Party Party Party

I love this grainy photo.  We are in a Molly & Kyle sandwich (far left & far right) and I wanted to stay in it all weekend long.  (huh?)

Molly & Kyle are getting married in May and they are one of my most favorite couples to be around.  We showered them with love & ridiculousness this weekend in celebration of the upcoming nuptials.  

My stomach hurts from laughing and my body needed one more day to recover.  Oh, yeah, the time change didn't help one bit.  

I cannot wait until May 5 to continue the partyyyyyyy!

 

What's up Internet MACHINE!

I'll spare you my lame excuses for being M.I.A and skip the whole part where I think that anyone cares and jump to what's been going on in my life.

After we had a kick-ass Crummett-McQueen wedding we spent a blissful week in Asheville, VA for our honeymoon.  

 Our cabin, "Nice & Knotty"

I spent almost 72% of the honeymoon in the hot tub reading the first Hunger Games book. 

 We also did fun touristy things like visit the Biltmore so I could pretend like I lived Downton Abbey Style (except the hoards of older people walking around passing gas made me get really nauseous and we had to go walk outside for the majority of the visit.)

 

 My favorite touristy adventure was going to eat at the Grove Park Inn.  It was the most beautiful, romantic dinner with the most gorgeous view. 

We had lots of other adventures including the fact that I packed my bag at the last second and brought only one complete outfit (oh darn, we had to go shopping), but the scariest adventure was definitely Andrew dragging me up a trail on Grandfather Mountain that we later found out is described as a "rigorous trek across rugged peaks".  I'm talking ladders bolted on the side of a freaking rock, death on both sides, I thought I was going to have a panic attack and yes I did cry when I got to the top.  Andrew was white as a ghost and kept repeating "I can't believe I took you up here, your Dad would kill me".  It was intense, like camping.  

So we came back from our kick ass honeymoon and then I was all like, Wait--is it over?  For real?  And I sat around numb for a while with the reality of the wedding/honeymoon/Hunger Games series being over slowly sunk in.  But then I read in a book that that feeling was normal and I felt better about life and my marriage.  

Then the Holidays came and we celebrated in quiet fashion, took a trip to New Jersey, and then rang in 2012 ( & I actually stayed up to watch the ball drop this year).  

Other notable happenings since we last chatted:

New additions to the family:  fish, 2 frogs, & 1 horse

My GERD magically dissapeared

New songs to share (I want to make a video!)

My new glasses are coming in the mail

I suck at doing laundry

My dry skin is RAGING this winter

I joined a gym

this list is lame and proves my life has been pretty boring since Oct.

I am slowly coming out of hibernation and have been itching to start blogging again. 

So.  I might go back and forth catching you up on funny stories from the wedding but TA-DA, here I am--back in action.  

XOXO Valerie

You Swept Me Away

V+A = Love: The Crummet Wedding from Danielle Sands on Vimeo.

One of my bridesmaids made this video from the wedding day on her Iphone.  I love, love, love it.  

Wedding Bliss!

It came, happened all to fast, and now we are basking in the glory of a beautiful wedding and honeymoon.  I have so much I want to share about that weekend and more, but for now, life is calling and needs me to catch up.  

So much love goes out to our friends and family who made this day a dream come true!

I want to marry you

I wonder if Andrew ever feels this way?  

Let's hope not.

;)

my cup runneth over

I don't think I could have ever been prepared for the amount of love that this wedding has brought into my life--into our lives.  Yesterday, friends and family showered me with the most thoughtful presents.  I think I finally have a fully outfitted kitchen now.  There was a vintage theme (love) and I couldn't stop smiling the entire time.  My friend Katie even made me an apron.  How adorable is that?  

No.  No one can prepare you for this feeling.  Everyone prepares you for the stress...but the love---all this love has been a hidden surprise. 

Big hair and good friends

I had my HEN party last weekend!

I was surprised with a lake house at Smith Mountain Lake with some of my most favorite people in the entire world!  It was heaven.

(Our view of the lake)

We had dinner on Friday night and I got to wear the prettiest lace dress ever AND a white flower in my hair.

We spent the next day sunbathing on the dock and playing in the water.  A lake house at SML has been added to my lists of "wants".  Pretty please.  

After a few other surprises I was dolled up and ready to go to my final surprise destination.  Our cameras all broke so we had to use our phones.  I believe that this was somehow an act of God protecting me and my future children/husband.  I'll leave you with my Tanya Tucker big hair outfit that I danced the night away in!

(My lucky boots and T-shirt that everyone wore "What Would Valerie Do"!)

Girlfriend is not a spring chicken anymore and it took me two full days to recover.  I spent all day Monday on the couch napping with Olivia & my baby blanket.  Andrew must have snapped this on my phone .....

My girls did it up and did it RIGHT.  I loved every second.  THANK YOU for all the memories of (get ready for some inside jokes) 

"hot spots, mobile uploads, lisa ling, S n D's, my people, America, mullets, and hair feathers"

wedding update

So we are starting to plan.  Like really plan.  Booking things, making decisions all leading up for our October wedding.  :)

(that makes me smile just thinking about it)

It's comes in waves.  Some days I don't even think about it, others its the only thing that I can imagine.  I try not to stay too long in imaginary world because I feel like it can lead down a road of stress if you let it.  I have images of something that I want and then I try to freeze frame it and go write it down or send an email to my LOVELY bridesmaids who have made this entire process so far feel like a magical conversation between little girls.  

I love that part. It will no doubt be in my top 5 favorite wedding memories--all these emails chit chatting with wedding excitement. 

I went back and forth on what to do on THE wedding night. (don't read into that...)  Should we just stay at home?  Do we dare have our bags packed and peace out after the wedding?  Is it worth the money to spend for one night down the street where we will probably only spend 7 hours tops?  

We talked it through and YES it is worth it.  Andrew's exact words were "money?  Who's worried about money?" ---love him and his utter denial to the fact that we live a VERY simple life.  So we booked a room down the street at The Inn at Old Virginia in Staunton, VA. 

We will be staying at the William H. Harman II suite.  

Fancy.  And here is an insiders tip.  The lace canopy definitly matches a theme throughout my wedding.  It's all in the details.  :)

I'm so excited.  Things are starting to feel real.  We are still figuring out the honeymoon, but the prospects are looking high.  

This is #1 on our list:

Can you even imagine?  Minutes of my life have been wasted trying to figure out how they get in the champagne hot tub. 

  Amazing.  Simply amazing.  

eye twtich

I am on overdrive this week.  Lots of rehearsal, work, music, rain, and poor diet choices.  

With all that said, LIFE IS GOOD.  Just, oh so busy.  So I will leave you with a little treat that I have been working on.  

My soul sister Priscilla helped me put together a wedding blog so I could keep friends & family updated on the big McQueen-Crummett wedding! Enjoy!  I hope to update it with more info and photos as soon as I get a decent nights sleep! 

http://mcqueen-crummett-wedding.blogspot.com/

FINALLY a wedding post

So I'm not gonna get all crazy bride on you and share every itty bitty wedding idea that pops into my head(not that i'm sayin' there's anything wrong with that ...it would just send me over the edge and I want some elements to be a surprise!) , but I feel like there is a big pink elephant on the blog and it's called OUR WEDDING.

woo hoo!

Here are some details that I can divulge:

We are having the ceremony, reception...the whole shin-dig at the farm. I'm so excited that I don't have to deal with an outside venue. It has it's own challenges (like...I'm pretty sure that I'm responsible for getting the cob webs & horse poo piles out of the indoor riding ring) but not having to deal with deposits, deadlines and someone else's rules is great!

I said YES to the DRESS. A few months ago, I went wedding dress shopping in Harrisonburg, VA with a few of my g-friends. I had NO intention of buying a dress but when you know, you KNOW. I had very specific things that I wanted in a dress (no beading, cream, outdoor appropriate style) so when I found IT & there was a very nice sale price attached, I just couldn't pass it up. It's killing me not to show Andrew. BUT I can't, I shan't, I won't. It's oh-so-dreamy, though.

Here are some pictures from the day:

Me & Molly (my stylist/bridesmaid)
Why do I look all drunk eyed in this picture? Most have been all the sticker shock.

Johannah (Co-President of the Anne of Green Gables fan club/Bridesmaid) & Priscilla (neighbor/soul sister/wedding blogger)


They were the best crew ever to have. They knew exactly what I was looking for and gave really great opinions. It was absolutely perfect. I could wedding dress shop with those girls every weekend.
I really feel like planning has been a million times easier since I know what the dress looks like. It kind of, sets the tone in my opinion.

We've got the bridesmaid dress search underway (and I have to say, I am a little jealous of my bridesmaids...I'm so excited about "look") & next comes the STD's (let's all giggle) & Invitations!

So that's my big wedding post thus far. Oct. 15, 2011 seems eons away right now!

our announcement (yesterday)

We set a date!

this seems very official and REAL.

and I'm sooooo excited about the planning! It seems like all of the sudden every single one of my friends have become master wedding planners and have the best ideas and suggestions to help on our DIY wedding. (did I mention it was going to be very DIY? yes, indeed.)

But then you have moments, like last Thursday when I was checking out of my hotel. A girl was at the front desk going over a box full of goody bags with probably her mother and sister/friend. I asked her the obvious question and she replied that she was getting married that weekend. I told her I was just starting to plan for this next year.

Her advice:

"I just can't wait to get this over with."

and she laughed and said, "I'm kidding."

Shannon Miller Engagement Photos

We're just a wee-bit obsessed with Shannon's work.

So many beautiful shots to choose from and don't even get me started on the video that she made. Tears were a'flowin'.

We are so happy to have captured our *love* on the farm.