5 Things I Love About This Weekend

5. I am packing my bags and road tripping with my mom and sister, Carrie, to Tennessee beginning tomorrow at 6:00am! We will be visiting some family, and I will also get a chance to see some of my college friends in Knoxville! Yay for fun times with family and friends! I am especially happy because I will get to see my adorable cousin, Chandler, again!

4. While I am there, I will be picking up a pair of these boots at a local shoe store! I have them in brown and gray, but really "need" the black ones too, of course! :)

3. I will get to see one of my bestest friends, Angie, who was also my Matron of Honor! My sister and I will be staying with her tomorrow night so that means lots of quality time!

2. We will be going to a fall festival on Saturday! Fall is my favorite season. I love anything to do with it! Apple cider, pumpkin pie, corn mazes, cool weather, bonfires, you name it! So getting the opportunity to go to a festival solely dedicated to fall = Awesome! Hopefully I'll take a lot of great pictures to share!

1. I do not have to be around kids for 3 whole days! This might be the highlight of my weekend! I need a break! I can only go so many days in a row before I want to scream. This seems to be a significant sign that I am definitely in no way ready for children, and that is fine. I have no desire to head down that path any time soon! :) Hooray for a childless weekend!

Say No To Kids

Only a little over a month has passed wince the wedding and already the topic of children has come up. However, not in the way one might think. We both used to love kids and eagerly anticipated the day when we would have our own. Now that we have been married, we both are not sure if we even want children, period. It might just be the phase that we are in since we are enjoying life with just the two of us. We want to travel and be able to go to concerts and nice dinners without finding a sitter or paying for overly priced kids meals.

I feel like I'm in the movie Father of the Bride II when George and Nina have just found out they are expecting and are driving back from the doctors. While Nina is gazing out the window admiring mothers and children lovingly strolling by, George is seeing mini terrors being chased by their parents. Whenever I go out and am around children, I feel like George. I see kids screaming or whining or simply even hear them talking to their parents and I cringe. I want none of that. Having kids is constant stress, a depletion of money, and a decrease in free time. Maybe I should just enjoy other people's children? There is a small part of me that wants my own children someday. I want to see if they will have Travis' eyes or my hair of if they will be a combination of both of us.

I think one recent deterrent is the fact that I work at a disorganized daycare facility that takes advantage of its teachers. It is an overwhelming job with little enjoyable moments. It is full of constant discipline and correction. My job is to sit around and wait until the kids break a rule or annoy me then I instruct them to behave. Talk about frustrating Maybe it is all of the negatives I have been experiencing that have caused me to feel the way I do. I believe that one day I will get past this and eventually want kids as I have in the past. I used to want 1 boy and 2 girls. I have never been good at coming up with boy names, but girl-wise I am set on the names Avarie (Ava) and Laila. So maybe someday when the newlywed feeling has lessened and we are settled in and have our finances under control, we will consider the possibility of expanding our family. However, as of now, I believe I have awhile before my biological clock starts ticking!

Here are some photos of our nieces and nephews! As you can see we have more than enough children in the family to keep us busy for a few years!

Joah, 1 year old

Ambrie, 3 years old

Garrett, 9 years old

Josh, 6 years old, Kyle, 6 years old

Azariah, 3 years old

Anonya, 8 years old

Travis teaching the kids how to play Operation

Gravity

I feel as though I am in a slump lately. I'm not sure why. Everything seems to be going right for once. I'm home, finished with school in Tennessee, with family, with my fiance, enjoying free time, but something is off. Hmm. Christmas was excellent. Lots of time with family, both Travis' and mine. It was much-needed. I finally got a new camera that I am extremely happy with. My sisters surprised me with it on Christmas Day. Wonderful surprise! It's a Canon 1200 SD and I highly recommend it, especially for detailed close-ups with a digital... great quality and automatic scene detection! My mom just bought one today as well. Speaking of my mom, I am all shopped out. Aside from the annual Christmas shopping madness, she has drug me (willingly & unwillingly) to so many stores lately that I am over shopping (temporarily of course). This is another indicator of my slump... me? tired of shopping?... strange. I only wish I could figure out what has got me so down, it's a bit annoying really. Maybe I just need to adopt a little more creativity in my life. I haven't had any time for hobbies due to the hectic holiday festivities. It is quite possible that I just need some creative therapy. Hmm... but what to make?

In other news, I exchanged my wedding dress for an ivory version of the same dress. I think it was the right decision. I won't be able to see it until it arrives in March, so I am very anxious. I just think it will look much better with my skin tone. I also might have possibly found the song that I will walk down the aisle to. It's a piano version of Look After You by the Piano Tribute Players... it seems to be the perfect song in my opinion. Lots more wedding details to look forward to. Next on the list: Save the Dates. I need to start putting them together & getting them sent out before mid January. It's hard to believe I am getting married in less than 6 months. Maybe I am just going through pre-marital anxiety or something that has to do with leaving home and anticipating immense changes that are about to occur in my life. 22 years of doing things one way then having to change definitely warrants some anxiety, right? This was my last Christmas at home, and it wasn't even a typical traditional Christmas since Travis & I attended each other's Christmas activities.

I feel so old lately. Like I'm experiencing an early form of a quarter life crisis. I'm only 22, but in just a few months I'll be married- a wife! That's a whole new phase of life. I am definitely looking forward to it, but feel as though I have so much to learn. I don't want to turn into an old woman just because I gain a new identity as a wife. I want to still have fun like a 22 year-old should. Travis & I do most things together anyway, maybe it won't be THAT much different. A little nervous, but that's normal. Mostly excited more than anything. I have figured out that I am so not ready for the idea of kids. I used to think that I would want them shortly after being married. Now, I am sure that will not be the case. I actually get a little freaked out thinking about it. Let's hope that they will remain several years down the line.

Here is a picture of my new favorite necklace taken by my new camera!

Okay, enough ranting, time for bed. Goodnight. :)

The Roller Coaster We Call Life...

It's been awhile. Partly because I have been overwhelmed with school work as the semester has finally come to an end and partly because I have had several other things on my mind lately.

One thing occupying much of my thoughts is the fact that my boyfriend proposed two weeks ago today (May 1st)! We've just approached the beginning stages of planning our wedding and figuring out all of the millions of things we must do and pay for before this time next year. It's exhausting! But very exciting! So far the colors are pink and green and off-white... However, they are pending. Seems kind of girly, but the flower arrangements that my mom and I saw are what really convinced me that I love those colors. They have green hydrangeas, pink roses, off-white peonies, and pink and white delphiniums in them. Anyway, I have lots of time to figure out details.

Tonight we held my Grandpa's 84th? birthday party. It was tons of fun. My aunt and uncle from Troy came as well as my cousins who brought their new baby Rowynn. It was the first time I have gotten to see her and it was so awesome. She is so cute and tiny! Tomorrow will be a long day attempting to please Promzilla (aka my younger sister). It is her senior prom so of course everything must be perfect or all hell will break loose. I'm exhausted right now.. I will hopefully include something less surface-level next time!

I found these gorgeous cakes on The Knot website while sifting through their massive inventory of bridal tips and suggestions!

This is a centerpiece inspiration I found on The Knot as well...

Bridesmaid dress possibility... only in pink and slightly less puffy... Maybe this shade of pink (without the hot pink ribbon!)

I Like this color of pink dresses! I also love these decorations for a bridal shower! Very girly and cute!

My mom said she is planning on throwing Travis and I an engagement party after my sister's graduation so that we can invite his family and have a cookout/bonfire. I love that I already feel as though I am a part of his family and know that our families get along wonderfully. That's one less area of stress in my life! I'm really looking forward to it! Monday my mom, Abbie (sister), and possibly Beth (my cousin) are going dress shopping. I can't wait! I already have found a dress that I love so this process might not be that difficult! If only the church would call us back so we could get that item out of the way! So much to do! Okay, now it is really time for bed! God bless! <3

PS: My sister introduced me to this adorable shirt that she found at Forever 21. I caved and bought one like hers. I must admit, it was love at first sight! It's kind of hard to recognize the detail in this picture, but it was worth every penny :) I suggest you run and pick one up as well before they're all gone. The cashier said they were selling fast!

Happenings

I haven't written in awhile. Alot has happened. Spring break, homework, life. So now I'm updating. Here are a few of the things that have happened to me over the last few weeks

Easter Sunday with both of our families!

My new cousin Rowynn Zaleigh was born a month early!

Pictures of Knoxville that I took for a school project. I love the random art found on buildings in the city.

I really like this image I found on Flickr

I have around a month left of school until summer and I can't wait. This weekend I'm throwing my roommate a Bachelorette party so I've been frantically running around finishing up the last minute errands that I have to get done. I'm excited about it though. I think it will turn out well if all goes as planned! In the spirit of planning a celebration, I've been looking around at different cakes. I found these online from Sarah Magid. I love them!

In terms of shopping finds, my latest favorite Ruche piece is this adorable shirt:

This is a Heritage Anita dress from Forever 21. It's only $16.90 and seemingly worth it! Here are some more finds from Forever 21 that I would love to add to my summer closet:

I love the Fabulous Finds section. You can find items like this leaf print top for amazingly cheap prices!

Only $15.80 and I'm in love :)

I just recently bought a pair of gladiator sandals, and I can't wait for warmer

weather to get to wear them!

This is from the Mike & Chris Spring 09 Collection. Too cute!

In terms of craftiness, I've been creating random odds and ends. I finally attempted making clay flowers and loved it! I had to leave it all at home though seeing as I can only fit so much into my dorm. I decided to take a whack at baking over break and made a double layer cake. It turned out pretty well. Very short of perfect, but definitely pleasant to eat. I even made fondant flowers that slightly resemble the clay ones to decorate the cake. Here is a rough picture I took on my phone:

For someone who has only baked a handful of times in their 21 years, I felt that this was a decent turnout! Needless to say, I was proud of my accomplishment!

Well, that is all for now... time to begin a day of homework. I have a busy week ahead of me!

God Bless!

♥

Ps. On a minor side note, I found that turquoise Mossimo bag found in my post before last on sale for 50% off! As you can probably imagine, I bought it without thinking twice! And if you are wondering, yes, it is everything I has hoped it would be! I've already carried it for the past three days and have no complaints thus far! :)