Pictures

I have pictures! We stopped by our new apartment yesterday to get some more paper work filled out and we took some pictures to share with you all! We have been packing like crazy the past couple of days. My room is almost done, but there is still a lot of work to be done at Carson's place. It's amazing to think that the next time I open these boxes I will be married!

So here is our cute little mail pickup area. Carson and I have already talked about how fun it will be to take a walk together to get the mail everyday when we both get home from work.


And here is our apartment!!!




Carson and I have been reminiscing a lot in the past few days as we finish up finals and wrap up our time at Clemson and saying good-bye to friends. It's easy to not be sad since we are coming back, but we were thinking about how hard this would be if we were leaving for good. I'm not looking forward to that day, but it's still a few years off!

Well the wedding is so close! Both of our families are headed up next week for graduation on Thursday, December 18th, and then it will be one month until the wedding. Things will be crazy when we get home with Christmas just a few days away, but then it will be wedding planning galore!!

It's official!!

So my day today started off pretty well because I finished two finals yesterday so I actually had time to pack and do some wedding things this morning, and then I went and picked up my cap and gown for graduation.. I know.. how could it get any better then this?? but just wait...


Oh maybe I'll let the anticipation build....



Really gloomy weather here today, but it's a bit warmer so I'm not complaining...



Ok, so back to the exciting news. . . . I got a phone call from our apartment complex and we now officially have an address!! I know, I probably built that up a little more than I should have because I know that you probably are not as excited as I am, but I already have it memorized and it is my first official, non-university address, so it's exciting for Carson and me. I'm not going to post it for all of blogger world to see, but you can find it at our website in January when we move in.

Carson is taking a final at this moment, and then we will both only have one final standing between us and graduation! I'll post pictures next week of the special event.

Almost there!

Wow! Time is flying and graduation and the wedding are quickly approaching. Today and tomorrow I have all of my last classes. I was sitting in class on Monday, thinking about how I felt about that. I realized that I wasn't sad at all. I am very ready to move on to my next phase in life. I believe God has called me to be a wife and a mom so I am so excited that the first of those is coming true in only 46 days. I am excited about all of the new things God is going to teach me about Him, myself, and my marriage. I am still trying to make the most out of my last time here. It is so wonderful just to walk around this beautiful campus. I would say I'm going to miss that, but we'll only be living 5 minuets away so I can come and walk around whenever I want but not have the pressures of school. It's the perfect combination.
I am anxious to get home and finish up all of the wedding stuff. 4 day long breaks for Thanksgiving don't make for very productive wedding plans. So when I go home for Christmas I'll have an entire month to get things wrapped up! Everyone says not to wish for it to come too soon because soon it will be all over. My response it that the day is the beginning of my marriage which I am most excited about and will last longer than any one event!

Another kind of count down. . .

I know the wedding is the most exciting countdown but I'm also very excited about graduating in 19 days!! That's not even the best part; I really only have 4 more days of school left and my finals week is going to be a breeze so I'm not even counting that. So close I can taste it. As much as "real life" scares me, I'm so ready for it. I'm a fifth year senior so I'm a little ready to be done. I look forward to spending my nights next year scrapbook while Carson is studying hard for grad school :-)
It's been a crazy but fun few days home. There is never enough time to cram everything in, but we've made do with the time we've had and it won't be long till I'm home again for the entire month before the wedding. We were able to squeeze a dress fitting in and an appointment to see the centerpieces that are being designed.
Below is a picture of some family fun we had before the turkey made us all too tired on Thanksgiving. The whole family got in on the Guitar Hero band. Dad even sang Eye of the Tiger in an high range that I didn't even realize he had! Way to go!

2 Months!!

So can you tell I'm crazy busy when I stop blogging but once a month? My mom and dad both called to remind me that I'm getting married in two months. As excited as I am, I feel like I'm forgetting something. Everyone up here at school keeps asking how the wedding plans are going and sometimes I have to honestly admit that I haven't thought about it for days at a time. I guess that's a good thing so I'm not getting obsessed with it. Now that all of the big stuff is out of the way, it's all the little bitty details. A word of wisdom to any future brides. . . avoid a January wedding date so all the final invoices don't come due days before Christmas (ouch!). On a happier note, both mothers have found their dresses so they're all set for the occasion. Well, as set as a mother can be to give her son or daughter away.
Even sooner than the wedding is our graduation, coming up in exactly one month. Needless to say there is a lot of pressing school stuff that's dominating our to do list right now. So I guess my life is sounding pretty stressful. . . but who's isn't? We all need a break.
So today Carson and I took one. Last night Carson and I looked at each other and realized that we spend so much time together every day but it is all consumed with school talk, wedding talk, planning the whole move, etc. that we needed a break. So we both, for the first time, played hooky today. The nice thing about Clemson is that you can be in the mountains in about 30 minuets, however, in our quest to escape, we went a little bit further up to Highlands, NC.
Highlands is this beautiful little one street town with all the cute tourist shops and a great coffee shop, where we spent a lot of time. The temperature never got out of the 20's!!! (To all you Floridians.. that's not a number you see very often) I think I have read in every bridal book, and heard from every bride, to take time to put everything aside and spend some quality time together. That advice fell to the bottom of our lists as the semester progressed, so we left the list at home today and escaped. I'm sure everyone studying in the library right now is jealous, but we're back and ready to hit the ground running, with two weeks of classes left, and then finals!! Enjoy some pictures from our trip:

Ya, We've been in three states today

It was so cold we couldn't feel our noses! :-)

How cold was the water?? Ya right, you think I actually stuck my hand in that water?

3 Months!!!

Despite a gloomy day here in Clemson, it has been an exciting one. For one, Carson and I just returned from making a deposit on our apartment for January!! We are so excited. There were so many options to consider but this place just fit. The decision had us spending a lot of time in prayer and when worries surfaced about making it all happen, God has been showing us that He has it all in control. As hard as it is for me to not worry, it has been wonderful to put it all in God's hands and breathe easy.
I was all bouncing in my seat when we pulled in today make the deposit. The people in the office are so nice and the apartments are only 6 months old so it will be a refreshing change from the ancient on-campus housing. I get giddy just writing about it. Plus it's another exciting reminder that Carson and I are getting ready to start our lives together.
Speaking of the upcoming wedding, it is only 3 months from tomorrow! I can't believe how time is flying. I feel like I haven't been doing much to plan for the wedding lately with school so I had to take some time and make sure I had everything under control this morning.
Back in Orlando, mom is taking care of her list by visiting the wedding venue again today (we go there a lot, but the lady there is really friendly and puts up with us) with the decorators who had some fabulous ideas! I can picture it even being described over the phone and I am so excited how it all seems to be coming together. I know I'm planning it so I should know what to expect but I can wait to see how it all comes together on the day.
Well that's all the exciting news for now as I try to being my feet back down to the ground because life is still happening around me.

100 Days and Counting!!

Only 100 days till the wedding!! Wow, that number is shrinking fast... Almost to the double digits. A friend of ours had a great suggestion the other day to read the Psalms backwards to countdown so Carson and I started that and are enjoying our journey through the Psalms together.
I went home this past weekend and we were able to get a lot of productive wedding stuff done. I had my dress fitting, which started bad but ended well. The first lady they gave me didn't know what she was doing and had to ask the girl next to her about everything. When she did my bustle it was all crooked. So she went off to do something else and the lady that was helping her took over. She tried a different bustle but I wasn't much happier due to the fact that it was also crooked. I just wanted someone who knew what they were doing and heals can only be so comfortable when you are standing on them in one position. I was afraid to shift my weight or my hem would be all crooked. So my dad saw how unhappy I was, and being the hero that he is, went and got Jimmy who sold me the dress. Well I guess they get all defensive and don't like it when the sales people come back into the alterations area so they promptly brought out the lady who seemed to be in charge. She had me all pinned up correctly and my bustle done up beautifully in 15 minutes! I left there a very happy bride, but I was not about to settle on my wedding dress.
Today instead of working on wedding plans, we worked on plans for after the wedding and went apartment hunting. Once again an experience that started off bad but ended very well. If you ever have a day to spare and want to meet some characters, you're bound to find them in the apartment leasing offices. Everyone we met was very helpful, but unique in their own way. We got very excited to hear that one of the places that someone showed us was the best property they had to offer. If you count mold around the bathtub, tiny closets, and the washing machine right next to the kitchen sink beautiful, this place is for you! Our last stop was a new apartment complex that was beautiful, spacious, and affordable! One thing we learned today was how to better rely on God. When it all seemed overwhelming a pray for releasing that to God gave us peace that He had just the place for us. One thing to tick off the list... it's looking a little shorter!