Pearl Vision

Ahhh. The awesome age of 16.

2012-01-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

My cousin, Tyler, turned the ripe old age of 16 this past week and that makes me officially OLD. ;) I remember when this guy was just born and I have been lucky to be around him while he has grown into a pretty kick ass guy. He plays football, baseball, and is probably one of the funniest people ever. He gets the humor honestly because, well, our family is awesome. He also thinks it is cool to hang out with all of us old people so we will see how long that lasts! HA!

Happy Birthday T-Man! Love you tons.

xoxo

Pearl, Jason and Mousse

LOVE

2012-01-04T14:22:00.001-08:00

That is what 2012 (and all future years) will be about in my world. Not work, money, gossip, anger, stress or petty things that tend to creep into our lives. Love is where it is. If it weren't for my wonderful husband, family and our friends...it is scary to think where I would be.

I wish everyone a life full of love, happiness and health this new year <3

Cheers,
Pearl

Apology

2011-07-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

WOW. I have neglected this blog. I could go into details on why (wedding, getting jilted on our honeymoon, NOT moving into our house yet, packing STILL, and other fun things that life has thrown our way) but because I have vowed to not be so negative I won't do that. What I will do is share my amazing and blessed life lately according to my iphone:

life is pretty freaking fantastic....

xoxo

pearl

Did yall forget about ME??

2011-04-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Geez. Mom is always coming and going, I never get to steal her laptop to let you know what is going on in MY world. That is all that matters anyway.

The past few months have been very exciting and just crazy! I will tell you, I was not too crazy on this whole "new house" business though. They keep bringing me by there and there is always loud equipment and tools going on I can't hear where my tennis ball drops. Let's get our priorities straight here people! Because of the noisy things going on, I have been leery of even going INSIDE this new monster that has taken up my precious space to run and eat sticks. Dont't get me wrong, I am excited to be trying something new because I am always up for anything. BUT when I finally did get forced inside...there was MORE tools! and MORE noise! Nu-uh! No way. Ill hang outside thank you very much. I will catch yall on the flip side. Well Mom and Dad didnt like my attitude very much and I kept being called a "little girl" and "pansy boy" so I figured I had to man up. The next time we went by there was with our awesome friends, Matt and Kristin. They had their kids Vanessah and Wesley with them too! I LOVE KIDS! They went inside so of course i had to go inside too. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! NO TOOLS! NO WIRES! NO NOISE! There was even CARPET down! I was so excited I ran allll over the house and was ready to play. So, maybe i will give this new place a chance. Maybe.

One good thing about the new house? MUD EVERYWHERE. It is just great.

Other than our house getting finished up, outside is getting a little warmer too! WAHOO! DO you even REALIZE what this MEANS?!?!?! SWIMMING. My favorite thing ever. For Mom and Dads anniversary, I took them down to the marina to grill out and have them throw me a tennis ball in the water. I mean, wouldnt you want that for a night out? How can you NOT? So all was going super great! Mom was throwing the ball and i was just running back and forth...back and forth...back and forth....ahhhh. heaven. They eventually sat down to eat and i layed in the sand and just sucked it alll in. Summertime was meant for dogs, really. I dont know what these people get so excited about. We are ready all year long for summer because...well...think about it. We are naked ALL the time. Just waiting. haha.

Wet and covered in sand! Just how I like it! Now...throw the ball MOM!!

Well as always, Mom and Dad were party poopers and told me we had to head home. As I jumped in the truck, Mom flipped out! (As always....she is just crazy like that. Dad and I ignore her most of the time. She deals with it because she is outnumbered by us men) Oh yeah..why was she flipping out? Well I forgot to tell her that when I was running back and forth into the water, I cut myself a few times with seashells and a nail I think thats what its called. SO i was bleeding everywhere. Now. You need to do this ASAP. I will tell you a secret. If you cut your toes and just sit there and let them clean your feet and wrap them up.....you get a piece of leftover hamburger. I KNOW!! DUH!! Geez they just have no idea!!!! I hit a gold mine.

If you lay there really still and favor your feet...you will get nothing but love and kisses. Just trust me on this.

BUT no need to worry...Im all better now. Up and running around like nothing happened. I honestly dont see why they made a big deal.

I did milk the attention for all it was worth...who wouldn't??? The belly rubs are SOOOO worth it.

SO that is it for now! I think Mom is gonna write a little something up about me being in the wedding next time WHICH i was promised a whole new box of tennis balls if I behaved myself. So we will see how that goes. HAHA!

xoxo MOUSSE

Meet Tommy!

2011-03-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

TOMMY!!! I love me some Tommy. Tommy and his beautiful wife, Elizabeth, actually live in the house next door to Jasons parents and I will admit we are over there often :) Tommy is dad to a gorgeous little girl named Allison and has a little boy on the way as we speak. I always joke about Tommy to Jason and calling him his man-crush behind their backs. One of my favorite times with Tommy and Elizabeth was when I set up my karaoke equipment in their rec room and we just blasted bad karaoke all night. So fun :)

I will admit that Jason wasn't the best at actually "asking" his buddies to be a part of the wedding. It was like pulling teeth, I tell you. But of all of them finding out they were to be a groomsmen, Tommys story if my favorite. For the past several years, I have DJed for Tommys employee appreciation party and, get this, it is on a charter fishing boat out of Norfolk! How freaking fun!?!?! Well of course Jason came along to "help" me. Anyway...we were all standing there and I was listening to them chit chat and watching out for dolphins and Tommy looked straight at Jason and said..."So am I in the wedding or what?" hahaha. Thats what you have to love about Tommy. Straight and too the point with a sense of humor on the side. I wouldnt change him for anything!

Tommy actually still tells me the story on how Jason came over one day and talked about this "cute new girl at Fords Colony". Tommy still takes credit for our being together because he told Jason to go for it...i let him have it :)

Tommy and Elizabeth never miss our Halloween Blow Outs!

HAHAHAHAHA. He never fails to make me laugh.

Old pic of the two of them....hahaha. I would love to know what Jason is doing.

Meet Karen!

2011-03-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

Karen. Karen. Karen. This girl is just amazing. I love her to PIECES. I met her through Jason because they had been friends for awhile and when we met, we just clicked. We have been there for eachother through some good and some bad. Whatever the occasion, we always make eachother laugh and seem to have a nack for reading eachothers thoughts. (We can actually finish eachothers sentences....how cute) What is great is during our nights of wine and gabfests...we have shared heartaches and hopes and dreams. She heard me talk about how much i wanted to marry Jason even after a few months of dating and I listened as she found her way to the man of her dreams, who she is ALSO marrying this summer....how perfect is that?!? To steal her words, its been wonderful being her friend and Im so grateful to be apart of her ever after as she is in mine. <3 I never thought I would find a best friend in her as quickly as i did, but it was unavoidable. We are friend soul mates and i wouldnt trade her for the world <3

Our first pic together at the infamous Foxfields

You know I had to love her to take her to a Gwen Stefani concert....I mean really.

I LOVE this picture of Karen and Jason...makes me laugh...

Love you so much Karen...Im so excited that we will be standing next to eachother in our weddings :)

{The Inspiration Behind} Our Invitations

2011-03-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

Where to begin? First off, I knew I wanted me and Jason's invitations to be fun and set the tone for our wedding. Second, I knew I wanted to design and make them myself. I have always had a soft spot for DIY paper goods even if I was never really good at the DIY thing. Hoping my inner-girl scout would come out again, I started from scratch. No templates, NOTHING. Not smart. I must have gone through 5 different designs.....This is one of the ones that got rejected -->

I kept going back and forth and kinda of throwing around the idea of giving up and just buying some invitations online. I even had some broad quote out invitations for her to make and I COULDNT BELIEVE IT. Seriously. The prices on some of this stuff is mind blowing. Anyway....I did more searching and hunting for ideas and then I came across some seriously fun invites on one of my fav wedding blogs, Hi-Fi Weddings, and it hit me. RECORDS. I wanted to incorporate vinyl records somehow. The ones I looked at used cds and just put stickers on em but no! I wanted real freakin' vinyl! So off i went and started designing what would become our wedding invitations....

I couldnt love anything more. Im so proud of them. Shout out to Gwen and Peggy for helping me laminate the record sleeves, stuff and address the envelopes. They were a big help to me!

PS. I know that Jason and I have gotten slack for not registering BUT there is a method to our madness. Check out the back of the invitations for our "registry"....Just in case you missed it :)

Wedding. Wedding. Wedding. House. House. House. Work. Work. Work.

2011-03-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

…..not necessarily in that order :) My life lately has been all of the following:

1. busy

2. motivating

3. busy

4. EXCITING

5. busy

6. exhausting

7. busy

8. very….very….FUN

Between the wedding and building our house, needless to say we are going full throttle. I honestly wouldn’t change a thing though mainly because I really feel Jason and I have a system with all of this, or we kinda feel like we do. One of the best things I have found to help me are LISTS. Yep. The over-prepping, micro-managed lists that I never thought I would do but I have had TONS of them!! So here is a little sneak peak on whats going on!

WEDDING STUFF TO DO! – Not bad for less than three months away, if I do say so myself.
Wedding Baskets for out-of-towners. Have list. Need to buy and assemble.

Baskets for bathrooms at the marina.

Props for the photobooth.

Pick up flags from Nags Head Rental Company.

Buy materials for making boutonnieres.

Buy marriage license (!!!)

Finalize Playlist for pre-ceremony and reception.

Edit mix for Ceremony.

Final dress fitting.

Buy Jason new sandals for ceremony…and subsequently hide them so he can’t mess them up.

Get step stool and decorate for ceremony (you think im kidding…)

HOUSE STUFF TO DO!
Painting to be finished this week.

Final trim out with light switches, HVAC vents, etc.

Pick out ceiling fans and pendant lights for kitchen.

Carpet and laminate installed.

Toilets, sinks and vanities set.

Water, sewer and power connected.

Final grading.

C.O. INSPECTION!!!

MOVE IN!!!

Oh. And…….START PACKING. Hahaha.

{The Inspiration Behind} Our Ceremomy and Programs

2011-01-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Ill be honest. I am having a freakin' blast planning this wedding. There is something to be said for having a long engagement, no lie. Hats off to those who plan in short timeframes.

No matter how fun it is to plan the reception, we have not lost track of why we are doing this in the first place. When planning how our ceremony was going to go, Jason and I knew we wanted three things....short, intimate and fun. This was the beginning of our marriage and lives together! So I started brainstorming on how to make the short ceremony reflect the best of us, individually and as a couple. I did research on how to break down ceremonies and the best way to lay them out. Thankfully my sister Shelly had given me a few books from when she was planning her wedding and they helped out a ton. As much as this may not give enough credit to themeaning of the ceremony but it is a performance in a way. You have to make sure it flows and keeps the "audiences" attention and most of all tells the story. We wanted our story to relate express us. Give our family and friends an inside view into our relationship and whyit is we love eachother. Honestly you can never truly know what goes on behind closed doors of any relationship but hopefully our ceremony will give a peak on how we communicate and love eachother. I dont want to give out too much of the actual ceremony and be a spoiler so I will give some fun hints for the atmosphere we are picturing.......

Pinwheel Boutineeres
Bali wedding flags
Ribbons, Ribbons, Ribbons!!
Mousse in wedding attire. Nuff' said.
The entire bridal party in a sea of blue..might be my favorite detail so far
James River in the background.
BOATS and more BOATS!
Toes in the sand.
Love in the air!
Tying the "knot"...wink! wink!

How FUN is this!? Doesnt it make you think of a DMB or Jimmy Buffet concert? <3 it.

Porch and Roof and Windows OH MY!

2011-01-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

First look at our house!

Welcome to our little house!

Looking out our new kitchen window :)

KITCHEN!! (Jason says hello!)

Our Living Room

Pantry

Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2

Downstairs Bath

STAIRS!!

Looking downstairs to our living room

Our nook!

Our bedroom!

The office/future little person room!

Master Bath

Jason walking in our closet. haha!

SOOOO EXCITING. Ugh. Cant stand it.
xoxoPearlxoxo

Um HELLO 2011?!??!?

2011-01-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

Bajeezus. I cannot believe that 2010 is over. So much amazing stuff happened this year that it is almost overwhelming to think back on. However, bring it on 2011. This is our year. We are moving into our house in the next few months, GET MARRIED and spending a week in Jamaica just the two of us. It is just so wonderful to think about. Who knows what else is in store for us?!!

Have a FANTASGREAT new year!!

House Update from Mousse!

2010-11-30T15:51:00.000-08:00

Hello again!!! I had to get on and tell you guys the latest with our HOUSE!!!!! A lot has happened since I last updated you. Mom and Dad take me out to the land as much as possible so I can make sure everything is going alright. As of this past weekend, all of my sticks and stranded tennis balls are in the spots I left them so NO WORRIES! Whew, right? I knew you were worried. Anyway...on to the HOUSE!!!!!!

ME!!!! (You can see Dad's dumpsters behind! Cool, huh??)

Mom was playing with her new camera....obviously the best part in the picture is me in the middle there :) Im standing where the house is going to go!

YUMMY!! Seriously you have to try the sticks out there. Not only are they HUGE but they taste GREAT!!!

This is all of us. Mom just had to get a shot of all of us. **gag** Eh...i still know how to ham it up!

OK so here is the cool part. These pics are in progression. Obviously not a lot has been done but as of tonight we have a foundation on our house!!!! (This is according to Mom and Dad...they didn't take me out with them today...the nerve)

This is right after they cleared...the house is going smack in the middle!

This is the block for the foundation ready to be put in!! The "footers" are in at this point. I don't know what those are but they sound delicious.

Another shot of the awesome block! (Cool fact? The firepit that Dad built for Mom when he proposed to her included some of these exact blocks!!!! What was even cooler was that is was right over yonder!!)

WE HAVE A FOUNDATION! YAY!!! I want to jump on it!!!

(Just a closer look of the foundation. That corner closest to you? Thats the kitchen!

So yeah! Thats the latest and greatest!!! Hope everyone is doing GREAT and getting ready for Christ-mousse!!! hehehe :)

xoxo

Mousse

*Just started reading the blog? You can check out the other posts about the house by clicking on the handy-dandy link below called "The House That We Built" or you can be cooler and see the other posts that I have been in by clicking "Mousse". Cool huh?

My 25th Birthday

2010-11-15T17:45:00.000-08:00

Jason and I on the ferry over! (We had never done it before....so much fun!)

I love my new camera....the panoramic setting is just so cool.

HARRAHS!!!

All of us on the jitney going to the Tropicana....after a few cocktails this crowd gets FUN

Dad and I at Johnny Rockets for dinner!!!!! One of my FAVS!!!!

hehehe

love it

love it more

look @ the ketchup!! win that money!!

Jason was playing the lobster game!! (que the lobster fingers)

they had a SMORES slot machine!!

um. Sex and the City slot machine? Yes please.

This came from the Sex and the City machine!!! SCORE!!!!

Bfast @ Dennys. They gave Aunt Carla (her bday was Sunday!!! ) and I ice cream....lol

ALWAYS TURNED ON BABY!!

"Under the boardwalk..."

All of us :)

My crazy dad.... :)

I loved the boardwalk

These doors were SO awesome!

We went to the Knife and Fork restaurant Sat. night. This is my new FAV restaurant. It opened in 1912 and was the speakeasy for the city. The friggin' rat pack used to hang out here. You cant get any cooler than that.

All of us @ dinner

My filet with crab and asparagus!! YUMMO!!

Dads rack of lamb

HOLY LOBSTER BATMAN!!!!

Jasons porkchop and jumbalaya

HOLY KING CRAB BATMAN!!!!

Each of the stalls had a sink in the. Nuff' said.

AWWW! Happy Birthday to me!!!!

This was like a chocolate covered moon pie. mmmmmm.

Harrahs had a bday too!!!

HAHAHAHA!!!

Every year since I have turned 21, I have made the trek up to Atlantic City with some of my family. Mine and my aunts bday is within a day of eachother so we like to make a big weekend out of celebrating. This year marked the big 2-5 for me and it could have not been a more perfect birthday. My parents, Aunt Carla, Uncle Dan and Jason spent the weekend at Harrahs, ate some amazing food, spent some money, drank a little (haha) alcohol and just had the best time. Cheers to this year!!! It will be the best YET!!! <3

Its time...its time to do the Christmas can-can!!

2010-11-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

If you have never heard of Straight No Chaser....do yourself a favor and look them up here or even just watch this video and you will want to check some other songs that they have done. Gwen and I went to go see them in Raleigh, NC last Christmas Eve-Eve and fell in love. They are such great guys and funny as heck. (All married, much to Gwens dismay)

I also bought Mariah Careys new Christmas album, Merry Christmas II you, and its pretty decent. The first song is SO fun. Check it out.

I love Christmas music. I listen to it whenever I want to. My collection is pretty impressive. If i get a hankering to listen to Jessica Simpsons version of "O Holy Night" in the middle of March, I do without even feeling wierd. (Great version by the way...actually her whole Christmas cd is just fantastic) It isnt just the music though. It does secretly excite me that Christmas is only 46 days away and stores had Christmas trees out in October. I love every second of this season.

Why do kids have to grow SO quickly!??!?!

2010-11-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

October 2010

How cute are they?!?!? (I love how Claire is clapping haha!)

This was the last time I saw Kate! (Februrary 2010) Can you believe how big she has gotten?!?!

I was lucky enough to see Claire and Shelly in May this year! (That face just kills me)

I LOVED that she was able to be there when I tried on my wedding dress... :)

These girls are just amazing and I love have been able to watch them grow. Being an aunt to them is probably about the coolest role in my life. I think about them all the time and I wish I could see them every single day! We are lucky that they will be here for Christmas this year :) I get kinda emotional thinking about seeing them on Christmas morning...the innocence of children this time of year always gets me.

{Workout Diary} Insanity - Plyometric Cardio

2010-11-01T17:26:00.000-07:00

Whew. Well, Insanity is hard. I won't sugar coat that one. Ill be honest though I am loving it so far. It is very focused on endurance and it reminds me of athletic training which gets that competitive side of me super motivated. I did't do a workout today bc I had to sleep in after this crazy weekend but I will be at it tomorrow, bright and EARLY!!! (PS if you have old shoes or you workout in running shoes...invest in cross-trainers before you start this. It will be worth every penny, trust me. I refused to replace my trusty New Balance shoes and my feet and calves were making me pay for it...they are now in the garbage)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween. It is one of my favorite holidays. It kicks off the holiday season and it is an excuse to dress up and be with your friends. I also love decorating and finding new things every year to use for our party. This marked the 3rd year doing this Halloweenbash and our last in the townhouse :( BUT next year will be bigger and better because we will have so MUCH MORE ROOM!!! I kinda want to do a haunted trail next year......im already thinking of ideas :)

Enter if you DARE!!!!

Witch Way?!?!

I made this last minute...it looks like the skeleton head was a clown before lol!

"Watch out for loose "Mousse!"

Dead Groom!

Dead Bride!

Our front yard :)

Its a Pac Man pumpkin!!!! HAHAHAHA!

Waiting for the trick or treaters....

Flintstones! Meet the Flintstones!

Tommy and Elizabeth as DJ Rock and Blue Crayon!

Wilma and Princess Peach!

LOVE THIS PICTURE!! HAHA!!! This became "Our Pose" It started the year she was a football player and it was just awesome from there haha

HAHA! Luigi catching a ride on Yoshi!

This was just genius. It made my night! Steve, Jeremiah, Dan and Crystal as the Mario clan!!!

We all had a great time! The food was delicious (Thanks to Red Hot and Blue BBQ) and the company was even better :) Can't wait until next year!!!!

**Photos of the decor by me and my trusty Canon 35mm, all other Steve and Crystal let me steal :) **

{Workout Diary} Insanity - Fit Test

2010-10-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

So if you are like me and like to watch fitness commercials and infomercials from the comfort of your couch/bed then you know about the new Insanity program, right? Well. My good ole' buddy Gwen decided to get me roped into it. I've done workouts from its sister workout, P90X, and I loved them but never did the enter program bc I do other stuff at the gym too. What I liked about Insanity is you don't need weights or resistance bands, it is just full-blown cardio and it uses your own weight to do the toning. Since cardio has always been my down-fall, I was intrigued. So Gwen and I are doing it. The whole program. Just for fun? Maybe. To fit in our clothes a little better? Most Likely. Maybe a little wedding motivation going on? More me than her BUT I always am up for trying something new at the gym so she didn't have to do much convincing...

I did the fit test this morning (gotta love Ironbound Gym) and decided to keep more of a video blog in addition to tracking it on here. (Also an excuse to play more with my macbook pro...there is still so much I haven't used on this freaking thing!) DISCLAIMER: These videos will not be pretty so Im just warning you...haha!

TIMBERRRRRRRRR!!!! (House Update)

2010-10-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

Friday was a big day for us! WE BEGAN CLEARING OUR LOT!!!! After all this time and back and forth and stress and wondering if it EVER WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.....well it did :) We couldn't be more excited. We are at that illusive light at the end of the tunnel.

Since the lot is so big it will take a few days to clear all the underbrush and trees that we need to but I am going to take pictures of the progress.

Halfway down our future driveway! Whole lotta' trees!

More of the driveway...

Not too much going on but SO stoked to see something happening. Too early to pitch a tent out there? Yes?

Hope you had a FABULOUS weekend!

Hi! (Its me, Mousse!)

2010-10-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hi people!

I have had the BEST past couple days! Mom and Dad took me out to our land to mark for our new house! I LOVE going out there! SO many sticks, so little time..........................sorry! I was thinking about that huge tree that fell over......i wonder if it is still out there........ahem! anyway! They were staking out where the house is going to go and the site plan will finally be sent over to the county for approval! They hope to clear by the end of the month! So exciting for all of us!! WAHOO!

It all couldn't come soon enough! You want to see a sneak peak of the house!?

This is the site plan!

It is kinda hard to tell but this is the front elevation!!

This is the first floor...as you walk into the front door the kitchen is to the right, the living room and stairs to go up is to the left and straight back are two bedrooms.

This is the second floor! As you walk up the stairs, the master bedroom is to the left and another bedroom is to the right. The coolest part? There is a balcony that is open below to the living room. I think that mom and dad are more excited about the house though....I am more excited about the yard! 3 1/2 acres??! I won't see the house for like two weeks.

ANYWAY!!

Dad got me some new toys! You wanna see em'?

This one used to be a braided fleece kinda thing. Not sure but i LOVE playing tug-o-war with it!

This is another tug-o-war favorite!! (Plus you can see a little bit of the other toy scattered beside it haha!)

And the every but of wonderful tennis ball!! MY FAV THING EVER. Dad was cool enough to get me a HUGE one that even had a squeaker inside! Those squeaker things drive me CRAZY! I had to get it out....well....it doesn't squeak anymore so my job here is done.

Talk to you all soon!

xoxo

MOUSSE

{The Inspiration Behind} Our Save The Date postcard

2010-10-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

We FINALLY sent our save the dates this past week! YAY! Wanna know a little secret? I FRIGGIN LOVE THEM.

My dad and I made these together and let me tell you, I have never laughed so hard. We took the movie poster from "Muscle Beach Party" and photoshopped our families heads on the characters. That bearded man holding the lady at the top? Thats my dad and mom. The two ladies holding up the guy at the top? Jasons mom, Peggy, and Gwen holding up Jasons dad, Mark. The girl balancing the beach ball on the side? Sarah. The girl inside that beach ball? Shelly. The couple at the bottom? Me and Jason. OH and the dog on the surfboard? MOUSSE MAN. I mean really. I cant help but giggle at the thing.

Another cool little feature? The stamps! (not seen here) I took one of our engagement pictures by the lovely miss ashley and went to zazzle and made stamps. yeah. its amazing the things you can do nowadays.

To be honest the idea was just a brainchild between my dad and I. I wanted them to look like a concert poster at first but then quickly changed my mind! Im so happy I did!

Oh and if this is the first time stopping by the blog, welcome! I will be updating with wedding details, house details, our little adventures and maybe the few annoying stories about our dog. Sorry we are just those kinda people that like to talk about our dog :) I hope you start checking in and following!

(if you havent watched the beach party movies from the early sixties you are missing out...i mean. seriously. they are so crazy)

HAPPY OCTOBER!

2010-10-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

I left the house this morning and it was finally COLD! There was that fall chill to the air and everything....I just love this month because its the kick start to the holiday season for me. Halloween (fav) is this month along with Jason and I's Annual Halloween BASH!! Next will be my bday (Nov 13th), Thanksgiving and then its around the corner to Christmas and New Years! WHEW! I LOVE IT!

I am gonna go light my fall harvest candle and contemplate making pumpkin bread. mmmmmmmmm!

xoxo

PEARL

*Photo Courtesy of HerCreativeSpirit*

Wedding Inspiration

2010-10-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

I have seen these profiled here and there throughout blogland so i decided to make one for Jason and mines wedding because i have a SERIOUS amount of pics that i have copied and pasted into my computer to keep my creative juices flowing for the wedding. Looking through all those pictures, I realized that I have had a ton of ideas for this wedding and only have a few stuck around. Which made me realize thatI have learned a few fun things over the past 8 months of being engaged (!!!) so i though i would share them:

1) With long engagements, you tend to change your mind alot with the miles and miles of information at your fingertips for wedding planning. Def. not a bad thing because you are just throwing your ideas around at first. When we first started planning I had a image in my head of the wedding. The image is the same now except i have more colors (im not a matchy-matchy kinda person and well, Jason? He is lucky if he gets a shirt on without holes in them so he could care less) and we are just doing what we want without wondering if people will "get it".

2) One of the first pieces of advice my Mom told me when we first got engaged was "ITS YOUR WEDDING. Dont try and make anyone happy but you and Jason. Do what you want and everyone will love it." Ive heard this advice before and Ive read about it in magazines and blogs and it hasnt really sunk in until recently. Jason and I wanted this wedding to be a party. Be FUN. Reflect both of us, not only individually but as a couple. So that is our mantra for the whole thing. We are doing it because we want to and we think the whole thing is gonna be a blast.

3) family, family, family. When it comes down to it? That is what is ALL about. Jason and I consider our friends a part of our family too so its all the same. When doing our guest list we carefully considered who we knew would be a part of our lives for a long, loooooong time. When we were done with it and looked over the list, i realized that every name i saw typed out was our family and who we wanted to experience the coolest day of our lives with. (Jason looked at it and said "looks like a kick ass party to me!") The most important thing isnt the colors of the dresses or what kind of "cake" we are gonna have but its about celebrating the choice that Jason and I made to spend our lives together. That is pretty awesome. Who better to surround you than family?

4) MUSIC. Seriously. The playlist is hard. I was going to include in the RSVP a section to where all of our guests can put down a song or two that they wanted to hear but I quickley vetoed that once i realized that just between Jason and I, we have almost 250 songs on our playlist. Its only October! We have many more months of hearing songs and going "OH OH! I LOVE THAT SONG!" or Jason texting me after a few bud lights telling me to add Children of the Sun to the list. So I have decided what the hardest part of this entire wedding is going to cutting down the playlist. (Either that or have a 10 hour reception....hmmm.)

5) I have learned that being engaged is just awesome. I love everytime someone asks me to see my ring and tell the story behind it. I love annoying Jason with how many days until our wedding (232). Most of all i love thinking about the feeling i will have once i can actually call him my husband. Its so cool. <3

have a GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!!!

xoxo

PEARL

THIS IS HILARIOUS!

2010-10-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

this just cemented my love for justin timberlake. i had a fun little crush before but its final now.

Take a look!

2010-09-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

I LOVE THIS!!!!

Mousse

2010-09-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

HI everyone!!!

I thought i would take over moms laptop for a few minutes because she always leaves it lying around and i have to let you guys know whats going on in MY life too!

im spending today with dad while mom is working at the gym. this is our man time. we are fixing things around the house and i LOVE when dad does that because i help! i love helping around the house. maybe when mom vacuums later i can help even MORE!!

other than that, things have been kinda crazy around the house with mom and dad trying to get our new house built. i CANT WAIT!! the yard is so big and there are so many STICKS! every time we go over there, i get to run around and be off my leash and get DIRTY and roll in the leaves! its just awesome.

i should go! i will try and keep stopping in with updates on whats going on with me too!

love

mousse

Meet Steve!

2010-09-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

This is Steve. Steve is one of the most honest, sweet and fun guys I have ever met. Jason met Steve at the marina like, 7, years ago. Steve was dating his now-wife Crystal and she was a waitress at the marina. Since then they have had a beautiful wedding, moved in right down the street and we have come accustom to grabbing some brews, playing board games and watching football with them. (Go Tribe! Steve used to play football for William and Mary...as if you couldnt tell by looking at him haha!) He is our friend and our neighbor. You want a definition of a bromance? This is it. When it comes down to it, they would do anything for eachother. It is awesome to have Steve and Crystal in our lives and it was a hands down decision once Jason realized he wanted Steve to stand up next to him on our wedding day.

(This picture is seriously one of my favorite pics. I laugh every time I come across it. "Balls of Fury" LOL. oh and this is where the ceremony will be...how fun is that??)

Rewind button is where?

2010-09-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

WOW. I know that time is going by too quick when I got this email from my mom this afternoon:

"I know you have been busy, busy but your blog is void of a September entry!! I look forward to checking it out occasionally to see what's up! LOVE YOU, MOB"

haha i love it. I just smiled when i got it.

To be honest it has been a little busy! Jason and I got our house plans finalized and sent off to the engineers, DJing is keeping me spinning in circles and wedding details are flooding my mind. Add some drama with my insurance company and sprinkle in the fact that Jason and I seem to want to keep planning every single day out in advance and you have the past two months! haha! We are lucky to be busy though so we are trying to keep on keeping on. We should be clearing for our house in the next couple of weeks so we are beside ourselves. I kind of want to start packing already.... :)

Wedding update? Im working on the invitations at the moment. (The save-the-dates have been done but delayed with the printing so they will be sent by the end of the month...FYI) The invitations are going to be one of my favorite details, I will be honest. Next up? Ordering the alter decorations. I couldn't see Jason and I having the typical "altar". So Jasons mom, Peggy, and I came across these...

HOW AWESOME ARE THESE?!?!?! Dont worry...this wasnt a complete spoiler. I have a few things I want to do to them to make them our own. I just think they will look really amazing down at the marina waving in the wind....makes me excited!!!

So right now it seems to be the details Im focusing on...the ceremony music (super hard to decide btw) and programs are on my mind. Once i have another meeting with Kingsmill, the reception will be the focus again. This whole thing is just a blast. I love it. and I CANT WAIT to marry Jason. The wedding part is just the icing on the rice krispy cake.

Mind Splatter....

2010-08-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

You know those days where so many things are going on in your head and you cant seem to sort them out and you just wind up over thinking everything? HMMM. Well unfortunately that is how my days have been the past few weeks...well i lied. Past few months. Without throwing all my dirty laundry out in cyberspace...i do want to vent.

I have been through some...interesting things in my life. Because of those situations, i have become stronger and the person i am today. so therefore i dont regret anything. i have always said that but i mean it more and more the older i get. i realize the lessons have been taught and there are more lessons to be learned. it does seem that the mistakes that i make dont always add up until a few years later. when im in the middle of the current whirlwind, i kinda shut myself off and dont really want to deal with the real issue why i made the mistake in the first place. i want a quick fix and move on so i can just deal with it later. basically? thats me in a nutshell. im ashamed to say but its my biggest flaw and i realize it so im working on it. basically ive been through a lot of mint choc chip ice cream this past week because of this whole car accident-insurance drama ive been having. but the good news? out of all the drama in my life i have a center. a calm before the storm if you will. without being too corny.... it is jason. i know i know! gag. but in all seriousness, i can be flipping out, crying and being crazy and he just listens and smiles and calmly lets me freak out then once i realize the balance is off, i calm down and we talk things through. ive never really had that before. its amazing and that is my balance. i know that i am his balance too. i know when to give space and when to be supportive just as he does for me. with these little things, i know we can always get through the tough stuff. the little thing that i love the most is that i can sleep peacefully at night, no matter what happened during the day. we have great families and friends, a roof over our head and a great dog and most of all...eachother. so as nauseating as that may sound to some of you...its the truth. that kinda stuff is love. getting through the bullshit and supporting and listening.

with all that being said...im gonna go. im snuggling up with the mousse-man and watching will and grace. jason is having man-night over with Steve and Brandon so i will see him later....something about football? preseason? i have no clue. when does hockey start again??? ;)

xoxo
pearl

Canada and Car Crashes

2010-08-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

Whew. What a week. I have found it so hard to catch my breath this whole summer and this week didnt help. Im hoping that things start to slow down at least a little...i know, i know. Who am I kidding, right? The older you get, the faster time seems to go by.

Last week started off great! My family, Jason and I got back from the cruise on Monday and we all had SUCH a great time. Saint John was such a cute little town and spending more than a few hours with my family was so great. I have tons of pictures but here is a little preview...

Jason and I leaving port in NYC

Jason and I with the Statue of Liberty behind us!

Aunt Carla, my mom and I starting things off with Mimosas :)

Mabecca got serenaded again for her bday! Cant celebrate too much!

I loved the towel animals.

Once we got off the ship, there was a Moose to take photos with haha!

Us at bingo! (I won the first jackpot of the day!)

We ran into some character pirates in Saint John and we sat down and had a few beers with them. They were a riot!!!

"Come on over wench and take a photo...arggg!!"

Dad was right at home with these guys. He had to try on the clothes and all. I laughed so hard.

Dad and I once they opened their treasure chest.....

HAHA!

Saint John was so beautiful....this was when we were leaving.

It was such a great time. It was over too soon. This was Jason and mines last vacation for awhile and it was such a blast.

SO that was the good part of the week. We got back on Monday and I had Tuesday off to unpack, do laundry and,well, be lazy with my dog because I missed the Mousse-Man!! Wednesday was back at work for me! It started off great and things weren't too backed up so it was a pretty decent morning. Since I live about 10 minutes away from work, I go home for lunch everyday. WELL I was on my way back to work from lunch and this guy slammed on his breaks two cars ahead of me, and the car behind him had to slam on his breaks and pull off to the side to avoid hitting the truck. Well when I saw him slam on his breaks, I had to slam on mine and I wasnt as lucky avoiding him. It was either go into oncoming traffic, or hit him. So i tried to avoid but i ended up slamming into the back right corner of his car. Both of us were ok but the guy that caused it all just went on his way...didnt even stop! I couldnt believe it. We both got our cars out of the road and i went to open my door to get out and....it didnt open. Not a good sign. I climbed over the console to get out on the other side and took a look at the damage. Yep, definitely not good. My car just crumpled. The only good news was that the other guys car just had minor damage to his bumper...he could still drive it. Me? Not so lucky.

If you can believe that it actually looks better in the picture with everything taken apart than it did when the accident happened...well it does. My poor car. So now Im dealing with all this. At least we both werent hurt so that was a good thing.

Sigh.

So now here i am on Saturday, writing this blog and watching the Flinstones. Jason and Mousse are outside working on our jungle (we have SO many plants in our backyard...) and we are just gonna piddle around the house today. I should get motivated and clean....Ill go work on that :)

HAPPY WEEKEND!

xoxo

Pearl

Bouquets and Ribbons!

2010-07-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

I have had flowers on my mind the past few weeks. I realized that I never have had a favorite flower. I like different flowers for different occasions. Daisies have always had a fun place in my heart as well as lilies. Honeysuckle reminds me of my Mabeccas house so it oozes memories of my childhood. So when thoughts of my bridal bouquet flashed in and out of my mind, they were always fuzzy. I didnt have a clear thought on what I wanted it to look like.

Now I have flooded myself in blogland looking for ideas. The wedding magazines seem to portray the same old bouquets. I have seen some FUN ideas. Like this one! And this one too! They arent really my style but it was fun to see something different. Then I came across this today....

I just LOVE the ribbons! I can picture doing something like this. I can see having my Maid/Matrons/Bridesmaids have something similar as well. It is so fun and feminine. As far as the flowers that I will be doing? Not sure yet. Plenty of time for that though :)

While checking this site out, I saw this too!

I thought this was very clever how they put the ribbons on the chairs like that. Time consuming but cost effective and ADORABLE. Fun stuff.

On a side note...this summer is flying by. May will be here before we even know it! Happy Thursday!

xoxoxo

Pearl

Meet Brandon (aka GRECCO!)

2010-07-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Grecco and Jason have been friends for over 13 years. They grew up in the same neighborhood and played golf together. (Grecco is the one that told me how amazing Jason was at golf when he was younger...then his parents followed up with more stories....crazy man never even told me!) ANYWAY! They have been like brothers for years. Grecco is super close with Jason's entire family so I knew he was kind of a big deal :)

Grecco is a Golf Pro and until recently has been moving back and forth. He now resides down the hall from me and Jason. Being our roommate, he gets he special privilege of being with us all the time :) He moved back to Williamsburg in May from being gone about a year. What is cool is he works at Fords Colony (my day job) down at the Country Club!

Grecco is pretty much family to us. It wouldn't be me and Jason's wedding without him there to share it with us...and to toast the first Bud Light <3

ps.....HOW FUNNY ARE THOSE PICTURES????

xoxo Pearl

Catch Up!

2010-07-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

Whew. The past few weeks have FLOWN by. So much has been going on. In a nutshell? Here is a glimpse in me and Jasons craziness in the past few weeks...

Peggy (jasons mom), Kevin (jasons cousin), Kyle (jasons cousin) and I did the MS150 Ocean to Bay Ride in honor of Jasons uncle Gary who has Multiple Sclerosis. The ride consisted of 150 miles in two days. (Or if you want to get technical...it was about 79 bc it was cut short and CRAZY HOT) I just loved that I did this ride this year with them. It was special to be a part of something that they have done for so long. It opened my eyes to this disease that I feel goes un-noticed. I was def. inspired to keep riding.

I had my first official Coney Dog in downtown Detroit! I went to Jason's cousin Elizabeths wedding in Detroit and I went to Lafayette Coney Island twice. It was awesome.

Jason, Gwen and I posing before trying out the street fair's basketball contest. We ventured out with his Aunt Shelly and Uncle Don and had a BLAST.

I was the only one that made a shot. Go figure. I got a sweet pen that had the Detroit Pistons schedule that rolled out of it like a scroll. I loved it! (Until i realized it was three years old...way to go promotions department haha)

The wedding and reception was GORGEOUS! The room was stunning and had a blast!

I also had a few showers to go to :) This was my friend Taryns baby shower! Her and her husband Gerald had a beautiful baby girl (Madison Taylor) about a week prior to the shower. She was just adorable. My gift was the pink cow she is holding! Isnt it precious! I get it at a shop here in Williamsburg called Paisley and the store is awesome. Check em' out!

Isnt she so sweet??

This is my friend Kristin. She is awesome, pure and simple. I met her at a previous job and we just clicked. Her and her now-husband Matt jetted off to Jamaica to get married, just them and i think it was just perfect for them. She had a shower about a week before they left. It was a blast :)

She had a "gift card tree"! How neat??

mmmmmm. CAKE.

Of course we had to go inside afterwards and have a few more drinks <3 It was at Greenleafe (my fav bar) so we had to! It was at this time we decided we had to give her a proper Bachelorette Party...pics to come :)

AND...we just got back from another wedding in Michigan and Jason finished a hike out in Kings Canyon National Park in California..(talk about AMAZING pics!!) so i will have more later :) But now? Jason just made us his super fantastic stir fry so i have to cut this short!

xoxo

Pearl

WooHOOOOO!

2010-06-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

If it were up to me I would talk about my nieces every day and all day because it seems they are on my mind that consistently but this i just HAD to share. When I went up to visit when Claire was born back in September I of course had to bring gifts. One of the things I brought for Kate (the oldest one of the two) was the good ole "Elefun" game!! You know...the Elephant whose trunk spits out these little butterflies and you catch em' in a net? SO FUN. When I was teaching Kate how to play with it she was a little freaked out by the huge trunk making noise and spitting out things. So to get her more excited I was yelling "WAHOO!!!" everytime the butterflies came out! She caught on quick and was yelling along with me and just having a blast. We played with that thing so much during my visit that she started actually calling the game "wahoo". It was adorable. "Aunt Amanda! Wahoo! Play Wahoo!" AH it kills me. So fast forward to last night when my bro-in-law Jamie sent me these...

Kate looking at the "wahoo!" (Shelly in the background)

She puts the net on her head haha!

Claire-bear!! She was in on the fun too!

Jamie told me that Kate still calls it "Wahoo!" HAHAHAHA. He said she ran down the hall yelling "Wahoo!" and brought the toy back. They are just so precious I love em' to pieces.

Meet Sam

2010-06-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

This is my wonderful cousin Sam! Being cousins, we were always together during the holidays and other fun family functions but have you ever had that cousin that you...just...LOVED!? Well I will admit all of my cousins are pretty amazing..seriously I have to be super lucky to have such a cool and great family. Sam and I always had a special bond though....we always stuck together. Whether it was "swimming" in mabeccas claw-foot tub (could have used that pic by the way..haha) or camping out in an RV and trying to scare the pants off her little brothers...we always had a blast and kept smiles on our faces the whole time. When Jason and I started dating he was showing me pics on his laptop of all his friends and telling me stories. This one block of photos were of this "Pink Party" and he said his friend had a pink themed birthday party and it was a blast. He was skipping through the pics and I second glanced at one...SAM WAS IN THE PICTURE! I was like "JASON! Thats my cousin!" He said "Wait...Sam is your cousin? No way." It was such a small world...we couldn't believe that he was friends with my cousin. We still kinda laugh about that.

Making the decision for her to be a bridesmaid was pretty easy. Sam always has a smile on her face and it is infectious. I love her outlook on life and always have. I can't imagine not having her wonderful attitude and smiles and laughter not only at the wedding and during the planning this next year, but for the rest of our lives. I love you girl.

BURSTING WITH IDEAS!!!

2010-06-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

I'm so in love with planning this wedding. Every part of it is so fun!! I came across this online and immediately got the image of what our invitations are going to look like....

Just a little sneak peak bc Im too excited to give the whole image away. I just cant wait! We got back a prototype of our save the dates and they are just as fun. I love how both of our personalities are coming out in this wedding..very fun. The save-the-dates are my favorite detail so far and we have a ton of details!! <3

xoxoxo

Pearl

Meet Gwen

2010-05-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

This is Gwen. Jasons sister and one of my Maid of Honors. Im laughing as I post this bc I have some fun pictures of Gwen and couldnt decide on a good one. This one has always been my favorite. The bud light cowboy hat makes it what it is. However the following will always be a fav of mine...

We were out at dinner down in Cape Hatteras during one of the many fishing weekends. (Translation? We had been drinking on the boat all day) I was talking about how if you eat a packet of Sweet n Low that it is the best thing ever...so good. (I was trying to get her to try it bc she never had. If you have done this before then you understand this is just cruel of me to trick her but it was worth it.) So I had to capture it on camera obviously....

"Hmm. Not so bad Amanda."

"Oh...wait....thats a little different..."

"OH MAN! BAD! NOT GOOD! Where is my beer....geez!!"

"You suck Amanda! The taste just STAYS there!"

Oh man. I laugh everytime. At her expense of course :)

In all seriousness, I consider Gwen a sister and a best friend. Jasons' family is super close so her and Jason are as close as can be so that means we had some tough times when we first met. Like you-have-no-idea-tough. I wouldnt change a thing though because of us putting eachother to the test the way we did transformed a relationship I wouldnt trade for the world. I not only love her but I trust her and that is huge. She isnt scared to talk to me about anything or tell me she hates my hairstyle. (Thats happened on more than one occasion haha) So I love that. For that I consider her my sister and I knew I wanted my sisters to be my matron/maids of honor.

Why hello June...you kinda surprised me!!

2010-05-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. Its basically June already. (And 356 days till our wedding...what? who is counting?) Already so much has happened this year and as much as I am excited for the next 6 months of 2010, I am trying to not wish it away too quickly bc I tend to do that when I am really excited about things. We have so many friends and family getting married this summer, Jason and I will begin building our garage/loft on our land in the next few months, my Mabecca's 75th bday CRUISE with our family is in August, and then we will be enjoying the holidays once again. Whew. Looking back this year I met my niece Claire for the first time, got engaged to this kinda great guy, went to Arizona and saw the Grand Canyon for the first time, I was published in a national DJ magazine, saw Jasons best friend James get married to his amazing now-wife Lauren, and both Jason and I have been training for a bike race that I have no idea if I am ready for or not. (MS 150 is NEXT weekend. 150 miles in two days on a bike. Pretty exciting...if exciting means kinda scary? Also I will call Jason out on this...he hasnt trained at all. He is one of those get on a bike and go. Ugh.) So its been a great start to a great year. Cheers to the next 6 months!!

A few photos that make me happy :)

Mousse chillin' out in my car...that dopey face just melts my heart.

This is my Mabecca on her 75th birthday! We surprised her and told her we were all taking her on a cruise in August. Can't wait!

Meet Sampson. My familys' cat. He is getting kinda old so my parents have to shave him every now and then. He looks like a little lion, I just laugh everytime I look at it. I love animals with personality and he takes the cake for cats with personality. Know of a well-known grumpy cartoon cat? Well. Sampson might have well been his twin.

I just dont need to explain this photo. I cant look at it without laughing out loud. (Left to right: Jason, me, Laura and Gwen)

My family knows that I enjoy milk. A lot. When I was younger my dad joked about getting a cow out back so I could at least be semi-satisfied. That craving has not gone away and it excites me that my cousin Tyler (T-man) enjoys it as well. For my familys' bdays we all go out to dinner at a place of that persons choice then we do a "washdown" at Outback Steakhouse. For my parents its Baileys and coffee, for my Aunt Carla its Crown Royal and coke, Jason has the good ole bud light, Uncle Dan and Sarah switch it up and for me and Tman...its milk in a tall frosted beer glass. Genius.

This is a group shot of all of us at James and Laurens wedding in MA last weekend. I love this group of people. Pure and simple, they just are amazing. (Left to right: Anu, Kevin, Ryan, Pam, me, Jason, James, Lauren, James bro in the back peeking up, Rob, Gwen, Amy and her daughter Charlie, Chuck, Tiffany, Dan and Ashley.

This is my family at Cheeseburger in Paradise for my Dads bday a few weeks ago. (Before our washdown) (Left to right: Tyler, Sarah, Aunt Carla, Uncle Dan, Dad, Mom, Me and Jason)

This is the motley crue aka The Southeastern Chapter of the American Disc Jockey Association. This was the night I got to sit down with them and have a few and get to know most of em. Robbie Britton (red shirt up front) was the speaker at the meeting that evening. He knew some pretty fly bar tricks that he taught us. Oh and that guy in the blue shirt across the table in the front? Thats AC. He got me into DJing when I was 15. Pretty much my big brother and a hell of a great guy.

HAHA. I love his face expression.

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

Meet some of the boys...

2010-05-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

So Jason has 12 best men. 12. I think it is pretty amazing to have that many people you love and care about and who care about you up next to you on the happiest day of your life. I'm a little jealous but you didn't hear me say that :) Some of the guys go back to high school and college and the others...well are just awesome. I love all of em' and are so excited to have met them through Jason. I would never admit this to Jason but out of all the things I have learned from him, its the value of friendship that he has proved still exists. So when choosing those who would stand up next to me and him, we decided on the guys and gals that we knew would be a part of our lives for a very very long time. So without further adieu, I am gonna introduce some of the coolest guys ever....(Keep in mind...these are guys. So to get a bulk of them in one photo...is pretty cool. I jumped at the chance to use it)

Left to right: Kevin, Rob, Chuck, James, Dan and...well...this guy isn't important...ha ha (Jason in case you didn't recognize him)

Rob and James went to High School w/ Jason and i guess their bromance wasn't over so they all ventured to UVA and met the rest of this motley crue.

You think these guys are handsome? Well there are more to come. Keep in mind this is only 5 out of the 12.

Meet Shelly

2010-05-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

This is Shelly....my oldest sister, amazing mother of my nieces Kate and Claire, someone I admire for her mind and heart. She lives in Michigan with her super fun husband Jamie and living the good life with the bonus of fresh fruit every day. I miss her tons but it makes it that much more awesome when we do get to hang out.

She will be my Matron of Honor next May and I couldnt be happier that she will be by my side.

Meet Sarah

2010-05-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

This is my gorgeous sister Sarah. She is an amazing artist, has the best laugh, and makes killer cheese crackers. We have had an amazing life together so far...full of ups, downs and sideways but ALWAYS full of smiles. We share a passion for music, cheese, music, good movies, music, game nights with the family, comfy pjs and...oh...music :) All in all? A great sister. And one of my without-a-question maid of honors.

Her bday is tomorrow and I hope it is the BEST ONE YET <3

Love you

E-Session!!

2010-05-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

Jason and I had our engagement shoot last week and it was EVERYTHING I pictured and more. Our photographer, Ashley, was super cool and chill and just let us...be us. We tried to capture a normal date night with burgers, beer, Mousse and of course, the Marina.

We were so thrilled that Mousse was a part of it too bc he completes our little family. Plus...the burgers were amazing as usual <3

Wedding blah blah! :)

2010-04-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Its set! Ready to GO!! May 15th is going to be when I try on my dress. I say dress singular bc I only have one in mind. Thats it. Even if it looks horrible Im wearing it bc its so beautiful. I just cant wait. It is gonna be a total girls day out. My mom, Jasons mom Peggy, sisters Sarah, Shelly and Gwen, my Aunt Carla, and MY NIECE CLAIRE are coming!! SHELLY AND CLAIRE ARE FLYING IN FROM MICHIGAN FOR THE FITTING!!! Im beside myself. It will be such an awesome weekend.

I admit I feel i need to pinch myself sometimes. Since we got engaged everything with the wedding seems to come out better than I expected.We are very lucky to have such amazing people around us. I know that without them, none of this would have been possible. I kinda wanted to elope to be honest but I would not trade in any of it now. Planning a wedding so far has just been amazing. Not because of the stuff we are looking at or what kinda food we are picking out, its the family. Thats all it boils down to. My mom is fitting right into her Mother of the Bride role, being supportive and giving her advice at the right times. I think Im going to make up a role of Aunt of Honor bc my Aunt Carla is being so great and I want her to be a part of it all with everything! My sisters are just being as amazing as they always are. Shelly being so far away can be hard but we make a pretty good effort of staying in touch with the plans :) My cousin Sam just got engaged and she still manages to get excited about our wedding...i know its hard when she is SO excited about hers. I cant wait till she starts her planning...she always has SUCH cute ideas. What I love the most???????????? The wedding is still a year away and bc of all of these ladies, the plans are just falling in place. We can just sit back and enjoy all of the fun of planning a wedding!

busy busy weekend.

2010-04-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

whew. the weekend isn't even over and im already cashed out. Friday night I DJed for the Rivercity Rollergirls - Roller Derby team based out of Richmond, VA. They had a bout on Saturday so I Djed for their pep rally on Friday. SO. FUN. These girls are so sweet and bad ass. With names like "Stiffy" and "Red, White and Bruises", they are just too cool for me lol. My cousin Sam, her fiance Shawn and our friend Crystal came out for it. It ended up being a super fun time. Not many people ended up showing but we still had a great time :)

Crystal and Sam! (Love the face haha...Sam was oblivious)

Me trying to get the crowd going with raffles and trivia and such...im behind the booth...this girl was so excited/hammered. Either is alright lol.

Sam and her new coozie :)

I got to interview each of the girls...they were so nice!

Us ladies at the end of the night! SO FUN!

See the girls in action! RIVERCITY ROLLERGIRLS PROMO VIDEO!

Saturday I was the DJ for Ray and Renee's wedding. (Renee's brother Mark is our neighbor so thats how we met.) They had an outdoor ceremony in Charles City right on the river and then their reception was at Fords Colony. Everyone had their fingers crossed that it wouldnt rain and it had a spinkle for a few minutes but held off just for them!! It turned out amazing. (The wind wasnt too bad in my mics either so that worked out too!!)

Their colors were orange and pink! I didnt think i would like it but it was so cute how they decorated everything!

"To have and to hold and to keep your beer cold!" They were that kinda crowd ;)

I LOVE Ray's face in this haha! They were such a cute couple. CONGRATS!!!!

And now its Sunday and Im working all day at the gym. Jason and I try to get over the Gloucester every Sunday to have dinner with my family so thats the plan tonight.

Arizona

2010-04-11T16:08:00.000-07:00

Jason and I got back from Arizona today and looking back on the trip, it was just great. We got to spend some quality time with his Uncle David and cousins Ryan and Daniel doing everything from playing basketball in the neighborhood everyday to seeing the one and only Grand Canyon. I loved every second and spending time with the boys is always a good thing. The trip was short but awesome. I took TONS of pics but had to put the good ones up :)

Everyday when we picked Daniel up from school he wanted to go play basketball. Of course we went and played HORSE until we had to go home. It was a blast. Daniel is pretty awesome for his age, Jason of course held his own and...well...Ryan and I? It kept us laughing.

On Thursday Uncle David, Jason and I went out to eat at this place called "The Greasewood Flat". TRUST ME. If you are ever in AZ near Scottsdale....go there. It was an outdoor restaurant that was dusty and rustic and oh so cool. You walk in and there are picnic tables everywhere and to order food you go inside this building that reminded me of an old western movie and it has dollar bills pinned to the ceiling and walls with old pics. It was just cool. Plus we got to just chill out with Uncle David and have a few beers. Oh and the cheeseburger? Worth the trip alone.

Yea. Doesn't look like much but it was very good.

Saturday morning Daniel had a baseball game so we were stoked to be able to see him play. This is me and Ryan hanging out :)

Uncle David, Ryan, Me, Jason and Daniel after the game.

Daniel and Ryan LOVE cars. They took us to the high end dealerships that made my Pontiac look like a junkyard car! We even saw a car worth 1.5 million! It was crazy. My fav was this white Bentley. It would look good with me in it, huh?!?!

Last but not least.........

THE AMAZING GRAND CANYON!! Jason and I rented a car on Thursday and drove up to the Canyon and spent a few hours while the boys were in school. It was worth getting up at 4:30 a.m. Everyone tells me it will be an image you can never erase from your mind and I think that is so true. We had a great time and the weather was perfect and it wasn't crowded at all.

All in all? A perfect vacation. Jason and I had a blast with the boys and his uncle and we got to spend some time in the sun and see some cactus :)

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Boat Karma

2010-04-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

Last night, Jason and I were getting last minute things done before we left for Arizona and around 11:30 p.m. his cell rang. It was a family friend of ours calling to ask a favor from Jason. Being the amazing guy Jason is, he says "Of course! Whats up?" The guy's son was stranded on his boat out on the James River! The battery died or something. Without skipping a beat we hopped in the truck and headed down to the Marina to head on out. Even with the complete trust and confidence that I have in my husband-to-be, I was a little scared. I mean it was DARK. The spotlight on the boat was controlled by a little lever that he was moving back and forth. So I had to put my big girl panties on and be brave. We strolled along keeping a look out for channel markers and crabpots and we finally saw the guys boat. We loaded up and towed him and his buddy back. Jason calles this "Boat Karma". Given that he didnt think twice about helping a friend out, it will show this kid that one day you might have to do the same. I just think life is like that in general. Its just really cool to be able to help people out when you can. On the way back, with the boat securely in tow, I took a second and looked around. The sky was so clear and the air was warm with the perfect breeze. It was one of "those" moments. I always love those kinda moments where you just take everything around you in and remind yourself not to take anything for granted. I also realized as we were pulling into the Marina that in almost a year, we will be at our wedding SO that of course got me excited!!

Jason and I are on our way to Arizona as I type. I cant wait. i have never been to Arizona before! I am gonna miss the Mousse man though. He wont even realize we left bc he is at Jasons parents house. Run around the yard all day? Yes please!

(I also might be going to the grand canyon....but shhh. I cant get my hopes up in case it doesnt happen but if it does? The pictures will be AMAZING)

xoxoxoxo

PROFILED IN DJ TIMES MAGAZINE!

2010-04-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

i am just beside myself.

i doubted this would happen and here it is. dont judge me but i totally just called and ordered 10 copies.

Dogs and Daffodils

2010-03-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

So I was walking with Mousse the other morning and I had all of a sudden realized that my favorite flowers were popping up everywhere!!

Notice anything wierd about them? They are some hybrid daffodil or something but I picked as many as I could! Mousse helped, of course.

I love spring.

Confession?

2010-03-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

I am completly addicted to this blog -------> Taza and Husband : The Rockstar Diaries. I came across them when looking at another amazing blog and i just fell in love. I think it is so refreshing when you come across or meet people that are so down to earth and real. I love their uniqueness and pure love for eachother. It's just nice because sometimes you feel that those things get more rare these days and then you come across people like them and you can relax and breath a little better knowing that the world might just be ok. That might be a little extreme thinking but you know what? Sometimes I will take whatever hope and inspiration I can get. Even if it is from complete strangers I met through a blog or someone I have known for my entire life, I think you have to grab it wherever you can find it.

Love is like a dumpster

2010-03-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

With our anniversary last week, we wanted to do something but trying to watch the money to be honest. So we thought that a impromptu business trip was just the ticket to getting away for the night. Jason had recently bought a trailer and several dumpsters from this guy in Long Island and he needed to go up to get them. So he booked a room in Westhampton, NY and we figured we would grab some good seafood and there you go! Makeshift weekend getaway! We drove up Friday morning and it was just gorgeous outside. I will admit it killed us a little bit to not do something else on such beautiful days but you know, gotta do what you gotta do. We ran into traffic in all the places we expected too but the scenery didnt let us down!

We got there around 7:30 or so, checked in and went on a mission to find a restaurant that was even open, much less served good seafood. The town was a little fishing village and had on-seasons and off-seasons so the odds werent good. We just about gave up when we came across a place called Magic's Pub and it was perfect! After driving all day we just wanted to sit down and relax with a few beers and some good food. They had filet and crabcakes on special so of course I chose that and Jason chose the famous cheeseburgers that they serve on english muffins (very good apparently) We split a New England clam chowder because you cant get any fresher than that. It was sooo tasty.

(Horrible pic I know...my Blackberry chooses its moments)

It was a great night at dinner but we knew we had to get to bed early because we had to get up and load some dumpsters up first thing and get on the road home. We got to the dumpster yard at about 8:00am and was ready and raring to get going...well Jason was, I just chilled out in the truck. Jason told me that it would only take about an hour to load everything up. Well the guy didnt have anything ready that he should have so 3 1/2 hours later, we were pulling out of the yard ready to make our way home. We got a few miles up the road and as we approached 35 or 40 mph, the trailer started to fishtail really bad! I looked in the rearview mirror and the tires on the trailer were going up and down in the air. I was FREAKING out. I didnt say anything because I knew Jason was already stressed out because it had taken so long but this was just crazy. The whole time he kinda doubted the trailer was gonna make it because of several reason but that was icing on the cake. So we turned around and called the guy back. They took a dumpster off the top thinking it was too high and re-arranged the ones inside to adjust the center of gravity. (This is all what I was hearing...im not the brightest person when it comes to this stuff so basically I hope this makes sense.) So another hour or so later, we were on our way again! We made it to I-495 this time and made it on the ramp with no issues...however we got up to about 45-50 mph and sure enough....Jason felt it start to swivel again. So. Turned around yet again. Long story short? We came home with no dumpsters/trailer. I felt so bad for Jason and he handled it so well because I know I would have just flipped. I thinks that really helps us out in situations like that because you dont need two people freaking out haha! After all was said and done it was 2:00pm before we got back on the road. I offered to drive all the way home so he could chill out. I didnt mind because I was on a mission to make it home when my GPS lady said we would. We did :)

Anniversary = full of good food

2010-03-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

You will begin to realize that its always about the food with me and Jason. If we are not eating it or making it then we are thinking about eating it or making it. (Well maybe that is more just me haha) Last Thursday was our 3 year anniversary and we had a gift card to Opus 9 Steakhouse. Why not? Opus 9 is a place we ventured to a few years ago and while the food was decent the tab was NOT worth it. Either way we were pretty excited to get semi-dressed up and go enjoy some delicious fancy food on the house. I got the filet and he got the ribeye. So good. My favorite part of the meal was the appetizer though! It was described as "New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp". It came out on a plate with this thick sauce and has brichetta on the side....OH MY GOSH. AMAZING. I of course had to take a picture...

Just delicious. Im determined to figure out what was in that sauce....It was kinda spicy and definitly had rosemary in it. (Isnt he so cute?!?!)

Class all the way for us two.

Top of the day to ye!!!

2010-03-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ST. PATTYS DAY!!!

I didnt wear ANY green today! How un-irish of me. I was flipping through my pictures trying to find a fun green pic and this is what I found!

I know my blog is a little too new to reveal just how much I am in love with Gwen Stefani and her amazing band No Doubt so I will prevail from going off on a tangent BUT thats why I posess this picture :) She is stunning. This dress is amazing and I wish I could wear something like that while celebrating tonight with a Bud Light in my hand but most likely I will be wearing what I wore last year.....

So. CHEERS!

I heart Kilwins!!!

2010-03-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

Yes. Ladies and Gentledudes. That is a chocolate covered twinkie. Thats all. Nothing else to say. Kilwins Chocolate Store is now my uphoria.

Think of happy thoughts!

2010-03-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

This is what I feel like doing.....

Im at work and completly over this day already!!!! We are remodeling our offices and the fun has now migrated over to my work area. Dont get me wrong! I love me some paint fumes and the chance to re-arrange but adding all this PLUS angry homeowners coming in confused about re-newing their gate cards kinda gets my heart rate going. Doesnt sound as bad as I write it but its more frustrating than I making it out to be. ARGH.

On a positive note! I have a meeting with a client this afternoon for her July wedding! I am SUPER excited. I went to high school with Desiree and and so happy that she is getting married. :)

Speaking of weddings!!!!! My mom and I went shopping on Saturday at the Williamsburg Pottery and got EVERYTHING for the centerpieces!!! They had exactly what I had envisioned!!! The best part? Everything was on clearance!! SCORE! I cannot wait to put them together. They had a huge wall with every type of shell you can imagine. They were cheaper there than buying in bulk online PLUS I am supporting the amazing Williamsburg Pottery :) LOCAL LOVE! Check out this wall!

We also stopped by Kohls and they have the cutest line of dishes and trinkets out now that are beachy and fun! AND ON SALE! We bought some shell dishes for the M&M's we are putting on the tables. After the wedding we will use them for salad bowls or soup... look how cute they are!!

SO. Now back to work. I think I just need to talk or think about wedding stuff whenever I get stressed because I feel so much more relaxed! BRING ON THE HAMMERS GUYS!!!

Hello weekend!!

2010-03-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

YAY WEEKEND!!!!

Im so excited about this weekend. I dont have a gig (bittersweet) so I made plans to visit with my cousin sam tonight! She is the bestest i cant wait. We used to be attached at the hip when we were kids but time goes by and we have gotten super busy..which is how it usually goes. SO anytime with her is awesome.

This is us last summer at the B-52's concert. (Love Shack BABY!!!!)

Other than that, I am doing some wedding shopping with my mom tomorrow morning! WAHOO! I know people think that wedding planning can be stressful and all that but seriously? I freaking love it. Tomorrow we will be looking for stuff for the tables and such. Im thinking the combo of cattails and starfish? Very beachy and natural. I wanna make that pop somehow with some color but i have time to figure it out....Any ideas would be awesome!!!

I was thinking something like this, with the tall vase. Instead of water and the candle, i was gonna put bouquets of cattails inside the vase so they are kind of showcased inside and not hanging out. So...yeah. its gonna be fun to play with it.

Other than that fun stuff, I hope to hang out with Gwen on Saturday night. We always get into some fun... :)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

My world

2010-03-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

I could stare at this picture all day....it makes my heart melt and laugh at the same time.

(Such a hard life, I know Mousse)

Rockin' Weekend!!

2010-03-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

I had the BEST gig this past weekend!! It was for my Alma Mater, ECPI, College of Technology. They hired me last year to DJ for their Holiday Party, so I was obviously thrilled that they hired me again! I love returning clients...can not get any better. ANYWAY. The original date for the holiday party was snowed out so the "snow date" was this past Saturday. All the faculty and admin was there to rock the house. I even brought my karaoke machine to host a on-the-cuff American Idol competition. You can never go wrong with karaoke when there are a few drinks involved :) I just had a blast.

This is my down time for DJing right now but wedding season is JUST around the corner!!! I cannot wait!!! I love DJing for weddings....you just cant replace that happy, lovey environment with anything else.

Maybe..

2010-03-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

Maybe I love that Spring is almost here.

Maybe I hate that I cant wear fingernail polish longer than two days. It chips off without fail.

Maybe Jason and I already have our wedding planned out a year and a half before the set date. Maybe I love that just a little <3

Maybe I love our dog Mousse more than I ever thought possible. Maybe I have never even had a dog before him.

Maybe I always prepare myself for the worst. Maybe because I have experienced some pretty bad things. Maybe Im the only one to know about most of them.

Maybe I think Im growing up a little bit day by day....Maybe I am excited about the future with Jason and all that we want to experience.

Maybe I know I dont spend enough time with my family. Maybe I need to change that ASAP.

Maybe I think that men who cheat arent even men at all.

Maybe I think that you need to walk in other peoples shoes before you judge them or their actions. Maybe I am the one who is quick to judge sometimes.

Maybe I ate an entire devils food cake over the past few days. Maybe I am completly ok with that.

Maybe I think that I can get more out of my job. Maybe Im scared no one else thinks so too.

Maybe I wish that I could DJ every day.

Maybe I wish I could walk in Jasons shoes one day and he walk in mine.

Maybe I am annoyed by people who always think the world is out for them or they are always complaining. Maybe I can be one of the people sometimes.

Maybe I cant handle change as well as I think I do.

Maybe I am scared of the dark and dont tell anyone.

Maybe I hate the color yellow.

Maybe I feel better after a super long cry.

Maybe I get annoyed when people interupt me.

Maybe I think Jason is the coolest person I have ever met. Maybe I think he can do better sometimes haha!

Maybe.....I will become addicted to this blog a little bit and looking forward to venting on it.

Wedding...Set...GO!!!!

2010-03-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

It is official! May 21st, 2011 is our wedding date!! My parents, Jason and I met with Noel at Kingsmill on Saturday. Having the date set just made me SO excited.

This is the entrance to the Marina deck

This is one of the views of the deck...to include the SWEET firepit (and our future s'mores table)

This is where the food will be set up!

Another view of the deck.

This is where the DJ will be...cant get a better view!

View of the dock. The ceremony will be on the other side of it.

Mousse had to come check everything out. Well not really. He just wanted to play in the water....and he did :)

SO thats a little sneak preview. It is going to be such a fun wedding. Jason and I are on a mission to have it all planned out as far in advance as possible so we can just relax (well as much as possible haha). Jason also told me what he has in mind for our honeymoon and I am COMPLETLY stoked for it. More details later on that though.

In other news, our townhouse is officially off the market now. It was for sale through a realtor an entire YEAR. We are going to try our luck doing the "For Sale By Owner". Fingers crossed! We are kinda stuck in this limbo between selling the townhouse and starting construction on the new house....eh. Either way. Steady as it goes :)

~Copper is a girls best friend~

2010-02-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

The story of our proposal? Hmm. Well you would think that knowing Jason and myself, it might have happened impulsively and somewhat quirky but on the contrary it was romantic and absolutely perfect. (Que Jason walking away and shaking his head at me. He thinks he is incapable of being romantic but after this story, i know you will at least agree with me that he can be in his own way)

It was Thursday February, 4th. Jason had been trying to organize a "date night" for the past few weeks but it never worked out. That night we said it was happening no matter what. I got home from work and he told me to bundle up so I naturally assumed we would be outside. We packed up what he had prepared and our dog Mousse and got on our way! We ended up at the land we bought several months prior, the land our house will be built on, and we immediatly unloaded the truck bc we were losing daylight. He built a firepit and I started on the fire, both of us cracking a Bud Light. Mousse, of course, was running around just as happy as can be. I got the fire going finally and we sat back and relaxed while our steaks were cooking. I had no clue what tonight was about, I just thought it was the best date night ever! We were finally on our land, enjoying a great fire, smelling steaks cooking and throwing the first of 50 sticks to our puppy. We ate the amazing dinner and was just talking about where our house was gonna be built and several other things. Jason got up to grab the grate from the firepit to set it the snow to cool. I turned to grab a stick for Mousse (or something i cant really remember) and I turned and realized Jason was kneeling beside my chair. Of course I knew right away what was happening :) I wont share what he said because that will stay with me but basically it was "whaddya think? will you marry me?" Of course if said "YES! Hell yes I will marry you!" Now the best part of our proposal was the ring. I guarantee it is nothing you have ever seen before. My engagement ring, ladies and gentlemen, was handmade by Jason himself. He had taken a copper pipe from our house and made it into the most thoughtful and gorgeous gift i have ever gotten. What made it even more special is that my Dad did the same thing for my Mom with a pipe from their cabin they built together. If that falls into any pattern of the type of marriage we will have, then I am a very lucky girl.

Our makeshift firepit! Who needs to buy one when you have cinder blocks and a grate from our grill!?

Mousse had such a great time! Woods=bounty of sticks.

I had to bribe Mousse SO much to sit still....there was too many sticks to chew!(I love the rabbit bomber hat baby)

My gorgeous ring <3

All in all, it was amazing. I wouldnt have changed a thing. We even had Mousse there to share it with us, which always makes us happy. We even gave him a piece of steak. :)

NEW BLOG!

2010-02-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

So I have to admit I have not done the blog thing and never imagined myself starting one. I am, however, VERY excited to get this one going not only to be kind of a outlet for myself but to keep family and friends involved with all the things in my life. I have realized that when so much is going on in my life I tend to be a little flaky. Ok. A LOT flaky. I have to work on that. I digress though. Long story short? I want to put EVERYTHING on here from wedding details, house updates and even the latest and greatest with the many jobs I have. I might even include Jason in some of these ;)

Happy WEDNESDAY!!!