Happy Independence Day!

Wow, I'm starting off the month a little behind. But it's OK, we'll use today as a 4th of July/monthly goals day instead. I honestly can't believe this year is already half over. And even more so, I can't believe that my first anniversary is coming up in less than three weeks! I am so excited. Jarrod and I have both taken a week off and are going to spend it at the beach... RELAXING.

Several things have come with the changing of the month... the end of our wedding frenzy after Beka and Nate's wedding; a "normal person" schedule for me, where I don't have to be at work before the sun comes up (only temporary due to some vacation time, but I'll take it!); my own vacation time, as I mentioned before; and a new project that my best friend Reagan and I are working on together (...details forthcoming). I'm looking forward to what this month holds.

And of course, I'd be remiss not to mention what a great day this is in the history of our country. It's a day to remember of all of those men/women who over 200 years ago sacrificed so much so we could have the freedom we enjoy today and to think of those today who continue to project that freedom. I know things are far from perfect here and some rights and freedoms have been infringed upon and others relaxed, but I'm still proud as ever to live in this country.

So on to the goals:

• Get things moving on this project with Rea
• I've been working on changing some of my lifestyle and eating habits (I'll post something on this later in the week), so I really want to stick to them this month.
• Celebrate the most amazing year of my life with the most amazing guy in the world!

 And from last month: 

So that's the major goal for this month is taking care of everything involved in that.

• host a fabulous bachelorette weekend extravaganza!
• write a great toast
• stand next to the best big sister ever as she marries a great guy
• there are a million of other things, but I won't list them all here

Find a good balance between spending time with the hubby, getting enough sleep and making time for writing. mmm... still working on this one

To Beka and Nate: A Toast

Sister, to you I raise up a toast
Because you’re the one I look up to the most.

You weren’t too happy when I first came to the house.
She used to pinch my cheeks, even pushed me off the couch.

But things are different now that we’re grown,
And you’re one of the best friends I have ever known.

When we were young, you always played the lead.
So Nathan, beware, that’s something she won’t likely concede.

And then came the years of Super Nintendo and bikes
Of capture-the-flag and telling Hannah to take a hike.

If you're privileged enough to sit at our family table
You'll probably think we're crazy, maybe a little unstable.

We laugh and joke and finish each other's thoughts
It drives our grandmother crazy. She says, “That's not how you were taught.”

All through my life, I’ve realized a lot
I ask, “What would Beka do… if she were in this spot?”

That's led me many places, some bad, some good.
But I know so much of who I am is because of you.

You were such a support when I was in your shoes.
No wedding planner could’ve been as good as you.

We say there's a FRIENDS reference for every part of life,
So after today “you'll never be a bride again, you'll just be someone's wife.”

Nathan, I’m glad to have you join our clan.
God knows the Lindsey crew could use another man.

And while I know you went to NC State,
I have to say “Carolina Rules!” Sorry, Nate

But now to some more serious stuff.
I’ll try not to cry, but it’s gonna be tough.

So love her, protect her and say nice things.
She loves a kind word… and a little bling.

So, Beka as you exchange your Lindsey for a Frye
Know that no one is happier for you, than I.

So once again, I raise my glass
To the best sister for which I could ask.

Here's to love and joy and a life that is great.
Here's to you, Beka and Nate.

2 Days!

My big sissy gets married in 2 days! Cannot begin to say how excited I am... and how busy! This week has already gotten crazy. I met up with the fam yesterday to put some of the centerpieces together (They look great, by the way. And now you know that they were personally made by us!) along with some other bits of the decor.

We'll be heading back over there today to actually set some of it up. I believe the tables should already be in place, so we'll be making sure they all look good and coordinating the table numbers and seating arrangements, etc. It's been a lot of fun getting ready for this wedding, I think because it's for someone that I love so much and I get to be really involved, but I'm not dealing with the stresses of it being my day. Also, my wedding was the first wedding I'd ever been in, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  Now, 3 weddings later, I'm a seasoned professional (or whatever).

But following the set up today, I still got mani/pedis and dinner with the fam and the luncheon tomorrow and rehearsal in the evening, not to mention several errands that still need to be run. When will it all get done? I have no idea, but it will.

And somewhere in all of this, I still have to finish up my toast. I've gotten a good bit of it written, but I need to do some fine tuning and add a few more things to it. I've something special up my sleeve and I'm super excited and super nervous. I'm not the best public speaker. In fact, sitting here right now thinking about it, I just got butterflies in my stomach. Will definitely need a little wine beforehand to help calm my nerves!

It's probably going to be too crazy to do any more posts over the next couple of days, but I'll be sure to give a wrap up after the event. Can't wait!

Florida Family

Well, I didn't quite make it on my posting everyday, but that's OK. I had a very full day yesterday, between work and then meeting up with the Lindsey clan at the mall to shop for my little sis, who I haven't seen in over a month because she's been off gallivanting around the Caribbean (and getting school credit for it!)

It's nice having the whole family here. Sometimes you get so busy with day-to-day life that you miss out on opportunities to hang out with your family, so I'm appreciative to have this time with everyone. Plus, my awesome cousins are in town from Florida, so that makes it even more fun.

Karen is beautiful and awesome. She's someone I really admire and is such a wonderful mother. She's also great to talk to over a glass (or 3...) of wine or a margarita!

Mariah is growing up so fast! She's headed off to high school after the summer, but I still remember dressing her up in our old dance costumes when she was like 3. She's grown into a beautiful young woman.

Taylor is my guy. He is so much fun to be around, even when he sucks Jarrod into some zombie-shooting PlayStation game. He actually spent the night with us the other night and we watched "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and the next morning he helped Jarrod hang a new ceiling fan in our office. He's so handy!

And Katherine is such a cutie. She's always wears the most fun, colorful outfits with a fabulous headband or flower in her hair. She's pretty quiet when you first meet her, but not for long.

So seriously, it's pretty much my favorite time of the year whenever they come to town. If you remember, Jarrod and I made a trip to see them in March. Here's my post from that trip. We'd like to make that an annual trip, because seeing each other only once a year is simply unacceptable. (We're working on convincing them to move to Raleigh!)

Busy, busy, busy!

Wow, I've just been going through my to-do list for the week as we get prepared for my sister's wedding next weekend and it's crazy! There's dry cleaning and picking up my dress and getting my hair done and helping put together flowers, etc. at the venue. It's going to be very busy. And that's not including some of the other things that I don't have actually "scheduled" (i.e. writing my toast!!)

I'm trying to not get stressed out. I can only imagine how my sister is feeling right now. The week before my wedding I got really sick. Like sick enough that I couldn't concentrate at work (and I was out of sick leave and couldn't take any time off) and had to go to urgent care 3 days before my wedding and get a shot of antibiotics. It was pretty rough, but thank God by the time the wedding got there I was back to 100%.

But back to now, I have a feeling that my 4 days of work are going to be my "down time." I'm glad to have another 3 day weekend coming up... even if it's going to be just as busy as this week. So that means I should probably be headed off to bed now to start my week off with more than 5 hours of sleep. Good night!