Guess what’s back!

Can you smell the grills, taste the bourbon, feel that chill in the air? Can you hear that noise?  ARE YOU READY?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrTmaypDWFI

Well, I reckon that’s about enough for today!  Ya’ll enjoy Labor Day.

See you in Blacksburg!

 

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Be Bold, Be Brave, Be You.

This week is a pretty special week for a pretty special girl in my life.  It’s hard to call her only my cousin because over the past 18 years she has proven to be much more.  The first person I ever remember loving (real love, and not just I’m supposed to love them) – was Kiersten.  She was a tiny little blonde haired baby with a fierce attitude and she followed me around like I was the queen of all queens.  I am 10 years older and therefore she came into my life as I was turning into a bratty little preteen and while not all of the times we spent playing in the hallway at Sweet Aunt Rose’s house were either of our favorite times, our relationship over the past 18 years is something I cherish every single day.

 

I remember her squeaky little voice cursing at the stubborn dog.  All the Halloweens we had to turn her into the scariest creature in the neighborhood (even though as I am finding out all over again, it’s pretty impossible to turn a 2 foot blonde baby into any sort of “scary”). All the Christmas’s we spent in the dollar store with our “millions” and the hours we spent wrapping presents.  All the bedtimes, she cuddled beside me to sweetly fall asleep and then 25 minutes later I’d get a right hook to the jaw.  Or the bed becoming a teepee as her butt managed to be higher in the air than she was tall.  As she grew, I watched her graduate from preschool in her cap and gown which looked even cuter over the short hair she managed to give herself a few months prior.  I was there when she had her first cheerleading competition and her forward roll needed some work.  I watched her through her awkward stages of finding herself and her friends. Listened to her stumble through school issues like mean girls and gross boys.  I remember her first boyfriend.  I was there when she nailed her first back handspring!!!  I spent countless dollars and trips and miles and GLITTER on every cheer competition I could make.  I watched her pitch softballs; I watched her drive away in her FIRST OF MANY cars.  I held her hand as our favorite lady passed away.  (Or she held mine, we can’t be sure).  I yelled at her for being a teenager time and time again.  I listened to her vent over parental issues and boys more times than I can count. I watched her walk across the stage and receive her diploma.  And as she has grown, I have managed to love her even more through all of this.

 

At my wedding, she gave me away but that was nothing compared to what she has given me over the span of her life.  She taught me in so many ways, how to be a mother to my own little blonde haired baby with a fierce attitude.  How to be a friend.  How to be MYSELF.   She was the first person to show me that real love is unconditional regardless of time away, fights, or TEENAGERS!

 

As we say goodbye to her and send her off on her next journey I have seen a lot of tears. A lot of reservation from people in our family and even from herself about sending her off alone.  But the only thing I feel is overwhelming pride.  I couldn’t be more proud of her as she heads off to Radford to become a student and a College Cheerleader that can not only NAIL a back TUCK but can also handle her studies.  I feel confident that she can take care of herself without any of her cushions to fall back on.  I feel happy that she made this decision to go to college and happy she decided to do it away, on her own.  So I have one of the biggest smiles this side of the Mississippi and I can’t find a single tear to shed.

 

Kiersten – to say I am proud would be an understatement.  You have quite possibly defied physics and made me something more than proud.  You are a beautiful, but humble girl.  You are strong and resourceful.  You are caring and anyone that comes into your path can see that you radiate positivity.  You will not only flourish in school but in all the things you do in life because you are also SMART!  Go away, be free.  But please never forget to Be Bold and Be BRAVE! 

 

I LOVE YOU!

 

GOOOOOOOOOOO Highlanders!

 

But then what’s the rest of our life for?

After 88 blissful days of marriage we are headed off to the West Coast for some “Cali-fornahhh Love” as my favorite Rapper T-Pac would say.  Or in English – OUR HONEYMOON!  I’m a little nervous about returning because of that dreadful declaration that most married couples use; you may have heard it.  “The honeymoon is over”.  Well I thought that I would put in writing the 88 things I have loved about our marriage so far just in case said declaration is true, maybe I can refer back here to remind myself of what it was like pre-honeymoon.

 

1.  I have a FAMILY name!  My daughter, My husband, ME!  ALL THE SAME!  CHRISTMAS CARDS THIS YEAR WILL OFFICIALLY HAVE A LEGIT “H” Monogram.  Do not judge me that this is the first item on my list!
2. I absolutely love calling my husband, my husband.  I thought the transition from Baby Daddy to husband would be weird since I had 4 whole years of practice with Baby Daddy but it was smooth sailing right over to the dark side.  (I needed to spice it up, brand it a little since Baby Daddy was such a hit, so I upgraded husband to HOT Husband, and it’s obviously fitting)
3. My wedding ring.
4. The permanent tan line I have from my wedding ring.
5. Seeing my Hot Husband’s wedding ring.
6. Hearing him introduce me as “His wife”.
7. Being referred to by others as Will’s Wife.
8. Noticing that he still looks away from whatever he’s doing when I enter a room.
9. Noticing that he makes it obvious that he is trying to catch a glimpse of me naked before I get in the shower.
10. Being myself 100% of the time.
11. Realizing that I have a husband that still makes me laugh even 45 seconds after I’ve just cursed him out.
12. Realizing that I have a husband that still loves me when I am not getting my way.
13. Realizing that I have a husband that gives me my way 99.9% of the time.
14. Looking at, decorating with, printing or anything really to do at all with our wedding photos.
15. Filling out the emergency contact information. CHECK BOX HUSBAND!  CHECK!
16. Getting joint mail.
17. Watching the cooking channel with my favorite chef, even though it only makes me hungry while he absorbs all these new techniques.
18. Having a husband that cooks way better than I ever could.
19. Having a husband that chokes down the food I attempt to cook when I try to cook.
20. Having a husband to tell me that my cooking is really NOT good.
21. Waking up next to my best friend EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!
22. Having a sectional for no legit purpose at all other than to put the pillows because my entire family sits on top of me anytime I am sitting on the couch.
23. Having a husband that cleans out his car for me to travel with each time I take a long trip because my car is embarrassingly messy and full of junk.
24. Having a husband that willingly binge watches Netflix with me when we find a new TV series to become obsessed with.
25. Stability
26. Encouragement
27. I agreed to spend the rest of my life with a person that is unafraid to try new things.
28. New things being Drag Show Brunch for my favorite girlfriend.
29. New Things also being cabbage.
30. And pomegranate body wash.
31. So happy to have a husband willing to take the cold water challenge on my behalf.
32. Happy to have a husband that allows me to sleep in on Sundays.
33. And one that makes me breakfast while I get a few extra zzz’s.
34. It’s been really fun to post #tbt post of all of my hot husbands worst facial expressions to see how far he has come in the way of random selfie poses!
35. It’s been even more fun realizing that my daughter struggles with the same disorder.
36. I’m so grateful to have a husband that takes half the responsibility of parenthood off my shoulders.  I still never understand when others say they need their husbands to “babysit”.  Huh?
37. Also grateful of a husband that takes half the responsibility of laundry.
38. And cleaning.
39. And 100% of yard work.  Dirt under my nails is NOT ok!
40. To have a person to bicker with, even if it does nothing more than keep me on my toes.
41. It’s nice to have a husband that is “less” handy than me.  IT makes me feel tough.  And Strong.
42. It’s also nice to have a husband to carry the heavy bags of groceries.  No one wants to do that.
43. Its helpful he looks INCREDIBLE in jeans and no shirt…(thank you fifty shades of grey for this ridiculous fantasy now plaguing every married and unwed woman on the planet).
44. We have beaten all the odds against us to date.
45. Now when traveling, I get my whole suitcase and ¾ of his.
46. I also always get to have the window seat
47. And both arm rests.
48. It’s also socially acceptable to sleep on his shoulder when on an airplane.
49. I love that my favorite memories are when the two of us travel alone.
50. And that we do it often.
51. I love always having a wedding date.
52. And a slow dance partner.
53. And a morning after buddy to talk about everything that happened the night before.
54. I love that we both know things about each other than no one else knows. Growing up with 5 younger sisters and the nosiest mom on the planet, it’s so nice to have a secret.  Even if it’s just 1.
55.  Back to travel buddy, hot husband remembered (much to my surprise at the security check) a full ziplock bag of airplane bottles.
56. Sometimes you just need a kiss and I have a lifetime worth of kisses at my disposal.
57. And hugs.
58. And well, ya know…
59. Having a person in my life that knows exactly how to put me in my place.
60. Having a person who isn’t afraid to put me in said place.
61. Fun Fact of Harland History,  5 years to the exact day we met, we are headed off to our honeymoon. (Thank you Facebook)
62. In those years not only have we fallen in love.
63. We have our daughter, which in our eyes is our best accomplishment of life.
64. We built our home in a neighborhood where neighbors are more like old family friends.
65. I’d like to consider us both on the path to financial success and retirement security.
66. Even if Ella chooses out of state tuition.
67. Having a husband that started investing in our daughters 529 plan the day she was born.
68. On our actual honeymoon we traveled the pacific coast which was a dream come true for me.
69. We tasted wine and relaxed in the beautiful county of Sonoma, CA.  Trying wines I’ve never heard of and some I have.
70. We drank said wine straight from the barrel.  There is just something nostalgic about that.
71. We had lunch with our cousins in a beautiful town outside of Napa Valley.  Delicious pizza. Wonderful beer!
72. We headed off to Tahoe and witnessed two of our favorite friends get married and celebrate under the stars , in between mountains and on the coast of the South Shore.  Gives me chills to think of the beauty, in not only the place but also in their Funny or Die out look on life and on love. CONGRATS BAYBUTTS!  You did sooo good.
73. We headed out to San Fran to have dinner with the remaining few friends from the wedding.  707 Sutter.  If you find yourself in the area and you don’t try the Soju- you didn’t do yourself any favors I promise.  peach!  Get the peach!
74.  Next was Monterey and Pebble Beach!  My hot husband was so taken with this place.  It was so fun to watch him take it all in.  He even asked for a picture!  AND HE SMILED!
75. Back in San Fran we enjoyed some of the best food I’ve ever eaten.  From all the areas of this world, Korean Soup, Mexican burritos, Italian, country, Japanese and even some fast.  fat burger is amazing at all times but especially at 1am!
76. We went to Fisherman’s Wharf where I managed to scout out an oyster holding my favorite gem inside.  We saw sea lions, the Golden Gate Bridge, the bay bridge, ate crabs and clam chowder out of a bowl made of bread.
77. We went to the street full house was on and also rode the trolley.
78. We slept in.  EVERYDAY
79. I brushed my hair.  EVERYDAY!
80. Except the trip home, no need to get carried away.
81. It was quiet and relaxing to just be together without a schedule or appointments.  We were spontaneous in a huge city where finding things to do is easy.
82. We missed our baby.  She completes our day even when she is cranky and relentless.  She completes our family.
83. We vowed never to travel this far without her again.
84. We had the most wonderful time.
85. We have these memories that we get to carry through our marriage and remember what it was like to be in love and mesmerized by the cloudy and cold city
86. The pearl we brought back has a cream color which represents “happiness” and well that’s about all my life has been since I’ve met this fella.
87. We have a lot of things to be grateful for but for now.
88. The honeymoon is Over…

 

Mrs. Harland

Oh Hey June!

Happy Monday Ya’ll!  Last week was a doozy.  I don’t think I sat down a second of it!

This weekend was certainly one for the books.  We kicked off a little early with a surprise lunch with my favorite munchkin on Friday at noon.  A few of my coworkers and I decided that since it was Friday, the end of the month and the most gorgeous day, we could also splurge and have a bottle of wine.  I mean come on; the three of us were SHARING.  The food was better than it’s been in years, who knows; it could be that Greek food always tastes better when it’s not sweltering hot!

Saturday morning we woke in a tailspin.  Tights, ruffles, rosy red cheeks and day full of dancing.  I have to have a mommy moment here, excuse me.

We started dance classes back in October of last year.  I remember signing Ella up for classes at The Dance Company, searching for tiny pink body suits and the most adorable ballet shoes.  On our first Thursday, Ella was very excited to wear her “bathing suit” and well, when I put on the tutu, I think her heart skipped a beat.  My girl loves anything fancy for sure!  We showed up at dance classes weekly and the majority of the time Ella spent making faces in the big mirror, flapping around aimlessly and having the time of her life.  I am not sure one would consider any of the events that happened in that room, “dancing”.  Nonetheless, she loved it and looked forward to Thursday every week.  This weekend was the Grand Finale, or as us Dance Moms call it, RECITAL WEEKEND!  All of Ella’s biggest fans attended the show and my little munchkin definitely performed.  She did the entire routine like she had been practicing for months, all the while I was in the audience sobbing all over myself and our guests. It was certainly a proud mommy moment to watch my sweet girl perform something she worked at for months.  Her Daddy rushed over to the stage to get her and afterwards we celebrated her big success with cake pops, flowers and lots of big hugs!

After all the fuss calmed down and I had a second to think about what was next, my heart literally did a double take as I realized I TOTALLY FORGOT to do a chore for a friends “Stock the Bar Party”.  Myself and the other bridesmaids thought it would be incredibly cute to put together a basket of wine to enjoy for all the “firsts” they have to look forward to in their long and happy marriage. First house, first baby, first anniversary and so on.  My portion was the glasses.  Fast forward through the crazy week and 3 hours before the party, here I am with NO GLASSES!  WHOOPSIE!

I put on my thinking cap and realized I had all the makings for a perfect pair of Wine Glasses.  With a little help and inspiration from the almighty Pinterest, I was able to pull off these little beauties.  I drew myself a little stencil and traced through the glass with a Sharpie paint marker.

Then I added a couple of cute tags and some ribbon.

VOILA!

After giving the glasses a good hour to dry we were on our way to the party, glasses in tow.  We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and socializing with our great friends!  We can’t wait to see them tie the knot and look forward to hearing about all the memories as they share their “Firsts” together!

Sunday, myself and the hubs decided to indulge in Broad Apetite, which was amazing and magical and completely ridiculous!  We are so lucky to live in a city where the food options are ENDLESS and delightful.  After $40 bucks, a few great beers and way too many calories to count we closed off the weekend in a food coma!

I think I still need to sleep, or better yet, exercise!!!!

 

Wedding Gifts Galore

Most of Memorial Day was spent inside for me.  Oh don’t be sorry for me at all, I was completely OK with this decision as I was hosting my own private party unpacking all our wedding gifts!  It’s sort of like Christmas, but way BETTER because everything is MONOGRAMMED!  (Insert giddy girl giggle HERE)  Not to mention, this sweet girl had all the fun she could stand at the river two days in a row.

When we moved into our house, I thought, no way we will ever fill this cabinet space.  Turns out, all you need is a good reason for a registry and your cabinets will be bursting at the seams.  If you want to toast a bagel, make a panini, slow cook enough food for a week, slice, dice, brew, grind, juice or mix, I have a thing for that.  If you want to make sushi, or pie, or cupcake lollipops, or plain cupcakes, or cookies cut into basically any shape, I have a thing for that.  If you want to cook on a flat top, an outdoor grill, a smoker, an indoor grill, a real oven, a convection oven, I also have a thing for that.  And please don’t fret; I have a plate or a platter to serve basically any item in any circumstance near or far and a carrying case too.  The carrying case may or may not be monogrammed, I can neither confirm nor deny this.  See what I mean, Christmas all over again.  SO. MUCH. FUN!

Now, for the grand finale, the moment you have all been waiting for, well mainly just ME.  But you get it.

I have had my eyes on the BEAUTIFUL Benchwright Dining table for YEARS!  YEARSSSSSSSSSSSSS!  It’s in every pottery barn catalog since I can remember and I always prayed it would one day find itself in my home!  Now, I know, I know, I’m supposed to find an old picnic table at the dumpster and refinish into something similar to this, but this one time, I went the short cut way!  It’s my wedding for goodness sake; I’m allowed this one splurge!  OH. MY. GOD.  So worth ruining my reputation for!!!!!!!!  LOOK AT IT!  (This is not my house; this is the pottery barn catalog)

 Bride advice alert: if you register for furniture from pottery barn and have your guests give you gift cards, you get 10% off after your wedding.  So that’s exactly what we did, but let’s be honest, we have the most AMAZING family and friends, however, we do not have TABLE & CHAIRS amazing friends, which I am totally OK with because I found these beauties from Target.

 

At a fraction of the cost (by fraction, I really mean I got 6 chairs for the price of 1), I couldn’t be more excited for these things to deliver!  I will update when everything is settled in its place right in the heart of our home!

To everyone that gave us these amazing gifts, please know that for the rest of our lives we will cherish them, make memories using them, and while we are so blessed to have these amazing material items, we will never take for granted the best thing of all and that’s just having you all in our lives.  We love you so very much.

Now excuse me, I need to go do a good deed for someone because I’m feeling a little too spoiled.  Does anyone want me to cook them dinner????

Satin Finish Saturday

Well, I relaxed for a whole week y’all.

Saturday morning I woke up with a vengeance. 8:30am I tied up my running shoes and headed out for a morning jog. I started thinking about what in the world I would do with my time now that I don’t have to worry about table decor, floral arrangements or caterer conference calls. I can only contain my craft hobby so long before it gets the best of me.

Turns out, Husband (see how I changed him over, it’s weird to call him Husband, but I LOVE it) and I just had our 1 year warranty fixes on our house. Can you believe it’s been a year??? Ugh, me either! That means that we are free to paint and hang all the pretty things currently residing in the parking space of our garage!

I headed off to Home Depot and Target. At target I found some really nice shelving units by Threshold. Set me back about $40. Not to shabby. Next Home Depot for paint and supplies. I wasn’t sure about exact color and the paint wall can be intimidating even if you just want white!!! Behr had a sale so I decided to stick with that. 30 minutes later I picked my lucky color. Regatta Bay blue. BOOM. $60 worth of paint, brushes, tape and normal paint junk I was ready to start my Saturday project.

Before:

We had a black mirror hanging out in the garage. Turns out I had a ton of white paint as well so I decided to give it a quick face lift.

Next on to painting. The Behr paint had primer in it as well so I only needed to do 1 coat. #winning

I waited about 45 minutes for the paint to semi dry and then proceeded on to hang the decor.

It only took me about 6 consecutive hours to complete the entire project and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

Sunday I spent most of the day on the couch…plotting my next project of course!!!! 😁

See you soon! Xoxo

My Very Own Fairy Tale

Every girl dreams of her wedding.  No matter who you are, old or young, you dream of your wedding day.  The flowers, the décor, your dress, your hair, your best friend’s dresses.  You wait around for years, decades even, for the right person.  And then…all of a sudden it happens.  It starts, and I can only hope that every person’s journey is much like mine.  It was a dream, a real life fairy tale that I will treasure for the rest of my life.  It, honest to god, felt like we rode off into the sunset and I am not sure I will touch the ground from floating EVER again.

From the day Will proposed, I planned, I plotted, I pinned my little heart out.  I take pride in the fact that every piece of this wedding came from a place of love.  The invitations were created and cut individually.  I spent days getting them exactly right.  The place settings were from wine corks that Will and I or our family and friends shared.  (Who knows what memories came out of those bottles).  The tables décor was handmade by either myself or friends.  Each thank you note was hand cut, our table names were bars from the city we lived for years. I wanted each part of it to remind us of our past, to help our guest feel a part of our life and be able to share in our genuinely happy future.

After months of preparations my sweet little family started our trip down south to our favorite place, Charleston, South Carolina.  Once we pulled out of the driveway, I said “This is it; this is where I let it go.  This is when I let it happen, things will go wrong, things will be different but as long as we return together holding hands the way we are now, well then…I succeeded in something and that is all that matters to me”.  I truly did.   If I give any bride to be advice, it’s this.  At some point you have to let go and enjoy yourself.   You worked too hard to sweat the small stuff because at the end of the day you are marrying the man of your dreams, who cares about anything else.

So it started… 

Tuesday we ran around the city dropping off gifts to our hotel guests, we made a pit stop at the Charleston County Probate Court and got ourselves a little marriage certificate.  We giggled and tried our hardest to make the clerk feel uncomfortable.  Turns out she is pretty used to happy couple’s affection but that didn’t rain on our parade.  We left and had a MAGICAL lunch with our favorite cousins at Poogan’s Porch!  They serve homemade biscuits and butter as a starter and I quickly decided that I belong in this place.  Don’t forget our munchkin; she was off enjoying herself playing around with her favorite people, MEME and friends.

Wednesday we checked into a fabulous house in Wild Dunes.  I quickly arranged bouquets and floral arrangements myself. (Note to all future brides – it is NOT that hard to tie ribbon around flowers, DO IT YOURSELF).  We setup for the rehearsal and before I knew it our families and friends were all surrounding us.  The night was filled with love and laughter, great food, LOTS of drinks and a few happy tears.  We closed off with a few party goers in the pool.  Will and I may or may not have been one of those party goers.

Thursday was the big day.  I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to face the day.  It was lovely to spend time with all my favorite girls.  Our stylist (Paper Dolls – http://www.mycharlestonweddinghair.com/)managed to achieve pure excellence on my hair and makeup.  My girls all looked completely adorable in the oxford shirts I monogrammed for them to wear while getting fancy.  The guys were on time, dressed and absolutely the most handsome bunch of men I have ever laid eyes on.  AND DEAR SWEET JESUS, Ella in her Jason Wu Dress and boots was something to talk about.  Sally Harland was turning heads left and right and taking full advantage of her new haircut.  J

Stop right there – Will and I exchanged gifts while we were getting ready and boy did I not realize how much this would mean to me.  I worked pretty hard on a boudoir shoot and book for him. Although, I have to admit that other than a few sexy pictures and a night of editing, I hadn’t given this gift a lot of thought.  When I was handed his gift, I knew immediately it would be jewelry from our favorite local shop.  In true TERRI form, I ripped open the package to find the most STUNNING solitaire pearl necklace I have ever seen.  To call it timeless would be an understatement.  It’s the most amazing jewel I have ever seen.  I was completely in awe when my 9 crazy bridesmaids reminded me it might me nice of me to read the card…oh yea…. About that…

“Your presence comforts me, I promise to always take care of you….” are just a few of the words he wrote. In that moment I was absolutely sure not only would my marriage last, but it would be a happy one.  I am so grateful for not only him, but for our daughter.  He has helped me to accomplish every dream I ever had, the most important being a family of my own.

Around 4pm an old volkswagon bus showed up at our door step.  Don’t worry, it was painted in our wedding color scheme which was just some shear stroke of luck.  Our entire bridal party climbed on board and we made our way to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens (http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/).  This place, my god, this place is just something from a dream.  Its feels like something from a movie as soon as you turn past the gate.  Winding dirt roads with scattered wildlife and the most gorgeous plants and trees you could imagine.  My bridesmaids and I headed off to a suite to get dressed while the guys hit up the cocktail bar.  Who would have thought….

It wasn’t until I slipped into my dress that my emotions became raw.  I was nervous, anxious, happy, and a tiny bit overwhelmed.  It’s here, it’s happening, this is it.  We decided to do a first look because I felt that he and I should share that moment rather than with the awkwardness of 75 people staring us down to see the reaction.  Seeing him there, holding his hand, made all the emotion go away. The only one I can accurately remember from that moment forward would be UTTER HAPPINESS!!!

Our ceremony was impeccable with our sweet Officiant (Christy Loftin) slowing drawing out vows in only a way a true southern belle can do.  I heard a rumor that when we kissed a crane actually flew out of the trees across the sky.  I AM NOT MAKING THAT UP!!!  Our first dance was a moment I will never forget.  Our gorgeous munchkin walking up to her Daddy asking to dance with us.  And then dinner….jesus.  CRU catering(http://www.crucatering.com/), it was unbelievable.  SERIOUSLY, UNFREAKINGBELIEVABLE!  The mac and cheese will be something we will devour each and every time we come back to Charleston.  Instead of cake we had cobbler.  Blackberry cobbler and don’t forget the ice cream.  Our guest witnessed my Maid of Honor deliver the most epic speech of all time.  She covered everything from A-Z (literally).  Of course we cried a few happy tears from the other speeches delivered from our closest friends and family.  Our DJ, Bill West (East Coast Entertainment) kicked off the night in the most perfect way.  Myself and my oldest friends literally screaming to my favorite song “Friends in Low Place by Garth Brooks”.  I don’t think a single person sat down for the rest of the night, at least I know we didn’t.

In closing, it wasn’t a dream come true.  It was BETTER!  A line from one of my favorite chick flicks… “What do you do when all your dreams have come true?”

Well, I say.

LIVE!

Thank you Jeanne Mitchum (Riverland Photography – http://riverlandstudios.com/) for capturing this day in a way I feel like I am reliving each time I flip through these pictures.

 

http://riverlandstudios.com/terri-will-magnolia-plantation-wedding/

 

Fancy Drunk

Over the years I have been involved in many bachelorette parties, countless birthday bashes, some graduation celebrations and even just the random excuse that “girls wanna have fun” night outs. I have done my share of shame walks, next morning apologizing and have gotten pretty good at nursing the hangovers. There are even some times that I remember waking up being grateful to, well, JUST BE ALIVE! Thank you for that, AMEN.

This weekend I celebrated my very own bachelorette party. Through the process of planning the shenanigans I will totally admit that my worst fear was being that wasted girl that should have gone home 2 hours ago because her “best girl friends” just want every guy to pay attention to her and buy her more booze which she obviously didn’t want or need. I didn’t want “male” strippers, I didn’t want to forget anything and I surely didn’t want to embarrass myself in my first public declaration of my upcoming marriage.

Instead, only because I have the most amazingly classy girlfriends, I should have known I need not worry.

Friday night we enjoyed a celebratory drink in honor of this sweet girl that flew in all the way from Buffalo, NY to take part in my big weekend.

We had the most magical dinner I have had in months at the Hill Café, (seriously, go there; it’s like playing with unicorns and newborn babies that don’t grow up) and afterwards ended the night in ways that only ladies keep to themselves.

The next day we celebrated with a private tasting of my favorite Virginia Winery, Blehiem. We took a private tour of a couple wineries and breweries in the Charlottesville area on a bus with hardwood floors. We almost lost a girl to vomit but it wasn’t because she had too much to drink, we will blame it on the motion sickness and 1 smelly target bag (It almost got her). Dinner was equally as fantastic as the night before at a hidden gem called “The Local”. Afterwards, we went back to a little cottage tucked far away from civilization. We played games, reminisced about our younger years and favorite times together. There were boobies involved in our late night activities but it’s just not the same when there is a breast pump attached to them. I just loved having every girl I love in 1 room. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Lastly, I did realize that I do know my fiancé better than himself when a secret questionnaire revealed that I knew he couldn’t answer certain questions and that he would answer them with an actual “question mark”. He did surprise me a little when I realized he liked me most in pompoms and ear muffs. Guess everyone knows what to get me for the honeymoon….

I would like to thank all the girls for getting me Fancy drunk. For not embarrassing me, for loving me and for making the first celebration of my future a very special time that I will never ever forget. I love you all so very much!

And well, I mean its not all too good to be true, I had one heck of a hangover so I must give the final credit to my fiancé who scheduled a play date for our munchkin with the neighbors, put the basketball game on mute so I didn’t have to listen to the squeaking shoes and rubbed my head while I took a nice long nap. Ladies, if you do not have a man like this, YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG!

That is all,

For now.

Everything is everywhere…

Let me start by saying that in January of this year I decided to start the transition of my job into something I would consider a “career”. At the ripe age of 27 I felt it was my time to take off the training wheels and put on my big girl pants. I can not begin to tell you how nervous I was to do this, at some point in the future this means I will give up my cushy salary and be a 100% commission paid account manager and I. HAVE. NEVER. BEEN. MORE. TERRIFIED. A smart business woman said to me early on in my tenure at NewClients, “the greater the risk, the higher the reward” and I believe those words are more true than of any I can think. The truth of the matter is, I am very good at what I do, I know this and I Got This!

Much like the last several years of my life, the months of January-May are a bit of a struggle for me. Shout out to all the single mothers and fathers out there, god bless your souls! Also to my fellow CPA widows, I feel your pain. I find myself being so snappy and cranky because I am flat out exhausted, lonely and just in desperate need of normal human contact. I really need to be better about this, as hard as I have it right now, the love of my life is sitting at a computer crunching numbers for longer days than most are even awake. I can’t think of anything more awful. (Note to self, next time I see that muscular shadow creeping in and out if my bedroom in the weeee hours of the night and morning, give him a little smooth. He’s earned it)

Ella is as magical as ever. It’s true when mothers refer to their children as little rays of sunshine. The moment I wake up and walk into her room to see her snuggly little face so soundly sleeping, I realize that whatever the day brings, I have to just get through so that tomorrow I can repeat this one single thing that I look forward to the most.

I find that I am the most productive in crafts when I use them as an outlet to distract myself from all the other things going on. This is proving to be true as the wedding decor is coming together better than I could have ever imagined.

My house has basically turned into one big craft store. Invitations, doilies, banners, paper, placemats, wine bottles, mason jars, runners and flowers and ties and socks and lots of white dresses.

EVERYTHING IS EVERYWHERE.
Everywhere I look, I realize that in less than 50 days I will marry the most incredible man I know and our family will be “legit” (Iol). I can only hope that as everything else in my life seems unclear and unpredictable, that I remember how excited I am in this very moment to know how lucky I am.

Now let’s get this crap organized and I’ll meet you in Chucktown!

Did ya miss me?

Hi! Let’s see,

1. The holidays almost killed me but I survived! Barely. Baby daddy and I hosted our very first Thanksgiving with both sides of the family and it was so much fun!

Christmas this year was magical. Not sure who had more fun with Elf on a shelf, Ella or me?

Let’s not forget all 3 of our birthdays. Ella had a  “berfday paaarty with her Franns”, Baby daddy had a “not so surprised” 30th and I even had a fancy little gathering for my day.

2. I haven’t stopped crafting at all but, holy moly, there was no time to tell you about it. The coolest thing I made were these fancy schmancy corn hole boards for my hot boyfriend’s birthday.

3. I saved the best update for last…Baby Daddy has officially been upgraded to…..

Fiancé!

Let’s plan a wedding!  Ya’ll ready?