Wedding Mess

After some very unfortunate events, I found out that my original wedding reception site had been doubled booked and that there was nothing they were going to do about it. They are letting the other bride have that day and I am out on the street. My original wedding date was June 4th but then my wedding planner had talked with another fabulous wedding reception site. However, the 4th was not available so we went with the 25th. This place is beautiful. I prayed and prayed that it would work out and it has until today...

My Maid of Honor informed me that her sister will be graduating highschool on the 25th of June! At first, I was like we will change the date and then my MOH told me not to. She said we would make it work. However, if I kept the wedding on the 25th her family would not be able to attend the wedding. Plus, she would not be able to give her sister the attention that she rightfully deserves. So here is my prayer, my whole heart honest prayer.... that somehow God would allow either May 28th to be open or July 1st. I prefer the 28th but I can live with the 1st. I just can't see myself not spending the morning with my MOH while she is away at graduation. I don't want to put that burden on her.

I know many of you are thinking what about all the other dates in June...*sigh* that is a different story. Roger's brother graduates the 18th and if we got married on the 11th we would not be able to be home in time to see him graduate. What a huge mess this is. Please, please pray for those dates that I listed! I would be so grateful. I understand that God has everything in control but from one almost bridezilla...I am freaking out a tad...

Just a simple post...

Well I have been as busy as ever and I will only get busier! After this next week my life only continues to get even more crazy. I start working well over 40 hours a week! Nuts!!! I have started to question why I am working so much? I mean what do I really need all of that money for? Couldn't I do other things with it? Couldn't I live a simpler life and not need to make as much. I am working through that issue right now.

Tomorrow I am going on a mini-vacation to the Darlings! I am pretty excited to "get away" from my house and my every day life. I am even more excited to have a sister's date with Cadi! OH and I finally get to ask this sweet girl to be in my wedding. I have had to keep this secret from her for months and I can't wait to spill the beans.

As for wedding plans, I ordered my dress. I can't remember if I mentioned that or not. It takes 4 months to come in! I can hardly wait to try it on again. Oh the agony of waiting. I started a wedding calendar that counts down the months until I get married. It has all of these helpful tips for your wedding. I am trying to not get too tangled up with wedding planning books and such. There is something out there for every type of wedding and it can get overwhelming!!! I have yet to answer the one question that I do not want to answer. Ugh. It has been wearing on me since a little girl. And maybe one day when I am ready, I will share that question with you.

My sweet love just pulled in and I am going to get dinner started. I am loving the life that Christ has given me! God bless!

Calendars

A simple trip to Wal-Mart made my whole day brighter! Want to know what I bought? A calendar...2 calendars actually! I got a new desk calendar for my office at work and then decided it was time to get a new work calendar to help me stay organized with all of my appointments, swim lessons, private lessons, office hours, and guarding hours. I am getting busier than ever as the summer is upon us, so it was just time! And trust me this girl could not be more excited!!

Here is a picture of my old work calendar...

I kept turning to the month of July and dreading how unorganized my calendar was. I know in my head what each of those times meant but I wanted to just be able to glance at my calendar without having to think. After all, what is the sense of organizing if it doesn't make life easier? The boxes in the above calendar were so small. There was no place to write notes or reminders, which is why you see a sticky note on the calendar. It was just too small! So I upgraded to this beauty...

It's triple the size of my other calendar!! I have just started to put in my appointments and work hours, but I wanted to take my time and enjoy it. I know you are laughing at me, but I can't help it! I just enjoy planning so much!!! I always said I wished someone would pay me to organize their life...it would be the world's easiest job!

So there you have it. A simple ten dollar purchase made my whole day better. What a perfect treat for me! :-)

Richer than most!

I am not rich by any standard of this earth. If one was to peak into my checking and savings account they would quickly agree. I make ends meet. I have my financial struggles just like the next person. I am not a billionaire, I am not rich...

...But I am rich. After hearing a fabulous sermon by Pastor Brian, I realize even more how rich I truly am! I am rich in every heavenly aspect. I often find myself complaining about the little things in life, but when I stop back and look at the big picture, I find myself in awe.

First and foremost, I have been rescued by my heavenly Father. The one who loves me more than anything. I have eternity to look forward to. I have a family who loves me. My mom is one of my biggest supporters. She is constantly cheering me on! I have 2 great brothers, Caleb and Nathan who I love dearly. They are pictured below at my graduation 3 years ago.

I also have the privilege of gaining a new family. Roger's parents, Beth and Mike are some of the kindest and most loving people I have met. They have adopted me right into their family before we were even engaged. I can hardly wait to get 2 new brothers, Ryan and Reid. They both are different in their separate ways but I love them the same. The bond that I have with each of them is inseparable. They each bring something different to the table. I love the days that I get to spend with them! They are pictured below on this Easter picture that was taken.

On top of that, I must mention that I have a Godly fiancee' whom I cannot get enough of. He is my rock. He is my best friend. I could not live a day without him. I cannot even begin to explain how amazing our relationship is. He treats me with respect and his continuous love for me is humbling. I am so blessed to be with a man that is so good to me! We are pictured below at the Red Sox game we just attended

Even after all of those people in my life I still have more that are worthy of mentioning. I have a unique privilege of having a relationship with a family that welcomes me with open arms. They have always trusted me with their children and have allowed to have a special relationship with their daughters, Cadi. She is truly my little sister. I pulled up a picture from last summer when we went to Virginia together. I can not even tell you how much I love and adore this family. Their Godliness shows in everything they do. I know I have mentioned them before, but how rich am I to have yet another family to turn to? How blessed can one girl get?

I could go on for hours about how rich I am. There are so many things that make me rich that I could fill a book. I am just so humbled by the blessing in my life that I take for granted. I am so glad by the simple reminders that these pictures have brought me. I cannot even begin to express how thankful that I am that God has made me rich in Him and His blessings. I honestly, do not think I could ask for more. Could you?

Swimming rant

Watch out I am on a rant!! Just bear with me here and maybe you will find some useful information.

I work at a pool. All day, every day, I watch parents come in with their children and try to teach them how to swim. I am a certified swim instructor. I know that there are many loving parents out there who can teach their children the basics of swimming. But be honest and don't pretend to be an expert. I am not even an expert. Anyways, I got side tracked...

Yesterday, I was sitting in my guard chair minding my own business when a mom walked into with her 3 year old. She felt the need to tell me that this child has never been in a pool before. I tried to hide my face of shock. Then the more I thought about it, the more I realized not everyone has a pool to access. So okay, I thought, maybe this isn't a big deal. She goes on to tell me that they have a pool. WOAH! Wait a minute here. She said that she has not felt that the child was able to be in a pool until this point. In her words, "he wasn't ready." Now, as you can probably figure out, I was dying to unload all of my swimming knowledge on this parent. However, I sat there and let her continue to walk to the pool.

As soon as the child hit the water he demanded freedom from his mom. He wanted to float with a noodle on his own but mother said no. She told him that he was not ready. ( I was shocked that the child even wanted to be on his own!!) Then the child wanted to jump into the pool with his mother's help, but the mother said no because once again he was not ready.

Ugh. I dislike parents like that. Not ready? Are you kidding me? That boy was born to swim. If a child of that age is expressing that they want to be own their own and swim, by all means let them swim! Teach them how to as best as you can. Give them the knowledge. I told this parent about the 3 year old that I have been working with, Jaxon. I shared that I purchased a child's sized goggles and taught him how to go all the way under water in the bathtub. I shared how we have been working on simple things like kicking so that when he gets into the big pool, he can explore.

I never would have told Jaxon that he was not ready to go underwater. If you let that opportunity slip you by, you will not get it again. I remember another 3 year old little girl, Cadi. She loved being in the water and by her 4th birthday she could swim by herself and dive. I never would have told her that she was not ready. If you let that opportunity slip by you, you will not get it again. I am teaching a 13 year old boy who is terrified of the water partly because his mom did not think he was ready to swim until now.

It's sad. Let kids be kids. Let them explore. I know that it is probably a hard things for parents to do this idea of letting go. You mean you actually want me to allow my child to jump into the pool? He isn't ready...no sorry...you aren't ready. Get over it. Okay that was a tad rough... nope get over it. By all means, make sure that the proper supervision is there. Of course, do not let your 3 year old jump into the pool without you being right there. I would never suggest allowing a child to play in a pool without an adult and or a lifeguard. Do not mistake me there. I just want parents to realize that their children want to learn and want to explore. Let them explore in the water, in their bathtub. Please!! I do not want to have to teach your 18 year old how to swim.

Maybe after my vacation, I will share some tips to getting your child to go underwater in their bath. They can start practicing as early as 6 months!!

Craving Structure!!!

The other day, I was in the worst of moods. I could not figure out what was wrong with me. I was so moody. I didn't want to do anything but whine and complain. I was super sensitive to everything that Roger said. I was taking thing so personally. For instance, I was watching a TV show and he texted me and asked me a question. Normally, it does not bother me to answer his questions but that day I was going crazy.

To be honest, I just wanted to go to work. I know it sounds crazy right. But since school has been out, I have had so much time off. I am losing my mind. I do not know what to do with myself. I have no deadlines. I have no papers to write. I do not have homework. I do not have no pressures. Of course, that sounds ideal to everyone except for me. I need deadlines. I need pressure. I need a balance of both things. Pressures and relaxing. Luckily for me, I start my summer classes in 1 week. I will fill some off my time off with school work and I am excited. I know I am a dork but I am really excited. I just needed something to do instead of sit around and stare at my walls. I know I am pathetic. I just need structure. I cannot wait to have this structure in my life again. Mark my words, I am in sure in 3 weeks, half way through my summer classes I will be begging for vacation again...

Never again...

It has happened. The day that I have been dreaming of since I was a little girl has come and gone. All of my expectations were fulfilled and the day is over. I will never again have that day back. It was {everything} that I had hoped for.

As I drove up to Syracuse on Saturday with my mother, maid of honor, and wedding planner, I could feel myself saying. This is real. The car ride was full of laughter and questions about the big day. We talked about the details that I had already planned and of the details that I would be planning soon. We talked about what dresses to try on. What styles I liked and what styles I never wanted to see. My heart was racing. This is real.

As we walked into David's Bridal, I was nervous. The lady at the front counter had me fill out paperwork about Roger and myself. I was shaking. It was really happening. It was real. My friends and family started to pull dresses and my heart sank. Polyester after polyester after polyester. I was so disappointed in the material of the dresses. I thought no way am I going to find a dress that I wanted.

I slipped into my dressing room and put on the most uncomfortable slip so that I would be smooth under the dresses. (May I add that after dress #2 I took it off). My consultant slipped a dress over my head and said alright let's go show them. My face was pale. I wanted to throw up. It was real. It happened. The moment of my first wedding dress was over. Everyone loved the dress. I felt okay in it. It was not my first choice for a dress but it was beautiful.

I tried on dress after dress after dress. The more dresses I put on, the more comfortable I became. Shannon, my MOH, quickly got the hang of slipping me in and out of dresses. She is my best friend. She knows me better than anyone and I was thrilled to spend that time with her. Then it happened, I put on the one dress that everyone said "that is your wedding dress." It was beautiful. My mom and Jeanne teared up. It was classic and flawless. However, I couldn't help but notice that it did not have anything that I had originally wanted. My fiance reads my blog, so I will not go into details, but trust me when I say that it wasn't "the one".

As everyone was wiping there eyes, I looked over to another bride and she had my dress on! I told my consultant to get that dress. It is everything that I wanted. My family was like really? No that is not for you. This is for you. I insisted on trying it on. As my MOH helped me into the dress of my dreams, she admitted to me that this was the dress for me. She knew it as soon as I put it on. I walked out with my head held high and told them that if I had to make a choice today. This was the dress for me. They were shocked! However, after the consultant added some simple touches to the dress, everyone quickly agreed that I was right. I had on the dress of my dreams.

I did not buy that dress. I am convinced that I can find another one that I love and is made of Satin. This dress had the qualities that I loved it but I think that there may be another dress out there for me. I feel like I cannot have found my dress quite yet but who knows maybe I have... I guess we will wait and see!