Is this for real??

My newest sis in law, Katie, just started working at Anthro (Highland Village - tell her hi girls!) 

To say I was pulling for her to take the job would be putting it lightly but at the time I had NO idea it would come with perks like this!! Check it:

SAY WHAAA?! Yes ma'am. BALLAR!

Katie just got fav sis in law status....I kid, I kid - no favorites here. Plus, Tracy's giving me a niece!

Anthro discount.....new baby.....it's a toss up! HA

Naturally, I spent last night planning my first discounted purchase.

Current crushes:

Tilly Cardi

with cut offs and sandals. Simple summer go to. 

Tile Burst Maxi

I have the perfect orange necklace for this! Must have.

Windblown Anemone Maxi

I've been eyeing this dress forever! I am a little obsessed with the leather straps. Patiently waiting for this gem to be marked down 75%...

Brizo Poncho

Poncho? Yes, please. Always. 

Stockholm Tote

Ahhh...heavy canvas, orange. I need this. Seriously. 

Spotlight Maillot

Every bride needs a white suit! Maybe in a few months this one will be about $200 less. 

Deux Volley Two-Piece

A little out there but LOVE the retro.  This is perf for our days snorkeling or fishing in Belize! 

Billingham Sandals

I could probably wear these every single day this summer. So cute!

Brushed Chain Bracelet

Classic AND easy on the wallet. This will be purchased asap. I love my bracelets.

Kaleidoscope Glass Bracelet

Speaking of love....oh-my-stars.

Unforch at $418, a 25% discount won't put much of a dent on this ah-mazing wrist candy.
BUT...if I wore it everyday for a year that's just $1.23 a day (tax included!). Totally justifiable. 

Viscid Watch

Hoping they carry this in the store.  Now I just need to decide on color! I love, love watches! Esp mint green and gold ones! Dying.

All The Buzz

BEES! Pretty sure Anthro made this for me. 

Plush Tea Time Set

I didn't forget about my fav niece-to-be, Charlotte! So, SO precious!
Can't wait for tea parties!

Regal Lion - Gentle Giraffe

And if C-Dub needs anything she needs one of these cute babies! Or maybe both, yea, def both.

Anthro, I'll be seeing you this weekend. Get excited!

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This happened last night...

AND...it was pretty dang good.

Not quite sure why you'd blend it up instead of just eat in a salad but hey, it's something to try!

prep

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Love it. Always have, always will.

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Where on earth can I find these shorts? Must have.

Oh, my poor children. This will be them for sure. Just as soon as I get a Tech hat on him, that little gentleman will be ready for tailgate! COMPLETE CUTENESS!

And is it just me or do nautical and preppy go together? I def think they do! Summer gets me full swing into preppier clothes and has me wishing I was constantly here...

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and what I would give for Travis to buy me this pink boat...

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Wonder how mad he'd be if I painted his pink...

Do I dare? I think if I have any hopes of marrying him the answer is sadly no.

Speaking of boats, these days I'm constantly dreaming of spending hours with T and his favorite hobby. And I've been begging him to take me to do this:

Come on people, have you seen "A River Runs Through It"? Fly fishing is hott.

 On a different fishing note, I'm loving this dress T got me last weekend.

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I think I'll wear it fly fishing with my thigh high wade boots! Just perf! ha

These two items are on the top of my prepp-ish wish list! 

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I'll be needing this just as soon as I buy an awesome camera!

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THIS DOOR! AH-maze.

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And let's not forget everyone's favorite Preppy.

So ladies...

What are you loving? 

Link up!

Michelle and Jamie

{communication 101}

Hi y'all! Welcome to "The Marriage You've Always Wanted" presented by Gary Chapman (whose quite hilarious) and retold by...yours truly!

Clearly this couple went to the seminar also, I mean just look how happy they are! 

In all seriousness, this really was such an incredible seminar. I already had a big interest in Gary Chapman's thoughts on love and marriage but hearing it from the horses mouth is just...better. We found ourselves nudging each other throughout thinking "oh my gosh, that is so YOU!" It was such a fun experience. Everything thing he said seems fairly logical but it's just a matter of practicing it, ya know?  I really hope that the things he discussed will be the way T and I live our lives together.  With that being said I am realistic. I know we will have our ups and downs and this is not a "fix all" but it's some dang good info!  

As I mentioned, these next few posts are for my reference...you know, that way the next time T brings me home a Wii as a gift...I'll simply stay calm, use G.C.s strategies and voila, problems solved! And I know these posts will be a little wordy however I sincerely hope you'll read along. Who doesn't want to strengthen their marriage, right? I guarantee you, this will.

Also, this is about $80 worth of free knowledge here! I'm bringing to you an absolute bargain! 

Let's get down to it shall we?

{Communication 101}

First things first, did you know that 50% of wives have uncommunicating husbands? Tis true, I will not be one of those wives because Travis can talk my freakin' ear off and doesn't hold anything back but apparently some of you are living with a guy that doesn't talk.

Why do people get married?
Unity
Oneness
Sharing Life
(he must've forgetten having babes on this list?)

Why is it necessaryy to communicate?
Because only YOU know YOU! 
Even though your hub may think he knows what you're thinking he doesn't. You know exactly what I'm saying here.  And you know that boy can not read your mind, if he suggests dinner out with his friends but what you really wanted was a Chinese take out and a movie. Don't agree to it and be pouty all night.  TELL HIM and then compromise on something that suits both of you.

Levels of communication.
1. Day to day events.
G.C. TIP: Share 3 different things you did that day AND how you feel about them.
ex: I went shopping, I felt poor because I really want these cute $300 boots... I drank a large Great American Cookie Co. Dr. Pepper with extra ice for lunch, it was freakin delicious... I accidently ran a red light, I know, I know, I'll be more careful! 


2. Decision making


3. Conflicts (this is the big one!)
Examine your anger. What made you angry? The way he said it or what he said?

Take a time out.  Do something relaxing then come back and ask "can we discuss this now?"

Take turns talking! He gets 5 uninterrupted minutes, then you get your turn.

Practice listening. Don't be thinking of the next point you're going to fire back at him. Actually hear what he's saying.

Listen to facts AND feelings!
ex: "It really upset me that you didn't call when you knew you were going to be late. It made me feel like I'm not on your radar." 


Seek to understand and express understanding.
ex: "What you're saying makes a lot of sense. When I don't call when I'm going to be late it makes you think you're not my first priority."
I love this tip.  I think if you are speaking calmly about a conflict and you understand where they're coming from (even if you don't agree) you can get much further than arguing, then you'll be able to come up with a reasonable solution.

How to overcome barriers to communication:
I don't forsee T and I ever having a real issue here and I imagine that most of you don't either but I really like his suggestions. These things just make you feel closer to someone.
1. Learn his interests. Fishing it is! 
2. Ask his advice on something. "What would make these cookies better?"
3. Share a book. After each chapter share one thing you learned about yourself.
4. Apologize. and mean it!
5. Meet sexual needs. just do it!

6. Pray together. G.C. TIP: hold hands before bed and silently pray together. 


BEST TIPS I GOT OUT OF THIS SESSION:
Always repeat for clarity. Make sure you're understanding what he's saying. "Are you saying you want to go to dinner with the guys tonight because Kyle's only in town and you haven't seen him in ages?" "That's fine, I'll grab Chick fil a and catch up on Real Housewives and we can have our dinner date tomorrow."

Rate your feelings. The example he gave was great, and SO spot on. Husband asks wife if she wants to go to Chili's for dinner. She says "uhhh, that's fine." The whole way there she barely talks, he knows something is bothering her. He asks and she says: "well, I just really wanted to go to the new, nice restaurant. I've been hoping we'd go there all week." He says: "Okay let's go there then." She says: "No, don't bother." Either way the poor guy can do no right here. Their evening is toast.

Ladies we do this shiz all the time! The boy doesn't have a clue what you're thinking. You've got to tell him! A simple number system like this keeps the guess work out of it for your guy. If you despise his idea instead of putting him down for it you can simple rate your feelings and come up with an agreeable solution like so...

"Babe, 1-10, how about Chili's for dinner?" "Uhh, 2. How about that new, nice place? I've been wanting go there all week" "Eh. How about a date night there next Friday and we can go see that movie too? Want to just order pizza and catch up on our shows?" "Yes!"

*    *    *    *    *

So there you have it! Communication 101. Simple enough right?

Are you at all interested in this? I totally am! And it get's better!

If you find this the slightest bit interesting and are following along go home tonight and take this assessment with your hub, bf, roommate, fiance, self, whatever you got.

Find out your love language.

It's fun I swear to you!

Then come back tomorrow for

{Understanding and Expressing Love}
Using the 5 Love Languages

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I started a blog in hopes to document all the best and most exciting things happening in my/our life (and everything in between).  To say we are busy is an understatement. To say I am more excited than I have ever been is an understatement. And to say that this has been and will be the best year of my life is an understatement of massive proportions. 

But I have totally failed to document what has been happening in life.  Sure there's some wedding updates here and there but have you seen even one picture from the 8 weddings we've been to so far this year? Nope.  Have you seen pictures from any holiday happenings? Nope.  Have I written about our weekends? Hardly at all.

I want to get better at this - my hope is that by the time I have a little beeb, blogging about life as it happens will be second nature. I need some serious practice!

I realize this after having such a great weekend and not one picture to document it. I totally and completely suck at taking pictures! Most of you don't even think twice about snapping a pic in the car with your boy or taking pictures of things you eat, craft, bake, or enjoy. The thought seriously doesn't even cross my mind!  

My goal is to make this a habit starting now!

With that being said, I had an amazing weekend!

A little message I texted to T on Friday.

Obviously this has nothing to do with anything, but hey, a picture is a picture.

Thursday I was super productive.  I made invitations for my SIL, Tracy's, baby shower. I was very pleased with how they turned out! I also made a big chalk board for me and T's engagement shoot (and future home) and the cutest little hair bow keeper for my future neice Charlotte.  I stole the idea from her pinterest board. I wasn't able to make it to her first shower and (duh) I didn't take a picture of my final product but hopefully I can snap one when I see the finished nursery soon!

This is what I stole off her pinterest, but the one I made is nearly identical but white! So cute! I added a few bows, head bands, and clips to the finished product.

Friday, my brothers (all 4 of them) and one of my SILs went to dinner at our staple Mexican food place. Travis had to skip because he got a late start on the road and Tracy stayed home. I love family dinners.  LOVE them!  They randomly went bowling afterwards but I headed home to greet Travis and his baby Travler. We went to bed early!

Saturday, I had an incredible time with Travis at a marriage seminar.  You will definitely be hearing more about this through the week! It was so great! That night we met up with friends for crawfish and beer!

Sunday, we took engagement pictures. Sadly, we were pretty disappointed.  We followed the address he gave us (which was wrong to begin with) and finally wound up in downtown Houston. Don't get me wrong, I love the urban feel of pictures and I'm sure he took some great pics but the location wasn't exactly our style. 

I had 3 outfits I was super excited about wearing but because he was AN HOUR LATE and Travis needed to leave to drive back to Carrizo, we didn't have time to change. Had I known we were taking pictures downtown I would have changed into something more "city appropriate". But we were already an hour behind, the rain was threatening to fall at any second, and to be real, we were already pretty much over with the session before it began. Luckily, we were able to adjust our bad attitudes a bit and hopefully some of the pictures turned out ok. I was planning on one of these pics being the one we used for save the dates but because they weren't really our style I'm not sure what we're going to do now....

I will say though that Travis was absolutely the BEST sport about the whole weekend. Not many guys would be excited to spend a beautiful Saturday at a marriage seminar but T did it with a smile on his face.  We seriously had a great time!

And the whole situation with our engagement session was such a mess, I thought surely his patience would have been shot because mine certainly was, but like a champ he calmed me down and we enjoyed an hour of awkward pics together.

I think the rest of this week I will be summing up our seminar. It was something every.single.one of you could benefit from and there were SO many important messages I just have to share with you. Doing an overview on this here blog will also make it easy for me to go back and reference because Lord knows I will need some reminders at my fingertips!

STAY TUNED!

FIVE MONTHS!

This is me....

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in FIVE MONTHS!!! Where is time going?!

I am BIG FAT loving that....I'M GETTING MARRIED!! Whoa!

Still trying to wrap my little mind around that! 

 I am loving that it's Wednesday already! SO FREAKIN' HAPPY!

I am loving that I've been crossing things off my wedding to do list left and right......flowers, hotels, buses, photographer, a solid decor plan, bridesmaids dress (I think!) 

I am not loving however, the wait for my dress to come in! 

(Especially since I've had a small panic about possibly choosing the wrong dress after looking back at pics of another dress I tired on and loved.  Ladies...don't do this.  Just delete the pics! I'm sure I made the right choice but I'm just ready to have that baby in my hands so I can make for positive-certain-sure I did!)

I am seriously loving the pics Travis and I took on Saturday!

I am loving Weight Watchers! Just started about a week ago and it's great! 

I would just love to not look like a lard in that dress come October! 

I WISH, however, I was loving the freakin' gym! 

I am loving the thought of road tripping it to FLORABAMA for my bachelorette party in July! Casey is doing all the planning and there's no doubt it'll be spectacular! Love my MOH! 

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I am loving my precious flower girls.

I am loving what's on me and T's agenda for this weekend! 

We're taking professional engagement pics on Sunday. WOO!

And we're going to Gary Chapman's "A Growing Marriage" seminar! 

Are you a fan? I for sure am! These are a few of his books I'm working on. Seriously, if nothing else just do this assessment.  Not only am I just plain fascinated with his ideas on love (5 Love Languages) but I am super excited about doing this with T who has not once complained even though it'll probably be a perfect Saturday for fishing AND the seminar is in College Station, one of our most hated towns (sorry aggies!) He's a loyal one that boy! Reason number 55673 why I love him. 

I am still loving this house and wishing and praying it will be mine.

And I'm loving all these pins to add even more curb appeal to this already adorable home.

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And I'm loving these sweet girls who will not only add massive amounts of curb appeal sitting sweet on that porch but who will also be sisters soon! 

And very random side note...while searching for something to wear today I pulled out these bad boys circa 1999. White Abercrombie and Fitch pants. They were my favorite for evs and they still look just as good as the day I bought them.  Hats off to A&F. I'm def sporting them today. So shame in my game.

I'm loving that (and wondering how on earth) they still fit! Kind of makes me want to peek into Abercrombie, I used to be obsessed with their jeans!

 

Happy Wednesday!

Link up! Michelle and Jamie