The Move

If anyone's followed any portion of my life the last few years, you'll know I've moved a few times.  I haven't stayed in one place (city or apartment) for more than a year since graduating high school.  I am EXHAUSTED.

So, in honor of Evan and I both finally being adults and putting some roots down, I wanted to document our last (at least for awhile) move.

It's funny though, how attached you get to a place.  Especially a rented one, like the Tech Terrace house. I will miss it. It was the first home we shared together, and where we got engaged. 

Remember this? Aww.

It also had the best backyard, where we had many ridiculous get togethers.  So first things first -- we had to host one last party there.  This is the only picture I remembered to take, but I think it's a pretty fair assessment of how that one went.

The doctor, dancing in lights. Why not?

After we recovered from THAT, it was time to tackle packing.  Evan sure was quick to take my diploma off the wall. 

Look at that grin. What a jerk!

My favorite part of moving is always the cleansing part. It's like my OCD's own little holiday. And I was so proud of Evan, getting rid of so much! We're talking DOZENS of old DVD's, old clothes, books, kitchen stuff he'd had in storage for years, and......... his Nintendo pajama pants. 

To be fair, he bought these for a Halloween costume.  However, a man in his 30's should prooooobably let them go.  (I love you, honey!)

There were still several DVD's that couldn't be parted with after all that.  And here is where they landed on our first day of moving.

Sidewalk Sale! I'll give you a great deal.

I'm not ashamed to say that one of the first things we unpacked was the bar. Still classin' it up with the MD. 

Note: that was a gift from our boss. No joke.

When you move, you come across things that make you say, WHY? Below is evidence of that.

We may not have a cup of sugar, but we certainly have scissors.

We got everything in by Saturday afternoon.  Then it was the fun part! Finding a place for it all. While we did that, Bear kept watch on the 'hood.

What's that? You want to see pictures of the house? But of course! Here's a few. Please bear with me as we still have decorating and painting to do... and the fact that my iPhone doesn't have flash.

Living room, from the front door. 

Living room, looking from the kitchen.

Front guest room.

Kitchen!

Oh, and my diploma that Evan couldn't WAIT to take down?  I found a lovely new place for it. On the center wall of the master bedroom. There was already a nail there! How convenient!

 I crack myself up.

Julie

We Bought a House!

We might be absolutely crazy, but... we bought a house.  We're homeowners! That sounds crazy to say out loud... even now, a few weeks in.

We closed on Friday, August 10th after keeping it a (somewhat) secret for what felt like forever.  And you know what? As an avid HGTV viewer, I really feel cheated from this experience.

We put in an offer, on one house, and within 24 hours it was done. No Sandra telling us our expectations were too high, no guessing of which house we'll choose out of three, and certainly no living room makeover "thanks to our friends at HGTV." My expectations! So high! Just broken!

Here's how it went.

July 4th -- That house online is so cute. But we're not buying until May '13.

July 5th -- Let's just go to the bank and see how we're doing. Pre-approved.

July 6th -- Let's go look at that house for fun.

July 6th-8th -- Went to Possum Kingdom Lake. Talked about that house the whole time. And ate a few hot dogs.

July 9th -- Let's try it. Make an offer.

July 9th, 9:50 p.m. (10 minutes until airtime) -- we had bought a house.

We may or may not have signed off the air, rushed to Market Street, and popped a bottle in front of the new house in the car. Our neighbors... they just have no idea.

Our realtor sent us this picture the very next morning. Reality check!  What did we just do?!

So then it was time to get another sign up.

I hated putting that Rent sign back up. As tiny as that Tech Terrace house was, we loved it so much.  I teared up when it became real -- not only had we bought a house, we were leaving this place!

But, when thinking about how much more space we'd soon have, we couldn't stay sad for long. So on closing day, we were ready to get those keys!

Evan grappling with our realtor, Milad. Hand 'em over!

And now we have the keys... Evan is a little nervous.

Just give 'em to me! I'm pumped.

Alright, we're officially a team on this. The key to our first home!

As fast as this whole thing happened, we are slowly settling in and it feels so good. Our neighbors have been beyond welcoming, and our dog adores his new porch view. All is right.

We so look forward to having our friends and family over, and the guest room is ready to go for a sleepover!

Oh, hello. I live here!

Much love,
The happy homeowners.

And back to Lubbock I went...

A year ago today, I handed in my keys to my amazing apartment in Austin and gave Evan the keys to the U-Haul.   In a move most unexpected, I was heading back to Lubbock.

I acknowledge this day as an "anniversary" of sorts, because it was one of the toughest decisions I'd ever had to make.  My dream job was in Austin, my dream city, the place I'd planned on staying forever.  But in the end, Evan wasn't there.  So, after much debate and prayer and stress and cocktails to ease the pain -- I chose the man I love, over the city I love.

Cue eye-roll.

Let me just say, the move was less than fabulous.  I slammed my shin into the back of the U-Haul.  All I had left in the apartment was a frozen popsicle.

And a year later, I still have a hole in my leg from above injury. Yay!

But really, even though I had a great job to go to (better than the job I left!) it wasn't what our plans had been.  I remember agonizing over the thought, "what would my determined college self think of this?"  You know -- you're graduating, and you're calculating the years it will take to be the best in your business.  In my case, Diane Sawyer had about 6 years left in her.  

There's a quote I often see... "Sometimes on the way to a dream, you get lost and find a better one." I love that.  Because in just one year, we've lived so much.  For those who know the TV News business, you know it's a whole lot of work with very little pay.  Working every holiday, constantly researching what's going on in your community, and getting holiday "bonuses" of a grocery store gift card.  But we're on your favorite local cable channel! Oh, right. Too bad most starting reporters can't afford their own cable.

I digress.  I'm just happy that Evan and I made this decision together.  With this move, we were able to have the same work schedule, weekends off, and vacation time to play with and visit family. As crazy as it seemed at the time, I count my blessings every day -- even when I'm reading that Austin is once again topping the list of best cities to live/work/play. I mean, really!

So, I'm back in the market I started in.  Eh. But Lubbock has been good to us, and we're happy.  I think that deserves some recognition! And I may not be charging my way through newsrooms, but I'm happy showing up to the one in Lubbock every day.

Happy one year return to Lubbock anniversary, self!

You're welcome, Diane.

The Engagement Session

Lordy, I almost forgot I even had a blog.  I'm so sorry, dear readers... I have let you down.

But not today! I feel inspired! To write about what? I'm not sure.

Well, as many of you saw on Facebook, we recently took our engagement pictures.  Of course, since we're getting married in Austin, our photographer is in Austin. So in order to get these pictures taken, we needed to make a road trip.  And of course, the weather was not cooperating for said road trip.

We took it anyway.

First things first -- dinner and drinks with our hosts, Jordan & Michael.

What, we were thirsty! It's a long drive from Lubbock! And if you're ever in Austin, we definitely recommend Drink.Well.  Really, really good eats.

Now, for the main reason we were here. Engagement photos.  And the weather was still hinging on disaster.

We woke up Saturday morning to gray, overcast skies.  Now, keep in mind, one of the main reasons we chose our photographer was his ability to capture light and use it to create beautiful photographs.  So, uh... that wasn't going to happen.  BUT, no rain -- and no weekend in the near future to reschedule -- so we pressed our luck.

We met our photographer, Allen, just south of Lady Bird Lake to start. It was absurdly windy (we thought we LEFT Lubbock!) and dismal.  We took several pictures with the Austin skyline, and then things got mobile. We piled into Allen's van, and drove around until Allen felt inspired. Sounds odd, but so much fun.

Here are a few of my favorites:

That last one was during a (literally) 30-second break of clouds. Allen was so on it -- even got us to stop laughing when we just started shouting, "SHOOT, ALLEN! SHOOT!"

Quick outfit change in a hotel bathroom, and the adventure continued -- to a bar.  Photo shoot, plus happy hour? Let's do this more often!

So maybe it wasn't the dream engagement shoot that we imagined.  But we got plenty of photographs to cherish, and had a lot of fun doing it.

My advice? Trust your photographer.  Ours made a gray day look like we shot it on purpose.  Also, if it's windy -- don't wear a cardigan. Or a shirt with ruffles.  They just blow everywhere and look ridiculous in some of the pictures.  Fail on my part.

And bring your lipstick/blush in your back pocket! Mine wore off and I think I'm a little too "au natural" -- says the TV girl.  Blush and a teasing comb are two of my favorite things.

With the engagement session down, I guess it's time to get rolling on this whole "wedding session!" 9 months to go!

What's your experience with engagement photos? Any horror stories? Any things you'd do differently? Or was it everything you hoped and dreamed?

Shower the Mrs. Plunk-to-be with Presents.

My dear friend Cassandra is getting married May 26th, and the last weekend of April we got together and threw her one heck of a bridal shower.

I think I'm qualified to make that kind of statement, because a.) each of the bridesmaids lives in a different location, b.) we pulled it off via e-mail, and each taking on a different duty, c.) we had fun. I think the key here, was the fact that each of us had a talent. Thank goodness no one depended on me to make that thing pretty. Lord knows crafts are not my forte. (However, I CAN modge podge my way out of any predicament.) (It's a true gift, I know.)

I was in charge of the food, which we all know makes this size 2 healthy girl very happy.  Of course, I consulted Food Gawker like any good hostess should, and found some really awesome recipes.

Below is the spread, before I set out the quiche and artichoke dip. (You'll see their placement according to the labels... ha!)

I think the biggest successes were the artichoke dip, the blueberry loaf, and the Stuffed Baguettes. (And those were the three recipes requested after we ate, so I'll share them here!)

Here's the recipe for the DIP.  Note, I omitted the bacon and green onions. I thought it'd be too salty.  It was delicious.

My Lemon-Blueberry Loaf did not look like it does on this website. Mostly, because I'm an amateur. And I also think my blueberries weren't dry enough when I added them to the batter. So, keep that in mind. And don't judge my baking skills.

And the Stuffed Baguettes -- I think next time I'd add fewer sun-dried tomatoes. And make sure you get big baguettes! They're really hard to stuff if it's too narrow.  No fun at all. But really tasty.

Melissa was our punch girl. She made a really good Lemon-Blueberry mix that kept our purple theme going!

And yes, it "contained vodka." As all good punch should.

A little background, Cassandra and Melissa and I met in junior high.  Well, Melissa and I met in 4th grade when RISD carted us off one day a week to meet at Bowie for REACH -- but that's another story, another day.

THE POINT HERE IS, I really adore these girls.

The bridal party: Eileen (Cookie/favors duty), Kayli (Decorations), Bride Cassandra (Mimosa drinker), mastermind behind this extraordinary blog (food), and Melissa (drinks.)

Even each gift was purple. How convenient!

And just a cute shot of Cassandra opening presents.

Cute girl.

Eileen hand-crafted each cookie as party favors, and I'm so upset that I didn't get an up-close shot! They were so pretty.  Almost as pretty as these two.

After the shower we relaxed and did bridesmaid-y things... then laughed a lot around a couple of beers.

I don't think that weekend could've gone any better.

Wait -- no, I could've done without the lid of the cake blowing off in the parking lot after I picked it up from the bakery.  And I'm sure the drivers could've done without seeing me chasing after it in a dress and heels, in a panic.

I didn't drop the cake.

But I still could've done without that.

Otherwise, couldn't have gone better. :)

The One Year Mark

Today marks 365 days until our wedding.

But who's counting, right?

No real reason for this post, other than I am just celebrating the anniversary of one year until we can mark 4/6 as our anniversary. (You still with me?)

I am SO excited that we are finally within the year range. Of course, when we first got engaged I was on Pinterest/The Knot/ Style Me Pretty/ Wedding Gawker countless hours a day, dreaming up the most fantastic wedding possible. (But of course!) And then when you're all set to finalize the plans... you realize, you're still a year and four months away. Wah.

Well, NOW I'm feeling much better! Only 365 days! (Ha.)

I think I'll finally put together a wedding party. And maybe decide on colors? (This changes every day. Whoops.)

I know Evan is super excited. So excited, he stayed up all night playing Call of Duty and is now still in bed! He can hardly contain himself!

On another note -- we're heading to Austin next weekend to take our engagement pictures. So you know my plans for this weekend...

1.) Shop. (I obviously have nothing to wear in my closet full of clothes.)

2.) Whiten teeth. (We both really love coffee and red wine.)

3.) Color the roots. (What? I need to get my natural blonde back!)

4.) Lose 10 pounds. (Okay, that probably won't happen.)

Any advice on what to wear, how to pose, cute backdrops? I'm all ears!

365!

Picking a Photographer

Oy.

All I can really say is, I'm glad that's done. Picking the right photographer wasn't that "hard," nor was it a source of contention... it was just really overwhelming. There are a million photographers out there, all of them expensive, all of them (most of them?) talented. And since we were going in blind (planning a long-distance wedding, remember?) we were sifting through a few recommendations, and a whole lot of google searches.

My biggest fear going into this decision process, was getting images back and seeing something like this.

At the risk of sounding snooty, I do think Evan and I have a good idea of what makes good photography and what doesn't. I mean, we work in an industry where pictures tell the story. So why wouldn't we have great pictures telling OUR story?

That being said, photography is the one area where I really wasn't afraid to splurge. There are things on down the line that I have no problem pinching pennies on (flowers will die, that dress is worn ONCE) but this is how we will document our day... and most likely, remember it when it flies by too quickly. Obviously, we are working on a budget... and Annie Leibovitz denied my YouTube invite (okay, not really...) so we still took cost into consideration.

What I've found, is that many photographers have great packages these days. They'll include an engagement session, and/or bridals, and the biggest (most important!) is when they give you images on a disk with printing rights. This saves you so much in the long run.

Some of the shots we want most: (And here is where I want feedback to let us know what else!)

1.) Close-ups of the "I do's." I want to see Evan's face, not a far away glimpse!

2.) First kiss. (Obvi.)

3.) Tables at the reception so we can see everyone who came. (Suggestion from SIL Kelly!)

4.) First dance.

5.) Parents reactions.

Use of natural lighting was also really important to us. We're having an outdoor wedding, so let's use that to our advantage!

With the growth of digital technology, the creativity it's allowed photographers really does amaze me. As overwhelming as this whole thing was, I loved looking through every detail -- from ring shots, to decor, to the people. It was like an art enthusiast overload!

Eventually though, I couldn't decide for the life of me. I narrowed it down to five people I liked artistically, financially, and (via e-mails) personally. And it took Evan less than an hour to look over them and pick one, definitively. (All my over-thinking! All my laboring over every detail! And it takes him a matter of minutes?! Men.)

We talked to our guy on the phone, he seemed on top of it and organized (huge for me!) and we were sold. And I am relieved to have a big project checked off my list!

Big thanks to the write-up in Austin Monthly (and in turn my editor friend Madeline Hollern!) for leading us to him.

Now from all those already married -- what did you look for in your photographer? What are the pictures you thought most important, and maybe some others you wished you had? Would love all the advice!