Happy Valentine's Day!

Today has been quite relaxing and yet, stressful at the same time. I didn't even know that was possible! We put an offer down on a house a couple of days ago (along with several other couples) and are STILL waiting to hear which offer they are going with. They can come back at any minute so we have been hanging around the house all day waiting and waiting. I have watched Mother In Law, How to lose a guy in 10 days (a personal favorite b/c it reminds me of how I treated Beau in the first 2 weeks of our courtship!), Sweet Home Alabama and The Break Up later this evening. I LOVE vegging! We are making turkey tacos tonight - quite a difference from the surprise reservations Beau had for us at Hotel St. Germain. However, putting an offer on a house will change your priorities pretty fast! I love cooking with Beau so I'm perfectly content with our decision to stay in!



Wedding Update: 63 days til the wedding! The bridesmaids are overall pleased with the dresses (whew!), the dress has arrived in CC and my Dad LOVES it, we are finalizing bouquets, invitations are being addressed and going out any day and bachelorette wknd details are coming together - love my sisters!!

I always knew I was meant to wear a crown

But not on my tooth. :-( Have you been to the dentist lately (b/c I haven't)?! Have you seen the amazing technology they have these days? There I was, mouth open so they could investigate my chipped molar, when they showed me footage of my teeth on a screen in real time. And it was then that they showed me all my OTHER problems: cracked molars from 20+ years of metal fillings. I would like to preface this by saying I take great care of my teeth. My parents always took great care of my teeth. Dental hygiene is up there with personal finances and common courtesy of others - it was drilled into me. So why was I seeing MY teeth CRACKING?! I'm sure most anyone who reads this has had some sort of old school metal fillings from back in the day...well, go to the dentist. But take your wallet!

So, in addition to the chipped tooth that needs a crown, I have cracking that needs to be addressed. Wish me luck!

This isn't a photo of my tooth but it's exactly what is happening to me. Scary! :-(



Oh, and by the way, the chipped molar is a result of grinding my teeth, which is terrifying. I always knew I had a grinding problem but this is big. I now need some special mouth piece when I sleep. Nothing says "irresistible" and "sexy" to your new husband like a massive retainer!

Wedding Update: 71 days to go - bridal portrait is booked for last weekend in Feb in Corpus Christi, bridesmaids dresses are VERY bright but they will work (the fit is great!), I have my shoes, undergarments have been ordered and bridal party gifts are being purchased!

So much to say, so little time....

I haven't posted in so long and have several updates!

1)We went to Corpus Christi for a Couples Shower/Cocktail Party thrown for us by 11 of our parents friends. It was truly special to see so many people there who love and support us! It was truly some of the best catered food I have ever had and my parents said the same thing, which says a lot! I hope to see the hosts and everyone who came at the wedding as well!!

Us with the hosts and then one of us two:





2) We decided to have Shelby's tail docked (just the end - about an inch). It makes me sad to see her tail all bandaged up and she was in pain for the first 48 hours or so. It's still foreign to her and that makes me sad :-( She recently split it open and we had to get it re-bandaged at the vet's office. Great, back to square one. They said recovery time is about a month, which is what like 1 year in dog time?!

3) The wedding dress fits. Finally!!! It is on it's way to Corpus Christi and the annoying alterations chapter is closed!! Now, the only time I will be getting naked in a cold room in front of people will be on my wedding day! Wait, weird. Anyway, I cried when I tried it on and could breathe. It embarrassed the Seamstress - I guess b/c she should have had me breathing in it all along? And it was in front of people. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was crying b/c I never had to schedule another appt. with her again. ;-)

4) We are shopping for homes!! It's an exciting time - I really LOVE real estate. I think it's my calling. So, it's even more exciting for me. Today is our third day with the realtor and each morning I have awakened before 8am with excitement! Like we are going to Disney World! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. It's a scary time to make a big decision. This is one of the homes I LOVED but the location, staircase, and 1970s features were all wrong. But isn't it SO pretty form the outside?!?!



5) Beau and I met with Deacon Ken at the Church yesterday and it went really well! We had a really great conversation and like him a lot. We were reviewing our FOCCUS scores (FOCCUS is a marriage prep course where we each answered 150 questions and they compared our answers) and he said overall everything looked really good. If you aren't familiar with FOCCUS, it's a great program designed by a team (I think) of psychologists to help couples discuss key areas of their future. There are, of course, no right or wrong answers. It was really enjoyable, actually! My favorite part was that it was short and sweet b/c our answers matched so well :-)

6) 77 days til the big day :-) Some quick updates: Invitations are in and look great, rehearsal dinner menu has been finalized, bridesmaid dresses are in (picking them up today - fingers crossed the colors are correct!!), bridesmaid luncheon details are being finalized (I have the best family for offering to host this!!), and much more. It's getting exciting!

http://www.staceyandbeau.weddingwindow.com/

Toasting Flutes

My Manager, well now my past Manager, Heather Thomas gave Beau and I the sweetest gift over Christmas. Along with many other thoughtful items that made up a very creative gift basket, she gave us Waterford toasting flutes!! They are BEAUTIFUL and so much nicer than the ones we registered for! I didn't even know I could have something so nice and we are so fortunate to have these given to us!

I carried them on the plane this past weekend to Corpus (that blog entry is still to come!) and I was so stressed about the possibility of breaking them. Any time Beau would tease me about moving so slow, I reminded him that there isn't much use with ONE toasting flute!!

Here is a picture at Cyclone Anaya when I opened the gift at our Team lunch. On a side note, I'm totally going to miss that team :-(

To dock or not to dock.

I really need help with this dilemma. I’m torn and I don’t know what to do. As you all may know, but may have forgotten, little Shelby’s tail is crooked. Really crooked. And while I have always said that it adds character and that I think it’s PRECIOUS, it’s beginning to go bald! As you can imagine, it’s not pretty. Background: The crooked nature is a result; it appears, of being broken in 2 different places when she was a puppy and before we brought her home. [Remember that story?! I freaked out when I saw that she had a crooked tail and Beau’s answer was that all puppies have crooked tails when they are young and that they straighten out when they get older. Uh, yeah right.] I digress. So, the two broken (but completely healed) points where the tail turns in a different direction (oh, and the tip) are balding! I don’t know if she chews on it or if it rubs a weird way when she sleeps but it is kinda-scary-looking and I fear that people will think I don’t take good care of her. Because I do.

Pros to docking: No scary baldness.

Cons to docking: Shelby will be in pain, she can’t sleep with me for a couple of weeks, what if the hair doesn’t grow over the end of it?, what if she looks like she has a nub??, what if she hates us forever for taking a part of her??? Although, we took her ovaries and she still loves us….

So, to dock or not to dock? That is the question.

Look at that darling crookedness!!

If the dress don't fit...

you must acquit. I think O.J.'s murder trial was shorter and less painful than my wedding dress fitting situation. Really. I'm not going into the entire story of how I don't really get along with my seamstress or how I hate taking all my clothes off in a freezing dress room. On 4 separate occasions. Further, I will not elaborate on how my dress is too tight in my rib cage and I am having dreams of not being able to breathe and passing out on the altar only to have my wedding video aired on America's Funniest Home Videos hoping to win 10 G's from my most embarrassing moment. What I will mention is that my bridal portrait has been postponed and I have to make a separate trip down to CC for it.

Bummer about cutting things so close but the extra trip will be fun! On a more exciting, positive note, we head to CC this weekend (original bridal portrait date) for a couples shower being held in our honor! I can't wait to see everyone!!

Remember when Cinderella put the t-shirt on Gus Gus and it kept rolling up on his big belly?! Too tight!!

The Curious Case of the $1,200 Picture Frame...

Who knew that a) picture frames can be priced in this range and b) Beau and I would accidentally register for one! Much to my surprise, there it was on our registry when I looked online yesterday. I was seeing if all our items were added since our trip to Corpus over Christmas. They were added alright. Along with the $1200 picture frame! And it's a 5X7! It's not even huge :-)

We thought it was a mistake at first since there wasn't a picture to reference. Beau did some searching, found the style online and yep, we both remember registering for it! It was to the back of the shelf, neither of us picked it up so we didn't see the price. Honest mistake since the others were all around the $20 mark.

I called Hanley Wood asking that they remove it immediately since it makes us look greedy and ridiculous! I love the ladies that work there - they are so sweet! They completely understood.

In case you are wondering, it is silver plated and made by the designer, Buccellati. Yeah, no idea. I can't really figure our what is so special about it other than the price of silver is on the rise.

Snappy New Year!

Our New Year's Eve was one of the best yet! We kicked it off with pre-party drinks and eats at Thea's house and then off to Martini Ranch. Or Margarita Ranch. Whichever, they changed the name and I can't keep track. Three of our girlfriends rent it out every year and I love it b/c they always have a great DJ, open bar and a limited # of tickets sold so there is never a line for bathrooms and bar! Not to mention, it's in Uptown so up until this year, I could always walk home ;-)

It was also very special because it was my first and only NYE as an engaged girl. AND my last as Stacey Caldwell. Daily events in life start to turn into these big, dramatic occasions when you start to think of things that way! Nonetheless, we are in the home stretch of the wedding - finally in the same year of 2009!!

Overall, Beau and I had 3 days off work so a total of 5 days of vacation! I can't tell you how special that was!! Waking up with the biggest decision being should we grocery shop or go see the Curious Case of Benjamin Button?? And should we go to dinner with friends or stay in and cook and watch a movie?? Such a tough life!! Loved every minute of it and it was VERY tough to get out of bed Monday morning :)

Christmas Recap

It has been so long since I have posted! We had such a wonderful time in Corpus for Christmas!! I was there for 6 days and 5 nights and it flew by! I miss my time there so much and really feel as though I was meant to be a Paris Hilton-jetseter-type who can see her family & friends whenever she wants.

Christmas Eve and Day at my parents' house was more special than ever for several different reasons. They are amazing how they pull together all the amazing food and decorations so effortlessly. I hope to one day be able to do it all the way they can ;-)

Beau surprised me by flying in a day early!! He was supposed to arrive Friday, the 26th but instead came in Christmas day. Well, it was more nighttime and he surprised my parents too! Jeff turned in especially early that night since he spent 2 days "slaving over the stove" as he likes to say! My mom and I were cuddled up on the couch getting ready to watch Mamma Mia! when the doorbell rang. Mama went to check the peep hole and no one was there. Not a car, not a person. This spurred a 5 minute frenzy of the two of us running to different windows peaking outside to see who it could possibly be. My parents don't have visitors after dark, especially ones that jsut drop by. Why didn't we wake up Jeff? He's wondering the same thing but I can tell you it didn't even cross our minds. Long story short, Beau left a gift for me at the front door and once I opened it, I knew it was him! He came around the side of the house relieved that Jeff didn't meet him outside with a shotgun! I wish I had video of my mom and I scurrying around. We are so funny together :-)

The weekend was full of wedding stuff! From cakes to guest books to center pieces to decor to wedding crashing to music, we were very busy! Crashing the wedding was especially memorable. We wanted to see a wedding at the Cathedral where we are getting married. It was beautiful! They had the full choir and the Christmas decorations truly made it special. Oh yeah, and the SEVEN priests!! We don't know who they were but they were someone very important in the Catholic church!

Other highlights: seeing Robert Earl Keen w/ great friends, getting to spend more time than usual with my sisters, Beaut meeting my bio-dad, spending time with my Ma (she was a wedding crasher, also!), eating at Whataburger, Water Street and La Playa, Mama's homemade scones for breakfast, her homemade sugar cookies, and every other waking moment of the trip.

Overall, it was a perfect week and we are really looking forward to going back in 2 weeks for our Corpus shower!

Employee of the Month!

There are several things to say about this momentous occasion. First, it may not seem like a big deal - I never really thought it was until today's staff meeting when my Manager stood up in front of the entire company and gave a great, appreciative introduction to acknowledge me!! It really is a great honor and I'm so thankful to have received the award (and the check that came along with it)!

Something else that should be said about receiving this award today is how BADLY the day started off! It's comical (now) how painful my day began - with morning client meetings where I wasn't 100% on my game, how much I beat myself up about "failing" in those meetings, how I ranted in the phone to my mother about all this when she called to simply tell me that they landed safely, the un-characteristic complaining I did to a co-worker AT WORK (how unprofessional) and convinced the day, no, my life would never improve (not dramatic, nooooo). The difference between the morning and my afternoon (completely turning around with such a sweet gesture from my Company), is now pretty funny in hind sight. It may not seem like much to them, but it really does mean a lot to the person being recognized :-)

Wedding Bands - Not the dancing kind!

Beau and I shopped for wedding bands today! I don't know why I put an exclamation point behind that sentence - it was neither exciting nor eventful! It was actually not like I expected it to be - more stressful than anything. It's difficult to shop for something that will be with you at all times (think about it - there is nothing else a part of you like a wedding band) and represent the greatest thing that has happened to you. I say difficult b/c I just want to make sure I love it forever and there are SO many options these days. As I have mentioned before, I don't do very well with a lot of options :-) That being said I'm pretty sure I found my ring! It's beautiful and the more I think about it away from the store, the more I fall in love with it!

Beau had a difficult time as well but for different reasons. I think it's tough for a lot of men who have never worn jewelry in the past to suddenly walk into a store and be excited about rings! I guess everyone is different but Beau actually had a tougher time than I had imagined. It's a big decision and of course none of them "felt right" b/c he has never worn rings before. Again, now that we have been out of the store for a while and have had time to think about it, he is leaning toward the last band he tried on, a classic white gold band.

I'm glad this portion of the planning process is almost out of the way - it just means we are that much closer to the big day! 4 1/2 months to go!

My very first Christmas Tree...

of my very own is actually shared with my F.H. (future husband)! Beau and I went shopping for our tree the day we returned home from Austin. We found the PERFECT (artificial) tree that we will have for our first many, many years together! We debated artificial vs. real, but in the end, this was the best option for us and I couldn't be happier.

My Mom brought my ornaments to Austin for Thanksgiving and I couldn't wait to put them up, one of my favorites times during Christmas :-) The ornaments have been given to me over the years by my Mom and my aunts, uncles and cousins and are so special to me!

It has taken everything I have from splurging and buying a house full of decorations but I understand that it happens over time, especially during the after-Christmas sales! :-) Beau took this picture at the beginning of my ornament hanging. Had I known there would be a photo shoot, I may have put on some nicer clothes (and hidden that giant tendon in my neck!)....