Trip Around the Sun-Chapter 24

25 and FEELING FINE! 

Hello Dolls!

August is my favorite month, tied only with December. If you know me or have read any of my posts the past 2 years, you would know that August is not only my birthday but also the month that 6 years ago I began dating my now fiancé. Yes, I know with our upcoming wedding on February 15^th, after this year, August 25^th will no longer be an “anniversary”. But for me, it will always be a date I hold in my heart. In my opinion, dating for 6 years is plenty of reason to celebrate. Heck, some marriages don’t even last that long. SAD, but TRUE!

Now even though my birthday (quarter of a century! YIKES!) is today, we celebrated my birthday this past weekend at Top Golf in Houston. Typically we celebrate the weekend after, however unless you have been living under a rock, you would know that this week is the start of college football. A&M kicks off our 2013 season on Saturday versus Rice. With all the Johnny BS I am ready for a good game! Anyways, I had about me and 18 friends at Top Golf Houston this weekend and had a great time. If you haven’t ever visited top golf I highly recommend it. It always makes you feel really special to have a large group come together to celebrate your life. I feel so blessed to call each and every one of them friends.

I enjoy reflecting back on the past year on every birthday. It’s like your own “New Year” holiday. 24 had some hard times but it also had some of the best moments of my life! So here is a look back at my trip around the sun-chapter 24. Enjoy.

Last year around this same time I was once again blessed to have a group of people come together to celebrate. I’m not one of those people that think the older you get you don’t deserve a party.  Heck in my book, you just have more money to throw better parties! I had a wonderful time last year two-steppin’ and boogying down at Rebel’s with lovely friends.

October was a crazy busy month for me in 2012! I think Trevor and I were out of town nearly never weekend for Aggie Football and also wedding festivities from my friend Heather. It was a whirlwind of a month but I wouldn't change a thing.

Last Year the Aggies made their debut in the SEC. To say people doubted our ability to be successful would be the understatement of the year. But on November 10, 2012 we showed the Crimson Tide, the SEC and the rest of College football what we were made of. I don’t think I have ever had such a high heart rate during a football game. And yes, I cried when we won. #diehardfan

December is tied with August on best month of the year in my book. This past December was no exception. Being home with family for longer than 2 days is always a blessing. We’ve been doing the same thing every Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for the past 25 years, and I absolutely love it.

To round out 2012, Trevor and I hosted our first party at our new home for New Year’s Eve. We had a lot of laughs and a lof of fun. It was a wonderful night. The only tiny damper was the corneal laceration I managed to get at the end of the night. #worstpainever

Let’s talk about weddings. It is definitely that time in my life where everyone around me is getting married. I find it wonderful that everyone is finding their match. I wish every one of these couples a lifetime of happiness and hope for them they feel the same love they felt on their wedding day, every day of their lives together.

So May has to be like the #bestmonthever of Chapter 24. My best friend, Housewife, and soul sistergot engaged to the man of her dreams. Just so happens, I did the same. I am so excited to become his wife, it’s almost unbearable. You can read all about that joyful day here. It was been such a fun experience planning our weddings together. It’s like Bride Wars…without the war.

My girls move fast. What do I mean by that? Well, I got engaged in May, had a full on “Stock the Bar” Engagement Party in June. #blessedbeyondmeasure I also move fast, and Trevor and I were taking engagement pictures in July! No time like the present.

I can’t go without sharing (even though it was in August of this year) that I was lucky enough to have David Tuttera do a show in Houston. I was even more lucky when I got to meet him. #CanYouBeMyGayBestFriend? In all seriousness this guy is a genius, and quite hilarious too.

I always like to share the same excerpt from my first birthday blog every year. It reigns true every year.

“As a huge Jimmy Buffet stalker fan I live my life inspired by many of his songs. This one in particular I always end up listening to a lot when August rolls around each year. I think it's a great message and an awesome song. If you have never heard this song, I encourage you to take a few minutes and listen to it. It's called "Trip Around the Sun"-By Jimmy Buffett featuring Martina McBride. There is a particular line that says "Only time will tell if it was time well spent" and that is kind of how I want to live my life, no regrets, not worrying about everything, because eventually time will tell you if your decision was good or not. You can't predict the future so you might as well enjoy the ride."

The past year has been a whirlwind of different experiences. I learned a lot, struggled though some crap, grew in my faith, moved up in my career, found a new (and bonus HEALTHY) obsession- Les Mills Body Pump, GOT ENGAGED, and made some new friends. All in all it was a good year, but I am so excited for what the next year will bring! 

Cheers to my last birthday as a “MISS”.

 Now to get through this workday and start my new “trip around the sun” off with good food and company tonight! 

A Wedding, #DietCokeproblems, and Workout Class Adventures

Happy almost Friday dolls!

I hope that everyone has had a great week this week! And if not, well folks it's nearly Friday so the weekend is in very clear sight.

Two weekends back (I know I have been slacking on my blogging) was the big wedding of the Coco's. Yes that really is their last name, their favors were actually hot coco; Cute right? Anyways, the weekend went very well. The bride looked beautiful (nearly flawless actually). At every wedding that I have been a part of, the bride has always looked the most beautiful I have ever seen her, always. It's was the same situation for Amy, Marina, Ashley, and now Heather, there is just this glow of that day. The glow, paired with the perfect dress, make-up and hair topped off with the pure joy that you are about to marry the one the completes your soul equals a stunning bride. I wish the Coco's a lifetime of happiness and love.

 Maid of Honor, Bride (looking perfect), and Matron of Honor

 The dress fit her like a glove.

 First Dance-Keeper of the Stars

 Beautiful centerpieces

 My hott date. ;)

 Love a man in a tux.

 This group knows how to party!

 Bride and Groom Table

 I was so ready to catch that bouquet! (Sadly, I did not)

BUUUTTT The bride to give me her original bouquet. At the very end of the reception she found me and said some very kind and special things to me and gave me the bouquet. I'm not going to divulge the story because I feel like things like that are meant to be kept private but thank you H, for all that you said.

I've started this new water accountability thing with a co-worker of mine. Basically I have an addiction to Diet Coke. And no I am not over exaggerating. I LOVE diet coke, but I drink way too much of it. Why don't I just drink more water instead? Well, because I hate water. I hate drinking it unless I am at the gym, and even then I don't drink much of it. So my new thing is I now am allowed my morning Diet Coke (since I do not drink coffee) and then after that, I have to drink four 16 ounce glasses before I can have another one, and so on. It's going to be tough but I am really trying to drink more water. I'll keep you posted...

Along with drinking more water I have decided to take advantage of my gym's workout classes they offer. So far I have indulged in Bollywood Shake, Taserobics, Strictly Core and Stepping. Bollywood Shake has been my favorite so far, it's a combination of tradition Indian moves, belly dancing, Latin dance, and a little bit of hip hop. They turn out the lights and turn on the disco ball and it feels like a party. Taserobics was fun but tough, and I am still sore from it. Taserobics is a traditional high-low impact Aerobics class combined with strength movements that is designed to reshape and tone your gluts, abs, and legs. The strictly CORE class is exactly what it sounds like, all abs. It hurts to sit up...GREAT SUCESS! Stepping was by FAR the most challenging to me. You all have heard of steppin class I am sure. The step bench raised less than a foot off the ground, you step up...you step down, easy enough right? WRONG! I'd like to think I have rhythm but clearly after taking this class, I suck at following directions. I was stepping in all the wrong places for the first 30 minutes but you bet you’re a$$ I was sweating like I was sunbathing in Arizona (drenched I tell you).  I bet I would have been entertaining to watch. Overall though I would recommend any of the classes above, they were all really great workouts they targeted different things. Plus the classes make an hour long workout go by so much faster than lifting/traditional cardio. Tonight is Bollywood Shake again and I'm kind of excited. :)

Last, but certainly not least, my Cajun blood has be craving crawfish almost as bad as I crave diet coke. (I'm looking at you Trevor Davis)

Happy Thursday Dolls!

Random Friday Thoughts of a Houstonian

Wow, this week has completely changed my view on 2012/20-hell. I'm now a fan. Incredible things happened to me this week and hopefully come Monday I will be able to share the amazing news with the blogging world. :)

This weekend is going to be a good one. Although I'll be missing Trev (If he's not with me I miss him, simple as that) I can't wait for 4 O'clock to get here today. With him being on his way to Shreveport, and Chanel off with a friend for the weekend, I will have the entire evening to myself to run errands, workout, and pack/get the last minute things ready for the bachelorette party. It's going to be a busy Friday, but I plan on being in bed by 9 with the last hunger games book and a big glass of wine. I need to be completely rested for all the fun that will be happening come Saturday morning at 9AM.

I think February is going to be a great month. Along with Mardi Gras Celebrations, a wedding, and a fancy work party, I will most likely get to see my BFF/Housewife sometime this month also. I can also begin to pressure her explain to her why she should make Houston her first choice for her job search. :) (Love you Lauryn).

I have to say I am beyond ready for some weather change. It's been rainy and muggy the past week. And from what I hear Phil the groundhog saw his shadow, meaning we have 6 more weeks of winter....Ummm where is our winter to begin with. C'mon Mother Nature, I would like to get a little more use out of my winter clothes.

Quote of the Week: "The tongue that belongs to a fake friend is sharper than a knife."  There is some big time truth in that.

Annoyance of the week- The wedding and parties section on pinterest being filled with prom dresses. Super lame.....

Lastly dolls, I leave you with 5 of my favorite songs that go well with a bachelorette party. After this weekend I look forward to sharing some posts on planning a bachelorette party including a song list, themes, day time activities ect. So stay tuned for that.

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)- Beyonce'

You gotta love this song at a bachelorette party. Makes you want to put on a leotard and dance around like a diva.

Girls just wanna have fun- Cydie Lauper

Seriously, on weekends like this, that is pretty much all we want to do, am I right?

Tik Tok-Ke$ha

I have to admit, when this song first came out, I wanted to find this girl with the dollar sign in her name and kick her. But after it died off the radio waves, it's actually pretty fun. Plus the lyrics are as easy as a Disney song so anyone can sing along.

Pour Some Sugar on Me- Def Leppard

Greatness, that is all I have to say.

Buy UA Drink-T-Pain

I know not everyone may agree with this one, but really it's such a fun song and is all about buying you a drink, Yes Please. :)

Have an incredible weekend dolls.

A Back Problem & Wedding Season

Happy Friday Dolls!

I don't know about you all but this week was, yet again, another tough on, but seems to wrapping up pretty well.

My week started going down a bad path on Sunday evening around 11PM when I went to move my dog over and somehow managed to really hurt myself. As in when I moved her I had this shooting pain that went up my back and landed right around my right shoulder blade. Now, I had NEVER had any kind of back issues and I work out 3-5 times a week (which is suppose to help this kind of stuff) so I was unpleasantly surprised when the Doc told me I had a pretty bad sprain. However, I was PLEASENTLY surprised when he gave me way too many a very large prescription of Hydrocodone and some muscle relaxers. I am very anti-pain pill but I had to give in this time. I ended up staying home from work on Tuesday and rested/slept in a druggy daze. Work Wednesday was still pretty bad, but since yesterday I haven't taken anything besides some Tylenol. (So don't worry, you will not be seeing me on "True Life: I'm addicted to pain pills" anytime soon). Today I feel just a slight discomfort; it seems the sprain is healing quite nicely.

If you were look down at my desk calander, and or my outlook calander, the type of even that I is HEAVILY present is weddings; wedding showers, bachelorette parties, "Hail to the Male" parties (dude version of a shower) and of course the big days. I am in not one, not two, but three weddings this year. (One big day that is actually only a 4 short weeks away, with a shower this weekend, and the bachelorette party in 2 weeks) We also have two other weddings that we will just be attendants at. But don't get the wrong idea, I am not complaining at all. I am very honored and very thankful that I have three women in my life that think enough of me to be a part of their big days.

With all this wedding activity comes lots of time browsing wedding stuff online (and a loss in your bank account...Kidding! but seriously). Sometimes for one of the girls and yes, I'll admit it sometimes for my own interest. Hey, girls got a right to look, right? Anyways, I wanted to share a few of my favorite things that I have stumbled across on my beloved Pinterest. You don't have to be engaged, married, or even in a relationship to love looking at wedding stuff. Let's face it, there is some beautiful stuff out there and it's fun to pick out things you would like, your best friend would like, and even stuff you would NEVER want on your big day. :)

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I know that everyone has probably seen this before, but if you haven't, it's a really cute way to be photographed before the wedding without breaking the tradition. Umm, can we say adorable!

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 I know this has been pinned like a million times on Pinterest, but wow. I can't imagine a more beautiful wedding hair style. (My opinion, plus Trevor hates up-dos) I will definitely be splurging on extensions the day I ever walk down an aisle in a white dress.

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On your big day, you take a million and one pictures posing, smiling, attempting to be serious, ect, but photos like this are my absolute favorite. You really see in this shot how happy the bride and her bridesmaid are, jumping on the bed like little girls. It's just perfect.

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This picture I can't say a lot about, but I know that if you love your animal as much as I do, you feel exactly how I do when you look at this. :')

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It's hard enough to get the un-married dudes at a wedding to catch the garter, BUT you thrown a football at them, I believe you chances of them ACTUALLY going for it would go up significantly. It's like a reflex for them. Awesome idea.

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"Sigh" Lighting, black and white decor, chairs, and table settings, this is just stunning. Let's just hope we all hit the lottery if we want this set up at wedding of 200. :)

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If you look closely, you will count 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen. (You may not see them all but there are other shots at this wedding at, yes, there were 10 each) Now friends of mine have told me different things about you size or your wedding party. Some have said "Oh you don't want too many, it looks tacky", and some have said "I wish I would have put everyone I wanted in it and not what I was supposed to do". After hearing different opinions, I say, put how every many people you want, screw everyone else's opinion. It's your day not theirs. If you have 10 people that you care enough about that you want them to be by your side, do it. If you only have 2, do it.

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I'm not saying this are my style but they definitely are unique. I love seeing original wedding invitations, save the dates, and thank you cards. Something that makes you stand out from the typical fancy cursive, "Queen of England" type on invitation. IN KNOW WAY am I saying your lame if you do typical invitation, it's just cool when you see something new in an industry where is seems nearly everything has been done.

Well, that's enough wedding-ish stuff for now. Apologies to any guy who reads my blog regularly and got this today. Girls and weddings, it's like strawberries and whip cream. It's definitely wedding season you guys. Every other week I see engagement, shower, and wedding photos popping up on facebook. Congratulations to all those out there who just got engaged, who are about to get married, and those who are fresh out of the honeymoon and enjoying their new married life.

Now I will be spending the rest of the morning playing on pinterest working extremely hard and counting down till noon when I get to have lunch with two of my favorite, already married ladies, (and two of my best friends) Marina and Jessica.

Cheers to the weekend & happy Friday dolls!

It's Wedding Wednesday

Please pardon the interruption; before getting started with our regular schedule blogging I just wanted to say that...


IN 7 HOURS I WILL BE AT THE BRITNEY SPEARS/NICKI MINAJ CONCERT!!!! YEAHHHHH BUDDY!

but dog gone it, I still have no earthly idea what I am wearing to the main event. @###$%&$#@#$!!!

Now back to your regular scheduled blog. :)

As I have already warned, I am slightly obsessed with weddings. As I have also said I get to me a maid of honor in Heather L's wedding and a bridesmaid in Heather C's wedding. :) Over the past months since they have both become engaged, I have tried to help them with ideas and inspiration as much as possible according to what each girl is going for at their wedding. Which, not to brag, but they both tell me I am very good at it. :)

Heather L. is going for a tradition and classy wedding with a deep purple, green, and slate grey color palette. Her wedding dress is to die for. I actually got the privilege do be there when she purchased it. Obviously I can't give much more details on that subject. To get an idea of what I mean here are some pictures that we have sent back and fourth over the past few months.



Heather C. is having a more country/rustic meets modern fall wedding with golden yellow, espresso brown, and maroon/Burgundy color palette. She is still looking for the dress but has a pretty good idea of what she wants. For a more descriptive picture of her wedding style, have a look at some pictures posted below. :) 

  

Clearly both very different but very pretty. WARNING MUSHY MOMENT AHEAD----

I really have so excited to be apart of both of ya'lls special day. You both deserve the perfect weddin and I hope that I really can help make that happen for you.

Happy Wednesday dolls.



Confession time...

Okay so I have a slight obsession with weddings. Luckily not only do I get to attend four weddings between now and next November I get the wonderful privilege to be in two of them. My friend Heather L is marrying her long time sweetie of seven years ,Michael, in February of 2012, and I will be playing MOH. (Maid on Honor). Also in November of 2012, another Heather, Heather C. is marrying her college bf and I am a bridesmaid. My long time friend all the way back to elementary, Shannon, is getting married on the 23 of this month. And last but certainly not least Trevor and I's friend Briana will marry her long time BF in February of 2012. They are all very beautiful girls and I am sure all of their weddings will be wonderful and unique, each customized to their own personalities.

With all that being said, looking at wedding stuff is perfectly appropriate because I am playing crucial rolls in two of these in the next year and a half. I take my job in weddings very seriously. See picture below...

Marina and J.C.'s wedding-March 2010.

Seriously, don't mess with me and weddings.

So from time to time I will share photos and ideas on here. I hope you  tolerate enjoy my little wedding addiction. Maybe I can help inspire you, or just give you some pretty pictures to look at. Whatever works.