Happy Halloween!

 

Happy Halloween!

 

The boys decided to dress up in costumes.  Cody is a lion and Simmie is a monkey.

I love how in the first pic Simon acted as though the head part of the monkey was weighing him down.  They were both good sports as mommie dressed them and snapped a few photos.  I believe the photos can be enlarged if you click on them.

 

We saw trick-o-treaters out super early this evening but after coming home from dinner no one has arrived at the door looking for candy.  Cody was funny as he noticed the weird costumes kids were wearing as I walked the pugs before dinner.  Plus one kid was making some crazy sound effects which creeped the Code-Man out a bit. We have very little candy around here so it's probably a good thing no one else has come by.   

Long Week!

This week made me wonder how and why people have large bridal parties. It's not easy coordinating things for everyone. Plus it's stressful being concerned if the right size, the right color, and the right item we want will be in by December 15th.

On Tuesday I took my dress to be altered. It won't be done until December 4th. It was awesome to be able to wear it for an hour as the alterations specialist pinned away and discussed the changes I want made to it. For one of the items I wanted changed I was told I could go with the French style or the American style...which one do you think I picked?....French, of course. Got to have a little Frenchness in the dress. ;)

The bridesmaid dress has been ordered in my first choice of colors. But sadly the flowergirl dress I wanted isn't possible to get by December. The color I wanted is a special order color that takes 8-12 weeks. I just never dreamed it would take that long. Oh well! Last night I cruised around online looking at other options. I narrowed it to 2 dresses and will let the flower girl's mom make the final choice.

50 Days To Go!

Alright folks it' only 50 days til our wedding day. So good luck reading much on this blog that doesn't pertain to the wedding. Ha ha!

Oh here's something non wedding related, Brad won the football pool at his work. So we have won a total of 4 times so far this year. People should certainly fear us! ;)

I continue to put the finishing touches on our registry. It's not easy deciding what you want.  Some added pressure to think ahead as to what we might want in our house. Hopefully getting a house is not too far in the distant future. I added one item today that I can hardly wait to hear people comment about. I couldn't help myself when I happened upon this particular super cute and somewhat funny item. I won't say what it is, I'll let people see for themselves.

Wedding News (part 9): We Registered!

We have registered.  We registered about 10 days ago.  I have since then added another registry at another store.  We are registered at Bed, Bath, and Beyond as well as Macy's. 

I have been pouring through the registry trying to bolster it a bit.  Our wedding shower invites go out very soon.  So I need to have a good selection of items in the registry for people to choose from.

We are combining two households so we actually don't need a lot.  However, it would be nice to upgrade quite a few items or start fresh in some areas.  We definitely need bathroom stuff.  Both of our places are suffering in that area.  Dishes and a new cookware set are a must. I'm really shocked I haven't upgraded my cookware set before now.  I've spoke of it numerous times but have yet to get a new one.  I think another serious want in my book is luggage.  A few matching luggage pieces would certainly be nice.  Some upgrades in the bedrooms is a desire too, table lamps and comforter sets mainly. We registered for two comforter sets, one for the master and one for the guest room.  We each chose one.  I chose for the guest room and Brad chose the master bedroom comforter set.

At first it was a little weird walking through the store with the scanner to scan the items we wanted.  Brad worked the scanner, that was his job.  We got into it a bit.  I think the best advice we got was from a store associate whom told us to treat it as a your "wish list". 

In the last few days as I continue to add to our registry I keep reminding myself of that advice.  It's a wish list.  If we get some of the items on there great if not that's okay we can choose to go purchase the items we don't get or we can pass on them.  We're definitely trying to get things that match.  We both have households with quite a few mismatched items.  Getting things to match up is the goal!

Wedding News (part 8)

Lots going on with the wedding plans.  It's fun planning a wedding.  But a little stressful at times too.   Right now I just feel pressure to meet certain deadlines so to speak.  There's a definite time table for getting things done when planning a wedding.

I couldn't find invitations to suit me but I did find an online design studio so I took to designing my own. It took forever!  I really didn't know what I was taking on when I started.  Then the first invitation I designed was nice, somewhat fancy.  When we added all the necessary extras like RSVP cards the price was more than either of us was willing to spend.  So earlier this week it was back to the drawing board for me.  That was on Tuesday that we decided we needed something else. I started over late Tuesday night with a new idea and a new design.  I barely got anything done but at least I started.  By the time Friday rolled around I dedicated some late afternoon time to the new design in order to finish up. It has now been sent off to the printers and is being printed.  Woo-hoo!  Big relief! I like the new design better than the first one I did and I was able to cut down on the overall price. 

All the pricing and different things that go into a wedding has been an eye-opening experience.  Before I started planning my wedding I was quite puzzled how people spend so much on weddings.  I've heard some ridiculous prices that people have spent.  I now understand it much better.  Some people just get to going with the planning and don't want to stop or they get caught up in what guests might like versus what they really need to do for their own wedding.  As a friend of mine told me weddings nowadays are all about out doing someone elses wedding.  Just look at the show on TLC called Four Weddings.  It's a competition among 4 brides, all about who has the best wedding.  The winning bride at the end of the hour long show wins a special honeymoon for her and her new husband.

I hate to disappoint but we won't be trying to out do anyone elses wedding.  Quite frankly we are lucky that we haven't attended any wedding in recent months so no wedding is fresh in our minds. When planning a wedding the best advice I have so far is to not get caught up in the madness and over spending the wedding industry wants you to do.  Always remember you're starting a marriage, a life with someone...best to not start out that marriage with a bunch of unnecessary overspending at the wedding.  Oh and another eye-opening thing...the scams.  The wedding industry is huge.  And they all want your money.  I can't tell you how many times I have received a phone call telling me that I have won something and all I have to do is come meet with them to claim my prize.  Thank goodness I'm not stupid enough to fall for the scams! 

Two Simon's!

I learned something today about my Simmie. Yep, after all these years I'm still learning things about him. He's quite the unique pug!

Today I was taking things out of my apartment. As I walked out the front door didn't shut all the way or he's learned to open doors. ;) At the time I had no clue he was outside. At this same time a woman walking a dog was coming down the walkway. As I came around the corner there stands Simon chatting it up with the woman's dog. I instantly ordered him up the stairs while I apologized to the woman. She replied by telling me how cute and friendly he is!....cute and friendly are not usual words to describe Simon when he goes outside as he is rather territorial. He usually thinks of the area just outside his apartment as his domain too. So cute and friendly to describe Simon is unusual.

His niceness puzzled me for the moments afterward. However I have figured it out...I think! I'm thinking it has to with his leash, his mommie, and overall surprise. When Simon has been surprised or feels the need to defend he quickly takes action. In this instance today none of those elements existed. He knew mommie was okay and he wasn't surprised or feeling threatened. Therefore he was friendly as can be.

What was Cody doing this whole time?...just barely peeking out the door. He's the good one! Before today I've always thought for Simon to get along with other dogs he has to be in the other dog's domain or on neutral ground like the park or at daycare. I guess there's two Simmie's when just outside his apartment...beast-mode Simmie and as friendly as can be Simmie.

Cell Phone Issues!

I was having issues with my phone on Sunday.  By the end of the day on Sunday the phone was seriously in freak out mode.  I tried everything to get it to reset.  I kept it on the charger all night because it was not holding a charge at all.

By the time Monday rolled around it was no longer able to determine what timezone I was in. It was also clear that no texts were coming into the phone any more either.  Needless to say I had to make a trip to my cell phone carrier's nearest store. I had to leave my phone with them for the afternoon. At the time that I left it with them it was unclear if it could be fixed or not. However, I was quite certain my phone was going to be determined a done-deal! Sure enough I was right.  I had to get a new phone.  I had that other phone since late June.  This is the first time a phone has gone bad on me.  All other phones I've had have become outdated before I give them up. Apparently the different antennas inside the phone malfunctioned and killed my phone!  That explains why it couldn't even figure out it was still in Texas.

I got the same phone I had before.  They gave me this bologna line about how they have a 3 day waiting period before issuing a new phone to someone that needs theirs replaced.  Whatever!  Who is going to wait 3 days for a replacement phone?  No way!  That is just one of those bologna lines they give you nowadays with certain retail merchandise.  They always try to make it sound as though they are doing you the favor....um, no cell phone carrier, I'm doing you the favor by being your customer.  There are numerous options out there!  Customer service these days is something else! As I type this I have just thought of a person that would be sooooo nice and accept that it would take 3 days for them to re-issue her a phone.  I won't mention names.  But she lives in Phx and she calls the pugs her "grandsons".  ;) 

Red River Rivalry Day!

It's Red River rivalry day here in big D.  The Red River rivalry game features the Texas Longhorns against the Oklahoma Sooners and is played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas adjacent to the Texas State Fair grounds.  The game is just now getting under way as I sit here on the sofa watching and typing this.  It should be a pretty good game as these are both ranked teams, #13 playing #15. 

I've still never been to the Texas State Fair which runs the month of October here. I've heard mixed reports about the Fair.  Some think it's the greatest thing ever to go check out while others don't see the need for it.  Maybe one of these days we'll go.

Oh man, here's some play by play....Oklahoma scored as they were kicking the extra point the kicker did a little stutter step then kicked the ball by then there were Longhorns closing in on him.  As he kicked it the ball never got up in the air instead it was scooped up by a Longhorn whom ran the distance the other way.  Stunned silence has fallen over the Oklahoma side of the stadium.  One minute their celebrating a touchdown the next minute Texas has the ball and is running towards their goal! Ha! Ha!

Since moving here this has become one of my fave college football games to watch each season.  It's similar to watching an ASU-U of A rivalry game.  Yet a little different since Texas Longhorns do not call Dallas home.  It's two great teams meeting on neutral turf in Dallas in each year.  Making up a classic duel!  I love how the stadium is divided down the middle, half Oklahoma fans and half Texas fans.  You would think Texas would have more fans since this is the state of Texas.  But Oklahoma is so close to the Dallas area tons of OU fans make the trip each year.

Fog and Wedding Registry

When I woke up this morning I immediately noticed how dark it seemed outside. Before going to get the boys up I peeked outside to see the dense fog. Dense fog in October? Despite what the weather report was for today its been cloudy and foggy for much of the day. The sun never came out to completely burn off the fog.

I am pleased to report Cody survived the cold snap this past weekend. He did however shake his little fist at the fogginess of today. So far I haven't needed to turn on the heater.  The space heater is sufficient for now. I love being able to get away with no heat or a/c on. It's common for us during the change of seasons.

Tonight our big plan is to go register for wedding gifts. I made my own list of items I can think of that we need and/or want. Plus I have a checklist from a wedding site. I know Crate and Barrel is popular for people to register at but I've actually never been in one. But I'm considering registering there. We definitely need at least two places or three to register at to give people a choice. And I already considered the fact that our wedding guests are spread out in a total of 5 states therefore store choice is important. We'll at least get the main registry done tonight we can add to it online once its set up. Happy shopping to us!

Oh this is slightly funny well at least to me.....as I was cruising around online making my list of items we definitely want to register for I was distracted by the pet link. When I was nearly done I clicked on the pet link section. Then spent quite a few minutes looking at pet beds. I did consider for a brief moment to register for 3 pet beds. But I quickly decided that's likely not appropriate. Lol! However all three of our pets will be getting new beds once we are all under one roof. Leave it to me to think of the pets too!

Cold Temps and Football Watching

As predicted the chilly weekend has arrived. It's been a beef stew and cornbread type of day! Although that's not we had for dinner. But I'm likely going to have some hot cocoa later. I'll need something to warm me up after walking the boys. Overnight temp is supposed to get down into the 30's, so Cody will certainly have a sweater on tonight. As we discussed earlier these are late October temps that have come early.

As I type this we are sitting here watching the Texas Longhorns game. Bevo the longhorn is sitting in the corner on the sidelines. Having a bull on the sidelines in the corner doesn't seem like a great idea to me. What happens if a player runs into him? I mean, it's a bull. Bevo isn't going to move fast and bulls aren't known for being shall I say...cordial.

No Cowboys game, no Cardinals game....what's a girl to do?...We have the Steelers game followed by the Broncos. Definitely more excited about the Broncos game! I'll admit though I'm actually looking forward to Monday night's game as opposed to any of the Sunday games, Texans play on MNF. Hopefully they play much better than the Cowboys did when they were featured on Monday night football last week. Geez, was that painful to watch!

Wedding News (part 7)

Lots to report!  We have a minister!  We have a photographer too!  So a few key things have been booked.  My mom and I went this past Tuesday to meet with the photographer we have now hired.  Photography is definitely very pricey!  Which I'm willing to splurge since the pictures will be the only physical reminder of the wedding day.  At the same time I want a fair price, I'm not willing to shell out $8,000 for pictures!  And don't think for a minute I'm exaggerating that price!  There really are photographers trying to collect $8,000 for a wedding.  I think once you mention it's a "wedding" the price doubles with a lot of vendors! 

After much debate, numerous moments online looking, and one trip to actually see the dresses in person....I finally made a decision on the bridesmaid dress color.  It is up to the bridesmaid to choose the dress.  I set 3 guidelines:  it must be a long dress that goes to the floor, it must be modest, and it must be in the color I selected.  Other than that I'm open to whatever is chosen by the person wearing it!

I have also decided on the little flower girl's dress.  My decision of putting the flower girl in a dress with color is not the popular choice.  As the traditional choice is to have the flower girl all dolled up like a mini-bride in white.  Perhaps if our bridal party was a bit larger I might go for that.  But since our bridal party is so small I would prefer for the flower girl to match the bridesmaid not the bride!  Therefore, I'm going away from tradition.  She will wear the same color as the bridesmaid but will also wear a sash that will be white.  See what I'm doing?...I'm flip-flopping tradition!  Most would put the flower girl in white and a sash that matched the bridesmaid.  I'm flip-flopping it....flower girl dress with color to match bridesmaid with a white sash to blend in with me, the bride!

Me....the bride!  I like saying that!  It's finally my time to be the bride!      

Various Thoughts!

I've been keeping busy.  My mom left on Wednesday.  So after her visit the last couple of days have been spent catching up on other aspects of daily life. 

After hearing the weather report for the weekend Cody is currently wondering why he didn't try to slip into his Grammie's suitcase before she headed back to Phx.  The weather has been lovely, perfect temps all September long!  We've been enjoying temps in the low to mid-80's consistently. However by tomorrow we will experience a drop of more than 30 degrees.  Cody has already requested I get his sweater ready.  I have experienced 20 degree drops in the temp a few times since moving here, but this is the first time I remember the temp dropping an entire 30 degrees.  Here's the worst part for Cody-man, the 30 degree temperature drop is only the daytime temp...by evening it will be even colder.  The space heater is likely coming out of the closet come tomorrow.

Yes, I watched the Cardinals game last night.  I was disappointed they didn't win.  Then again I didn't expect them too.  They were away and they were going into St. Louis with an undefeated record....of course the Rams were going to give them their "A+" game!  Did anyone notice the Rams coaching staff and training staff had hunter green on?  That bugged me all night long!  The Rams do not have hunter green as one of their team colors so why the hunter green shirts for the coaches and trainers?  Weird!

The baseball playoffs start tonight.  The Rangers play...that's what we'll be watching! I'm all ready, I've got my Rangers gear on!