Pumpkin Spice Lattes are made with crack.

That is a fact y'all.  Actual, addicting, expensive drugs are placed in your PSL.  That's why Starbucks has to charge so much.

Pumpkin Spice Lattes are my anti-drug.

Source

But I seriously wish there was a blog/generator/magic genie that could suggest outfits for you based on the weather.  Please DC, just let it be fall.  I want to wear sweaters, boots, and leggings while sipping holiday flavored lattes and watching leaves fall.


But not snow fall. That is only acceptable on Christmas or when I need a day off work.

Wish you were here...

Luis and I haven't lived in the same town since high school.

Yeah.... Go ahead.  If I heard a couple was getting married without living in the same town in 6 years I'd be judge-y too. 

When we started dating, I was attending the fantastic, championship winning University of Florida in Gainesville, Fl.  Luis was a Knight at the University of Central Florida about two hours away in Orlando. This wasn't a terrible distance - considering when we first started really talking/dating/whatever I immediately left to study abroad in Spain for 5 months.  (6 hours time distance + crappy stolen wifi = handwritten letters and a lot of AIM)  

So we spent over a year of long distance Orlando-Gainesville and then the distanced lengthened to Palm Bay, Fl - Gainesville (3+ hours) then Palm Pay - Stafford (15 hrs or a plane ride) then Georgia - Stafford (plane ride necessary.)  This. has. been. awful.

I've felt like this a lot during the last three years:

Source

But I think we've handle it really well.  There have definitely been arguments and miscommunications and hurt feelings I don't think would have happened if we lived close together.  Despite the bumps in the road, I think starting off with a long distance relationship has definitely had its benefits too.

Because I'm a type-A control freak here is a list:

• We are excellent communicators (most of the time.)  When you're 2348239 miles apart, all you can do is talk.  Sometime's you're just too tired for a long phone call though.  Just tell your SO (significant others for all you non-weddingbee readers) and don't fall asleep on the phone like Luis did last night.  Haha, love you babe.
• I know we travel well together.  This was extremely important to me and I'm glad to see that he's ok with the fact that I like to either over or under plan for vacations to the extreme.  
• We trust each other.  100%.  Totally.  We'd have to or we'd both be jealous A-holes all the time.  
• We appreciate the time we have with each other just that much more.  While this probably won't last very long after we move in together, I can attest to the fact that distance makes the heart grow much much fonder.  
• We can share a small space for a very long time without killing each other.  Think bedrooms of college apartments, hotels, and tiny bathrooms.  No personal space? No problem.  We can create it if we need it, but we're usually just fine :)  (Also... most girls will know about the problem of sharing one TINY cruise ship/hotel bathroom with their fiance/bathroom.  for over week.  You've got to *ahem* go sometime, and he may have to be in the room next door.  Boys probably don't care that much.  I think.  Whatevs.  Everybody poops.)
• We were forced to make each other our #1 priority.  We made decisions together based on our needs as a couple.  He worked his butt off to find a great job in DC so I could live near my family.  I don't use my favorite shampoo because he hates the smell of coconut.  (I'll think of something better eventually.)

I may not know some of the day to day things about him, but I've got the big things (and a lot of the small things) down.  And I love him tons.  It'll take work, but I'm sure it will be worth it.  

omg I said poop on my blog. bahaha oh well.  

A picture is worth a...

thousand words DOLLARS?!  I have to say that what has shocked me most about wedding planning is the cost of photographers' services.  I know their job is not easy, the economy is bad, and they have to cover cost and there are a million other excuses obstacles.  But... really?!  Thousands and thousands of dollars? For minimal coverage and just a CD of mostly unedited photos? Ummm, I don't think so.

I have been on the hunt for a great photographer that will not total ruin our budget.  We started off with Photographer A.  I loved her, her prices were reasonable (though apparently I'm wayyy off in my idea of reasonable), her photos were lovely and she seemed very capable of handling our crazy mix of Puerto Rican and Italian relatives.  I didn't feel the need to interview any one else.  The best part?  She would be able to do our engagement photos before Luis left the next week.

So I had my hair done, forced Luis to go shopping for not only an outfit for him, but for one of me as well, AND was a total bitch all day out of nervousness.  (The next time any of you see Luis, high-five him for putting up with me.)

We sat in our car near Government Island, aka where we got engaged, and waited. and waited. and waited.  I decided to give Photographer A a call to make sure she wasn't lost.   (The island is a park that is actually behind some kind of crazy looking water treatment center with signs like "DANGER!" or "DO NOT ENTER!" or "BEWARE!"  Any sane person might have decided to turn around.)  Was she lost? Nope.... she was out of town.  Cue hysteria.

Source 

There had been a mix up of dates.... some how.  She was under the impression that our shoot was the following Thursday, despite the fact that I had been very clear about the specific date.

My brain reacted with this: OMGhow-could-she-think-that?!?!?I-said-LUIS-IS-LEAVING-ON-SUNDAY!!Idon'twantpicturesofJUSTMEEEEEE!!!

Thankfully, my mouth said, "OK.  Well that's fine. We can't reschedule, but I'll be in touch. Bye..."  I am also thankful did not mess up my make-up with any tears.  I simply did what any grown-up, engaged woman would do.

Yup.  I called my mom.

She rushed over to the park with her fancy-shmancy camera and my dad her assistant.  She took a lot of great photos - though no kiss-y shots because it was just too weird.  It wasn't the experience I had imagined, but I'm 99.9% absolutely thrilled with the results.

As for Photographer A?  She never really apologized, called me "honey,"and spoke to me like I was a child.  Apparently I wasn't totally clear with her about how I'm a grown-up, engaged woman.  The last person I want to treat me like a kid is some one I'm paying thousands and thousands of dollars.  I let her know that we were going to continue looking at options and thanked her for her time... and then thanked God we hadn't given her a deposit yet.

PS: Thanks, Mommy.  I love you and your superhero-abilities to solve all problems.

Shark-bait-oh-ha-ha

To my four readers:

I'm sorry for the serious lack of blogging.  I had to take a semi-imprompto ( <-- is that even close to how you actually spell that word?!) trip to Florida to pick up the last of my crap/furniture and visit my fictional boyfriend, Harry Potter.  Lauren and I spent all of Wednesday at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in Orlando thanks to the sweet annual passes we splurged for last October during my mom's birthday weekend extravaganza.  It was heavenly - we rode only the rides we love (The Mummy, Men in Black, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, etc.), drinking Butterbeer, and taking AWESOME photos like the one below.

Thank you to the sweet British tourists for taking this awesome (personal) photo for us.... and making the Harry Potter section of the park THAT much more realistic.  

Seriously, if you can send me a better family-at-a-theme-park-photo, I'll send a virtual high five your way.

  

After packing my car to the gills I headed back to Virginia... crying for a solid half hour and then sporadically after that for the 11 hour drive.  I did not enjoy leaving my sister, my friends, or the town that was my home for almost five years (almost longer than anywhere else!) 

I'm back to WeddingWorld and being suffocated by the pile of unaddressed Save-the-Dates that arrived while I was away.  I have been anxious to get these out to people, but mostly because I want to share some of the great photos my (super)mom took after our photographer failed to show up... but that's a story for another day post.  

Engagement photo sneak peek....   

This is a personal photo. Because our photographer didn't show up.  

Facebook is such a creeper

Facebook must be reading my blog because these are the advertisements I'm getting in my sidebar:

All images via Facebook.com advertisements

Why is Facebook so creepy?  If it was really reading my blog/posts/comments/mind it would be advertising Pumpkin Spice Lattes (what I can sort of afford) and books on wedding budgets and DIY projects (what I really need.)  If I wasn't so addicted, I'd delete my account... maybe.

I am not a runner.

Throughout high school I played multiple sports on multiple teams at any given time.  I have 6 varsity letters - four in softball, two in basketball (and technically a few more in Academics... yeah.)  I was (usually) faily slim, toned, and 100% 87.3% happy with how I looked.

Exhibit A:

All those sports resulted in three consecutive summers/falls during college where I rocked some kind of super awkward sling.

Exhibit B-D:

(Side note:  My mom made me wear a sling on our family trip to Germany to make sure my shoulder didn't dislocate during our vacation.  It was FREEZING even though it was July, so I wore my dad's sweatshirt but didn't bother to put my injured arm through the sleeve.  Taking off my sling each time I wanted to take off the sweatshirt would have been a huge pain in the ass, so it was just easier to this way. Some American kids walked by, I guess assumed we were German/didn't speak English and one LOUDLY whispered to the other 'That chick only has one arm!!!!'  Ummm, no you rude d-bag.  I have two and one is currently flipping you off, but you can't see it under my sweatshirt.  AH-nnoying.  What if I only had one arm?  How would have just made me feel?! Jerk.  End of Rant.)

Ok so what does this all have to do with running?  Basically I went from being super active to being super sedentary multiple times.  I never was really heavy, but out of shape? Sure.  Thankfully the lovely combination of walking everywhere because I couldn't drive (pain killers + use of only one arm = unsafe driver) and the insane heat/humidity combination of Florida summers kept me from gaining a ton of weight.  But it did kill any chances of playing sports - aka the only form of exercise I can really wrap my head around.

Anywho.... I tried the gym thing.  I was basically doing two-a-days and really only lost 5-7 pounds in over 6 months.  As much as I'd like to blame this on the gym, I have to own up that I spent wayyy too much time in the sauna and not enough on the treadmill.  Why? Because running F-ing sucks.  Thats why.

So obviously now that I am trying to get nicely toned, thin, and HEALTHY (while my dress may be able to hide a little chunk, my honeymoon bathing suit will not) I thought, "Hey, why not try my most hated activity?! Running!"

In all honesty the only real reason I've even taken this task seriously is because I get to wear these bad boys girls:

Vibram's Jaya shoe in red
Image via Amazon.com

I found them on super sale during my trip to Savannah with Luis (which I just realize I haven't blogged about yet... oops) and NEEDED them.  I also had to legitimize their cost and actually follow through on my running plans.  

Here are my gecko-looking feet in all their glory:

I. LOVE. THEM.  I wear them all the time.  And now I run in them.  I'm starting slowly, just a mile or two almost everyday.  My crazy dog Finley is really enjoying this new change, but not my slow slow slow pace.

I just keep trying to remember

Image Source

I'm definitely getting faster and feeling better each time I run.  I don't see any marathons in my future, but maybe nice 5K.  (How far is that anyways?)  I'm not really sure how I plan to keep running through the winter, but my crappy just at Major Nonprofit does have a few perks - including access to a free gym.  We'll see how this goes. Wish me luck!

Ch-Ch-Changes

My four loyal readers may have noticed that my blog has been going through some changes.  (Does that David Bowie song make anyone else want to sing into their hairbrush/shampoo bottle? No? Just me? Okay...)  Since I lack most basic computer skills my lovely sister/Maid of Honor (MOH)/best friend in the whooooole wide world, Lauren aka "Fatty," has kindly been playing around with my blog design in order to make it much better than whatever the hell I picked before gorgeous.

Without further ado here she is:

Lauren is awesome for many reasons.  I will list a few of them for you here*:

1. SHE'S A GATORRRRR!!!!!!!  (Just like me!)  Not ALL Gators are awesome, but pretty damn close to all of us.  And definitely more than whatever school you went to.  (Please see above.)
2. She is an excellent cuddler.  Baby Finley even crawled into a hammock to get some of her lovin'.  (Though if she falls asleep there's a good chance she'll kick you in the face.)                                    
3. Fatty lovesssss Disney.  She's always game for a quick trip to at least Downtown Disney if we're in Orlando.                                                                                                                                        
4.  Lauren is super nice.  Wayyy nicer than me.  I'm talking give-you-the-shirt-off-her-back-share-her-ice-cream-rub-your-back-when-you're-sad nice.  Jealous that I get to be her sister and you don't?  Damn right. 
5. She's an expert in the Bill-Paxton-Captain-Morgan-stance.  Add will also wear funny hats for pictures.  (See above photo for more proof.) AKA She's hilarious AND confident.               
6. She can't really cook, but she's definitely improving.  Generally we just eat a lot of Moe's together.  or Five Star Pizza.
7. She named a newborn puppy "Nugget" and then forced him to live.  He really didn't have a choice even though he was the runt of the litter and abandoned by his mom at a week old.  She'd do that for you if you needed it too.

Little Baby Nugget

And there's seven (lucky) reasons why she's the best sister/Maid of Honor (MOH)/best friend.  Read it and weep, people.  Read it and weep.

*These reasons are in no particular order and have not been scientifically proven to be contributing factors to awesomeness.  Just because you also may possess these qualities does not mean you are as awesome as Fatty.

The hunt.

I should tell you that I have recently developed a serious shoe addiction.  Most girls have a focused addiction: heels, flip flops, running shoes.  Me?  I love. them. all.  I don't buy indiscriminately.  Instead, I enjoy the chase - the hunt if you will.  On sale? Great!  Back of the clearance rack?  Even better!  Didn't fit, can't be returned, and now its being sold on eBay?  My favorite!  

I recently decided that I wanted a pair of Frye boots.  For those unfamiliar, Frye boots have been around almost forever and are incredibly cute.... and expensive.  Because my bank account is filled with cobwebs fairly small, I stalked eBay, etsy, and a few local antique and thrift stores for the perfect boots: cowboy-esque, brown, stacked wooden heels.  A few months of near daily searching passed and eventually I became the proud owner of these: 

Image via eBay.com

Gorgeous, right?!  Too bad it's still too warm to wear them.  I can't wait to run around town in them, sipping a pumpkin spice latte and enjoying the crisp fall air.

Now that I have my boots for this fall, I have refocused my efforts on wedding shoes.  You know, the most important shoes you will ever wear... that no one will ever really see.... that most brides ditch for sandals, flats, or their bare feet?  Yeah, those.  I am DETERMINED not to ditch my shoes.  I think days and days of wearing heels during sorority recruitment killed any nerves in my feet, so I'm relatively comfortable in very high heels for long periods of time.  Plus, Luis is at least 6'4 so it's nice when the difference in our heights is comfortably less than a full foot.  It may be self indulgent, but my feelings about wedding dresses go for wedding shoes too - this is the only time you get to dress like a princess/movie star/goddess/gorgeous woman that you are, so take advantage of it!  For me, this means sparkly wedding shoes.  

Not these:

Something like this!

Steve Madden, Image via Zappos.com

Or this!

Steve Madden, Image via Zappos.com

Or this!

Betset Johnson, Image via Zappos.com

The Betsey Johnson shoes (they're called "Tastty-G") are probably my favorites - but I don't know if they are my favorite wedding shoes.  I am worried that they aren't sparkly enough though.  The pink Steve Maddens really have that PUNCH I'm looking for, but our wedding colors are green and purple - so they could end up clashing.  The silver shoes are the most "bridal" and I love the peep toe.  

What do y'all think?  

BTW - All of the above shoes can be paid for with my limited, cobweb-covered cash.  This is not a hypothetical situation.  So you are obligated by reading this to help me.

Slacker

I've been slacking on the wedding planning lately.  I'm in a terribly awkward stage between planning and doing which has made me LAZY.

Me in all my lazy glory:

Photo taken of me last week.

Via Hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com

 I've purchased invitations, picked and purchased bridesmaid dresses, figured out where our flowers and candy bar supplies are coming from, put a deposit on a venue, worked on the guest list, and a zillion other things.  We haven't figured out a few big things (like a photographer, ugh) but I feel like most of the items on "To Do" List are going to require storage, lots of DIY, Luis to be home, etc.  I feel useless and a little overwhelmed.  My goal for the next week is to create a calendar and excel spreadsheet of projects, deadlines, and events.  I think it will help me to visualize what is going on and give me some control.  Once Luis gets back from training it will be wonderful to have help and support - and instantly have his answer/opinion instead of having to take videos/pictures/copious notes and have to go over it all with him via the phone/internet.

***Left to get a snack, feeling proud of myself.***

***Came back to realize I screwed up registering for classes and may have to take one in the Spring and that I have to graduate next May regardless. Grrrr.  All happy-productivity-goal setting energy is gone.***

Whatever.  I'll give myself a few more days of wedding non-productivity (catch up on school) and start in on that list again.  Instead of a slacker I can now be categorized as a "procrastinator" but at least that means I've established some kind of deadline and goal, right?

Me in my procrastinating circle of shame:

This is an actual picture of me right now.  I'm about to finish my dinosaur picture.

Via Hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com

Poor Harry

So this video is very dark, but it is hilarious.  While I was in Minnesota, Rachael's dog Harry was having a terrible allergic reaction to something.  He was just itching himself to shreds and miserable.  We decided (because this worked on my dog) to put socks on his back feet using hair ties (not fascinators as some people call them) to keep them on.  Harry was NOT pleased, but was very entertaining.  Please enjoy.

MinneSOOOOta

I figured while I'm sitting in bed watching Teen Mom (go ahead and judge) and chowing down on leftover airplane snacks I should probably blog about the fun times I've been having the last week and a half.

I spent about a week in Minnesota with this lovely lady:

My gorgeous biffle (and bridesmaid) Rachael and the Minneapolis skyline 

 I've driven across the country a few times, but have never actually spent any real time in the Midwest.  Rachael had a wonderful itinerary planned including:

Dinner and drinks at Chino Latino

This drink was called the "Passionate Explosion" and was "meant to be shared"

You can kind of see the near empty plate of deliciousness next to the small pool of deliciousness we ordered.  I only thing I can suggest more than eating at this restaurant is to call (wayyyy) in advance to make a reservation.  It was crowded with bachelorette and birthday parties, but we ended up with a large booth all to ourselves.  The fact that we were given a booth (meant for six people) was a little frustrating because we had tried to change our reservation to 4 people in the morning and the hostess said no way.  When we made our reservation we were told that the only available times for a party of two were 5pm and 8:45pm so we chose to eat later so we could head straight out to keep drinking meet up with Rachael's friends afterwards.  We ordered one small plate (plantain nachos) and one large plate (some kind of delicious chicken over rice.  It's served family style dining and was totally filling.  We finished our drink before heading out to the rooftop bars (where the picture of Rachael was taken.)  

The next day we headed to the Minnesota State Fair 

Even the fruit was fried.... and on a stick

I basically ate my way through the fair... and yes most of it was fried or on a stick, but all was delicious.  We I managed to kill a huge bag of kettle corn as we walked from food stand to food stand.  If you ever get to attend the "great Minnesota get together" please try to the pork chop on a stick, the ice cream made with wine, and grilled sweet corn.  WARNING:  If you visit the "'Miracle of Birth' Center" you WILL see animals being born.  I know wayyyy too much about how sheep give birth now, but the newborn lamb was absolutely adorable.  

Absolutely Nothing (YAYYYYY!)

Rachael and I spent the rest of the week shopping, sharing bottles of wine, running random errands, watching gems from Netflix Instant Watch like "My So-Called Life," getting our nails done, and spending wayyy too much time at Target. 

Rachael modeling a Target hair accessory only a Sevillana could love.

It was wonderful to have a legitimate vacation.  No one cared if we spent all day in our pajamas or slept in unacceptably late.  Thank you for such a wonderful time Rach!  I can't believe the next time I'll be seeing you is just a few days before I get married!

All photos in this post are personal.  Obviously.