And just like that...

I drop off the face of the earth.

But on the bright side, some things have happened since we last saw each other.

Let's look at some snippets.

May

I turned 26 & I got a penguin balloon animal. It was the highlight of my otherwise second worst birthday ever.

June

I ended up with food poisoning.  That was made worse by previously mentioned stomach problems. Which turned into dehydration and messed my body up so bad I spent my first night in the hospital since birth instead of at my bridal shower.

July

I was showered with love by many of my favorite ladies.

Vito & I also spent a week at the beach.  Which was our first vacation in 4 years.

August

We moved out of our first home.

I helped move Vito into Clemson (which was the absolute worst nightmare of a moving story ever.) & I moved in with my sister & niece.

September

Vito & I rendezvoused in Virginia for the weekend.  We ate, watched football, and slept.  It was nice.

October

We had the best day ever.

The good, the bad, the terrible, and the best  

All rolled into one post.

Let's do this again soon, shall we?

8)

"By With a Little Help from My Friends."

Title: The Beatles - "With a Little Help from My Friends"

Thank you all for all the support for prayers lately.  Since coming back to blogging, it's been a bit heavy around here.  & that's been a big part of my life, but there are also good and amazing things going on in my life.

Since I posted about wedding things, I created a little DIY project and asked my favorite ladies to stand beside me on our big day.  I thought about just asking them but I wanted to do something different and fun. 

Enter Pinterest with all the fun ideas.  So I adapted what I saw and made something of my own!

Enter the boxes.  

I had 6 lovely ladies to ask, plus a flower girl.  

Every girl had their own box with their initial on the tag.

 On the second tag, I put this little quote I found online:

On the day that I am to be a bride,

it would mean the world to me

to have you by my side.

All the girls found the same picture on the inside but each had their name and the "Will you be my bridesmaid/maid of honor/flower girl?"

& of course, a ring pop.  Because they deserved to have the question popped too!

As for how I made them, I bought the white boxes at a craft store and filled them with easter grass.  I bought the initial sticks and ribbon at the craft store as well.  I created the wording/tags/picture using Picmonkey & printed everything with my computer.

I am happy to say, after a lot of screaming and hugging and some tears, every girl agreed!

 I may be bias but my girls are BEAUTIFUL

And of course, my littlest love.

When she opened the box she yelled "YES!"

Even though she'll be 10, she wants nothing else than to still be a flower girl.

What this princess wants, she gets.

It was fun to see all their faces and I couldn't be more excited to have these loves in my life!

Have you asked your ladies/have you been asked any special ways?

"I just want to know today, know today, know today know that maybe I will be ok"

Title:  Ingrid Michaelson - "Be Ok"

Me? I'm a planner.  Not that I mind change so much.  With going to so many new and different schools in my life, I learned that change is essential.  And sometimes I can feel it in my soul if things get stagnant.  That I need change.  Something new.  Something to keep life exciting.

Things I don't handle well? Knowing change is coming but yet I don't know in what way.  I need to plan.  I'm a worrier.  If I don't know what to worry about, I can't start planning.  And if I can't start planning, my worrying can get out of control.  

That all being said, I'm dealing with big changes coming my way at the moment.  

Marrying my love in about 5 months.

Dealing with whatever is going on with my health.

Working on living a healthier lifestyle.

Moving over 600 miles from the only home I've ever know.

Talk about major changes right?

Talk about worrying.

And planning.

And worrying some more.

Stress.

Tears.

And more worrying.

You see, Vito missed math and decided he wanted to go back and pursue his education.  I support him whole heartedly. So the process began of taking the GREs, which he kicked ass, taking the subject test, which he did okay at, and applying to 18 different colleges.  

So began the waiting game.  Our lives were about to go through some major changes but we didn't know where or what that would mean.  Seeing as I stated before about needing to plan, you can already piece together how well that went.  Out of the 18 colleges, Vito was accepted to 6 of them but only 3 of them offered financial aid.  Those 3 were listed at my least favorite colleges on the list solely because they were so far away from home.  

I've lived here for 22 years.  My family and friends and work and church are all here.  The thought of moving far gives me anxiety.  So began listing the pros and cons.  There were lots of tears.  Lots of anger.  Even more prayers.  Eventually we came to a decision.  We will be heading down to Clemson SC this fall.

I won't pretend this is easy.  Or even a happy time for me yet.  I know in my heart this is what we need to do.  I support Vito with everything I have and I know this is what he needs.  But I am going to miss everyone and everything else in my life I will be leaving behind temporarily.  It's a 5 year program which feels like eternity on this side of things.  But I know once we are finished down there, it will feel like no time at all.

If y'all have some extra prayers, please send them our way.  I know there are good things coming our way, everything is just very overwhelming right now. 8)

"We Run Circles, No Direction Do I See"

Title: Blue October - "Kangaroo Cry"

My, oh my, where has time gone?

Hi Bloggers, it's me, Vanessa.

Do you remember me? 

I'm just that girl who blogs a few times and then goes on hiatus more often than she doesn't.

I love blogging. 

But when I am blogging, I feel like I am constantly running out of things to say.

And when I'm not blogging, I miss it terribly.

This little space on the internet is my safe haven.  

I always see posts of bloggers expressing how they feel they can't truly express themselves for this, that, or the other reason.

Me? I've never felt that here.  

& that's what I love most.

My life right now, for many reasons that I hope to slowly get into, is chaotic to say the least.

Everything is changing and the feeling of being overwhelmed is a constant.

Unfortunately I think a lot of the chaos has been hanging out in my head.

So I'm coming back to blogging, because I think I need it.

I need my little space to purge all my thoughts and feelings.

About life. About the small event happening in under 200 days (!!!). About a song I am really loving or a book I lived in temporarily but can't seem to get over. About happiness and sadness.

About me.

The girl with the out of control curls, who is often seen in plain clothes, who wears glasses but hates them so she often takes them off in pictures.

Here I am, making my umpteenth return.

I've miss y'all dearly.

{Wedding Talk} Countdown: 11 Months

Today is November 12th, 2012.

Probably to most of you, it seems like just another dumb Monday. 

Mostly, I agree.

Dumb, stupid Mondays always ruin my inevitably too-short weekend.

But today? I looked at the date on my phone at work and it hit me out of no where.

11 more months.

11 more months until our big day.

After this realization, I was instantly hit with two polarizing emotions that can be shown with two different questions that entered my mind.

11 MORE FLIPPING MONTHS?!

& 

ONLY 11 MORE MONTHS?!

First I thought 11 more flipping months.  How is this possible?! 

I JUST WANT TO BE MARRIED NOOOOOOOOOW.  

My impatience shinning through, such a beautiful sight. Vito & I have been together for over 7.5 years at this point.  We started dating in high school so rushing our relationship? Nah.  We never hurried to be engaged (Obviously, because the amount of "about time" comments we received when we announced our engagement made that clear).  We didn't see the point.  I chose him, he chose me,  We knew in the end we'd be together so why rush to spend oodles of money we din't have on a wedding.  We'd get there eventually.  That is not to say we were not or are not flipping excited to be husband and wife.  We are ecstatic.  I am. And now I am feeling slightly impatient because I just want our wedding to be here. I want to be married now and see how beautiful our day will be and how everything will turn out and what everything will look like and to call Vito my husband and be surrounded by everyone we love at the same time and...

I am so overly excited, it is causing my impatience to bleed through.  

And then the flip side of the coin.

I only have 11 months to pull this shindig together? 

We don't have a DJ or know what we will feed people or even come to a final decision as to who will be in our bridal party and I haven't lost the magical 50 lbs in the last month like I was wishing to lose before dress shopping and... The list goes on here too.  Wedding planning is a joyous job, but good Lord it is overwhelming and time consuming for a couple on a budget.  And there are SO many things to plan I would have never thought of before hand.  And I only have 11 months left to do it all? Time to change into my superwoman gear. 

But even after these two outlooks that first popped into my mind, thinking of our wedding day makes me giggle like a little school girl.  Someone at church last week said "This time next year, you guys will be married!" And we both stood there with stupid grins on our faces.  Because our wedding will be here before we know it and everything will be planned for and even if things go wrong, we will be married at the end of the day, 11 months from now, and that is what is most important!

Am I the only one who experiences two very different emotions surrounding one event or idea?

{Wedding Talk} Finding The Perfect Venue - Check!

So far in the wedding venue world, I've told y'all about things we didn't want in a venue.

And venues we fell for but didn't work out for us.

So now? 

Let's get to the good part!

We set up a meeting to tour the beautiful barn venue that Sunday.

Now one thing you should probably know about me:  I am a worrier. And I get all kinds of nervous. Over everything. I mean, everything.  (My boss has suggested I get anxiety meds for the wedding week.) So something as big as touring a venue? I couldn't even eat lunch before hand, I had myself so anxious.  But don't worry, we stopped after church so Vito could chow down on some food.  Man has a stomach of steel.  I just kept having nervous thoughts.  What if the lady is mean? What if I don't ask the right questions? What if it isn't perfect? What if we never find a venue that we can afford? What if... What if...  Ridiculous right? I had spoken with the owner and she was very sweet on the phone.  I brought my wedding binder with a whole list of questions to ask. And if it didn't work, what could I do to fix that? Nothing.  (I can rationally point these things out now).

So we made it there on time.
And we met the owner.
And we toured the place.
She answered all the right questions.
And basically, the meeting went great.
All those worries for nothing.

A beautiful barn for a perfect reception.

A built in area for a faux-to-booth.

Fields around a beautiful lake.

Pretty places for pictures.

And many places to choose from for a ceremony site.

(Please excuse the poor quality pictures.  It is hard to take multiple pictures while paying attention and ooohing and aahhhhing.)

We get in the car and Vito looks at me and says "I think it is perfect, let's do it!"

Me: "Uhmm. Well it is perfect but let's think about it."

Another things you should know about me? 

I am indecisive.  Probably the most indecisive person you will find.  I was the girl who would find the perfect homecoming dress in store 1. But go to every single other store, JUST IN CASE there was a better dress.  There never was.  But I always feel like I need to see all my options before making a big decision.  And since a wedding venue is a pretty big decision, I thought I should think about it more.  JUST IN CASE.  (welcome to my ridiculous side, y'all.)

I had 3 reservations with the venue.

1. We really wanted a September wedding.  

And this venue was completely booked for September and the first weekend in October already.  Most than 15 months out y'all.  Wedding vendors are crazy.  So the second & third weekend in October were open.  

2. The barn does not have heating or AC.  

Though I feel, after talking to about 20 different people for their opinions, this shouldn't be a problem.  The average temp is low 70s.  By the time it starts dropping, we'll be drinking in the barn and dancing the night away.  There are 2 big doors that can be open or closed.  So it should be fine.

3.  The owner will be out of state the weekend of our wedding.

This had me worried. I would be working with her and yet she wouldn't be there.  She assured me another lady, who lives on the property would be there if we had questions or had any issues.

Things we loved?

1. The venue was exactly what we pictured.  And by we, I mean me and Vito thinks it works.

2. It was in our budget.

3. We get the venue from Thursday evening to Sunday.

4. We can bring in whatever vendors we want.

5. We can decorate and set up however we want.

6. It is close by.

7. It is just beautiful.

8. The owner was so sweet.  And she was very encouraging about coming to visit every weekend if I wanted.  Bringing whoever I want to show it off.  And encouraged coming on Saturday morning so I could see how other brides decide to decorate the place.

So as you can see the pros totally outweigh the cons.

But I was still thinking.

And then I received an email from the owner letting me know that there were 2 other brides, who toured the venue the same day as us, who wanted the second weekend in October.  She said she does it by whoever gives her a deposit first.  But she wanted to give me a heads up since we were the first to tour it (by a few hours).  I received this at work and, well, cue freak out.  

We had to decide and we had to decide now.  Vito was sold on it.  And after really thinking it over, I was too.  We had dinner plans with a group of friends that night but we wanted to get everything booked as soon as possible, just in case.  So in order to secure our date, Vito headed over after work to sign the contract while I went to my yearly spread 'em appt.  (Is it just me or do these appts really make it seem like a year flies by waaaaay too fast?)

So, after this incredibly long post, Vito & I have a date and a venue!

We are getting married!

12 October 2013

{Wedding Talk} Picking a Perfect Venue

Last month, I told y'all all about the things I didn't want in our wedding venue.  

Then became the fun times of looking at things we liked.

If you know us, you would know we like our wine.

We visit wineries often, attend wine festivals, and take part in the local wine trails.

You will never come to our house and find it wine-less.

So naturally the first places we started looking into were wineries.

Lots of extensive research on winery websites within a 1-1.5 hour radius of where we live.

We even did a tour of our favorite winery.

Which everyone in my family and our friends was convinced it was the perfect place.

Unfortunately, wineries are expensive.  I'm talking WAY expensive.

This was no exception for our favorite one.  

For about half of our budget, we could have the winery for 5 hours.

And just the grounds.  

No chairs, no tables. No tent. 

All would need rented.

Sadly, this seemed to be the norm for wineries around here.

So on to more research.

Then came the ideas of barns.  

If you've been on Pinterest, you know all the barn-inspired pictures that show up.

And they are stunning.

One day while google searching, I stumbled onto a blog mentioning she where was getting married.

And it sounded perfect.

It had a large barn for the reception.  

And lots of weeping willows around a lake.

Weeping Willows are our FAVORITE tree.

I tried to find a website or facebook page and there was nothing.

Only a few pictures on a photographer's blog.

Apparently from reading on the forums, the owners do not advertise and only go by word of mouth.

This sounds good right? 

Insert Vanessa getting her hopes up.

So I call and the lady was super nice and helpful.

The price? As much as the winery.

Insert Vanessa's hopes being crushed here.

So we sat down and tried to work it into the budget.

And we couldn't.  We tried and tried but it just wouldn't fit.

So I went back to researching more and more and still sticking with the barn idea. 

And I found one that is 30 mins from our house.

Another one where they don't advertise and I only found 10 pictures on The Knot, with no reviews.

Too good to be true? Was I going to have my hopes crushed again?

So I sucked it up and called the owner and she was wonderful.

AND it was only a smidge over our budget.

Naturally, we set up an appointment immediately to tour the venue that weekend.

But more on that in the next post. ;)

How many venues did you fall in love with but had to pass on them?

{Wedding Talk} Choosing a Venue: What We Do Not Want

Wedding planning.

There are so many decisions to be made when planning a wedding.

My to do list on The Knot gives me anxiety with all the things I need to do before the big day.

But where does one start?

Well after the budget of course, I think choosing a venue is next in line.

With so many around, how do you narrow them down?

I started with figuring out what I did not want in a venue.

First,

I did not want a bingo sign at the reception.

This eliminates all the fire halls in the area.

Don't get me wrong, I've been to a few and they have been beautiful.

And the price?

Unbeatable.

But it just isn't for me.

Second.

As absolutely beautiful and breathtaking as church weddings are, I have never envisioned myself getting married in a church.

This is one thing Vito & I went back and forth on for awhile.

He was leaning towards a church wedding.

Me? 

I always envisioned getting married outside.

Plus you add in all the extra things you need to worry about with having a ceremony and reception at separate places like transportation and all that jazz.

After talking about it, we decided to look for a venue where we could host both our ceremony and reception.

Third?

We needed a venue that was beautiful and we loves but would not cost us an arm and a leg.

This is where the budget talk before the venue search was important.

Vito & I are paying for the wedding ourselves, without help from our parents.

He is not on good terms with his parents at the moment and my mom can't afford to chip in.

This leaves the entire cost of the wedding on our shoulders.

And those of you who have helped with a wedding/planned your own wedding/ researched anything to do with weddings will know that nothing in the world of weddings is cheap. 

So with those basic ideas, the search began!

But more on that later. ;)

Was this your first step in looking for a wedding venue?

What did you/do you not want in a venue?

"I See Through You, You See Through Me"

Title: Ingrid Michaelson - "Glass"

Currently in the life of Vanessa...

Food I'm loving: Cherries.

Source: zurnal24.si via Katja on Pinterest

I. Cannot. Get. Enough. of Sweet cherries.  Our grocery store has been carrying ones with amazing flavor and I've been putting down a bag myself within a week.  

One of the many reasons I love Summer. 

Fresh fruit!

Music I have on repeat:  Ingrid Michaelson.

Source: Uploaded by user via Wednesday on Pinterest

I am soon seeing her live so to pre-game for the concert, I have been listening to her non-stop at work. & while cooking dinner too so Vito is ready for the concert as well. I can't wait to see her live AND it has been a LONG time since I have been to a concert so I am extra excited!

Wedding planning: Catering

Source: breanabanana.tumblr.com via Jenna on Pinterest

Dude. If there is anything that will make me cry angry tears during this planning process, it'll be the price of catering. Pricing is ridiculous. Has anyone ever served Ramen? Because we could be original...

Netflixing:  Doctor Who Season 6.

Source: methodshop.com via Rosendo on Pinterest

I have some serious doubts on this show.  But like everyone told me to, I stuck with it.  And this is the best season yet.  

I l.o.v.e The Ponds.

Reading:  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Source: readyplayerone.com via Marilyn on Pinterest

I just started this book and I am excited to see where it goes!

Feeling:  Tired.

Source: via Lisa on Pinterest

Dead tired.

Between staying out late Saturday night for a party, not being able to sleep because I drank alcohol (terrible, right?), getting up early for church, going grocery shopping, cleaning, and hosting dinner, and then not sleeping well last night?

This girl needs a nap.

& there is no break until Wednesday.

Thank God the weekend was worth it. 8)

Currently, what is going on with you?

"They Tell Me You Can Only Dream When You Fall Asleep..."

Title: Ed Sheeran - Nightmares

Have I ever told y'all about my dreams?

No? Maybe? 

I don't remember.

But let's just say I have dreams the my main man Freud would love to analyze himself.

(love me through my psych nerdiness.)

Most of my dreams are crazy, off the wall, I don't even know how my brain would make this shiz up and somehow it does.

When I say to my family: 

"So I had this dream last night...",

it is usually followed with:

"Uh-o"

"Hey y'all, it's story time!"

"NOW what could you have dreamed up?"

Now as you all already know, I only started actively planning the wedding for less than 2 months.  

I've have 3 wedding dreams already.

3.

I can only imagine how many I will have by the time we say "I do".

The dreams

The first one?

Happened the beginning of July.

& it was a full out nightmare.

I'm talking putting on my dress and it fell off me.

Did. Not. Fit.

My mom had to try to sew me in the dress using parts of her (baby blue!) wedding dress.

And she kept stabbing me with the needle.

My hair had already fallen out.

And the wedding was suppose to start 45 mins prior.

I was convinced Vito thought I blew him off.

Awesome.

Did I mention none of my bridesmaids were anywhere to be found.

SO awesome.

Second dream?

Last night.

& it was a normal dream.

I dreamt I contacted a photographer for the wedding.

It took them forever to email back.

And when they did, he told me he couldn't photograph the wedding. 

Why?

"It was his mommy's birthday."

And I should just move my wedding to accommodate him.

Ugh.

The third dream?

Also last night.

I dreamt I read in the paper that the post office was doing a release for two days.

Specialized Stamps!

Of what, you might ask?

The one. The only.

Doug Funnie.

And I NEEDED them for the wedding invitation.

I had myself in a tizzy because no other stamp would do.

Only Doug.

I'd say this was the funniest dream so far.

Pun intended.

At least I'm having a wide variety of different dreams...

And on a scale of Vanessa's crazy dreams, these rate very low on the craziness scale.

So tell me, am I alone in wedding dreamland?

Am I the only one with waaaaaay out there dreams?

Wedding Talk: The Creation of the Binder

Ever have one of those weekends where you basically do nothing?

That was this past weekend for me.

We did dinner at home on Friday.

Saturday: Vito had a meeting in the afternoon and a guy's night out at night.

Sunday: we ran errands.

Please hold back your jealousy.

We like to party hard.

So since I have no fun stories about what we did, I thought maybe I'd touch on something wedding related.

Behold the Wedding Binder.

Since this is kinda a big thing, planning a wedding, I thought I should do my best to stay organized.

Some people told me they lived by theirs.

Others told me they were unnecessary.

Last weekend we ventured out to Target and found this pretty in the school supplies section and spent that evening putting it together.

In front, I created a monthly calendar.  I will always keep the current month up front so I can write down appointments and keep track of meetings.

I purchased the little dividers.

I jotted down a list of 8 categories I thought might incorporate everything.

Since I'm indecisive, I made sure I could change them at any time.

Or could just add more.

Very important to me? 

The pocket.

If you are at a vendor meeting, the chances of papers being hole punched, ready to be inserted into my handy, dandy notebook binder are pretty slim.

Also heavily stocked with lined paper for notes while at meetings.

And big rings, for all the inspiration and DIY projects I will inevitably print off of Pinterest at some point.

It works pretty great for me, even if it is simple. 

And I love how adorable it is.

It has even been used in action at our first official meeting about a wedding.

But more on that another time. ;)

Did you/do you have a wedding binder?

Any tips for something I'm missing??

Or can we just talk about how depressing it is to see school supplies back in stores already?

Don't even get me started on the Christmas decor popping up...

10 Day You Challenge {7 Wants}

I'll just pretend here that it isn't November 1st (?!?!) and continue with the 10 day challenge!

7 Wants

1.

Win the Powerball

This would take care of the following wants & more.

2.

Pay off student loans

The amount of stress this would relieve from Vito & I's life.

Indescribable.

3.

Buy our first house.

I can't wait to share a house of our own.

That I can decorate however I want.

& host parties and dinners.

A place of our own.

4.

Have the beautiful wedding that we both dream of.

Weddings cost SO much money, even if you are trying to do it on a budget.

To be able to have the wedding we want without having to sacrifice eating for the next year or 3?

Yes please.

5.

Buy a DSLR camera

I LOVE taking pictures.

& I'd love to learn more about photography by shooting with a DSLR.

Because sometimes my point & shoot just doesn't cut it.

6.

Travel

There is so much world out there.

So much to see.

So much to experience.

It is calling my name.

7.

Finding the perfect job.

Now that I have a degree, I want to find a job that I enjoy.

One that lets me help others.

One that is rewarding.

Let's hear about your wants!

"There's a 30% chance that it's already raining!"

Title: Quote from Mean Girls

Thank the Lord it is Tuesday, which is like a Monday since I had off yesterday.

So let's talk about important things from this weekend.

1.

Tuesday.

September 6th.

September 6th?!

Someone please explain how we almost have 1 week of September already over with.

2.

Please look at this weather forecasted for today:

63.

A high of 63?!

I'm pretty ready for fall but I'd like to ease into it please.

It was almost 90 just 2 days ago.

Also, anytime a percentage of rain comes up, I think of this scene from Mean Girls.

Makes me laugh every. single. time.

3.

Labor Day weekend = Good sales weekend!

Vicki's had their panty raid.

Kohls had a huge sale on K-cups.

Borders has less than 10 days left and is up to 60-80% off.

Bath & Body Works brought in their fall scents.

Please see the one they made just for me.

Pumpkin and caramel? My two favorites? Yes.

Also bought sweet cinnamon pumpkin spray for my car too.

YUM.

4.

Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

The iced one on Saturday for when it was hot and humid.

The hot one for today when the high is 63*.

Delicious.

That is all I gots to say about that.

5.

Yesterday Vito & I celebrate one year of engagement.

1 year already?

Yeah, I can't believe it either.

We kept it low key and just enjoyed being together all day.

The weather was unfortunately rainy so any day trips outside were thrown out.

But that is okay.

We went to dinner and ate yummmmmmmy food.

Spinach and Artichoke dip.

Blue Moon for him and White Zin for me.

Blondie Sundae for dessert.

Duck for him and parmesan encrusted tilapia for me.

It was good eatin', to say the least!

Guess it is time to get to that wedding planning I've been anxiously avoiding awaiting!

How was your holiday weekend?