Grateful

This week I have been thinking a lot about how thankful I am for so much in my life. Usually this time of year is stressful and crazy and I never get to do all the things I set out to accomplish. This year I decided it was going to be different though. I wanted to make sure that I took advantage of the Christmas season and not have any regrets; so far I've done pretty well!

My life is so completely different from what it was a year ago. New town, new job(s!), new people, even a new name! :) Christmas has always been my favorite time of year but this year it has meant so much more because I get to spend it with my husband. I love that this year we get to go every place together. When we were dating long distance it was always so difficult to figure out whose house we would be at and at what time, where we were going to meet up, etc. This year I get to get in the car with him and just go! I have to say that of all the things that have changed for me this holiday season, the one I am most thankful for is the fact that I get to share Christmas with my family, which now includes one very special guy :)

Mmmmm Winter Soup

It has been so cold and rainy lately that I felt like I wanted to make some soup to warm us up this week. I found a recipe for Beer Cheese Soup online and then tweaked it to fit my own taste :) It came out deliciously cheesy and super filling so I just made a pan of cornbread to go with it and I'm happy to say it was definitely husband-approved.


Beer Cheese Soup
5 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup green onion
salt and pepper
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
1 12 oz bottle or can of beer, preferably a lager so the flavor is stronger (I used Yuengling because it happens to be my husband's favorite)
1 1/2 teaspoons spicy mustard
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
croutons to garnish

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the green onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Increase the heat to medium high and add the beer and mustard and bring soup to a boil, still whisking. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent lumps.
3. Once soup has thickened, add the cheese one handful at a time and stir well to let it melt. I kept mine on low heat while doing this which helped the cheese melt easier. Season with some salt a pepper, top with croutons, and enjoy! My husband also added some chunks of cooked ham to his and loved it.

I Won!

After much asking and begging and bargaining with my darling husband, I have finally gotten him to cave! I have been wanting to put up our Christmas decorations for WEEKS now and he was being very stern about the fact that decorations are not to be put up until the first day of December. I, on the other hand, have always thought that the day after Thanksgiving was the Day of Decorating. That's how it always was in my family and I always loved that the holidays just moved right from one to the other this way.

To cut a long story short, after a very unfortunate (for him) instance of him needing me to scratch his back and me threatening never to do it, we are now going to be putting up our Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving! I am so happy! I have been picking up some random things for the house over the last few weeks and now I finally get to put them to use. I can not wait! I work 9am to 8pm the day after Thanksgiving, but no matter what I WILL have Christmas decorations up in our house by the time the day is over :)

Growing up in my family, my parents had a tradition of buying my sisters and I a new ornament each year. Our tree always looked a little crazy with all of our different choices but I loved it and I plan to continue that tradition with my own family. This year Ethan picked a few ornaments because he didn't have as many as I did and I bought my pick last week. (Click on the links to see pictures of our ornaments!) 

A Little Randomness

I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to blog about today so I decided that a few random, funny facts would be in order. Everyone can stand a little bit of useless information once in a while! Enjoy!

Things I Learned Today That I Didn't Really Need to Know
*An apple, an onion, and a potato will all taste the same if you eat them with your nose plugged (I intend on getting one of my sister's to try this at Thanksgiving so I can see if it's true!)
*Baskin Robbins once made a flavor of ice cream that was inspired by ketchup
*It is physically impossible for pigs to look up to the sky (Awwwwww)
*Someone on Earth reports seeing a UFO every three minutes
*Zebras are considered to be black with white stripes, not white with black stripes
*A "jiffy" is an actual term for an amount of time- it's equal to 1/100th of a second
*More Monopoly money is printed in a year then real money printed in the world

Tis The Season (Almost)

I am the first to admit it- I am a Christmas-aholic. And a Thanksgivng-aholic. And a Halloween-aholic. I guess I'm just a holiday-aholic! I love this time of year so much that I really do feel like there might be something wrong with me.

I have already started annoying my husband with my lists of things I want to make, hours of scouring the internet for new Christmas decorations, and my slightly irritating habit of leaving him in stores to go look at the holiday displays. I can't help it- to me this is the most exciting and fun time of the year and I always want it to begin as soon as possible. I am so anxious to start baking and wrapping presents and decorating our home!

I have been forbidden from putting up our brand new Christmas tree until the first day of December which is going to be quite hard for me. In my family we always put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving but in my husband's family it was not put up until the calendar changed. I think we might need to compromise and maybe put the tree up on the 28th or so :)
My goals for this Christmas season-
~Go shopping the day after Thanksgiving with my younger sister, complete with Pop-tarts and giant Red Bulls to keep our energy up
~Make an insane amount of cookies
~Donate a gift to a child in need (the church I grew up in always did this every year and I am hoping that my new church will do something similar)
~Play board games and drink wine with my in-laws on Christmas Eve
~Go to Christmas Eve Mass
~Take a ton of pictures of my family
~Drink at least one glass of eggnog
~And I'm sure there will be many more to come!

Finally Getting Started!

Well it has finally happened! Yesterday I got hired for a job that I am really excited about!

For the past five years I have been working as a server. I started at this job when I was 19 and I became so comfortable that I never left! It's not that I hate my job or the people that I work with, but for a long time now I have really wanted to work somewhere that I could gain more experience and actually do something that I care for.

I am now going to be starting a new part of my life... I'm starting as a part-time employee for a portrait studio and even though the pay is not great, I am so happy that I can actually work toward my goal of being a professional photographer. I hope that I can really prove myself and get hired on as a full-time employee after the holidays and finally be able to quit my job a waitress :)

Sugar Sharks Weekend!

This weekend my family will be joining in the fight to cure juvenile diabetes by participating in the JDRF Walk  in Dayton, Ohio. My niece was diagnosed in 2008 with Type 1 juvenile diabetes and we have all learned so much from her. She is now a spunky, hilarious, active 8 year old who has shown all of us that just because one is fighting a tough battle there is no reason not to live life to the fullest. Check out my sister Amy's blog for more information on juvenile diabetes, living with the illness, and to help support our family's team, the Sugar Sharks :)

Fall Food Time!

I made the EASIEST crockpot potato soup today and I have to say that I am pretty happy with the way it turned out! I love food that takes five minutes to fix and makes the whole house smell good all day :)

Cheesy Potato Soup  

Ingredients
1 bag Ore-Ida frozen hash browns
2 cans chicken broth, any brand (I used Kroger brand because it was on sale)
1 cup water
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bacon bits
dollops of sour cream( if you want... we love sour cream so we added this on top)

1)Add hash browns, water, and chicken broth to crockpot and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours. Don't need to stir or do anything to it, it's good to go!
2)Add the flour and milk. Mix well into soup and turn crockpot on high for 30 minutes. Mix in cheese the last few minutes to melt it.
3)Top with extra cheese, bacon bits, and sour cream to serve. My husband added bits of cooked ham to his because he wanted it to be more filling. Enjoy!

Celebrating the End of Summer

So I have not been the best blogger lately. I apologize and I am going to try to keep up with a more regular blogging schedule :)

It seems like all of  sudden it is about to be fall and the summer is coming to a close. Even though I am not in school anymore, the end of summer always makes me feel a little sad. When I was a kid I always looked forward to my birthday but I also didn't want it to come quickly because most of the time that meant going back to school a day before, a day after, or a couple years ON my actual birthday(August 18th). Nothing can bring a kid down like starting the new school year on their 11th birthday, let me tell you!

I do like this time of year though... fall festivals are starting up, stores are stocking sweaters and cold-weather clothing, and it means that the holidays will be here in no time. I plan on enjoying the last few days of summer by getting one last summer sunburn, grilling out on the deck as much as possible, and wearing my sundresses a few more times. :)

Music Memories

Today I have been thinking about a lot of songs that remind me of times in my life. It started this morning when I was in church and the song "You Are Mine" started playing. This song always make me remember my Granny D who passed away last February, but it also reminds me of my wedding day because we had this song as part of our ceremony. So I guess this is a very bittersweet song for me :)

I love music very much and I tend to associate music with a lot of memories. For instance, when I first started dating my husband three years ago I found a song by my absolute favorite band that would always make me think of him and it still does whenever I hear it today. The song was never very popular but I still love it and feel like it describes him perfectly... it's "Bliss" by Muse and I love it! WARNING: the video is weird and is NOT part of my association with my husband :)

I have other songs that make me think of my sisters and best friends. Erasure's "Take a Chance On Me" reminds me of my oldest sister Amy and the times that we sang this in the car when I was a kid. Pretty much any Madonna song reminds me of my sister Julie, especially "Like a Prayer" and Lauren will always be associated with anything Disney or Lion King-related :)

What songs remind you of other people? Are they funny memories or serious?

Two Down!

I am proud to say that in the last week I have lost two whole pounds! This is fantastic because I have really been trying to make some significant changes to my diet and exercise routines. 

First of all, I actually HAVE a diet and exercise routine now :) I have never been a big fan of exercising so I have decided to make it easy on myself- I walk around the neighborhood in the evenings, do simple strength routines in our living room, and play our Kinect video games (the ones where you have to jump and run in place and basically look like a fool to win the game). 

The diet part hasn't been too difficult either. Since I do most of the grocery shopping for our house I simply read labels and try to avoid anything that is ridiculously high in calories. Don't get me wrong, I am still addicted to my Cheetos and Mountain Dew, but I counteract my junk food moments with vegetables and light yogurt :) 

So I am hoping that my pace will be between one and two pounds per week and I can gradually get to my goal weight (which is now 28 pounds away!). I think I can, I think I can, I think I can :)

Baseball Vacay

So E and I just got back from our mini-vacation to Indianapolis. His friend from high school recently got promoted to AAA and plays for the Charlotte Knights now as their relief pitcher. We left on Monday and went to a game that evening and then a game last night too. I don't love baseball the way my husband does, but I have to say I had a really good time!

Part of the fun was the fact that E got to see two of his former baseball coaches and a few of his friends that he used to play with in high school. It seems so strange that he had this whole other part of his life that I was never a part of because by the time we started dating he had been injured and could no longer pitch. I like that I get to see glimpses of his high school life because it really makes me realize how lucky we are that we found each other... if E had never broken his elbow then he would most definitely be playing baseball now instead of working at the restaurant and we never would have met in the first place. It's funny how things always work out even if it doesn't seem that way at first.

Back In the Saddle

Well, it's happened. I didn't think that it would, but I am an example. People tried to warn me but I said "No! That won't happen to me!". I was wrong. and it's time to admit it.

I have gained the Newlywed Nine.

Well, I guess that's not quite true. I've gained the Newlywed Five, but I am well on my way to hitting that nine pound mark if I don't do something about it soon! I have always struggled a little with my weight but now that I am married and making all of the grocery decisions for our little family I feel like I really need to take control and finally lose the weight that I've been fighting with since high school.

My plan? I have started making my menu and exercise plans on FitClick. I have fallen in love with this website because it is a great way to make myself accountable for all of my actions. It shows videos of exercises that normal people can do, it helps me come up with healthier meal options, and there's lots of message boards and groups to motivate me. It's completely user-friendly and I'm actually excited to start being a loser! :)

I Did It!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a good baker. I can cook a little and make up some recipes, but when it comes to baking my cookies are always flat, my brownies are always chewy and my cakes look like they've been punched out in the middle.

However, I think I have finally broken the curse! We had some mushy bananas in our kitchen that I didn't want to just throw away, so I found an easy recipe for banana bread and I am proud to say that it came out delicious! Even my ultra-talented cook of a husband approved and actually used the phrase "Wow love, this is good!", so I am quite happy. Here's the recipe the way that I made it :)

Super Simple Banana Bread

3 over-ripened bananas
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat over to 325 degrees. Grease loaf pan with Pam. Mash bananas in a medium mixing bowl with fork. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Bake for 1 hour. I sprinkled some chopped up pecans over the top of the mixture once I poured it into the loaf pan and it tasted great!

Switching It Up

The great job search has begun! Yay... and ugh. I am starting to look for a job or internship in a photography studio because my goal is to become a wedding/senior portrait photographer. I need to gain experience though so that means that I am basically in the process of begging for any job that a studio would be willing to give me :)

For the past five years I have worked in the same company. I started serving when I was 19 years old and it was supposed to be my summer job. Five years later, I am serving for the same company in a new location. I actually do like my job- I meet lots of interesting people and every day is different. However, this is not a career for me. This is a job until I get to where I want to be professionally.

And so let the resume building begin! I am not a patient person, but I am willing to wait as long as it takes to get the career that I want. I am just waiting for that chance to work in a studio and learn from a real professional.

For now, I am off to update my online resumes and work on my interview skills :)

New People, New Places

It seems so strange that E and I have only been married for a month. Not even a month yet! It feels as if this is how it has always been... us going grocery shopping together, taking turns loading the dishwasher, doing each other's laundry, coming home to be with each other. I love my new normal :)

This past week I started my new job. I call it my new job, but really it is the same job I have been doing for the past five years, just relocated to a new building and with brand new co-workers that I do not know yet. I actually do find myself liking it though! It's not where I want to work forever, but the transition has been so much more easier than I was anticipating.

A week before I left my old store, I had a conversation with one of my managers who had just started in her new workplace. She told me that the first day is always hard, but if you let people see your true personality right away it gets much easier. I am generally a shy person when I first meet new people(especially in a new place where I know only one person) but I took her advice seriously and it really worked wonderfully! I haven't necessarily made any new best friends yet, but I am definitely comfortable talking to everyone and I think I might had made a good impression. We'll just see what happens :)

Our Favorite Dinner... So Far

My mom has always been one of the best cooks in the world (at least to me). It's kind of funny to me that she even gave me a recipe because for as long as I can remember she has always been the kind of cook who would just throw whatever she had in the kitchen into whatever she was making. Remarkably, it always turned out great! But sadly, I did not inherit that creative cooking gift, so I must rely on recipes and step-by-step instructions. For Christmas this past year, my mom and E's mom collaborated on a recipe book which they filled with family recipes for E and me. I think it was one of the best gifts I've ever received just because it was so personal and they put so much thought into it. 

When E and I were dating, my mom made this casserole the first time that E had dinner with me and my parents and he LOVED it. I also happen to love it and it is incredibly easy to do so I thought I would share it :)

Reuben Casserole

1 32 ounce jar of sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped parsley

4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1 1/3 cups thousand island dressing

1 pound chipped corned beef

1/2 cup butter or margarine

6 slices rye bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

In a large bowl, combine drained sauerkraut, onion, and parsley. Spoon mixture into 9x13 pan. Layer with half of the cheese, half of the salad dressing, and all of the corned beef. Layer remaining dressing and cheese.

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add bread cubes an stir until they are coated. Sprinkle cubes over casserole. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. 

This recipe is great to split into two pans and freeze half of it!

Prep time: about 20 minutes

We Survived :)

It is now official... the wedding day has come and gone, we got through the honeymoon without too much sunburn, and today is our second day of being just a regular married couple. I could not be happier!

Our wedding was everything I had hoped it would be. No one cried too much or fell down on the way up the aisle, I got to celebrate the most wonderful day with all of the wonderful people in my life, and now I am ready to get into our new normal and our new routine. Hopefully I will be able to post some wedding pictures soon!

Today E went back to work and I am spending the day working around the house, putting away our GAZILLION gifts and trying to figure out where all of this stuff is gonna go. It's so overwhelming to see how many beautiful new things we have now to start off our life together. I am so very thankful for everyone's generosity over the past few weeks... we have gotten so many presents and cards and well wishes! I must go work on fitting all of our new towels into our linen closet now, but I will try to start updating more often :)

My Epiphany of the Week

I just wanted to post one more time before the week of craziness starts and share my thoughts on this whole "love" thing :)

This time next week, I will be getting ready to marry the love of my life. I never ever thought that I would want to get married, especially at such a young age! I guess I do believe in fate though- there are just so many factors that had to be perfect in order for this day to be possible for E and me.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I absolutely, 100% believe that we were meant to be together and that God is the reason that I have found so much happiness. I have always believed in Him and I know now that nothing in my life would be the way it is is without His intervention. I am very thankful for everything that has happened and that will be happening in the very near future :)

I probably won't be posting until after we get back from our honeymoon, so I hope everyone has a great week and I'm looking forward to posting as an old married person!

Wow! I Own a Lot of Junk!

So today I am dedicating myself to finally finishing the packing that I started last week. Friday is the big move in day for me, so I think it might be best if the things that are supposed to be moved were actually IN boxes rather than scattered around my parents' house like they are now(I know the people who are helping me move will appreciate this). :)

I actually don't mind packing because it means that I am going somewhere and I am that much closer to living with my soon-to-be husband. It's the sorting out part that I'm not so fond of. I am a notorious pack rat and it's hard for me to get rid of things that have or had an emotional attachment for me. HOWEVER, this week I have realized that since we are combining two lives in a matter of a few days, I absolutely CAN NOT move all of the crap that I've accumulated over the past 24 years.

I am now proud to say that I have filled not one, not two, but FIVE boxes full of things to either be donated or sold at a garage sale. I have also thrown away almost three trash bags of things that I (at some point) had some connection with, but I've had them for so long that I don't remember what the connection was!

I think I've finally broken the pack rat curse!

Patience is a Virtue

I never realized just how stressful these last two weeks of May were going to be. E and I are now only TWO WEEKS  away from our wedding, I am meeting with my new manager this coming Monday to talk about my transferring to a new store, I am trying to get everything packed and ready to move by next Friday, and there's that pesky final that I should be studying for, but have not yet begun to do so. Phew!

I have never and will never be mistaken for a patient person. I am the girl who expects a response to my text message within 2-3 minutes of me sending it. I hate waiting in lines, I absolutely can not stand waiting for people at restaurants, and I want to kill whoever coined the term "fashionably late".

However, I feel as if I am getting better at this whole patience thing... mostly because I have been forced to. Things do not always get taken care of right away in the world of wedding planning. I have been trying not to get too stressed out over the tiny details of every single aspect of the wedding, mostly because I am not usually so OCD and I don't like that I have become this way. I like to be laid back, but only as long as things are getting done. I know, I contradict myself. I can't help it.

So now I have decided that this is the weekend of taking it easy... partially because I have an upper respiratory infection (for which I blame this dang wedding) and partially because I need to relax and not be such a crazy person for a few days. Ahhhhhhhhh. It does feel better already! :)

Wedding Planning... It's Almost Over!

So I have been a complete blogging slacker lately... with everything that's been going on I basically just forgot about this thing!  However, I am making a new resolution to pick back up my blogging schedule and be a better updater :)

I am now 20 days away from our wedding! It seems so crazy to think that E and I have been engaged for nearly a full year and we are about to be husband and wife in less than three weeks! We have been talking about this day and planning it for what seems like FOREVER so I must say that I am anxious for it to be here so we can relax and celebrate and get on with our lives.

It seems like the check list keeps growing though. I finally get to check one thing off (like, hiring a  hair stylist for the big day) but then I get to add 3 or 4 new things to the list (like, figuring out how I want to do my hair, setting up a trial appointment, and letting all the bridesmaids know the day-of plan). I am not the most organized person in the world, but I have been trying to keep on top of all things wedding related so that the stress is at a minimum level. E has been wonderful the past few weeks with everything... he continuously asks me if there is anything he can do off the list, has been helping me set up appointments with the various vendors, and even voluntarily put away ALL of the shower gifts that we recently received. I definitely picked a good guy to marry :) I just keep telling myself that all of the work and stress and driving time will be worth it on June 4th when we finally get to say "I Do"

My New Favorite Easy Recipe

E and I have been trying to cook more often now that we are actually going to be living in the same city, so last week we tried this recipe for Feta Stuffed Chicken and we really liked it. We made it with a side of grilled asparagus,topped with the rest of the sun-dried tomatoes and some olive oil. We were quite impressed with our healthy dinner :)

Ingredients

• 2 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup panko or bread crumbs
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 tsp mayo

Sponsored Link

Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray non stick baking pan with nonstick spray. With fork, mix together feta, sun dried tomatos, italian seasoning, salt, pepper in small bowl until blended. Fill shallow bowl with panko crumbs to coat chicken. With sharp knife, cut pocket in each breast. Put 1/4 of mixture in each pocket. Brush top of each breast with mayo. Press coated side down on crumbs. Place coated side up in prepared baking pan.Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray non stick baking pan with nonstick spray.

Preheat oven to 425. With fork, mix together feta, sun dried tomatos, italian seasoning, salt, pepper in small bowl until blended. Spread Panko on sheet of wax paper. With sharp knife, cut pocket in each breast. Put 1/4 of mixture in each pocket. Brush top of each breast with mayo. Press coated side down on crumbs. Place coated side up in prepared baking pan. Bake until chicken is cooked through and crust is golden, about 25 minutes.

Germies and Laundry

I have come to realize just how much I have actually grown up in the last few years. Not only do I enjoy cooking and baking and all the things that I associate with being a wife... I have found myself doing things that I never EVER would have imagined.

My example? Laundry. I know to most people this is not a big deal, but for some reason I have never liked doing laundry. I didn't just mind doing it, I HATED it. I would do anything I could to get out of having to fold towels and socks. I would even volunteer to clean my parents bathroom in lieu of moving clothes from the washer to the dryer.

Today I realize what a change I have made. It just so happens that today I am with my fiance in the condo that we will soon be sharing. However, E is incredibly sick and can not get out of bed. So what do I do while he is fighting off the 24 hour flu? I fold towels. I change the sheets on the bed. I clean up the kitchen. I think I might be a little insane, but I find myself actually LIKING doing these jobs because I am doing them for him. I like that I am the only one here to take care of him and make him feel better and cook him orange jello, because I love him :) True love means folding underwear I guess.

Weddings and Babies

This past weekend I went with my fiance to his cousin's wedding in Illinois. I absolutely love weddings and we hadn't been to one for quite a long time so I was really excited to go! The wedding was in a small country church and everyone looked gorgeous. It was country-themed, with burlap runners on the reception tables, a photo booth with cowboy hats, and centerpieces of wildflowers on all the tables. In short- it was a wonderful wedding and we had a a great time!

The one thing that was a little strange about the wedding didn't actually have to do with the ceremony or reception at all. Since E and I are getting married in approximately 6 weeks, it seemed that a lot of people were asking us about our upcoming nuptials and all the details of our wedding-to-be. I know that these people meant nothing negative, but it made me feel a little uncomfortable to be discussing OUR wedding when we were there to celebrate the lives of two other people being joined.

This brings me to one of my biggest pet peeves... overly nosey people. I understand that to some people, weddings are naturally followed by buying a house, a dog, and having children. In that order. As soon as possible. Starting the day the new Mr. and Mrs. get back from their honeymoon.

To us though, this is not the plan.

It's hard for some to understand, but we do not have any plans to have children any time in the near future. Yes, we do adore kids. Yes, I want to have a family one day. But first... is it okay if I get my wedding dress home from the seamstress before we start picking out onesies and cribs? And also... who decided that it was okay to ask people about their family plans for the future? Is it okay for me to ask a married couple how their bedroom life is going? The answer is no.

So we have decided that if anyone asks us on our wedding day if we plan to have kids soon we will just tell them that we are going to start with a dog and see how it goes. But not for at least another year :)

Hello!

So after many years of keeping a personal journal, I have decided to try my luck with writing a public blog. I have always loved reading other people's blogs so I figured I might as well join in! I will be updating this blog about once or twice a week and I hope to keep that schedule, but I am not the most organized person so we'll see how it goes :)

Mostly I like to spend my time reading (mostly biographies and Christian fiction), taking and editing photos, scrapbooking, watching movies, and just being with the people I love the most. Recently my life has consisted of a lot of wedding plans since I will be getting married in June and also learning how to consolidate all of my belongings and weeding out what I can. Since I will also be moving in with my fiance, finishing my last quarter of school, and hopefully finding a job in a photography studio in the next two months, I guess you could say I kind of have a lot going on!

Now I feel like I should explain the reason for my blogs title. Obviously, my name is really Elisabeth but that was hard for the kids in my family to say when they were little so I became "Bibef" when my little sister learned to talk and that nickname kind of stuck with me (although she is about to turn 22 so she's not really that little anymore). Now my nieces and nephews and even some of the adults in my family call my Bibef and I have to say I rather like having an unusual nickname :)