Well, as usual, it takes me forever to post! We've definitely been busy, and the end doesn't seem to be in sight! Here's a few things we've been up to!

Brian's cousins came to town from Chicago for a nice long weekend at the end of September. It was so great to see them! We were lucky enough to have Brent and Kevin at our wedding, but we hadn't seen Britt since her and Brent's wedding back in March, so it was definitely wonderful to catch up get to see the little Vetvick baby bump! We went to the Seahawks game (vs Da Bears) and had an amazing and eventful time, even though we lost! We enjoyed a nice Flajole/Vetvick family dinner at Anthony's in Seattle, and it was a very long, but enjoyable day. The whole weekend was long and enjoyable, and we can't wait to go visit them in Chicago next year!

Work for Brian has been good. With Terry and Nancy on vacation for a few weeks, he was always busy and now he's definitely ready for a vacation! It was a great little break when the cousins were here, but now it's back to the daily grind, but things have definitely slowed down for both of us. Times at Macy's are tough. With no one really spending any money, it's definitely been a challenge. The past couple weeks were stressful with events and big-wig visits, so this break before Christmas is somewhat welcome (I just wish it would pick up a little). With this calm comes sickness! We've both been battling the sniffles and some congestion, but I'm almost 100% better, and Brian's almost there! We get to go to the Sounders game with my mom and sister tomorrow, sitting in my mom's company's suite (amazing)! It's the last game of the season, so it'll be great to be there!

We've been married for a little over 4 months, and it's been the most amazing 4 months of my life! It seriously just keeps getting better. I kind of expected things to slow down a little after the wedding, but it's been the exact opposite! We're constantly doing something, and we both definitely look forward to Sundays where we can just relax, eat, and watch some football (well, I guess for me anyways, every other Sunday because of work)! Through all the chaos, though, we've created some amazing memories, and welcomed a new addition to our little family! Here are some pictures we captured throughout the past 4 months.


unpacking kitchen wedding presents...and being creative with the boxes! (PS the box robot has a thought bubble that says "I heart Chrissy" and has hearts for eyes!)



Outside the house on Whidbey Island this past summer. Gorgeous! The most relaxing few days!


Hubby and Wifey at the Mariners game with friends! We went several times this year: with the Sigvartsons, the Prices, and cousins!


Cousin Kevin with Hawk Daddy at da Bears game...Go Bears? Go HOME!

This is one of Calvin's favorite spots. Curled up on mom's fuzzy blanket on the couch!

Dad was getting his bag ready for golf the next day, and Calvin hopped in! He loves his daddy!


Our cute little boy!

Calvin Flajole and a new business venture

Oh man, where did the time go? Oh yes, that's right...we have a new puppy that has taken up all our time! Haha! It's been totally worth it. Calvin is the cutest puppy in the entire world! He'll go and do something like poop on the carpet, and I get mad, but then I look at his big eyes and all is forgiven. We've had him for 2 weeks, and already he is peeing on his puppy pads 8/10 times (he can't go outside for another month or 2. He hasnt' had all his shots yet), and he has successfully slept through the night for the past 3 nights (with a slight exception for last night. He woke me up at 2am, but after he pottied, he went right back to sleep and didn't wake up again until right before daddy got up to go to work). It's seriously like having a child! He loves to play tug-of-war with daddy, and sometime spazzes out and runs crazy dog style around the house. He's the biggest cuddle bug and he loves to sleep next to me in bed curled up by my armpit with his head resting on my neck. I'm sure it looks funny, and it's not always the most comfortable sleeping positions, but he's so warm and soft that I don't mind. He's asleep right now on my side, curled up between my leg and the arm of the couch. He's just so precious!

Okay, enough about my new little man. Yesterday was the first day since Brian and I have been married that we've been able to just lounge around the house in sweats all day and do nothing but be together, watch football, and play with Calvin. It was fabulous! The only thing I did yesterday that was really productive was go to the wedding expo at the Tacoma Dome with Mali, my business partner. We went to meet different vendors and kind of get a feel of what it would be like to be a vendor at one of these expos (which we will probably sometime next year). It was so informative! We could definitely feel which vendors were excited to talk to us, and those that weren't. I couldn't believe that after telling them we weren't brides, but planners, they just shut off completely and wanted nothing to do with us. Hello! We're going to be recommending you to brides! You give us info, we'll pass it along! There were 2 vendors inparticular, a photographer as well as Ron Gallucci of Gallucci catering (who's dad was my pediatrician) offered to meet with Mali and me to talk about getting into the business and kind of giving us insight into it and telling us what we should be prepared for. We're definitely going to be taking them up on their offers! It was very exciting, and I felt so energized afterwards! It was fantastic!

Other than that, not much else has been going on. I started bowling on Brian and Brad's bowling team, which is so out of my comfort zone it's not even funny! Last week was alright, but it's definitely something that will take me awhile to get comfortable. Who knows what's in store for tonight!

Well, that's all...enjoy the pics of Calvin!

The best birthday present EVER!

This is right after I picked him up. He was so scared at first, but warmed up right away!

Sitting on my lap while daddy drove us around! I love the little chocolate chips on his nose!

pooped out on the couch!

Oh so much going on!

Wow. This coming Sunday we will have been married for 3 months. 3 months! I can't believe how fast time is flying by. Lots has happened, and much more is happening this weekend. We're finally buckling down and making some house purchases, which included today's purchase of a nice washer and dryer! Yay for doing laundry faster (it takes forever for the water to fill up enough in the washing machine we have now)! Saturday is going to be a nice refridgerator. Super exciting. These purchases are all thanks to my amazing mother-in-law scouring craigslist and finding amazing deals. We only paid $450 for the washer AND dryer (which are only a couple years old and still in amazing shape) and the fridge we're looking at on Sunday is a $2000 fridge for only...wait for it...$800. I love it when things don't fit into people's new homes!

I think the most exciting new addition to our home (and our family) is a new little man! No, we're not having a baby...we're getting a PUPPY!! He's a 3 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He's black and white with a little bit of tan and he looks like a total snuggler. I can't wait to meet him! The breeder is bringing him up here Saturday, and I am probably driving my poor husband crazy with all the little squeals when I look at his cute little picture. Here's a couple pictures from the breeders website...

Look at that little chocolate spot on his little cheek!

Isn't he the most precious thing ever?! I can't wait to cuddle with him. Saturday can't come soon enough!

Another major development in our little Flajole family...I am starting a new business! My friend Mali and I are starting MC Events, an event planning company. We have a couple things already lined up to plan, and we've recently put together an email address (MCEvents4U@yahoo.com), a website (still under construction), and some other little things put together. We have our first business meeting tomorrow at noon to fill out our business license. So exciting! I can't wait until we're up and running well enough to where I don't have to work at Macy's anymore! Haha, I think I have a little bit of a wait, though.

Other than that this weekend is going to be filled to the brim! Friday is a cousins Mariners game with some of the Hanstad cousins, Saturday is my birthday/puppy welcoming/fridge pickup/fight night at the house, Sunday is the Best Burger BBQ and wedding stuff with my wonderful Sara who's getting married in March (yes, she already has her wedding planners thank you very much!), and Monday is a nice relaxing day where I get to sleep in with my amazing husband, and play with puppy. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, since my husband is on a bowling league...so am I! Monday is their first week back after having the summer off, and I get to rotate bowling nights with Tommy's wife, Courtney. Yep, I'm a nerd. But that's why you love me...right?

I'm sure I'll be posting more often, now that I'll be taking pictures of our new baby boy. We'll reveal the name after we've had some time to play and get to know him. Look for a big picture post soon!

PS Congrats to Jason and Paula on their new baby boy!

One month!

I can't believe it...we've been married for one month already! Our anniversary was Tuesday and Brian surprised me with flowers and a romantic dinner at Anthony's here in the harbor. We also opened our joint checking and savings account...woohoo! I spent that day ordering new credit cards and updating all my info, so I'm almost done with Cervantes and a full fledged Flajole (say that 5 times fast)!

I have a pretty awesome schedule this week. I had my seasonal school for work on Monday up in Seattle, so my days off are funky this week. I'm supposed to work at the counter Friday, but I'm going to call out so I won't have to go back until Wednesday! That's great news considering I'm definitely in need of a little mini vaca from the department. We'll just leave it at that. The only bummer is that Brian has to work all the days I have off :(. At least he doesn't have to work all day on the 4th like usual!

Well, I hope all is well! Congratulations to Molly and Jonathan on their handsome baby boy! Congratulations also to Brent and Brittany on their pregnancy! We're so excited for you guys! Love you all! Here are a few more pics from our wedding...

Getting into the Limo after the ceremony!

During our first dance

At the falls before we left the Salish Lodge

Yay Best Burgers!

dum dum da dum dum dum dum....

WE'RE MARRIED!!!

Oh my goodness words can't describe how amazing it feels to finally be married to the love of my life! I'll do my best, though, to describe our wedding weekend...which PS was just already 2 weeks ago! Man, how time flies when you're in love! Anyways, get comfy...this could take awhile!

It started on Thursday with my bachelorette party! My girls (Amanda, Coree, Sara, Lindsay and my surprise guest...my cousin Lindsay!) threw me an amazing night. They got us all a room at the Silver Cloud down on Ruston Way, so we could walk to the bars (which I'll get to later). We started the night off with a shot and some naughty (but wonderful) presents! We kept drinking and with no food in my tummy, I was feeling pretty good pretty quick. We had dinner at Primo Grill on 6th Ave, where we met my friend Haley from work and had an amazing dinner with some more drinks. Bottom line here is, we drank a lot! We tried to walk from the room to the Ram after dinner, but it was closed. We walked all the way down to Katie Downs and everything was either closed, or already had last call. Lame! Well, we thought it was lame at the drunk time, but in retrospect, it was all for the best! We partied back at the room, had the always (bachelorette) invited noise complaint, before we passed out a little before 1am.

The next day, we woke up bright and early at 7:30am. Why, I don't know. We did however get to enjoy some early morning episodes of Saved By The Bell...starting with the one where Zach and Kelly got married in Vegas! How appropriate! We all got ready and headed to my house before getting some necessary Starbucks and then going to my nail salon for some manis and pedis. After we were all pampered, we went to Best Burgers to see my soon to be husband and get some lunch. We ran into Brian's brothers Brad and Kyle, and their cousin Brent there, which was awesome because I hadn't seen Kyle or Brent since they arrived. After lunch the crew (minus the boys) went to the reception hall for ALL the decorating. It went by so fast! It was all because of our amazing families from both out of town and around here. We had my uncles and aunts from Texas, Colorado, and Ohio helping and we recruited the bridal party and their significant others to help as well. Before we knew it, we were sitting around at all the decorated tables drinking beer! I had some last minute errands to run before rehearsal that night, so I did those, got ready, and somehow made it to the church on time! Rehearsal went really well, if you exclude the tears my parents were already crying! I swear they set me off the entire weekend! Brian's mom and dad put together an amazing rehearsal dinner, including a little picture slideshow, which was phenomenal! My dad made everyone cry with his little toast and the rest of the night was spent taking pictures and laughing (which is just how I wanted it). After getting my last single girl kiss from my amazing man, the girls and I went back to my mom and dad's to put together their Gerber Daisy bouquets. Lindsay stayed the night with me and she fell asleep way before I did! I was packing my wedding night bag, last minute emailing, and watching Friends, all the while being way too excited!

Wedding day! Sara and Coree made a Starbucks run in the morning, which was amazing and I can't thank them enough! My tea really helped calm my stomach and not make me want to throw up! Haley came over and did an amazing job on my hair, and Melanie came and took some wonderful pictures (PS she is an amazing photographer)! Sara got us crying as she saw Haley putting my veil on, and then after a couple pre-ready shots, we were off to Macy's for Jonathan to do my makeup! I felt so bad because we were running sooo late, I was on my Blackberry the whole time and I felt like I was rushing him. Sorry Jonathan! We ended up at the church right at noon, and the guys were just finishing up their pictures. I finally had an appetite (it was the getting their on time that had my nerves in a jumble) so I ate some grapes and cheese before I put on the dress and headed into the church for our "first look" at each other. I couldn't get over how handsome and HOT Brian looked! We took some bridal party and family pictures before I was shooed away and sent back to the nursery to hang out until I walked down the aisle! When it was finally our turn, my dad couldn't look at me and I couldn't look at him. I think my mom said "I'll look at you at the reception"! I kept most of my composure walking down the aisle and I was fine once I was holding onto Brian. He can always calm me down! The ceremony was beautiful and I was so excited to sign that Marriage License!! We went through the receiving line, a couple more family pictures, and then we headed off with the bridal party in a limo to Ruston Way to take some pics by the water.

The reception was amazing. I'm sad I didn't get to talk to everyone, but I think Brian made it around to say hi for both of us. We danced, drank, cried, laughed...pretty much everything! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day or to have spent it with a more perfect man! I think my favorite part was that our families and friends are so amazing...there was absolutely no drama and everyone just hung out and partied! It was seriously the perfect day!

Brian surprised me and took me to the Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls for our wedding night! I wanted to stay there so bad, but I thought it was too far away and I totally didn't expect it. We had a really laid back night that started with us sitting on the bed and eating grapes while I took a huge amount of bobby pins out of my hair (thanks Haley)! We had a yummy breakfast the next morning in our own little private room overlooking the falls. It was so romantic! We had a barbeque later that day, so after we checked out we went to my mom and dad's to help set up. All the out of town family and friends (I'm so glad Marcie and Sean were able to join us!) came over and we had leftover wedding food, cookies, and cake. I think it was sad for my mom and dad when I drove away that night with Brian, and I was a little sad too, but oh so excited for starting our life together.

Well, I think that's all for now. I'll hopefully get to update more often now that the wedding is over...but who knows! We're still trying to find places for all our new stuff, and trying to integrate into the new stuff all of our old stuff. It's been a long process, but a lot of fun. My favorite part of being married is being able to come home to him every day, wake up with him every morning, and fall asleep next to him every night. Here are some pics that I was able to get so far (the first 3 are from Melanie), and there are definitely more to come! Hopefully another update is coming soon! Love you guys!

This is one of my favorites. Our friend Monika took it on her iphone!

Our first day as newlyweds! This was taken at the Salish Lodge in our private dining area!

2 days!!

Considering it's after midnight...yes, there are only 2 days until Brian and I say "I DO"!!! I am soooo excited and I am in awe of how fast time has gone by!

It was a year ago (technically yesterday, the 27th) that Brian made me the happiest girl in the world by asking me to marry him on a gondola in Venice, Italy. That moment will stick with me forever! It doesn't seem possible that we've already been engaged for a year and are about to be married this Saturday! Craziness!

If you haven't checked out our wedding website: www.brianandchristiana.weddingwindow.com, I think you should! I absolutely love it and I'm so excited to have just found out that Brian finished his version of the proposal! The last few sentances just about brought me to tears! He's the most amazing man, and I'm so lucky to be his wife!

Well, it's all downhill from here! The bachelorette party is tomorrow (tonight) night, and I know I'll have some good pictures for you! The rehearsal is on Friday and then Saturday is the big day! We have (almost) everything done, and I'm definitely going into super productive mode tomorrow to make sure there's no stressing the day of. My motto is: if it's not done by Saturday, it's not that important! Stressing will only make me break out, and I definitely don't want that!

Well guys, the next time I do a little update...WE"LL BE MARRIED! :)

20 days!

Well, in about an hour and a half it'll be 19 days...until our wedding day!! I'm so excited I can't even tell you! Too excited for words! Things are definitely coming down to the wire and falling into place. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people behind us and helping us. We definitely couldn't do anything without you guys.

Brian has been out of town since Thursday. His brother Kyle graduated from NAU on Saturday. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make the trip down there. I need to work since I'll be taking a week off for the wedding, and then another week at the end of June for our little mini vaca/honeymoon part 1. Besides, they didn't get home until after 9 tonight, and I couldn't leave my mom on the last mothers day with me still living in the house. It's kind of sad, but really exciting. I decided not to pack anything else up today, since every time I bring a box downstairs to take to the house, she yells at me..."STOP PACKING!" I know she's excited, but the fact that I'm actually packing up my room is just reaffirming the fact that the wedding is 3 weeks away, and I'm not going to be down the hall anymore. It's definitely weird waking up in the morning and not seeing my stuff up on the walls, and all my picture frames and stuff off my dresser and nightstand. But seeing all this just reminds me that soon I'll be able to wake up and see my husband laying next to me, and I just can't wait for that.

While it was sad to be away from Brian for a few days, it seemed to go by quickly because I've been very productive! I've been working, obviously, and yesterday my friend Haley and I did a trial run on my hair. Oh man, she's going to do an amazing job and my hair (even though we only had enough bobby pins to do a little more than half my hair) is going to look wonderful! I'm so excited and thankful for her! We've put the money envelopes together for the caterer and such, we got our marriage license (well, Brian and I did that Monday after work), figured out which DJ we were going to use (finally!), put together a list of photos we want taken, among other little things. All the while I'm sitting in bed sending emails and watching friends in my jammies, my wonderful mom is downstairs painting the kitchen and dad is working on the new fireplace so it's all ready for the barbeque that's going to be held the day after the wedding for opening presents and for everyone to get together in a more relaxed and casual setting. My parents are so wonderful!

I did have 2 more wonderful bridal showers a few weekends ago. One was thrown by my amazing Aunt Melissa with some family and family friends. It was the first shower where I received lingerie, and it was a little awkward sitting right next to my mother in law and having my grandma sitting in the corner going "oh my gosh"! Haha! The other shower was thrown by Brian's Aunt Cathy up in Seattle with all his mom's sisters and their daughters and aunts. It was a lot of fun! Once or twice a year all the Hanstad sisters get together for a "sister sleepover" where they bring their daughters (at least in high school) and drink wine and play games. I was able to go this year, and let me tell ya...those women know how to have a good time! It was the most fun! The next day we all got ready and Brian's cousin Marie took me out to get coffee while they set up. It was great to have everyone there to play a couple little games and it was especially great because my mom and sister drove up there so they could meet everyone as well! We're both so blessed to be marrying into two amazing families! Sometimes I have to step back and make sure I'm not dreaming, because it feels like it's all too good to be true.

Well, it's time to get started on another project...music! Trying to get a list of all the must play songs, as well as pick out songs for all the dances! Hopefully it won't be a super long time before our next post...but you know how it goes when you're getting married! :) Love you guys!

Back to Reality...

Okay, I'm going to stop promising to update this more often and just say "I'll get to it". I feel like I've broken way too many promises by only updating once and a while!

Well, Brian and I are unfortunately back to reality because we are back from spending an amazing 5 days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Brian's cousin Brent and his beautiful bride Brittany were married down there on the 23rd, and I can't even describe how much fun we had. Even though there were only a few who could make the journey, it was amazing! I think what I really enjoyed the most was spending time with more of Brian's family and getting to know them better. I especially enjoyed lounging by the pool and sipping cocktails with all of them! We arrived down there Thursday afternoon and as soon as we hit the resort, after we drank our glasses of champagne, it was right to the room, right into the swimsuits, and right out to enjoy the sunshine! We stayed at the Dreams Resort and it was fantastic! It was an all inclusive resort, so everything (yes, even the unlimited alcohol and delicious restaurants) were included. I think the only money we spent was on taxis and at the airport getting food and Starbucks. Yep, wonderful. The only thing that happened Friday was sunbathing by the pool, in the pool, and on the private beach. That was followed by an incredible dinner at Barcelona Tapas in town. There were pitchers of Sangria and all the tapas (appetizers) you could eat! They'd bring out 3 at a time and when you were finished, they'd bring you a new plate and 3 more! There were 3 rotations of tapas followed by a dessert course. It lasted about 3 1/2 hours, but it didn't feel like that long. We were too busy enjoying the company and taking in the view of PV.

The day of the wedding went by way too fast, and I wasn't really involved! I was just there snapping pictures! We definitely had a lot of pool time, but we had to be ready to catch the bus down to the marina by 3:30. The wedding was at Las Caletas, this little peninsula that can only be reached by boat. There was dancing and partying on the hour long boat ride there, and we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived there at just how beautiful it was. There was a little beach where the wedding took place. During the ceremony I just looked around and I couldn't believe just how beautiful it was! Words definitely can't describe it. The beautiful ceremony was followed by a fabulous dinner. There's no electricity there, so it was all candles and tiki torches, which set an incredible mood. Dinner was followed by cupcakes, dances, and a surprise fire dance. It was absolutely amazing to see. That definitely is up there with wedding surprises! We danced the night away and when it was time to leave, we danced the whole boat ride home. We literally danced our way to bed!

The next day was really relaxed, especially since no one got to bed before 2am. There were a couple brave souls who went para sailing, but everyone else was pretty content with lounging, eating, and of course drinking the day away! We all relived the memories from the night before, and I'm pretty sure everyone was soaking it all in and trying to fight thoughts of leaving the next day. We had a wonderful dinner that night, followed by some impromptu karaoke in the lobby bar to a piano and Bohemian Rhapsody! We left the following afternoon. I think I probably got on everyones nerves because I was complaining the whole way home. I didn't want to go back to rainy old Washington...I wanted to stay and play in nice warm Mexico!

Okay, 3 weddings down...OURS IS NEXT!!! Now it's crunch time! We still haven't pinned down a dj. I'm getting pretty nervous since the wedding is 2 months aways. The one we've been talking to is just so expensive! I know everything will fall into place. It has to! Other than that we just need to get some little things here and there. I have my dress fitting on Sunday, and I'm so excited. Since they ordered it a size big, I haven't been comfortable in it. I'll feel better once the fit is right. I still need to run through my hair and makeup, but I'm not worried because Jessie and Jonathan are fantastic. I'm not quite freaking out yet...I'm just trying to take in all the moments and enjoy the process!

This weekend consists of work, packing up stuff to take to the house, and a Sounders game! I'm definitely looking forward to a couple days off. Even though I just took a vacation, I haven't been able to take care of business here. Oh well, C'est la vie!

Here's some of my favorite pictures from the Mexico! If you're on facebook, find me and you can see all of them!


The boat ride to Las Caletas

The ceremony site on the beach. Absolutely breathtaking!

Brent and Brittany in the middle of a fire dance!

The view from our room. Again, absolutely breathtaking.

My amazing fiance and I!

Something new...

Well! It's definitely been quite the while since we've posted anything...I guess I'm not as good at keeping everyone up to date as I thought I would be! Lots has been in the works since the last post. One thing in particular. We've welcomed a new little someone to the family...

Introducing Mr. Cooper Fisher!



He's a yellow lab and he's my mom's Valentine's present from my dad. The first few weeks with him were rough. Rough in that he became attached to sleeping with me in my room, which led to absolutely not enough sleep for Chrissy! He's such a little peanut, and he has such a personality, even though he's pretty mellow. He still has the puppy nibbles, and loves to jump up at try and eat my hair. It was quite the surprise when my mom came in to work one day with a picture of him on her phone saying "look at what dad got me for Valentine's day!" I'll post more pictures of him later. I need to upload the ones on my camera to my laptop, but the camera's all the way downstairs and I'm being lazy.

So even though Cooper has put a definite wrench in our daily routine, we've gotten a lot accomplished for the wedding. We still need a DJ. It's funny because we didn't have a budget for one established until recently, so when I was communicating with one we met at the wedding expo last fall, I couldn't fully commit to them because they were pretty expensive. They kept calling and calling and calling, and now that we have a budget to work with, they NEVER call! Isn't it irritating how that happens? Looks like they'll be getting a call from me within the next few days! We did seriously get a lot done. My mom and I went to Michaels a couple weekends ago and purchased all the stuff to make the programs, a couple topiaries for decorations, scoops for the candy bar, and some other necessities. We still need quite a few things, but it's amazing the pressure that gets relieved even when you get just a couple things checked off the list. As far as the church goes, all we pretty much have to do is get married! We just had our last Evenings for the Engaged class tonight, and we met with Joel Hellenkamp this morning to talk about our FOCUS test. He accused us of cheating because we answered so many of the questions the same! We did have a few that we differed a little, but really it was either because we looked at the questions totally different ways (they were so vague!) or it was something we covered in our engagement classes and were seeing eye to eye on. So we pretty much got the green light from him to get married...HOORAY! It's crazy to think that in just 3 little months I'll be married to the man of my dreams! I have got to be the luckiest woman in the world (or at least in my little world)!

The past few weeks have been fairly stressful all around. For about 2 weeks Brian and I hardly saw each other! I was sick the first week and trying not to give it to him, but he got it anyways so he was sick after me! During that week, also, his mom and dad were out of town, so he was left to run the store alone, meaning opening shifts everyday (from about 6am to whenever he can leave, usually around 3pm) and not much alone time. We did get to spend a very romantic Valentine's day together, though. We both worked in the morning, but then he took me to see He's Just Not That Into You (loved it!) followed by a lovely dinner at Anthony's in Gig Harbor. Funny story about that Anthony's. We went there for dinner last summer after we were engaged and back from Italy, and we sat right by the window and had the most incredible waiter. He was so personable and friendly, and we both really liked him (and I'm sure he really liked us after he saw his tip!). Anyways, to make a long story short, we had him as a waiter AGAIN on Valentine's day and he was still just as fabulous. He remembered us and wished us well in our marriage. We even got to see his wife and kids as we were walking out (we were his last table). If we have the rehearsal dinner at Anthony's, we're definitely going to be requesting him!

Work has also been stressful...I think more so for me than for Brian. We've added another cosmetic line in the bay with both myself (Clarins) and Elizabeth Arden. Things were said prior to Prescriptives moving in that were apparently just to keep us happy until they actually got there. My case line is totally screwed up and I have way less space than I originally was led to believe and I've been stressing out about it all week. Which you can totally tell by looking at me because I have a little bit of a breakout going on. That pisses me off even more because I haven't had one like this in a couple months. Oh well, I keep telling myself it could be worse: I could be losing hours or losing my part time person or lose my job completely. All it is is a few cases lost. It was still a little bit of a kick in the face. But I won't dwell on it any longer. It's not worth the time or energy and it'll force me to work that much harder.

Okay, I think this is probably long enough for now. I promise to post more Cooper pictures as soon as I can. Hope all is well! Love you all!

a little more than 4 months to go!

Wow...so 2009 is looking pretty bleak in the updating the blog world. I'll have to keep working on that. Good news though...only a little over 4 months until we get married!!!

Much has happened since my little Happy Thanksgiving post way back in 2008. We did in fact go register up in Seattle. We stayed at the Paramount Hotel downtown and registered at Macy's. We love going up there because it always means dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. No matter how many times we say we're going to eat somewhere else, we always end up there. It's just so good! We followed our stay with a nice journey home, stopping by the new Southcenter mall (not as impressive as I thought it would be) for some Christmas shopping. We also managed to stop by Bed, Bath & Beyond and register there as well. No one ever tells you how exhausting registering is! We were so tired afterwards, but it was also so much fun picking out the things that would be in OUR home!

We did Christmas differently this year. We started a year early getting both families in on Christmas day. Brian stayed here with us Christmas Eve, so we were able to have Christmas morning with my family. After breakfast we headed out to Gig Harbor for Christmas afternoon with his family. It was fun being able to relax out there, open a few presents, and play some games. After the Flajoles, we went to my grandma's house for a little dinner and some more gifts. I had to be at work early the next day, and so did he, so it wasn't a late night, but it was one of the best days. We decided that that would be our Christmas tradition: Fishers in the morning, Flajoles in the afternoon, Cervantes' in the evening. It was a great Christmas.

New Years was nice and low key. Brian's brother Kyle stayed through mid January, so it was nice to spend some time with him. Everyone went over to Brian and Brad's and we played Rock Band and had some drinks. Nothing really exciting, but it didn't matter because we all had a wonderful time. The next day, after the boys did some work for their dad and I laid around their house watching a movie, we went to Target and bought some storage stuff for all the discount Christmas gear I got for next year. It was nice to spend the entire day with him, especially since we didn't get to see each other on our anniversary (3 years!).

The 3rd brought the wedding of my dear friend Lindsay. We went up early so I could do some wedding makeup and we could help take stuff to the venue. It was up in Bothell at this cute farmhouse, which coincidentally was right across the street from where a couple of my other friends were married. We had a couple hours to kill, so we hung around the Alderwood Mall and had lunch before heading back to the venue to help set up. We did the tables, centerpieces, the aisle, the altar table...pretty much everything. It turned out so beautiful, and I'm so happy for her. Hers was our first of 4 weddings so far this year...the 4th being ours! So it's really exciting because we know ours is that much closer!

January has been pretty low key. Now that the holidays are over and out of town guests have left, Brian and I are starting to see each other a little more now. No more crazy hours for me at work, and no more house full of people for Brian. 2 of my bridesmaids, Lindsay and Sara, came down yesterday for a girls day. We went to the bridal salon so they could order their dresses, went to lunch, and then ended the day seeing Bride Wars. That movie is so cute! It was so great to spend time with them. I was sad, though, that Coree and Amanda couldn't make it. I was lucky enough to spend a day with Coree while she was home, but unfortunately, I don't think she's going to be back until the wedding. Amanda will be back at the end of the month, and I'm sure I'll be seeing MUCH more of her now that she's not living in Alaska anymore. I've also made my dress fitting appointment for the end of March, so now I have a goal date set...that means more workouts and a better diet from now on!

Brian and I start our Evenings for the Engaged classes next Monday. I'm excited but nervous, of course. I just don't know what to expect. We went to St. Charles and took our focus test, so we should be getting the results in a couple weeks and then talking to a psychologist about the results. I'm not too worried...I'm very confident in our compatibility! We see eye to eye on a lot of things, and if we don't, we'll work through it. No big deal. I'll let you all know how our first class goes!

Well, in the months ahead we still have a lot to do. Not to mention the 2nd wedding this Saturday, and then Brent and Brittany's Mexico wedding in March. After that it's all about us and getting our stuff together for OUR WEDDING! I'm so excited, but thinking about all that we still have to do is a little nerve wracking! I might be on here venting a little frustration or nerves, so bear with me! Miss you all and talk to you soon!