Invitations

ATTENTION...ATTENTION: 

Today I received a very important phone call...THE INVITATIONS ARE IN!!!!

We're having a wedding...yay!

xoxo,

the engaged couple

Envelopes

50 extra envelopes of each color
Being frustrated because my computer wasn't cooperating when trying to address the invites.
Everyone scrambling to get accurate addresses and formal names.
Having all the invites addressed and waiting to be stuffed...most accomplished feeling ever.

Invites go in the mail about a month from today.  Getting very very excited for the big day and all the festivities to start.

We hope everyone had a great weekend. I have the crud that has been going around and have been completely useless today but thats what sundays are for RIGHT?

xoxo,
the engaged couple

Loving the Holidays but busy, busy, busy

It finally feels like Christmas in Ruston. It rained and became cold last night and I am loving it. Mr. Andy came over and fixed the fire place just in time!  I am completely done with christmas and all my presents are rapped under the tree; I can not say the same for Andrew.

All the envelopes came in and I am planning on starting to address them today. They are so pretty and I am so happy we decided to go with them.  Enveloperinc.com was a great resource and their customer service was amazing! I know addressing the will be a huge job so I better start now.

I had my first dress fitting on Monday and everything went very smoothly. The dress still fits which is always good and I was very happy with our alterations lady.  She is so sweet and I think she will do a great job. I hated leaving my dress there but knew it was in good hands.

We also passed marriage counseling two weeks ago! I really enjoyed it and am so happy that Andrew and I completed it.  It not only gave us great information but also allowed us to get closer with out paster, Len, which I feel will make the ceremony more personal. I would recommend completing the counseling with your paster to anyone about to get married.

I have been spending a lot of time in my classroom and up at the school.  I have really enjoyed it and can't wait to get started. It reminds me why I choose the profession I did and how much I really do love it.  The other teachers have been great and I know they will be so supportive when I get in the room. The teacher I am taking over for is starting to clean out her room and it's starting to look great. I am going to be able to get in there next Friday and start to make it my own. I can't wait and have been working on getting everything ready at home so all I have to do is put things up and organize.  I feel so blessed to be given this opportunity and I plan to take full advantage of it.

We have also found out what the two little babes are going to be!  I am so excited to now know I need to buy polo oxfords instead of polo dresses. We are so excited to finally have some boys in the family and can't wait for the babes to be here.

Sorry for the randomness of this post but I feel like the holidays are so busy that most of my posts this month will be a little bit of everything.

Happy Wednesday,
xoxo
the engaged couple

busy time brain dump

We have been very busy in RusVegas. Andrew started a new quarter and I have been going over to my classroom quite a bit to observe. I am spending the evening doing things for the wedding but mostly doing things for my classroom. Here's whats being going on.

1. The house is looking like Christmas. This is my favorite time of year and I couldn't wait to get my tree up.  Andrew even helped me put up lights outside this year!

2. The invitations are officially being printed.  They will go out in a little over a month which is so crazy!

3. The envelopes are on their way....I see lots of addressing in my future.

4. My lamination machine has been doing some hard work these last few days. I have used it so much through college and I am so glad i bought it freshman year. Laminating in your PJ's beats going to school any day.

5. I hope Andrew's hands get better at cutting lamination.  He needs more practice or bigger scissors; maybe both.

6. Has anyone else besides me been obsessed with the christmas movies on lifetime and halmark recently? I think I have 10 recorded on my DVR as we speak.

7. I do not like these winter season finales all my shows are having. I find it very annoying I have to wait a whole month for them to come back on.

8.  We are almost done with our christmas shopping which is a first! YAY US!

9. I am enjoying my last month of seeing my kiddos every week.  They make my heart so happy and I will miss them so much. No worries though I made their Momma promise they were still mine on holidays and during the summer.

10. Andrew is off hunting in Mississippi with the Donahoo Boys. I sure hope they kill something and it's not each other.

11. The flower dresses are coming in and they are very cute.

12.  I WILL START MY NEW JOB ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!!!!

Sorry for the randomness of this post. I'm just feeling random today.

xoxo,
the engaged couple

14 Day Recap

I can't believe it has been two weeks since my last post. Boy have things been busy around here.  I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving holiday.  I loved getting to spend so much time with Andrew and our families.

We headed over to Mississippi for Thanksgiving and it was a blast getting to see everyone. Some of his family I haven't seen since getting engaged ( I know thats awful of me) so it was great getting to catch up and show off my ring.  Everyone was asking about the wedding and commenting on the blog.  It made me feel so great to know that people are really reading and it is helping everyone stay connected and up to date.  Some very exciting news on the Halbrook side came about when we found out that Andrew's cousin, one of our groomsmen, Jesse got engaged to his girlfriend the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  We are so excited for them and can't wait to celebrate their engagement and wedding!

On Friday, Andrew's Parents headed up to Cincinnati to visit Madison, Andrew's sister, and we headed over to Shreveport to see my fam. Shreveport was a blast as always, Andrew went to the camp with my Dad which gave Mom and I the day to do whatever we wanted.  We ended up going to look for her a MOB dress and found her the perfect one.  She looks so beautiful in it and I cant wait for everyone to see it.  I don't want to give anything away so all I'm going to say is T-I-G-E-R-S TIGERS!!

Our bulldogs lost their final season game on Friday night which gives us the boot from any major bowl game. It is really disappointing after such a great season but I still love my bulldogs. They played great this year and I am such a proud Alumni.

In the mist of all our travels I have been working on things for my classroom and stuff for the wedding. A big I LOVE YOU goes our to my dad who brought the gold cardstock to the printers to get an exact match and sign off on all the proofs. I love the invites to much and can't wait to hold them in my hand.

I hope everyone had a fablous hump day! I got to see my classroom and talk with Ms. Boyd again this afternoon and ended the night with my two favorite kiddos.  It doesn't get much better in my opinion.

xoxo,
the engaged couple

PS if you have not had a Carmel Brûlée Latte from starbucks GO NOW!

They changed my life...

Today was a very special day for me. It was the first time I was able to meet my students and see the classroom I have be blessed with.  All the kids were so full of energy and life and I can't wait to start working with them.

Since I have gotten the job and after meeting my students it has really made me think about all the teachers that have worked in my classroom before me and all the lives that have been changed in those four walls. I started really thinking about all of the teachers that changed my life and the specific characteristics each one of them had that made such an impact.  There are 5 teacher's in particular that really stand out and changed my life.

1. Mrs. Adolph- I had Mrs. Adolph in first grade at A.C. Steere and she really made me love school.  I came from a not so warm and fuzzy kindergarten teacher which made Mrs. Adolph seem even sweeter than she was.  She's the teacher who taught me to read and would hug on me no matter what. I remember she used to sing to us everyday.  Mrs. Adolph made me want to be a teacher. I will sing like Mrs. Adolph.

2. Mrs. Ford- I had Mrs. Ford in second grade at A.C. Steere. Here room was always filled with laugher. She had the best laugh in the entire world.  She wore sunglasses when she used the overhead and taught me to love life and enjoy it.  We had so much fun in Mrs. Fords class that I don't even remember learning anything even though I know I did. I will laugh with my students like Mrs. Ford.

3. Mrs. Talbert-  Mrs. Talbert taught me third grade at A.C. Steere and really helped me embrace my inner organizer.  She let me stay in from recess to file papers or help in the classroom. She also read us chapter books everyday...she is the reason I love Junie B. Jones. I will read to my kids like Mrs. Talbert.

4. Springer- Skip a few years and Springer taught me sophomore english at Byrd. She taught me to love to read. Until Springers class I never read one required reading book but after her class I couldn't get enough to read.  She was my support system at Byrd and I would not have been able to make it through with out her. She let me cry in her room when my mom was sick and she was my escape from a certain individual who will remain nameless and for that I am forever grateful. I will love on my kids and be their rock like Ms. Springer.

5. Barnhill- Barnhill taught me sophomore history.  Her and Springer were besties therefore we became really close as well.  Barnhill taught me that I can do anything I put my mind too.   She taught me that I can spell and how to take notes like a college student.  I fell that because of Barnhill's class I was ready for college. She was another great support system to have at Byrd and I am so grateful God put her in my life.  I will challenge my kids like Mrs. Barnhill.

These five women were my teachers but little do they know they changed my life.  I hope to take a little piece of each of them into my classroom and love my students like they loved me. I pray I can make the  difference in someones life like they made in mine.

I love yall,
amber

Working 9 to 5....

I hope as you read the title of this post you are signing a little Dolly in the back of your mind! I won't be working 9-5 but I will be working 8-3 starting on January 7th!! I will be the new kindergarten teacher at Crawford elementary! I interviewed for the position on Friday and they called me Friday afternoon to offer me the Job! I can not feel more blessed for this opportunity; when not finding a teaching job this fall I gave it to God and knew he wold take care of me and he did! God is so good!

Andrew and I went to Shreveport on Friday and got to celebrate my new job with my parents and friends. We ate at the cub then stayed for drinks with Dude, Chase, and Wiley.

On Saturday Andrew and my Dad rode out to the camp to stay the night while Mom and I had a girls day. We started at Lewis to register for all my amazing dishes and household things. I loved getting to have my mom help pick out new things. She wasn't able to come over and help me at Townsend house so it made Lewis very special.

Here we are at Lewis's

After Lewis's we went to lunch at trejos. Ashley Wiggins met us and we laughed a lot. She is so funny and I love when she gets to hang out with us. While at lunch we made plans to watch the Lsu game with her later that night. Mom and I finished out our girls day by looking for her some new glasses and shopping at target!  It was such a fun and relaxing day; I loved every second of just getting to hang with my mom!

Overall it was a great weekend full of celebration! The only thing that would have made it better was if Andrew could have killed a deer but hopefully he sees something while we're in Mississippi!

Happy hump day!
Xoxo
The engaged couple

There are how many shades of gold?

I don't know if I was living under a rock or just had my head in the clouds but I did not realize how many shades of gold there are.

I am a gold person in everything- jewelry, dishes, home accessories, and anything else that comes in gold.  I just feel like it is to timeless and classic and will never go out of style.  I know a lot of people disagree with me but that why God made silver too!

When starting to plan the wedding I knew gold would be one of my accent colors...thank goodness Andrew has been dreaming of a gold wedding too haha.  When looking though my first wedding magazine I saw a set of Vera Wang invitations that were printed in all gold and knew...those were my invites. Unfortunately I needed Vera invites on a not so Vera budget.  As I stated in a previous post I am designing my own invites and took a page from Vera's book-- all gold ink.

Little did I know there are a zillion shades of gold.
Do I want.
Amber
Stardust
Metallic Gold
Metallic Gold Leaf
Antique Gold
How to choose???

I called and requested a sample of every gold envelope the company we are using has. All I can say it has been an adventure. Andrew thinks all the golds look the same but I disagree.  We have finally decided on Stardust but now have to take the envelop to the printers so they can match the ink to the envelope.

Who knew it would be so complex...not me!

I hope everyone is having a great week and happy hump day!
xoxo,
the engaged couple

Loving my Ladies

I just wanted to do a short post about my girl's birthday dinner. We went to Raw and then walked down to Ponch and had a blast and a half!

My actual birthday was less than stellar this year and these ladies really made my day! I don't know if it was the fact that it was my first real birthday where I had to work or the fact that I know this is probably the last year me and my best friend will live in the same place but I just felt blah until my night with the girls.  I have some of the best friends a girl could ask for. They are some of the strongest, most thoughtful people I know and I am so blessed to call them my friends.  Thank y'all so much for celebrating with me and making me feel so special and loved.  I love y'all!

xoxo,
am

Homecoming

Saturday was a great day! My parents came over from Shreveport to tailgate and attend the Tech Homecoming game with us.  We were so happy to have them come over and experience their first Louisiana Tech Game Day!

As soon as they got in we headed down to the stadium to start tailgating. Of course I forgot my camera in the car so the quality of the pictures are not the best in the world but such is life.

After hanging out at the tailgate we headed into the stadium to cheer on the dawgs. It was my first time to sit in the presidents box and was AWESOME! I loved the chairs with backs, cup holders, and getting to sit during the game but I did miss the little lady quite a bit....One day we will be grown ups and all sit on the other side and talk about the good ole days in the student section.

Our parents had a blast during the game. Andrew's dad and my Dad sat by each other and then the girls sat together so we could talk during the game.  Andrew and I love having our parents all together and getting to spend time with everyone.

My parents, Andrew and I left and the beginning of the 4th quarter to head to the house and get supper going. LSU was playing Alabama and my parents also wanted to watch the pregame.  Andrew's parents headed over after the Tech game and we all ate supper together. We tried to cheer our tigers onto victory but things didn't work out. LSU played a great game and outplayed Alabama but the Alabama came out with the W.  On a brighter note Louisiana Tech pulled out another W with over 50 points on the board.

We also came up in the rankings and are now number 20!  It feels great to be a bulldog!

I hope everyone had a great Saturday cheering on your favorite teams. I feel like I am so behind on blog posts but will be getting caught up this week. Last week was just overwhelmingly busy with buying the new car, getting envelope samples in, getting our invitation proof in and much more but this week should be slower and I can fill everyone in on all the details.  Also, my cousins are getting close to finding out the sex of the babies so be looking for that exciting news in the near future too!!

Happy Monday Everyone!
xoxo,
the engaged couple

It's a NEW CAR....

This past week has been anything but normal.  Sorry for being so absent on the blog but Andrew and I have spent our time running around and making BIG decisions.

I have been looking for a new car for a few months now.  I drove a two door honda accord and it was time for an upgrade.  I drove my accord all through high school and collage but the two doors were getting old especially since I have kids in my car so much. I was ready for something bigger with four doors. 

Andrew and I also wanted another car we could travel in. We have put so many miles on his truck because it is our go to travel car and we an alternative.  

I test drove a few cars that I LOVED but they were a little out of our price range. I wanted something nice but I wasn't looking for a forever car.  On Monday, I found a Chevy Equinox online that looked really nice and was a great price.  I called and made an appointment to test drive it with Andrew on Tuesday so after work off we went to Monroe.

When we got to the dealership I loved the color of the car and it had leather seats...yay! I drove it and so did Andrew and we both really liked it.  We went inside to crunch some numbers so i could seem really informed when I talked to my dad about it but when they ran my credit I was approved; I didn't need a cosigner. I was shocked and really overwhelmed because in that moment I realized I was buying a car.

Andrew talked the salesman down and got our monthly payments exactly where they needed to be. He did so good and I was so proud of him! I signed the papers, rang the cowbell and became the proud owner of a very cute SUV.

It's a teal color, with light grey leather interior.  It has power everything and a HUGE sunroof! The best part is it has 4 doors!!

It was sad to see my little baby car go but it made it much easier to know I got to drive away in this!

The new car!

In the office doing all he paper work because...I (we're) car owners!

Here's a full view of my new baby.

Hope everyone had a great week, halloween, and weekend!  Tomorrows post will be all about our fun, Tech homecoming weekend!

xoxo, 

the engaged couple

I just love weddings and birthdays

We had a very busy week last week.  It was my birthday week which meant it was a very fun week but it was very busy!

Morgan and Graham, some of Andrew and I's good friends got married this past weekend.  Graham is Andrew's friend from the fraternity and I met Morgan through Sigma Kappa and our major, we were both PK3.  They have been dating since high school and got engaged about 6 months ago.  Andrew was a groomsmen therefore we got to attend all the festivities!

They had a very fun wedding weekend that started at the old Historic Fire Station for the rehearsal dinner. Andrew and I are having our rehearsal dinner there too so it was really fun to see how they set up the space.  The food was delicious and the MOH and Best Man did a great job with their speeches. After the rehearsal the groomsmen went out and the bridesmaids went back to the hotel to get their beauty sleep.  On Saturday, the boys had lunch at Squire before getting ready and taking pictures.  Morgan and Graham did a first look and took all their pictures before the ceremony.  They had a small ceremony which was held at the Temple Baptist Chapel and a large reception held at Ruston Country Club.  The reception was indoor/outdoor and I spent most of my time on the dance floor with Vic and Jessica.  Overall it was a great day and I hope it was everything that both of them dreamed of.

Here we are at the rehearsal Dinner...sorry I didn't take any pictures at the wedding :(

I think wedding are so fun especially since I will be having our own in a few short months.  It's great to see other peoples ideas and decided what we like and didn't like to assure our day is perfect for us.

While Andrew was busy with wedding stuff I got to celebrate my little babe's 2nd birthday.  I can't believe that Kate turned two.  I remember when Jodi told me she was pregnant and Andrew thought I had lost my mind because I stated jumping up and down on campus.  The Wood's have been such a blessing in my life these past four years and I am so lucky to have them in my life.

Kate's birthday party theme was Tutu and Toes and couldn't have turned out any cuter.  It was such a fun time celebrating with them and I loved my pink nail polish party favor. I forgot I was waring a tutu and went to auto zone after the party....they take me .1% seriously for simply being a girl but .000001% seriously for being a girl in a tutu...yay me for not looking down at my outfit.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week coming up!
Happy Monday
xoxo,
the engaged couple

Birthday girl!!

Hi everyone! I hope y'all are having a fabulous Wednesday.

 Today I turn the big 23! It is the first birthday that I have really had to work all day on my birthday which is a completely new thing for me and i was a bit sad about it but the thing that has made it so much better is the flood of phone calls and texts from all my friends and family. I am so blessed to have so many awsome people in my life to make this a special day.

Yesterday Andrew and I had dinner with his parents to celebrate. We ate fried fish, sweet potato fries and broccoli. The food was so yummy but the best part was the caramel pie she made for dessert. I enjoyed my piece so much I at Andrews too! They gave me the prettiest gold bracelet that has a price of spun Cotten on it. I really like it and had a blast hanging out last night. We talked about how lucky we really are that we all get along so well and enjoy being together. I am lucky that I have found a family that thinks birthdays are just as important as mine does.

Andrew brought me log cabin for lunch today and we are going out to eat tonight. I am so excited to see what he got me!

Today is the last time I will celebrate my birthday with Mire as my last name how crazy is that!! But let's be honest I will always be a mire at heart.

Xoxo
Am

Another Milestone....the Invites

Another Milestone has been achieved.. We have put in the design for the invites and now we are just waiting to approve the proof and then the invites go into the printing process.  I decided a long time ago to design my own invitations because I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for in any of those giant books.

We went to City Printing, where we are ordering the invitations from about a month ago and got a quote but I haven't been back to Shreveport to finalize all the details.  I knew that Andrew and I were going into Shreveport on Sunday for my birthday and decided that I wasn't coming back to Ruston until we had the invitations ordered.  Andrew has class on Monday therefore our appointment was at the crack of dawn: 7:45.  Here we are in the car waiting for my mom.

When we went inside we saw a very cute white haired man that I knew had to be Mr. Norwood.  He was one of my Poppy's best friends.  I know that he is looking down on us and so excited for Andrew and I to start this adventure together and He is even happier that I am giving his bestie some business.

After Mom and Mr. Norwood caught up, Sarah came into help us with all the invitation details. I thought I was so organized and had everything I needed together. We had finalized the wording on Sunday and we had already picked the design but boy was I wrong. There are so many other little details that I didn't even think about but that goodness for Sarah because she was a huge help. 

Andrew was really into ordering invitations which is so evident in this picture.

Here I am with my Mom after the invitation ordering is over.  She was such a huge help and I am so grateful to have her at all of these meetings.  I know Andrew is really grateful for her too because if she is there he gets to play games on his phone.

Now we just have to wait for the finial design and then to the printing press they go!  I am planning on signing off on the proof on November 9th! Then we could have them the end of November, beginning of December and we can get everything together to go out the beginning of January. Wow time is flying by!

I want to leave you with a picture that has nothing to do with ordering invitations but it is to good not to share.  On Sunday, I celebrated my birthday with my family in Shreveport. Lisa and Dale came over and we all rolled sushi which was a blast and I FINALLY got granny to eat some.  I knew no one would believe me so I documented it.

Tonight I get to go over to Andrew's parents to Celebrate my birthday which will be really fun! Happy Tuesday

xoxo, 

the engaged couple

Weddings and Babies

Well the save the dates are a hit. My phone was filled with text messages yesterday of locals who received them in the mail. Thank you for all the sweet words and I am so glad that they all made it to  you safely and in one piece.  For those of you who haven't gotten them yet, they are coming I promise!

This blog post is not about the wedding it is about some other exciting news. This is the year of change for our entire family. I am getting married in March and my cousins, my matrons of honor, are PREGNANT!!! I am so glad i can finally spill the beans and announce how excited we all are about the new little bundles of joy that will be here in May! Here is how it all happened....

Rachel who got married last May found out she was pregnant first.  The weekend I went to pick up my wedding dress she came to Houston to tell all of us. We were so excited for her and Andrew to be expecting their first baby and I was so excited to share this time with her. We are both having such life altering events so close together; I am starting my family and she is adding a new member to hers.  This is the picture she used to tell everyone.

A few weeks later we saw this....

TWO BABIES!!! RAE IS HAVING TWINS!

Right now we don't know the sex of if they are going to be identical or not but we do know there are two very healthy babies in there!  She is due May 7th and we are just hoping she feels well enough and the doctor gives her the OK to come to the wedding...we shall wait and see but for now everyone just pray that she if feeling awesome and can come rock her baby bump!

Now, On to Amanda....Les and Amanda got married back in 2005.  They welcomed Maddie into the world in 2007 and Cadence into the world in 2010. They have been very busy with their two beautiful girls but things are about to get a lot busier because they are being blessed with one more!  Amanda found out she was pregnant almost right after Rachel.  She called me the morning after my engagement party and Maddie told me her and Cadence were going to be big sisters! I was in shock and could not believe that not only was Rae having twins but Amanda is also pregnant.   

Here is little baby Lawless!

Amanda is feeling great but is hungry all the time!  She is due May 22 and I am really hoping for a boy!!  I can't wait to see her rocking that bump at the wedding; she is going to look so cute in the bridesmaid dresses.

This is the picture Amanda used to tell everyone she was expecting...

The girls made a joke that this is my fault for picking bridemaid dresses that can accommodate babies. When they tried them on I made the comment "just incase one of you decided to get preggers" who knew it would really happen. 

Spring is going to be very exciting and I can't wait to have 3 more babies in the family!!

I hope everyone has a great saturday and a happy game day! How 'Bout Them Dawgs.

xoxo

the engaged couple

Loving the Windy City

Sorry I haven't blogged in ten whole days but it has been a very busy ten days.  Last friday I left to meet my nanny in Chicago for our yearly godmother/goddauther girls trip. We started the tradition last year and had so much fun!  Last year I flew there by myself but this year we met in Houston and flew to Chicago together. Here we are waiting for takeoff!

We got into Chicago about 1:30 on Friday and checked into the hotel.  We stayed at the Doubletree downtown and let me just tell you it was AMAZING! First of all you get free cookies when you check in and who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies.  We got settled and tried to make reservations for dinner that night. Nanny had gotten some recommendations and when we call RPM they asked if we would like to eat at 4 or 11...needless to say we chose somewhere else.  We made a reservation at La Madia which was really yummy but we missed the memo that the serve mostly pizza...opps!  They did have the best bruschette I have ever had; it was mushroom marsala and very delicious! We hit he streets before dinner and did a little shopping. Neither one of us bought anything today but it was fun to look for wedding shoes and a new purse for Nanny! We were a woman on a mission! Here is a little picture of us on the ride to dinner the first night.

On Saturday we woke up and hit the streets to shop. We at lunch at the Grand Lux which was really cool because it overlooks Michigan Avenue. We were still on the handbag and shoe mission and found a commonality in everything we remotely liked was Kate Spade. I finally got the bright Idea to google Kate Spade Store and found that there is one right off Michigan Avenue. Nanny and I practically ran there.  Nanny found a fabulous bag and I found my WEDDING SHOES. There is no way i'm putting a picture of them online but I will show yall nanny's bag!

After shopping Nanny and I headed back to the hotel to get ready for our historic bar tour. The tour was given by Chicago Detours and it was very cool.  Every place we went we got a drink and appetizer as well as learning all about the bar and surrounding area.  It was 2.5 hours long which was the perfect time frame and we got to walk everywhere.  After the tour we found a little bar accross the street that would play the Louisiana Tech game that night.  I stayed till the very end and was so proud of my bulldogs and the heart they showed.  Although we didn't come out with the W we still scored over 50 points and still remain number one in offense.  

Since the game wasn't over till after 1 am we slept late and had a leisurely morning in bed. The we went to brunch at Oprah's House haha....Her chef does have a restaurant called Table 52 so it was like we were eating at her house. It was a very cute place and the food was delicious. I had the pumpkin and ricotta pancakes and nanny had the shrimp and grits. The weather was pretty yucky so we hit up the 6 story Bloomingdales and some other cool shops. By the time we were finished with the 900 Michigan shopping complex we were pretty pooped and walked back home. We ordered room service for dinner and ate in bed while watching some good sunday night TV!

Monday it was time to go which is always really tough. I don't get to see my nanny as much as I would like so the time we get to spend together is so precious.  I am so blessed to have her in my life and am so thankful that my mom 'picked" her...she couldn't have done a better job!  Monday was an adventure because my flight from Chicago got delayed because of broken plane breaks which caused me to  miss my connection in Houston which was the last flight out to Monroe which meant I had to spend the night.  Thankfully Aunt Harriett and Uncle Steve were in town because I got an unexpected visit with them. My flight flew out at 7:40 Tuesday night and although this flight got slightly delayed and was a very bumpy flight I made it home in one piece 31 hours later!

It has taken me until today to catch up completely on my rest and get unpacked but I am finally feeling back to normal.  

It was an amazing trip but something even more amazing happened yesterday...the save the dates are out!!! Everyone be looking in your mailbox for our bright green envelopes...We are both so excited for our friends and family to get the first piece of wedding stationery. They were made with lots of love and I am very proud of them.

A scary moment to know that it was now out of my control and I no longer had save the dates to work on!

I hope everyone had a great week. We have an exciting weekend coming up full of football games and a trip to shreveport to celebrate my 23rd birthday.

xoxo

The engaged couple

Fabulous Fall

I really love the fall. It is my favorite time of year for so many reasons. I love that my TV shows have returned, football is in full swing, the weather is cooler, and we are so busy with so many fun events.  Last week was such a fun week for so many reasons. So this blog post is going to be a little catch up of what is going on in Rusvegas.

Thursday Jessica, Emily, and Jordan hosted a pumpkin carving party.  It was so much fun to all get together and eat fall food and carve pumpkins.  I didn't want to carve my pumpkin without Andrew so I just decorated it.  I used chalk board paint and covered the entire thing.  I can now write different saying on it with chalk and it turned out supper cute.  Thank you pinterest and Claire for the fab idea. The food was delicious. The girls made little mummies which were hotdogs wrapped in pizza dough, had caramel apples and Jessica made DELICIOUS pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing, I think I ate my weight in them! It was such a fun night and I hated that Andrew had to work on a lab and missed it!

Friday I got to hang out with my two favorite little people, Hudson and Kate all day! Then went to a couple shower for Morgan and Graham.  It was so much fun to celebrate their upcoming wedding and see all of our friends that no longer live in Ruston. They got some great gifts and had a great turnout.  Their wedding will be here before we know it and it will be a blast to party the night away with everyone again.

Saturday was AMAZING! Saturday morning Evan and I set up my house for Claire's Birthday Party. She was turning 21 at midnight and we were having  a little shindig at my house after the football game.  After setting up we headed to tailgate. This game everyone was supposed to ware blue and pink for breast cancer awareness. The game was so much fun. The was really cold and finally felt like football weather to me. Andrew's dad made taco soup and I think it was the best he has ever made.  We won the football game again making us 5-0 and the only Louisiana team to be undefeated. We are now ranked number 23 and will be facing Texas A&M next Saturday.  Everyone should go and show their support for the Bulldogs. After the game we all went back to my house to celebrate Claire.  Lilly was terrified of all the balloons but beside that the party was a success.

It feels so good to be a BULLDOG!

Sunday was full of recovering and working on save the dates.  It was a busy but very fun weekend and I am so excited about this weekend coming up because I will be in Chicago with my Nanny!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and start to their week.
xoxo,
the engaged couple

Sneak Peak

Lets just get real really quickly...It has been a little over a week and I already have a 21 sneak peak of our engagement pictures!  All other photographers we met with said it would take at least a month....9 days people, 9 days!

Heres some of my favorites....

Our pictures are amazing! Megan and Seth are so talented and we are so blessed to have them for our special day. We love y'all!

Jump on over to their website to look at more pictures and go over to their facebook page and like them! 

Thanks for the new facebook profile pic and my new desktop...I'm in love.  This is what I get to see every time I open my computer now...YAY!

xoxo,

the engaged couple

Premiere Week

Last week was AMAZING! Not on,y did we get to take engagement pictures it was also premiere week. I like premiere week almost as much as I love decorating for the holidays which is something I also got to do this week; my house has been taken over by fall.

Anywho...This is not going to be a wedding related post, if you can't tell  it is just going to be related to something I love...TV.  For those of you that share in my love of television you understand what significance this week has brought; for those of you who don't share in my love...i'll pray for you.

In the spring when all my shows end it really is so sad to  me. I love my TV, Andrew and I watch shows together, the Girls and I watch shows together, and I watch shows by myself. I could not wait to see who died in the plane crash, did Addison choose Sam or Jake, who is Quinn and why is she running from her past,  where is Emily's mother anyway and did Victoria really get on that plane. My shows did not disappoint.

I wish greys would have started in the woods at the sight of the crash and private practice wouldn't have jumped around as much but that is neither here nor there; the bottom line is I love that all my shows are back! Here is a little look at my TVO. Let me preface this by saying I don't watch all these shows the day they come on, I'll catch up another day or on the weekends but I am not glued to my TV for hours on end, that's what TVO is for!

Sunday-
Revenge
666 park place ( the jury is still out on this one)
The Good Wife
Amazing Race ( hope your watching nanny)
The real housewives of New Jersey

Monday-
Dancing with the stars all stars ( don't usually watch but love all the all stars together)
The voice- Andrew and I love this show
The real housewives of New York

Tuesday-
Dancing with the stars the results show
The Voice
Private practice
Parenthood
White collar

Wednesday-
Criminal minds

Thursday-
Greys Anatomy
Scandal
Project Runway
Real world the challenge

Friday-
None

Saturday-
Football games... I mean we live in the south people!

Now that you know what's on my TVO I want to know what's on yours!! Leave a comment with your favorite fall show.

Xoxo
The engaged couple

Monday Funday

The weekend was so fun and it was even better knowing that Monday was going to be just as exciting. I have been waiting to take engagement pictures for what seems like the day we got engaged! I have spent hours looking though pinterst for ideas of poses and outfits and exchanged a zillion emails with my precious photographers and it was so exciting that the day was finally here.

I woke up and spent the day getting a facial, massage, and manicure; it's rough being beautiful haha. Then I started the process of getting ready. I am ready knew exactly what I was wearing thanks to the best bridesmaid in the world Jessica Franks therefore it was all about getting my hair and makeup done perfectly. 

Let me start this next little paragraph by sayings I love my fiancé dearly but my goodness can he drive me crazy. It started on Sunday when I was talking to him about what he was thinking about wearing and what I thought would look good with the outfits I choose.. Every item of clothing that we discussed was dirty at his apartment. I mean hello ladies what is it with boys; did he not realize that we were taking pictures I less than 24 hours and wearing a dirty shirt may not be the best idea. Thankful we realized that every item was dirty so we could spend Sunday doing 200 loads of laundry...yay! Then on Monday I asked Andrew to pick up his khakis and Lilly a new black leash. Andrew is so sweet and ran by his apartment and to get the leash but when he walked in my house, khakis in hand, they were balled up under his armpit!!!!!! We are less then an hour away from picture time and there are more wrinkles in his khakis then I have ever seen. No problem let me just iron these real quick granted I have never ironed a pair of pants in my life (thanks Aunt Harriett for making me buy an iron and ironing board less than a month ago, it really came in handy)!! While Andrew was in the shower I finished ironing and got the leash out if the box. Let me just say this, it was the longest leash I have ever seen in my entire life; it was 20ft long Lilly wouldn't even be in the shot if we kept it at its original length! When Andrew got out of the shower and i asked him about it he said, "loom we can just do it like this" with about 10ft of leash balled up in his hand, "this doesn't look good?" At this point I had to just sit down and laugh. It's never a dull moment with Andrew around that's for sure!!

We finally got everything situated and headed to the shoot! I was so excited to see our photographers and finally get started. We started downtown at the old train depot because it has Ruston painted on the side. While we were taking pictures a train came by and was right behind us. They said in the pictures the train will be moving and we will be still which I think will be awesome! It was so cool that we just so happened to be there and could scramble around like a bunch of idiots to get the shoot. After we left the train depot we took some just around downtown and in the norton building. Our second location was on tech campus. This location was really important to Andrew and I since we met at school and our relationship really grew here. Our last stop was the peach orchard...we missed the sunset but still got some awesome shots. In a few month Megan and Seth are going to come back over to capture our subset picture...yay yay yay! 

The evening was spent laughing and joking around; It was such a fun experience and Andrew and I were really able to be ourselves. I am so grateful we found such great photographers that we not only click with but also take such great pictures.

I wanted to give a huge thanks to Emily, one of my bridesmaids. She came with us to the shoot to take care of Lilly when she was not in the pictures with us. She was a huge help and I don't know what we would have dive without you! I loved getting to share engagements with you and thanks fir being there to help whenever I need you. 

I'm going to end this post with a few goofy pics of our lovely photographers and I promise to share the sneak peak pictures with you as soon as I get them. I am also going to do a post later on the outfits I wore and why they work in pictures ( I did lots of research on the topic because if a picture didn't turn out I was determined it wouldn't e from the outfits).

We love you both!!

Happy hump day

Xoxo, 

The engaged couple