No Place Like Home!

This weekend, Ray and I will be traveling to Sugar Land for my family bridal shower hosted by my wonderful Aunt Erleen. I absolutely cannot wait to see both my family as well as my Zellner family. And while it will be a rather short visit, it will be so good to catch up with everyone before the big day. I have also not forgotten those friends that will also be attending. I am so thankful to have you in my life and am excited for us to catch up as well.

I am so ready to go ahead and get on the road. Ray has made a speedy recovery and will be coming with me on this trip. Today marks 29 days... and counting! I absolutely cannot wait. I'm looking forward to the hours ahead. Time that we'll get to spend with each other before the craziness that is this weekend:) Again so EXCITED!!!

More pictures will definitely follow!

Love,
Alicia

One Month until the Big "I DO!"

October 14, 2009 officially marks the ONE MONTH mark until our wedding! I cannot believe how quickly time is flying by. I look at my best friend and see the same kindness and wonderful heart I saw over seven years ago. We've grown up and grown together. I am so blessed that God has chosen him for me and I for him to follow in the path that HE has laid down for us.

Ray: I am so thankful and excited to be your wifey for now and all the days of my life!!!! Our lives began together over seven years ago, but I'm ready to start our new lives together as husband and wife:)

With one month left until the big day, I am happy to announce that things are running very smoothly now. Only a few more small things to look into... but all fun details that will only add to our special day! We are so thankful for our friends and family--you have been so wonderfully helpful in this process. We are truly honored to have such amazing people in our lives. We cannot wait to share this day with you.

Here are a few wedding detail updates:
Ray had his Bachelor Party in College Station (A&M vs. Oklahoma State Univ). While he was out of town, I created fun wedding crafts. To explain further, Ray and I are having a wine theme for our wedding. We are enjoying using our A&M theme colors (burgundy and ivory: simply stated as Maroon & White or off white! Ha!)

I made centerpieces, bags, bubbles and bows, etc. Our poor apartment looks pretty interesting... with all the fun decor. But I will have to say it's all coming together very nicely!

Speaking of Ray's bachelor party... here are a few pictures of his return...


Ray & I with my beautiful flowers and new A&M shirt!
If you look very closely you see a dog tag that the boys made for him... it states,
"Raymond Owen Zellner III
If found, call Alicia"
(It absolutely cracked me up!!!)


My beautiful flowers! He's always had my heart:)

This Friday, both Ray and I will be traveling back to Sugar Land for my Sugar Land Bridal Shower thrown by my aunt Erlene. Even though this will be a rather short visit, we are both very excited to see family and friends. More pictures will follow...

Monday, October 19: Ray and I will be taking our engagement pictures with our wedding photographer. Come hell or high water... hopefully without the high water... we will be taking them at 5PM. This Texas weather has been absolutely insane and has had us reschedule a few times now. We are both so very excited to have Dorothy Gautreaux take our photos. She is absolutely amazing and so very talented. We are so thankful to have her capture this special day for us.

October 24 Weekend: MY WEDDING DRESS WILL ARRIVE! Of course I wish I could take it home with me; however, I do know that a few alterations will be necessary before I can do that. I absolutely cannot wait:)


October 30: Potential Pumpkin Carving Party!
October 31: My Bachelorette Party!

More pictures to follow for upcoming events...

Until then,

Love,
Alicia

Funday Friday Funtivities Post: 10.5.09-10.9.09

This sign says it all.... it makes me laugh... and it makes me want to cry... not out of sadness because he's leaving for the weekend... but that I really will be his wifey! Next week marks exactly one month until the big I do's! I can hardly wait:)

And even with the craziness that is work, wedding, and outside activities... he still takes the time to show me that he cares. I def love him for that and for many other reasons of course:)

This week's Funday Friday post details a week of activities from Ray's corporate challenge, work social events, and friend get togethers... and of course wedding details. I cannot forget that:) Ha!

So this week goes a little like this:

Monday: October 5, 2009: This week was definitely a good and busy week at work. Today was the commencement of Ray's Domino Game... They are a great team and did amazing! GO PFS WEB!



Tuesday: October 6, 2009: Day 2 of the Domino Championship. Ray and Anna placed third overall. Picture provided in a previous blog.

Wednesday: October 7: 2009: Amber (my fellow Checkpast lunch buddy and friend) and I had lunch at OTB and had very yummy queso lunch burritos. It was SO AMAZING! Today marked the first game of Dodgball. Both Ray and I went to Sportsplex in Addison... after a hard loss in the beginning... PFS came back and totally dominated.

Thursday: October 8, 2009: I mean they totally dominated. PFS Web took home the gold in Dodgeball.


Here is a picture of Ray with his medal! YAY honey... and hopefully no more hitting girls in the baby maker. Remember Karma... And with the gold... Ray definitely took home something else... Remember my comment about Karma and baby makers... well Ray definitely got hit in the face... the edge of his nose to be exact. And when he woke up Friday morning... this is what he saw... A VERY BRUISED NOSE!!!


Ray and his pouty face...

I am just very excited for this PFS team... having only minimum number of players and still being able to defeat the rest of the teams! (Provided by the website) The benefits are endless! Put the Corporate Challenge in your company’s budget and see for yourself what you get in return. For starters, Camaraderie, boosted morale, teamwork, pride and reduced stress plus tons of company fun!

Congratulations to all of the companies who participated in 2008 and raised $120,000 for Special Olympics.

While Ray was unable to go due to his work event (min ppl would have led to a forfeit)... I went to help our good friends Steph and Adam move into their new home. Yay! They are officially homeowners. Both Ray and I are super excited for them. It is absolutely beautiful!

After moving, I met up with Ray and we went to pick up his brother Ryan at the airport. Such a busy Thursday night! We didn't get back until almost 1. Friday the guys will be leaving for College Station for Ray's Bachelor Party and to watch the big game between A&M and Oklahoma State. I am so excited for them!!!

Friday: October 9, 2009: Today is a little harder for me. My good friend and lunch buddy will be leaving Checkpast. Today is her final day with us. It's always hard to say good-bye! October also marks National Dessert Month. Today Checkpast will be celebrating by bringing amazing desserts that we can eat all day... again gotta stop with the sweets! I still have to fit in a wedding dress:) hehe!



This weekend will be a great weekend to relax yet be productive... not sure how that will work out but I'm looking forward to it. Today I will be in charge of purchasing more wedding supplies and getting a few more things done before the big day. Also... While the boys are gone the girls will be getting together on Saturday for dinner and a movie! It will be nice having a girls night out:)

I guess that's all for this week's funtivities. I will sure keep you updated!
Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Love,
Alicia

Ray knows his Dominoes!

And a big Congrats to Ray and Anna for placing 3rd in Dominoes for the Corporate Challenge for PFS Web! I am so proud of my Fiance... two years and two medals. I love it!

Here is Ray after a long night of playing bones!

Congrats Baby!

On to the next challenge...
DODGEBALL! Tonight marks the first of many games.
Good luck!

Update: Last night, October 7, 2009:
Ray and his team dominated in dodgeball.
Bringing adults back to childhood one thrown ball at a time!!!
GO PFS Web!

PFS: Dodgeball Team 2009


Ray's super emo dogeball in action picture...

Funny quotes from the night...
"That guy is a skinny f***** but he sure can throw!"
"I got her right in the baby maker!"
"Haha that girls uterus had it coming. Maybe her future posterity will be forewarned not to cheat and stay in after being hit!!"

... Love,
Alicia

Falling for You!

I love FALL! I love the coolness in the air, the changing of leaves (if that's possible for Texas), warm jackets and sweaters, the occasional scarf (as seen in this picture), cool walks with the puppies, festive decor, food, and of course the holidays spent with friends and family.

The past few days have been so much cooler than the typical 100 degree Texas weather and I cannot wait until I can officially pull the jacket from the closet... Oh wait... that was today! I was honestly too excited!

For this year... living in our new home and ALMOST newlyweds excites me even more. I am absolutely looking forward to all the holiday activities and can't wait to document them:) Of course that means MORE PICTURES!

Last weekend Ray and I did the first of many of our holiday funtivities... we bought pumpkins from Kroger... now these are little baby pumpkins that we intend to paint next weekend when we have some free time. I love pumpkins!

...And then it hit me... Even though we are about a month from the wedding and sometimes I feel like we are booked solid for meetings and details... I don't think I would be able to just forget about our Pumpkin Carving Party this year. For Halloween my girls and I are getting all dressed up and going out for my bachelorette party... which I am super excited about, but even with all that is going on... I love our pumpkin parties!!!

For that very reason, Ray and I decided that we will be hosting our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party in Richardson at our new apartment.

And I do realize that we are all so busy and many people might not be able to attend. BUT regardless if it is on the weekend or even during the week... our pumpkin carving party will live on and we will continue to hold this event for many years to come!

More details will follow when we have an exact date picked.

Here are a few pictures from our previous parties.

Our ridiculously large pumpkins from last year!


Ray & I with our pumpkin October 2008


Our group Pumpkin Carving Party 2008


YUMMY PUMPKIN?!?!


Michael and his argyle pumpkin! Rock on!


Of course some smooshy face pictures have to be taken:)


Pumpkin Seeds have to be roasted... some hotter than others. Uh Hummmm! Ha!


Most importantly fun must be had by all!

I cannot wait until this years Pumpkin Party as well as all the other holiday events to follow... including our annual Thanksgiving Shindig !

Our group really knows how to celebrate and give thanks! Each year our group has a Thanksgiving Party hosted by Ms. Kaylan Williams herself. Everyone is in charge of bringing some type of dish/side item/drink/etc. And I will have to say that we have become very sophisticated since college. It is definitely one of my favorite holiday activities... Plus... I am reminded of those that I have been blessed to have in my life. I am so thankful for each and everyone of them!!!

Here are a few pictures from last years Thanksgiving Funtivity!

Thanksgiving Group 2008 (plus Brandon)


Kristin is usually in charge of the deviled eggs... and sadly I eat most of them. But I will allow it:)
So good rule of thumb... this year we might have to double the batch:) HINT HINT j/k!

Happy Holidays... a little early;)

Love,
Alicia

The Zellner Pizzaria

Welcome to The Zellner Pizza Night in Richardson!
Ray and I have a DIY mindset. Many of the activities and projects are done by us... so with food you should expect nothing less (mainly out of Ray... he is our chef!)

On Sunday, October 4, 2009: Ray and I decided to spend the rainy day inside making our own pizzas for dinner!

Here are a few of our ingredients: Pizza Dough, sauce, 3 types of cheeses, garlic, tomatoes, and green olives. (Yes more garlic... That was ALL Ray!)

YUM!


Our final product: They were definitely yummy.
We even had enough for left overs.


Practicing our cake tasting... but with Pizza:)

For us it's about really being able to spend time together. Here are a few pictures from our weekend with the pups!


Daddy and Mattie:)


My boys and little girl:)



Have an amazing week! Remember it's all about the little things!!!

Love,
Alicia

Fundy Friday Funtivities: 9.28.09-10.2.09

This week's Funtivities have been amazing but have been great in quantity. Each day has been filled with another activity that we are able to cross off of our wedding list. Of course we were able to throw a few fun dinners in with friends. I am so thankful to have those moments where we can relax and enjoy our time together!

And yes you may be asking why I have a picture of Jim and Pam up here... come on Office lovers... it's Jim and Pam and it is talking about their "wedding!" So pretty perfect I think :)

Anyway... back to this weeks funtivities:
They go a little something like this:

Monday: September 28: Work as usual:) and then a nice dinner with Stephanie and Adam! We had really delicious Mexican food and watched How I Met Your Mother... two of my favorite things!

Tuesday: September 29: Today we met with our Officiant for our wedding. His name is Reverend Ken Savage and we are so thankful to have him. He actually plays in the band (at the early service) at our church. How awesome is that!

Wednesday: September 30: Tonight we set up a tasting at Buca di Beppo to choose our menu for the rehearsal dinner. Oh my goodness... so much amazing food!!! After plates of pastas, chicken, and fish (yes I said fish) we made our decision. Boy was I stuffed and the best part... we even had enough food to take home. So now we'll be eating it for the next few days as left overs. I'm not going to complain:)

So late on Wednesday night right before we went to bed... I noticed that the bathroom floor was wet and I kept hearing a ...drip...drip... And then I realized we had our first leak in our new apartment. Our a/c unit was leaking on the bathroom floor. I don't know if it was sheer exhaustion or just not caring... I threw a towel over it, mumbled something to Ray, and went to bed. The next morning... the floor was covered. So I did what anyone would do... I put a pot underneath it and went about my morning routine.

Poor Toby was so confused. He slowly stalked the odd object making the strange noise in the bathroom. He'd bark and whined at it... coming ever so slowly into the room then leaving out of fear... What was this...

Poor Toby was so confused... he barked... he whined... he howled... and Mattie of course was no where near the room. Just in case I guess.

I felt badly that I found this so funny so of course I did what anyone would do...

I took pictures.

And yes for those of you wondering, the apartment ppl came that afternoon and fixed the problem... So no more leaks in the new apartment!

Thursday: October 1: Tonight's activity took us back to the Starbucks off of Campbell and 75... a place that we were just at on Tuesday... where we met up with Aaron our Dj. We went over song ideas and set ups. Every time I go over the details I get more and more excited... I do also get more anxious. I just want it to be here... goodness only 43 more days! I can't wait.

* I got the amazing news that my bridesmaids' dresses came in town!!!!

After our meeting with Aaron at Starbucks, we met Kaylan and James for dinner and The Office! We went to this amazing Italian food restaurant called Angelo's... We had their four cheese Alfredo specialty pizza. It was soooo good. We also tried their bread pudding that Kaylan raved about. It was everything she claimed it to be and more. It was soooo good seeing them!

Friday: October 2: Tonight Ray and I will be going over to the Duke's place to celebrate Stephanie's 26th birthday (Oct 3). We are so excited! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LADY:) (a day early:)

I hope you've enjoyed my Funday Friday Funtivities Post!

Love,
Alicia