Christmas Cards

Every year I'm beyond excited to send out our Christmas cards, I make Jus pose for a silly picture and include our dog's names on our cards.
This year is going to be even better. With Rivers around I can't wait to send out cards that have pictures of our adorable 5 month old.
When it comes to choosing a Christmas card my first stop is always Shutterfly. Our last two Christmas cards as well as Rivers's birth announcement came from Shutterfly and I know when it comes time for Christmas cards this year Shutterfly is where I'll turn.
Shutterfly has already released their Christmas Cards and I've loved looking through them.

So when it's time to pick your holiday card be sure to check out Shutterfly's selection, and be sure to check out their special offers page!

This is a sponsored post

The Last One Before the Real One

That's how Jus keeps describing the event we are celebrating today.

Can you guess what it is?

Today is our 3 year dating anniversary.

Three years ago we spent the night deciding to try and date. We had spent the previous year flirting and becoming friends. Three months into our friendship I took him home from the bar one night, we had flirted and I was in the "I just want to hook up" stage. That night Jus & I laid in bed listening to Bob Dylan until the wee hours of the morning when we fell asleep spooning. We continued to spend one night a weekend this way, leading to a greater flirtation and a relationship that made many people question our status.

Jus asked me out twice (even though he'll say it was only once) the first time was November 2006, the second was March 2007. I turned him down both times, the second time it stung. Jus was sad and confused, we had spent months flirting and I had obviously led him on.

What did I care? He was a guy I enjoyed throwing darts with and could laugh all night with, he was the guy that was my big spoon once a week, but he certainly wasn't the guy I wanted to date, let alone get married to.

Finally Jus got tired of my hot/cold feelings and started to ignore me. Three years ago today my BFF/BM Beth convinced me to go to a bonfire Jus was having, I agreed only under the circumstance that we could leave after a half hour, but a half hour into the bonfire I was sitting next to Jus, just wanting to be near him, after a week of the silent treatment I missed my friend.

That night I asked if he would be coming to spend the night at our house and luckily he said yes. As we lay in bed I told him that I missed him and wanted to be with him, I knew he didn't believe me but I wanted to give being a couple a chance.

Three years later we're planning the wedding of our dreams, where we can share our love and life with all of our guests. As I look back over the past three years I am so grateful for Jus's patience, love, and understanding. I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with this man who was willing to wait for me to come around.

Did it take you a while to love your fiance?

Life Planning

There are times in wedding planning when you realize that you're not just planning for a day you're planning for a lifetime. A life together in which you will be supportive, loving team.

The fact that you should act as a team is never more obvious than when one of you is unhappy.

For the past three years Jus has been working for some family friends. The situations started out as a dream, Jus worked for three guys that were close in age and fun, for the past six months the situation has turned into a disrespectful, childish situation. The brothers do not treat Jus well, making petty accusations and taking advantage of his good work ethic.

This week Jus hit the wall, after yet another accusation Jus decided to put in his notice. I am so incredibly proud and support his decision 100%.

Unfortunately this isn't the best economy in which to quit a stable job, but when push comes to shove a happy fiance with worth cutting back. And this is where the tough, relationship stuff comes into play.

In two weeks we will be living off of one stable income and one in flux income. The idea of loosing an income is a little scary, but luckily Jus has some odd jobs that will keep him busy throughout the summer and hopefully by the fall we'll having something more stable where the two of us can work together.

In the mean time we've been trying to think of ways to cut back. We're planning on selling a car, which makes sense anyways, considering we don't really need two cars to begin with. My car is newer and there is a higher likelihood that we can make money off of it, unfortunately this is the car I've wanted since I was 16 and it makes me sad to be giving it up after a year and a half. It actually makes me really sad.

But before you think I'm selfish and materialistic, I know we need to sell it. The loss of a car payment will allow us to have money to do some of the things we enjoy doing. We will be working close to each other and will learn to live with one car.

Fortunately my parents are fitting the majority of the wedding bill so our wedding planning won't be too terribly affected, but after all, this relationship and wedding isn't just about being happy for one day, it's about being happy for a lifetime together.

Have you had any radical changes in your life during your wedding planning?

The Name Game

The name change.

I think most brides would agree that this is a sticky subject.

My grandparents didn't give my mom a middle name and when she got married she slid her maiden name over and added my dad's last name. For a long time I assumed this was what all women did, but as I grew up I realized that this was only one option. I know women who have kept their maiden names, taken their husband's, hyphenated, and combined their last name with their hubby's last name.

Jus and I have talked about our (well, my) options:

1. Jus takes my name.

I can't tell you how many times I've tried to convince Jus to take my easy, not too popular four letter last name. Our town is fairly conventional and Jus comes from a very traditional family and I have a feeling if I were to convince him my FFIL might keel over from a heart attack.

2. Hyphenate our last names.

I've never cared for hyphenating last names, I can't imagine if our hyphenated child married a hyphenated children which would result in our grandchildren being a quadruple hyphen.

3. Combine our last names to make our very own name.

The funniest option would be to combine our last names. I'll throw anonymity to the wind and let you know that if we combined last names our options would be Leyd (pronounced laid), Boyman, or Bleman (bame-man). Clearly, this option is our first choice in terms of touring our children.

4. I drop my middle name, slide my last name over, and add his last name.

Honestly, my favorite option is doing what my mom did. I'm not particularly attached to my middle name and would be happy to become Cole MyLastName Jus'sLastName. I love the idea of having a "team name" and even though I will be loosing the name I have always had it's pretty excited to think of sharing a name with my husband.

5. Jus's option.

One thing I love is when the man takes the woman's last name as a second middle name. I think it is incredibly sweet for the man to acknowledge that he is joining the bride's family just as much as she is joining his. Jus is pretty responsive to this option which makes my heart happy.

While I was calligraphing place cards this weekend I spotted a card that read Cole Jus'sLastName and asked Jus who that was. Seeing my new name is strange and I'm sure I'll be uncomfortable with it for a while, but I've been practicing my new signature (how middle school of me!) and hopefully as the days go on I'll feel more comfortable with my future name change.

How are you handling the name game?

A Little Self Promotion

I'm hosting a giveaway on my daily blog Adventures in Love & Happiness. Hop on over and sign up to win one of these gorgeous prints from The Love Shop!

Wouldn't these make dreamy reception decorations?

Flip Flop You Don't Stop

I think one element that all brides (and women in general) can agree is a good addition to your wedding is a flip flop basket.

via

A basket stuffed with different size flip flops so women can change out of their uncomfy fancy shoes and dance the night away.

If you're looking for some flip flops to stuff your basket with head to Old Navy this weekend where you can buy a pair for $1!

Brighten Up

Earlier this week I was at Target when I spotted something that would be perfect for that colorful, summer wedding I keep planning in my head. (Yes, I am fully aware that we aren't having a summer wedding, I just have trouble NOT planning it. I think I could plan about 7 weddings right now, but that's a whole different post.)

I bought two packs of these mini paper fans brought them home and set to work creating a garland for our living room.

Each fan has a string attached to the back which I hot glued to the top of the fan next to it. I glued crochet yarn on the end without the attached string.

This project took about twenty minutes but I know if I were to make multiple my time would be cut down.

I would love to see these garlands surrounding an outdoor ceremony or reception space. So would someone that is having an outdoor wedding please make these so I can live vicariously through you?

Have you used any of your home decor as inspiration for your wedding decor?