Wedding Wednesday {Shower Recap}

Hello Interweb! 

I know I promised a recap of my Alice in Wonderland bridal shower on Monday, but this week my work and personal life have been sucking up all of my brain power.

The shower was AMAZING! It was hosted by my future sister in law and her mother, Renee, In Renee's beautiful back garden. The space is so colorful and lush; it was the perfect setting.

I started the day in Santa Barbara, getting my hair done with one of my besties at Shine Blow Dry Bar. If you live in Santa Barbara, I highly encourage you to try it out. They do not do any cuts or color, simply old fashion hair setting. We were washed, dried, curled, and sprayed to perfection. Such a fun, girly experience!

After mimosas, a group of us carpooled to the shower together and arrived to find an amazing experience. I could try to describe it to you, but I think pictures would be better. I have included a link to my photo book of the day at the bottom of this post. 

The food was delicious and I received some gorgeous gift from my girls and future family. Everything from kitchen gadgets, to earrings, to a spa certificate (woohoo!), to a fun book on vintage tea parties. I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many kind women. 

Sorry to keep this post short, but my Outlook is calling. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Friday Confessions

It's not often that I say this, but this week has whizzed by! The last thing I remember was waking up, hating Monday morning, and now it is Friday. That being said, I couldn't be more pleased with the current day of the week. So link up with Leslie and let's 'fess!

I  Confess....

~ The Lion Man's birthday is in exactly 10 days and I have yet to put very much thought (or action) into gifts, a party, or anything else to make the day special. I feel awful, but life has bee NUTS lately. Don't worry, I'll think of something... I hope.

~ I am afraid that no one will show up to my bridal shower tomorrow. This is a completely unfounded fear, but it's still sitting in the back of my mind quaking with anxiety. Kind of like when you're afraid that you will be the only one in costume at a costume party.

~ My little sister is pregnant, and it is driving me bananas. I am happy for her and excited to have a little niece of nephew, but I always thought I would be the first one to produce a grand child (Hello, and welcome to my insanely competitive side). She was always trying to beat me at something, and now she has. Well played, Lumpy. Well played.

~ Not having a car of my own is beginning to get to me. I had an old Volvo that I loved heart and soul. She and I had an agreement that if she kept running, I would keep changing her oil. Sadly, she did not keep her end of the bargain and we had to send her to Volvo Valhalla.  Lion Man has an old truck he has been driving, and I have taken over his VW Golf. It's a little nerve racking driving someone else's car, and I feel like I can't see anything when I'm in it! I have been in constant fear of someone hitting it, opening their door into it in a parking lot, keying it, pebbles flying into the window on the highway... the list continues. I'm ready to again have my own car so I only have to worry about my reaction if it is damaged in some way. But, as with everything, after the wedding.

~ Sushi. I don't know what it is lately, but I have had a hankering for some raw fish like nobody's business.

~ I have a BIG announcement that I can't wait to share! But I have to wait until after we tell the family. The anticipation of telling everyone is killing me!

Early next week I'll be doing a recap of my Alice and Wonderland shower! Hopefully I will have some cute pictures to share with you!


Until then...

Keep it Fancy,

Jett

Wedding Wednesday {Freedom}

When I was young, being told to wait any amount of time was an eternity. How long until dinner? 10 minutes. 10 MINUTES?! How could my mother expect me to go without food for that long? A week might as well be a decade, and next year may never come. Life move so slowly as a child.

My grandmother always said that time would speed up as I got older, but I never really believed her. It was just one of those grandmothery things that she would say. It wasn't until last year that her prophecy came true. 2012 was the fastest year I have ever experienced. It skipped from New Years, to our engagement party in July, to Christmas, then slid easily into 2013. I remember all the events of last year (and believe me, there were many) but it all seems condensed, as if the whole year took place over a matter of weeks. 

Many brides (or expectant mothers, or college students, or anyone else waiting for anything exciting) tend to wish time away. Daily count downs until the big event. Not me. I am so excited to have a wedding and be married, but I want to be sure I soak up ever single minute of the un-wed stage of my life that will soon be coming to a close. I want to take pictures, to write notes, to document this end of an era in such a way that I could look back to see, feel, and taste what the last few months of my unmarried life were like. 

Sadly, I can't. I feel time slipping through my fingers like water and I have no way to stop it. No way to bottle my current feelings of anxiety, elation, joy, and freedom.

After the wedding I will forever forward be attached to another human. I will never again be able to make a big decision without consulting The Lion Man to make sure we are on the same page. That's fine, and the way it should be, but it will be an adjustment. 

While searching for ceremony readings, I cam across a beautiful poem containing a line that read "Today I join my freedom to yours." Exactly. Marriage is not an end to freedom, it is adjusting your view of what freedom means. Once married, one can no longer exercise their freedom at the expense of their partner's.  The reckless, at times dangerous, freedom of youth is gone and is to be replaced with mindful freedom. Freedom paired with thought. 

Marriage wont be the end of freedom, just a different kind of freedom. As we race head long toward our wedding day, I am learning this fact, and loving it. My single years may be dripping through my fingers, but they are being replaced with my future, OUR future, and I could not be more excited to embrace that change. Until then, I am still going to try to capture every bit of the life I have now. 

***

This Saturday is my bridal shower! I chose an Alice in Wonderland theme and my fabulous and crafty Future Sis and her mother are planning the party. Everyone will be dressed in Wonderland-esque clothing, lots of champagne tea, and some fun games! I'll give you all the details next Wedding Wednesday!

Keep it Fancy,
Jett