5 Months, 100 posts, and much to celebrate!

I may have strategically planned my absence from the blogosphere for the past week in order to assure that my 100th post fell on a very special day! We have only 5 months left until the big wedding! The time is going by more and more quickly as we near September 29. I am starting to feel the hurry to get more of my to-do list completed. I also feel a true sense of accomplishment because of all we've done so far, with minimal argument, stress, or indecision.

Ready for the wedding in Minnesota!

So, onto the exciting news. After spending last weekend at a beautiful wedding, and doing my fair share of "research", I am beyond excited to celebrate with some of those same people. (Another blog review of the wedding details I just have to share later). This weekend, my gift to Kyle, and his gift to me in turn, was my introductory Scuba class! I passed the tests, I completed the confined water dives in the pool, and I am one step closer to getting my certification so we can Scuba together!

Wet-suited up at the pool!

My gear

The background: Kyle and I traveled to Hawaii two years ago, with my promise that I'd try to get Scuba certified so we could dive on the trip. I did not live up to the promise, sadly, and so we stuck to snorkeling and whale watching. for our honeymoon, however, I knew that Kyle would not take no for an answer if I tried to forgo the cert again! In fact, I would consider my completion of the class our only pre-nup! So I faced the fear of the deep, the anxiety that my equipment would drown me, and I excelled in the water today! Although we did not get to spend our day together celebrating the 5 month benchmark, I hope that Kyle realizes the effort I put in and I, in turn, have realized how fun it will be to share Scuba experiences in the future.

So, I love you honey, and I will learn to love the ocean as much as you, as long as you continue to love the mountains as much as I do. Let the countdown begin!




And P.S.- ALL GROOMSMEN HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED!

Happy Wedding Day to Jill & Justin

I get to celebrate another good friend's wedding today. Truth is that it is a matter of research, so I get to celebrate and get inspiration. Congratulations to the newest couple.

Tuesday InTROduction!

I may be a day late, but I never run out of creativity!

Today I am introducing you to my bridesmaid Jenna! Jenna and I have been friends for over 12 years now! I first met Jenna during sorority recruitment my freshmen year of college. She probably doesn't remember that, though, as she was suffering from a concussion!

Jenna, on the left, and another bridesmaid Kaycee. This is from when they surprised me with a trip to CO for my 30th birthday! Kyle was in on it, too.

Over the years of college, I got closer and closer to Jenna as we spent time with each through Delta Gamma. Freshmen year, she would lend me her Audi to go to Walmart or return our friends to the Air Force Academy. When she studied in Washington D.C. for a semester, I remember being her pen pal. Junior year she became my roommate. Senior year, I visited her when she moved to Kansas. It was an endless party when Jenna was around. She worked for Red Bull, so needless to say we were always supplied for late nights. She was more than just fun to be around, though, she was trustworthy, intelligent, athletic, and a great ally. It is no wonder that our friendship has lasted over the years.

Jenna and I after our epic ski crash, trying to jump over a creek in Winter Park.

Part of the ski gang, me, Kyle, Christian, and Jenna at Copper Mtn.

Currently, Jenna plays the role of "organizer" for our college yearly reunions. She is great at finding deals for condo rentals in ski resorts, and her husband and her become our resident mountain guides each winter. Now residing in Steamboat, Colorado, I look forward to many more ski weekends and continuing our tradition on into the future. She just had a little boy, Arthur, and I have had fun visiting and playing "aunt Erica".




Jenna- Thank you for always being my rock. For letting me vent to you when I needed to, for sharing our funny stories, for our shared love of Greek life and Delta Gamma especially, and for being there for me on a long awaited day, even after you have to stand up in two other weddings this year!

With baby Arthur!

Wish: Fun Wedding Apps!

Now that I am a smart phone savvy bride, I am looking for some fun wedding apps to add to my new toy. I already downloaded a wedding countdown widget, and everyday I get not just the time when I check my phone, but also how much time is left until my wedding!

So, I am open to suggestions, to say the least!

Here is my first picture taken with the new phone: 

Happy Easter!

Bridesmaid Meet and Greet!

Like the old adage states, "something old, something new", my bridesmaids fit into these two categories. The "new" bridesmaid is one of my new family members, Shannon, Kyle's sister. I wanted Shannon as part of the wedding because Kyle and I both wanted our siblings involved. It didn't seem right to have my two sisters and his two brothers, and to ignore the siblings of the opposite sex. Kyle also took part in Shannon's wedding as one of her bridesmen. I know in modern weddings we could have done this with our siblings, but I liked Shannon in dress too much to pass up the opportunity to see it again!

Shannon and her husband, Nick, live in beautiful San Diego, but they have also lived in Hawaii since I've been with Kyle. Kauai is one of the coolest places I've ever been, and I think the experience was enhanced because of their expertise. We thanked them with a booze cruise to see whales and dolphins!

Along with exotic travels, we also get to spend a lot of holidays with Shannon and Nick because they live fairly close. From Christmas and Easter, to Thanksgiving and birthdays, there are numerous fun times to be had. One particular memory involved Nick belly dancing on his birthday at a Greek restaurant.

I also have fond memories of their wedding, which occurred over 5 years ago already! They got married in La Jolla, San Diego on the beach. The most memorable part of their wedding may have been the Scuba divers emerging from their dive onto the beach right behind the altar, but nothing beats following up a wedding with a relaxing day in the water. Although we chose to go the mountain route instead of the beach, Kyle has taught me to love the ocean, and Shannon gives me the opportunity to enjoy it more and more each time we visit.

Shannon- I am so excited to have you as a bridesmaid, since Kyle only listens to you, after all, and I'll probably need some back up to get him down the aisle in once piece (and sober)!

Seaside Marriage

Something Old, Something New Confession

With marriage comes change, even when two people have been together for nearly seven years, and have already gotten used to cohabitation. I am starting to see the minor changes between my old "single" life and my new married one. For one, I have moved my cell phone from my family plan (that I've been on since 2002) to Kyle's plan. With that change came my first new phone in five years, and it is a smart one! That's right, I finally joined the 21st century, I can finally walk around with my eyes peeled to the screen, and I can finally find my way to a new location when I've forgotten to look it up on Google maps before leaving. (Kyle will appreciate that I no longer call him for directions).

Having a new phone, I can already see the metaphorical changes marriage will bring. For one, like the fingerprints that cover my touch screen, being married isn't going to always be neat and clean. I will have to let go of some of the particularities that currently annoy me, and although I've already had to learn that clothing on the floor does not equal death, I still work daily to focus on the bigger issues and not let the details distract me.

Second, I realize that codependency in marriage is probably ok. I am completely inept at using a smart phone. I will need to rely on Kyle to help me download and install new applications, and navigate the system. I will need to rely on him to help sort through future conflicts that we encounter together, like parenting. I hope that he is just more efficient in those future situations that he currently is now (it took nearly 6 months to decide on which phones to upgrade to).

I also see that having a smart phone may eliminate any excuses to not be informed and not stay in touch. Not that I am against knowledge or communication, I just have a preference for in-person contact and I tend to avoid controversy by staying uniformed (ignorance is bliss) when it comes to anything from gossip to politics. Maybe this phone will actually inspire me to call friends, to read more informative texts, and to embrace the technology, like I will have to embrace all the other changes in my near future.

Goodbye to my loyal Samsung slider and hello to my Droid Razr Max. This change is all Kyle's influence.

Something Old, Something New

Wishing for Direction...

My puns crack me up!

By direction, I don't mean on where to go with this wedding planning (not at this moment, at least), but to have one of these awesome sign posts at our weddings with our own custom wording! Courtesy of my wonderful florist, Petal and Bean, out of Breckenridge, CO.

Creative Flowers Inc.

Monday Meet and Greet!

Last week I began to introduce you to the special people in our lives that will be a part of our wedding with my post about my darling Ellie. This week I want to continue sharing, ladies first.

This week's post is dedicated to my beautiful flower girls! Here is a little bit about them.

Lotus 

As daughter of my college roommate and bridesmaid Kaycee, Lotus is the first special child in our wedding. Her name comes from nature and peace, the Buddha, and therefore fits our wedding feel just right! She supposedly takes a while to feel comfortable with strangers, but when I just saw her in Colorado, she warmed up to me almost immediately; she must have known she got to wear a pretty dress and shoes because of me! Here is my favorite picture of her from the visit!

Notice her red shoes!

Rory

Daughter of my sorority big sis (or "mom") Lenny, who is also a bridesmaid, Rory is the older, wiser flower girl who will lead the way. After hanging out with her in Colorado, she may lead it in a unique and unorthodox way, but that should again set the scene for our outdoor wedding in the wild! She is determined to wear a crown to the wedding, and as you can see in this picture, she likes to dress up, so she should be quite excited to wear a nice dress, too!

Yes, that is a tutu in the sandbox...