Family Time

Ryan and I have been very blessed and lucky to spend quality time with our families over the last few weeks/weekends.  A couple of weekends ago Ryan enjoyed 3 days of hunting and seeing his family & I was at home with my family.  (remember my wedding planning post) ha That is what consumed my time at home.  BUT I did make time to see my family as well!  Ryan and hunting is a whole post in itself  :) That boy LOVES it. 

Mine started with FOUR full days at home!!! Can't even remember the last time that has happened.  It was MUCH needed and so fun.

We celebrated my brother's 29th birthday.  My mom made his favorite meal and we laughed, chased B around my parent's house, & just had fun spending time together. 

This passed weekend we headed back home to spend time with Ryan's parents.  We spent the entire day yesterday laying on the couch, taking naps and watching college football together....can't get better than that :)  

GO HOGS!!!! What a weekend for college football.  SEC dominated!!!!!!

Saturday night Ryan, his dad and I headed to his sister's rodeo they put on.  It was so great to see Ryan's neice and nephews as well as his sister and Brian.  If you know Ryan and I at all, you know we CRAM as much into one weekend as possible!!!! We love spending time with our families and friends since we live so far away from some of them.  We didnt get back to his parent's house until 2:30am this morning, but well worth it!!! 

Ryan is sitting in his recliner watching the Nascar race now......apparently I can't talk to him, he is so focused on this race.  The last race of the season!!!!!! WOOOO HOOOO, YIPPPEEEE, YAY, :) ha I will go ahead and say it......Go Carl :)

Well since I have not updated this blog as frequently as I had hoped, I will post a few pictures from when my friends from the STL came down.

I think that is a very quick update and have caught up.  It works.  I am going to try and update more often.  Especially since our wedding plans are almost all finalized :) Can I get a YIPPPEEEEE! Still a few decisions are pending but we are moving right along. 

I can NOT believe Thanksgiving is 4 days away.  I can NOT believe how fast this year, month, weekend has gone by so fast.  I am trying my hardest to enjoy each day bc everything is just going at sonic speed and I want to enjoy it all. 

Happy Thanksgiving week my friends and famly.  I "plan" on doing a post on what I am thankful for this week. Which is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH. 

O yea - we celebrated Ryan's birthday last week too!!!

Love,
Emily

iPad

Hello!!!!! I always think about blogging but just forget or don't want to spend time on my computer.

Quick update :)

I am typing this on my mom's new iPad......ummmmmm I am super jealous!!!! I LOVE this thing. So does a certain 2 year old :) he knows exactly what to do. It's cute & scary at the same time.

I took 2 vacations days from work and they were MUCH needed. Not just to finish planning our wedding but for my sanity too :)

My 2 favorite friends from the STL came to visit last weekend :) we had craft time, Hogs football & fun. What more could you ask for! Thanks for visiting Calc & Dawn!!!!!!

It's hunting season......need I say more? See u after Christmas Ryan.

Well..... Ryan and I survived his 13 weeks straight of traveling during the week. Whoa glad that is over

WEDDING UPDATE:(today's list)
Met the linen lady
Fabric Store
Went to lunch - yummy Bambino's
Went to Pier 1 for some ideas
Mall
Sonic Happy Hour
Sam's
Meeting at the church with our priest
Another fabric store
The BEST part of the day.......Playing with Brennen. He is at the funniest stage in life. Seriously this kid could not be funnier. We had a blast spending time together last night &
tonight :) AND Aunt Emmy gets to babysit tomorrow night!!!!

No pictures :( Hopefully this week!

Have a great weekend!!!!!!

Tomorrow meeting with a cake lady. Whoop whoop

Love
Emily

Fall Favorites

Well....since I am a major slacker (or too lazy to type) I am going to do a full post of my Fall Favorites :)  Totally random.  Get ready!

***CARDINALS WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!  The most dedicated Cards fan EVER got to meet David Freese on Sunday 10/30/11 - my dearest Dawn with MVP David Freese :) 

***ENGAGEMENT PICTURES

***HALLOWEEN -  we celebrated Halloween Saturday night along with thousands of other people (aka college students) on Dickson Street.  I was not excited about going out & had zero motivation to dress up.  BUT then somewhere/somehow we pulled it together and made costumes in 5 minutes and were out the door with our friends :)  We ended up having a GREAT night and so glad we went out.  I DOMINATED the shuffle board & for Ryan.....he needs to learn some skills from me :) HAHA Good times. 

***Halloween part 2 - Monday was a little spastic (is that a word?!?!) for me.  I ended up running to get candy at 6:30pm and ended up buying Christmas candy.  No big deal.  I am sure the kids still ate it. HaHa Note to self: buy candy earlier next year :)  I was kind of sad we only got 10 kids or so, but better than nothing. 

***Ryan's traveling - IS ALMOST OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I get a "whoop whoop" Holy moly these last 13 weeks have been hard.  Although, Ryan is getting to see new places - so that is cool.  He DROVE, yes DROVE in NYC around time quare & central park on Tuesday.  He probably wont do that ever again.  Man he is brave!

***Freinds - so thankful for ALL of our friends.....near and far.  LOVE LOVE LOVE you all.

***Family - Um yea - lets be honest I could write a novel on how awesome our families are and how much we love them.  SO THERE YOU HAVE IT......we love you all and miss you all a lot!  Thank you for all the love and support over the last few months :) 

***FOOTBALL - Hogs are # 7!!!!  Woo Pig Sooiee

Funny story that I want to remember:  So I was talking to my mom on the phone after she saw the engagement pictures and I asked her what is her favorite......She picked the one I would have never picked and the one I picked as my favorite she didn't like.  There you have it folks......WE NEVER AGREE ON ANYTHING :) hahahah

Wedding update:  ummmm next

Have a great weekend everyone!

Love,
Emily

Home Sweet Home

Ryan and I spent last weekend at his hometown.  It was a WONDERFUL & much needed weekend there.  I will admit......when Ryan and I were first talking years ago, I remember sitting in my sorority house and I googled his hometown.  It is completely different from what I grew up in.  NOT in a bad way at all, just different.  I remember my first visit there like it was yesterday.  I was SO nervous to spend time at his parent's house, driving down gravel roads & just hanging out in the middle of fields with friends scared me :)  Like a boogy man was going to come get me bc it was so dark out. HA The best thing about all of this is I get to see a part of Ryan that just shines.  (ok that is really cheesy and he might get mad, but that is the only word I can think of right now) Just go with it.  He was SOOOOOOOO excited to go home this past weekend and was smiling from ear to ear.  I too was excited and LOVE going to spend time with his family and enjoy the "country" :)  It is nice to get out of the hussle and bussle of our life and just try to relax and spend quality time together! 

~ HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS ~

YAY FOR PICTURES!  Finally!

Mr. Cooper and I 

One proud Uncle :)



BEAUTIFUL




Driving Ryan's truck!!!! Yes I know I look awful in this picture but I had just got done walking in the woods and was sweating! haha



Enjoying the awesome weather!

As you can see from above I learned how to drive Ryan's truck.  I have never driven a stick (successfuly for miles) BUT on Sunday I drove from his land to his parent's house.  A 15 minute drive!!!!!! YIKES! Watch out!

We got to spend time with Ryan's sister and her kids.  They are growing so fast and getting so big. 

We talked wedding!  We got some great old pictures that I am so excited about!

Of course the weekend flew by and were sad to leave.  We got home around 11:30pm Sunday night and I dont think I have caught up on sleep yet.  ahhhh Ryan is on week 12 of traveling.  I. MISS. HIM. A LOT. We need to make some final wedding decisions and it is getting to be very difficult with him gone so much.  Hopefully soon!!!

We are taking our engagement pictures this weekend!!!!! Finally, only 3 months since our engagement.  Ha  I am so excited, but getting really annoyed with what I am going to wear.  Which is "I have no clue!"  Awesome! ha  Which reminds me, I think I was suppose to take shirts to the dry cleaners.....crap! 

Have a great rest of the week. 

Love,
Emily

Growing Family

NOT as in Ryan and I family.......as in my extended family! :)  My cousin Freddy & his wife Maria had their 2nd bundle of joy today :) Stella Rose 7 lbs 14 oz 19" long.  She has a full head of hair & I can't wait to get my hands on her and see her!  Hopefully soon or over the holidays.  Man it just really sucks living away from family on days like today :(  THAT is another reason why Ryan and I need a helicopter! haha Congrats Fred, Maria, & Sophia, on the new addition to your family.  My Uncle Fred & Aunt Jan are in KC now and have been SO sweet to text me several pictures!  What would we do without phones that sent pictures?!?! :)

My mom just called me from Hobby Lobby.....what I would give to be at home and be able to go shopping with her for the wedding right now.  Hopefully soon!!!

Ryan is on week 11.....yes 11 of traveling for work.  Ryan stole accidentally took my headphones for my iPhone. I couldn't go for a walk without music and I felt dumb playing Pandora just cruising along in my neighborhood SO I went to Walmart and walked the aisles there :) haha Actually I needed milk & a few other things so I just tried to shop for a long time while pushing a cart! Pathetic!!!!!!  I am totally obsessed with caramel & apples in an individual wrapped package for $1.00 & only 100 calories.  So I bought 5 more of those :)  More expensive than just apples & caramel dip BUT much less calories.  I have started eating 5 meals a day.  2 of the 5 are small snacks (only 100 calories).  I actually can see small results and I have only done this for a little over a week. 

Another picture less post :(  HOPEFULLY soon!  I got my computer back, but still need several things re-installed.  Grrrr

So glad tomorrow is already Wednesday!  I seriously can NOT believe how fast this year has gone by.  Pure craziness. 

Even though I am missing family & friends extra today, I am going to go break a sweat and stop complaining :) 

Love,
Emily

Marriage Class

Wow - I am posting on a Saturday night :)  We are FINALLY home on the weekend :)  Thank you God.  We def. needed this.  This morning we got up bright and early.....yes in the 6 o'clock hour early & headed to Ft. Smith, AR for our Pre-Cana marriage preperation class.  I had a few expectations, but it was nothing what I expected.  Does that makes sense? ha  It was AWESOME.  I loved it & I think Ryan enjoyed it too.  As much as sitting for hours on end and learning/talking about our feelings, responsibilities, finacials, family planning, & goals can sound awful, I really enjoyed opening up and "communicating" with Ryan.  # 1 thing in a marriage is COMMUNICATION!  Which I could not agree more with :)  After 6 plus years of dating I think I have finally got the meaning of "talking" through my/our problems.  Man did it take some time!  I will be the first to admit it.  We wrote down our answers to several questions & can't wait to read them years from now!  

After class we drove an hour home & headed to none other than Wally World for some meat so Ryan could smoke meat all afternoon on his smoker.  We cleaned a little & then I took a 2 hour nap.....GLORIOUS!!!!!  Ryan made bacon wrapped pork loin that was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like one of the best things I have ever eaten good :)  So PROUD of him!!!! 

I have gotten several calls/text/facebook messages of friends who collected wine corks today while they were at the wineries in Missouri :)  We will be using these for our wedding reception!!!!  We only need hundreds more! haha Thank you friends! 

Again a no picture post :(  Makes me sad.  I get my work computer back this week...wooooo hoooooo!  Can NOT wait. 

My mom text/called me multiple times today during "renovation Baker house"!  Sounds like it's coming along.  Can't wait to see the new progress when I go home next.  

Thanks to Ryan's parents & their friends and betting on Nascar last weekend........Ryan and I bet each other on drivers tonight.  O HELP ME why do I care about Nascar.  hahaha  $10 is $10 and hopefully I win! 

We have new neighbors and their dog has barked NONE STOP since 3pm today.  O MY GOSH!  If they were home I would go knock on their door.  Not kidding!  Grrrrrrrrr

I am ready for bed and it's not even 10pm......

I LOVE FALL!  This weather has been perfect!!!! 

Ok seriously this is enough random posts! 

Good night.

Love,
Emily

Racing

My brain is racing in circles....I went to a race track this passed weekend and saw cars racing in circles.  Ironic?!?! ha Ok so I am not that creative with my writing.  Ask my english teachers from school or my close friends!  Anyway, Ryan and I spent an AWESOME weekend with his parents, their friends & a few family members. If you know me at all you know I can't stand Nascar, BUT watching it in person is WAYYYYYY better :)  Still not saying I am going to be an avid fan, but hey we are getting closer :)  THANK YOU Randy & Teresa for a wonderful weekend!!!!  I got burnt, Ryan won $$$$ at the casino, & spent much needed time together...all in all a fabulous fall weekend!  I introduced the "dice game" at our campground....the neighbors even came over to play :)  Of course I did not win!  We played four games and the same person won 3 of them!  Grrrr! ha I dont have any pictures of this weekend yet, but I will.  I am using my old laptop for work this week bc my work computer got very sick with a nasty virus so it got shipped to the STL.  Hopefully I get it back SOON.  My laptop is so old and slow, but it works :)  Clearly or I wouldn't be typing this post. 

I worked out tonight.  YAYYAYAYYA!!!!! ha Like I feel like I could pass out right now.  This was no walk in the park (like I normally do), hopefully I stick with it!  I WILL!  I HAVE TO! I WANT TO!  It's just SO hard with Ryan being gone during the week to keep my motivation BUT I am NOT making anymore excuses :)  It is SO easy to just lay on the couch and watch TV shows that I want to watch. LOL  HELLOOO I used to do 2-a-days, ran miles at a time, lifted hundreds of pounds of weight & LOVED every second of it, I want that passion back :)  AND I will get it.  

As I just mentioned Ryan is on week TEN...yes 10 straight weeks of traveling during the week.  It has been VERY hard on the both of us.  Obviously in different ways, but I know we will get through it and we make it work :)  Just like everything else that has come our way.......we just deal with it and move on :)  AND that is exactly why I love Ryan so much.  Even though last week....not as much! JK JK JK JK

Let's see what else.......O yea.......GO CARDS!!!!! 

One day I am going to look back on all these posts and just laugh at myself :)  AND I totally know this is going to be true, but right now I am stressing out about our wedding. ha   I have SOOO many ideas but just dont even know where to start and why would I it's still 187 days away! ha I might make my weekly trip to Hob Lob tomorrow & see what I need or where to start on one of my projects :) 

I just wish all my friends & family lived in the same town :(  

Ok wow this is entirely too long for zero pictures for people to look at.

Toodles!

Love,
Emily

Happy Birthday Mom

First and most importantly......today is my Mom's 60th birthday.  Shhhh I was not suppose to mention the age! I LOVE birthday's.  I always have and not sure why.....maybe the selfish, spoiled part of me loves the attention and gifts and love and the day soley on the birthday person :)  Others think birthday's are just another day....(cough cough cough Ryan) but I would like to give all the attention to my mom today!!! Ok maybe not ALLLL I have other things to talk about too! hahahhah JK JK JK  I have mentioned it before and I will mention it over and over again......my mom means the world to me.  We have fought like cats & dogs, laughed like little kids, cried like babies....all side by side.  We have done it ALL & yet my mom still sticks by my side 110 % of the time.  Just last night I called crying on the phone and she listened to EVERY word I said without judgement, calmed me down & was the voice of reason....SERIOUSLY how does she do it?  Blows my mind.  I SO BADLY wanted to be home with her today, but work has taken O-V-E-R my life there was just no way to be away.  :( So I called her, text her, emailed her, sent her flowers......I think you get the point.... I wish I was with her today.  ha Thank you Mom for being the VERY BEST MOM on this planet.  I hope one day I can be 1/2 the person you are today.  You truely are a gift from God.  LOVE YOU! 



Junior Year of college....2006 or so! ha


Ok.......wedding world!  Ummm yea - lets talk about that.  Ryan saw our venue where we are having the reception for the first time last Saturday.  My mom was able to meet us there and lets just say.  3 DIFFERENT opinions about EVERYTHING.  My brain was in a spiral freak out mode......ekkkkkkk.  I KNOW everything will work out and the day will be fabulous, but o my!  SO.MUCH.TO.DO!  We also met with a cater on Saturday morning at 8AM....yes 8AM to talk food, dishes, silverwear.....fun fun fun. 
On top of wedding planning, working my butt off, & trying to survive while Ryan travels; my work computer has a HUGE virus on it :(  Not good!!!  Today I had to mail my computer back to my IT guys.  Seriously do not have time for this.  My laptop it is.  Grrrrr

Dawn & Calc called me this week & I had GREAT conversations with them :)  I miss those girls SO MUCH!!!!!!! 

Melina & Ashley got to read my drama/issues/venting in my life via email this week.  THANK YOU FOR LISTENING (aka reading) LOVE YOU GIRLS!!!!!!!!

GO CARDS!!!!!!

So READY for this work week to be O-V-E-R.......going now to watch TV & maybe enjoy a glass of wine :)

Something that touched my heart today.........."MONEY DOES NOT EQUAL POWER"   I think my grandma & grandpa in heaven placed that car with this bumper sticker RIGHT in front of me today.  Call me cheesy but whatever :) 

Love,
Emily

Headache

Man this week with work has been NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have the worst headache right now.  I really want to take a nap, but I am going to walk the trail in hopes of getting rid of some stress. 

Today is a milestone in the engagement world.......we are out of the 200's.  We have 199 days until the big day!!!!! HOLY MOLY that makes me so nervous!  We have so much to do, yet don't even know where to start! ha Wedding planner Mom Barb has been super busy with work lately, so hopefully after this weekend we can get the ball rolling on wedding planning again! :)

I did however find a potential veil for the wedding! HaHa This was my mom's hat/veil for her wedding years ago!  Not sure that is the style I am going for!

Love,
Emily

SURPRISE!!!!

We just celebrated my mom's surprise 60th birthday party over the weekend in STL.  First off, I would like to explain how HARD it was to keep this a secret from my mom.  We text, talk on the phone or email MULTIPLE times a day!  We started planning this party a few months ago and at first it wasn't that hard, but towards the end I was going nuts trying not to give hints, spill the beans, or ruin the surprise.  My aunt & I talked/emailed a million times to make sure this was in fact a SURPRISE!!!!! I must say we pulled it off :)  YAY for us!!  My mom is so hard to surprise she knows EVERYTHING and knows when I am lying! ha  That is why I just never lie to her! ha She always said "If you lie you will get caught" True story!

SURPRISE!  Right when she walked in

My mom means the world to me.  She does SOOOOOOO much for so many other people it was def. long over due for us to do something nice for her :) She totally deserved it!  I would do it over and over and over again.  It was so much fun!!!!! It was a great night with so many of her grade school friends and our extended family :)  We had Lombardo's cater it and I could have eaten it all :) It was so yummy!

This little guy LOVES when people sing happy birthday to him, so he was loving that people were signing happy birthdy to MaMa :)  He even helped blow out the candles. 
A family tradition is to play the dice game at holidays/summer vacations.  So we decided to play on Saturday night at the party!  My mom won the first game!!!! WOOO HOOOO And my cousin Karrie won the 2nd game (double pot).  It is so fun and we get so LOUD and competitive! 

And.......the police showed up :)  Never a dull moment with our family! They said they thought there was a domestic violence....NOPE just the dice game!  haha

Mom we all love you and THANK YOU for all you do for all of us.  LOVE, your family!  

I was so excited Ryan's parents came to the party too!  We all had such a great time in St. Louis.  Sunday we had a "wedding meeting" my mom talked to much, I was tired & we still have a few things to figure out! ha All in all it was so good to spend time with both of our families and plan for next spring :)  Poor Ryan's parents they probably think my family is crazy! haha :) 

Have a great rest of the week.

Love,
Emily

Too much TV!!!

Ok people......I will be the first to admitt I watch entirely TOO MUCH TV!!!! We have DVR which makes watching TV go super fast, but we just DVR too many shows.  Thursday night is probably the BEST night on TV right now :)  Why you ask?!?!?! Jersey Shore (I am so lame I know), Ryan LOVES Big Bang Theory, GREY'S is back on tonight too!!!! Woooo Hoooo I was so addicted to that show in college and just started watching it again over the last season or so.....I have the BEST memories of our routine of getting ready, doing our nails, drying our hair, getting dressed and putting make up on during commericals so we were ready to go out the second the show was over at 9pm or 10pm. (cant remember) in college.  Having 3 girls live together and get ready and try to watch Grey's was a reality show in itself.  We could be as popular as Snooki :) HAHAHA

I always think about all the great times we had on Thirsty Thursday in college and how much I miss those days, but then I look back and know I def. had the best 4 years of college anyone could ask for and 4 years was enough!!!  HA  Time to move on to bigger and better things!  I have been going through old pictures a lot lately & they bring up so many happy memories and I am SO glad I take pictures as much as I do.  I told our wedding photographer I would take my own wedding pictures if I could. HAHA He probably didnt think that was funny. 

Where is this post going?!?! Not sure! I just have a lot of random thoughts in my head right now.  So many emotions of the past, the right now & the future.  Earlier today when I realized Grey's was on tonight I just got to thinking back to college.  Not sure why I put those two together, but I do!!!   I will give you a little hint....I am going to try and use A TON of pictures for our wedding reception.  Not sure how it will all turn out, but my wheels are spinning in my head with ideas :)  Stay tuned!  So in a nut shell looking at pictures makes me go crazy with so many emotions!!! ha

How did I get all emotional about pictures & started talking about TV shows first?  This is how I operate lately and its making me think I am going crazy! haha  A good crazy, but crazy!

Have a great weekend!!!

Love,
Emily




 

Hog Wild Weekend

What a great weekend we had :) 

My friend Andrea came to visit this weekend.  I have known her for 20 years at least!!!  Probably the nicest person I know.  She is so sweet and so fun to be around!  We had a great time.  MINUS the rain.  Grrrr O well I know a lot of people who are praying for rain so maybe it wasn't that bad!

Friday night we just hung around our house and talked.  Saturday morning we were up bright and early....I mean EARLY.  6:15am early.  Ryan had his montly work meeting.  We saw Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs & Kareem Abdul Jabbar.  I love seeing celebrities :) Nerd I know! Then we headed home and got ready to tailgate.  Of course as soon as we got out of the car to set everything up it was RAINING!  We ended up having a great time!!!!  Hogs are 3-0.  Big test this week though with Alabama.

Part of our tailgate crew

Thanks for coming to visit Annie!!! I had so much fun.  Come back soon!

Have a great rest of the week!!!

Love,
Emily

Scatter Brain

That is me!!!!  I have been sooo forgetful lately.  I think it's because there is SO much running through my brain right now I can't keep up and things just slip my mind.  With work and wedding planning my brain is at full speed.  Today I ran to Walmart and FORGOT my list.  That is NOT like me.  I love grocery shopping (weird I know) & I love going to Walmart with a list or I will walk out with more than I need OR forget things that I need.  Well today was the day I FORGOT things that were on my list (that was still sitting on my office desk when I got home) BLAH!  Another errand I planned on doing today was returning a shirt I got at Target last night for a different size.....well you guessed it I was out and about and my Target bag was still waiting for me on my couch.  BOO again.  I came home got the shirt, ran to Target and go figure they did NOT have my size.  GRRRR  So I just got my money back hoping the next time they will have it.  Or my mom can look at her Target ***hint hint Mom :) ha JK  

On top of this post being about my scatter brain it is just full of random thoughts as well!  So my mom mailed me a card this week (remember my love for mail) well I got a sweet surprise in my mailbox a few days ago with a Sonic gift card :)  WOOOO HOOOO Thanks Mom!!!! So after eating 6 meals OF THE SAME FOOD (left overs from Mexican Monday) I decided to treat myself to Sonic tonight.  HA what a loser I am.  Well guess what my friends.........when I was out running to Target and thinking about dinner at Sonic.....you guessed it.....My gift card was sitting on my kitchen counter waiting for me at home.  O MY GOSH seriously.....this all happened JUST TONIGHT!!!!! So again I ran inside, grabbed the gift card and off to Sonice I went.  ***my garage door opener is not working so every single time I had to turn my car off, take my keys unlock my house, grab what I forgot, lock my door, and then get back into my car.  What a pain in my butt.  It was all worth it bc my large cherry diet coke put a big smile on my face :) 

Last night I had a fun girls night.  I went to happy hour with a few girlfriends I have met through Ryan that work at Walmart with him (well kind of they all work in different departments) but still close enough! ha I wish I lived closer so I could hang out more with them.  Ericka, Michelle & I ran to Target  afterwards-  I know what you are thinkging 2 Walmart girls and Emily going to Target wont they get in trouble.  Ha We had a great time and I bought a few tops out of my comfort zone :)  SO proud of myslef.  Yes I even saw the empty Missoni racks! 

Tonight I am cleaning house, doing laundry, waitng for the dishwasher to finish - fun fun fun! Not!

My friend from home is coming to visit this weekend!!!!! I am sooooooo excited.  She will get to experience her first Razorback game on Saturday!  Woo Pig.

My little buddy starts his first day of "school" tomorrow.  I am so excited for him and pray he shares and is nice to the other little boys and girls.  Ha He is going to LOVE MDO (mother's day out) I know it.  Hope he gets a good nights sleep tonight. HaHa I always remember being SOOOO excited for the first day of school I could hardly sleep.  That was when I was younger of course, that did NOT happen in college! lol



Stole this picture from my SIL



Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Love,

Emily

Sorry for a lack of real pictures but I keep forgetting to take pictures when I see people.  So not like me!

Mexican Monday

Wheeeewwww who is glad Monday is over?!??!! Me me me.  Mondays & Tuesdays are ALWAYS so busy for me with work.  I dread it but then again I kind of like it, bc the rest of the week (hopefully) can calm down and not be so crazy. 

I read an article today.....I mean I think I get probably 20 wedding related emails a day from various sites....HAHAH It said "Wear clothes you are comfortable in & wear on a regular basis.  Don't go out and buy a whole new wardrobe"  Well since I do work at home....I wear shorts & t-shirts EVERY DAY!!! Pretty sure Ryan and the moms would not approve of this attire for our engagement pictures! lol  As I wouldn't either.  It made for a nice afternoon laugh!  We hope to get our engagement pictures taken next month....we want the leaves to change to pretty fall colors and the weather to be cool (since we both sweat a lot) the cooler weather is just better for Ryan and I. 

Tonight I am being the hostess with the mostess and having friends over for Mexican Monday!!! I am really excited.  I love cooking and I love when our friends come over :) 

Have a great week.

Love,
Emily

p.s How cute is little B at a High School Football game last Friday?!?!? We skyped last night and I just can't get enough of that little boy.  Miss him sooooo much!!!!!

Football, football & more football

Friday night we watched Football.  Satruday we watched Football and today; well I refuse to watch football! haha (not a fan of the NFL)

Friday night Ryan and I went out for date night :)  Whenever we are home I NEVER cook on Friday nights.  I just refuse! ha We went and had sushi.....it was soooo good and I had been craving it for a few weeks.  After eating I asked so kindly if Ryan would help me with a DIY project for our wedding that I found online earlier in the week.  He agreed!!!  We headed to Lowes, Hobby Lobby, & Walmart.  I was SO excited to get home and get to work.  The first batch of "wedding crafts" were def. trial and error and I know now what to do and not to do.  It's a good start though!!!!  We then stayed up and watched the Mizzou vs. ASU game and I fell asleep bc it was on soooo late.  I woke up Saturday morning to find Ryan sleeping on the couch with every light on and CBS Game Day on the TV! ha  I think he was dreaming about football.

Saturday I did not get out of bed until NOON....O my it was glorious!!!! We have been traveling or gone on the weekends so much recently it was time to slow down and relax.  Ryan smoked some ribs & other meat and I ran a few more errands.  Then it was HOGS FOOTBALL TIME!!!!  The smoker was going, college football was on tv & Ryan and I were hanging out drinking a few beers.  LIFE WAS GOOD yesterday!!! :)

Hogs WON!!!!  52-3 How cool is that Hog in the middle of the field in Little Rock :) The whole stadium was Red, White & Blue.  So neat to see.

                                                             
                                               9/11 - God Bless America & Never Forget

I remember 10 years ago I was in Coach Palmer's class at Nixa High School when the 2nd plane hit the tower.  We were watching it all happen on TV. 

Have a great week!

Love
Emily

MAIL

Call me crazy.....but I LOVE getting mail.  I love going to the post office.  I love sending mail.  For my love of getting mail I know bills come along too.....it really doesn't bother me to get bills, I mean we all have to pay them to live in our houses, drive our cars, have heat in the winter, stay cool in the summer (that is another post in itself), talk on our cell phones, watch TV & just live life.  So my daily walk to the mail box during my lunch break is fun for me! ha Where is this post going you ask?!?!?! I went to the post office tonight to mail a few things and I love that people in a few days will get a little "treat" in their mailbox :)  I hope it puts a smile on their face!  My grandparents used to send me mail ALL THE TIME!  I think that is where my love of mail started :) 

My dear friend Melina gave me wonderful advice on Sunday night......get rid of clothes you have not worn in a year...."Emily you are a hoarder"  haha I have clothes that I NEVER wear and are just taking up space (aka my closet broke last week) so today I went to Plato's closet and sold some clothes :)  I am going to use that money and buy a new shirt! HA The 12 items I sold will get me maybe 2 new shirts....whatever its better than nothing! I am going to donate the rest or try and find a consignment store in the area. 

I then ran to Target to look for something for my SIL, since the Springfield Target didnt have what she was looking for.  I didnt even shop for me :(  It was crowded and too many people trying to buy fall clothes and I am still not feeling well so it was a quick trip.  (Ryan would be so happy) 

Had some soup for dinner and now am going to relax and watch some TV while laying on the couch.  I really should take some medicine, but dont think we have any.  ha

Getting closer to the weekend!!!!

Love

Emily

Labor Day Weekend

What a weekend we had!!!!  If you know Ryan and I at all you know we try and do as much as possible on the weekends.  We drive A LOT and it doesn't really bother us. 

Friday night we went to a Missouri State Alumni event at Pinnacle Country Club.  Then drove around the golf course and looked at the million dollar houses dreaming one day we would live there. HA yea right! It was pretty cool bc the LPGA is about to have a huge golf tourney there this week I think so it was neat to see it set up for the event. 

Saturday morning we were up bright and early to start tailgating for the first Razorback game!  I had to run to Sam's & Walmart so it was a bit of a crazy morning getting all our food, cooler, tent & chairs ready.  BUT it was all worth it. 

The game was a blow out but we still had fun!!!!

Sunday we were up around 8am (not ideal after a college football game) but hey we had places to go and people to see in Springfield :)  We were suppose to go by the church we are getting married at but that plan changed and we ended up helping my brother, SIL & B get his new play set.  We then met some college friends for lunch.  Kent and Angela just had a sweet baby Cole. 

We then headed to Nixa to spend the day with my parents and brother's family.  We played OUTSIDE ALL DAY!  It was glorious & Brennen had a blast!!!!

Ryan and I then went out to dinner with friends I have known since grade school & went over to Andrea's house to hang out. 

Monday we just hung around my parent's house (while both bathrooms are getting a make-over) so it was a little crazy at times, but I would expect nothing less from my fabulous fam :)  B & I took naps Monday afternoon & then played again in the back yard!  He is one active little toddler that is hilarious!!!!!

We headed home late Monday afternoon and all I wanted to was lay on the couch and enjoy the last hours of our 3 day weekend, BUT Ryan suggested we go look at a few house in NWA.  We tried and only lasted a few minutes (thank goodness).  I crashed when I got home and caught up on some DVR :) 

Tonight I am feeling a little under the weather.  It is totally allergies and I am not liking it at all.  I am on day 3 of wearing my glasses BOO & my throat has hurt all day.  I will survive and am still enjoying our AC OFF & WINDOWS OPEN!!!!!!!!!  We went from record heat to record lows....now wonder I am getting sick.  Crazy crazy crazy weather.  I am praying for all those affected by the fires in TX that is so scary. 

Have a great week.  YAY for it being Wednesday tomorrow.  I LOVE 4 day work weeks! 

Love
Emily

Weighing my options...

Happy Wednesday!!!! Almost the weekend AND the 1st RAZORBACK game is on Saturday vs. Missouri State.  Ryan and I both went to Missouri State for our undergrad degrees, but Ryan got his Masters here at UofA..... we are die hard Hog fans now!!!! Sorry Bears.  The Hogs games are AWESOME!  Who wouldn't want to Call The Hogs with 75,000 other people :)

Tonight I did a little shopping, I have NOT been to the mall or TJMaxx (one of my favs) in FOREVER.  So tonight I decided to walk the mall and see just what I "had" to have (which is NOTHING) :)  But I did walk away with a new pair of jeans!  I am pretty proud of myself since I HATE trying on jeans, they were on sale and I couldn't resist!

My mom called me today to tell me her and my dad started remodeling the bathrooms at their house.....I almost fell out of my office chair and told her hell was going to freeze over.  I am SOOOOOO excited for this.  My dad built our house back in 1982 and it is in need of a MAJOR makeover.  :)  I think my mom called me around 4pm and by 5:30pm I had already went to TJMaxx and bought a new shower curtain for "my" bathroom at "home" :)  Talk about excitement!!!!!!!!!!!!  I cant wait to see it when we go home this weekend.  Next on the list - the living room.  Can't move too fast or my dad will get burned out on the renovations so that might be another 20 years.  Kidding!!! (not really)

MOTIVATION where are you?!?!?! I dont know what my problem is these days.....some days I go for walks, do crunches, "work out" (as best as I can do in our house), or just lay on the couch.  I always thought the day I got engaged I would be walking, biking, hiking, counting every calorie I put in my mouth, & would lose weight in no time, BUT that is just not the case right now.  I know I dont need to be a size 2 for my wedding day, but it wouldn't hurt to loose a few pounds.....maybe like 20! ha (not kidding) I know Ryan loves me the way I am, but my wedding dress consultant told me (after I told her I wanted to lose weight) that my fiance` fell in love with me just the way I am.....HaHaHa that was SIX years ago lady.  I was MUCH skinnier than.....beer, Jimmy John's, late night Taco Bell, eating what Ryan eats & so forth has made me gain weight over the SIX years Ryan and I have known each other. 

So I found these beauties that I think will help motivate me :)  They are my wedding colors and I need a new pair of walking shoes so bad.....I just cant hit BUY online.  When I was at Lady Foot Locker tonight the girl picked up my old shoes and I said...."DON'T do that they smell". Ha At least I warned her!

I know when the time is right I will kick it into high gear and work out.  I need to stop making excuses and just DO IT!!!!

Have a great rest of the week! :)

Love

Emily

Home Sweet Home

This weekend I spent the whole weekend with my family :) It was WONDERFUL. 

Friday night my mom and I booked our photgrapher!!!! 1 more thing checked off the wedding To-Do list!

My brother, SIL & little B meet us for dinner afterwards at Ebbet's

Saturday morning I was up bright and early at my parent's house.....no sleeping in during wedding planning I guess.  I can sleep when I am 90 I keep telling myself.  Ha

I SAID "YES" to the dress!!!! It took about 2 hours.  My consultant was SO NICE....she was a Sigma Kappa at MSU too and VERY VERY VERY patient with me!  I wanted to give her the biggest tip, give her my life savings, take her out for a drink.  ANYTHING to say thank you for her patience!!!! ha

Next up on the wedding agenda for the weekend: crash a wedding at our reception venue.  Mom Barb and I have no problem walking in, looking around, maybe stealing some food (joking) and just looking around for potential ideas.  The wedding that was going on that evening was NOTHING like what we want for ours so it made me a little LOT nervous because I AM NOT CREATIVE enough to pull all my ideas into one evening of fabulous!  ha 

Saturday night I got my all time favorite cashew chicken for dinner and had to BEG my family to eat there with me :)  SO glad my mom and dad gave in & aggreed!!! Hello I can only use "their little princess" for 230 more days! HaHaHa  I went over to my dear friend Andrea's house to help Randi celebrate her b-day!  We sat outside on her back deck and just enjoyed the awesome weather.  We gossiped, drank a few beers, and laughed the night away.  UNTIL a stray cat came around.  I kept jumping out of my chair bc for 1. I don't like cats & 2. I really don't like stray cats.  Andrea and Randi could not stop laughing at me.  What a fun night girls! 

Sunday I was moving kind of slow and finally about 11:00am my mom said I was wasting the day away and get up out of bed.....hahaha (remember my last post about Mom Barb 10 steps ahead) happened today!  Glad she made me get up bc my little buddy was waiting for me to come play with him :)  My mom and I took little B to the fountains and he LOVED LOVED LOVED it! 

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  Time at home goes by WAY to fast, but I try to cram as much stuff as possible. 

***We also went to Hobby Lobby & Michael's and in a nut shelll:  I got crabby and lasted only a few minutes bc it overwhelmed me and made me not even know where to begin! lol More "research" is needed before I step foot back in those stores!