Having Fun

My Grandpa mailed me a bracelet last week that says "Have Fun".  It's to serve as a reminder during the whole wedding planning process that the main goal is for us to be happy.  I've been focusing on that a lot this week.

*Wedding update:  we've decided on the location for our ceremony and reception; so now we're ready to set our wedding date. We are moving it back three weeks to accomodate one of the groomsmen because he is having a baby in March and is flying in from Oregon. The extra few weeks will also benefit my bridesmaid who is having a baby in February. So - it looks like our wedding will be in April 2011!*

In the spirit of having fun, Austin and I fed some ducks last night.

These babies hatched a few weeks ago and have been living in the retention pond behind our apartment.

The momma duck sat back and let the babies eat the bread crumbs.

All the ducks lined up in a row!

We also went on a fun date on Friday night.  We browsed the selection of tuxedo rentals at Men's Warehouse, then we ate at Le Petite Paris, my new favorite restaurant.  I had the Boeuf Bourguignon, and Austin had Chicken Provencal.

For dessert, we had a PB&G - Peanut Butter & Ganache.  The waiter was so cute - he cut the dessert exactly in half - including the pecan!

We ate a fun breakfast this morning!  My fiance made us stewed bananas and waffles!  They were phenomenal, and reminded us of all the fun we had on our cruise!

"Follow your dreams. Just make sure to have fun too."

- Chris Brown

What's your favorite quote about having fun?

Girl Weekend

My mom, aunt and I had so much fun during our Girl Weekend.

We went to the spa for massages and pedicures. (*thanks Austin!*)

We went dress shopping and I BOUGHT MY WEDDING DRESS!!!  Plus my mom picked out her mother of the bride dress, too!

We ate at some fantastic restaurants.  We had brunch at the Rainbow Lodge.

We made a special toast to celebrate my birthday, my mom's birthday, and my engagement!  Mmm, mimosas!

I ordered the Cast Iron Seared Gulf Red Snapper, Early Summer Succotash and White Corn Griddle Cakes.  Simply delicious.

I would definitely recommend eating at the Rainbow Lodge.  The food is great and the decor is cool.  There is free valet parking for brunch and dinner - plus the outdoor patio is gorgeous.

We also ate at Pappasito's.  I had the Carne Asada with Black Beans, Mexican Rice, Guacamole, and Tortillas.

We ate at Le Petite Paris bakery for lunch.  My mom and aunt both ordered the Boeuf Bourguignon, inspired by the movie Julia & Julie that we watched together on Saturday night.

I had a Caesar Salad with French Onion Soup.

The pictures do not do this meal justice.  It was fantastic, and so girly.  To top it off, we ordered chocolatey desserts.

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  The restaurant had such a unique atmosphere, and the entire place smelled wonderful.  Eating at a French Bakery = the best decision you will ever make.

My aunt and I went shopping for shoes to go with my wedding dress, and we actually found a pair for $20 at Sears that could do the trick!  However, I am not 100% confident that they'll be comfortable enough to wear all day.  So, I've been doing some browsing on CSN Stores.com to find a different pair to try out.  I'll do a review of them when they arrive!  While I was on-line, I got distracted with their dinnerware selection and started dreaming.  Must focus on shoes...

I'm so sad our girl weekend is over!  My aunt needs to move back to Texas ;)

Have you ever eaten at a French restaurant or bakery?

If not, I suggest you do so very soon - you're missing out!

Engagement Photos

We "interviewed" our first potential wedding photographer last weekend.  Unfortunately, neither of us were very impressed.

He only has six months of photography experience.  But the biggest issue was his lack of professionalism.  He showed up thirty minutes late, without a reasonable explanation.  Plus, he was not very confident about his work and just did not sell himself to us.

However, we did end up with a few usable images from the photo shoot.  I am only including my favorites - which have been edited by me personally.

Photography credit goes to Paul Lizama.  All effects & editing by me.

Birthday Bonanza

Here's a recap of my birthday weekend.

My wonderful fiance made me stewed bananas and pancakes for breakfast!  This special treat was a re-creation of the amazing stewed bananas I tried during our cruise.

Then he took me to eat sushi for my birthday lunch!

After work, I walked in the door to see flowers & presents galore!

Wow, Austin showered me with goodies.  He got me a new hair dryer, Reba DVDs, awesome books, work-out gloves, lythium batteries for my camera, and a Spa Day gift card for my mom, aunt & I to all  get pedicures & massages!

And did you see those beautiful flowers?  I am so incredibly blessed!

My friend Meredith came to visit me on Friday night!  For dinner, Austin made us grilled kabobs and corn on the cob.

Meredith and I baked a cake for dessert!

Unfortunately, the carrot cake crumbled when we tried to transfer it from the baking dish.  It looked pathetic, but it still tasted great!

Meredith and I have been friends since high school - and throughout the years, we have always taken silly pictures.  Dozer even participated in the fun!

On Saturday, we drove to my parents' house and arrived just in time for lunch.  My mom made turkey klebasa, macaroni and cheese, cabbage, and homemade baked beans!

For dessert, we had hot fudge sundae cake with vanilla ice cream!

Then we went to see a movie!  We saw Winter Bones.  This was a very unique movie that certainly does not have a typical fairytale ending.  It is about a teenage girl whose father is a druggie and mother is mentally absent from the family.  This seventeen year old girl is doing her best to raise her little brother and sister, meanwhile she finds out that her dad put their house and property up as his bail collateral.  His court date comes and goes, and he doesn't show up.  The movie has several dark moments and is a sad story, but it really makes you think and appreciate how simple and glamorous our lives are in comparison.

After the movie, we went to the lake and grilled burgers!

The time flew by as we kicked back with a drink in our hands, chatted about wedding plans and enjoyed the amazing weather.

After dinner, we walked down to the water and swam in the lake.  My family used to always come to this lake during the summers of my childhood!  It was fun to reminisce.

On Sunday, my mom made stuffed french toast with turkey sausage for breakfast.

We ate lunch at Mama Fu's.

In the afternoon, Austin and I met with a potential wedding photographer.  We walked around town and took a few sample engagement photos.  Hopefully they'll turn out nicely so we can check that item off the list!

For those of you who were concerned about my parents' dachshund, I appreciate the kind words!  For a quick update - he's doing much, much better after his back surgery. He can walk around on his own now.

Has your pet ever had to undergo surgery?

Dozer hasn't had any encounters with the animal hospital (thankfully).  On the other hand, Walker has had two major surgeries.  The first time was an incident where he ate a pair of panty-hose and it got stuck in his stomach.