November Recap

Hi All,

How did I let a whole month slip by without posting? I guess because its been one busy month with not one but two trips to Georgia. So as most of you know, G and I have made the big move to (and back- for me) DC - Alexandria to be exact. We are both officially here as the second of my two trips to Georgia were to pack up his car and bring him up. He did the driving, I just simply gave him company on the long ride. I'm so glad we survived the six weeks apart. I knew we would, I know many people who have gone so much longer, but it was definitely tough. Its hard to get through a stressful day without your companion by your side. Them simply being there helps to de-stress yourself. The time apart is over and I look forward to getting settled in DC.

As for what I did during my two trips in Georgia. The first was for Thanksgiving. We had dinner with his family and then we hit the stores for Black Friday shopping. We started at 8:30pm and went all the way until 5:30am the next morning before going home, getting a few hours of shut eye, and going right back at it. But it wasn't all just for shopping either- the whole visit. I took advantage of being in Georgia to do some wedding planning. We met with our officiant- he is awesome, a perfect fit for what we are looking for. We met with a photography company- decided against booking them as they are too pricey for us and even if we went with their cheapest package, they couldn't guarantee our pictures would be ready for six months (ummm- NO THANKS). Last but not least, I picked out flower girl dresses and bridesmaid dresses. Definitely thanking the Junius clan for taking time out of their busy holiday weekend (one filled with the stomach bug even) to meet up and pick out dresses. I definitely went with a dress that didn't fit with what I originally thought I wanted. But its perfect and beautiful and fits the vibe of the ceremony/reception. We also figured out what the guys are going to wear too. I felt wonderful at all the things we got accomplished over the holiday weekend in regards to our wedding. 

After a short, exhausting week at work (lets just say I didn't get back until 12:30am Monday morning which put me behind on sleep), I was on another plane back to Atlanta. This time out of BWI. Which I have never been too. It was a nice airport and even though I was afraid I was going to miss the MARC train (I didnt), it was an easy, if  a little long, commute. On Friday, I had a blast hanging out with Carol while G was at work. I helped her pick out her dress for our wedding (would you believe it was the first one she tried on?!). She then took me to this amazing store filled with jewelry, purses, shoes, etc. that is inexpensive. Its a lot like Charming Charlies. I left with 4 pairs of earrings and a small Xmas present for a friend and it was only $12. I definitely plan on going back. We ran a few more errands, and then it was back to meet G so we could go to two wedding meetings before dinner. We booked a DJ and a photographer. Both are perfect for us. A photographer who doesn't buy into the wedding hoopla and is there to produce pictures for you. In our budget, this is what we need. The DJ was so laid back and fun, I can't wait for him to get our reception going. I'll skip over Saturday as I'm sure everyone is still heartbroken over the final score. However, I had fun watching the game with everyone and everyone loved the pumpkin dip I made (Thanks Steph for the recipe). Sunday was a long drive back.

So after two weekend trips to Georgia and accomplishing a lot of wedding tasks, I'm ready to relax. But oh wait- apparently my wedding dress already came in! I thought they took months?!?! So it looks like I might be on the road again this weekend to Va Beach to pick it up. I guess I'll rest after the wedding?

Until next time,

Christina

Well Hello November

Hi All,

November is here to stay for a bit and with it came Winter weather. Maybe I'm a baby or a wimp who got really used to Georgia weather, but its freaking cold up here in NoVa. Oh well, it'll be Spring before we know it. Or thats what I tell myself to get out of bed and brave the cold.

As for my job, I'm getting back in to the swing of things. After two weeks on the 8 hour schedule, I have now shifted back to my 4-10 schedule with Fridays off. Yay! That means I have a 4 day weekend coming up- I'd say perfect time to get my old schedule back. There isn't much work going on and I'm still gaining access to the systems but I'm still enjoying being back.

This past weekend was amazing. It was Danielle's birthday- so to celebrate, us girls (Steph, Danielle and I) got a hotel in the city for Friday night. After checking in, we met up with a bunch of people for appetizers and drinks at La Tasca (one of my particular favorites). We got to hang out with Patrick, Laura, Chris, Katie, Catherine and Danielle's boyfriend as well as other friends of Danielle's. Afterwards, we said our goodbyes to a portion of the group and headed to Zaytinya for more drinks and dinner (still tapas style). Being the old ladies that we are, Steph and I crashed after dinner while Danielle managed to stay out for a little while longer. Saturday entailed heading out to Gainesville to hang out at Steph's house watching college football and eating football food as I like to call it. Except I'd like to mention how we failed on pumpkin dip (we never made it). On Sunday morning, we all woke up (except Danielle who chose spinning over IHOP- I know, crazy right) and headed to IHOP (obviously) to meet up with Patrick and Laura. It was a great weekend to spend with old friends who I now get to see anytime I want. Yay!

On another note, I might get to see my best friend this weekend!!!! I'm trying to convince her to come up (90% there) and she says the only way is if I help with Kenzie and Callie. Challenge accepted since those are two of my favorite girls on the planet. I'm going to keep my fingers and toes crossed that this trip happens!!!

And now only 25 days remain of me in DC and G in GA. I'm so glad we aren't going all the way until Xmas.

Until next time,

Christina

Sandy is on her way...

Hi All,

So as Hurricane Sandy comes her way to DC and the federal government is closed, I have time to reflect on how my life has finally quieted down a bit. After two very busy weekends wedding planning/dress shopping and attending a wedding, I thoroughly enjoyed this past weekend of a whole lot of nothing. I wish I could say I was able to catch up on sleep but the cats and I are still getting adjusted to our new surroundings. I hope the cats are doing ok but I just feel like the adjustment is hard for them. Penny is crying a lot but her food is fresh, water is changed and litter clean. I think she's going around looking for G...

So I've been here for a week and I feel like I'm getting back in to the swing of things. I met the girls for happy hour at one of our familiar joints and we made plans for a girls weekend to celebrate Danielle's birthday. It only took 5 days to get my computer at work so I pretty much got paid to read books and magazines after the day and a half of training ended Tuesday.

I feel bad that I'm not back in Alpharetta helping G finish up packing our apartment. I only left a few things that needed to be taken care of but the big one was cleaning and being there for the movers and everything. Its a lot to ask him to take time off work to be there and manage it on his own. Unfortunately with the time constraints we had, thats how we had to do it. I'm grateful to have such a wonderful fiance who seems to be managing very well and still having some time for fun.

Well the cats and I are hunkering down. Sandy is on her way and its supposed to get worse as the day progresses. I just hope we don't lose power. I wouldn't mind another day off from work. Yes I know its only my 2nd week but I love having free days off. Gives me time to do some wedding planning from afar.

Until next time,

Christina

PS- Maybe I'll have a better blog post next time?! Just a quick update on the move.

My Next Big Adventure

Hi All,

So one would think planning a wedding in six months is hard enough on its own. Yes, yes it is. But add on to that a job change and a move, and you have My Next Big Adventure. As I wind down my last week here in the Third Party Administrator company world, I anxiously await a return to my old job with Census. I left Census in 2010 to remain in GA permanently with G which I've never looked back on because our relationship grew and became stronger (obviously). I knew I didn't want a long distance relationship at the time so I made the leap and stayed down here.

After much thought and deliberation a few months ago, G and I decided to take a chance and explore our job options in DC. Side note, this was way before the engagement. After sending a few emails, it became very apparent that we were getting signs that this was the right opportunity for us. Not 24 laters from my first email did I find out that there was an opening in my old office. And two months later, that position is mine.

I am so blessed that I have been given this opportunity again. Not only am I simply being reinstated (no starting over here) but they are paying relocation expenses as well. I will be back in DC in less than 2 weeks in my old office.

G has decided to remain down here for the first bit as his department asked him to remain there until the end of the year. We'll see if he stays that long, but it's the best decision for us. Considering we have a wedding to pay for and debt we want to pay off, both us having good paying jobs seems like a win-win. And it gives him a lot more time to find a job up there too. Even though I don't like the idea of being away from him, I know its only 2 months and temporary.

We've kept this pretty hush hush during the discussion of it, the possibility of it, and even when it came to fruition simply because we hadn't told our jobs yet and more importantly, I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up on my side. Also, it was out of respect for his family and friends too who were the one's being affected the most. G has grown up in GA for most of his life and this is his comfort zone and this is where his family is. But now its all a reality (for me at least). G is still working on an official end date with his superiors.

So if you see me and I look tired, stressed or overwhelmed, now you know why. Planning a wedding and a big move all in a few weeks is one Major Adventure. Add on top of that, being away every weekend so I'm losing out on prime planning and packing time, yeah I'm probably crazy. But it will all be worth it in the end. You only have one life right?!

Until next time,

Christina

PS/Disclaimer ~ If you are stopping by from facebook and are friends with both me and G, please only post responses on my facebook page. He is friend's with some coworkers and not everyone in his office knows of his departure since they are still working out the details. Thanks everyone!!

Wedding! Wedding! Wedding!

Hi All,

So I know I have been MIA from blogging lately but its because I had news that I just couldn't share with you yet. But now that we have announced it, I can say it - we are getting married! Most of you already know this because its all over facebook so its not really news to you. But now I can blog about the planning process and the stress that comes with it (happy stress all the way though).

We have decided to get married in 6 months. 180 days from today to be exact. March 30, 2013. Why are we getting married so soon you might ask? There is a perfectly logical explanation: we don't want to get married in the summer ($$$ and too hot here in the Atlanta area), we can't get married in the fall (college football anyone?!), and we certainly don't want to wait until Spring of 2014 (we've been together for 3 years so we don't need a getting to know you stage built in to the engagement). So Spring of 2013 it is. And we found that we can just squeeze in cheaper prices a bit by staying in March so 3/30 it is. Easter weekend no less so it'll bring the family together for sure.

So after narrowing down the time frame, we knew we had to hit the ground running. So off to site visits we went. To be honest, we only went to 2 official visits. We received a lot of email information from various sites though. We knew going in to it approximately where we wanted to have the ceremony/reception. Canton St in Roswell is not only beautiful up and down the street but it has many different venues in the surrounding area. After going to one site, we ventured to the one we absolutely loved. Founders Hall. Not only was it beautiful inside and out but the lady we'll be working with is just so very pleasant and nice that I know we are in good hands. It especially helped that we had my future in laws with us because they knew just what questions to ask and they absolutely loved the place too. So we officially booked an evening wedding at Founders Hall.

After that, G's dad hit the ground running with the rehearsal dinner after finding out what we were thinking- a laid back casual affair that included bbq somehow. There is a perfect little spot right near Founder's Hall named The Yellow House. It is a joint venture of two co-owned restaurants within walking distance (Swallow at the Hallow for bbq and Greenwoods for chicken). You can have items from both restaurants which is fantastic and its a beautiful venue. G's dad and his wife went to check it out and sent us pictures. Its so cute and lovely inside and we know the food is perfect. So mark that one off the list too.

After we got the venues set up, we made our to do list. And let me tell you, its a doozie of a list. Slowly but surely we'll get it done. We almost have the hotel blocks firmed up (Doubletree in Roswell and hopefully Holiday Inn in Roswell) and we finished our registries this weekend (the most fun ever). If you want to get a head start (cough, cough), we are registered at Macys, Crate & Barrel and Target... Just kidding on the head start. But if you want to see them, they are available for public view already. Crate & Barrel has an open house soon so we'll hit that up for free food/drinks even if our registry is pretty much done there.

So I feel like we've accomplished a lot so far. But we still have a list that keeps growing. We already went to the caterer's open house (no worries there, the food was amazing) and have a meeting set up to discuss our food selections. The biggest item on our list that needs to get done is firming up the invite list, getting addresses and sending out Save the Dates.

I'm definitely enjoying the ride though even if it is exhausting.

Until next time,

Christina

Why Social Media is Awesome...

Hello All,

I wish I had a better title than that, but I'm not that creative. Anyways, I have just realized why social media was created. They say its to keep in touch with others (blah blah blah) but in reality they created it for people like me. People who need distractions or something to do at work. Yep you heard right, its to give us worker bees something to pass the time when there is no actual work to be done. I promise, I finished everything on my desk by 9am this morning. Needless to say I'm bored. But yes, before you get on me -  I know I'm lucky to get paid to play on the internet. There are many people out there looking for work as we speak. So in reality, I'm not complaining. And this is coming from someone who recently worked retail and was on my feet all day dealing with rude customers, I am sooo not trying to complain. So thank you Facebook and Twitter for keeping me occupied today. Thank you to the following websites for keeping me entertained and at times trying to figure out a way to laugh quietly at my desk: People Magazine and most importantly, People of Walmart. Pinterest got blocked a few weeks ago so I lost that one. Oh well, I'm sure its only a matter of time before all of these others get blocked. Now if I could just get a faster computer with up to date software, it would make playing on the internet so much better.

Until next time, you can find me on facebook or twitter if you need a comrade to keep yourself busy during the day. Because I can't possibly be the only one not busy at work, right?

Christina

When Did it Become September Already?

Hi All,

Did you know it was already September? When did I blink and the year is almost over? The days just keep getting faster don't they.

But hey, now that its September, do you know what that means? Yep, you guessed it (well, if you live in the south you guessed it, if you are in the north - it could mean a bunch of things)... College Football! Yes sir (or ma'am), college football craziness has hit my apartment (I mean, I'm pretty sure G was salivating when August 1 hit because it meant UGA football was almost back). And now that the season has officially started (we went to the home opener last Saturday), I have to pull out my red and black. Fun side note (for all you northern followers), did you know that you are supposed to dress up for football games?! I mean, yes - I have had 2.5 years to get used to it but it still surprises me. So being that its a new season, I went shopping as I needed more red and black dressy options. My wardrobe consisted of 1 red dress and 1 black dress and thats it. Macy's had a bunch of options but I just wasn't impressed with the way they looked on. But leave it to G to find me some dresses. I swear that boy is better at clothes shopping than I am. We were walking by this boutique in the mall when I stopped to gaze at a UGA picture frame and he saw a "game colors clothing" sign. We walked in. I found two dresses (1 all red, and 1 red/black combo) in the first minute and they fit perfectly and were comfortable. Score! And let me tell you, with how hot it gets down here (last saturday's game was miserably hot), comfort is the name of the game. I'll be able to breath in these dresses. So yay for fall and dressing up for college football- it gave me a reason to go shopping! And if I can hope for one thing to happen this football season, its that UGA has a good year and lives up to the expectations. It'll make my fall so much better!

Other than college football starting, nothing else exciting down here. The cats are finally getting healthy (crossing my fingers it stays that way). They have become quite the Nascar kitties lately (now that we can let them out into the apartment).Be careful where you step because you might get tripped by a kitten on the run. They seriously bring smiles to our faces every day, even though they are a lot of work and a lot of $$ thanks to extra vet visits. We laugh daily playing with them.

Here's to an exciting fall. Who thinks I can convince G to take me to a pumpkin patch again? Or Helen's Oktoberfest? Anybody? Yeah, I might be grasping for straws on those.

Until next time,

Christina