Leap year Wednesday wishes

1.  I wish that this would come sooner than later. 

I've been sick all day with a nasty sinus headache....bummer.

2.  I wish we had a house already so I could make these to put up somewhere.

I like the yarn, but I've also seen it done with fabric which looks really cute too.

3.  I wish that it was summer already so I could make this dessert.

Pink lemonade poundcake

4.  I also want to make this!

I've been craigslist shopping a lot lately and there's so many cool, old windows out there.

5.  Last but not least, I wish I had the money to go out and buy a cute spring outfit like this one.

Those pants are adorable.

Click on the button and the top and let Brooke and the rest of us know what you're wishing for today!

If I could I would

Yesterday, I talked about how finding a venue was starting to feel like it's pretty much impossible.

I don't know if any of you are big "Parenthood" fans, but tonight two of the main characters finally got married.

They pulled off one of the sweetest backyard weddings in a week...in fictional, TV land of course.

Now, we know far too many people to ever be able to pull this off (I think our family alone was a little less than 100), but I absolutely love the idea of a small, intimate, and fun backyard wedding.

My absolute favorite wedding inspiration blog is Green Wedding Shoes and tonight I spent some time browsing through their "backyard wedding gallery," wistfully thinking that I wish I could pull this off.

 All photos from Green Wedding Shoes

Rebel without a cause and feeling better

On Friday I wrote a little note to myself telling me that I needed to get my $#&% together and get out of my funk.  I don't know if it was just having a pretty good weekend or what, but I felt a lot better today.  

There's a lot of rough stuff that's been happening to put a damper on my mood over the last month.

The biggest one is that my wedding venues keep falling through.  Can you yell say B-U-M-M-E-R???

We keep plugging on and moving to the next best thing.  If anyone has any ideas for a wedding venue in Central California, pass them my way pretty please *bats eyelashes*!

This was THE one that got away...*sigh* makes my stomach hurt.

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But despite all that, I'm feeling better and I'm ready for this last week of February and March to start!

March is going to be a good month, I can just feel it.


And now a picture of James Dean...The Rebel Without a Cause.
 Almost-husband and I had a funny exchange about this movie title and it made my night.
Enjoy.

sunday funday happy list

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I kept feeling like yesterday was Sunday, so it was nice knowing that my weekend really wasn't ending and I still had one more day before the week started.

Today was enjoyable and restful.  I think there were so many enjoyable things that today could make up it's own happy list. 

1.  Wearing a skirt to church.

 2.  Feeling weirdly like a badass when all 9 cars in our group rolled out of the parking lot.

Don't ask me why these things go through my head sometimes but it made me laugh.

 3.  Reminiscing about past trips to camp and Mexico and all the fun and not-so-fun times that were had over the course of...geeze like ten years.

 4.   Taking a nap, having good dreams, and feeling rested.

5.  Having the house smell like chocolate cake.

6.  Watching The Walking Dead and The Oscars in the same night.

7.  Random comments and commentary that happened during The Oscars.

8.  Texts and phone calls from the almost husband throughout the day.

9.  Craigslist shopping and finding perfect dining room sets.

10.  Having a glass of wine and reading a few chapters of a book before bed. 

Hope your Sunday was restful and enjoyable and that this coming week is the same exact way!

Language of apology

via pinterest

Today I spent three hours of my morning listening to Dr. Laura Harbert talk about relationships.

We've all got relationships in our lives and I think it's super smart to learn how to deal with them...cause sometimes they're not all rainbows and daisies. 

I found it super interesting that the question that generated the most crowd participation was, "What makes a bad apology?"  Some of the answers that were shouted out were; tone of voice, body language, excuses for why (they did whatever it was they need to be apologizing for), nothing beyond "I'm sorry," pointing out others faults, and followed by a "but."

Let's be honest, we've all probably experienced some sort of "bad" apology before.  I'll be the first to admit that I haven't given sincere apologies to people in tense situations before.  The neat thing was that all the listing of things that make bad apologies, was followed up by a list of how to make good, sincere apologies to the people in your life that really deserve the best apology you can give.

The Language of a (good) Apology:

1.  A good apology expresses regret.

"I'm truly sorry."

The proper body language and tone.

You feel shame for causing hurt.

2.  A good apology is when you accept responsibility for your actions.

"I was wrong."

3.  A good apology makes restitution.

"What can I do to make it right?"

4.  A good apology is when you genuinely repent.

You make plans to change whatever it is that you did in the first place.

5. A good apology is followed up by a request for forgiveness.

"Will you please forgive me?"

They have a choice to say yes or no, but at least you asked.

Welp...that's your little relationship lesson for the day loves.  I'm off to get some sleep.
Have a restful Sunday!

Dear little things in life

Picture via The Color Issue...I love Aarean's Friday Color List.

Dear spring weather, you've delighted us with your presence for the past few days and even though I've missed the rain, I really wish you would stay.  It would be nice to get a jump start on my tan and get in a few beach days that we don't get to have very often.  Dear wedding venue, your lack of professional response time is a little aggravating, but because I fell in love with your outdoor chapel in the woods and your log cabin reception site I will continue to wait to hear back from you.  If you could lower your prices just a tad that would be great too.  Dear American Idol, if you bring back Richie Law next week I might just have to stop watching all together.  The world doesn't need another deep-voiced country singer.  We really could have done without Scotty McCreery, because all we need is Josh Turner.  Dear Blair, thanks for wanting to help me learn how to cook so my husband won't starve. I'm excited to spend the rest of my Friday in your kitchen making yummy food.  Dear almost-husband, I really miss you.  Dear self, you need to figure your &#$% out and stop being in a funk. It's really starting to get annoying. The end.

What's your song this week?

Taylor Swift keeps making me rethink my opinion of her.

Her newest song, featuring The Civil Wars, "Safe and Sound" is really good.

I've listened to it a bunch this week and thought I'd share it with you guys.

Plus this song is going to be on "The Hunger Games" soundtrack.

I don't know about you, but I couldn't put those books down (finished all 3 in 5 days).

I can't wait for the movie!

Link up over at Goodnight Moon with your song!

Wishes on this Wednesday

1.  These heels and a killer black dress to go with them for next month.

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2.  My perfect, rustic wedding venue to work out!

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3.  To lay out and get a jump start on my tan this year.

(It was almost 80 degrees in the valley today)

That's all for today! Link up with Brooke if you want to share what you're wishing for.

I'll be back a little later to share a recipe that I made tonight for dinner. It was de'lish!

In other news, by this time in exactly 7 months, I will be married to my best friend.

Pretty exciting.

I had a dream

Today while I was napping, I had a really strange dream.

I dreamed about what my blog is going to look like after I get married.

A whole new look and name and I'm not going to lie, it was perfect.

Now I just need to learn the ins and outs of blog design and photoshop and all that jazz.

I hope that everyone had a good long weekend.

Our trip has been nice, but I'm missing my bed!

Letters

Dear Target, 

I'm really sad that you're always sold out of the cds and movies that I would like to purchase.

Dear One Tree Hill,

The episode where Brooke finally gets married made me cry.  It was late and I was tired.

Dear trip to Sacramento,

I hope you're gonna be fun and relaxing.

Dear inspiration,

I'm waiting for you to strike! Patiently...with pen in hand. Hurry please!

Dear wedding venue,

I'd really love a call back or an e-mail. You are the perfect place and if we can't get you...well then my last post might just have to happen.

 Dear mood,

We've been in a funk lately and we need to snap out of it, ok?

Have a good weekend loves.

I think if I could do something like this without the back lash, I would..

Tom + Jenn. Married. from Jeff Manion on Vimeo.

Leave the poison, but I'll take the wine.

I'm linking up with Goodnight Moon today for the first time in awhile.

I've been majorly loving The Civil Wars lately.  Their 60 second opening act for Taylor Swift at the Grammys had me totally wanting more and I immediately down loaded a bunch of their songs to my phone.

Enjoy!

Worth writing down

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"Your book has a birthday. You don't know what it is yet."

That quote was an inspiration a few weeks ago and the topic of me writing a book has come up a couple times in the last few days.  My fiance thinks my first best seller is going to be a relationship help book.  My parents think I'm going to write a novel.  I don't know what to think.  I can write poetry with no issue.  A six page short story is difficult, but I can write it.  A whole entire book seems daunting to me.  Especially when I don't have any sort of idea where to start.  

I need to write though.  I've barely written anything lately and that's not the kind of rut I want to get stuck in.

Starting tonight I'm gonna write down whatever comes to mind and if my book really does have a birthday, maybe one of those random ideas will make it clear when that birthday will be.

Have a good Wednesday night loves.

Love is in the air.

Happy Valentine's Day lovelies!

All photos via pinterest

I hope that every single one of you have an amazing day, 

whether you're loving on a significant other or just yourself.

I'm actually not so sad about this V-day. Why might you ask?

Well it's my last one that I'm going to spend without the love of my life.

We did get to celebrate early last week.  I wasn't aware that it was a Valentine's Day date until after an amazing dinner, but I did get surprised and spoiled with all the fun gifts that I've never been able to get before and I loved every single one of them.  My Valentine is pretty dang amazing and sweet.

Make sure you tell your loved ones that you are so happy they're in your life and that you appreciate them today and every single day.  

And now a tiny preview of our engagement pictures taken by my ever-so-talented sister...
Happy Valentine's Day my almost husband. My heart is yours and I can't wait to marry you.

Rain drops on roses...girls in white dresses...

Happy Rainy Day!

My mom said it best, we've been waiting for this weather since November.

I was supposed to get out of bed early today, but ended up sleeping in just so I could lay there and listen to it pour.  Tonight we're making rainy day soup and I plan on cuddling up and doing nothing for the rest of the night.

I did have to get out of bed and drive over an hour today so that I could go get this...

My wedding dress is home and safe and sound in my room.  I'm super excited.  I obviously had to put it on again once I got it home.  I think it needs altering to make it a little snugger through the hips, cause I have none, but other than that it's absolutely perfect.  In my opinion it's the prettiest wedding dress ever.  

222 more days to go!

Getting my run on?

Ms. Natalie Hill posted today about The Color Run.

It's a 5K, that's coming to a bunch of cities all across the US.

 

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I don't run...ever. I mean never ever have I willingly gone on a run.

That doesn't mean that I couldn't whip myself into shape, which is something I want to do before the wedding anyways, and be able to run 3 miles.

I'm pretty sure that I could convince my sisters and some other running friends to join in with me too if we do the one in San Francisco OR I could potentially convince my will-be-by-then-husband to run it in October, in Charlotte! How fun would that be as a newlywed activity?

Check out their promo video.  You can't tell me that it doesn't make running look like fun.

 

So we'll have to see if this might be a fun blog post coming up in July or October.

Stay tuned!

My day was made!

My Saturday was already going pretty good, but Kylie @ Living in a Mitten made it even better. Make sure to drop by her super cute blog.  Today she nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award.  The word "Liebster," in German, translates to "beloved, dearest, favorite."  This award is designed for blogs with less than 200 followers.

Because I was so excited about this award, I want to keep it going!

Here's how...

The Rules:

1.  Link back to the blogger who nominated you.

2.  Copy and paste the award to your blog.

3.  List at least three blogs (with less than 200 followers) you would like to award.

And My Nominees Are...

Becca @ An American Honey

Candace @ Living Happily Ever After

Corinne @ My Free Therapy

and 

Krista @ Krista Lynn

 I'm privileged to know all four of these girls in person, but I also love reading their blogs.

I hope you do too!

Spring will come..

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"Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come." - Robert H. Schuller

12 more weeks of winter? Really?

So apparently there was supposed to be 12 more weeks of winter or some nonsense like that.

It was gorgeous in the valley today. I mean t-shirts, flip flops, windows rolled down kind of weather. If I was in school today would have been the worst kind of torture ever.  If I still live down south, I'd probably go to the beach with Hannah and we would probably get in the water just to say we did.  Today's weather also made me wish for summer and for North Carolina.  My family is planning a pretty sweet summer vacation, probably my last with the whole Mann Clann for a little while.  It ends with spending at least two weeks in our favorite state, with our favorite people.  I can't wait to be tan again!

Tanning in NC = perfection.

I hope that where ever you are that you enjoyed your Thursday as much as I did!

Tonight's American Idol and Vampire Diaries, who else is stoked?

Wednesday wishes

It's that lovely hump-day time again!

I've been day dreaming a lot about getting a house lately.  We tried registering and realized that it was very difficult to do if you had no idea what you wanted your house to actually look like.

So this Wednesday Wishes post is dedicated to what I wish my house would look like.

1.  A small writing nook.

2.  A big, white bed.

3.  A bathroom with a claw foot tub to soak in.

4.  A turquoise and red kitchen.

5.  A pretty porch...it'd be even better if it was a wrap around.

6.  A cozy and rustic living room.

That does it for this week's wishes. Go link up and tell Brooke and the rest of us what you're wishing for.

There's a wind blowing at my door

Last night the wind blew through the valley I live in with a vengeance.

I don't think I've ever heard wind this bad.  It woke me up several times during the night and made our house make scary noises a few times.  It was fun to hear, but kind of intense.

 Intense. That's a word for my last couple of weeks.

I feel like that same crazy wind has been blowing around my personal life.

It's been trying to blow down whatever strength and structure I have left.

I definitely feel as though my relationship is being tested, but I've been so happy to see it flourish and grow, instead of crack and fall down (like our neighbors tree did last night).

It's giving me such peace and hope that we are doing the right thing and that if we can get through everything lately, then we can really get through whatever else lies ahead.

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Sometimes, but not all the time,

There needs to be a dent made in the wall that marks anger.

A wet shoulder from tears and snot that shows sadness.

Fake mustaches, with a photo shoot to follow, that turns a horrible night into a good one.

Wise words of truth and understanding to help get you back on track.

More tears shed on a lonely drive back from the airport.

 Silence, when you really wanna scream and shout back.

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There are also the "all the time" things that we need, such as;

As many, "I love yous," that can be said in a day,

prayer, prayer and more prayer, 

long hugs that convey more than spoken words could,

and

the knowledge that the trials we are facing are only going to make us stronger and will only be here for a season.

Saturday happy list

 Today totally deserves a happy list!

1.  Round 2 of engagement pictures with Candace and Colin.

2.  Our traditional breakfast at The Tuck Box.

3.  This summer weather we're having in February.

4.  My favorite 1-year-old's birthday party.

5. My soon-to-be-husband's 24 years of life.

6.  Our date tonight.

7.  Becca baking sweet owl cupcakes for him.

8.  These last 2 weeks in general.

9.  Kisses.

10.  Family.

Wishes for everyday life

Today was a normal day.

We did everyday errands.

Waited at the DMV, got taxes done, shopped for new running shoes, took a nap (me), and played video games (him).

The only thing I'm wishing for today is that September would hurry up and come.

These regular things should not feel like Christmas all the time.

I'm ready to trade my once-in-a-while relationship, for an everyday marriage.

Go say hi to Brooke and see what everyone else is wishing for today!

Have a good night lovelies!