We're off

We are heading out early tomorrow for our first 2011 vacation.  It will also be our very first dreamtrip and we are really excited!!!!

I plan to bring a journal to write down daily activities so I can share them when I return.  I will also be taking many pictures and even bringing our Flip video camera.

I can't wait to share all the fun we are going to have when we return!!

Tuxedos

Tate and I went and picked out the tuxedos for the wedding a couple weeks ago.  It was nice to check another item off the list.

I brought in the color swatch of fabric that the BM dresses will be so I could match it to the tie's and pocketfolds.  We decided to go with pocketfolds instead of flowers for the men in tuxedos and they also will not be wearing any vests (which helped with the cost of each one).  They will also be wearing suspenders.

Here are the three different colors that will be incorporated in the tuxedos.
















Tate modeled them all so I could take pictures.  Tate will be wearing black button up with an ivory tie and ivory pocket folds.





















The groomsmen and ushers will be wearing a black button up and have on the deep red tie.  The GM will have deep red and black pocketfolds and the ushers will have deep red and ivory pocketfolds.





















The dads will be wearing a black button up with a black tie and black and ivory pocketfolds.





















We went with the 3 button jacket since they are not wearing vests.  It also looks really nice and fitting.  I hope they look fitting on all the guys.

I feel like we got a pretty good deal on the tuxedos.  We had a coupon to use so Tate gets his tuxedo rental for free, we received $25 off each tux rental of the wedding party & Tate get's a free suit to keep.  He is pretty excited about the free suit.

I'm excited to get many things checked off my wedding list so I can have a non stressful summer and help my bestie with her wedding that is in Sept!

What do I want to remember?

I have come to realize many things in the last month.  One thing in particular is...I WANT TO MAKE A LIVING...LIVING!!!

Some questions that I have been asked are...

Do I want more of this in my life...














Or do I want more of this?









Do I want to work with this everyday...











Or work with this everyday?








Do I want to remember my days as this...














or would I like to remember doing things like this?




















Do I want this as my retirement...










Or this?










Would I like this @ the end of retirement...














Or this?










Do I want this as my golden years...














Or would I like this as my golden years?











I think it is pretty clear what I went with.  IT JUST MAKES SENSE!!!!  It's possible and people all over the USA and 16 other countries are doing it.  You can to.  Watch #2 - CLICK

*I would like to note that I do love my job, I like the people I work with and I am happy.  Is this something that is better...yes. It also gives me the opportunity to stay @ home when children come in the picture someday.  Who wouldn't love to travel more and be able to spend more time with their loved ones?  Once again...IT JUST MAKES SENSE!!!!*

DIY Wired Hangers

Another DIY project is finished!!

I got this idea from other brides on theknot.com. I decided to make these wire hangers because I thought it would be fun and a good photo op with the BM dresses on them.  I plan to spice them up when I give them to the girls...but here they are as just hangers with their names.

I bought the hangers from Target in a 5 pack.  I purchased the floral wire from Michael's.  Made the names, drilled holes into the hangers and then super glued the wire into the holes I drilled.

It did take a few tries to get them to where I actually liked them.

I decided to make one for myself also.  Some other brides that had made them had used the bride and groom name for their own hanger or Mrs. 'new last name'.  My name seemed too difficult to make and so did what my new last name is going to be...so I just decided to go with 'I do'.

Winning

Yesterday started out as a really great day.  I won MN Twins tickets on KS95 early morning show.  I played 25 dollar pyramid.  I was the first caller through and played with Melissa.  I got 3 out of the 5 categories (I didn't get 'Glee' & 'Phases of the moon')....so I also won $15 along with the Twins tickets.  $15 will buy 2 beers @ the game :)  I was really excited to win a great prize.  Tate and I look forward going to the game.

On another note...the weather is NOT winning with me.  It's snowing right now and has been all night.  There is 6+ inches out there.  I am actually home sick today (throat is killing me).  I'm glad I get to sit inside and not have to deal with it.  I would like to just have it stop snowing and warm up right away to melt it all!!!

Dreamtrips Life

IT'S ARRIVED!!!!  It finally is here and I am SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

Rewind:  Tate and I started our own @ home business in late 2010.  It's with a company called WorldVentures.  The company has been in business since 2005 and is a travel club.  WorldVentures takes the concept of Sam's Club and Costco and uses it towards Travel.  They buy in bulk and turn around and sell it to their members at a discounted rate.  One can choose to become a member and enjoy the benefits of traveling at a discount and/or you could also become a rep for the company and start earning a residual income.

Tate and I joined for 2 reasons.

1. We became members so we could travel @ a discounted rate. We can stay @ 4 or 5 star resorts @ 2 or 3 star prices. We wanted to be able to travel at least twice a year and be able to afford to do that.

2. We became reps for our back up plan.  This is our plan B.  The average millionaire has 7 streams of income.  We just added #5 (Fitness Director, Coach, Accountant, golf course & now WorldVentures) - by no means do I think we are going to become millionaires by stating this...but if it did happen, I wouldn't complain. If anything were to happen to our 9-5 job...we want to be able to have a back up.  WorldVentures was the answer to this.

This past Saturday, Tate and I attended the regional training for WorldVentures here in the Twin Cities.  It was so great!!!  I learned so much information and met some really great people.  It marked the launch of Dreamtrips Life.  As if it wasn't already great...they now added COUPONS to the mix.  Coupons for everyday things.  Food, movies, car maintenance, retail shops (Target, Macy's, - a lot of mall stores), etc. I already used a coupon on Sunday for Tate and I during lunch @ the mall.  I love saving money and this just added a whole new dimension to it.

Let's just say I'M EXCITED about saving money, I'M EXCITED about WorldVentures, I'M EXCITED to leave on my first Dreamtrip in a little over a week...I'M EXCITED to what this company can do for Tate and I.  If any of you reading this have questions or would like to see what it's all about...I have all my links on the right hand side of my blog above our family photo.  You can also CLICK HERE and watch video #2.

 

Gold Chandelier No More

A friend of mine showed me a blog site that I have just fallen in love with and can't get enough of.  It's called Better After. Fellow blog readers will email in before and after pictures of something they re-did and she then posts it to her blog. I decided it was time I try something of the sort...so I did.

The kitchen in our house has never been updated since the house was built in '95.  There are many things I would love to change and remodel...but when you are saving for a wedding, it's very hard.  Since we won't be remodeling for about a year from now...I decided to make some areas more appealing to the eye and we started with the chandelier light over the kitchen table.

Before as a gaudy gold chandelier:

With a little spray paint and Tate's labor of taking down and putting back up...we have this!!!

Next item on the list...entry room chandelier.  Can't wait :)

Happy St. Patricks Day for all you Irish folks reading this.  Here is the view outside my work window of the parade...

Japan

I'm so heart broken with seeing everything that has happened in Japan last Friday. 2 natural disasters in one day.  It's so sad that one natural disaster caused the other and has killed so many people. 

I'm reading articles of the towns that are wiped out and of people saying that they are not sure if it's good that they survived.  Stories of bodies being washed ashore. Worries of nuclear plants exploding.  This is so sad and really makes me feel helpless.

I found this website to see different ways I and anybody else could help. Click here --> HELP Japan

I look at my life and realize how incredibly lucky I am.  I am so blessed.  I wonder I would survive such an ordeal.  I wonder what they are going through.  I pray that they find the strength to overcome this.  It truly does make you think twice about complaining about anything.  How could anything compare to what has just happened in Japan?!?!

This picture is incredibly sad...

**all pictures are from CNN.com**

A friend of mine posted this as her status update today...
"Sept 11th (NY), Jan 11th (Haiti), and Mar 11th (Japan)...Luke 21:10-11 - Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.""

Since I am not able to be there to help those suffering in Japan...I will do my part her by donating and praying.

Rylee Jane

Amanda (my bestie) recently had her daughter's 6 month pictures taken.  They are so cute and adorable, I had to post a few.  She is my godchild and I feel so blessed to have her in my life.  She is growing up so fast!!!

Amanda made the tutu she is wearing in some of the pictures!





















I'm loving the antique look of the pictures...

Amanda calls this her 'innocent' look :)

She is such happy baby!!  Amanda and Chris have done such a great job raising her.  I hope that I will be as good as a mom to my children as Amanda is to Rylee!!!  Love them to pieces!!!

Mya

I thought I should dedicate a post to our fur baby...Mya.  I just love her so much and I seriously can't ever get enough of her.  Of course there are the times I am frustrated with her for not walking nice when out on a walk or she is being too hyper...but she is too cute to be mad at.

We adopted Mya 5 days after buying our home.  We new we wanted a dog and I just couldn't wait to get one.  I had been looking for a couple months before we even bought our house.  I found her on petfinder.com and the minute she showed up @ our house...I fell in love.  Tate was hesitant about adopting a dog so fast after buying our house...but when she came over, they played fetch and instantly fell in love.

I swear she knows she is getting her picture taken and is modeling :)

She had to have surgery when she wasn't even a year old yet.  She had a bad hip...felt so bad for her!

All pretty after being groomed (don't mind the hideous blanket she is on...it's to keep the hair off the car seats)

She loves having play time with the neighbor dog, Armani!

She's always there to listen :)

I seriously could put up so many pictures...but I'll stop there!!!!