Week 5: Wedding Weekend

My husband and I were both in a wedding this past Sunday, so he caught most of the Bears game in the groom's hangout room.  The TV in the bride's room didn't work, but we had plenty to keep us busy before the ceremony!  Still, I'm sure my lack of knitting is getting blamed for another loss.  I did get a bit of knitting done on a new bib (yarn color "Hippie") at the salon on Sunday and during Monday Night Football.  I also finished up the Tie Die Stripes burp cloth during the week.  So many friends having little boys right now--I'm going to run out of options for blue yarn!

Pretty in Pink!

A bib start and a burp cloth finish

Let me help you with that string, Mama!

Bridal Helper

The big day is October 12! Less than three weeks to go, Mary! 

In the beginning, there were many homemade invitations to tie with a purple bow...

Then I converted dollar store invitations into snazzy bridal shower invitations with a new printer and lots of rubber cement.  Of course, we tied in the favors and prizes to the purple color scheme, too!

And finally, I made a fantastic Pin Win with this bachelorette party bag I found months ago on Pinterest!  She'll have to live with no purple on this one...

June Blessings

June was a busy month despite my lack of employment outside the home. It was also a month that ended with a lot of prayer requests, which helped me realize how blessed I am to have a family in relatively good health. On to the list of blessings:

• To start off the month, Dave and I attended our third Eucharistic Congress together and heard wonderful speakers on out faith, including Dr. Scott Hahn.  There's nothing quite like a spiritual boost to get you feeling more optimistic!
• We celebrated our third anniversary in June. Sometimes it seems like we just got married, and sometimes it seems like we've always been together.  Since our anniversary, I have been driving out to have lunch with Dave once a week, which has been something to look forward to for both of us.
• Dave really *really* REALLY wanted to see Gustav Holst's orchestral suite "The Planets" performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and with me at home, it's easier to get last minute tickets.  The hassle of getting these tickets was worth it when I got to watch the joy on Dave's face as he saw his favorite symphonic pieces performed. 
• Our townhouse went on the market the first week of the month, and less than three weeks later we were under contract! Closing isn't until the beginning of August, so please say a prayer that things continue to go smoothly.
• Last, but not least, we signed a lease on a cute rental house that will reduce Dave's commute from an hour (one-way) down to around 20 minutes. I don't know which of us is more excited about the shortened commute--Dave because he gets to sleep later in the morning and save a ton on gas, or me because scheduling dinner will be a lot easier and he'll be home more.
 

At the grand opening of the local Steak 'n Shake with friends

Monster Birthday

My middle sister, Mary, turned 30 last week and told her boyfriend that she wanted to see monster trucks for her birthday. So last night, a dozen of us got together at my baby sister's house to celebrate with pizza and cake before taking Marta to see monster trucks at the Georgia dome.

A Pinterest-inspired birthday present my BFF asked me
to make for the occasion

Make a wish! Mary made a special request for Sarah's famous rum cake

I made it my mission to capture photos of monster trucks in flight

Sarah's blog post about Mary's Monster Birthday: Rum and rednecks

Suite Seats

Dave scored some suite tickets to the Braves v. Nationals game on Monday night. I took a bunch of gratuitous Chipper pics for my BFF Heather since she is far away in California.

Sweet seats? Definitely!

No Such Luck

Dave and I adopted some ducks for the Special Olympics Georgia Duck Derby which took place last Friday. Unfortunately we didn't win any of the cool prizes, but the adoption fee goes toward a good cause and the ducks are super cute!

Birthday Surprise

My co-workers surprised me this morning with homemade blueberry muffins, balloons, new tea flavors, a bottle of sparkling wine, and a small assortment of snack foods.


Turning 30 wasn't nearly as scary as everyone makes it out to be!

Blowing Glass

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My Zamboni Obsession

Yesterday was Dave's hockey buddy's birthday, so how could I turn down a weeknight Thrashers game to celebrate?

While the boys went to order new beverages, I snapped a few pictures, including the one below. See the Zamboni jersey? I want one of those to wear to hockey games so I can cheer between periods when the zamboni(s) come out...


The guy Mr. Zamboni Jersey is talking to is the organist. He's pretty cool, too! And we had a pretty good view of him and his keyboards.

Zamboni Season

When Dave and I started dating almost a year ago at the beginning of the 2008-2009 hockey season, he asked me come to opening day for the Atlanta Thrashers the next season. Who knew we would actually still be dating, much less engaged to be married?



It's not a real hockey game until there is a fight--and we saw two good ones at this opening game!

Chili Cook Off

Dave and I braved the forecast to go to the chili cook off at Stone Mountain Park this weekend. Some friends have entered for the past few years, and I was never able to make it out. This year, I vowed that I would go. Here are a few random picture I took on my phone (I didn't want to take my camera in case it decided to pour...)

"Suck-up Chili"
A booth of Miller Lite cans (they sponsored the Chili Cook Off)

Top Gun is one of my favorite movies!
HistoryDiva, you don't have to comment...

"Outhouse Chili"
Yes, that is a toilet...

Braves and a Concert

When Dave heard that one of my favorite Christian singers, Matthew West, was going to give a concert after a Sunday afternoon Braves game, he got his hands on four tickets for us to go (though we had trouble finding someone to take the extra two tix... glad Heather and Marie were able to join us for the game in the end!) The game went 12 innings between the Braves v. Reds...

And he's out... Reds 4, Braves 2

I enjoyed the view of the capitol building in the gap between the stands and the big screen.


Matt Diaz of the Braves speaks to the crowd gathered for the Faith Day Concert after the game. His brother, Jonny Diaz, is a Christian music artist.

Great seats for the Matthew West concert!!!

Dave is now a Matthew West fan since both grew up in the Chicago area and love the Cubs (though Matthew admittedly cheered for the Braves at this particular game...)


He even blogged about his Atlanta concert!

Wacky Weather

It's now hurricane season, which means the atmospheric pressure is wreaking havoc on my sinuses. It also means that there are random thunderstorms. Dave and I thought we might end up victims of a summer downpour at the G-Braves game this past weekend...



Fortunately, the unpredictable weather decided to hold off so we could enjoy the game.

Paid!

I hold in my hands (well, when I'm not typing...) a small bank receipt for the pay-off amount on my car. Yes, despite all of the trials and tribulations earlier this year, I have now achieved my goal of paying off my car a year early.

YIPEE!!!!!

Bridesmaid Dresses

Dress #1

Robin & Johnny, November 2003

Dress #2

Jennifer & Spence, January 2006

Dress #3

Heather & Kevin, October 2006

Dress #4

Angela & John, July 2009

Dress #5Sarah & Robert, September 2010?

Let's Go Cubbies!

My favorite boyfriend loves the Cubs so much that he bought tickets to all three games against the Braves. Since all three were on weeknights (and therefore I would have to be awake and coherent at work the next morning), I told him I would go to two games with him.


Tuesday night, we had this adorable little old man for our usher. He was telling all of the Cubs fans to sit down and shut up. Too funny! (Braves won in the 12th inning)

Wednesday, Dave took his boss who had never been to Turner field. (Cubs won in the 11th inning)

Last night, we watched the rain create a lake. I liked the yellow raincoats on the security people who would have kicked me out if I had gone down to use the tarp over the diamond as a slip & slide like I wanted to... (Game cancelled due to rain)

Dave is trying to convert me into a Cubbies fan...

The Rental Boat... and Other Car Issues

Back in February, Dave and I were rear-ended in my car on our way out of town for a hockey game. The driver of the car that hit us insisted that she wanted to pay out of pocket, so I decided to be nice and got a couple of estimates and sent them to her. A couple weeks later, she finally calls back saying she was out of town, lost all of the numbers in her phone, yadda yadda yadda.

Again, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. After all, she wouldn't just be paying for the cosmetic damage (which really wasn't much IMHO), there was also something wrong with my fuel gauge as a result of the impact.

A couple more weeks pass by, so I call and leave her a message. She calls back and leaves me a message. Then I call her back and leave a final message, giving her till the end of the week to do *something*, or I will contact her insurance. At this point, six weeks had passed since the accident.

The following Monday morning, I call the insurance company on the police report and file a claim.

Two weeks later, I call her insurance again and leave a message to please contact me to let me know the status of my claim. When I get home from work that day, there is a letter in the mailbox denying payment for the claim. After pitching a fit (after all, how can it not be the other person's fault if *she* rear-ended *me*?), I noticed that the name on the policy didn't match... and that's where I brought in my insurance.

I am now pretty much on a first-name basis with the lady handling my insurance claim. She got to chat with the girl that hit me (who wasn't sure if she had auto insurance at the time of the accident--yeah, right), and insurance lady ended up getting the same lack of communication after the initial contact that I had already faced.

Finally, I opted to use my uninsured motorist policy so I could just get my car fixed (and my insurance could legally go after her later). I called the body shop so they could order parts, and the day they call to tell me they're ready for me, my car is at the family shop getting repaired after a freak accident.

So finally this week, I dropped my car off at the body shop to fix all of the damage from her rear-ending. That left me with the huge rental boat that my insurance lined up for me. Yes, it's a nice, shiny new Pontiac G6, but I miss my little car. Especially since I was supposed to get her back yesterday. It's not my fault that the body shop didn't understand that the fuel gauge wasn't working... I thought I had explained it clearly enough, even faxing them a copy of the estimate from the family shop with contact info if they needed further explanation from the shop guys (who are infinitely more technical than I am).

Today is three months since the original incident, and hopefully my $250 deductible will be money well spent to have a working fuel gauge again. I may just have to squeal when I get my keys back!

A bird did target practice with the rental boat while I was at work yesterday. I don't really care since the boat left oil spots on the floor of my garage.

Weekend in the Woods

My wonderful parents helped me finance a women's retreat through my church as an early birthday present. It was an extremely peaceful weekend that gave me a lot of time to reflect on where I am and where I am going with my life. And the scenery? See for yourself...