298 Days....

Every girl dreams of their wedding... I've waited nearly 30 years for mine to come true, and now I'm wishing we would have just eloped. Bah!

Let's Elope...

So we've been trying to pin down a date for our Wedding...

First issue was with the clash of dates with my sister. Now that she's getting married today, and having her "real wedding" in a year, we can chose any weekend in January. The whole time I've had my eye set on January 12, 2013, which would leave us two weeks in between our weddings. Which isn't to bad.

Today I received an email from Keith's niece, apparently the 12th is a busy day with the Kleinbriel family. I'm SOOOO glad Nicole messaged me, because January 12th is not only Keith's mother's birthday, but his brother and sister-in-law's anniversary. Bah! How does he not know this stuff?

So after sending him a text letting him know of his mistake, he want's to know what date now. His favorite number is 5, is all he gives me. If we move it up to the 5th, we're back to a week away from Nikkie's wedding. So January 19th or 26....

I wonder if they make a pill to help with his memory issues?

I'm not stressed, I find this all amusing at the moment!

A not so White Christmas...

Christmas has come and gone... This year I just didn't feel the Holiday Spirit, I don't know if it was the lack of snow, or the "family drama", but it really stunk!


Now it's time to ring in the New Year and get ready for a year filled with Wedding Planning! I'm SOOO excited!

From the message I got today, my sister moved her wedding up to... December 29th... TWO DAYS away... It's only for them and parents, so I guess I won't be there. That makes 2 of 3 Sisters Weddings I've not attended... They'll have their "real wedding" in 2012. While the weddings won't be in the same month, they will still be weeks apart. Oh well.


I've started a guest list, started browsing dresses, working on a Bridal Party, have an idea for a Wedding Venue, picked out a ring....

Bring on 2012!!

First Bridal Breakdown...

I hate those "Bridezillas", but it's amazing what can cause a woman to go all nuts while planning a wedding. Here is a glimpse into my first and hopefully *knock on wood* only breakdown.

About 3 weeks before we got engaged my baby sister got engaged. I was so excited about my news, but knew that the right thing to do was to ask her if she'd start planning yet. It just seems like "proper bridal etiquette" to see if she'd chosen her date or even season yet. She responded with no, they've not talked about it, but she had  just found out she was pregnant. So I announced our engagement and started planning for January of 2013. We made sure we shared this with everyone.

Nik went through a rough time and lost her baby. And my heart broke for her and her fiance. We've been there and it's so painful and hard to rebound from.


So Friday I received a text message from my sister asking what date we had picked. We've been aiming for the second and third weekends of January 2013. We've been waiting to look at halls until we had a headcount and the holidays were over. So I told her again what we've been aiming for. And asked if she'd chosen her date...

January 19th....


WTF?!?!


Really? What year? Apparently they want to have a small ceremony in 2012, and a  "real wedding" in 2013. First of all I do NOT understand this 2 wedding thing. We've put ours off for a year so we can have the money to have ONE wedding. Second who does that to a sister? Even if the weddings end up a week apart, that's a little ridiculous.  I spent most of Friday in tears, wondering why she would do this. She said she hopes it "doesn't cause any issues"...

Well I found my backbone and stood up for myself. I refuse to change my plans because she's inconsiderate. I'm heartbroken that this is happening, but I will NOT let it ruin my day.

How Book Club and a Rock ruined my Christmas Surprise...

I blame Kim and her book choice "Joy for Beginners" by Erica Bauermeister and that stone....

Ok so blame isn't the word I would use... This book gave me the courage to bring up a conversation we'd avoided for two and a half years. Keith's past left him hurt and angry when it came to marriage. So when Kim gave me that book and that stone. I took the challenge and got "stoned". With all the people my age passing away, getting sick, and finding out they have cancer, it makes you realize just how short life can be.

So I sat down with my stone, and told Keith how I felt. I asked if he ever planned on marrying me, because if he was I didn't want to wait until life had already passed us by. That's when he told me I'd ruined my Christmas Present! What!?! I'm getting a ring for Christmas?!? Best screw up ever! While I ruined his plan, it worked out for the best. I didn't want a diamond, so I've been able to help pick out what I really want.


So in January 2013 I'm going to marry my best friend! The wedding planning is in full swing, we'll get a little more into it after the holiday season is over.

We've ran into our first snag, we're going for a very small ceremony and a small reception. The snag is the Bridal Party.... My dream was always to have my 3 Sisters stand up with me on my most important day. But we've drifted apart, I just don't see it working. Keith doesn't have many male friends, so it comes down to what to do. Part of me wants the whole experience, but then again I'd like to just have one person stand up with us. It's a complicated situation and I don't want any feelings hurt, I've already experienced that with a friend.

Best Decision Ever!

So I must shout to the world from the highest building....

I LOVE my Book Club! I went into this thinking, "This isn't going to be what I thought it was"... I knew Kim from the store, and Mandi from Relay and had them added on my Facebook, but really aside from talking about book was this going to be awkward? There is a minor age gap, and who knows what type of books they read. But I gave it a shot. Our first meeting went decently, I had fun, and did not expect it to be that much fun, meeting all these new people. Next thing I knew I was LOOKING FORWARD to our next meeting. 

The books have been phenomenal, but more so the friendship. It's so great to sit and talk with these amazing women about so many different things, it's not just books. I'm learning about their lives and coming to have some of the best friends I've ever had. We came together with a shared passion, and I find myself wishing that Book Club (which will hopefully soon have a name) was more then once a month. 

We are going into our fourth month of reading, and I will admit, this is the first book I've not been able to "get into", but hopefully it's just my head cold/sinus issue. I'm sure when I'm at the hospital with mom next week I'll fly through it! 

Befriending these amazing ladies makes me wish I had closer relationships with my friends and sisters. I thought for a long time, maybe it was me. Maybe I don't make time for them, or maybe I'm not interested. But I've come to find out, it isn't me. I'll keep trying, but for how long do you keep trying before you move on?   

Why I Relay....Part 2

I Relay For Grandpa Gerry, who fought for 9 years. 

 

I Relay for Karen Maynard, the bravest woman I ever had the privilege of knowing. 

 

I Relay for Keith's Dad,  Duane Kleinbriel because he IS a SURVIVOR!

 

I Relay for You and everyone you love. I've come across so many people that have fought and won the battle, and they are such amazingly strong people. I've also seen too many lose the battle.

I Relay because I want to make this a World where Cancer is no longer a worry. So many familes are effected by this horrific disease. 

I want to thank my Family and Friends that stand with me and support me through this experience. If you've never been to a Relay for Life. Take a few hours out of your day and attend your local Relay for Life. It will touch you, and make you realize just how short life really can be. You need to embrace the moments when you can. 

I love you all