Happy Birthday Beautiful.

Lets take a short pause for the cause. My baby is turning 11 and is in much need of a party to celebrate her fabulousness. This weekend we will be throwing a birthday party in her honor. There will be no lack of friends, food and skating. We decided to go easy on mom this year and instead of hosting the party at home, we have decided to rent out a local rink. I would like someone else to clean up the mess this year so everyone can have a good time and skate.

The birthday girl has gone peace sign crazy so that is theme of the party. We made the invitations and are making the goody bags and the treats. The pizza, ice cream and drinks are provided by the rink. Below are some pics of the great cake and cupcakes we are going to make. This is going to be too much fun and the tie dye cake goes perfectly with our peace sign theme. More pics to come after the party.

Wow! That Was A Great St Patty's Day Weekend.

I never thought so much fun could be shoved into one weekend. Memphis is a great city to live in; especially, if you live downtown (which Joe does). No matter what time of year, there is always something going on and we take full advantage of the close proximity.

Friday night our friend, Jake, had his 9th plate party at the Saucer and he invited us to celebrate. If you don't know what I am talking about don't be embarrassed. I just learned myself about 8 months ago. It is basically a rite of passage for beer lovers at the Saucer. They can keep track of the beers that they imbibe and after 200 they earn a plate and a congratulatory party for their hard work. If you would like to know more you can google UFO club at the Flying Saucer. It is quite fun and very generous of Jake to include us. After that we walked (Joe walked and I stumbled) to the Center for Southern Folklore. I really like that place. It is a small venue that features mostly local folk artists. The South Side Supper Club was playing and they are always fun to see. They are a three piece band that includes a clarinet, an accordion and a banjo and they play covers from the 80's and 90's. You can't help but clap and dance in your seat to their happy sound.

This weekend was extra eventful due to St. Patty's day. Thank you St.Patrick for the beautiful weather that you so graciously bestowed upon us. The whole day was perfect. My brother met us downtown and we walked to Court Square to feast on crawfish and have a beer at Mudbugs in March. They were some of the best crawfish I have had in quite sometime. Completely juicy and very spicy ~ just the way I like 'em. Next, we walked to Beale Street to enjoy the parade. My mom and my daughter met us there and we had a great time dodging candy and beads as they were hurled at our heads:). After a little barhopping to Blues City and The Flying Saucer it was time to go home, grab a quick bite and get ready for the concert. That's right. Joe got tickets to Elton John ~ 13th row center stage. It was amazing. Elton does not stop either. He kept the hits coming back to back and sounded great. Then if that's not enough, our friend Jake gave us tickets to Kris's Birthday @ the Warehouse where Lucero, Magnificent Bastards and Al Capone were playing. We saw Lucero and would have liked to stayed longer, but our feet were screaming for mercy so we caught the trolley and headed back down to the pinch.

I don't even remember my head hitting the pillow. I was out like a light. There was so much fun had there was not a moment to spare thinking or doing anything about the wedding. Still waiting on our appointment with Father Eric on the 28th. So, thankful for my friends, family and fiance. You made this weekend rock;) Jeff (my brother) I do forgive you for stepping on my pinky toe and almost ripping it off. It did not deter my fun and it turned a nice shade of purple. pics coming soon.

May the odds be ever in your favor....

Well, the planning has begun. Exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. Joe and I have decided our main goal will be to relax, go with the flow and enjoy the process or should I say FOR ME to relax, go with the flow and enjoy the process:). I really don't know what he is talking about. I hardly ever become overwhelmed when I take on too many projects. hehhehehehe. 

We are doing all of the planning ourselves and since I am a designer I will be in charge of everything that is printed and put on paper. This will include the invitations, programs, website, blog, rsvps, save-the-dates, wine labels, place cards, entry poster and most of the decor. Whew! That could get overwhelming, but I am just going to take it one thing at a time. First things first- Set a date;)

Nothing printed can be accomplished unless we know the date and the venue. So, Joe and I have been spending our weekends scouting out churches in the downtown Memphis. We are not only considering churches as a wedding site , but also to call our home parish. After many weeks of deliberation and church functions we have decided to join St. Mary's Catholic Church on Market Street. St. Mary's is the oldest Catholic Church in Memphis and the church where my grandparents were married. It is close to home, beautifully ornate and the perfect size to house our big day, but those are not the only reasons that we chose this parish. St. Mary's ministers to the poor and homeless through a clothing closet and soup kitchen and we think that our time and talent can be put to good use there. Also, we really like Father Eric. He is kindhearted, plain spoken and faithful. He really loves St. Mary's and her parishioners.

So, we have made an appointment for March 27th to speak with Father Eric about our upcoming nuptials and see what he says about my previous marriage. As a Catholic, we cannot be married in the church until I receive an annulment or a dissolution. Father Eric will help us through the steps and council us as the marriage tribunal makes their decision. Keep your fingers crossed- We are hoping for a dissolution which is much faster and less expensive. Our goal is to be married this year. We have decided not live together until we are married and we are anxious to start our life together.

Anyway, we haven't discussed any other options yet. We decided that there is no reason to start what if'ing everything. We are just going to wait until the 27th and see what information Father has for us and go from there. Take it one step at a time;). Below I have posted a couple of pics of St Mary's. She really is beautiful and full of history.

The Real Deal

This is all very new to me. I am a new writer, a first time blogger and a very recent fiance. I am starting this blog to catalog our adventures into matrimony and all the other moments that take place along our journey.(good, great and funny:)

My name is Angela. I am a 38 year old graphic designer from Memphis, Tennessee, a mother of two and a skeptic when it comes to true love.(umm, until I met Joe). Don't get me wrong. I thought I was in love before and as a child we (girls) are drawn into this notion that prince charming will swoop in on his white horse with sword drawn and sweep us off our peep toe pumps and we will live happily ever after with not so much as a bad hair day. 

This did not happen for me. I have been blessed with plenty of bad hair days.:) I was fine with the fact that I was never going to be married again. I had been married before, but only for a short time. (I will save that story for another day.) I believed people could love one another and care for one another, but that true, fairytale, knock-your-socks off, heart pounding love was something that Jane Austen made up to torture women through the decades. I now know that true love is not something that Jane Austen made up. It is what inspired her.

Skeptic no longer. I have met him. My True Love. The person that I believe was put on this earth just for me. There are times when I think that my heart is going to leap out of my chest. Other times I think there is no way I could love him anymore, but then it grows. He is my inspiration to be a better person. Sometimes when I see him it takes every fiber of my being not to run him down and tackle him Lawrence Taylor style and plant kisses all over him. His parents should be given a medal of honor and have a national holiday named after them or something for creating and raising such a wonderful human being. So, I am elated to announce that on February 16, 2013 he proposed and I screamed "YES". 

I know now that True Love does exist and it is waiting on all of us. We just have to be open, patient and not willing to settle. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my post and please follow along for future details, planning and stories before our big day and into our happily ever after.