The Ball is in Our Court

It is amazing how things can change from day to day! Not even a week ago we had absolutely no idea where Bobby would be working, where we would be living, if we would be moving or WHAT in the world was going to happen. We don't have ALL of the details still, but now we have the OPTIONS! We were almost in desperation mode...ok maybe we had reached that point, but now the ball is completely in our court. It is a complete 180 from the position we were in only a few days ago.

Bobby had his in person interview with American Express last Tuesday in Phoenix. He then got through to the FINAL step, a phone call with the VP. This basically meant he made the final two candidates...or so we thought. Turns out the hiring manager liked him and another guy SO much that he decided he wanted to hire them BOTH! So Bobby got the phone call while we were on our way up north Tuesday morning from HR that they indeed were extending him the offer for the position. I almost started to cry I was so happy! I had been praying non-stop that something would work out, specifically Amex, and it did! I had a good feeling about Amex since he applied to the job a few months back and my feelings were right.

He had also been talking with Hertz since last month. He had an in person interview yesterday with them and they pretty much offered him the job on the spot...and not even the job he went in interviewing for...a similar one, but working side by side with the hiring manager and the VP on special projects for the first year, and then after that being in charge of one of their top branches. The best part...we wouldn't have to move. It keeps us in Southern California. Now he has an in person interview with the VP in Burbank next Friday and they will then extend their official offer.

Now we have Amex extending their official offer Wednesday and Hertz soon after that. We get to decide based on their offers what the best choice is going to be. It is a lot to think about! There are so many factors that go into the decision...it's just crazy. We are so blessed to be given the CHOICE and I am SO proud of Bobby for not ever giving up and getting into this position. All of his hard work and dedication has come to pay off and it is exciting! It is still very stressful given the timing of everything with the wedding, but we are just taking it day by day and so very grateful to have these two options on the table right now.

If we decide Amex we will most likely be moving RIGHT before the wedding or right after. That is something Bobby will discuss with them starting on Wednesday. We probably won't get a honeymoon right away because he will be starting his new job at either place, but we will definitely be taking one ASAP!

We are 4 weeks away TODAY from the wedding and there is SO much still up in the air...it is a lot to take on all at once, but I am pretty used to it by now....this is pretty much how our lives always are...CHAOTIC! It's a beautiful mess though and I know we will make it work like we always do :)

Bride Brain

My brain is OFFICIALLY in "Bride Brain Mode". Bobby and I spent a good 4-5 hours today working on the logistical stuff for the wedding. Started the seating arrangements as best we could with people we KNOW for sure are coming and most likely will be coming. We wanted to get a bit of a head start on that (before we have received everyone's RSVP) so we did a first run, which I must say went pretty well and wasn't TOO much of a headache. We have it pretty well figured out so we will see how and if things change as the responses come in.

We also had to fill out our photography questionnaire and photolist. That wasn't too bad, although the photo list got to be a headache give our family situations. Yes, people should suck it up and just stand there for a picture, but we want the pictures to portray happiness too so we just split some of them up haha Makes it easier on everyone and still works.

On the questionnaire it asks for MUST have pictures for the ceremony, pre-ceremony, etc...those were HARD. I have a pinterest board full of wedding photos I love that our photographer has looked at so I trust that she will capture all of the moments we want. I just hope I am not completely overlooking something obvious by overthinking it! If anyone has any photo suggestions do let me know ;)

Wow, typing it out it doesn't sounds like we did a whole lot but it definitely took forever and felt like a lot. It was all really important logistical things that needed to be done though and I am glad they are done!

Our coordinator is working on the day of timeline as we speak so having the timeline down will be the most important part. Things are coming together so that is definitely a relief.

My next dress fitting is a week from today up north. DREADING having to drive up there again though ugh. Really excited to see my dress with my veil and bustle though and bring it home! Praying there won't need to be any more alterations because I REALLY don't want to have to drive up there again it is SUCH a pain in the butt. I will also get all of the random decor that is still up there and the rest of the gifts from the shower that didn't fit last time.

36 days to go!

Good Riddance

I FINALLY got our stupid wedding invitations out yesterday. I had planned on getting them out two weeks before this at the latest, but I had some major issues with the stamps and being busy. So yesterday my stamps finally arrived in the mail so I stamped them all right away and took them down to UPS to get rid of them and they of course tell me because of a little bump that I am PROBABLY going to need extra postage...they MIGHT process them but they also might send them BACK. Well screw having them all get sent back so I had to buy even MORE stamps to ensure they would not all get sent back...so all of that drama over getting the "right" stamps and I had to buy the "wrong" ones anyway! Ay yi yi....BRIDE PROBLEMS! That is definitely one of those things I think back about and am like seriously Casey...who CARES what stamps you use!!! Hindsight is 20/20 right. Oh well..what's done is done and they are finally in the mail. The guys at UPS asked me if I wanted the box back that all of the invitations were in and I said quickly "I never want to see that box again!" they laughed...I was dead serious.

So, invitations are on their way...SUCH a relief. On to the next thing, which there are plenty of! Today I had my hair and make up trial! SO FUN! I had been really excited for this and I had picked out a bunch of inspiration pictures and everything, especially my hair, came out totally perfect! I hardly EVER wear make up in general and when I do it's very subtle so I may go a touch lighter on my eye make up, but other than that it was perfection and made me SO much more excited for the big day! The girls I am working with were around my age, fun, sweet, and easy to talk to. I am so happy with my decision to go with Vanity Belle out of Costa Mesa. They're amazing!!! I can't wait to see my whole bridal look come together :)

In other non-wedding news...Bobby has his final interview with American Express on Tuesday in Phoenix. They are flying him in early morning, he is doing the interview and then flying back that same night. So we could POSSIBLY be moving to Phoenix before the wedding! As if things couldn't get any crazier! They just might...and I hope they do because that would mean Bobby gets the job! PHEW! Please cross your fingers and pray for us!

I have been trying to get going on picking music for the wedding. This just might be the most difficult and frustrating part! It is SO hard! I love sooooo many songs it's impossible to choose songs for the important things. This will definitely be the biggest headache! Aside from the seating arrangement...which I don't even want to think about yet! 40 days to go!

Keeping it Together

We are now 45 days out from the wedding and I am definitely feeling the pressure. I had an amazing bridal shower up in Sonoma about 10 days ago, had my first dress fitting and it was all wonderful and I was on cloud nine. Well I am now descending from that cloud and am feeling the stress of all of the million (so it feels like) things I still have to do. Up until now I felt like I was completely on track and ahead of the game, now I feel like I am falling behind slowly.

The list of "to do's" seems endless I don't even know where to start. I have literally had our invitations addressed and ready to be stamped for a month, yet they're still sitting here in the box awaiting stamps because NO post office had the stamps I need (of course). I had to order stamps online and am waiting for them to come...which should be tomorrow. Once I get those out I think I will feel a LOT better because there is a lot I can accomplish once RSVP's start coming in.

I am REALLY anxious for the day to come, and haven't felt all that stressed till now. It is just knowing all of the payments that are going to be do that are mainly the major stress factor, but that's usually what is right? It's definitely not the actual planning part, I love all of that! I know that everything will work out, I just have to keep telling myself that! The days are just flying by and the big day is drawing closer and closer, faster and faster!

My hair and make up trial is Saturday and I have really been looking forward to it! I can't wait!

I go back up to Nor Cal July 24th for my next dress fitting and I am hoping I will be able to take it home with me! They just had to add the bustle, hem it a little, and take it in a little bit as well. I also ordered my veil at that time so that should be in as well. I hope I don't have to make another trip up between then and the wedding, that would be suck. It not only takes a TON of time, but also cost money to get up there and back! So fingers crossed the dress fits perfectly and I can just take it home! ;)

For now I am just doing my best to keep it together and enjoy these last 6 weeks of being engaged and of the wedding planning process. It is a once in a life time process and time so I don't want my stress to ruin it.

woosa!

Sweet Home California

WE'RE BACK!

We got into Orange (California) at about 730 last night...in record time. We left Rochester at about noon Saturday afternoon, Bobby drove pretty much all night. We stopped for a few hours around 430 am and slept. I had been sleeping on and off but he definitely had not, so after we woke up around 630/7 we got some food where ever we were in Missouri and I drove to Oklahoma City and Bobby slept pretty much the whole time. His dad had left Friday morning and we actually ended up ahead of him! We met up in Gallup, New Mexico and finally got a hotel for the night (thank God!) We got to shower and get a good nights sleep...we were then only about 9 hours away so we left around 10 and got in at 730 last night! Like I said, RECORD TIME! That first 36 hour stretch sucked, but it was SO worth it just to GET here.

We aren't in the most ideal situation currently, and I may or may not have had a minor meltdown this morning, but we are making the best of it. We are going to join a $7/month gym that is right across the street and spend our time working out, going to the beach, and working on wedding stuff. I have my dress fitting and bridal shower in northern california to look forward to next weekend and of course seeing all my family and friends!

After my meltdown today I remembered a quote that fit my situation PERFECTLY

"Someone is happier with less than what you have".

Boy did that snap me back to reality and make me appreciate what I DO have right now. Although my current living situation is less than ideal, I still have more than a lot of people and have a LOT still to be thankful for. So I am going to focus on those things instead and I am feeling better already after a good cry and a realization that I need to suck it up and make the best of the situation...so that is what I am going to do.

I am back in Southern California. I get to marry my best friend in 65 days and I have friends and family who love me. Life is good.

<3

WE (HE) MADE IT!

Bobby graduated from the Simon School of Business this morning and I couldn't be more proud of him! I joke and say "WE" did it, because although he was the one in school, we really did go through this chapter of our lives together. We moved here almost two years ago not knowing a single person. Over 3,000 miles away from our family and everyone and everything we knew, no place to live, I didn't have a job, just took a dive into the complete unknown. It was scary. We only had each other and that was enough for us, but throughout our time here we quickly built friendships that will last far beyond our Simon chapter. We are so thankful for those friendships, especially now that we are all going our separate ways this week. Most every one of our friends are leaving this week, as well as us.  It is going to be so strange not seeing all of the same faces that we have seen for the past two years, especially not knowing when or if we will see many of them ever again. I know I will definitely see a very select few, but I know we won't see everyone. It is an odd feeling...It is one of those things "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened". Although it is sad thinking about the probability of never seeing a good amount of the people we have met here in Rochester ever again, we are so thankful and grateful for the time that we had with each and every one of them. Each person contributed to making our time here in Rochester worth it and memorable. It is a time in our lives that we will never forget and a chapter in our journey that has changed us forever.

So, here we are with 5 short days left in our Rochester/MBA chapter of our lives, not knowing what the next step is going to be, where we will end up, and knowing everything can change overnight...but yet again we are doing it together. Taking the plunge in to the next chapter of our lives; marriage.

I couldn't ask for a better partner in this life than Bobby. He truly is my best friend and I wouldn't want to be on this journey with anybody else. I love him and am so beyond proud of him he will never know. I feel so lucky and so blessed to call him mine and I am looking forward to the next few months...they're going to be chaotic, stressful, joyous, emotional, and probably some of the most memorable months in our lives and I can't wait to watch it all unfold!

So proud of all of the MBA graduates of 2013, but especially proud of MY graduate! :) 

I finally have a little down time

So I figured I would catch this thing up a little bit since it has been over a month! I don't even know where to begin, we have been SO busy since April and it isn't really slowing down...it is actually going to start getting even more crazy in the next few weeks!

The last thing I posted about was the Color Vibe 5k, the next big thing after that was Black Jack Ball. SO fun! It was our last big party/event all together and it couldn't have been better. It was at this awesome venue called Artisan Works that has paintings and art all over the place, and this place is HUGE! It had all different rooms; theatre room, blackjack room, etc. Really fun venue to have an event!

A few pictures from the night :)

Next was my birthday and trip to DC! We had gone to DC in February for Bobby's MBA Basketball tournament but since it was just a full weekend of basketball we literally had NO time to see anything while we were there. Bobby has been there before (a few times) but I hadn't and wanted to go back and see the monuments/memorials/museums so that's what we did. We jam packed as much as we could into the day and a half we were there and we pretty much saw everything I wanted to see. We went to the Holocaust Museum, which is absolutely heart breaking, but something you MUST see in your lifetime. It is baffling to me that there are people out there who actually believe that it didn't happen....CRAZY! 

Some DC Pictures

Since we got back from DC I have just been working a ton, Bobby's dad has been here, and Bobby is about to take his last final ever tomorrow and he will officially be DONE with grad school! I am SO proud of him! He continues to work his cute butt off to find a job, so pray that something good works out soon! 

Next week is my last week of work with my Gabel girls :( I am SO unbelievably sad about leaving them...I can't even imagine my life without those girls in it. I love them more than words and I am going to miss them SOOO much! Claudia just started crawling last week and I was there to see it. I was FREAKING out SO excited and I feel so blessed to have been there. I was changing her diaper downstairs on a changing pad and she spotted all of Julia's pictures she had drawn on the floor. She flipped her cute little naked butt on to her stomach and took off! I couldn't believe it! It was one of the most special moments ever. No joke not even two days before that I was telling Bobby that I HOPE C crawls before I leave because she had been trying SO hard and was so close for about a week and a half and then boom she just did it! It was truly amazing and definitely a moment I will never forget! Now if only V could kick it into high gear and crawl this week ;) haha yeah right that girl is in no hurry! 

The following week is grad week...full of drinks, fun, drinks and more drinks pretty much haha It should be so much fun though to spend some time with everyone before we all go our separate ways. Then June 9th is Bobby's graduation and then we move that Saturday the 15th back to CA so we will spend the week packing, selling, and cleaning. It's crazy. These last few months have gone by in a blink and here we are almost time to close this chapter and move onto the next. 

We are officially in the 3 month countdown till our big day! AH I can't believe it. When we get back we have so many meetings scheduled with vendors and SO many things to do, my list is endless! But they're pretty much all things you do closer to the day and things we can't do from here so it will be fine. I was working on invitations tonight and am one step closer to having those done. My goal is have them ready to put in the mail by the time we move, and then put them in the mail at the end of June. It will be SO nice to get those out! What I am MOST looking forward to is seeing and trying on my DRESS!!!! I haven't seen it in MONTHS, it has been sitting at the bridal store since October just waiting for me to put it on! I seriously cannot wait. I have gone back and forth with dress regret/second guessing so many times because of it, I just because I haven't seen it or been able to just go in and try it on...didn't get to have that moment when I get the call that my dress is in and I am able to just run down to the salon and try it on...nope had to wait 9 months almost to do it! I will finally be able to June 28th the day before my bridal shower :) I can't wait!

There is so much to look forward to and so much happening. I will try to be better at keeping this up to date, but I am not making any promises ;) 

Until then!

xoxo