The final stretch...

We have hit it, the one month mark. No more counting down months, as now we focus on weeks and days. Soon enough it will be hours. I can honesty say I had no idea how fast a year would go!

The sad part of today is that I am celebrating alone, with Kyle being gone to India for another week. I grilled my first turkey burgers by myself (and they came in a two-pack, rub it in why don't ya!), I am toasting myself, and I am going to watch some Arizona Highways in honor of Kyle.

Dinner for me! (See, minus the cookie, still being healthy).

This week has made me realize that I am very, very excited to marry Kyle, because I really miss him (now that the chaos of my shower weekend is over at least) and I realize when he is gone how much I love to be around him. Everything is more fun when Kyle is around. And although I was excited a week ago to have some down time to get all my work accomplished, I have barely made a dent in that list, and I don't know where my time has gone! So really, it must not be his distractions alone that cause my procrastination.

I also have so, so much left to do, and everyone is being so nice and offering to help, but really there isn't much I can pass on to others. The last tasks involve gifts for friends and family, things to buy, and personalization of items. And I don't want to give away every surprise for our wedding!

So here's to one final month of the stress and single life! (Let's get real, I haven't been living single for many, many years). But for some reason, I am so excited to have the title of "married" officially!

I LOVE AND MISS YOU, KYLE.

Hello from India!

Kyle is in India

So, you know how you wanted to freak out the month before the wedding because of the long list of things to do, and felt like it would never get accomplished?! Thank God your husband-to-be was there to help, along with friends and family.


Or not.


India. That is right, Kyle left today to go to India until September 5. That means I have 2 full weeks of wedding planning chaos that I will have to do on my own. Luckily, I have my mom and sisters in town this upcoming weekend to help figure out some of the more artistic details.

I took a picture of Kyle's lucky travel Buddha so he could "take it with him"

I know I have influence when he has a typed checklist...

Should I be worried this trip required shots?

What is worse than not having help is just not having him around, though. I will be bored, not know what to do with my evenings, have to make dinner for one, learn how to grill a good chicken breast, and make sure I keep up on household chores on my own.

Wait a second here, I may be on to something...

Without Kyle running interference, I might ACTUALLY get some of these things done! No more putting grading off because he wants to go out. No more waiting to go to the gym so we can go together until after he is done with work. I can eat dinner before 8! I can get into bed before 11! (I know he will say that I can do all these things while he is here, but you all know that is much easier said than done when you're working on 2 separate schedules).

I get 2 weeks of chick flicks and "Bride Nights". 2 weeks of down time. This may be the best thing to happen to our marriage as of yet.

Productivity. Here I come...




As soon as Kyle finally gets on the plane. Right now I will just keep talking to him and get my fix of gushy love talk. I really will miss him.

To Take a Man Shopping

The usual routine for shopping in this house is 1. Erica goes shopping and browses. 2. Kyle asks for something. 3. Erica buys that something, or the alternative is to take Kyle directly to that item and make him try it on, make a quick decision, buy, leave. When it comes to online shopping, Kyle will search multiple sites, research on CNet, compare pricing, and order from Amazon.

Registering was going to be a challenge.

I first decided to bribe him by choosing REI as one of our stores. We don't necessarily need anything, but what other time is better for splurging than choosing wedding gifts. We started our registry journey at the local REI store, because online wasn't as fun as "using the gun". Well, REI's "gun" is a little tiny scanner, about the size of a stopwatch, on a lanyard. Super fun. Super tempting.

2 hours later... we may be getting a few knives, some camping cookware, and binoculars.

Checking out the good in REI

Our favorite! See, we still look happy!

Then it was on to my number one pick, Target. I must say that we were a little disappointed because there was not nearly enough junk to pick out! The problem is most likely due to fact that I shop at Target too often as a form of stress reduction, and already own much of what I need from there. At Target, we killed the battery on the gun.

The glorious gun!

Finally going to be able to put Pinterest recipes to good use!

2 hours later... I took a chance and asked if there was a possibility we could browse through one, last store. Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Oh shoot! We should have begun our day at B, B, and B. It is paradise. I've been there many times, but never to seriously shop for more than one item at a time (a towel or two here, a bathmat there, some utensil...) They give a us a book to pick out our "China" (we did not go for the bone-quality), and we don't even have to move from our comfortable chairs. They bring us water, offer us a snack, and tell us about their incentives program to win FREE stuff!

Then we see the kitchen knives, all I've wanted (besides a crock pot) since I knew I was getting married. Oh good quality Calphalon knives, you will change my life. To chop a vegetable without exertion, to cut through bread as though it were the butter, to eat steak without your knife bending in half from the pressure.

Luckily there was a monsoon outside, so we had no incentive to leave, and then registered once again at a third store.

Oh the joy! At least B, B and B is prepared.

10 hours total, Kyle was getting really grumpy and tired, but we survived, and now we have accomplished one more challenge of preparing for our wedding!

Check out or super cool combined registry site: www.amazingregistry.com/JensenDavisWedding

The More Men the Merrier!

Inappropriate for a bride-to-be to say?

Well, today we showcase Kyle's oldest friend in the wedding party, Dave. If the world were to end tomorrow, I think Kyle would rather spend it with Dave than me. Not only have Kyle and Dave been in each other's lives for years, but Dave is absolutely one of the nicest men I have ever met. He has a great attitude, takes care of Kyle (and his family), and is really skilled and creative when it comes to working on household projects. (What other incredibly nice things can I say about him so that he'll help us redo the master bathroom after we finish with this whole wedding project?!)

Dave and Kyle swam together when they were kids, went through freshmen year of college as roommates at the University of Arizona, and have stayed in touch even after marriage and children. (Obviously not ours, yet). Dave's wife Jo is an incredibly talented designer, so I seek inspiration from their house. Dave's daughter Marin is one of the cutest kids on this planet, who totally inherited her dad's quirky energy.

We are so luck that Dave agreed to be a part of the wedding party and I am just glad that someone responsible will help Kyle to arrive to our ceremony on time!

At Dave's wedding with mutual good childhood friend, Patrick

Losing teeth at a meet

So sweet! 

Meet more of the boys!

I know that I started to blog awhile back about the men in our wedding party. I have been a bit distracted by other exciting moments, but don't want to completely ignore the other half of the wedding party!

A little bit of background first: Kyle had a really, really hard time deciding on his groomsmen. He was torn between a group of childhood friends, his family and soon-to-be-family, his current close friends who he spends most of his time with, and a plethora of other important guys. It must suck to have so many friends...

Having these two groomsmen, Jared and Jon, in the wedding just feels natural. These two crazy kooks have somehow managed to keep Kyle out of trouble (for the most part) while at the same time being negative influences (at times). From the casino, to Teakwoods, to hikes and camping, these two seem to be not just Kyle's buddies, but our buddies as a couple. I never know what will happen when the three guys get together, or when we go over to Jared and his wife Bev's house for game night, or when Jon and his wife Lindsay have us over for a pool day. What I can say is that the nights with these two always end in laughs, and even with children they've still allowed us to be a part of their lives! (Kyle, sometimes, does not behave the best in front of impressionable young ones!)

So glad to celebrate our wedding with you two, like we got to be there on your special days.

Jon and Kyle at Jon's wedding

Erica and Jared

Ummm... Jon's typical face.

At Jared's Wedding

Kyle and Jared

2 months left 'til the love!

Oh my word! In EXACTLY 2 months I am getting married to my very best friend in the world! SO MUCH LEFT TO DO!

Kyle, thank you for being awesome as I transitioned back into working these past two weeks, even though I know I made it hard for you to be awesome with all my breakdowns, and thank you for our date night last night to celebrate that we've already come so far!

Cheers! (It was cheat night, so no judging!)

I drank the beer, Kyle the Manhattan!  YUM

Got our first RSVPs!

They're here!

You know that this wedding is actually happening when people start to tell you that they are COMING to your wedding! I guess we can't go back now! How exciting to get all this "real" mail for the next month! I am thankful for those of you who recommended that we had RSVPs sent to our house so we could get excited about them every day!

Since the invites have officially gone out, here is a peak at how they turned out!

Invitations!

 

 

 

We used different colored leaves for the invitations, so there are many varieties!

Check out this totally unique RSVP from my brother:

Thanks, bro!

Wedding Review!

Unless any of you are planning on a quick engagement, I think that we have officially attended our LAST wedding as two separate last names! That makes it #24 out of 7 years. We are really touched that we had so many friends and family who wanted us to help celebrate, and hope that they are all excited to be a part of our day.

This past wedding celebrated my college friend Sarah, who really became my friend after college, but the sorority started it all! Sarah is part of our ski gang, always reliable for hitting up the slopes and going down any run with you. She married Jason in Wyoming, the first time I've ever been there, and here are some of my favorite details from the wedding:

J Crew bridesmaid dresses and cowboy boots!

When they left up the aisle, the sign said "Just hitched"

My friend/bridesmaid Jenna's son Arthur and the cute (and delicious) program!

Love this dress for her! So elegant!

This location was just gorgeous! The rain even held off just long enough for the ceremony!

Check out Kyle's Western digs! And can you start to see the difference in our size?!

The place cards and menus- Baby's Breath centerpieces were also aisle decorations.

Gift table with cute banner, and nice card box!

Candy bar!

So many delicious cupcakes, so little room on the diet for sweets :(

I absolutely LOVE this cake. It is just perfect.

Me with Sarah

All the Delta Gamma ladies! We are a cute bunch.

Mmmmm... chocolate...

Awhile back I mentioned that we finally picked out a tux, and that it was the easiest wedding decision we've made so far. Well, that is true if you don't consider the back story!

First, I would like to declare victory in this matter. When I first imagined my fall wedding, this included every fall color.  When thinking about tuxedos, black, gray, or white do not fit into my vision! So, the logical solution was chocolate brown tuxedos, which I have seen a lot more of in the recent bridal photo spreads.

Now, convincing everyone else was a little tricky. Kyle loves brown and all earth tones, so I didn't have to push him very hard. He was mostly concerned that he would match the brown table cloths and blend in with the room too much (the man has absolutely no ego whatsoever.) Some of the people that I mentioned brown tuxes to immediately reacted with "Ew" or "Poopie". But this is not the brown of the seventies, not khaki or linen brown, but deep, dark, yummy chocolate. It is so dark that it is hard to say definitively that it is brown unless you look at it directly next to black. I am so excited that it was a good looking tuxedo, and that it will complement the deep red and burnt orange of the bridesmaids. (Spoiler alert?)

Another major decision done, and one step closer to attaining my vision.

Not my groom, but a nice look, right?

When it gets hard

I recently read a post on WeddingBee.com about how to convey sensitive information about your wedding. I was intrigued, but as I read over the "sensitive information", I couldn't help but feel a little jilted. The "sensitive info" included registry information, or asking for no kids at the wedding, but what about the MORE sensitive information.

Hoping that I don't offend anyone here, but I was hoping for advice on the REAL issues that I've encountered, not just the etiquette from the Southern handbook on proper wedding invitations. I want advice on how to convince your groomsmen that paying $150 to rent a chocolate brown tux is totally worth it. I want advice on how to politely ask bridesmaids to have an updo for wedding pictures so neither wind nor rain can tarnish them. How about not offending family members, who have a much more conservative attitude than your friends, when your pictures include obscene gestures. I need advice on keeping Jack Daniels away from Kyle, and my brother, for 24 hours surrounding the wedding. Someone please tell me what to pack for a surprise honeymoon, what a good mother-son dance song is, and how in the world we can fit all we need to do on the day of the wedding in 8 hours!

I have felt this cycle of love/hate for wedding planning throughout the entire course of our engagement, but recently the hate has been growing with the stress of going back to work, the disappointment that I cannot do it all, and the financial woes of clearing the bank account with down payments and supply purchases. I hope that I can continue to write to help alleviate this anxiety, and to keep an eye on the final goal.

My advice: learn from your friends and what they went through for their weddings, don't expect it to all be fun, and when it gets to be too much, take a break from the wedding and focus on each other! I hope I can find time and money to fit that into our schedule!

Sometimes I just want to escape from it all...

The other men in my life!

A wedding isn't complete without its groomsmen, and being that I've neglected that half of our wedding party up until this point, after having introduced you to all my girls, I think I need to give some credit to the men who will assure (right, guys?) that Kyle makes it down the aisle in one piece <sober>!

Since there is no way I am going to get Kyle to sit down and write some guest entries, I get to give you my point of view behind our "best men". Today's entry is for our youngest male helpers: Kyle's nephews Keiren and Aidan.

Keiren already had the important role of being ring bearer in aunt Shannon's wedding, but we knew we had a perfect job for him at our wedding- our usher! He will look like a million bucks in his tux walking "all the pretty ladies" to their seats. He will also get to give out programs!

This is a hilarious picture of Keiren pushing Kyle!

Teaching the Wildcat symbol for the U of A

Keiren Ring Bearer

Aidan was just a little tyke when his aunt Shannon got married, so it is his turn to play the role of ring bearer. We hope that he will introduce me as I walk down the aisle, and help to assure the flower girls get down the aisle as well (there are some doubts).

Aidan skiing in Colorado!

Boating in Arizona with Captain Uncle Kyle

Seashell boy Aidan

We always enjoy when we get to see these young men, as they live close by. They really seem to enjoy their uncle Kyle, for his wisdom in video games, his endless energy, and perhaps even their nicknames. (Midget, for one). We are glad to have them be a part of our wedding!

Playing with their new birthday toys

Uncle Kyle can fix it!

Video games on the phone

Watching some cartoons

Last Christmas when we got them Skylander

Happy 4th of July!

Nothing says "my wedding is coming in less than 3 months" like a 4th of July full of all-American fun and food. And by all-American I mean the classics for a 4th feast: Zumba, turkey and avocado salad, vodka tonics, and yard/house work! But, at least we got cooler weather here in Phoenix, only in the 70s right now, cloudy, and raining throughout the day!

Hope your 4th was festive and safe. This is one of my all-time favorite holidays!

Our rainy backyard barbecue!

This is what dedication looks like