Just some thoughts...

Well, today I am lucky enough to spend the day relaxing because of the snowy/icy conditions outside. SNOW DAY! One of the many perks of being a teacher ((smiles)).

As I'm just laying around, I'm thinking a lot about the wedding. I wish I could just snap my fingers and have the wedding be here NOW! I hate all of the waiting around. I know that I'm only 8 months and 5 days away from our wedding day, and time has definitely flown by since we got engaged on August 16th... but at the same time, I know how exciting it's going to be when we are finally husband and wife and I just can't wait!!! When I spend time with Jason on the weekends, we have so much fun together. Seriously, without a doubt, he is my best friend. He knows me better than anyone, and he makes me laugh. We have fun, no matter what the circumstances. Whether we're cooking dinner together, hanging out in the garage, curled up on the couch watching tv together, going to church, we always have a good time together. There is a level of comfort and security that I've found with him that I've never experienced with anyone else. I know that he's going to be an amazing husband, and a great father one day. I just can't wait to start our lives together!!!!!!

This time last year, we were in California. My Valentine's gift last year was an all-expense paid trip to California for 10 days. This year, we're going to play it low-key. We're going to have dinner in Frederick at my favorite restaurant, Macaroni Grill, on Friday evening. I'm so excited just to spend quality time together!

Here's a couple of pictures from our California trip last year. We had so much fun! I love him so much!!!!!!!

Plans in bloom!

Over the weekend, I stopped by a small floral shop in Greencastle just to get a ballpark idea of what to expect for flower prices. The owner of the shop pulled out a catalog book for me to look through of pictures of bouquets, with price stickers indicating the fortune that they cost. I, being as naive as can be, was only hoping to spend $500 on flowers. Boy was I underestimating the cost of flowers!

I had an appointment this evening with the owner of Roostervane Gardens in Funkstown. I personally prefer doing business with this shop because the work is always beautiful and creative. I immediately sensed a warmth from Denny (the owner) that I hadn't sensed at the other shop. He sat down with me, took meticulous notes of what I wanted. As I was talking about the colors and flowers I was envisioning, he would run downstairs to his shop and bring back flowers for me to look at the fit with the theme I was discussing. In the end, he had a small pile of flowers that represent >those that'll be used in my bouquets and arrangements. I asked him if I could buy the sample flowers from him, and he insisted upon giving them to me instead. My cascading bouquet will be the ivory roses (Eskimo Roses) with freesia and other white/ivory flowers, and ivy. My girls will be carrying bouquets with the flowers found in the picture (Eskimo roses, mango calla lilies, red and orange alstromerias, freesia, pyrnicum berries and other flowers). My flower girls will carry kissing balls of the same flowers. I'm really excited about the colors and the flowers, and my souvenir bouquet that he gave me. I'm not sure how much it's all going to cost yet, but Denny's going to mail us a proposal. For each item, he's going to provide 3 different prices (high, medium, and low). The higher price will be for bigger bouquets and the lower price for smaller bouquets. So, from that list, I'll chose the bouquet sizes that will best fit my budget.




I'm going to look at invitations this weekend, and I'll let you know how that goes!

Love,
Kristin

...And the REALITY sets in.

My FMIL (future Mother in Law) invited me to go along with her to a wedding being held at Antrim Brethren in Christ, the same church where Jason and I will be getting married in 8 months and 29 days. ...but who's counting *wink wink*

I walked into the church, immediately sensing the excitment and anticipation in the air. We walked into the sancutary and the beauty of the moment was very overwhelming. There were candleabras at the end of each pew, and there were large candleabras in the front of the church on the sides of the communion table where the unity candle sits. As we were seated and I began reading over the program, I realized that there is so much left to plan and arrange... and it REALLY stressed me out!

As the music played and the attendants came down the aisle, I caught the look on the groom's face as he smiled at each girl coming down the aisle. I could just picture Jason up there, smiling at my cousins and friends as they were coming down the aisle. And when the triumphant music began and everyone stood as the bride came down the aisle with her father, I admit that I became quite tearful (even though I don't even know the couple). I feel like the most emotional part (and most awesome part) of my wedding day will be my Daddy walking me down the aisle... and that moment when Jason and I see each other for the first time that day. I think I might be a bit emotional once I get to the alter... but I think that once Jason takes my hand, I'll be fine...

Anyways, this whole experience was eye-opening... kind of like looking into a crystal ball and seeing what our day will be like! I'm glad I went along because now I know that there are a few other things that I need to add to my ever-growing list of things to do :)

That's all for now.
kms

Planning Bliss

Well, I tried really hard to temporarily refrain from thinking anything planning-related over the holidays, so that I could just enjoy the holidays and put all of the planning funness off until the new year.

I must say I was pretty sucessful with this notion... However, the new year has finally arrived, and I'm still not really any farther along with my wedding plans. I am actively searching for the perfect invitation at the moment. I've come across everything from super expensive invitations ($800+ for 100 invites!) to eco-friendly handmade invitations... and several in between. There's the kind that you buy and print yourself... or the kind that fold up and don't require envelopes... or the kind that present all of the wedding information in a small portfolio format. Most of my searching until now has been online. I'm somewhat apprehensive about ordering online, though, because I'd much rather see the invitation in person before I order. Does anyone know of vendors around town that may sell/print wedding invitations?

For favors, I came across a really neat idea that I've fallen in love with. It's actually quite the "sweet" idea... hehe. I'm going to buy mini glass jars of honey to give as favors to all of the guests. I'm going to remove the original label and replace it with something that says "Meant to Bee, Kristin & Jason 10/18/08". I love the idea of an edible favor, because I would rather give my guests something that they can take home and ENJOY, not just throw away once they walk in the door.

I've also decided to add another attendant to my bridal party. I've asked my dear friend and confidant Melody to be a bridesmaid, as well. Initially our intention was to keep the wedding party within the family, however it seems silly to me to not include someone who I am so close to. So as of now, our sides are uneven... I have 5 attendants, Jason has 4. But oh well! There are no rules that say it HAS to be even. Melody will also be playing the piano for a few numbers during the ceremony.

The bridesmaids gowns have been selected. The girls will be wearing wine colored chiffon gowns. My maid of honor, Beth, will be wearing a halter-style gown, and the rest of the girls will be wearing a strapless number in the same color. My girls are going to look great!

Jason has decided that he would like Pastor Ken to preach a sermon during the ceremony. Nothing long... maybe 20 minutes at the most. I talked with PK and he said that he has done this in the past by "tastefully interlacing" the message throughout the ceremony. I'm so glad that Jason is giving me his input for the wedding. It's going to be such a special day for us! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!

Well... Operation Wedding Weight is in full swing and I've lost 6 pounds! 24 more to go until I reach my goal. WOOHOO!

I believe that's all for now. I'll keep everyone posted as I make more planning progress!!! :)

Love & Hugs
kms

The Penguin Suits!

Jason and I ventured to J&B Bridals on Thursday evening to choose the tuxes that he and his guys will be sporting on our wedding day. I was worried that he'd be indifferent, but he actually had an idea of what he wanted his tux to look like. He decided on a long-tail suit jacket for himself, and regular suit jackets for the rest of the guys. The long-tails are considered "more formal," and we thought it was only appropriate, considering I was going to look extra special that day... so, he should look extra special, too! From the beginning, he told me he did NOT want to wear a tie. So, we're going for the mandarin collar look, with the black/gold button cover at the the top. All of the guys will be wearing ivory shirts. Jason will wear an ivory vest to match my dress, while the rest of the guys will be wearing wine colored vests to match my girls' dresses.

Another decision that we made over the week was to have flowergirls and a ring-bearer. I initially only planned to have one flower girl, but we have a feeling that she'll only cooperate if her sister can walk with her... therefore, we have two flower girls. All of the kids are children of Jason's cousins. My flower girls are going to wear simple ivory dresses with wine colored sashes at the waist, and the ring-bearer will be wearing a suit to match Jason's (with the tails and all!).

Only 10 months and 17 days to go! :)
Kristin

Pardon Me for Being Rude!

Shame on me; I haven't yet introduced myself. *Tsk tsk, where are my manners?*

I'm Kristin Singhas, soon to be Kristin Caudill <---so weird! I'm 23 years old, and I teach 9th grade at a private special education school in Hagerstown, MD. I have a self-contained classroom of ten incredibly unique young men (diagnosed with behavioral/emotional disorders or autism spectrum disorders). Some days are more difficult (and smelly, truth be told) than others... but the good days and those "Aha!" moments make it totally worth it. I love my job! I'm working on my Master's degree at Mount St. Mary's University. My goal is to have my degree completed before the production of mini-me's... so we'll see how that goes! Right now, my life is rather busy. Teaching full-time (without a planning period, mind you), taking graduate level classes, and planning the most important day of my life leaves me with very few moments of quiet and solitude. I've had to make sacrifices here and there in my schedule to be productive. I'm hoping that over the next two weeks (classes end and I'm taking a much needed TIME OUT trip to NYC for three days) I'll be able to get a better grip on things and be able to pick back up with those things/people that I love. So, that's a little bit about me. I guess since this is a wedding blog, I should tell you a little bit about my fiance, Jason. Well... he's 32 years old and lives in Greencastle, PA. He works as a diesel mechanic in State Line, PA. He also takes on tons of side work, and owns some heavy equipment that he rents out to construction businesses. He's a busy man, which complements my busy lifestyle. We spend time together over the weekend, but through the week we entertain ourselves through nightly phone calls. You're probably wondering how we met... :) Well, it was actually a complete set-up! He's good friends with my uncle (they used to work together, and the house/property that Jason bought is actually adjacent to my uncle's!) and he and my aunt decided that Jason would be a great match for me. So, they set it up so that we would both be at my aunt's Memorial Day picnic on May 29th, 2005. We met that day... talked quite a bit... went out on another date later that following week... and we've been inseperable ever since. He's a great guy; treats me wonderfully. I know that he'll be a great husband and a wonderful father one day... :) ...But enough of the mushy stuff! How about more wedding talk!? We're getting married at Antrim Brethren in Christ in Chambersburg by Pastor Ken, and our reception is being held at the Cortland Mansion in Hagerstown. Believe it or not, Jason has actually contributed quite a bit to our wedding plans. He lets me know when he likes or dislikes something, and I appreciate that... because it is his wedding, too... and he's definitely waited longer for it than I!

When we first started talking about who we wanted to be in the wedding, I had a list of about 7 people who are very important to me (both friends and family). However when the conversation came up, he told me that the ONLY person that he wanted standing next to him on that day was his brother as the best man. Now, this created quite the dilemma for me. I have 3 cousins who I've always been very close to that I've always wanted to have in my wedding... and now I had to choose only one?!? Well, after discussing with Jason how I felt about limiting my number to a single maid/matron of honor, he understood where I was coming from and opted to add a couple of his cousins to the groom's side so that I can have my cousins in the wedding. It worked out well... everyone who is in the wedding is family. I can think of a couple of weddings that I've been in for friends of mine who I barely talked to after the wedding... and I don't want to get my wedding pictures out 10 years from now and see pictures of people that I haven't seen in years, ya know? Figured I couldn't go wrong with family. There's no way I could've chosen between my friends, anyways. I'm trying to think of other ways to include people in the wedding... or someway to make a tribute to those close friends who I would've loved to have had in the wedding.

The guest list currently is around 230. This was another area where Jason and I clashed somewhat during the planning process. I had a list of roughly 20 friends in addition to my family. He had a list of almost 80 friends in addition to his family. (OH MY GOODNESS!). For him, he felt that if he invited this person, he'd have to invite that person... and so on and so forth. He has people on our invite list that we haven't spoken to in over a year! ...But I keep telling myself, it's his wedding too. It's just hard for me, knowing that my parents are spending roughly $40/head at the reception... But anyways, I hear that 20% of the people you invite don't come anyways. I guess we'll see!

Wedding colors... a cabernet wine color, which accents of gold and cream.

Honeymoon... a 15 night cruise from San Diego to Hawaii and back :) ....CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!

Anyways... I think that's all I can share for now. I'm exhausted (just finished writing a 10 pg paper for my one class that's due tomorrow night) and thought I'd de-stress for a few minutes by blogging... So anyways... Feel free to leave comments, ask questions, etc! Always open to advice, too :)

Lots of Love xoxox
kristin marie

How about some dressing to go with that turkey?

Well, last weekend I found the wedding dress/gown of my dreams. It's difficult to describe, because it's nothing that I've seen while rifting through endless piles and stacks of bridal magazines. As cheezy as it sounds, as soon as I tried it on I KNEW it was the one. It's very couture. Unfortunately, I'm not posting any pictures of the dress online because I want everyone to get the full effect on the day of the wedding... but I WILL provide you with a brief description to make your style taste-buds water!

A-line sleeveless gown with V-neckline and illusion beaded lace straps features asymmetrical taffeta pleats with gathers at drop waist. Taffeta over beaded lace skirt with scallop at hemline with tiffany length beaded lace train.

More to come... stay tuned!

.kms