Wednesday, July 13, 2011
and now...my blooming hand made bridal bouquet!
I am IN LOVE! full blown love!!! Yes with Craig! of course :) and now also with my bridal bouquet! It's sooooooo pretty! Our wedding package came with flowers, but just a small simple bouquet. I was fine with that, until I saw this one. I was looking on etsy.com for a vintage inspired something to wear in my hair, when I came across this. I don't know how I feel about fake flowers per se...but these are hand made! out of fabric! and I'll get to keep it forever which I love because it's so pretty. I think it's the perfect balance of vintage and edgy, like me! and the colors go perfectly with my bridesmaid dresses, i'll post a picture of both the dress and the bouquet. I have to say...i'm getting very very very very excited for this wedding!! Well I've always been excited because i'm marrying Craig, but now there is just alot less stress with the wedding decisions so i'm able to be more excited about the event itself. There are a few less people that are coming now, 2 to be exact, so we are checking with the venue to see about cancelling the reception and just going out to a nice dinner. With a reception in England in the forecast, this seems like the best idea. I'm so happy everything is coming together!
![]()
![]()
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Train or No Train?
When I picked out my wedding dress, I was in love with the top of it. The sweetheart neckline and sparkles on the bodice, and the corset!! I really wanted a corset. But when I envisioned our Vegas wedding I really wanted a fairly simple dress, meaning - no cumbersome train. Well my gorgeous dress has a train and i'm thinking about cutting it off. Well, not me personally lol but when I take it for the alterations. Would that be weird? It's beautiful with it, really makes it flow in the back, but it also makes it so formal. In the meantime I need to find a good seamstress in Dallas that wont charge me a million dollars to adjust the length, wish me luck!
For now we are keeping the reception space. I looked into having dinner in the steakhouse at the hotel after, in a private room, but it actually costs more! I was shocked too. So for now we are keeping it as is, but as the event gets closer less people are able to go so if we only end up with a few folks then i'll cancel it and we'll just go to dinner somewhere. I'm not overly fussed about this outcome because we are having a nice reception in England early next year anyway. More than anything I want everyone to have fun and feel relaxed. I dont want stuffy and formal - I just want to celebrate our love with our close friends and family.
Craig has been looking at wedding bands! This makes me absolutely giddy! I cannot wait to see it on his finger, whatever one he finally decides on lol!
and just a Dakota update, he's still doing good!!! a little progress every day!
For now we are keeping the reception space. I looked into having dinner in the steakhouse at the hotel after, in a private room, but it actually costs more! I was shocked too. So for now we are keeping it as is, but as the event gets closer less people are able to go so if we only end up with a few folks then i'll cancel it and we'll just go to dinner somewhere. I'm not overly fussed about this outcome because we are having a nice reception in England early next year anyway. More than anything I want everyone to have fun and feel relaxed. I dont want stuffy and formal - I just want to celebrate our love with our close friends and family.
Craig has been looking at wedding bands! This makes me absolutely giddy! I cannot wait to see it on his finger, whatever one he finally decides on lol!
and just a Dakota update, he's still doing good!!! a little progress every day!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Dakota and the Great Purse Incident
Let me start this post by saying Dakota is very high spirited and very mischievious, he is like a two year old that gets into everything. Why didn't I keep that in mind when I went outside for a few minutes on Friday afternoon and left him to his own devices? Well, there was nothing about that could cause him any trouble, afterall. Right? Oh how wrong I was. My purse was on the kitchen counter and I didn't think twice about it, that's the one thing Koda has never once shown any interest in whatsoever. None. I came in from being outside for a few minutes and my heart completely dropped. He had pulled my purse off the counter top and was consuming the contents of a pill bottle. It got worse. As I walked towards him I could see he had consumed an entire bottle of 1000mg Omega 3 fish oil tablets, my lip gloss (who cares), he had punctured my asthma inhaler and I had no idea whether he inhaled any or not, and he was chewing on an empty vitamin bottle. At the time I didn't know it was the empty one - I had bought a new one that was also in my purse and I guess I forgot to throw the old one away. Thank goodness, because he didn't touch the new one. He was so pleased with himself, and I was in hysterics. I called his vet and they looked up the toxicology of it all. All in all nothing in it was that bad, it's just the quantity. She told me signs to look out for, and to make sure he drinks alot of water. He did. I watched him all night and while he didn't ever vomit or poo (she said he would) you could see within 30 minutes of consumption that he did not feel good. It was a restless evening for us both. My neighbor came to check on him about 10:30 that night and we took him outside to see if he would use the bathroom. He had drank 2 bowls of water and still hadn't relieved himself so I was worried. He didn't use the bathroom but I noticed his walking was a little slow and labored. I chalked it up to him feeling really bad, but we loaded him in the car and took him to the emergency vet anyway as a precaution. 15min later we get him out of the car and he acts as if nothing is wrong. He's walking fine, he used the bathroom in the field - twice, and didn't stumble once. I took him inside and they checked his vitals and they were perfect, so I opted to take him home and keep a close eye on him just in case. I was optimistic that he was going to be fine.
Saturday morning came, 7:30am ish, he wanted to go outside. yay! right? sigh. At first he seemed fine. The further we walked he slower he got (and we didn't walk far). His legs started acting funny, his steps very clumsy and uncoordinated and his front legs stomping. I made him stop walking and he sat down but he was shaking. I started crying again and I don't think I stopped until yesterday. I didn't know what to do, he was laying down on the ground at this point and he weighs 70lbs. Then I saw a neighbor walking his dog and I asked him to help me. Dakota stood up when he came and he seemed steady for the moment so we walked very slowly to see how he would do. He didn't do good at all, the shaking got worse and so did his walking. He was exhausted and fell down. I gave the leash to my neighbor and ran to get the car. We loaded him in the car and I took him to the vet clinic. The trip there was horrible. Dakota couldn't catch his breath, it sounded like he was suffocating and I thought he was going to die. I honestly thought my furbaby was going to die in my car and I was physically sick from fear. Somehow I got him there safely and he was able to jump out of the car but collapsed just inside the door of the clinic. They immediately came and carried him to the back and started working on him. They ran every test imaginable, blood work, x rays, EKGs. and nothing. they found nothing. everything was normal. The vet suspected pancreatitis, he needed a 'snap' test. They can do it there but have to send it out and everywhere would be closed until Tuesday (today). She said she was going to send him to the emergency vet clinic, they can do the snap test and get results on site and he needed to be in ICU and monitored at least overnight. They were giving him IV fluids to flush out his system at this point so we waited about 2 hours before they let me take him. They carried him to the car and loaded him in and away we went to the emergency vet. They will have answers, they will fix it. I was trying to think positively. They looked over his paperwork and tests that had already been done. They did the snap test and it was negative for pancreatitis. They could find nothing wrong. They had not seen him collapse, or the weird way he walked. I told them to walk him so they could see what is going on. they did but not long enough. I walked him, and I showed them. So the vet said 'we cant find anything wrong but that's definitely not normal behavior so we need to keep him and watch him' really? ummm isn't that what his vet already said? GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR frustrating. So they kept him overnight. I called every 2 hours. No change. No change. No change. One thing the ER vet said was that it could be a toxin causing the neurological issues. It might work out of his system in a few days, or it might not. I picked him up early early sunday morning and brought him home. It's watch and wait. If he doesn't improve, he'll have to go to a neurologist. He was so happy to be with me, and be home. He slept almost the entire day. He was happy and more peppy (I knew when he was interested in a cat lol) but he still wasn't the same old Koda. I thought maybe it would take him a few days, he'd been through alot. One thing the ER vet on duty told me when I picked him up was that they hadn't taken him out very much - they didn't want to induce that reaction in him. This upset me slightly because how do you know there was no improvement if you didn't? And you've given him 3 bags of IV fluids - how can you 'flush' his system if you don't take him to relieve himself and get the toxins out? When I picked him up he was going crazy bc he had to use the bathroom so badly! He went for ages! poor thing!!!!!!!!!! and he kind of didnt stop. The only thing he woke up for on sunday was to go potty and then right back to sleep. I did notice an improvement, though. He was able to walk a little bit further each time. I didn't push him. He would pull me and we would go a few feet more each time. He's still very slow and the longer you walk the slower he gets - we still dont go far at all, but it IS an improvement. His personality and spark is back as well. In fact, today when I went home to check on him for lunch he barked for a bite of food! This might not sound like a big deal, but Koda is a talker, he is always voicing his opinion or letting you know what he wants - mostly through howling. (well, he is a husky afterall!) But He hasn't talked since the incident and I was really worried. I would try to get him to and it looked like he wanted to speak, but then he wouldn't. Or couldn't - that's what I was most worried about was whether he actually could or not. But once he barked today, he definitely found his voice again because then he didn't shut up lol and I didn't want him to, it's the sweetest sound i've ever heard. So while the walking is still not 100%, it is better so i'm praying he will make a full recovery from this. I'm so thankful for Craig and my friends who were worried about him as well and who came to see him or called/txt'd to check on him. It meant so much to me. I think all the prayers for him worked, I honestly do.
![]()
Saturday morning came, 7:30am ish, he wanted to go outside. yay! right? sigh. At first he seemed fine. The further we walked he slower he got (and we didn't walk far). His legs started acting funny, his steps very clumsy and uncoordinated and his front legs stomping. I made him stop walking and he sat down but he was shaking. I started crying again and I don't think I stopped until yesterday. I didn't know what to do, he was laying down on the ground at this point and he weighs 70lbs. Then I saw a neighbor walking his dog and I asked him to help me. Dakota stood up when he came and he seemed steady for the moment so we walked very slowly to see how he would do. He didn't do good at all, the shaking got worse and so did his walking. He was exhausted and fell down. I gave the leash to my neighbor and ran to get the car. We loaded him in the car and I took him to the vet clinic. The trip there was horrible. Dakota couldn't catch his breath, it sounded like he was suffocating and I thought he was going to die. I honestly thought my furbaby was going to die in my car and I was physically sick from fear. Somehow I got him there safely and he was able to jump out of the car but collapsed just inside the door of the clinic. They immediately came and carried him to the back and started working on him. They ran every test imaginable, blood work, x rays, EKGs. and nothing. they found nothing. everything was normal. The vet suspected pancreatitis, he needed a 'snap' test. They can do it there but have to send it out and everywhere would be closed until Tuesday (today). She said she was going to send him to the emergency vet clinic, they can do the snap test and get results on site and he needed to be in ICU and monitored at least overnight. They were giving him IV fluids to flush out his system at this point so we waited about 2 hours before they let me take him. They carried him to the car and loaded him in and away we went to the emergency vet. They will have answers, they will fix it. I was trying to think positively. They looked over his paperwork and tests that had already been done. They did the snap test and it was negative for pancreatitis. They could find nothing wrong. They had not seen him collapse, or the weird way he walked. I told them to walk him so they could see what is going on. they did but not long enough. I walked him, and I showed them. So the vet said 'we cant find anything wrong but that's definitely not normal behavior so we need to keep him and watch him' really? ummm isn't that what his vet already said? GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR frustrating. So they kept him overnight. I called every 2 hours. No change. No change. No change. One thing the ER vet said was that it could be a toxin causing the neurological issues. It might work out of his system in a few days, or it might not. I picked him up early early sunday morning and brought him home. It's watch and wait. If he doesn't improve, he'll have to go to a neurologist. He was so happy to be with me, and be home. He slept almost the entire day. He was happy and more peppy (I knew when he was interested in a cat lol) but he still wasn't the same old Koda. I thought maybe it would take him a few days, he'd been through alot. One thing the ER vet on duty told me when I picked him up was that they hadn't taken him out very much - they didn't want to induce that reaction in him. This upset me slightly because how do you know there was no improvement if you didn't? And you've given him 3 bags of IV fluids - how can you 'flush' his system if you don't take him to relieve himself and get the toxins out? When I picked him up he was going crazy bc he had to use the bathroom so badly! He went for ages! poor thing!!!!!!!!!! and he kind of didnt stop. The only thing he woke up for on sunday was to go potty and then right back to sleep. I did notice an improvement, though. He was able to walk a little bit further each time. I didn't push him. He would pull me and we would go a few feet more each time. He's still very slow and the longer you walk the slower he gets - we still dont go far at all, but it IS an improvement. His personality and spark is back as well. In fact, today when I went home to check on him for lunch he barked for a bite of food! This might not sound like a big deal, but Koda is a talker, he is always voicing his opinion or letting you know what he wants - mostly through howling. (well, he is a husky afterall!) But He hasn't talked since the incident and I was really worried. I would try to get him to and it looked like he wanted to speak, but then he wouldn't. Or couldn't - that's what I was most worried about was whether he actually could or not. But once he barked today, he definitely found his voice again because then he didn't shut up lol and I didn't want him to, it's the sweetest sound i've ever heard. So while the walking is still not 100%, it is better so i'm praying he will make a full recovery from this. I'm so thankful for Craig and my friends who were worried about him as well and who came to see him or called/txt'd to check on him. It meant so much to me. I think all the prayers for him worked, I honestly do.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Happy Friday
Wow I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted! oopsie. Well good news, my mom booked her plane tickets last week so she and my step dad are definitely coming to Vegas for the wedding! I'm soooo happy about this! She's going to have so much fun, she's never flown before and she's nervous but I know she'll love Vegas and I'm so excited to spend that time with her.
I really do love weddings, when they are other peoples lol I will love mine too because i'm marrying the man of my dreams but it's been a bumpy road of ups and downs. I'm not going to dwell on it because I dont want anything to overshadow how happy I am to be marrying Craig, i've already let it do enough of that so from this moment on, I will have to let it go. Try anyway. it's supposed to be about me and Craig right? Right! I just have to remember I can't please everyone. So the bridesmaid's dresses for Craig's sisters came in and they are beautiful, i'm so happy! and the girls love them so that made me even happier about them because I really wanted them to be happy with them. Now for my dress, I need to find a good seamstress for alterations. I've looked at a few online but how the heck do I pick one? eek!
In Dakota news...I got him a new bag of food today but accidently grabbed the one for 'large breed'. Same kind, Science Diet Lamb and Rice but I normally just get the regular kind. So I filled his bowl, and he ate every nugget! he loved it! what the heck is the big difference? He never finishes the bowl (I always put an extra scoop in case he wants a snack later lol) and after he was done he was laying down because he was so full and his belly was soooo fat! lolol it was really funny. So note to self, no extra scoop anymore! I'm struggling to keep up with his long walks because its sooooooo hot now, but I'm trying - its good for both of us!
Speaking of exercise, I've been doing Jillian Michaels' 30 day Shred. It's only a 20min workout. No big deal right? HA! It kicks your behind! Its a long 20min but its worth it, I can tell a difference for sure after only a week. If you are wanting a DVD to workout too, I highly recommend!
![]()
I really do love weddings, when they are other peoples lol I will love mine too because i'm marrying the man of my dreams but it's been a bumpy road of ups and downs. I'm not going to dwell on it because I dont want anything to overshadow how happy I am to be marrying Craig, i've already let it do enough of that so from this moment on, I will have to let it go. Try anyway. it's supposed to be about me and Craig right? Right! I just have to remember I can't please everyone. So the bridesmaid's dresses for Craig's sisters came in and they are beautiful, i'm so happy! and the girls love them so that made me even happier about them because I really wanted them to be happy with them. Now for my dress, I need to find a good seamstress for alterations. I've looked at a few online but how the heck do I pick one? eek!
In Dakota news...I got him a new bag of food today but accidently grabbed the one for 'large breed'. Same kind, Science Diet Lamb and Rice but I normally just get the regular kind. So I filled his bowl, and he ate every nugget! he loved it! what the heck is the big difference? He never finishes the bowl (I always put an extra scoop in case he wants a snack later lol) and after he was done he was laying down because he was so full and his belly was soooo fat! lolol it was really funny. So note to self, no extra scoop anymore! I'm struggling to keep up with his long walks because its sooooooo hot now, but I'm trying - its good for both of us!
Speaking of exercise, I've been doing Jillian Michaels' 30 day Shred. It's only a 20min workout. No big deal right? HA! It kicks your behind! Its a long 20min but its worth it, I can tell a difference for sure after only a week. If you are wanting a DVD to workout too, I highly recommend!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The wedding plans in full swing! again..
Now that Craig's visit is over (boo!) I'm throwing my energy into the wedding again. My dilema at the moment, again, is whether or not to have a reception vs going to dinner. There wont be loads of people there, less than 20, and the reception thus far is going to cost around $1000 (with upgrades etc) I know that's not a bad price, but believe me when I say i'm not getting much for that amount of money. Craig and I are going to have a reception in England so Its not as if we wont have one at all. I'm torn between the tradition of it, or just having fun and saving the money and taking everyone to dinner. Thoughts please????? I'm really really undecided about this. And we dont have long to make up our minds. Keep in mind, the wedding is in Vegas :)
So I was cleaning my place last night and I came across a pile of change on the kitchen counter. Not unusual, but when I was picking it up I noticed it was mixed with english change as well, this was Craig's pile. So I got nastalgic and wanted to leave it there bc it's his and a reminder of his vist. But alas my neater side kicked in, so I moved it lol! I'm seriously so sentimental ya'll!!
One thing I'm happy to report on is that while I miss Craig terribly, This time is actually much easier than the past visits where I would be so deeply sad for a long time after because I missed him so much. I do believe it's because the next time we are together, it will be for our wedding, and it's not very far away. You were right Meg :)
As always we are talking more and more about where we will live. Our goal is to end up in England. We go back and forth as to the path we will take to make that happen. Right now it makes more sense for him to move here for a while, then we'll move back together in a year or two. I make way more money here than I will there and we would be able to save save save, with the goal of being able to put down a big amount towards buying a house in England. The downside is US dollars are worth less than English pounds. But I think it'll be ok. I'm really very very excited to move to England, where Craig lives in the cotswolds is unbelievably beautiful!! i'll post a pic at the end so you can see. It's a pic from his back patio. So maybe we should forgo all the savings and I should just go there? I know ya'll are prob sick of hearing me go back and forth lol but we really need to make the best decision for us to set up our future, especially since we want kids right away :)
This post has been most random!
So I was cleaning my place last night and I came across a pile of change on the kitchen counter. Not unusual, but when I was picking it up I noticed it was mixed with english change as well, this was Craig's pile. So I got nastalgic and wanted to leave it there bc it's his and a reminder of his vist. But alas my neater side kicked in, so I moved it lol! I'm seriously so sentimental ya'll!!
One thing I'm happy to report on is that while I miss Craig terribly, This time is actually much easier than the past visits where I would be so deeply sad for a long time after because I missed him so much. I do believe it's because the next time we are together, it will be for our wedding, and it's not very far away. You were right Meg :)
As always we are talking more and more about where we will live. Our goal is to end up in England. We go back and forth as to the path we will take to make that happen. Right now it makes more sense for him to move here for a while, then we'll move back together in a year or two. I make way more money here than I will there and we would be able to save save save, with the goal of being able to put down a big amount towards buying a house in England. The downside is US dollars are worth less than English pounds. But I think it'll be ok. I'm really very very excited to move to England, where Craig lives in the cotswolds is unbelievably beautiful!! i'll post a pic at the end so you can see. It's a pic from his back patio. So maybe we should forgo all the savings and I should just go there? I know ya'll are prob sick of hearing me go back and forth lol but we really need to make the best decision for us to set up our future, especially since we want kids right away :)
This post has been most random!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Craig's Proposal
I was reading another blog that posted a video of a proposal Chris made to Sarah so I could vote for them to win a honeymoon. I don't know them, but Kimberly does so I wanted to vote for them to win! His proposal was really really sweet and quite clever! It got me thinking about when Craig asked me to marry him. I love that we all have our own special stories that are unique to us. I would love to hear yours! Here is ours :)
I LOVE history, and tudor history especially. It's an obsession of mine and for years I wanted to go to Hampton Court Palace to see where Henry VIII lived and breathed. It's actually this passion that led Craig and I to meet, because I was planning a vacation to England for just that purpose when I came across an english chat site. I thought it would be nice to talk to some 'locals' to find out good places to go and stay while I was there. Craig and I made profiles the exact same day. It turns out I was too shy to chat to anyone but Craig sent me a message and said he thought I seemed interesting, he works nights and gets bored so if I ever wanted to talk to message him. I did and we became friends. We really enjoyed talking to each other, we talked for hours on end and never ran out of things to say. I wasn't looking to meet anyone much less fall in love, but within a few months Craig had captured my heart.
So flash forward to this past February, we went to Hampton Court Palace and I was in heaven!!!! It was just magical and I'm not kidding when I say I could live in that place and be happy forever! I absolutely loved it! So we made our way to Henry's Royal Chapel and if you've never seen it, Its breathtaking! I will post a picture here that I found online of it, since they don't allow picture taking in the chapel itself. The picture doesn't do it justice, you have to see this place in person! I was in awe, looking around, taking it all in. I had kind of forgotten Craig was even there to be honest, I was just so wrapped up in the beauty of it and the history. At some point I turned to face Craig, and he was standing there with the ring, smiling. He said 'Will you marry me baby?' I said 'what are you doing?' (I was so wrapped up in the chapel I couldn't comprehend what was going on lol) he said 'i'm asking you to marry me' and I said ' no you're not' and he laughed and said 'yes I am' and I started crying and I said 'no you're not' while he gave me a big hug, then I came to my senses and I said yes, of course I will marry you. It was very sweet and he caught me completely off guard. I knew he would ask one day, we had talked about marriage already, but it was a complete surprise he did it then and there. Afterwards he told me he knew he wanted to ask me at Hampton Court, he just wasn't sure what part, but when he saw my reaction to the chapel he knew it was the perfect place, and it was! I'll never forget it and he made it soooo special. happy sigh!
I LOVE history, and tudor history especially. It's an obsession of mine and for years I wanted to go to Hampton Court Palace to see where Henry VIII lived and breathed. It's actually this passion that led Craig and I to meet, because I was planning a vacation to England for just that purpose when I came across an english chat site. I thought it would be nice to talk to some 'locals' to find out good places to go and stay while I was there. Craig and I made profiles the exact same day. It turns out I was too shy to chat to anyone but Craig sent me a message and said he thought I seemed interesting, he works nights and gets bored so if I ever wanted to talk to message him. I did and we became friends. We really enjoyed talking to each other, we talked for hours on end and never ran out of things to say. I wasn't looking to meet anyone much less fall in love, but within a few months Craig had captured my heart.
So flash forward to this past February, we went to Hampton Court Palace and I was in heaven!!!! It was just magical and I'm not kidding when I say I could live in that place and be happy forever! I absolutely loved it! So we made our way to Henry's Royal Chapel and if you've never seen it, Its breathtaking! I will post a picture here that I found online of it, since they don't allow picture taking in the chapel itself. The picture doesn't do it justice, you have to see this place in person! I was in awe, looking around, taking it all in. I had kind of forgotten Craig was even there to be honest, I was just so wrapped up in the beauty of it and the history. At some point I turned to face Craig, and he was standing there with the ring, smiling. He said 'Will you marry me baby?' I said 'what are you doing?' (I was so wrapped up in the chapel I couldn't comprehend what was going on lol) he said 'i'm asking you to marry me' and I said ' no you're not' and he laughed and said 'yes I am' and I started crying and I said 'no you're not' while he gave me a big hug, then I came to my senses and I said yes, of course I will marry you. It was very sweet and he caught me completely off guard. I knew he would ask one day, we had talked about marriage already, but it was a complete surprise he did it then and there. Afterwards he told me he knew he wanted to ask me at Hampton Court, he just wasn't sure what part, but when he saw my reaction to the chapel he knew it was the perfect place, and it was! I'll never forget it and he made it soooo special. happy sigh!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)