I'm Back! With a New Name!

Hello, Lovliest of Readers! 

Oh, how I have missed you. It's been too gosh darn long since I last posted, and hopefully you are all still out there with me. What has been going on with you?!

Have you shifted off of Google Reader yet? I still instinctively head there first, but did install Feedly for that sad day when Reader finally goes away. Womp, womp.

The last 2.5 weeks are really, really hard to sum up in text. Words such as blissful and heavenly and relaxing and otherworldly and FUN are all top of mind. Ultimately, though, what these past weeks have been were the Best Day of My Life followed by the Most Relaxing Vacation of My Life.

I am so concise, aren't I? 

Many, many thanks to all of our wonderful family and friends who joined us, both in person and in spirit, for said Best Day. I will do a full recap here soon, once we get all of the wonderful photos from our amazing photographers. Check out their preview set here for a sneak peek. But seriously, Best. Day. Ever. Brad and I are still talking about it. That day will be emblazoned in our memories forever. And thanks to Anna and Spencer, the photos will help refresh our memories should they ever get rusty with time. 

What I can definitely talk more about right away, though, is our amazing honeymoon, since I already have all of those photos on hand :) Stay tuned for some blog soon posts about where we went and our favorite memories.

So good to be back!

----> I guess I need to get a new blog signature now!! Love, K(J)ML :) 

Nine Days, Nine Days La La La

Woo hoo! I am so so excited, you guys!

In just nine days, we will be married and flying into the Shannon airport in Ireland. Two glorious weeks of small-town living, unplugged music sessions and surely a strong pint or two will follow :)



Brad and I will be visiting both Ireland and Scotland, spending time in the small towns of Dingle, Doolin, Cork and Aberdeenshire before heading to Edinburgh for a few last days in the "big city." Since it's been a number of years since our last "real" vacation, this trip couldn't be more timely! Plus, that whole thing about getting married is pretty cool, too :)

I am hoping to share one last post before I head off to wedding and honeymoon land. And although I will be technically off the grid while I am gone, I am bringing a notebook along to get the blogging juices flowing for when I get back. I have a feeling we will spend a number of quiet, rainy afternoons in a local pub. If that isn't good for writing inspiration, I don't know what is!

Happy April, everyone!

 

What's In a Name

Hi Everyone!

Wow, just three weeks to go. I can hardly believe it! The Bachelorette weekend was a blast, the showers have been amazing (and three of them were a surprise! I have such wonderful friends and coworkers!) and the final details for the big day and our honeymoon are coming together.

There are a few details yet to be ironed out, though. While hanging out with the ladies a few weeks ago, champagne in hand and Bachelorette decor all around, the topic of name changes came up. Some of my gal pals changed theirs when they got married; a few others did not. Professionally, I have run across women in both camps, too. I love that women can make this choice on their own today!

In just a short number of days, I will no longer be signing this blog (and every personal email I send, haha...) "KJM." My name will change to "Katherine Lehmann," and I am really, really excited about it. There was never a question about whether or not I would change my last name. I see it as the bond between me and my new husband and the family we want to start together.

I may or may not also like signing an italic "L" in a signature. I may or may not have been secretly doodling this recently, too. 

What has been tougher was how the middle name might swap out. From what I have experienced and read, it is most common for the girl to swap in her old last name for the new role of a middle name, adding on the new last name. In this pattern, my name would become Katherine Malone Lehmann. 

My current middle name is my maternal grandmother's name. She died when I was just a young girl, so her name holds a special spot in my heart. My youngest cousin and I also share this middle name, which I think is cool. It's really weird to think about me losing it. It's as if I would be losing a piece of my grandmother along with it. But on the flip side, Malone is my family name, and I don't want to completely give that up in order to keep my current middle name intact.

The consensus from the ladies that night, as well as from my most wonderful groom-to-be and family members, is that I should do whatever I want with my name. It's my name, so I can choose. So, I am thinking that I might throw some Southern sass at the whole thing and become one of those four name girls. Whoever said you could only have one middle name anyways? Maybe my new monogram will feature my married name, Katherine Malone Lehmann, but any official forms will show that I really have an extra "J" name in there, too.

I am not taking this name change thing lightly, can you tell?

While the decision might be easy for some, the process for having it done is a whole other story. After I was engaged, a coworker sent a PDF my way that outlined the steps for changing a name. Just one look at the list is a bit intimidating. Here are all the places, recommended in order, you have to contact about the change (bet you haven't thought of some of these!)

25 Places You Need To Change Your Name
1. Social Security
2. IRS
3. DMV (drivers license & vehicle registration)
4. Voter Registration
5. Passport Agency
6. Employer
7. Banks
8. Credit Cards
9. Investment/Brokerage Houses
10. Car Insurance
11. Medical Insurance
12. Home/Rental Insurance
13. Accountant
14. Lawyer
15. Doctors
16. Dentist
17. Utilities
18. Phone Company
19. Cellular Provider
20. Long Distance Company
21. Gas
22. Electric
23. Airlines/Frequent Flyer
24. Magazines
25. Schools/Alumni Organizations

Oh my. The Nest has some helpful info, as do some other online sites. However my name change debate nets out, it looks like my wedding To Do list won't end after the plane takes off for Ireland and Scotland ;)

But in all seriousness, what do you all think? Married ladies, how did you amend? Single or engaged gals, what's your plan?

8 Weeks To Go: Reality Check

Hi, old friends. I've missed you these past few weeks.

I know I have been here, there and everywhere recently. I check in here with a post or two every few days. Some recipes. Some thoughts. Some randomness from my life. Let me tell you, sometimes that other shoe has to drop, and it has dropped for me. Wedding things have shifted to the #1 priority outside of work and family. Right behind that, I am trying desperately to keep my own workouts high on the ranks. That dress better fit like a glove, after all. And time with friends ... well, I will see my friends at the wedding events, LOL.  Sorry, guys. This also includes my bloggy friends :) 

Really want to make this for Easter. In all my free time, of course.
Source: etsy.com via Kierste Wade on Pinterest

 


No matter how pulled together a person can be, I have decided that wedding things will pretty take over your life once it gets close to the date. In fact, as we just hit that eight-week countdown mark, I have been mostly busy just organizing things even more. From day-of timelines to vendor checklists, there's much to be done to make sure that the weekend is seamless for all of the many people involved. Now that we have actual guests RSVPed to come (yay the responses are streaming in each day!), we have to make their weekend a blast, and make sure we don't have to worry about anything during it all, either. 

Gorgeous! Perfect for a ladies closet or dressing area.
Source: cozamia.com via Waiting on Pinterest

I'd be lying if I said I want to commit to my usual post rate per week for the next two months. I really hate not living up to what I say I am going to do, and I know I wouldn't be able to.

So here goes: I am going to try and check in at least once a week (note that at least -- that's giving me some wiggle room for more!). My updates will likely be wedding-related, with some quickie budget-friendly menu and decor ideas sprinkled in for good measure (and for my men readers that I am sure are pulling their hair out right about now).

Preach.
Source: cherrytart.tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

I have been keeping a list of blog ideas on the side, so just because I haven't had time to write them yet doesn't mean they aren't coming. I plan on reserving time on those long transatlantic flights I have coming up where I can let the creativity go free :) 

I love hearing from you guys in the meantime, though. What's keeping you busy these days? 

Spinning

Hiya, friends. I hope your week is off to a great start! 

I am mid-flight to the West Coast for work, all too happy to leave muggy, unseasonably warm and rainy Atlanta behind in exchange for a few days of some California sunshine. As I look out my airplane window (I am usually an aisle girl, but on these cross-country flights, the window is much more entertaining!), it's hard to believe what I can see. Huge mountain ranges covered with snow (hello, upstate New Mexico!), followed immediately by what appears to be flat fields and crop circles, also all snowy white. This country will never cease to amaze me in its terrain! I hope to actually visit some of these states that I am flying over right now, but that's what a good bucket list is for, am I right?

So, lots has been going on over here. Even though my head is spinning a bit with the things we have left to do, I am really excited for the weeks ahead as we zoom towards this big wedding.

Sorry in advance to those of you who are over this whole topic. Just a few weeks left, I promise ;)

The best part about all of this is that my fiance is getting even more excited right along with me, too :) We both have agreed to stick to healthy meals and workouts during the week to trim off a last few pounds, and I know our partnership in this will really help us reach our goals. It must be working, because believe it or not, I actually packed workout clothes for the hotel on this trip. Let's see if I go through with it (ha), but if there is a treadmill, I plan on hitting it for at least one, if not two, quick jog sessions.

The main thing that Brad and I have been doing together for the wedding, though, are marriage prep classes through our church. A lot of my friends are married, and went through similar routines, but I wondered if many of you readers have gotten to this stage, too? I thought I might talk a little bit about what it entails. Ladies in serious relationships, if a church wedding is in your future, you may want to listen up!

Source: google.com via Katherine on Pinterest

In the Catholic Church, marriage prep classes are required for every couple. Depending on your priest, you have one of a few options for the format. You can attend a weekend retreat, a day-long seminar, or, as our priest, the pastor of the parish, highly recommends, a few sessions with a volunteer sponsor couple. While all formats run through the same basic concepts, the sponsor couple sessions are focused around workbook exercises that the couple completes in advance. The books hit on big things like communication styles, financials, parenting and partnership. Once we have read the chapters and filled things out, we discuss ourselves, and then continue the conversation at the session. The sponsor couple is there to help guide the conversation and share their own experiences, too. It's been really interesting hearing our sponsor couple's take on life, love and religion. Bonus, they live in Buckhead, too, right around the corner! We have attended three of the five two-hour sessions so far.

These sessions, we have learned (and our sponsor couple has since admitted to us), are especially helpful for couples that might not have talked about these things together before. Since we have been together for over four years now, we had already talked about almost everything these books have covered. Going through all of the materials, I must admit, has been a bit tedious as a result, since we are already confident in our directions. Thankfully, we already know who will do a lot of the cleaning (OCD me!) and who will likely manage the financial books (finance-man Brad!) :)

Source: huff.to via Katherine on Pinterest

What has surprised me, though, is that I have actually enjoyed the excuse to talk through a few last things a little bit more. It's confirming what I already knew deep down -- that we are really ready for this big journey ahead! My head may be spinning, but these sessions continuously ground me back to reality and the true reason we are doing all of this. It's a big day, sure, with a big party and a big guest list -- a day that I would not give up for the world -- but what's even bigger is my heart -- it's full of love for what's ahead, on April 13 and all of the April 13's many, many years from now. Knowing that we are in line with each other and with our own goals as individuals and as a couple is a heart-filling thing! 

Source: stellaresque42.tumblr.com via Katherine on Pinterest

Sometimes I catch myself thinking back to the days when I was single, and I realize, while my relationship status has certainly changed since then, what was important to me then is still now, too. I crave a job that challenges me to always grow and learn, friends and family that are always there for me and I for them, and passions that make my life happy. Having a relationship hasn't "made" me who I am, nor has it "completed" me. It's morphed what I thought was sheer bliss into a whole new dimension, one for which I will be eternally grateful. Whether it's a new job, a new significant other, a new baby or a new home, these big life changes just take us to that next level of happiness. It's not better, or something we should feel we are missing out on otherwise, but just a new level that we get the chance to explore, enjoy and savor.

So, we are headed back for the fourth session this weekend, and a whole to-do list of other wedding things awaits us, too. While my head may continue to spin, I sure as anything am going to savor all of the moments in the meantime, though :)

Source: weheartit.com via Sydnee on Pinterest

Crossing Off the List

I am on day seven of this cough, you guys. And it is really dragging me down. A raging cough has a way of exhausting the body that no stuffy nose or sore throat can. So I am pretty certain at this point that my body is trying to tell me something. Which, in the grand scheme of things, I don't really get, because I really haven't been running myself that hard these days. Stress levels have been at a moderate-to-low level for the first time in a long time (yay, new job that I love!), I have been getting tons of sleep and have been trying to moderate food and exercise as we head towards the wedding.

Apparently, fate had another plan for me. Maybe it's a post-holiday sickness, catching up to me in time for the winter blues?

So, a low-key weekend and way too much coughing later, I am hitting the week with high hopes that I am on the rebound for good.

And if I am not, I have a doctor's appointment already in the books for tomorrow. A girl can't be too careful, after all :)

Since I've spent a bit more time on the couch in days of late, I've had lots of time to cross things off my to-do list, and also time to daydream a bit. Here's a glimpse into what's been going on from Sick Couch Central!

Source: imgur.com via Mary Ellen on Pinterest

 
The flights and B&Bs are booked for our honeymoon! We are SO THRILLED to be heading to Scotland and Ireland for a glorious two week honeymoon after our wedding in April. Brad and I have been saving up and haven't taken a vacation for just the two of us since our cruise in 2010. To say we are excited for this trip is an understatement :)

Source: matchbookmag.tumblr.com via Katherine on Pinterest

The wedding invites are in, as are the bridesmaid gowns, and we are getting ready to finalize details with our DJ, the florist and the caterer. The rehearsal venue is booked and we are mid-way through marriage prep classes with the church. Check, check, check! 

Source: baenk.com via Katherine on Pinterest

Have I mentioned how much I am in love with this year's Pantone Color of the Year? Emerald green is a close second to my fav green, kelly green, which is one of our wedding colors. I am all over this trend for the year ahead. I foresee a few green summer dresses and green tank tops in my wardrobe!

Source: thepapermama.com via Katherine on Pinterest

I can't believe Valentine's Day is right around the corner already. We usually do a low-key date night or day to "celebrate" and I am thinking these bacon hearts would be a perfect start to it all! What are you planning for your V-day weekend?

Source: left-my-heart-in-paris.tumblr.com via The Broke on Pinterest

Even though the days are a bit dreary right now with the mid-winter chill, I love pops of color wherever I can add them. Bright winter coats are a perfect choice. Isn't this hot pink one fabulous? I absolutely adore it. Though an emerald green one might be even better :)

I had that heavenly-choir-of-angels-singing moment in the LOFT dressing room over the weekend when I tried on a pair of their Modern Straight fit jeans. Girls, you know what I mean here - you know how rare it is to throw on a pair of jeans in the dressing room and have them fit perfectly!! LOFT, I love you. I am especially excited for this straight-leg fit because they flare just enough over heels while still giving the skinny jean look, but also fit into boots.

What's going on with you all so far this week? Any updates to report?

On Racing

A lot of the bloggers I follow have been falling into the same trap as me recently -- lots to do, not enough time, and their blog always seems to come in last. It makes me feel better to know that I am not alone. For me, the blog is a therapeutic outlet, though, and when I am not writing, I feel a little ... antsy. I miss connecting with my readers, and I feel like I am failing at the very thing I created. Thoughts are running in and out of my mind, racing off if I don't think to jot them down for later.

Lots of things have been racing lately. The holidays just zoomed by, and the post-holiday errands have caught up to me. I can't seem to cross off the entire to-do list each weekend. The calendar is stacking up for weekends ahead, but all I want to do some Sundays is sit down and cook, read magazines and relax all day. I also had my first official wedding dress fitting yesterday (yay!) and that sent me racing right into to the gym to tone up my arms a bit, ha! This girl is in serious need of this upcoming honeymoon, especially for the R&R it will bring!

I was supposed to be racing, literally, this morning in the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K race. I had signed up for the 5K on a whim, discovering too late (ahem, yesterday) that I hadn't even considered the logisitics of getting to and from the race. It was held down at Turner Field, which fellow Atlantans will know is not the best part of town. Add to that the really early arrival time, the parking situation and, oh wait, I didn't sleep well all night even though I went to bed early, and I flat out went back to bed this morning at the buzzer instead of getting up.

I have all of these things in my head as priorities, but unfortunately, I haven't prioritized them against each other. Sleep vs. workouts. Friends vs. alone time. Errands vs. blogging. Happy hour and fun vs. those last five pounds. I am kind of stuck on what I want to come first.

I don't share a lot of religious thoughts on the blog, but the core of my own faith is to try to remember to stay thankful for everything I have, each and every day and through the good and the bad. On weekends like this one, when time has been racing away from me, I try and slow things down to remember why my life makes me so happy. Even if it's just for a few minutes each day, appreciating the sunrise or sunset or seeing some pretty flowers, I can get some zen back into my life and not let that race away, too. Yesterday, I had that moment as I drove to an appointment (and was a little stressed about the travel time) and caught one of my favorite old songs on the radio. The poor people driving next to me probably thought I was crazy, singing along out loud with the windows down in January like I was :)

I may have skipped the official race this morning, but I just went out and did my own 5K around Buckhead, "earning" the sweatshirt and hat from the Hot Chocolate 5K that I had already picked up :) That extra sleep and the quiet time here on the couch with my post-run chai, reflecting on wedding things before a few appointments this afternoon, are both going to serve me well as I hit the ground running (literally) again this week.



Happy Racing, everyone! Slow things down once in a while, though :)

Hello to 2013!

Happy New Year!

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends. We are fresh back from the snowy lands of New Jersey where we spent a whirlwind few days with both my mom and dad’s families. We had our yearly reunion at Grandma’s, complete with all aunts and uncles, cousins, great-grandkids and significant others. What fun! I can't wait to see how that group photo turned out with all 20+ of us :)

We also managed to squeeze in a little afternoon in NYC for some falafel and strolling. Taim, you never cease to amaze me. If you are a falafel fan, don’t miss this one next time you are in town.

Hanging in the city, Christmas 2012

What a shock to me, then, given our family's busy schedules, that somehow the ladies planned a surprise bridal shower for me right in the midst of it all! My lovely aunts hosted a ladies luncheon on the 29th at a local historic inn in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ. To say they “got me” would be an understatement; I was shaking from the moment I realized what was going on and for nearly thirty minutes after!!

Me with my cousins Katie and Erin at my
Graduation in 2007. Love these gals and am so
excited to have them as bridesmaids!!

I will share a few photos of the party as soon as my cousin-slash-bridesmaid-slash-awesome-photographer (thanks Katie!) sends them our way. Many, many thanks and love to my aunts, my cousins (who are also my bridesmaids and flower girl!) and the other wonderful women that joined in the fun, including my grandmother and mom who both kept the secret from me all along. I am so, so, so blessed. 

XOXO to my groom who also made a surprise appearance at the end of the party :) I think I will keep him around, ha!

So here we are, back in A-town and getting back into the swing of things, and what a year we have ahead! Our wedding and honeymoon, weddings of loved ones and friends, graduations, and even some babies – my BFF and matron of honor is pregnant!! How exciting!!

I could not be more excited for 2013, and hope that your year is filled with love and happiness, too. See you around town as we kick off another great year!

Event DIY: Pennant Banner

Early on in the stages of wedding planning, we put a lot of thought into how we wanted to share the news about our big day with friends and family in advance. Save the Dates are the first way to showcase your wedding style and theme with the guests, and help ensure that as many of them as possible can attend. I didn't want to blow through a ton of money on these things, though, since honestly, most of our guests are close friends and family that knew from Day 1 when our wedding would be! I did, however, want to give everyone something to look forward to before the formal invites went out :)

We found inspiration for our Save the Date through Martha Stewart (love her) and this cute banner idea. While I didn't follow the template they provided, you certainly could. I just happen to like our custom version better :P

Once that we had something in mind, we headed off to Jo-Ann's for the supplies. We picked out card stock that had an elegant, but neutral, design and purchased enough sheets to make two triangle-shaped pennants per page. We also picked up ribbon in our primary wedding colors, navy blue and kelly green, with enough to reach through the full length of all the pennants and leave some to hold on each end. Then, we headed over to The School Box, one of my mom's favorite teacher spots. They have great prices on huge letters and numbers that you can easily glue down onto paper, bulletin boards or banners.

Here's how I put everything together: After my mom traced and cut the pennant shapes for me at school with a paper cutter, I punched out the letters and laid them out on the pennants to see where they should be positioned.

Note the wine glass. Arts and crafts requires some libation in my house :)

Once I had them all laid out, I started glueing the shapes down. I used a damp cloth to wipe off any excess glue.

Once the letters were all in place, I put them in between some heavy books to dry flat. Then I used a hole punch to cut out the holes before stringing through the double strand of ribbon. I twisted the ribbon a bit as it went through so that you could see both colors.

Yay, done! We brought the banner to our engagement photo shoot and sent our inspiration photos to our photographer in advance so that we could work it into our afternoon with them.

This banner would be an easy craft for a birthday party, engagement celebration or any DIY event. I love that you can customize it with any colors, letter styles or ribbons for any style event. We are planning on repurposing the banner at our wedding as part of our décor, too, making things for the big day that much easier.

Have you made any similar pennant banners? What was your inspiration?

Four Months to Go: Wedding Preview

Hi, friends, and Happy Friday! 

I just got our four-month wedding countdown email yesterday from TheKnot.com. As you know, I am focusing all of my wedding planning attention on my Erin Condren monthly checklists, so I mostly ignore these Knot emails. They come with even more to-do lists of their own, which I think could really stress out a person. Nothing like an email in the middle of your work week with tons of wedding prep to do to get a gal sweating glistening. Thanks to my EC planner, I can completely ignore these emails other than reminding me how far out we are from the big day, getting a little twinge of "yikes!" before getting a huge rush of excitement.

So, four months out. Where do we stand? I haven't told you all yet about what's in store for the big weekend, so as a little Friday Feature, I wanted to give you an insider's look. Not like I will be revealing anything huge, though, because even my 'maids know that I am keeping most details hush-hush ... including my dress -- no one will see it before April! Gotta leave some things for people to look forward to, after all! ;)

First off, we are getting married on April 13, 2013. 4/13/13. I love the ring to it! Plus, my nerdy GT/OCD side loves that 1+3=4. Awww.

We made this fun picture into Save the Date magnets for all of our guests with details on the bottom corners.

Hint: Come back this weekend to get a little tutorial on how I made the banner we are holding in our Save the Dates. It was a fun and easy DIY project that you could duplicate for any special occasion.

CTK in Buckhead

Our wedding will take place right here in Buckhead. As if you hadn't guessed that already. We are a Buckhead couple and we wanted to keep the love right here in town. Plus, Buckhead is a great centralized location for our guests, a large majority of whom will be flying in and taking MARTA to the hotel. The hotel is close to the church which is close to the reception. No one has to drive, and everyone can hang out late-night at the nearby bars if they want, too.

Our wedding will be held at Cathedral of Christ the King, the Catholic cathedral that you might recognize if you have ever run the Peachtree Road Race course. It's located at the bend right through the residential part of town.

CTK is not the church that sprays you with holy water as you run past. That's the Episcopal one, St. Philip's. But I still bless myself as I run through that spray, and then again as I run past CTK. I figure I need the extra love to make sure I don't have an asthma attack during the race each year :)

We are having a 2 p.m. Catholic Mass. I have dreamed about having a Catholic Mass wedding for my whole life. I feel like it's the perfect blend of tradition and celebration. It might be an hour (+) long (!!), but I love that it helps showcase the actual wedding as the focus of the day, rather than the party afterwards. You all know I love throwing a party, but it's nice to remember the reason for the day.

Speaking of the party, we are having a big one that evening at The Buckhead Club, which is part of the ClubCorp organization. ClubCorp has locations all over the country, and they are like the business version of a country club. They feature awesome food, staff and areas for both business and entertaining. Most importantly, they excel at making their members and guests feel like royalty, which will be perfect for our big day. 

The views out of all sides of the Club are amazing.

Even the lounge area has a swank feel.

We love the views from the Club. It's located on the 26th floor of the Sovereign Building, up above our fav restaurant Bistro Niko (coincidence? I think not!). Our happy hour will be on one whole side of the building, and dinner and dancing will be on the other. It's going to be amazing. I can't wait to see the space all pulled together.

Want to know more about our wedding? Head on over to our wedding website, BradandKatherine.com. It's full of information about us as a couple and more details about both venues.

Tip: I chose to use Wedding Wire for the website, because I absolutely loved the templates they had. The one we chose, a Vera Wang design, matches our preppy city-chic theme and colors, and provided just enough customization along with helpful templates to make it really easy to set up.

There you have it! A brief look into what's coming up for us in just under four months. As the date approaches, I will probably share a few more details, but stay tuned until after the honeymoon for the full run down :)

Holiday Check-In

As always, the holiday season is a blur. I thought I'd pop over and share some of the (many) things running through my head these days.

Source: froufroufashionista.tumblr.com via Domestically on Pinterest

* My wedding dress has come in. Talk about a wake-up call that things are getting close! Like any girl, I want to make sure I look good in that dress on the big day. I decided that while my workouts might need to scale back since I haven't quite figured out how to balance them with my new job/schedule, I could at least focus on the food/drink part for now. I started Weight Watchers again in full last Monday, and lost two pounds the first week. If I can keep this up for a few weeks, and add in some serious workouts once January hits (I'm just being realistic here!), I should be just fine in that dress ;)

* I really love holiday parties with my girlfriends :) Last night's cookie exchange was a huge success, as always. Thanks to all of my lovely friends who joined in the fun!

Source: yummymummykitchen.com via Katherine on Pinterest

* Holiday parties + Weight Watchers is a really hard balance. I am determined to pace myself and still enjoy the season. One splurge does not equal a fail. Lots of splurges do, though. I am holding tight and trying to keep any splurge days to one day/week, and stick strictly to WW the other days. This should help get me through the season without feeling deprived of those wonderful holiday cookies, foods and beverages.

* I am about to turn 29. What a lame number is that?! Ugh.

* Holiday shopping ... is almost done. I have a few presents left to pick out this weekend, but I have an idea for all of them, at least. How is your shopping coming along?

* It's so refreshing to be happy every day. Waking up with motivation is an awesome thing!

Source: stellaresque42.tumblr.com via Katherine on Pinterest

* Lots of wedding planning questions from friends recently. Here's a two sentence run-down: we just got the invitations in (!), we have ordered the guys' suits and have some favor prep underway. Next up: booking shuttles for the guests, finalizing rehearsal dinner details and selecting our menu. Hooray!

Even though this season is notoriously crazy, I remind myself every day to stop and look around. I love spending a few minutes each day gazing at our pretty tree, singing along with a holiday song on the radio and reading the holiday cards from our friends. That's what matters after all!

Enjoy your next 12 days of Christmas!! 

Five Months To Go: Parties and Fun

Last night I had a terrifying dream ... about our wedding plans. Ugh. I had heard through the bride grapevine that, no matter how stressed or relaxed I might be about our wedding, the wedding nightmares would arrive. Sure enough, just as I am feeling in-control and really excited about what's coming up in April, a very detailed nightmare shows up. In it, our invites never went out in time, we never got wedding bands and I somehow forget the entire night and didn't get a videographer so the memories were lost forever. What?!

Of course, beyond the sheer ridiculousness of it all (um, hello, shopping for more jewelry? That is a MUST on any girl's list!), the nightmare did prompt me to check into our to-do lists and see where we stand. Just as I had thought, we are totally on par with where we need to be. Honeymoon plans are coming together, the invite proofs just came in and the first chatter of showers and bachelor/bachelorette parties have begun. We are entering the super fun time of wedding planning, and couldn't be more excited!

Here's a run-down of a few of the things on the list to knock out in upcoming weeks (according to my go-to Erin Condren planner!):

* Book the Rehearsal Dinner
* Book transportation
* Purchase shoes ... as if they had to tell me to do this one ;)
* Work on favors

Speaking of our wedding plans, Brad's best friend and his wife threw us an amazing engagement party a few weeks ago. It was Mad Men-themed, perfect for die-hard fans like Brad and me :)

Look at some of the adorable decor they set up in their home!

I loved how she included vintage-hued photos of us throughout the home.

And the drink stations were clutch. Bourbon for him, vodka for me! Each station had a few drink cards with recipes so that guests could help themselves. As you might guess, the men hovered very near to the bourbon bar for most of the night!

A Mad Men theme would be a fun way to class things up for a holiday party. You can find similar ideas and resources for yours over here on Pizzazzerie, and Etsy is full of retailers ready to create the paper for the party. AMC also has a full Man Men party guide that you could customize for the holidays with cranberry hued cocktails and a holiday-ish menu.

Me and my 'maid Annemarie, enjoying the party!

Happy Partying! And YAY wedding fun! Thanks to Kyle and Victoria for the sweet soiree last month :)

The groom and me in our Mad Men best :) I channeled my namesake "Joan" for the night!

Six Months Out: It's Gettin' Real

Over the weekend, I got an email notice letting me know that my wedding dress is going to be shipped on, dun dun dun .... January 7, 2013. Goooooodness gracious. I knew the day was right around the corner that I'd have to start in on the dress fittings, but there's nothing like a hard date wake-up call to make things super real.

I guess I should lay off the La Famiglia feasts of Italian food this holiday season up in New Jersey...

After a weekend full of football, bar food and general off-schedule living, I was already for a fresh start today, so the dress email had pretty good timing. Last week, I had a big break-through in my training schedule, and I want to keep that up. I have found myself wanting to go for a run -- a sure sign I am getting back into the groove. I also asked my trainer, with whom I train once a week typically on weights and circuits, if we could work in some boxing, too. After an early morning session with the gloves strapped on, I had muscles screaming at me that I haven't felt in years, and it felt awesome.

I really thought that the wedding would be my be-all, end-all to my constant battle of those "last ten pounds." One would think that the goal of looking extra svelt in all of those wedding pictures would be more than enough motivation. What has been surprising, however, is that stress has continued to trump even the wedding in my efforts to slim things down. I find myself stress-eating, stress-skipping workouts and stress-sleeping more than stress-exercising. While I can set the goals of multiple runs per week plus the trainer plus WW, a winning combination in theory, what ends up happening is real life and I haven't been keeping those goals a priority. I haven't been slipping, mind you; the scale has remained steady. A steady scale is still a FAIL right now, though, as I head into the six month countdown (six months from Saturday!).

So, I am putting out some flares for help. I am getting the man involved with some alcohol-free weeks full of healthy meals. I am meeting up with friends for walks/runs instead of drinks, and I am going to be heading back to LA Fitness for some extra boosts of workouts each week. I am going to be slipping into workout clothes more than go-out clothes and taking more showers as a result (even though next-day hair is a favorite of mine to rock :) ).

Everyone has their motivation and for me, it's my wedding day photos. I already try to live a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle, and it's the idea of the photos that is helping me climb to the next level. What is your motivation to keep kicking your body into shape?

Planning the Wedding: 5 Months Down

Hello, friends! Another football Saturday is upon us and I can't wait to see my Jackets play at home tonight for the season opener! We need a good W after last weekend's late night loss.

Since it's a night game and a lot of my friends won't be there because of other commitments, I'm taking advantage of the afternoon to take care of other things before heading into town for the tailgate.

** Hooray, Auburn just scored a TD! War Eagle!! ** --> like watching Auburn play! ;)

It's been about five months (five?!) since we got engaged, and part of being engaged means that pretty much everyone asks you how the wedding planning process is going when they see you :P Luckily, we got out of the gates early, taking advantage of the quieter summer months and doing as much as we could right up front. These days, when people ask how the planning process is going, I can legitimately say that we are right on track, if not ahead of things, and that we are trying to enjoy every moment of it!

Recently, though, there's been a perfect storm of planning that all had to get done at once. The website. The Save the Dates (which list the website). The hotel booking (so that people can reserve rooms from the website). The engagement photos (which are on the website and our STD). The registry (yep, on the website, too). None of these things were hard to get done, but all together, it's been a busy end to the summer.

As you can see from the fun shot above, though, the engagement photos are done, the STDs are going out this week and we've had fun registering in-store and online at some of our favorite places. As you might imagine, I am pretty good at fake shopping ;)

I have talked about Erin Condren planners on here before, but I really think I might be losing it right now if it wasn't for her wedding planner.

Let me tell you: Erin is keeping this gal sane. I am a wedding blog-aholic, so whenever I am cruising the webs or Pinterest, I am easily distracted by uber-cute wedding DIY projects, favor ideas and decor items. And then I start to freak a little bit. Why haven't I thought about that yet? Should I have thought about this vs. that by now? What's the deadline to do this?

And then Erin brings be back down to the ground ASAP. I just have to flip open her planner to the front pages where there are these ingenious month-by-month To Do lists. Favors? I don't need to do anything about those until "4 to 2 months before" the wedding. Welcome baskets? 6 to 4 months before. And then I realize -- I have time! The mini crisis in my head goes away, and I can refocus energies.

Part of the benefit of having a whole year to plan this wedding is that we have plenty of time. It's going to be a big party, sure, and we want it all to be perfect, but we don't have to do it all now. While my OCD-self struggles with that thought, every time I run across one of those cute decor ideas, I just make a quick note of the site and idea in my planner's note pages, instead. That way, I don't have to freak out about forgetting to do anything, and I can keep my focus on the items for right now.

With seven months still to go, we are almost done with the "8 to 6 months before" list, with only sending the STDs and booking the florist and DJ left. I already have strong recommendations for both of those vendors, too, and that means I have all of this month to finalize that! Better yet, I have some of the "6 to 4 months before" list already done, too, like the bridesmaid dresses. It feels good to be ahead of the game.

Today, I started to get a little overwhelmed thinking about all the things I wanted to get done. The planning process started to suck me in. I have promised myself that I would actually enjoy this wedding planning process, though, and I want to stick to that goal. When else do you get to enjoy a time like this? I don't want to remember it as being a stressful time!

So a few minutes of feeling like AHHHH, I sat back, flipped through our engagement photos and focused my thoughts around how much fun it was that day and how much more fun our Big Day will be. Then, I opened up our planner and brainstormed some ideas. All things that we can tackle later, mind you :)

Fellow brides-to-be and married gals -- what things have or got you stressed out during the planning process? What kept you sane?