Birthday Celebrations!

Birthdays come but once a year.  I typically don't really celebrate a lot for my birthday, because to me, it is just another day.  But for some reason, I was super excited about my birthday this year and made plans to celebrate.  Celebrations began on Monday when I bought myself a lift-top coffee table as a birthday present to myself (my grandparents and parents gave me birthday money to use towards the table - thanks!)  I will try to get a picture of it soon to share!

Thursday I was so excited and surprised when I got a package in the mail from Jeff's mom and dad!  I wasn't expecting such a sweet surprise!  Inside the package, among other things, was a tote bag from Aerie - one of my favorite places!  I have used the bag almost every day since then!! :) (see below for pictures...)  I continued to celebrate on Thursday with some friends from school and my roommate by having some yummy dinner and a few drinks at Tavern on the Tracks behind my apartment while I eagerly awaited Veronica's arrival.  Sure enough, Veronica arrived and we spent the next few hours catching up.  I was so excited that she came to visit!

Friday morning - my actual birthday - Veronica and I got up super early and took showers and headed to my Aunt and Uncle's house so we could go on a furniture shopping adventure with them.  On our way there, we decided we needed breakfast, so I stopped at Chick-fil-A.  V had no idea they had breakfast there, but was thrilled with the choice after she ate her food.  :)  We were on a search for a children's bookshelf and a new living room set.  We went to what has to be the largest furniture mall in the world.  V and I were so amazed!  We were worn out after walking around the place!  We got a nice laugh about one of the furniture brands.  We enjoyed this brand so much that we took a picture and sent it to Lindsay for her enjoyment!  Here is what we were laughing at - really mature, I know...

Once we finished shopping around, we headed to grab some lunch at a delicious pizzeria near my Aunt and Uncle's house.  The pizza was delicious!!  We then picked up Rachel from car-pool which was quite entertaining for V and I.  We didn't stop there!  We headed to the mall to find an outfit for the evening's celebrations and to the grocery store for some appetizers.

Around 7:30 that evening, as I was eagerly awaiting Jeff's arrival, several of my law school buddies came over for appetizers and beverages to get the celebrations started.  Haley and Kristine surprised me with an awesome new wine bottle rack and some really awesome sticky notes!  (see below for pictures)  Before I knew it, Jeff had arrived!  I literally ran out the door to meet him in the parking garage!  It hadn't been too terribly long since I had last gotten to see him, but it felt like forever since we had seen each other!  I can't tell you how excited I was to see him!  As I was helping him unload his things from his car, he handed me a gift bag from my mom.  Inside was a cake baking pan in the shape of the WVU logo!  I was so excited because I had been looking at one just like it recently and was thinking of all the fun I could have with the pan!  Stay tuned and maybe I will find some time in the near future to make something yummy in the new pan!  As if that surprise wasn't enough, Jeff handed me a gift bag.  I was really unsure about what this was and who it was from and I think he could tell that from my face because he said, "It's from me - Happy Birthday Baby!"  I was so surprised because I had told him that all I wanted for my birthday was to spend time with him - him coming to see me was more than enough of a gift for me!  I was ready to open it right there, but he said I had to wait until we got upstairs.  We headed back upstairs to my apartment, where everyone was having a great time!  I was finally able to introduce Jeff to my wonderful friends Kristine and Haley - as well as some of my other law school friends that he had never met before.  Jeff got ready and we all headed to Tavern on the Tracks (yes the same place I was at the night before - it really is amazing food and atmosphere) for a birthday dinner!  More people met us there for dinner and we had about 15 people all together!  We had a blast watching the WVU game against Marshall (even though it was a nail biter)!  Even the non-WVU fans joined us in cheering on the Mountaineers!  Luckily, the Mounties pulled through and won the game!

After we all enjoyed a wonderful meal, we headed uptown to another Buffalo Bills bar - Town Tavern.  I think I forgot to mention that Tavern on the Tracks is a Buffalo Bills bar and is located right behind my apartment - coincidence? I think not! :)  Anyways, we hung out uptown and met up with some other friends for the remainder of the evening before heading back home early Saturday morning!  We had such a great time with everyone!

On Saturday, Jeff, V and I spent the day lounging around, being lazy and watching football.  Jeff and V got to experience Jersey Mike's sub shop for the first time for lunch too!  That evening, we continued watching football at Haley's house for the Alabama game.  She is an awesome football watch party host - we arrived and were greeted with TONS of food!  My friend Amanda made an AMAZING queso dip that Jeff is begging me to get the recipe for so I can try to make it for him.  We also had amazing spinach dip, fruit salad, pizza and cookies!  We had a great time relaxing, watching football and hanging out with some friends.

Sunday morning, V got up early, put on her Army uniform, and headed off to her two week long training.  Before I let her leave, I insisted that we have breakfast at Einstein's bagels across the street.  I am almost positive V was super happy she stayed for breakfast! :)  It is one of Jeff and I's favorite bagel places!  I soon realized that my birthday weekend was coming to an end as everyone began saying their goodbyes.  I got to spend a little more time with Jeff after V left before he too had to go home.  I truly cherish every moment I get to spend with him because every moment counts and we aren't always sure when we will get to see each other again.

Here are some photos from the weekend:

Soon to be Mr. & Mrs.

Ladies & Martin

My New York girl... Shannon

Chip being really awesome...

Ladies!

Birthday cupcake - well, what was left... Thanks to my awesome roomie 

for making cupcakes for the special day!  They were delicious!

Fun wine rack that makes the bottles look like a bouquet - thanks Haley & Kristine!!

WVU cake pan from my mom! :)

Cards from everyone! :)

The bracelet was not a birthday gift... but the blue and gold beads were!  Thanks to my wonderful fiancé I can now show my WVU spirit on my Pandora bracelet!

3 layer dip for munching on during the lazy football watching day...

The awesome dip maker!

Jeff & I made some barbecued ham - thanks to Jeff's mom for the recipe!

Yummy barbecued ham sandwich!

Wedding Planning Update!

I have answered the question a million times - "So how are wedding plans going?"  And to be honest, I'm never quite sure how to answer the question because there are days that I feel like I have a TON of planning done, and there are other days that I am positive it will all never get accomplished!  But I am here to report that today is a good day - a day of feeling like we have accomplished a lot!  So for those of you dying to know, read on to find out what we have accomplished in our wedding planning journey thus far!

1. Church - we have secured the church (St. Francis de Sales) for our date, after changing the date a million times, and after having our name on three dates at one point . . . we have also had our initial meeting with the priest, where he filled out the paperwork to be sent to the diocese where the church will state they will be recognizing our marriage . . . the priest also gave us a book of different scripture readings and other things that go along with the ceremony to get us thinking.  We certainly have a bit of time to make the decisions about who the readers will be and what readings they will be doing, but at least we have a church to get married in - right? :)

2.  Reception Venue - we have secured a location for all of our friends and family to gather together in celebration of our wedding.  We searched all over Morgantown and the surrounding areas before choosing our location.  We will be having our reception at the Knights of Columbus in Morgantown.  The catering company (The Ritz Touch) is amazing and provides excellent service to Jeff and I throughout the entire planning process.  We have already called them at least a dozen times with questions that they have been so kind to answer almost immediately!  The room is gorgeous and the staff that sets up are amazing and have a great eye for detail.  We will be meeting with them in January to discuss the set up of the room, the food, the decorations, centerpieces, etc. so stayed tuned for an update on that! :)

3.  Photographer - This seemed to take forever, when in reality it took us two weeks - two very, very long weeks of meeting with a different photographer every night.  We had meetings that stretched from Clarksburg all the way into Pittsburgh.  I don't even want to think about the miles we drove in those two weeks meeting with everyone, searching for the perfect photographer.  As we neared the end of the second week of searching, I was convinced that the perfect photographer even existed.  One of our last meetings was with a gentleman that my big, Julie, suggested that we check out.  While his prices seemed a little high at first glance when compared to others we had met with, we decided to meet with him anyways.  Boy, was I glad that we did!  We met Paul Meyer at Panera in Washington, PA on a Thursday evening.  I wasn't really sure at first if this was 'the one.'  After 15 minutes - maybe even 5 minutes - of chatting with Paul, I was sure I found my perfect photographer.  He spent a great deal of time explaining every single detail of his packages, his work, etc to us and was personable, professional and funny all at the same time!  His work was amazing!!!  I knew Jeff would be sold when Paul handed Jeff a large wedding album with a clear glass like cover with a metal piece underneath that had a photo of the couple.  Now, this may not seem that exciting, but to Jeff, this was the most amazing thing - the album was LARGER than a large atlas.  I cannot describe the album and provide sufficient detail... but if Jeff has his way, after our wedding, you are all invited to our house (wherever that may be) to look at our GIGANTIC wedding album.  Jeff's eyes lit up and a huge smiled came across his face.  We left the meeting with Paul, got in the car and Jeff said, "Well...?"  and I explained I wanted his reaction before I provided mine.  I really wasn't sure what to think because of the tone of his voice at first.  Jeff explained, "well, he seems a little pricey, BUT, I LOVE HIM and I would LOVE him as our photographer!"  I was overcome with joy!  We decided to celebrate with some Rita's frozen custards!  It was delicious!  We headed home, and decided to "sleep on it" before making our final decision.  As Jeff loves to do, we put all of the photographer information into a spreadsheet to begin comparing the packages offered by everyone and the personalities - after all, these people will be in our faces all day long!  We had one final meeting with another photographer as a follow up to our initial meeting with them because they were second in line to Paul. At the end of that meeting, as we got into the car, Jeff and I almost at the same time said, Paul is our guy!  So the next day we mailed our deposit and contract off to Paul at Paul Meyer Photography  and within a few days we received a lovely note back from Paul explaining he was looking forward to meeting us and also included a gift certificate to Starbucks!  How lovely?  I know that was a long explanation for a photographer update, but I just had to tell everyone how excited we are to have Paul!

4.  DJ - this has been the 'flavor of the week' lately... Jeff took charge of looking for a DJ... and while it may not seem like a big deal, it almost seems like the success of the reception is somewhat on the shoulders of the DJ so we wanted to make sure we had a good one picked out.  We had our options narrowed down, then a friend of mine told me he could do the job - I was super excited.  Unfortunately, after two weeks of emails back and forth, I learned that he had over booked and was no longer able to be our DJ.  So, through tears of sadness and frustration, I called Jeff, who as always, managed to calm me down, and make it seem like no big deal.  I might also note that when I found out, I was having a bad day already so this was the cherry on my ice cream that day.  Anyways, Jeff has been holding onto a contract from our top choice of DJs (before the overbooked one came along) and called the gentleman.  Luckily, he was still available, so we sent in the deposit and contract and have secured our DJ!  Now all that is left on this subject is to select the songs for various dances, make a do-not play list, and figure out the order of our reception.  I think this is going to be a larger task than we think... we shall see!

5.  Wedding Dress - I think I updated everyone on the dress, but I was able to find a dress that I am absolutely in love with.  Not at all what I thought I would pick out.  I wont be having any fittings for awhile, so for now, the dress is sitting in storage in a safe place at my parent's house.  No questions on what the dress looks like please... it is a secret for the big day! :)

6.  Colors - Within the past few days, I have finally decided on colors.  I have been going back and forth between a million different options, narrowed it down to two, gone back to a million, selected one, slept on it and then decided against it.  I talked to Lindsay, the Maid of Honor, about flower options because she used to work at a floral shop.  I know this might sound crazy, but I was just concerned about what flower options I would have with each of the color schemes.  It turns out that the one I have selected many times, and then pulled away from, is going to be the best option for floral choices for the time of year that our wedding is in.  I'm not really sure why I have been so unable to nail down the colors, but I guess it's the crazy perfectionist in me that wants to make sure I can get EVERYTHING to match and that I can find things in my colors.  So without any further delay... our color scheme (if you haven't figured it out already) is . . .

Black
White
Grey
Yellow


Here are some color pallets that inspired us to select our colors:

As for the wedding party attire - no clue yet... as for anything else really... no clue yet!  But things take time and it will all get done... eventually! :)  We have a nice little to do list for the next few weeks to get some things knocked out - hopefully nothing gets in the way of my motivational train! :)  If you have any inspiration for us, be sure to leave us a comment! :)

First Reunion

Jeff and I had been apart for two weeks before we were able to see each other again in person.  It may not seem like that long, but believe me, sometimes even a day apart seems like forever!  I thank my lucky stars every night that we have such a strong relationship that allows us to survive being apart.

I was able to make a trip back home for Labor Day weekend.  Without classes on Friday, it makes traveling home for weekends so much easier and makes my weekends seem much longer!  I got home Friday afternoon and ran a few errands and then met up with Jeff and hung out and enjoyed some Varsity Club pizza before heading out to meet some of our friends.  Saturday we spent the day enjoying the first Mountaineer game of the year.  The Mounties played Coastal Carolina and won! We were able to meet up with a group of our friends to tailgate and catch up!  We had a blast!!  Sunday we headed to church and spent the day relaxing and chatting about wedding stuff - but we didn't accomplish too much.  Then we headed out for a little dinner date at Cheddars!  Yummy!  We really just enjoyed spending time with each other relaxing!  Monday before I had to leave to go home, we had lunch with my parents and grandparents to celebrate my upcoming birthday with my family.  We had yummy spaghetti followed by cake and ice cream!  Delicious!

I was bummed out when I had to leave after having such a great weekend, but all good things must come to an end sooner or later.

Here are some pictures from the weekend . . .

Some of the ladies from the tailgate...

<3  The Happy Couple <3

Another picture of the ladies...

Me and my little  brother

My brother and some random guy in a blue and gold bodysuit... 

Jeff and I before our dinner date at Cheddars...

Birthday cake!

My grandparents acting goofy! :-)

What a great weekend!!! Can't wait until the next visit home to catch up with everyone again!! :-)

One cook in the kitchen isn't nearly as fun...

As many of you probably know, Jeff and I really love to cook together and experiment with different recipes.  Now that we are hundreds of miles apart, sometimes it is tough to cook alone.  I decided I needed a break from reading and studying and wanted to make myself cheesy potatoes.  I must say, it was much harder and lonely cooking in the kitchen without Jeff there to lend me a hand or for me to land a hand to!  Can't wait until we can cook together all the time!

Even though I was cooking alone, the cheesy potatoes turned out pretty well.  Here are some pictures of the yummy dish...

Dress Shopping!

July 30 . . . Lindsay, the Maid of Honor, made the trip from Baltimore to Morgantown to spend the weekend dress shopping with me!  I was so excited to have her join me!  I refused to go shopping until she could be there with me.  I knew that she would give me her honest opinion and not sugar coat things trying to make me happy!  My mom and I went to a shop on Friday before Lindsay arrived in town but didn't have any luck.  Once Lindsay arrived, we enjoyed some wine and bride magazines before falling asleep!  We had a blast catching up!  We got up super early Saturday and headed to Fairmont for the first shop.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any luck at the store.  While we were there, I saw a photo of a dress that I had recently found in a magazine, but unfortunately, the store didn't have the dress in stock.  I was determined to find that dress somewhere and try it on.  After leaving Fairmont, Lindsay and I dropped my mom off at home so she could go to a banquet for my brother and we picked up Kristin and headed to Pittsburgh to continue our dress adventure.  We had appointments at two dress shops - and to be honest, I couldn't have imagined the fun we had.  Between Lindsay stuffing fake boobs in my dress and the fashion show Lindsay and Kristin put on in the various bridesmaid dresses, I had a smile on my face all day - except when we were rushed out of one store (despite our appointment not being over).

As we headed to the last stop of the day, I told Kristin and Lindsay I wasn't expecting much because I had never had much luck with this particular store, but I was open to trying out every option!  We walked in and were greeted by a wonderful sales lady, Elaine, who was amazing!  I showed her several dresses in the catalog that I wanted to try on and she informed me that I showed her the same dress 3 or 4 times throughout the catalog without even realizing because the dress was pictured from different angles.  She said she would pull all the ones I pointed out, but had a feeling she knew which one I would pick.  After trying on a few dresses, I put a dress on with Lindsay's help.  Prior to this dress, before I walked out of the fitting room, Lindsay would give me her opinion.  This time, she wouldn't even look at me - I have to say I was a little irritated with her at that point because I wanted to know what it looked like before I walked out and potentially looked like a complete dork!  I walked out, and it seemed like the world stopped... like everyone in the store stopped and turned to look at me... like I was the only one tying on dresses.  I looked over and I could swear Lindsay had a tear in her eye - a tear of happiness and Kristin was all smiles.  That's when I knew I found my dress!  I felt so amazing in that dress and it wasn't at all what I thought I would end up falling in love with.

Lindsay and Kristin tried on a ton of bridesmaid dresses to help me get an idea of what style/color dress I wanted for the special day.  Here are some photos of the girls in their dresses being goofy...

After some lovely fashion shows of bridesmaid dresses and wedding dresses, before heading home, we headed to Primanti Brothers for some amazing food!

Since my parents weren't with me, I didn't want to make the final decision without them.  I really wanted my mom and my dad to see it and get their opinion so my parents and I drove back to Pittsburgh on the next day and ended up buying the dress!!!!  The dress has come in and is being safely stored at my parents house!

Want to know which dress I picked out?  Guess you will have to come to the wedding to find out!!!  :-)

Moving Weekend - July 2010

So this posting is very, very late, but this blog is about what Jeff and I are up to together, so it is only fitting to include it.  I am really trying to get into a habit of updating weekly from now on, but we will see how that goes!

The last weekend in July, Jeff and I jumped in the car and headed to Charlotte to move my belongings from one apartment to my new apartment in Uptown Charlotte!  It was a very, very busy weekend and went by very quickly.  The move went smoothly, with the exception of the rain as we moved the last load.

Here are some pictures from the day after the move . . . I will post some pictures of what it looks like now that we are 'moved in' in the next week . . .

Bedroom...

Bathroom

Desk in bedroom

Closet (yes, my dresser is in my closet...)

Living room... Looks completely different now...

Kitchen (also looks pretty different)

View from our balcony . . . Love the Queen City!

Entrance to the complex . . . taken from our balcony

On the way home, Jeff and I noticed that my little blue was going to reach 60,000.  For a 2004, that mileage isn't too terrible . . . Here are some photos from the exciting moment . . .

Wait for it . . . 

Wait for it . . . 

THERE IT IS!! I know it is a little blurry, but it was the best we could do.  We hit 60K in the tunnel between West Virginia and Virginia.  It was pretty cool . . . we get excited over some of the craziest things . . . haha!

As an end to our weekend of moving together, as we were driving home, we noticed this beautiful sunset.  Jeff took the picture as we were driving home.  It doesn't get much prettier than that!