I cannot believe the wedding is finally here!!  Today is my last day in Quincy as a single girlie!!  We're leaving just after lunch to head down to St. Louis and finalize all the last minute details.  It's going to be a crazy packed couple of days...and at the end, I will finally be Mrs. Eric Q. Cawthon.  It's so funny because I thought a 19 month engagement was forever long, but it turns out that's not the case at all!  It seems like not too long ago I just kept saying..."we've still got over a year to plan things, I'm not too worried."  Now it's more along the lines of "less than a week!?!?!?!!?"  I'm so excited I can barely eat!!  (But of course I will...I didn't pick out the wedding menu for nothing!!!)  lol...so this is the last time I will probably blog before the big day.  I can't wait to see everyone at the wedding...and I can't wait to marry my best friend.  ♥

Today when I checked the mail...I had a letter addressed to MANDI S CAWTHON.  Are you kidding me??  It was for the insurance switch after the wedding...but still!  I'm not ready to swith my name just yet...I have 9 days of Sagez left!!  (Single digits 'til the big day!!)  Also, I've been a little disappointed with our mail lately...it was very exciting getting multiple response cards everyday for like a month!!  Now it's mostly bills & junk.  lol...a taste of married life??  And finally, I'M MARRYING ERIC NEXT WEEKEND!!!!!!!!  Life is good...

As of today, I can tell people that I am getting married this month.  :)  Just a few more weeks!

ok...so I bought some dairy yesterday that expires two days after my wedding.  My matron of honor told me she started freaking out when the milk exp. date was her wedding date, and I hadn't noticed anything like that until now.  It's so weird to think about!!  I'll be a married woman in like 26 days.  Isn't that crazy??  "This is my husband Eric."  I will get to say that!!!  lol...ok, too much wedding stuff to do!  Gotta go!!  Lovies~

One month away!!  I can't believe it's almost here!!  That is all.  ♥

Hey everyone, the big day just keeps getting closer and closer.  Just 5 more weeks til the big day.  Mandi and I have been really pushing to get the last of the to do list checked off, and it's really starting to pay off.  Just a few more things until the list is finished.  Then it will just be a lot of last minute double checking, and packing up for the honeymoon.  Its been so hectic making sure things are ready for the wedding day, I keep forgetting we will be taking a week vacation right afterwards.  It's getting so close, but I just can't wait for it to be here!

Are you kidding me??  Now that the invitations are out and we're getting responses back, things are getting so real...and so close!!  I met with my stylist this past weekend to have my practice hair done for the wedding...and when she put my veil on, I lost it!  Talk about overwhelming.  I couldn't stop smiling (or tearing up...better get waterproof mascara for the big day)!!  :D  I say it almost everyday now...but "I can't believe it's almost here!!"  The cake is picked out, my dress is altered, the guys are being measured for their tuxes, the flower are ordered and we're putting the final touches on just about everything.....I can't wait!! 

Life for Eric and I has hit the fast-forward button...the wedding is coming up so quickly!  Yesterday was the last of my bridal showers, and I can't believe they're already over!!  It makes me so scared that the wedding is going to just fly by the day of...a good friend of mine told me when I'm at my showers/the wedding to look around the room and just take in the fact that everyone is there because they love and support you.  I did that yesterday, and I was so grateful to have so many wonderful family members and friends in my life.  We're nine weeks out from the big day, and I can't wait to be Mrs. Mandi Cawthon.  It makes my heart smile!  : )

So, Mandi and I just spent the better part of the holiday weekend working on our invitations.  Mandi cut and glued more paper than she would like to admit, and I printed many, many envelopes.  It's crazy to findout how much time has to go into this... i'm going to having nightmares about envelopes for weeks.

My ring finally came in the correct size, so that is one more thing to check off the list.

Also, we're looking at just 76 days until we are married, ARE YOU KIDDING?!  Can't wait, the big day can't come soon enough.

ok...so the wedding is only 3 months away--LESS THAN!!  Things are getting pretty exciting (and pretty crazy).  Even though we got engaged like years ago (literally!  lol) we waited until the last month to assemble all of our invitations.  omg...what were we thinking??  Luckily, we have a solid group of family & friends who've offered to congregate in Quincy last minute if we need them.  And we probably will considering part of the ordered materials came in WRONG!  There are a lot of speedbumps on the crash course of wedding planning...I'm glad I have Eric when things get a little bumpy!!  Lovies~

ok...so this summer is going to FLY BY!!!  And there's not a day we don't do something for the wedding.   Most recent developments:  Eric's wedding band came in, we ordered the favors for the reception, the groomsmen gifts came in, we started making our invitations, etc.  Basically it's super fun because things are getting so close.  I love it!!!  We also had our first marriage counseling session last night...I can't wait to marry Eric.  ♥

Hey all - be sure to take a look at the new photos added from our Chicago engagement session.  We got the full set of proofs, and these are just a few of our many favories.  Tom and Neal, I don't know if you know about our website, but kudos - the pictures turned out great.  We can't wait to see what develops from our wedding day photos!

Eric and I went to the Mays wedding this weekend up in Milwaukee...it was GORGEOUS!!  Andrew & Laura looked so happy and everything went smoothly...we were so excited for them!! (And they were super adorable!!)

I seriously cannot wait for our wedding day...omg, it cannot come soon enough!!  (Not to mention the stress-relief once it's over!!)  :D 

We're getting so close.... I can't believe how fast the time has flown by.  We're going to Milwaukee this weekend for a wedding, which will just put us even more in the wedding mindset (if that is even possible).

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend

ok...so 4 months to go!!  I went to Columbia this past weekend with my mom & Jessica (my matron of honor) & met up with my cousin Megan (one of my bridesmaids) to look at veils & headpieces.  FOUND 'EM!!  Thank goodness!  One more thing to check off our long 'to do' list!!  It's getting so close now that it's a little surreal!  (I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!)  :D  Lovies~

It's been a busy few weeks.  We got a glimpse of the photos taken at our engagement session, and they were incredible!  A much better style than what we've seen previously.  If these guys can make me look good in a photo, then they are DEFINITELY talented :)

The last couple weekends we have spent a lot of time buidling up our registries since it's almost shower season.  There were some tough decisoins to make as far as dishes and towels, but we had a lot of fun with it.  It will be fun opening the stuff we picked out.

We also met with the organist at Mandi's church to pick out the wedding music, and remarkably, it couldn't have gone more smoothly.   The guy is definately talented.  I got really excited listening to him play and envisioning what it will be like the day of.

We're getting closer..... and things are only going to get crazier from here on out!

The wedding is just a little over five months away now!! Things are really picking up...and going great (finally)! We booked our honeymoon...I'm so glad to have that finalized!! Since we're hooneymooners we get a ton of extras...even a private dinner on the beach! YUMMY!! Also, we booked our new photographers (they're from Chicago!) and they were great!! We can't wait to get our proofs in a week or two!!

p.s.--Go to Chicago! Eric and I had so much fun when we were there...we'll be planning another trip up there soon!!

We're another month closer to the wedding.

We're still working on a few things, but for the most part, the big stuff is out of the way. Last weekend Mandi and our bridesmaids picked out bridesmaids dresses while I picked out the tuxedos.

We've decided on a honeymoon destination - Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. All we have to do now is figure out airfare so we can book the trip.

Still plenty to do, as always. It will definately be worth all the work when September 20th rolls around :)

OK, so just another example of how Eric and I were made for each other:

Today is our two-year anniversary of when we started dating. You'll never guess who I ran into last night picking out a card for Eric?? That's right, we both showed up at the same card store the night before to pick out the perfect Hallmark. Priceless. It made my heart smile...we're so perfect for each other!

It's getting closer to the six month mark, and I've gotta say, I've never been this excited before!! It's so great!!! The wedding will be here before we know it - yay!!

Hey everybody, it's been a while since we blogged so I thought I'd type up a quick update. I've just added a few new pictures - make sure you take a second to check those out

Planning is going well. Now that all the big things are booked, we're slowly working on the smaller, less time-sensitive stuff like tuxedos, invitaions, etc. We had our first counseling session with the priest last week and took the 165 question test. We've yet to see the results, but we talked about the questions, and as expected, we're pretty much perfect for each other :)

Check back often for more updates, and be sure to sign our guestbook! Mandi just loves seeing new entries!

OK, so we finally got all of the big stuff booked (8 months out!!): Church, Reception, Flowers, Music, Rehearsal Dinner, Photographer, Limo, etc. (If there's something big we missed, don't tell me! I don't want to know!) I'd say we can relax for at least an hour and a half or so until we get back to planning. lol...

So we had some friends over to the apartment to celebrate the holidays/catch up. It was so fun! My favorite part was when Eric and I told the story of how we got together to Leland, it made me smile. While our story isn't the most romantic/storybook - it's quite perfect for us. From Eric asking me out on AIM to our first "date" (if that's what you want to call it) at Taco Bell. If you haven't heard the story, ask us the next time we see you. It's hilarious! And it's fun to remember good times!! Lovies~

After spending every evening for the past week, the new design is finally ready for the unveiling. There are still a few fixes here and there, but for the most part, it's ready

It's been grueling, and Mandi probably thinks I hate her for all the little changes she's been asking for over and over, but really, I'm glad she did. The site looks amazing, and even though the bottom corner has my name on it, Mandi definitely was the creative force behind this design.

We're also just about ready to send on save the date magnets. Be checking your mailboxes!

Peace.

Didn't Eric do a fabulous job putting this website together??  It's a work in progress...so check it lots for new and FUN additions!!  :D  Yay for me marrying a computer nerd!!  lol...

I would just like to say my girls are AMAZING!!  (and Alan too!)  Thank you so much for searching Vanity's across the country for sunglasses...lol...and Christie, I'm sorry you're banned from Vanity stores for the next 10 years.  Lovies~

We've been working hard this week to get the website finished.... will it ever be done? :)  Just a few more things and we should be ready to make it live.

Our save the date magnets came in the mail a few days ago, and they look great.  We can't wait to mail them out so that they can hang on fridges from Denver to NYC.

The wedding is getting closer and closer by the day, and I can't wait.

OK, so I have gone full steam into wedding planning mode since our -1 Year Anniversary.  (Yes, we celebrated!)  Anyway...I've ordered my dress and we gave the approval for our Save-the-Date magnets...so they're on the way too!  11 months 4 days to go!  Lovies!