First Night Of DIY

Saturday night Brittany and I had our first night of wedding DIY!



I loaded Cohen and I up with benadryl (we are ridiculously allergic to Brittany and Chase's children...Scout the schnauzer and Sophie the shih tzu) and headed over for Cohen's dinner of choice....CHEESE DIP! Ha I know not the healthiest dinner but it was a request. After dinner Brittany and I started putting together the bouquets for the wedding. We created one of the bridesmaid bouquets first to really get a feel for everything. Once we realized we loved it,(see below!)




we started on her bouquet.




And while the bride and maid of honor work, the groom and ring bearer will play....Exhibit A



Yes, that's right that's the groom and ring bearer sword fighting with left over cut stems from the flowers. And yes that's my son Spider Man!

Drinking and Driving...

So since the middle of January I've debated on whether I should discuss my brothers wreck in full detail on my blog. Obviously I finally came to the conclusion that I should, and obviously judging by my title his wreck was caused from drinking.

Let me start off by saying that I have never been a fan of drinking and driving. My best friend Brittany and I have always been very serious about the subject and always made sure that one of us was DD. If neither wanted to be DD that night then we stayed where ever it was that we were drinking at. Is this to say that I'm perfect and that I've never made stupid decisions while drunk...no it's not. I've made plenty of stupid decisions while drinking, but I can say that I've always been pretty responsible with the drinking and driving. Not only for myself but friends as well. To my brothers story though...

It was January 15th (his 29th birthday)and he decided to go out and celebrate. From what I can gather he met at a local restaurant to meet with friends and had some drinks there. Now either before this or after, he went by the liquor store (used my money while I was unaware)and bought a huge bottle of Jager.

So not only did he have drinks but he drank an entire bottle of Jager to himself. Then chose to drive. I'm angry with that. I'm angry he made that choice and I'm angry that the friends he was with didn't fight him on it. Now I in no way blame them for what happened because my brother is a big boy and knows right from wrong. I am angry however that they want to call themselves friends of his. FRIENDS wouldn't have allowed it. Because of these choices, this is what happened....






You can tell in this last picture that the big block engine in the truck was shoved clear in the the cab of the truck from hitting the metal pole.

There are a thousand ways I could have and judging by the damage should have lost my brother that night. Even writing this right now I'm sick just thinking about it. Technically because the engine was shoved into the cab of the truck he should have lost his legs which in turn could have caused him to bleed to death. Luckily though the door was pushed open and because the truck is old it didn't have seat belts and he was thrown from the truck. On the way out though, his coat caught on something jerking him and breaking his neck. Had it happened a fraction differently he could have broke his neck completely and died instantly. Even after being thrown from the truck he could have died. He could have laid there with internal injuries with no one finding him and died, or because he was thrown into the road he could have been run over by a car.Not to mention my brother and the truck could have caught on fire when the gas line broke and covered him with gas. A million things could have happened to him that night! I truly believe that it took his guardian angel and God himself pulling Ron out of his wreck that night.

While I've been thinking/dealing with this for a while I stumbled across the perfect song to explain that night. Absolutely PERFECT



Similarities

1. We believe he was coming home and where he had the wreck he would have been turning "I've never taken this curve driving this fast before"
2. Wreck happened at a stoplight "glowing stop sign"
3. "No seat belts attached to my door"
4. "my speed meter don't work" meter was broken in the truck
5. "I'm gonna guess 95" cops estimate he was doing 80mph
6. "Bottle of bourbon is gone" all of the alcohol was gone in the Jager bottle
7. "it's been raining all night" roads were wet
8. "well my 63 ford is a bull" dad's truck was truly a beast and definitely not some crappy put together new model of a truck
9. "but metal surrenders when oak trees meet fenders" metal surrenders when hitting a metal light pole
10. "and engines go through the front seat" the engine was literally in the front seat with him
11. "and a gas line broke in the wreck"
12."I walked through the ashes with just a few scratches, my crucifix warm on my neck" in the whole scheme of things Ron walked away with scratches compared to what could have happened
13. "well my good lord was with me tonight, just riding beside me tonight" like I said Ron had God himself pull him out

This was a wake up call for my brother, what he does with it from here is on him. Maybe he'll fix things and maybe he won't, but it's up to him. I hope with everything I have that he makes the right choices from here on out. Even if this situation doesn't help him, maybe it will make my son or his children think twice about doing this when they get older. Or for that matter, maybe someone will read this post and think twice for themselves.

*side note* Can someone explain to me how $400 tools can get broken but the Jager bottle came out with not one crack in it?!?.....Jager is pure evil in my opinion and a whole different topic in itself!

Diets & Workouts & Stress...Oh My!

Alright ladies and gents....as mentioned before in my New Year's Resolutions post, I have to get in shape! Not only to create a happier healthier me, but I have Brittany's wedding in about 8 months! I'm the freaking Maid of Honor! Which means that I'll be standing right next to my stunningly beautiful-drop dead gorgeous BF who will be looking extra stunningly beautiful and drop dead gorgeous on her wedding day! Now it is not my goal to look prettier than her and that's not even a possibility (even if God himself graced me with a miracle to accomplish such a thing, I wouldn't dream of it!) I would like to be able to stand next to her and not have 250+ guests asking who Quasimodo is standing next to the bride. Ha ok maybe that mental picture is a bit extreme...but you get the idea. Soooo, with so many different diets and workouts available what do I choose?!?

First off a diet...I'm not big on diets. I think a lot of them don't work and you're better off training yourself to eat healthier. That being said...that's my goal! More salads and such with less carbs! Plus I will not kick myself in the butt just because I happen to have a slice of pizza one time in a matter of a month! Kicking myself in the butt for it will only discourage me and say "what's the point?".

As for workouts...well here's where I'm a little unsure. I've heard so many people go on about the following products.

The Wii Fit

Although this sounds like fun and could keep me interested long enough to continue my workouts on a regular basis...it's too expensive!

P90X

I've heard great things about this workout system, but again it's a bit pricey and what if I don't enjoy it?

30 Day Shred

At about 15 bucks, I'm thinking this will be a little more worth it for me. Cheap enough that if I don't like it I'm not wasting a ton of money and from what I understand still a great workout that will help me see results.

Not to mention I'm going to get back into my walking/jogging routine and make a conscious effort to walk more in general (i.e. parking farther away at the store and getting up more from my desk at work).

So here I go...wish me luck...and lord help me to stay focused!

2010 movies I already love you...

There are sooooo many movies coming out this year that I'm super excited about! My list is so long I'm not even really sure where to begin, but....


Currently out right now that I want to see is When in Rome and the Lovely Bones. I'm a sucker for chick flick movies like When and Rome so of course it's a must. As for the Lovely Bones...I listened to the audio book a few years back and I have a feeling it's going to be much like My Sister's Keeper was. Great books, but hard to watch and not cry your eyes out.

Movies to come....Dear John, Valentines Day, The Wolfman, Shutter Island, Alice in Wonderland, The Back Up Plan, Remember Me, She's Out Of My League, The Bounty Hunter, The Runaways, Grown Ups, Last Song, Repo Men, Iron Man 2, Robin Hood, Sex & The City 2, Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Salt, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Prince of Persia: The Sands Of Time, Letters To Juliet, Knight & Day.....I mean really the list goes on and on!

Movies at the top of my list include:

Dear John
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0989757/

Valentines Day

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0817230/
I mean could they have possibly packed any more top actors and actresses in this movie?!?!?

Alice In Wonderland

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/
I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton films and I'm postive that this will be nothing short of amazing!

The Runaways

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1017451/
Love, love, love the music and I think this movie will be FANTASTIC! Super excited doesn't even begin to describe what I am for this movie!

And of course last but not least...
Twilight Saga: Eclipse

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1325004/

I wish I could say that you will be able to find me in the theaters on each opening day, but sadly that probably won't happen.

2010 you were supposed to be different...better...

2010 was supposed to be a new and better year for me....or so I had planned. But as we all know things don't always go as planned. One of my biggest plans for the year was to start school and now it looks like that plan will either be put off for a while or won't happen at all.

On January 15th my brother had gone out to celebrate his 29th birthday. Around 2 in the morning he was in a horrific car accident that almost claimed his life. By the grace of God he pretty much walked away. He was transported to Washington Regional in Fayetteville where we learned that he had a concussion, dislocated both hips, broke his neck, broke his pelvis, fractured his left hip, broke the bones on top of his left foot and cut his right leg down to the bone. He was driving my dad's classic chevy pickup and totaled it. He hit a metal stoplight pole dead center, causing the engine to get pushed up into the cab of the truck. He should have been pinned in the truck but some how the driver side door got pushed open and he was thrown into the street. Three people drove passed the accident and not one person stopped. I will give them credit for calling it in, but how do you not stop to make sure someone is ok, alive or if they need help?!?!? How do you not stop?!?! I can't imagine what it must have been like for him while he laid there yelling for help.... How is it that I know these details you may ask...coming from a small town you end up knowing most of the people in town. The dispatcher who received the calls and dispatched the state trooper to the scene happened to be a close friend of the family and told us the details.

Since that night he has been transported to another hospital over a hundred miles from us and has gone through surgery to repair his hip and pelvis. He will have to wear a neck brace for the next 3 months to repair his neck and won't be able to walk for the next 3 months either. After the 3 months is over he will have to go through rehab and learn how to walk again.

So for the next few months my time and energy will be going to the family. Helping everyone get back on track. School at this point is not much of an option....important thing is that my brother survived and no one else was involved in the accident.

OH how things change...

Since I was a little girl, I have planned my "wedding" multiple times. I have dreamt of what colors, themes, bridesmaids and decorations I wanted. Every last detail was thought of. Sadly this same thought process has gone for my friends weddings too :) Back before Chase placed the beautiful engagement ring on Brittany's tiny little finger, wedding ideas had already taken place in my head. (haha don't judge...it's called a best friend being prepared) Originally, way before Chase came into the picture Brittany had always talked about how nice it would be to have a beach wedding. So I of course had multiple ideas and locations planned out. Since then the theme of Brittany's wedding has changed to Rustic (side note...I'm in love with this idea more so than the beach wedding). Although the theme has stayed the same since this beauty came into the picture....



the location has not! There has probably been talk of about 3 to 4 different locations. Annoying as this is, it's very typical during the wedding planning process. Now that we are officially in 2010, the location is for sure set and will not be changing again. Brittany and I have truly jumped on board the wedding planning process and have started finalizing all details. So for those of you that read my blog (all two of you ha) get ready because it's all wedding from here on out!

I've been bad...

I've neglected my blog most of December! I had many times where I thought I would blog but everytime I thought about this I either couldn't get my thoughts together or the topic was a little to personal for all the world to see. But today was the day to get back to my blog. What shall my topic be....what everyone is blogging about right now of course! New's Years Resolutions.

2009 was a horrible horrible year for me! Without going into too much detail the year included MAJOR back surgery for my dad that almost killed him, a break up from a long distance relationship, many many finacial struggles, a divorce in the family and really the list goes on and on. I can however say that I survived it all! 2009 sucked! I hated it with a PASSION, and I only hope that 2010 proves to be a better year and there are definitely steps that will be taken on my part. I spent my entire year of 2009 trying to fix everyone around me and their problems. This is not a bad thing, as it's good to help the people you love. Therefore I do not regret it, but this year I will focus a little more on myself and the things I need to do to make myself happier and healthier along with making things happier and healthier for Cohen.

I plan to work towards starting school, work out more (yeah yeah I know everyone says this at the beginning of the year) but one of the biggest and will be the hardest to tackle....making myself a healthier and happier me for DATING... Yeah I said the dreaded "D" word. For multiple reasons I have avoided dating. Those reasons including the above mentioned LDR, of course recovery time after the LDR, and then excuse after excuse as to why I couldn't/shouldn't. Having a child (who without a doubt is my entire world) I am very protective and guarded over mixing my son and dating. With the LDR he probably met my son a total of maybe 3 times in a time period of probably a year and a half. I feel very strongly about keeping my son shielded from that world. I will not have his childhood memories include multiple dating partners with mommy. So because I feel so strongly about this I've found it a lot easier just to not date or even think about dating. This year I will change that. I don't need someone to complete me, I am perfectly comfortable in my own skin to be on my own. But I do know that it would be nice to have someone and that I do deserve to be happy.

So here's to school, working out, dating and being a happier healthier me!