Ways to Beat the "Wedding Blues"

Happy New Year!!

Guess what?!?

I'M MARRIED!!! 

I can't believe it. It's been almost a week since we said I Do. And it's just a whirlwind of emotions and time flew. 

The last few days leading up to the wedding were quite a blur because SO much was going on and I don't think I sat down until I went to bed at night. But I can say I wouldn't have changed any of that craziness. I kept as calm as I could, didn't shed any tears over the bumps in the road that came up. Because I was told things would happen so I was prepared. 

I have had zero free time the past few months so I haven't been able to blog like I've wanted. But I have a lot of ideas of what I'm going to blog and going to keep up with it a lot more. Guess that's one of my resolutions? 

Currently, I'm on my Honeymoon. Yes I'm on my computer and social media on my honeymoon because we decided to have just fully relax and have down time today...which I honestly can't get my body to relax yet. But not fully blocking off the rest of the world is okay with us since we are constantly in touch with family. The Sunday before my wedding I decided that I wasn't going to be on any social media. Best decision ever. I was able to fully focus on everything that was going on. And just be there with all of my close family and friends. 

So I wanted to talk about a topic that seems to come up right after the wedding....which a lot of people refer to the "Wedding Blues" 

I didn't know there as a such thing, until The Knot had an article on their website about it. 

Apparently this is because you have spent months or years planning such an important day in your life. All of the build up of excitement and emotions, and in just one day, it's all over like that. I totally understand that. But would I say I have wedding blues? Nope. Am I lying to myself? Nope. Before I got married I read up on those blues and since I'm such an emotional person I decided that I wouldn't let myself feel that way. Here's some ways I'm avoiding the "Wedding Blues" 

1. I'm excited to be Husband and Wife, and start our life together as One

2. During the Wedding Day I stopped to take everything in a few times

3. Creating future goals together-It's so exciting planning life with your husband! :) 

4. The fact that he's MY husband and I'm HIS wife is just an amazing feeling

5. Future children 

6. We talk about the wedding day and what we enjoyed most

7. No more wedding stresses 

8. Changing your status and last name on Facebook. Okay, I know this is a whatever one. But it's pretty neat to see that you're married AND your last name. Just a small reminder of the big day

At the end of your wedding day, you'll be married to the one you love. And to me, that out weighs anything that might have gone wrong and sad feelings that it's all over. Because it's not all over, you're just beginning your life together! 

<3 

Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce

Let me just put this lightly...I LOVE anything cheesy. I mean who doesn't right?! 

But it probably has been at least 5 years since I've had anything really cheesy, especially Alfredo sauce. I used to love that stuff that came in a jar. It was pretty good. 

Since obviously I can't eat that anymore, I needed to figure out how to make Alfredo so I can enjoy it again. Trust me when I say this is the easiest and most cheesiest thing you'll eat...because it is! You only need THREE ingredients. Yes, only three. 

Daiya shredded mozzarella cheese, unsweetened almond milk, and earth balance buttery spread. 

I'll admit, I really didn't know how this would turn out. I haven't been sold on Daiya cheese yet because I'm so picky. So I was iffy on using it but the recipe I stumbled across used it and I didn't want the sauce to turn out so I followed the recipe exactly. Which is something I don't really do often. But I'm glad I followed it this time. (there are a few ingredients I didn't add because of personal preference) There's literally just a few steps to this process:

When I first added in the cheese I was really nervous because it was so clumpy, but the recipe I followed said to give it time and just keep stirring...

 And stirring..

Until finally it becomes smooth and creamy!! 

If you've been missing out on Alfredo Sauce, this is the recipe for you! 

Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce

1/4 Cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1 1/2 Cups Almond Milk-Unsweetened

1 Package Daiya Mozzarella Shreads

Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt buttery spread in skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add almond milk to butter and stir for a few minutes.

3. Add entire package of cheese. And stir

4. Keep stirring over medium heat until you get a thick, creamy cheese sauce. 

5. Serve warm. 

6. Keep in an air tight container in the fridge. Will heat up nicely in the microwave and become a gooey cheese once warm.

Enjoy!! 

Being Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I've been terrible at posting...but life has gotten pretty crazy lately. Since November 1st i've been nonstop it seems like. But I have a lot to be thankful for and it would take me forever to type so.

Some big changes have been happening.....

Caleb and I found a house!!

Which was a big stress on us since we obviously needed somewhere to live ;) 

We moved in on November 1st and with working full time, planning a wedding, and making our house a home. I'm quite exhausted at the end of the day and all I can think about is going to be bed. When we found it, it was in the final stages of construction so it was pretty cool to see it get completely finished. I am in love with my kitchen, I told Caleb that we had to find a place with a beautiful kitchen and well we certainly did...

Here's a transformation of our kitchen.

This was before they cleaned it and added our backsplash

All clean and ready to move in!

Moved in and decorated!

It's amazing what furniture and decor can do to a house. I'm defiantly the type of person who loves to make things feel like home, so that has been my goal. We are still organizing and decorating the rest of our house...which is huge and we just haven't had the time yet. Once the wedding is over, our time will be dedicated fully to finishing our house. 

I can't express enough how thankful I am to our family and close friends who dedicated their time to help us with this process. I'll be forever thankful and certainly grateful. I was reading over my Thanksgiving post from last year and it's crazy how different things are in just a year. Never once did I think that next year I would working full time at a job I've always wanted, be sitting in my own house, preparing goodies for Thanksgiving and would be getting married in a month. I really feel blessed and I know it's all because of a lot of time spent praying, and praying....and more praying. 

I really hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving and get to reflect on what you're thankful for. 

Cheers! 

A Surprise Vintage Paris Themed Bridal Shower

Bonjour!!!

That means hello in French ;) 

Two weekends ago I had my surprise Bridal Shower and I can't explain how pretty everything was! And it was exactly what I wanted. My Matron of Honor and Bridesmaids put together a Bridal Shower that was totally me. They combined Paris and Tiffany blue into a Vintage Paris theme! So Adorable! I'm just going to get right to the shower because I know you're probably dying to see the pictures! 

Let's start with my reaction to walking into my Bridal Shower. One of my Bridesmaids Sierra (pictured behind me) took me out shopping and we had plans to meet Becca(My Matron of Honor) at a new cute little Cafe that opened up in town. Was I surprised yes? I started to get a feeling later on in the day...but I had thoughts my shower was other times so I wasn't really certain. 

Taking in everything and seeing everyone, made me quite excited..obviously ;) 

The details! 

Food Table

Part of the gift table with favors.

Which I didn't get a picture of the favors but they were "Pearl Necklaces" made out of ribbon with white gum balls. They were super adorable and if I get a picture of them I'll just add it in.

Some of the table decor. 

One of Becca's friends was recently in Paris and took these pictures!!

They had guests sign envelopes with their name and address for the Thank You Cards. Seriously if you're throwing any type of shower it's always best to do this. Makes it much easier when writing Thank You Cards. 

Also guests wrote their Advice for me for a Happy Marriage on Post Cards that were all French Themed. Which I now have in a cute book. 

Okay so all of the food was gluten and dairy free. You see those pink things in the left hand corner? Macaroons. I have a serious LOVE for macaroons and so they made sure they incorporated them into my shower, and of course they fit the theme.

Now..as if I wasn't totally loving everything, they brought out my cake.....

I was shocked!! It was so pretty and perfect! And yes those are gold flakes on it. It was pink on the inside. I just can't express how perfect everything was. All of my favorite things were incorporated into my shower. 

The day was filled with joy, happiness, and I defiantly felt showered with love! I can't thank everyone who was involved enough and put into words how blessed I feel to have all of the loving people in my life. 

Me and my lovely bridesmaids. Two of my bridesmaids are missing from this picture. But they both had a part in the shower as well. 

My sister, best friend, and Matron of Honor. She planned everything, of course with the help of the other girls. But she made this day happen. 

My Thank You Cards.

I know there are a lot of details that I didn't get a picture of because I didn't have my phone on me so I got pictures of others who were able to take pictures. 

Thank you to everyone who was able to come to my shower. 

One step closer to the big day!!! 

Cheers! 

<3 

5 Reasons Why A Smaller Wedding Is A Good Idea(Plus we've reached 2 months!!)

Sooo....we have reached 2 months!!!!

Which means..83 days...11 weeks...

Holy cow...is pretty much what goes through my mind. Time has been flying by for sure. And quite frankly I can't contain just how excited I am. 

Lately we haven't really been doing to much wedding stuff. I know that's all about to change since there's A LOT to do. 

We sent out our invites..okay don't judge me on this but I can't remember the month but I know we should have gotten them all back since our deadline was September 30th...so for those of you who haven't PLEASE let me know...I know who you are anyways and I will be coming after you ;) Seriously though. I will. 

We kept our guest list really small. We decided that we wanted mainly family and close friends. We actually had to cut it down a few times, nothing personal it's just what we wanted. We both have big families and it is important that our family have priority over anyone else, then if we had extra we could add in close friends. I have been told so many times that you'll never regret having a smaller wedding, but some will regret having a big one. So we decided to go small. Here are a few reasons why having a smaller wedding is better: 

1. Since you'll have fewer guest to greet and talk to, you can really spend time with each other and enjoy the day. 

2. More intimate setting, you'll spend your special day with the ones closest to you.

3. Save money, this is a big one. A big way to save money but still be able to have an elegant affair is to cut down your guest list. 

4. You are more likely to remember everyone at your wedding and be able to talk to them. 

5. People are more likely to remember your wedding. If you have a traditional large wedding that has 150+ guests most people aren't going to remember certain details and since it's like most weddings they've been to. It'll be a routine. When you have a smaller wedding, you can focus on more details and make your wedding unique since you don't have to plan for a large amount of people. 

I'm not saying big weddings are bad or even bashing them. I understand that some people just have really big families that requires a big wedding, and that's defiantly okay! If you have always dreamed of a big wedding, then go for it. It's your day and you decide how you want it. But smaller weddings tend to not get as good rep and people think you only go small because you can't afford a big wedding. That's not always the case.  I feel that if you are happy, and you married the love of your life, that's all that matters at the end of the day. 

Cheers! 

Nature's Path Pumpkin Spice Waffle Review

Well hello October!! I can't believe that it's fall. I really do love fall, but not thrilled about colder weather. However I enjoy all the flavors and comfort of Fall. So I guess that makes up for it. I do go crazy over pumpkin things. I'll admit, but hey it's fun and I enjoy the colder temps when I can have everything pumpkin. I even created a board on Pinterest, labeled Everything Pumpkin. I'm very dedicated. 

Pumpkin flavor is EVERYWHERE. I seriously think every brand out there has their own pumpkin something. I do get pretty bummed when I can't try most pumpkin things because they aren't gluten free. But I stumbled upon these gems the other day...and I couldn't pass them up.

Soo I have to be honest. I didn't think highly of these before I tried them because some natural pumpkin stuff just tastes weird or doesn't have enough spice to it. I have to have the spice, the more spicy the better! I've had Nature's Path products before and I haven't been disappointed yet. But I wasn't getting my hopes up. 

I had them for breakfast this morning, and OH MY GOSH....it's seriously the best pumpkin spice waffles I've ever had from a box. They make you feel all warm and cozy and defiantly gives me a sense of fall. 

Even if you don't have to eat gluten free...you need to try these! Everyone needs to try these!! They are actually healthy and much better than any other regular frozen waffle out there.

Cheers! 

I'm Officially a Lover of Rose Gold!

I've been waiting weeks to write this post. Remember when I said I can't keep a secret? Yeah I've been holding in this beauty.....

  

So my old ring, Caleb had it a YEAR before we got engaged. We have been engaged for 2.5 years...so my ring wasn't exactly new when it came time to find a wedding band to fit. We shopped a few months ago for our bands. Caleb found his, but I couldn't find one that I felt like fit my ring. So we went back, and they literally went through almost every wedding band they had. Nothing worked...

I was beyond stressed and tired of trying things that might work. And also I was so upset because I felt like I would never find anything. 

So they asked us if we ever thought about upgrading and getting a ring with a wedding band. Uh yeah I thought about that, but for like our 5 or 10 year wedding anniversary. 

I told Caleb that, that would be HIS choice and so obviously he decided that we could upgrade it now. I started trying other rings, rings were obviously pretty but nothing stood out....until Caleb spotted this one. It was brand new, literally they just got it in that week. I've always been a white gold lover, and a three stone setting so this was something I never considered. I have seen Rose Gold rings and thought they were pretty but didn't think I could pull it off, But I tried it because he picked it. 

I was in love...

I mean come on, it's literally pink gold!!!!

And the look in his eyes when I put it on, I knew it was the one...well second one. 

Am I little sad that I had to give up my first ring? Yes. I actually teared up when they took it away (I'm just a tad emotional) But something that I'll take away from this experience was that things will always work out. Seriously, we have had so many blessings happen all these months leading up to the wedding. That I just get so emotional thinking about it. 

Here's a closer picture of it. You can kind of tell it's rose gold in this picture better. This was as soon as we went to pick it up!