The Wedding Day

12/12/09

a day I'll never forget!

It was so great, although not flawless, everything seemed to work its self out.
As I mentioned here, my dad walked me down the aisle.
This was kind of a shock to me. I was totally not expecting it.

The wednesday prior to the wedding, Nanny told me that she asked my dad to walk me down the aisle and he ACTUALLY said yes. I did know whether to be happy, sad, or mad. She asked him without asking me if it's what I wanted--I should have been mad. But, he said yes, which was surprising, so I didn't want to call him back and refuse, I just went with the flow.

He actually showed up sober. I can't remember the last time I saw him that way, and at that point I knew I didn't make a mistake.



The ceremony seemed to go by so quickly. I didn't trip over my dress OR stumble over the words for the vows.....and I never shed a tear.

The reception was amazing. So many people came, and there was so much food! Mine and Aaron's favorite local restaurant catered [bbq], and it was delicious! I didn't eat much because I was ready to get up and socialize.
Too many people asked me if I felt any different now, and to be honest.......I don't....and I'm okay with that.

Did I mention how amazing my cake was?


And the groom's cake, too!

As if that wasn't enough sugar, we also had a candy bar :)


I am so blessed to have such good friends and family that support Aaron and I. Here are just a few:

Later that night, we decided to celebrate with our friends at a local bar.
Although there wasn't a very big turn out, it was fun.


After all the fun [and stress] of the wedding, we were ready to leave town for a while!

This time we're not giving up

Let's make it last foreverrrrr.

Guess what?

I'm married!

See...
And my dad even walked me down the aisle.........
but that is a story for another day.

I just wanted to update really quick to say 'hey' and let you all know that everything went well!
Expect a longer more detailed post at a later date.

Until then...a few pictures from the crowd until I get the professional ones back.

Mumbo Jumbo

All these people keep asking me if I'm nervous, and it's making me nervous.

I wasn't before, but the more people ask if I am..........well, I am.
I guess I just hadn't put much thought into it before.

It's not that I think that I'm doing the wrong thing, or making a mistake...
I'm worried that I might trip over my dress and fall flat on my face in front of God & every body.
WISH ME LUCK!!

I'm going to miss you guys next week when I'm gone on my honeymoon, but I'll catch up when I get back.

What was I thinking?

Just found out that over eating may be connected to a gene linked with alcoholism.

Thanks, Dad.

Anyways, Yesterday was the last day for student teaching for this semester,
and Today was my LAST day of classes for the semester. YA!
A small rock has been removed from my shoulders.
Now, all I have to do is....finish my curriculum document by Thursday,
finish my portfolio by Friday,
and finish my sculpture by Monday.

And then I'll be able to breathe...barely.

With only 11 days until the wedding, 10 til the rehearsal dinner, I feel like I am running around like a chicken with it's head cut off.

At this point, I'd like to think that everything has been done. But it hasn't.
We still have to:
go apply for a marriage license,
pay for the cake & photography,
pick up the tuxes,
decorate,
confirm the catering,
and prayyyyyyy for a beautiful day.

so. much. stress.

Identity Crisis.

Just wanted to take a moment to thank those of you who have spread the word about my give away! It has really helped a lot. Keep in mind, there is still time [winner is posted Saturday], so tell all your friends!!

Those of you who have been following me know that I'm getting married in 18 days.

Here's the problem.

Do I want to be
Jamie Keith Altgilbers
or just
Jamie Altgilbers

I've been contemplating this for quite a while.
To drop my last name, or not.

I just feel like that's who I am...do I want to totally lose that?

So what are your thoughts?
Pro's, Con's?
Your story?

I need advice.

over my head

As Finals approach, I am getting increasingly busy.
I didn't think it was possible to be any busier than I have been all semester, but here we are.
Sorry for the lack of blogging.

I have found a few moments to spend on myself, though.

I made this apron from this tutorial:



Yes, that is Aaron modeling. Only, he told me I'd better crop his face out--OR ELSE! hahah

And, I have officially [for real this time] stopped drinking soda/tea/unnaturally sugared drinks.
Well, atleast until after the wedding. Speaking of which...there are only 26 days left. Crazy how time flies.

I finally booked our hotel room for the Honeymoon. Four nights/Five Days in Gatlinburg! We are looking forward to learning how to ski, eating at the pancake pantry, and just getting away from 'real life' for a while.

Aaron got me tickets to see NEW MOON this thursday [technically friday] at midnight!! I'm so excited.

Sorry this post has been all over the place. I feel like I have so much to say, but not enough room to say it.

Be expecting a guest post soon! Have a great week.

Look at my babies!!

My nieces are going to be my flower girls [yes, all 3], and these are the dresses that we got for them. Nanny got the girls to try them on to make sure they fit, andddd they do.
Aren't they too cute? I was so excited when I got this picture.

We also met with the cake artist. I am thrilled about it!

This was the original design

But after meeting with her, and listening to her expertise, it's going to be more like this



I still love it!

Last night was date night for us.
We went to Dothan
Bought his wedding band
Picked out my wedding band
Found THE vase for the unity sand ceremony
also bought the sand
Browsed Bed, Bath, & Beyond for close to an hour
and wished/hoped/prayed that We'll get everything on our registry
Bought cute napkins for the reception
Ate at a fabulous Mexican Restaurant while waiting for the rain to die down
And discovered Burlington Coat Factory, which means that skiing in Gatlinburg for the honeymoon may be a possibility now, since they have pretty cheap ski jackets/pants.
And then came back to Troy to see Couple's Retreat. [It was decent]

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

This is the story of how we begin to remember

Hello Dear Blogger Friends!

I hope everyone had as good of a weekend as I had!
All I did was eat, sleep, watch tv, & cook/bake.
That's right. For once, I didn't do ANY homework [although I told myself I would try to get ahead] and let me just tell you....it felt good.

Aaron got spoiled with home made meatballs [with not so home made spaghetti; oops!], turkey & gravy with baked mac n cheese and mashed potatoes, pork chops with spiced carrots, home made pumpkin spice bread, and home made brownies. NOT all on the same day, of course. Seems like a lot, but I had to try to make up for the two weeks that I hadn't cooked much at all. [If any of you want the recipe to any of these, just let me know]

One new development in the wedding ceremony [if you all get tired of hearing about the wedding, tell me, and I will try my hardest not to talk about it] is the substitution of Unity Sand, rather than Unity Candles.
Same concept, different design.

It's kind of on the expensive side, but I've never seen it done before, and I really like the whole idea of it.
Only 61 days until the big sha-bang. & tomorrow we will meet with the cake artist to finalize the cake plans. I'm getting so excited.

Moving on.....
If you haven't seen Duplicity, don't bother. Really, it was a long drawn out movie, with a pretty predictable ending. I'm glad I only spend $1 to rent it and not $4 or I would have been a little upset. It looked good from the previews, but don't let them fool you.

Anyway, have a great week! And for you Nip/Tuck fans....SEASON PREMIERE WEDNESDAY!!

Guess what I just got....

A 'sneak peek' proof for my engagement photos!
Just one, for now, though.



What do you guys think?

I also got this:



A packaged deal.
A flower girl basket, ring bearer's pillow, the guestbook, the matching pen, garter
ALL MATCHING!
for 40% off at Michael's. How exciting is that?

And these Thank You cards:



On sale at Target, to match my whole theme.

What a great start to the weekend :)

brick by boring brick

I'm on day two of my no carbonation/no caffeine diet [yes, i'm trying it again], and I haven't hurt anyone yet :) but,

I finally deleted my myspace.
I'm all about some facebook! hah

I also finally decided to post pictures of the invitations for you all to see, since I've been keeping you all updating in the planning process :)


We are [hopefully] going this week to pick out wedding bands, pick out the style of tux for the groomsmen, and [if we have time] going to set our cake plans in stone.

Still have not heard anything from the photographer who took our engagement pictures. Although, we were supposed to get a 'sample' by LAST Tuesday night *sigh*

WW:Love is a battlefield

Engagement party pics!

doin' what we do best [fight]

♥

Suddenly Sunday?!

This weekend has flown by way too fast.

It seems like just yesterday I was sharing with you the yummy goodness that is banana bread, and now it's time to prepare for another dreaded week of school. Darn deadlines!

Last night my sister threw Aaron and I an engagement party. It was a lot of fun. Don't worry, I'll post pictures as soon as she uploads them. Until then....a teaser!


Kel, Matt, & Me.

Anyways, a few of you asked me to post the recipe for the banana bread, so here it is:

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Courtesy of Elise @ Simply Recipes

Hope you all have a very relaxing Sunday. As for me, I'll be here writing lesson plans and listening to pandora until my shows come on!

Goin' to the chapel...

Well, here we are, with only 87 days until Aaron and I get married.

People keep asking me if I'm stressed about the wedding. HA! There is nothing [yet] to be stressed about in that area of my life. School is what is stressing me out.

Here's our wedding website, for those of you who are interested.

1. The venue has been booked.
2. The chairs have been rented.
3. The dress has arrived.
4. The bridesmaid's have their dresses.
5. The food has been selected.
6. The preacher has been..reserved?
7. The invitations are being printed AS we speak.
8. The cake has been designed.
9. The cake artist has been booked.
10. The photographer [also the cake artist] has been booked.
11. Hairstyle..check!
    
12. Decorations have been decided upon.
13. Groom's cake has been designed.
14. Candy 'bar' is a done deal.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, but I'm sure there is more. I guess all I'm trying to say is that pretty much everything is planned, maybe not all finalized, but I'm feeling good.

The hills are alive

...with the sound of music.

and the smell of weddings.

Is that weird? Well, whatever.
I suddenly got really, really excited again about the fact that I'm getting married in less than four months. I just bought gifts for the bridesmaids, and found a website that shares coupon codes for websites, and I just got a personalized tshirt with our names and wedding date on it FOR FREE! How awesome is that?!

Plus, I observed at a private school in Montgomery this morning, and now my hopes and prayers are that I get a job at one of those kind of schools when I graduate. $80,000 a year does not sound bad to me! I realize that it is kind of far-fetched, but a girl can have dreams, can't she?

Tonight is $1 movie night at the local theater, and I HOPE we get there before all the seats are sold out for G.I. Joe!

WW::My Wedding Dress [no that's not me]

Only God can judge me...

Right? That is what I have always been told. That only God can judge me. That it is wrong for people to judge. Yet, we do it anyways. For as long as I can remember I have been the girl that didn't care what other people thought. And still, to this day, the only people that I truly value opinions from are friends and family.

Which is why I wasn't entirely pissed off when [Let's call him cowboy] I was basically told today, by cowboy, that I am living in sin; As if all of us aren't living in sin. But, whatever.
I was also always told that one sin doesn't weigh heavier than any other. So, there. Aaron and I living together is no more sinful that you judging me for said sin.

Honestly, I feel like living with someone BEFORE marriage is a good thing. If we had never lived together before, and still decided to get married, I can almost guarantee you that we would have been divorced/separated within the first year. Now though, we know each others mannerisms, and little things that we do that bug each other, and we've gotten comfortable learning and growing together as a couple. I'm sorry, cowboy, if you think that is sinful.

I don't feel like just because a couple has been married 20+ years, that they are good examples. Sure, there are golden couples out there. But most people I know aren't exactly 'happy & in love'. They have comfort in each other. They don't have to wonder where their next meal is coming from, or if they can make it on their own. They don't believe in divorce. They don't want people to think bad things of them. That doesn't make them role models.

Which leads me to the icing on the cake. Just because I don't go to church every single time the door is opened does not in any way mean that Aaron and I will end up divorced.

Thanks a lot, Cowboy, for all the advice you gave me. I feel more confident than ever having the fact that most of you are simply hypocrites reaffirmed.

Dear BlueBelle, This is for you!

BlueBelle was interested in my 'save the date' cards I had made up, and asked if I would post a sample.


Well, here they are.
Kind of generic, for an artsy girl like myself.
But given my work schedule and trying to get my stuff ready to move, I didn't have much time to make them myself.

*sigh* I'm not quite sure why I thought it would be a good idea to pack up my whole apartment BY MYSELF in two days, but here I go....

A good luck kind of day

Today was just all around good.

First thing this morning, my land lord called me to tell me that my apartment will be ready to move in to by next weekend, and that she wants me to move in a.s.a.p. I had concerns at first, because I didn't have $400 laying around for rent, but she told me not to worry about it, since I'll only be there for two weeks before rent is due anyways. Sweet, huh?

Also, one of my friends from the art department at my school told me that she would do the photography for my wedding 'for whatever my budget allows'. Which means that I can stop stressing, because unlike some people I've talked to, she isn't going to charge me an arm and a leg just to shoot some photos. I know she's good quality, because I've seen her work. She also offered to do my cake. Have I mentioned that she makes cakes for a living?

See....





But, I also found out that this is the gun that Aaron will be shooting in the army.

Does that not freak you out?!

Oh, and p.s. about the book...whoever wins, I will print your first initial and last name in script on the side of the book, author style. Get the word out!!

I spoke too soon...

My family has decided they would rather me have a whole ceremony now, rather than the whole court house thing; they are going to fund it [small budget, mind you]. And after much deliberation I have decided to do just that. We are going to have a full ceremony instead of just getting our marriage license. So, instead of being married on Dec. 3rd, we moved it to Dec. 12th. I am a little stressed, but am feeling much better now that I have the save the date cards made. And knowing that my sister is willing to help me any which way, is always a nice thing. So wish us luck, because we are definitely going to need it!