Karen Taylor

Dear World ,

Karen Taylor totally rocks and I love her bunches!

Thanks for being so awesome!!! MUAH!




PS- Today was a MUCH better day! OH and I am making witches hats (snack) for my students for tomorrow! I'm excited. I'll post a pic so you can see em'. Maybe...I might forget. I am SO excited tomorrow is only a half day for the kiddies AND that the weekend begins!!!

Thank you for the comment Lisa, I love and miss you and I really hope to see you this weekend! :o)

Hooray for better-no tear- days!

The end!

I'm having a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day! I think I'll move to Australia!

So as you can tell from the title of this post, this is not going to be a happy blog. I guess I was having too many good and just okay days and it was my turn to get a bad day. BUT it is not great when I have a bad day. I don't know how to deal with feeling overwhelmed or stressed so I just cry and anything can turn on the water works. I'm a basket case!


I have some venting to do but on here is just not appropriate to do so I will just continue to deal with this stress the best way that I know how and cry for a while and then I'll be good as new!

So start off my day which really started out with a crappy night- I woke up this morning still sooo incredibly sleepy that you would of thought I only had an hour of sleep last night. It was just really hard to get out of bed and to start the daily routine.

Next, I got observed today on a lesson in which was completely new to my students and I was already in this blah kind of mood. Needless to say the lesson did not go very well and it was just not a good day to be observed any who!

Then, I called Brendan because I was just- I don't know- in a stressed out mood -and I cried at school! My kids weren' t in the room- they were at PE. Oh and I've only talked to Brendan for 4 minutes today. His work schedule this week does not go with mine and we haven't had a conversation at all this week! :o( So my eyes were all puffy and red and I had to go get my kids and I swear, if someone asks me "are you okay" after I just had a good cry, the works start back up. I really don't have a fantastic reason for crying. I did lose one of my bridesmaids last night which is part of the reason why I was in this funk.

Then mom calls me to tell me Great Grandma broke her shoulder last night. AND that it just the pits! She fell down luckily Shirley was there and heard her and called 911 and they came and helped her. I do love my Great Grandma. She is one amazing woman!!

Oh and I got Ashlyn's veil (my something borrowed) and I wanted to try it on with the dress this week to make sure it went well together. Well, mom asked me if a friend could just go with me. That was mean of her to say! I thought this would be a special time in which she would want to share and savor all the little moments with me. But, I guess not. She really hurt my feelings. I don't think she knows that though. Oh crap, the water works. This is such a depressing blog. I'm so sorry. Ordinarily, I'm not like this. I got this idea that if I were to type out all the stuff bothering me that I would feel better and stop all this damn crying!

Seriously, I don't know why I am being so emotional! I jut want to be happy and not to be away from Brendan so much and to just at least have a conversation with him and I want to stop crying. Please pray that tomorrow will be a better day. Please pray that my Great Grandma has a speedy recovery.

Sorry if I depressed you.

Pumpkin Carving!

Our finished product! Just incase you didn't know which was which..Mine is on the right and Brendan's is on the left. I gotta say, we did a pretty good job! It was a lot of fun but boy!, I did not realize all of the work it would take! This took us about 2 hours to do! I know these pictures are not in order but I am still trying to figure out how to blog/post pics.






Trying to figure out how he's going to carve his pumpkin.


I was excited about my pumpkin!

Ferrell's Fall-like picture. This was the best we could do because of course he was scared of the pumpkin!

My shoes!

You are so Boooo-tee-ful

Already it's the middle of October! Only 1 week and half left in the month! Crazy! Yesterday marked the official 8 months left to go! I gotta tell ya, I am so excited and ready to become a Mrs. I know I've got a great one. My mom said to me the other day that she really likes Brendan and she doesn't doubt that he will be a great husband to me. She went on to say that she was proud and excited that Brendan will be her son in law. :o) That just makes me so happy. I think it's very important that my family loves Brendan too! Believe me, my mom is strong in her opinions and lets it known to me if she agree/disagrees in my choices. I know I've made a great choice.

So with this awesome October weather, comes the allergies and the sniffles and the coughs and the tissues galore! For over a week now, I've been battling this cold! I'm surprised I haven't broken a rib with as much coughing as I've done in the last week! But I think I am FINALLY getting better. I had to stay out of work Monday which stinks. I don't like missing work. I feel like I am neglecting my kids of their learning. Crazy, I know. BUT we have a lot to cover and with report cards going out next week, it was just not a good time to be out!

So back to it being October! How crazy?! Time is ticking away! Just think how close Thanksgiving and Christmas are and then there's New Year which means it is then 2009!! Whoa!! YAY!!! So excited in case you can't tell!! So Halloween is approaching and Brendan and I are going to pass out candy for the first time at the house. I'm excited. I'm sure Brendan wishes that there would be a limited amount of Trick or Treaters so that he can eat all of the left over candy. OHHH and we got the good stuff- reeces, twix, hershey- that whole mixture! We are not going to be THAT house that gives out boxes of raisins. Booooo! So with Halloween comes such fun activities such as carving pumpkins! I'm so excited about doing this! I have never carved a pumpkin! I know!! In all my 24 years, not a once! So Brendan and I are carving 2 pumpkins this weekend. I'll post pictures afterwards! ALSO, Halloween costumes! This year we are not feeling over the top festive to dress up! We are doing home made costumes. Well, semi-homemade. (Sandra Lee...my fave) Last year Brendan was the Hamburgler....you know from McDonalds. His costume was awesome! He worked hard on it and it looked so great! I was a pirate- not very creative. This year I am going to be Lady Bug! Which happens to be the only bug besides a Roly Poly that I am not afraid of! I am making it though. Brendan is still pondering his costume. Pictures to come too!

I know this blog has little to do with wedding planning so I'll throw in some updates now! :o) I'm kind of an ebay fanatic. I don't buy often, but Ebay can be addictive. I find the greatest teacher supplies on there. BUT, Saturday, I was looking on Ebay and came across a lady who had closed her bridal boutique and was auctioning off some of her left over items! So I looked through and saw some fantastic shoes! So I put in my max bid and I won them yesterday for $5.50! Yay!! Oh and of course they are NEW IN THE BOX. I'm not going to wear some shoes from some stranger! eww

More wedding planning news. I am getting frustrated with the florist. It's been 2 months almost and still have not recieved an estimate of the flowers! I called twice! I'm going to call again and if nothing comes of it, then I may just have to go elsewhere. Dillon is so small that this was my only choice in Dillon so I am going to have to go look out of town now if this florist doesn't come though.

So that's all for now. I know this turned into a lengthy blog-sorry! Have a spooktacular night! :o)

Bridesmaids!

My girls are the best! I really love my friends and bridesmaids! It was hard to choose the bridal party because we have such wonderful friends but somehow, we were able to narrow it down! So I was just in the mood to write about my amazing bridesmaids.

Well, first there is my Maid of Honor, Cook. No, her real name is not Cook..it's Danielle. I don't know how or even when I started calling her Cook but it stuck and that's what I call her...even my mom refers to her as Cook. Anyways, she's one of the funniest people I know. She's also insane which is just another reason why I love her crazy butt! We went to high school and college together. We even shared a roommate who is NASTY so we decided to let it just be us. I miss those time. We had SUCH a blast living together. Ohhhhh the memories!

Then there is my dearest and oldest friend, Jill. We have been besties since we were 5! We went to the same preschool and lived across the street from each other. Her mom is our wedding director which just makes things that much more special!! Anywho, Jill is also one of the funniest people. She's such a beautiful person inside and out! We have our inside jokes and tons of memories growing up with one another...she's even got videos that I hope never get leaked. Seriously, you thought I was country?! Listen to me at 5 years old. I ALWAYS knew that I wanted Jill to be apart of my wedding. So basically I told her if she refused to be in the wedding then I refused to get married. haha I was kidding. But I do love her like a sister and am extremely happy that both her and her mom are apart of our special day!

Next is my Joy Belle! Her name is Joy not Joy Belle. Can you tell I like to rename my friends? haha I don't know how or when this started either! We've been friends since High School. We cheered together too! She is my gossip, tanning, lunch partner. She's such a great friend and I'm so glad that we've remained friends throughout college...even if she went to Clemson! :) It's okay, she's at USC now in grad school for Speech Pathology. She will graduate next year. I'm so excited for her!

Of course there is Karen. She is probably one of the wildest and craziest people I know! I've known Karen for a few years and we've managed to become really close. I know I can count on her for anything. She's such a wonderful friend and if you don't have a friend like Karen in your life well...then you're missing out! She keeps me in stitches-from all the laughing! I am blessed and thrilled that she will be apart of mine and Brendan's day!

Janet! I don't have name for her. Hmmm, maybe I should work on that. haha I met Janet when she started dating Justin, her now husband. And since Justin and Brendan are such great friends, us girls hung out quite a bit and of course we became great friends too! I know I can always go to Janet for anything. She is a great friend and I feel so lucky to call her one of my besties! I was honored to be apart of Janet and Justin's wedding this past summer and I'm so honored that they both are going to be apart of ours! It's wonderful to have these two in our lives!

Last, but not least there is Ashlyn!! Ashlyn is probably the friend MOST like me. I know, you already love her now, don't you? haha I met Ashlyn actually before I even met Janet! (We're all in the same circle of friends) Ashlyn and her husband, Keith are also apart of our wedding!! Ashlyn and I became really good friends when we decided to go to grad school together at Columbia College. Sitting in boring classes 8 hours a day on the weekend, can bring one close to another. Haha We took personality quizzes in class and found out how similar we were and even analyzed our friends! We had a lot fun in those classes and believe it or not, I really miss it!! That was our bonding time! Ashlyn is so wonderful and I am just soo excited she and Keith are in the wedding!

So these are my lovely, beautiful bridesmaids. I know they will look stunning in whatever dress we all pick out! haha This is just a BRIEF introduction of how I know them and what they mean to me! I love you girls!

Inspiration

Just some ideas/things I like/inspiration for our wedding.

Wedding Toppers

Just for laughs, I found some pretty funny wedding toppers and some cakes...in no way are we using these! I just got a laugh out of them!

For the alcoholic:

For the pyschotic:
For the ones who resort to violence:


For the ticked off bride:
For the mean husband:


For the CRAZY:
For the not so in love and happy:

For the WILD:


For the silly:

For the Golf lover:


Anywho, I thought they were fun! We haven't quite decided what will be on top of our cake. Apparently there are quite a bit of options..Monogrammed letters, plastic people who "favor us", flowers, decorations..hmm, we shall see!

"Oh you've got plenty of time"

On occasion I can be a procrastinator! Yes, it's true (especially when it came to school work)! BUT when it's a project I'm in charge of or if others are depending on me, I'm one to get things done and to be organized. I would almost say it is a little annoying as to how organize I can be! hmm, maybe.

This leads me to the phrase "you've got plenty of time". Yes, I do have ..oops, WE have time- 8 months and some change. BUT, look at it this way, I'm going through my formal evaluation year for teaching (which adds stress to my life daily wondering when and if I will be observed today) and come January, I've got to start out in my adventure of trying to find a job teaching in Columbia. That is kind of a lot on one's plate. Granted, it's only 2 things, but they are pretty big things! So what?! I'm getting things done earlier so I won't freak out later! I think it's good to have all the little things done ahead of time and even a lot of the major ones! PLUS it's way too much fun planning so I figured, I might as well get things done while I'm not drowning in work and while I have the energy to do it! :o)

On a wedding planning..(well, sort of) note. I joined the gym! AND it's whipping my butt! I've been at it for a week now. I do cardio 3 days a week, weights 2 days (so I can whoop up on Brendan when he's driving me mad...I kid! I kid!), and I do yoga 1 day a week. By the way, this does not add up to me working out 6 days a week. Those who know me, know good and well that I like my down time! I do cardio on both days I do weights. Okay, I'm confusing myself, Mondays-yoga, Tues.-cardio and weights, Wed.-Cardio, Thurs.-Cardio and weights.
SO you may ask "Why Jenn, why would you ever join the gym with your ever-so nice figure that has even the super models drooling with envy?" HA!!! That was a joke in case you're thinking I'm vain.

Well, the dress has been bought. The dress. The dress. The dress. I am trying to get fit not only for THE dress on THE day but for THE bathing suit on THE honeymoon and THE summer that follows the honeymoon and THE life that follows the honeymoon. BUT back to the dress. I cannot gain an ounce in order to fit into this dress or my mother may just fall out! It was discontinued so the dress in the store was the dress I had to get and it fit, but it fit WELL. So well that no more weight is allowed. I would rather have it taken in anyways. SO wish me luck as my body feels like jello from all the weights so that I may look stunning on such a momentous occasion such as our wedding.

Superstitions and Traditions

I've heard and seen so many superstitions and traditions. Some I have heard of but some, I had no idea about. We're not planning on doing every one of them. I am interested in quite a few! I'm not really superstitious but I think it's fun to play along! Here are some.

-the bride keeps a coin in her shoe so she will never run out of money
-if it rains it's good luck
-if someone steps on your dress and rips it, its good luck. (However, I don't think I would be too happy if my dress ripped!)
- Reasoning behind the father walking his daughter down the isle :
The brides father walks her down the aisle, symbolising that he is giving her away to her new husband. He holds her with the right arm - and since in the olden days, the right arm carried the sword but is now occupied by the bride, it means the father comes in peace. (Neat, huh?)
-At some weddings, the bride often writes the names of her bridesmaids on the soles of her shoes. Throughout the day, the writing wears away and the last name left is the bridesmaid who will marry next. I think I am going to do this!! However, some of my BMs are already married!
-It is customary for brides not to marry before their older sisters, they must wait their turn, if they wed before, their sisters may never marry. No problem there, I have no older sister!
-Grooms are not allowed to see the bride in her gown before the actual ceremony - otherwise it will bring bad luck. I will not even see Brendan until I'm walking down the isle! Ahhhhh, so exciting!!!
-If you're single and you've been a bridesmaid 3 times, you may never be a bride. What a Debbie Downer! I don't think that one is true at all!
- Tying tin cans to the back of the newlywed's car is good luck because the noise will frighten away evil spirits.
- If candles are lit on your wedding day and they go out it means an evil spirit is near by! Uh-oh Emi, maybe you want to reconsider a candle light ceremony! Only kidding!
- White dresses have nothing to do with virginity. In ancient times, cloth was very expensive to bleach and more than 1 bleaching was required. The whiter the cloth, the more affluent the bride's family. Some symbols of virginity/purity are bride's hair worn down at the ceremony, orange blossoms, or a wreath of flowers worn on the head.
- Say your vows when the hour hand on the clock is going upwards. This makes you work together in your married life together. If you say your vows when the hour hand is going down it is bad luck. I seriously am thinking 5:30 instead of 5:00. We shall see. I've heard this one several times!

OKay, if I find more, I'll let you know about them. Obviously, the red is my comments on the traditions/superstitions. I think they are very interesting! I hope you enjoyed reading them!

Hotel update

So I've decided on which Marriot to book for the wedding! The Marriot Springhill Suites was I think the better choice because A) It's newer B) It's right across the street from Hilton Garden Inn C) You have the option of a King size bed or a double bed D) Free Deluxe Conintental breakfast (the other, had a buffet and it was $10 extra).

So here's the thing, the rooms need to be booked by May 29, 2009 before they are open to anyone (not associated with the Cox/Talty Wedding) However, if you call after May 29 and say you need a room and mention the Cox/Talty Wedding, you will still get the group rate- you're just not promised a room! So the room are $89 + tax / night. I reserved 10 rooms with King size bed and 5 with Double Beds. However, I will call them early May to see if I need to reserve more rooms. Same with Hilton Garden Inn!

So that's the update as of today! Can you believe it's already October?! On the site, I have more hotels listed, but I am only going to have 2 that I book with- Hilton Garden Inn and Springhill.