the perfect day

i was so excited to get my wedding pictures back from our photographer, shelley, a few weeks back. unfortunately, though, i have also been swaaaaaamped with work and haven't even had a chance to really look through them and/or post them here or on facebook. things at work haven't slowed down a single bit, but i did make time tonight to really look at them and i just had to share a couple of my favorites from before the ceremony...enjoy! :)

**disclaimer: i have sooo many more favorites, i just can't show them all because i'm using some for some gifts for friends and family. i'll post more soon! 

our "first look." lol.

this just cracks me up. christi, the girl with the disgusted look on her face,
is michael's sister and couldn't bear giving him a kiss. haha. 

"cheers" with our best friends.

he's stupid good-looking. i am waaaaay too lucky. ;)

with my sister.

best looking bridal party. ever.

our rings :)

my bouquet (which was perfect and rustic and gorgeous). the tie around it is my mimi's (my dad's mom) garter that she wore when she married my papa 65 years ago. such a sweet "something blue" for my big day. 

more to come, lovelies!

day 10: well this is embarrassing...

let me preface this oh, so embarrassing story with the fact that i pretty much embarrass myself on a daily basis with one thing or another. it seems that i am constantly running into something, falling down, putting my foot in my mouth, etc. and always, always in front of a group of people. because of this, it is extremely hard for me to pinpoint just one of those embarrassing moments for today's blog challenge, but here it goes. 

*sigh*

florence + the machine comes to dallas for a show, and me and two of my girlfriends decide to make it a girls' night out. (read more about the incredible force that is florence here.) as with most girls' nights out, some cocktails were involved at the concert, and throughout the night, i texted photos of the concert to my friends and parents. 

i, in my greatness, decide i wanted to buy a glow headband from this guy selling them because it just seems like the best idea ever. (please keep in mind that the headband will now forever be known as the "glow stick.") 

me, with said glow stick after the concert, but before the most embarrassing thing. ever.

as we're leaving the concert, my friend, erica, snaps a photo of me (above). i think it's cute and decide to i send it to my parents (via group text) and michael. 

we get to the car, and i decide to text michael and let him know that we're on our way home. my friend, erica, is driving, and amy is in the back seat. as i mentioned before, i had had a few drinks, and with amy's encouragement, i think it will be funny to send a little risque text to michael. what's the harm, right? WRONG!

in an effort to do a little play-on-words (because i'm soooooo literary), i make a reference to michael's "glow stick," only to realize that i accidentally entered the text into the group message i have with my parents. 

awesome.

as soon as i realize it, i scream what i've done, erica almost wrecks her car, and amy almost pees her pants laughing. i, on the other hand, am mortified. but guess what! you can't "unsend" a text, and i received the following response. thank goodness my parents have a sense of humor!

wondering why mom mom says "we are getting used to it?" don't worry. this, sadly, is not the first time this has happened. 

moral of the story? glow sticks are overrated, and group text messages are of the devil!

day 5: i just love ya!

today, i get to share my love and devotion for one of my blogger friends! 

meet megan from it's about the journey. 

photo courtesy of it's about the journey

megan and i went to high school together. she is passionate about travel (she lived in iraq!), reading, and anything country. she's also hilarious! need proof? read about her chicken problems. yes. you read that correctly...chicken problems. lol. i also have a confession to make about ms. megan. i began reading her blog and immediately got stuck on it--big time. (this was before my blogging days.) well, one day came along and ms. thang decided she was going to take a break from blogging. one day went by, then two, then three. as more and more time went by, i found myself getting more and more angry at her. where's my daily dose of hometown farming and crafting and cooking?! i admit i began to curse her from behind my computer screen.

fast forward a couple of weeks where i ran into megan at our friend, piper's bridal shower. i worked up the courage to confront her about why the crap she felt it was necessary to continually string me along with her blog. (i am not a psycho, i swear.) i mean, you can't just write about all this cool crafty stuff, and then just stop. not cool, megan, not cool. we had a really good laugh about how i stalked her blog and cursed her from behind my computer. she even devoted a post to me! 

truth be told, megan was actually one of the things that inspired me to start blogging. she said something at that shower that stuck with me. it went along the lines of how she didn't really do any type of social media like facebook or twitter, but that she did take time to blog because it was like an online scrapbook that she could always look back on. that's when i realized that i wanted to start a blog of my own. i wanted something that i can look back on and see how blessed my life has been. won't it be nice to be able to show my future children that there was actually a time when their parents were young, fun, and free? i think so. :) 

you should definitely stop by megan's blog and get to know her. she's just great!

wicked

you guys. my mind is officially blown. 

michael has always told me that wicked is his favorite musical. ever. surprised that michael is even a fan of musicals? you shouldn't be. he was quite the thespian growing up, actually. truth be told, he went to state in one act play NOT one, NOT two, NOT three, but FOUR years in a row! he even had the lead role our senior year! (class of '06--holla!) anyway, he always told me what a great show it was, but i've never had the opportunity to see it. a few months ago, i found out that the broadway show was going on a national tour and would be making a stop in dallas. could it be fate? i think so. to my dismay, though, the tickets practically sold out as soon as they went on sale (at least the ones i could afford). 

earlier this week, my friend, jennifer, text me and said she had an extra ticket to see the show in fair park, and asked if i wanted to join. my answer? ummmm....heck yeah! jennifer's boss has season tickets to the music hall at fair park, and had already seen wicked, so he passed the tickets along to her. and THEN she invited me!!! score!!!!! 

so last night, me, jennifer, her roommate, tara, and tara's mom, all loaded up and headed to fair park. we stopped and enjoyed the quaintest little pizza place--pizza lounge! we got a couple of different personal pizzas and salads (and wine, of course!) and shared. i seriously recommend the hawaiian...it's sweet and savory, with the perfect amount of sauce. also check out the pear and gorgonzola salad. de-lish! i've always been afraid to try gorgonzola cheese because i was afraid i wouldn't like it (have i mentioned that i eat like a 5 year old?), but i was pleasantly surprised. the pears were sweet and delicious and the pear-vinaigrette was top-notch. you will not be disappointed with this place. 

so! we ate dinner and headed to the theatre. tara and her mom made their way to their seats, and jennifer and i headed to our. one word: WOW! we seriously had some of the best seats in the house--8th row, center section. it really doesn't get much better than that. obviously, you aren't allowed to take pictures during the show, but i did sneak a quick pic of the stage prior to the show's start. 

look at that crazy dragon! yikes!

me and jenny-boo before the show started.

you guys, if you ever have the chance to see this show, you have GOT to! i would go into a full synopsis of the plot, but don't want to ruin it for anyone. in a nutshell, wicked is somewhat of a prequel to the wizard of oz. it's the life story of both witches from the story, and explains how "the good witch" and "the wicked witch" became good and wicked. it was phenomenal. 

go see it! you won't regret it!

added bonus? the show featured one of the songs that we sang at chi omega's pref night at tech. PC '06, you know what i'm talkin' about. check it out...

later gators! xoxo

mrs. lee 2.0

so i decided that i needed a change with my hair. i had been wanting to cut it for a couple of months, but to michael's (and everyone else i know) forbiddance strong encouragement, i waited to do it until after our wedding. this ended up being a great idea. had i done it beforehand, i wouldn't have been able to have those long, luscious, curly, locks, and let's face it...long wedding hair is just fab. 

so, fast forward to three weeks after our wedding. i made an appointment with britney at OMGhairsyles. she was referred to me by my bff, erica, and i'm soooooooo glad! she's so fun to just chat with. we talk art and gossip and drama, and all the other good things you get to dish about with your hair dresser. major plus? she does badass hair. so badass, in fact, that it's her own tagline. now to the fun part--my hair transformation!

the cut inspiration:

julianne hough. what a babe.

the color inspiration:

love the brown. love the blonde. love the ombre. done.

the before & after:

photo courtesy of britney at OMGhairstyles.

first, i love how fun and summery my new 'do is! it's so bouncy and full all. the. time. i lost about 9-ish inches of hair (at the longest point), and i've never felt better! it takes me half the time to dry my hair, now, which not only saves me time, but it also saves energy. kudos to me for being a teensy bit greener. i've been re-mastering how to curl my hair with my straightener, and have to say that i'm getting quite good at it. it's so fun to try out different styles! anyway, enough babbling. my hair looks awesome and if you're in the dallas-area and want YOUR hair to look awesome, too, check out my girl, brit, at OMGhairstyles. you won't be disappointed. 

ps. jam for today: icona pop-i love it. and i really do.

snapshots

of the best day of my life. i know, so cliche, but sometimes, just because something is trite, doesn't make it any less true. in short, everything was perfect, and michael and i were surrounded by the ones we love and we celebrated, and laughed, and danced, and had the happiest of times. more coming soon, but until then....

with my cousin, alex.

besties from junior high shae & piper

bridesmaid & bff from college, jennifer

with the best stepdad...ever, tray.

with my soul sister, amy

my best friends, natasha and jennifer

count down

HO-LY crap, y'all! we're officially 40 days out from our wedding. seriously, WHERE did the time go?? luckily, i feel like i'm pretty on top of everything on my checklist...venues-check! bridesmaid dresses-check! table linens-check! centerpieces-half check! groom-check! 

and that last one--the groom--is the most important part. i think that sometimes, brides get so caught up in all the little details, they totally neglect the most important part of the big day, the person they're promising to spend their life with. now, i know i'm not perfect (i know, shocker!) but i do know that i constantly try to give michael love and attention whenever i can. i want to make sure that he knows that he is the one that is most important to me; not some silly centerpiece or catering decision. so, bridezillas ladies, let's take some time to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. contrary to popular belief, the apocalypse will not begin if every little detail on your wedding day is not perfect. that's life, honey!

now that i'm off of my little soap box (you think i've been dealing with enough brides lately, or what? lol), i can catch you up on what's been going on in my life. here's the stats:

2: the number of attempts at bridal portraits i had to do. i truly have the worst luck with weather. my amazing photographer, shelley (you can find more about her here), was able to meet with me yesterday when the weather finally decided to cooperate. i can't wait to see the photos! she always does an awesome job.

13: the number of days until my bridal shower! amy, my oldest, sweetest, best friend, and her cute mom, nancy, are throwing me a bridal shower in dallas on feb. 17. they are such dolls! i'm so excited to get to have my close friends and family together to celebrate me and mikey-poo getting married! (the gifts won't be half bad, either. ;) ) but seriously, i am so so blessed to have a friend like amy. it's few, and far between, when you find a friend who you not only remain friends with, but manage to not screw each other over at some point during that friendship. love her!

19: the number, so far, of wedding related events we have booked at rooftop. eeeeeek! i'm so excited, i could just die! seriously, i am so grateful for the positive response that the venue has received so far. it's just amazing! 

55: the number of "yes" RSVPs we've received! yippie! and to everyone reading this who has not RSVPd...you BETTER!

32,165,498,413: the number of times i've listened to this song in the past week. can't. get. enough! (and yes, erica, i'm aware that i'm on a total mackelmore band wagon because this is the only song i know by him. sue me. lol.)

happy monday everyone! xoxo

happy friday!

happy friday everyone! my weekend is slated to consist of a going-away party (sad!), the dallas flea market (for potential wedding finds, perhaps?), and engagement photos (as long as the weather cooperates). i can't wait!

enjoy your weekend! 

p.s. i can't stop listening to this...i hated it when i first heard it, but now i'm obsessed.

the one.

good news, everyone. i reached a milestone in my wedding planning this weekend. i found THE dress! :)

saturday afternoon, my mom, sister, amy, and michael's sister, christi, loaded up and headed out to find my wedding dress. i had looked online at david's bridal and found several dresses that i knew i wanted to try on, so we went there first. amy said it best when i gave her "the plan." "it's really big, so it will give you a lot of options. and if we get there and it's too overwhelming, we'll bounce and go somewhere else." 

we arrived at david's bridal, checked in, and let the madness ensue. alicia, our trusty consultant, did an awesome job. she was so helpful and way on top of her game. she knew those dresses! after trying on several (read: TONS) of dresses, christi and amy started looking around to dresses they thought i'd like. christi ended up finding the winner!

of course, i won't post a photo of the actual dress, but i can tell you this...it's lovely. it's vintage looking and classic and wonderful. :)  

here's a sneak peak of some other ones that were front-runners but ended up not making the cut. 

i had to crop my head out of this one...i had one
gnarly facial expression going on. lol.

also, fear not. my work-out regimen begins today! fyi: "work-out regimen" is simply my way of saying "stop-eating-like-a-little-piggy-and-try-and-get-some-kind-of-physical-activity-in-each-day." people are only going to believe that my armpit fat is an extension of my overly-humongous boobs for so long. and i can't do the "hand on my hip" pose in every picture on my wedding day. in short, it's gotta go!

hope you all have the happiest week! and wish me luck on this torturous  new adventure to work out more. y'all know how i feel about working out. womp!

snapshots

i have the most fun sister ever. her friend, marcia, is pretty bomb as well.

don't mind the lazy eye. i was trying to wink and was a little late. whoopsies!

lol. favorite.

these were taken at urban rio's grand opening party. so. much. fun. mojo dfw provided the photo booth for the event and if you're ever needing a photo booth, i highly recommend them! it is so much fun, ads a lot to any event, and is run by the greatest people! if you book, tell julie that rachel at urban rio sent you! :) 

cheers everyone!

bragging rights

so let me start this off by saying that i really don't care too much for people who brag a lot. maybe it's not necessarily the bragging itself that gets me, but the arrogance that is sometimes very prevalent. soooooo, if this sounds arrogant, give me a pass, because what i'm about to say is the truth, the whole, truth, and nothing but the truth (so help me god). 

i have the coolest job ever.

i mean, seriously, i do. i used to always hear people say "well i love my job. when you find something that you love to do, it doesn't feel like work" blah, blah, blah, and would think to myself, "yeah right. you are afraid your boss can hear you, so you're sucking up." well, i totally stand corrected. i get it now. one of the coolest aspects of my job is that i literally learn something new everyday. over the last 9 1/2 months, here's some of my favorites:

1. when ordering commercial items in bulk quantities, always make sure you have a way to get the items off of the 18-wheelers. i was shocked to find out that unlike deliveries to your home, it is not the driver's responsibility to get the items onto your property. they will leave and you will be shit-out-of-luck if you have no loading dock, forklift, or lift gate...which brings me to...
2. lift gates are your best friend. if a sky lift isn't available, lift gates will save your ass and at least get your items off of the truck so they're in your possession. in my case, i could usually sucker ask someone nicely if they would help unload the items once they were off the truck, but others may not be so lucky. 

   

   these little jewels take all of your crap and
   place it nicely on the ground.

3. never underestimate how ridiculous a delivery truck driver, sales representative, customer service rep, [fill in the black with any type of vendor you can imagine] will be... 
4. and when you do, try to stay calm. they lost your order (or didn't place it at all)? they promised a delivery for today but are telling you that it will now be another three weeks (which could jeopardize your opening timeline)? the rep you're working with is just a bitch? take a deep breath and try to relax. if you don't, they are still an idiot, nothing gets accomplished, and you slam down the phone and are still pissed off. 
5. after you hang up that phone, you best get yourself to writing one very...hmmm, what's the most appropriate (and tactful) adjective to use here...we'll go with firm...write one very firm email. copy everyone you can think of on it...your bosses, their bosses, hell, the lady down the street that is always griping about something...whatever. but make sure your complaint is in writing and is specifically addresses all of the issues. 
6. understand that everyone will lie to save their own ass. don't take it personal. just whip out your email(s) that lay out what actually went down, cross you arms, and grin, because you just let them know what's up. 

that's just the tip of the construction-iceberg, kiddies. i haven't even touched the help-to-open-a-restaurant-from-the-ground-up-iceberg. it's got some goodies, too. but in all seriousness, i love going to work and not knowing exactly what's going to happen. it keeps me on my toes. 

the main thing i want to brag about, though, is the perks of my job. yesterday, one of the bar managers asked for my assistance. "sure!" i said. "what's up?" 

"will you test this cocktail i just had the bartender [who's in training] make? we want to make sure it tastes good."

damn. that's exactly what i didn't want to do today--taste-test delicious cocktails. or how about this?

the other day, i got to meet with a potential client who is getting married in december. we go tho go look at rooftop and talk all about the plans for her big day. i gave her several ideas of how she could use our venue and she loved them all. every single one. she also proceeded to make me feel like the smartest human being on this earth. i didn't hate it. 

i also didn't hate wednesday night. michael and i met up with our friends, caycee and lauren, at urban rio, the restaurant that i've been helping with for it's last mock-service dinner. we got to enjoy the most delicious food (which-might i add-i've been able to test several times along the way) and hang out and enjoy each other's company. caycee's sisters, mckenzie and allie, even came by our table for a bit, where mckenzie dominated "the most delicious chicken sandwich EVER!!!" here's a sneak peak into our night. not bad for just another day at the office. :)

the most bomb salad ever. spinach leaves, strawberries, queso fresco,
 jicama, tossed in a hibiscus vinaigrette. yum! and don't worry, it wasn't
all salads-and-such. we got down on some delish beef empanadas, chicken
skewers, beef double-stacked quesadillas, prickly pear margaritas and more! 

allie, mike, me, lauren, caycee, and kenz...and lots of dirty plates!

justin and ashley say 'i do.'

saturday, michael and i, along with several of our close friends from high school, got to attend our friends--justin and ashley's--wedding. for those of you who don't know, justin, michael and i, all grew up together. as a matter of fact, justin and michael have been friends ever since they were born, as their dads were both state troopers and partners. fast forward to college when justin met ashley. they began dating and were pretty much inseparable after that. that's how i met and got to know her, and we've become better friends since michael and i started dating again. she is the sweetest person, so i can totally see how justin fell for her. she also has impeccable taste when it comes to event decor.

 it was the most beautiful wedding. i spoke to ashley about a week or so before the big day and asked how it was going (aka: have you got totally nuts yet?). the one thing she told me that stuck out was 'well, let's see if my pinterest dreams come true.'  i can totally relate because i have been getting pretty pin happy here lately. 


well, ashley, i don't know if your pinterest dreams came true, but mine did. the wedding was the sweetest, most adorable, thing. every last detail was very rustic and vintage and wonderful and romantic and just lovely. unfortunately, i was having too good of a time and totally spaced on taking pictures of all the decor. what's wrong with me?! 


they had the coolest thing at their reception, too! i've been to many parties/wedding receptions/events where there's a photo booth. justin and ashley had a photo booth by flip pics that created a flip book for you! you got in front of the camera (with whatever props you'd like) and it recorded you for 7 seconds. then, it immediately printed out all the stills and the staff working the booth would staple them together into a book. their website explains it best..."think back to the days when you began doodling on the side of your notebook. one page of a ball bouncing...the next of the ball slightly lower on the page...then hitting the ground...the next page bouncing a little higher. this went on for a while until you flipped the pages back and watched the ball bounce up and down via animation." it was the coolest party favor i've seen. well done, justin and ashley!


it was so good catching up with several friends i hadn't seen in so long, and getting to celebrate with justin and ashley. me and michael even hit the dance floor a few times. let me just tell you, there is absolutely nothing better than a man who can dance...and the real kind of dancing. the kind where you get to hold each other and your feet barely touch the ground and it makes you feel like you're the only people in the room...not that crap where the guy just holds on to a girl's hips while she grinds her ass on their crotch. womp! 


anyway, here's a couple of highlights from our night on saturday. we had a blast!

michael was a groomsman. isn't he handsome?? :)

the blushing bride

me and piper with ashley  

the guys with the groom

the seawrights :) 

me and pipey!

how lucky am i?

jake, mikey, and mark

silly boys

busy, busy, busy

unfortunately "busy" and "blogging" do not go well together. i have been quite the busy bee at work the last few days and let me just tell you...it does not make for a consistent blogger. 

got to have some quality girl-time tonight with amy, though, and it was just fabulous (as always). it was quite the breath of fresh air from all of the craziness from work this week. we got to talk all things important. we also were really proud of ourselves because we got all but two of leigh anne's baby shower invites addressed. we, along with amy's mom, nancy, and leigh's sister, leslie, are hosting her baby shower at the end of july. (we also think it's PRET-ty funny that we're hosting a baby shower, as we are probably the furthest away from having children of our own.) 

anyway, details and updates and ramblings and music and wedding nonsense to come, soon, i promise. 

nighty night dolls!

ps. i just realized i started 4 sentences in a row with "we." that's got to be some kind of a record...NOT! 

memorial day 2012

forgive me, as this post will be long. however, it's also filled with the best things in life--friends, family, love, celebrations, and lots and lots of pictures! first and foremost, though, i want to give a big thank you to the former and current members of our military to help defend our freedoms! especially my little brother, christian, who is currently serving in afghanistan as a medic for the marines. christian- i love and miss you!!

one of my favorite past times is going to my friend, amy's, lake house on lake cypress springs. so many of my best memories with my friends involve going out for a day on the lake at amy's house! we even talked about all of our "good ol' days" in jr. high with amy's mom, nancy, when we would take the boat out and think we were just the coolest thing. little did we know, our moms/friends of nancy would keep a distant eye on us at all times. it was really funny coming to this realization this weekend because looking back, i don't think any of us had ever felt as free/grown up/cool as we did when we would take the boat out at amy's house. 

i headed to mt. vernon on saturday morning to begin celebrating memorial day. michael had to work a double on saturday, so he couldn't come with me. bummer. at any rate, i decided to go visit my papa and his wife, mary lou, first thing because i hadn't seen them in such a long time. we got to be lazy and talk about weddings and work and friends and plays and concerts--all great things! we also had the best lunch! papa and mary lou started their own little garden and i got to make the freshest garden salad with veggies straight from their yard! i must say, i felt like quite the little hippie...and loved it. 

rachel's freshest. salad. ever.

-fresh garden lettuce
-fresh garden cucumbers (these were sweet, crisp and delicious!)-cauliflower (from the store)
-sweet bell pepper (from the store)
-strawberries (from the store)
-fat free raspberry vinaigrette
-seven grain toast

you guys. this salad was absolutely amazing. you should make it and be amazed (and super healthy!). papa, mary lou, and i got to have a great visit and i got to relax in front of this. don't think it gets too much better! :)

we got to watch the birds and ducks near their dock, too!

once we finished with lunch, i headed just down the road to amy's house. take a look at the shots below to see what we were up to on saturday!

first off, i was greeted by this little nugget.
meet mallory, amy's niece. my heavens
she's adorable!!

loved getting to catch up with my girls! from left to right,
that's kim, leigh anne, me and amy. you can hardly tell
(because leigh anne has the best body ever) but sweet
little layton is under that grey cover up. :)

leigh anne (+ layton) and kim on the boat relaxing

the 40 lbs. of crawfish we got after. we didn't put
much of a dent in it, but man did we try!

wild bill, tom, amy and jake getting down on some mudbugs!

kim, me and amy with our dinner. let me just tell you,
were it not for the several cocktails i'd had that day,
there's no way i would've been able to peel those crawfish.
i have issues with food that looks the same
dead as it did when it was alive. ick!

winona and tracy even made an brief appearance.

jill's summer brew of genius

-3 modelos
-tequila to taste (we used blanco and it was delish!)
-diet sprite
-fresh lime juice
(mix it all together and enjoy the wealth. thank me later.)

evening booze cruise with jill, jake, amy, tom and wild bill. 

beautiful sunset and the perfect ending to
another successful holiday at amy's!

sunday morning, we woke up and nancy fixed us some delicious pancakes and bacon. i headed back to plano around lunchtime so i could be home by the time mikey got off of work. we decided to take it easy sunday night and just watch some movies. there's a blockbuster close to our house that is going out of business, so we thought we could go by there and get some cheap rentals. much to our delight/surprise, they were no longer renting dvds, but had almost all their movies on sale for $0.49-$2.00!! to put it lightly, madness ensued.

we have problems. lol. and this isn't
even all of the movies we bought.

we enjoyed the second season of lost on sunday night and got up monday morning and hit up the outlets in allen. mike wanted to try and find a new swim suit and i ended up finding some super cute coral, linen pants and some fabulous printed shorts. (i wore the pants today and they are amazingly comfortable!)

headed to lunch with some friends at pluckers.

we ate with a group of our close friends and then headed to our house for a relaxing day by the pool. 

i write all of this when i really just mean to say: it was a great weekend!