Weekend Recap

I've had such a wonderful weekend! My best friend and Matron of Honor, Nataley, came to stay Friday night and we had the best time catching up, crafting (with her help, I finally got started!), visiting the Farmer's Market, and exploring NWA a little.  I miss living in the same city, but I'm so thankful we're only a couple of hours away from one another!

After Nat left Saturday afternoon, Daniel and I went on a sushi and froyo date night before meeting up with a few of his friends. The weather this weekend was crazy fantastic, so sitting out on a patio talking was the perfect way to spend the evening.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday week!  To kickstart the festivities, here's a message from the man I'm marrying in three plus months.  He found a use for the balloons from his surprise party a couple of weeks ago:

                                          

Spotlight: Rogers Laundry Love Project--75%

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The Rogers Laundry Love project only needs $629 more of their $2700 goal to provide one of the most basic needs I take for granted every day--clean clothes.

"For those living below the poverty line, washing clothes presents both a logistical problem and a financial hardship. From a conversation with a local homeless friend who conveyed this basic need, the Laundry Love Project™ (LLP) was birthed.  Laundry Love Projects partner with local laundromats in cleaning the clothes of those living in shelters, motels, cars, garages and on the streets. It is our mission to take laundromats and convert them into hubs of relief, granting reprieve to those living in oppressive poverty."

For more information on the Rogers Laundry Love Project, visit http://www.cobblestoneproject.org/initiatives/laundry-love/

To give to this project through our fundraiser, go to purecharity.com/rockwedding and 

click BACK THIS FUNDRAISER.

Wedding Inspiration: Flower Potluck Personal Shower

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I am SO excited for my upcoming bachelorette party and personal shower!  I've had a lot of fun brainstorming ideas for how I'd like my favorite ladies and I to spend our time together when they visit in a few short weeks.  Nataley has been busy pulling things together--she's the best Matron of Honor and friend I could ask for.

We're doing the bachelorette and shower in the same weekend--three months before the wedding because it's the best/only time I could get most of my girls in one place.  Since I just graduated not terribly long ago, my best girl friends are all over the country.  So I feel so blessed that several of them are making another special trip here on top of the wedding!

Kinfolk Magazine introduced me to the idea of a flower potluck a while ago, and I have been dying for the right opportunity to pull one together.  I mentioned it to Nataley and Rachel a few weeks ago and was pleased to have them share my enthusiasm for the idea!

We'll be throwing a pretty little flower potluck/personal shower here at my house in late July, and I AM SO PUMPED!

For more info on flower potlucks, go here.

Florida Trip in iPhone Photos

Last Thursday morning Daniel and I flew to Orlando for his cousin's wedding.  It was so beautiful and intimate.  I got to meet a lot of family and we found a little time to visit Cocoa Beach with Tyler and Hailey Saturday morning.  

More Surprise Party Photos!

I'm still overjoyed about how perfectly Saturday night went.  These photos make me so happy!

^^He blew out his candles before we were done singing.  I was heartbroken, apparently.

Love this man!

Anddd I get to fly with him for the first time tomorrow morning!  We're headed to Orlando for his cousin's wedding, and I am so excited to do a little traveling, even though it's a short trip.  I haven't met most of this side of his family, so that'll be lovely, too!

I hope everyone is having a good week! Sorry it's been so quiet on my end--trying to cram a week's worth of work into three days, and still coming down off of Saturday's excitement.  Excited to share some trip photos with you in a few days!

Daniel's Birthday: Lake and Surprise Party!

Yesterday was just the best day--that's all there is to it.  Daniel turned 23, and we did it big, for sure.  We spent several hours swimming and kayaking at Lake Wedington--right by the lodge we'll be married in in four short months.  It was awesome to experience more of what the lake has to offer, and it was my first time in a kayak!  I loved it.

Daniel's parents came to town and took us to dinner at a potential rehearsal dinner location, and it was delicious.  Then Daniel and I came back to the house so he could "take a nap" before maybe going out for a drink later.  

He was SHOCKED when we walked in and twenty-ish of his closest friends were hiding in our living room.  I can't believe I was able to pull off a surprise party for him! It was pretty stressful keeping such a secret from the person I trust with more information than anyone else, but it was so worth it.  I had so much fun watching everyone love on him, and I could tell it made his heart full.  

Happy birthday, my love!

Ring Shopping: The Groom

Tada!  

Daniel and I picked out his ring when we were in Tulsa last weekend.  I purchased it on the spot, and that was that.  I think it's perdy--in the manliest possible way, of course.  

I got a lot of organizing done last night--the house is coming along!  I'll share photos on here soon.  I still can't believe it'll be OUR home, and I'll be sliding that ring on Daniel's finger in just four months.  

I've said it before, but forrealz--this is such an exciting time!

Wedding Inspiration: Backdrop Ideas

Daniel and I have been in full list mode the past few days--we've gotten several exciting things done and it feels fantastic!  I'm starting to think a little more about what I'll need to do in terms of making things for decor.  

Every time I picture our wedding, the backdrop is different.  Hopefully I can settle on something soon!  In the meantime, here are a few photos I find inspiring:

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Happy middle of the week, friends!  Daniel left for Baltimore this morning, so I'm planning on getting the rest of the new house organized.  I'm excited to pretty up the patio with flowers!

Weekend Recap: Just What I Needed

Daniel bought me a pair of new mocs this weekend because my very cute dog chewed mine up a while back. So comfy!

We headed to Tulsa Friday after work for a weekend full of checking things off my June wedding planning list.  And check things off, I did!  Saturday morning we met with our photographer, Michelle.  It was wonderful to finally meet her in person, and Cafe Cubana's delicious iced chai only made the morning better. 

Nataley and Rachel came over Saturday afternoon to catch up on wedding stuff and life stuff.  We sat in my dad's living room for three hours and just talked, and it was one of the best chunks of time I've had in a while.  I miss seeing those girls on a daily basis.  But, I'm extremely thankful for their willingness to support me and this whole weird wedding deal from a couple hours away.  They're the bomb diggity.

I also got to spend some quality time with my padre this weekend.  Both mornings we went on hour-long walks.  My dad quit smoking a few months ago, and I couldn't be more proud of him.  He's excited to get into shape, and I'm excited to see it happen! I have the best dad in the world, forreal.

Before we left town, Daniel and I stopped by James Avery and purchased his wedding band. Yay!  It's good to have both rings in our possession--we're really getting married! :)

I'm leaving work a few minutes early today to meet the AT&T guy at the house--Daniel got internet for me for our anniversary last week!  Haha I've been living without it since I moved last January.  It's been really nice in a lot of ways, but it'll be great to be able to get work done at home and watch stuff on Netflix, since I don't have cable, either.  He's the best!

Ring Shopping: The Bride

Not much of a story here, but I thought I'd share a photo of my beautiful rings.  Daniel picked my engagement ring out himself, and I love it more every time I look at it.  It's from the 1920s. I love how it's somehow very simple but still extremely detailed.  He done good!

But, when we started talking about wedding bands, we weren't sure how to go about finding a ring to pair with my engagement ring.  Rings from that era were often purchased in pairs since they had such unique detail.  We planned to go to a few stores and see what some very simple gold and white gold bands might look like.  

Before we even made time to do so, though, I found this baby on Etsy.  It's the SAME RING--seriously.  Same setting, same two tones, same size.  I'm almost positive they were designed for one another. How crazy is that?

I can't wait to wear these rings together every day!  I also can't wait to slide a ring onto Daniel's finger.  We're planning on starting the shopping process for him this weekend--we need to at least go to one store so he can try a few rings on to determine his size.  

This is such an exciting time, and having my wedding band is making it all feel more real.  I am a blessed girl, for sure.

I hope you have the happiest weekend! 

Wedding Inspiration: Invitations

I'm attempting to begin designing our invitations this week.  This may be the most difficult wedding project I've tackled so far.  I'm not confident in my ability to design something that will look good to people who actually know design, so I'm trying to convince myself that it's our wedding and all that matters is that we like it.  I feel like there's some big designing rule I don't know that I'll surely break, though, which isn't a good feeling.  But I'm trying the whole thing out!

Here are a few invitations I like:

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They all have the lake/fall feel, which is what we're going for because, well, we're getting married on a lake in the fall.  And I can't stinkin' wait!

Planning Progress:From Rent House to Home

I have about five wedding projects in the works right now, but nothing I can share with you yet.  I've designed five different invitation options, and I'm not necessarily sold on any of them.  I need to show them to Daniel.  We also plan to go ring shopping for him soon, maybe this weekend.  I've been discussing shower ideas with my beautiful best friend and Matron of Honor, too, and I am SO excited!  We're also talking rehearsal dinner stuff with Daniel's parents.  We're meeting our photographer this weekend.  And I need to nail down flowers, SOON (still not set on what exactly I'm wanting to do with those).  Goodness--all of a sudden this whole wedding planning thing is CRAZY! But exciting crazy, of course.

The photos above are from last night--Daniel bought a grill for the house and put it together.  Penny supported. Love my little (almost) family.

Moving and Third Anniversary Weekend!

Whew...what a weekend! We spent Friday afternoon to late late Saturday night moving from my condo to the new house.  My dad, brother, and Lindsey came over Saturday morning to help.  We couldn't have done it without them--I'm really blessed to have such a solid support system in my life.

I kept thinking that as we were lugging furniture and boxes all over the place this weekend--the Lord did not have to provide this place for our first house and these people to help me celebrate it.  I feel incredibly humbled and blessed. I really can't believe this house is where we'll spend our first year(s) of marriage.  Daniel and I talked about that a lot this weekend--we definitely want to use it as a sweet haven for people to come relax, eat, laugh, and enjoy life. Just give me a few days to get things organized! :)

Seriously though, I have no idea where anything is.  I know all of my things are in the house in boxes or tubs or bags, but I'm not sure what things are in what boxes, tubs, and bags.  And nothing stresses me out more than living in a big ol' mess, so I plan to try and get everything put away within the next day or two.  After making about 30 laps around the house rummaging through containers last night and failing at finding what I wanted, I decided to take the whole thing one room at a time, which  resulted in me spending way too much time arranging and rearranging the living room.  

On another exciting note, Daniel and I have been a couple for three years, as of yesterday!  We continue to learn more about each other, so I can only imagine what it'll be like when we're married and living together.  We ate at a yummy barbecue restaurant and spent the afternoon shopping for a few house necessities.

Speaking of living together--moving into the house was incredibly exciting this weekend, yes, but I am so ready for Daniel to join me!  It's weird living in OUR home by myself (so glad I have Penny).  Four plus months, Jordan--you can do this.