I'm a fair-weather friend...

.... to my blog. I half expected my dear sweet blog to have run away, much like the little monsters do in petsville if you abandon them (one of many facebook applications I added and ignored after a week.)
Here's some things I'd like to touch on.

It's officially August so needless to say, we're getting married next month! YYYYAYY!

We are crossing more and more off our gigantic wedding to-do list. It feels so good every time I get to cross something off!

My dress is a little too big. It's the smallest size they sell at David's Bridal so I'm pretty much stuck with making it work. We've begun sewing the dress onto me rather than just getting it altered because my mom is convinced the dress will never be the same after it goes to a seamstress. So there are snaps connecting the dress to my bustier to make sure it doesn't slide down. I do not want to gain wait, please know that. But today, I couldn't help but have an ice cream sandwich after my dinner (slice of pizza) followed by a slurpee and some chips. It's possible that I saw my dress fitting better and better after each calorie I ingested.

I'm feeling insecure at work. I wish I could fast-forward to a time when I've had so much experience under my belt that I feel confident in most moves I make. I'm out in the field on my own, and am constantly texting and calling my nursing director with questions. I can't help but think that I'm not giving my patients all they deserve. I don't have all the answers, and maybe I never will. I turn every little problem into a catastrophe in my head. Why can't I relax and trust that I'm doing my best, and know that that's good enough? I'm nervous all the time. When will this go away??

Theo has two more weeks of traveling before he's home for good. I think we appreciate each other more than we ever have. I went to bed last night looking at him sleeping next to me. How I miss that. It made me sad knowing I would wake up this morning and get back in the car with his bags packed to drop him off at the airport for the fifth time in five weeks. So I tuck my tears away and focus on the day ahead. By Tuesday of the week I'll get into the rhythm of talking to him a few times a day over the phone and be mainly focused on getting my act together at work. Just two more weeks.
Goodnight.

Grays grays go away...

I'm graying! What kind of sick joke is this? And I'm not talking about that random one or two grays you find in high school and go eww! No, this is full on granny style. It started out just a couple towards the front of my part, and over the past year have been popping up like some evil weeds. I know gray hair is part of growing old, but I'm only 24! I did not think I would have to worry about grays before I was old enough to get married or have kids. And to make it worse, the majority of them are towards the front of my head and in my part. I used to love doing a cute braid across my hairline, and now it's impossible because that just shows them off. I've started parting my hair a little further over because it seems to mask them better.
The Cause:
Genetic? Possibly, my mom grayed early too.
Stress? Very likely, I stress more than anyone I know. That's definitely something I'm working on.
Lack of mineral? Hmm... someone mentioned that to me the other day. I'll have to look into it further.
The Plan:
So it's either dye my hair with permanent color that totally fries it,
or us semi-permanent that I have to re-do every 2 weeks.
Or rock the granny look.
I think I'll stick to the semi-permanent for now.
This blows.

My other half

Week 2 of Theo working away. He got home last Friday night and we had an amazing day together Saturday. I really needed it. Then Sunday it was back to the airport and he was off to Washington. I miss my other half so badly. I think I've been doing pretty good up until now. I just want to hold his hand and wrap his arms around me when I need it. I feel like a brat for being so needy, but he honestly completes me. Corny I know. I go to bed at night and set the decorative pillows on his side of the bed and picture him lying next to me. I can't believe I'm complaining this much and it's only our second week of this schedule. I can't even imagine how it's going to feel on week 5. Luckily when he comes home for good we'll be only about a month away from the wedding, only a month away from being eachother's forever.
Oh what I wouldn't give for one of those right now.
Don't mind me, it must just be a case of the Mondays.

Down girl....

I can put away my big, scaley, green tail for now because....

I got my PROOFS! Yay! I was so close to a meltdown when I got that oh so lovely, "1 New Conversation" tab. Not only did she include everything I wanted, but she also included expedited shipping at no extra cost! I only need to change one little detail and they'll be ready to ship. Whoooo... big sigh of relief. Ah they are too cute!!!!!

Bridezilla is showing her ugly face

Ok, I don't consider myself a Bridezilla by any means. Through the whole wedding planning process I have been so easy going. My main concern the whole time is that my Theo and I don't spend a fortune and we create a day that we'll remember and that our guests will have fun at. Seriously though, this Etsy seller has given me some magic potion and turned me into an ugly bride. Situation is as follows.
Theo and I search the web for affordable, cute invitations. We've almost given up hope when we find a seller on Etsy that has ADORABLE invitations for super cheap. Not to mention she has almost 200 positive responses to her work.
End of May to June 10: The seller is quick to respond to my questions and we work out a cost.
June 10th: Seller says "Please send me your wording when you're ready." AKA last time I heard from her.
June 20th: Wording is sent and I'm so excited thinking she'll have a draft of our actual invitation soon!
July 1st: No word yet... hmmm. Maybe I should check in. Send her a message to just see how things are going and see if it would be possible to have them printed and mailed by mid July. I also ask what the rush fee will be since I know that's soon.
July 7th: Stillll no word! Send another message saying I'm getting nervous.
At this point I have no clue if she's even working on them. The RSVP date is August 18th, we have to get these sent out soon!!!!
WHAT DO I DO?????????????

Call me crazy

My mom says I've lost my marbles. Okay, she might be right. I actually painted the ends of wooden toothpicks baby blue for the hor 'dourvs. I thought it would be a quick project but ended up taking way too long! I am crazy for spending time painting toothpicks when we still have a humongous list of things to do. Whatever, they turned out super cute. And in case you were wondering, only the top ends were touched and the bottoms are still safe to touch food.
Oh and one of my favorite shirts has turned into a painting shirt. Who knew toothpick painting was messy?

Can I also say that how much I am loving that this is the fourth episode of The Office in a row? Repeats of course, but I love it!

Baby's a working man

I dropped Theo off at LAX today, and he'll be gone for 4 days. Sad face.
He got a job this summer coaching volleyball camps all over the place. I think his furthest one is in Washington, and most of the time he'll be gone for about 4 days. I'm already feeling like he's far away. Theo and I have this weird thing where we can feel when we're far apart and more than just a car ride away. I'm going to miss him terribly. When I got in the car after dropping him off, one of our favorite songs "I'm yours" by Jason Mraz came on the radio. It put a smile on my face. I can't wait until Friday when I'm back at LAX, taking my baby home... until Sunday when he gets back on a plane.

4th of July

We had such a great 4th of July. Theo made french toast for the family from this amazing challah bread that we got from Delicious Bakery during our cake tasting. Amazing french toast. Theo thinks french toast made from Hawaiian rolls are the best, but he's yet to make them.
We relaxed all day then spent the evening at my future In-Laws... aka, 4 doors down. It really is convenient spending holidays with both our families when they live on the same block. Instead of migrating up to the church that does a big fireworks show and having to brave the massive crowds, we stayed on the block and set off a great deal of illegal fireworks.

Our dogs were a wreck. My family's dog Ruby better than Theo's dog Dre. Dre spent most of the night in our bathtub, she jumped in there herself. Here's my parents bringing Ruby to see the fireworks.

Some good friends of ours have an almost 2 year old and it was really awesome seeing his face light up watch the fireworks.



I can see how holidays are more exciting again when you have children. I'm excited to one day take our kids to Disneyland, and see them wake up Christmas morning, and feel that wonder that they're experiencing. I bet it's kind of like being a kid again, maybe even better. Speaking of firsts, I really can't wait for all the firsts Theo and I will have as a married couple. First kiss, dance, trip (Cancun!).... think I'm getting just a little excited about our wedding being almost only 2 months away?? I think so!

Cupcakes

We went with both the in-laws this morning to cake taste! It was so yummy. We caved and ordered a mini cake with a ton of cupcakes. They may be so last year but I couldn't deny how much more affordable they were, not to mention how cute! Ours will not be nearly as couture as these gorgeous cupcakes, but they sure are great inspiration. We're getting them from our local bakery, Delicious Bakery. My parents have been going there since I was little for baked goods.
Here's to inspiration!

dreaming

It seems to be a trend of mine to post about once a month, which is sad. I could fill you in on everything that happened in June but ehhh... how bout just the cutest pic of my love and I at Lake Mead from this past weekend's trip with our families?
Maybe I'll upload the rest later... maybe.

I am so in love with our new room. In some insane act of generosity my parents decided to switch rooms with my fiance and I. It wasn't my idea, but we love it, and my parents are actually quite happy with the switch. I got to unpack some wedding shower gifts which was fun (bad karma? hmm. hope not.) It's given me a flash of what life will be like when we have a place of our own.
Oh a place of our own. I long for it. I absolutely love my family and will have some major homesickness I'm sure, but I want our own space so badly. We're ready for it. Luckily this move to the new room should hold us over for the next year, I hope!! We really don't want to have to rent. Our dream is to save up enough over the next year to afford a small home or townhouse to buy. I dream of a front porch, a kitchen of my own, a little garden, a big comfy couch in the living room, an awesome board game collection, being close to our parents houses, and last but definitely not least... a baby room. I'm getting ahead of myself, I know.
Wedding.... newlywed time together.... move.... baby.
So for now, I anxiously await the 18th of September when I see my handsome groom waiting across the beach for me. That's a dream I know will come true and I can't wait!!

Side note... I'm in love with CB2, it's like the young, hip Crate and Barrel but the closest one is on Sunset. I need to go get this pillow that's on sale! We love fish on decor. I have a small collection of fish plates developing. Kinda weird but totally cute!
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=1010&f=5786

That's all for now. Need to strip because it is far too hot in our bedroom and not to mention time for bed. Friday tomorrow and three day weekend, yay!!

THE LIST

It's been a long while since my last post. What better way to update than with our massive TO DO LIST. yikkkkeeesss.... Now with just over 3 months to go, we have a lot to do.

Well at least I got to cross something off the list this week. I made my own boutineers and I'm very proud of myself. Theo said he would not wear a flower boutineer so he basically said no boutineers at all. Then it came to me. Incorporate fishing and cheap and he would love it. And he did! I went to JoAnne's with my mom and we picked out the least fake looking leaves we could find that also looked somewhat beachy, some preserved fern, floral tape, and covered wire. Oh and a little left over raffia from my last project (flip-flops wrapped in raffia available to the ladies who forgot to wear grass-friendly shoes). So I got home threw it all together and Theo went and bought 7 fishing lures in different colors. I sewed them on and voila!
A mixture of my gifts from my first bridal shower + supplies for the wedding+ all my DIY projects= Wedding stuff spilling from every corner of our house. Not pictured: Two shelves filled in our garage. Here's a peek at the wedding busting the seams of our house.



We decided we want to decorate our room with our new things after or just before the wedding so it's all new at once and start fresh. That means a lot of storage as you can see.

We picked out invitations this week which is huge. I was stressing over that one. No pics yet, they're too cute to show off before they hit your mailbox :-)

On a non wedding related note, is there anything cuter than this?


My heart is so full of love for that man. He is pure perfection.... not to mention a graduate!!
It was an awesome day to see him graduate. I am so proud. Note the beer pong mortar board that my mom thought of and I created.




Oh and how could I forget??? MY BRIDAL SHOWER!
It was a gorgeous May day at my Aunt Kathy's house on Balboa Island with my family. My cousins and aunts put it together and did a fabulous job. Mimosas, Crepes, and Panties on a clothesline... Perfect! Here's a few pics from the gorgeous day.



My Bridal Party


All the lovely ladies in my family

A kiss for Mommy


With my neice Emily


With my wonderful Mother-in-law to be
A kiss for my future hubby


Taking it easy at the end of the day with my MOH

My MOH Kelsie is throwing me a second shower to have with my friends and I can't wait! I am so lucky to have her.

Well that should do it for now. I will try my hardest to stay up to date. Let's see what the next few months bring!
Peace and love,
Kate

I'm sorry dear, sweet blog

I feel terrible for abandoning my poor blog for so long. But so much has happened since my last post!

1. Went to an interview

2. Bought my first very own car
~2007 Jeep Compass, sooo cute! Pictures to come when I finally give the poor thing a bath.

3. Landed first real job
~ I am now a admissions nurse for a hospice company called TLC out of Moorpark. I'm so excited and nervous! It will be amazing to save some money for the wedding and get Theo and I a jump start on our lives together :-)

My fam went with me to the Camarillo outlets to buy business appropriate clothing... because god knows there's none of that in my closet. I did some serious damage at the Gap outlet.
P.S. Never bring men to the outlet mall. They just don't understand the beauty of a full day of shopping. I also almost cried when I was this '--' close to buying this gorgeous BCBG dress that I've wanted forever because I thought it was 50% off... it was only 20% off. Tragedy. Oh well, other dresses will come along. We ended the day early because the boys were wining, and stopped on the way home for some food. I found my new favorite Mexican place right next to the outlets called Olas... AMAZING! The food was delish, and the atmosphere was fun and casual.

On top of the many outfits I bought at the outlets, I had to stop in Old Navy to check out these ARTY CARDI's I keep seeing commercials for. Found a cute navy one that will be perfect for work.

On the wedding side of things....
- I believe we have decided to make our own invitations... EEK! Just another thing to add to my DIY list. But I drew up a sample for what I want the illustration to be and it's really adorable. We'll see how that one goes.
- I have my fimo cake toppers 80% finished. They're really cute and look like Theo and I a lot. I've gotten frustrated with them so many times in the past week, and half of my body went flying across the room at least once. I'm just hoping I can finish them soon and pop them in the oven in one piece. I have a feeling they may be just slightly smaller than our traditional cake so they may not top the cake, but look pretty next to it.
- My friend Jessica has elected herself to make our cake and pastries... YAY JESSICA! We are so grateful for her help. I just know it will turn out oh so yummy.

Well I think that's a good update for now. Sorry so wordy. Promise to get some pictures up on here ASAP! Lots of love.....

Summer where art thou?

My new fabulous hat makes me want summer to come already! I absolutely love big, floppy hats for the beach or lake. This Roxy hat screams CANCUN HONEYMOON... ahhh.



On another note... I PASSED NCLEX (RN licensing exam)!!!!! I went to sleep last night knowing my name could possibly be on the Board of Registered Nursing website this morning. It gets updated at 3 AM. I left the website on my laptop, put on hibernate and left it next to the bed. So instead of setting my alarm for 3 AM because Theo thought I was crazy to, I woke up on my own 3 times in the night. I checked the time at 1:30, 2:00, 2:45, then finally I looked and it said 3:25, OMG! I rolled over, turned it on, refreshed the page and there was my name!
Kate Elizabeth Russell, RN Los Angeles
Being that it was 3 AM I couldn't run and tell the whole house, I didn't even wake up Theo. So I went back to sleep, calm, tired, and feeling incredibly proud of achieving what I've worked for the past 3 years. Finally.

HAIR

I always thought if I had a beach wedding I would have long loose waves... too bad I chopped it off this past summer. Now it's growing out and I can't believe how fast! These are what I'm thinking of for the wedding, given my hair grows three times faster than it actually does. I think they could look cute a little shorter too :-) Oh and if anyone knows a hair dresser that is reasonably priced let me know!http://www.brides.com/myweddingplanner/myimages/detail/7512970
http://weddings.theknot.com/Real-Weddings/51665/detailview.aspx?id=51665&type=3&wedding+details=hair

200 days and counting...

We are 200 days from the wedding! Or 28 weeks... not sure which I like better, 28 weeks sounds quicker. We booked the honeymoon last night which was soo exciting! Cancun better be ready for us :-)

Bouquet ideas

I love this bouquet, maybe a little less greenery and add some queen anne's lace...hmm.

This one's so pretty!! Way too big though and I'd like to see more hydrangea

My newest idea is to give my bridesmaids corsages. Not the kind we got for prom in high school but just one large bloom on a pretty band. It doesn't seem like bridesmaids carry their flowers at the reception. Since my bridesmaids are choosing their dresses separately, I like that they will have something on them the whole time that distinguishes them. I like this pic.
http://www.flowerworksuk.com/florist/frame.asp?id=1064&price=6&title=Buttonholes%20and%20corsages&desc=%22Peony+buttonhole%22

www.thewristcorsage.com/flower-corsage/

VERY IMPORTANT!
We are entered in a contest to win the ultimate wedding from Crate and Barrel and we need votes to win! Just follow the link and VOTE for us! It's super easy, and anyone with an email address can vote. Currently we are number 55 out of easily a thousand couples, and you need to be in the top 50 at the end of the voting period to be a finalist. Voting ends March 31st. We need your help!! Thanks everyone! Much love.

http://www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entries/21486

Study, plan, cheer!

I went to school with Theo today so I could go focus at the library. Studying for NCLEX is so nerve racking. Especially because all I want to do is plan, plan, plan! I'll make it happen though. BTW, not sharing my test date. That is for me to know, and you to find out once I pass!
The only planning we did today was plan on scheduling our honeymoon this weekend. Yes, we have a plan to make a plan. We will be booking five nights at the Excellence Riviera resort in Cancun. The place looks gorgeous. It's like Club Med, and I love the idea that we don't have to worry about money once we get there, it's all taken care of a head of time. So yay for honeymoon plans! YAY!
Theo headed out for his game tonight against USC. I know they will do amazing and make their way back up to first place. My family absolutely loves going to his games to support him and the team. Let's go RIDGE!
Have a good hump day! Peace

We're the future Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, nice to meet you!

My name's Kate Russell and on September 18th 2010, I will marry the love of my life, Theo Edwards. A quick about us:
I recently graduated from COC nursing school in December, and I'm studying for the board exam to officially become an RN. I'm also looking for my dream job. I love anything creative, which is why I love planning this wedding!
Theo is in his final semester at CSUN and will graduating with a bachelors degree in Urban Studies. He is also in his final semester of volleyball at CSUN. He is an amazing athlete and currently leading the team in kills. Theo has a great ear for music and craves anything athletic and adventurous.

We first met in 2001 when I moved to the block we are currently living on. We were friends for seven years before Theo finally made a move at the Halloween party in 2008. From Halloween night on, we were in love. Theo proposed in November 2009. It was an amazing night. We started with dinner at Gladstones in Malibu, then took a walk on Malibu pier. I can still remember the way he looked as he swung me around while simultaneously dropping to one knee. He said, "Will you be my wife?" and slipped his great-grandmother's ring on my finger.

So now, we are planning our low-budget wedding along with our parents. We have so many ideas and just less than 7 months to get them all together. I can not wait to be pronounced man and wife!