A Happy Helper

In order to be married at Prestonwood Baptist Church in July, we must attend 7 weekly pre-marital counseling classes. We have been to two and so far I am really enjoying them! Our table group has provided some good stories for friends and family (especially the couple who refused to tell everyone how they met but instead responded with, "let's just say we were introduced." hmmmm). Each Sunday has a specific topic for which we have before and after the lesson homework and some reading to do. I like homework, Mark, not so much. This past Sunday's topic was about men and women's roles in marriage according to the Bible.

The leaders split the girls and guys in to different rooms. I learned so much and have already started to put what I learn to practice (as a fiancee). My role in our marriage is to be the helper. God made the man to be the leader and the woman to be the helper. I like this role. The lady who led our group encouraged us to be "happy helpers" even when helping isn't exactly what we felt like doing. She also gave us a few other helpful tips about what has worked in her marriage which was greatly appreciated. I found it so interesting how the needs of men can be supported by the role of women in the marriage. It continues to amaze me how much the Bible has to teach us.

Some Assembly Required

The house is coming along, slowly but surely. This weekend, we brought another truck load from my storage unit. My Dad and Mark's Dad also came to help us on Saturday. My Dad power washed the entire exterior of the house in order to allow the painters to paint. He also helped Mark set up our new TV. We are so happy with our television purchase. Just last night, as we watched our favorite Monday night shows, both Mark and I agreed, we LOVE our TV. Mark's Dad caulked the entire exterior of the house along with helping Mark with other odd jobs. We are so appreciative of their help!

We also decided to purchase an entertainment stand for our new TV. We found a really cute one. Not only was it very heavy, but when Mark opened the box, "some assembly required" took a whole new meaning. This is a picture of the bag of screws, bolts, etc. that came in the bog. I thought it was cool how organized each compartment was while Mark has a slightly different opinion about the package. After 45minutes of assembling the top portion of the stand, Mark discovered a damaged piece. That project is on hold for now as we wait for Better Homes and Gardens to send us a replacement piece.

A Busy Weekend

Whew, we had a busy weekend! Saturday Mark worked all day while I saw the trainer, did some things at my parents and took a long nap. We then met our friends Justin and Kim at their house for an outdoor BBQ. The steaks were yummy and their kids are adorable.

Sunday morning we had our first pre-marital counseling session at Prestonwood Baptist Church. There were lots of couples there of all ages. It was an interesting session about expectations where we heard all about the grim reality of being married (which made me sad because I am in happy-I-am-getting-married-to-the-man-I-love mode and didn't want to hear about how I would be sick of seeing this person at times). The strangest part of the whole morning took place when a couple at our table avoided answering the question of how they met three times. When the girl finally answered, she said, "let's just say we were introduced." What the heck does that mean? It was weird and uncomfortable for all at the table.

That afternoon, I had a shower while Mark began to move my things from my storage unit. Although I warned him multiple times that the storage unit was packed from floor to ceiling, he was still surprised about exactly how much stuff was in there. The shower was beautiful. It was hosted by lady friends of Mark's mother. She invited all her church friends. Everything was decorated beautifully and the food (especially the cake from Costco) was delicious! The people there were very generous and I left with lots of wonderful gifts from our Bed, Bath, and Beyond registry. The funniest part of the shower was that Mark's Mom and I were wearing very similar outfits and all the hostesses were in black and white.

It was a busy weekend!

Wedding Invites

I can't believe that it is time for us to think about sending out our wedding invitations. Only 3 short months and we will be married! My Mom and I spent an afternoon stuffing the envelopes. To most, this would be a painfully dull task, but we are weird and like that sort of assembly-line type job. An hour or so later, we were all done. We are just waiting on the new wedding stamp to come out and we will be set to mail in mid-May!

Weekly Update

Over the course of a week, a lot has taken place at our home. Mark and I found two gorgeous chandeliers on sale at Lowe's. Mark hung one in the kitchen and the other in the front entry. What a difference getting rid of the gold fixtures makes! Mark's Mom did a fabulous job trimming out the kitchen for us. As hard as we tried to do it perfectly, she really has a very steady hand that no one can compare to. Thanks to her detail work, the kitchen looks pretty good! We are pleased with the paint color. Mark's Dad removed the guest room sink so we can replace it with a granite one which I am so excited to buy. Mark and his Dad finished up the guest bathroom by adding bead board the the green walls I painted last weekend. I think once it has been cleaned up, it will look adorable!

Though much has been accomplished, while I was sick in bed, Mark worked on my dream closet and surprised me with it when I finally returned to life Thursday evening. I had no words to say, I loved it so much. It is everything I hoped for and it looks just great. Mark is the greatest! I can't wait to begin figuring out how I want to utilize each organizational section.

Macy Moo

Macy is my Labrador Retriever, well, she is really my Dad's Labrador Retriever now since he and my mom agreed to adopt her when I get married. Macy has become quite accustomed to living a cage-free life and if she moved in with us, she would have to stay in a cage all day while we were at work. Plus, when Mark asked my parents for my hand in marriage, my dad said, "you can have my daughter but you can't take my dog!" Macy loves her life at my parents so it is only fair to keep her happy.

This is a picture of Macy Moo (my nickname for her) by my parent's pool. My Dad took this on Easter so while other people send out cute pictures of their kids, I will send out a cute picture of my dog. According to my Dad, this was taken after their regular Sunday walk to Starbucks where Macy gets to visit her dog friends, carry her tennis ball in her mouth the entire way, and occasionally enjoy a Puppy Latte (yes, Starbucks can make coffee-like drinks for dogs). Nutty as Macy may be, I love her!

Kidney Infection

After waking up yesterday morning feeling like I had the flu, my mom forced me to go to PrimaCare to see what was the problem since I didn't have any other flu-related symptoms. Turns out I have a very serious bladder and kidney infection. The doctor said it was so serious he needed to give me a shot immediately (this was probably one of the longest shots I have ever encountered) and sent me to fill two prescriptions. I remained in bed and asleep for the entire day and night experiencing body aches, a high fever, exhaustion, and headaches. It wasn't a good day at all. My mom even said she had never seen me looking so bad!

Today I woke up feeling better but still in pain. This really isn't fun. I went to work for 1.5 hours because I had to do a new admissions battery but came straight home and put my PJ's back on. The littlest things are exhausting! I am hoping to feel all better tomorrow.

And, let me just state for the record, cranberry juice is DISGUSTING.

My Dad and I hung four doors after spending countless times figuring out how to put on the door hinge the proper way. These are the before and after pictures. Mark's Dad and I selected these simple, bronze door knobs and hinges that really make the white door look crisp and clean.

Mark also finished our kitchen back splash and it looks AWESOME!!! We selected the tile at the tile store and he did the rest. I am very impressed with my fiance's tiling ability! The tile is pretty by itself but really pops next to the Windy Blue color we painted in the kitchen.

Design on a Dime

I saw on HD TV a way to transform old, gold pieces in your home into stylish, new bronze pieces stores now sell. Since Mark and I chose to use bronze in our home, we decided to buy bronze spray paint, as suggested on the TV show, and see what happened. My Dad worked on this project and, much to my surprise, the tip worked! The chandelier needed three more coats of spray (this picture is just after one spray) as did the light fixtures, but they turned out looking great. You would never suspect these were once gold! Thanks to my Dad, we saved about $350 by not having to buy a new chandelier, hallway, and closet fixtures.

It's Coming Together....

Sorry it has been almost 2 weeks since I last updated the blog. Work blocked me from updating my blog so now I have to do it on personal time - how dare they not allow me to do personal business there!

Our home is coming together! Over the past two weeks, our house has literally transformed from blah, dirty and outdated to lovely, somewhat clean, and updated. Mark's parents both came down with a terrible cold virus which kept them from "showing up to work" (haha, just kidding) but luckily my parents were generous to offer to come and help us. My brother, Drew, was in town visiting so he came too which was an added treat. Every bit of help allowed us to get where we are now so we are VERY grateful to every hand that helped us with this project.

My Mom worked on trimming out doorways, baseboards, and windows while my brother did a little bit of everything. His one major project was re-painting the guest room closet. It looks so clean now, thanks Drew!













My Dad was very helpful for he helped Mark with the 5 minute ceiling fan that took 2 hours to hang along with helping hang doors.