Bedroom, Bathroom, and Kitchen, OH MY!

This past weekend, my fiance David and I did our wedding registry. Going into it we were completely prepared...or so we thought. We had a list of everything we needed in each room. That is not enough though. You also need to think of color, style, quantity and SO much more!

Our day began at Target. Now this was the fun part of the experience. You get the gun and walk around choosing what you want all on your own. As we started going through the aisles we started imaging what our place would look like. This was the tough part because we don't exactly have a place yet. It got even tougher when we got to the bathroom section. In a matter of minutes I had to choose the color palette of our future bathroom. Personally, I think I did a pretty awesome job and I'm in love with the colors! (grey and turquoise for those of you who are wondering)  I never in my life realized how many choices there were until that moment. I never again want to spend 2 1/2 hours in Target! 

Stop #2 was Bed, Bath, & Beyond. This is where most of the fun stopped. Going in we thought it would be just like Target where you walk around on your own...NOPE! You get your own personal consultant who tells you all about the different products and brands, what's good and what's not, and gives personal recommendations. In a way this was good, and in other ways it was more annoying. I liked that he told us what we needed to know about the bigger items such as knives, pots and pans, and other appliances. I did not like that I only have about 30 seconds to make a decision of what I wanted (I'm very indecisive). It also took a lot more time. We were there for about 3 hours. And we didn't even get through the whole store!!! Now I'm not saying you should never do a registry there, just be prepared and know what you are getting into. 

The nice thing about having the internet is that now David and I can go on and add things whenever we want! That evening after we got home, and into Sunday (and I'm sure into the upcoming weeks and months) we went online and added/deleted things. It is so much fun to search and look for things we want (and need) in our future home. Doing a wedding registry is also a long, tiring, and overwhelming experience among the excitement and fun. It makes our wedding seem so much closer and real. I mean it is only about 7 months away... :) 

50 Things

Thanksgiving is at the end of the month, so I thought I would write 50 things that I'm thankful for. :)

1. My parents who have loved, supported and provided for me
2. My sister who I can't live without
3. My brother and now sister-in-law
4. All of my extended family who have given me wonderful memories
5. My fiance whom I love and can't wait to spend my life with
6. My pets
7. Education
8. My best friend and roommate who puts up with me
9. All the friends I have or have had in the past 
10. Chocolate peanut butter ice cream
11. The beach
12. Facebook
13. Skype
14. Chick flicks
15. Music
16. Starbucks
17. My church (GPC) 
18. My soon to be church 
19. Frozen yogurt
20. Books
21. Shopping
22. Flip flops
23. Watermelon
24. Cute dresses
25. Travel
26. Flowers
27. Penguins
28. Panda bears
29. Hot chocolate
30. Parks
31. Chocolate covered strawberries
32. My job
33. My car
34. Good smelling lotion
35. Children because they always put a smile on your face
36. Pizza
37. Play-Doh
38. Cell phones
39. Caffeine
40. Sunshine 
41. Cool summer nights
42. White cheddar popcorn
43. A roof over my head
44. Pajama pants
45. Cupcakes
46. Reality TV (even if it is a guilty pleasure)
47. Hoodies
48. Sleep
49. Cameras to capture memories with
50. God

There is probably soooo much more to be thankful for, but there is not possible way to fit it all into one blog post. Take some time to think of what you have to be thankful for this month!

Long Distance.

Going back to school means different things for different people. For me it means getting back into the grove a long distance, technology based relationship. Over the past three years, almost eight months of the year I have completely relied on technology in order to communicate with my fiance. Yes, I may have breaks and go home on weekends a lot, but the other times when I'm at school are difficult...

For one, technology is not always reliable. Phones decide to not receive/send text messages, or computers get viruses. Sometimes things just don't seem to go the way you want. There is really nothing you can do about it besides wait until it decides to work. This can be very difficult especially when you really don't want to talk to any one else besides that person. 

Another hard thing is that you can't always get your point across. I don't feel like writing a forever long text message to tell my fiance a story about something that happened. So some things just need to wait until the next time we see each other in person. Or sometimes it is the complete opposite...you run out of things to talk about! It is much easier to keep conversation going in person because you can go off on random topics within a matter of minutes rather than talking about one thing for two hours before you said everything you need to say. 

I do consider myself lucky to only be an hour and a half away. I know there are people out there who goes months, even years in a tech relationship or have no communication at all. I also consider myself lucky to be with someone who did not want to give up just like that. So many couples dating in high school break up once they go to college. How can you know it is the right thing without trying to make it work first? Over the past three years we have been challenged and used that to grow closer. Now as we are in our senior year of college we see the light at the end of the tunnel.  

Another summer gone.

Summer flew by just like any other. This was my last "free" summer of my life. Hard to think of it like that though. This summer held lots of adventures though...

First off, I went on a five day trip to NYC with my family. 

We did a lot more than I have ever done when I had been there before. Went to two baseball games, visited he 9/11 memorial, shopped, went to the Today Show, sight seeing and much more.

Next up was my two weeks of beach vacation only separated by one week. The first time I went with my family. The highlight of the week was going para sailing with my sister. 

The next time I went was with my fiance David and his parents. Even though we endured jellyfish and rainy weather, it was still a great time! 

To finish off the summer, I can't forget about my great summer at work with my co-works and kids. Even though some days were crazy, it was overall still a good time! I could not ask for a better group of people to work with. I will miss all of them till I head back over winter break! 

Now tomorrow I start my first day of my senior year of college. Could not be more excited for this next year! :)

Daily Challenges

Working in a child care center makes for interesting days. From one day to the next it is never the same. There can be anywhere from 8-14 children ranging in age from 2 1/2 to almost 4. Each time I go into work I never know what to expect. It all depends on the attitudes of the children and myself. I have learned to have a lot of patience over the past few weeks and it will only continue through the rest of the summer. From children running away, hitting, pushing, and saying things they should not, every day is different.   


Now that I am there every day I enjoy the relationships I am building with the kids. Of course they don't always listen and are a handful but they are also really fun and adorable. The best is when a kid calls your name from the other side of the room. I feel like the are finally seeing me as their teacher. 

Although I enjoy being there (most of the time) I am looking forward to a much needed break next week. 

When reality sinks in.

In the past week the reality of getting married has all started to become real. At the end of last week I scheduled appointments for wedding dress shopping. My first one is in a WEEK! On Sunday, David and I had our engagement pictures taken, and on Tuesday we met with my pastor and his wife to start pre-marital counseling. In a little under a month it'll be one year till we get married! My how time flies...

Planning has been a fun process. There is still a lot more to do though, but I'm looking forward to it. Some people think our long engagement is silly and ask why we didn't wait. For us, a year and a half engagement is perfect because of college. I would not want to be in my senior year or college and be slammed with all that planning. It is also hard when someone says you are too young, especially when it is someone close to you. By the time we get married, we will be together for over 5 years! Most people can't wait that long. We may be crazy for getting married right out of college, but we like being crazy.

Even though we still have a long time, we are enjoying every moment of this once in a lifetime experience. 

Hello Summer!

I've been home from school for almost 2 weeks now. That means a lot of readjusting to life back at home full time. I started working again at the child care center. It is always hard because the kids forget who you are, or new kids are there you do not know yet. Starting in June I get the opportunity to be in one room everyday so I'm excited that I'll get to know those kids better. I'm hoping to strengthen my classroom management skills this summer to help prepare myself for my teaching career. 

Another fun adventure that has happened is my family found three kittens in our window well. We brought them inside and have had to learn to care for such tiny animals. It has been fun seeing their personalities come out and watch them grow. Next week two of them are leaving to the owner we found for them. The third still needs a home but will hopefully find one soon! 

Simon, Dexter and Max

As summer continues I'm looking forward to all the other fun adventures that I will face. I still have three long months of fun to enjoy!