Good Morning Friends,
So yes I'm playing catch up on my blog today. I have so much to do to prep for the wedding in 11 days! Yes 11, who is excited and stressed? Yep that would be me. If I can find the time tomorrow I'll be posting another blog about the wedding planning and what a fun process it has been before I go to work. But the "if I have time" part is a big "IF"!
Ok so today is going well, I've been under the weather and I'm sure stress isn't helping, but I just got back to work from the gym, and I'm on a long break at work while I write this. But I'm curled up in a leather chair wrapped up in a blanket drinking my Java Chip Frapp from Starbucks. You see I did attempt this yesterday, without the coffee and I fell asleep before even opening up my computer. So I came armed and ready today.
I have been dying to type up this blog and I was waiting to get the pictures to include. So if you have gotten to know me in the recent years, or read any other posts in my blog before, then you know I am not a fan of surprises or being the center of attention. While this works for me, I guess it was not such a friendly combination to anyone wanting to throw me any kind of bridal shower. I do not like to intrude on anyone's personal time, that combined with feeling bad when people go out of their way to do something for me would have caused me to say NO to any sort of idea for a shower.
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| Breakfast at Tiffany's Theme, and amazingly yummy deserts. They out did themselves on this one! |
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| Everything was so beautiful, and yup I was running late, guess it was best I wasn't early!! |
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| May seem like nothing but between work and friends that week flew by...I love staying busy! |
Friday Sept. 5th: Lunch with my awesome friend Melissa (turns out was a co-conspirator on the "birthday lunch")
Saturday Sept. 6th: "Birthday Lunch" for my girlfriend Stephanie
Sunday Sept. 7th: My friend Tatiana's little girl's 1st birthday party
Thursday Sept. 11: Miranda Lambert Concert with country counterpart Amber
Ok so now that you have a glimps of the amazing chaios that was my life this week, in conjunction with prepping for Matts homecoming the following week, we can move on. As you might have guessed (I hope so anyways I was using lots of quotations for a reason...) the "birthday lunch" wasn't really a birthday lunch, it was a surprise bridal shower, one in which somehow I had no clue about. Yes you would think the idea behind a surprise shower is for me not to find out about it, but to actually think that 16 women (most of whom I work with) kept this a secret for over a month, is quite impressive. Apparently so much of the behind the scenes inviting and talking about who was going to be able to make it, and who was wearing what and even passing out of invitations all happened at work and at times when I was in the room. This goes to show how much I pay attention, if it doesn't involve me I stay out of it and honestly I had no clue! The only thing that seemed weird to me was the Friday before the shower I think just about everyone I worked with asked me what my plans were for the weekend, and I remember leaving work thinking "Does everyone always ask me what my plans are for the weekend? Was that weird or do I just not pay attention at all?". Cleary I chalked it up to my sometimes fleeting memory, and thought nothing else of it.
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| Looking at these photos even now Im still so touched and honored that someone, well so many someone's would go out of their way for me. I can't say thank you enough! Look at how beautiful everything is!! |
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| I see now why my mom drove me crazy about having a registry. I wasn't planning on doing one at all. But I am so blown away by these ladies! Humbled is the best word I can use to describe it. |
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| These were just as tasty as they are beautiful!! I'm so thankful to everyone! |
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| Dinner at Chili's with Melissa, I was playing. It had clearly been a long time since I had been out to eat! This was new. |
The next day I am on a rat race around town trying to pick up these flowers and balloons I had ordered to take to lunch. Not to mention wrap the gift, get dressed, and then end up getting lost. While I'm finally making my way to the Bistro we are having lunch at, I'm already late and getting text messages asking where I am at. I hate being late! I finally make it out front and there is one parking spot open at the front of the building and I feel bad taking it because I'm thinking "Who am I to take the best parking spot when I am not the birthday girl" ( I know I'm weird, always making sure I am not overstepping). So here I am getting out of the car with a handful of flowers, balloons and gifts, trying to make my inside where I'm holding up the birthday girls lunch, all because I was trying to make sure I got the flowers I ordered and yes got lost. (Shew I am almost there!) Not to mention everyone inside can see me getting out of the car in a frenzy...hehe. I'm sure I looked like a hot mess.
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| What all the running around was for...lol |
As I am coming in the door Stephanie (birthday girl and mastermind behind this scheme) comes around the corner, and all I can think is "Oh gosh she is mad at me for being late, and came to tell me away from everyone" (not that she would ever really do that even if she was mad, but I often think worst case scenario sometimes). However instead I vaguely remember her telling me "I have a confession to make..." as she takes the gifts from my hands, just before I turn the corner she just came from. Let me tell you... the words "SUPRISE" have never startled me so much in my life. I would say I was like a deer in the headlights, but that would imply that I froze on the spot, which wasn't the case...I turned around and walked out! I came right back, just as confused as when I walked in the first time, and that surreal feeling you sometimes get when you are there but not really there, sorta took over for a little while. It took me a few minutes to figure out who all was in the room. So it was a room full of women who have heard me say over and over again that I hate surprises, and here they are yelling "Surprise"! Lol....who does that!
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| Drum roll for heart attack! This would be Stephanie behind the balloons, just as she is saying "I have a confession to make"! A wonderful friend who was beyond thoughtful! But I kinda wanted to strangle her two seconds after this was taken...just sayin! ;-) |
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| Well hello room full of unexpected people! How fast can I crawl under that table! Oh wait they yelled surprise, ok I think I know them! |
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| I'm still trying to figure out who is in the room! hehe If my heart would slow down I might be able to think straight. |
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| Cue my exit! Hehe I came back! And soo glad I did! These women are amazing. And looked amazing also! Seriously need to do this again! Well not the surprise part, but the dress up and go to a girls lunch! |
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| Room full of all the amazing faces that greeted me when I walked in. But in my defense the light coming in that window was so much more blinding when I was standing there!!! |
There have been many times in my 30 years that I have been completely humbled and that was one of them. I'm grateful that I was able to put my game face on, because as I looked around with my heart drumming in my ears (lol), I was close to tears. Faces of the women I work with finally came to focus as I walked around the room, and some of their voices I could pick out even over the drumming of my heart beat. Once I finally calmed down and said my hello's I was able to take in all the decorations, deserts, special menu, candles, games and details that my friends had put together.
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| All the amazing women who shared, worked, planned, and kept the secret about this day. I'm so beyond touched! |
I had a sash and a tiara waiting for me. Ok so let me just be a girly girl for this rare moment. I have never worn a tiara or a sash, and was sorta in a state of confusion when Stephanie was putting it on me, but I was like a kid excited about a tiara! Hehehe... I swear I'm gonna wear it around the house just because!
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| Tiara time! Ok I swear it didn't go to my head! I'm just sorta loving this moment (secretly) |
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| Sash and tiara up close! |
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| I'm finally calming down and starting to enjoy the lunch! And being a girly girl for a few minutes. |
Lori who is a close friend of Matt and I was there and she took all the pictures (most of all the ones here are hers, and who managed to escape a picture with me!!), and then it all made sense why my own mother was driving me crazy about creating a registry. Because they had all brought gifts that would help Matt and I start our life together. Again I was so humbled, and still working on my thank you cards...don't judge its been a whirlwind of a month! So to all you amazing women I have not forgotten to send out thank you cards, I am still working on them! I promise to get them sent out before the wedding...fingers crossed!
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| We clean up nicely!!! |
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| So blessed to know such amazing women! |
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| Beautiful ladies!!! |
I can't begin to express my gratitude, appreciation and heart felt thanks to all these amazing women, from the ones who got the ball rolling, to the ones who helped keep the secret and everyone in between. You all are so near and dear to my heart. As you found out at my shower I am not the best with words when I am the center of attention, but I mean it when I say I was touched by each and everyone of you who came out and made that day so special. Having not made many friends since moving to Florida I did not imagine ever having a bridal shower to go along with this crazy wedding of mine. But to know that you guys gave me that experience to go along with all the other memories I am creating for my wedding means the world to me. Special thanks to my friend Stephanie who wanted to do this for me and who invited all of these amazing women, showing me just how many friends I have really made. Thanks to Lori for all of your amazing photos, to Melissa for traveling all the way here, to Amber for all you did to prep for this day, and to all my co-workers for showing up (and letting me steal your photos, most of these are either Lori's or Facebook stolen from my friends).
Happy Wednesday to you all and I pray you have a blessed day!
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