Hands Portrait

So, we set up our engagement pictures a few weeks ago. Since most wedding portraitures do contain a hands portrait, I asked our photographer if he could shoot a photo of our hands at the engagement picture session because we had wanted to frame a picture for our wedding ceremony. Despite my mother's persistance that everyone NEEDS a guestbook, we would like to have a picture framed and have all of the wedding guests sign the matte for the photo in lieu of a guestbook. This way, our wedding memories can hang on our wall.

My uncle is a municipal judge who will be marrying us. These beautiful words came off of one of his sample ceremonies and we have continued to tweek them to make them our own. These words will also be part of our ceremony, as well as a reminder of the love that we have now and will continue to have throughout our future life together.

So, here is our picture:



Good thing I was a graphic designer in a former life, eh?

(And for the record, I do NOT believe that it is a bad omen for him to wear his wedding band BEFORE the wedding. It was on for just a few minutes worth of pictures, as well as in the jewelry store when we were trying to pick the perfect ring for him.)

Seriously, I'm gonna be a blogger

OK now, so, seriously, I want to be a blogger. I want to take the time to express my creative freedom – even if I have no followers. I want to do this - for me!

I had recently purchased a new journal. I had been inspired by Ali Edwards' blog where she suggested writing your own story because someday it would be a treasure for your family when they get to read things that are written in your own handwriting. So, I went and bought a journal. From time to time, much more often than this blog, I write in that journal.

I have even done a little research online to get journaling inspiration. Granted, some of them are geared more towards kids, but it still awakens the thought process and allows me to throw my thoughts and memories on paper.

"Seriously,
I'm gonna be
a blogger.
Someday."

Ideally, if I move more than 30 minutes away from my parents sometime in my life, I think that this blog would be a great way for my family to still be able to know what is going on in my life. (I would also want to either upgrade my Mac so I can get a webcam or else get a new Mac that has a webcam built in.... that way, I will still be able to see and be seen by my family.)

The thought of moving away from home is not THAT scary to me. My fiancé thinks that I will not handle it very well. Although, if given a webcam, I would be able to wave and still tell my parents that I love them. Moving away from home, at this point, sounds like a new adventure. It is an experience to spread my wings and learn how to fly.

Also, I have seen blogs out there where people have documented their pregnancies through the eyes of the unborn child, which I thought was quite clever and a priceless way to keep the memories. Yep, there are so many clever ideas out there....

So, seriously, I'm gonna be a blogger. Someday.

Irony

The song includes some great examples:
• a traffic jam when you're already late
• a no smoking sign on your cigarette break
• 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife
• meeting the man of your dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife

My case of irony begins with my most recent profession. I work in the paint department.

We had scheduled our engagement pictures for a Friday afternoon on our weekend off.

I had forewarned my boss that I would be wearing gloves for the week prior to my pictures so that I would not have paint - or worse yet - stain all over my hands.

Typically, it isn't a big deal for me. However, in our particular instance of engagement pictures, I had requested that they take a photo of our hands.

Our plan is to have a hands portrait framed at our ceremony for everyone to sign the matte in lieu of a guestbook. Hence, the hands picture.

So, all week long, I had been using extra caution so I would not mess up my hands.

Irony comes into play when all I thought about for a week was my hands – and I wake up on the day of the engagement pictures with a cold sore on my lip!

I had apparently not taken the proper precautions to care about my lips. I had over-worked my tired body and drank nearly no water or fluids. My dry, chapped lips took revenge.

I was assured that if I smiled, you couldn't really see it. So, my goal was just to keep smiling.

I think this is why they say "Make lemonade when life hands you lemons."





(And with that as my closing, I think I'll go drink some fluids.)

Admiring talent of others

I am impressed by people who have talent, especially talent that is measurable.

For those who can sing, I wish I could carry a tune, but I sing when no one else can hear me. If I feel really gutsy, I sing in the car - sometimes even when I am waiting for someone to pick up the phone on the other end while I am dialing. As a child, my twin brother used to tease me that my singing lessons hadn't paid off; however, I never took singing lessons. Although, I could probably belt out a pretty bad version of the ALL IN THE FAMILY theme song called "Those were the days".

I admire the dancers on Dancing with the Stars. They make it look so darned easy.

I am thinking that we will have to sign up for our dance lessons soon, especially if we want to have our first dance choreographed for our upcoming wedding. Thanks to my mother, I am fearful that I will look like a frog in a blender.

I admire those who are able to follow their dreams - to throw themselves out there, to take risks and to dust themselves off when they fall. (As for me, I tend to be more of a chicken.)

I used to want to be a writer.... this blog is the closest I am coming to that.

Taking life one day at a time....
trying to enjoy every minute of it.

Beautiful spring

It has been a beautiful spring here in the Midwest. The birds are singing. The rain has greened the grass. Flowering trees are POPPING their buds. Trees are budding and starting to show peaks of color. Daffodils are in full bloom.

And then.... they throw weekend snow in the forecast!

Spring is in the air!

Other than an excessive amount of "chances of rain in the forecast" and random unpredictable fog, it is beautiful here in the Midwest. We've got crisp morning air, birds singing and spring flowers starting to peek their way out of the ground. (There is also a lot of localized flooding in the area, but not in my perfect little blog world. In fact, we'll forget to mention the road noise from the highway outside of my apartment so that I can focus on the songs of the birds and happy times instead.)

Granted, the past few days also brought snow flurries, but none of that has stuck to the ground so, that is good. The rains are starting to make the grass greener – a true sign of spring. The local high schoolers are practicing afterschool at a nearby golf course. The end of the week has temperatures climbing in the mid-60's. It has been a great start to spring!

People, here in the Midwest, grow impatient with snowfall and complain about the rain. (At least no one has to shovel rain though, right?)

Soon, the humidity will return as well. It will give people something to complain about; although, I welcome the humidity. My poor cats get shocked each time that I touch them because of the dry, dry air. Therefore, I will gladly welcome some moisture. (Granted, on those 90% + humidity days that are ahead, it will probably make me grumble as well, but I will remind myself that I asked for it! Or perhaps, I need to clarify – I asked for SOME of it!)

Today's bright blue, cloudless sky is a perfect backdrop for the naked trees that will soon be sporting fresh buds. The days of scraping frost off of my windshield are also numbered for the remaining winter season. Then, like so many others, I can tuck away my ice scraper/snowbrush combo and forget where I put it so that next year, I may have to buy new.

Like the Disney classic 'Bambi', animals are starting to pair up and become "twitterpated".

And I am pleased to report that in my own life, I really couldn't be happier! Indeed, I feel like THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD to be given a second chance at finding love and happiness!

I have 'paired up' with an AMAZING person... and now that we are knee-deep in our wedding plans, I look forward to experiencing many changing seasons, growing old together and spending the rest of my life with him!

I look forward to building our future together.

I look forward to a lifetime of LOVE.

Blog neglected, but plenty to talk about

So, I admit it... I have neglected my blog. I thought it would be fun to start one... to be my creative outlet. I had even contemplated writing EVERY DAY. OOPS! Guess I fell off the wagon with that one – just like I do each year with my New Year's Resolutions. As far as neglecting my blog, it truly was not intentional at all.... I've just been really busy.

Busy with what, you ask?

What could POSSIBLY take up all of your free time? (Especially given the fact that your hours have been cut so far back at work that you seem to have PLENTY more free time than you are used to?)

So, truth be told, wedding planning has been taking up a lot of my free time.

I am getting married and I am thrilled because I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world!

I have NEVER been treated so well in my life. I am also convinced that I believe I have managed to find the ABSOLUTE SWEETEST man in the world! (Funny what you find while you are out looking for yourself, isn't it?)

So, remember that SECRET PROJECT that was driving me absolutely CRAZY?!? Yes, well that turned out to be a decorative string egg that held my FAVORITE candy (Reece's peanut butter eggs) and a little wooden box inside of it. An incredible engagement ring was inside of the little wooden box.

And with a proposal of "Will you please be my wife and the mother of my babies?" how can a girl possibly resist such a question coming from such an incredible person?

So, since we had a four hour drive home from my parent's cabin, we had plenty of time to feel out each others ideas on the perfect wedding. Upon arrival at home, he jumped right on the internet and started doing research. Ends up that we had mostly everything planned out within just days of our engagement. (It does make us laugh a little since my brother got engaged this past October and appears to have no plans set other than an idea of Summer 2009 and here we sit, just 2 weeks post-engagement, with almost everything lined up already.)

We've got to figure out our tuxedo options and flowers yet, but that is pretty much all that is left to do. (Nice feature to have been a graphic designer in a former life and able to make all of our own invites, etc.)

And with that, I must get going... we've got to go look at envelopes.

Signing off,
The LUCKIEST girl in the world




(Now, if only I could use that luck to win the Powerball jackpot....)