A New Obsession

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a rep from Cardstore.com to see if I would like to try their products. I hadn't heard of the website before, so I jumped at the chance. 

Cardstore offers greeting cards for every occasion you can think of, as well as invitations, stationary, thank you cards---EVERYTHING! I had so much fun browsing through all of the different categories and seeing what they had to offer.

When it came time to decide which card to order, I wasn't sure, there were so many options! I was looking at anniversary cards for my Aunt and Uncle (25 years!! Crazy!), baby congrats card for my pregnant friend, and birthday cards for a few girlfriends. 

Ultimately, I decided it had to be a card for Justin. There were just TOO many wonderful cards to pick from!

I selected a card from their photo card section. It is so cool! You can upload pictures to add, and on the inside you can pick the formatting.

Cutest little packaging! I was also REALLY impressed with the speed of delivery. It only took a few days from ordering to have it in my hands.

The front of the card I chose! It is so cute! It says:

"Years from now, I picture us still holding hands, still laughing and still completely in love"

And the inside; "Just like we are now."

SO cute! And I love the customization options. Not only can you add pictures, but you can add your own message inside. One feature of Cardstore.com that I think is fabulous is the signature! You can download their signature app to your Ipad or Iphone and sign your name, then you upload it! How cool is that!?

The feature is especially useful if you have them mail it. 

Did I mention that? You can add postage to your order and have Cardstore send your little envelop of happiness out. 

I will definitely be using this company again. Do you know how much time I waste standing in card aisles trying to find the perfect card? Too much! And I always end up settling for something.

The prices at Cardstore are the same prices you would pay in store for many cards, but with so many more options.

I am definitely a new fan, and so is my handsome husband!

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Gift Giving Stress

I don't know about you, but I hate group gifts. I hate them obsessively. 
My Mom and I were planning to split a killer gift for my Aunt and Uncle's 25th anniversary. Then, another family member wanted in.
Then she added SIX more people.
And somehow, the gift I was paying $40 for, I am paying $65. How does that even make sense? 
On top of the other gifts I have, on top of the expenses of the party I've been planning for 3 months.

You better believe I called my Mom and told her we are going to use coupons to buy said gift. 
Thank you $50 off $100 at Elder Beerman.

Oh, how Pinteresting!

This is one of my favorite weekly link ups! Somebody very close to me (not me :( ) is pregnant! So, this week's pins are all focused on planning the best baby shower ever! I cannot wait for everybody to be in on this little secret!

Recent Reads

I set a Goodreads goal of reading 60 books this year! Last year I did 50 and just barely finished in time, this year I am determined to finished ahead of schedule. So far, I am at 35 books completed.
The Daughter She Used To Be, Rosalind Noonan The daughter of a career cop, Bernadette Sullivan grew up with blue uniforms hanging in the laundry room and cops laughing around the dinner table. Her brothers joined New York's finest, her sister married a cop, and Bernie is an assistant District Attorney. Collaring criminals, putting them away - it's what they do. And though lately Bernie feels a growing desire for a family of her own, she's never questioned her choices. Then a shooter targets a local coffee shop, and tragedy strikes the Sullivan family. Anger follows grief - and Bernie realizes that her father's idea of retribution is very different from her own. All her life, she's inhabited a clear-cut world of right and wrong, of morality and corruption. As Bernie struggles to protect the people she loves, she must also decide what it means to see justice served. And in her darkest hour, she will find out just what it means to be her father's daughter.

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. I just adore this book. I have downloaded a few of her other books, hoping to knock a few more out soon.
All She Ever Wanted, Rosalind Noonan
For years, Chelsea Maynard has longed to be a mother. She's imagined caring for a new baby in the lovely house she shares with her husband, Leo, fondly planning every detail. But after a difficult birth, those dreams of blissful bonding evaporate. Chelsea battles sleep deprivation and feelings of isolation. Little Annabelle cries constantly, and Chelsea has dark visions fuelled by exhaustion and self-doubt. Her sister, Emma, insists she gets help for postpartum depression, but Chelsea's doctor dismisses her worries as self-indulgent. Doubting her ability to parent - even doubting her own sanity - Chelsea is close to collapse. Then an unthinkable crisis hits.

Eeeep! I love this one even more than the other Noonan book I read. It was heart wrenching and wonderful.
Requiem, Lauren Oliver

This exciting finale to Lauren Oliver's New York Times bestselling Delirium trilogy is a riveting blend of nonstop action and forbidden romance in a dystopian United States.
Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has transformed. The nascent rebellion that was underway in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.
After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven. Pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels.
As Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain of the Wilds, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena and Hana's points of view. They live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

I wanted to love this. I love the first two. I hated this. Hated it so much. I felt like it just...ended. 

The Best Of Me, Nicholas Sparks
In the spring of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths.

Now, twenty-five years later, Amanda and Dawson are summoned back to Oriental for the funeral of Tuck Hostetler, the mentor who once gave shelter to their high school romance. Neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. As Amanda and Dawson carry out the instructions Tuck left behind for them, they realize that everything they thought they knew -- about Tuck, about themselves, and about the dreams they held dear -- was not as it seemed. Forced to confront painful memories, the two former lovers will discover undeniable truths about the choices they have made. And in the course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?
I keep giving Nicholas Sparks another chance. I always regret that decision. Hated this.
The Kindness of Strangers, Katrina Kittle

A young widow raising two boys, Sarah Laden is struggling to keep her family together. But when a shocking revelation rips apart the family of her closest friend, Sarah finds herself welcoming yet another troubled young boy into her already tumultuous life.

Jordan, a quiet, reclusive elementary school classmate of Sarah's son Danny, has survived a terrible ordeal. By agreeing to become Jordan's foster mother, Sarah will be forced to question the things she has long believed. And as the delicate threads that bind their family begin to unravel, all the Ladens will have to face difficult truths about themselves and one another—and discover the power of love necessary to forgive and to heal.

The best of my recent reads! The subject matter is a bit rough to read at some points, but such a beautiful novel.

Wedding Day Link Up!

I will take ANY chance to share our wedding details, so when I saw this link up, I knew I had to join!

Justin and I were married 2.19.2012 in Key West, Florida.

We fell in love FAST. On our 6 month anniversary he proposed and we vowed that weekend to take our time and plan the perfect wedding.

Big fat lie. We were engaged in September 2010 and we were going to wait until January to start even thinking of plans.

Within 12 hours of being home for our engagement weekend, I was calling venues. Originally, we planned a BIG, 250 guest wedding at home.

Then, we went on vacation in December 2010. While sitting in the sun, I looked at him and said, "Let's go away and get married."

SO, we started planning.

By Christmas 2010, we knew it would be Key West. We picked a date for 2012 to give our family and friends more time to plan for a big trip.

Venue:

We did a private chartered catamaran.

Bridal Party:

I jumped the gun when planning and asked my girls before I knew we'd have a destination wedding. I told them all I would understand if they couldn't make the trip or didn't want the added bridesmaid expense. They all totally still did it! Our sides were uneven. Justin's friends and many family members couldn't get the time off work/afford to come. So he had 2 groomsmen, and our ring bearer.

Colors:

Purple, Teal, and Gold

First Dance:

The Beginning, Alice Peacock

Details:

We arrived in Key West a few days before the wedding. Saturday night we had a Welcome Party, rather than a Rehearsal Dinner. It was a BLAST! There is this GREAT place in Key West called Dante's. It has a pool, great food, and awesome service! We had a blast.

Sunday, we had pictures on the dock around 4:30, then boarded the boat.

We did ceremony and first dance while the sun was setting. Then we had our yummy tropical feast. The rest of the night was spent dancing. It was amazing!

The Dress:

I had my dress custom made by a local seamstress. I called her SIX weeks prior to our wedding because I hated my dress. She and I sketched out what I dreamed of and she made it! It was PERFECT.

Honeymoon:

We stayed a week in Key West and then we departed on a 7 day cruise!

Driving down to Key West from Orlando

St. Martin

What would I change?

Honestly, NOTHING. Our day was PERFECT. There are sometimes I wish I had put more effort into finding cheaper deals for our guests so a few more people could have made it down. But then I think, nahhh, you had a YEAR. Find your own deals! 

I am SO happy we went to Key West to get married. We fell so in love with it, and now it is "our" little place. And for real---this was the view at our wedding!

Brunch Ideas

Next weekend my cousin and I are hosting a 25th anniversary party for his parents.
It is going to be a pretty chill evening, with a lot of fun people.
One of them happens to be one of my favorite people ever (in the purple):

My college roommate Marissa! 

SO excited to have her stay with us next weekend.

The party is Saturday night, so I am thinking I want to have a little brunch thing before she leaves Sunday afternoon.

Probably no more than 10 people, to make it easy!

Lobster Tarts

How amazing does this yeast meringue coffee cake look?? This is before it was baked, and I think it looks better than after it is cooked- boo.

I'm not totally sure what we are looking at here, but I. love. eggs. And rice. 

I am OBSESSED with these invites!!!

I am thinking of doing a big fruit selection, maybe making a few waffles, and maybe eggs Benedict. In place of the Benedict, I will throw together a breakfast pizza. Hash browns are a MUST no matter what. I am a potato addict.

What was I thinking?

I am not a camera loving person. I feel like I am awkward. Yet, for some reason I am planning to face this fear head on.

Last week a photographer I have been following on Facebook posted a model call. And I definitely signed up.
For some sexy, sassy boudoir and beauty shots.

So now I am on the hunt for some inspiration. Tasteful is a MUST. And the photographer is AMAZING! I think it is going to be GREAT. Most of all, I think it might really help my confidence. And Justin---he is going to love them!