A smashing success!

Our engagement party at my parents house on Aug. 20 was a great success! We had worried most of the day because the weather had been horribly rainy and there was a 50 percent chance that day. Luckily, the skies cleared and despite being a little humid, it was a beautiful night. Almost all 58 people were on the patio most of the night. We had heavy appetizers and drinks. It was really fun to have all of our friends and some of my parents friends there.

However, I wish one of my girlfriends had warned me how overwhelming it is to be the center of attention. It's a very strange feeling to have a party for you (and your fiance)! It probably didn't help that I was standing in the doorway during the time that everyone came in all at once. It was an interesting glimpse into what the wedding will be like (but with 4-5 times as many people!!).

Today, my sister, mom and I went to try on more dresses today at Bridal Extraordianaire. I was a little disappointed because they carried the Priscilla of Boston line, which I really liked, and I found out that as of Aug. 31, the company was shutting down and no longer taking any new orders. Booo... Despite that, we went to the salon and I tried on about 6 dresses. Some good, some not-so-good, and one I really liked. I couldn't pull the trigger today and purchase it (even though they said I would get a 15 percent discount for purchasing it that same day--very good tactic, if I do say so myself). I really liked the girl that helped me - she was energetic and really listened to what I wanted. I tried to be open-mined and actually surprised myself by liking a style of dress that I didn't think I wanted to try on. I have another appointment next weekend at Gown Gallery, another bridal salon. So, we'll see...

Next up on the list - Meeting with the tent company - 9/7. Going to talk about tent and other rental stuff...

It's been a good 'girls-filled' labor day weekend. Truss is out of town dove hunting, so I've been out with some girlfriends two nights in a row. So.much.fun.!!!

Capture-worthy moments

Summer is pretty much over - schools started this week and Labor Day weekend is right around the corner. Sigh...

Anyway, over the course of the last few months, I captured some photos on my iphone. They're random, but sum some events that took place. Enjoy!



The two first-time flyers did awesome. The one-hour flight was a perfect test run for both Sadie and Patrick. I find it ironic that I had to pay a hefty sum (more than the round-trip ticket!) to take Sadie on the plane as a carry on and she HAD to stay under the seat. Meanwhile Patrick flew for free and got to be up and about. Should have at least gotten some wings!




Bebe and Patrick hanging out in the sun room. It was so fun getting to spend an entire week with him!



Truss relaxing in the lake...looks nice, doesn't it?




Made my favorite Gazpacho recipe, courtesy of Ina Garten



We ordered our engagement party invites which was fun. Turquoise and orange aren't our wedding colors, but thought they looked good together. We're expecting 50+ people, hope the rain holds out!



Mollie and Sadie are still friends. Truss stayed at my house for over a week recently because his AC went out, so I got to experience a glimpse of what living would be like with another dog. Despite the hair (which Truss cleans up), everything was great. And, Mollie keeps Sadie company while I'm at work.



Came to my parents house to check on the plants while they were out of town and was introduced to a sprinkler leak. All the way down the street to be exact. This lesson proved to be valuable - I found out where my parents water shut off is in the event something ever happens in the future!


Bought these cute Cole Haan shoes on sale, thought they'd be cute (and somewhat practical) with my wedding dress. Took them back because the height of the heel coupled with the platform underneath the toe made them feel like clogs. Sorry Cole Haan, no wedding shoe success for me. Still on the lookout...



Took this in early summer. Apparently I thought 101 was hot. That was nothing compared to the 107-110 we experienced in mid-late July!



Finally, after much searching I found my wedding "inspiration" photos. The top one is kinda hard to see, but the bouquet above shows the general look. Kind of garden-y. Met with a florist last night, who seemed to understand what I am looking for. Still debating whether we'll get married in the church (St. Andrews) or at the club (MHCC) under the tent.




Our company is moving in the new (but old) building on Friday. It's just down the street, so we're still in the middle of Downtown, which is fun. I didn't realize until I started packing how much crap I've accumulated over 6 years. The new space (above) is supposed to be more minimalistic and make us more productive...




Truss ran in a 5k race for the Komen Foundation last weekend. He ran in celebration of my Aunt Susy (which is noted on the pink flier).




This isn't particularly meaningful, I just thought it was funny. All of my laundry baskets were being used at my house, so Truss resorted to throwing his clothes in a "cooler" laundry basket! Oh, the minds of men crack me up...