ULTIMATE PICTURE UPDATE!

As promised ladies! here is everything that has been all consuming my life where to start first? we have a lot to cover...

First let me introduce a couple of very important folks in my life....

This is Matthew, my future husband. Only 37 more days!

Also, there is a certain pooch that you may have read about. Well it is my pleasure to introduce my little lady
This is Dot! She's a clown

and she has my heart.

And now for more pictures!!!!

Engagement pictures: Thanks Kama!


perfect representation of us... me sitting up straight, prim and proper. Him, laid back and chillax.
mischievous....
nose kisses!
Bling, bling!
Love.
Just shows off the height difference



Now for a wedding preview:

first wedding prep.....
the flower balls that will be hanging on the chairs. the invites, they took forever but they look awesome.

the escort card holder, the cards will be clipped on with clothes pins.


the centerpieces!


The favors!

instead of birdseed people are going to wave these. the recipes bags. I am going to feel really bad if I have to throw away over 240 lemons and limes, so I decided to make these bags with cards on them with different lemon and lime recipes.

The cake topper. I love it. it is unique and can be on display after the wedding in our new nest!


there you have it!

seeing polka dots

This past Saturday was my bridal shower.

There was a polka dot theme due to my obsession with polka dots. I heard alot of groans about this because I asked that people wear something polka dot but I am happy to say that everyone partcipated and had alot of fun.

The food was amazing... I love brunchy type food anyway so it was right up my alley.

The games were fun and everyone was ready to play. My one bridesmaid really wanted a snickers and for the wedding match game ( you are givien a clue and you have to figure out what candy bar fits with the clue i.e. bride's wedding night cry... oh'henry) every answer was SNICKERS!!! and it fit a lot of the clues.

Here are some picture from the shower, they aren't the best quality so hopefully I can find better ones...

show us your...

wedding dress!

For those of you that read my blog you know about my wedding dress issues. I showed you pictures of the SCREW UP. So here is a picture of the dress that I will be walking down the aisle in...

45 more days

6 years ago today I was in France on a class trip and little did I know that I was sitting on the same bus as my future husband.

That trip was the start of something amazing. It was one of self discovery, love and adventure. I still can't believe how blessed I was to get that opportunity.

I met a boy from Alabama that, at first sight knocked me off of my feet. We were shy and stole glances at each other under the cover of sunglasses, we didn't actually speak until the last 3 days.
We parted and I was for certain I would never see him again, but he surprised me. His name would pop up in my conversations to people, I became a hermit and lived in front of my computer waiting for him to log on.

Fast forward through meeting again after a year of 3 am phone conversations and AIM, tears, fights, growing together, growing apart, break up and make ups. And here we are 45 days until we get married.

I know we aren't the perfect couple but who is? We are slowly blending our lives together after 6 years apart, it will take time and slowly yet surely it is happening.

Now for a little something extra-

This whole getting married thing has me riding the emotional roller coaster, and it is no wonder why brides sometimes act the way they do (bridezilla behavior is still not ok)

Examples of my emotional instability at the moment.

Sadness: The other day when I was getting my oil changed, I signed my receipt and got a little teary eyed... the problem was I wasn't alone in the car so my mom saw it and blurted out "Katy, it's not that expensive." She thought I was crying about my car, I said "that's not what I am getting emotional over, I only can sign my name like that for 2 more months."

The same kind of thing happened with the tea gifts... everything is G and I am sitting there thinking H is a good letter too.

Excitement: I decided to leave my dress down at my Dad's house because 1) it is the most neutral smelling place (i.e. smoke, animals,heavy smell good product use) 2) I am not there to wear it allllllllllllllllllllll the time.
Well, being as I got my shoes back from being dyed and the time has come to take it to alterations I brought it home. You guys I was a mess, I did my hair, my make up and put all my wedding day accessories on. Just to get an idea.

Anger: This I know I blow out of proportion but it is scary none the less. In some of my older posts you can see a theme. The theme being living with a boy is like living with a child. Women as a species see the bigger picture while men have blinders on. So I see the house as a mess in its entirety while the Fiance says he can still fit one more can of soda on this already covered table, hence it is just cluttered, not dirty. I could go on and on about this but I will choose one story in particular...
The tale of the dirty socks
Fiance has a tendency to come home from a long days work and sit down and take a load off. Not a problem. As he eases down on to the comfy sofa cushion, he gives his barking dogs a break and removes his shoes and socks. Again, not a problem. Then, he will proceed to leave his dirty socks in the middle of the floor(this is were my eye starts to twitch)all night. They will stay there and he will repeat this action every night he works.
The day I hit my breaking point was when I decided to be a doll and clean the whole apartment, I vacuumed, I dusted, I picked up numerous pairs of stinky crusty socks, I even pledged the dining room table. I EVEN MADE HIM COOKIES!!!!
What do I walk out to in the living room the next morning? A pair of crusty socks laying in the middle of the floor.....
I started to feel like mommie dearest "NO WIRE HANGERS!!!!"
I was so mad that I questioned weather or not I wanted to marry a man that ate my cookies but made a mess of my home.
Looking back now, I realize how crazy it was to think that. But I snapped....

Fear: it is a haunting feeling. I ask myself all the time Can I do this? Can he do this? are we to young? I mean I know that I am difficult to live with with mood swings, how I want things done and so on and so forth I am surprised he is still around. Which is comforting, that my crazy antics haven't scared him away. But is scares me how angry or let down I feel when something I asked doesn't get done, or he doesn't listen to me.

Elation:
3 words make me beam brighter than the sun on a July day Mrs. Katy Gnann

I am not sure if I am going to want to go by Katy or Kate professionally. My whole family calls me Kate, Fiance calls me Katy. I, personally think Kate sounds better. Thoughts?

I know that when I get my name changed it will be Kathryn Hunter Gnann. I am dropping the middle name. It is sad especially when you are named for someone and that is the name you are dropping... see there I go being sad again.

Bham weekend

Went as well as can be expected.



On the road again:

Went well, Julie and I watched movies and gabbed while our chauffeur (lol) drove the 9 1/2 hours to Alabama.



Dinner with the family was nice then it was off to bed... or so we thought. Julie and I stayed up until 3:30 talking.



BBQ me and you!

The cookout was great. Even thought it was a lot more formal than we thought it was going to be. Jennifer made a drink called blue paradise but Julie and I decided to call it "The Jen"! We were all up later again so we all crashed.






Tea anyone!
It was such a lovely day, with some awkwardness thrown in there.



The day started out busy with Jennifer's dog Maggie eating a huge crater in my pan of brownies for the hostess gifts. So I then had double the baking to do which stressed me out! But thanks to Julie, who helped me get the baskets together, we weren't too late to the tea.



There were so many people there... and not to sound crazy... but all the women started to look alike. White salon styled hair, with a nice pair of slacks on and a floral shirt. So I wasn't so quick to remember names this go round. The awkward part was opening the gifts, from a bunch of women I didn't know and probably would never see again in my life...

We got so many lovely gifts to build our home it was really unbelievable.



After the tea, Julie and I were exhausted from sitting up so straight and had to unscrew our smiles. Being so nervous about something can really take a lot out of you. So we tried to wind down but with all the family there it was hard to do.

Thank you cards, cleaning and moving will all commence this week in prep for the FMIL who is coming Friday for the shower.

I am currently exhausted but am pushing through!

The Gauntlet

That is what I have been calling these next few weeks.

Today starts everything, and I am down a car (mine is in the shop for repairs). So I am going to have to rely on the generosity of my friends to take me places.

This week:
I have to get the car fixed
Make 9 goodie baskets
Do laundry
Clean the house
Pack for Alabama
Clean the car out
Celebrate my birthday day
Drive 9 1/2 hours
Survive a Tea

Next week:
Go through every thing in my room and decide what I need and what goes to charity
Pack my life
Do hair trial run
Keep my FMIL entertained
Go to my Bridal shower

Week after that:
Move my life into Fiance's Apartment

See a gauntlet.

I will say I am really excited about going to Alabama. The last time I saw everyone was at a funeral so it will be nice to see everyone happy and celebrating.

This Thursday is my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am super excited. I mean who doesn't love their birthday!?!?!?!?!?

The tea will be a new experience and I am trying to stay open minded. I know we aren't going to be sitting around drinking tea in our white gloves but there is a lot of tradition that goes in to one. Something that has become very apparent the last few months is how BIG the cultural divide between north and south really is. And I don't mean redneck south, I mean debutant south. I really embrace it too, I love the Ora around everything, the tradition, the history. I am always afraid of not fitting in, being a "Yankee" and all.

until next time ....

Invites!

Hazaa!

They are done and out for delivery! Whew! they were a huge hurdle to get over with the getting th guest lists, the numbers being off, gluing, sitcking and everything in between.

People are starting to RSVP and it is so exciting!

I promise a picture post soon...

Cincinnati Bridal and formal

HOW I LOATHE THEE!!!!

So being as I was told in January that if my girls ordered their dresses ON MARCH 28th, it would be enough time to get them in. I called once in May to check the ship date and they said mid July. Kind of risky but I said that is about 6 weeks for alterations and such, so no worries.

Maybe this is a crazy train of thought, but if you say a month like.. oh I don't know July for example. That if said month has 31 days in it that the 15 or the 16th would be middle of the month. Am I correct in my thinking? I only question this because Bridal and Formal seems to have a twisted logic on this matter.

When I first called they didn't have an answer for me. They said " Oh, I need to call and check on that." When I asked about the MOB dress the girls said " Oh, I really need to call and check on that." As if I reminded her to do her job. She said she would call me back.

I got the call and there was a word being thrown around in our conversation that has made me uneasy. That would is "should."

"The bridesmaid dresses should ship out end of next week."

"And the mother of the bride dress?" I asked

"that should ship out week after next."

It took all I had to not tell her that Bridal and formal had until July 28th to get me the dresses. I feel like I have been lied to. I want to let them know that too, tell them maybe they should actually teach the sales girls how to measure or EVEN BETTER get an alterations department, so you won't have brides like me. Jaded and bitter about their bridal and formal experience.

The Phases

1) Pre- Engagement
You spend as much, if not more, time looking at wedding magazines and browsing bridal fashion shows, and inordinate amounts of time staring at engagement rings, whether in store windows or on people’s fingers. But all secretly, and with a “no pressure” attitude.

Anyone who knows me, knows this is me to a Tee. I looked the other day and the oldest wedding mag I have is from 2005!

2) Engagement
Completely exhilarated, you call everyone you know, buy an enormous stack of wedding magazines, say the word “fiance” as many times as you can even in inappropriate situations, and drive recklessly while staring at your ring.

I called parents, Grandma, Brother (who was less than enthusiastic), and all the girls I knew were going to be my bridesmaids.

3) Initial Planning Phase
Beaming with hope and expectation, you ask your fiance “So what were you thinking for the wedding?” most likely illiciting an overwhelmed look because your wedding planning energy is radiating like a force field, and he knows that you’ve probably already picked out the linens and designed monogrammed cocktail napkins.

I had everything pretty much planned. I mean my vision did mature but not change dramatically. The only thing that changed was bridesmaid dresses and my dress.

4) Apathetic Phase
Maybe this is only in long engagements, but after about six months of frantic planning and then realizing the wedding is still a year away, the less fun tasks like bullying home addresses out of people or recalculating the budget (again!) seem tiresome. Can also be accompanied by a short lived substitute obsession, like interior decorating or shoe shopping.

I am totally here now. I don't care anymore I just want it to be done. Oh and the shoe thing.. try 5 pairs in one weekend.

5) Re-engagement Phase
What?!?! two months left? Guess it’s time to start those D.I.Y.’s

I have almost everything done. The invites were like pulling teeth and that is what really put me in a "this needs to be over" kind of mood. I need to get to this next stage...

ultimatums

I hate them.

I hate giving them and receiving them.

But what do you do when it is the only thing to do? When the person you co-habitate won't stand up on his own 2 feet?

What do you do when you have been enabling him the 6 months he has lived here. I mean he has had it made. I am happy because I am with him and he is happy because his rents are naive or turning a blind eye to the situation.

Now it is 3 weeks before my bridal shower and she is coming up for it. She will be staying with Matthew so guess who is being evicted for 3 days? I have to take any thing that is mine out of his apartment. So no sign that I have been living there for 6 months can be seen. I am pretty much being erased.

I asked him how he would feel, getting run out of his home? He said the same as me, like a huge slap in the face.

Still when I gave him this heart felt plea his response was "So you are moving everything out?"

I had to get up and walk away. Then he had the audacity to try to cuddle with me last night. If my shoulder would have been any colder he would have gotten frost bite.

So I broke down and I gave him an ultimatum...

1. I am going to stay at my moms until after the wedding. I don’t think it is fair for me to have to keep moving my stuff out. I mean what if your mom wants to come up a few days early to help with the wedding stuff? I don’t want to have to do this again.

2. I move my stuff out…. But the day your mom leaves, I move in. I pack up everything at my moms and move in. It’s not fair to her to harbor the biggest room of the house and it sit empty.

He will decided how our living arrangement in the near future will play out.

Charlotte

There has been a lot of talk between Fiance and I about what is to come after the wedding. One major discussion is his job and my schooling. As many of you know.. aka the 2 lovely ladies that follow my blog, I put school on hiatus so the burden of paying for our wedding wouldn't fall solely on to him.

Now that he has a job and we are in to the last 2 months before the wedding the question has been brought to the table where do we go from here? Fiance right now is beyond thrilled to have a job but isn't feeling fulfilled. Which, anyone that went to school for 5 years for a diploma that you don't even use can relate. He is seriously considering trying to get in the corporate office which in located in North Carolina. I always knew we were going to move someday, did I think that could be a few months away? Not in my wildest dreams. I thought, unrealistically, that Fiance would move up here find an awesome job, we would get married, I would graduate, we would have a baby then live happily ever after....

Then back to reality where to be painfully (because I don't want to admit it) honest we may not be able to stay here. We have to go where he can find the best job because even if I graduate I still can't make even a smidge of what he could make. There is more to think about than just me, there is an us now and in the not so distant future an us plus little ones. For once, my need for planning out every second of my life is paying off, because we have to think of our family.

There is a culinary school in Charlotte that is out of this world, so continuing my education won't be an issue. When we talk about it so many emotions run through me; sadness, excitement, anger,fear... just to name a few. I will let you know when more comes of this.

Dear Geese,
First, I would like to say that it has been a great experience this year seeing you grown from little fuzzies in to adults. That being said, I do have a grievance. Why, OH WHY must you use the side walk as a bathroom? I don't go in to your pond and take a bath, or worse. I don't want to threaten or start a war of the species here but the fact of the matter is you poo as much as dobermans, and I am tired of dodging your landmines or having to wipe them off of my curious pooch when she finds one of your "fresh presents". Your cooperation in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely yours,
owner of a BB gun and I am not afraid to use it.