Wrangling things into place

Since getting back, we've been spending all our time organizing and cleaning. I think we finally got most of the stuff away. We still need organizing baskets and furniture, right now we are just using banker boxes. I also finally broke down and bought us a vacuum. The apartment effectively has not been vacuumed since before we moved in. GROSS. We know that at least two people bought us a vacuum for a gift, so we will see which one we end up keeping.
We also got a bird bath to use as a feeder. So now I'm just waiting for the birds to find it! Maybe I'll find some fake bird figurines to put on the rail of the balcony to lure them in.
Abby is VERY GLAD to be home. I think she missed the privacy and quiet which doesn't come with a house with a small child. Good thing our friends had a large house for her to hide.
The sewing machine from the registry is here! now I just need a table, chair, thread, etc.. But I'm excited to get going.
I'm also in-progress of getting thank-you notes done. It's definitely not my favorite thing.
I miss the sun. It's been all gloomy since we got back. I guess the "April showers" applies here. But at least the farmer's market opens soon! Yay fresh produce! :D

MAWWIED!!!!

Photo by Angela Cox (and yes, that's us!)

I'm a Mrs. *scrunched-nose-face.* We'll just say Ms.... Mrs. sounds so old. Like Señora. I wanna keep the young-sounding Señorita! Anyways. Wedding went well. I didn't cry (barely). The CLEMSON TIGER showed up as a surprise, we had the best wedding cake EVER, and had a purple and orange peeps s'mores bar. More details to come when I get photos back. For now, I'm just happy it's over and am excited to get back to WA to see my cat. Oh, and I'm kinda forcing Lance to let me get a kitten (as his wedding gift to me). :D yay!!!! The whole thing was a whirlwind, but it was awesome. Now as for the whole thank-you note writing... not so awesome. I'm not the most organized thank-you note writer.. maybe on the plane(s) tomorrow. ;)

TWO DAYS

We are TWO DAYS away. Holy crap! We are still getting the "little things" done and I'm trying to relax and stay zen. Yesterday I had a derm appointment and my blood pressure was 137/89. Yeah, I'd say I'm a little stressed, wouldn't you?? We also have to pack ALL the things because we are leaving from Columbia and not coming home before that. Then I get to start thank-you notes. yay? On a side note, did you know that a Z-pack can act as an antibiotic for acne?
And my new-found allergy to wheat, milk, and eggs will be interesting. i need to stay away from all 3 to make sure I don't swell and gain 3 dress sizes. But cake is so good!

SHOES (omg)

I wore my bridal shoes to Target today. Wore them around for like 3 hours browsing the new layout (we just got a produce section). So far so good- no blisters! woot.

Final fitting is tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure I'll be too fat to fit in the dress. Sigh. I hope not, but I'm not expecting much :/

I want another cat. Big surprise, right? I worry Abby gets really anxious when we aren't here. I know she gets lonely... She watches for us to come home. Poor kitty :( And we'll be gone for nearly 2 weeks for the wedding festivities. I'd love to take her with us, but one 12 hour day in a carrier was more than enough, thank you. I wish I could talk my parents into giving Sinbad back! But they love him too much now. And Daddy's the favorite. It's so cute ^_^ But he and Abby were bestest friends.

I took these pictures this past Christmas. In case the tree and nativity set didn't give it away.

He likes to observe dinner being made.

Dawwww da kitteh tummy!!!

He always sleeps like this. The tummy is a trap. He'll rip your arm clean off.

See? Loves dad so much he sleeps with his shoes. X.X

Creating memories

Scent is able to trigger memories. How many times have you gone through a thrift store and suddenly something smells like grandma's house? Or that one lotion that you wore in middle school? Everytime I smell Juniper Breeze my mind instantly takes me back to 8th grade listening to the radio and painting my nails a bright color.

I want to be able to remember these years and our wedding day. Shopping for perfume is VERY intimidating, especially if you are sensitive to smells, like me. I highly recommend if you are going to look for a scent to ask for help. These perfume specialists smell these perfumes all day, and it's their job to know about each one.

We went to Macy's not realizing just how many perfumes are out there. The sales lady asked if we needed help, and we did. She started with asking what scents I like best; floral, fruity, musky, fresh, crisp, etc. I said floral. She has me smell 3. I say yes to 2 and no to 1 and say why. She gets 2 more. I like the first best, and don't like the second. One more, that's it! I chose Chanel Chance eau Tendre. (the pink chance). I got the small bottle of eau de toilette, and it smells heavenly. I love it. And it changes as I wear it. Not many people realize perfume interacts with body chemistry and actually changes for each person. That's why you need to actually wear it for at least an hour to really get an idea of what it will smell like.

Now, after the initial smelling and deciding on Chance, I developed itchy watery eyes that night. I was worried it was a reaction to the Chance. So after showering and waiting till the next day, I applied the Chance and prepared for the worst. Nothing. YAY!!! I had tried on 2 other perfumes, and I think I was way sensitive to one or the interaction of the two. The smell of that one got sickly sweet and gave me a mondo headache. After all, perfumes are technically chemicals that can interact with each other, so you have to be careful when mixing them. But all in all, it was worth it. I'm programming my brain to be able to remember these happy days, and they smell heavenly.

On snacking healthy

I love junk food. I mean I really love junk food. I've always been underweight, in fact, it wasn't till I turned 21 that I broke 100 lbs. So, I never really had to worry about over-eating before. I struggled to gain weight. Well, I was put on a medication that made me gain close to 40 lbs. That means at my heaviest I was 136 lbs at 5'2" tall with a very petite frame. I mean, I have size 4 1/2 feet for pete's sake! anyways, I'm back down to around 107, and with the wedding so close, I'm really having to make sure I don't gain OR lose weight. So it's been an interesting couple of months. Long story short, here are my favorite healthy snacks right now.

Vanilla Dannon Light & Fit yogurt with blackberries and (dark) honey. I usually am quite liberal with the amount of yogurt and blackberries, but I just drizzle the honey. Probably about a half tablespoon at most.

Planters Omega-3 nut mix. It has walnuts, dried cranberries, and chocolate-covered soy nuts.

Olives (green and kalamata) and whole wheat crackers, and maybe cheese if I feel feisty.

Macaroni salad with celery.

Pretzels and hummus

Nutella on toast

Sour cherry preserves on toast.

And hot tea with lemon.

I also try to drink a ton of water. Dehydration can make you feel weak and hungry.

I don't drink soda or coffee at all. I also minimize the amount of non-water drinks. Maybe a lemonade if we get a "combo" meal somewhere and it comes with a drink.

I still indulge in ice cream now and then, but I try not to have huge meals during the day. I don't really need the calories because I'm not hardcore exercising. So there you have a short list of some of the things that I find to be yummy "health" foods.

Realization

This is how it feels

Lance and I have been dating for a little over 4 years now. And it was right about this time 4 years ago that we knew we were going to get married. So 4 years ago I began planning our wedding. Only we didn't know we'd have to push back the date at least 3 times. So, to say the least, it literally felt like time stopped and we were not moving forward. The constant idea of a wedding and getting married was constantly out of reach. Well, I just had the realization that it is only a little over a month away. I can count the days, and I realize there is very little time left to do anything. It really also makes the need to keep my trich under control. If I slip up now or anytime between now and the wedding, I don't know how I will forgive myself. It's incredibly difficult for me. I've essentially been without eyelashes for over 10 years, and when they start growing in they usually only last 3 weeks. Well, we're at that 3 week point and the lashes feel extremely strange. I find my hands constantly wander to my eyes to feel the lashes. So far I've been able to keep myself under control due to not having a job or school or comparable stress. Also staying away from caffeinated drinks (soda and coffee) is a HUGE help. I CANNOT drink one ever again if I'm to keep all my hard work. There's something about the high sugary caffeine drinks that just really cause my brain to freak out and get overstimulated. That then causes anxiety and triggers the trich impulses. So yeah. I'm writing this so my hands will stay busy. The realization of how close I am is scary and, yes, anxiety-provoking. I just have to keep reminding myself to breathe and stay calm. But the lashes do feel incredibly strange right now.

Shoes

Brought these beauties home with me from TJ Maxx for $25. I'm sorely tempted to make them my wedding shoes. Srsly.

The search continues...

Aren't they gorgeous? I'd say they're just about perfect. Well, they came in the mail today. And i was expecting these little dainty earrings... but no. They are HUGE. The pearls are like 3/4" large. So back they go. Man, so close. So now I continue the search for bridal earrings to match my favorite bracelet (also from J Crew):