Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monogram Design
Vote! Which monogram design do you like the best? Or, which elements do you like the best (mix and match from a couple)? The color will not neccessarily be orange. It might even be just black and white.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Bills
Guess the theme is money this week! Just got done scheduling all my bills for the month of May. I love paying online - it makes me feel accomplished right away even though they usually do not actually go through until my paydays.
On a bummer note... turns out I have been double paying one of my student loans. On the good side, it will be paid off faster in the long run. On the bad side, that money would be more useful going towards credit cards right now. I am so close to paying a big one off all the way! I would be even closer if I had been paying closer attention to that double payment on the student loan! urgh.
Money is a difficult subject for many couples. We have learned a few ideas from our marriage prep class, but I think that we will continue to seek education in this area. We are both fairly weak at managing money properly and it would be a really good thing for us to learn how to do together. I just have to remember to keep prayin for patience!
Night to all!
On a bummer note... turns out I have been double paying one of my student loans. On the good side, it will be paid off faster in the long run. On the bad side, that money would be more useful going towards credit cards right now. I am so close to paying a big one off all the way! I would be even closer if I had been paying closer attention to that double payment on the student loan! urgh.
Money is a difficult subject for many couples. We have learned a few ideas from our marriage prep class, but I think that we will continue to seek education in this area. We are both fairly weak at managing money properly and it would be a really good thing for us to learn how to do together. I just have to remember to keep prayin for patience!
Night to all!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Building the Budget
Tony and I really stink at budgeting. We try. We think we are doing things right. But somehow it always comes back and bites us in the butt. It is one of our biggest things that we need to learn how to do. together. for everyday life. and for the fun stuff.
So far the wedding budget has stayed relatively on track. We have found that it is kind of hard to set a budget for a wedding because there are so many things that can range so dramatically in price. Your food can be $1000-$10000. Your dress can be $100-$1000. Even something like invitations can be cheap or super expensive.
There is a lot of shopping involved! Something that I am definitely not very good at because I rarely do it. Probably also why I am not good with budgets... since I try just to never shop.
There are some things that we are delightfully surprised at how low cost they turn out to be... and some that are much more than we dreamed of! We also have to consider costs such as wedding bands and honeymoon costs. We are not incuding these in the overall budget, but keeping them in mind as an additional cost associated with the wedding.
What are you budgeting tips for big events and everyday life?
So far the wedding budget has stayed relatively on track. We have found that it is kind of hard to set a budget for a wedding because there are so many things that can range so dramatically in price. Your food can be $1000-$10000. Your dress can be $100-$1000. Even something like invitations can be cheap or super expensive.
There is a lot of shopping involved! Something that I am definitely not very good at because I rarely do it. Probably also why I am not good with budgets... since I try just to never shop.
There are some things that we are delightfully surprised at how low cost they turn out to be... and some that are much more than we dreamed of! We also have to consider costs such as wedding bands and honeymoon costs. We are not incuding these in the overall budget, but keeping them in mind as an additional cost associated with the wedding.
What are you budgeting tips for big events and everyday life?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Planning Weekend
Heyo!
Thursday night we got off work a little early and drove up to the cabin. When we arrived, Jaxson was in heaven running around like a madman outside. He LOVES being outside. Tony and I shared a bottle of wine and played some cards.
Yesterday morning we went golfing at Tianna Country Club. The front half was a little rough but the back nine went much better. It was a BEAUTIFUL day out! The course was gorgeous and I recommend it for anyone up in the area.
In the early afternoon we met with Bill, the chef at Horseshoe Bay. We got to taste a few dishes for buffet ideas. They were super yummy and better than we expected! Tonight we are swinging back over there to try one more thing that he is making for a women's conference that they are hosting this weekend.
Later in the day we went to Pine River to meet our photographer, Gloria with Lakes Area Photography. She was great! Very friendly and informative. We are really looking forward to having her there for our big day.
Today has been very productive as well. We met Kathy our cake lady and Jean Anne our florist. Both ladies were wonderful with helping us make some decisions and showing us what they can do.
Everything is starting the come together! And now we are realizing how much delegating we have to start planning out...
Thursday night we got off work a little early and drove up to the cabin. When we arrived, Jaxson was in heaven running around like a madman outside. He LOVES being outside. Tony and I shared a bottle of wine and played some cards.
Yesterday morning we went golfing at Tianna Country Club. The front half was a little rough but the back nine went much better. It was a BEAUTIFUL day out! The course was gorgeous and I recommend it for anyone up in the area.
In the early afternoon we met with Bill, the chef at Horseshoe Bay. We got to taste a few dishes for buffet ideas. They were super yummy and better than we expected! Tonight we are swinging back over there to try one more thing that he is making for a women's conference that they are hosting this weekend.
Later in the day we went to Pine River to meet our photographer, Gloria with Lakes Area Photography. She was great! Very friendly and informative. We are really looking forward to having her there for our big day.
Today has been very productive as well. We met Kathy our cake lady and Jean Anne our florist. Both ladies were wonderful with helping us make some decisions and showing us what they can do.
Everything is starting the come together! And now we are realizing how much delegating we have to start planning out...
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Colors!
The bridesmaids dresses are going to be blue. Horizon Blue from David's Bridal to be exact. You can see what they will look like here. In person they are much brighter than they appear online :)
We went with dark gray suits from JCPenny, which can be seen here.
Flowers will be mostly white with a little bit of green. Maybe something like this, or this, or even this.
So... do we throw in another accent color? Like purple or green? It would not really be a part of the attire or flowers, but more for decor, invites, programs, etc. What do you guys think? I need some recommendations!
We went with dark gray suits from JCPenny, which can be seen here.
Flowers will be mostly white with a little bit of green. Maybe something like this, or this, or even this.
So... do we throw in another accent color? Like purple or green? It would not really be a part of the attire or flowers, but more for decor, invites, programs, etc. What do you guys think? I need some recommendations!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Summer Romances
"Summer romances begin for all kinds of reasons, but when all is said and done, they have one thing in common. They're shooting stars, a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, fleeting glimpse of eternity, and in a flash they're gone." - The Notebook
Tony and I began as a summer romance that ended when I went to Rochester for school. Lucky for us our summer romance spark was so fabulous that we wanted to keep it going!
Here is wishing all of our loved ones a great summer romance, whether starting fresh or rekindling the love!!!
(The pic is from me and Tony's first trip together our first summer back in '05).
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Bridal Shower
Sometimes it is rough being the oldest kid. And one of the oldest grandkids.
I tend to be the first try for most things... a test run if you will. Sometimes it is fun and adventurous and I like being the boss ;) Other times it is frustrating because I don't have an older sibling to look up to, someone to follow around, play copycat with, show me how to do something so I don't have to try to figure it out on my own. I think I am a pretty smart cookie but it would be nice once in awhile to just do what someone else did.
Anyway... so there is my little rant about a little of frustration and fear of not knowing and screwing up.
Back into wedding planning! Working with my bridesmaid and my friend Tanya about putting together a bridal shower. We are thinking of just doing one big one, the first Saturday in June, outside! That part was the easy part of planning.
First big question: who do you invite? a few friends and close fam? every lady on the wedding invite list?
Second big question: is it better to have one for mom's side and one for dad's side? and pepper in some friend's and Tony's family in wherever they would feel most comfortable?
Third big question: where? During the initial planning phase, we were thinking maybe someone's backyard with a tent for shade and having the option of indoors if it rains. Another possibility for renting a park pavilion that has a kitchenette type thing to make it easier for putting a meal on. Only problem with this is if the weather is really bad... if it's pouring and windy... where is the backup location?
Ok so there is where I am at with planning right now. Got a lot coming up this week though: meeting with the food guy, meeting with the photography, picking out outside ceremony stuff, meeting with the florist, talking to the resort, etc!
Hope all is well out there for our loved ones! Thank you for all of your support as we continue on our big journey together!
I tend to be the first try for most things... a test run if you will. Sometimes it is fun and adventurous and I like being the boss ;) Other times it is frustrating because I don't have an older sibling to look up to, someone to follow around, play copycat with, show me how to do something so I don't have to try to figure it out on my own. I think I am a pretty smart cookie but it would be nice once in awhile to just do what someone else did.
Anyway... so there is my little rant about a little of frustration and fear of not knowing and screwing up.
Back into wedding planning! Working with my bridesmaid and my friend Tanya about putting together a bridal shower. We are thinking of just doing one big one, the first Saturday in June, outside! That part was the easy part of planning.
First big question: who do you invite? a few friends and close fam? every lady on the wedding invite list?
Second big question: is it better to have one for mom's side and one for dad's side? and pepper in some friend's and Tony's family in wherever they would feel most comfortable?
Third big question: where? During the initial planning phase, we were thinking maybe someone's backyard with a tent for shade and having the option of indoors if it rains. Another possibility for renting a park pavilion that has a kitchenette type thing to make it easier for putting a meal on. Only problem with this is if the weather is really bad... if it's pouring and windy... where is the backup location?
Ok so there is where I am at with planning right now. Got a lot coming up this week though: meeting with the food guy, meeting with the photography, picking out outside ceremony stuff, meeting with the florist, talking to the resort, etc!
Hope all is well out there for our loved ones! Thank you for all of your support as we continue on our big journey together!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Updates!
Time for some updates! I am going to redo our background and then I will be posting some new info :)
Sorry about the lack of posting lately - the end of March was a little busy with our trip to AZ to meet Tony's biological dad and the great weather so far this April in MN keeping us playing outside as much as possible.
Thanks for reading!
Sorry about the lack of posting lately - the end of March was a little busy with our trip to AZ to meet Tony's biological dad and the great weather so far this April in MN keeping us playing outside as much as possible.
Thanks for reading!
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