My [Crazy] Life Lately + Monthly May Goals + Birthday Boy Turns 25

Whew. What a crazy month May has been! I have yet to catch my breath, and I don't think I'll be able to anytime soon. I have come to the realization of one thing...You can almost guarantee the months of August and May, I'll be a less than sub par blogger. [beginning of school - end of school - catch my drift?] It definitely makes life a little crazier than normal. Plus holidays, being sick, and oh, planning a wedding - blogging took a back burner! But I'm here to catch y'all up {slowly throughout the week} and put your worries to rest. ;)   ---

 
First off - I DIDN'T EVEN SET MONTHLY GOALS FOR MYSELF. How dare me. But I know what it would have been: 1. Wedding plan. That's it. Just wedding plan.  Considering Cody and I are getting married in 10 days (whaaaaat.), that's been my goal all month. Getting prepared for the big day. And we're slowly getting there.   ---
To kick off the craziness of May, that sweet little fiance' of mine celebrated a birthday! 25th to be exact, and it was on Mother's Day this year. We decided to celebrate together a day early by ourselves since the actual day would be a little busier than normal!  

  Please excuse our crouching selfie - I have yet to invest in a tripod...

I knew quickly what I wanted to get the birthday boy this year. NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway is always around his birthday, and he's begged for tickets for the last five years of us dating. So with me having my bachelorette trip the same weekend as Southern Nationals, I thought it would the perfect opportunity for Cody and his dad to have a bonding day before we get married. Needless to say, he loved it and had a great time. :) Plus, I threw in a mounted bottle opener to make it even more special! Don't tell him it's from the happiest place on earth - Target ;)  You can find it here.

Here's to 25 being the best year yet -I love you future husband!

Memorial Day Weekend [The Wedding Planning Version]

While all y'all were laying by the pool, beachin' it up, or even celebrating the true reasons for Memorial Day, I was SLAVING away at wedding details! Pity party anyone?  I did sign up for this, didn't I? I'm kidding really.
Although I can't wait to be at the beach and lay by the pool this summer, there was incredibly too much to do wedding wise before we could relax with family and friends this weekend.
Saturday, I had my "final" dress fitting. And when I say "final," I mean, just kidding because the lady wasn't done. The cups weren't sewn in, plus a few other details needed to be fixed. Oh, and a makeup stain after my mom threw my dress in my face taking it out of the bag. (SHOUT OUT TO MY MOM ;D LOVE YOU! )  So, I'll be back this upcoming Saturday for my *hopefully* final dress fitting because quite frankly, there's not many days left anymore. 11 in case you were wondering. My heart just skipped a beat too, don't worry.
Saturday night, we had yet another amazing shower, but this time, it was a couple's shower with Cody's family and friends. We've been spoiled rotten with all these showers (three), and we both felt so blessed when we left. More to come soon!
Sunday, I headed to my mom's house with my dogs while Cody was working. He planned on meeting us there later. My mom had recruited my aunt and neighbors to help with some of these last minute wedding DIY projects. The more hands the better!
Some of the projects included: Napkin bows Sparkler tags Flower girl basket Ring bearer box Mason jars
Oh the mason jars...  

  This was the simplified version of what we came up with. We decided to have three different designs for the mason jars, but I'll save the final products for the big day. Can't give away too much!
After several hours of crafting and DYIing - we finally were able to relax and have a small cookout. And then my brain went to mush and I went to bed by 11...

 

 

 

 

My thug.

We had a great weekend, a very productive weekend, but we can't forget the real reason we're able to celebrate such a fun holiday.

My thug of a fiance and I thank all the men and women who have sacrificed their lives, are currently sacrificing their lives, and who will sacrifice their lives in the future so selflessly for our country and our freedom.  Proud to be an American.  

It's Just What We Do

I mean really. It's just what we do. We find reasons to get together. And that's exactly what my family did last weekend. My mom invited Cody & I over, along with some family members and friends to spend the evening enjoying each other and the beautiful Peach State weather. And we may have been planning this so we could also meet my sister's new boyfriend... She may kill me for saying this. Or worse - blogging this. Whoops.
With family gatherings, comes me in your face taking pictures of everything and everybody. So, grab your helmets, shields & pads because once again... I'm throwing pictures at you. A lot of pictures. And it's all due to the backlog of potential blog posts after my computer decided to take a crap on me for the past two weeks. So prepare yourself... You have been warned.   **These are mostly for family/memory documentation reasons, but I like looking at peoples pictures, so maybe y'all will too!  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did I kill ya with pictures!?! Hopefully not! If you hung in there, thank you! These type of posts often mean the most to me, because they describe my family and our dynamic perfectly. I wouldn't trade them for the world. :)  

Showered with Love { My Bridal Shower }

A couple weeks ago, I had my very first bridal shower!  

  It was such a special day, and I couldn't have thanked my aunts and cousin enough for putting together such a beautiful and thoughtful shower. I left that afternoon feeling so loved by not only my aunts, but by all the sweet ladies that joined me in celebrating my upcoming marriage. I realized how truly blessed I am to have the family and friends that I do.   The shower was hosted at my cousin's neighborhood clubhouse, which was beautiful in itself. They decorated the shower location with my wedding colors in mind, and put a touch of rustic charm into the favors and some of the decorations. They know me too well. :) The flowers were all done by my Aunt Esther, which is crazy because there were so many and they were so beautiful. My Aunt Jackie used her own plates and serving wear for the yummy Mexican food that they had catered (MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE). I never expected it to be the way it was - it really was a dream come true.
Here are A LOT of pictures from the day. I can't just pick a few!  I have to give all the picture credit in the world to my very preggo best friend, Ashley (you know her from A Thousand Words) for taking all of my shower pictures and doing such a wonderful job. It was definitely not something she had to do, especially with being 32 weeks pregnant, but I am so thankful that she did. THANK YOU ASHLEY!   First, the decorations...  

 

 

Like I mentioned, the flowers were done by my Aunt Esther, who always does a beautiful job. Family members were lucky enough to take home a vase at the end of the shower. They had the genius idea to go ahead and buy me thank you cards, and placed envelopes on the table at each setting for guests to write their address on the front. Saving this busy bride/teacher a lot of time! (Thank you's are going out this week!) The favors were so cute, and so practical. Who doesn't love candles? Especially peach scented candles!

  The cake was too cute, and I loved the pictures from our engagement to add a personal touch!  

  The drinks of choice were sweet tea & water, along with a white sangria (perfect with the Mexican food!) I loved the mason jars that my Aunt Jackie bought! They were so cute!    I had a good number of guests arrive for the shower, including my flower girl who came in character and showed off her flowing dropping skills she had been practicing!  

Another special guest included my high school friend, Alayna, who actually introduced Cody and me!  

   I did have one guest that was my absolute favorite. Shhh! Don't tell!

Once everybody arrived, we quickly got to eating all the yummy food, and then played some fun shower games, including 'What's In Your Purse?'

And then with a little help from my flower girl, it was time to cut the cake!

 

How stinkin' cute is this picture!?!

While everyone was enjoying dessert, I started opening gifts. We were very lucky in the gift department!  

This was the teacher in me...

Then it was time for family and friends to leave, but not before I forced them into taking tons and tons of pictures. Fault me if you will, but I just can't help myself.

Best friend & bridesmaid, Brittany & my peanut + ring bearer, Luke.

Jennifer & the girls were able to share in the day.

 

I was so glad Cody's sweet mama was able to attend!

My lovely photographer/bestie Ashley + baby Nora.

The one & only, Nannie.

 My maid of honor & sister, Whitney.  

  My wonderful mommy.  

  Elizabeth Grace & family (Mama Pat, Suzi & Darlene)  

  And last, but certainly not least... the wonderful hostesses! My aunts, Jackie & Esther, plus my cousin, Melissa.  

  Thank you again ladies for one of the best days of my life. I'll forever cherish such a special day! And of course, thank you to everybody who took the time to celebrate my upcoming special day with the man of my dreams. :) I love you all!   ---   I'm taking over the @TheBlogBaton today on Instagram! Head on over to Mason...Like The Jar to check what Blog Baton is all about & how you can sign up! Thank you Mason!