Monday, October 10, 2011

Favorites

Hello all!!  Thought I would take a little moment to vent....about something other than the wedding.  As I might have mentioned before, I started a new little venture called nursing school in May.  I am currently in my second semester of four, working towards a second bachelors.  Life has been completely crazy lately, but I thought I might take some time to show you some things I'm in love with:

1.  This little man has stolen my heart...even though I've never met him!  My best friend growing up and his wife had their first baby.  Meet Mason Benjamin born on my sweet Mommy's birthday, 9.29.


2.  Fall!!  It has finally started to cool down here in Florida, and by cool down, I mean it is in the 80's during the day and 60's at night.  It is so nice and is very welcomed because I'm about fed up with the humidity!  I've already gotten my Fall/Halloween decorations and managed to find my special candles for this special time of year!  My favorite Fall things: 



3.  HIPSTAMATIC!!!  I love taking pictures and this app for my new iPhone is amazing.  You take the pictures and the app edits them right before your eyes!  It is so neat to see the different techniques used that make for amazing pictures.


Driving home from school into some pretty terrible weather.

My first 5k...it's all about the babies, baby!

My chalkboard from the wedding...now a wall hanging in my kitchen for lots of silly fun!

On my way to work...can my glasses get any bigger??
So that's all for now!  Have to get back to studying, but I'll be back soon.  In the mean time, what are a few of your Favorite Fall Things??

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Wedding Showers

     Mr. K and I were lucky enough to have three showers thrown for us during our engagement to celebrate our coming marriage.  The first was in Texas with my parents and their friends...we will refer to the as The Village.  The Village got together and had a little gathering and sadly enough, I can't find the stinkin' pictures from.  I've been searching for days and I could have sworn I uploaded them to the computer, but I have three empty memory cards and no pictures on my computer.
     The party was great though!! Mr. K wasn't able to be there with me, but we received tons of gift cards, which was really nice, because I had to fly back to Florida and I don't know how well multiple gifts would have fit in my carry-on!!  The host of the party got a "gift card tree" and had it set up with everyone's gifts.  It was so sweet of all of them!  One of the best things they had were these petit fours from a local bakery....omg they were to die for!  I love cake and to have these tiny single serve bites that were so moist and flavorful...wow!!


     The next shower was in KY where I'm originally from.  I went in for a friend's wedding and one of the bridesmaids for my wedding had a small shower for me at her house!  It was great to have all my closest friends and family in on location!  We did manage to capture a few pictures that evening.


Ms. Lauren B!    

     Our last shower was in FL where we live.  Mr. J's family wanted to do something special for us, so I suggested doing a Jack and Jill gathering type thing so Mr. J could invited more of his family and friends.  I wanted to try and get him involved as much as possible.  We had a great evening!!  My mom made her way back in and came to the shower.  Things are always better when momma is around.  We played some games, opened some gifts, and drank some sangria :)  All-in-all, the evening was perfect and very special!



       For everyone that was there to celebrate our future together, thank you!  We appreciate all you do and have done for us and all the support and love.  You are all such huge blessings and we couldn't do it without you!  Love you all!!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Engagement shoot...

Mr. K and I decided we wanted to do a little session for engagement pictures.  It wasn't anything elaborate, but just something to capture the moments before we were man and wife.  We passed through the unique streets of Winter Park, walking down Park Avenue admiring the old buildings and bright colors and the fact that there were way too many sweet shops on one stretch of road.  I think we counted 3 candy stores and 2 ice cream shops in a two block radius!!  But it was so much fun!  I am always the girl behind the camera doing make-up for shoots, but this time I got to be front and center with the man I love!!
Mr. K and I gallivanting through the old train stop...

Jokes make for the best pictures!


Enjoying the weather and each other



Sunday, September 25, 2011

A dress to make the princess...

     So let me tell you this...I'm not the kind of girl that gets all caught up in the dress.  I really wasn't too worried about it...I was actually more concerned with making the "whole picture" beautiful and by whole picture, I mean I love the decorations!  So when my dad said I needed to get on finding a dress, I was a little la-zay-BLAH about it....the only thing I was happy about was the fact that my mom was in town.
     We headed out to David's Bridal to get an idea of dress shapes I might like.  I had it stuck in my mind that I would have some type of empire waste, fluffy gown that made me look oh-so-princess like.  I was obsessed with pockets and in love with Amsale.  The dress from 27 Dresses was going to be mine!!!

    
     The escapade was lackluster to say the least.  You know how you expect to have this moment...this little emotional moment when you find THE dress???  Well I didn't have it.  I was more frustrated than anything.  I didn't see anything I liked, I looked like a cow in the Amsale knock-off, and my mom didn't even shed a tear.  The day was a bust.
     The days went by, my mom headed back home, and I was left on my own to hit the battlefield.  I put on my big girl panties and off I went.  I decided I would hit up one more store and I would find a dress there or I was getting married in my birthday suit!
     After consulting with my favorite computer software, ahem... google, I found a little shop downtown called Minerva's.  That was it.  That was my store, my new best friend.  So I hopped in the car with my mapquest directions and was on my way.
      The store was in the middle of nowhere...What had I gotten myself into and where in the heck was I?!?  I didn't want to have made the trip for nothing, so I parked, took a deep breath and headed for the door. 
     It was a sea of white and tulle...holy moly!  And guess what...I DOVE RIGHT IN!!  I was up to my elbows in bling and sequins, but there she was...my trusty steed!!  I had found the one!  Of course I tried on everything I touched, but I saved the best for last.  And this folks is my wedding dress...

    
     This isn't the best picture and the front makes the whole dress....but I want to wait to show you the rest of the dress when I'm in it!!  It is so true when everyone says you end up with the dress that you least expected.  I would have never thought I would be walking down the isle in an little mermaid number.  But it looked oh so good and I just knew that Mr. K would love it!!  Woop woop!!
     This is my little Maggie Sottero...Guys this is Destiny.  Say hi, Destiny!!  Don't you think she might need some cowboy boots to go with??!!! 

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

It's been a while...

     Hello my lovelies!! How have you been? Life has been completely turned upside down for a while now...hence my absence...but I'm on this little organizational frenzy and writing in my blog is part of that! I feel so guilty that I started this blog to document my wedding planning process and the start of my new life, and I made it a whole 3 posts....that's pitiful! I need to step it up and work on my commitments!
     So here we go...I'm going to be filling you in on the wedding along with stories of everyday life and hopefully you stick around :)
     I've got a little song playing in my head via Kelly Clarkson...SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE....Let me start from the beginning. The first two weeks after being engaged, I was on the fast track. I started searching out dress shops and venues and dates, oh my!! I had yet to hear from the college I applied to on whether or not I'd gotten into nursing school, but by golly, I was going to plan around it just incase. So class started May 16, so planning a wedding in less than three months was out of the question. The other options were 2 weeks in August, a month in December, two weeks in May (all three being in between semesters) or waiting until after graduation....so guess which one we picked...!!!
     August it was, and we had to get things rolling because I figured I wouldn't have much time to plan during school....man was that an understatement. We wanted to make sure we had time to go on a honeymoon and that I wasn't overwhelmed with finals, so Mr. K and I chose August 13, 2011. Did you add that one up??? February 21, 2011 to August, 13, 2011....that's 5 months and 23 days to plan a wedding...BAH HAHA!!!
     So it was on like donkey kong...Mr. J and I started looking at venues and I went out looking for dresses. Both were found in the beginning of March...something else equally as important happened in that time frame..... I actually got into nursing school!! So all my planning was worth it. Thank goodness.
     So, I'm sitting in class now, and I should be paying attention...so I am off for now, but I will leave you with this....


     We had a quick engagement shoot that turned out pretty awesome!!  I'll share the rest soon!  Love you all!!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

And so the planning begins!!

     So of coarse as soon and Mr. K proposed I was able to pull out all my hidden wedding books and magazines and get crackin'!  I've had ideas in my head of everything I've wanted to do for a long time, but now I had to let Mr. K know and get him on board.  I was lucky enough to have my mom flying in the day after the proposal to help me get started.  Did any of you secretly have books stashed away?  Or am I just that crazy girl??

     I think my favorite magazines were the the ones that were specifically made for the Orlando area.  Being as I am not from here, it made it very handy to start the planning process.  I think my favorite magazine had to be

I just loved this magazine!!  I just wish it had come out with more editions.  

     My mom came in and we hit the ground running.  The first stop was Home Depot to try and figure out colors....we weren't very successful.  I found a few things, but nothing that I loved.  So we were on to Joann Fabrics, where we hit the wedding color jackpot!!  I was so thankful to have my mom there with me because we instantly found what I'd been looking for, a perfect floral print that embodied the style and color theme I'd been looking for....it was meant to be!!  To the floral print, we added 4 accent colors, one of them being a medium brown burlap!!  Can any one guess where I'm going with this theme?  I'll tell you all more about the colors later on...I might even show you a swatch of my inspiration fabric!!!  I can't wait to tell you exactly what it is.

     After Joann Fabric's, my home away from home, we went to Homegood's just to see if we could find some odds and ends for decorations.  God had all of this planned out already, because we walked in and there they were, my centerpieces!!  We purchased everything we needed and I felt like we'd put a huge dent in the decorating portion of planning.

     Other than decorations, my dad thought it to be very important to get my dress squared away, as well as our venue so we could have a date set.  If you didn't know, I am a planner.  I come from a family of planners.  I am definitely my father's daughter when it comes to this.  So to have my dad planning right along with me from a few states away is very special!!

     So this is just a start to the planning extravaganza!!  There's lots more to tell to get you up to date.  But stick with me and we'll get there!!  Have a great day!!

God Bless!!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Big Question!

     The first question that everyone asks when they find out you're engaged is, "How'd he do it?"  Sometimes I would make up stories and tell everyone that I got tired of waiting so I proposed or that he popped the question with a gumball ring...but here's the true nitty gritty!

     It was President's Day.  February 21st to be exact.  One week after Valentine's Day.  Mr. K and I both had the day off from work and had spent the majority of the day doing our routine things...laying out by the pool, working on laundry, going to the gym...the usual.  I had made a point to not waste my precious time off with putting on make up or even changing clothes.  I was wondering around the apartment in my swim suit underneath my pajamas and Mr. K was hobbling around because he hurt his back at the gym.

     We had decided to tidy up the apartment, because my mom was coming the next day for a visit.  She had only been to town one other time and I wanted to make things comfortable and clean for her :)  That's what a good daughter does, right?  So I was working on our master bedroom and Mr. K was in the spare bedroom supposedly cleaning...I thought he was on the computer or something.  

     I was just chugging away at a pile of laundry when I heard Mr. K yell at me from across the apartment.  "Babe, could you come help me with something?"  I could have sworn he was stuck in the floor and couldn't get up because his back was hurt.  I was trying to figure out how in the world I was going to get this 250 lb. solid hunk of a man up out of the floor without injuring him any more.  I walk in the second bedroom with two armfuls of folded t-shirts expecting to see him in the uh-oh turtle position....you know the one where you're driving down the road and see a turtle on its back flailing its arms and legs in the air trying oh so hard to flip over.

     Well, Mr. K was instead on his hands and knees digging underneath the bed.  I thought, "What is this crazy man doing?"  I turned to set the t-shirts on the bed and started to squat down beside him, when he so nimbly popped up on one knee and said,"Could you help me with this?" all while holding open this beautiful little box with a blinding diamond ring!  I was in shock.  I was in my pajamas.  I had no make-up for goodness sake!!  All I could say was, "Seriously?! You're joking right?"  That went on for a good five minutes before he looked up at me with his puppy dog eyes and said, "Babe, are you going to answer me?"  I was in so much shock that I honestly don't remember him asking me, therefore I couldn't give an answer!!  I quickly said YES and he put the ring on my finger.

     That was the best day ever!  Mr. K later told me that he had had the ring for some time.  We went and looked at rings right after Christmas and he bought the ring the next day.  He told me he had wanted to propose at his little sister's wedding, but couldn't because he hadn't been able to get a hold of my dad....insert awwwww!!  I thought that was the sweetest thing ever.  We had talked about how important it was to me to have him ask for my dad's permission and he did!!  Mr. K also made sure I knew that he didn't propose on Valentine's Day because we had a conversation when we first started dating about how corny we thought it was to get engaged that day.  See ladies, they do listen!!

   Overall, that had to be the best day ever!  The proposal was so intimate and special and I wouldn't change it for the world!  I love you, Mr. K and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with my best friend!

Welcome to our Humble Abode!!

Howdy do!!  Thank you so much for stopping by.  We are so excited to be able to share our special day with you and let you in on all the planning...but trust me, I will definitely be leaving plenty of surprises for the big day!!

So follow along as I catch everyone up on the last two months!  Feel free to leave questions, comments, and tons of support, because I think I'm already starting to lose it :)

God Bless!