Nesting & Newlyweddin'

Oh, hey there.  It's been awhile. I'd like to introduce myself! My name is Julie Onstot.

Whaaaaa!?

It's been a crazy few months, to say the least. I've got a new last name, Evan has a new ring on his left hand, and we have a new bank account. We are officially married!

I love the oft-asked question, "how's married life?" Welp, the answer is -- it's exactly the same.  Except I get to call him my husband. Which is pretty awesome in itself.  Married life so far though, is just plain busy.

The second wedding planning ended, we turned to nesting.  We moved into our home last August, and a majority of decorating went undone -- our energy and resources went to the seemingly endless DIY projects for the big day. But now! Oh! It's like people actually live in our home now!

The main focus has been on the living room.  For your viewing pleasure, and our bragging rights... a quick rundown of updates we've made since the wedding.

New rug sitting pretty beneath Evan's coffee table he made for my birthday last year.  Don't feed the models.

Another look at the rug, just 'cause I love it.

Evan built these shelves, and I stained them! We didn't have pictures yet for those frames... so yes, a sideways family portrait of my brother's family & the drink menu from the wedding will do. 

We moved the chair to that corner to open up the space a bit. The lamp was a wedding gift!

We wanted some big art for that wall, so I painted these canvases. It may not stay, but it was a quick DIY project that fits the bill for now. 

New entryway table!

The biggest, most recent & most prized update we've made has been the media console. To have it finally finished and in place makes this wife so immensely happy! It's taken several months and many curse words -- but we're happy to reveal the finished project! Talk about an upgrade...

The Before: an old Ikea console table that never worked  but it was what we had.

The After: Rustic Apothecary Beauty.

Closeup of the hardware that I'm obsessed with.

I am so proud of Evan and his handiwork on this thing. He built it from the ground up; I stained the top, helped paint & installed the pulls.  Evan did a light coat of a coffee stain to give it the "antiqued" look.  We joke that it's a good thing we like this style furniture because it doesn't have to be perfect -- it's rustic, after all. Ha!

We can't wait to have people over and not have to explain the state of whatever that thing was that we called a "TV stand" for so long.  And above all, I'm excited to park in the garage again!!!

Next up on the project list: painting the living room and kitchen.  Finally getting rid of the red and gold of yore. Ick.  Evan also has an outdoor dining table project up his sleeve that I know he's itching to move on to.  I guess I shouldn't get too comfortable having both of our cars in the garage. Poor Bear, he's really fed up with the endless to-do list.

So to answer that question of how married life is -- nesting really is the best part.  We're building *our home.  I love that. :)

Wedding Weekend!

If you know me, you know I love sleep.  I'm 27 and still set an alarm if I need to be awake before 9:30.

Today, I've been up since 7:30am.  No alarm needed.

I can't help it! I'm just too excited! And of course, the constant to-do list is keeping my brain busy.  But it's here! Our wedding weekend is actually here.

I know things are about to get a whole lot more crazy, but so far -- I think I can honestly say that this is what it's all about.  All of your friends and family coming to one place to celebrate one thing is such a blessing.  So many times over the last year and a half I've questioned why we're doing anything at all -- let's just sign the paper and be done with it!  But I'm realizing that it doesn't matter how big or small the gathering -- the fact that you love each other, and the people that love you are there to see you make such an important commitment... it's humbling.  I can't wait to look back on all the photographs and remember such a happy occasion. We tied the knot!

So, before it's "the" day -- thank you, all of you, that made it here. Thank you even if you couldn't make it.  If you've just thought about us, briefly. We're so grateful to have you in our lives and so excited to start this next chapter.

Oh, and Evan -- I can't wait to be your wife.  This weekend officially begins "Onstot Ever After."  Happily.

Goodbye, 972.

Today Evan and I merged our cell phone accounts.  We'll be saving $80 a month, we finally got upgraded devices (ie, iPhones with a flash) and I also got a new charger -- which I need, because I accidentally sucked mine up into the vacuum cleaner.

What I didn't expect, or necessarily want, was a new number.

Alas, I am officially no longer a 972. Lubbock just keeps finding new ways to suck me in, and now it's with an 806.

It's all because in order to share a plan, we also had to share an area code. Listen, AT&T... just because I'm ready to share my last name with this man, does NOT mean I'm ready to give up my phone number I've had since I was 16.  I am oddly connected to my old number! I can't memorize something new! I just recently memorized Evan's... and now I have to figure mine out, too? Oy.

Side note, this entire post would qualify for a hash tag -- #firstworldproblems. I'm not ashamed. Only slightly.

Farewell, 3GS. I will miss you, and your Dallas area code. At least I'm still a Texas girl.

Catching up on Christmas

If you're like me, you look forward to Christmas all. year. long. Especially if you live with someone like my fiance, who strictly forbids Christmas music before Black Friday.  So I have to wait. And wait. And wait.

And then it's over! And this feeling of relief always seems to surprise me.  Quite frankly, I'm glad it's only a month. My anxiety and my wallet can't take it. Neither can my liver.

Alas, it is still one of my favorite times of the year. And this year we got to decorate OUR home for the very first time.  Many thanks to our sweet neighbor Cary for answering our call to walk outside for a quick photo sesh, as seen below.

 Didn't Evan do a beautiful job decking the halls?

Unfortunately, our poor garland didn't survive a massive wind storm that blew through Lubbock right before Christmas. 

Whoops.

But onto presents! Keep in mind that Bear is our only child, so he tends to get a lot of attention on this blog.

"What else is in here?" 

"That's it?"

Fortunately, it wasn't. He also got an ornament from his cousin Atlas. It was exactly what he wanted!

We spent the actual holiday in Dallas with my family this year. And 'twas a White Christmas! Just when we thought nothing could top his ornament -- Santa delivered snow for Bear. The dog couldn't have been happier.

"Outta my way, Mom! I'm hot on a scent!"

"Santa?"

We don't get to Dallas nearly as often as I would like, mostly because I miss out on so much time with my niece and nephew. I mean, how cute are these two?

Conversation time.

Cousin bonding.

Parker loves Spiderman... he loved his flashing "Spidey Sense" button.

We got my mom and dad George Strait tickets... her face as she opened them cracks me up. 

Poor Megs was sick and slept through most of opening presents. 

Tough guy.

Tiny Dancer. 

While in Dallas, we also got to celebrate another "old neighborhood" wedding -- this time, Kelly and Alan Arbabi. Basically, any wedding with this group is a favorite of mine.

Brandon & Kaci, poppin' the bubbly.

Musgrave sibling Christmas card, 2012.

And my handsome date... we're next!

So with all the hustle and bustle now dying down... our hustle and bustle turns to finally getting our own wedding underway. (How often do I mention that our engagement is taking too long?! Ha!)

                   

Happy New Year, and thank goodness for 2013! This is our year and I can't wait. :)

Engaged! One Year Ago.

This day in 2011, Evan got down on one knee in front of our tiny Christmas tree in our tiny Tech Terrace house and asked me to be his tiny wife.

And this day in 2012 -- we are.......... still engaged. Ha!

Still, those moments on December 11, 2011 are truly some of my favorite memories.  

I have many complaints and frustrations with having a long engagement, but mainly -- the cons all stem from the fact that I just. can't. wait. We're ready to make this thing official! Uncle Sam! Listen up!

So here's to my last Christmas as a Musgrave. I may or may not be trying to convince Evan to propose again.

What?! I'm a sucker for a good engagement!

But really, Evan, I can't wait to be your Mrs. :) Happy one year engaged anniversary to us!

Four Months and First Freeze

Here's a look at my Sunday night. Now tell me this is not a prime blogging opportunity!

Temperatures dropped this weekend in Lubbock. Finally, it feels like the holiday season! And this year -- we have a fireplace.  And room for a tree. And windows without a draft.  Have I mentioned how much I love our home?

This week, I got an e-mail from my old friend The Knot.  (A website I never use, by the way. I forget about it! Any other brides find the same thing?Whoops.) Anyway, so this e-mail.  I clicked on it, and had to blink a few times. The message said we were 4 months away from our wedding! FOUR MONTHS! I never thought I'd see this day come.

I guess it should stress me out, but it doesn't. I have a tendency to change my mind, so I know better than to buy/plan/organize too many things too far in advance.  And let's be honest -- I work on deadlines for a living.  Of course I'd plan a wedding on that same accord.

So needless to say, I was excited to get to work! This week, we:

1.) Paid our photographer

2.) Approved floral proposal

3.) Booked transport for downtown guests

4.) Ordered a few "prezzies" for our darling flower girl and dashing ring bearer

5.) Registered at Target

Evan clearly has different ideas for what we "need" to start our life together. That's a "gaming ottoman" in case you can't see it. 

6.) Picked cotton (its use is TBA! But we met in West Texas, of course we'd have to incorporate cotton into our wedding.)

And 7.) the best part -- booked our honeymoon! We'll be relaxing our first days as Mr. and Mrs. in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. We are SO excited!

We do still have 4 months until the sun and sand, though. Until then -- we'll be enjoying our fireplace and of course, the hot chocolate...

No marshmallow left behind!

Catching Up On Fall 2012

Happy Thanskgiving, y'all!

Oh wait, it's Christmas now, isn't it? My how time flies.

Okay, so here's a quick recap of our fall, in picture form.  Because I realize I'm far behind, but should cover all of my bases.

First of all, Evan turned 32 25 in September. (I wasn't kidding, I'm that far behind.)

Evan's birthday saw!

Not necessarily a birthday present, but our new mower.

Handsome guy, even at 32.

All dressed up for Casino Night, benefitting MDA

In October, OU played Tech in Lubbock, so some of my lovely college girlfriends came in town. Trouble!

Aww.

We may be old older, but it's never a bad time for a little Delta Love.

Evan and I watched a lot of football, and yes -- that includes cheering for the Red Raiders. (Aside from OU/Tech weekend, of course.)

Oh, hey, Thanksgiving. You came up fast!  This year was our year to spend it in Denver with Evan's family. 

Cooking with the soon-to-be mother-in-law!

Christy gets the champagne poppin'

The spread!

Love my sister-in-law to-be.

Back in Lubbock, it was time to get ready for our first Christmas in our first home.

I'm not sure Bear was feeling this pose...

But get him in front of the tree, and he is READY FOR CHRISTMAS! (He probably thinks that present is for him.) (Sorry, bud.)

So with that brief and belated update, I hope all of you are enjoying this holiday season! It's a busy one, but always so much appreciated when you spend it with family and friends.

 And just because I love you all, I'm going to leave you with this.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!