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Follow me as I take you through a 20-something's life in San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country, and the "Great State" in general. I'll talk about all the adventures Texas has to offer, how I managed to gain 10+ pounds on deeeelicious Mexican food, and so much more! I don't ever sit still and it makes for some pretty interesting stories!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Where do I begin?

Hola blog followers! I hope this post finds you all healthy and well. I somehow managed to go the entire month of June without one blog post! (I know Robert, you've been reminding me for weeks!) Anyhoo, this post will either be the longest post ever, or I'll keep it short and sweet. I guess we'll just see how it goes. I'll start off simple and then go from there.

My Job: At the beginning of each month, since the beginning of June, I have reminded Chris how much I DO NOT hate my job! I absolutely love the environment, the people, and the work. I successfully passed my first review, and I couldn't be happier. I can already see the developing geek in me! :)

Our House: I believe that in my last post I mentioned that we were being overtaken by critters! You'll be happy to hear that we no longer have uninvited guests. You may be disappointed to know that our dogs are still spoiled, still ferocious (Bailey tried to bite the pool man again) and our yard is clinging to dear life since we haven't had rain in like 250 years! On a side note--WE GOT ENGAGED ON JUNE 2nd so my bathroom painting project is clearly on hold!

Our Engagement: This probably should've been at the top of the list but I figured I'd ease you into the wedding talk slowly. Chris proposed to me on top of the Stratosphere, in Las Vegas, during our vacation last month. The ring is absolutely unbelievable and I am proud to say that he chose it all by himself! We had a delicious dinner and then he took me to the observation deck where he got down on one knee and asked me the most important question of my life (or perhaps the most important question occurred 10 years ago on the tennis courts in Beeville when he asked me to go out with him!). Of course, I said yes! Our trip was amazing. We hung out at a few awesome pools, gambled (fairly unsuccessfully), and ate some delicious food. I enjoyed spending some time with his PA school friends who were also in Las Vegas for their conference. Overall, it was a trip I'll never forget...
Now for the Planning: So, planning a wedding is certainly a process, not to mention practically a full-time job! We spend 2-3 nights a week at meetings but we've definitely made progress. We knew we didn't want a long engagement, and I was desperate for a Fall wedding, so we chose December 3rd as our big day! It makes me so happy that my parents' wedding anniversary is December 4th. I think it's a nice way to ensure that we're starting our marriage in a very blessed way! So far, we've picked the venue--www.gardensofcranesburyview.com, the DJ, the invitations, and some of the decor. We've got meetings almost every day for the next two weeks, so hopefully we'll have a caterer, cake, and photographer by the end of the month. My amazingly talented cousin, Annmarie is going to do our engagement pictures. www.acessaphoto.com 

My aunts and cousins are busily planning my shower in Beeville, and our family's dear friend, Evelyn, is planning my San Antonio shower. These are some amazing ladies, let me tell you! I feel sure that my beautiful bridesmaids are busily planning my bachelorette party...I have no idea what they have planned, but I don't doubt it will be memorable! Pictures to come (maybe!). So, what has been the most difficult part of the planning so far? The bridesmaids dresses! I chose my dress at the 2nd store I visited. I still can't seem to choose the right bridesmaid dresses though. Nothing seems exactly right. The second most stressful thing...the darn guest book. Let me just say that if you don't want glittered hearts, gigantic bows, obnoxious birds, or some other cheesy design, its going to take quite a bit of effort to find a guest book. Luckily, after weeks of searching, I found the perfect book, with matching pen. And yes, you'll be glad to know that I found toasting flutes to match! ...I knew you'd be pleased! :)

Life other than the weddinig: I know its hard to believe, but yes, we have managed to have a life other than wedding planning. We were very fortunate to spend a fantastic day with Chris' family at the beginning of the month at a great family reunion in Odem, TX--www.cityofodemtx.com. It was great to see all the extended family that we haven't seen in so long. You'll also be intrigued (strong word, I know) to know that I rode a horse at this family reunion. Yes, it's true! I rode a horse...my inability to jump prevailed yet again. Thank goodness Chris has a cousin who could lift a car off a child if necessary, and was able to "throw" me onto the horse. After a frightening 3 minute ride, I was ready to get off. Chris' cousin, Mike, was leading my horse around the stable during my ride. He was making it zig zag and do all sorts of unnecessary movements. That saddle is slippery, let me tell you. Anyway, he stops our horses because my ride is over. He didn't grab hold of the reign, he didn't tie the horse up to the fence, nothing! He just expected me to jump down off of this gargantuan horse who wasn't tied to anything! I said, "shouldn't somebody hold this thing?" Of course, my knight in shining armor came to my rescue. We consider this the quote of the evening..."Mom, hold my beer. I've gotta get Lyndsey off the horse." Our mothers just about fell over with laughter. 

In addition to this family-filled, horse-riding fiesta, we have also enjoyed a trip to Schlitterbahn waterpark with Greg and Kierstin and attended a very nice 40th Anniversary vow-renewal for my Aunt Alyce and Uncle Wayne. Last weekend we went to Retama for a little live horse racing with Robert (shout out to Robert!). We sat at the very top where we had drinks and ate a nice buffet. The cupcakes were the size of my head and were oh so delicious! This weekend we are floating the river, for the first time this summer, with Chris' Aunt and Uncle, and then I'm going to spend a little time with the Linda. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Floating-the-River-ComalGuadalupe-New-Braunfels-Texas/87388620944

I think that's all the udpating I have for today. A few miscellaneous items to note:
Introducing my Bridesmaids: Annmarie Cessa-MOH, Kimberly Gertson, Amanda Wilson, Kalissa Tozzi, Stephanie Cardwell, and Kierstin Richer...love these girls!
Happy 25th Birthday Greg! I promise I'll try to be nice to you for one day. Please note I said, "try."
Happy belated birthday to the Linda (July 6th) and my Daddy (July 11th)!
Congratulations to my little cousin Emily for transitioning to her big girl bed! Your little brother will be very happy to have a crib to sleep in when he's born!

Let the summer fun and wedding planning continue!