Liebster Award!

My internet pal Megan @ Butterfly Dreams N' Things nominated me for the Liebster Award!

Fabulous!

I started following Megan's blog what seems like ages ago when I started this blog to chronicle my wedding planning insanity adventure :)  Megan and her husband (Aron with one A!) had their wedding a few weeks before we did in Colorado, and I have loved reading about all her plans and recaps.  Go read her blog because she is really awesome :)

This award is given to up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers. Liebster is German and means sweetest, kind, lovely, endearing, and welcome.

How it works:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you and create 11 questions for bloggers you have tagged.
3. Choose up to 11 bloggers and link them to your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs.

Here are the questions Megan asked:

1. What is your favorite TV show?
This is tough because I watch a flipping ton of TV... probably The Office.  I could watch it all day, every day and it never ever gets old!  An honorable mention goes to any reality TV show, because I watch almost all of them religiously.  ::hangs head in shame::

2. Are you a sports enthusiast?
Not exactly?  But.  The sport I most enjoy watching is basketball, and my team is the Dallas Mavs.  I got into them in college when my friends and I would go watch every game because our favorite bar served $1 beers.  I also support UT Baseball (University of Texas) because my now retired Uncle Howard was one of the coaches, and a former player, and his son/my cousin Bryan is also an alumni of the team.  So because of this my whole family bleeds burnt orange.  I also support any athletic endeavors of my alma matter UNT (University of North Texas) however futile they normally are.  It's an art school...lol.  And of course, anything is fun when you are there to witness the action in person!

3. Do you sometimes believe that you were born in the wrong decade?
Not particularly.  I totally would have loved to live through some of the times of the past, but I can tell you one thing.  I freakin' love the 90's!  I feel that I was born at just the right age where that was the decade I could fully appreciate.  Everything that is pure and wonderful came from the 90's.  Ok maybe not, lol.  I think most people end up loving the decade that was happening when they were young and carefree, and the 90's is mine!  

YES!!!

4. What is your favorite Summer activity?
I live in Texas, so I pretty much hate summer.  I try to hibernate indoors until it is over.  The only enjoyable parts are going to the beach and eating an insanely large amount of ice-cream.  But really, I do that all seasons...

5. What is the one thing you can't leave the house without and why?
I would say my phone, but I leave without it mistakenly all the time, and it is horrible.  Otherwise, my keys are a definite must have.

6. What kind of car do you drive?
An '08 Dodge Caliber.  It is an okay car.  It can hold a lot of stuff, which is cool and it has a drink cooler in the glove box.  It doesn't work that well but it is quite an interesting feature.

7. What movie can you quote backwards and forwards?
Napoleon Dynamite, the most under rated movie of our generation.  And probably about 12 others.  If I have seen a movie more than once, it is likely I have seen in 900 times.

8. When you were little, what did you say you wanted to be when you grew up?

An astronaut and a singer.  I failed. :(  lol

9. What one product are you currently addicted to?
I can't thing of anything I would claim an addiction to that isn't food related, however:  I recently tried this natural deodorant called Crystal - www.thecrystal.com  and I am actually shocked at how well it is working for me.  Granted, I don't put it through the wringer or anything - I try to sweat as little as possible.  But it doesn't have any of those chemically things or anything and I can go an entire day without stinking.  It's a good thing.  lol   

10. What was the last song you listened to in your car?
It was either Call Me Maybe, or something Katy Perry, because that is all they ever play :\

11. Do you sing at the top of your lungs while alone in your car?

only sometimes: 

lolz.

Ok, now questions for those I am tagging:

1.  What is your favorite quote or line from Napoleon Dynamite?

2.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

3. What would be the ideal super power for you and why.

4. Which game show would you want to be on because you are certain you would beat the pants off of everyone?

5. What did you want to be when you grew up?

6. What was the last good book you read?

7. What are the last 3 things your purchased from the internet?

8. Do you, or do you not, like meatloaf (the food).

9. You just won $5000 in the lottery.  Do you spend it on bills or something fun?  Explain.

10. What is your favorite cause to donate your money or time to?

11.  Who is your favorite judge on any reality singing contest show?

Tag, you're it!:

Lindsey's 30 Journey

Liz's Adventures in Baby-Making

Laura @ Saying 'I do' in NY

Mimi @ Stylishly Blissfully Ever After

If someone reads this and has a blog - consider yourself tagged ;)

Brad and Lauren get married part duex

Ok reception.  So fun!  

Our first married wedding! :)

We got to our table, chatted with the other people at our table and ate some chips and salsa.  Some photos of the tablescape:

the view

They had a really really great band called Downtown Fever, they sounded really great and kept the dance floor PACKED the whole night!  

The dinner was really really tasty, we had skewers of chicken and beef, with beans and tortillas - and Brad even jumped in with the Pappa's crew to serve his guests, lol!

Another really cool thing they had was a photobooth type thing that made flipbooks!  http://www.iloveflipbooks.com/

You pretty much get in front of a webcam and have 7 seconds to dance and whatnot and it will print out a flip book!

And we had seriously delicious cake!  I know I am biased about cake and love it all, but this was really top notch.  I should have had a second piece...

The best part of the night though, was the dancing of the horah dance - which is a tradition at a Jewish wedding.  This is the dance where everyone is dancing in a circle and lift up the couple on chairs.  Super festive right?  Well Brad's family owns, and he works for Sunnyland Furniture in Dallas, home of the worlds largest patio chair...so we were all in for a big surprise:

How awesome is that?!

We had a really wonderful time, and thank you to Brad and Lauren for including us in celebrating your special day.  The Hinkley's wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!  Mazel Tov!

Sorry girls, he's hitched :)

Brad and Lauren get married!!

Aaron and I had the pleasure of spending the weekend in the Dallas area to see my friend Brad from college get married!

Our trip started in Greenville where Jeremy and Nicole let us stay over and hang out.  We drove to Rockwall for dinner at The Flying Saucer and it is right on the lake, so we had to take a pic or two :)

:D

Always fun seeing those guys!

Sunday afternoon we headed to Dallas to get checked in at our hotel.  We stayed at the Magnolia Hotel (Dallas edition) in downtown - it was a really nice hotel!

It was a bummer though, by the time we checked in, all the gift bags for guests had been handed out :\  I am sure they were lovely!

Onto the main event!

I will preface this by telling you that Brad is a very proud Texan :)  Brad and Lauren's wedding and reception were held at the Old Red Courthouse in Dallas.  It was such a neat venue, and the insides were just beautiful.  Elegant yet a little rustic.  There were so many neat details that really personalized the event, we just had a super great time!

Source

We entered the courthouse on the first floor and were greeted with the voice of Big Tex welcoming us to the wedding.  For the non-Texans, Big Tex is this cowboy character that welcomes everyone to the Texas state fair! 

We then were led to the fourth floor for the ceremony.  Brad and Lauren are Jewish, and this was the first time Aaron and I have been to a Jewish wedding, so we were really excited to see what the ceremony would be like.  The men were asked to wear the traditional Kippah to remind them that God is always above us.  Texas flag themed, of course :)

Some photos from the beautiful ceremony:

Married!

(sorry about the pic quality, the lighting wasn't cooperating with my camera)

Onto cocktail hour:

Awesome!  Pappa's catered the event with some excellent Tex-Mex foods:

We had quesadillas, an avocado bar, shots of poblano cheesy soup, grilled vegetable trays, and drinks on top of all of that.  It was deluxe, and mega tasty!

Katrina, Amanda and Aaron

The curly girls! :)

OMG yum.

This blog is getting really long, so I am going to do a separate post for the reception portion of the evening....

It's my birthday!

I am 30 years old today :O  !!?!  And I have had a pretty fantastic day despite having to work, and it being the last accounting day of the month which is always super busy.

farewell youth.

I was treated to lunch by my little brother (he had to work this evening) at BJ's Brew House, which was delicious.  He and my Mom gave a present to both Aaron and I - a stay at Hotel Zaza for our wedding night!!!!  So exciting!!!!

<3

After work my Mom and I hung out a bit before we met up with Aaron for birthday dinner at the Cheesecake Factory!  We had a delicious feast, and Aaron got me some gorgeous flowers and the new Mindy Kaling book which I wanted so bad!  I had given a bunch out as gifts to my friends, but refrained from buying one for me because we are on a budget.  I got it literally 2 hours ago and have read half of it already.  Win!   I also got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my bestie Katrina yesterday at work.  I love getting flowers :)  

So it has been a pretty great day filled with over eating, and the cherry on top?  The Addams Family Values is on TV right now!  That is seriously one of the greatest movies of our time and among my favorites, so hilarious!

Source

Here's to the next great decade!

Red Neck Wine Glasses

Aaron and I got an awesome wedding gift last night from my Mom's next door neighbors, and I just had to share because it is hilarious:

Bubba's Redneck Wine Glasses

If you haven't seen these, or can't tell from the picture, these are mason jars with stems attached, lol.  Hilarious!

We got our present early because the neighbors are weeks away from moving to London for 2 years for work.  I am bummed that they wont be able to make it to the wedding, but they are super excited about their new adventure, so I am happy for them.  They will be missed around here!

If these glasses are to be used by actual rednecks, feel free to swap the wine for moonshine or pabst blue ribbon, lol.  

Thanks again Frank and Noelle!

Baby, It's cold outside!

It has been literally freezing in Houston the past two days, I think winter has finally arrived!  We braved the frozen tundra to get us a Christmas tree early this week, which was fun.  There is not a more intoxicating aroma than a Christmas tree if you ask me!

My Mom and brother Jeff checking out the selection

And we went out for Gingerbread Lattes from Starbucks afterwards :)

Yes!

And today I had a lovely dinner date with my gals Lindsey and Leslie.  Came home, finished my last school project, so I am OFFICIALLY DONE!  (for the semester)  Such a wonderful feeling!  

Oh, and Aaron and I met with Fr. James, the new head priest at our church about wedding things - I will talk about that more in a post soon.  He gave us a super long test to take to see how good we will be at marriage, lol.  It is a take home test, so I need to finish that and bring it back for the results.

Other wedding things that are going down this weekend:

*My Mom and I are going to Harwin (Houston's ethnic shopping district) for some discount fabric for table cloths

*Hopefully finding some last items for my Bridesmaids gifts

*Visiting a whole-sale flower shop we might order the wedding flowers from

*Checking into a rehearsal dinner locale

*Seeing about a hair lady my neighbor recommended

Oye, there is still so much to do!

Why Aaron and I are good for each other

We were made from the same nerd mold...

Aaron and I have a deep and serious love for all things Christmas and we are planning on attending a Home Alone pizza party at our local Alamo Draft House - because few things get you in the spirit of Christmas like Home Alone.

Keep the change, you filthy animal.

So all week we have been totally excited for Saturday.  We are pinching pennies to get this wedding paid for, and are sooo busy with everything that we hardly get time together to just have some fun.  Here is an excerpt of our discussion of the pizza party/budget.

Pssh, Romance is gross.

so much screaming.

Barbie and Ken Get Married

Taken from this article on Glamour's website.  You really should go to the article and see all the photos, too funny!

Night with the girls

I have to tell you about the rest of San Antonio weekend now - all the fun that was had spanned the entire weekend after all :)  Angela, Katrina and I checked into the lovely River Walk  Plaza Hotel after an afternoon of visiting with grandparents, and got ready to hit the town.  It was Halloween weekend, so we knew it was going to be a fun night :)  Luckily we were able to walk to the River Walk and downtown - it was only 2 blocks away, win!

Katrina and Angela

We strolled the River Walk and grabbed some food at a nearby Mexican place.  It seemed like there were a lot of people hanging around (and several in costumes, which was fun) seemingly waiting for something to happen, but we were unsure what?  We soon learned that there was a Halloween parade on the river that night, and we had a pretty decent view from the patio at dinner.  It was very festive :)

After dinner we were looking to find a spot to chill out and drink more margaritas, so we walked the whole river and nothing looked too awesome, so we went up to street level.  After walking around aimlessly for a few blocks we found the neighborhood Pat O'Briens.  This place was actually pretty great, we had three nights out in one place!  We got a table and some cocktails and chatted for a bit, then we went to check out the piano bar area.  The piano bar was really fun and engaging and we sang and drank some more.  And yes, that last picture is my dear Katrina 'making it rain' on the piano player, lol.  We can't take her anywhere...

Once we ran out of monies for piano requests, we went upstairs to the dance club which was fun.  We were full of liquid courage to bust a move at that point, lol.  Earlier in the evening I sent a text to my cousin Chris who lives in SA that we were hanging out downtown if he felt like meeting up, and about now is when he replied that he was headed to another bar in the area.  So we got our googlemaps out and headed that way.

And we passed the Alamo!  Funny story, when we were planning out the evening beforehand at the hotel, I was looking at a map of everything, and where to go.  Angela is our history gal and almost PhD in the subject, so it was necessary for her to see our famous Texas landmark while we were here.  Well at the hotel, I decided that the Alamo was way too far to walk to, and we'd have to take a separate trip in the morning.  There was no way we'd be walking that far... Looks like I ate my words!

Our last stop of the night was at On the Half Shell to meet up with my cousin and his lady friend.  If you are in SA on a Tuesday night, go here and you can see my cousin doing poetry slam.  The dude is nation champion finalist material.  Pretty awesome!  But yes, OTHS was fun and loud, and we got to see their costume contest going on :)  And I got to see my cousin, and that is always fun too!

It was like 2 in the AM by the time our heads hit the pillow.  I had a really fun night, and I was so glad that Katrina and Angela were there to make it so fun.  Guess we old gals still have some late nights in us!