Wow! It's been almost six months since I last wrote. I bet most of you thought I was done with the blog, but alas, I'm not. I will admit upfront that I don't really have anything new and exciting to say even though it's been so long however. The last six months have mainly been me freaking out about money and boys, but since that's no fun, I'll tell you about the fun stuff.
Wedding Bell Bliss!
Well, as most of you know (or should if you've been reading my blog) my sister is getting married soon. So, a lot of the last six months have been centered around that. Lora and her fiancee have been working their butts off making everything about their wedding special by making everything themselves. (No, seriously - they're making EVERYTHING by themselves. And though I wish I could've been more help, I've been trying to figure out this whole Sales thing and money has been a bit tight... so, not a lot of eight-hour round-trips to go help them, if you know what I'm saying.) I did, however, help make the kid activity books, stuff the invitations, and get my Bridesmaid dress order in on time and I was pretty proud of myself for that. I'm so excited to upload pics as I recently just finished the ensemble by purchasing my necklace and earrings.And even though I probably could upload pics early since my look isn't on lock-down... I can't because I don't actually have the dress yet. (Let's just say that with every wedding there are little incidents and this wedding is no different. Hopefully a third is not the charm for the first two were a bit much and time is running out!) I can't believe how fast it's coming up. Last weekend we had Lora's first Bridal Shower in Bird Island and this weekend was Lora's second Bridal Shower with her fiancee's side. (Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to the second because I had to work.) However, I did make it to Sioux Falls with Lora on Tuesday to learn how to bustle her dress. It was her final fitting and I must say she is going to look absolutely stunning - bustled and down. (Shout out to Lynn at The French Door - she is amazing at alterations.) So really, the only thing left to do is the Bachelorette Party (YEAH, BABY!) and the actual wedding... Such a scary thought....
On less scary wedding news, my cousin got married at the end of March and it was one heck of a Par-tay! It was definitely fun to get all crazy with the cousins and just have a good night of dancing, drinking, and a "Brooke Davis" shot. (Oh dear, did I just drop a One Tree Hill reference? Yes, yes I did. For those of you non-fans, a Brooke Davis shot is Grenadine and Tequila... don't try it, it tastes like vomit.)
"Boys Over Flowers"
The other thing that has taken up a lot of my free-time is that my friend, Susan, recently got me hooked on a Korean Drama (since sadly One Tree Hill had their series finale last month). The Korean Drama is called "Boys Over Flowers" (or at least that is what it translates to) and is quite addicting... for people who can stand the melodramatic acting. Fortunately for Susan - unfortunately for me - I love that crap so I've pretty much been watching that every free moment I can find for the last month or so. (The really sad part is that there are only 25 episodes and two special features but it's something I can watch over and over again... even if it is super cheesy.) So yeah, "Boys Over Flowers" (with the help of Susan) has sort of gotten me into this new Korean kick, so I'm trying to teach myself (again, with the help of Susan) some very basic Korean and maybe even learn how to cook some Korean food (which is amazing, right? I mean, considering I barely know how to cook American food...)
Misc.
Other than that, not too much has been going on. I've been working hard to juggle work with family/wedding stuff and so far I think things are going okay, which is good considering the wedding is right around the corner. I'm working hard on my development at work and hope to see the rewards for my hard work by the end of this year. I wish I had more time to see my friends back home and especially Joss and her family, but I'm so exhausted these days I barely know which way is up. (Plus, I've been eating like crap and not working out so I just feel half-awake most days.) So yeah, I'm working on a game plan and look forward to putting it in motion and part of that game plan is to blog more. I'm really trying to figure out what else to say since it's been so long, but between it being 12:05 a.m. and my crappy health, I can't think straight. I do have to mention that I feel very lucky to have spent Easter this year with my family and the Mertz/Finstrom/Carl clans and also to have been able to spend Tuesday with my sister as we were able to go to the Great Plains zoo together, which we haven't done in years and years. I also want to give a shout-out to my best friend, Kathryn, who sent me a love package from New Zealand recently and that was awesome.
Though I know I probably will lose track of time with the wedding only weeks away, I do hope to be able to write more. It's kind of therapeutic in a way....
Anyway, goodnight for now, world. See you in the morning.
Oh, P.S. for those of you who didn't know, in March I got braces... yes, braces... again... to
straighten out my teeth.... again. I had braces when I was younger, but
then my permanent retainer twisted and that was that. (As my
orthodontist likes to say, "Ashley, you were made to have
braces...again.") I'm getting them off before Lora's wedding though, so six
weeks down... five to go... but I guess that is something new... though, not exciting...
