278 days and counting...

Quick post:
New links for bridesmaids dresses and also wanted to say that we are going with red dresses and gold shoes and jewelry, both your choice. :) Let me know any questions!
Links:
http://www.bridesmaidsandflowergirls.com/
http://www.melissasweet.com/
http://priscillaofboston.com/
http://vineyardcollection.com/
http://www.jimhjelmoccasions.com/

love you!

Happy 2008 and wedding year!

Hello and happy new year from Brandon and I. We are offically gypsies and starting out the new year with some adventure...hah! Please read on to any updates you are most interested in:

Brandon: Finally finished his in-store training in Punxsutawney (yay!). He has now moved on to his district manager training as of Dec.31st and has six weeks to learn the ins and outs in his old stomping ground of Washington, PA. He has lightened his work hours (thank goodness), is eating regularly again, and so thrilled that he will get to go to all the home W&J basketball games. After six weeks in WashPa, he will be six weeks in Jamestown, NY, still learning. Then it will be to Monroeville until the middle of May. Thus, we are gypsies leaving in hotels/out of the car until then. Romantic.

Tab: Still working with Scantron and surprisingly, cannot leave NYC no matter what. I'm scheduled to go back up for the month of January to do trainings and then possibly into February as well, if I'm needed. As of the new year, i'm trying to be fully dedicated to taking care of myself and losing so much weight that people will think i need to be committed...any support would be appreciated. (hah..only half kidding) After brandon and i get a real home that is somewhat permanent i want to get back in to teaching because i miss kids.

Wedding: invitations have been purchased and i'm doing them myself. they are pretty simple but cute. Brandon is almost finished asking all the guys, so soon we will have an offical partner list. We still don't have a DJ booked (panic ensue) but are looking and getting a lot of suggestions. I am also beginning to think about flowers...but not positive yet on anything. We have three hairdressers coming to my parents house on the day of the wedding to do our hair, all bridesmaids are welcome to stay at my mum&dad's house on wedding eve. Please do, i'll probably have insomnia and need company.

Bridesmaid Dress Deadline: August 18, 2008
*Please forward pics to me:)

Now that it is FINALLY 2008, i'm going to be really excited and squeal-ly about everything. I'm going to apologize in advance for the level of annoying-ness that i will reach, but also say thank you for your enthusiasm and patience with me. Besides, that's why i picked youns, i knew you would at least pretend to be excited about shower plans and table settings. i love you!

ps. i'm seriously considering wearing cowboy boots on the wedding day. anyone gonna try and stop me? heh, but seriously.

320 and counting...

As the holiday season is upon us, wanted to check in again before everything got too crazy. I am headed back up to NYC for three weeks and brandon is finally finishing his training in Punxy. We will be moving to Monroeville between Christmas and New Years, so we are in for a busy next month.

I was searching around on the web today looking at possible sites for bridesmaids dresses and flower girls dresses and found some potential sites! Never too soon to start looking, right? Check out the following sites and anything red is perfect. Purple is no, Orange and Pink are also no's. Just reds:) heh.

So wanted to post some sites and to send our love. Happy Holidays!!

http://www.davidsbridal.com/
http://www.alfredangelo.com/
http://www.edenbridals.com/
http://www.jcrew.com/
http://www.anntaylor.com/
http://www.dessy.com/
http://www.barijay.com/

Down to 340

Greetings from Punxy! Hah! This is our soon to be christmas card picture of us and brandon's favorite groundhog statue. The coal miner Phil. Omi. Anyway, all is well here. Brandon is still working hard and we are dogsitting for Kayla's boyfriend. He has a little chiuachua named Ricky and he's cute as anything. We had a Steeler party yesterday at our little apt. yesterday and had a blast. It was good to have all our family together cheering on the Steelers, who won, thank goodness.

My mom, Mare, and Grammar Studer are working on the bridal shower, which is on Sunday, July 27th from 12-2pm at St. Barnabus Church hall. We found out we won't be able to start decorating until after 9:30am mass, which means we are going to be buzzing around to get that place together before noon. No worries, I'm sure though, it will be fabulous.

The decision has been made by Brandon (and me!!) that the groomsmen will wear black tuxes, ivory shirts, black ties, and camo vests. yes, i said camo vests. Since all the girls are wearing varying shades of red, it would be impossible to match guys with girls. Brandon is thrilled as the groomsmen will be, i'm sure. i said as long as the jackets are buttoned up at church, i don't care what they look like at the reception...keep it classy for the Lord, ya know? hah. If you want to see what it looks like, check out: http://www.jimsformalwear.com/ac_fb_camo.htm Again, with BLACK ties, not the weird camo tie that guy has on in the picture.

Brand and I are going to start looking for new apts. in monroeville so that we can make the move after Christmas and before New Years. Hope the weather holds out. Hope all is well with everyone...the holidays are on their way, so try to stay stress-free. Remember to keep your eyes peeled for red dresses, and any ideas for the flower girls, I'm still looking too. Love youns!

375 days!

Well, things have been pretty busy in our neck of the woods over the past couple of weeks. Brand is still working really hard at the Punxsy ALDI store everyday. He has found some solace however in his tree stand during archery season. I have been traveling/training over the past 3 weeks in NYC with Scantron. It was a good run, and I got a lot of practice. I am actually headed back up to the city tomorrow for one night to do another training. No rest for the weary, I suppose.

Some important decisions about the wedding have been made:

1. The date of the plunge has been changed. Please keep your calendars open for August 16, 2008.

2. We have booked our photographer and i'm sooo excited. Her website is http://www.michellemisner.com/ and she's fabulous.

Alright-that's it. Hah! More to come soon, at the one year away mark. A little intimidating that it will be official wedding crunch time in a little over a week. Oh well, so excited, but lots to do.

miss you all.

398 days left..

I was thinking today about how the wedding seems like a bagillion years away and I'm so excited that I wish it would hurry up. We finally got our desktop working and I was looking through picture slideshows (typical) and found this pic. of brand and I one year ago:

We took it at the West Indies Parade in Brooklyn. fun. So, my point..a year has gone by pretty quickly, so yay for the wedding being a year away because we have ALOT to do until then. haha.

All is going well in Punxsy. Brandon is working like a maniac at the store, and it is really starting to shape up nice. Literally, he works 15 hour days (at least1-2 times a week). I never get to see him, so I take him dinner and watch him unload canned goods. Romantic, we realize.

I am off to New York as of tomorrow and will be there until October 5. Brand is going to have to try to survive without me at his every need. haha, I flatter myself. I will be in training sessions 5 days a week and then have my weekends to myself. Hopefully going to visit PS 27 and all my kiddies one day. Hopefully Elena stops working so hard so I can squeeze in a visit to Boston (maybe birthday weekend?)

It smells/feels like fall today, and it makes me sooo happy. I really couldn't love a season any more than I love fall. I definitely wouldn't want to get married in any other season. i love love love fall! yay.

go steelers. hah.

409 days and counting...

Official Punxsy residents as of this weekend. Still unpacking and will probably be all the way up until we need start re-packing. ah, well. Brand and I are having a blast playing house. Punxsy has yet to reveal itself as the mega party town as i'm sure it secretly is...riiight. not even a movie theater, not cool. So far so good, though.

Brand and I visited the reception hall this past weekend, and were able to get some good ideas (and questions) about how we are going to set things up for the big day. In any case, it is going to look fabulous. heh.

I am now definitely being shipped back to nyc with scantron from Sept. 16-October 5. Hopefully will get a chance to make some visits while I am there thanks to the Chinatown bus (i.e. Boston and Baltimore)! Brandon is working super-hard already and is completely in charge of the store.

Some dates to [try to] keep open:

Sunday, July 27: Wedding Shower (Johnstown, PA)

**Planners: Moms of the B&G

Saturday, August 9: Bridal Party Plunge (Johnstown, PA)

**Planners: B&G

TBA: Bachelor/ette Parties

**Planners: you, heh.

Friday, October 17: Rehearsal &Dinner (Johnstown, PA)

Saturday, October 18: Wedding, (yay yay yay!!)

..okay, love you all.

yipee.