not wedding

New Ink!

No, it’s not really wedding related, but Steve and I spent the day together yesterday and, at his suggestion, we hit up a tattoo shop. I, of course, have had 2 in mind that I really wanted: a rising phoenix for graduation and the star and 42 for our wedding. The wedding one will be after the wedding of course!

So I got my rising phoenix. On my collarbone. I love the hell out of it and where it’s located… but the healing process will be a total pain! Yes, it is where my bra strap lies. Wanna see it??

Steve took photographic liberties with my blackberry camera. Without further ado, here they are:

the layout of the stencil

cleaning… something?

making sure he gets it done correctly

it’s done!
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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy valentine’s weekend. Normally I despise this day. Not for not being in a relationship as I have been for the last 3 valentine’s days, but for other very personal reasons. Steve has changed my viewpoint on this commercialized Hallmark holiday. He’s very lucky that I hate roses (yeah, I said it!) and would much rather have daisies or carnations or whatever else. I don’t demand flowers or jewelry or chocolate. All I want is to spend the evening with him with a home-cooked meal and just relax together.

The last 2+ years have been amazing with my fabulous fantastic fiancé. I cannot even begin to put into words how lucky I am to have met him and have him in my life. I cannot wait to spend the next 40-50 years (hey, we’re old) with him and our children and our pets. We have a life plan and are just waiting for the first domino to fall into place. The rest of the dominos are set up ready to go.

He is amazing and romantic and has the most amazing heart, similar ambitions and dreams, and goals… the man has goals! He loves me for who I am and doesn’t care what I look like or how miserable I am with myself. He loves me unconditionally and I am ridiculously lucky.

This year, I drew him 2 cards. One was a wedding/ Vegas scene with us standing in front of the Luxor pyramid with the Welcome sign in the background. Below is my actual valentine’s card to him.

What do you like to do on Valentine’s and who do you like to spend it with?

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The Heroes seem Lost

This is totally not wedding related, it’s just amazing! I adore the snot out of both Lost and Heroes and watch them religiously, week after week.

Tuesday night during Lost, there was a scene with a cab. Steve immediately said “that’s the puppeteer from Heroes” but I wasn’t totally sure. Being me, I tweeted out:

then immediately, not ever thinking he’d respond cuz hello busy celebrity life!, I checked IMDB and saw that it was, in fact, David Lawrence. Yes, Steve was right.

Little did I know that I only had to wait a few minutes to get this tweet in return:

I KNOW!

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The Luna Story

There seems to be some confusion and wondering amongst my friends as to why I got a new car. I’ve been getting gchat and email questions about it. I love y’all for being concerned, but it’s cool.. I know what I’m doing.

For starters, I’m not stupid enough to buy something I can’t afford. Y’all know that. Y’all also know that money had been exceptionally tight for the 4 months Steve was unemployed and I was paying as many of our bills as I could handle and still pay for my own. Now, on the paltry salary I’m making, that was way worse than paycheck to paycheck since our rent was 90% of 1 of my 2 paychecks each month. And it’s not like he wasn’t going out every single day and trying to find something, the hiring processes were just taking forever. Since he’s been employed, and actually likes his job, money has been much better for the last few months. However, it’s not my business to post about that stuff, so y’all really didn’t know anything that was actually happening. I know, some of you are on my FB and saw the tiny tidbit’s of info I was posting there. But I don’t post like 80% of my life on FB because there are too many people on there that I just don’t care to share everything with.

My payments on Luna are about $20 more than my Moxie payments and still under $300. I managed to talk them down well over $150 off their original “suggested” monthly payment. I was at the dealer for about 7 hours by myself haggling and very sick the whole time. After a while, they were actually impressed with how I was holding my ground and not just rolling over and taking what they offered. I’ve learned how the game works with my previous 2 cars and knew what I wanted to pay and just wasn’t accepting it. I did almost leave a few times – my dad and Steve were proud of that. LOL. When I brought the 2nd set of Moxie keys in over a week later, they knew who I was without even asking my name and asked about the car, etc.

I did a ton of research on cars in the weeks leading up to buying her. Again, I’m not a nitwit. I had a plan, I knew what I wanted, then during my research I switched what I wanted. I was shocked, quite frankly, that the Hyundai Elantra Touring had such high ratings and amazing reviews over and over again. Plus, hello my price range! I was shocked as I had a Hyundai prior to Moxie and was so over it by the time she was 5 years old. Notice a trend there? I keep my cars for 5 years then trade them in. 🙂

So here are some of the better things I love about Luna, in no particular order…

  • Bluetooth
  • Sunroof
  • Crossover SUV/ wagon
  • 4 times the amount of storage space
  • Huge back seat to hold 2-3 baby seats
  • XM radio (just found that today!)
  • Brand spanking new 2010 model car
  • Phenomenal warranty
  • Roadside assistance
  • Automatic – ok, not so crazy about that, but important for when we have kids *I* think

Financially:

  • $8200 for Moxie – let that sink in for a bit 😀
  • Graduate student discount
  • Purchase/ financing price is $3,000+ off the sticker price and on the low end of the “price paid” in all the reviews I’ve read
  • Virtually the same size gas tank and mileage as Moxie – at current prices, $25 to fill it
  • Full coverage insurance was $15 more/month on a brand spanking new 2010 car
  • Moxie needed roughly $1500 of work as she was 5 years old, needed new brakes, a new battery and replaced motor mounts
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It’s Been Awhile

Where have I been?

I’ve been sick! Steve and I both have the crud that’s been going around Chapel Hill and have had it for over a week. Not only that, but when I’m feeling ill, I don’t feel like writing.

No wedding plans have been touched. I haven’t been knitting my veil. I haven’t been working on the invites. I have, however, been sleeping and watching TV a lot.

Also, since I’m in my final semester for my MBA classes, I’m trying to stay on top of the homework. Yep, I’m kinda failing miserably at it since all I want to do is sleep.

But I will leave you with a funny picture. Right behind our apartment is a .8 mile long cement trail through the forest. Yesterday 2 women and 3 children were hanging out on one of the benches. The kids were drawing all over the trail with sidewalk chalk. This morning during my 7am Lola-walk, I spotted the following picture and just had to take a picture of it. #randomchalkdrawingweddingreference

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it’s another “TweetMyWedding” post =)

Since I haven’t figured out how to feed my twitter into here, I decided to do another @TweetMyWedding type post. So here’s a few tweets from today, both wedding and not wedding related.  OK, more not wedding..

how random, a former co-worker that despises me (told another former co-worker) reads my blog semi regularly… interesting.

This one just flat out amused the shit out of me. Yes, I have tracking on my blog for a reason… reasons like this! A few friends had theories on it, but whatever, it’s not my business what she does, nor do I care enough.  It was just good for a laugh this morning when I checked my blog stats.

possible #MBA class ring. whatcha think? http://bit.ly/4rdAv8 oh and it’s $125

contemplating for MBA ring: “persistence pays” “a long time coming” “no regrets” “make the fam proud” “be a success” all totally apply! 🙂

Yeah, so I’m not sure why I want a class ring so badly. Maybe because I didn’t get one from UF, the school I truly identify with. Maybe because my high school ring was stolen. Maybe because it’s tangible as opposed to the $75K piece of paper hanging on my wall. Either way, the link above is really similar to my gorgeous wedding ring. I have 2 other possibilities with huge center stones, but this one is my favorite. And the purple and gold are ECU’s colors.

As far as the engraving tweet, I decided that since my name will be changing 5 months after graduation, I don’t want it on there. Sure, the diploma will have my maiden name, but whatever. I want something that reminds me of why I spent 5 years and $75K pursuing my MBA and why I didn’t give up all those times I was frustrated with classes or professors or classmates.

My leading favorite is “Persistence Pays.” Which one do you like and do you have other suggestions? Oh, I’m limited to 18 characters.

sweet! both the main & business graduation ceremonies are the same day. no need for 2 nights at the hotel #MBA

So, last week I booked 2 hotel rooms in Greenville for graduation. I emailed my wonderful and amazing adviser yesterday to ask when the College of Business graduation ceremony is to see if it was also on May 7th. When she replied, she didn’t know and suggested I book Friday as well. I held off, but luckily I got an email from COB this afternoon stating it was at 5pm on Friday! Main ECU graduation is at 10am on Friday.

Now I just need to decide if I’m going to attend both ceremonies or just the COB one. If I only attend the COB ceremony and we’re still living in NC, I can probably cancel the hotel altogether and just drive to Greenville Friday morning. It’s the main ceremony that requires the hotel room since it’s at 10am.

The COB ceremony is when I have my Master’s hood, umm, presented to me by a faculty member of my choosing. I already know who I want to ask to present mine. He was my professor a few semesters ago and has been really helpful whenever I had a question about my MIS concentration – he’s the Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of the MIS program. Yeah, he’s awesome.

seems like the dress gods (& y’all’s comments!) are telling me to keep the dress. 4 more months on the boards, then will start alterations.

After posting on facebook, twitter, here and livejournal, the response was overwhelming to keep the dress. This is going to be a lot of hard work (on me) and most likely a lot of money (on the dress) to be able to wear it in Vegas this October.

Wow, I can’t believe that the wedding is “this” anything. One of my co-workers pointed out that on Sunday it was exactly 9 months away. Umm, wasn’t it just like 13 months away yesterday?? Time is F-L-Y-I-N-G!

in royal, which? http://bit.ly/84fGJt or http://bit.ly/4nmtdC

I currently own the first linked pair of shoes. I am also still on the Zappos mailing list for any new Annie shoes that they stock. The second link appeared in my email this afternoon. The first pair is almost plastic material – I can’t really describe it. The second pair is satin and I can’t tell if they’ll be more comfortable. Which do you think? Keep in mind that they’re for October in Vegas.


can you get a ring engraved in most jewelry stores? even if it’s titanium? we didn’t engrave wedding rings when they were made 🙁

I think this is self-explanatory… I started thinking about it again when I was looking for engravings for the grad ring. Any local (Triangle area, NC) readers know jewelers that engrave on titanium?

i seriously hope Gary puts Amber in her place. Love Catelyn & Tyler. think Farrah needs to focus on sophia. & hope Ryan grows up for Maci.

why yes, my name is Rebecca, i’m 33… and am addicted to #TeenMom

It’s true, I love the hell out of this show. Have you seen it yet?

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Plans for 2010

A few years ago, I resolved to never make resolutions since I always break them. I do, however, wish on shooting stars and on my birthday time (9:16), on our wedding time (10:10) and, of course, on birthday candles. I saw this on Ashley’s blog and thought it was a great idea. Also, I learned her name. to me she is @brideonbudget and the hands forming a heart in the sand. Yes, the majority of my twitter friends I only know by their screen names and avatars.

My 2010 Plans…

One thing I will learn: how to talk more. This sounds funny, right? I know, I can talk like crazy, but it’s mostly about fluff and non-important things. I’ve spent so much time hiding my true feelings from so many people that it’s a big change to actually be open and talk about them now.

One place I will go: Vegas! Well, that’s a given since we’re getting married there. I’ll also go see the Grand Canyon. I’d love to go somewhere tropical (not Miami!) but I don’t see that in the [financial] cards for us this year.

One physical habit I will break: only walking Lola until she does her business. I will walk in circles until she goes, when I could actually be walking a good length of the trail, which is 1.7 miles one way. While I am lazy, it’s also been below freezing outside and the quicker I’m back inside, the better.

One physical habit I will cultivate: wake up earlier than normal and do a 20 minute workout DVD. Raise your hand if you think it’ll happen.

One mental habit I will break: no more Debbie Downer on my background and work skills. I know I am really talented and have so much to offer, but always doubt myself.

One mental habit I will cultivate: do homework in advance and stop waiting until the last possible second to start it. Especially since I won’t have my study buddy to push me anymore this semester.

One relationship I’ll repair: my older brother. He’s had all sorts of problems lately that I’m not going to get into here. I’m mad at him for it and don’t call him nearly as much as I used to.

One thing I’ll throw out: the 3 bins of clothes that I keep dragging from apartment to apartment. And by throw out, I mean donate stuff in good condition and use the rest as cleaning rags.

A second thing I’ll throw out: my yarn stash that I never plan on using. I hoard yarn, shove it in big clear blue boxes in the corner and forget about it. The less I have, the better, since I typically buy new yarn for each project. I rarely dig into my stash. I know, I’m a bad yarnista.

One thing I’ll eat more often: vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, I love my veggies, but I also love them cooked to the death of their nutrients – in oil.

One thing I’ll eat less: you think I’ll say fried food or fast food right? Nope, I try to avoid that stuff. But I will say I’ll eat less… in general. No more Steve-sized portions for me. (sorry, love)

One thing I’ll drink more: water, even though it’s already my drink of choice.

One thing I’ll drink less: venti non-fat, no water chai latte’s from Starbucks. I could drink one every single day if time allowed me to scoot over there. While they’re not horrible for my body, the $3.75 does add up once the gift cards run out.

One work habit I will change: does getting an MBA-worthy, wicked high paying new career count? As much as I love and adore my current job and co-workers, I just can’t afford [financially] to work here much longer.

One overdue e-mail I’ll send, or overdue phone call I’ll make: I’m not sure. I’m usually pretty on top of phone calls and emails.

One resentment I’ll get over: It’s not really a resentment but… feeling like my Christmas trip was a waste. Even thinking that way makes me upset since I love them all to pieces, but yeah, that’s how I feel. The easy answer would have been resentment at my wedding dress. But whatever, that’s just a piece of clothing.

One person I’ll treat more respectfully: my mom. I tend to get bitchy easily when I talk to her, especially after a long day. It’s easy to forget that she doesn’t know what happens to me throughout the day and I expect her to just know.

One thing I’ll spend less money on: shoes! Seriously, downfall.

One other change I’ll make in my finances: continue to attempt to pay off my credit cards by wisely using the very last student loan check from school.

One thing I’ll spend less time doing: sitting on my butt, computer in my lap, tv turned on, knitting. That was all one thought and how I typically spend my evenings. Perhaps I won’t change the knitting part since I do want to start selling some of my work.

And a thing I’ll spend more time doing: hanging out with Steve during the precious time we have together between school and work time. He means more to me than anyone else and I really do need to show my appreciation more.

What about you? What would your list have on it?

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Bon Jovi Obsession

Whether you are aware of it or not, I am the biggest Bon Jovi fan. Ok, not THE biggest, but still pretty big considering I am still in love with an 80s hair band. However, they’re older, have more marriages (and divorces) under their belts, have a new image, and, best of all, have a slew of albums! Their latest, The Circle, is simply amazing. Yes, I am the girl that buys their CDs on the day they come out. And I don’t buy CDs! The only ones I ever buy are for Bon Jovi.

Y’all should all know by now – if you’ve been following me from the start at least – that I am graduating from East Carolina with my MBA in May. May 7th to be exact. It’s been a very long 5 year online only process through East Carolina. What does this possibly have to do with Bon Jovi? Well, due to the proximity of their North America tour in cities Jen and I can attend or graduation… I basically have to pick between attending graduation and meeting all the friends and faculty that have helped and guided me throughout the years or attending my and Jen’s 6th(?) Bon Jovi concert together since high school.

And that’s about as tough a decision as a girl’s got to make. Do I fly to Miami and attend that show with Jen and Diana, or make them come up here to attend the Charlotte show since it’s the closest one to me? Jen already said she’s got the same dilemma between Bon Jovi in Charlotte or attending my graduation. *sigh* annoying.

Enter the glory of Twitter and finding out this morning that one of the funniest tweeter/ blogger’s, @Momspective, is giving away a pair of tickets to the Charlotte show. I am doing everything I possibly can do to win this pair of tickets. Seriously. I’ve followed her blog, friended her on Facebook, tweeted about it, and now am blogging about it myself.

Yes, I am desperate for these tickets. Because weighing Bon Jovi against graduation is seriously one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It breaks my heart thinking I might have to miss them in concert. But… 5 long years and $75K later, I am finally graduating.

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