Long Overdue Update

I haven't had as much time to blog lately as I would like. Between moving, getting settled into our new place, visiting parents, and everything else, its just slipped through the cracks. So I figure its time for a much overdue update.

We are finally in the house and settled. I managed to get much of the decorating I wanted to do done, but there are still a few small project here and there to tackle. And then, of course, we still need to paint. So its coming along but is still a work in progress.

We had a great time when Sean's parents came to visit. Spent a lot of time driving around and showing them some new places in Oregon. Even had the chance to take my father in law down to Eugene and show him the UofO sports buildings. He's a big sports fan (and a HUGE UCLA fan) and is always interested in seeing that kinda stuff. He was very surprised to see Autzen was so far away from campus. I was also able to take them and show them the Alpha Chi house at UofO (both my inlaws were greek). It brought back some crazy memories of growing up down there and driving through that part of town. The Alpha Chi house was always my favorite one on the campus... I guess it was destiny. :)

Anyways, so it was a good visit. Then a few weeks ago I went down to Eugene for my birthday and spent the day with my mom. I managed to find a new bridesmaid dress at David's, as well as a dress for a wedding I'm going to in November. I'm really nervous about the dress, as it is JUST BARELY long enough. So if ANYTHING is off when it shows up then it will be too short. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Its not guaranteed to be in until October and then doesn't give me much time for plan B should it be too short. This is the new dress...

Decoration Inspiration Part 3 - Home in Progress

So on Monday we will finally have our house keys!  So Sean and I started doing some shopping this weekend. Since I had some time, I thought I would share what we finally settled on for our master bedroom.

So everything is going to be black and white. I still want to add a punch of color, but I have not decided what color just yet. Anyways, on Friday we went to a local furniture store and picked out our bedroom furniture, some decorations, a sofa, and a set of coffee tables. This is the bedroom set we decided on:

We bought 2 night stands, the bed, and the dresser with mirror. I originally purchased this bedroom set as well, but Sean wasn't crazy about it, so we canceled it. Instead we went to Macy's and picked out this bed set.

 

I also picked up two of this mirror for the bedroom:

Finally, today I went and picked out a bathroom set for the bedroom.  I had a hard time finding something that stuck with my black and white theme, especially since there were others I really like that would completely have not gone. So, after several stores, I finally settled on this set:

So that's it, the master bedroom and bathroom. I think I'm going to save everything else for one we are in and decorated. This has been so much fun and I can't wait to get in and see what everything is going to look like. Pictures of the house when finished to come!

Home Buying in the Burbs Part 4

So the latest on the house is that we will NOT be signing tomorrow as we had planned.

This time there is a problem with the appraisal report (which I'm not sure why they didn't catch it 2 weeks ago when they got it) and the underwriter has requested some changes. So we get pushed back again. We are still not sure when we will sign now, though the loan processor has stated we should ask for an extension until the 30th.

This has me freaked out. We have everything in place to move next week, including having much of our apartment packed up and in general disarray. On top of that, we have family coming into town to visit in 2 weeks and our apartment is in no condition for visitors, so hopefully we will still have time to move before they get here. If we can't move next week, I don't know what I am going to do.

This whole thing has taught me a lot of valuable information that I would definitely pass on to any first time home buyer:

1) First, and most importantly, GIVE YOURSELF TIME. You may not get the first place you love (or even the second or third) and banks are not completely reliable. If you are living somewhere that you know you need to be out of by a specific day, give yourself a few months to find a place and a few months to close. You don't want to end up homeless and the bank only works during business hours.

2) Even if the first bank you go to has a great mortgage broker and the loan sounds like what you need, SHOP AROUND. This was the biggest mistake Sean and I made and it has cost us about $8,000 so far. We went with the first place to approve us and didn't look into our other options. Sometimes, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

3) If you are unsure, uncomfortable, or just plain don't know something, ASK QUESTIONS. Things change every day in the housing/mortgage industry, and your mortgage broker or realtor may assume you know something. Speak up for yourself and asks questions. Don't worry about being annoying or asking what you think is dumb question. There are no dumb questions and these people are working for you now, so if you are going to spend that much money, they should be available to answer any questions you have. If they aren't, find someone who is.

4) Until you are in the title office signing the paperwork, everything can change, so BE FLEXIBLE. We have had to make plans, reschedule, and then reschedule again a few times. The bank works on its own time and (at least the one we are working with) doesn't like to make sure they are thorough the first time. So at any time something could change and get pushed back. Be prepared for things to change and don't plan any major events (or visits from out of town family) too close to when you are suppose to close.

Hopefully someone else will read this and learn from our mistakes. I'm sure the home buying process doesn't have to be this stressful. If we had known this stuff in advanced, maybe it wouldn't have been.

Extreme Couponing

Over the weekend, while visiting my mom down in Eugene, we discovered a marathon of a TLC show called Extreme Couponing.

At first, my husband and I both were watching it thinking "Wow, these people are crazy. Who needs so much stuff?"

Then it turned into "There's no way this could work in Oregon. Stores don't let you double coupons like that."

Finally, it turned into "You know, maybe we need to start clipping coupons again. I know we will never save THAT kind of money, but it would be good to save some."

So when we got home yesterday, I went online and signed up for a couple of the online coupon services. I also did a little research and made a shopping list of places I wanted to go for our weekly shopping trip. I'm not extreme, but it's always good to save a little money right?

Do you coupon? Any tips of the trade for a newbie?

Sister Wedding Update Part 2

So after a few months of waiting, my dress finally came in.

I was so excited because I've never had a long dress (outside of my wedding dress), so being able to wear a formal dress that was long enough was very exciting for me.

I got to the store and went to try on the dress, only to find out that it was STILL to short. Even with extra length my ankles were still very visible.

So now I have to find another dress. On the up side, I'm the only bridesmaid, which means I can pick whatever dress I want from any dress designer I want. I've been looking around the web and have found a few dresses I like, including one I was looking at when she first got engaged.

I love this dress. I love everything about this dress. My only concern is that I can't usually do an A-line, so I'm going to start calling around to see if anyone has this dress in stock for me to try on.

I'm a big fan of the one shoulder dress. I do worry that this would make my head look smaller, but again I would have to try it on first.

This one is a lot like the dress I already purchased, so I feel pretty confident that worst case I could order it. The nice thing about this line is that the long dress is a little longer than the one I have, so the additional length should make it long enough.

I was really trying to stay away from a short dress because I would then need to purchase heals. However, this is a great option if I can't find a long dress I like because it's T-Length and I love the neckline. So it wouldn't be my first choice, but is definitely an option.

So that is where we stand right now. Once we get things finalized with the house purchase, I'm going to start making calls around to local shops and see if I can find anyone who has any of these in stock for me to try on. If not, I just go and start trying stuff on. Wish me luck! I'll post pictures once I settle on something.

Dinner: Pork Milanese with Tortellini

My MIL (who happens to be an AMAZING cook and former catering business owner) is an amazing cook. Every time we go to California to visit Sean's family we are well feed. She has passed on many of her recipes to me, but I only make them occasionally because most are, to be totally blunt, not all that good for you.

Sean and I have gotten into the habit of allowing ourselves one splurge meal each week. Either we go out for dinner or I make some that would definitely not fit within the diet we have been trying to follow. Honestly, going this route has made sticking to the diet the rest of the time much easier.

I had this recipe for Chicken Milanese laying around and had been wanting to make it for awhile.  Tonight was finally the night! Only we didn't have any chicken, so I substituted pork.

First up was mixing the seasoning and breading the pork chops.

Next I cut up the veggies for the sauce (tomato and spinach).

The sauce is made of butter, garlic, cream, chicken stock, vermouth, and parmesan.

I pan friend the pork chop, cooked up the tortellini and finished it in the sauce, and we had a delicious dinner! Definitely not "low fat" by any means, but so worth the splurge!

Tomorrow its back to our diet. On the menu: chicken and spinach salad with lots of veggies

Product to Try: Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser

So I am OBSESSED with Philosophy Facial products. They have a sensative skin moisturizer called Hope in a Jar, that is TO DIE FOR. It's the first moisturize I've found that doesn't make me break out more and doesn't feel oily on my skin.

I'm also a big fan of their oil-free foaming face wash, On a Clear Day. It's a great, strong cleanser and I love that it's a foam. The ONLY downside that I have ever found with the foam cleanser is that it doesn't fly well. The first time I tried to travel with it, I got to my in-laws house to find out that it had built up pressure in the bottle or something and leaked all over my travel bag.

So when I went into Sephora last week to buy a new bottle, I was DEVASTATED to find out that they were out of it. It took me forever to find a face wash that works well for my sensitive skin (and I'm talking SENSITIVE. I react to everything!). So I got to chatting with one of the employees, who suggested I try another product called Caudalie. I'd never heard of it but she said it was all natural, and I needed face wash, so I decided to give it a shot.

Turns out, this stuff is just as fantastic! It's made with grape extract, chamomile, and sage so it smells fantastic. And my skin feels great! The only thing about it that I don't like, is I have to remember to use my eye make-up remover, because its doesn't have enough strength to get it all off like my old face wash did. But I love the smell and how my skin feels. It's also a little more expensive than the Philosophy at $26.00 for a 5oz bottle (compared to $25.00 for a 6oz bottle of On a Clear Day).

Overall, highly recommend for anyone with sensitive skin looking for a gentle cleanser.

Home Buying in the Burbs Part 3

So over the weekend we got final word that we are, in fact, going to have to put 5% down on the house. The loan we applied for was a 100% financing, but unfortunately they have some extra requirements when buying a condo (which our place technically is). The place has to be "warrantable" which means that the HOA has to meet certain requirements (so much money in reserve, one person can't own more than 10%, not more than 30% can be rentals, etc...). Our place ended up coming back as unwarrantable, so now we have to put a down payment down.

This is both good and bad. It's good because we are taking out a smaller loan and will have some equity in the house right away. It also means that our monthly payment will be *slightly* smaller. It sucks though, because that money was going to be our budget to buy all the new furniture and stuff I had wanted to get.

So basically, now we have to prioritize our purchase. We are definitely getting the bedroom furniture right away. And I fully intend to buy the bar stools and Sean really wants a new TV for his "man cave," which I have agreed to since we can get it from Best Buy and just make payments on it. So basically, I have to wait until the end of July to get a new sofa and anything else we may decide we want to replace.

Today we have our (hopefully) final inspection. We've already put out $375 in inspection fees, and today is going to be another $75. I know buying a house is expensive, but it really gets under my skin that we are spending money we shouldn't have to because the seller didn't fix stuff. Grrrrrrr. Anyways, after this we wait for the appraisal and, if all goes well, we should close soon. We are suppose to get our keys and be done by June 17th. We will see if that happens.

Decoration Inspiration Part 2: The Bedroom - Update

Macy's was having an AWESOME sale this weekend, including an additional 10% off. So, coupon in hand, I went to explore and see if they had anything I couldn't live without.

I had long ago promised Sean that I wouldn't start buying stuff for the new place until we actually had the keys. But then I found this...



I love this bed set and it was SUCH a good deal. For only $90 I got an eight piece bed set (normally $250) that includes everything you see above except for the sheets. So, I just need to find a nice set of white sheets, and I'm good to go on my new bed set.

I love it so much and it is just what I wanted. I really wish we were closing sooner now, but June 17th will come soon enough. Stay tuned, I will post pictures of the actual set in the actual room as soon as we are moved in. :)

June 6th Update: The bed set came in the mail today and I love it just as much! The yellow is a bit softer than it looks in the pictures, but otherwise its great! It was definitely worst the $90. Thank you Macy's!!

Home Buying in the Burbs Part 2

So now that we have our dream home picked out (okay, maybe not our DREAM home, but our dream home for now), we have begun the long and frustrating process of getting it inspected, appraised, and purchased.

At first I thought we were getting off easy. Everything has gone relatively smoothly to date. Since the home is new, their were minimal things that needed to be done and the seller agreed to repair all of them. So here we are thinking all is going well, and then today our bubble was completely burst.

Issue #1: Our amazing realtor (and yes, I stand by that statement despite this) forgot to put the dishwasher repair in our repair agreement. That was the one big thing Sean and I were concerned about and the only thing she forgot. So now we have to hope that the seller will still agree to repair it OR we will have to make a claim against the home warranty to get it fixed. Annoying.

Issue #2: We had the re-inspection today to make sure everything that was listed in the repair agreement had been done. It had not. For some reason the gas was still off, which means the inspector couldn't check the furnace, air conditioner, stove, or fire place. This means we will have to pay to have him out AGAIN. Sandy (our above stated realtor) is going to try and get them to cover the cost, but I'm honestly not sure why they would.

Issue #3: So because we are applying for a 100% financing loan through OnPoint Credit Union (which is a great bank, BTW, and the mortgage broker we are working with is awesome), we have to jump through a few additional hoops to get our financing. One of those is getting a condo certification that gives them a bunch of information about the homeowners association and determines whether we can get 100% financing or if we have to put 5% down. So the original condo cert that the bank got was wrong and we were told we would have to put the 5% down. Now we are finding out that we may not have to put the 5% down, HOWEVER, its suppose to take up to 2 weeks to get the cert. We are suppose to close June 17th. Clearly that will be cutting it close.

So, there goes my dreams of an "easy" home buying process. I'll continue to share updates as they happen, so stand by for more on that front.

Decoration Inspiration Part 2 - The Master Bedroom

So for part 2 of my decoration inspiration I decided to tackle the master bedroom.

For most of my relationship with Sean, everything in our bedroom has been mis-matched and one of several different bed sets. My goal with our new place is to have things be cohesive and my style.

The first thing we plan to buy when we move into our new place is a bed set for a King Size bed, including a new bed. We measured the wall and it should be just big enough for a king bed and 2 night stands. Sean and I have very different taste when it comes to bed furniture. I LOVE sleigh beds and Sean refuses to sleep in them. So, after looking at a bunch of different sets, we finally found one we agree on.

 

This bed has the sleigh bed feel without having the foot board. That is Sean's biggest complaint when it comes to sleigh beds, so I agreed to look for a bed without it. The other thing I like about this set is that its pretty classic in style, so it won't be "out of style" in a few years when we go to sell our house. 

This is the bed set that I want. I love the idea of a light bed set against the dark wood. There are SO many windows in our new bedroom, and I want to play that up by picking bedding with a more laid back feel.

That's it for the master. I'd like to put up curtains eventually, but the house comes with all the blinds, and it doesn't make sense financially to replace all of them with curtains. So we will have to see where we go with that. Maybe eventually we will replace them, but not right away. 

Make-up to Try: Benefits Cosmetics

I spend WAY to much money at Sephora. I've typically had a couple of go-to brands I buy from regularly (Smashbox, Makeup Forever, Urban Decay, etc...), but occasionally I will step outside the box and try something new.

Most recently, I finally accumulated 500 points on my Insider card and got to indulge in the full sized sample. On this particular day they were offering a full-sized sample of two Benefits Cosmetics: a full size blush and mascara.

The first was this amazing blush, CORALista. First thing I noticed upon opening it was that it had a light perfume smell. I wasn't a big fan of the little brush that came with it, but I have a large assortment of my own brushes, so it was easy to find something to use in its place. The color is great. A light coral-pink color that can be layered to be as dark or light as you want, so it really could work on just about any skin tone. I have a medium complexion myself, so I usually find a couple sweeps does me nicely. Its definitely one of the better, more versatile blushes I have come across.

Next, I got a full sized sample of this BADgirl Lash mascara. It has a think, fluffy brush which is great for my thick lashes. The brush itself is a little long and may not be an easy application for someone with smaller eyes. But it goes on in nice thin layers and doesn't clump as much as many of the other mascaras I have tried. It's a great everyday mascara because one coat covers and darkens, without making it look done up. My biggest complaint with mascara has always been having to have an every day and an evening mascara, but this one works well as both with just a couple extra coats.

I was very impressed with both products, so on a recent trip to look for a new bronzer, I decided to give Benefits another try.

 

I ended up picking up this bronzer and blush in one combination called 10. Again, the first thing I noticed upon opening it was the scent. It was different from the CORALista, but still very pleasant. The instructions say to take the brush it comes with and sweep it across the top before applying to your checks for high and low lights. I tried this, but wasn't such a fan. I still don't like the brush these come with. So I tried it again with my own brushes and have to say it looked MUCH better. The small brush it comes with just made it look too dark. With my own brushes I was able to control the amount that went on much better. The light blush against the dark bronzer makes for a great check bone highlighter and, if all you want is some bronzer, sweep it around the box and apply as desired. It's a great light bronzer, but not what you want if you are looking for something dramatic.

All and all my first experiences with Benefit Cosmetics was pretty darn successful. I think next I'm going to give some of their eyeshadow a try.

I'm always looking for new stuff to try, so what about you? What are some of your favorites? What brand of makeup do I just HAVE to try and why? Comment below.

Delta Omicron Turns 50!

Last night I had the honor of joining with the collegiate chapter I advise in celebrating their 50th anniversary on the Portland State Campus.

The night was truly memorable for so many reasons:

1) The food was generally awful, but made much more tolerable by my dining companions... and the delicious tiramisu with hand made (by one of the other alumni) chocolate lyres.



2) I almost made it through an entire section of public speaking with out crying.... Almost....



3) Being in a room surrounded by so many amazing Alpha Chi Omega women is always a memorable, worthwhile experience. Especially when I get to brag about the amazing women I work with.



All and all it was a fun evening and a wonderful experience.

Happy 50th Birthday Delta Omicron!

Wish I Was Here Wednesday

I love this place. The hotel is in SoCal and has a beautiful view of LA.

It makes me want a vacation again.

Decoration Inspiration Part 1: The Living Room

So ever since Sean and I found out we got this house, I've been thinking non-stop about one things....

How am I going to decorate?

Currently, I live in what can only be described as "single man motif." Sean had a lot of input into everything we purchased, so its kind of a mishmash of stuff. However, he agreed that I could decorate the new place however I wanted.

I have a rug that I love, so I've taken my inspiration from the colors in it. Here's a bit of what I've found so far. As soon as we know we actually have the place, I'm going to start making purchases.



I love these bar stools! We have this amazing, high breakfast bar in our kitchen and I wanted something kinda classic looking. Not to mention that 3 of them are only $129.99 at Target! Love them so much!



My kitchen has round handles on everything. I know this is probably going to show some of my quirky-ness, but I hate how round knobs on square cabinets looks. So I want to replace them all. I found these brush nickle knobs that will match our fixtures. A steal at $3.04 a piece.



I LOVE this chair. It's absolutely beautiful and matches the colors in my rug SO well. Another Target find at only $299.99!



I love how classic this sofa is and it goes with EVERYTHING. Some nice throw pillows, and it'll be perfect. Find it at Ikea for $499.00!

Next up is finding a new bedroom set, bedding, and stuff for the master bathroom. Stay tuned... I'll post pictures of that soon!

New Home!

Sean and I finally found a place. It's located right on the Hillsboro/Beaverton border and has everything we want.

We put in an offer last week and it was accepted! We start inspections and stuff this week. If all goes well, we are expecting to close Mid-June. Sean is freaking out, but I'm excited for the next phase in our life.

Below are some pictures of the new place.


Our New Living Room, Complete with Fireplace


Modern Kitchen, Appliances Included


Light and Bright Master Bedroom


Large Master Bathroom

Home Buying in the Burbs Part 1

So Sean and I are buying a house!

We got approved on Wednesday and went to do our first round of looking at places on Thursday. We ended up finding a place that we LOVED and we were going to put an offer in.

So Friday morning we met our realtor back at the house, where she told us there were a couple other offers and we needed to get ours in now and at our best price if we wanted the place. So we took one last look around and decided to make an offer.

I was SO excited. The house was amazing, especially for the price.

And then my realtor called us. Apparently, the assistant that she talked to that morning didn't have all her information correct and when my realtor called to talk to the other realtor, she found out that they had already accepted an offer on the place. I was SO bummed, but Sean and I had already discussed the "what if" since we knew there were other offers.

So the hunt continues. We are going to an open house today to look at another place and have an appointment set up to go looking again on Wednesday (though we are hoping to move it up sooner). We have found a couple more pretty amazing places to go look at, so we will see.

More on this to come... :)

Vacation Wrap-Up

So we had a great time in California. I really wasn't ready for it to end. The weather was gorgeous pretty much the whole time we were there.

My nephew changed so much in the 2 weeks we were there. It's kind of crazy that he will be close to 2 by the next time we see him. Oh, and the big news of the trip... Sean finally held a baby! A couple of times actually. Okay, so as soon as he started crying, Sean would pass him off. But it seems like I was the only one who didn't do that. I guess that's the advantage of growing up around babies.

We got the chance to spend a few hours with Sean's best friend, Jer, which was fun. We went to see the restaurant they are having their wedding at and had a great dinner. Seriously, the food at this place was amazing. Then after dinner we went to the BEST wine bar I had ever been to. The place was called Wine Detectives in downtown Pasadena. Basically, you go in and they give you this pre-loaded card. You then walk around with the card and put it into what I can only describe as a wine vending machine. For a fixed price, you get to try about 2 ounces of some amazing wines. I actually got to try and $200 bottle of wine. I'll be honest, it wasn't that much better than the $50 bottle right next to it, but it was still fun. We kept joking about how they should franchise and start one in Oregon, especially since 4 of the 5 Pinot Noir's were from Oregon winerys (but she didn't have my personal favorite).

We also celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary while we were there. Started off the day doing pictures with the sister's in law for Sean's mom. We are making her a book for Mother's Day and since it was one of the few nice, not windy days we had, we did them then.

After that we headed down the hill to Ontario and went to the mall. Didn't buy anything exciting, but we did get to go play at Dave and Busters for a couple hours. For dinner we went to Black Angus. It wasn't anything too exciting, but not a bad day considering Sean completely forgot our anniversary (oops).

All and all a good trip, though I'm happy to be home. Sean and I are working on something pretty exciting, so I may have big news soon. In the mean time, fingers crossed for us please!

Happy Tuesday!

California Bound

So excited for the coming weeks. Tomorrow, bright and early, Sean and I board a plane for California. We've only flown together 2 times in the almost 6 years we've been together, so this should be fun. Luckily, it's only a little over a 2 hour flight.

We have so much fun stuff planned. Finally get to meet our nephew, Cade, who is already almost a month old. We are going to an Angel's game with my sister-in-law and her husband on Saturday and I'm spending the day with my BFF who lives in San Diego on Sunday. We are also planning to go to Vegas for a few days and, in amongst all of that, we will celebrate 3 years of marriage.

It's hard to believe it's been almost 3 years already. Since I probably won't be blogging much while we are gone, I want to say...

Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband.



I <3 him so much!

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!

1 Week and Counting...

... until our 2.5 week vacation in Southern California! Sean and I are both really excited, though Sean more than me. I think he REALLY needs the vacation.

So the last week was interesting. I spent the better part of it down in Eugene helping my mom update her bathroom. Saturday we went to Spirit Mountain again, but this time to see Gabriel Inglesias perform. It was a great show.

Now its back to the daily grind for another week before we hop on a flight. Fingers crossed for decent weather while we are there. I think we both need a good dose of sun in our lives.

March Madness

This is, hands down, my favorite time of year!

I LOVE BASKETBALL!

And the best part is that 3 of my 4 favorite teams are all in the tournament this year. And even Oregon managed to sneak into the post season.

Anyways, I will be watching very closely as UCLA, Texas, and Syracuse make their way through the tournament.

First up, Texas! Hook'em Horns!!


Later, a little Bruins...





Seriously, I love this time of the year!

Diet/Life Update

First, I have to be honest that last weeks diet adventure was a big fail.

Sean was having a rough week at work and needed some time away, so we packed up and headed to the coast. We ended up staying in this small, secluded beach town with very few dinning options. We did the best we could considering, but definitely not ideal.

To add to that story a little, we got a rather rude wake up call at 5:00am on Friday morning. Let me back up a little...

We went to bed Thursday night with the news of what was happening in Japan on our mind. We got back to the room late that night and had just found out about it on the news. I remember saying to Sean how crazy it was and I wonder if the waves could make it our way.

Fast forward to Friday morning at 5am. The phone started ringing and there was a really loud siren going off in the background.

Sean and I both shot out of bed and he answered the phone. Turns out it was the hotel basically telling us that there were Tsunami warnings on the coast and that if we wanted to leave we should pack up and do so now, as they were closing down the roads and stuff.

So we packed up and headed to my mom's. There wasn't a lot else we could do and traffic to Salem was A LOT better than traffic to Portland. We stopped and got some breakfast before heading to mom's. I was on the phone with her at 5:30am and it was kinda funny how worried she was, since they were talking about the waves being MAYBE a couple of feet.

Anyways, we got to mom's and spent the rest of the weekend with the family celebrating my sisters birthday and planning her wedding. So, needless to say, I didn't do so well with my eating.

Last night was better. We made turkey burgers on these whole wheat 100 calorie buns with spinach and onions on them. It was pretty tasty. Tonight has stuffed chicken with curried quinoa on the menu for dinner.

So time to get back on track. I'm determined to get healthy before my sisters wedding so I have to have the dress taken in A TON. That's my goal. We will see how that goes. :)

Sister Wedding Update

So this weekend Sean and I are in Eugene visiting my family. My sister, mom, and I started working on the location. We are pretty sure we found the ceremony location.

We also went to David's Bridal to look at dresses, and my sister found her wedding dress. It's amazing. I also found my bridesmaid dress. David's actually does some of their long dresses with extra length, which would have been nice 3 years ago when I wasn't able to be in my friends wedding. The dress wasn't long enough and the bride didn't want to change it. Whatever... Anyways, so here it is....



That's the color and everything. Everyone else will be in blue, but I'm Matron of Honor, so I get silver. Kinda fun. :)

I also found a dress for our friends wedding in November. Going to wait a little longer to order it, but I'm super excited about it, as it is also long and also comes with extra length. This is that dress...



So all and all a successful weekend. I'm coming down next weekend and we are going to start working on reception venue. I'm also going to work on some other stuff this week since I don't really have any Alpha Chi stuff to do.

Wish I Was Here Wednesday

I wish I was here right now....



OH WAIT!!!

In a few hours I will be.....!!!

Sean and I are taking off for a night of no phone/no internet and relaxation. We do this occasionally and its good for the soul (and our stress levels).

Can't wait to be there!!

Good News Kinda Week

So Monday night I found out that my little sister is getting married.



I am both Matron of Honor and Wedding Planner, so I am going into overdrive. I've already started putting together ideas for stuff, as she picked a day only 10 months away. <3 it! Then, at 11:08am, my sister in law gave birth to our first Nephew, Cade! Actually, second, as my best friends son is also my nephew. Regardless, so excited for someone else to spoil! :) He's a handsome little guy.

It's been a good week, and will only get better. Going down this weekend to celebrate with my sister and heading to California in a month to meet our nephew. Doesn't get any better than this!