He said, she said...

At my bridal shower this past weekend, we played a little game of "Who knows the Bride best?"  Our gracious host, Lainey had asked the boy a series of 20 questions to see how well he knew me, and she shared the same questions with all the attendees as well to see who of all the gals knew me best.  It was really fun to see who knew which things about me and who didn't (i.e., my future husband). 

So without further ado, here is the little version of he said, she said that we played at the shower:

1. Where did you two meet?

He said: We met at [work].  The story goes: Taryn had just started with [the company] and was at my store for training.  I introduced myself to her in the back and said "Hey I'm K" and she says, "Hey I'm Taryn."  Then she WHIPS around and walks away and all I remember is a wave of blonde hair hitting me in the face.

She said: We met at work...I think I asked him to help me with the fax machine. (I still maintain that I do not remember meeting him that day in his version...)

2. How long have you dated?

He said: We have dated since October 2010, so that...carry the one...18 months

She said: Trick question.  Depends on if you're counting from when we started dating again or for the first time.  Either on and off for 4 years or for a year and a half.

3. What is Taryn's favorite color?

He said: purple, easy...

She said: purple

4. When is Taryn's birthday?

He said: March 30, 1984...I have come close to having that tattooed on my forehead.

She said: March 30, 1984

5. What is her favorite restaurant?

He said: I would say Harry's simply because of the chopped salad

She said: I don't know!  I was trying to guess what he may have answered...so I said Bonefish Grill or that restaurant we ate at in Savannah.  Or Malone's simply because we go there or because of the chopped salad.  And I'm loving Table 310 right now too.

6. What is her favorite vacation spot?

He said: For Taryn it would be the next vacation (Mexico for our honeymoon), or I feel like we both enjoyed Hilton Head.

She said: We haven't been on many vacations together, so maybe Savannah...but in all honesty, anywhere on the beach.  Dream vacation would be Greece!

7. What is her favorite type of music?

He said: Pop music, and some country...she still needs to learn some Hank, Willie and Johnny songs.

She said: Not country.  Favorite music would be anything of the Dave Matthews, Marc Broussard, Amos Lee, James Morrison persuasion...love anything in that genre. 

8. What does she do to relax?

He said: haha...a glass of wine, computer on her lap, contacts out, wrapped up in a blanket laying on the couch, with the tv on but not watching it because she wants noise in the background.  I could paint you a picture.

She said: Pretty much that, except he left out that I take a bath every night after I work out.  And definitely the wine.

9. What is the longest period of time you haven't spoken because of a fight?

He said: We drove back to Atlanta from Savannah not talking most of the way, and we were both so mad neither turned on the radio.  It was a quiet ride on a two lane interstate with nothing but Georgia pines on either side of the road.

She said: I don't think we've ever gone a day without talking, but we have stayed mad at each other over a fight (very short, one word conversations) for two or three days before.  (Side note...when I heard his answer I did agree that that was a particularly brutal 4-hour car ride in complete silence...).

10. What is her favorite curse word?

He said: I believe sh*t, but she is well-versed in all of them.

She said: f*ck....there is really no excuse for him getting this wrong...even my grandma got f*ck right.

11. If the house was burning down, what is the one thing she would grab to save?

He said: Wine, cell phone, laptop.  Sawyer, Jax and I would have to fend for ourselves.

She said: Apart from him, I would grab the dogs.

12. What is her favorite thing to do for fun?

He said: Tell me what I'm doing wrong.

She said: I really like eating.  Or maybe running/being outdoors.  Shopping.

13. What was the name of her first pet?

He said: Before I met her, I am not sure...but she had a cat that didn't have a name so I called him "shit for brains" and "shakespeare"

She said: We had a cat named Abby, a cat named Crystal (yes, these are names a 6 year old picks out for their animals) and a dog named Carl....before I met him.

14. What is her favorite flower?

He said: Roses.  That's what I always get her.

She said: I like roses, but probably hydrangeas for my favorite.

15. What is the name of the perfume she wears most?

He said: I don't have a clue.

She said: Probably the Alabaster perfume (he got me for Christmas) from Banana Republic, and the Jasmine Aviv perfume I got as a birthday gift from Sabon in NYC.

16. What year did she graduate from college?

He said: 2007

She said: 2006

17. Who is her best friend?

He said: Brynn, Whitney, Miranda

She said: Whitney, Miranda, and if sisters count...Brynn.

18. If she could live anywhere, where would it be?

He said: California

She said: I'm already living my dream in Nicholasville [insert sarcasm here].  Probably one of the Carolinas...close to the beach but still close to family :)

19. What is the first thing she would buy if she won the lottery?

He said: A new car.

She said: Liposuction....or a new car.

20. What time is the wedding?

He said: 6:30pm July 7

She said: 6:00 pm, July 7

So, clearly we still have plenty we need to learn about each other...thought y'all might get a kick out of that!

Bling Bling!

I am linking up today with C. Mae at Happiness is... for her show off yo bling link up! I thought this sounded like a super fun little link yp especially on a day when most of us are heading back to work after the holidays!
I haven't ever posted the full engagement story, but I promise I will SOON!  Right now I'm trying out the blogger app for the first time, and figure the long engagement story shouldn't be attemped via mobile blogger.
Anyways, without further ado, here is my ring!
It is 1.0 Carat weight, near colorless round brilliant. It's from the "Simply Tacori" line, and I couldn't love it more! My fiance and I went and looked at rings together and quickly found that we had VERY different tastes.  He loved the intricate detailed rings with unique settings, while I much preferred a very simple and timeless design. Since he was the one ultimately making the purchase, I wanted him to love the ring I picked.  When we came across this setting, we both loved it because it had the simple elegance I loved, but also the etched carving in the sides for that bit of detail that he liked. I plan on eventually have the matching band on both the top and the bottom to make it complete once we're married.
I know that it's a ring I will never get tired of, and I get a lot of compliments on it. Surprisingly enough, they are mostly from men! In fact, I have actually been asked where I got it and all the details by a guy who was inthe market for a ring for his girlfriend.

Engagement Photos!

Happy hump day y'all!  A sweet little hump-day treat arrived in the mail for me today...a disk of our engagement photos!  Our seriously awesome photographer, Jerry McBroom, did an amazing job for us!  Going into the pictures, we didn't know exactly what to expect or really what to do (even though I've been discovered, I really don't do much modeling...lol).  All we really knew was that we wanted them to be natural and casual.  Most importantly, we wanted them to perfectly capture the beauty of where we are getting married and how gorgeous fall in Kentucky is.  So without further ado...here is a selection of our photos (we have 222 to choose from!).

So, there you have it...isn't our wedding venue gorgey?  We are getting married on the porch of the brick house in the background.  I can't wait!

Goodnight readers!

Our Home - So far...

Sorry for the longer than normal blogging hiatus....I've been a busy 'lil girl.  Not only have we been working like dogs at our day jobs, I've been to Atlanta for a baby shower for my sister, Louisville for another baby shower for my sister, taken a trip to Keeneland, and we shot our engagement photos.  Oh, and did I mention that in the midst of all that....I moved in with the boy. 

So that's pretty much been my life.  Not only have we moved in together, but we've taken on about a million household projects as well, including painting pretty much every room, putting in new floors, and a litany of other projects that have or will take place over the next few months.  Needless to say, I've barely been able to string two thoughts together in the last couple weeks that don't involve either work, or household projects. 

Anyways, all that aside, I am pretty happy with what we have accomplished so far.  We still have some finishing touches to do on the floors and the bedrooms (I will show you those in a later post once they are done), but the kitchen and living room area of the house have come together nicely, and are basically done.  So without further ado, I figured I would share some pics with you of the before and after (some of the before pics I have posted already, but oh well...).

The Before

The furniture is pushed to the middle of the room for paint preparation...notice the before carpet.

The After

pictures hung, new floors....it's getting there!

Even the dogs are tired from watching us work!

An old iron sewing stand turned into a table with a piece of glass....displaying some of the pics I re-framed.

The Before

The fireplace was a total early-'90's eye sore.  Oh, and can we talk about the blue paint?

The After

Painted it brick red and painted the gold on the fireplace black...a big improvement!

The Before

Our kitchen table area...notice the before builder-grade light fixture...

The After

Changed the table, changed the chairs, and most importantly, we hung a great iron chandelier....it's one of my favorite improvements in the whole room.

Our makeshift bar area...

I don't like wine or anything....

The Before

Notice the before bar stools....

The After

And the after....you can't see them too well, but we painted them the same fireplace red and recovered the seat.  They look great!  Next project....countertops and new appliances!

Our coffe bar :-)

The transition into the living room.

So that's what we've been up to!  Although there is still much more to do, I am hoping that things will slow down enough and get back to normal so I can get back to blogging on a regular basis. 

Anyways, last but not least....I'll leave you with a sneak peek of some of our engagement photos.  Our photographer really is AH-MAZE-ING.  I can't wait to see how the rest turned out!

Night blog friends...have a great week!



Vodka Mondays

So, today I've decided to try out something new.  There's not really a name for it, and it's not really anything new or special, but I've decided to call it "Vodka Mondays".  While my normal go to, wind down, beverage of choice during the week is typically a glass of vino (red or white, I care not), I've come to the conclusion that wine is no longer adequate for Mondays.  For Mondays I need something a 'lil stronger.  True story.  So I've decided my new thing is Vodka Mondays.  Here is the recipe:

1 The fixins!

I had no limes, but improvised with Rose's lime juice.  Well hello vodka tonic...how I've missed you!

2 Ummm...ME!  (Duh)

3 La computadora

I threw in an apple spice candle for good measure

So those are the main ingredients for Vodka Mondays.  Although, clearly, if you were to participate yourself, you would be providing your own vodka and ingredient 2 would be you, and you would be using your computer for number 3....unless you live in Lexington, and if so then feel free to come drink vodka with me.  For serious.  So now that I have all the necessary measures in place, this is the part where I just have blog vomit on all of you and discuss all things random, big and small.  Here goes:

-In a few minutes I will be faced with the inevitable "What should I have for dinner?" question.  Earlier this evening I took stock of the contents of my fridge and am pretty sure my dinner options are:

1. Salad

2. Meatballs

3. Salad with meatballs

-What the crap are they referring to when they say "pumped up kicks" anyways ?  The only thing that comes to mind are these...

Umm...hello!  Does anyone else remember the Reebok Pump?  Are these cool again?  Everytime I turn on the radio they're singin' about em...

-If there is anything more distracting than a shiny diamond, it is a diamond that don't shine.  I have been seriously annoyed with how unbelievably dirty my ring gets.  Several people suggested cleaning it with toothpaste, but I am not sure it is as clean as I get it with dish soap.  Any recommendations?

Not clean enough!  How can I get my Tacori to shine???

-Has anyone yet invented something that allows you to double yourself during the day and send your doppleganger to work while the real you stays home and naps and watches old episodes of SATC and Will & Grace?  It's been a while since I've had a moment to check in with what's going on in the world, so I figured I would ask whether that invention exists yet.  Y'all would let me know, right?

-Last weekend I spent Thursday-Sunday in Atlanta with all the women in my family.  We were celebrating my Grandma's 70th birthday and my sister's first baby shower.  On Friday evening I took off my scarf that I had worn all day and draped it across a chair.  My grandma put it on and wore it for a couple hours.  When I wore it to work last week, I noticed it smelled like her.  It was the best day.

All the gals...Cali girls, Texas sweeties, Georgia Peaches, and Kentucky Belles.

-Is this a cry for help?

No judgement, right??

-I am seriously missing these gals right now...

Sometimes life gets in the way of all the fun things you'd rather be doing with your best gals.  Praying things slow down soon!

-Sometimes I think this guy just spends all his free time thinking up ways to drive me bananas...literally.  Sometimes we wake up and I'm almost positive he thought up things he could do to push my buttons in his sleep.  Good thing he's super cute and I love him....it tends to work in his favor.

Why does he always look like he's up to something?!!

Anyways, I really have no more to say on this inaugural Vodka Monday.  What's your vodka drink of choice?  Do you despise Mondays as much as I do?  What random blog vomit are you wanting to share tonight???

Say "Ummm..." to the Dress?

Oh my word...can we say exhausted??  This past weekend was a total whirlwind of tulle and satin!  For those of you who read my last post, you will recall that I went dress shopping in Atlanta with my two sisters, my mom, my aunt and another adorable bride and her mom and sister (my nephew came along too, but only because he lives in my sister's belly still).  It was super fun hanging with all the gals, but I gotta tell ya, the dress shopping thing...I didn't love it.  In all seriousness, the first couple places we went were kind of fun and it was neat to get the whole experience.  But when we weren't finding the dress, I really started to hate it.  I went in to the experience with both an open mind and also an idea what the feel of the dress I wanted.  We left on Friday morning at 6am and our first appointment was at 2:00 at Kelly's Closet.  Let me just say...I die over the dresses there.  I fell in love with a Claire Pettibone dress....too bad it was $6,000.  No biggie.
 

$6,000 dress....boo.



 There were several others I loved there as well, but they were seriously out of my budget...the nice thing about the first appointment was that we got an idea of what I liked and what looked good on me.  Our second stop was at Pricilla of Boston in Atlanta, and let me just say...it was AWFUL.  My sister made the appointment last week and then got a call a couple days before that they were going out of business and all the dresses would be 40% off "as-is".  So, even though I wasn't a fan of the as-is part, I figured we would take a gander since they are normally super expensive dresses and we could get them almost half off.  Honestly, I almost wish we handn't gone.  The lady who helped us was this mean old b*tch who was just rude from the first minute.  I don't have any pics from there as we were so rushed through our time at the salon and she was too busy yelling at my family (who took the day off work to come help me find a dress) to quit pulling dresses for me.  She sucked.  Not surprised they are going out of business with the service they were providing.

Saturday was our main shopping day.  It was find the dress or bust!  We met up with another bride, Katie (a family friend, and one of my sister's best friends growing up) and we tag teamed the dresses together.  First stop was this little bridal store in Kennesaw which had surprisingly great dresses at ever better prices.  Here are some photos of some of the dresses I tried on there:



Not sure what's with the "sad face" here, but this was a lovely dress...not the one though...




A gorgeous lace option...but it was realllllly heavy!




A "princess" option...not my fave because of the skirt...but the top of the dress was absolutely gorgey.




I loved this one...kind of ethereal and very light :)




another view of the last dress....




A major contender at the first store....this was everyone's favorite at this place, but I was hesitant...




....and with the veil, it was really pretty....

  Our second appointment was at Winnie Couture in ATL...a really cute bridal boutique that had a wonderful ambiance, but sadly, all the dresses there looked wretched on me...here's a couple that were "okay" at best...



prettier dress than my group gave credit for....and i loved the open back ...




ehh




but it made my booty look good....




trying to explain that the straps would need to be altered so my gals weren't all hanging out during my vows...




but the back was gorgey :)





loved the top, but the bottom made me look "hippie"

 By the time we made it to our last appointment on Saturday, I was worn out and sooooo discouraged.  I was feeling like we weren't going to find "the dress" and I was reallllly not wanting to try on any more.  The last place we went was called Sweet Elegance Bridal in Decatur.  It's owned by a mother and daughter team and we were greeted with smiles when we got there.  The ladies sat down when we got there and asked each of us all about our wedding and how we wanted to look on the big day.  They asked us what we liked and what we didn't like and got a feel for what each of us brides was all about.  They told us that what they like to do was pick the first handful of dresses for us based on our conversation and then we could do a pass through the store once they did the first round.  I was open to ANYTHING at that point, and the gals there were seriously sooo sweet.  When I got into the dressing room they gave us a robe and brought us some diamond earrings to wear for the whole look.  They brought the first dress in and I waited about 15 minutes while they laces me up into it... "No peeking!" they said when I tried to look in the mirror.  Before I went out to show everyone, they brought me a veil and finished off the look.  I got to go out having not seen myself in the dress at all yet, but fully adorned in the whole bridal look. 

The first dress was stunning.  It truly was beautiful and nothing I would have ever picked out.  We all agreed it was our favorite look of the day so far.  Wow...picking my dresses all day was apparently the wrong way to go. We all agreed that the first dress was a contender, and they said "okay, we're setting the one aside, and every dress you try on has to beat it, or it's out!".  Wow, what a great way to approach things!  They brought about 5 more dresses in for me to try and we finally narrowed it down to the top 2 contenders.  With our top 2 set aside, they gave me and my crew a chance to make a pass around the store and pick dresses for the final round.  Everyone had some opinions and I even entertained a ballgown for a brief moment to appease my mom.  I pulled a dress that reminded me a lot of the first dress, but with a little more of the things I was looking for in it too...

....The dress I pulled ended up being "the dress"...and I really love it!  It is nothing like I thought I would end up with but I feel like that's how it typically works.  I seriously must have tried on at least 50 dresses...yeah, for serious.  The funny thing is that I know if I had tried on the dress I ended up going with on the first appointment, I would have said, "It's beautiful, but it's not what I'm looking for" and moved on.  I guess I needed to try on a bunch of duds to finally realize that this dress was perfect for me.  I guess looking for a dress is kind of like looking for a groom in a lot of ways :-).

Anyways, the below pick was my number 2 choice and it was beautiful....

The ladies at Sweet Elegance Bridal were seriously awesome.  They put all the bad dresses to shame and made me feel like a bride.  I would seriously recommend making the trip out to Decatur if you are in the market for a dress.  They even let us bring a little vino in and have a toast with our whole crew once me and Katie found our dresses (yep, Katie found hers there too!)!




Our group, left to right: my mom, little sister, Katie (bride to be), me, sister (and baby nephew in her belly), Katie's lil sis, and Katie's mom