My Bridal Shower

Last Saturday, my best friend and I got up early to make our trip home for the weekend.  Well, to my home.  She lives on the other coast.  Anyway, we grabbed a quick breakfast at McDonald’s and started our trip.  As we drove, we talked wedding, goings on in our lives, and all that girly stuff.  We made it home by 11:30am.  My mom was so excited to see us!  We got all of our stuff inside and ran up to the cake place.  The cake lady agreed that the flowers we bought for the cake wouldn’t work.  We agreed on hydrangeas that she would die to match our lilac color.  I love going to the cake place, because the lady has it set up like a dainty boutique.  Seriously, it is wedding cake mania in there, with a cute dining room table and chairs for tastings.  She serves everything on china and even serves water in tea cups! 

We had enough time after going to talk with the cake lady to get home, change, and head to the shower.  My sister was already there when we arrived, but she and my sister-in-law (also my matron of honor) were still setting up.  It was weird; they wouldn’t let me help and I had nothing to do!  I started feeling really weird, almost like an out of body experience.  It was a combination of anxiety and the thought of being the center of attention.  People starting coming, I would greet and introduce them, and before I knew it, the party had begun!

We started out with introductions around the room; since there were about 30 people there, we pretty much needed to have everyone introduce themselves.  The sweetest thing was when we got to my stepdad’s family – everyone introduced themselves as my sister, aunt, cousin – no “step” involved.  It was a very subtle thing, but very special to me. 

We got some food (which was amazing – finger sandwiches, spinach dip, fruit skewers, sangria, wine, etc.) and started the first game.  My sister-in-law asked Tom a bunch of questions beforehand, and she asked me those.  People guessed how many I would get right.  If I got a question wrong, I had to put a piece of gum in my mouth.  Out of 12 questions, I got 7 wrong!  I swear though, Tom tricked me.  No joke, one of the questions was “How many times in a day do I fart?”  I guessed 50 times, but his answer was, “17.  One day, I counted.”  Tom’s mom was mortified, and I was slightly embarrassed, but everyone laughed.  I made sure to get a picture of my chewed gum for Tom, since he gave me such interesting questions to answer!

The next game we played was a “Bobbi or Tom” bingo game.  Several questions were asked, people would show a “B” or “T” on their paddle and would get to mark that square on their bingo card if they got it right.  We didn’t make it all the way through the questions before someone called “BINGO!”

Next up, we had cake and I began opening my gifts.  I got an insane amount of gifts!  My most prized possession was what I received from my future mother-in-law.  Her gift was wrapped in a shirt box, and when I opened it, there was a letter that told me about the gift.  The letter told me about Tom’s christening cap that was too big for his little head.  The christening cap is to be used for my handkerchief the day of the wedding.  As you can imagine, it was a very emotional moment, and I cried a lot!
The rest of the pictures are those that I picked from the 180 or so that my sister-in-law took and sent to me.  Click to see the full size pictures.  I had such a wonderful time with thirty or so women that I adore.  I can’t wait for the wedding!

Wedding Fitness

Back in February, I signed a month-to-month membership at a local gym.  I absolutely loved going and became almost obsessed with it!  I continued with my gym routine until last month, when I began working part time.  Now that I’m working all day on my feet (in heels no less), I’m finding it more difficult to be motivated enough to head to the gym.  My membership will expire next month (on the 15th) and I really would like to get back into it.

After seeing the results from cardio and strength training, I am determined that there is no such thing as “best diet pills.”  They may work short term, but you will not receive the same results after you stop taking diet pills.  I have also tried a variety of acai pills.  They helped boost my energy on days I did not work out, but they didn’t really help with my weight loss.  Obviously it’s a personal choice, but I wanted to share my experience with you.

Wishes for Furniture

Remember when my dogs chewed up our couch?  When we move, we are getting rid of the couch with a big hole in it.  We’re also thinking about getting rid of the makeshift couch we bought; although it’s in good condition, it has some holes in the cushions and we don’t want them to get worse.  I am hoping that we will receive enough wedding money to help pay for new living room furniture.  I’d just like a couch, loveseat, and maybe a couple side tables.  I’ve been scanning Craigslist but can’t find a set – only individual pieces.  I would love to get a sectional, like my sister-in-law has.  It’s fluffy, so comfortable, and seats a lot more people – in other words, much more functional than what we have now!

Penny Pinching

I have SO much to discuss about my bridal shower, but I want to save that for another post, when I can actually include pictures!  Right now, I don’t have any, but will be getting a DVD of them next time I see my future sister-in-law. 

I got my financial aid package for law school.  On the one hand, YAY, I got a scholarship and my expected family contribution (according to FAFSA) is $0.  That means I qualify for more Federal Stafford loans than I did in undergrad.  On the other hand, OUCH, we will be taking out about $200,000 when all is said and done.  Between Stafford loans, our combined undergrad loans, and private loans (to make up the difference in what I wasn’t offered in my financial aid package), it’s going to be a lot.  Granted, I thought I’d be taking out more like $300,000, so I feel good about that (at least).

Now that we know that, we are definitely pinching pennies even more!  It is depressing to think about taking that much money out, but thankfully I will (one day) have a good job that allows us to pay it back.  A good portion of the interest will be paid by the government, too (thank you Subsidized loans that I actually qualify for this time around!).

Scary, yet fun – tonight I logged into my student account at my law school – for the first time ever.  Don’t ask me why, but it was the coolest and scariest feeling!  I have said it about a million times, but I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M GOING TO LAW SCHOOL.  I’m so excited and nervous!

Speaking of the law, work is going so well.  Whoa, I almost just typed “school” instead of “work.”  Yeah, I forgot what going to school feels like, haha.  That feeling will come back soon enough though, right?  I’ll eat my words in August, haha.

I just realized how ridic this post is.  Sorry!  I’m feeling a mix of emotions and in the process, babbling all over the place.  I want to go play Sims 3 (which I got in the mail yesterday) but my book (John Grisham’s The Street Lawyer …. haha) is also calling my name.  Hmmm….

Our Wedding China

Tom and I spent quite awhile looking online and in stores, trying to agree on a china pattern.  We ended up deciding on Lenox Opal Innocence, which happens to be Macy’s most popular pattern.  If you click on the link, you’ll be brought to a page that includes a picture (that can be enlarged) of the beautiful china.  Make sure to enlarge it so you can see all the detail!

So far, we have received a few pieces.  How do I know?  I’ve been peaking at my registries.  I know, I probably shouldn’t be doing that, because I won’t be surprised when I open gifts on Saturday.  But I still don’t know who is giving the gifts, since the website(s) only say “fulfilled” or “completed” next to the items that have been purchased.  So it’s not 100% surprise, but I’m also not completely ruining it.

Speaking of the shower, I am getting very excited about it.  I bought this dress to wear and it fits PERFECTLY!  Also, it’ll be perfect to bring on the honeymoon for dinner out or something.  About 30 people are coming to the shower, a combination of family and friends.  I cannot wait to see everyone.  Some ladies I haven’t seen in quite a few years.  Others I see quite a bit, but it will be fun to share such a special event with them.  We’re playing two games (not cheesy ones, of course), will have snacks and Sangria, I’ll open gifts and everyone will eat cake.  I CAN’T WAIT!  Then Sunday, I have my first dress fitting.  I’m nervous because … well, I don’t know why.  One of my bridesmaids will be with me though, so that will be nice to have her there. 

Other than the looming shower stuff, wedding planning has become a lot less stressful this week.  This is for two reasons.  One, we spoke up about the rehearsal dinner and decided that what was planned for us was not really what we wanted.  It is going to be a lot cheaper (and more fun!) the way that it is planned now.  Two, I am back on my meds for anxiety, so I don’t feel so stressed and overwhelmed.  Within one day of being back on them, I felt so much better.  Which is good, because I was starting to turn into a biatch!

On a completely unrelated note, I broke and bought Sims 3.  Should be here in 3 days!  Am I lame because I’m 22 and playing this game still?  My stepdad doesn’t let me live it down that I spent my first college Christmas break on the couch playing it….