Bridal Shower

So even though, the invitations went out awhile ago...

And pretty cute invites at that (compliments of Megan). And I knew that the bridal shower was coming. I really had no idea what was in store. The minute I arrive, I am welcomed by this:

The excitement instantly hit me!  I was like.. hey thats me =).

I enter and the whole place is decorated, and I'm greeted by all my wonderful friends and family! =) They went all out and incorporated my favorite flowers and our colors. I had balloons, and table decorations and awesome beverages, and this beautiful cake!

My mom even made me wear this bride hat! =)

It was so great to catch up with so many great people! My high school softball coach (and so much more), even came! My friends I've made at work were, my beautiful grammy was there, and my wonderful family, and outstanding friends! Even my Aunt Karen was there (via Skype). Everyone chipped in to make me feel so very special. 

We played the Newlywed game, that I didn't do so good at! But it was so much fun! Then I got to open the monstrous amount of presents!! and everyone played Present Bingo!

(told you there was a lot)

I am still in awe of how many wonderful people I have in my life who just went out of their way for me. Even if was to take the time to write a card, or stop by, or just say Congratulations! I'm so very blessed and thankful to each one of you! 

It was one of the best days I've had. And I didn't want it to end! Thank you to my sister (in-law), my mom, my best friend, my soon to be sister in law and mother in law, my sister and everyone else for putting this day on for me! 

Here are just a few pictures that were captured on the day! 

Enjoy!

Me and all my girls!

Colleen, best friend just doesn't really describe her!

My mommy

My two moms

Me with the Jones' =)

Bride and Groom ( I like the sound of that! =) )

Valentine's Day!

So I know this isn't really wedding related but just have to brag and be mushy about my handsome husband to be!

Me and Jason had an agreement that for Valentine's day this year, we wouldn't do anything for each other. We would just stay at home and have a meal together and just spend time together! With the wedding coming up and his birthday and the honeymoon, we're trying to save money and work really hard to get everything accomplished. Well, stupid me to actually believe that he would do that. A couple days before V-day he mentioned that he was working on something for Valentine's day, and he kept mentioning how excited he was about the upcoming holiday! Well that got me thinking that well I better go get a gift. And I had no idea what to get for him. Valentine's day is meant for celebrating love, and I didn't really have time to do something special like I would normally do for Valentine's day. I told him that I had to go shopping and he begged me not to go, and I told him that I HAD to, that I wasn't going to let him get me stuff and me not get him anything. Well he was like just make sure its something small I only spent 20 bucks on your gift (again stupid me for believing him!!!). So I was like 20 bucks okay.. what can I get for 20 bucks that is Valentine's day worthy! Well it hit me, every since we started planning our honeymoon, he has been telling me that he can't WAIT to get a Hawaiian shirt! And I immediately rebuked that decision and told him how I didn't like Hawaiian shirts. I'm not sure what his infatuation of the Hawaiian shirt is, but he apparently loves them. So against my better judgement I purchased him a Hawaiian shirt. More to be funny than sweet. So here I am all proud of my gift thinking that I did something good.
Well Valentine's day morning, he tells me that we are leaving at 2 and I need to be ready to go. And he was off, he didn't tell me much else. So I don't know what to think! So I get ready then he sends me a text telling me I need to pack an overnight bag!.... very suspicious, since we are supposed to be staying in tonight!
So he arrives and I'm ready. I open the front seat to get in. And there is a single rose waiting for me (very familiar if you read our engagement story). Along with a gift bag. He tells me to open the gift, I do and its my new favorite singer's CD. KIP MOORE!!!

So we get to listen to that on this 2 hour drive! We arrive in Holland, Michigan and the very familiar City Flats hotel, where he took me for Engagement Weekend. He opens the trunk and has my favorite orange gerbera daisies for me (also from Engagement weekend).

 We get into the hotel and it just so happens that we had our SAME ROOM! =) very special. We relax for a while and then got ready for dinner.

 And of course he takes me to my new favorite restaurant, the PIPER!

Which overlooks the water. We got seats right by the window (very close to wear he proposed) and got to look out, and they decorated the pier with light up hearts!

 Everyone was sweet and everything was perfect. We laughed and just talked forever. We had so much fun!

All the hearts and the snow <3

Then we went back to the hotel and open presents. To my surprise I had ANOTHER present! So I'm feeling really guilty about my present. Nonetheless we open presents. 

He handmade the card for me... about the best present I ever received.

A long long long letter that was so perfect and touched my heart.

Then the present was a HUGE wall decal that said LOVE (Something I've been wanting since we got the house!!)

Then it was his turn!

Reading the card

He sees it!

Well I have to admit, I even like this one! =)

So this wasn't it! This boy made me a LOVE cake, (Literally, made it in a pan that said LOVE) It was so perfect and delicious! 

We had such a good night. It was so nice to relax, and just be with each other. It so different, we spend about every second together. But it was nice being away from home and not feeling like I had to do laundry or clean or whatever. It was so relaxing and just what I needed. I love this boy more every single day. He goes out of his way to make me feel special and loved. I have got to be the luckiest girl in the entire world! 

Honeymoon!

So me and Jason have been spending lots and lots and LOTS of time! researching honeymoons! We had certain stipulations... WARM, intimate, beautiful, and all inclusive!

So we have heard great things from the Dominican Republic. So we found a beautiful resort called Majestic Colonial in Punta Cana.

Isn't it beautiful?

Its all inclusive, we have a beautiful room, with a jetted whirlpool tub, its going to be so relaxing! We are going to go deep sea fishing! (I can't wait!) and I told Jason that we HAVE to go to the spa!  =)
Really looking forward to it? And looking forward to SHOPPING for it! Hello Sundresses!! =)

Now with that said, we are now 98 days away, so I think its time to bust into wedding season mode since I have been so lax!  So Gym here I come! Jason is committed to helping me with this (not that he has a choice!)

So hopefully the day I walk down the aisle I am just so confident and radiating that to everyone!

To a great year and a great beginning of a beautiful life with the man of my dreams! =)

Invites DONE!!

So we got our invites in! And I am not sure how I did it but I talked my mom and best friend Colleen in to helping me address them!  ( I think they like me =) ) So my mom addressed ALL of them in a few short hours. Colleen helped me package them.

This was a lot of work! I had no idea how much etiquette was involved in all of this! I did a lot of research and this is what I came up with! So I hope its right and no one gets offended!

Then we went to the post office and weighed our invites.. and of course they weigh too much! So instead of getting the 45 cent stamp we had to get the 65 cent stamp... we walked out of the post office with $154 less! =(  Oh well it will SO be worth it!

So last night me and Jason spend the evening putting stamps on all the envelopes and all the response cards! And numbering all the response cards (thanks to pinterest!)

This was a lot of work as well, you have to figure out what goes in the envelope, in what order, and facing what way! So again hopefully its right!!

We had special return address labels made up, and of course they aren't ready but thats the last thing we're waiting on! So as soon as they get in, you guys will be getting them!! YA!!

Aren't they perfect! =)

Wedding party complete!

So Jason really couldn't figure out who he wanted to be the fourth guy standing next to him. Then in April of last year, a new friend came into our lives. Andrew started working at the jail with us, and him and Jason have been inseparable. Andrew has a beautiful wife and a little tiny baby on the way. They are perfect and such a great addition to us! So Jason FINALLY asked him and he SAID YES! very exciting moment!

such a good day.

So now our wedding party is complete! 

We have now gotten our invitations! So be looking for those in the mail soon (we have to address them first)

We got our style of tuxes picked out. Let me say that Jason and I don't have the same taste when it comes to tuxes. But hey, he didn't help me pick out my dress so therefore I let him chose his tux (minus the white tux! =))

We registered yesterday at Target!

So we are done with registers now. We got Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target! We had A LOT of fun doing this! Target they just leave you alone! =) We scanned so much stuff that the battery died on the scanner!

We went and started looking at wedding bands! I think I found the one I want!

THENNNNNN!!! Its getting so close that my bridal shower is almost coming up!! =) And my sister (in-law) MADE these beautiful invitations for me =)

Aren't they perfect?! I'm so excited! I feel so special already! 

Things are moving right along! (Finally!) We got flowers picked out!

Today we are going with our florist to the Lerner to see what she can do. We are starting to work on centerpieces and wedding favors!

Things seem to be moving in the right direction! We have been having a lot of fun doing all this! Can't wait to see what the final product is!

Thank you to everyone helping with everything! I'M SO EXCITED!!

And I'm back!

So its been awhile since I've updated this! (Not even sure if anyone reads it, but its good to vent).

A lot of things happened since the last post.

I GOT MY DRESS!! Finally made a decision and it has been ordered! =) Very excited and really at peace with the decision. I thought I would regret it after I ordered it, but I'm not! Just more excited!

We got the bridesmaid dresses figured out! Just waiting on one more girl to order it... my sister of course.  (thats a whole nother story!)

We got the save the dates out! That was a hassle in itself! Apparently my "knot" guest list didn't save (or something) all the addresses. I printed them all out and some people were missing. And I didn't realize it until all of them were out, so I had to try and remember who got one already... Def starting now on the wedding invite list to make sure its perfect, I don't want anyone left out!

We ordered invitations!! That was harder than I thought! I wanted to them to be perfect! And I think they are exactly what we wanted! =) We should be getting the proof any day now!  I'm really looking forward to seeing how they turned out, and it will probably seem so real seeing our names on them =) very exciting!

My girls (the good ones) are already working on my shower, which means more to me than they will ever know. Its so nice feeling special and important and they are doing just that! =)

Still have a lot of work to do! FLOWERS! Are next! Still very indecisive about that... I can't really picture what I want! I've looked at millions of bouquets but still can't seem to find what I want. I even went to hobby lobby and tried to put my own bouquet together... still couldn't find it. So hopefully we will get to go flower shopping soon!

After Christmas I'm going to start working on the favors and centerpieces! Very excited about them!

A lot of little details will be coming up soon! Just hope I have given myself enough time to do all this.

I think that's about all the wedding stuff!

The house... GREAT! We love it! We have finally gotten some things on the wall. Jason's basement is done. I think everything is organized! We got our Christmas tree up! The bar is decorated!  We are hosting the day after Christmas over here! And I'm very excited about that!

We just celebrated our two year anniversary (even though we've been together for longer)! And it was perfect! This boy gets sweeter and more perfecter every day! =)

So all in all things are going really well in the Jones household! =)

Moved in!

Well September 21st came and went. We closed on the house, no problems whatsoever. When we showed up for closing we already had a full car load to take to the new house. We went right there and already started moving in. It was definitely a great feeling turning that key for the first time =)
We went and got our address changed and new driver's licenses. Went and bought paint and other stuff to get started. Our great friend Joe, came over and the basement project began. The boys started on the "Cubs" basement. I got started on cleaning! Erin even came over and helped us paint a wall =) Love that lady!

We started packing more, and taking more loads of at a time. While the boys were working one day, I went back to the apartment and got all our sleepover clothes and the air mattress, and me and Jason spent our first "night" in the new house. It was GREAT! The following Wednesday (we waited until we had a day off work), our wonderful friend Andrew came over and helped us pack the truck, and unpack the truck. We got all moved in just a couple hours, with just me, Jason and Andrew.

My dad came over later that day and helped. We're so lucky to have such great people in our lives that will go out of their way to help us.

So now that we were moved in, it was time to organize and unpack. That was the hard part. I've never had to take nothing and turn it into what I want. I've never been really good at seeing the "big picture" But we have made it work. Jason has given me free reign on just about everything but the basement. We still have a lot to do but I feel like we are getting settled rather well. We just need to decorate now. Everything has found its way into its place. We got our new sectional, the tv and Internet has been set up, and even the Sunday paper has been delivered.

We threw our first PARTY! last Friday. My very best friend Colleen's birthday is coming up (October 20) and me and Jason will be in Florida for it. And her son's birthday was October 3. So I convinced her to let us throw Brody a small birthday party here for her. She had no idea that I had all her friends here for a party for her =)  It went so well! We had probably 15 people over or so, and we didn't have a fire hazard and no one had to wait in line for the bath room!
It was really nice, I just wanted her to feel special for all she has done for me. She has been outrageously involved in all the wedding planning! I couldn't ask for more out of her. She is always asking about the wedding, and wanting to go to absolutely everything wedding involved, she is so excited and so supportive of everything. She actually cares and that is really nice.
So I just hope she felt important and special because she is such a great person!

So the house is coming along great. The boys are in the process of a building a bar. Can't wait to see what this turns out to be. But we are looking forward to entertaining and having a great time here, and making new memories. =)

Wedding:

The wedding has been kind of at a stand still since the house. We did manage to get the cake! Which was an awesome experience.We are meeting with our awesome picture people on Wednesday to finally get our save the dates! We need to get those out ASAP!

Dresses... yep still no dresses. I think I finally know the one I want. I really want my MOH to come see it. Just sucks she is so far away.

You know, since the very beginning I always said I didn't want any drama in my wedding. But of course thats not possible.
I had one bridesmaid tell me she didn't care about me, and that my wedding wasn't a priority, and that she didn't care if she wasn't in my wedding. So needless to say.. this has not been drama free.

Just wish people would care, and be excited, and actually be supportive. Its been really hard for me that people aren't supportive or excited or even ask about it. Kinda sad.


We've been attending church regularly. The pastor that is going to marry us, is the one that runs this church. We love it. We feel so welcomed and at home. And its so nice for us to be going to church again.  The pastor and his wife invited us over to their home two weeks ago. And it was great they had a full dinner for us and we got to know each other and it was great. I'm so glad that he is marrying us!


So for the most part things have been going great. We just need to get going on the wedding stuff! Now that we are 200 days away!!!!!! But I think most of the big things are done! JUST NEED A DRESS!!! We are very happy!  <3