Just Don't Do It!

Last Wedding Wednesday, I shared how stressed out I was about my wedding. This week I'm singing a completely different tune, because Babe and I figured out that it will all work out the way its supposed too (and we are majorly cutting the guest list:))
I have been browsing the internet a tad to much lately (okay, maybe just cosmo.com and I am not sure why) and keep finding funny lists or quizzes (see Monday's post). So I was thinking to change the mood from last week's Wedding Wednesday post I'm talking about 24 Things You Should Never Do at a Wedding (and a lot of these just made me laugh and I'm being half serious with my responses).

I'm Zack!

Yay! It's Monday! - said no one ever! 
But it is Monday, and that means early morning wake ups and extremely tired Leah all week long. Yay (no!)
This weekend was fun and my lack of sleep explains that :). Quick recap: Friday we went out for a friend's birthday and I stayed up past my bedtime (of 9:30) till really late (like 1am). Saturday, Babe and I had hair appointments (I promise I will take some updated photos of myself soon) and went to the local art festival (it was packed so we left after like 10 minutes)then we made dinner at home and  watched Frozen (love that movie)! Sunday, we hung out with some friends and saw Divergent (I have read the books) and made dinner at home. It was a good weekend :)
But I didn't want this whole post to be a weekend recap, I wanted to do something fun. So, I love quizzes! Especially when they relate to the 90's. I stumbled upon the "Which Saved By the Bell Character Are You?"quiz and I just had to take it. :)  Let's see just how I did...

So they wanted you to pick a fruit, how do you do that without knowing what the fruit actually means? I like apples, so apples it is. 

Really a paper product? Okay and money is a paper, but I thought more along the lines of what is prettier to look at (okay, money is prettier to look at)

Who doesn't need Advil? 

I currently own almost all of these products (including the 1984 computer...kidding!) but I picked which one I use the most. 

I love all these cookies (just call me a fatty!)

I love all of these smells, but pizza is my jam!

I fear almost all of these, but I know I could never be a contestant on Survivor... (oh I had a Alf doll when I was a kid, so I could probably handle him... major points if you know what ALF stands for...)

I'd bust ass on all of those! 

I like clouds (Babe and I spent like half a car ride talking about clouds and how they form... true story)

The beach is pretty.. so are most of these landscapes. 

I almost bought this bed!! 

And my results are....

So, I'm basically too cool for school! Yeah I know I am. 

Well, I hope this helped you get through your Monday, and maybe you laugh. What character are you? 

It's About to Get Lovey Dovey (and a Link Up)

A couple of days ago I was so stressed about how I was going to plan my wedding and how everything was going to look (which I think is common in any kind of big event planning) and just got so worked up. Update on that: we hired a wedding planner to help with the vision and they can even help negotiate better prices for everything we need! So problemo solved!! We are also doing a lot of DIY! 
But you know, through all of this (stress thus far) I realized I am super lucky to marry Babe. I love him so much and so happy that at the end of the day I get to be his wife. (Alright, I got mushy and gushy there, sorry (I'm not sorry)). 
Anyways searching through old school Facebook (no one uses that thing anymore, I am just learning that) I found stumbled upon Cosmo's list of 18 Signs You're With the Man You Should Marry. I had to read it and find out if Babe and I are meant to be. So let's review, shall we :) 

1. He brags about you. - I would like to say that he does, but I am not sure, because when he would brag I would not be around :) 
2. He makes sacrifices for you - and you're happy to do the same. - He makes sacrifices all the time for me, and gives me (within reason) anything I want. (He claims he never says no.) I try and do things for him and make sacrifices, but don't always tell them of such. 
3. He shares the same values as you. - This was a big thing when we started dating, because if we didn't share these, then we would not last.
4. Even after years together he still does little chivalrous things for you. - We haven't been together for years (about 10 months actually... but when you know, you know) but he still opens car doors for me :) (and I don't think that will stop) 
5. He doesn't try and change you. - He loves that I'm me and I love the he is himself around me (including all the gross stuff) 
6. When you think about marrying him, the best part isn't the wedding, it's the idea of spending your lives together. - That is what we kept reminding each other when we were stressing about the wedding. I can't wait to just be his wife. 
7. You survived a long distance relationship. - We have never been in a long distance relationship, but we are spending two weeks apart while he is training. And it's hard. 
8. "I miss you" isn't just a sweet thing to say. - I miss him when he is not around, doesn't matter how far away he is (could even be in the other room) 
9. You don't like having a roommate and love having your own space, but you'd still prefer to live with him. -  We always joke about this, because before we moved in together I said I always needed "my space". Now, if he gets up and walks to the kitchen I ask where he is going. 
10. He's your go-to person whenever you have a story to share, about work , about friends, about anything. - We talk all day, everyday and it's been like that since we started dating. 
11. You feel comfortable planning things six months -- or a year-- in the future - We have been like this since our first date (even though I got scared and backed away)
12. You can cry in front of him without feeling embarrassed. - I don't cry often, but when I do he tries to console me, even if he is the reason I'm crying. 
13. When your friends complain about their significant other or the guys they've gone out with, you get kind of quiet because you don't have much to contribute. - I mean we fight and I vent to my  friends, but typically my relationship is awesome and we talk everything out between us that we don't have an issues.
14. He's close with your family and he's make sure you've gotten to know his. - He met my mom after our first date (he wanted to) and I met his family a few times. I was even scared they didn't like me.   15. He cares about your friends. - He likes my friends and even wants to hang out with them most of the time, so he always says if you want to see a friend, go see a friend. 
16. He lets you vent. - Well this happens everyday. Something always ruffles my feathers and he doesn't mind listening (sometimes he minds when he wants to solve the problem and I don't like his solution though :))
17. He tells you, out of the blue, you look hot. - He does this on occasion when I least expect it (and I typically respond with "no I don't) 
18. You can do things like travel together without fighting all the time. - We made our first road trip (to Nashville) and I don't really remember fighting, like at all. 
So there you have it. He is the one I'm meant to be with and I love it. (By the way, this is how I plan on kissing him at the wedding) 

Well, totally off the topic of love... it's FRIDAY. So you know what that means, it's Whitney's awesome link-up #backthatazzup. Today's jam is a song I get stuck in my head on the regular! 

The BIG Reveal

I have never blogged about a problem till yesterday. The outpour of support and help is amazing in this community and I thank all of you! 
So all you lovely people who read my blog on the regular (or even if you don't and saw some past posts) should remember a couple weeks ago I talk about a surprise that I was going to share (and no it was not my engagement) and then I left you all hanging. Well today I am going to tell you what is up... 
drum roll please...
I'M STARTING A GRAPHIC/WEB DESIGN BUSINESS.  I have always loved web design, fonts and colors plus it is something that I can do in my spare time (or down time at work, but we won't tell work that). Babe even catches me looking at fonts and colors and laughs at me. 
So how did this come to be you ask, when I was in high school I was in Yearbook (yes, I was a nerd.. but a nerd who was an editor... for 2 years... holla!) and that was where I fell in love with fonts and graphics. We would go to these conventions (one over summer and one in March) that teaches you about graphics and typography. I was hooked. 
This was around the time everyone and their mother was going into something computer related, so I figured I would not have a job and decided I should be different. Yeah, I came back to this time and time again, and even teamed up with my dad on a joint business venture (basically a small web design/branding company). I loved it and still do. 
So today, I present to you Simply Leah Designs. You may have noticed (or not, if you don't scroll to the bottom of blogs to see who created them) the logo at the bottom of my blog and my friend Rebekah over at Blue Giraffes and Concrete Jungles (check her blog out... it's awesome. She let me hijack her blog and design it :)) 
There is a catch with this though, I have not opened my website or anything that has to do with it yet (so maybe this post is the cart before the horse kind of thing). But I am excited! (Also, I might start making posts about fonts and colors..) 
So if you have any questions or want to use Simply Leah Designs (and I will be so happy if you did for any graphic or design needs) just email me at sunshineandtrafficjams@gmail.com.

So today make today even better, its is Little Friday Link-Up day!! Go check out The Grits Blog and Life Changes blogs (they rock!)

I need some HELP!

I am starting this post with something funny because I need to laugh before I vent. 

So last week I was all optimistic about my wedding and all the things I had planed. And then this weekend we are singing a completely different tune. 
I knew a wedding was expensive, but I never thought it was THAT expensive. 
Yesterday, I talked about how Babe and I went and looked at venues this past weekend. They were expensive! Most didn't include food or anything really other then then the venue. I am basically freaking out! How am I supposed to pay for a party this expensive.. I'm convinced I might go bankrupt. 
I know there are ways to cut your wedding prices down but some of these solutions are not feasible for us. (Babe has a large family so that impacts our guest list and wedding party.) This is making me stressed, overly stressed to be exact. I want this beautiful day and I want to marry the man of my dreams (which I get to do regardless) but I don't want to feel broke at the end of the day. And that is exactly how I feel right now. I think I might just hire a wedding planner! 
So am I asking for input, how do I put on a wedding without making my bank account go in the negative? 
Let me give you some simple info for my wedding:  Guest count: 100-120 Wedding Party: 10 people (5 bridesmaid, 5 groomsmen)
HELP ME!
Today's link up is brought to you by Chits and Giggles! Now if you are planning a wedding, been married or anything in between go have fun reading all the posts in this link up. 

Post Weekend Recap Business

Have you ever had a weekend that goes by so fast and then like a blink of an eye its over? Oh wait, that's every weekend. I propose we have 2 day work weeks and 5 day weekends.. who's with me? Okay, everyone.. lets do this weekend recap business! 
This past weekend Babe came home from his training on Friday night (he was staying till Monday before he headed back to more training). We just went to dinner and hung out at home, you know the typical boring Friday night... (But, my favorite kind of nights!)
Saturday was wedding planning day one. We looked at two different places, one that we hated (it looked like 1900's threw up, and I'm totally down for people who like that style, it's just not me or Babe's) and one that was pretty cool. The local Science Center holds weddings (have I talked about this before? Oh well, if I have, just go with it) and you can get married with dinosaurs (yes you read that correctly). I think that's pure awesome, but it comes with an awesomely hefty price tag. So, chances are that place is out. But back to Saturday, I finally met one of Babe's friend's fiancé. I have seen said friend many times before, but never met his fiancé (Babe is even in their wedding). So we hung out with them for a while and his fiancé and I really hit it off, which is awesome!! 
Sunday, we had a semi lazy day till we went out with Babe's friends again to go fishing! Yes, I said fishing. I had never been fishing till Sunday, and it was pretty cool. Granted I didn't actually do any of the fishing, I just sat there and drank some beer and hung out, but if that is what fishing is, I'm down.  This was a good relaxing weekend, but it sucked that Babe left again for another week of training. Gosh can't it be the weekend again? 
So I love link-ups! Here is another one,  by Keep Calm and Blog On!
Happy Tuesday everyone!

Friday, Friday Getting Down on Friday!

Holla! It's Friday (cue Rebecca Black singing in your head!) So excited for today! Babe comes home for 3 days (before he has to go back for his last week of training) and we are doing some wedding planning this weekend. 
So over at the The Growing Up Diaries, Jamie posted about what she loved about herself. It seems to coincide with Whitney (over at I Wore Yoga Pants to Work) #projectselflove. So I decided to join in the fun. I have always been my harshest critic when it comes to everything, so hopefully this will remind me of all the things I love about myself.

//my eyes// I have a thing for eyes, and I love that mine are blue :) 
//my height// I love that I'm short. Babe isn't super tall, so even in the rare occasion I wear heals, he is still taller. 
//being goofy// I am a goofball. I even like to make myself laugh, and that ends up making others laugh too. 
//my compassion// I'm an extremely compassionate person, and I think people take advantage of me for it, but I would never change it. 
//i'm loud// I used to hate that I was so loud that everyone could hear me, but as I have gotten older I have embraced it and now I love it. 
//I love the 90's// I love that I listen to 90's music more then I should (and that I know all the words to every NSYNC song on the planet) 
//my picky eating// I am a texture eater, so that makes me extremely picky but everyone knows it, so I people always cater to me
//I love reality TV// Most people hate it, but it is my dirty secret and it makes me feel so good about life that I don't have those problems (okay, I would feel awesome if I was on one of those Real Housewives shows)
//started shows and finish them// I love that I can say I watched shows and finish them all the way through, even if they get horrible the last couple seasons
//I fall asleep when I watch movies// Everyone hates this (okay, mainly Babe) about me, but everyone knows I do it and I don't think I have seen a movie all the way through in a while
//that I have Babe// I love that I found someone who cares so much about me and wants to take care of me and my crazy
//my crazy// That I have a term deemed "my crazy" and most everyone knows it about me
I do love me and what I have to offer the word. Everyone is right, if I don't love me, who will? 
Whitney also have this AWESOME link up every Friday called #backthatazzup! Today's song of choice was going to be something else (but silly grooveshark didn't have it) but this song is way better! This song talks about petticoats (and that makes it a-maze-balls :))

5/16/15

Don't hate me for another wedding post (there will be a lot of these)! I'm excited to have so much planning done in such a short time. Babe decided to come home this weekend (instead of us meeting half way from where his training is) so we decided to go look at wedding venues.

I'm excited because I have narrowed it down to my top 2 I like, and those are the ones we are going to visit. They also both had my date (5/16/15) available (so no more pretend date!) So I'm super excited about that.

Like last week, today I am loving and hating Thursday (and in case you missed it, you can read about it here). Today is mostly I hate day, because its been 4 days since I have seen Babe and I just plain ol' miss him. Also work is kinda dragging today, which is making Thursday go by soooooo sllloooowwww.

I know this post is kind of pointless today, but I had to share that we picked our date. Hopefully everything is this easy.

Now, I am linking up with Ashley over at The Grits Blog and Jessa at Life of a Sports Wife today. I love this link up because there are no rules. (Well, that makes it harder sometimes to come up with a topic to write about). Now, go to their blogs and read because they are AWESOME.

Till tomorrow :)

 

Week 1 of Many till the BIG Day

Happy Wednesday. 
So, I give this great news on Monday and then I am a no show to this party yesterday. I had one of those days where I didn't know what to talk about and didn't want to write yet another post with no substance or real content. So I decided to take a nap for the day, but I am BACK! 
Today is kind of exciting for me, as it's Wedding Wednesday and this is the first time I get to participate. I have made some progress without him (Babe, now is what I'll refer to him as) here (and very newly engaged). 

// We have made a potential guest list - which is super hard. If I had the option, I would invite everyone I ever met in my life to be there (because I want to share my happiness with the world) but lez-be honest, that can't happen. Plus it would be super duper expensive. Babe also has a large family, so that means stuff gets cut on my end. But good news, with it being the first draft no one gets the boot. 
// We came up with the basic type of wedding we want. Babe wants a semi-formal wedding (after 6pm, sit down dinner, the works...) so thats what we will have. I am not a formal person (like at all, ever) so we are compromising with the reception with a lot less formalities in it. 
// I picked a color scheme. What do you think? 

// I picked a "pretend date" because we all know the venue with help dictate when it will really be ("May 16, 2015" here we come) 
// We made a list of venues that we want to visit for the wedding, and priced them up for the amount of guests we will have. 
//  My Maid of Honor (MoH) called me and wanted to start planning (which is awesome) and we came up with a game plan. 
// We came up with a pretend budget, and figured out how much my family (since I'm the bride and they typically help pay) will help and how much we will pay. 
Now writing this and reading it, I am surprised at how much progress we made in 4 days. We are kind of in a holding pattern with everything until boyfriend is back in a couple weeks. But I say we have made some good progress.

BIG News!

I have some BIG news, I mean really huge news (and if you looked at my Facebook or Instagram then you already know it). Boyfriend asked me to marry him this weekend, I'm ENGAGED! Yay!! 
It happened in a very "us" way. He took me to Disney, which was our first date (and if you don't remember, here ya go) and renewed my Disney ticket. Long story short, Disney raised their prices (again) and we were not sure if we should renew my ticket, but we did (because he knew how much I love going there) :).  So we walked around the park and Boyfriend said he wanted to go to dinner to celebrate. I honestly thought it was because of his new job. He wanted to go to all these fancy restaurants, and I was like lets save money. But we ended up at a nice(r) Italian restaurant. He was trying to surprise me with the ring and have the restaurant present it to me, but it was very opened and squashed all his plans. We had dinner, and I kept complaining of a headache (typical me) and that we would just go home and rent a movie. He told me he was cold (and I should have suspected something since he is never cold in a restaurant) and he went to the car (apparently to grab the ring). He came back and we started talking about all the things we needed to do the next day (he was leaving late Sunday night for a business trip). And then he said "well, you might want to go get your nails done... Will you marry me?" My response "is that fake?!" Yes, that was my response, not you typical one or the right one, but when someone shows you a diamond, kind of all thought processes go out the window. But when I finally caught myself, I said YES!

I was in shock!  So we are leaving and Boyfriend told me he forgot something at work and that we needed to go back and get it for this trip. I still had my headache (no matter how shock I was, it didn't go away) and just wanted to go home. But, no we HAD to go to his office. So of course, I start calling everyone I know (my best friends, my mom, you know the usual) and they are were excited to hear my news (of course, they were). We make it to a gas station, and Boyfriend comes out and says he can just print it off his email, so we are now heading back to the apartment. We make it there, and I am off in lala-land. Make it upstairs to the apartment, and Boyfriend opens the day and standing there are all our friends and my parents. I was so surprised I screamed bloody murder (everyone said it was funny, but you know having like 15 people standing in your apartment when you aren't expecting them is scary or is that just me?) So my Boyfriend (his new name should be Fiancé, but I don't know about calling him Fiancé on here... however when we get married he will be renamed Husband) planned this whole surprise party. It was a lot of fun that everyone came out to celebrate with us (and thank you if any of you read this).  All and all it was an awesome weekend. And I can't believe it all happened, I am still sitting on cloud 9 (except for the fact Boyfriend is gone for 2 weeks, so major boo!)  But I am excited to share this new journey with everyone.

I Love and Hate You Day Before Friday

I have a love/hate relationships with Thursday's (yes, I know today is Friday but I typically come late to the party.)
So today, I present to you the reasons I love and hate Thursdays (I know the suspense is killing you!)

It's the busiest day on the roads. (I will explain, most companies decide on 4 day work weeks when the recession hit so everyone is racing to and from work, hence making my job super busy. Plus a lot of people ditch work on Friday for 3 day weekends.)
Boyfriend has school every other Thursday night, so I barely see him on Thursday nights.
Everyone is already so worn out and ready for the weekend, basically everyone is cranky all day.
I wake up every Thursday thinking it's Friday, and that is a super bummer. 

Probably the most important reason and only reason there needs to be, it's the day before Friday and the weekend!
(By the way, Friday's in my office are typically slow, which makes them drag. But at 2pm, I'm free (until Monday at 6am)).  
But since it's Friday (yay!!!!) it's time for #backthatazzup. I just love that Whitney over at I Wore Yoga Pants To Work does this link up on Friday. 
So this week for my jam I'm going to choose (drum roll please.....) 
Backbone by There For Tomorrow. I love this song (and band, since I have met on multiple occasions, (and yes I will mention this a lot because I feel like it makes me important)). They are local band to Central Florida, so check them out! 

Hope all you wonderful people have a glorious weekend!

Wait, Did I Already Write This Post?

Okay, so I forget everything! I mean everything. I am that annoying girl who will tell you a story 15 times because I don't remember telling it the first time. Yup, that's me. 
So I bring this up because last night Boyfriend and I were having a conversation and some how lead to me saying, would I lie to you? And he responded with no, but you forget things a lot. And it really made me think, do I forget things? I think this must be normal, right?! Everyone forgets things! 
Almost every day while at work, I loose something on my desk (and my desk is not really that big) or I will forget what I am drinking (which I always have something, since I record on a mic all day) and grab something else. At night, it is inevitable that I loose the remote or my phone (sometimes both at the same time) because I just forgot where I put them. I have a habit of not making lists when I go to store so I always forget something (which is normal) or I forget that I bought something earlier (like cheese, I have so much cheese in my house that Boyfriend tells me I am off cheese buying duty for a while, but really can you ever have enough cheese?! The answer is NO.) 
I decided to google search, forgetting things easily at a young age. (I am Web-MDing (yes that is a word) myself.. just call me Dr. Leah.) I found this site that was telling me that I forget things because I have a lot of memories (or too much wine at night) and they compete with each other. This sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me that I don't really understand (and it was written by a Psychologist, and I have a psychology degree so I should be one with that article.)
It got me thinking, should I try those brain exercises to try and help my memory? Probably, but I don't I will stick to them long enough to actually work. But for the sake of argument, lets say I try and do it those exercises. Where would one find such exercises (wow, I am saying exercise a lot)? Luminosity of course! No, I'm not plugging them but I looked into it. To strength your brain is expensive, like $50 a month expensive. Plus they say you have to play those games for a couple hours a day to get the most out of them, I don't have time for that!! 
I guess I will always be the girl who forget things so when I loose my keys, will you help me find them?
But, in other news, Boyfriend got yet another job offer yesterday. It's like, when one happens they all roll in. This offer was a promotion at his current job, with full time hours and benefits (which he doesn't have). He decided this was a better fit because the pay is slightly better and so it the job security. There is also a lot more room for growth with this company. So again YAY! That means we are going to start looking for a bigger house for the puppy soon. 
So I am doing another link-up (you people know you love it!) This time Ashley at The Grits Blog and Anne at Love The Here and Now put together. (Follow them, they are awesome sauce! - wait did I already tell you that?!:))
But till tomorrow you beautiful people :)  

It's Not Thanksgiving but I'm Thankful!

Happy happy Wednesday!! 
I am finally feeling better, and my headache seems to have wondered over to bother someone else (it better not come back, it isn't welcomed!!) 
Big things are changing over at my household... I can officially announce that Boyfriend GOT A NEW JOB! Yay!! He is super excited, as well as I am for him (that made sense right?!)
Why do I again feel as if my post has no substance? I promise I will work on that for tomorrow (don't leave me yet!) 
However, I would also like to take to today and thank everyone out in the blogging world for helping me as I grow in this community.

Everyone has welcomed me with opened arms and guided me as I learn and try new things. I really appreciate all the advice and help that everyone has given me and I am forever indebted to you. So with that, I have something exciting I am working on and hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be able to share it with all you lovely people! :) 

My Weekend Recap (a day late!)

Today I am going to make it short and sweet (kind of like me) today and do a quick link-up. 
It's Tuesday, so I can do a weekend recap (a day late, but whatever :)).
Friday night, Boyfriend and I went to dinner at one of our favorite burger places (they have the best sauces) and came home and hung out until Boyfriend's best friend (who lives on the west coast of the Sunshine State) came over and the two of them went out. I was too tired to go (and went to bed shortly before they left ... at 9pm).
Saturday was fun and sad all at the same time. Boyfriend was going away for the weekend to see his step-dad and his family about 3 hours away. I don't really like when Boyfriend goes away on the weekends because its the only time we have all day to spend together (and shoot me because I like spending time with my Babe, okay don't do that). But my mom took me shopping (which is always some kind of therapy) and I felt a little better (still missed him but better). However, I didn't buy much but hanging out with my Momma was fun. I decided to spend the night at their house (since they still had my puppy from last weekend) and had another early night. It was nice. 
On Sunday, my mom took me out for breakfast, which was super yummy (I had steak and eggs...yum!) and went to Target. That's kind of a tradition my mom and I have. I came home early, took a nap (wow, I just realized I slept a lot this past weekend) and waited for Boyfriend to get home. Once he got home, we met up with a few of his friends who are into cars and had dinner with them at a chicken finger place (they have an entire restaurant devoted to chicken fingers... awesome!!) We just headed home after and watched some TV and headed to bed.  All in all, kind of a boring weekend, filled with food and sleeping, but doesn't that make it a great weekend?! 
I have been battling this really bad headache for the past week, so it was nice to not really do anything. 
Anyways, hopefully tomorrow I'll feel better and will write something with a little more substance. Today's link-up is brought to you by the lovely ladies over at Karly Kim and Glossy Blonde.  Go to their blogs and find new people to read about and enjoy!