Same night in a silly hat/wig shop...isn't this the most hilarious thing ever?!

So this is us last Mardi Gras...what a fun night....we were in Breck.

I'm so tired of studying...

...both today and in life in general. When will all of this education end? In August, I finish the MBA, but shouldn't I take the PE after that? That's gonna be hard core studying for at least 4 months. I've read that you should study 40 hours a week every week for 4 months to prepare for the PE. That's a big commitment. I just can't wait for all of this stuff to be over and done with.

It's sort of funny that I complain about it, though, seeing how as I really want to pursue a doctorate someday. I really won't mind that...bec with the doctorate I will not be working full time and then going to school at night. Nope, I will just be dedicated to the doctorate...for 5 years. Hopefully, it will be worth it. I never would have thought 10 years ago that I might pursue a doctorate in business...I was such a little engineer back then. Well, maybe not yet...I was actually still in high school ten years ago right now...and didn't even know that I was going to get an eng. undergrad degree. Crazy how things turn out.

So, yeah, I have my 10 year high school reunion this year. So does Ben. He doesn't want to go to his, but we'll probably go to mine. It's actually really bad timing for us, since they will probably occur right when we're at our busiest this summer...and since we both live in towns that we didn't grow up in and will have to travel to get to them. At least we're not too far away.

Speaking of "home", I miss Nashville quite a bit....this has been building for about 6 months, now. I have been wanting to move home...weird, huh? I know that I won't - life isn't taking me there right now - but sometimes, I just wish I could go back. Also, I've been thinking lately that I would love to move to Atlanta....but again, life is not taking me there right now. Where are these thoughts coming from? I guess Chattanooga is getting a bit old.

I am going to purchase my second item from ebay today. I'm a bit reluctant to "ebay" as I feel it's America's big yard sale (at least for anything that I might purchase). But today there is something that I want and I'm going to try to get it. The first thing I bought was some Crate and Barrel dishes a few months ago. They arrived fine and what not, but I thought it was weird how the social aspects of the whole thing worked. The woman pretty much said "You need to leave positive feedback for me in so many days or I am going to leave bad feedback about you. If you leave bad feedback, I will also leave bad feedback." Hmm....it seems to me like no one would ever really want to leave bad feedback bec then that person is going to turn around and leave bad feedback for you therefore, how can you really trust anyone? In the C&B dish woman's case, it seemed as if I was being threatened into leaving her outstanding feedback, when she only did the minimum required....which seems silly. Those are just my thoughts though...and what do I know? Apparently, there are a whole lot of people that live by ebay.

Hopefully, my second attempt will be a better experience.

Ok, so I was super lazy yesterday and didn't order the invites or contact the photog. But that's ok...we still have over 6 months to prepare for the wedding. Currently, I have 2 very big things going on this week...and I need to focus on them.

Aggregate planning can get very confusing at times.

And lastly, I cannot believe it is 5 already....it's been a short day...but thank goodness it's almost March and that it's still light out until after 6PM. I think we're supposed to have some nice weather in the next few days....in the 70's, maybe? Yea! I can't wait for spring and cute skirts, dresses, sandals, etc.

Mmmmmm....I finally got some thin mints!

Ok...so Anthropologie is killing me right now...they have about $1500 worth of skirts and dresses that I'm dying for. Ugh. Don't they know I have a wedding to pay for? I can't go on a shopping spree right now...they are just evil to introduce the best spring/summer collection ever this year. Evil, I say!

Also, I was an idiot last night...but, all I can say is: good times, good times.

Still no studying done for the test. I am being a bad MBA student this weekend. I think that I actually only have 4 tests left total. 2 for the prods/ops apps class and 2 for the elective I'll take in the first summer term. That last class in the second summer term is a business simulation class and I'm pretty sure that there are no tests in it. Thank goodness I'm so close...I've about had it with test taking. I really, really need a break.

Mom and Natie came down yesterday...that was fun. We took him to the aquarium. That new part with the butterflies is really cool....I think he had a really great time. He's so big now...inches taller than me. He looks like he's about 14 or 15, not 11. He's a really good kid...he opened doors for me..I thought that was very sweet and good training. Of course he takes after his aunt Stacey....hehe...he's very smart. I was quizzing him on the elements....he did very well, identifying Fe, Au, and others. He knew the way the periodic table worked with reactive versus non reactive and understood electrons and valences and what not. I was quite impressed.

I've been thinking the last few days about how you have such a little amount of time to make an impression on people. Sometimes, it's a really short time in respect to your lifetime...it might actually be a year that you have to make your impression (or several years for that matter), but you screw it up...or circumstances are weird...or your connection to that other person is through a link that isn't good. I'm not sure that I'm explaining myself properly. I guess what I've been thinking about is how I have at certain times in my life been a spoiled brat. Not a spoiled brat in the sense that I was monetarily taken care of and expected things to be bought for me. No, I actually mean "spoiled brat" in the sense that I was careless, insensitive, and totally self involved. During these times I have obviously encountered many people...close friends, friends of friends, and complete and total random strangers. What must some of these people thought of me??? I can only imagine. I also can only imagine what they tell others. I cringe at the thought of my ex boyfriend telling his wife some stories about his past relationship...she probably thinks I was a horrid witch bec I broke up with him over the phone. I think I'm a horrid witch for having broken up with him over the phone! Anyway,I have made a decision to try to make amends for those broken relationships...at least the ones that I can fix. I am not going to seek people out, but if I should happen to encounter them, I am going to apologize for my wrongdoings. I feel certain the Stacey that I am now leaves a much better impression than that one from a few years ago...at least I hope so. I like to think that all these years I've been kind hearted for the most part...so hopefully even with my not so good moments, others at least saw that come through.

Hehehehe...it kinda sounds like that Earl show, only a little less proactive.

Check it out...I'm "cheffin' it!"

Hehehe...I made this word up tonight...while passin' by a building being built and it had some chefs in their white coats in there..amongst all that construction work...and I said, "hey..what are they 'cheffin'?'" It's stuck...it is our new word for "to make" or "to do"...aka "chef". Hehehe...yeah, after one pomegranate martini and many heinekins, I'm still lauging at that one.

So, why am I really writing a blog? It is because I actually signed a contract today...Yes, non-committal Stacey...Miss "I can't commit to you or marry you or give you my phone number or give you my address, most definitely can't give you my love, can't give you any promise that this is going anywhere" Stacey signed a contract...not only did I agree to marry Ben (Hooray!), but I also signed a contract with TN River Place and gave them a deposit. Yes, it is official...we are really getting married... money has been paid and that's a big deal for me.

So, tomorrow, even though I really need to study for a test, I will probably contact Stephanie, the photographer, and also buy the invites. Crazy. We're really getting married...how did this happen? Two people who were confirmed singletons...and I guess they fell in love. Well, at least this one did. I love Ben with all of my heart. :-)

Anyway...so that's that...our official date is really September 21st...so should we do it at 5:30 or 6:00PM? That's the only decision I have to make before I order the invites...

Yea! We're on our way...hehehe....we're 'cheffin'' it!

Hehehe....and I'm a feelin' really good....

I am currently Thin Mint-less...

...not bec I bought 3 boxes and ate them all last night, but actually bec I had no cash on me so I thought it best to not stop and waste my time. So, I'm gonna get cash today and then pick some up this afternoon. This should force me to work out after work once again, so that's cool. I don't think I'll be able to work out tomorrow, though, bec Mom is coming in to get her hair done. I think I'm going to take her by the site while she's in.

Got the invite to my brother's wedding yesterday....they sent it really early...the wedding isn't until the end of May. But it's cool.

Still undecided on the dress...and what sucks is that the silk shantung has gone on sale...it's 55% off...I've emailed the seamstress back to ask for how long. Must make up mind soon, apparently. And, well, I found the other dress online for much cheaper...here's hoping that I'm able to get it.

Mmmmm....lean cuisine classic five cheese lasagna. I am the most boring lunch person ever...I always have this for lunch...every day of the week. There are random days like yesterday when I eat out, but for the most part, I really do eat these five days a week. I'd hate to know what harm I'm causing my body by it...I'm pretty sure anything in excess is bad for you.

I'm so glad the Olympics will be over tonight! Thank goodness. I've had enough. Ben is addicted to it...every night he stays up super late watching. It's funny...he knows like every rule to every sport and the major players in all of the events. It's cute.

Think I'm gonna sign the contract for the site this weekend and turn it in with the deposit, then contact the photog and put her deposit down, order the invites, and if I must make a final decision on the dress, put whatever deposit down that she wants. It will be one expensive weekend!

More random thoughts...

1. I never remembered what the last thing on the list was from yesterday.
2. I did run last night and had a great 5k. I've been running longer these days...after the 5k, I continue to run for a total of 45 mins...so it averages about 5.5 miles. It feels great. But the real part of the story is that I *finally* got a new book this week...so no more Brangelina reading in US Weekly, thank goodness. I got Memoirs of a Geisha. It's pretty long, and since I'm running longer and not on the stairclimber as much, I think it's going to take me awhile. I hope it's good...at the bookstore, the first paragraph captivated me even though I'm not usually too interested in Asian culture...so we'll see how it goes.
3. Went to the CFA meeting today during lunch...that was really good. A VP from the Atlanta Fed spoke...he was quite interesting. I have encountered two Doctors of Economics recently, and they both have intrigued me....they are such unique people...I really enjoy hearing them speak.
4. I'm underbudget on cake & stationary...hooray! But I forgot to budget tax on the site, so they cancel out.
5. Ok...I was trying to keep my political opinions out of this blog...I mean, c'mon, it's a blog about a wedding...but all I can say is: Damn the South Dakota legislature. Damn them. This country is going downhill...we are moving back in time. Ok, before I get too angry, I will let it go.
6. It could be worse...I could live in Darfur or the Congo.
7. Speaking of Africa, did I already mention in the blog before that The Constant Gardener is a superb movie?
8. And finally, I am going to buy Girl Scout cookies this afternoon. Yes, after my rant about health and working out and what not last week, I am caving in to the goodness of thin mints. Mmm....I LOVE thin mints. I can't wait. At least I'm going to run again tonight...I deserve a sleeve or two of Thin Mints after that! :-)

A few random thoughts..

1. Class is cancelled tonight and I'm going to the CFA luncheon tomorrow instead. That is very cool. I'm going for a run. Yea! I never get to run on Wednesday nights.
2. That new lemon flavored toothpaste is awesome. I love it. Why didn't Crest think of this sooner?
3. Ice dancing was the coolest sport at the Olympics...I mean, those outfits were so fun. (Hopefully, I'm not tacky since I just read an article on cnn about how the ice skaters' outfits were too outrageous this year...but I don't think they included ice dancing in that bec the ice dancers have to have outrageous outfits to fit in). I was very happy for the "American" couple, even though the girl is really Canadian. They were both super cute. Too bad about all those falls that one night, though...that one Canadian girl looked like she was in awful pain. Poor thing.
4. Have I said that my brother is also getting married, yet? He is getting married in May.
5. I got samples from paper-source last night for RSVP's and other inclusions/program type cards. So, I think the invites are all figured out now....invites from paperstyle and other stuff from paper-source. I must say that the colors are quite stunning. :-) Here's hoping that people like (or at least accept if nothing else), my unique invites.
6. Decision (Indecision?) 2006: The bigger dress is still winning. Maybe not by as much as before, but still winning.
7. Ok...there was another recommendation that I had, but it is eluding me now...but I swear it was a good one...

A Tale of Two Gowns...

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Stacey who was fair and honest and good. She was going to the ball and needed a dress fit for a princess...would she find it?

Ok...so K and I went to see little Evan yesterday morning! Yea! He is just precious...soooooooo tiny. He has a head full of very dark locks and makes the sweetest noises. Hehe...Rockey and Brenda couldn't identify him while he was in the nursery....that was pretty funny. They seem so excited and so happy....I'm so happy for them...what exciting times these are!

So, after the hospital visit, K and I were off to Atlanta. M.Sweet kept calling for opening appts as it seems the social elite of the Atl don't like to come out when the weather is sour. So, we hit Bridesmaid Bowtique first and had an appt at M.Sweet a few hours later. First and foremost, I have to say that the name Bridesmaid Bowtique is a horrible one...don't judge this place based on that name. Don't go to the website, either. Just take my word for it...if you like Watters bridal gowns, then you will like this place. They pretty much have the whole Watters line. Soooo...I tried on, I dunno, maybe 8 or 10 gowns/dresses...and I fell in love with two of them. Yes, two. I wish I could put the pics up here but I'm afraid that Ben would accidentally see. These dresses are black and white...night and day...yin and yang...can I think of any more cliches? Umm...not at this late hour, no. One is a poufy skirt....with a huge train...fitted strapless regular neckline bodice that opens up into that wonderful skirt. The dress is silk shantung or silk organza or something along those lines, and the full skirt has random gathers all over it. It's amazing in its princess like feel. I think you can see it on the Watters website - I think it's style 5053B...but I could be wrong here. In contrast, the other "the one" could be mistaken for a prom dress...it's ribbon taffeta with spaghetti straps. It is super low cut in the front and shamefully low in the back...I LOVE IT! It's exactly the sexy dress I've been looking for since I've begun dress shopping. It's so sexy and low that the size 8 that was ginormous on me was showing my underwear even with the pins...thank goodness for boyshorts...otherwise, I would have been obscene in the store. :-)

So, what to do? I felt so hot in the sexy dress, but felt the pics look like I'm just going out for a night on the town. I felt like a princess in the big dress and the pics were absolutly gorgeous - but at the same time, the dress was a little "not me". What to do...what to do? I'm so confused.

I can say this...most people are saying they like the big poufy dress. I had the pics developed (for some reason, I just HAVE to have my prints made, even though it's all digital...there's just something about having a real copy...I dunno why...I just like having them). Anyway, when I went to pick them up, the girls at Wolf said "Ok...we weren't trying to look at your pics, but we noticed they were from wedding dress shopping and we just wanted to tell you that this big poufy dress is perfect for you....you better buy it!"

Here are the votes as of right now: K, Hayley and Terry vote for the slinky dress. Jess, everyone in the store where I was trying them on, Big Al, Rockey, Brenda and the girls at Wolf all vote for the poufy one. If I went by votes alone, the big one would win by quite a bit.

Anyway, so after that, we went to M.Sweet. It was really interesting...I mean, it's so freaking expensive and nice. It's between Lenox/Buckhead and midtown and amongst all this cool stuff is this old mansion. You go in and everything is just so perfect. You try on your gowns in your own personal room complete with plush chairs and couches with your own personal assistant in front of your own personal 10 feet by 10 feet or so mirror. I have to say, though, that I didn't really like any of the gowns that I tried on there. The Lia I mentioned in another blog looked just *eh* on me. There was one called the Theodora that was pretty darn amazing...it had ruffles. Who knew ruffles could be done in such a cool way? I mean, having ruffles on a cute Anthropologie skirt is one thing and having them on your wedding dress is quite another. But this dress was amazing... I felt really beautiful in this one. But, um, I would have to be an idiot to spend $3200 on a dress! Yeah, um...I'll go back to Bridesmaids Bowtique where my Watters dresses are less than half that.

So, having said all of that, now that I have it narrowed down to two dresses, I'm perplexed. How do I choose? I really don't know. There are plusses and minuses to both. I guess I'll get it figured out, though...and then I'll live happily ever after...

We have a new baby!!!

Brenda gave birth to little Evan at 12:42 this morning! He was a little bigger than they thought yesterday, so that was good news...he weighed in at 5 lbs, 15 ounces. I cannot wait to see him. This kid is going to have all kinds of crazy "aunts" as Kara and I discussed yesterday. I can't stop smiling.

In other news, I have fallen in love with a Melissa Sweet gown. This is quite an unfortunate turn of events, as M.Sweet is super expensive. If anyone wants to check it out, go to her website...it's in the ad campaign 1 gallery...it's the Lia style. It's shown in ivory, but I would get it in white. Isn't M.Sweet amazing? Too bad she's just so darn expensive. :-( There are always seamstresses around to make it for me, though. I think I will go try it on to see if I love it. Not exactly the super sexy style I've been imagining...but maybe more appropriate for our site. Those super sexy ones were really what I wanted when I thought we were going to get married on the beach.

Also, went by the site again yesterday...figured out some specifics regarding the layout of tables for dinner and chairs for the ceremony. I am so excited.

Anyway, I should run....so giddy today....it's hard to concentrate when we have a new baby!

Ok, I think I'm a little bit wedding'ed out. I'm going to cancel my appointment with Jeffrey tomorrow afternoon. I just want to go for a run.

Anyway, am still going dress shopping on Saturday, though. I've sketched out front, back, side, and isometric views of the ideal dress. Yes I am a dork for saying isometric, but no I am not a dork for doing it. I know I'm not going to find this perfect dress anywhere, but if I don't find something that I like just as well, I have decided that I am definitely going to a seamstress. Maybe I'll scan my sketches and put them up here....no laughter, please. :-)

Ummm...what else? We had a pretty nice Valentine's Day, I guess...as nice as you can have when you have to work and then go to class afterwards. We went to Outback after class which was cool. Ben sent me flowers - pretty stargazers and yellow roses...very sweet.

So, I'm in this portfolio management class, and I really love it.

And Ben loves watching the Olympics, so that's what we've been doing for the past week. I think that I am also a little Olympic'ed out. Skiing is on right now...I have to admit it is making me crave skiing a bit....it's been awhile. We went in December, but just to NC. We tried in Vermont, but conditions sucked...very, very icy, so that was a no go.

Ben just said "pancake-meister". That was funny.

I cannot wait to go on the honeymoon. I really, really need a vacation. Really. I cannot wait. We got to this point last spring, too...one of our classes ended up being tons of work. So, on top of regular work, a really time consuming class and then another regular class made for some hectic months. Last year, the light at the end of the tunnel was going to Italy...and we couldn't have asked for a better trip. We had amazing weather - no rain and warm the entire time. Even England was pretty while we were there. This year, the light at the end of the tunnel is undecided right now. I want to go to Hawaii...I really, really just want to go lay on a beautiful beach somewhere...and Hawaii just seems like *the* place. We've discussed Thailand, New Zealand, and Australia, but I think I just want to keep it domestic this time...more passport stamps can wait until later.

I really am tired...Ben is making me blog what I just said to him "go play bowling"...yes I actually said that. Awful.

Ok...this has been random...I'm very, very sleepy and can't seem to write a coherent sequence or even sentence....so I should probably sign off...

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

I forgot to mention that I did in fact get to meet with that photog the other day and she is awesome...so I took her contract, but I've not officially signed it and given it back to her. Yea! I think we have a photographer!

Also, Kara and I are going to ATL to go dress shopping on Saturday...I'm SUPER excited for that. Here's hoping I find the *perfect* dress! If not, I think I'll start researching seamstresses around town to make the perfect dress for me.

And, of course, there's the meeting on Thursday evening with Jeffrey the florist. I'm a little nervous about this one, bec I've no clue as to how much flowers are going to cost. Thankfully, I WAY overbudgeted for photography, so at least there is some room in there for flowers, now. If he is too pricey, I've got some other names to fall back on.

Ok...this is a short one...

Fat and Happy...

I am not particularly fond of that saying. I don't understand the logic behind being fat AND happy.

Ben and I are quickly approaching our two year anniversary of dating one another. When we met, I had been at the same weight since a few months after I moved to Chattanooga. Most people gain weight when they start their first full time job, but I actually lost weight when I came here. Why? Because I discovered running. Ahhhhh...running...isn't it grand? There is no better way to be highly aerobic yet terribly detrimental to your body at the same time. Anyway, so then I met Ben...my love...my Valentine....and oh the good times we had! Oh, the wonderful meals we ate while learning every aspect of each others' histories! Oh, the calories we consumed through childhood stories and college memories. Ugh! Hehe...needless to say, I gained a bit of weight - about 5 pounds to be exact - that first summer we dated. Heading into that first fall, I had to take things under control...I had to go back to my regular weight.

So, I did. I lost that five pounds - actually, I lost more than double it. I am happy. Not fat, but happy.

We are so busy with all of the wedding preparations, work and school (so sorry to anyone who actually reads these and has to listen to that complaint time and again). It would be easy to pick up fast food laden with fat and calories. It would be easy to let our workouts fall away. It would be easy to become fat....but then I wouldn't be happy.

I look forward to my runs. I am proud of my runs. They are by far the best part of my very busy week.

Since the engagement, though, I've been a bit concerned: am I obsessed with my weight? I seem to be focusing on it quite a bit, seeing as I will be in a white slinky dress in about 7 months. For years, I have kept a record in Excel of my weight. I document the day it was taken, the time of day, and what I was wearing at the time. I am highly methodical in my weight chronicles; since workout weights are usually pretty consistent in time and attire, I separate those out from the others. At any point, I can tell you the standard deviation of my weight (typically it runs around 1 pound). I graph the data and do a linear regression on it to see the trendline. So is this obsessive?

Pretty much everyone in my family is overweight. The family is fraught with heart disease, everyone seems to have their version of what open heart surgery is like, and meals still contain loads of fats, carbs, and cals. Thousands of calories are consumed each day by my individual family members, while no cravings for physical activity exist. Ask them if they eat healthy and work out and they'll lie to you. It's sad, but what is more so is that they lie to themselves.

So, is it so wrong to be so obsessive? Or is it worse to not care at all and be fat and happy? Fat and happy until the next hospital visit, that is.

Can we incorporate paper lanterns....

...when we're getting married in a spanish hacienda style house? We both love them...we're gonna try to make them work. Somehow. I bought some tonight and am now experimenting with how long the batteries work in them. We're over 4 hours at this point.

Thursday's thing went well, I think.

Meeting with prospective photographer tomorrow...I hope I don't forget. She's on the top of Signal Mountain....let's hope for no snow/ice/sleet/whatever.

Meeting the gay guy florist on Thursday evening. I can't wait to meet him. I'm excited to start getting ideas about my bouquet.

We picked up the contract yesterday for the site and brought chairs up to the balcony where we want to do it, and looks like that will work just great. We were both very excited for that. I'm so excited in general for the site, but have to say that I think the chairs suck. Sooooo.....my budget is probably going up so that I can rent cuter chairs. Is this pathetic? I'm not sure if I'm being snobby or what. I just never imagined the chairs of the guests at my wedding looking quite like what is used at the TN River Place.

Thinking about going to ATL to wedding dress shop next weekend. Wanted to go today to just shop in general (Anthropologie has some really cute spring dresses and skirts out right now) and to register at C&B. Must get a few things there, and then will do remainder of stuff at BB&B. Anyway, back to wedding dress shopping...WHERE AM I GOING TO FIND THIS SEXY LOWCUT DRESS????

Ok...even though this blog is about the wedding, I guess I should talk about other things, too. I made Ben watch Lost in Translation tonight. He liked it and that made me happy. This has happened with most movies I've made him watch, actually. Hehe.

We also watched The Dukes of Hazzard movie today. Hmmm.....what to say? Um....I guess it wasn't completely terrible. I guess.

We have to watch In Her Shoes next. This was of course my pick...but I'm not sure why. I read Good In Bed by J. Weiner over Christmas and wasn't too pleased with it. I have to say for those who don't know me too well that I only have time to read while on the elliptical and the stairclimber...so that's about 45 mins or so 3 times a week...so I HAVE to read fluff. Books that make me think just make the workout miserable. Anyway, let me say that reading about a very unhappy fat girl is not my idea of fun during a workout. I work very hard to be/stay thin, and absolutely hate listening to anyone complain about being overweight when they don't do anything about it. So, having said all of that, I'm not sure why I got the movie...bec I think it's once again another book by J. Weiner about a fat girl.

I'm actually looking for the next good fluff book to read during workouts...throughout January I was stuck with updates on Brad & Angelina in US Weekly. Must get to the bookstore, soon.

Ok...I'm rambling...the cat is staring at me...I think he wants to play....

I feel pretty today...

....so maybe I should wear my hair like this for the wedding. And maybe I should wear a pink dress instead of a white one. :-) Ok...I'm not that nonconformist.

Appt. with photog. for Sunday. Let's keep fingers crossed that I'll love her work.

Also, big day tomorrow.

And that's all I've got....

My ring is amazing!

I love it, and I especially love the person who gave it to me.

My friends say that I'll stop paying attention to it eventually, but I still stop and stare because it is beautiful.

Updates on planning: am about to make an appt with a photographer for a weekend meeting. I'm excited to meet her...Kara recommended her and her work online seems quite nice (not to mention the fact that she's MUCH cheaper than the first guy I was interested in, but still the same style).

We registered for china this weekend at Dillards...the pattern is really nice. Who knew teapots could be so expensive, though?

Also, at Brenda's baby shower this weekend, the girls recommended not doing a Target registry as they apparently have terrible return policies....so I think I might take pretty much everything off of that and put it on a Bed, Bath, & Beyond registry (I hear it's a much better return policy).

It's hard to do the planning with the stress of school on top of me...it takes away a bit of the fun of it, I think. But, that's ok. I'll have all of August and most of Sept to have fun with wedding planning stuff since I'll finish up that first week of Aug. I cannot wait! It will also be nice to be able to run more than 3 times a week when Aug rolls around.

One other big thing is going on this week... If anyone reads this (whether you know me or not), please send me happy and encouraging thoughts on Thursday!

The Trials and Tribulations of a Non-Conformist Bride in a VERY Traditional City

I'm assuming that if anyone is reading this, that whoever you are you probably know me and know that our wedding is planned for a Thursday. I'm going to explain why here bec when anyone asks me in person, I'm no longer going to explain. Ben and I originally wanted to have our wedding take place in the Outer Banks of NC. Our idea (or rather my idea, bec Ben is very much male in the fact that he really doesn't care what we do) was to have our very close friends and family (envisioning about 20 people tops here) come to the OBX for a full week and towards the end of the week (probably on Thursday) have the ceremony. This didn't work out due to several reasons (biggest two being that we are both in grad school at night and working full time jobs during the day, which makes for planning a wedding in another city extremely difficult AND we suddenly didn't want to wait a year and a half to be able to marry each other...we wanted to do it, well, as soon as possible). So, we started looking around Chattanooga, found a wonderful location and decided to stick with the Thursday idea. Why? Because we want to. I've heard about how inconvenient it is for people to come, and to be horribly honest, I (or rather we) do not care. Having the wedding on a Thursday evening is completely convenient for us...and we are who matters bec it is OUR wedding. Additionally, we feel that whoever really loves us will come to our wedding no matter where or when we have it. Therefore, this Thursday eve thing is really helping to weed out those people who really don't want to come thus leaving only those that are ecstatic about our nuptials. These are the people that I want to witness my wedding. This is what a wedding should be about. It most definitely shouldn't be about sharing your vows with 350 people, 300 of which you've not spoken to in 6 and a half years, but you went to their wedding so they should come to yours. I don't think I'll ever understand people that have huge weddings like that. If only 3 people come, then so be it...at least I'll know that I was surrounded by 3 people that love me very much.

Having said all of that, there is apparently another non-conformist aspect to this wedding but I didn't think this one would be a big deal. However, after showing a pic of the cake I love to someone the other day and waiting while she finished laughing at it, I realized exactly how backwoods Chattanooga is. No, this cake looks nothing like the very traditional, perfectly swirled, pearled or rose adorned white circles that most everyone around here is used to. In contrast, it's lopsided and extremely colorful. It is beautiful and I love it, and I only hope that someone in this hillbilly town can make it for me. I don't mock those that aren't willing to think outside the box, but expect them to not mock me either. However, I do feel sorry for them. I would hate for my wedding to look exactly like everyone else's wedding....that would be such a shame. I am unique...and my wedding will reflect my uniqueness.

Finally, I complain about the lack of cutting edge vendors in the area...again. I went to the Bridal Show here a few weeks ago and encountered one photojournalism type photographer. Just ONE. Hello, people...what is wrong with you? Don't you know that you could be making crazy money if you artistically photographed weddings??? Additionally, I'm getting a little worried that no one in this area is going to be able to make my aforementioned non traditional wedding cake. Let's keep our fingers crossed that I'm worrying for nothing here.

I should have started a blog long ago...what a catharsis without annoying my friends, fiance and family.

Anyway, having said all of that I guess I should run.

Hmmm....planning...

Well, I wonder if anyone will actually ever read this? I've been meaning to post more pics to the blog, but life is so busy with work, grad school, and of course wedding planning. We have the location picked out, as you guys have seen on theknot, but we've not actually signed the contract yet. This would be because I would like to at least try the caterer's food before we sign a contract since he is the only option. I'm sure it will be wonderful, but I'd still like to give it a go.

Geeeeezzzzz....photographers are expensive...especially the photojournalist kind. I talked with a guy the other day and he talked FOREVER about how to be a true photojournalist not one single pic would be posed. Hmmm...he's got a point. I guess I do want some posed shots, too...just not "Here are Ben and Stacey with Ben's dad" and "Here are Ben and Stacey with Ben's mom" and "Here are Ben and Stacey with Stacey's parents"...that is so dull. We are looking at a photographer that is quite expensive here in town...you can see a bit of his work at our location at www.tennesseeriverplaceportfolio.com . He's amazing...just awesome. But VERY expensive just for the photography...absolutely nothing is included. Some friends recommended him...so I'm waiting to see their photos to make sure that he's worth the money. Otherwise, Chatty is quite limited in its photography options....pretty much everything else sucks. Well, that one guy that was so nice on the phone was ok...but just ok. Not amazing. Looks like I'll be spending a ton on photography. :-)

Hmm...what else? Well, today I discovered while looking at a pic of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in her bridal gown (was checking it bec I've always loved it...it's almost exactly what I'm thinking I'm going to have made) that she and I have the same b'day. I thought that was pretty cool... and then I read the caption on the pic...Carolyn and JFK Jr. got married on Sept. 21st, as well. It kind of creeped me out a bit. So, anyway...if Ben takes flying back up, I am NEVER going to fly with him. Never. I swear I'm not being silly. If I did the probability correct, then there's only a 1 in 133,225 chance that we'd be born on the say day and randomly choose the same wedding day. Who knows what it would be if I added the both blonde and blue-eyed, thing. Hehe. I guess the similarities stop there, though, huh? I'm not exactly a 6 foot tall, cocaine snorting ex Calvin Klein model that is marrying the most eligible bachelor in the country (sorry, Ben!). Anyway, I still thought that was interesting.

Ok, having said all of that, I have to run to a hair appt.