I am AMAZED!

This will be my final post before our wedding on Saturday. Our big day is officially here and I am just amazed and in awe of everything! I'm amazed how quickly time flies and amazed at what you can do in only a few short months. I'm amazed at the love and gratitude you feel for all those around you and amazed that there are so many special people in my life. I am amazed of how lucky I am for such a wonderful fiance and soon to be husband. I am simply amazed and thankful for all that God has given me.

Today is my final day at work. People will occasionally pop in and say I didn't think you would be here today and give me such amazing words. Words that fill me with so much love and excitement for all that is to come. And while a wedding is only one day in your life... I know it will be one of the most important days in my life and I am so thankful to share that with all those that I love.

Today my family will be traveling from Sugar Land to the Big D. Well actually to Richardson. They'll be staying close to us for tonight and then moving to the Doubletree hotel where many of our family and friends will be staying for the wedding. I am so excited to see my family. To laugh with them, to share with them, and to just be with them. I'll always be a Waldrup and I'll always be the youngest in my wonderful family of four. But what is so amazing is that my "family" is so much bigger than that.... it includes my new Zellner family, our extended families, and our best friends from college who've become our family. I'm so humbled that God has put so many wonderful people in our paths. People that have helped mold us into who we are today and for that I'm eternally greatful. I couldn't ask for anything better!

Tonight Ray and I are spending more time together. Some time of course to finish up on small projects and hopefully more time to just relax. Regardless we'll have a honeymoon that is Hurricane free (a whole week) of just the two of us to love each other, depend on each other, and enjoy and reflect on all the moments to come. Plus having a week long vacation is something we desperately need from all the wedding activities:)

Tomorrow is another story. Ray is taking our puppies to DogsPlay! I will miss them so much! 10 days without my kiddos, but I know it will be so much fun for them. They'll get to make other doggie friends... but I know I will be so sad to watch them leave but so excited to have time with just us. Ray will be leaving for work and my mom and I will run errands for most of the day. The plan is to retire for Dinner at Dickey's BBQ! My parents have never been and both Ray and I absolutely love it! So it should definitely be a good time! Later that night Ray and I will be heading to the airport to pick up Ryan, Farrha, and Olivia from the airport... poor Olivia recently broke her foot and will now be sporting the cutest pink cast around and I can't wait to sign Mrs. Zellner on it:) (of course after the wedding so we can make it official) I absolutely cannot wait to see my Zellner Family to see everyone and be able to spend such an amazing moment with them.

Friday is the bridesmaid luncheon! I don't want to give too many details but I am so excited to thank the ladies that have helped me through this... the girls that are so special in my life that I can't wait to make so many more memories with! Love you girlies:)

I guess that's all I have for now... believe me there will be so much more to come!

Until then..... one step at a time!

Love,
Alicia

Hot Flashes at 25?!?!

That's right! You heard me... HOT FLASHES!!!!
So here's the deal. I'll be honest. I used to think I was a pretty calm person. A person that could take on the world and "keep my cool" I've realized since our engagement... that I'm human... I get surprised, nervous, anxious, excited, happy, frustrated... and YES STRESSED!!! I feel it all:)

Well on Sunday it actually hit me! WE'RE GETTING MARRIED THIS WEEK!!! At church during our nearly wed class, we had a panel of couples that basically talked about the ups and downs in marriage. We were able to ask our questions and receive honest answers. I really love that. I know that marriage isn't a cake walk and sometimes will take a lot of work... but I also couldn't imagine my life any other way. I am so ready to marry my best friend and start our lives together... ok again I deterred from my story. See that's what lack of sleep and excitement can do to a bride to be:) hehe

Ok back to my story. So we are sitting in our class with such cute couples in the panel. One that had been married for 55 years (absolutely AMAZING) and another with two small children that had been married for over 5 years... both with great advice and great stories. Well after our discussion one of the couples looks over at our group and says... "So I hear there is a couple getting married this weekend!" And a smile instantly came to my RED face! And then I realized it actually was this week.... not next week like I had been suggesting... but this week (now only 5 days until the big I dos!) And then it happened... Hot Flash City! I asked Ray if it was warm and then even needed to fan myself. How funny is this! Now please know this was not out of being scared. I'm absolutely 1000% sure this is right but I just couldn't believe it is actually upon us.

So after church and some time to sit... I calmed down a bit and thought of the few days ahead of us. Finishing small projects and family coming in town.... and then that Saturday:) I can't wait!!!

Update:

Dress: Also just a little FYI! I GOT MY WEDDING DRESS! YES YES IT IS OFFICIALLY HERE AND READY! Thank you Kristin for going with me to pick it up. It was so special and I'm so excited! I have a few pictures but realized I couldn't post them for obvious reasons... after the wedding! We'll definitely have many many pictures to show:)

Hurricane over Mexico: The hurricane over Mexico (Playa del Carmen... our resort to be exact) is said to continue to weaken and looks like it will be gone before we leave for our honeymoon! Thank goodness. This had really worried me but now... nothing can get me down. Ok I guess I'm about to break out into song so we have to stop this early.

Thanks again and more to come....

Love,
Alicia

Giving Thanks... Turkey Style! (...and Duck!)

Sunday, November 8 was our 3rd annual Thanksgiving Party at Kaylan's place! Each year we gather with our best friends to celebrate and give thanks! We always have an amazing spread of food and drinks, great games, tons of laughs, and most importantly time together!

Here are some pictures from our evening!

Pictured above... Ray and I with our amazing food! I was soooo stuffed, but it was sooooo worth it:)

Kaylan opening the wine!!! Cutest cat bottle ever! We actually had this bottle since the Halloween Carving Party, but was said it was too cute to open! Love it!


The Ladies(and Bryson!)


The Men!


One picture is never enough in this photo session!


Appetizers! Deviled Eggs and Pecan Tassies!!! AMAZING:)


Enjoying the amazing food: Annual Deviled Egg Picture... OH HOW WE LOVE!


So Sweet!!! Kaylan and James:) Our hosts!


The Dukes! Love 'em!


Dustin:) "old man in a chair... minus the pipe and shaw?!?!"


Stephanie & I:)

GAME TIME!

Game time! Girls dominated... AGAIN!


That's what she said?!?! Jackal... Jackal... is it Jackal?!?! No of course not... it is Star Wars Christmas!!! Duh!


More fun Thanksgiving girly pics!

DINNER TIME!

Kaylan's Yummy Turkey!


Adam... our amazing Turkey Carver!


Ray and his DUCK! LOVED IT:) There is a cooler French term for it... but here we just say Orange Duck:)


Yummy spread of Food!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2009 (a little early)!!!
I definitely know what I am thankful for:)

Love,
Alicia

Funday Friday Post 11.2.09-11.8.09

Lucky Number 8...
Eight Days and counting...

With eight days before us and only 6 of them before family and friends will start to arrive, I feel another post is due.

Before I begin let me say HAPPY FRIDAY! It is absolutely a beautiful day and I'm so excited for all that is to come. This weekend Ray and I have a busy few days in front of us before our big day! Tonight we will put our wedding aside and have a date night. Today, The Box, directed by Richard Kelly is coming out in theaters.

Summary: Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger, delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world; someone they don't know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.

Saturday: After a fun-filled date night (dinner and a movie) we will be focusing on ALL THINGS WEDDING. I will be going to go get a hair cut, shopping for last pieces of decor and wedding supplies, putting together bags, gifts, decor pieces, pictures, etc while Ray will be working on a fun project of his own as well as our wedding video. I absolutely cannot wait!!!

Sunday: After our nearly wed seminar, I've set up my last wedding dress fitting. I'll officially have my wedding gown by the afternoon. I'm so excited. After picking up my gown and some fun cooking, both Ray and I will be attending our annual Thanksgiving feast with our friends. Ray is in charge of Duck this year and he couldn't be happier to do it. He absolutely loves cooking and loves duck! Each year this is definitely something that we look forward to... with great friends and great food!!!

Many many more pictures to follow!

But wait... I'm getting ahead of myself. This week has been filled with great accomplishments and fun filled nights with my fiance. We've also started a few new regimens for our big day including...

TanTowel Self Tanners: Ok this was my doing. I worked with this product a great bit and had to try it out for myself. I purchased the TanTowel full body product as well as the 8 oz Tanning Mist. At first I couldn't see a difference and actually became upset that it hadn't work like I expected.

I used the TanTowel full body (1 Towelette) and then used the tanning mist for more coverage. I did as it directed and washed my hands after use... however... I did go back and apply more Tanning Mist when it didn't appear to do anything. The next morning I absolutely saw a change. I love the glow! BUT I realized I hadn't washed my hands as good as I should the second time and missed a few spots. I am going to use the Tanning Mist tonight to finish the cover up in a few places I missed, but overall this product is definitely amazing. It doesn't appear to make your skin orange or too dark. I really love it! My advice though would be to give it some time for it to work and then also to wash your hands SEVERAL TIMES! ha!


Crest Whitestrips (30 min): These whitestrips are absolutely amazing! Both Ray and I have used them for about 5 days and we can absolutely tell that they work. We've actually been using them only once a day in fear that it would make our teeth too sensitive and b/c we are cheap and only bought one:) ha! ... but even using them for 30 minutes once a day has truly made a change to my smile. I absolutely 110% recommend them!!!!

I guess that is all for now. Here is the schedule for next week. I'll definitely try to do my best to post as much as possible before the big day... but do expect some time off after the wedding! I'm so excited to focus on some rest and relaxation with my soon to be hubby and our honeymoon!

Upcoming Schedule:
1. Friday: Date Night
2. Saturday: Wedding Details
3. Sunday: Church, Wedding Dress pup, Thanksgiving Feast with Friends
4. Monday: Work
5: Tuesday: Work
6: Wednesday: Work; parents coming in town
7. Thursday: No work: spending time with my mom, shopping for last minute details, nails, dinner with family?!?! Pup our Alabama Family from airport
8. Friday: Bridesmaid Luncheon; Rehearsal; Rehearsal Dinner at Buca di Beppo
9. Saturday: WEDDING!
HONEYMOON TO FOLLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until then,

Love,
Alicia

10 Day Countdown!

10 days officially stand between us and our big day. 10 Days?!?! With each day that passes we are getting closer to our Friday the 13th Rehearsal... thus the picture before you and our November 14th wedding! It continues to amaze me how quickly time has flown by. These past months have come and gone and its almost upon us! I am so anxious, excited, and just ready.

Per a previous post, I was in the process of documenting everything to see if there were any changes in me... which has been a lot of fun to go back and read:) So I thought today's post should be nothing less than of course an update into all that is wedding! Again 10 days!!!

What I've Realized...
1. Your sanity is worth EVERYTHING!
2. Exhaustion has become a way of life... not because you aren't trying to get sleep but b/c your mind wonders... or at least mine does!
3. I have made more lists than I can count... and sometimes not sure what they are even for... b/c they are so similar to the one before it. I kind of think of it as my back up list and also by writing it down I'm hoping that I'll officially remember something from it:) ha!
4. Buying stamps ahead of time is key... but you should probably remember where you put them. Loosing them is never fun. PS I still haven't found my first batch. Maybe after the wedding?!?!
5. Take time for yourself and your fiance!
6. Stress will make you loose weight even if you aren't working out... (probably not the best way...but hey if it happens I'm all for it:)
7. It's in God's timing not yours. Don't rush Him. He knows what He's doing!
8. Don't try to control everything!
9. It's ok to ask for help!
10. ENJOY IT:)

Crazy Things I've Noticed (there may be some repeats... is there such a thing as wedding brain?!?!) hehe!
1. I'm more emotional than usual. The typical Hallmark commercial can bring me to tears in an instant:)
2. I'm terrified of toilets overflowing. This has become increasingly troublesome to me... I'm kind of unsure when this first began.
3. I'm about 99.999999999% sure that I'm lactose intolerant. Symptoms and information seem to fit perfectly. Angry fist to that!
4. I am overly anal about messes. I HAVE TO CLEAN! I read somewhere though that messes cause stress because it is an indicator of things being out of order in ones life
5. I have cut back on the taco bell even though the alterations lady said I should have probably gotten a smaller dress size.
6. Pumpkins absolutely dry out your hands. Somehow mine attacked me b/c I have scratches on the top portion of my hand
7. I love checking the mail. I loved receiving all the wedding response cards
8. I absolutely love watching Supernanny and use the recommendations by Jo Jo on my dogs... they are my kiddos for now so semi makes sense ?!?!
9. I check my personal email 10000 times a day for any wedding/contact information
10. Also I laughed today when I saw perfect skies for the next 8 days and then rain for the 13 and 14... again angry fist... but really we're inside so I'm like its all good!

I guess that's all of my wonderful words of wisdom and updates I currently have. I'm definitely looking forward to report more updates as they come. Stay tuned! Ha!

Love,
Alicia

Tea or Sugar!?!?!

On Saturday, October 31st (Halloween day to be exact) my wonderful friends and bridesmaids threw me a lingerie shower and Bachelorette party!

That afternoon at 1PM we went to Mary Ellen's Tea Room in Addison. It was such a sweet room with amazing ambiance and food. When we arrived we were first served peach tea and champagne. We then snacked on delicious fruit, sandwiches, and yummy desserts.

Thank you girls for making this such a special day for me. I loved all my fun gifts;) and am so thankful to have such wonderful friends in my life!

Here are a few pictures from our tea time!

My beautiful hostesses!




Yummy fruit plate!


Shower Time! (Thank you ladies again)


Cute Tea Room: At the entrance




Fun Halloween Decor: Thanks Kaylan!
And yes... the cat bottle is a Riesling Wine...


My wonderful Shower attendants!




Every moment is a great moment for a photo session!

After the lingerie shower, we went back to Kaylan's for some good relaxation time before our big outing that night. Kristin who's character would be Juno for our Costume themed Bachelorette Party had not had the privilege of viewing her character. We went back for some movie time...

and a quick stop for some Sunny D. (Sadly none of us remembered it being so sugary:) Ha! Here's a picture I borrowed from Kristin of the girls toasting to our sugary Sunny D!


While relaxing...I absolutely had to take this sweet picture of Kristin (and baby Bryson). This was the shirt that Michael bought at the Bachelor Party in College Station.

AGGIE BABY ON BOARD! Love it!

After our movie and partaking in some yummy candy eating and quick downing of some Sunny D... it was time to get ready for my Bachelorette Party! Dinner would be at The Magic Time Machine!


Kindergarden Indian... Kaylan sporting her hand-made vest!


Meet Kristin as Juno! (We would soon find out that every character at the Magic Time Machine would ask where her Hamburger phone was... but boy was she a hit:)


We're ready and off to the Magic Time Machine!


Juno & a Kindergarten Indian


Juno & her friendly Bridezilla!


Juno, Bridezilla, Kindergarden Indian, and Vampiress at The Magic Time Machine!


The Magic Time Machine's Magic Potions!

Dinner was amazing... we were so close to getting Joe Dirt for the 3rd Bachelorette Party in a row... but still good times:)


After our yummy and interesting dinner (filled with scary singing joker nurses that asked how my feet were and our waitress who asked why Kristin was DD?!?!?!)... hehe... we went to BJ's for some drinks and ultimately the Large Cookie Dessert! Here are my girls toasting to our night... fun drinks and a yummy strawberry lemonade!


A Cake Shot... or so we thought? In hind sight... if the bartender does not know how to make the shot and has to look it up... go ahead and say NO THANK YOU! ha!

And then the manager came up to us and asked... "Are you missing an Indian"... All I have to say is this might have been the reason :( j/k


DESSERT TIME!


My picture with the smallest pitchfork ever and my zilla horns! I can definitely say that this Bridezilla had an amazing time. Thank you again for making this such a fun filled engagement. I am so looking forward to all that is to come...

More pictures to follow...

Love,
Alicia