Not bad for the first time checking out the fluffy white gowns

I'm finally getting a chance to catch up on all those posts I've fallen behind on. Three weeks ago, I went wedding dress shopping. I went by myself just to check out different styles and to see what I really liked. As I already said before, I left loving the same style I went in loving.

Here are some pictures of most of the dresses I tried on:

This dress was WAY over my budget, which I didn't realize until after I tried it on. It's a couture dress. Pretty, but not quite what I was looking for.






































When I walked into the store, I saw this dress on a poster. I thought it was pretty, so I asked to try it on. I loved it. I'd been looking for a simple dress, and it was simple. It wasn't insanely expensive, and it was pretty. I liked all the details that gave it a special touch without being overwhelming.






































Still, there was the style I had really loved going into the whole day. I couldn't help but notice that it looked really good with my ring, too, since that style dress and my ring both have a bit of a vintage feel to them.

I found two dresses in that style that I liked. They were both a little overboard on the simple part, but they were pretty.

I liked this one, but it didn't have any train whatsoever, and I wished the back was a lace-up. For some reason, it never occurred to me that a wedding dress could just zip up in the back. I thought it had to at least take a few minutes to get on!






































This dress, which was the last I tried on, was on a mannequin when I walked in the store. It had the lace-up back and the little sweep train I wanted. But it had no details -- it was just solid white.

On the display at the front of the store, they'd tied a brown sash around the waist of the dress, a lot like the white sash on the dress in the last pictures. That was one way to add a little something to the dress, but I wasn't sure about that idea, what with the lace-up back. But it was definitely less than what I'd hoped to spend on my dress, which was a plus.






































One thing that surprised me is that I wasn't emotional when I was trying on the dresses. I always imagined that whenever I first put on the dress, I'd instantly know because I'd immediately think, "This is it!" I didn't have any moments like that, but I didn't expect to. It was my first time trying on. I didn't want to leave with a dress. Maybe I still will have that moment.

Another funny thing: The day she get married, the bride is supposed to look the prettiest she's ever looked in her entire life. I expected to feel amazing when I put on a bridal gown. When I looked in the mirror with the first dress on (which I really liked), I was surprised at what was staring back at me -- it was just everyday me in a fancy, fluffy white dress.

I guess it doesn't make sense to expect putting on a wedding dress to morph my whole appearance, and I realized that when I was trying the dresses on. It was just funny to realize that's what I'd thought would happen.

After looking back at these pictures, the last two in this post are my favorites. I've even thought about getting the last one and looking around at other dresses to get ideas for the top of it. I could have my grandma, who's awesome at crafts and painting and sewing, sew a pattern onto the bodice with either white or silvery beads. That would save me some money and make me love the dress even more, since it would be more personalized for me by her.

Obviously there's plenty more time to shop, and next time I'll probably take ER with me. It was fun to try on different styles to see what I liked. At least I'll have that out of the way before ER joins me for round two.

The hardest part of all of this is not showing the pictures to K to find out what he thinks. After all, he's the one who I most want to love the dress.

Knowing I have a while before I need to worry about buying a dress makes it nice. I can take my time and really shop around before I decide on the final one. I'd like to have one chosen by the end of the summer, but even that's several months away!

To bling, or not to bling?

As you know, I enjoy my gym time. I've blogged more than a few times about it. My gym time is something I take very seriously.

I have several pet peeves at the gym. A few have to deal with what people wear while they're working out:

• I hate when girls wear sports bras with no shirts. What are you trying to accomplish?
• I also hate it when girls totally color coordinate their entire outfits -- down to their eyeshadow. Yes, eyeshadow. I've seen girls show up at the gym with teal shirts and a hint of teal eyeshadow to match. Is that eyeshadow going to help her do more crunches? And why did she put on makeup to go to the gym?
• I especially love it when girls wear big hoops or dangly earrings to the gym. How do you run on the treadmill like that? Can you honestly tell me your hair doesn't get caught in those things? I didn't think so ...

So as you can guess, I'm not big on wearing jewelry to the gym. It just doesn't go together. But now I find myself stuck on what to do.

I feel naked without my ring, and it's something I love to wear. The first time I went to the gym after K and I got engaged, I didn't wear it. I was going to be working out -- why did I need it?

The thing is, though, that I worry about it no matter where it is if it's not on my hand. What if someone broke into my apartment and stole it? What if I left the ring in my car and someone broke into it and stole it from there? What if I left it in a locker just while I'm working out and someone stole it from there?

The only place I feel safe leaving the ring (besides my finger) is my apartment. Even then, I worry a bit, and I still want it on my finger.

My band is platinum, so it isn't as easily damaged as gold. Any scratches could simply be buffed out. Besides, when I do any kind of lifting at the gym, I wear gloves so I don't have to worry about having calluses on my hands. Those would protect my ring.

I'm still stuck on what to do, though. So tell me -- do you wear your ring to the gym? And what about other places?

Do you take it off to shower or to put on lotion? Is it on when you're using hair gel or antibacterial hand cleaner? Do you swim with it on, or do you worry about the chlorine? Do you only take your ring off when you're cleaning it?

Any advice you have on the wearing of the ring would be greatly appreciated. I want this ring to be in tip-top shape for a long time. After all, I'm going to be wearing it for the rest of my life!

Can a manicure work magic?

My hands are absolutely my least favorite part of my entire body. They're hideous. Seriously.

My knuckles are huge. They're knobby. In fact, when I went to have my ring resized at the jewelry store, the woman working there said to me, "You have big knuckles."

This is a woman who sees hands all day long. She's probably seen them all -- "man hands" (seen that Seinfeld episode?), super girly hands; big hands, tiny hands; pretty hands, disfigured hands; hands with more than five fingers, hands with less than five fingers; hands with invisible knuckles, hands with huge knuckles ... but she still felt it necessary to comment on mine.

My middle fingers are crooked. If you start at the top of my hand and trace my middle finger, it goes straight until it hits that knobby knuckle, and then my finger shoots off into the direction of my ring finger. I don't know why. My grandmother once told me it was a family trait.

I've never felt comfortable showing people my hands, though. The few times I wore rings growing up, if someone asked to look at them, I would curl my fingers under almost in a fist so the person could see only the ring and not my horrible, crooked fingers.

One time I was talking about my hands to K. I told him I wondered if I could my middle fingers broken and put in splints to straighten them out. He looked at me like I'd just told him I was considering a sex change. Then, he told me I'd look like I was constantly flipping people off for a few weeks straight.

I'd heard of people who hated their hands until they started getting manicures. But the thought of me getting a manicure seemed like trying to cover up tacky '70s linoleum by putting a classy throw rug on top of it. I'd only have something pretty on my ugly hands. And what if that just made my ugly hands look that much more heinous next to my pretty, French manicured fingernails? Besides, if I never showed anyone my hands anyway, what's the use?

Now that I have this gorgeous sparkly ring on my hand, people are asking to see it. That means they'll see my fingers.

Won't the manicure at least fit in better now that my ring's there? I mean, maybe people will be so blinded by my pretty, classy nails and sparkly ring that they won't even notice my knobby knuckles and crooked fingers.

A week ago Sunday, I decided to test that hypothesis. I was short on time, so I headed to a little nail salon near my apartment. When I called to ask the store's hours, the man on the phone could barely speak enough English to tell me when they closed. I think he's the one who wound up doing my manicure.

The whole experience wasn't what I'd thought it would be. Pedicures are heaven -- relaxing and fun, and you feel so pampered. I thought a manicure would be the same. Instead, it was actually kind of painful. The man rubbed on my fingernails an electrical tool that produced sounds rivaling that of a dentist's tools. I was worried he would sand my nails down to the point that they'd be as thin as a sheet of paper.

I needed tips to lengthen about four fingernails, so it made sense to just put tips on them all. (Besides, the man couldn't communicate with me well enough to handle doing only a few.) He pulled out some powder and water and started acrilicizing (I just invented a word!) my fingernails. He used the dentist tool thing again, and my fingers were sore from all the sanding and rubbing. He put some salt scrub-like stuff into my hands and told me to wash off in the sink. When I was finished, I sat back down in the chair at the nail station. He looked at me funny and told me the manicure was done.

I'd always thought they had to push your cuticles back and that there was an arm massage involved. I thought it would be like a pedicure, where they take care of your whole feet instead of just your toes. This manicure was really only about the nails.

My fingernails looked good, but they still looked out of place on my ugly hands. I took a picture to post when I wrote about the whole experience, but I'm serious when I say my hands are ugly. The pictures were too. And if I post them, you could sit and stare at my hideous hands for hours, thanking God that you don't have hands like that. Or you could have nightmares, and I don't want to do that to you.

Eight days after the manicure, I'm realizing how quickly my fingernails grow. I'm not sure if I can keep up this manicure thing. At least with a pedicure, you can go two weeks before you have to redo it yourself or shell out another $30 for a professional job. And like I said, at least that's relaxing.

I might go this weekend to see what a fill takes to just spruce up my nails. Maybe it's not so bad after your first one, since you're not starting from scratch. Who knows? Maybe I'll get used to it and really appreciate the way it looks. At least it's a better solution than breaking my two middle fingers.

Still catching up

I've slowly been working my way down in alphabetical order on all my blog reads. I think April 5 is the last day I read blogs, somehow. I still have so many things to catch up on myself that I'm forgetting!

For myself and for you, here's a quick list:
1) Dell. Problems in computer land. This is ongoing, so it'll come later.
2) Dress pictures. Still need to post those.
3) Mom fight. Not good. She's driving me nuts already about this whole wedding thing. My cell phone no longer contains her number.
4) Tagged. Karen and Liz both tagged me weeks ago, and I haven't forgotten! I'm going to dig back to find the post you left questions on, and dang it, I'm going to answer them. I still have to figure out what I'd grab first in a fire, though. That's a tough question, Karen!
5) Wedding post. I want to post about the things K and I have decided on and see what you all think. I'd also like to call for any advice you would have for us. That post will probably come after this weekend, since K and I are checking out a reception site. Save your advice for a few more days!
6) I could post about Pennsylvania. There were a couple funny things. They may wind up being combined with No. 5.

Hopefully I'll get all these down soon. I really feel like things are getting back to normal. They only thing that could mess that up is the 150-mile ride in two weeks. I'll be ramping up training (meaning I'll actually ride my bike), but hopefully that won't keep me to busy. And after the ride weekend, it's smooth sailing! Woohoo!

Missing the gym

Before K and I went to Hawaii, I was working out quite a bit, and I felt awesome. I was getting some serious compliments on my arms to the point I was worried they might be getting too buff. The little tummy pooch I've always had was pretty much gone. I realized I was in the best shape of my life.

The week after K and I got back was filled with unpacking, catching up on sleep to ward off the jet lag and getting things done around Dallas since K and I would be in Oklahoma that next weekend for my cousin's reception. The OK trip led to the engagement, which led to a week of phone calls and a couple girl's nights (including the one with A Tall Sassy Gal!).

The following weekend (we're at April 7th & 8th now) was K's and my relaxing weekend, where we started making some plans and laid around all weekend, with the exception of our Sunday bike ride. That week, I took my bike to work and rode a couple times, which meant I didn't make it to the gym those days. My Thursday night girls' night was one less night at the gym for me.

The weekend of the 14th & 15th, I didn't get to see K. That was when I tried on dresses (still need to post those pictures!) and found a potential reception site. I didn't make it to the gym Saturday since my whole day and night were filled. Sunday, I planned on going, but that's when Jeremy started helping me p!mp my cubicle. We worked on that Monday and Tuesday night as well, which meant I didn't go to the gym then either.

And since I left for Lousiana and Pennsylvania Wednesday after work, that meant no gym time. K and I got back late Sunday night, and I drove in Monday morning and worked from noon until 8 p.m.

I've basically had very very little gym time in the last month, and boy, do I feel it. I can tell the difference when I even climb a flight of stairs. I feel awful. Tonight, I'm free, and I'm going. I can't wait!

Pretty sure the judges were just jealous I was on vacation

As promised, I'm posting pictures of my p!mped-out cubicle for our work contest. I didn't win first, second or third, and I haven't gotten to check out the winners yet to tell you if there was some sort of bribery involved.

I'm pretty sure, though, that you'll agree those had to be some pretty kick-ass cubicles to beat this.

Excuse the honesty -- alcohol was involved

I got my bag Friday night after 10. Turns out my bag decided to go on a mini va-cay up to Manchester. Stupid thing didn't even bring me back a souvenir. Punk.

K and I drove to the location of the wedding on Friday. I found out that day that a girl who is on K's -- *ahem* -- list, if you will, would be at the wedding. Nice.

That was whole new territory for me. I'd never met a person on my significant other's list because I'd never had a significant other with a list before.

I was nervous to be meeting her. She wasn't some drop-dead gorgeous supermodel like I'd thought in my best-case scenario imagination of the meeting, so that was at least a relief. It was still weird, though. I still can't look at her without thinking, "You've seen my fiance naked -- and then some." I don't like that.

I noticed she was very attentive to him. K's a funny guy, but she was really laughing at everything he said. It was a little ridiculous. Turns out she just got engaged last week. Her fiance is really nice, and he's a friend of K's. K says they'll be invited to our wedding, and we're invited to theirs. Also weird.

Anyway, we're halfway between the reception, which was really fun, and the after-party at the hotel bar. My next post will have more substance and logic to it. I promise. And pictures!

For now, onto the party! :)

Who needs clean clothes?

K and I woke up at 4 a.m. today to leave for our flight to Pennsylvania for his friend's wedding this weekend. We had an hour and a half layover in Atlanta, so we arrived in K's hometown at about 11:45 local time.

We headed for baggage claim to get our bags, and K's came out pretty quickly. No sign of mine, so we waited. And waited. And waited.

Seems that the person whose sole job it is to move bags from one plane to another isn't very good at it. What's funny is that K was more upset about it than I was. If my bag is in
Atlanta, it's in Atlanta.

The airline tells us the next flight from Atlanta gets in a little after 8. That means I should get my bag somewhere around 8:30. If the flight arrives without my bag, then I'll be angry. For now, there's only one thing I can really do.

Besides, I was thinking of buying a new pair of GAP jeans anyway.

Life is happening!

Hello, blogger friends! I miss you!!!

I'm so sorry to keep falling behind on posts, but if I sat at my computer posting all the time, I'd have nothing to post about. I hope you see that my absence is of a very unselfish nature, as I'm doing all these things so I can fill you in and give you something interesting to read.

Work has been pretty busy the last week and a half or so, so I haven't been able to read up or post during slow periods, since they haven't really existed. Plus, I was spending what little downtime I had trying to find a reception site online.

Friday night, I got home just in time for the start of quite a storm. The tornado sirens started going off just as my TV alerted me to a tornado warning. I did what any person who grew up in the South and has had many experiences with a tornado would do: I went outside. I could see and hear the storm rolling in from the west. Poor TV reporters were delivering reports in the middle of downpours and sheltering themselves as much as they could from the hail (reason No. 857 why I decided to not become a TV reporter, despite my degree and experience). One reporter had warned of baseball-sized hail, so when I started seeing pea-sized hail falling on my precious little Honda, I moved it under some covered parking.

All my neighbors were outside watching the storm too. I was on the phone through most of it. I talked to my dad, my mom, K and my brother, who'd just gotten in the night before for the NASCAR race. The storm was getting pretty loud, but it got quiet all of a sudden. With my experience in Oklahoma (trust me -- if you live in the South long enough, you can go outside and tell if it's "tornado weather" by the color of the sky and the smell and feel of the air), I knew this only meant one of two things: the storm was over, or the worst part was about to come.

I could see the clouds swirling overhead a bit, so I headed downstairs to my neighbors' in case the tornado did come and rip off my ceiling. It was nice to finally have an actual conversation with them, since we'd only chatted for a few brief moments before. It didn't take long to realize that the storm was over for us, and we were safe.

I met up with my brother later that night. He seemed happy to be back in this part of the country, even if it was in Texas instead of Oklahoma. He showed me his uniform shirt he'd wear when he helped the pit crew. I was so excited for him!

Saturday was a busy day. I got up early and headed to a couple dress shops to see what styles I like. Going into it, I knew I loved the strapless dresses with the bunched-up skirts. After trying on dresses, I now know I love love love the strapless dresses with the bunched-up skirts. One thing I noticed that makes it even better is that that style of dress looks great with my ring, since they both have a kind of vintage feel to them.

I know I like the lace-up backs on dresses, since it adds just a bit of detail to the back. I also want the dress to have the tiniest train, which I now know is called a sweep train. And I want my dress to be simple, which works out well because I'd also like to spend somewhere around $500 (or less!) on it.

After trying on dresses, I had an appointment to look at a reception site. I fell in love! The best part is that they're going to work with our budget! When I told the woman what K and I hoped to plan the entire wedding for, she said, "Oh, that's perfect!" I'd explained to her that K and I are a fun, goofy couple and that we wanted a simple, fun wedding. "We're going to have people flying in for this thing from all over the country," I told her, "and we want them to have an awesome time."

She asked if we knew what kind of food we'd like served. "I have no idea," I told her. Then, I remembered what K and I had talked about that we thought would be fun for the rehearsal dinner. See, whenever I go with K to visit his family in PA, they talk to me like I'm an exchange student or something: "What kind of food do you eat in the South? What are weddings like in the South? Do you have [insert random thing here] in the South? What's [insert random thing here] like in the South? What's the weather like? Have you been through a tornado? What are the people like there? What kind of meat does your dad have at his store?"

K and I had thought it would be fun to have a stereotypical Southern meets Yankee Italian wedding reception or rehearsal dinner, since a large portion of my family and friends have never ventured to PA and a large portion of his family and friends haven't made it down South. Plus, the cultures are so strong for each that it would just be funny to have a meeting of the two.

I told her I didn't know that it would work for the wedding, since it's kind of a weird combo, but we'd thought it would be fun to have barbecue (to celebrate my butcher dad, barbecue-eating, country Oklahoma past) and Italian food (since K's family is Italian) served. She thought it was perfect, and she even told me about how the caterer has an option to have three stations of food served. We could have a barbecue station with pulled pork and barbecued brisket, rolls and potato salad (because I'm pretty sure it even says in the Bible that you have to eat potato salad with barbecue!), and then an Italian station, with a few kinds of pasta and sauces. It's a weird combo, but I'm so excited about it and think it's absolutely awesome.

The location, the look and everything else about this place was perfect. I was so relieved. I swear, I wanted to hug the lady who was giving me the tour. As soon as I got in my car to leave, I called K to tell him about it. I'm hoping he can make it in to see it soon.

As for the rest of my weekend, I went to dinner with my dad, his girlfriend and my brother Saturday night. Sunday was pretty lazy, which was nice after my hectic Saturday.

And life since then has been pretty much all at work. I've even been in the office after work decorating my cubicle for this P!mp My Cube contest we're having. I'm totally tiking-out my cubicle. It's awesome. I'll post pictures next week.

I'm leaving tonight for Lousiana, then K and I will fly out tomorrow morning to PA for the wedding of one of his best friends -- who, by the way, started dating his fiance four months after K and I started dating. Good thing I at least have a ring now, or I'd be giving K some serious grief this weekend!

Guess I better get used to this ...

K and I have gotten to where we always talk on our morning drives to work. (Just so you know, we both have a bluetooth, so we're not those crazy drivers who almost hit you this morning because they were too busy blocking half their faces with their phones, so they couldn't see you.) I mentioned to K that I think I've already found my bridesmaids' dresses, and I already know what I want my flowers to look like (yellow roses with blue hydrangea).

K asked me, "If we have to have a justice of the peace wedding because I get deployed, would you tell anyone about it?"

"Of course I would! Why wouldn't I?"

K explained that one of his friends said he and his wife had a justice of the peace wedding before he got deployed, but they didn't tell anyone because they were worried no one would want to come to the wedding if they were already married.

This sounded all too familiar. I had a friend in college who was engaged to a Marine, her high school sweetheart. He was sent to Iraq, and when he was home for his two-week R&R, they went to the justice of the peace and got married. They didn't tell anyone. Well, he was killed in Iraq in his last two weeks there. The story was in the news in our area, and it was being reported that my friend was his wife. I thought the news people were seriously confused. And then I found out they were right. The news had outed them.

When we found out the story about the quick, quiet ceremony, we asked my friend why she had kept it quiet. She told us the same thing K's friend told him: They were afraid no one would want to come to the wedding of two people who were already married. We couldn't believe they'd actually thought we might not want to come.

I told K since I'd been the person who thought, "Why wouldn't I still go?" I think most people would react that way.

Everyone knows someone who's been affected by the war or who's been deployed. Anyone with the tiniest bit of sympathy or the smallest sliver of a heart could see that the day would almost become bigger: It would be a celebration of K's homecoming and safety, and it would be a testament to the strength of our relationship to make it through that. Who wouldn't want to celebrate that?

I told K that if that's what we wind up having to do and he wanted me to keep it quiet, I would, but it would be really hard. I'd be excited to be married to him, but I'd be sad that it came early for that reason. There would be some people it would be harder to keep from, but if he wanted me to, I'd do it.

I told him, though, that if we did have to have a justice of the peace wedding because he gets deployed, if anyone I knew didn't want to come to the actual ceremony once he was home because we were already married, I wouldn't want them there anyway.

K told me we wouldn't need to keep it a secret. He told me that if he does get deployed, it'll happen in mid to late November, which is the time he got home from Afghanistan last year. He said they should know for sure whether they'll be deployed by the end of August, after they get out of training. It seemed funny that that's when they'll find out: August is when he was deployed to Afghanistan last year.

I realized K had said he'd be training in August. That means we'll miss each other's birthdays again. At least this time he'll just be training in Louisiana instead of flying to Afghanistan.

K told me that if he does wind up getting deployed, he wants us to have a justice of the peace wedding on Labor Day weekend. That way, it'll give us two months to get everything done to get me in the system, on his medical plan and able to get on post if I need to.

We actually have a date for a quick wedding in case if he gets deployed.

I can't help but wonder when we have discussions like this (especially when it's our first conversation of the day) what it would be like if we could have a normal relationship -- one where when we get married, we could go wherever we wanted to start our lives; one where we could just plan a wedding without having to think of a possible alternate date in case he gets deployed or having to postpone all our plans for the same reason; one where missing holidays or birthdays never even enters our minds; one where we don't have to take every moment together that we can because we know there will be months at a time that we spend half a world apart.

I wish we didn't have to worry about the things we do, but at the same time, I fully support K in what he does. He did some great things in Afghanistan, and K is just the kind of person the Army needs more of. I see the things he does for his guys, and his soldiers respect him. I knew K was in the Army the night I met him, and in the near future, I'll be a part of it too. I don't know if it's really possible to get used to all the things I've mentioned above and more, but I'm certainly going to try.

Hope restored

Thank you so much to all of you who've left reassuring comments telling me I'm not the only one who thinks a wedding doesn't have to cost more than my car and student loan debt combined (and then some).

It was frustrating to have three people in a row talk to me like I was some idiot pauper who was crazy enough to think people could still plan an entire wedding for less than what they'd spend on breast implants.

It's great to hear several of you have planned weddings for even less than what I'm hoping for. I just figured $10,000 was a more realistic goal for a wedding that will include a bar (not sure yet what type of arrangement we'll have -- open, alternating between open and cash, or offering a small part for free) and about 200 people.

It'll take some hunting, but I'm relieved to see I'm not the only person left on the planet who was blown away by those numbers!

Definitely showing my small-town roots

I am about ready to cry right now ...

I'm from Oklahoma -- small-town Oklahoma, at that. I remember when I was in the sixth grade, my mom's bosses each built huge, expensive houses right off the country club golf course. Their houses were incredibly expensive -- more than $200,000 each.

I remember in history at OU, my professor was lecturing, and he mentioned a $200,000 home being a pretty standard, smaller-sized home. "What?!" I asked the person next to me. "A $200,000 house is huge!"

The girl looked at me strangely. "Where are you from?" she asked.

I've read the national average for weddings is $20,000. To me, that's insane! It's one day. One. Granted, it's one big special day, but still. I can't even begin to imagine what all you have to do to spend twenty thousand dollars -- I'm writing it out so you can see how huge that is -- in one day.

Color me naive, but I'd hoped K and I could plan our wedding for $10,000. If we just so happen to make it out spending $7,000, even better!

I don't need a fancy $3,000 wedding dress. I'm only going to wear it for four or five hours. To me, a white dress is a white dress -- and this is coming from a girl who loves clothes. I want to spend less than $500 on a wedding dress because dangit, I make the clothes! (Really, I'd like to spend $300 on a dress.)

(Starting to get angry here)

What is wrong with the world? I'm not a cheapskate. I've earned my own money since I was 12, and I know what it takes to save it. I know the value of a dollar, and I just can't see the logic in spending more than my car on one day.

I drive a nice car. I dress nice. I own nice things. Same for K. But we can't afford to have a $30,000 wedding. Or $20,000, really. And that's okay.

But why the hell do the three people I've talked to about locations today talk to me like I'm a cheap idiot when I gawk at spending $30,000 on a wedding and reception?!

I guess everything really is bigger in Texas -- the prices and the levels of insanity.

'Cause you can't be a bride without the dress!

I scheduled an appointment for this Saturday at two different bridal shops in Dallas. I'm going to try on wedding dresses! ER is busy during one of my appointments, so I will probably wind up trying on dresses alone. I really wish CG were still here, because she'd be awesome to have there. I thought about calling my mom, but she's already driving me crazy about this whole wedding thing as it is (more on that later ...). Plus, my brother is flying in to Dallas this weekend with the pitcrew for the NASCAR race, so he won't want my mom anywhere near here. I guess I'll just take pictures while I'm trying the dresses on. It'll be good to help me remember which ones I liked, and it'll be a good way to get other people's opinions. Maybe I'll even post the pictures!

I'll also be doing some location scouting for our reception. Unfortunately, K can't make it in to Dallas this weekend, so I'll be taking lots of pictures of the places I do visit. We've set our date for May 24, 2008, so I really want to book something before May 20 of this year. Those places will fill up fast.

It's a lot to do this weekend, especially since I'll be busy a large portion of Saturday afternoon hanging out with my brother and my dad and his girlfriend. I'm excited, though. This seems like it will be the fun part of the planning (although I'm sure there's stress that goes along with it, too). The dress is the part we girls dream of. What more to make me really feel like a bride than a big, poofy white dress?!

Unlike Derek Zoolander, I CAN turn left. It's right that's the problem.

I can't believe how quickly you can fall behind on blogging. There's been a lot going on lately, wedding-planning-wise and other, and it's just a crazy time right now. Judging from the gaps between a lot of my regular reads' posts as well, I'm not the only one feeling that way.

Last week was a pretty slow week at work, which was awesome, since it gave me plenty of time to look around online for wedding stuff. I'd hoped to take off Friday, since K had a four-day weekend, but that didn't work out. He did make it in to Dallas Thursday night, so we went to lunch on Friday and he met several of my coworkers.

Friday night, we went out to dinner, then bought some champagne and headed back to my place. It was nice to have some relaxing time just the two of us. We started making some plans for the wedding, and it felt so good to finally be able to talk to him about our wedding and to be able to start putting a timeline on things.

We slept in on Saturday and had planned to get a few things done, but we just didn't want to get moving. We wound up hanging around my place all day in sweats and a t-shirt. Finally, at 7 p.m., I got in the shower so we could get ready to go out for dinner. We thought about going out after, but all my friends were busy or out of town, since it was Easter weekend. We had another night in, which was just fine.

Sunday, we went to church with ER. Her church is really pretty, and I wanted K to see it. Maybe it's a potential wedding ceremony church. After that, we went to lunch and then to get some training in for the 150-mile ride, which is less than a month away, by the way.

Before Sunday, I had yet to ride my bike at all. This meant I'd had no practice other than the quick ride we did around the back of the shop before we bought our bikes. I was scared and a bit shaky starting off our ride. We were riding around a really pretty lake with a great view of downtown. It was a bit cooler, but there were quite a few joggers, cyclists and others at the park. There were some big hills and some big curves, which made me very nervous. I was doing some serious braking on those, and K would say to me, "Stop using your brake!"

He'd ridden his bike several times -- both on his own and with one of his good friends, who just so happens to do triathlons (very well, I might add) and long bike rides pretty often. In fact, this guy travels all over the country doing triathlons and bike rides. (Freak!) So K was pretty much going from riding with Lance Armstrong to riding with a scared girl on her first ride without the training wheels.

It took us quite a while to go the 9 miles around the lake, but it was still pretty early when we had finished the trail. K had been pretty patient with me, but I could tell he was frustrated. We hadn't really gotten a workout in that round, so I suggested we go around again. Lucky for both of us, that lap went much better. We increased our time quite a bit, and I was getting less afraid on the hills. I was still braking, but not as much as before. K would ride in front of me, weaving his bike back and forth, but I was still not nearly ready to do that. Our speed averaged about 14 miles an hour, which isn't bad for a girl who just lost her training wheels.

Yesterday after work, I rode with four coworkers again. We went 22 miles. I was scared starting off again, but after about 10 minutes or so I was a little more comfortable with the ride. I even started getting more comfortable with left turns, although for some unknown reason, right turns still scare me.

I'm going riding tonight after work with another coworker. We'll probably do the same trail I did yesterday, so that'll be good. There are a couple of rides this weekend around Dallas, but I'm afraid I'll be doing things for the wedding, so I don't know that I'll make those. At least I'm getting rides in through the week.

I've decided that if I complete the first day of riding -- the first 75 miles -- I'll be happy and proud of myself for that. Riding 75 miles in one day is a pretty awesome feat for a girl who had never ridden a road bike four weeks before!

Realizing my new hobby is high on cost, low on sexyness

Since K and I have entered this 150-mile bike ride, we decided we were probably going to need some road bikes. We got up on the last Saturday of March and went to a local bike shop. I had prepared myself to spend about $400 on a road bike.

Man, would that have been nice.

We stood in front of all the rows of bicycles, and the nice guy helping us explained the differences between the $475 bike (the cheapest in front of us) and the $669 bike (the second-cheapest). There were a lot -- the weight, the gears, the frame, the brand ... and the $669 bike just looked sturdier. And prettier. K and I each chose bikes in the $669 models.

The salesman let us go out behind the shop and take them for a practice ride to see if we really liked our choices. Now, I hadn't ridden a bike in about seven years, which is plenty of time away for me to feel pretty shaky on a bike. Especially when the tires are the width of spaghetti noodles. I was really scared to lean in any way on the bike. I just knew that if I was on it in any other way than dead-center, I'd fall. Those wheels just can't give you much room for error.

I was scared to go over speed bumps. I was scared to go over rocks. I was really scared to turn.

I felt like I needed training wheels (or wheels that were closer to the size of lasagna noodles).

I'd already paid my entry fee for the 150, though, and I'd even picked up my team jersey. I couldn't waste the bike shop guy's time and then not buy the bike. And I couldn't get K into this whole mess and drop out myself. If I left that shop without a bike and a helmet, I'd also be leaving without any shred of dignity, and with a boatload of guilt (but with a much lower credit card bill).

As you've probably guessed, I bought the bike. And a helmet. And a water bottle cage for the bike, a nice yellow cycling jersey and some lovely, sexy padded-@$$ shorts.

What's funny is when I tried on the shorts, I had no idea what to look for. I had three different pairs, and I quickly eliminated the first (and the cheapest, go figure) because of the extreme lack of comfort. That left me with two pairs.

One had softer fabric, and I liked them the most -- until I looked at the padding, which was giving me this odd, deformed look in my nether regions. That wasn't good.

I tried on the third pair, and I was glad to see that the padding on these wasn't taking on so much of it's own shape. I noticed the top of the shorts was covering up my belly button and rose even higher at my back. The others had been awfully high too. I stopped myself from folding the shorts down, and I leaned out of my dressing room. "Are these supposed to come up this high?!" I asked K and the bike shop guy.

Three women who were by the dressing rooms immediately erupted in laughter, and one of them said, "I take it you've never tried on bike shorts before?"

I changed back into my clothes, and K and the bike shop guy asked which pair I'd chosen. I explained I preferred the fabric of one pair, but that they looked funny. The guys laughed at me (seeing a pattern here ...). (What was I supposed to look at?! I'd never tried on bike shorts before! And I refuse to accept that just because I'm doing something athletic means I have to look stupid or unladly-like!)

I couldn't -- being the lady I am -- explain to the guys what it was that looked so funny. I whispered to K what the problem was, and the bike shop guy suggested I try the shorts on again. K came into the dressing room with me and agreed that my concerns were justified and that yes, those shorts did create a lumpy-looking crotch. He told me the softer fabric wouldn't make much of a difference, since you can't really feel the shorts when they're on. I went with the third pair, for the low price of $90 -- for padded-@$$ shorts!!!

By the time we left the bike shop, I had added about $900 to my credit card bill. (So much for my naive estimate of under $500!) At least this is something I'll use for a long time, and it's something I'm doing for a good cause. It'll be good for me and for my body, and it'll be something fun and unique to do with K.

I think, though, that before I get us into some other athletic adventure, I'll make sure it's a little easier on the wallet -- and that it comes with cuter clothes!

A view inside my shopping cart

I guess sometime over my big workout, I-can-do-this phase, I've managed to lose weight -- in my fingers. I don't normally wear rings, so I had no idea this had happened until I got one. Way back in October when Danielle and I went *ahem* exploring, if you will, at the jewelry store, I found out my ring finger was a size six. I assumed that hadn't changed. It never even occurred to me that it would.

I thought my new ring seemed a bit loose, so I went to the jewelry store to find out. Sure enough, I was told that my ring size is now five and a half. I left my ring to be resized and set out with a naked finger to run some errands.

Which brings me to Wal-Mart ...

To give you a complete visual, I had just left the gym, so I was dressed in some pretty sexy clothing: some light purple shorts and a brown T-shirt (not fitted). (Keep in mind it was probably 50 degrees at the most.)

I had already been shopping last week for the majority of my groceries. I always have a grocery list, but it never fails that as soon as I get home from shopping, I realize I am out of something that wasn't on the list, or I use the last of something and have to start my new list. (I always have a grocery list!) I was on the post-shopping-trip list, so I only needed a few things. Since I'm planning a wedding now, I had to grab a bridal magazine, and there was even a special Tex@s Guide to Weddings, which I had to get, since my wedding is going to be in Texas.

Once I was finished shopping, I had to laugh at the contents of my cart (especially since my ring was absent from my finger):

• 5 boxes of Lean Cuisine frozen food
• 2 bridal magazines
• waterproof mascara
• 1 bottle of yummy, cheap Arbor Mist
• 1 bag of chocolate candy

Wait, what's your last name again?

I have one of the country's top 20 most popular last names. At some point when I was growing up, I decided that would change someday: I was going to marry someone with a unique last name.

K's last name is definitely unique. In fact, when I was verifying the popularity of my last name, I couldn't even find K's in the top 18,000 surnames in the country.

Not long after we started dating, I had to ask him how it was pronounced. I've told my family and close friends plenty of times what his last name is, but they have a hard time remembering it. When I called my mom after K proposed, she asked me again what my last name would be. "I know people will be asking me, so I'll have to make sure I'm saying it right," she said.

I said K's last name, and I spelled it out for her. K started spelling it phonetically, so I jumped ahead, since I knew what he was going to say. But I was wrong.

K's last name has a T in it that I'd always pronounced. It's silent. Whoops.

I guess it's better to find that out moments after you get engaged than it would be to find out moments after you'd signed the marriage license!

Planning this is going to be so much fun!

Although we're planning for a relaxing weekend, I have a few things I want to get finished while K is here. For one, I'd like to choose a date for our wedding. Then, I'd like to get at the least a good start on planning a budget. Finally, I'd like to choose our colors.

I was telling K all these things earlier tonight when we were on the phone. Since it's his wedding too, I asked him, "Do you have any colors you have in mind?"

"Well," he said, "I'd like to have blue."

"What else?" I asked. He thought for a bit and said something about how green goes with a lot, and then he said, "I know you really like yellow. We could do that."

I asked him what shade of blue he had in mind. He said royal. I waited for him to say anything else about color choice, and then I asked him, "Do you wanna know something funny?"

"Sure."

"I've just felt for a while like our wedding colors would wind up being yellow and blue." I told him I had pictured a royal or navy blue (closer to royal), with a shade of yellow like that awesome dress Kate Hudson wears in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

I hadn't even gotten that completely out of my mouth before K was saying, "Yeah! Yeah!"

If the rest of the planning goes so smoothly, we'll be in pretty good shape!

What a small world!

When I started this blog just over a year ago, I simply wanted an outlet to express myself. I wanted to record my life and random thoughts, and if people happened to read it and find it interesting, it would make it that much more fun to do.

What I didn't expect was that through blogging, I would have a whole new bunch of friends scattered throughout the country. What I really didn't expect is that I'd meet one someday. But last night, that's exactly what I did. On purpose.

A Tall Sassy Gal and I met at about 6:00 for some Mexican food and margaritas. I got to the restaurant a bit early, so I asked the hostesses if a girl had been seated who was waiting for her other party. They told me I could feel free to look around, but I wasn't sure if I'd recognize my blog friend in real life. Sometimes, people don't look like their pictures when you meet them face to face. Luckily, TSG called me and told me she was just a mile or two away, so when I saw a really tall girl walking up a few minutes later -- looking exactly like TSG in her pictures on her blog -- I knew it was her.

What's funny is as I had stood in the restaurant waiting for her, I kept thinking our meeting felt something like a blind date, friend style. At the same time, I felt like I knew her already. When she walked in, she said pretty much the same thing: "It's so nice to meet you, but I feel like I know you already!"

I can't remember whose blog it was that led me to hers, but I quickly realized when I first read it that we had a lot in common: We both live in Dallas, and neither of us were particularly taken with the city. We were both in relationships that were at similar stages, with guys who were torturing us as we ever-so-patiently waited for a ring. We seemed to have a lot of the same opinions on things. We even got a Chi at the same time!

At the restaurant, we clicked instantly, and it was like we were old friends meeting up for dinner, rather than people who'd never met just hours before. We talked about our families, the men in our lives, our jobs and a billion other things. The biggest shocker: We work in the same building. On the same floor.

!!!

Seriously, in a city the size of Dallas, Texas, what are the odds of that? We talked nonstop for three hours! Once we both realized it was 9 p.m., we were shocked!

I'm thinking many great lunches are in our future. Maybe even a trip or two to my favorite piano bar, which -- not surprisingly, given how much we have in common -- TSG happens to be a big fan of as well.

It's just funny to see sometimes how crazy life can be and how small the world can seem.

No one told me how much time it takes to get engaged!

Life has been nonstop since K and I got engaged. We drove home from Norman Sunday afternoon, and the two of us were on the phone almost the whole time. During the breaks between phone calls or text messages (the breaks, by the way, never lasted longer than 5 minutes), we'd get a bit of conversation in about what had happened. For the most part, though, we were talking to everyone else about our exciting news.

We got back to Dallas at around 5. We were both exhausted, but still really excited about being engaged. I was looking at the clock, dreading the fact that K would have to leave in a mere hour or two. I didn't want him to leave. I felt like we hadn't even really gotten to spend any time just the two of us since we'd officially agreed to spend the rest of our lives together.

We were lying on the couch when K leaned toward my table for a minute to pick up his phone. Without telling me what he was doing, he made a couple quick phone calls. He arranged for someone else to lead PT the next morning so he could stay the night in Dallas and head back first thing in the morning.

It was so nice to know that we didn't have to get ready to say goodbye that night. We went to the movies and saw Blades of Glory, which was pretty funny. Afterward, we came back to my place and got some things done that we needed to do. K did laundry, and I, like the great blogger friend I am, posted pictures so you all would be up to date on my news. :)

Work was hectic Monday, but when I had free time, I was reading the dozens of emails of congratulations, replying to emails and answering text messages. Today, work was slow, so I had plenty of time to respond to the many emails.

People keep asking me all these questions: When's the big day? Are you guys having an engagement party? Where's the wedding going to be?

What's funny is I've talked more with other people about these things than I have with K! I'm still getting used to all of this -- not that I'm not loving every minute of it.

I have a fiance. I am someone's fiance. That's crazy!

I've had a few people ask me if it feels weird to have the ring on my finger. It doesn't -- at all. In fact, it feels normal, like it's been there all along. Many times before I had it, I'd reach my thumb toward my ring finger, expecting something to be there. I guess I've been mentally engaged -- if that makes any sense -- for quite a while. It's just great that when K and I talk about future plans or a wedding now, we're talking about it because it's in the works, not because we're just chatting about some unknown, far-into-the-future event. I've been so ready to be here for so long that it almost doesn't feel real that it's finally happened.

K and I have decided we're spending this weekend here relaxing -- just the two of us. We have a lot to talk about, and with all the excitement and craziness that's been our lives the last two days, I think it's just what we need.

Fools in love

Norman, Okla., is one of my favorite places on the entire planet. I have so many wonderful memories there, and so many things I love came as a result of my time in Norman.

Many of my closest friends -- ER, CG, Jeremy, Danielle, Rebecca -- came from that time. It's where my favorite ice cream place in the world is. It's home to OU and Sooner football, the Pride and everything crimson & cream.

Whenever I'm heading north on I-35, once I pass Purcell and am less than 15 minutes from Norman, I start getting excited. I look over each hill for that first glimpse of campus in the distance off to the east, and I can't wait to get there for whatever reason has brought me to one of my absolute favorite places.

K had only been to Norman once -- for a football game in October 2005 with me, CG and Joe. We had a blast. CG had been in the Pride with me freshman year, so we watched the band warm up before the game in an area of campus called the North Oval. In the Oval is an interesting little structure that looks like a simple, round, concrete bench ... but it's so much more.

The $poonholder has a special legend tied to it, and the history of the sculpture -- legend and all -- is written on a little plaque at its entrance. The legend says that whoever you kiss inside the $poonholder is the person you will marry. CG and I explained this to Joe and K, and ever since then, whenever I'd mentioned to K how I wanted to get him up there to go out on campus corner, he'd say, "Whatever. You just want to get me to the $poonholder!"





(You can click this photo for a larger view to read the legend.)

It's hard to find a weekend where we're both free to get up there, and I try not to subject K to 16 hours in the car in a 55-hour period very often (five to Dallas, three to Norman, then back again). We'd planned on going to my cousin's wedding reception in Oklahoma City, though, which presented the perfect opportunity for a night in Norman.

K and I left Saturday afternoon for the reception. We had planned on stopping in Norman to see Danielle and her fiance, but we were running behind and postponed our plans to a Sunday brunch. Good thing, since K and I made it to the reception just before things started.

K and I were able to see my grandparents, my dad and his girlfriend, and my aunt and uncle and cousins at the reception. When my dad and his girlfriend got ready to leave, I ran out to my car to get their Hawaii souvenirs. They just got a new car, so my dad wanted to show it to K, and they drove around to my car to meet me. We watched my skydiving DVD, and then they left. K and I headed to Norman soon after.

We went out with Rachel and her boyfriend and had a great time. I was so excited to be in Norman with K, and he could tell. He was laughing at how giddy I was to be there with him and with the friends I don't get to see often since I left.

The next day, we met Danielle and her fiance as planned for brunch on campus corner. We had a great meal and a good time. Toward the end, K got up to use the restroom. He was gone for several minutes. I was thinking, "Wow, he must really not feel well." When he finally got back to our table, he said, "Sorry ... work call." I thought that was weird, and I didn't know if he was just joking and saying that sarcastically as a reason he was gone so long, but I didn't think much of it.

I'd already told K we were going to have to take a picture kissing in the $poonholder, so he knew we had that planned. Danielle and her fiance had actually never kissed there either, so I had planned on taking their picture as well. Since we were going to be walking on campus for a bit, I decided to use the restroom before we left. When I got back to the table, I could tell I had interrupted a conversation about K and me. This wasn't abnormal, though -- I figured Danielle had been saying, "So, K, when are you two going to get engaged?" Lucky for them, I was too distracted by two girls making Smores at the table next to us (most awesome item on the menu, and I've never ordered it!) to think much of it.

We left the restaurant and headed toward the North Oval. Still, I thought nothing was going on. K was acting normal, and so were Danielle and her fiance. It had crossed my mind that something could happen, but they were acting way too nonchalant for that to be in the cards.

We got to the Oval, and I took a few pictures. K took off his hat and sunglasses, and I sat my purse down. We stepped into the $poonholder and kissed, and Danielle and her fiance took our picture.

K kissed me again and said, "Well, this is a pretty good way to end the weekend, huh?"

"Yeah," I said. "It is."

He looked me in the eyes and said, "I bet I can top it." With that, he started reaching into the cargo pocket on the right side of his shorts.

I'm pretty sure at this point, I was looking at him confused because I wasn't sure what was coming. There had been times he'd said something that would make my breath catch in my throat and I'd think, "Oh my gosh! Is this it?!" Obviously, those times had turned out to be pretty uneventful. I didn't want to start freaking out, only to see K's right hand emerge with a piece of chocolate or something.

And then he got down on one knee.

At that point, my jaw dropped to the ground, and I was thinking, "Is this really happening?!" He looked up at me, and he didn't say much. He said my full name, and then he said those words I'd waited so long to hear: "Will you marry me?"

I stood frozen for what felt like an eternity, and for a moment I didn't know what I was supposed to do. It was then I realized I hadn't answered him. My eyes were tearing up, but I was surprised that I hadn't started bawling as soon as it happened. I said yes, and he stood up and slid the ring onto my finger. I hugged him again, and we kissed. We were both teary-eyed, and he said to me, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

We stood together for a minute or so, just the two of us, in the $poonholder -- hugging, laughing and enjoying the moment. Danielle and her fiance stayed back patiently and quietly, just taking pictures of us from time to time.

When what had just happened started to hit me, my brain was overflowing with questions. Here's what I found out:

• K's "work" call in the restaurant was really to my mom. He'd called to get her blessing and tell her what he was about to do. He'd gotten her number that morning from my cell phone while I was in the shower.
• He'd asked my dad for permission after the reception the night before, and he'd had the ring in his pocket the whole time. He showed it to my dad, who said he loved it, that he was happy for both of us and that he was glad it was K.
• His buddies at work knew about his plan.
• He'd had the ring in Hawaii (and actually about two weeks before), but he didn't want to propose there because he didn't want to steal the thunder from my cousin and her day. He also wanted to ask my dad for permisson face-to-face.
• He had spent six whole hours in the store in a jewelry store in Houston choosing the band and the diamond for my ring.
• He sold CM's ring in February, and he sold it in Dallas. That news made me think, "Oh, God ... that means her ring was in my apartment." What's funny is I wasn't going to say anything, but immediately, K said, "Don't worry -- it stayed very well-hidden in my truck. It was never anywhere near your apartment."
• The conversation I'd interrupted at the restaurant was K telling Danielle and her fiance his plan. He had said to them, "I need your help," and then showed them the ring. Danielle freaked out and almost started crying. They told her to try to think of the Final Four (she's a huge sports fan) to take her mind off it. She later told us she was thinking, "I love water!" to try to get her mind off it. (Gotta love her -- she's adorable!)
• His dad and his family knew it was coming.
• He didn't have planned exactly when it was going to happen, but he thought Norman would be perfect since I love it so much, and the $poonholder was even better, with my love of all things OU. Everything had come perfectly in line for it to happen that day, since the weather was perfect, he'd seen my dad the night before and he'd been able to call my mom that morning.

After more of the shock wore off, I started calling people -- my dad, my brother, ER, CG, my mom ... My mom was laughing at the fact it was April Fool's Day: "No one's gonna believe you when you tell them!" Luckily, most of my friends know I'd never joke about something so serious. I did have one heck of a time convincing one of my old roommates that I wasn't lying, though.

I think it's perfect that it happened on April Fool's Day. K and I are such a goofy couple that it fit us all too well. Besides, how will we ever be able to forget that one?

It's definitely no April Fool's joke!

Funny thing happened this afternoon ...

I'll give you two hints:


















I hate to leave you hanging, but I'll get to the story tomorrow. For now, I want to spend some time with my fiance! (I'm loving the sound of that!)