOO HOO!

One of my best friends, Rachel, has an aunt (Capri) who is more like a sister to her. Since Rachel and I have been friends for so long, I feel like her family is like my second family. Capri has done a lot of wedding planning and has helped friends out and so I figured she would be perfect to be the wedding director, if I could talk to her and see if she'd be willing. Well, I talked to her the other day and she said she would be more than happy to. So, I am EXTREMELY happy about that. She is a PRO at that kind of thing and I know she will do a good job. =D

I think that's about it for updates today. I need a nap. I worked yesterday and we were up real late on a transfer...

Pecan Grove...

2009-01-13T13:18:00.002-06:00

Well, it's officially ours now! Mom talked to the man that owns the property and the hotel and he has us down in the book for special groups. He has it under "Jeselnik-Suggs Wedding" with a special room rate of $69...and that includes breakfast too.

We just have to meet up with him about 60 days out from the time of the wedding so we can talk about how we want the bar set up and what we want served, so he can go ahead and order it all at whole sale price.

That's one less thing to worry about. Not too bad!

The guy that we are trying to get down to do all of the flowers and arrangements is out of Chipley. I just know that we have always referred to him as "Kirby". My mom and aunt know what his actual full name is...but, he does a wonderful job. He did both of my cousin's weddings AND Chelsea's (Chop's sister-in-law). We are supposed to talk to him tomorrow and set up a day to meet so we can talk about what we would want, the look we are going for, and prices. I really hope he isn't booked for the day of our wedding. He's a busy man...so, we will be lucky if we can get him. I'm thinking since it is so far in advance, though, that maybe he will not be booked yet. I guess we shall see......

Colors...

2009-01-11T14:09:00.005-06:00

Right now I'm trying to figure out what "theme" to go for for the wedding.

The colors I have chosen are a very deep purple (think eggplant), gold/ivory accents, and a deep ruby red.

I found a picture on photobucket of the purple, gold, and ivory together...and then I found a picture on a bridal site that had the eggplant colored BM dresses, with gold shoes, and red flowers. It's really close to the look I'm going for. I was even looking at having different necklines for all the girls, depending on what looks good on them, since everyone is shaped differently.

Here are the pictures:

I think the best way to go with these colors would be a more romantic theme...lots of flowers and elegant looking pieces. I feel like if I do the more simplistic/modern theme, that a lot of people are doing right now, it will sort of clash with the colors I've chosen. Plus, I just tend to think the former looks better, for my style.

Anyway, that's what I'm thinking so far...

We decided on a reception site...

2009-01-09T14:32:00.002-06:00

Well, mom took us today to show us the pecan grove next to the Best Western hotel. It's beautiful! The man that owns the place said that as long as we would allow his employees to serve and supply the alcohol (since it will then be covered by his liability insurance) and then have 10 of the rooms booked (which will be very easy, since we have family coming in from other states), then we could use the property for free. The rooms will also be at a special rate, since it's for an event and there will be so many. =D

It's perfect. Also, if anybody gets to drinking at the reception and doesn't have a pre-planned designated driver, they could always stay at the hotel and just walk across the parking lot. The grove is also well-lit and there is plenty of room for the reception tent and there is plenty of parking. It's going to be great. I forgot to take a picture so that I could post it, but I may try to get one up soon.

We also went by the church so that Chop could see what it looks like and he loved it. He is thinking about having the rehearsal dinner in the Chataqua building across from the church because he has always really loved the lake yard. So, he is going to talk to his parents and find out what they would like to do.

I'm in the process of filling out the paperwork for Leslie Roark Photography to do all of the pictures and I spoke with her and I'm marked down for that date. Yay! We are also getting ready to send the deposit in for that, as well.

We decided on what time to have the wedding, as well. We put thought into what time the sun sets because the church has beautiful stained glass windows all throughout the sanctuary. So, when the sun is setting, it would look even more beautiful. =) So, we decided on 4:30. That will give everybody plenty of time to get everything ready before the wedding. Also, if the wedding lasts for an hour (at the most), that will put the guests at the pecan grove at 5:30 and then the wedding party there shortly after the rest of the pictures are taken. So everybody...guests AND wedding party, should all be at the reception by 6, we are guestimating.

It's all starting to come together. Once all of these initial things are figured out, then we can finally start working on all of the details. YAAAAY!

Choices, choices...

2009-01-06T15:04:00.003-06:00

Mom and I just got back home from driving all over DeFuniak, trying to find a good reception location. The first place we went to, ended up being the most beautiful of all the places. The only thing I'm worried about is that it's a 20 minute drive from the church. I don't know how people normally feel about driving to a reception...so, I'm a little stuck, right now on what to do.

There were a couple of other locations that were closer to the church that I liked a lot too, but none of them were as pretty as the first place. Also, keep in mind, we haven't talked to any of the property or house owners for any of this yet...so, a lot is just going to depend on what they say.

So, for anybody reading this...is 20 minutes too far? Mom said that she knows of lots of other people who have had their reception in different towns, even. The location that we picked is down HWY 83, just past HWY 2. It is gorgeous. There is a white fence and an open field with a pond in it and there is also a red barn. The driveway is lined with gooseberry trees. We would have big white reception tents set up out there and there would be plenty of room to park. As for bathrooms, mom said they have the portable bathrooms that you can rent that are NICE ones...and not your typical nasty ones. They are more like having actual bathrooms. She would just have to talk to the man that owns the land...who doesn't even live there.

Opinions or suggestions...PLEASE.

First Announcement Printed...

2009-01-06T11:13:00.005-06:00

So, I was sitting in a union meeting this morning for work, when I get a text message saying that the announcement in the Chipley Bugle looks great and that it's a great picture of us! I didn't know they would post it online so fast! =)

I went and looked at it...and let me just tell you...that was the CRAZIEST feeling when I finally saw it in official writing for a newspaper. It made it all seem so real!

I'm so stinkin' excited!

Here is a screenshot of it:

On another note, we found a bridal fashion show in Fort Walton, for this month! A few of my bridesmaids, mom, and granny are going and possibly Chop's mom and sister-in-law. It's going to be fun, I think and it will be the first thing that most everybody is able to be a part of. I'm hoping to get some good ideas from it. :-)

Busy Bee...

2009-01-05T20:06:00.006-06:00

I sent in our engagement announcement today. I sent it to two papers in the Chipley/Washington County area and also to two papers in the DeFuniak/Walton County area. We are also planning on sending in an announcement to the paper in Albany, Georgia...where my dad grew up and my grandpa lived before he died. It needs to be 6 months from the wedding, though, in order for them to accept it.

Here is what the announcement is going to look like:

Dr. David L. and Cynthia Martin Jeselnik of DeFuniak Springs, Florida are pleased to announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter, Briana Celeste Jeselnik, to Joseph Daniel Suggs, son of Michael R. and Myra Pettis Suggs of Chipley, Florida.

Briana is the granddaughter of Tom and Sabra Martin of DeFuniak Springs, Florida and the late Anton and Blanche Jeselnik of Albany, Georgia. She is a 2004 graduate of Walton High School, a 2004 graduate of the Emergency Medical Technician Program at Gulf Coast Community College, and a 2006 graduate of the Chipola Fire College. She is currently employed as an emergency medical technician and firefighter with the Walton County Fire/Rescue Service.

Joseph is the grandson of Mrs. Madine Owen and the late G.C. Suggs of Chipley, Florida and Mrs. Ouida Pettis and the late Eudon Pettis of Bonifay, Florida. He is a 2003 graduate of Chipley High School and a 2005 graduate of the Emergency Medical Technician Program at Chipola College. Presently, he is enrolled as a student in the College‘s paramedic program. Joseph is employed as an emergency medical technician with the Washington County Emergency Medical Services.

Joseph and Briana were engaged on December 25, 2008 and are planning an early November 2009 wedding.

I also went to the church and got November 14, 2009 officially reserved. So, that is now our wedding date!! I don't think the next 10 1/2 months are going to go fast enough.

I talked to Leslie Roark, whom I actually went to highschool with, and she has agreed (so far) to shoot the wedding. I'm SO excited because she is AWESOME! So, here is a link to her site (http://leslieroark.com/) so you can see for yourself! She is supposed to call me tomorrow so we can talk details.

I'm really excited about everything and I can't believe I did so much today!

The Proposal...

2009-01-05T12:09:00.004-06:00

The subject of getting married has come up quite a bit. After being together for quite some time, he would always tell me that he knew he wanted us to spend the rest of our lives together. So, I've known for a while now that "this was it". He has also always known that I would like for him to ask my dad for his blessing before he ever asks me to marry him. I've never been that "old fashioned", but I just feel like it's really respectful and I knew my daddy would appreciate the gesture. I knew that he would know that Chop was serious and that he wasn't taking it lightly, if he talked to him about it first. I told him that when the day comes, that I don't want to even have a CLUE that he is about to talk to dad, because I don't want to be a bundle of nerves the whole time they were having their talk. So, those were the only two things I ever asked of him.

In November, we decided to start our Christmas shopping. Our friend Rachel went with us. While we were at the mall, Chop asked if I wanted to go inside a jewelry store or two so that I could just show him what types of rings I liked. I was having all sorts of hot-flashes while trying a few on, because the thought of him ever spending that much money on a piece of jewelry, stressed me out. He kept asking me if I liked this and if I liked that...I just told him I didn't care; that they were all pretty and sparkly and that he didn't need to be spending an arm and a leg on me.

That was the last it was talked about. Fast forward to Christmas morning.

Chop got off work that morning and headed straight to my house. Our plans were to spend the first half of the day with my family and the second half with his. So, he got to my house and we did our exchanging and opening of the presents. Once we were done, I was the only person that hadn't had a shower yet and gotten ready to go to my Granny and Pop's house. Chop and my dad kept having to tell me to go get ready, because I was procrastinating and continued to just sit on the couch. Finally, I got up to get a shower. I got out and put my clothes on and walked to the living room and the only person I could see was mom. I asked her where Chop and dad were and she said that they were outside. As soon as she said that, I started freaking out in my head, wondering if he was having THE TALK with dad. I reacted exactly how I knew I would if I had known about it ahead of time and I almost started to cry in my room. About 10 minutes after that, I heard dad and Chop back in the house...so, I walked into the living room. I was looking around to see if I noticed anybody acting differently, because I was just SURE I would be able to tell. I didn't notice any awkward glances, nobody seeming uncomfortable, no tears, no black eyes...so, I figured that they were just outside helping put something together.

We spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon and my grandparent's house and then we head to his parent's house. Right before we opened presents, Chop and his brother Jason, had to run to Chop's house so he could grab his dad's last Christmas present that they hid there. They got back about 10 minutes later and we opened all the presents. After that, I was holding his baby niece Addyson so that Chelsea (his sister-in-law) could have her hands free and eat. Everybody kept telling me to get me something to eat, but I was just fine sitting there playing with Addy. I had my back to everyone else.

Well, Chelsea finished eating and came to get Addy from me and told me to get my butt in the kitchen and get some food. So, I stand up and I get to where the kitchen and living room meet and Chop says, "Ummm...I forgot to give you your last Christmas present." I just said, "Oh! Okay!" and didn't think anything of it. Next thing I know, he is saying something that makes NO SENSE...about our dogs being dysfunctional (One is deaf and the other has bad eye problems). I was thinking that he was going to surprise me with another pet...LOL! But, then his eyes started to tear up and he was choking up and he took a step back and took a deep breath and stopped what he was already saying. Then, he reaches into his pocket and gets down on his knee and, while smiling and crying at the same time, says, "I was wanting to know if you would marry me..." I put my hand over my mouth in shock and started bawling my eyes out and hugged him and said "well, YES!!" Then, for some stupid reason, I asked him if he was serious and what our dogs had to do with it. Then, he said that he had planned on saying that he wanted to OFFICIALLY give our dysfunctional dogs a mommy...but that he couldn't get it all out and just decided to stick to the basics. His whole family was crying (and his mom snapped pictures without me knowing it) and they all hugged me and welcomed me to the family and told me that they loved me.

I had never thought I would want to be asked in front of a bunch of people, because I get embarrassed crying in front of people. But, I'm actually glad that he asked me the way that he did. His family got to experience it with him and it kind of fit them into the puzzle. Bride's tend to get a lot of the attention because they are the one's that usually do most of the planning. So, it was nice for him and his family to have a little piece of it to remember...if that makes sense. I also liked that not even HE knew he was going to ask me to marry him...

You see, my feeling was right, when he was at my house. He WAS asking my dad for his blessing. He said that everything they talked about was between him and my dad, but that it went well and it was a lot easier than he had imagined it would be. Once their talk was over, dad shook his hand and welcomed him to the family. But, it went so well, that when I was looking for any clue that they had talked, nothing showed on their faces because nobody was upset. He said after he got asking my dad out of the way, that the ring felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket and that he just could wait another week, until we were on vacation, to do it. He said he had to do it THAT DAY. He didn't know, until he started saying the words outloud, that it was going to be even harder than talking to my dad was. When he and Jason had gone to get something from the house, that's when he told Jason that he thought he was going to just do it that night. So, Jason is the only one who had a clue it was going to happen when they got back. So, right before he asked me and I wasn't paying attention because I was focused on Addy...he winked at his brother and mouthed to him that he was about to do it. His mom caught on and mouthed back to him to hang on until she could grab the camera. All the while, I was totally oblivious to the fact that it was all going on behind my back. Then, the rest of the story...you know.

So, it makes me feel really good that he was so excited and nervous about it that he just couldn't wait. That might be my favorite part of all. That, and the fact that I have NEVER seen him cry. He isn't one of those "tough guys" that show no emotion at all, but he definitely doesn't cry. So, the fact that he did...showed me just how much it meant to him.

Playing "Catch-Up"...

2009-01-04T21:45:00.004-06:00

So, Chop and I have been engaged for almost 2 weeks now.

We got engaged on December 25, 2008 and on the 27th, I headed to the Books-A-Million in Dothan to pick up some wedding planning books. While I was there, I picked up a big new journal so that I could write about everything that was happening. Then I was possibly going to give it to Chop after everything was over with. I started to write in it, but then decided this was a little bit more convenient, in that I was able to type instead of write...AND...all of the people that are interested in everything and helping me plan, can read about everything I've planned or thought about up to that point (and possibly share some ideas, as well). On the 28th, we left for TN for our annual winter vacation, so today is the first day that I've really had time to set something like this up.

So, I guess first, I will tell how we met and I'll go from there:

My friend Barbra worked at the hospital in Chipley, Florida as a registration clerk. Chop is one of the EMT's with Washington County, so he was at the hospital dropping patients off every shift. They became good acquaintances and Barbra was interested in meeting one of his friends, at the time. So, one day, Barbra told me that she had invited this "Chop guy" and some of his friends to the bar to hang out with us that night. I didn't really think anything of it. So, we get ready and head to the bar (The Honky Tonk, to be exact...lmao!). We are there for about an hour and a half and Barbra comes inside from stepping outside for a minute, grabs my phone and puts a phone number in it, and tells me to call the number and ask why "they" aren't coming like they said they would.

Well, I had had a few drinks that night, so I was feeling JUST RIGHT. I walk outside and I press the "send" button and a guy answers the phone. At this point, I have no clue as to whom I am speaking with, but I then commence to blurt quite a few explicatives, directed to this person that answered the phone...along with accusing statements of standing my friend up. The voice on the other end, shocked and unable to say anything until I'm done, says, "EXCUSE ME?! WHO THE HELL IS THIS?!" Then, I go into saying that I'm Barbra's friend Bri and that I don't appreciate them standing her up. He then goes on to explain to me that they had started drinking at his house and that they did not want to risk driving. I basically tell him "whatever!" and hang up on him. I don't remember ALL of the EXACT things that I said, because, like I said...I was feeling just right.

Well, the next morning after I wake up, I receive a text that says, "You need an attitude adjustment." It took me a minute to realize who the text was from, but then I realized it was the same number that I cussed out some guy through, the night before. I replied to him and told him that I didn't need one, and that I'm normally a sweet girl, but that I don't like it when people mess with my friends. Then, he proceeded to inform me that he was not the guy that my friend had wanted to hang out with, but that his name was Chop and that he was the one who had tried setting everything up. We started messaging each other over the computer, and we would talk about the most random things. I was usually a smart ass to him...but, he would always give it right back to me. About 4 days after the initial cussing out, we were in the middle of texting while we were both at work, and he had a call. He said he had a call and that he would CALL me when he was done. I was in SHOCK. We hadn't talked on the phone since the night I was such a brat...and at that time, I wasn't even aware of the fact that it was him. I was thinking he had accidentally typed the work call and that he really meant to say "text".

Sure enough, though...he didn't make a typo, because he called me about 20 minutes later. I had seen pictures of him, but as soon as I heard his voice, it was exactly what I would have imagined he would have sounded like. I don't know HOW to explain it, but he just SOUNDS like a big/tall guy with a really "hearty" laugh. It's a friendly laugh. He was also really funny and I didn't feel weird talking to him, at all. We talked on the phone that night for at least an hour, maybe more...which is a long time for me, because God knows I hate the phone. He would constantly pick at the way I talked. He always said my accent was really thick and he would always repeat what I was saying and would do it in a very twangy/southern mocking-accent. The next day, he said that he was going to try to make the weekend before up to Barbra and I and that we could all try to meet up and hang out again. I agreed to it and told him that they better not "stand us up" this time. We decided on the same place...same time.

So, on Saturday, September 1, 2007, he and his friend drove to DeFuniak to meet up with us at the good 'ole Honky Tonk (Geez, I can't say that without getting embarrassed by the name). He called me when he was about a minute away from the bar and told me that I needed to come outside so they wouldn't have to "walk into this stick-n-stab" alone. I told him to "grow a set" and to come in without me...lol! He then pulled into the parking lot and saw the place and said they were DEFINITELY not coming in unless I walked outside. I said "FINE!" and hung up on him and stomped out. As soon as I opened the door, I saw him leaning against a truck. He was exactly like I had thought he'd look in person...very big and tall and football player-ish, if that makes sense. He was wearing a yellow and navy blue striped polo shirt and khaki colored shorts. The reason I remember this so well, is because as soon as I saw him, I looked him up and down from head to toe...lol. He smiled really big at me and said, "That's what I thought!" (in reference to him telling me that he wasn't coming in unless I went out first). I remember thinking how good looking I thought he was and how great his teeth were (I have a thing about teeth...). He and his friend followed me inside and they sat with us at our table.

The rest of the night, he kept messing with my phone and picking at me. I tried to give it right back to him, but it was harder to do in person than it was on the phone. In person, I just giggled too much, but on the phone, I was able to act more "tough". Rachel and Amanda showed up at the bar and they both asked me who he was and I told them and they just thought they whole thing was weird. Rachel says that he and I kept holding hands underneath the table, but I don't remember that happening. I hadn't had so much to drink that I wouldn't have remembered that kind of thing...

The bar was closing at 2 and it was time for everybody to go home. Amanda was going home with me, so she got in my car and I told her I was just going to go say bye to Chop really quick and that we'd head to the house after that. I walked to his truck and his friend was going to drive since he had been drinking a little bit (how responsible)...so, I walked to the passenger side. We talked for a little while and he asked me if he could see me again sometime. I was so OUT OF PRACTICE when it came to dating, that I just sort of shyed around his question and just kept saying "maybe". No matter how many times I said maybe, he kept asking me if certain days of the following week would be okay. He figured up when our next day off together was and said that we WERE going on a date. I just agreed so he'd stop talking about it because it was making me nervous. I said bye and started to walk off and he said, "You're not even going to give me a hug?" I acted like I didn't want to and walked back to him slowly. I hugged him and when I started to walk off, he held onto my hand and pulled me back and said, "kiss me on the cheek." He was VERY persistent. I said no, but after he begged me, I said "fine." When I leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, he put his hand on my cheek and pulled my face in and kissed me smack-dab on the lips. I was in shock because this was NOT like me (later, Amanda said she was thinking the same thing to herself while she saw it all happen from my vehicle) and this was the first time I'd ever met this guy. Afterwards, he saw the look on my face and said, "mmmMMM! I'm gonna marry you!" and then busted out laughing. He was clearly joking (and he even joked about it to his friends, telling THEM that he was going to marry me too), but a year and a half later, we are engaged to be married.

So, that's the story of how we met. I'm at work right now and we are up next for an out-of-county, so I need to get to bed before dispatch wakes us up again with a call. Tomorrow, if I have time amongst registering for a couple of prerequisites for nursing and sending in engagement announcements to the papers, I will write about how he proposed and all of the planning I've done up until now (Please excuse any spelling/grammar errors, as I was in a hurry).