1st fitting

This week Mom and I went to the bridal shop and I had my 1st gown fitting. It was SO cool to put on MY dress and not the sample. I put it on and walked out to see Mom....of course she started to get emotional right away. I felt like a princess while the seamstress pinned it all up in preparation for her to make it fit me perfectly. Then she gave me my veil and headpiece to try on. WOW! That was such an awesome feeling. I can't wait to try it on again in March after she works on it. Mom and I had fun imagining the day I marry Brian.

What a beautiful site!

The beautiful sunset in Naples, FL last week.......just amazing!

Family of origin

This week we had our 3rd marriage mentoring class and the topic was "family of origin." We discussed our separate backgrounds, the households we lived in, and how we were raised. The point of discussion was to learn how each of us grew up and how to mesh that into our own family lifestyle. Pastor Jeff did show us part of our test results from our 1st session. He showed us our "scores" in this topic. The way I scored showed that my family was connected and very flexible and Brian's was very connected and very flexible. The coolest thing is that it scored us on how we want to raise our family and we both scored the same thing!!...very connected and very flexible. In talking with Pastor Jeff the flexibility part is in regards to rules and such...for instance we believe there are to be rules but that discussion is always welcome if someone sees a different way to get the solution. The closeness part is about sharing leadership and that change is welcome when necessary. It says that we want a good I/we balance, that we have high loyalty and high closeness, yet we sometimes need to be independent. I think it was really cool how the results came out because it was right on target. Brian and I felt very good about the session and Pastor Jeff even told us that we are doing a good job (in the relationship) and to keep it up. How awesome is it to hear that from your Pastor?!? We only have one more session to go and then we will have "graduated" from Marriage Mentoring.

Florida weekend get-away

This past weekend we escaped reality and visited Aunt Pinky & Uncle Charlie at their condo in Naples. We left Thursday after work and flew home on Sunday night. Thurs night they picked us up and we grabbed some snacks and beers on the way to the condo. Fri morning I went for a walk with Aunt Pinky and she showed me around the development. It was a little chilly so we decided to drive around to grab lunch and see the sites. Fri night we went out to dinner and then saw a great comedy show. Sat and Sun were beach/pool days....boy was that relaxing! We woke up both days, went for a morning walk, got changed into our bathing suits and laid in the sun. Well, I didn't lay too much in the sun...tried to avoid any tan lines that would look funny in my wedding gown. Uncle Charlie kept teasing me because I was all covered up. We got to see the most beautiful sunset on both Fri and Sat nights. Wow were they amazing! Their condo is overlooking the ocean so they get to see that sunset every night!! How lucky are they? Brian and I really enjoyed the one-on-one time with Aunt Pinky & Uncle Charlie. I especially liked it because it gave me an opportunity to get to know them more. We had a blast and can't wait to get back down there.

My gown is in!

I got the call today that my Bridal Gown is in!! SO exciting! I made an appt for my Mom and I to go next week for my 1st fitting. I can only imagine how I'll feel when I put it on...I think I might dream about it tonight. :-)

11 weeks....

In exactly 11 weeks I will be waking up on a Sunday morning as Mrs. Brian McFadyen! Amazing! It feels so close now. I can't believe it...and I can't wait!

Shopping for honeymoon

Last night Brian was out so I took the opportunity to go shopping. I really haven't been clothes shopping in a while so I was excited. I went clothes shopping for the honeymoon! Yeah! That was so cool! The stores have started to have their spring lines available which is great because I don't have to rely on on-line shopping for Aruba. Of course I'm gonna wanna pack some of those things for Florida this week (we are visiting Aunt Pinky & Uncle Charlie) but I won't...I'll save all my new stuff for April.

Veil & headpiece came in!

The bridal shop called me earlier this week to let me know my veil and headpiece have come in. Hehe! That was such an exciting voicemail to hear. I can't wait to get the voicemail that my gown is in!

6 hours at Chili's

Yesterday we went to a few craft stores to look for ideas for the wedding. We bought a couple of things but couldn't decide on a few other ideas. As we were driving to the next place we looked at each other and said "let's go grab some app's and a beer." We laughed and pulled into Chili's. Well, 4 app's, a few drinks, and 6 hours later we left. HaHa! The stress and little disagreements at the craft store didn't seem like such a big deal afterall. We chatted about so many different things at the restaurant...our relationship and how far we've come in a short time, our dreams of our future home and future children, and our wedding/honeymoon. We also spoke a lot about Brian's Mom...he told me some great stories about her. I love hearing about her! The more I hear about her, the more I feel like I knew her. I told Brian how on Thursday night when he was out with some friends and I was home alone I had a feeling that she was with me. I don't know why...I guess I was just thinking about her alot and wishing I could've met her. He smiled and told me that she probably was there. :-) The 6 hours at Chili's felt like only 1. It was just a great time, sitting with my finance and talking with each other as if we were the only 2 people at the restaurant. I love those times with Brian....and we vowed to always make time for this, even when we have children. (I'm sure MeMe and Gpop will LOVE those opportunties to watch the kids.)

Did she loose 20 lbs?

Jadie looks pretty after her puppy cut on Monday. We think she looks like she lost 20 lbs just by getting her hair cut. LOL!

Collin Joseph Camarote is home!

Kevin and Korrin have been blessed yet again....guess all the prayers really worked! They got a call from the agency a week or so ago that there was a baby boy ready for adoption and that they were picked! He was born 4 days after Connor was born. Kevin and Korrin happily accepted and they got their 2nd son yesterday afternoon. They named him Collin Joseph....they will basically be raised as twins. Wow! This is just so amazing that I don't even know what to say/type. They are just so deserving of this miracle and I couldn't be happier for them. These 2 boys have no idea how lucky they are! I can't wait to meet him!

New Years Day

We went to Melissa and Jimmy's house for their annual New Years Day brunch. They host it for Dana, Anthony, Nicole, Mike, us, and all the kids. We had a ton of food and bloody mary's and mimosa's. After stuffing our faces we all sat around vowing that it was the end of our holiday eating. The kids ran around playing with their new toys and we all sat at the kitchen table chatting. When we got home, Brian and I took naps since we didn't get in from NYE til around 3:30am.

New Years Eve w/the neighbors

Last night we hung out with our neighbors at Jen and Joe's house. We played Kings, LCR, and RockBand on Tyler's Wii. We ate so much food and had plenty to drink. It was a great night! Funny how every year, up until now, I'd be scrambling to try to find the best bar to go on NYE. Now, I happily trade that in for a fun filled night with our friends in the safety of our own neighborhood. No worrying about who is the DD...just walk home! Brian and I have found some great friendships in our neighborhood! We all joke with each other and say that none of us are allowed to move out of the nieghborhood. It's funny because Brian and I have talked about maybe moving but then we always say, "but what about the neighbors?"