catalog shopping

I have a problem.
I'm what's known as an "impulsive shopper."
I try to stay away from malls and stores because I'll inevitably find something cute that I just HAVE TO HAVE and I'll buy it.
There was a time in my life that I had very little money in my bank account because of this problem. Especially when I turned 18 and got my very first credit card! Lucky for me, I have learned how to keep this problem under control. CATALOGS!
I get them all. Delia's, J.Crew, Alloy, Swell... you name it I'll take a gander at it. I love looking at all the pretty outfits. My favorite part is taking a permanent marker and circling everything I would like to purchase. As if I'm planning on going back later to order it. Sometimes I'll leave it lying around, hoping someone will come across it, see all those little circles and take pity on me.
It hasn't happened yet...but you never know.
Anyway...I have found that this method has been very successful for me in keeping my spending in check. I feel a sense of satisfaction circling everything I want, even if I don't really buy it.
That and staying as far away from clothing stores as possible!

If you don't like the clutter of catalogs you could try looking at clothes on-line. My favorite is urbanoutfitters.com. It's glorious. And hopefully you'll be able to enjoy the clothes without spending all your money.


Have fun pretend shopping!

What's Cookin' Blog Dinner Party!

I'm at Anne Marie's House...preparing for the Blog Dinner Party.
It's gonna be good. Anne Marie is cooking all sorts of goodies and at 7PM all will be revealed.
Check out her blog all day long and win prizes (for real this time...*wink*) and hopefully you can stop on by tonight to enjoy all the delicious food.

Pet Peeve #57

I really...REALLY...dislike it when people bite their nails and/or cuticles.

I find it really disgusting. When I catch someone doing it I have to turn away.

Please don't do that to your beautiful hands. Please.

something

So you guys don't think I do "nothing" all the time...here are a few things I've been doing lately...

I baked a cake! Yeah, so I used a mix, but Anne Marie says even the best cooks use mixes. It tasted delicious.


I went costume shopping.


I finally found a good one. I think it'll be a real hit.

I painted! With Alex. We took two blank canvases and just went crazy with it. Neither one of us knew what we were doing. The end result was...interesting. We still don't know what it is exactly.






We each kept one part of the painting and when we get married we'll join them together in our new home. Awww.

Tomorrow I'm going shooting again! Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Friday I have a LOT of wedding stuff to take care of with my mom and sister. We're trying on bridesmaid dresses, interviewing a photographer (www.bigfatknot.com), and meeting with the florist. I'm excited.

nothing

One of my favorites things to do is...nothing.

Just sit...stare out of a window...either in silence or music playing softly in the background...and think. I do a whole lot of thinking, sometimes too much.

I just really love doing nothing. Especially after going through a crazy week where you didn't get much time to yourself. I'm very much the kind of person that needs ALONE time. As much as I love hanging out with my friends, I need that time when I can just be alone and not have to talk to anyone. It can be very draining to have to make conversation with people. At least for me it can be. Call me anti-social, but that's just the way I am.

I think if it were up to me I would spend the majority of my time alone. But I am always grateful for the time I get to spend with people. Sometimes all I want to do is be at home...but for some reason or another I'll end up out with a group of people...and I'm always glad I was there.

And I'm especially grateful for when people (*ahem* Alex) force me to do something when really all I want to do is nothing. While I value my "stare out of a window and think" time, I think it's great when Alex forces me to paint or go take photos at the beach. Or when Anne Marie decides that I'm going to learn how to cook a new dish. Or Pr. Dave encourages me to make a new video for ZEAL. Or my sister tells me to do some wedding research. Or whatever.

The point is I've had a nice day of doing stuff and now I'm going to go ahead and do NOTHING. :-) Yay.

nostalgia

I was looking for something in my garage the other day and came across a bin with my name on it. I couldn't remember what I had packed away in it so I opened it up and oh the wonders I found! There was a shoe box filled with old pictures. I had some from as far back as fifth grade and as recent as the trip the college group took to Nashville, TN back in 2004 (2005? I don't remember). Memories came flooding back, the good and the bad. Things I hadn't thought about in ages. It's just crazy how time flies and how much things change. There's pictures of people I've lost touch with and I wonder where they are and how they're doing. There's pictures of events I had so much fun at...concerts, games, water balloon fights, weddings, pageants, parties. I see myself changing throughout the years...the many pairs of glasses I've owned and haircuts I've gotten.

It makes me wonder what the future holds. At this point in my life I'm doing a lot of remembering and a lot of looking forward. I'm trying to remember how I got to where I am now. How did I get to this point in my life...graduated from college...getting ready to marry the love of my life...planning a move to North Carolina. How did this all happen? All the events of my life have lead up to this moment. All the laughter and tears and joy and anger and struggle and blessings. And now what? What's going to happen after all the struggles and blessings I'm experiencing now? Where will I be ten years from now?

Thank God for photography. I'm glad I have all these pictures to look at and remember where I came from and everything I've experienced. I'm excited to see all the many MANY more pictures that will be produced from my life.

Oh, and if you wanna see a really funny photo of Pr. Dave dressed as an elf with a REALLY short skirt, just ask. I have it. :-)

back into the swing of things

I've been so busy lately between working at the school and working at church and planning a wedding and trying to maintain a social life, that I haven't been taking many photographs lately. So I was relieved and excited to go out on a photo shoot last Thursday with my lovely friend, Steph. It was also great because we have not hung out much lately and I missed my old friend.
We went out to 127th avenue and 112 street. There's a grassy field there that I absolutely love. Last time I went to take photos there they had cut the grass, but this time it was nice and tall. Perfect. I also wanted to use a mask that Steph got while she was in Italy. There's something so mysterious and beautiful about masks.
I had a great time taking photos. I posted some of them up on my deviant art page. Hopefully I'll get some time to update the Glowing Light myspace and web site.
And I promise, when I get time, I would LOVE to take your picture. :-)

Change of Date!

In today's wedding news:
Alex and I have changed our wedding date to May 31st.
We had issues with the place we were going to have our reception...but we found a new really beautiful place to hold our reception. It's called the Women's Club of Coco Plum. (www.cocoplumparty.com) It's only available on May 31st...so we called up the church, and thank God they were also available on that date as well. So it's official...MAY 31, 2008.
Save that date.

Blessings to all.

P.S. We're working on a website... http://alexandkristel.info
Check it out if you wish.

wedding stress

When Alex and I got engaged I vowed that I would not be one of those CRAZY bridezillas. I would be calm and sweet and easy going.
However, this is proving to be a difficult task!
Most women get into the mentality that this day is "all about me." And if that were true, things would be so much easier. I'm the kind of girl who makes up my mind quickly. I know what I like and I know what I don't like. I could plan this entire wedding in a matter of months. However, there's this other pesky person who keeps getting in my way...his name is Alex. And he actually has opinions and desires and expectations for this wedding! How dare he! Everyone knows that I should make all the decisions and he is just along for the ride. He's lucky I allowed him to take on the task of finding music for the reception. He had his job...he should have just stuck to it and left everything else up to me. After all, it is MY wedding.

Unfortunately, it's not my wedding...it is OUR wedding. And according to my mother, Alex is a good man and we should consider his wants. (Pfft...imagine that, my own mother turning against me)

The lesson here is, don't forget your fiance when planning the wedding of your dreams. He might actually have some ideas worth listening to...and both of you should be happy. This is a day to celebrate your love for each other...and a big part of love (and marriage) is compromise. And if you can't start compromising now, your marriage is pretty much doomed.

cabin fever

It's been raining all day. And it rained most of last week too.
I've never minded the rain before. It's the best when you're curled up in bed taking a nap.
BUT it's the absolute worst when you have to be stuck in a classroom with 28 little kids ALL day long. They get restless. All their energy builds up and it's not easy to wear them out. Last week we didn't get to go outside to the playground either due to the horrible weather. I'm starting to experience cabin fever. I can't stand being in that classroom for much longer. I'm afraid I might turn on the children soon.
Tomorrow the weather forecast calls for more rain...but Wednesday looks sunny. Don't let me down weather widget! Let's hope for sunny days soon!