That's Beautiful To Me

Last Post as a Miss....

2011-04-08T09:26:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I am married.
I will wake up at nine, get dressed, and then Cassie and I will drive to the church.
I will wear my mother's gown and I will be given away from my father.
I will say I do to the man of my dreams.
We will get pictures, we will laugh, we will cry.
We will kiss.
I will dance with my husband. I will toss a bouquet. He will toss my garter.
And then in one blink of an eye it will all be over. The whole year of planning (which there will be more posts about my planning period after the wedding) done in one more day.
I have had a pretty great planning experience. Filled with lots of happy moments, stressful moments, and little moments in between.

I am ready to start a new chapter in our lives: Newlyweds.

We have to paint our master bedroom, our living room, and our kitchen. We will set up our furniture. We will live in a small space just the two of us. And I cannot wait.

This blogging thing has really been something I've enjoyed, even though I haven't done it nearly as often as I would have wished I could have. (Curse you busy life!)

I cannot wait to tell you all about the rest of our journey...

See you all on the other side.... as a Mrs. B!

My Bridal Showers:: Part One

2011-03-30T11:20:00.000-04:00

First off I'd like to say how lucky I am.... because our families are amazing.

My First shower was March 6th. My Aunt Beth, Aunt Becky, and Aunt Laura hosted it, but all of my cousins (Danielle, Katie, Michaela, Brianna, and Tori) all helped along with my Grandma and my Great Aunt Charlene. It was a ton of fun.

We played a purse game, had a ton of food, and opened presents. It was short, sweet and personal.

From each side:

My mom's biological side:

Grandma Cartwright
Aunt Karen
Hayley
Chris
Tammy

My mom's foster side:

Kayla
Jennie
Jessie
Maria

My dad's side:

Aunt Laura
Aunt Beth
Aunt Becky
Danielle
Tori
Katie
Michaela
Brianna
Aunt Charlene
Grandma

Zach's Side:

Grandma Davis
Mom
Aubree
Kayleen

Friends:

Sarah
Jade
Beth

All in all it was a wonderful turn out!!

Here are some pictures of what went on that day.

Bethany, Sarah and Jade... Of Course Jade is the only one paying attention

The Present Table

Pyrex Containers!

My Mom's side of the family

My Cousin's working on the bow bouquet

Final Project

It was a wonderful shower and I had a ton of fun!

Next up is Bridal Shower:: Part Two

While I fill the bubbles

2011-03-24T15:13:00.000-04:00

The title is correct.

I am filling up our bubbles. Again. See there is a story behind the title.

**Six months ago**

"Oh look bubbles! And they are only 15 dollars for a hundred. Lets get them to save time and money!" So that is exactly what we did. Bought the ribbons, bought the bubbles and got to work...

And they turned out pretty good. They had the turquoise and lime green ribbons on them, and they looked like they were ready to go and be put on the back of this busy brides mind...

**Six Months Later**

All of the bubbles we spend the time tying and getting ready ended up looking like this:

Only half full of bubbles... So now this busy bride is sitting her with a bowl of bubbles and filling them up...

I'll have to post a picture of the final project, but for now this is what is all looking like...

The bubbles that are half empty... Took this picture after I was about halfway done..

My bowl of bubble magic to fill them all up

And my basket for the finished project...

Anyone else do a project too early and then have to fix it later??

My Bathroom Basket Inspiration

2011-03-23T11:53:00.000-04:00

This is the one thing that I have really wanted to do ever since I saw them on wedding bee. I knew I wanted to do them. My future MIL isn't exactly thrilled with one more project to do, but this is the one thing that I've really liked as I've started my wedding planning.

So I have started working on mine and this is what I have so far:

Gum
Baskets (On clearance at Michaels for 5 bucks each! Cannot go wrong with that, plus we will use them over and over I am sure.)
Tissues
Hairbrush and combs
Cotton swabs for your ears
a mini first aid kit with some band-aids and such

Oh and for the girls I have a nail file

This is what I still want to add:

Girls basket:
Tampons
Pads
Nail Polish-Clear
Sewing Kit
Deodorant Spray (A couple of small sizes)
Advil
Tums
Lotion
Hairspray
Hair ties
bobby pins
Lint brush
mouthwash
shoutwipes

Boys basket:
Deodorant Spray
Advil
Tums
Lint Brush
Mouthwash
Shoutwipes

and then Zachary wanted some "bathroom candy" like one of the baskets I found so we are also adding a glass container with Red Starbursts for the boys bathroom. I may do one for the girls just because, but that depends on time and money. I do not want to spend more than 50 dollars on them, so we will see how much all of this actually gets put in it. A lot of it though I can get at the dollar store.

Here is my inspiration:

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Women-s-Bathroom-Basket.jpg

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And because I mentioned the candy bathroom basket I had to find it.

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So between today and tomorrow I hope to have our bathroom baskets pretty much done and ready to go and when they do get completed I will have to take pictures and blog about them.

What is everyone else's wedding thing they just had to have no matter how silly it was?

My Little Ring Bearers

2011-03-23T11:21:00.000-04:00

I have two ring bearers. Sawyer and Carson. My two little cousins. They are darling of course. So I have been thinking about what to get them for a present. Obviously their little pillows, but I don't think that actually counts as part of their gifts just because, well it is more for me than it is for them.

So first off lets show you what these little boys are wearing for the big day.

This is Carson looking adorable in his little suit. It has to get altered a little bit because the pants keep falling down, but other than that it looks really great on it.

I did not get a picture of Sawyer in it because he was resting when I had Carson try his on, but my aunt said he looked just as cute.

The best part was when Sawyer called me to tell me he had never been to a wedding before and he was really excited to be a ring bearer and wear his suit and tie. I thought it was the cutest thing in the world.

So those are my boys. Whether the day of the wedding they will actually walk down the aisle I think depends on them. That is one thing when you choose boys (and girls) who are younger... they tend to have a mind of their own!

Gotta love that about little kids though.

The Feelings Post

2011-03-23T11:16:00.000-04:00

Just a year ago I was sitting in a classroom, most likely bored to tears.

Now I am sitting in bed, working on wedding things, looking outside at the ice (Yes, you read that correctly... ice on the ground in late March), and wondering how I have gotten this far in the wedding process.

April 27th 2010 was the day he popped the question. Now I am 17 days from marrying the love of my life. How crazy to think about.

This process has been crazy, fun, stressful,exciting, exhilarating, and so many other emotions it is crazy to think about them all.

I have been a terrible blogger throughout my wedding process much to my dismay, but at least I have had fun while I wrote it. Now this is no where near a goodbye post, because I would miss writing too much. This is more of an I'm sorry for not blogging as much as I would have liked post...

So to make it up to you I am going to try to blog about all of the details I can in other posts...

Lets see how many details I can do in one day... and then whatever I cannot do today I will try to accomplish in the next few days. And HOPEFULLY I will learn that I love it so much that I will continue to update and make my blog pretty.

Love,

Tricia

Centerpieces- The Unravel

2011-02-13T19:53:00.000-05:00

So our package came with centerpieces included in them, lucky us. So the lady that we went to go with was such a nice lady. Any bride in the GR area should definitely look into Decor Elegance. I had such a nice experience with her thus far. She even went as far as to make our centerpiece right in front of us, just so we could see exactly what we were going to get. Anyways, I am hoping to get other pictures too, but here is the only picture my MOH, Aubree sent me from her itouch (Silly me... forgot my camera!)

They have turquoise and green wire inside of them with black rocks on the bottom. The candles float on the water. The only difference with the ones we are getting circle mirrors instead of square. And the little flowers on the mirror may either be purple or green. We are not sure as to whether or not she will be able to find some in purple. Either way I am super happy with the way they came out! Plus, we are also going to rent table runners from her as well, because it saves us 3 dollars each and that is with two colors running across the table.
What's your centerpieces looking like?
I am so excited for the wedding. 55 days to go!

My Best Friend's Engaged!

2011-02-13T19:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have lots of wedding filled posts to write about, but this one is most important right now. Miss Cassie Lynn..........

Yes that beautiful girl next to me in the white shirt... is **drum roll** ENGAGED!

I am so happy for you miss. I just thought I would post it for the world to see since you were so busy when you called and could only stay on the phone for a nano-second.

I am excited to be able to plan our weddings together. Maybe in five years we will both be pregnant at the same time. Anyways, With only two months in between our big days these next four months are going to be HECTIC! But i know us and I am sure we will be able to conquer it all.

Thats what girls are best at. Conquering the world together.

I am so happy for you and your mister.

Love you!

Bridesmaids Dresses! :)

2011-01-15T23:43:00.000-05:00

Caution:: This blog will be picture crazy.

We have had these dresses for a while, but I am excited to finally show some pictures. I cannot wait to have better pictures of them. (I am in no where near a professional photographer) and the lighting was bad...

Dress just hanging on the hanger.. with the rhinestones off!!

The top of it :)

Cute cute cute. And for 40 dollars? A complete steal!

Ali smilin' with her dress!

Aubree smirkin;.... Such a silly girl.. A sideways glance.

These dresses look darling on every single one of my girls and we got them for 40 dollars each at J.C. Pennys.... A complete steal.
Anyone else love their bridesmaids dresses??

It fit everyones budget which was perfect!!

Less than 85 days to go!

Little Things... Little Moments

2011-01-02T23:10:00.000-05:00

So I am suppose to be writing a paper about a moment of meaning in my life.
Too bad there are many moments I could write about.
The day my mother passed away when I was eight years old.
My elementary school years.
Working at Summer Camp.
High School.
The day my grandma died when I was 16.
My car accident.
Falling in love.
Getting engaged.
The whole wedding process in general (I could write pages and pages about that!)
My future.
Vacations.
Friendships.
Learning about myself. Growing up. Maturing.
See. My life isn't defined by one exact moment in time. Its the little times that really make up my life. Yes there are life-changing moments that fill my life, but to be frank I don't dwell on them. Yes they help define me. Yes I will never forget that my mom always seemed to burn her cookies and that my grandma was one of my very best friends.
Its... it's not easy to describe my life in one moment.
....
anyways as I sit here and stall it as much as I can (which by the way isn't much longer.. I have to be up in 7 hours for school). I will talk about other things...

Like how I may have a church. My dad is calling tomorrow.
So we will see.
The ties and the outfits come in the mail this week! I am so excited :)
I am starting my new workout. With my new diet. and my new me.
I will elaborate it more when I am not so.. hectic.
So far I am 2/2 with my new years resolution to blog daily. We will see how it goes.
I have faith in myself!! :D
Hopefully I won't fall asleep in class tomorrow!
ha ha ha.

Goodnight Blogging world!

Wedding Extravaganza

2011-01-01T08:51:00.000-05:00

Okay so I don't have a lot of time. And I have a lot of different things I need to blog about, but well. I just don't have the time right now. My news years resolution?? Actually blog more often. Maybe do a 365 days of blogging. :D
So.. Heres day one.

I found our ring bearers and flower girls dresses.
They are adorable. and the price??
That makes them all the better.
I found them on Ebay for 15 dollars each..
The shipping was almost more than the dresses/suits themselves. I am so excited for them to get here. They will be coming in next week. I also found ties this weekend too. They were only 10 a piece. Which is a little pricey for a tie they may wear once, but to rent a tie it would cost that much either way. So its better for them to own it and they can sell it or give it away than have a tie we rent once and spend the same amount of money on.

Here is a picture of the suit and the dresses!

I think they are adorable. Sweet, simple, and cheap. I really like the fact that everyone can afford them. :D

Everyones reviews about the products were great so I am not too concerned with them being bad. And if they are then I can always send them back.

Lets see other wedding stuff I can quickly blog about before I have to finish packing and leave.

NOTE:: [We are in Florida and we are going to watch Michigan in the Gator Bowl and then we are going home]

Oh... hmm. The boys have their suits (That has to have its own little spot on my blog because I have to upload pictures.... and that takes too long)
The girls have their dresses (Same as the boys)
We had our first one hour planning session at our reception venue. It went really well.

Still have no idea about the church or where we are holding our ceremony... (REALLY need to figure that out)
We have been looking but so far, nothing has been working. We may either have to splurge and get married on the staircase at our reception venue or just get married inside our reception hall with everyone sitting at their tables....

Started looking at favors. But I want to blog about those all by themselves. :D because well. I love candy. and I mean really love candy.
Gummy bears are one of my favorite!

Recent things that have caught my eyes!

I think it is so cute!

To put around my flowers and to keep our programs together? I think yes!

And we decided to do Sand instead of candles. I love this set. Hopefully I haven't already blogged about this somewhere else. I tend to forget what I've already blogged about...

Oh well.

Only 98 days until I become Mrs. B. I am so excited :D
<3 <3 <3
Hope everyone has a wonderful day and a Happy New Years..

I know my new years was just perfect <3
I'll blog more later,
Tricia

That Crazy Thing called Life....

2010-12-15T21:30:00.000-05:00

Well. Hello again..
long time no talk. Life has been completely crazy for me...

NOTE:::

This post is not going to have anything related to the wedding in it. I feel like posting a whole other post just about my wedding related life.

So if that is what you are interested in reading about... well.. You should wait until I post it.

Anyways.. my crazy life... right now...

My schedule looks like this:
Monday: School, bowling until 6-6:30, then home for homework and work and other little things.
Tuesday: School, internship until 7, then home for homework and work and other things.
Wednesday: School, bowling until 6-6:30, Small group until 9, and then home for everything else.
Thursday: School, internship until 6-6:30, then everything else
Friday: School, bowling until 5, and then hopefully I get some free time
Saturdays: Either internship or bowling all day
Sundays: usually the only free time I have left, which usually gets eaten up with wedding plans, and cuddling with my babes. Also used to make up homework and studying and whatnot.

This week I got lucky and got a snow day. One of the reasons I decided to go into teaching. Gotta love the snowdays, the breaks, and of course I still get my summers! Plus I get to spend my days with little kids :D.

I graduate in march, which I am super excited about. Only 2 more days until break, and I get to go to Florida with my new family over break. Which I am extremely pumped... and a tad nervous about. They go there every year, and I was told to plan it, which I love to do.. Its just hard finding new and exciting places that they haven't already been to.

Oh well.. I am up for the challenge. :D

On my snowday I got to see Cassie Lynn. I picked up a christmas tree, I got all of my christmas shopping done and wrapped, and I decorated our small "house" (If you consider one small bedroom a house)

In the words of Zach " My room threw up christmas".
Oh well. I happen to enjoy christmas :D

My life has been crazy so that is why I haven't been posting nearly as often as I'd like..
but do not fear... I have the next two weeks to blog my heart out! <3

For the love of flowers

2010-11-21T13:24:00.000-05:00

I love Gerber Daisies.
Like really love them.

It is my obsession in the flower world. So when I got engaged I knew that I wanted gerber daisies.
One flaw to my plan? they don't come naturally in turquoise, lime green, and purple.

I love the way they look though.. So I had to make a decision... Would I be okay with fake flowers??

I wasn't so sure I was.... but to have my gerber daisies I figured I would have no choice. I had almost given up all hope to have fresh gerber daisies in my colors..
Every place that could get them in our colors costed us an arm, a leg, and our stomachs.

Then we found J's Fresh Flower Market.. A place that let us do our own bouquets and flower arrangements, but we could get the fresh flowers I secretly desperately wanted... without breaking our budget! We met with them on thursday. We are waiting to hear back on how much it is all going to cost. I really hope it fits inside our budget!

I will keep you all updated!
<3 <3
for the love of gerber daisies :D

Zach's Boys

2010-11-20T22:40:00.000-05:00

I have to love his boys. They are great. Zach's friends are really quite amazing and we have created a little "group" of our mutual friends that all hang around each other. :)

First his two best men:

Jacob. He is the only other boy in the picture. He and Zach have been friends for years. He is a really funny boy, and he has a huge heart. Always ready with advice. Has a mouth like a sailor.... but we love him anyways.

This is Taylor. Taylor and Zach have been friends since Taylor was born. He is a cool kid to hang out with, not very punctional though. He seems to lose track of time. Hopefully someone will be able to inform him when to go to the wedding! lol. I know he will be there for that.

Now the rest of his boys (in no particular order)

Jaron is Zach's brother. He's a few years older than us and is a cool guy. I don't know him nearly as well as I like because he is currently away at college. Hopefully that will change soon because I'd really like to get to know him better!

Brandon is the one on the far right. He and Brandon have been friends for years and he is one quiet kid. I really like Brandon though. He is a nice guy and is a lot of fun to be around. A little plugged into his xbox, but what boy isn't? lol.

Chris "Adam" Armstrong. I have always called him Adam, so this is Adam. Adam is a really nice boy. He is funny and plays his music too loud.

And Last, but certainly not least Chris. Chris is a great mutual friend. He has one of those hearts that is giant. He is a fun :)

Those are the boys :D
I love them all! <3

Sometimes Things don't always go as planned....

2010-11-20T22:00:00.001-05:00

Drama.
A five letter word that can cause more trouble than a five letter word should allow.
Unfortunately I have had my fair share of drama lately. I think it may have to do with the maturity of a many of my classmates.
Not to mention this week just has not been a very amazing week. I don't know about any of you, but I will be happy to start a new week on Monday. You know what they say... Every day is a new start. :] I just hope everyone is right. Last week it was finally decided flowers and bridesmaid dresses. Unfortunately also this week a falling out between one of my bridesmaids and I has occurred. I didn't realize how much it could hurt when you lose a friendship with someone you care about that much, but it does. So our wedding party count is 5-6. I am not going to add another girl. I don't feel like that is a good idea, plus I don't want any girl to feel like a "2nd" option. One of my maids of honor will just walk down with two boys instead of one. She didn't seem to mind that much xD.
This week has been crazy.
I am now eating mint ice cream and watching Alice in Wonderland... Seems like as good idea as any to make the weekend better.
No better way to make a bad weekend better than going back to your childhood :)

Next post?
I will talk about Zach's boys and then a post about bridesmaid dresses and flowers!

The Wedding Party- The Girls

2010-11-12T10:31:00.000-05:00

.Zachary and I finally figured out our wedding parties! It took quite awhile to figure out due to family issues on my side, and just trying to figure it all out. Anyways without further Ado... Meet our wedding party.

Miss and Miss of Honor. Yes I have two. And Zach has two mens of honor.

First one is Cassie.

This one is from the summer before my junior year of high school. She and I have been friends since I was 12 and she was 13 and we went to summer camp together. We've been inseparable ever since... She is also the next in line to get married (once her boy pops the question of course!) I get to be her MATRON of honor :D.

My other beautiful miss of honor is Aubree.

Aubree is my sister.. well to be technical she will be my sister in law. But we adopted each other as sisters long before her brother and I decided to tie the knot. She is one of my very best friends and has a strong head on her shoulders. I am so lucky to be surrounded by great girls like her!

My other girls (who are just as important which I love lots!)

My dear Alexandria.. aka Ali

Ali is the one with the short hair. The red head next to her is another one of my girls named Jade, but she gets her own little blurb a little down.. This little blurb is about Ali. Ali and I haven't been friends as long as every other girl on this list but Ali has one of my biggest hearts I have had the pleasure of knowing and calling my friend. She is honest and is stubborn but I love that about her. She and Aubree remind me a lot of each other. :)

Since Jade is up there I will talk about Jade next. Jade and I have been friends since 6th grade. She has one of the funniest and bubbly personalities I know. She snorts and she can't smell anything. But she is a loyal friend through everything. I love having her around me because she is always telling crazy stories and loves being a help whenever she can. Only downside of Jade.. her crazy busy schedule makes it hard to get an appointment to see her! Oh well I love her anyways!

Sarah.. the crafty one.

She's the one that is in the blue by me in the pink.
She has an amazing crafty style. She makes her own dresses and they are phenomenal. She and I have been friends since 6th grade as well. She is a funny girl and I love her quirky personality. She has lots of animals and loves them all very much. She has like 6 cats, a guinea pig, rats, two ferrets, a dog and a bearded dragon. A mini zoo, but they are so cute!

And last but in no way least... Emily.

This picture is in one of my old posts. Emily and I have known each other for two years now. We don't always see eye to eye about things but she is a sweet girl. She is a lot of fun to hang out with. We met through our boyfriends. Her (now ex) boyfriend was on the bowling team and so was Zach. we became the bowling teams personal cheerleaders and it was really what started to bond us together.

These are my girls. They are amazing and I love them all very much and am so glad that they can be a part of my big day :)
Next post? Zach's boys!

Wedding Cake Inspiration

2010-11-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

Being engaged is always a lot of fun, but it also is a lot of work sometimes. Lately I've been thinking about cakes. Cakes are a lot fun. We decided on a two tier cake and then 6 small cakes surrounding it. Our two tier is going to be chocolate cake and the 6 small ones are going to be marble. I am very excited. These are some of my latest Cake inspirations... too bad I am not a huge cake eater.. these cakes look like they would taste amazing!

Gotta love the polka dots!
I love polka dots they are amazing and I really enjoy them. Polka dots and hearts :)
Next post? My girls dresses inspiration maybe? Life post?
Hmm. One hundred things list?
Only time will tell :D

Engagement Preview!

2010-10-21T16:11:00.000-04:00

More to come soon, but here are a few of our engagement session pictures that our photographer placed on their blog.. if you want to see them all you can find them on their website.. www.davynphotography.com

The Dress before Alterations!

2010-10-16T12:03:00.000-04:00

as most of you.. well some of you at least know... I lost my mom when I was eight years old.. ever since I was young I thought it would be a sweet gesture to wear my mothers gown down the aisle. Well now that the day has come for me to wear the white and go down the aisle I finally got to see the dress. It was pretty to say the least... except there were things about it I didn't like... like the sleeves. Ekk.. they were very 90s sleeves.

So... Mr. Zach's Grandma happens to be a seamstress so she is going to fix it so I can wear it down the aisle in 6 months! Bye Bye Sleeves...!

Here are some pictures from our first meeting.. what do you guys think?

I am thinking about getting a different dress for the reception- just a simple dress but I am not sure yet... advice from anyone who has had two dresses or do you think this one would look beautiful enough on me once it is done?

The back of the dress...

Front of the dress and me making silly faces at one of my maids of honors.

the train with momma B and Zachary's grandma.

sideways glance at it.

another sideways glance at it.

the sleeves..

Girls on Weddingbee were thinking I should get a poofy slip to go underneath it to make it more ball gown looking and I think I may get an aqua one for my something blue! :) It would save a lot more than buying another dress. :)

I am very excited for all of it.

Now I have lots of other things to blog about!! More wedding related blogs to follow!

Just another one of those weeks!

2010-10-05T23:05:00.000-04:00

This week has been crazy as all get out. I have have zero chance to blog.. and boy do I have lots to blog about. Unfortunately it is going to probably have to wait until Friday.. for all of the big and important and wedding related amazing...ness....

Today I went to the doctor and got shots... OWW. I hate getting shots. They can be so painful sometimes. I have lots of new and exciting things coming up this week like Zach and my 3 year anniversary! Three years with my best friend.. oh goodness do I love this kid :). I also get to babysit, our save the date magnets are coming in the mail and I am determined to spruce them up a tad before they go into the mail..., We are picking out our wedding bands this week and I am also having a girls night on Sunday.. Bridal show and the movie Life as we know it.... Not to mention I start Powderpuff on Friday and I have small group tomorrow. Life never stops running...

This weekend is going to be full of things. I am hoping to blog tomorrow about my save the dates. Thursday about the anniversary [The actual date is Saturday, but we both have to work :( ] and then Friday about Small group stuff and Saturday about Babysitting and then of course Sunday about my girls night and then a special post about the wedding! This week is too blog-filled.

Tomorrow is also going to be a segment about our cake which I am very excited for... Speaking of which I am thinking I am going to email our Venue and see if we can just use a different cake maker and use their cake for another thing....

And I have to call Bruce..

Got lots to do tomorrow

Hope you all have a great week. Keep coming back.. Hopefully will post something exciting (or lots of somethings that are filled with excitement) within the next couple of days!

Tricia

Wedding Change- The story

2010-09-25T11:55:00.000-04:00

Okay so I am becoming a Mrs. two months earlier than planned. Ready for the story? Well, either way here is story time!

Once upon a time, Tricia and Zach weren't happy with their wedding venue, so they decided to look for a new one. They looked and looked and looked. One place kind of caught their eye, but it wasn't the venue. You know what I mean. That venue that makes you feel like a bride, the center of attention and the princess that most girls have always dreamed they would be on their wedding day. So they thought about settling, but decided to look just a little bit more, just in case. They didn't want to rush into it like they did with the first venue. On Thursday they went and looked at Grand Volute Ballrooms, which just so happened to be out of their budget range. But they wanted to look at it anyways. Tricia walked in and fell in love at first glance. It was huge. It had giant chandeliers and made her feel like the princess she desired to be. The dance floor was huge, Mary Ellen, the coordinator was so polite and nice, the room was giant, and the staircase was just right out of a fairytale. Zach liked the fact that it was big, didn't make him feel claustrophobic, was a very nice place and that it made his bride happy. They sat down with Mary Ellen, sure that this beautiful venue was far out of their budget. Mary Ellen told them about a off season rate that included everything- a steak dinner, a DJ, centerpieces, a slide show presentation, Tables, Chairs, Linens, China, Unlimited Soft drinks, a toasting bottle for the bride and groom, a gorgeous room, a three tier cake, a half of a keg, napkins, cake cutting, and it was only 5995 for 150 guests. It was a great deal! Zach and Tricia just had to snatch it up. So they went and convinced their parents that it was the right thing to do was to move up the wedding date. They got permission, after lots of showing how it was a better deal and how it would be a good idea. They called Mary Ellen, who told them they had a Saturday open because it just got cancelled! So Tricia and Zach said that they would take it! They are now getting married on April 9th 2011. Which happens to be Tricia and Zach's three and a half year anniversary.

Story time is done.

I am so excited about it! It is beautiful. And the best part? Our photographer was available that day so we get to keep our photographer, our church might have to change though, which is kind of sad, but I am very happy.

We also got our complete wedding party decided and a bunch of other stuff figured out.

But those are all going to have to wait to get blogged about until later. Because I need to go get ready so we can get to Grand Volute Ballrooms at 1 so we can sign our contract!

EEEK I am so excited! :)

♥Tricia Lyn

My Reflective Essay for English

2010-09-22T23:43:00.000-04:00

I want to put it here, just in case I decide last minute to chicken out about actually turning it into class. I want to know my work actually went somewhere. So here is my Reflective essay. Be warned.. It may make you cry, It may not. It isn't a extremely happy story, but has an every going ending...So anyways without further adieu.

Reflective Essay:

The pink walls held normal eight year old things; posters, pictures, windows, and old school projects I was particularly proud of. The floor had toys scattered in different corners of the room. It held a bed, a closet, a dresser and a small nightstand. Clothes that are far too small now lined the closet and filled the dresser; a comforter that has been in storage for years now furnished the bed. In that bed, lied a girl with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and innocence only someone of her age could hold. The morning of June 9^th 2001 started as a morning just like any other, with an eight year old girl waking up from her slumber. Little did I know that even years later, I would still be able to remember that day like it was yesterday.

The sound of birds and the peeping sun through the blinds woke me up that morning. The alarm clock next to my Barbie comforter flashed a time between seven and eight in the morning. Yawning, I climbed out of bed. The air in the room didn’t feel right, but being as young as I was, pushed it to the back of my mind. Scampering out of the small cave I called my room, I quickly noticed that my gut feeling was right. There right in front of me, a strong man cried. Watching someone you love so much cry is hard, especially at the age where daddies are the strongest people you know. I didn’t know what to do. After standing there for a few moments, I tiptoed over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Daddy? Are you okay?” my eight year old voice murmured. He didn’t respond right away. He looked up, his eyes filled to the brim with tears. Grabbing me in an embrace, he hugged me for a few moment, just holding me close.

“Tricia, would you please go wake up your sister?” were the words that finally came out of his mouth. I was shocked, usually I got in trouble for waking up my five year old sister, but I did as I was told. I walked into her equally as small room and looked around. Her pink walls were bare except for a few pictures that she had colored. On the ceiling was a Winnie the Pooh fan, complete with the honey pot as the light portion. The Barbie’s and toys she had been playing with before she had to go to bed the night before were still scattered around the room. I went to go wake her, trying not to make her upset in the process. After she finally woke up, Alicia and I went back out into the living room. He had stopped crying, trying not to scare Alicia.

He had us get dressed and then walked us out to his green Jimmy. He placed us both in the car and closed the doors. I watched from the window, still unsure of what was going on. My aunt Tracy, who lived across the street, came over to see my dad. Her eyes were full of tears. The adults hugged for a few moments then talked for a while. After what seemed like 20 minutes, my dad opened the car doors of the Jimmy.

“Girls, you guys are going to come over to my house okay?” my aunt Tracy told my sister and I. “What about my fishie?” my eight year old mind wondered. After I was assured he would be okay without me for a while, Alicia and I went and gave my dad a hug. TJ and Alex were waiting at their house for us when we got there. We ate breakfast and started to play with their toys. From their window you could see the street corner and my house. Inside my driveway was an ambulance. I wasn’t sure what was going on or why it could be in my driveway. No one I knew was hurt, or so I thought. Aunt Tracy quickly shut the blinds and focused our attention to somewhere else. She sat Alicia, TJ, Alex and I on the large couch and popped in a movie.

Around eleven o’clock there was a knock on the door. I peeked outside and on the porch stood the beautiful woman I call grandma. Her eyes looked the same as every other adult I had seen that morning; Red, puffy and with traces of tears. I ran and hugged her. She and my aunt Tracy went outside to talk for a little while. When they came back inside, Alicia and I were told to grab our things. Grandma was taking us out for the afternoon.

She drove and drove, for a little over a half hour we drove. Until we hit Sandy Pines, a place where my great grandma and grandpa live in the summer months. We got out of the car. Both Alicia and I looked around with eyes huge because it was always a treat to go out there. And that afternoon we were kept busy with activities. The mini golf course was up; we went to the beach, did some crafts with my great grandma and got candy from the local store. Before too long our day had been spent and it was time to go home. My dad met us at my grandparent’s house. He held us as we told him our daily adventure. Everyone seemed so bittersweet. My dad told us we were staying the night at his parents’ house, my other grandparents. On the way home Alicia and I asked about mommy. We wanted to tell her about our day.

“Mommy isn’t here anymore; Mommy went to sleep and never woke up.”

Neither Alicia nor I really knew what to take of this information. Inside I thought death was like hide and go seek, eventually when someone was done looking, my mom would come out and say “Boo! I scared you!” She never did.

The visitation and funeral weren’t something I really remember much of. I remember people feeling sorry for Alicia and me. I remember songs being played and a lot of people crying. It didn’t really settle in until all of the first few days passed by. Then I started to understand that she wouldn’t be back. I wouldn’t get to see her again. That’s when I started to join the red, the puffy and the tear streaked faces.

Years later I still think about this day, how it changed the rest of my life. I moved to Rockford my third grade year, had three teachers and had to get up at 6 am every morning so my dad could go to work. Fourth and fifth were pretty average, I was innocent and young. Three people shared one bedroom until the summer before my fifth grade year. I held on to my Barbie comforter even years after I was far too old to have it. I started high school. That’s when I finally learned the truth.

The story that brought me back to the eight year old girl I was. Two versions of the same girl; both very different yet very much the same. The ninth grade version was taller, bigger and my hair had turned from dirty blonde to an auburn brown, but the person inside was very much the same. I sat down with my dad one evening and I asked about my mom. I wanted to know how she had died. I wasn’t eight anymore, I deserved to know.

He explained about how she had been very ill, a depression I later found out that she had been carrying around since before I was born. Depression was uncommon and unheard of in 2001, no one really knew what anti-depressants could or would do.

One day when I was in second grade she had fallen down the stairs carrying my sister as she was trying to meet me off the bus. She had hurt her knee so bad that she needed to have surgery and pills to help with the pain. Her anti-depressants and her knee medication didn’t mix well.

No one knew that she had stopped taking her medication, no one other than her mom, who never thought to tell anyone. No one knew that if you didn’t take your pills that they would make you go crazy. Well, take it from someone who knows… they do.

After months of help from my mom’s foster mom, the same beautiful woman I called grandma and was there on the day my mother died, my friends and family, I finally got to a decent place with what happened. Now will I ever get over the fact that I lost my mother so young? I can guarantee I won’t. She wasn’t there to watch me graduate elementary school, get my first period, give me my first sex talk, watch me go to my first dances, fight with about clothes and she will never meet the man that I love. She will never get to help me plan my wedding or see me in my wedding dress. She will never hold my first child in her arms or get to spoil her grandchildren. In that sense I have always felt robbed. Will I continue living day by day trying to make her and her foster mom, my grandma, who decided to join her in heaven this past February, proud? The answer will always be yes.

Life isn’t always about who is living on this earth, it’s who and what a person lives for that makes a difference. I live everyday knowing that tomorrow I could lose someone that I love with all my heart. I don’t live life cautiously. No one is ever guaranteed a tomorrow. The scars from my past tell me that every day.

Lets Fly Away

2010-09-21T23:54:00.000-04:00

Hey Blogging World.
This has been one of the longest week and a half in my life. I am not going to go into a long list of everything I've done throughout those few days just because well its kind of boring and to be honest I am not really sure I can remember much of it....
So I am just gonna blog about today. I went to the doctor's to get a check out about my stomach( it has been giving me a lot of issues for months now, but my dad didn't have insurance) and they gave me medicine, hoping to get rid of the pain and make my stomach regular. If not I have to go get an ultrasound to figure out if it has something to do with my gallbladder.

Lets see if any of my blog friends know french shall we?

Je t'aime avec mon cœur tout entier Zachary. Je ne peux pas attendre d'être ta femme. Même quand je suis malade de tout le reste et rien ne semble aller bien, je sais que je t'aime à travers tout cela. Désolé quelqu'un qui a été autour de moi aujourd'hui. Je n'ai pas eu une bonne journée. Vous avez encore des devoirs à faire et je n'ai pas vraiment envie de le faire. Je veux juste faire des câlins dans mon sommeil et y rester pendant des jours. Si vous voulez me trouver, allez à Disney château de Cendrillon mondes, attendant mon baiser princes.

and just in case you don't well... I guess google it :). Anyways. I am done with my french 1 rant that happened to look like a french 5 rant thanks to said google. It is actually pretty fun. You should try it sometime.

I should be writing an essay-kind of for English. So I am going to type it here. If it is bad, sorry. You can always skip this section and move on to bigger and better parts of this rant I like to call my blog

The links of his past define him, bonded by ball and chain. The eyes lead straight to the soul. Those pools of blue hide secrets. Guilt no one else has ever felt. His rough hands and dark skin fit his tall figure. He looks older than his age. He falls asleep near the bottle, his first love, his escape. No one sees how he tries so hard to get on with his life. His shagged hair is sprinkled with gray, his skin wrinkled. Things around him aren’t at all what he pictured. One daughter has her own battle scars running deep. The other has to stay strong in fear of her world exploding around her. He tries to find work; the economy keeps shutting him out. His daughters can’t even be in the same room without one trying to throw an insult. His wife left him when they were just little girls. Day by day he watched them grow, kept trying to instill the rules. One fell overboard, head first into a river she was far too young to be in. His eyes, always misty, show years of failure. Believing that he was the reason was easier than dealing with it. The love he felt for his daughters ran a deep only a father can feel. With love as strong as that he would live every day in his personal jail, just to see them smile even once.

Hope you enjoyed reading my English homework. If not, well sorry. It had to be done. Anyways I went with Zach to go visit Celebration Cinema’s Banquet Facilities today.
Here were my own personal Pros and Cons list.
Pros:
Huge area( 5000 sq.ft.) That is the 2^nd biggest place that we are looking at this week. (We are looking at one that is 6000 sq.ft on Thursday)
Huge windows, lots of natural lighting for eating and then dimmer for dancing and the fun parts.
Fair prices, I wouldn’t call them cheap, because they are not. But I do like the venue better than where we are right now.
We can hang things from the ceiling.
Personal bathroom and lots of extra little spaces
Fit 250 people in the room.
Lots of parking
Free coffee/punch
Free Cake Cutting
All day access
Close to church

Cons:
Right above a movie theater
Which means you have to walk through the lobby to get up to our room.
Not really that cheap.

We also looked into the Mosiac Space which seemed too small, which was too bad because I really liked the vibe I was getting there. Although parking would have been a brat for our guests. :/
This week we still have to look at Grand Volute Ballrooms. Hopefully we are going to get appointments with Courtland Marriott and Deer Run (yes we already looked there… but still… it is still an option) If none of these work out.. I really don’t know what we are going to do. Because I don’t want to stay with the bluff if I can help it.
Oh.. and I got on Birth Control.. well I got the pills to go on birth control today. Woot. No babies for these Buscherts until we are ready to! Well as long as the birth control does its job of course. Secretly.. just between you and me… I would be scared as all get out.. and hopefully we never have to deal with a completely unplanned pregnancy, but I would still be happy all the same.
Well, I have school tomorrow (woot?) and I am trying to figure out if I missed anything.. Oh. I had small group today… with Aubree, Ellie, Courtney, Allison and Morgan. … And my sister. Luckily we just didn’t talk the whole time. Don’t really know how that is going to work out for us this year. We will see if we both stay in the group.
Well.. Oh. And we are trying to figure out our bridal party.. We know who we would like to be up there. But we aren’t sure if we really want 7 people up there. Even 6 seems a little too much, but one of my bridesmaids and I haven’t talked in a while, yet I still can’t seem to tell her that maybe it would be better for her to have a supporting role like a singer( she can really sing) or something else for her. I dunno yet.
We will see how that all goes. Any advice could be used J
Nighty night blogging world.
Love you all!
T

The Real World Called.... First week recap.

2010-09-12T23:59:00.000-04:00

Why Hello Dear fellow bloggers. My first week of school was last week which caused a lot of stress in itself, not to mention my dad was building me my own room which also made it difficult to blog.. and of course my computer charger just had to die right when I finally had time in my schedule to blog. It has been a crazy week!
I am going to start with Tuesday.. That first day of school post!

Tuesday:

www.rockfordschools.org

I spent my last first day of high school at Rockford. It was pretty much the same thing that always goes on. Rules, getting to know each other and catching up with friends you haven't seen all summer long. My schedule was pretty decent. Didn't know too many people, but sometimes that is best just because you actually get school stuff done instead of goofing off in class. After school I did homework and didn't really do too much.

Wednesday:
Went to school and I rode the bus with Aubree. Woot? Zach had to work after school and it went pretty decently. After he got out of work Aubree and I and his mom all went out to Rivertown. I got my cartilage pierced and so did Aubree. It still hurts when it gets touched. After that I bought a new shirt, a new sweater, a pair of jeans and a bunch of underwear. :) We had fun and it was a good way to spend my Wednesday!

Thursday:
This actually should get two posts about it.. One written tonight and the other written on Tuesday after we go get our CD with our pictures on them. I think I will do just that. Look for the next post(s) to talk about my Thursday! I will give you a hint just in case I decide to wait until tomorrow to write my posts about it. It involves graduating early and more senior pictures!!

Friday:
School, Then I made MONSTER cookies. I don't know if any of you have read monster cookies, but they are amazing <3
My monsters had butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, m&ms, and oatmeal in them. They turned out really yummy! I should have taken a picture of them!
Instead I will just find a picture on Google and paste it instead. After I made cookies I tried to bring chocolate kisses to the colorguard team, but the band parents wouldn't let me through :(. Oh well. So I watched the football game. We won which was good. After that Adam, Aubree and I went to taco bell and bought a bunch of tacos and then we played Super Mario. I really want a Wii now!
:) Going to add it to my Christmas list.

Saturday:
Didn't really do too much. Watched Taken, Watched Pretty Woman, Played Super Mario, and didn't really do a thing. Did some laundry and I did some dishes. Woot. I was so productive xD.

Sunday:
I went to church which just so happened to be doing a sermon about marriage, too bad the future hubby was working! He got his second pay check today which is a good thing because I know that we have a lot to save up for! After church I got Biggby.. Yum. Gosh do I love Biggby! Anyways. After Biggby I went to Emily's and we just chilled out and talked. It had been almost two weeks since we hung out last so we had a lot to talk about. After we played Super Mario and I played My Sims while she was on her computer (did I mention that I really want a Wii??) Ali came over and we all hung out for a while. Around 9 Zach came and got me and we went back to his house to get my school stuff and just see each other for a few minutes. We talked about our days and we just kind of talked. It was really nice :). I missed him. Afterwards I came home to find a new charger (Thanks Dad!) and did some homework. Now I am blogging right before bed.

Tomorrow I am gonna do a post about my Thursday and about the wedding related activities that have been going on over here like finding bubbles for 15 bucks for 100 of them and ribbon for 33 cents a roll which had 10 yards on it, getting our candles in the mail, and lots of little things in between. Also probably within the next few days you can watch out for a post about the wedding party!
Until then,
This blogger has school tomorrow!
<3 T

First Batch of Senior Pictures!

2010-09-12T22:43:00.000-04:00

Alright so it has been quite a while since I blogged last.. well really blogged anyways. So here it is. Like 4 blogs in one day to catch you all up to speed with my life. First post is going to be about the senior pictures that my aunt took of me. I would show the pictures that got taken of Zach and I from our photographer, but we haven't driven up there and gotten our CD yet so I cannot show them yet. I am guessing that post will be on Tuesday. Anyways here are a few of my favorite shots that my aunt took for me.
Hope you all enjoy them!

To the next post! :)

That Quick Post Just to let you know I am Alive...

2010-09-09T21:46:00.000-04:00

This week is that first week of school which makes it extremely hectic to write on my blog. Along with blogging tonight I have to write an essay, which unfortunately has to come before my extensive blogging habit and even my sleep. So here is my mini post telling you that I am indeed alive and well.. And it is also a teaser post because I have a lot of stuff to write about. Like my first set of senior pictures, getting my cartilage pierced, getting all of my bubbles and accessories for less than 35 bucks, Getting our senior pictures from our photographer, getting my schedule changed so that I can graduate early and my biggby addiction.

They are all interesting stories and all deserve time to be able to be told. And right now... That isn't the time.

So until then... enjoy this picture of this vintage looking people. I like it.... :)

<3 T

And the last year begins!

2010-09-06T11:08:00.000-04:00

Good Morning fellow bloggers! It is 11 am here and I am chilling in my pjs. Today strikes the last day of Summer for miss Tricia Lyn. It is also the last summer I will be a miss because next summer I will be a mrs! It is pretty exciting for me. My last weekend of summer has been pretty good.
Saturday:
Me and 5 of some of the most amazing young women and old alike came and helped me put together over a hundred of my invitations for the wedding. My bridesmaid Emily, one of my maids of honor (which also happens to be his sister!) Aubree, one of my friends Ali, his sister Kayleen, and his momma all helped me! It was a lot of fun. We put in chick flicks and just started making away at them. We had a chocolate fountain, and lots of snacks. They all loved their notes and little buckets for my thank yous! They all seemed surprised. :)
Here's a couple of pictures from our day!

That was our mess. everyone else was eating... Aubree was still working!

Emily pretending to lick the chocolate fountain. It was a huge hit! :)

Sunday:
I went to church with the Buscherts because Zach had to work again on Sunday. I saw two of my friends that I haven't seen in a while. I saw Zach Groat, who is a really close guy friend of mine. He is a funny kid. I also saw Heather Lamb, who leaves today for college! We sat around and talked for a while about all the crazy stuff we did together like when he bit me in the third grade, pushed me into the lake in 6th, pushed me off a clift in 7th, all of our snowball fights, him almost getting his whole hand stung by bees. How in our 6 year friendship and like 9 years knowing each other that I have yet to read the hobbit ( he is a die-hard Lord of The Rings fan). It was a lot of fun catching up with them. I think I am going to start coming to either mornings there from now on or nights depending on when Zach works or not. Then we went to Real Food and watched Zach, Taylor and Jake all work together. It was funny. After that Aubree and I and her mom all went to Alpine to get some shopping in. I got 2 pairs of shoes, a bunch of stuff for my locker and school supplies. Which I will be taking pictures of once it is set in my locker so you will see those pictures tomorrow night probably. And then we went and saw the Switch. It was a really cute girl movie.
I got all of my school stuff around and now it is morning. I have lots of errands to do and I have to get my room around. I will probably blog about today later today but for now.. I need to go get dressed and get ready to start a new day!
lots of love to the blogging world
~T

And Then we Changed our Minds...

2010-09-04T02:04:00.000-04:00

So I wrote back in August that we had found our venue. Well now I am not so sure. I mean it is a nice place an all but I haven't heard back from my email to them in days and I know that places like that get busy, but you could at least try to respond within 48 hours. Plus there are little fees that are being brought to my attention that I wasn't aware of when we booked the place. Another thing that threw me off was when we went to the tasting together, they didn't even have my name correct. They had me under Kimberly. Okay.. I rarely know a Kimberly.. let alone my name is no where near Kimberly. Plus when we made our decision we were feeling kind of rushed to make a decision. And I am not really sure we want a full dinner anymore which is what we have to have at the bluff, and we also have to have a guest minimum so if we don't hit it we have to pay extra and I am not sure I like that so much. So now we may be backing out. We lose 600 dollars if we do, but I would rather have somewhere that I trust to keep me updated and responsive to my emails! So we haven't canceled our reservation at the Bluff yet, but we have been looking at other venues that we may not have found out about until after we booked our first one.

Here are our places we have been taking a look at so far:

Rockford Legion Hall. I don't know too much about this one.. Zach's mom found it and wants us to check it out. I said sure.

Grand Volute Ballroom. This one is one of my favorites it is also more expensive than the Bluff but it is so pretty!

Mosaic Space.. It is a new venue and it looks like it could be exactly what we are looking for.. We find out September 16th if it is or not.

Those are our Three new places we have been looking at. We will try to keep you all updated as we continue our journey as we get closer to the day I get to become my best friend's wife for the rest of my life. I am extremely excited.
I am in desperate need of Sleep.. I have to be up in like 6 hours. Woot!
:)
Night fellow bloggers!

Getting Ready for the Invite Party- Friday Addition

2010-09-04T01:49:00.000-04:00

So here was my Friday and what it looked like. Woke up. Threw my hair in a bun, got dressed, made myself kind of presentable and ran out the door. Did some amazing power shopping. Went to pages in time and bought a corner cutter and two packages of envelopes for the invitations. Then went to target and picked up backpacks for school, a lamp for Zach, chocolate for my thank yous for the girls that they will be getting today after the invitation party, and hair ties. After that we ran to Michaels for ribbon that was 3 for a dollar! That may have been the cheapest amount I have ever spent at Michaels in my life!

It's pretty cute ribbon. Not nearly as cute as the ribbon I wanted to use at first, but that ribbon was also 2 bucks for 2 yards and didn't fit into my budget nearly as well as this kind did. After we picked up all of that stuff we went back to Zach's and I started to look into using a different venue (That alone deserves its own post and will indeed get it) and Zach played his video games. Around two he went and got his hair cut. I stayed home and organized "our" room. I use the term ours lightly because it is indeed his room I just have a lot of stuff in it at the moment and so it is more our room for everything but his desk and bed, which conveniently are connected together.
This is our shelving system for our wedding stuff at the moment. It is way better than what it looked like before.

I love having it that organized and right now his whole room is clean and organized and I love it!
After I organized his room I wrote a grocery list and decided on the menu for the invitation making party tomorrow.
here was what I came up with:

Pretty big list for 6 girls... Good thing we all have huge tummies! Plus we do have two boys that will be sneaking around the house minding their own business as we go about ours so we will probably also feed them as well.
Speaking of those 6 girls.. Here is who is going to be there tomorrow. Me, Kayleen (Zach's older sister and our mistress of the ceremony), Aubree, Emily, His mom, and Ali (a close friend of mine!). It is going to really exciting.
I got them presents for helping me tomorrow!

Each pail has a different scent of bath and body works lotion in them and 4 squares of special chocolate. I also wrote each girl a note telling them thank you and telling them how amazing they are! :)

I am very excited to make the invitations with these special young ladies! We get a chocolate fountain!
Also tonight Zach's cousin's fiance had her baby. He is really cute. I will have to post pictures when we go and see him.

Now I am home Blogging away when it is way past my bedtime. And I still have one more post to post before I go to sleep. I may just do it tomorrow or something.
We will see.
:)
Till the next post!

Whitecaps, Errands, and Friends

2010-09-04T01:26:00.001-04:00

Well it has been a couple of days since I have just blogged about my life. And then of course I have to blog about the upcoming wedding and stuff that is going on that is wedding related.. So here comes my week non-wedding related (or at least without all of my wedding details and what has been going on in my head.)

Monday:

So Zach's dad is a CPA accountant and one of his clients or people that he works for is with Fifth Third Bank. One of the perks to that is the fact that he gets box seats to some of the games that get played there at the field

We got to go watch the Whitecaps play in box seats. It was a lot of fun. Zach, Aubree, Ellie, Allison, Jake, Brandon, Jake, and I went with his parents. Here are a few of our pictures/ funny memories that went on during it!

Aubree, Ellie, and Allison! Those girls are so cute! Gotta love them to pieces!

Zach and Jake, his best man. They weren't so excited that I got out the camera. Oh well, Mr. Zachary knows how I am with my camera! My dream gift is to get an actual camera not just a digital small one.
And my 2nd favorite part of the night (behind spending it with people that I love) was the unlimited dippin' dots!

Yumm! I love cookies and Cream dippin' dots. I also love the chocolate. We got a picture of us four girls and then we just hung out. Afterward, I went home and probably came and did some web searching and then went to bed.

It was dark so we didn't get a very good picture of us. Oh well.

Tuesday:
I lounged around all day until 3:30 when I went and got ready and then went and watched my little cousins. My cousin Hailey had her kindergarden open house and so I got to watch her two younger siblings, Chloe and Christian. It was a lot of fun :)

Meet Christian :) He is my newest 1st cousin and he is just the cutest little thing. His smiles are so cute!

And Chloe blowing bubbles. She is just a tiny little thing and she is 3 already! She makes me feel old. I remember clearly when she was just Christians age!
After watching them I just hung out with Zach and then went home.

Wednesday:
woke up with a horrible headache at 5 am. Blogged for a bit, watched Boy Meets World, and then I did some wedding related errands. Then I was suppose to go to Ellie's, but then at the last minute she had to cancel so I spent the day just doing random odds and ends. Nothing super special.

Thursday:
I spent Thursday looking up stuff for financial aid, looking up wedding stuff, looking up college applications and figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I also went to the mall for a couple of hours although I didn't get much. Oh well, Zach is pretty much set for a least part of the school year so that is all the Matters. Thursday was another... blah day.. But sometimes those are the best kinds of days.

I am going to write about today in another post.. This one is getting quite long.
Till the next post!
T

The Men- Possible inspirations

2010-09-01T07:29:00.000-04:00

So I have been giving my men a piece of my wedding mind lately. And at first glance I thought about them renting tuxedos for one big day.. but I gave it more thought and I looked into the future. Then I thought what about black suits? They are still formal, yet they also have the option to wear them again and again which, in our case since he will be working with his dad and will be needing to wear suits to meetings it would help our poor students budget in two ways. Plus they look pretty snassy if I do say myself.

I think it still looks formal, yet is also is wearable over and over again. I think it would be worth the money.
Then of course there is the ties. we are looking between two ties: Green and Turquoise.

I am extremely excited to show the boys these and see their opinions.

So on a side note.. I was watching Boy Meets World this morning (yes there is one perk to being awake before 8 am) and they were playing the one that get back together in Florida. It made me smile because of on our 1 and a half year anniversary Zach surprised me by paying for his whole family to come to Epcot just so he could see me. I remember standing exactly where they were and kissing the man I love. Ha ha. Random little things set off memories :)

Anyways.. 1/2 hour and then I get to run some errands. I will be writing about my week so far tonight!

Till the next post!

Drumroll dun dun dun

2010-09-01T06:15:00.000-04:00

We have our wedding website up and running!
I was just so excited that I had to share it with you all. Plus my head has been kicking my skull for the last hour on one side of my head and nothing seems to be able to get rid of it, So I guess I came here to blog about my life at 6 am because I can't sleep. Boy am I in for a rough day.
Anyways.. That was not the point of this post!
Here is our wonderful and beautiful Url...
www.weddingwire.com/triciaandzach
Well that was really all I wanted to blog about right now.
Unless someone knows a cure to make my stomach not curl from milk and my head from all of its pain.
good morning bloggers!
Whats your plan for today?
:)

Our Weekend in Recaps :)

2010-08-30T23:04:00.000-04:00

My last post about just me and Zach being me and Zach was on Thursday. I am just gonna blog about our weekend. On Friday, Zach had to work closing shift and I just hung around at home. After he got out of work we went to the first football game of the season together. We won. :)
We sat with his dad, Emily, and Paul.

Gotta love making funny faces with my love! I love that we can be so open with each other. He is without a doubt my best friend!

After our mini photo session I finally got pictures with Miss Emily! I was extremely excited because our last photo together was like 5 months ago and we see each other on a weekly basis.

I think we look adorable! Paul wanted in our pictures so we took a couple with him too!

Em missed the memo of having wide open smiles. Oh well she looks really cute!
On Saturday I went with my aunt and cut all of our paper for the invitations for the wedding (see the post below this) and then went to the Buschert's house to help them set up for Leos, Kayleen's husbands, 30th Birthday party. It was a lot of fun. We played volleyball, had a bonfire, and had hamburgers! I couldn't sleep at all that night and didn't fall asleep until almost 4:30 am.
On Sunday I went to church with the Buscherts and then we had his dad's brothers family come over. We swam and just hung out with them. It was exciting.
I will post about today later, when I post my pictures!
till the next blog!

Invites. Invites. Invites: The Shell

2010-08-30T01:21:00.000-04:00

So we are making our Invitations completely by hand. Which I love! It is not only cheaper and a lot more fun in my opinion, but it also makes them so personalized. :) here is my pictures of my shell!

These are the papers just cut and just plain and not really turned into anything. I love the color though! It so fits my modern and fun summer wedding!

With the pocket and with the corners rounded. Still not quite finished!

Almost done with the shell. We added a polka-dot "ribbon".. which is actually just a 2 and a half inch strip of paper!

I love them! I think they are really cute and fit our personalities wonderfully. What do you think? I am so excited to finish by adding a sticker label with our initials in the front and adding our white paper with our purple stamp and all our information in the middle and sticking reception and directions and such in my pretty pockets.
I am excited.
291 more days! Saturday we get to make 200 of these babies!
More blogging left to do.
Till the next post!

My dress- Possible alterations

2010-08-30T00:15:00.000-04:00

So on Wednesday I went dress looking with my future momma in law. I am planning on wearing my mothers dress if we can alter it (I am bigger chested than she is so I have to add more fabric to it.. which may get too complicated). Well we went shopping just to see what kind of sleeves we would want to add to it... Just in preparation for his grandma so we had an idea well.. These are the pictures and types of styles we came up with..
Hey... just before you look.. these are all boob shots. :)
And half of my mouth doing crazy faces.

These sleeves were okay... although I wasn't thrilled with them.

I love halter tops.. but with the type of cut my mom's dress is I am sure it wouldn't look good with it.. But if I can't get it altered I may go with a halter dress... ha ha.

These sleeves made me feel silly. Hence the silly face.

These sleeves were my favorite out of this style dress. I don't really know why except for the fact that I felt supported and pretty at the same time. So If I do alter my mothers dress these will be my sleeves hopefully.

The sleeves in the back.
These were my dress trying adventures.
Things I learned on this trip...
1. I may be a 34B in regular bra size, but whoever designed corset strapless bras must not have given girls with ribs a thought. I had to button all of the clasps and then try to put it over my head.. Two tries and a few red marks later that bra was on... But I couldn't breathe.
2. Bring my own strapless bra if I do have to go dress shopping!
All in all it was a pretty productive day.. Now if only I could find this cute flower girl dress at a cheaper price (125 x2... not happening...) we would all be in a happier place!

On to the next post... Invites!
I have a lot of catching up to do! :)

My Bucket List

2010-08-27T14:04:00.000-04:00

Things to do before I die:

1. Be in two places at once
2. Visit the Harry Potter theme park
3. Write a short story
4. Get a poem published
5. Marry the love of my life
6. Get over my fear of heights.
7. Go to Maine
8. Visit every state in the U.S
9. Take a ride in a hot air balloon
10. Feed a elephant
11. Sleep under the stars
12. Get kissed under mistletoe
13. Volunteer somewhere that I feel passionate about
14. Have a baby belly and have a baby
15. Get my degree
16. Get over my fear of needles getting poked in me.
17. Donate Blood
18. See the Statue of Liberty
19. Ride on the Subway
20. Go to the Grand Canyon
21. Go to a Wax Muesuem
22. Go on a cruise
23. Kiss under the Eiffel Tower
24. Eat New York style pizza
25. Find sea glass
26. Walk down Maine's shore during the sunset
27. Go to Europe
28. Sing on a Balcony
29. Have a portrait drawn
30. Watch the space shuttle launch
31. Be an extra in a movie
32. Learn how to ballroom dance
33. Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the U.S
34. Forgive the people who have hurt me
35. Accept myself for who I am
36. Plant my own garden
37. Go sailing
38. Go Snorkeling
39. Be a mentor to someone
40. Knit a scarf
41. Learn how to crochet
42. Try to be a vegetarian for 3 weeks
43. Learn sign language
44. Write my life story
45. Build a snow cave
46. Beat a record
47. Create my own time capsule
48. Learn how to play the guitar
49. Carve my name and my significant other's in a tree
50. Skinny Dip
51. Make a cake from scratch
52. Leave love notes all around my house
53. Build a giant sandcastle
54. Take a tap dance class
55. Take an art class.
56. Write about my day for a whole year. Save it for my children
57. Invent my own board game
58. Learn how to ice skate
59. Kiss on top of a rollercoaster
60. Try to fence
61. Make a dish that I have never tried before
62. learn how to play the piano
63. Write a song
64. Visit the Holocaust Museum and never forget
65. Go Sky diving- after I get over my fear of heights!
66. Go paintballing
67. Give up electronics for 2 weeks
68. Read the entire bible
69. Own my own place
70. Buy a new car
71. Learn how to use chopsticks
72. Get a passport
73. Surprise someone with food
74. reverse pick pocket someone
75. Take pictures in a photobooth
76. Surprise someone with a basket full of candy
77. Learn how to tie a cherry stem with my tongue
78. learn yoga
79. Throw a happy Unbirthday party
80. Learn how to write in caligraphy
81. Buy cowboy boots
82. Go to Ellis Island
83. Catch a jar full of fireflys
84. Fast for 24 hours
85. Be handcuffed to someone for a day
86. Ride in a helicopter
87. Eat ice cream for breakfast
88. Kiss with pop rocks
89. Watch a movie in a drive in theatre
90. Kiss someone mid sentence
91. Eat unlimited dipin' dots
92. Ride on a Gondola
93. Find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of the tootsie pop
94. Meet someone with the same first name and birthday as me
95. Fake a birthday for a free desert
96. slide down a banister
97. learn how to mow a lawn
98. take an old fashioned photo
99. send a message in a bottle
100. learn self defense
101. Kiss on top of a ferris wheel
102. Become a parent
103. Post something on Post Secret
104. Dye my hair

i will add and cross things out when I accomplish them... and when i add stuff!

With all my love...

2010-08-27T02:55:00.000-04:00

Well Hello :)
I am gonna blog because my hunny is being a nerd and playing video games. haha. Yes I am marrying a gamer. I am thinking about making his 18th birthday cake or his groom cake into the shape of an Xbox 360. I think he would love it. :)
He is playing ruinscape right now... :P
Okay Zach.. If you are planning on ever reading my blog you need to stop now. I am discussing my dress!
So Wednesday I went with his mom to the store to try on a few bridal dresses to see which style we wanted to alter my moms as. We decided to add sleeves. they are really cute sleeves though. I will have to upload my pictures later with it. Right now it looks like a 90s dress when it is finished it will look amazing.
Yesterday we bought paint, which of course isn't going to be used anytime soon. We thought we may be moving and I may be getting my own room, but that is not the case.
Today I babysat my cousins, Hailey, Chloe and Christian. They are really cute! I love them! Aubree came with me and we watched them until 12:30 in the morning. :) It was probably more like 1 am, but I lost track after midnight. We walked to the ice cream store and got ice cream. Yummy!
These past few days have been fun, yet crazy. I have had a lot on my mind and its been interesting.
We went to orientation on Tuesday and I got my senior schedule.
Here is what my first trimester looks like:
Business Tech
French 1
Senior Comp.
Algebra 3
Business Communications

I am looking at a pretty easy first trimester. We have been looking for a car for Zach recently too. His car would cost too much to fix so we have been on the lookout for a new one for both of us to take to college with us.. Neither of us were aware of how different our tastes in cars were until now. He wants an actual car. I want something a little higher off the ground. Something he calls a "Box pulled by a wagon". It has caused a few feathers ruffled, but we have gotten over it. Our 2nd purchase together... Our first purchase being our dining table of course!
:)
Our next wedding plans are to find a limo service and a DJ. after that we have to find floral arrangements, although we are trying to use as little flowers as possible. Not because I don't love them ( I do!) but because they are extremely expensive. Well can be anyways.
Sometime in the next week we have to have a sit down with my dad and see whether he wants to have alcohol there or not. (Neither of us are drinking so to us it doesn't even matter.. because neither of us can even have it).
I also have to get my dress fitted so Zach's (and my future) grandma can alter it for me.
I have to apply to GVSU and GRCC this week too. And we may apply to another school, but haven't figured it out yet.
There's a lot of not 100 percent sures yet. Hopefully they will all get solved.
Right now I know that Saturday I am cutting our paper for our invites. And on September 4th we are starting to create them! :)
I am with the man I love, I am graduating June 7th 2011, I have some amazing friends who support me and all in all I am not living an awful life. Sure there are things I'd like to change, but who doesn't?
I am in a pretty great mood.
I am really tired though.
Goodnight Blogger-world!

Some Possible Inspiration..

2010-08-22T10:38:00.000-04:00

Wedding related post!! It seems like it has been a couple of days since I put one up, but here goes nothing! Here is a few things I have come across the past couple of days and I am thinking of using them! :)

So..My first inspiration is this parasol. I think it is beautiful. I think it would be a lot of fun to take some pictures with it. I am always looking for fun ways to take pictures and I think that may be something that would make some of my girls pictures a lot of fun.

I love the thought of instead of flowers we could have floating candles in a glass jar and the water could be tainted blue or purple. I love the way that it brings more light into a room and it is just a really pretty way to have our tables nice and cute and i am just in love with this idea for centerpieces instead of spending hundreds of dollars on flowers that die.

My two options for bowls to sit those gosh darn cute candles! I am thinking I may do both. Have two of the same type centerpieces but have one really tall and one that is shorter. But I really like the tall one. But I also think the other one will hold more and look more formal. So we will see as to which one gets chosen. Maybe neither will! I have 298 days to figure it out (The Knot gave me a countdown so it counts down for me!!)...
On the side note I am definitely a Bee, not a Knottie.. I found the Knot first and then I found weddingbee and I fell in love with it. It is amazing.
Anyone planning a wedding, waiting for the proposal, married, with kids, without, There are boards for every type of bee. I love it. www.weddingbee.com
Okay. *Steps off platform*

Okay for name cards I was thinking this would be an amazing thing and it could also double as a favor.
I fell in love with the idea of giving out Jones soda.
Kind of like it is in the two pictures.. only with my own spin on it of course. We would have to learn how to DIY the labels, but if I took a multimedia class or had his sister help we may be able to do it. I think it would be a fun idea!! Hopefully it can fit in our budget of course.
Here are what we are thinking flavor wise:

Grape.
Blue Bubblegum// Berry Lemonade
Green Apple

I think it would be amazing!! Now we just have to see if it fits in our budget. Maybe my dad would buy them... ideas ideas ideas. We will see. Isn't this what this whole blog is about. A bunch of ideas!

Okay next idea is my girls clutches. My amazing friend Sarah is going to sew them for me. I just have to figure out what kind to have my girls carry. I want it to be part of their gifts because I am going to pay for them and then I am thinking about putting some sort of jewelry inside them and then something that is based on the girl.
I think we are going to have white ones because I want it to be something they can use again and again. My maid of honor said she had too much black and so I am thinking either white or silver. plus black might look really harsh with their dresses. I think silver would be best because of their shoes and jewelry will be silver but I dunno yet. I am thinking that I may also get wristlet flowers because I know those are cheaper than doing a bouquet but then they still have flowers. But that is only if the clutches seem too simple. We will see.
Here are a few of the ones I have been looking at.

Those are the four that have caught my eyes. Haven't figured out a pattern yet or anything but I am hoping to figure it out soon. Maybe once Zach's parents come back from Aruba today we can start figuring stuff out.. haven't told them about any of these ideas yet..

Okay if we did the Jones soda idea those would be placed on a table with their table numbers and their names. Then when they got to their tables they would find a baggie with either gumballs or M&Ms on their plates... I thought these bags were really cute

We will see thought. I may just do white ones so that you can see the colorful pieces of food inside!!
I think that is all of my fun, random and probably some of them unnecessary ideas for my June 2011 wedding!~
I am very excited! Probably gonna blog more later... right now my stomach is screaming on the tops of it's invisible lungs FEED ME!
<3
T

Just a bit of this and that...

2010-08-21T23:09:00.000-04:00

So. I am in a blogging mood :). Mr. and Mrs. B are currently on their 25th Wedding Anniversary vacation to Aruba. Aww right?! And they are a perfect example that with a lot of work and if two people want it enough that two people can last. They were young when they got married (19 I believe..) and got pregnant with Zach's older sister when they were seniors in high school. It wasn't easy, but they overcame the obstacles and are still in love today. Not everyday is easy, but it never is. Anywhoo. I just think its cute. They come home tomorrow.
This is what my week has looked like since... Wednesday. Yeah Wednesday night/Thursday morning was my last post. Well Thursday I got stuff around for the garage sale Emily, one of my beautiful bridesmaids and I are currently having. I had to go through two houses, mine and Zach's through our stuff and then we brought it over to Em's and started pricing it.


Our most recent picture... from how much we see each other it is really sad.

Anyways, so we set everything up for the garage sale and went to meijers. We bought a ton of stuff! We bought brownie mix, cookie stuff, cupcake materials, kool aid packets, and lots of different stuff. We bought stuff to make signs and it was a lot of fun. We came back home and then we made cupcakes and brownies.
Paul was over most of the day with Emily too. Zachary had things he needed to do.
Friday we opened up the garage sale. All together I think we made over 70-75ish i do believe. It was a pretty good opening day. Paul was over for the day and Nick Scott came later. Between having the two of them though I got really tired of their boyish....er... charms. Then I left with Zach and we went with Aubree to visit his grandma in the hospital. We stayed and talked to her for a while which was really nice. She is sweet. Her boss gave her lots of candy and she gave us some. I really hope her blood clots dissolve so she can get out of the hospital soon. I think we are gonna try to go visit her again this week. Maybe Monday or Tuesday. When we left she hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek... It was really sweet. I am starting to feel like I am starting to become part of the Buschert clan. His mom wrote me a letter on facebook and ended it with -mom... It was super cute.
Today was slow with the garage sale but Ali was there with Emily which was fun and Paul came later to put out signs and hang out with Emily. Emily's momma brought us doughnuts and then later Emily's dad brought us Biggby coffee. Yay :)
Now we are just sitting here. Woot.
This week has been good. There were rough spots like my fight about silly things with Zach and a dumb fight with his best man. I have been feeling sick recently and my patience hasn't been the highest. I have had better weeks and worst weeks. Next week is filled with the last day of the garage sale, orientation for our senior year of high school, cutting our paper for the invites, and right now that is about it. I have to go school shopping and hopefully we are going to move or at least get our own bedrooms.
Wedding related talk I guess...
Well, We have our photographer. which we are soooooo in trouble with because we keep forgetting to send it in.. I couldn't find a stamp and then once I did.. I left it on the desk and now I haven't had a chance to get back there and put it in a stupid mailbox!! Grr.
Our food menu isn't decided yet.
We are doing clutches instead of wedding bridal bouquets for my girls.
I am extremely excited.. less than 300 days and I become a Mrs!! It is scary and exciting all at once.
I am gonna read for a bit. Maybe blog later??
Until then...
<3
T

The Adventures of Yesterday

2010-08-19T09:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was an interesting day to say the least. I woke up at 9 am. Which for the record wasn't really my choice. My body just decided to wake me up. So I got some stuff around for the garage sale we are having on Friday and I sat around. Zach called me at 9:30 and said he was going to come get me. So I took a shower and then we went to his house and watched tv. I had easy mac for breakfast :).
We then went and picked up Brandon. Brandon is Zach's little brother and can be a giant pain sometimes. Then we went to get Aubree and Kenzie who were both asleep when we got there. No surprise there. We dropped off Brandon at the dentist and then we drove to the movie theater. Jake was sitting on a chair waiting for us.
We got tickets for......

It was amazing. It was hilarious. Emily and Paul were going to come see it with us but they didn't because they couldn't use his car. She wasn't very happy about it. and neither was anyone else. After the movie 7 people snugly fit in a five passenger car. We were extremely afraid of getting pulled over.

After we went back to Zach's house. I started getting stuff around for the garage sale. Zachary Slept, Jake played Runescape, and Aubree was downstairs. Zach and I got in a little fight, but it got somewhat resolved.

Then Cassie came and we went to the food tasting at the Bluff for our reception.

The people who went with us:

Me- Bride

Zach- Groom

Jake- Best Man

Cassie- MOH

Aubree- MOH

Kayleen- Mistress of the Ceremony

Leo- Mister of the Ceremony

Tim- Dad of the Bride

The food was good and it went well. We saw my aunt and uncle who apparently make wedding cakes. We haven't seen them in a few years and it was nice to chat and see them again. During our tasting though Zach was being a little controlling.. and I didn't like it. Today we are going to sit down and discuss it as a couple.

After the tasting Cassie, Aubree and I went to meijers. We bought lots of ice cream and food but we forgot poster board, stamps and looking for my grandma for a for real dog. oops xD

We got back to my house and my dad had the pop up outside set up for us.. YAY!

We made cupcakes inside and then we came outside and frosted them. We colored and we just talked and talked. Then Cassie went to sleep and Aubree and I did something naughty.

We went and TPed our neighbors. Don't worry it was someone we both knew so we weren't afraid of them throwing a fit. But it was a lot of fun!
Afterwards we went to bed.
That was my adventure of yesterday. Today is filled with lots of running around like chickens with our heads cut off kind of things.
But hopefully it will be good!
<3 <3 Let you know!

Secondhand Sereade//Girl's Night Out

2010-08-17T10:45:00.000-04:00

Me with Secondhand Serenade!

I have been quite a busy girl. Well last Friday my maid of honor, Cassie, my future sister, Aubree and I went on a little adventure... To Lansing to go see Secondhand Serenade! It was a lot of fun. Cassie drove down to us and we hung out for a little while before the concert. We went and got in line so we could get good places to sit. We forgot one little detail of course- Food! We didn't eat for over 10 and a half hours. That is for a different part of the story of course.

We waited in line for over an hour. The doors were suppose to open at 6 and we didn't get in until after 7.

So we decided to take pictures of ourselves while we were in line. The red head on the left is Aubree and the girl on the right is Cassie. I am in the middle..

Well when we got inside the place they took our tickets (which upset me because I wanted to scrapbook with it!) That was what the inside of the loft looked. We got pop and just chilled at a table while we waited. We listened to the opener bands, Camera Can't Lie, Runner Runner, and The White Tie Affair. Then We listened to Secondhand Serenade. We met and got autographs from every band! I will post some pictures of me and them (we all got pictures with them, but some of them we had to do two with two.)


The main singer from The White Tie Affair. He signed all of our phones! and he was really nice. We saw him everywhere!

Runner Runner!


Camera Can't Lie

We had so much fun! Afterwords we went to Taco Bell because we were starving! 20 dollars later our stomachs were full. We dropped Aubree off at home and then we crashed at my house. She left in the morning to go to work. I enjoyed my day with my best friends. :) Plus, more pictures and signatures to add to my pictures with people!

Looking back....

2010-08-11T01:19:00.001-04:00

I just spent the last half hour looking through some of my old notes. The font changes, the tone changes, the people I hung out with, the places I have gone and visited... everything since freshman year has changed. I am not that same quirky geeky girl I was at 14. I was actually quiet at 14... now you cannot usually shut me up if you know me well enough! :)
Has anyone ever looked at how different your life was and the things that helped define you. The people you meet that you let see you vulnerable and the places you go that you let become part of your personality and your way of life. Some place that could be just a place holds some value in your life. Something that actually means something. Maybe you got your first kiss that day. I can still remember the date and place where I got my first kiss. I was 14 years old. I was just a wee little thing. That same boy is going to be the one I marry. Time flies. Life doesn't slow down for anyone. You only get to live on this earth once. You need to leave your mark on it.
I remember that first day of freshman year. How I got lost in that "giant" school building. How I got placed by a red head in Health class taught by a quirky teacher. I remember how cool it was to pass notes and not get caught. How dances were such a big deal and how much heartbreak hurts. I learned that love always deserves second chances and that sometimes all you need is a little faith. I gained friends and I lost touch with some. I became a little more than just a wallflower. I lost someone important for the 2nd time. I learned a little about myself.
I remember that summer when I worked at Pine Ridge. I learned how work wasn't just fun and games. I learned to trust God through the good stuff and the stuff that you didn't understand why it happenedl. He and I have had a rocky relationship sometimes but I know that in the end He will always provide as long as I trust in him. I met amazing people and watched people come to Christ. I learned what a deep faith meant and had some crazy memories.
Then came sophmore year. I met new people, lost touch with people. I went on road trips, made mistakes, lost myself and slowly learned how to find her again. I tried something new, I kept trying to succeed. Found something I was good at. Learned that Loving someone wasn't easy and it required work, but if you really loved someone that it was worth it. Cried a lot of tears, laughed a lot of laughs and fell a lot along the way.
Junior year came. Lots of parties, lots of drama, lots of crazy days and a lot of love. Lost someone who meant the world to me. Lost myself a little more. Found her a little more. Learned what it was like to love someone and only want what is best for them. Learned that life is made of many options. Found out who my true friends were. Gave up things that caused too much pain. Learned to love to express myself. Learned I didn't care what others thought of me. Became a future wife. Learned that sometimes people just won't understand.
I have gotten in one accident, I have loved one boy with my whole heart and soul and mind, I have written many poems, became friends with many people, lost friends, Traveled with friends, learned a taste of freedom and learned what I want out of life. As I look back at all of the things that I could have done and what might have beens I learn that even if I could do it over again I wouldn't. I wouldn't be who I am today if I didn't have the experiences that I've had. I learned how to bowl over a hundred and how to do a whole band routine without falling on my face. I learned how to do laundry and that furniture is expensive. I learned that college applications aren't easy but nothing in life ever is. People who are meant to be your friends will be there through all of your stages of life and those who were there for just stages were still placed there for a reason.
I love those who have created such an impact in my life. From teachers who never gave up on me, to small group leaders who helped encourage me and never let me stray too far from God, to the friends who knew just what I needed and those who were there when I couldn't find myself. I love the way that God has placed every person in my life today. And even though senior year is fastly approaching (less than three weeks!) I know I am ready. This next year is going to be crazy. With wedding plans, school work, College plans, financial aid stuff, and everything else in between.
I know how much I have grown since that 14 year old girl who walked into her first day at rockford. Now that young girl is a young adult ready to face the world around her and knows who she is and what she wants out of her life. And even if she didn't thats okay too because every day is a new day and can always be the beginning of the rest of your life :) <3

August 9th 2010

2010-08-10T02:26:00.000-04:00

I am going to write about my day! Yay for being a great mood at 2:09 in the morning when I should be sleeping but alas I cannot seem to fall asleep. So here I am... going to tell you all about my day. Well I woke up at 6:24 am. Then I fell back asleep and didn't wake up until after 11. :)
Then we visited school to try to get Jake enrolled or at least see what it would take to get him enrolled. and we gave him a tour of the school so he doesn't get lost on his first day of school. Then we made this GIANT breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and toast. It looked kind of like this picture right here. well it was very delicious. Then we just kind of chilled and watched "Whose wedding is it anyways" and the HGTV channel. We had an appointment today at 4 for another photographer... who was fenomial. He was amazing. He was funny, nice, professional, takes amazing pictures and gave us a great deal. We get 2 photographers, 10-12 hours of coverage, a cd with printing rights, engagement session with cd and printing rights, both of our senior pictures with cd and printing rights and 2 8 by 10s and 2 5 by 7s and it may even come with some wallets.. and like 30-40 percent off any prints we want printed... all for 1500 dollars. I think that is amazing. He just blew us out of the water. We are calling him after Zach gets out of work tomorrow to tell them that we decided to go with them!
first of all here is their website: www.davynphotography.com ( it is a wife and husband photography business)
You should take a look!
:)
So that may just be the best part of today... finally picking a photographer!!
Then after that great news I watched my favorite cousins and it was a lot of fun!
Our next wedding related obstacle to overcome: DJ and Limo services.
Our not wedding related obstacle: College applications!
Anyone else have a great day?
Would love to hear about it!
T

The Church and Reception!

2010-08-10T02:03:00.000-04:00

Okay so story time about the church. It is a beautiful church, but that isn't why we picked it. There are lots of beautiful churches.

What really makes this church special is the fact that my parents got married there many years ago...

Which makes it really important to me. You see I lost my mom when I was 8 years old. So I always knew I wanted to make sure that she was very much present at my wedding. :) I love the church and it will be so beautiful there.

Now to the reception venue!

We decided to go somewhere that was in our budget yet also was modern and nice and seemed to be fitting for the wedding. The Bluff was perfect for all three!

There was a few compromises that we had to do like the fact that it was in the middle of a shopping outlet but the inside was beautiful.

here is what the outside looks like

I am so pleased with our venues!

We have our first taste testing next week Wednesday!!

He proposed... She said Yes!

2010-08-08T17:14:00.000-04:00

Okay So I am going to tell you about our proposal story and how we met and all that fun jazz. :) First of all I am going to tell you how we met. :)


This is us. Only 14 years old. We look pretty silly and young :)


Our first date. I had short hair and he had braces.

We met our freshman year of high school. We had health class with Mrs. Egbert. He sat next to one of my best friends and I liked his red hair.He thought I was cute and shy (Boy how he was wrong!). So he and I started to talk to each other. We decided to go to homecoming together as dates. Neither of us taking it very seriously. Turns out we had a lot in common with one another and a lot that was completely different. We don't always get along. One of my favorite quotes comes from the notebook.
"So it's not going to be easy. It's going to be really hard. We're going to have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, everyday"
He and I get on each others nerves sometimes. But we are committed to one another and we both know our feelings towards one another can overcome anything.
So we dated for 2 and a half years. They had their ups and their downs. those years consisted of lots of parties, lots of fights, lots of happiness, lots of kisses and lots of I love yous. Then came April 27th 2010. It was a Tuesday. I was upset we were going out because I was tired and had work to do. But we went out anyways because it was important to him. We went to Arnies to eat. He had chicken fingers. After dinner we decided to eat ice cream and walk the dam. It was late and downtown was empty. Zach was acting funny. We stopped at the pavilion and he asked me to dance. Puzzled yet pleased, we danced. If I had any idea what was going on I quickly forgot about it as we kept walking. We talked about a lonely swan who wanted a wife and a family. Not an odd conversation for us. On our way back we stopped to look at the full moon. Zach asked me to come to him. He then said,"I've made you wait long enough...Tricia I love you and I want you to be my wife.. I asked your dad a question and now I am going to ask you one"... *gets down on one knee* "Tricia Lyn will you marry me?" Of course I said YES!


my beautiful ring!

Well. Thats our story.
Whats your story??
Comment!

That First Post

2010-08-08T15:53:00.001-04:00

I am officially a blogger! It is an exciting thing.

Well I am going to start out by telling you all about me and the fiance and I guess makes that first impression. And I have 20 minutes to do that (The boy wants to watch a movie.) I am a young bride to say the least. I am 17 years old. *Pause*

Okay, now that the initial shock is over I will answer a few questions that may be going on in your mind (if they aren't well bear with me as I answer them for those of you who do). First question I get is "Why so young?" Well, you see I have this theory... bear with me as I tell you. We have been together since we were 14 years old. Both of us know what school we want to go to. Both of us knew we wanted to get married young and we both knew who we were going to marry. So to us it is more of a "Why wait" than a "Why so young." Plus we are both 3rd generation high school sweethearts and we both have been surrounded by great relationships that started young and are still thriving. Second question I get a lot is " Are you pregnant?" the answer folks is no and I am not planning on becoming pregnant for quite awhile (like 5 years.)

*Steps off Soapbox*

We are both going to be seniors in high school this year. So I am a high school senior planning her wedding and juggling her college applications, wedding details, school work, extra curricular activities and friends. Good thing I love being super busy all of the time.

We have chosen our wedding date to be June 17th 2011. Our Graduation date is June 7th 2011.*Eek*

Here's probably the most recent picture of us... We went on our first trip together to Chicago. We were out on the Skydeck. Good thing you can't see the back of this picture because I have my nails into his back. (I hate heights... we were standing on clear glass. not a good combo.) But we went out and got a picture together :)

Quirky things about me:

1. I am a DIY freak. I love anything that I can do with my hands. That includes scrapbooks, knitting, invitations, random projects. etc. I love them. They are so much fun.

2. I am a planner. I love anything that involves planning and decorating and lots of details. I am going into Hospitality Management for college.

3. I am a perfectionist. Which has its perks and its downfalls. It means I spend double the amount of time on some things that should only take a few minutes.

4. I am a complete bookworm and I am always looking for new books to read. So if you ever read something that is just amazing. You should let me know :)

5. Candy is my weakness.

Quirky Things about Zach (my fiance).

1. He loves video games. He would play all the time if school, work and I would let him :)

2. He is a napper. I have never seen someone nap as much as him. (He has fallen asleep on the ground as I have been writing this.)

3. He is one of the pickiest eaters I have met...and that includes the little kids I babysit.

4. He is a bowler and a nerd. He is very school smart and is going to become an Accountant like his dad.

5. He still opens up doors for me- 3 years later. He is just a perfect gentleman sometimes.

We have three "children"... well goldfish. But they are like our little kids. Their names are Mako, Autumn, and Gingybrows. Mako is named after the shark because he gave the guy at Meijers havoc when we picked him out (and still gives us havoc every time we try to clean their bowl!). Autumn was named because we got them in November and Gingybrows was named because we had an old fish and it died and his name was Gingybrows Buschart. Speaking of which I need to go feed those guys *Gets up and feeds them*

Well, as Zach has decided to inform me my 20 minutes are up. I will get on after I babysit tonight and start another blog post. Until then...

Adios :)