Motherly Advice

Before two of my mothers-in-law left, Tammy gave me some great advice. She told me to try scheduling everything so life wouldn't seem so chaotic, and I would have time set aside to work on myself. So today we went to Target and got a dry erase schedule board and did just that. We planned out the bills, groceries, work outs, chores, appointments, etc. The appearance of the board gives our lives a sense of routine, which after the last few months is more than welcome.

Here is what the board looks like:
It was an amazing visit with Tammy and Jill. We are thrilled they made the trip to come and see us.

We love you!!

My Talented Husband

Jeremy painted for six years prior to working for Steelco. He graciously used this talent to help my brother paint the nursery for Matthew.





Elly did a great job putting some of the finishing touches on Matthew's little sanctuary.

Our Little Nephew Has Arrived

Yesterday, after about seventeen and a half hours of labor, our sister-in-law, Elly, had their first baby. Matthew Allen Bowden arrived around 1:30 PM on May 19th. He was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 19 inches long.



Grandma and Grandpa Bowden, Rae, Scott, Bethany and Megan Davidson, Jeremy, me, Mom, Dad, and Cleo (Elly's mom) were at the hospital awaiting the arrival. Mom, Cleo, and Grandma and Grandpa were the only ones to stay at the hospital for the whole thing. Jeremy and I had to go home to sleep for a little while, and Dad had to go conduct a hearing.

Elly was a trouper. She will be recovering for a couple of days, and then mom and baby should be able to return home.

Congratulations Darren and Elly!!

Ceremony/Reception Map

For those of you attending our event on Saturday, here is a link to a map and driving directions!
We are looking forward to seeing all of you, and to those who are unable to attend I will be sure to add photos soon.

Ten Reasons Why Jeremy Gives Me Butterflies

1. He thinks my idiosyncrasies are cute.
2. He builds me up when others are tearing me down.
3. He scratches my back when I can't reach.
4. He never puts anything higher than I can reach.
5. He gives compliments freely, and without provocation.
6. His smile, laugh, and eye brow raising thing.
7. He is the most handsome guy I've ever been with.
8. He tells me he loves me, and means it.
9. He lets me have the remote.
10. He just hugs me when I cry instead of asking me a billion questions, and wondering why girls cry for no reason.

The Wedding Decorations Are Arriving

I am getting more excited with each arriving package. Yesterday we received our napkins and cake topper.





We have started on creating our center pieces.





Every thing seems to be coming together. Next Friday we move into our bigger place, and then we can really focus on the final details of our upcoming nuptials. 14 days and counting....

Big News!

Jeremy has gone to the day shift! We are very excited for this. It now means we can be a "normal" couple. It has been nice leaving together, and arriving home at relatively the same time. We went grocery shopping, and purchased food for cooking nice home dinners.

It has been a really enjoyable week for us. It is nice to see we can still be in love after spending more than just the weekend together. It is fun to find what we have in common, what we enjoy doing together, and new ways to spend our evenings.

This change in shift is really a blessing to be happening on the eve of our wedding.



Jeremy getting ready on his second to last night shift on Friday night.

Our Song

We were laying in my bed, and I put in my Eagle's CD. The song came on, and I looked at her. I told her to listen to the song. It reminds me of you. It's an awesome song.

"Lost and Lonely. Now you've given me the will to survive."

We had gone through a lot that night. It was an emotional roller coaster, as things from my previous relationship had yet to be figured out, and was having a huge impact on us. I thought playing the CD would help us relax, and enjoy each others company.

"Don't you worry. Sometimes you just gotta let it ride."

Eagles are my favorite band, and I feel it is fitting to have one of their hits be our song. There are plenty out there that Crystal says remind her of me, but this one, right when we heard it, fit everything.

Which is why it plays whenever you visit our little blog.

The Little Things...Kind Of.

Everything seems to be coming together. With the help of MykeAnne and Ricky, Jeremy and I finished all the invitations. Those who are invited to be witnesses to the ceremony had their invitations mailed on Friday. The rest will be mailed in the next week.

We started putting together the bubble favors, and centerpieces. I think they will be cute. They are not extravagant by any means. Jeremy and I are really striving to have a simple, casual wedding.

Since we are having the wedding out doors, there is not a lot of decorating going into this. The natural beauty will be enough I think. Just some table linens, photos, centerpieces. I am still trying to figure out if I want to have ribbons, and flowers adorning the bridge/aisle.
My future sister-in-law, Lisa, had a really great idea about making my own aisle runner. I am going to be looking into it. I can borrow my mother's sewing machine, and hopeful create one we can be proud of.

I think I've picked out my dress, finally. I think you can tell it's a wedding dress, but one that is intended for a beach affair, or something breezy. There is no train, or veil. I don't know if I want a veil. If I decide that I could always go get one from David's or something. We'll see how it turns out. I know I won't reach any where close to my final goal weight, so right now I am aiming towards slimming down my face. :P

The only details to be figured out are the photographer, and the officiator. Jeremy's cousin has graciously volunteered to do the music for free. My side of the wedding party seems to be up in the air, as the wedding date has been moved closer, and members may not be able to attend. Which is completely understandable given they are all out of town for the most part.

So that is where we stand.

Making Invitations

I'll admit I am a bit of a scrapbooker, and I thought it would be fun to make our own invitations, and maybe save some money. My cute soon-to-be hubby jumped right in to help!






Look for the invitations in a mailbox near you in the next few weeks!