Stormy weather

I absolutley LOVE spring!! Okay...well since reading this blog...I guess I should say that I LIKE spring! haha I really really LIKE it! :) But with every good thing comes the downside....for spring it's the storms!! Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good storm! However, I don't enjoy the damage they bring to those around me! Last year my car received hail and paint damage. This year I narrowly escape by being parked in the garage, so it was safe! The rain had just stopped and I was about to run some dinner down to Devin's grandparents before the hail came. Luckily, I hadn't left yet! This picture is from my cell phone.


After the rain and hail let up, I went outside with my Canon to see if I could capture any cool clouds in the distance with my new stalker lens. But I didn't see any low hanging clouds in the distance, just this pretty one! I didn't think I had time to run inside and switch my lens so I just took it zoomed all the way out. The picture doesn't do it justice. It really was beautiful!


I photoshopped this next one some but I really like it! Even with the pole in the way! Devin's Dad was stuck in Lawton for like 2 hours waiting on the storms over there to pass! He made it home safely finally! He always teases me that I don't cook for him when Darinda is gone (and that he is afraid Devin will starve when we get married) so I came home from work with chicken and some yummy fixings including a cake mix! Then the storm happend! haha He didn't get home until 9ish but he still enjoyed it and is begining to think Devin will make it after all ;)


The upside to the storms tonight were that the farmers around here got the rain they have been praying for. I think they were still wanting it anyway. I was informed awhile back that there is a time when they don't want it...or maybe it was too much...I can't remember! I just wish it would have rained over in Davidson...my patient over there was really hoping it would! I called her and she said they didn't get a drop! But my patient in Snyder had a lot of rain and no power from the storm! So it was hit and miss I guess. It began to rain again after this picture so I had to go back inside, didn't want to ruin my camera!!


Wedding planning is finally begining to come along. I got the dress and all the fixin's (minus the garter and shoes), ordered some DIY invitations, found a hair stylist, and booked the engagement session! Yay!! I hope it keeps up!!! It's time for bed, happy Spring everyone!!

xoxo,
Brandi Sue

My dream wedding...

So I have been thinking about this whole dream wedding thing. At first, I felt like I had missed out on some big part of being a little girl since I didn't have this memory. Then I realized that it's a memory that tv and movies mainly created. After all, my best friend/Matron of Honor didn't have those memories either...so I'm not alone ;)


Then I thought...who says it's too late to think about your dream wedding? I mean, just because it's only about 3 months away, doesn't mean I can't still fantasize about it right? So, in a nutshell...here's how my dream wedding would go.....(Oh and I would add pics but I don't know if I would get in trouble for copyright or something so better be safe than sorry!)


I'll start off by saying that even dreaming up a fantasy wedding is hard because I still couldn't decide if I wanted a fancy or formal affair. I mean, I'm not high maintenance, but a wedding is a perfect excuse for some flair! But, after some thinking, I decided that I would stick to my country roots :)


The ceremony would be in a big, catholic type church. Those are always so gorgeous and would make for some awesome pictures! Who cares that you have to be catholic...this is a fantasy remember?! haha I picture beautiful stained class windows with lots of yummy sunshine streaming though. When I walked into the church the first thing I would do is follow Jenna's advice. I would breathe and take it all in. I would see the people who took time out to come to our wedding, to celebrate our commitment to each other, to wish us luck in our future, and to have a good time! Then, I don't really have much else to add to the ceremony. Short and sweet is fine with me...and hopefully not too many tears because I don't want mascara streaks haha.


The reception is the fun part. I would love to have it in a big rustic yet charming barn! I think a roasted a pig, some bbq, and all the fixings that go with that would be fun! Oh and some sweet tea! A live band would be a lot of fun too. They can play the classics and throw in a few new hits as well. I would hope that it would be a perfect chance for everyone to just relax and have a good time. Now days everyone just seems to want to rush out of the days events. I always hear this famous line, "I'll just send a gift to make up for our absence." Well, I'll tell you right now, that won't work for me haha. I understand some people have commitments that keep them from coming. Totally okay with that. But don't think we rather have a croc pot or toaster instead of your company!! :) Besides, we already have those items and are only regeristing for new ones because we have had them forever haha. K anyways, everyone would stay out late and dance the night away!


I don't really have any thoughts on the cake, dress, and whatnot haha So it's mainly a dream reception?! Works for me! Well, actually, I have thought about the bridemaids dresses and stuff. I have decided that I'm not like the bridezillas on tv who won't allow them to look cute on the chance they might "upstage" me. I want them to look way cute and be comfortable. I'm not all set on a certain dress, hairstyle, shoes yadda yadda. It would be fun to all have our hair and makeup done...and have pretty colorful shoes to go with our dresses!


Then to top it off, a breakfast/brunch thing the next day would be a great way to end the festivites. It would probably be small, just the family and some out of town guests. It would be a nice oppotunity to get to visit more with some guests. Then off to the honeymoon!!!


Okay, so that was a nutshell version. It's almost easier to name the things I don't want than the things I do want haha. Tomorrow we are going to the cabin and then to Frisco on Saturday for more wedding dress shopping. I think I already know which one I want but I need another opinion and just another look without all the overwhelmingness from the first time.


Hope you all have a great weekend!


XOXO,
Brandi

The joys of wedding planning

*Daffodil in the front of our house*

I can't believe that it's already March! It has almost been a year since Devin proposed! I still catch myself looking at my ring and it seems like yesterday. I remember the sunshine (my fave), Devin's nervousness, and the feeling that for the next year I get to plan the wedding of my dreams! Anything was possible and I had lots of time to search all the endless decorating possibilities and whatnot via the internet. People asked why I wanted to wait until the next year to get married since we had been dating for so long already...and my answer was that I wanted time to plan.


Then reality sets in. The wedding of my dreams was a lot harder to plan than expected. Mainly because unlike some girls, I never really dreamed about it. I didn't have that friendship like in "Bride Wars" where my bff and I dressed up and planned out the whole day long before the groom was ever in the picture. I think to myself, "Surely somewhere at sometime you thought about it!" But I honestly can't remember! The only thing I slightly remember is the episode of full house when one of the girls (Michelle or Stephanie) is playing "wedding" and they used toliet paper for her veil! It rolled out as she walked down the "aisle" in the backyard. haha Anyway, so I had no clue where I wanted to start with anything! but it's okay because...I had time to plan.


When I started to write this next paragraph I started to type that the hardest choice to make was deciding the "theme" I wanted to go with or whatever you want to call it. But then I realized that once I finished talking about that...my next paragraph would start by saying... "The second hardest choice was..." and so on. This whole thing hasn't been easy at all. I think it's me though haha. I just can't decide on anything! I love so many things and it's so hard to pinpoint what I want. I read all these articles and blogs from photogs talking about how this or that was "totally right on with the bride/groom's personality" . So I tried to make my choices easier by thinking to myself, "What would represent Devin and I the best?" What would make people go...ahhhhh that's sooooo them!!! It didn't help. Like I said before, I like waaaaaay to many things. I love colors so that was hard to narrow down. I love something about every season and the only way that was easy to narrow down for me was I wanted warm weather! I love the country but I also love the city. I love simple but I also love glam. I love...everything! haha So I started to think about what Devin likes....he doesn't really care he rather just be married already! So that didn't help!! So I just kept looking and trying to narrow things down...I still had time.


So back to the "theme". I have tossed around several ideas so I won't go into them all. A while back I thought about a chinese themed wedding since Devin's family is part chinese. But it's just in their blood, they don't practice any of the culture and I got asked "Why" a lot when I brought up that theme so I dimissed it. Then I decided that a glam wedding would work well with my colors (black and pink). I have always liked the black swirly designs and it would be easy to find decor to match. But as I looked into that more, it began to look expensive. Plus my reception venue has more of a country feel to it than glamour. So sadly that idea was also dismissed. Time for plan...uh...well who's keeping count? haha So one that I had tossed around but hadn't put much thought into was more of a spring feeling. If I HAD to pick a favorite season it would be spring. I love EVERYTHING about it. So in a way, this is more me. I'm not chinese, I'm not glamorous, and I'm not high maintenence. Don't expect baby chicks and Easter eggs though!! I was thinking more along the lines of gerber daisies, limes, and oranges! This was about the time we started looking for and then purchased a house. It took about 3-4 months of my wedding planning energy which was okay because...I still had a little time.


But now here I am...with about 3 months left to "plan" and I all I have is that I want bright colors and gerber daisies haha. The idea seemed easy and cheaper too. However, that is NOT the feel I want to get when I walk into my reception haha. I don't want it to look thrown together last minute with whatever was left of the spring decor from Hobby Lobby!! But that's the feeling I am begining to get. Can't I have a cheaper wedding but with higher quality look?? I mean, I know I got a good photographer, but I don't want him to have to photoshop in the flowers and decor! haha My big debate now is what to do with the center pieces, I can't decide if I want silk or real flowers. Okay, well actually I would LOVE real flowers and thought gerbers were cheaper this time of year but was informed that that isn't entirely true. So I began looking at Micheals, Hobby Lobby, and Jo Anns but they all look too "fakey" to me. What is my problem?!?! haha


This is about the time when I almost....almost...entertain the idea of getting married on our honeymoon and come back for a reception. But then, it's the reception I am having a hard time with anyway!! And it's not what I really want anyway. I honestly want allllll our friends and family there to help celebrate this day with us. I want people to dance and laugh and have a great time. I want great pictures to document all this. I want to look back on this day and not regret having a wedding vs running away haha. When I remind myself of all this I realize that the decor isn't what makes the wedding beautiful. It's the love that Devin and I have for each other and the love we have for our family and friends as well as their love for us. You do love us right?! haha

*More pretty Daffodils by our front porch*

The Wedding....location

Who knew that choosing the location would be so hard?? It seems that typically it is held in the Brides hometown and such. But this Bride doesn't really have a hometown...since we moved a lot it would be hard to narrow a place down! Currently most of my family resides in Kansas but I think it would be hard for me to plan it from down here and there's other issues with that whole thing so the choice became Oklahoma. Yay, round 1 done!

Round 2 was Norman vs. Altus. Initially my first choice was Norman. Bigger town = more choices in vendors right??!! I also knew that since I was having it in Oklahoma that would technically make it like a "destination wedding" for my friends and family as most would have to drive 4+ hours...and not get to see a beach ;) If I had it in Norman it would shave off 2 hrs for my family's drive and a little for the ones in Texas. Although no help for my Flordia friends haha Sorry Vicky and Jessica...bring some beach with you!! This didn't set well with some of the Altus people. Which hurt my feelings because my family was already going to have to drive a good distance just to Norman so what would it hurt the Altus people to drive 2 hours? But on the other hand, growing up, most of my family didn't make much of an effort to be an active part in my life so why would I base my choice on just these last few years and try to accommadate them? Round 2 was really hard for me and I thought about it for 7 months before finally deciding on Norman. I told myself that I would make an effort to accommadate everyone...For the Kansas people Norman would be better than driving to Altus. And driving to Norman would be better than driving to my somewhat hometown in Kansas for my Altus people. Right? Those who really wanted to celebrate this day with us would find a way to make it right?! So it was settled.

Now round 3 was trying to decide if I wanted a church wedding or just any place. I really wanted to have the ceremony in a church, which also cleared up the outside/inside choice. So I called and checked on the First Christian Church in Norman (I grew up in the FCC in Granbury and I also wanted a piano so this was a safe bet). They have an attendance rule in order for you to have a wedding there. Which would be hard to meet since Devin comes home most weekends and I can't always go up there. But I thought we could make it work so I started looking at a reception site before I 100% booked the church. Which turns into....

Round 4...I looked at every single place that advertised receptions and really liked Cobblestone Creek Golf Course in Norman. It had open windows for great light, a pretty golf course, and home of the Abbey Road Catering who was voted Best Caterer in '06, '07 , and '08. Well...unfortunately...the "Best Caterer" comes with a price. Which is to be expected since it's in a bigger town and obviously she is good. But for the buffet style meal I wanted I couldn't see paying that much. Since Devin and I are paying for our wedding I also couldn't afford the location, her, and the photographer. (who is the best in OKC in my opinion...I'll blog on that later) haha So something had to give! For those of you who know me well...know that I LOVE pictures! I've been following the work of this husband and wife duo for a few years now and already hoped they could do my wedding before I was even engaged. haha So I wasn't about to give them up! So guess what? It's back to.....

Round 2! I tried to change the wedding location but it all came down to the same thing. After all that hard work...and those 7 months wasted in trying to decide how to make everyone happy...I changed the location to Altus. Now, after that I thought it would be easy. I mean, it's a small town so there's not a lot to choose from.


Round 3...again... I actually thought about going ahead and having an outside wedding since Quartz Mountain Lodge is a popular place and pretty as well. But knowing my luck it would pour so I decided against it. Still sticking with the church ceremony and optional reception site moves us on to the next round...so far so good right?

Round 4... I know I mentioned the FCC earlier...but I felt the Altus FCC would be too small and since then it has unfortunately burned down! It was a cute little church and has a nice church family! So my choice was The First Baptist Church in Altus, mainly because it has beautiful stained glass windows for the background! :) When I called they intially told me I could have the date but I wasn't ready to book it until I checked with my photographer. So after checking with him I called back (this all took a few days) and they told me they had decided to have vacation bible school starting that following Sunday (my wedding is on a Saturday) and so I couldn't book it!!! I was so upset! I'm not a member of that church so I don't know how my Saturday wedding that won't have a lot of decorations will effect their plans for VBS but I wasn't about to argue with a church so I politely hung up and moved on. Devin's Aunt Tricia is a member of The First Methodist Church in Altus so after checking with them...that's the official location!!

Are you still awake? haha I know this is long but I was getting hasselled for not posting about the wedding so you asked for it :) It was kind of a relief to vent about what I went through with the whole thought process haha. Although I hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings! It's nice to have a location booked although when I came across pics of a wedding held at CobbleStone Creek, I was a little sad. I am kind of excited that we will be close to downtown Altus so maybe I can talk the photog into taking some cool pics down there. Depends on what he is up for I guess.

As far as the reception goes (I think this should be round 5 but I've lost track now haha), it will be held at Three Rivers Catering Hall in Blair, OK...although she hasn't returned my recent e-mail so keep your fingers crossed that something hasn't happened!!!

Okay I think that's enough for tonight! My finger are tired! Goodnight!

xoxo Brandi Sue

R turned 3!

So someone must have prayed for me last night because I have been getting a ton of things done today!! Thank you whoever it was! :)

In January this little girl turned 3! I can't believe how much she has grown up! I think I have mentioned before how she loves me but ignores me when I come around haha. Did I tell ya that she calls me "My Brandi"??? How stinkin sweet is that? But still...she ignores me haha Way to play hard to get! Anyway, she had a Elmo themed party with a rockin cake to match! Here are my fave pics! Enjoy!

*Her bday present, which she rode like a pro!*

*only partially humoring me*

*Little sister scoping out the goods and modeling her necklace haha*

*accidental out of focus shot*

*A real man rides a Dora 4wheeler*

*static hair and baby blues!*

*sisterly love aka wrestling*

I have been told that family to some of these kiddos read this blog (although there is no proof in comment form) haha Just teasing...I hope you liked the pics! Don't forget that you can click on the pic to make it bigger. Haven't figured out how to make it bigger on the post haha Beware though...when you click on it...it's BIG! haha

XOXO,

Brandi

A little less talk and a lot more action!

Wow...I have been really unmotivated lately and it shows. I have had tons of stories and pics that I have wanted to blog about but every time I sit down at the computer, nothing comes out. How can one be thinking so much but not be able to convey it in words? Oh well. Then on with the wedding planning...which I plan to blog about soon...I haven't really done much of that either! I guess I always envisioned wedding planning to be fun, exciting, and stressful. But it really hasn't been any of the above. There's no fighting or arguing over clashing opinions (like I thought was typical for every wedding) because the only opinion I ever seem to hear is to save money and elope. I'll get into more of that later, I just basically was stating how I don't have much of that done yet...I don't even have my dress. haha There's a lot more I haven't done but this is starting to sound depressing so I'll move on!

I have just a few more pics left to share from my trip to Kansas! I know you thought it would never end huh?! haha

When Devin and I plan to make a trip to see family in Kansas we don't usually get to spend very many days. So instead of short visits with my mom and dad's side we usually opt for a longer visit with one or the other. From Olustee the trip to my Mom's is about 7 hrs, the trip to my Dad's is 6 hrs, and somehow from one house to the other it's about 2-3 hrs. That adds up to a lot of driving and a tired/cranky couple. I usually get a small guilt trip from the side that I'm not going to go see by them saying something like, "You'll be so close...." Makes things awkward because I know it's hard to not see each other but it's also hard trying to make everyone happy.

Well...the point of that above story is that...for Christmas Devin and I were just planning on going by my Mom's and Daddy Daves. But in the days before we left from OK, I just couldn't get over my guilt of not stopping by my Grandma and Dad's for a visit. So I promised Devin it would be just for the night and we would leave the next morning and he agreed. I just hoped my Dad would be happy with a short visit vs no visit haha. Of course, to him, that wasn't enough but I think he appreciated the gesture! I had planned to surprise them but then got to thinking Grandma might not have a bed cleared off...and my family know's that clearing one off takes more then an hour haha. So....here's a few pics from our unsurprise Christmas visit!

*Grandma and Boots*

*Although he's a little scruffy, this is the best I have seen my Dad look in awhile...it shows in his eyes. So I was happy we made the visit. *

*Guess we all like the color blue haha*

He had a wood carving ready for me so I have another to add to my growing collection! I plan to blog about those soon too! I am hoping that he can carve a wedding topper for my cake...that way it's more special and I have a reason to keep it!

Well I know there was more I planned to write about this visit but I can't remember it right now so I'm going to go ahead and post it so I can get the motivational ball rolling! haha Hope you all have had a great week so far!

xoxo,
Brandi

Day of LOVE

~Happy Valentine's Day~

It's Valentine's Day!! Devin and I aren't really big into Valentine's although, second to Christmas, it's the holiday we spend the most money on haha. It just kind of works out that way! A few years ago it's when we got our first ferret, the year after that we got the Nintendo Wii, and last year we saved our money for our trip to Sea World in March! This year we bought ourselves new smart phones so we didn't get each other anything haha. I'll blog about that when my cover for it comes in!

*Here's our little baby Flip when we got him on V-day a few years ago...he even posed for the occasion!*


*Here is a much lighter Flip now!*

Today when I woke up from my nap I went to sling my covers back only to find a little Flipper cuddled next to me. It was so sweet that I went back to my nap haha. It's moments like this that make me happy I got a ferret and not a dog!! Until he scratches the floor... haha Anyway, he is so sweet and cuddles up with me a lot. Right now he is sleeping in Dev's arms. We just let them have the run of the house and they LOVED it! They are so much fun to watch! I'll have to post a video on here sometime. Our little terror ferret, Back Spin, got inside of a mini candy crane machine! See below....

*Can't quite reach the knobs...*

*She was biting the crane part*

Well I have to go get ready to go to the movies! We are going to go see Taken, I hear it's pretty good! Hope everyone had a great day!
Love,
Brandi Sue