Forever After Friday

It's that moment we've all been waiting for...

ENGAGEMENT PICTURES!!!!

Leah with LKM Photography posted them today on her blog! I am in love! She is such an amazing and talented photographer; and was such fun and a pleasure to work with - I couldn't have asked for anything more :) Thank you so much Leah for all of your wonderful work!!

And thank you to my phenomenal fiance Spencer for not only being the love of my life and soulmate, but also for being who he is. We had so much fun during our shoot and together we can't help but be silly and make puppy eyes at eachother, hah :) Thank you, babe, for just being you! I love you!

Want to see more? Go here! And please leave a comment on her blog if you feel so inclined to do so (if I get 10 comments I get a free 8x10 print!).

Thanks y'all!! :):):):)

ABC's

I'm being a follower today and jumping on the ABC bandwagon, it looks like fun and I have some time, so why not? :)

A- My AIR CONDITIONER is set on: 68 at night, 73 during the day while we're at work.

B- My BEDROOM theme is: ....we have no theme right now, haha. The bedroom is a work in progress. I found my dream sheets though; they're cream, blue, and brown - so we'll probably use those colors and create a theme around them...eventually :)

C- The CAR in the driveway is: no driveway, we live in an apartment. But we have a Jeep Compass and a Toyota Tundra.

D- My DESK looks: ...what desk? Haha, our dining table doubles as my desk right now.

E- The EXACT time I wake up daily is: it's varied, but now with school stuff starting soon, it'll probably be 6 a.m. - yikes!

F- The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is: my face. It just feels so dirty at the end of the day and it feels amazing to get it clean. I love my St. Ive's Apricot Scrub, makes me feel like a million bucks everyday :)

G- My GARAGE is filled with: boxes and furniture that won't fit in our lil' apartment.

H- My HOUSE is: non-existent. It's apartment living for us for a little while longer. We're hoping to move into a rent house in the fall though.

I- If you peeked INSIDE my bedroom you'd see: not too much, like I said, work in progress.

J- My favorite JUICE is: sugar-free white grape peach juice, soooo goooood!! It makes me feel like a little kid again :)

K- The best part of my KITCHEN is: the appliances, they're all new

L- The LAST person who visited my home was: my daddy.

M- The last piece of MAIL for me was: a card and pictures from my BFF Jennie and a daily devotional Bible from my aunt

N- My NEIGHBORS think I'm: .....not sure. I haven't really talked to any of them, but hopefully they think I'm nice

O- If you OPENED my fridge you'd see: dirty and sparse shelves... I need to clean it and we need to go to the grocery store.

P- My last house PARTY was: never. We haven't had one...don't really have the space for one either :( I love throwing parties, but maybe when we get a house we can do a few

Q- A QUICK meal I like to fix is: any type of grilled chicken with veggies or marinated pork chops.

R- My favorite ROOM of the house is: the living room - comfy couches that are very conducive for lots of cuddling and movie watching.

S- The SHAMPOO brand I use: is Aveeno right now, I just switched from Purology (great stuff, but expensive!)

T- My largest TELEVISION is: in the living room.

U- UNDER my bed you will find: more of Spencer's guitars and occasionally little TazTaz, it's where he likes to sleep

V- The last time I VACUUMED was: not sure, Spencer did it when I went to Lubbock a while back

W- Looking out my WINDOW I see: parking for our building and the one across from us.

X- I wish I had X-TRA: money and time.... Don't we all? Haha

Y- My YARD is: also non-existent.

Z- ZZZZZZZ My bedtime is: after 10:30 and usually close to 11:30, but with school coming up it's going to have to change - probably to between 9:30-10.


And I know so many of y'all are anxious for some engagement pictures but she hasn't posted any yet :( Sad day, but don't you worry, as soon as some (or even one!) is, I'll be sure to post it.

Have a good night lovelies :)

Tuesday TidBits

I missed Miscellany Monday (boo!), and with as much as I enjoy randomness I thought I'd share some today :) You are welcome! ;)

{1} I bought the perfect lipstick on Sunday. I needed some red lipstick for our engagement pictures that night and am terrible at picking out the right shade. Seriously, I always manage to get shades that either make me look like I should be standing on a street corner or that make me look like an oompa loompa. Always too red or too orange. So I enlisted the help of professionals. I went to Ulta and got some advice from the very nice and totally knowledgeable make up artist. He picked out a few shades and we tried them out, and one looked pretty good. But then he said he wanted to try something. This made me nervous. However my fear was unnecessary; he got a nude lip primer and plumper and put it on first, then applied the shade of red that we liked best (it's called Redwood from Studio Gear) and boy did it make a difference! The nude base really brought out the true color of the lipstick and it vibed with my skin tone. Yay! I felt like such an adult buying my first "real" lipstick and primer. I've even sported the lipstick to work the past 2 days, I feel so sophisticated, haha.

{2} Speaking of engagement pictures, our photog called today and said she should hopefully have some up tonight! I certainly hope so! Keeping my fingers crossed...

{3} And speaking of work, today was my last day at my Admin Assistant job. It was bittersweet. I really like my boss and enjoyed learning so much about an industry I wasn't familiar with, but part-time was not working out and it wasn't something I was super passionate about. This is a positive change with so many more opportunities, but I will always appreciate my first taste of the working world.

{4} You know how Spencer was gone all last week? Well, now I'll be gone for a week. Bummer. I leave tomorrow for good ol' Houston. I'm excited because I get to see my good friend Taylor and look at some bridesmaids dresses and check out my hopeful venue. It has everything I envision for our wedding, let's hope it's as good in person as it is in pictures. I also get to see my future in-laws and they get to meet my mother. But on the not-bright side, I will not see the love of my life for 7 days and it makes me sad :(

Well, that's all for today - hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

Ohh Today...

Well it's been another one of those weeks. Or months. I feel pretty awful for not posting in so long but really I had no desire to last week, it was a rough one. My wonderful fiance was out of town aaallllllllll week. So I was home alone and it was no fun :( So I was sad and pouty and didn't dare try to do a post with that sour puss attitude. Although my BFF Jennie did make the 2 hour trip to come spend a few days with me which definitely brightened my mood and made me happy! She really is the best friend a girl could ask for, such a blessing. And on Monday a young woman in my church passed away from a boating accident and it took a big toll on me. So between Spence being gone and that terrible news I was a mopey Molly - again, Thank God Jennie came down to visit me! It made a pretty terrible week bearable.

Spencer got back on Friday so I've been spending every second with him and haven't even thought to jump on the computer til now (he's napping...otherwise I'd probably still be putting thing off, haha).

So two exciting things....:

{1.} We're taking our engagement pictures tonight!! AAHH!! So excited!! Right now I'm letting my hair air dry and just finished painting my toe nails...then it's on to hair and make-up! The weather outside is absolutely delightful - okay, right now it's actually a little hot (91 degrees...) but it should be cool(er) by the time we take our pictures - and it should be a gorgeous West Texas sunset - Yay! :)

{2.} Remember the "Big News" I had talked about...ohh...two weeks ago or so (I know, I'm terrible - please forgive me!)? Well, here it is: I GOT MY FIRST JOB!! Let me clarify, I've been working since I was 15, all part-time jobs, most of them waitressing; I graduated from college last May and found it basically impossible to get a full-time "real" job (thank you stinky economy); I've been working as a part-time Administrative Assistant for the past 6 months and have been applying and interviewing for full-time positions since I moved back in October. So I am super stoked I have finally gotten a full-time gig. Perserverence paid off.

So what is it, you ask? I'll be teaching 8th grade Social Studies and coaching volleyball and track at one of the junior highs!! I can't believe it and am ecstatic about it!! I'm also pretty nervous. It is my first job, and not just first "real" job, but also my first teaching job. Sure I've taught Sunday school (to 2 and 3 year olds...) and have volunteered with 7th and 8th grade youth groups the past few years, but this is a whole new ball game. I can't wait to get in there though. I'm ready for this new adventure and I get to do something I'm passionate about: Making a difference in a child's life. Woo-hoo! :)

Well that's all for now, hope everyone has an amazing Sunday!!

If you do anything this weekend....DO THIS!

I know, I know... I disappear, I pop back in with something random, disappear again....well here's another random...

If you have any extra time this weekend or are looking for something to do... Go see Inception!!

It is AMAZINGLY-MIND BLOWINGLY-OUTSTANDINGLY-AWESOME!! We went yesterday for Date Night and are still talking about it this morning - sooo good! I would say more but (1.) it's awesomeness is basically indescribable, and (2.) I don't want to give away any of the movie/ruin someone's experience by saying too much. So please, do yourself a favor and see the movie - you won't regret it :)

Have a lovely weekend all!

Miscellaney Monday

Randomness once a week appears to be my thing right now.... I really am making an effort to be better...you just can't see it yet ;)

{one} sweet tooth.

i've been having a craving for ice cream lately. so the other day when we went grocery shopping i bought some....so now let me introduce you to the best thing since sliced bread: ben & jerry's cheesecake brownie and b&j's cake batter. oh. my. goodness! where have they been all my life??? they took my two favorite desserts on earth and made them into ice cream. geniuses i tell you. p.s. july is national ice cream month - hooray!

{two} ti amo italia.

i've also been eating italian food like there is only a finite amount left and it's up to me to consume it all. i don't know what's come over me but its seriously all i want...lasagna, pasta with pesto, pizza, spaghetti, eggplant parmigania....sooooo gooooood! p.s. thanks giada for all of your great and delicious recipes, i love your show and your creations even more :)

{three} dog days of summer.

i thought dogs were supposed to be slightly more lazy during the summer because of the heat... but apparently not. and if that is true, my dogs have decided not to follow suit. they have been crazy, rambunctions, literally going in circles lately! even super long walks don't slow these guys down...if anyone has any tips on how to create a calmer dog, please let me know :)

{four} out with the old, in with the new...

work out routine that is :) some where, at some point in my twenty-three and a half years i did a doosey on my knee and now it's hard to run longer than 5 miles. so instead of pushing and pushing (and probably hurting it more than helping it) i've decided to do something new. goodbye long runs and hello yoga mixed with low impact cardio and circuit training. i've also found that i enjoy these activities a lot more and don't feel like i'm punishing myself when i work out - which equals a better experience for this girl

{five} out of the loop.

i haven't had cable/satellite tv for almost three months now and i feel very "out of the loop" on the goings on in this country (and in the world)...so instead of breaking down and getting cable, i'm going to spend a little less time midlessly floating about the internet and a little more getting current on the happenings in the globe. but with so many news sources these days, it's hard to decide which ones are trustworthy and unbiased, so again i pose y'all a question: does anyone have any fave news sites that are awesome? which ones should i stay away from? i appreciate y'alls help! :)

{six} blog friends are real friends.

i have had the opportunity to start forging some really great friendships through blogging. it's something i never expected and it is a very happy surprise. so i want to thank all of you for sharing a little bit of yourself and your friendship with me :) it's been wonderful and a blessing and i am excited to see where these new roads of friendship take me.

Hope everyone has a great week! And as far as big/great/fun/new news that I talked about last week, I know I've put it off again but I want to get it set in stone before I say anything, hopefully by the end of the week!

A Little Apology, some CatchUp, and an Award :)

Hello long lost lovelies!! I know I've been away for a week but I had a few loose ends that I needed to tie up before I headed out of town for the weekend. Sorry for the absence but duty called! I henceforth promise to be better...for now...teehee ;)

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th!! Mine was pure bliss wrapped up into three days. We went to Houston to spend the weekend with Spencer's family and it was a mad house, in a good way :) Both of his brother's were there, and so was one of my best friends Lindsey (her and Spence go waaaaay back and she is actually the person who introduced us) and Spencer's best friend was also there - talk about a full house!! Needless to say, with so many people, good times abounded and merriment was had all around - from enjoying delicious food, to guitar playing and song singing, to 5 hour naps in the middle of the day, and staying up until the wee hours of the morning (like literal morning, it was 5am when we went to bed one night - and we never even left the house!). *Note to self: Never take a 5 hour nap in the middle of the day or you will be up very late.

It was so great to get to know my future family better and actually have the opportunity to build personal and special bonds with each of them. What more could a girl ask for?

..........Well, maybe to go see "Wicked"! Spencer, being the wondeful man he is, got us tickets to go see the broadway production since it opened that weekend in Houston. I love theater, so this was such a treat for me! It was amazing. I'm right in the middle of reading the book (which the play doesn't really follow, but it's still great!), so I was really looking forward to it :) Hopefully we'll be able to catch more plays/musicals when we go to visit in the future. And that's one thing I've crossed off of my 101 in 1001!!

88. See a Broadway production.

Well that's all I've got as far as a catchup...for now... I do have some exciting news to share but I'm gonna save it for tomorrow :) But I did receive a wonderful award from sweet Callie at Through Clouded Glass... The Versatile Blogger Award! Thank you so very much Callie for bestowing me with this wonderful (and my first!!) blog award!!

To receive this award you must:

1. Say 6 or 7 things about yourself.
2. Thank the person who gave you the award.
3. Pass this on to bloggers you have recently discovered and that you think are fabulous!
4. Go let those people know you gave them the award.

So a couple things about me...

{1} I've finally figured out what I want to do with my life! It's super exciting for me to have direction and pursue a dream again...it's been a while, I was lost for a bit, too. But no more! I'll tell y'all more tomorrow... ;)

{2} I really love the idea of a 1950's inspired engagement photo shoot. We're having our photos taken on the 25th, so I'm trying to find inspiration and fell in love with this. Any other ideas, feel free to share :)

{3} I've always wanted to learn how to play the guitar...hopefully one day I'll get around to it.

{4} I have extremely low blood pressure which causes me to get very light-headed when I stand up or straighten up from bending over - not fun.

{5} I've never been an actual bridesmaid (I was a junior bridesmaid when I was 12, though...) and have never been to a bridal shower.

{6} I have two brothers and am gaining two brother-in-laws next April...no sisters for this girl. Sad day. We're the first two to get married so not even sister-in-laws for me...yet...

{7} I used to have an obsession with cheese, but I think I've eaten so much of it that I just can't enjoy it like I used to :( I have now moved on to enjoying peanut butter entirely too often... :)

And I am honored to pass this award on to.....:

PinkLouLou @ Confessions of a 20 Something

Emily @ My Heart Shaped Life

Jennie @ Just a Girl & God's Grace

Emily @ Live a Charmed Life

Hope everyone is having a Happy Tuesday!!!!!!!