It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....cards, that is!

I can't believe it's been three months since I have updated my blog.  I'm not really sure I even have any readers left!  Life has been busy.  Work was crazy the whole month of September and there's this little thing happening in nine days that has kept me busy otherwise- my wedding!  It's still hard to believe that I had just hit double digits when I posted 90 days ago and now I'm at 9.  Time is zooming.

But, that's not the main point of my post.  I'm back to tell you about the greatness that is Shutterfly.  Have you ever used it for anything?  I got my Christmas cards from them last year, and I couldn't be more pleased with the way they turned out.  I also made a photo calendar for my parents, and my mom says it was her favorite gift and has already requested another one this year.  Additionally, I had a gallery wrap canvas made of one of our engagement pictures.  Shutterfly is so easy to work with and their shipment is quick and easy.  It's a breeze!  And the quality is fabulous, to boot.

So, enough about what I've bought!  Do you want to see what they have to offer?  Here's just a sampling:

They have tons of beautiful Christmas cards.
Here's one of my favorites:

If you don't celebrate Christmas, or prefer to be politically correct, they have holiday cards.
One of my favorites of those:

Or, if you need to thank your friends and family for all those gifts, check out their holiday thank you cards.
I love this one:

And, if you're still reading and want 25 free holiday cards from Shutterfly, the first 3 to comment will receive a promotion code- happy commenting!

Double Digits!

Today marks double digits until our wedding- 99 days, to be exact!

Time has absolutely FLOWN! 

And with the way I have been posting lately, my next post may be as a married woman. . .   ha, ha, ha!

I'm not sure whether I should be excited (because I am REALLY excited!) or nervous that I am forgetting something major (I don't think I am, but I can't help feeling like that!)

Either way, it's a fun time right now, and I can't wait until October!

Have a great weekend, friends! That is, if any of you are still reading.

Prayer Request

Do y'all know Jane over at Dissecting Jane?  If you don't know her, I highly recommend you head over to her page and check it out (but not before I tell you what you're praying about).

If you do know Jane, then you probably know about her sister, Lo.  Lo has cystic fibrosis.  Today is her birthday.  In 5 days, on July 5th, Lo will have a kidney transplant.  Jane's and Lo's dad is the donor.  For Lo's birthday, Jane has asked that all who read her blog mention this on their blogs and cover Lo and her father in prayer.

I think it's a simple request, and I firmly believe in the power of prayer.  So, today I'm praying for Lo and her dad in honor of her birthday.  And I'll be praying up until the surgery and after for God's healing and power to give Lo a second chance at life.

I hope you'll pray, too.  And if you haven't already, I also hope you'll go over and say hello to Jane

Weird Wedding Dreams (Nightmares)

Yes, I've been MIA again, but I think that's just becoming my norm, so let's just go with it, shall we?

Last night, I had a weird wedding dream.  Well, some might call it a dream, but my OCD/Type A personality calls it a nightmare.  The ultimate nightmare.  And it's not the first one I've had about the wedding.

This time, we were in a weird church- not my church where we are getting married- and nobody was there.  It was time to start, 5:00, and the church was literally about 1/3 of the way full.  Nothing was going right.  For some reason I was sitting on the steps at the front of the church with my bridesmaids and the ceremony wasn't going on.  We were just sitting there.  The florist was still bringing in flowers, people were milling around, and to top it off, one of the few people that were there mentioned that half of our invitations said the ceremony was at 6:00.  Which could explain why the church was only 1/3 full at 5:00!  And, to make matters worse, there was a teeny bopper band singing random songs that had nothing to do with a wedding.

Bizarre. 

And that's not the first time I've had one of these "nightmares."  I have also dreamed that 200 people showed up to the rehearsal dinner expecting to be fed, that we didn't have a ceremony order the day prior to the wedding, that we didn't know how many people were coming because I didn't ask for RSVPs (I know people do this, but not me- no way!), and other random things, all of which send me into panic mode.  It makes me wake up and think, "Hmm, what am I forgetting?"  I think I have it all down- in fact, I'm sure I do, but these dreams make me crazy!

Did any of you have crazy dreams before your wedding where everything seemed to go wrong?  I'm sure I'll have more as the big day approaches!

Slacker

I'm a slacker, what can I say?  Well, obviously, I don't have much to say since I haven't blogged in a while.
We did, however, get our engagement pictures back from one of my friends.

Here is my favorite unconventional shot:

I think I am going to have that one put on a canvas that I have a Shutterfly Groupon for.

And here's the one we will use for our engagement announcement (I think- if not, it will be similar).

And in other news.  The GAMECOCKS ARE BACK HOME IN OMAHA!!  The defending national champions are ready to make a run at a back-to-back championship after sweeping both the Regional and Super Regional.  If we win it all, we'll make history as the last team to win an NC in Rosenblatt Stadium (the old site of the College World Series) and the first team to win in the new Ameritrade stadium.  Sure hoping we put it in the books!

Four years

It's hard to believe that it's been four years since my last first kiss.  I had no idea at the time that four years later we'd be planning a wedding.  I can't imagine a better outcome, and I can't wait to share many more years together.  Pretty soon we'll be celebrating actual anniversaries- you know, the marriage type.  So, here's to four wonderful years and many, many more to come.  I love you, WEG!

Here's a picture from back in the beginning of our relationship,

circa 2007.

Book Review: The Beach Trees

I was asked to review Karen White's latest book, The Beach Trees.  I love Karen White, and jumped at the opportunity to get my hands on her newest book.  As always, it did not disappoint!

From the TLC Book Tours website:

In her new novel, White, the national bestselling author of On Folly Beach and the award-winning author of thirteen previous books, weaves together themes of Southern culture, the powerful bond of family, to courage to rebuild in the face of destruction and personal triumph to create an incredibly moving story her fans are sure to embrace.

In the aftermath of tragedy, life goes on—painful and forever altered, but ripe with new beginnings. For Julie Holt, traveling to the beautiful but ravaged coast of Biloxi, Mississippi, is a journey into a secret past and a life she never expected. Julie first knew loss at the age of twelve when her sister disappeared, never to be found. As her once close-knit family grew apart, Julie’s mother obsessively searched for the girl and when her mother died, Julie took up the search, never letting go of the hope.

Then at an art exhibition in New York she meets Monica—a struggling artist and single mother who reminds Julie so much of her sister that she can’t help feeling drawn to her. Monica paints a vivid picture of her family, but never says why or how she lost contact with them. She has another secret: a heart condition that will soon take her life.

When Monica dies, Julie inherits from her an antique portrait as well as custody of her young son, Beau. Taking him back to Biloxi and New Orleans to see the family he has never met, Julie discovers a connection of her own. The portrait, of an old relative, was done by her great-grandfather—and unlocks a family history she never knew.

I could not put this book down.  I was tempted to neglect work, responsibilities, and even sleep to finish it.  Karen White has done it again, turning out a book that's heartwarming, suspenseful, and fun to read.  I loved the aspect of telling a tale, past and present, through two different sets of eyes.  The mystery of it all intrigued me, and try as I might, I was unable to figure it out before things were revealed at the very end. 

The story is complex, which challenges your brain a bit more than the typical "beach read," but that is what I found to be the best part.  The characters come alive, and I instantly liked several (Julie, Aimee, Beau) while I warmed to others as the book progressed (Trey). 

The Beach Trees, to me, was about perseverance, courage, and devotion to your roots, and I would recommend it to anybody looking for a fun summer read!

To read more about the author, Karen White, check out her website and become a fan on Facebook.