wedding wednesday - 9 days.....and some pictures finally!!!

So I promised that there would be pictures this week.

and I am living up to my end of the bargain albeit a day late for our usual

Wedding Wednesday update.

We got 9 days until this thing jumps off.

9 days.

12 months of planning and it all comes down to these last 9 days.

Craziness if you ask me.

so here are a few snapshots below of all the FUN that has gone on in my house these last few weeks.

I meant to take a photo of my dining/living room so y'all can see how my house looks like a wedding warehouse & gift registry threw up.

Seriously.

We got feathers, jewels, ribbons, glue sticks, glue gun, flowers and Styrofoam all over the place!!

We can't even use one half of our kitchen table as you can see below,

I had to set up the centerpieces SOMEWHERE right?

The dining table seemed like a great place!

D.I.Y. centerpieces:

purple phalenopsis orchid stems

found at USI Floral Inc. for $3.49 each!!

 6" x 12" cylinder vases on sale for $3.75 each  from Zimax  

( thanks Mom!)

floating candle 24 for $5.99 @ IKEA

clear votive holders w/ white candles wrapped in purple ribbon (thanks to HER)

these babies are going to be filled w/ water to submerge the orchid and will place a floating candle on top.

Total cost:$47.88 

(not including cost of leftover ribbon from invites & the vases were 'gift' from my mother)

 

Next up:

The infamous Pomanders!!! I was bound and determined to do this craft!

I love the way they look, their simplicity and the whole stabbing Styrofoam thing is just an added bonus.

I am actually doing 10 of them

5" balls x 2 (2 purple, 2 green)

4" balls x 2 ( 2 purple, 2 green)

3" balls x 6 ( 3 purple, 3 green)

Flowers from www.efavormart.com 

Bunch of 252 flowers for $24.99 each bunch

$59.80 for 500 flowers

Styrofoam balls : $6 for all 10

total: $65.80

This is a brief idea of what the tables will look like w/ the napkins and overlays

Thank you Raquel's linens for the fabulous colors!

 

 

and below that is my hair fascinator.

the. one. that. I. made.

all by myself and with only a smidge of encouragement from HER

It was super fun and I cannot wait to make more.

I have no idea of the actual cost to make as I bought stuff for a number of weeks but I would guesstimate $12 including tax.

simple.

easy on the wallet and totally one of a kind!!

 

 

So - what do you think?

Blues for all the changes.........

That's the title of  one of my favorite book of collected works from Niki Giovanni

And somehow very appropriate for my life these last few days.

I know I promised pictures this week but Babe took the camera with him to Las Vegas on Saturday - and I did not discover this until late Saturday evening.

nice.

So this evening is picture time!

for reals this time.

pinky swear and all that.

the last two days have been absolutely crazy.

but oddly - I'm in such a ZEN place it hasn't really phased me the way it would have a week or so ago.

My god sister told me a few months ago

"Amb - the closer you get to the wedding. the crazier things/ people get."

I was like 'yeah right'. 

it CAN'T get any crazier than it has been.

I spoke to soon.

Sunday one of my bridesmaids and supposed 'friend' bailed out of the wedding on me.

12 days before.

Via text message.

After being asked repeatedly if she was okay with it and still wanted to participate.

but NOW she's out.

Umm, ok.

A week and a half ago - all hell would've broken loose.

I would've been crying and upset and HURT beyond all recognition......

BUT 

I have turned a corner in my emotional melodrama..........

When I received the text I glanced at it,

Shrugged my shoulders and kept it rolling.

When  another bridesmaid and  other friends called me alerting me to the FB drama.

I simply listened to their diatribe , interjected when necessary and went on about my day.

Partially cuz I was in the Valley and it was just WAYYYY too hot out there to be get myself all worked up.

And not to say that I wasn't hurt, upset, and confused.
I just simply did not have the energy or the desire to let it consume me.

none what so ever.

I have spent almost a year of my life planning this wedding.

details, details and more details.

who is wearing this

who is wearing that

who is sitting where

who is eating what

who is coming.........

invitations, crafts and craziness,

I have seen, heard, and been through it ALL

and there is no way we can please everyone.

Believe me - I've tried.

and if I try any harder or stress about it anymore

I'm going to PULL. MY. HAIR. OUT.

so I've opted to get more into a "ZEN" state of mind

And it's actually a good thing.

Words are a VERY powerful tool and you can do more damage with those weapons of mass destruction than you can with physicality.

and I know myself.

While I do not normally hurl words as weapons; I have a WICKED AWESOME vocabulary and can do some damage if necessary.

But I choose to pick my battles and in the grand scheme of things..........

this wasn't even a blip on the radar.

More like a car bomb in Baghdad than destroying the Embassy 

( if you follow my analogy).

Fortunately for me, things were brought to light that had been festering in the dark for sometime.

and although the timing sucks ; I would much rather know for sure how someone feels about me NOW rather than find out in a few months.

It sucks to lose a friend or finally have it confirmed that the frienship was pretty one-sided but there is a lesson in all of this.

What exactly I do not know just now.

But , I have a feeling that will be revealed to me in time.

In the meantime, in between time, my wounds are already scabbing over, proving the cut wasn't too deep and Babe and I are running around like crazy to get this 

"magical event" pulled together in the next 11 days.

I can't. wait.!!!!

how was YOUR weekend?

day dreaming

so based on Wednesday's post I should have some pics for you right?

wellllll......I lied.

Not intentionally of course.

The camera came but it was just a jazzier version of our old one

and our orig was just a regular pocket sized digital camera.

I haven't graduated to the COOL stuff yet.

next time, next time.

But anyway - so we were supposed to get some SUPER cool upgrade

But no dice.

We got this.

And not in the pretty pink color either.

But it's still a camera right? 

So while Babe decided on what he wants to do I was not able to take pics of my wares last night.

Providing he makes up his mind I will for sure post them this weekend.

********

Since it's Friday and we are 15 days from wedded bliss and 16 days away from our Cabo San Lucas get-away my mind is here:

 

I can't wait to get away.......

Margaritas by the pool w/ my Babe sound heavenly right about now

as does a massage........ahhhh

I can already hear the ocean.

I've already got my bathing suits picked out.

I plan on packing this weekend.

what are you day dreaming about?

Say a little Prayer for them.......

the longest relationship I've ever had
has been with this awesome chick.

Michelle Vandruff LaBrecque 

( and her hubs)

she is my best friend tried and true.

My ride or die chick.

I have spoken about her before I'm sure.

She has always been there for me when I needed her most.

No matter what else was going on in her life.

And now - she needs more than just me.

She needs you.

More specifically your prayers

You see her dad is sick.

REALLY sick.

as in we don't know how long he has.

Some horrible, incurable disease has invaded his body and changed him.

And she was scheduled to come out for the wedding in a little over a week but has since moved up her ticket and I am glad.

She needs to be here.

See him.

Make peace.

The last few years have been tough.

Family drama and whatnot.

I won't get into it but it's been a struggle and she has been so amazingly strong.

I am so in awe.

I for sure would have fallen apart.

For sure.

So can you do me a huge favor?

Can you pray for her dad?

And her?

Along with her mother and sister and the rest of the family?

This can't be easy for them.

Watching your loved one deteriorate.

I can't even imagine.

All I can do is be there for her.

And pray.

And please - won't you?

Say a prayer for Mr. Rick Vandruff and his family.

It would mean so much

wedding wednesday - 17 days!!!

I am 17 days away from my second most life changing moment.

(the first obviously being the birth of  the Sweet Pea)

17 days.

wow.

where did it all go?

it seems like just days ago he was proposing and we were celebrating 'being engaged'.

And only a few weeks since the Sweet Pea was born and changed our lives forever.

barely a minute ago we were just two college kids falling in love

and a second before that he was just a guy I met while hanging out on campus.

Over 11 years later - here we are.

finishing what we started

Blessed in so many ways by family and friends who've been our supporters and champions from the beginning.

It was a rocky road no doubt - anything that spans more than a decade usually is 

but totally worth the wait.

I am over the moon with excitement at the next few weeks/days.

I know they will fly by as this last month has.

I was listening to my "lurve songs" mix on my ipod this morning and got all misty when I heard the opening strains of  "At Last" by Etta James.

That is the song I am walking down the aisle to.

The song that will play while my dad escorts me to meet my intended and say "I do".

sigh.

I have always known I would walk down the aisle to that song....

**********************************************************

I was hoping our snazzy new camera would have arrived by now so I could post pics of all the craftiness that has been happening but alas - it will not be here until the 8th.

(booooo)

So you will have to wait until Friday to see all the FUN fabulousness that I've been up to.

Saturday my girl Amber came over and did me a HUGE favor by wrapping the votive's that will go around the centerpiece vase with ribbon. 

No small feat considering we had to kids running around.

She is so freaking awesome. Like for reals.

And she brought the fixings for mimosas!!! 

Holla!!

I also tried my hand at re-creating my hair fascinator  `a la :

It actually turned out pretty good if I do say so myself! 

The Pomanders are coming along nicely and the centerpieces are going to be super cute & simple. 

All the things I love.

I have to say - things are coming together quite well.

I'm also blessed enough to have some FAB friends who are throwing me not only a Bachelorette party but a Bridal shower as well as other plans fell through.

These girls rallied and worked it out so I am able to experience both of these "traditions" and for that I am forever grateful.

I've gotten so much help from so many unexpected resources and not so much from those you would think but it's all worked out in the end and I can't wait to walk down that aisle.

Check back in a few days for another update - this time with pictures!!!!