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Oct222013

Missing Karen

I cannot believe I missed your birthday on Sunday! Does this mean I have finally come to terms with you being gone? Not likely. Maybe getting my memorial tattoo actually helped. I got an awesome owl in memory of you, my grandmother, grandfather and baby Kayla Rose. Oh Kay loved you so! Just like I did.

Life has been so crazy hectic lately. Between our upcoming adoption, working full time at one job, part time at another and freelancing 2 websites, I am bloody exhausted and barely know what day it is. Thank goodness for Steve keeping me grounded. I so wish you’d met him.. You would have absolutely loved him.

Actually, I so wish you were around to meet my future little Fletchling. On second thought, you have a ton of dirt on me, so maybe that’s not a great idea.I was talking to a friend today about all the places we loved in Gainesville and I was thinking about all our old hangouts.

And to talk to me. Oh I miss you so much that just thinking about you makes me start sobbing. In fact, right now my eyes are so watery and my nose is so runny that I can barely type.

I have so many wonderful memories with you as my surrogate parent and closest friend in Gainesville. Thank you so much for helping me through those 4 years of college. I am truly so thankful at having spent much of the last 2 years of your life with you before you and Harry moved to Colorado.

Still miss you muchly.

+++++

Karen was my neighbor and surrogate parents during college. She passed away May 6, 2006 from a massive heart attack.

Oct162011

Plug: Adoption Bloggers Interview Project

Hello readers!

As y’all know, my husband and I are planning on adoption 2 children from foster care (a sibling pair to be exact) and I have been researching everything I can find on the subject. During this research, I discovered (and became a part of) the Open Adoption Bloggers (see the orange link in the sidebar?)

If I’m not mistaken, some of my readers have found me from OAB. Welcome!

I just found out about the Adoption Bloggers Interview Project from OAB this afternoon. And it’s brilliant! Basically, it pairs up 2 bloggers to learn about each other and post an interview on their blog. You can bet that I signed up!

The Interview Project is open to any blogger…

who writes at least occasionally about adoption,
is interested in meeting a fellow writer with different views and experiences, and
wants to welcome someone into their own online space.

Pop on over there and read all about the Project and sign up. Just be sure to sign up by October 28, 2011 so that you can participate!

** Also, I offered up my services and created the above logo!
** If you know anyone that needs any design work for a blog, website, or a logo, please send them my way!

Oct262010

October 26 TMW Post

Hello hello! Did you miss me? I know, I know. 3 of us brides sorta dropped outta sight there for a few weeks between our weddings then honeymoons. Me? I have no excuse for last week. We were in Vegas until October 13^th, and I can’t wait to go back!

Tweet: Ok folks… Here we go! New twitter name time. It should automatically work, but i’ll be @rbfletcher in a few minutes. Bye bye @msrib

Tweet: it looks odd having a diff name! i’ve been Ms. RIB since i was born. on to bigger & better things as Mrs. Fletcher!

So yeah, I’m MARRIED! We had a truly truly amazing time in Vegas. I know it was one of the craziest, most hectic weekends of the year (and since 07-07-07) there, but it really wasn’t bad at ALL. Sure, there were tons of people and a crapload of brides, but isn’t there always? I mean, it’s Vegas Baybee!

Taken by my brother’s girlfriend

Hopefully by now, 2+ weeks later, you’ve seen my wedding day #OWT feed set up by @TweetMyWedding. Seriously, I can watch this over and over again and never tire of all the amazing folks I’ve met on Twitter over the years. So many well wishers!

Tweet: pro pics in hand, so it’s time to make my @inkubook that i won like a million years ago. saving 1 for our pics from @emericphoto

Our pictures are awesome! I look slightly pregnant, but well, I didn’t really do anything to lose weight before the wedding. I know, I’m a bad former bride. Watching all my friends struggle to lose weight and look even more gorgeous on their wedding days, I went the less stressful route and relaxed and spent time sitting on the couch instead of working out. Working out aggravates my horribly knee and ankle, so I decided not to do that. I swam a bit, but that’s about it.

Tweet: RT @emericphoto check out Becca & Steve’s Freemont St. Day-After Session on the blog! http://fb.me/A8MDnD3r

Tweet: We’re on the @LasVegasWed blog!! http://bit.ly/cEarxu #101010

My last few weeks have been filled with excitement over receiving our video, pictures, and putting together numerous photo books. I am also trying to get our pictures posted on as many blogs as I can. Seriously, how many people really take 6 months to hand knit their wedding veil?! I might not be gorgeous or skinny, but I still deserve to be posted other places, right? It’s been a great experience being on the TMW blog and I want to expand on that feeling before my fascination with our wedding fades and I switch into mommy blog mode. Hopefully that’ll be soon! Oh yes, I totally bought What to Expect Before You’re Expecting this weekend and we’ve been discussing kids quite a lot. Then again, we are 34 and 3 months shy of 40.

Tweet: This 2 part wedding thing is awesome! Last night our “party committee” started giving themselves assignments so we have to do nothing for it.

My aunt, brother’s girlfriend and her family have basically taken the reigns to plan our January reception. Hello dream come true! They started planning the desserts, meal, music, photography, and everything else. When I asked what they were talking about, they pretty much said don’t worry about it. I know there’s going to be a few surprises – though I did figure out the Mariachi band part already – and I can only say that I am thrilled about it! Sure sure, I’m sure they’ll ask me if there’s something really important and I do hope to find out anything major first. There’s definitely a handful of things that I’ve already started on for the party.

I’ll leave you with a few of our pro pictures… all below taken by Scenic Las Vegas Weddings

Sep222010

Test Post

Making sure that my syndication is all set up. Please ignore this message and hang tight for a new post shortly! =D

Sep102010

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

I have no idea why or how, but I seem to have really good luck winning things online from Twitter and various blogs. (Day after photo shoot, Mojuba Bag) I recently started following the Lucky Bride Giveaways blog in my RSS feed. I don’t sign up for everything, just the stuff I’d actually want or will use.

Last week, I saw these beauties on their blog, followed the link to Lili’s Corner and left a comment. Today, I received an email that I won my very own pair!

I requested them in cream pearls to match the pearls I am wearing in my wedding. My mother’s and my pearls. Mom was given a long strand of graduated size pearls for her high school graduation and passed them to me when I graduated from her alma mater 28 years later. She received a shorter strand of pearls with an amazing clasp for her college graduation 4 years later.

My plan is to wear both strands to our wedding in ONE MONTH from today. Holy smokes, how is it already 9-10-10?! Since my parents or grandparents will not be attending, this is how I will have them there with me on my wedding day.

Try to ignore the trademark side smile on my face. It’s been the same since I was 3 as Steve pointed out in my baby pictures..

May042010

New Reads! The Urban Bride

The absolutely fantastic Amanda Young and Meghan Magritz started a fabu new company.. You really need to check it out! It’s called The Urban Bride: the modern bride’s guide to a city-chic wedding.

You’ll recall that Amanda is the utterly talented calligrapher that is penning our ketubah for us. Head over and wish her and Meghan a bit of luck on their new venture. I know I certainly can’t wait to follow all their posts.

An excerpt:
“The Urban Bride is not just any blog: it’s a blog about real brides. Because, let’s be honest, we all love garden weddings, but we don’t all get married in a garden, now do we? What about the millions of brides looking for an urban affair? No tulle or princess dresses. No macarena at the reception.”

Now I don’t know about you, but that certainly sounds like my kind of blog! While, sure, I love reading about fairytale weddings and seeing the crazy gorgeous pictures, it’s not realistic to me. We’re having a supremely low-key wedding and backyard BBQ as our reception a few months later. And it’s all about budget and DIY goodness. I’m all about reading about “real” wedding and maybe being featured one day! *wink wink nudge nudge*

To commemorate their launch, Urban Bride is having a giveaway, so head on over there and enter it for some fun city-chic swag!

Nov242009

Bon Jovi Obsession

image source: tvtropes

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.

Aug102009

Want to Win a Pair of Sandals?

Check it out… there’s a great contest going on over at one of my favorite daily reads, the Budget Savvy Bride blog. She is trying to get the word out about this amazing company…

“Sseko Designs is a company that partners with a school in Kampala, Uganda to employ recent high school graduates to make beautiful sandals as a way to earn money to continue on to University. They employ bright young women who would otherwise not have the opportunity to continue their education. Sseko is passionate about educating and empowering women, specifically in developing countries.”

Go to her website, read the rules, and sign up for the giveaway! I personally fell in love with the serenbe design. Which do you fancy?

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