This past week we returned to our usual hang out at the Gingerman with Kaylan and James. While this had been our typical Tuesday after work outing, we had sadly taken a rather long time off due to very busy schedules.... and I also claim that our cabinets are almost full of their Tuesday specials!
I love getting to wind down after work and the Gingerman is such a great place to do it. It has such a great atmosphere... and every Tuesday at 6PM if you order their special you get to keep the glass... while I don't exactly like beer I do like participating and always order one so we have a matching pair. This Tuesday I can't remember exactly what type the beer was (go figure) but I do know that the glass was really neat and it was called Magic Hat or Black Hat something with a hat and had a number 9 on it. Kind of fun right?!?!
Anyway I absolutely enjoy getting to spend time with friends at our spot. And while things get busy I love that we can take some time to relax and catch up!!! Here are a few pictures from the night. Ray, James, Kaylan and I at the Gingerman with our fun Tuesday specials!
After drinks we all decided to go to Cafe Brazil for some yummy food! And boy was it. Also this was Ray's first attempt at trying coffee! Gotta love it! And even though it was filled with chocolate, marshmellows, and the works... which of course is how I'd like it... he def at least had his first coffee!!!
October 26, 2009: You can CALL this a BUSY week! Today officially marks 19 days until our wedding day! We are in the teens... !!! And even though there are 19 days left... many of you I will be visiting with a few days earlier!
While I usually wait until Friday to post the week's funtivities... I thought it would be good to keep you all in the know! But before I go into the fun details for this upcoming week... I want to touch on our weekend!
This past weekend, both Ray and I got to spend time with our amazing friends... The Fants! On Friday, we brought the puppies over to see Orion and had a delicious meal, talked, and of course played more DVD Clue! Here's some fun "old" pictures of the pups together... just know that they usually are so fast... it is impossible to catch the 3 of them together:)
Saturday: Ray and I had a date day... we had lunch at Dicky's BBQ which was amazing, went shopping for Honeymoon and wedding accessories, and went to go see a movie... Saw VI... Yes I know what you are thinking but all I have to say is... I SAW Enough! I will provide more at a later date.
Sunday: We went to our Nearly Wed Class at the Heights Baptist Church. We typically have a rather small class which makes it more intimate and I feel like we have gotten more individual time with our leaders... who are simply amazing. I love how knowledgeable they are and just the information and help they have brought everyone. I know it will make such a difference in our marriage and I am so thankful for that!!! But on Sunday we were the only couple who attended. That afternoon we met with Bolivar, our wedding captain at Cityplace (wedding venue). We went over every last detail of the wedding and honestly it got me more and more excited about the big day. Now I did advise him that on that day I would probably forget all the information about which elevator to take or even where our official dressing room was which he quickly eased my worries:) All will be wonderful and I can't wait! That night we picked out our engagement photos we wanted to order and use at the site. It was so much fun looking through so many pictures and honestly wanting all of them. Luckily we chose the ones we couldn't live without but will be returning to buy more after the fact.
So now as I've mentioned we are officially 19 days before our wedding. Our week will go a little something like this...
Monday: Email contacts for information and confirming details, ordering prints, Honeymoon arrangements, vows and ceremony information, and extra wedding details Tuesday: 8:00AM Marriage License, purchasing wedding accessories, etc Wednesday: Purchase Halloween Decor for the Checkpast Halloween Party, hopfully having a wedding dress fitting sometime between Monday and Wednesday Thursday: Decorate Checkpast, Nearly Wed PREPARE meeting Friday: Halloween Costume Party at work, Pumpkin Carving Party at home Saturday: Lingerie Shower and Bachelorette Party Sunday: Nearly Wed Class
As usual here is my Funday Friday post of all of my weeks Funtivities!!! To be honest this week was not as busy as I would have imagined it to be... don't get me wrong, a lot was accomplished, but it was nice taking a few hours of the day to relax, spend time with the fiance and pups, as well as catch up on my shows...
Today officially marks 22 days and by next week we'll be in the teens! Can you believe it? I sure don't. What's crazy is that sometimes I catch myself asking "why aren't we doing more?" Then I soon realize that while there is plenty to do, we've honestly accomplished the majority of large tasks and are now just focusing on more of the special details.
This week as I'm sure you might have read on Monday, October 19, we had our beautiful engagement photo session by Dorothy Gautreaux Photography. She is amazingly talented and I have absolutely loved getting to know her and having her talented eye capture Ray and my sweet moments together. The next few days Ray and I created gift tags, labels, and sign in cards for our guests. I am so thankful to have his help. Ray has been absolutely wonderful in this process and again I couldn't imagine doing this without him.
Other tasks accomplished: - Meeting with Carolina: Hair and Make up - Information for the County Clerk's Office: Marriage License - Created a photo book - Ordered prints for the wedding - Rehearsal Invitations: Sent out - Honeymoon: in progress - Video: in progress - Ceremony vows: in progress - Sunday: Meeting with our wedding captain at City Place to go over final wedding details - Updated Registry - Schedule and Maps for Guests - Wedding Dress Fitting: In progress: dress should arrive within a few days for my initial fitting
Upcoming Events: - Pumpkin Carving Party - Lingerie/Bachelorette - Thanksgiving Party - WEDDING!!!
But tonight there will be no wedding planning. Tonight we will be spending time with great friends. I absolutely cannot wait! Have a great weekend:)
Over two years ago, Raymond and I made the decision to start our lives together in Dallas. While we both pretty much grew up in Sugar Land and later moved to College Station after high school, we both were looking for a new start together...
After graduation we had heard that the job market was amazing in Dallas and the majority of our friends from college were returning back home, so we decided to take the plunge and go for it! After 2 years I can officially say that it was such a great choice and we couldn't be happier.
We do absolutely miss our families but are thankful for a family that we've built here with our friends, work, and home. Because we are further from the places we grew up, we do absolutely cherish the time we spend with our families when we return. Plus it is nice that our families do live so close together!
With about three weeks until the big day I am reminded so much about how far we've come and where we're headed. I am just so excited for what is to come, but am reminded to remember the past and take "one step at a time."
Here are some fun pictures of the past two years since our big leap to the Big D!!!
Enjoying the summer days at a park!
Our kiddos... Mattie and Toby!
Wine & Cheese Parties with friends!
Dallas Sports Events: STARS games!
St. Patty's Day 5K & Parade in Dallas!
Texas State Fair!
Annual Thanksgiving Parties!
Triathlons!
Marathons, Halfs, and Dallas Turkey Trots... oh my!
Dallas Arboretum and family visits!!!
The Duke Wedding in Cabo!
New Years 2009 with our best friends! PRICELESS:)
Our engagement!
Being Showered with love!
Our soon to be new parents in the bunch: The Fants!... Kristin and baby Bryson!
We are reminded daily of all the love and support that is out there. We are so thankful to have such wonderful family and friends that have helped to build our place here and I can't imagine it any other way. While Dallas has become our home we are very much reminded of where we've come from and are thankful for it. It has made us into who we are today. Can't wait to build so many more memories and for what all is to come while taking one step at a time!!!
Monday, October 12, 2009 Ray and I finally were able to take our engagement photos. Due to this lovely Texas weather, we've had to reschedule a few times. We figured that a torrential downpour would not be the best look for our engagement session.
It was absolutely PERFECT. Dorothy Gautreaux is such an amazingly talented photographer. We are so thankful and honored to have her capture such an important moment in our lives. She is so fun to work with and has such an amazing eye for detail.
Be sure to check out her work at ... www.dorothygautreauxphoto.com
Here are a few for our sneak peek!!!
Also please notice the number right behind Ray... 07 WHOOP! Ha!
Per my previous post, this past weekend was a whirlwind weekend of events including a visit home to Sugar Land to visit friends and family for my Bridal Shower and then back to Dallas for my best friend's Baby Shower on Sunday.
And while it may have been a busy weekend, I couldn't have loved and appreciated it more. I absolutely feel so honored and blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life! So today marks 26 Days until the BIG DAY! I of course had to throw that in there... not like a count down has already begun or anything:) But yes we are less than three weeks away! And I'm more than anxious and excited for it to be here and to be able to celebrate such an exciting moment in our lives with all those that we love!
WEEKEND of EVENTS: On Friday, I was able to take off work early to get back home, finish any necessary packing, and then be on our way home to Sugar Land. This weekend was also the weekend of the big game for TU and OU to play each other in Dallas. I was more than ready to head out before all the new arrivals came our direction and made the Friday traffic even more congested. Around 4ish we were off... packed and ready to go.
We made it out of our complex before we received a call that Ray would need to get on his computer and do a little bit of work. After scrambling to find some free wi fy ... more technically difficulties hit us... Ray couldn't get on to the system. So after an hour and a half we thought we were on our way... FINALLY:) But then... poor Toby got sick in the car. Not sure if it was all the excitement... but he definitely didn't feel good.
Toby resting... does not like Mommy to take his picture...
5:30PM: After making sure puppy was better we were finally off... 4 1/2-5hrs of driving ahead:)
We said goodbye to the city that we've come to know and love these last few years... (just for the weekend of course)
(hard to take pictures with puppy in lap and sitting in a moving vehicle:)
...and headed home to Houston/Sugar Land!
It was so good to have time with Ray just to talk about things... about our futures, home, kids, etc... I am so thankful!!!
Picture of the sunset...
10:00 ish... we finally arrived in Sugar Land. It is crazy how much can change in such a short period of time. So many new buildings: shopping, dinning, etc. I love it and of course wish we had more time to go and explore but sadly our visits always seem so short. We are still thankful for them to get some much needed time with our family and friends. That night my brother Chris brought home his girlfriend Melissa so we could finally meet! We were all so tired so sadly I didn't get to take a picture... but I'll include one of them from the wedding! They are too cute together and I know my brother absolutely loves her:)
Here is a picture I borrowed from Melissa! Just so you can see just how cute they are. Love it!
Saturday, October 17, 2oo9: My Bridal Shower! 11-1
That morning we arrived at my Aunt's house for the Bridal Shower! It was absolutely beautiful. She had the most beautiful decor, cake, food, everything was beautiful... and all in BLUE!!! (my favorite color:)
Here are the details from the shower: (more pictures to follow later)
The amazing food set up...
Just a little history... this was my grandmother's table cloth that was used at my parent's wedding reception.
The entrance... my wedding invitation and the most beautiful callalilies!
The sign in tags and gifts
The biggest surprise of all was when guests first started to arrive... I was in the middle of greeting and talking when out of no where my great aunt Alice walked through the door. I was told months earlier that sadly she would not be able to make the trip for the wedding. I was so filled with sadness at that time. I absolutely could not imagine our wedding without her. But she was able to be there and will be making the trip for the wedding!!!
Aunt Alice has truly been an inspiration to me. She has the most beautiful heart and love for everyone. She has honestly been a grandmother to me since my Oma (grandmother... her sister) had past away when I was only four. Alice has always held that place in my heart. When I saw her, I stopped whatever I was doing and ran over to her... tears filled my eyes and pretty much all I could get out was... (in between muffled cries) "I can't believe you are here! Thank you so so much for being here!"
Here is a picture of my beautiful family! (My Aunt Erlene, me, Aunt Alice, and my mom)
Oh how I am so thankful to have them in my life!!!
After I got over the initial shock and excitement of my Aunt Alice being able to attend... the party officially began. We had the most amazing spread of food including chicken salad, pasta salad, fruit trays with caramel dipping sauce, zucchini bread, wonderful cake, etc. We even played a bridal shower word scramble. All I have to say is that wong and ohnomoney... or something like that totally got to me and when I found out what they were I was so embarrassed... hehe But it was definitely a fun game and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. We had a tie between Alix and Becky (15 Correct!!!)
(even the cute gift bag is blue... I love it!!!)
I am so thankful for all the family and friends that were able to attend.
Here are some pictures of the party
Missy, Ashlyn, and I (my second family)
Curls and I!!! Friends since Highschool... Stars Dance Team... A&M Buddies... and now both engaged!!!
Alix & I: Alix's boyfriend and Ray went to high school together! We met in college and have become great friends... Plus we have our Beagle Bond! Ernie & Toby:)
Joyce & I: Ray's "Second Mother." Close family friend. Her son, Josh, has been Ray's friend since birth
All of Ray's family was able to make it. I am so lucky to be apart of this wonderful group of woman! They've been family for years... but I guess it will be official in just a few weeks;)
(Mary Jean: Ray's Mom, Rachel: Ray's sister, me, Becky: Ray's Sister, Nana, and Sally: Ray's Aunt)
My Beautiful (soon to be) Sister-in-Laws!
We are a little crazy, but so loveable:) I love these girlies!!!
Life is a photo opt...
Becky with her candy ring!
SO WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS.....
Becky realized that the candy ring almost fit her finger. So she pushed until it fit... but soon realized that how easily it had gone on was not how it would come off... Notice how pink her poor finger is turning!!! But after some hard work of soaking her poor finger with water and a few teeth marks later... the candy ring broke... never to return to her finger again:)
Thank you all again for making this such a special shower. Thank you to my wonderful Aunt Erlene for hosting. It was absolutely perfect!
After the Shower and a little bit of visiting, my mom and I returned home for a small family photo opt with my mom and dad before we had to return to our home in Dallas. Here are the pictures!
My beautiful mom and I!
My dad and I prepared for today's Aggie Game! WHOOP!
Picture with my parents! Love you guys!!!
This was such a special weekend for me! I am so thankful for everyone and cannot wait to have each and everyone of you celebrate it with us!
That night... Ray and I left to head back to our Richardson home for Kristin's Baby Shower on Sunday!!!
Sunday afternoon wasKristin's Baby Shower! It was absolutely so beautiful and all too precious. We can't wait for Bryson to be born! He will have so much love from all the wonderful family and friends! Kristin and Michael we are so excited for you and your family! We absolutely cannot wait!
CONGRATS!
Kristin's Baby Shower: I borrowed this super cute picture from Kristin to remember her precious shower. 31 weeks and counting! So excited!!!
Well again, that was the weekend and while it was busy it was filled with so much love! This week will be the exact same... we have our engagement photo shoot this afternoon! It is absolutely beautiful outside. Again more pictures will soon follow. We also will be meeting with our wedding captain at City Place to finalize all plans... and many many other details. So enjoy and I can't wait to see you here!!!
I married my best friend and husband on November 14, 2009. After graduating from Texas A&M, we moved to Dallas and have loved every moment! We welcomed our daughter, Aubrey, into our lives in October 2013 and our son, Liam, in March 2016. To say we are in love would be a huge understatement. I am a previous 1st grade teacher turned stay at home mama. Recently I began teaching 4s preschool at our church.I absolutely love it. We are so thankful for God's blessings! This blog is an effort to keep family and friends up to speed on all the happenings in our lives here in Dallas. Enjoy our journey!
This past week we returned to our usual hang out at the Gingerman with Kaylan and James. While this had been our typical Tuesday after work outing, we had sadly taken a rather long time off due to very busy schedules.... and I also claim that our cabinets are almost full of their Tuesday specials!
