The 6 Month Countdown

Today you couldn't get away from the "Royal Wedding" and for a soon-to-be bride myself, I have also been sucked in and have been watching coverage of the wedding. (However, I wasn't waking up at 4am to watch it live. I love sleep too much for that.)

With wedding on the brain, it didn't take long for me to realize that in 6 months from today- I'll be getting married!

Source

This is the church that I'll be getting married at. I've always saw myself getting married in a church, and what better church then my own.  It's not super fancy church like the "Royal Wedding: was in but it's prefect for my wedding.

Indecisive Bride on a Budget

So I'm convinced that I should have never register on the Knot.com and then started using their "my budgeter" tool. It only ends in heartache and a headache.

It seems like every time I sign a big contract for my wedding, I'm way over the Knot's budget estimations. I do my homework and find good deals, but I'm still over the "budget" the Knot recommends. Oh well! It's too late now, contracts are signed and deposits are in. However, every vendor I have booked, I'm really happy with (considering the wedding hasn't happen yet). I'm just worried about having buyers remorse once I get the final bill.

If there is any plus side of the Knot's wedding "budgeter", I do see that I'm saving money in some areas that they are allotting money for. For example:

The Knot's Budget- Music
Cocktail Hour Music- $185
DJ- $1,110

Stacy's Wedding- Music
Dj who also plays during cocktail hour- $1,195

Which makes my wedding a $100 cheaper then the budget! Sometimes it's about small victories.

Question: Should I be penny pinching my wedding? Or should I just get what I want, and pay the higher bill?

Oh decisions- how I'm so bad at making you.

On the Hunt- The Job Hunt

May I start off by saying that I'm very blessed for all that I have. I have a great family, friends, and fiance. I'm also blessed because I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and never go hungry. With that said, I'm in the same position a lot people in this country, I'm job searching.

Currently, I'm lucky enough to be employed, but my job is only temporary and is going to end in August. With only 4 months till my job ends, I'm on the search for another position.

The ironic things is, my job is to help dislocated workers find employment. I'm working with some people who had to sell their home, had to file for bankruptcy, and some who have even been homeless.Working with the unemployed (some who have been unemployed for multiple years) makes you really grateful for everything that you have. And in a few months, I maybe standing in the unemployment line with them but till then I got a job to do. And my job is to try to help these people find jobs (and one for myself as well).

So tonight to hit the job search hard, and I applied two jobs.  Like I do after I apply for any job, I wrote down the company name and position I applied for in my planner. That is where I made my mistake tonight- I decided to count how many jobs I've applied for.

The first time I job searched, which was from March 2010-October 2010, I had applied for well over 100 jobs. Also during that job search, I had interviewed at least 20 times.

This time around so far:
Applications-20
Interviews-3 (plus 2 second interviews)

Let me tell you, it's hard to keep applying, interviewing, and still not get a job. Applying for jobs takes a lot out of you and can get very frustrating at times. I hope that this time around it won't take as long to find a job, but if it does so be it. Like I said before after working this job, I know I'm very blessed for everything I have.

For all of you who are job searching like me, this is a good job searching website. I should know, it's my job!

Question: Are you job searching? Do you have a website that you like to use when looking for jobs? 

Road Trip Recap

After a nice trip to Michigan, I got the enjoy my Easter with the soon-to-be  in-laws and their family.One thing nice about joining a Italian family is that I'll never go hungry. 

If this weekend has made me appreciate one thing it would be: Enjoy the people in your life while you can.

While I was in Michigan, I visited an old elementary school friend who just a baby. (He's so little!) And Saturday was a very happy day for this little boy because he just had came home from the hospital from having surgery on his stomach. It wasn't just a few days earlier that this little guy was so sick that he was throwing up blood. However, after a bunch of tests the problem was found and he's doing a lot better. It's hard to believe that just 24 hours before this picture was taken this baby was in surgery.

I also was lucky enough to get the spend time with my grandma, my uncle Dave, and my aunt Linda. Being two states away has made seeing my family a special event. Growing up, I saw my grandparents almost every weekend. They would pick my sister and I up from our house and would take us to hockey games. Well, this weekend that tradition was relived.

This isn't any big name NHL team, but the Kalamazoo K-Wings will always hold a special place in my heart. My father started watching this team back in the late 70's and my family has owned season tickets for well over 30 years! Now that's what I call dedication.

And you want to know the best thing about having season tickets for over 30 years... you get great seats! This is the view from my grandma's seat!

Nothing better then the view you get from sitting right next to the bench. And if the game isn't going well, you still get a great view of all the cute hockey boys!

This hockey game was very exciting. It was game 4 of the second round of the playoffs, and the K-Wings were looking to sweep the series. The game went back and forth. They were losing, then winning, then tied... but in the end the K-Wings got the win!

After the hockey game, the tradition of spending the night at grandma's also happened. Growing up I remember many weekend nights sleeping on the hide-a-way bed in grandma's living room, and this weekend was no different. And in true grandma fashion, my sister and I both came home with random things from grandma's house. Karen got a cowboy hat, boxes of cereal, and a Super Nintendo plus it's games. For me a sauce pan and a soup ladle that was a wedding gift my great-parents received.  

 

This that a house pet or a wild cat from the zoo? Meet Billy, my grandma's cat.  He is one big boy! I just had to take a picture because he just look like the king of the kitchen sitting on the microwave.


I have to say, my weekend trip was really nice. My sister and I decided to cut the weekend a little short, so we didn't get to visit with our cousins like I hoped. However, it was nice because I got some extra rest which I pretty sure I needed.


 Hope everyone else had a great weekend, and got a spend some time with the people that you love.

Question: Did you have any traditions growing up? How you do still do those traditions?

Stacy & Sam Story

When you have been dating someone for almost a decade, you'll realize that time has just past you by especially if you start looking back at old pictures. I thought I would entertain you by walking down some moments in the "Stacy & Sam Story"

Sam and I met at a high school football game. Yes I know, it sounds like something from a high school movie, but it's true. It had rained earlier that day, and I stole his seat because it was dry (and he was getting food- move your feet, lose your seat!). I'm just glad he didn't try sitting on me that first night, we may not be where we are today.

Like any "high school sweethearts" we went to prom! I have to say, high school was a really good time in my life. I was in love, had great friends, and had an all around a fun time.

Sam and I did the long distance thing for two years because he went off to the university, while I went to community college to save money. At first the long distance was hard; but we got into a pattern of seeing each other every 2 weeks, which made things a little easier.

After those 2 years of doing the long distance relationship, I knew that we needed to be closer so I applied and got into the same 4-year university as him. I'm so glad I made that decision. Sam and I got to enjoy the fun of college while becoming even closer as a couple.


I completed my BS degree early, which caused Sam and I to have to do the long distance thing for another 6 month stint. However within a few months, I found out I got into my master's program, so back to Sam and college I went for another 2 years.

Which brings us to this last year. We got engaged, we moved home, and I'm looking for a full time job while trying to plan this wedding. I hoping that life has good things in store for us for this year, but you just have to take everything one day at a time.

(Good News of the day: I'm getting to increase my hours at work from 16 to 29!)

Question: Do you have big plans for the weekend? Any road trips planned? :)

PS: Keep your comments on the invitations coming... I don't know why I can't make this decision!

Indecisive Bride

I've seen a lot of weddings over the years. When you work at banquet halls for over 8 years, you get to see A LOT of weddings. Now that I'm engaged, all my wedding knowledge/ experience has made wedding planning even harder.

Things that I've made a decision on:

• The church
• The Banquet hall (for the main wedding)
• The DJ
• The dress and bridesmaids dresses (with the help from my girls)
• Unity Candles (Click to see them- these are one of the few things I really knew I wanted)
• And as you all know... my card box

So I'm coming to you to get your opinion on some of the other details that still need to be worked out for my wedding.

Today's decision- invitations.

I've been getting invitation samples and I'm getting closer, but now I'm down to three options.

Option 1. "Extraordinary Love Wedding" (in black)
Option 2. "Brocade Wedding" (in black)
Option 3. "Floral Vine Wedding" (in silver)

Question: So which invitation do you like the most? 

Thank you for your help and I'll be sure to let you know which one is the winner!

Road Trip in T-Minus 72 hours

I have to say one of the best things about working part-time is that you get a lot of time off. (The lack of money stinks- but that's another post.) So with a lot of time off comes the freedom to make plans out of the blue, and that is how this road trip came to be.

I like to think of myself as a free spirit who could just pick up a go anywhere at any moment; but if you know me, you know that's not really true. The truth is I need at least a 12 hours; which is still pretty spontaneous if you ask me.

So in less than 72 hours from now I'll be on the road heading to Michigan. I been wanting to make a trip to Michigan because all my extended family lives there, but sometimes it's hard to just find the time to go. However, both myself and my sister have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off; so "Michigan- Here we come!"

With a few phone calls and emails, I have planned out a some of the details of this adventure (not very spontaneous). This weekend I get to see banquet halls for my Michigan wedding reception (yeah- I'm having two wedding receptions), go to a hockey game in my old home town, and get to visit with my family. All other details will work themselves out when we get there (kind of spontaneous).

I'm exciting for this trip, but I only wish the weather was nicer. I talked to my cousin today and she said they had 3 inches of snow yesterday. Note to self: Check that the snow brush is still in the car

Question: Do you like to go on spontaneous trips? What is the best road trip you're ever been on?