almost 5 months reunited...

So, yes... it has been almost 5 months since I have last blogged. Weird. I know.
Matt and I have been married for about the same amount of time as well. Weird, again. Weird, because I am MARRIED.... it is still crazy to wake up & there be someone else there every morning. And to have a different name, and a new ring on my finger. But, it's all of wonderful that wonderful can be. :)
So much has happened since I have written last. Wow. Hmm.. Maybe I should get you all up to date on Matt & I. :)
The Honeymoon to Disney World was everything GREAT! We did not want to leave.... it was such a short trip. 2 of our 5 days being traveling days took out a lot of our us time. But nonetheless, it was good.
We've been to 3 weddings since we got married lol... it has been a very short time, too. :) We have our ups. We have our downs. But, at the end of the day we still love each other and are fighting to make our relationship stronger. It's all a learning process, everyday. We both LOVE being married to each other. Matt is so great with helping out with the chores, too. He can't stand dishes sitting in the sink, or the apartment really messy. It's nice to have him be like that, because I have very little time to deal with it. I'm still in school, and this semester has been especially hectic, so it's been hard keeping up with my homework and work schedule much less the tidiness of the apartment. He really is great. There are times that I just sit here and cry because of how bad the apartment's in a mess, but just don't have the time to get to it. lol... I am a big ball of emotions, still. I guess I always will be.
Our lives have been basically the same, besides living together and paying bills together. He works, I work & go to school. The only issue is our schedules & them being completely opposite. He's been working as the Assistant Meat Manager at Kroger in Hickory Hollow. As of today, he was offered to transfer to the Memorial blvd Kroger here in Murfreesboro. After meeting with the store manager and some others, he took the job there & will probably be starting in a couple weeks. However, he had applied for a Manager position with the La Vergne Kroger, and foudn out today that he did not get that job. But, at least he's in Murfreesboro now, and will be saving money that way in gas, at least. We have been really hoping to start a new chapter in our lives by getting a house, but that dream will have to come another night. It really kind of upset me that we can't afford even a small house right now, but I can't complain-- at least I have a roof over my head at all. I just really want something a bit bigger to be comfortable and not cramped like we are now. Even if it was only more square footage in the bedroom, I'd be happy. Beggars can't be choosers. I'm still at Reeves-Sain, still making half a dollar less than I was making at my previous job... and now with much less hours. She didn't like my availability with school, and took it out on my schedule... so I get 8 hours most weeks... and some weeks can get 4-5 hours more on Saturdays. So, anywhere in the ballpark of 8-13 hours a week = a very small paycheck in 2 weeks. Most weeks I open my paycheck, I'm lucky to get $100. That's been a big challenge, and an upset as well because I am used to paying all my bills on my own. For the most part I can, but there's times where I'm asking for money from Matt. Which is fine since he's my hubby, but I'm very independent when it comes to money. And I need all new tires on my car and a chek-up on it because it's not running as well... and I can't even do that since I'm not making any money basically. I really wish a new job would come up. It doesn't help that there are only 11 listings in the ads of the newspaper each day & the majority of those being qualified nursing jobs and the like.. so not much for lowly ole' me.
Anyways, enough of the sad stories. We're doing well, Bella's doing well.... everything's good on our side. Bella is 8 months old now, and prob. almost 9 lbs. Last we weighed her, she was 8.5 lbs. :) She's going to be SO cute on Halloween.... you'll have to wait for another update to see what she is though! :) Should be fun. Sorry this went so long. Maybe I can try to get some sleep now! :)
Sorry this has become long.

2... 2....2 .... 2 days left! (Well, less NOW!)

Who would've thought of all this last minute stuff?!?!?!! lol.... All these small details you could never think of! I didn't have a guest book table, guest book pen, a basket for the programs... haha... But now I have them all! We are currently working on a time frame for everyone to walk out and what music they will walk out to. It's a bit stressful, but I think it's going well. Everyone's coming in tomorrow for the most part & I can't wait for our wedding party dinner! It's going to be fun!! :)After the dinner, me and my girls are getting together for my Bachelorette Party!!! That should be GREAT fun! Just ready to get the show on the road now!!

"I tried to put the tea in the cup/glass cabinet..."

So, this is just ONE of my lastest doings. I was getting a glass of tea at Matt's parent's house and I was trying to put the tea back into the cabinet instead of the frigerator. lol!
Apparently, once you get into the last 10-ish days until your wedding, your mind starts going crazy and you get your words all flip-flopped. Yesterday, I couldn't say anything right! And today, I was thinking people said something other than what they really said. Ha ha! So watch out if you are getting married or when you do! It'll get you too! :)
We just bought our programs last night, so now all we have to do is type up the layout and print them off. We finished our favors on Thursday night... that was a very time consuming job, but glad it's over.
I still need to get a guest book and pen... haven't had any luck finding one I really like. And there's no time to really order a nice one and it get here in time since there's only 8 days until the wedding. We also need to finalize all the music for the wedding and whatnot.
I'm completely sure there'll be something we have completely forgotten by that day, but all we can say is, "Oh, well!" Can't really do anything about it, it happens. I'm just glad it's finally getting here!

Hmm.... 19 days....

Wow, 2 weeks and 5 days.... and I'm going to be MARRIED! I can't wait! Especially for DISNEYYYYYYY!!!!!!

I'm still having trouble with finding the right shoes... if all else fails... I'm going BAREFOOT! haha :) It will need to be hemmed though basically any route I take unless I decide to kill myself with some CRAZY heels... but all is good. I'm not stressed about it. :)

I just want to say, that I have THE BEST people in my life!!!! We have gotten such great gifts/advice from everyone and I am sooo blessed to have them (you) in my life! I couldn't ask for a greater group of friends and family. You have all gone above and beyond for us, and you really should'nt have. But we DO APPRECIATE each and every thing you have given us! You do not even know how much it means to us. A LOT!!!! I cannot wait to see everyone at the wedding!!! It's going to be so much fun!!!!! :D

WE LOVE YOU ALLLL!!!!!!

23 Days & Counting!!!! Well, actually 22 days and 23 hours...

But who's really keeping up?! ha ha :)

I had my 2nd ever bridal shower yesterday. My work family (Reeves-Sain) threw me a shower, and it was awesome! Best food ever! Thanks to everyone for that! I got some great stuff! They are sooo nice and very loving and giving! My bridesmaid, Jessica, wrote everything down for me and I greatly appreciate her for doing that for me! Tomorrow, our church is throwing us our own shower, and I can't wait! I love having showers they are SO fun! :)

I think about the ONLY thing Matt & I are lacking for the wedding are rental chairs for the actual wedding. There are several places in Middle Tennessee to get them, they are just greatly overpriced! So, we've been bargain searching! ha ha I think Matt's decided on the place, though, so that's GOOD!

I ordered my flowers about a week ago, and they SHOULD get here the Friday before the wedding. I'm sooo excited, they are soo pretty and can't wait to see them! I just hope they come in on time so we can get everything put together! My mom has been working on some simple center pieces for the reception and the table linens. Our favors came in yesterday, so that was awesome!!! I'm not telling what they are... but I hope everyone will like them! They are cute! :D We will start filling our favor boxes probably next week. Not sure if I said the last time I blogged, but my wedding dress came in a couple weeks ago, so that's in my possession! YAYY!!! It's SO pretty.... :)

I think I'm getting pretty excited about this big event! ha ha... It's been very stressful for me, but things are winding down as it seems, so hopefully I've done all I can except walk down that aisle with my Grandfather!!!! :D <3>

Matt has been GREAT throughout this whole process, and I'm just so blessed to have him in my life and to be my husband! He is just really amazing to me, and I can't wait to be his wife!!!!

30 DAYS TO GO!

HI EVERYONE!!! :)

We just wanted to let everyone know that if you received an invite from Matt and I that we'd like for you to put your name on the RSVP when you send it back. It'll help us in the end to know how to better serve you all!
THANKSSSS in advance!

Matt & Kristen

32 DAYSSSS!

...And still so much LEFT to do! It's going by WAY too quickly!
We finished paying off our venue on Monday only to find out the wedding coordinator was on personal leave for a FEW months... and my wedding's next month!
No one decided to tell us, so it was a BIG shock to go into the mansion, ask for the lady, and them tell us she wasn't there... I didn't know what to do! I was upset and shocked all at the same time!
The people taking over aren't honoring promises that were given to us by the original person, so a lot of things are having to change in this short amount of time. It's very nerve-wrecking!
But, it will be done however now since they said a lot of the things we were promised "are not Oakland's responsibilities"... so now we have even MORE to do! GRR!!
I DO NOT RECOMMEND GETTING MARRIED AT OAKLAND'S MANSION! It is more work than you originally think, and are no help to you when you need it. it costs more money than just getting a place that provides you with the services you need. Just a little F.Y.I. for you soon-to-be brides!
You have to rent your own chairs to have the wedding outside
(and they are VERY expensive for some-what decent chairs!), none of their tables/chairs can go out of Maney Hall... not even out on the sidewalk covered by the awning. It is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen! They overcharge for the services they barely provide. All they GIVE you is somewhere to stand to get married and a small "hall" to have the reception in. You have to pay THEM to prepare your OWN food, and you have to pay THEM if you have it catered... it's a lose-lose situation on your side, but they are making all kinds of money to provide basically nothing.

Okay, wow... that little rant went way off kilter and I got off track really quick! haha... We also paid on our photog, as well. I can't wait to see all my pictures!!!!
ANYWAYS! We have a lot left to do... so hopefully we can get everything done in time... or we just won't have it I guess! lol :)

Bella has grown A LOT! :) And still as mean as ever! Hopefully she'll grow out of that!

Hum Dee Dum

So, I forgot one of the most important "NEW" items to my list. I have a new puppy!!! She was born on my birthday this year, so that makes her 11 weeks and 4 days old! Her mother died a week after they were born so they had to be hand fed, so she's basically like a baby! I named her Bella <3,>

My Bridal Shower went very well. It was fun & I got a ton of great stuff. Although, there are a few things I didn't get that I really need. But it's okay, we'll get them eventually. At least, now I only have to eat with plastic utensils instead of cook with them, too. It was tough cooking with them, but it worked! It is truly a blessing all of the great things I did get, though! I just expected most people to come to be there for me, not expecting gifts, but I got a lot of them! :)

Wow, a lot has happened in the last 3 weeks! I don't even remember half of what happened! ha ha.

There were tornadoes April 10th. I watched it form from work & head to Matt's neighborhood. All I could think about was his mom; she was home alone. We crammed 12 people into our little employee bathroom at work and prayed away. I prayed that she would be alright. Phone connections were horrible, and I could barely get a text message out to Matt to let him know I was okay, and his mom was okay. A lot of the messages didn't go through until everything was said and done. But, needless to say, they had no major damage to their house except for some big tree limbs broken, and debris in their yard. About 5 houses down the road and directly behind them, it was a different story. There were some homes not even there anymore. It was the scariest thing I've seen and saddest at the same time. I couldn't even believe that it didn't hit Matt's house... it was a true miracle. God really does hear your prayers!

Hmm... let me see... what else has happened? My mom and one of my good friends are throwing me my very first Bridal shower on Sunday at 2 p.m. It should be really fun! :) I can't wait to see everyone! My wedding dress arrived at the place I bought it from yesterday, so I'm going down tomorrow to try it on and bring it on home! :D I can't wait for that either! It'll be nice to have it!

There are only 44 days left until the big day! And only 45 until we're in ORLANDO to go to DISNEY WORLD!! YAYYYYY I think I'm more excited about that than anything else! haha :) I really can't wait to get married though. It's going to be so fun! :)

Well, that's all I can really think about for now..... Oh, next week is the last full week of school! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! It's kicked my butt these last couple weeks, so it'll be good to get it over with and I won't have to worry about anything until July or so! :D I'm so ready to graduate it's killing me!

WONDERFUL day in the neighborhood

:D

That pretty much sums it up. Ha Ha! Been a pretty awesome day, in the sense of mine & Matt's lives. Matt just got the call today that he got the job as Assistant Meat MANAGER at the Hickory Hollow Kroger!!! It's so exciting! We'll actually be able to PAY our bills, and not have to really worry about living paycheck to paycheck. We'll actually (hopefully) be able to pay OFF my car first, and then start saving for our FIRST home! :) I can't wait for our adventure to start!!!! He's just so glad he got this job he really wanted, and I'm proud of him for working hard enough to show that he deserves it!! God IS good & HE will provide... you just have to believe in HIM! He's been giving us good things for a couple weeks now, and it's been so nice to actually have a BREATHER! Thanks everyone for your prayers and thoughts! We still need that to continue on hoping someone gets a job soon so that they can actually pay for my wedding. That really would set us back a little bit if we have to end up paying for it, after they said they would in the beginning. ANYWAYS! That's about the only NEGATIVE thing that's still in our lives.
I may be getting a puppy!!!! I've been looking for one for a little while, and had my hopes on Matt's mom's hairdresser's Yorkie having puppies, but she might not give them away. So, I'm counting as that being out. But Meghan and I were looking on CraigsList today, and found a male West Highland Terrior that MIGHT be a possibility. Just waiting to hear back what the email said and see pictures, find out how much she wants, and how old he actually is. I just want to have a "companion" there at the apartment with me that I can BABY hehe, and Matt wants me to have something/someone there when he's not going to be able to be there and by myself at night. :)
If anyone hears of anyone wanting to get rid of puppies, let me know! I want something SMALL... I am in love with dachshunds (mini or standard), yorkies, westies.... really anything small and cute that I can make my little puppy baby! lol And preferable medium-long hair... I'm not really wanting a short haired dog! :) THANKS!

1st Session of Pre-marital Counseling...

Today was interesting. Not as scary as we thought it was going to be, that's going to be in 2 weeks! haha :) We did pretty well! Our average score on each section was about 76%, with our highest being 100% and lowest being 50%. So, it was kind of nice to know that we knew each other pretty well. There are things we need to work on, but nothing too major at this point, I don't think. :) Should be fun. We are both stubborn, apparently, so we have to work on that one! haha :) Matt couldn't think of but one thing that annoyed him about me, but I know there's more than that! He said it just put him on the spot. We'll work through them all though. I'm interested in seeing just how well our marriage will work out and am optimistic! Ive have a few people this week tell me the same thing about one thing I'm struggling with this week (not anything to do with Matt and my relationship) and none of them talked to each other, so it was encouraging to hear the same thing from them. :)

Anyways, just thought I'd update on how that went today! Yesterday, Matt and I went by Chelsea Place to see if we could sign our lease but the lady wasn't there, so we have to wait for her to get back from being sick probably tomorrow. We did get to ask questions about some stuff we needed to find out. We can move in sooner than the 15th if they get it ready sooner than that time. She told us we're getting all new stuff in there, so that should be nice. (like new carpet and paint... not sure about appliances and whatnot, but hey we aren't going to complain!! :))

Packin' Up & Movin' Out!

haha....

I am packing up my CRAP... that's what I've come to terms with... that everything I have is CRAP... geeez I'm such a pack rat!
I'm not moving out just yet, they said not until April 15th. So, I have a little while, but I don't have all that much time to actually pack my stuff up with going to school, work, and planning this wedding. I always TRY to stay on top and ahead of the game, but usually end up getting behind anyways... so hopefully this will actually help a little.

The looks of it right now, however, is some things are in boxes, and a lot of stuff is just piledi n the middle of my floor..... so not looking too promising. I can't even get off of my bed. Matt is helping me, so I'm kind of stuck on the bed surrounded by stuff on it & also on the floor! It's a MAD HOUSE!! It's kind of exciting, too, though. Just in the sense that I'm GETTING OUT OF THIS DARNED PLACE!!!! haha.

I'm not opposed to anyone wanting to help us actually move!!! We just need able bodies & possibly trucks!! :) I'm not forcing anyone to help, though, so don't feel obligated! :) All that would be required of your services would be to pack up trucks full of stuff, and then just stack boxes, etc. into the apartment. Nothing else would be required! :) haha.
Just wanted to update... because I needed something to do besides pack. :)

Wonderful Tonight

So, last night I met up with my Aunt Susan at an amazing restaurant in Franklin called Buca di Beppo's! It was interesting!!! :) I finally got to meet my newest cousin, Hudson, who is 3 1/2 months old. He is his father reincarnated! It's scary! LOL :) It was fun getting to catch up with her and her mom! She mentioned she wants to have a wedding shower for me in Memphis, so that should be a fun trip. We just have to figure out a good time for it!

Today, we figured we would get a call back frmo Chelsea Place letting us know if we were able to get the apartment or not. Since they were supposed to call us back on Saturday, we decided to just go ahead and call them ourselves. Matt talked to the manager, or whoever is over the applications and figuring out who gets in! (haha) She first said that we didn't make enough and that we'd need a gaurantor, and Matt told her that the lady we dealt with said we should just make it. So, she asked to call back after re-calculating. I guess it worked, because we don't need a gaurantor anymore! haha! So, now we just have to find a time to go sign the lease and paperwork!! We can move in April 15th!!!! It's exciting and stressful all at the same time!!!! Please PRAY for us!!!

Moving right along...

A lot has happened in the last week.
Matt and I took our engagement pictures with Angie Gambill on Thursday. We were in fear that we might not get to take them, since it had been raining all week. They'd called us on Wednesday saying that we may not be able to because of the rain. So, we were hoping and praying that we would miss the rain. The weather said that their would be scattered showers Thursday, but that it should clear up by around 9 a.m and be back late afternoon. We were so lucky! Angie said pictures would be better if the day was overcast, and that it exactly what we got! It was great! We had them taken at Cannonsburg. I'd never been there before, and it was a good place for pictures. I can't wait to see them!!! :) She said it'd be a week to a week and a half. Now, we just have to figure out what package we want. We want the Storybook package (the biggest), but we're going to take the 2nd biggest package. I just hope we can make the payments.... since money is tight.
Matt and I also did something else on Thursday!! We went to look at apartments, again. We started at Saddlebrook Apts. because we were more impressed with them and their price ($535/month). They were running a deal where you'd get the 1st month free, and all you had to pay up front was $100. So, we were set on that and I was ready to cut them a check for $100. We decided we'd go to one more apartment to just make sure that's what we wanted. We figured that Chelsea Place couldn't beat their prices, because the apartment equal to that of Saddlebrook's was $615/month and 2 sq. ft. less. It ended up being a great time to go! We found out they were also doing a free first month, and we got to roll dice to see how much we'd get off our rent. We ended up getting a 10, which equalled $100 off our rent!!! :) Then, she looked through her weekly focus sheet and found us an apartment with reduced rent price! So, we ended up getting an apartment on the ground floor for $490! That's the starting price of their smallest one bedroom apartments!!!! So, we filled out the application, and now we're just waiting to hear something back from them if we got it or not! I'm hoping we did! I can move in April 15th, so that's exciting!!! I can't wait! Hopefully, we get it!

Ups & Downs...

I'm getting discouraged again.... :(
Things are turning sour and I don't know how to stop them.

THINGS LEFT TO DO:
1. Find a Wedding Cake. [I have no clue what I want, still, and have no clue where to get it from. I'm kind of scared I won't have one due to the lack of funding b/c of carelessness on someone elses part.]
2. Find a place to rent chairs from. [Everyone charges way too much a piece for chairs! Same issue as above, financial.]
3. Get my wedding dress back & get fitted; finish paying for it. [They said the date it's supposed to come in is April 15th, so hopefully it comes in on time so I can actually get alterations done if I need them.]
4. Figure out a shoe situation for me: flats, flip-flops, or none at all.
5. Figure out WHAT to put in my favor boxes I already have. [My aunt bought the boxes I wanted for me, so now I just need something to put in them. We have idea's, but yet again, financial issues are in the way.]
6. Buy bubble machines.
7. Engagement pictures & choose package. [We are having our engagement pictures taken next Thursday (March 26th) at 10:30 a.m. The package we choose is solely dependent upon our finances, ONCE again... :( ]
8. Rehearsal Reception location/caterer. [We've gotten quotes from a few different places, but it's another expense I'm not sure we can pay for.]
9. Food for the actual reception. [There are rules about what we can and can not have at our venue (like no crockpots or making food there, etc.) so, we have to be careful & it's money, again.]
10. Music playlist selections. [This is in working progress.... we add songs almost every other day. iPod.]
11. Figure out the songs everyone is walking out to.
12. Our harpist bailed on us today, so I'm really discouraged about that. [I had my heart set on it, only to be crushed. :( ]
13. My jewelry & my girls' jewelry.
14. Hair & Make-up. [My mom will more than likely do my hair, and I wil probably do my makeup myself.]
15. Veil or no veil? [That is the question. I'm not real fond of them, but Matt wants me to wear one. It's an outside wedding and they made me hot just trying on inside stores....]
16. Tiara or flower beret?
17. Finalize linens & table arrangements.
18. Unity Candle alternative. [We've decided on really liking the sand unity, but it's expensive as well. But it's a nice souvenir from the wedding that can be displayed in our home.]
19. Speaking of home... we need to find one. [ :( money big issue here.]
20. Start pre-marital counseling with Dave. [He has yet to get back to us about the day we asked him about to start last week.]
21. Get Marriage License.
22. Groomsmen gifts.
23. Parent/Grandparent gifts.
24. "Welcome" guest table deco., etc.
25. Program's. [I wanted fans since its outside, but they are too expensive. :( ]
26. Find servers, guest book attendants, set-up/clean-up crew.
27. Buy more stamps to send out invitations.
28. Get my aunt to address envelopes for me.

Wow, writing all this out really has me discouraged even more. :( Money is a big issue right now, and who knows what's going to happen. I don't want to have to postpone the wedding. That's my worst fear right now. I just need to pray to God... and I need everyone else helping me with prayer, too. So please help me. I'm getting depressed from this wedding, and that's not what it's supposed to be... it's supposed to be the happiest time of my life. But, I'm not happy. I'm at my absolute worst. My living situation has me completely falling apart. The ppl I live with absolutely do not care about me what-so-ever. They won't even provide food for me. :( Matt has had to pu; money out of his savings account just to make sure I have food. I really hate this. I want out and I can't go anywhere because I have no money. I'm getting treated like I'm a cheap little slave girl or something. All they care about is my dad's money... after he left, they didn't care whether or not I was okay. I just want to go somewhere that I'm loved and not slum. I feel like Matt's the only one who loves me right now. :(

Too excited for words?

I THINK NOT!!!!!!

But, you'll have to wait to see why!!! Haha. :)

Today was a pretty decent day at work. I was actually in a good mood, since I got about 6 hours of sleep instead of 3.5 hours like I did the night before last. I was laughing & carrying on.
I was talking with my co-worker, Tracy, when another co-worker of ours, who is a pharmacist there, came to the Soda Shoppe to get a drink. Tracy was making casual conversation with her and mentioned that she didn't see her last week & asked if she'd been off work. She said she had worked the first couple days of the week & had the rest of the week off because it was her wedding anniversary & her husband took her to Disney World in Orlando! How exciting?!
She went on further saying they went around and around trying to figure out where to go. Then, they came up with the idea of going somewhere where they could just completely forget out what all has went on in the past year for them. Their son died last fall in a car accident & he was only 23 years old. It was really tough on them, & she didn't come to work for several months after. I think maybe February she came back. It is still very hard on her, but she is the most uplifting and encouraging person I've ever met! Although it was very upsetting for her that she lost her son, she looked at it as if it was his time to go & that God had a plan! This defines a very strong woman & mother of God in my eyes!
She was just talking on & on of how much fun they had & just relaxing in Orlando at Disney. I told her that I'd never been there & wondered if it'd be a good place to have my honeymoon at & she gave me the most excited response back! She filled me with excitement with how she was going on about it, so I had my mind set on going to Disney World!!! :D I IMMEDIATELY texted Matt that I needed him to come to work that I needed to talk to him. I told him that he needed to take me to Disney World for our honeymoon and gave him the info that I got from my co-worker about where they stayed and the website they got their deal on. So, we looked at several deals on the site & they are really good ones!! We can both go (flights to and from & hotel included) for 4 days (Mon-Fri), with passes for 3 of the parks for about $1500!!! :D The hotel is a 4-4.5 star resort, too!!! :D I'M SO EXCITED!!! We haven't booked it yet, but will A.S.A.P!!! I'm so excited & can't wait!!! :D
So, that's all I've got to tell! It's been pretty nice to know that I'm actually going to get a honeymoon when I'm SUPPOSED to get one, and not 3-4 months afterwords (which would've been fine, too). I thank her so much for giving me such a great idea and where to find the deals at!!! :D

Going to the Chapel & we're gonna get married...

We now have pretty much all the things we need to just GO get married! Ha ha! We went and picked up Matt's wedding band from the jeweler since it came in today. We had to special order a ring for him since he has a big honkin' finger! (lol) Size 13! But, now we have it and if we wanted to, we could just GO GO GO and get married! :) I'd be happy with that, but I'm NOT going to waste all the money that's already gone towards our big day! I just hope it happens now... I don't want to have to postpone it because someone doesn't want to pay for it! It's only 83 days away... so they need to get on the ball! But, anyways! Thought this would be a good note for the week! They said it wasn't going to be in until April 8th... and it wasn't even a full week and it came in!

On another good note... only 44 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! (That's not including the week after for finals... but still something to ENJOY!)

Twitchy Eyes..

So, I didn't have a twitch when I woke up this morning, or for the majority of the day at work. It happened after Matt came to see me at like 10:00 and told me he'd done something I had asked him previously not to do, and I started to think more about it. It has to do with the wedding and the finances of it... I'm getting stressed out again. I'm not even sure if we're going to have the money to FINISH paying what we've already started paying for on it and get the rest of everything else we need paid for. We can't postpone, because I am NOT NOT NOT just going to eat the money we already paid! And we've already printed out 95% of the invitations, printed out the rsvp's, and sent out the save the dates... WHICH we bought ourselves, and can no longer afford to buy anything else b/c we spent too much on ink. Way more than we ever wanted. :( We've already paid for pretty much half of the venue, and there's not a way to push the wedding to a different date without it costing another arm and leg. We've also already paid half of the bill for the place that my mom and grandparents and some others will stay in and that will also cost another arm and a leg to cancel those reservations and move them. We haven't even made a dent in the cost of our photography... Only half of my wedding dress is paid for, too.
I really wish a certain someone, a certain GROOM TO BE, would have just let me have my way go to the courthouse or VEGAS and then just have a big reception or something. I know that it's not really what I wanted, but I knew it would save some money at least. I really wish that the $2400 that I have gotten for the wedding would be enough to actually pay for a wedding these days. But, it's not.

Geez, why do I have to cry? This is why I'm stressed:

All of the wedding money that had been saved up for me by certain someones got used to buy their stupid alcohol that they are addicted to (about 10 bottles, AT LEAST, of the biggest bottle of Captain Morgan you CAN buy), and $500 of it went towards some STUPID STUPID STUPID Nascar car's. Matt and I have tried to pay for stuff, but with our very little paid part-time jobs, we can't. I just feel like I am not even a part of the picture... that was what the money that was saved up for, but not what is has been used for... and now I don't even know if I can pay for the rest of my stuff.. I asked my dad for more money, but he won't even give me any. It's because someone decided it'd be better to quit their job and be out of a job for going on 6 or so months now! Get your butt up and get a job!

Yes, I know GOD will provide... but I don't feel this is "important" enough for Him to provide for. There will be way better things He can provide for us later on down the road...
It's just that they said they'd pay for it, but seriously, what is $2400 going to get you if you have an actual wedding in 2009????? I guess we'll just ask for money as our wedding gifts to pay for the wedding! I don't want to do that b/c we could use the money for bills and other things after the wedding... but what am I supposed to do???

THIS IS WHY I HAVE A TWITCHY EYE!

Day-by-day Replay :)

This will be a short update since yesterday's was so long! I became the SLAVE BRIDE again last night, as Matt & I printed out 1/3 of our invitations and printed out 135 R.S.V.P cards. I had to make just one cut on the invitations, but the rsvp's had 3 to a page & Matt decided that it'd be easier to put lines around them so I'd know where to cut... it only made it more tedious, needless to say. I got done around 10:15 last night cutting out the rsvp's. Now, we just need to buy MORE black ink to finish the invites and we'll be done with that part! :)

This morning, Matt & I went to Pinnacle Bank and opened up our very own JOINT ACCOUNT! YAY! HOW EXCITING! :) haha! Wow, I just had deja' vu while typing that first sentence... weird!

TODAY IS MATT'S MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DONNA!!! :)

So, maybe I should blog more than once a month... haha!

I can't believe it's really been almost a month since she last blogged! Oops! haha... just been busy getting things done for school and the wedding! I don't even know if I can even catch you up with everything that's gone on since Valentine's Day.... it's been so long! I know that I wasn't in the best of moods then, but I'm a little better now. I guess I can kind of go backwards and do most recent happenings to what I can remember from abuot a month ago! :)

It has been a pretty trying month, to say the least. I know I have gone from days like I had around V-Day, to having really good days here lately. So, that's a good update I guess. I'm really trying hard to not be as stressed as I have been during the planning process, and it's been alright. :D

Hmm.... Well, yesterday (Tuesday) I bought Matt's wedding band! Whoa big spender! just kidding! But it's a nice, pretty plain, Titanium band that has kind of a squared middle and a circular ring. (I guess you'd need a picture to really understand, but I forgot to do that before leaving the house earlier.) It was only $100, but I was glad to have that out of the way, at least. I was really surprised, however, that Kay Jewelers had the exact same prices as Jared. I was hoping to find a good price, but the same rings at both places were the exact same prices. Although, Kay's did have a bigger selection of better priced rings. Jared didn't have Titanium rings, but did have the Tungsten like Kay's. I just hope Matt's happy enough with his choice to wear it for the rest of his life! If not, I guess he can get over it! Ha! :)

Monday night, Matt started printing out our invitations. They are too cute! :) I think he printed about 10 and the black ink started running out, so we ended up having to buy more yesterday while we were out and haven't started printing anymore yet. We sent out Save the Dates several days of last week, so you should be getting yours soon, if you haven't gotten it already! :) They are not the actual invitations. Just an FYI since a few people have never heard of a save the date and thought they were! :) Although, I would've been fine with them being the invitation. That'd be a cute idea to have magnetic invitations! Then, you wouldn't lose it before the actual wedding. Just wish we would've thought about that before we bought the stuff to do our invitations! haha!

This past weekend on Saturday, there was a Bridal Fair at my venue, Oakland's Mansion!!! It was free to the public, and I was really excited about getting to go since it came available that I didn't have to work! So, I had my mom come up and she brought my cousin Danielle, and we all went to the fair together after eating at Toot's. It was really fun, and a lot better experience than my last bridal show affair! My mom won one of the prizes being given away, about 5 minutes after we'd been there. It was an etiquette book, which was kind of funny because she made jokes about us being country and illiterate, since we're from the "woods" and redneck! Haha... it was all in fun! My mom's main goal of coming to the wedding fair was to check out the area for the wedding and reception, so she could get a feel of what we were working with and needed for the BIG DAY! (Oh, and by the ways, it's only 88 days away!!! HOLY CRAP!!!)

Anyways, it was a nice event! We got to sample different foods from caterers, and lot of cake!! I liked Maples the best I have to say! I was looking for a good strawberry cake because that's what Matt wants, and they had the best! So, we just need to get a design for that. That's one of the bigger things we need to get done, besides finding a place that we can rent chairs from at a DECENT price.... $1 a chair is pretty expensive when you have a long list of attendees! My mom came up with an amazing idea for the wedding, and I can't wait to see it in action! I just hope it turns out the way we see it! I've never seen anything like it at any other wedding, or even heard of others doing it, so hopefully it'll WOW everyone else, like I think it might! haha... I guess as long as it WOWS me, then that's all that matters, right?! :) I love the idea, and after talking to my mom about things this weekend, our wedding is actually an IMAGE in my head instead of just crazy and random things strewn everywhere! It's all coming together, and I'm getting more excited about it! I still wish it was here already, but I know it's going to be great! :) I'm so excited! Also, over the weekend, I got to see my Maid of Honor, Erin and her baby Henry! I haven't seen either of them since he was born in December, so it was really great to see them both! :) He slept the majority of the time, so I didn't get to see him in action, but he was cute all the same! We got him to grin at us when he would wake up for a minute, and I loved every second of it! I was getting my hair colored for most of the time they were there, so I didn't get to spend as much time as I would've liked with them, but it was good to see them!

Matt and I were offered a FREE leather couch and loveseat when we get our own place by his parents! It was so exciting, too! And UNBELIEVABLY nice! We are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives! So, now we have a couch, loveseat, endtables, and we bought a nice coffee table at Big Lots for $57! YAY!!! We both have bedroom furniture, so that's not a problem at all! We may be getting a kitchen table set for free as well, depending on the size of place we get to make sure we have room for it! I totally believe that GOD WILL PROVIDE! And He definitely has for us! I know I am very thankful for it all, and Matt is, too! We've been looking for a place to live, and if we just HAVE to we'll be in an apartment. I'm fine with that, but we've been looking at foreclosures around Rutherford County to buy so we're not completely throwing that money away. Plus, apartments are so expensive here in Murfreesboro, sometimes you're just better off to be paying a house note for the same price! We'll see though, we can only pray about it and keep looking! :)

I think that we are getting our engagement pictures taken, FINALLY, on March 24th before we go to the Preds game that night. We've tried and tried to get them taken for a while, but it never worked out the other times, so hopefully this times a GO! It should be fun! And I can't wait to be at the Sommet Center cheering on my boys! Hopefully, it'll be as exciting as last night's game, but we win! :D
I'm going to try my best to blog a little more than once in a month next time!!! I'm on Spring Break right now, so I have some time, but I am working A LOT A LOT! So, we'll see! Anyways, Thanks for reading this exciting life I lead! Have a great rest of the week!!!

111 days to go...

Dave got a 'yes' from Pastor Mike to be able to marry us!! It was very exciting! Dave told us last Monday, and we did our Pre-marital counseling survey on Wedniesday night before the ONE service at 7:30. It was 156 questions long! Matt and I were both a little weary about what exactly would be asked, but it turned out to not be too bad at all. We did talk about a few of the questions afterwards that we remembered. Now, we're just waiting for it to come back with the results so we can start our actual counseling with Dave. That should be exciting...
I have had a trying time these last few months. I can not get people to understand what kind of stress I am really dealing with, and they just keep pushing. This stress is realyl have a negative affect on my body and causing some changes to occur that are not good for me, but no one will understand. It is also causing me to have mood swings, and I admit it because I know I am, and it is costing me more than just these severely agonizing pains to my body. But I really can't help it, and I don't know what to do about it. There are several people manipulating me with stuff and I can't handle it. I don't think that I have ever been more ready for June 7th to be here than I am now. I need to get all of this decision crap behind me and onto better decisions about my actual life. I'm still more than ready to just get in the car and go to the courthouse, or Vegas for that matter, and just do it that way. Matt doesn't want that, so I'll make him happy by giving him what he wants. I think I'd be a lot happier if we'd just do that. But I don't guess that it really matters what I want... and I'm the BRIDE. I feel like I'm in "Bridewars" with this wedding... and it's not even the case as it was in the movie.
I don't know what to do anymore. I'm at the point of just letting everything happen however it feels like happening. If someone on the street wants to make my plans for me, so be it. That's the point I've gotten to. I'm not losing friends over something that I can not control and they want to be pushy about.
I may lose friends from writing just this, but I guess everything happens for a reason and I'm just going to give everything to GOD and let Him handle this, because it is no longer in my own hands.
On a positive note, Matt and I had an amazing Valentine's Day. Well, after I got done working, of course! He had left me a single rose in the seat of my car when I got off, and I came home to find the present he got me along with another rose on my bed, and a bouquet of star-gazer lilies and roses on my dresser! :) My present was a cute little picture frame with a picture of us from the night we got engaged. <3 We got the Hockey Love package deal to see the Preds play that night as well. It included a picture, the tickets, and 2 food vouchers that got us a hot dog and a small drink. Not such a lovely V-day dinner, but it was alright. The seats were a little high for me, as I have a fear of heights, but it got a little better as the night went on. It was such an exciting game!!! And the PREDS ended up winning after one overtime, and then a shootout! :D Matt and I were so happy!!!
And on that happy note, I leave you for the afternoon! Have a great rest of President's Day!

Wedding planning update & randomness...

Soooo..... Tomorrow is my 22nd birthday... :) I don't guess it's going to be a big blow out, but I guess at least, God willing, I'll be alive to see 22. :)

Matt and I had been in a rut trying to figure out who was going to marry us. Our main possibility was going to be our college pastor since he knows both of us. Our major concern with that one was that he and his wife are expecting their 3rd child the end of May, beginning of June and I was not going to be the one to take his away from his family at that time. So, Matt and I were trying to figure out who other possibilities could be. We talked about several of the pastors in our home church, and tried to figure out who'd be best or who could actually do it. Then, we got some disturbing news that none of the pastors from our church can even come to the wedding because of a Vacation Bible School kick-off going on that the rules are no one can get out of being there unless there's a death in the family. So, that really hit us hard, and toyed with the idea of a pastor we'd thought about after the situation with our primary pastor choice. But the only problem with that pastor is that he is out of state, and we were concerned about the Marriage Counseling that we wanted to take place before getting married. It was such a hard decision to think about, because neither of us have the money to take time off work and go to South Carolina. I think we even JOKED abuot getting Matt's brother to get ordained and marry us, but we didn't want to have to put that on him because we know how busy he is! It was just a funny idea if we couldn't find anyone else. We eventually just said we'd see what we could do about Dave, our college pastor, and talk to him to see what we could even do as far as seeing is he could do the wedding or whatever. We finally got to talk to him Wednesday night after church. He didn't even think he was going to be the one we wanted to do the wedding! Which kind of made me sad, but completely understand since it's taken so long to even ask him... he said that 20 people had asked him if we was doing our wedding, so that puts it into perspective of why he should be the one to do it! He was actually pretty shocked when we asked him what kind of possibility it would be to get him for the wedding, and informed him that we did factor in Baby Odom #3 and the VBS thing and completely understood if there was just no way. But it was encouraging that he said he was see what he could to make it happen! That lifted about as much weight as finding my dress did! haha! I really thought I was going to be in my jeans and a t-shirt for the wedding!
So, now we just have to see what the "boss man", the senior pastor Mike, says about him missing the VBS ordeal and what his wife thinks about him doing the wedding so close to the baby's due date. We're just praying! I also want to thank Emily & Joy for your encouragement during this process! I appreciate it very much!! :) I'm just going to keep the though "We'll be married at the end of the day, no matter what" in my mind! It's just stressful trying to keep up with going to classes and doing homework, and working on top of all the wedding planning and decisions I have to make. I know I have become somewhat a different person fromt his whole process and am very sorry for how I have acted and let my stress get the best of me. It's hard, ya know? But, I'm getting through it with the best attitude I can, and I think I have actually gotten better since I have my dress ordered and have a pastor pretty much locked in. :) God will show us what's best for us and our wedding, and we'll just do it in His best intentions! :) I just can't wait to be married to Matt and live the rest of my life with him. It's going to be a breath of fresh air to be able to have him there anytime I need him! I'm just glad he hasn't decided that this form of "Kristen" he's seeing through this wedding process hasn't pushed him away or want to stop the wedding! He's hanging in there with me and trying to help me keep my head up! I'm so lucky to have him by my side throughout this whole decision process and not being like the normal guys who don't want to have to deal with anything wedding related! He's a GREAT fiance' and I love him more and more each passing day! I can't wait to have the honor to call myself HIS WIFE! :) And, I'm so thankful to have the friends I have! I couldn't ask for anyone better! I love you alll!!! I wish I could show my appreciation more and in better ways, but that will come later hopefully!!! :)

TOMORROW: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! :) <3

Getting you up-to-date!

Matt and I have been dating for over 3 years now. He is my best friend, and I can not wait to marry him! He is the best thing that's happened to me, and really helped me change my life for the better. He is what completes me. Matt is always encouraging me spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. I could not ask for a better person to spend the rest of my life with!

Matt and I got engaged on December 7, 2008. He took me to see the Christmas lights at Opryland Hotel, and on our way to leave he proposed to me! How exciting! I knew it was coming, but didn't realize I'd still have such a big reaction. It was so cold, I really didn't know what I'd do, but it was the best proposal ever! Matt loved it!

We're getting married Sunday June 7, 2009 on the front porch of Oakland's House Museum which is a historic mansion in Murfreesboro that was caught in the middle of crossfire during the Civil War. It will be an outside wedding at 4:30 p.m. The reception will be immediately following in Maney Hall of the same venue.

What I envision it to be will be great and exciting fun for everyone, but we'll see if my vision of the wedding and reception comes true through the decisions I have to make. I have really been bad at making decisions for the wedding. I didn't realize how hard it really was. I do intend on dancing, if that's all the turns out of it, so be prepared for that at least!! :)

What I have completed so far for the wedding is minimal. I'm nowhere where I wish I could be in the planning and decision-making. Our colors are black and hot pink! One of the very first things Matt and I accomplished was securing our photographer, Angie Gambill. I'm very excited to see her work and potential as she captures our big day. We had a time and a half trying to get our venue, and deciding if it was where we really wanted to get married. But we finally got it in the beginning of January. I asked my grandfather to walk me down the aisle since he is and has been such an important part of my life since I was born. My parent's got divorced when I was 2 years old, and my mom, sister, and I moved in with him and my grandma. We lived with them for 6 years until my mom re-married to my stepfather. My Pop, as we call him, helped raise me and gave me everything I ever needed. I love him so much, and can't imagine anyone to give me away!

A family member is going to be doing our floral arrangements in an attempt to save money. She does amazing work with artificial flowers, so I can't wait to see what she has in store for us! I love several types of flowers, but I think I have narrowed my choice down to a couple of them, and we'll see how well they look together when it gets a little warmer and we can put them together!

The next thing we marked off of our to-do list was the groom and groomsmen's tuxedo's. I was not thinking it would have been as easy as it really was. I didn't know what to expect when we walked into Street Tuxedo here in Murfreesboro. I saw a tie that had our colors on it, but wasn't all that enthralled with the actual tie. But, I decided to see what it looked like with everything together. I absolutely loved it, and so did Matt. I couldn't believe how easy it turned out being. The groomsmen will be wearing the same thing with the ties that I first picked out, Matt will be wearing the same tie just in the white form. My grandfather will also be wearing the same tux, but in the black form. I can't wait to see the wonderful men of my life in their dress up clothes! I'll be the one CRYING and in white! haha.

My mom and I have been in search for the perfect linens for the tables... needless to say, we haven't found them. YET! We found a perfect idea for them in an idea pamphlet at Hobby Lobby. You'd think that if they gave you the idea, they'd have the fabric. Wrong. But, we're not giving up! :)

So, the most stressful part of this whole wedding planning has been the search for the perfect dress! The bridal shops were no help in my stress, because I knew I was running way out of time to order a dress if I needed to, they kept reminding me that I needed to hurry up. I do not like to be rushed, so that tore me away from buying any dress from some of the places we went to. I absolutely DO NOT recommend ever going to David's Bridal in Murfreesboro. They are outrageous on prices, and are very pushy when it comes to making a sale. The whole experience is supposed to be a fun and exciting one, but they made me upset and mad. Their customer service is not what it should be, and so I completely crossed them off my list. Fortunately, I found my dress at one of the first places I went to to try on dresses, and went back to try it on and actually ordered it last Thursday! So, that made a major relief in my life! It's not going to be here until April 15th, so hopefully it comes in on time so that I can actually get it altered on time!

That's all I have done so far, it's a good START... but I only have 4 months to figure out the rest. Hopefully with the family and friends, and amazing bridal party I have, I can get it done in no time!