You're invited

"Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination."
-Roy Goodman

Our invitations are finished and in the mail! Finishing that project was one that I'm so thankful I was able to check off our to do list. I did have lots of fun making them and assembling them (with Adam and my mom) but it was a big task to complete. I spent a couple of weeks designing them and printing off all the materials then we spent a few days gluing all the pieces together. My goal was to get them out by June 1. Mission accomplished! We had a few hiccups along they way, but I think they turned out better than I imagined in my head. I can't wait to start getting our RSVP postcards back in the mail. I've heard from a few people that they really liked the postcard and didn't want to send it back. Let me know if you'd like a copy to keep. I have TONS of extras. I had to get them in bulk. Send me a note and I'll get one out to you that you can keep. We're looking forward to celebrating with all of you.

-Penny

Cheers!

"Marriage is choosing someone again and again to love
and to cherish with each new day."

Our latest purchase for the upcoming nuptials arrived on our doorstep yesterday. It's a purchase that I was pretty excited about because it's one of the things we get to keep. I've been eyeing these particular toasting flutes and serving set for a couple of months waiting for the right time to get them. The items finally went on sale and I snatched them up. The serving set and glasses are called "Glitter Galore" and are trimmed in diamonds. I love them!

-Penny

The search is over (hopefully)

"Little girls have a magic all their own."

I've been searching for the perfect flower girl dresses for the past couple of months. I really thought I would find an adorable ensemble during Easter. But, there wasn't much to choose from. To be honest, I was really surprised. When I was younger there were tons of frilly, lacy dresses that were available. I remember getting so excited about getting a new dress for Easter. There aren't many options these days. My main objective was trying to find a dress that was reasonably priced. I just couldn't justify spending more than a hundred dollars on these dresses. I kept looking at department stores without much luck. The main issue I kept running into was finding a dress that I liked that would fit both flower girls. They are in different size categories. My niece (Destiny) wears a size 3 and Adam's Goddaughter (Elizabeth) wears an 8. Designers typically don't make the same dress in both of those sizes. I have no idea why they don't but they don't. I was starting to lose hope until I found this great site Pink Princess. They have tons of beautiful dresses and I think I found the perfect one. I loved the polka dots. I thought it was adorable. I couldn't decide between the polka dots and getting one that really matched my dress and the bridesmaid dress. But, I decided to go with the polka dots. The dresses are ordered and I'm waiting for them to arrive. Hopefully I love them in person as much as I did online.

-Penny

Mother knows best

"A mother's love is the fuel that enables a normal human being
to do the impossible. "
A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul

My mom came to visit me for six days and it couldn't have came at a better time. I'm at the point in the wedding planning where I'm finalizing the plans and I really needed the help deciding on some major and minor details of the wedding. I'm so glad she was here to help me out for a few days. I established a to do list for us and we accomplished nearly everything on it. The biggest task was assembling the invitations. I designed every detail of the invitation and ordered everything in pieces. So we spent a couple nights put the invitations together with a hot glue gun and other supplies. I'm really happy with how they turned out. All I have to do is put on stamps and address them. I'm hoping to get them in the mail by June 1st. (I'll post a picture of them when I get them shipped off.) We also spent Saturday wedding shopping. Adam's mom came down from Tampa to join us. We had such a great time looking for mothers of the dresses and other items. I really wanted to find a veil and jewelry, but I didn't have much luck with that. Veils are so expensive... it's crazy... it's just tulle on a comb! No one bought anything on our trip, but both my mom and Amy found a dress that they liked that I think they're planning to order/get at a boutique closer to home. It's so fun watching everything come together. I can't wait for the next few months to come and go. I can't wait to be Mrs. Adam Fisher!

-Penny

Take me to Jamaica

“Don't worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright”
Bob Marley

Adam and I officially have a honeymoon location. After several months of deliberations (there are so many choices and it was a difficult one to make) We'll be soaking up the sun on the beaches of Jamaica. We'll be staying at a Sandals Resort in Montego Bay that is all inclusive and we're so excited about it! We stayed in an all inclusive resort in Mexico a few years ago and we loved it. I'm just so thankful that we have this finalized. Now... to get a passport!

-Penny

All in good time

"Thank you for sharing in the celebration of our love and commitment on our wedding day."

I recently set up a meeting with our reception vendors and it got me to thinking about a timeline. Of course, I would think about time because with our jobs (working at a newspaper) we're always thinking about time and making deadlines. So, I pulled out my wedding planning book and according to it a typical reception timeline follows this format:

Hour one:
-Guests arrive at reception site.
-Cocktail hour begins while wedding party finishes photos
-Guests sign guest book & pick up place cards
-Guests enter ballroom & take seats

Hour two:
-Wedding party is introduced
-Bride & groom are introduced
-First dance
-Relative or friend says grace
-Father of the bride offers welcome toast
-Guests take seats for first course - kicked off by toast by best man

Hour three:
-Maid of honor offers toast
-Father/daughter dance
-Mother/son dance
-Bridal party dance
-Main course is cleared. Open dancing begins. (Plan on 30 minutes of dancing before cutting the cake)

Hour four:
-Cake cutting
-Open dancing
-Bouquet toss
-Garter toss

Hour five:
-Last dance
-Bride & groom say farewell

It looks pretty good to me. I doubt I'll change much with this except that our reception will be six hours instead of four so I might have to do some adjusting here and there unless we shorten our reception time.

-Penny

The Move: One year later

“Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

I was cleaning out some files today and came across a print-out of a blog Adam wrote on August 5, 2008 titled The Move: One year later. I thought it would be neat to share it with all of you. It's his thoughts 364 days after moving to the sunshine state.

One year ago yesterday, I moved out of Indiana for the third time in my life. Come late tomorrow night, it will have been one year since I established my new home in Florida. This is officially the longest I've lived outside the borders of the Great Hoosier Nation.

The move was quite an abrupt and drastic one. I up and quit my job with no form of employment lined up. I sold off all my furniture and threw away all of my belongings that didn't fit into a U-HAUL trailer. I moved 1,400 miles to a place I'd only visited once to live with... gasp!... A GIRL!

Despite everyone's words of reassurance and support, I had my reservations and fears about The Move.

But 364 days later, it turns out everyone was right, I was wrong. The Move has turned out better than I could have imagined and has been one of the best decisions I've made in my life.

Almost immediately after arriving in Florida, everything started turning up. I got a job (or two) quickly, and even started working for a the newspaper. I made enough money to pay my bills. I made some friends. I went to the beach (often.)

the past year has been like one long, beautiful vacation. It's been like my 12-month sabbatical from the real world. About a month after getting to Florida and realizing things were going to work out, I haven't had a care in the world. Everything is so laid back and chill down here. Plus, it's hard to get upset about anything when, as soon as you walk out your front door, you're greeted by palm trees and 80-degree sun every day of the year.

Since The Move, I've been my own boss. I work from home as often as I like. I wake up at 10 in the morning and make phone calls and write stories in my underwear. It's beautiful. And, I've worked part-time as a lifeguard, which is the most relaxing and each job ever invented. Plus, I get a sweet tan.

I've always suspected that karma and the gods favored me. There's been too much good and not enough bad in my life to think otherwise. Now more than ever, I'm certain that fate smiles upon me. If anything, The Move has taught me that I can be successful at any of my endeavors. It's also taught me not to fear the unknown.

Sure it took some hard work, but let's be honest... there was a lot of luck involved. I just happened to be dating someone at the newspaper company where I got a job. And that newspaper just happened to be severely understaffed, resulting in much work and money for me. So, I feel into the perfect situation.

And the living with a girl thing? It's worked out pretty well, too. I'm no longer crashing in Penny's apartment; we have our own bad-ass place. I still don't have many belongings other than my huge flippin' TV. But that's all a man needs, right?

So all is well in Florida. I miss my friends, and I'd love to be in a bigger city. But The Move has definitely paid off, making me a much happier and content person.

-Adam

P.S. The photo is from our first Christmas in Florida.