101 Days Until Our Wedding: When It Rains It Showers?

(There is a pretty big reason I haven't posted much in the last month or so. And I finally felt like I needed to put it into words. Part of me doesn't want to put this on here, but in full honesty I no longer care what people think.  This is my journal of my journey to my wedding.  And I need to tell the whole truth. So disclaimer, this contains family drama...sorry)


When I was in college I was part of the Spirit of Northwestern. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a college marching band.  A three hundred man strong college marching band.  It's big. It's loud. And it's good.  Well because I went to school four hours away I hardly expected my parents to come to every game despite their constant promises that they would attend one. Want to know how many they came to? None. It only really got to me once.  The last game of my sophomore year. We played our arch rivals Stephen F. Austin.  It was cold...one of those beautiful nights for football.  I knew they wouldn't, couldn't let me down this time.  They would be there.  I practically sprained my neck looking for them in the home stands.  But they weren't there.  When I got done with the game, I called them.  My mother told me that they just couldn't make it.  No excuses, no real reasons and certainly no apologies. Somehow, even though they had broken so many promises, so many times....it still surprised me.

Now you must be wondering what the hell this has to do with anything involving my wedding.  I mean, I promised my next post would be about my wedding shower right? Well I am getting to that.

In the middle of June I went to visit my parents.  I was going to be picking up my wedding dress and taking my mom to do a few wedding type things that needed done.  Plus we were going to be finalizing all the shower plans.  I'm not sure if I mentioned it on here but in early February my nineteen year old brother and his girlfriend found out they would be having a baby.  And it would be due the week of my wedding.  Needless to say I was shocked, angry and honestly betrayed by my parents allowing something like this to happen (my brother still lives at home with them.) I have never had the best relationship with my parents and an even worse one with my younger brother. I made it clear from the beginning that I was not happy that they had been so irresponsible and potentially made it to where my parents would miss my wedding. I was discussing pregnancy with my mother as pertaining to my future career as a midwife and in one of his fits of uncontrolled anger he decided to go off on me and my mother joined him.  In the end they both decided to call me everything under the sun, make up lies about me and my mother even decided to hit me.  Well I left their house at midnight.

Despite all of this, I decided to invite her to my shower, which had to be thrown together by my friend's and Devon's family last minute (not that it wasn't completely and absolutely wonderful.)  All I asked for was a simple apology. However, instead of wanting to patch things up with me, I find out the day before my shower that she has been lying to our entire family and making up things that are certainly not true (which finally made sense to why none of them had r.s.v.p.'d to my shower)  In fact, one of my Aunt's went as far as to put things on facebook that were lies.

No one from my family showed up.  No one called or texted.  No one even sent me a facbook message.  My mother has always been manipulative but this time she took it to a new level. I don't even know how to explain the things she said and accused me of...and my friends and in-laws, who have never done anything but be nice to her, even when she is doing insane things.

At this point, I am three months away from getting married and I don't think that I should invite them or any of my "family" to our wedding.  I feel so betrayed and perplexed everyone's behavior. Maybe some of them forgot or had other plans.  But I can't help feeling that my mother had her hand in this.

It's funny...after 25 years of abuse, belittlement, and general mistreatment...I still get surprised.


(I will post about my shower tomorrow.  It was absolutely wonderful. And my bachelorette party was a blast.  But I just had to get this off of my chest.)

106 Days Until Our Wedding: Bridal Shower This Weekend!!!

My bridal shower is this weekend and I could not be more excited!!! Despite the fact that quite a few people can't make it, I still feel like it is going to be a really good time.

Plus, I get to go bachelorette party it up with (at least) two of my oldest and best friends.


If for some reason, you got invited and are going to show up, I put the wrong address on the invitation.  The shower will be held at Devon's Aunt Sheryls house.  The address is as follows:


1408 23rd avenue north
Texas City, Texas 77592


I'll post another update next week!  

114 Days Until Our Wedding: A Real Catch-up

First of all....HOLY SHIT I'M GETTING MARRIED IN THREE AND A HALF MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the language but considering what's about to happen in my life, I feel the situation warrants a little excitement :)


So in all of the craziness that is my life, I have been unable (and somewhat unwilling) to blog lately.  However, I have had a lot of wonderful things happen in my continuing life as an engaged woman nearly about to get married.

Well, I got my wedding dress.  Yes, finally all of the waiting is over and all that lace, chiffon and silk belong to me.  Yes, I cried a bit when I put it on.  Yes, it's still to long even though I ordered it in petite.  Yes I still need to lose weight in order to feel better about the way I will look in it.  But to be honest, there has never been a more lovely dress in the history of weddings.  But then again, shouldn't all brides feel that way?

A few weeks ago our lovely friend and photographer, Miss Lilly Hare, drove all the way from Louisiana and took our engagement pictures.  She is simply wonderful.  Even though it was hot, we were all a bit tired from staying up to late and the fact that Devon and I are sooooo awkward in any kind of photograph situation, she in all her amazing abilities molded us into some pretty amazing pictures. Like these:

I don't know if you can tell, but I simply adore this man.  He's my reason for getting up and each day I spend with him gets better and better.

Next weekend is my bridal shower and my bachelorette party.  My wonderful best friend is throwing both of them.  I'm hoping that certain things happen and don't happen but we will see how that goes.  I will definitely post again before and of course after it. 

Until then, I will be busy working on favors and picking out hairstyles :)

114 Days Until Our Wedding: I Should Apologize

Let me start by saying that when I began this blog, I fully intended to update once or twice a week at least.  I was so overjoyed by getting married and sharing this with all of my friends and family.  What bride is not happy about the prospect of her wedding day.

However, this journey has not been an easy one for me.

There is a lot I don't want to go into detail about but know that I have not abandoned this little venture.  In fact, I have a few updates planned.  So to all the people who have followed me, I apologize.

But please, keep me in mind...I am under more stress than any normal bride. :(

168 Days Until Our Wedding: Yowza! Where has the time gone??

Wow.  Five and a half months until our wedding. 168 days until I walk down the aisle.  How insane is that?

When I started this blog, I really wanted to use it to document all the amazing, wonderful experiences of being engaged and planning a wedding.  As much fun as that is, taking time to document it seems to take me out of it. I am so much happier living in the moment. For example...

Last weekend Devon and I spent time with my parents.  It was really wonderful.  I often have a strained relationship with my family, so to have a good time is a refreshing change to some of the times we have spent together.  It's especially important now because my grandmother was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and well, that sort of thing really tends to make you think.

While visiting them, we spent some time in Old Town Spring.  We browsed vintage shops and picked up a few brooches. (I have roughly thirty now)

In one particular shop, I came across some really lovely vintage china.  I don't normally think about that sort of thing but since the wedding, I have become really interested in it.  It was a little pricey, but since it was Mother's day weekend, the shop owner was giving a discount.  Long story short, my parents decided to get it for Devon and I as a wedding gift.  It's so lovely.

 I have been researching it and unfortunately since the company is out of business, it's hard to get information about it.  But what I have garnered is that it is from between 1925 to 1940.  I have around 50 pieces and I hope to collect the few missing ones as time goes on.  I know that one day when I pass it down to our children, I can tell them the story of spending the day with my parents and what a wonderful time we had finding the china and the wonderful memory of it all.


I am really excited to get married in a few months...but I am also excited to be growing into the kind of family that I always wanted ...

205 Days Until the Wedding: I am a TERRIBLE blogger

Yes, it's true.  I am the worst blogger in the world.  I have no idea when the last time I wrote.

But worse,  I don't remember when I wanted to. Frowny face :(

The problem is I haven't really had a reason to blog.  Lately the wedding planning has hit a bit of a slump.  I haven't had a reason to do anything or write.  That's not a bad thing.  In fact it's been nice not to worry about things.

So, reason for this post- Brooches!

I have decided to make a brooch bouquet for the wedding.  The idea stemmed from seeing amazing ones posted all over Etsy & Pinterest. They are really, really lovely and of course I wanted something really unique for the wedding. I had tried making a paper flower bouquet but that didn't turn out the way I wanted.

This is just an example of what I'm going to try to do

My great grandmother passed away in 2008. She was a really wonderful lady.  See, I grew up without my real father in my life.  However, my (stepfather) daddy's family has always completely accepted me as their own. She was one of my favorite people. She left me two pieces of jewelry- a pair diamond earrings and a little brooch.

I was looking at this one day and it hit me.  Why would I pay someone 2 to 4 hundred dollars (yes I am serious, look it up) for a brooch bouquet off of Etsy when I could definitely make one of these on my own.  AND not only that, but I could use this brooch and get some from my mom and make this totally special!!!

Seriously, I don't know why I didn't think of it before then but hey, sometimes I'm weird.


So, I started to look for brooch's.  I am pretty picky when it comes to jewelry so I knew that I was going to have to find some really special pieces.  The first stop came one weekend in the King Williams District with Devon.  That area is where we would love to live and we love all the food and shops down there.  I came across a few really awesome pieces that I was able to scoop up for fairly cheap.

I wasn't going to get the one on the top right (the swirly silver with the pearl) It was a little out of my price range but I was telling the lady at the shop what I was doing with the brooch's and she gave it to me- FOR FREE!!!  Oh those words are so wonderful to someone planning a wedding!


A few days later something really amazing happened.  I had posted on facebook what I was planning on doing and I posted that if anyone wanted to donate any brooch's, then I would gladly accept. (I will gladly still accept any donations!)  Well one of my friend's from college got married this past summer and I met his mother at his wedding.  She sent me a message and asked me if I would like some of the brooch's that she had.  I accepted of course and she sent me these:

I was so blown away by her generosity!  (If she happens to read this) Mrs. Pat you are so awesome.  I am constantly blown away by people's kindness but you really made my day (week and month lol) by sending me these!

I particularly love the music note one because of the fact that Devon and I met at band.

I am really excited about this little detail to my wedding.  I'll post more pictures as I collect more brooch's.


In other wedding news, my dress will be ready in mid-May!!!  I simply cannot wait until I get to try on my wedding dress.  Also, we are going to be taking our engagement pictures in June.  I know Lilly is going to do an amazing job.


Well, I promise I will try to post at least once a week from now on.  With only six and a half months left things should be picking up rather quickly.  I'm so excited!!!

Forever it seems...

I know I haven't posted in forever...I have good reasons though.  I promise good things are coming.  Until then, enjoy this...It's my new mantra

xoxoxoxoxo