Friday Faves - Wedding Version

Will and I have just celebrated a month of marriage.  It's safe to say we are still in the honeymoon phase....I wish we were back in Jamaica.....

I wanted to share some of my favorite wedding photos.  Our photographer was our friend, Deborah from Facing the Lens photography. 

Our church has a beautiful prayer labyrinth and garden that was put in this spring.  We got some great pictures there. 

 

We went with green as an accent color.  I loved my shoes. 

 

 

I also loved my hair clip and earrings. 
And, would you believe my dress was $99?!?!
I think Will approves ;)

 

My parents, Paul & Paula

Yes, Paul & Paula

 

My mom is so small that Will looks even taller in this picture. 

 

Love our simple, classic rings. 

We invited our families (parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins) to be a part of the ceremony.  Then, we had a dinner in the fellowship hall.  

 

The reception was at Avondale Villa.  Our friends joined us for some drinks, dancing, and snacks. 

 

You couldn't drag me or my mom off the dance floor. 

 

 

It was such a great evening!  Nothing could have been more perfect.  Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us.  

Engagement is Almost Over!

Well, I haven't posted since Will and I got engaged and the wedding is Friday.  Everything is planned and ready.  3 days!  We have so many generous, helpful people in our life.  There have been many fun celebraions and lots of time with friends and family.  Will and I are both so excited about the wedding and reception. 

Here's some of our engagement photos.  Our photographer is our very talented friend, Deborah.  Check out her site!

Who said she would blog every day in May? Not me...

Who are we kidding.....why did I even think I could do half of the May blog posts?  I really did, then work and life happened.  All good, fun stuff.  But not sit down at your computer and type about it stuff.  Too much other stuff to do................like, getting engaged! 

The boyfriend, Will, proposed on June 14.  We had discussed getting married, but I was not expecting to get engaged then.  We are going to get married on September 20th at our church with family, followed by a reception to celebrate with friends & family.  Will and I are very excited and are blessed to have so many people excited for us.  Wedding plans are coming along well.  Church and reception site are booked.  Dress and shoes are bought.  Fabulous friends doing photography and flowers.  Honeymoon in Jamaica booked.  Pre-marital counseling in process.  Everything is falling right into place.  Please pray for Will and me and our upcoming marriage.  I know it won't always be easy, but I know it's what we both want and neither of us will ever stop working at it. 

Day 7 - Fear

Day 7, Tuesday: The thing(s) you're most afraid of

After missing a couple of days (though, I did post about LASIK), I'm going to get back to the blog every day in May challenge to tell you a little about my fears.  In this previous post, I mentioned a little bit about that and how I deal with it.  Prayer and devotionals and scriptures are the best things for me when fear starts to take over. 

I'll just go ahead and be completely honest and admit that my biggest fear is that I will never have kids.  As irrational as it may be, you try being unmarried at 35 with no kids and tell me you don't have the same fear.  With Mother's Day fast approaching and people having babies all around, I have to try very hard to keep this fear in check.  I know that if it is God's will for me to have children, then I will.  Trouble is - I'm not fully clued in to God's will for me.  That's when my attempt at patience has to kick in.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

 

I Can See Clearly Now...

...thanks to the miracle of LASIK!  I'm now 4 days post-op and have 20/20 vision.  I have no clue what it was before, though.  For memory's sake, I would like to journal a little bit about the experience. 

Thursday, May 2 - LASIK.  My very generous sister, Brandi, graciously agreed to come stay with me and be my nurse/driver.  We arrived at the doctor's office at noon.  I had a series of test and exams, then waited what seemed like forever.  Thankfully, Brandi and I talked and kept each other entertained.  By that point, we were both starving.  I had eaten breakfast then a banana mid-morning and didn't eat lunch just in case something made me feel queasy.  Brandi was allowed to be in the exam room with me and even got to watch the surgery.  A little while before the surgery, an assistant came in with a Valium and a Tylenol.  I took those then went into a quiet, dark room to lie down and let the drugs do their thing.  After a while, the doctor came in to get me and took me to the surgery room.  I laid down on the table and they gave me a beany baby to hold.  At that point, I couldn't really tell if the Valium had kicked in or not.  I was feeling pretty anxious.  They started with my right eye.  Since I was awake, I could "see" everything they were doing.  As she was doing things, the doctor explained what was happening.  As I was "watching" what was happening on my right eye, I felt pretty sure that the Valium had not worked.  I was too aware of what was happening.  I had a death grip on that beany baby.  The doctor seemed to be taking a while doing something and said she was trying to "smooth out some bubbles."  She scraped my eye for what seemed like forever.  It finally stopped and they moved me over to prep the left eye.  I took a deep breath and the doctor asked if I was OK.  I said yes, but it must not have been believable.  She said "are you scared to death?" and I said yes!  I didn't know if I would make it through having the left eye done.  Thankfully, there wasn't the same bubble issue as the right eye and the left eye was done in no time.  They took me back into an exam room to sit for a few minutes and sent Brandi downstairs to the pharmacy to get my eye drops.  I pretty much just kept my eyes closed and, when I did open them, everything was hazy and bright.  The doctor came in for a quick check and said they had put a contact on my right eye to act as a bandage since there was so much work done on it.  They gave me another Valium to take when I got home and said just to try to sleep for the rest of the day.  They sent us on our way with instructions to come back at 8 am Friday morning. 

Brandi and I stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home.  We got some chicken fingers and fries to share.  Once we got back to my place, I took the other Valium and two Tylenol and went to bed.  It was about 3:15 pm.  By about 4 pm, I as awake and not doing too well.  My eyes were burning and hurting and watering profusely.  Nothing was helping.  I tried sitting up for a while with a cold cloth over my eyes.  That would soothe them for a second then the burning took over.  It really upset me and I was feeling very anxious.  Brandi called the doctor's office and told them what was happening.  They said it was all normal and the best thing would be for me to go to sleep.  Easy for them to say.  Brandi found some NyQuil in my medicine cabinet and told me to try that.  I took it and went to sleep.  Note to self:  Valium doesn't work well on you!  Brandi woke me up and while later and said it was time for drops.  It was 7:30!!  I was shocked that I had slept that long.  I was already feeling/seeing much better.  We did the drops, ate a little dinner that a friend brought over, then I went back to sleep.  I woke up at 10 pm and was feeling/seeing even better.  We did the drops again and I took some Benedryl to help make sure I would sleep.  I slept till about 7 am the next morning and woke up feeling/seeing great.  If only I had been able to sleep through that rough part, everything would have been perfect! 

Brandi and I headed back to the doctor's office for a checkup.  The doctor looked in both my eyes and said everything looked OK.  He did ask the assistant to get the surgeon to look at a "spot" on my left eye.  She came in to look.  She said it was OK to remove the contact on my right eye and that she needed to do something to that spot on the left eye.  The assistant put some sort of drop in my left eye and the doctor pressed (or something) to the spot.  She told me to stop by this morning for them to recheck that spot.  None of them were acting like it was a big deal, so I tried to just go with that attitude.  They added a 4th drop to my rotation and sent me on my way. 

I took it easy all weekend and put drops in continuously.  When I went back this morning, the spot on my left eye was fine.  There was some "loose tissue" on my right eye that the doctor scraped off.  Again, no one acted like it was a big deal so that's what I went with.  My right eye has felt a little weird, but maybe I'm just being overly sensitive about it.  I have to go back for another recheck on Thursday afternoon, so I will just continue with the drops and taking it easy until someone tells me to do otherwise. 

Overall, it's been an interesting experience not exactly as expected.  I think I would feel differently if the Valium had worked and the Thursday afternoon/evening experience had been a little different.  I would definitely do it again and recommend it - though, I would advise that you have something you are positive will make you relax and sleep. 

I'll update again after my next recheck.  Cheers to 20/20 vision!

Day 4 - Favorite Quote

Day 4, Saturday: Favorite quote (from a person, from a book, etc) and why you love it

Oddly enough, my favorite quote is from the TV show Gilmore Girls.  I absolutely love that show and watch the re-runs on ABC Family all the time.  I'm in awe of Lorelei and Rory's relationship.  I would love to have that same type of relationship with a daughter someday.  Fingers crossed! 

The quote comes from one of the characters, Lane, who is being forced to go to a 7th Day Adventist college.  She says:

I'm going to look on the bright side, find the silver lining, and make myself some lemonade.

I think of this phrase all the time and remind myself to make the most of what seems like a bad situation.  Like when I mentioned in the post about myself, divorce was bad - but not the worst thing that could have ever happened.  When I sat a group of friends down to tell them the divorce news, one girl let out a huge sigh and said "Oh goodness, I thought you were about to tell us you have cancer or something."  Exactly - I'm still alive!

I also have a phrase of the day calendar and this was one of the messages:

So very true.  Hope has gotten me through some tough times. 

Day 3 - Comfort, or lack thereof

Day 3 - Things that make you uncomfortable

Another day in May, another blog post challenge.  Things that make me uncomfortable.....well, at this moment, that would be my pants.  I've put on a few pounds and everything is too tight.  I refuse to buy new clothes because I want to fit into the ones I have.   In an effort to do that, I'm doing pretty much nothing.  I'll go to the gym occasionally and eat healthy once in a while.  I know that I need to do both regularly and I have literally no excuse for not doing it.  Not sure why I can't get my head and my heart together on this.....any motivational tips or advice?  Donuts were brought into my office the other day and I ate an embarrassing number. 

On a completely different note, another thing that makes me uncomfortable is public nose blowing.  Especially if there is food present.  I don't get it.....who has to blow their nose so suddenly that they can step away a few feet from other people/food?  I have pretty severe allergies and blow my nose more than your average person.  I always easily get away to a bathroom or somewhere else for privacy.  Even when I'm at home, I go to a bathroom.  I don't even feel like this is a weird thing to be uncomfortable about.  There is an older man at my office who will blow his nose in the kitchen, walking down the hall, and even in meetings.  Craziness!!

What are some things that make you uncomfortable? 

Day 2 - Educate Us - Tax Refunds

Day 2, Thursday: Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic)

Since I'm a tax nerd (see the girl in the glasses?), let's talk briefly about tax refunds.  But first, a disclaimer.  I am not giving you tax advice.  I do not claim to be any smarter than anyone else.  I will not do your tax returns for you.  Turbo Tax is good enough for me and it's good enough for you.   Now, read this carefully: 

Getting a big tax refund is not a good thing

I realize I've just blown a few minds, but it's true.  If you get a big tax refund every year from your tax return, you need to change something (most likely, contact your employer and adjust your withholding in your paycheck).  Most people don't like giving their hard earned cash to the government in any circumstance, but how about loaning a chunk of it to them interest free?  Wouldn't you rather have that money throughout the year to do with as you please rather than waiting till April 15th-ish for it?  

Now, having said all of that, I realize that people handle money differently.  If having your withholding a little high is your "saving" mechanism since you wouldn't otherwise save money, I think that's acceptable.  Many people fund vacations and home improvement projects this way.  However, don't do this if you don't need to.  It might take a little work to figure out, but it's worth it to be in control of your own money.  

The IRS, of all places, has a withholding calculator on their website that you can use.  Check it out!

Day 1 - The Story of My Life

Day 1 - the story of your life in 250 words or less (or one paragraph... no one will be counting your words... probably)

I sincerely hope that no one is counting words or reading too closely - this is going to be a dull story....

Hi, I'm Cassie.  I was born and raised in small-town Alabama.  I moved from that small town, to college in Tuscaloosa (Roll Tide!), to begin work after college in Birmingham.  Except for a brief stint in Philadelphia, PA, those are the only places I've ever lived.  I enjoyed my time in Phila and am happy to have had the chance to experience living somewhere else.  Ultimately, though, being that far from home just wasn't for me.  I am an accountant and I work at a real estate company.  I have an older sister who is my best friend and two super cool nephews.  I am a Christian (Methodist) and am active in my church.  While I wish it wasn't an important detail, I feel that I must share that I am divorced.  I was married for almost 10 years and have been divorced about a year and a half.  I do not have any children.  I kid you not, divorce is the hardest thing I've ever gone through - which, if you think about it, is actually not that bad.  I survived it, learned from it, and moved past it.  I am strong-willed (stubborn), independent, loyal, and wear my emotions on my sleeve.   I love being with friends and family, but also treasure my down time.  Currently, I'm enjoying being done with busy/tax season and gearing up for a fun summer.  I love being at the beach or pool or lake and like to get in as many lounge chair naps as possible.

I think that's enough about me for now.  Day 1 done!  I'm excited to read others' posts about themselves.  Go check out the links on Jenni's blog.   

Challenge - Blog Every Day in May

Jenni over at Story of My Life is hosting a blog challenge for the month of May.  And a challenge it shall be - blog every day!!  While I may not blog every day, I plan to join up most days.  Jenni has come up with a great list of topics, which I think will be entertaining:

Day 1, Wednesday: The story of your life in 250 words or less (or one paragraph... no one will be counting your words... probably)
Day 2, Thursday: Educate us on something you know alot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic)
Day 3, Friday: Things that make you uncomfortable
Day 4, Saturday: Favorite quote (from a person, from a book, etc) and why you love it
Day 5, Sunday: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member
Day 6, Monday: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?
Day 7, Tuesday: The thing(s) you're most afraid of
Day 8, Wednesday: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.
Day 9, Thursday: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words)
Day 10, Friday: Most embarrassing moment (s). Spill. 
Day 11, Saturday: Sell yourself in 10 words or less
Day 12, Sunday: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)
Day 13, Monday: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.
Day 14, Tuesday: Ten things that make you really happy
Day 15, Wednesday: A Day in the life (include photos from throughout your typical day - this could be "a photo an hour" if you'd like)
Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it
Day 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and why
Day 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.
Day 19, Sunday: Five of your favorite blogs and what you love about them
Day 20, Monday: Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.
Day 21, Tuesday: A list of links to your favorite posts in your archives
Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)
Day 23, Thursday: Things you've learned that school won't teach you
Day 24, Friday: Your top 3 worst traits
Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad)
Day 26, Sunday: Something you read online. Leave a link and discuss, if you'd like.
Day 27, Monday: A letter to your readers
Day 28, Tuesday: Only pictures
Day 29, Wednesday: Five songs or pieces of music that speak to you or bring back memories. Use Grooveshark or YouTube to include them in the post
Day 30, Thursday: React to this term: Letting Go
Day 31, Friday: A vivid memory

BTW, go check out Jenni's blog.  She is a great writer who keeps it real.  No sugar-coating over there.  One of my favorites is this post about her wedding anniversary.  Add her blog to your reading list ASAP.

Anyone want to join me in this challenge?  Any topics above that you really want me to write about?  There are definitely some that will be easier to write than others.  Let me know what you think.  Cheers to May and a challenge!

Fear / Worry / Doubt

I often feel like so much of me is filled with fear and worry and doubt.  I tell myself to stop it and hand things over to God, but I sometimes just can't make it go away.  So many thoughts are continuously running through my mind - from personal to work and beyond.  And again, my devotion book, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, saves the day.  Today's devotion says:

"I am always with you, so you have no reason to be afraid.  Your fear often manifests itself in excessive planning.  Your mind is so accustomed to this pattern of thinking that you are only now becoming aware of how pervasive it is and how much it hinders your intimacy with Me.  Repent of this tendency and resist it, whenever you realize you are wandering down this well-worn path.  Return to My Presence, which always awaits you in the present moment.  I accept you back with no condemnation."

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

 --Psalms 46:10

Being the accountant/control-freak that I am, it's hard to let go and let God, but it feels so much better when I do.  It feels good to know that He is there no matter what, even when I make the same mistakes over and over again.  

Friday's Five Faves

Another week down, another work deadline almost done.....come on April 15th!  Here are some things that are making me happy this week:

1.  Watching my friend, Leanne, as she awaits the arrival of her baby boy.  I love it that she is at the anxious & not sleeping phase (sorry, Leanne!).  Check out her blog and adorable nursery.  My guess for Asher's birthday is April 26th.  Not much longer!

2.  I had my second beach trip of the year last weekend.  The Boyfriend had a work conference in San Destin, FL so I tagged along. 

3.  Working out - I feel the need to brag on myself a little that I've still be going to the gym some mornings.  It helps so much that I have people to go with and that makes it a little better when the alarm goes off at 5:45 am. 

4.  Pool time - I'm hoping it will get warm enough this weekend that I can spend a little time at my neighborhood pool.  Can anyone say "lounge chair nap!"

5.  Caffeine - given the early mornings at the gym, I've needed a good dose of caffeine to keep me going.  I love that Starbucks now has an iced caramel macchiato.  Perfect summer version of my favorite coffee drink!

Happy Weekend!  Make sure you have your taxes done by Monday!

Where Was I.....

Since we last spoke, I have survived a big work deadline and spring break.  Here's a phone picture dump of what all has been happening:

I'm trying to move into Spring clothing.  I've put the boots away and pulling in fun colors.  I'm also toying with this whole mixing prints thing.  Black gingham and leopard print.....baby steps.

I went with the former roommate family to Tuscaloosa to a UA gymnastics meet.  Though we didn't see a ton of gymnastics, we had lots of fun.  And, Alabama beat the #1 team!  Roll Tide!  Here's me and Ella. 

The boyfriend and I celebrated St. Patrick's Day with some of his friends.  Obviously you can't tell from the picture, but I had a cold and had almost completely lost my voice that day.  I'm still not over that nasty cold. 

The Harlem Globetrotters came to town.  I gave my nephew tickets for his birthday.  It was such a great show game.  Definitely entertaining for kids of all ages and I recommend it if you've never seen them. 

After a busy weekend of the aforementioned gymnastics meet, St. Patty's Day, and Globetrotters, I boarded a plane for a work conference.  Is it just me or are planes getting smaller? 

Don't feel too sorry for me, though, because I was headed to Palm Springs, CA.  I spent a day and a half lounging at the pool. 

I stayed at the La Quinta Resort & Club.  Very nice and so beautiful. 

Packing for the trip was slightly challenging.  I was packing for days, work conference, pool, and evening dinners/outings.  Think I brought enough jewelry?  In all seriousness, I wouldn't have packed that much, but my friend who also went asked that I "bring options."  I had enough for the two of us and then some!  Please note that I did not take a picture of the shoes (couldn't fit them all in - just kidding, or am I?). 

Then, back to reality and back to the gym.

I'm looking forward to a full Easter weekend.  Church services tonight, tomorrow night, and Sunday morning, a baby shower for Leanne on Saturday night, and Easter lunch with the boyfriend's family.  I love Easter weekend and these are some of my most favorite church services.  I go to Trinity United Methodist in Homewood.  Check out the schedule of services if you are looking for somewhere to go.  I hope the weather holds out for the outdoor sunrise service!  Maybe I'll post some pics of my Easter dress (yes, it's the same one as last year, but I was in Lineville for Easter last year). 

Have a very blessed Easter weekend!

Friday's Five Faves

I am so glad it's Friday!  I've needed every day at work this week and always feel bad wishing away my days, but I've been living for weekends lately.  Here's a few things that are putting a smile on my face today:

1.  Feeling better - this time last week, a nasty stomach bug had invaded my body.  Two days of sickness and nausea.  Props to the boyfriend for being a great nurse (and somehow not getting sick himself).  It pretty much looked like this:

2.  Good sports - some coworkers got together last night.  One guy is infamous for his jello shots.  I got (pregnant) Leanne to pose pretending to drink some so that I could text the picture to her husband.

3.  Juice - I'm juicing again!!  I got an Omega juicer and have been juicin' it up!

4.  Fun outfits - I'm so ready for spring and lighter/brighter clothes.  Here's what promises to be a staple Saturday errand outfit:

5.  Speaking of spring - the weather is going to be fabulous this weekend!  Sunny and possibly 70 degrees.....if only we weren't going to lose an hour....

Have an awesome weekend! 

Friday's Five Faves

I have had two 4-day weeks in a row and have never been so glad to see a Friday.  I only have two things planned for this weekend and I hope to be able to accomplish some things around the house that I've been putting off.  Here are some of my favorite things from the past couple of short weeks (sadly, I don't have another until April).

1.  Ashes - The Boyfriend and I went to the Ash Wednesday service at my church.  I love the Easter season and all of the wonderful worship services.

2.  Beach Trips - first beach trip of 2013 was last weekend!  The Boyfriend and I went to Pensacola Beach.  Yes, we were the folks sitting fully clothed on the beach because I refused to let the cool weather and wind keep me from going out there.

3.  Valentine's Day - who doesn't love having a boyfriend on Valentine's Day???  Of course, he did not disappoint!  Bakery treats and jewelry - The Boyfriend knows the way to my heart. 

Baby Bites from Pastry Art (red velvet, vanilla, & turtle)

Kate Spade bow earrings

4.  Brunch -  Who doesn't love an excuse to eat breakfast for lunch?  Or, to have alcohol with breakfast?  The Boyfriend and I have so many good brunches lately.  One of the beast was last weekend at the beach and for sure the very best $2 bloody mary. 

5.  Coffee - a Keurig has been on my wish list for many years.  I would just carry it over from one Christmas list to the next.  Finally, I got one.  Not even as a Christmas gift, but just as a "hey, ditch that tiny 4-cup coffee maker and use this" surprise from The Boyfriend.  (spoiled much, Cassie)  I love it!

Happy Friday!  Cheers to the weekend!!