Pray for Our Little Family(yes, Poseidon, too)

Andrew has been having the hardest time finding a job. Today, we had two positive responses to his job search. He has an interview tomorrow morning and he will hopefully have a job by the end of the week. Just pray for us. And I am hoping to start my studies as a wedding consultant next week. We'll see how that goes. Yeah, and our air conditioning is broken. Quoi, you say? Yes, it is going to be 83 degrees out tomorrow and our AC is on the fritz. One day at a time, yeah?

Bridesmaid & Groomsman Invites

So I got bored while I was on desk tonight and I created my bridesmaid and Andrew's groomsman invitations. Mine has a really cute, simple poem in it that goes something like this.

Through the in's and out's

And thick and thin

No matter what's happened

There've you been

You smile when i need it

and listen when i grieve,

you hug me when i cry-

and blow boogers on your sleeve.

I treasure you friend

More than diamonds or gold,

and i promise i will

when we are saggy and old.

So please stand by my side

when i say "I DO"

for I wouldn't be me

without a friend like you.

I am not saying who my bridesmaids or Andrew's groomsmen are just yet, because you know, they haven't accepted yet. Mainly because I haven't given them the cards yet. I will probably do it in the next couple of weeks, because a couple may be hard to track down after the summer is done. But there they are. Aren't they cute?

Why I Think My Calling is in Wedding Planning

I love to plan. I am OCD for details. I go over numbers in my head and then again to make sure they are right and then again to make sure that I haven't messed anything up. I love details, planning out the stationery, the dinner, the music, the whole shebang! I want to be a wedding planner! I have been wanting to be one for the past year, and I think that is what I am going to pursue after college. I want to coordinate all kinds of events for a living, not just weddings. I think I would be great at it. I would never get bored, and I would be associating with people and doing what I love to do best: plan. Ask anyone and they will tell you that I am a planner. But the other great thing that I bring to the table is that I am creative. I am already planning my own wedding with Andrew as my co-planner; but a lot of the stuff I am doing, such as invites, catering, and coordinating, I am doing on my own. I was working on my "will you be my bridesmaid" cards today and Andrew looked at me, and he said, "You look so happy. You should be a wedding planner." And I totally agree with him. I should be a wedding planner. But I wouldn't just be planning the wedding, I would be helping the couple prepare for married life, be there to remind them both that the wedding is just a day, and what they are committing to lasts forever. It would be my dream job. So, I am enrolling in the ABC wedding consultant program this January to begin my training and be a certified event planner by June of next year, enough time to have a few apprenticed weddings and get in with a prestigious event planning company by August, after my own wedding. Yeah, it may sound a little bit overblown and "perfect" but I have already accounted for all the hard work and planning it is going to take to obtain this dream job of mine. Luckily, I am the ultimate when it comes to planning.

My Budget Plan

• Every bride has a budget. If she doesn't, then she is asking for a kick in the pants fast, because if you don't stick to the budget, you might find yourself in a world, and I mean a WORLD of debt. Andrew and I are paying for our own wedding, basically. My father is issuing me a $10,000 budget to work with for our wedding. Most couples have atleast $20,000 to work with, but I believe that the more you try to impress someone with your wedding, the more you

a. fret over whether or not they are going to like it
b. worry too much about the details of the wedding and not your marriage
c. have serious issues with what it takes to make you happy.
Yeah, some girls are big into the 3-5 course sit down meals with the full cake and flowing wine and champagne, but that's just not me. So, I, Morgan Overcash, along with the help of Andrew, my closest friends and family, are going to pull a fun, wonderful, lovely wedding together on a shoe-string budget. Impossible? I think not!

Budget $10,000

1. Ceremony

• Officiant's Fee $100
• Time Capsule & Pens $20
• Site Fee $2000
• RUNNING TOTAL $2120

1. Wedding Attire

• Gown Alterations(wearing mom's dress) $350
• Makeup & Hair $50
• Nails $50
• Reception Dress $100
• RUNNING TOTAL $2670

1. Stationery(I'm doing it all myself)

• Save the Date Postcards $75
• Invitations & RSVPS $150
• Programs $50
• Thank You Notes $75
• Postage $200
• RUNNING TOTAL $3220

1. Cocktail Hour & Reception

• Cocktails $750
• Hors d'oeuvres $300
• Main Meal $1000
• Candy Bar $250
• RUNNING TOTAL $5520

1. Cakes

• Wedding Cupcakes $200
• Groom's Cake $75
• Cake Top, Knife, and Glasses $50
• RUNNING TOTAL $5845

1. Flowers

• Wedding Flowers $200
• Recpetion Flowers $150
• RUNNING TOTAL $6195

1. Rental Items

• Tent(s) $600
• Dance Floor $500
• Lights $100
• Tables & Chairs Provided by LCRC
• Tablecloths $200
• RUNNING TOTAL $7595

1. Music

• Ceremony Musicians from WU $240
• DJ for Cocktail Hour and Reception $600
• RUNNING TOTAL $8435

1. Miscellaneous

• Unexpected Expenses $500
• GRAND TOTAL $8935

There it is. I was able to budget a little over $1000 under budget. How I am going to actually pull it off? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.

A Few of My Favorite Thing

With the recession still raging at my door, and feeling sick to my stomach knowing that there are people out there with a quarter of Andrew's IQ taking all the good jobs leaving Andrew with nothing, I have decided to make a little list of things I appreciate in my life.

1. My family. My parents are so supportive of everything I do, and yeah they sometimes push my buttons, but I love them. And my sister is so uber-talented, and she has this amazing life and career ahead of her, and at 17, that is simply amazing.
2. Andrew. I rant, and I rave, and that guy still loves me as much as the first day he told me so. And the thing is, I love him back. Can't help but love him. Even when we wake up in the mornings and my hair is crazy and he smells funny, we still love each other. And that is so going to pay off when we are in our 80's, 90's, and even the golden 100's. He's my best friend; 'nough said.
3. My friends. They love me even though I am a freak of nature, and I love them back. They don't even know how much I'm grateful they are in my life.
4. When a pair of pants I considered too small a year ago come off without me unbuttoning them today. I have a pair of size 10 American Eagle jeans and when i am chaning into my pajamas, I don't even have to unbutton the things. Ego-boost, big time.
5. Kooshie chair at the front desk. It's kooshie, and it's a chair. And I get to sit in it from 11:30 PM to 7:30 AM every Saturday and Monday. I love it.
6. Curling up with Andrew at 8:00 AM after a night on the desk. I spend two nights a week working in a cold lobby with technically no human contact. When I get home and into my bed, and Andrew wraps his arms around me and snuggles, it's the best feeling in the world.
7. Andrew reading "Angels and Demons." It's a great book, and Andrew makes it funny.
8. Blogging. I love talking about myself. So, yeah, support my favorite thing and become a follower.
9. Praying. It makes me feel so much better knowing that God is watching over me, my family, and everything in general. And even when the bad things happen, it doesn't take Him/Her long to show me why things had to be that way. God is awesome.
10. Sudoku. My sister introduced it to me about 3 years ago. It's an amazing game, highly addictive, and when I finish off a puzzle, I feel really smart.
11. Taking naps. Enough said there.
12. Copying recipes. The adult female equivalent to coloring pages, in my opinion. It's very zen, very exciting, even because you can't wait until you can try the recipe out yourself.
13. Smelling things that bring back memories. It's one of the best things I experience randomly.
14. Wedding planning. I think even after Andrew and I get married, I will be wedding planning.
15. Looking at cats in Pet Smart. There is this one gray one named Dani. She has very sad eyes, gray hair, and everytime I come to visit her, I just fall in love with her. I really want to adopt her, but can't until Andrew gets a job.
16. Watching a seed become sprouts. My friend got me an herb garden for housewarming, and Friday, little green sprouts emerged from the soil. Talk about miracles.

That's all I have for now. These are a few of my favorite things. What are yours?

What I Hate About Line Dances

Having attended a dear friend's wedding, I have to express my disdain for line dances. That said, I also find them a necessary evil at weddings, because there are some people at weddings who just can't dance on their own. They have to be told what to do. Plus, never in a wedding will you see as many people on the dance floor as you will with a line dance.
Here's what I don't like about line dances:
1. You would think they would come up with another one atleast every year. It's not that hard. But year after year, wedding after wedding, these are the dances that guests are dancing to:

• ChaCha Slide(really, it's the easiesy line dance ever and there are still people who cannot dance it, or for that matter, clap their hand to the beat which is being tapped out loudly just for you)
• Macarina (did I even spell that right. This evil dance will get stuck in your head so fast you find your limbs automatically performing the moves for you, and the lyrics wills tay stuck in your head for hours after the reception has ended.)
• Electric slide.(A favorite for old and young alike. You just do the moves in succession until you get bored or the song ends, and the boredom sets in about the 4tf time you rotate)

2. Line dances get boring FAST. Add something else to them for goodness sakes.

3. If you're white and you need a line dance song to dance, then you probably can't get the rhythm right in the first place. Therefore, it bothers me when no one can clap in time with the song.

That said, I am going to attempt to incorporate the following songs into my wedding, still line dances, but justa wee bit more interesting.

• Cupid step(because it's not only a line dance, but a wonderful song in general)
• Soldierboy( gives you a chance to throw your own moves in before coming back to the chorus, where the line dance is)
• The cotton-eyed joe (My mom lived in Texas, and it is just fun watching good old southern people hopping around. Yes, you may have to learn this one before the wedding, but my goodness people will be so impressed when you pull this line dance out)

Our Little Home

Before: A very bare room with no character and a hideous mirror.
After: A warm, Tuscany theme is applied to this small kitchen and every square inch of storage space is used.

After: A painted a Tuscan-themed backsplash to add to the overall theme of the room. It's so cozy and one of my favorite rooms in the house.


























Before: The room was large, but so bland.
After: We incorporated a Southwestern
color scheme to make you eye travel to the high ceilings and about the room. The couch and love seat are spread out, but it really opens up the room. The coffee table doubles as Andrew's and my dining table when we watch our favorite shows and eat.
After: We got that entertainment center for basically nothing at a consignment store down the street. It is made out of cherry wood and is just awesome. It adds a lot of storage. The walls are still a little bare, but we've done a lot for just living here about a month.



Before: This bathroom was almost a deal-breaker for me. The wallpaper gave me headaches and made the room just seem so tiny. The garish light above was very cold. This bathroom was just stuck in the '80's when the condo was first built.











After: My favorite makeover in all of the house. We took down all the wall paper and painted it a light blue. We then took down the 80's fixture and mirror and purchased oil-rubbed bronze fixtures for the lights and the toilet paper and towel bars, as well as installed a beautiful black-framed mirror. The flooring was easy, done with a linoleum white marble tile that could be cut with scissors. It compliments the counter top. We also painted the cabinet black to match the fixtures. This room just has a great Parisian theme that I carried out through the black and white photographs and the artwork that is the focal point of the room.














Before: The master was humongous, but I wasn't loving the
yellow-ish color on the walls.
After: I lightened up the color of the walls to a more creamy
color, and carried over the blue, black, and white color scheme into the bedroom. The black chandelier, which showcases the Parisian theme, I bought at Wal-Mart 3 years ago and never got to use it until now. Andrew gives me grief about it, because a fan would have been more practical, but I think it's pretty. The bed is so comfy and all the furniture is recycled from my old childhood room, I just gave it a coat of fresh paint and it has gone from girly to refined.

We did it all on a $2,000 budget, mostly recycling materials and buying at sales. Our contractor, my Uncle Mike, was spectacular, especially with putting up the crown moulding. It is just a great house!

Battle for the Dress(Part 1)

Okay, so I am getting married in August 2010, which gives me...1 year and 2 months to get into the shape of my life. To the mortal eye that may seem like quite a large amount of time, however, because there will be times I expect to fall off the wagon (it will probably begin to set in around November AKA the necessary evil called Thanksgiving ((and Andrew and I are attending 2 Thanksgivings and two Christmases)) (((OMG)))).

Starting Weight: 135.2 lb.
Bust: 34"
Waist: 29 1/2"
Hips: 38 3/4"
Arm Circumfrence: 10 1/2 "
Thigh Cicrumference: 22 1/2"

At my peak of health, I wager I would be around 125 lb, and have smaller measurements. What those measurements would actually be, I have no idea. The "ideal bride" is supposed to be a 36", 24", 36". But I don't like to put myself up to that standard, especially since my bust area is 2 inches smaller than standard. But that's cool. I hate standards, anyways. So, every month for the next year and 2 months, I will be updating this string of blog postings with my current weight and measurements. I won't be dieting, just eating healthy. I don't believe in crash dieting, but I am going to follow a workout routine called Bridal Bootcamp. I got the book online and so far, it has given me great results, AKA making me sore as hell. But we'll see how it turns out. The battle for the dress is on! Raaaawr!

Okah, so, a Little About Myself

Hi, everybody! Um, let me tell you a little about myself...but I am just guessing you already know me since you are accessing my blog. I am new to this. Not just the blogging thing but the living on my own thing. So, I am going to commence with running a beginner's blog: a how-to blog for those of us who have left or been kicked out fo the nest. Just so you know, I chose to leave. Not because my parents were driving me nuts or the rivalry between my sister and I grew so intense that we decided the house was not big enough for the both of us; nothing like that. But I'm independent. Being the first child, I learned how to become self-reliant at a young age, learned how to cook, how to clean, how to budget out my allowance. I decided to embark into this dark, cold world on my own after I met a great guy named Andrew Magness, who proposed to me this past December. We are planning on getting married August 7, 2010. That's the other thing I will be doing: documenting my experience as being a fiancee and a new wife. I am also a BIG do-it-yourselfer, and I will be throwing up recipes, crafting ideas, wedding tips, and little tidbits for you crafty people. Nice to meet you or if I know you thanks for checking out my blog. It's going to be fun!