Checking off the list

Well, school is out for Christmas break and Michael and I have been trying to accomplish many things on our list.  First things first, I ordered MY dress the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. They told me it would be in for pick up around mid-Feb. Well, to my surprise I recieved an email two weeks ago that my dress was in!! CRAZY, I know!!  Michael and I were in Louisianna for his cousin's wedding when I recieved the email.  I was so excited.  I picked it up last Friday and it is now hanging safely at my Nana's house!!  It fits perfectly, I will only have to get the hem altered which is great news!!  Since finals have been over, we have checked out the last Reception venue...still havent made a final decision but we have been discussing decorating options at both places.  We have finalized our guest list...right now we are at 505 we are hoping it wont grow much more than that!!  We have been discussing the Tux options...Michael enjoys long ties and vest, while I enjoy bow-ties and vests.  We have been trying to figure out if we like all of the guys in purple and Michael in ivory or all of them in purple.  Who knew there were so many decisions when deciding on tux's!!!  Hopefully we will be coming to a decision about Tux's and a Reception Site in the very near future!! 

346 Days To Go

Well, there are 346 days left till we say "I Do."  Today the last 2 BM, Kelly and Kristin were able to try on the BM dresses.  I think I am going to do 3 in one and 3 in the other.  The dresses are so comfy and I can't wait to see everyone in them on the big day!!  Here are both dresses, they are from David's Bridal.

Also, today I tried on MY dress for everyone that came with us and we ran into some good family friends who also go to see me in it.  I was so excited because we placed the order for it!!!  They say it should be here by mid-February but there is a possiblity that it could be in sooner!!  I can't wait to see my actual dress, the one that is just for me and that actually fits!!

This past week my mom and I went to The Event Place and The Towncenter, both in Fayetteville.  Between the two we liked The Event Place better.  We still have to go and visit the Quail Barn before we can make an offical decision on the Reception Site.  Today we also stopped by a family friend's home and picked up some things that they used at their daughter's reception this summer that they are letting us use for our reception!!  Also, I think I have decided on the invitations that we will be using and how they are going to look.  I am excited about working on those here in the near future.  I think we have decided on how we are going to do the Save-The-Dates also, but we just have to pick a picture and the final design.  Each time I have looked at our pictures I pick a different one.  I think my mom and I picked out 10 different ones just today!!  Another fun thing that we did today was listen to songs that we could use during the ceremony and then at the reception for the different dances.  My mom was sad when she realized that the "Mom" songs weren't for her...that they were for the Mother-Son dance!!!

Well that is all for now, I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!!!  I know I have A LOT to be thankful for!!

Progress

Well, I finally feel like we are making some dents into our super long checklist!!  My mom and I have scheduled meetings with The TownCenter and The Event Place both in Fayetteville and after Thanksgiving I will be meeting with The Quail Barn in Bentonville.  I know it sounds weird, but I am really thinking the Quail Barn is going to be the Reception Site.  It is a barn out in Bentonville has stained concrete floors and corigated (sp?) metal walls.  It is basically in a big open field.  Sounds like everything I want, but of course we have to go check it out first!!  I know it is number one on my Dad's list...it is only $350.00 a steal I know!!!  Next, Michael got in touch with one of his Aunts to sing, we are still trying to figure out what she is going to sing.  Michael contacted the DJ, he is an Alum of SigEp that has his own DJ business, super nice guy!!!  I have decided on THE DRESS!!!  I have tried it on several times and my mom and I had plans to go to Brinkley AR so I could try on more, just to make sure.  However, my friend Meggie was in town this past weekend and we went to David's Bridal and she tried the BM Dresses on and I tried on MY DRESS and I decided that I don't want to put anymore on!!!  My mom and I just have to go up and order it, most likely over Thanksgiving Break because that is when we will have time.  I still am not 100% sure what I am going to do about the BM Dresses...there are 2 that I really like, just waiting for all of the girls to try it on so I can have everyone's opinion. Last but not least.....our ENGAGEMENT PICTURES ARE IN!!!!  Ahhh I love love love them!!!  You can check out a few at Benfield's Blog and if you want to see the rest, just let me know and I can post the link and password for all of our pictures!!  Well that is all for now...the semester is almost over so hopefully more planning will be able to take place!!!

365 Days to go....Well really 363 days to go!!!

It's official, this time next year I will be NATALIE IVERS ahhh I can't wait!!!  This past Friday, November 6th the day we will be married next year, Michael, my parents, his mom, his grandparents, and I went up to the church around 5:30ish.  We figured out exactly how we want the lights to be and we waited to the right time.  We decided on 6:00!!!  I mean I think it might have been like 5:57ish but we rounded and went with 6.  I can't wait to see what this year brings and how all of my ideas and plans will come together to make our day the BEST day ever!!!  I also used everyone, except Grandon (Michael's Grandpa) to decide where I think I want the wedding party to stand.  My dad made an excellent bridesmaid and Michael didn't enjoy it as much.  Also, my dad used some very fancy decorative words to describe some decorations (lacy ruffly bows..haha)  After we decided the time we waited for Michael's aunt and uncle to meet us so we could all go to dinner.  We went to Las Palmas in Rogers...my family eats there every Sunday and my mom has joked about having the Rehearsal Dinner there.  Well our friend Emilio who always hooks us up there said he could "shoot the place down for us" translation they can shut the place down for just us.  We had a great time drinking margaritas and discussing wedding plans.  I am so happy that our families get along so well with one another.  It makes me feel good knowing that Michael and I have 2 families that care for us and love us so much!!  Well, we are still waiting on our link for our photos, but Dale asked his gf Meredith to marry him last week so I understand if it takes a little bit!!!  OH and big news from Michael...he has asked a few of his friends to be in the wedding party, a GIANT step in the right direction!!!  I am hoping to be able to be able to go visit a couple of reception sites in the next couple of weeks so we can get that out of the way.  Thats all the news for now!!

Engagement Pictures

Today Michael, Dickson, and I went and had some pictures taken!!!  Dale and Lauren from Benfield Photography met us on Old Main lawn and we began!!  First, we took some pictures with us and Dickson and then some with just us...Dickson was tied to the tree.  He didn't like that so much.  Oh and when we first got there, he of course pooped awesome..not!!!  Then we changed clothes and headed to the library and took some inbetween the columns and then a few around the trees there by the library.  Next, we headed to a cool black/gray painted building off of the square and then to a creepy little apartment building Dale said they looked great, I can't wait to see them!!!  Next, we changed clothes and went to a bike/walking trail then we were off to a field.  We were driving to the field that they normally use, but they spotted a new one on the way and so we stopped pulled into a randomers driveway and trecked out to the field.  It was kinda wet so Lauren ended up taking off her shoes, she was braver than I would have been!!  We had so much fun taking the pictures and can't wait to see them.  Dale said he would have them ready in a week or so...as soon as I have the link, I will post it for all to see!! Oh and check out his blog because I am sure he will put a few of them up on it.  I can't wait to see them!!! 

Two Years

Wow, I can't believe that this time 2 years ago Michael was sweeping me off my feet to get me back!!!  For those of you who don't know, we dated about 4 years ago for awhile.  We never said we were dating but all of our friends thought we were and the majority of our relationship consisted of text messages and hanging out at parties.  Then 2 years ago I was dating someone else, the guy I started dating when Michael told me he didn't really want to see me anymore.  Well, Michael came back into my life right about the time I was realizing that it wasn't working out with the other guy.  I don't even remember what day we decided to officially date, but we have both agreed that it is October 27th ish. Here are some pictures of us from the past 2 years.

Our first picture ever together!!!  SigEp Halloween, we were sailors!!

November 2007, ADPi's 50th Anniversary and Michael's 21st

ADPi SemiFormal 2007

New Years Day Cotton Bowl 2008

Hot Springs, AR SigEp Formal Spring 2008

Spring Break 2008, Colorado

Piano Bar, Summer 2008

4th of July 2008, Fort Worth TX

My Birthday August 2008

Football in Little Rock 2008

SigEp Semiformal 2008

Piano Bar Winter 2009

Kansas City, MO SigEp Formal 2009

End of School 2009

New Orleans before boarding the Cruise Ship

Summer 2009, Cruise

Cruise 2009

One of our excursions on the Cruise, 4-wheeling

My birthday, August 2009

Engagement Party August 2009

Out for a friends Birthday, September 2009

Tailgating for RAZORBACK football 2009

JERRYWORLD for the RAZORBACK game 2009

Out one night with friends fall 2009

Our baby Dickson!!

Wow, that was a walk down memory lane.  I can't believe that in less than a few weeks it will be exactly one year until our wedding day!!  I hope this year goes by with just as much fun and laughter as we have shared the past two years.  I can't wait till I walk down the aisle and become Mrs. Ivers ahhh thats kinda scary but awesome at the same time!!  I love you to the moon and back Michael!!!

Website

So tonight I found this awesome website with lots of great DIY projects for centerpieces and whatnot!!!  I love it and can't wait to figure out exactly what I want to do for the decor and such!!! 
Short update on life:  school is crazy for both Michael and I, whats new!!!  There is finally going to be another HOME game this weekend, the Auburn Tigers are coming to Fayetteville!!!  Hopefully it will be just as good of a game as the Texas A&M game was last weekend, but nothing will compare to JERRYWORLD!!!!  Anyways, Michael has a real life job interview tomorrow in Rogers...keep your fingers crossed!!!  Our baby Dickson (the dog) will be 1yr old next month...my how the time has flown by!!  Well thats all for now, I hope to get better at this and add more pictures and a fun background soon....hopefully school will slow down a bit so that can happen!!!

UPDATE

Well, when I first imagined this blog I thought it was going to be great and I was going to be awesome at updating....well school is ghetto and has pretty much gotten in the way of that.  So this post is going to be an update post!!!  So first things first....we have a PHOTOGRAPHER and not just any photographer, we have DALE and LAUREN from Benfield Photography I am so incredibly excited about this you have absolutely no idea!!!!  Everyone should check out their blog, website, and facebook page!!!!  If you don't remember, they are the ones that took the awesome pictures of Michael and I at the Washington County Fair.  Next, a few Saturday's ago Megan, my Mom, Nana, and I all went to the Northwest Arkansas Bridal Fair. We had such a great time and met a lot of awesome vendors!!!  I think my mom enjoyed eating the cake the most...she went back to the Rick's Bakery booth like 3 times.  Here in the next week or two we will be meeting with a couple of sites to discuss having the reception at, which is the next biggest thing I need to get crossed off my to-do list.  Finally, tonight Megan, Meredith, my Mom, and I went to David's Bridal and I tried on wedding gowns for the first time!!!  It was so much fun, I tried on around 8-10 dresses but we all loved the very first one I tried on.  We are going to keep looking, just so we know what our options are, but I really loved that one!!! Meredith and Megan also tried on some bridesmaids gowns and I think we might have picked out the one we want!!!  I just need the other girls to check them out so we can make a final choice.  Well, that is pretty much a short summary of what has been going on wedding planning wise these last few weeks...oh and NO Michael still hasn't asked his groomsmen yet.  I don't know what I am going to do with him!!! 

Bridesmaids...

Well, it has been a while since I last posted something, but we are just now starting to get some things set in stone!!!  I have had my bridesmaids picked out for sometime and was trying to think of a clever way to ask them, especially since 2 of them don't live here.  So, after a few days of searching I found the perfect cards to send to them from Greeting Card Universe.  The front was a black and white picture of a pair of shoes and the inside read:

I have to find the perfect shoes,

I already found the perfect groom!

I have to find the perfect dress,

the perfect flowers...what a mess!

One thing I know is true,

my day wouldn't be the same without you!

I would be so blessed if you would be my bridesmaid!

So, I got them in the mail and then sent out three of them and hand delivered the other three.  My six bridesmaids are Megan Harp the MOH (my cousin that I love to death, we have pretty much been inseperable since she was born and I was 6 months old), Kristin Harp (my younger sister who is awesome eventhough she thinks I am going to be a bridezilla...so not true), Meggie White (one of my best friends/ADPi sisters/old roomate who lives in Dallas now), Barbie Rawson (one of my dear friends/ADPi sisters/old roomate who lives in Houston now), Meredith Brown (one of my good friends/ADPi sisters/old roomate...she is the first person I really met in Fayetteville on our bid day), and Kelly Parker (a great friend to both Michael and I/ADPi sisters...she acts as our photographer when we hang out).  I will post pictures and more info about all of them later.  Now, you might be wondering about the groomsmen...well Michael has the 6 of them picked out, but he hasn't asked them yet.  He says he is going to take them to dinner or just ask them one day while hanging out...but we will see!!

My Ring & HandyWomen

So...Friday I finally got my ring back.  It is so nice to have it on my finger and to know everything that it symbolizes and means.  I have caught myself several times just sitting and staring at it...I love knowing that it is mine!!! Well this weekend was a very productive weekend for me, except not productive wedding planning.  Since Michael was a Rho Chi this year for boys recruitment, he was busy doing that Friday and Saturday.  So Megan and I had a homework/project party on Friday night.  She worked on her MAT papers and lesson plans which by the way her little kindergartners are going to know a lot about apples, while I worked on a project for my Childrens Literacy class.  We listened to music on Pandora Radio and talked about lots of fun wedding ideas and plans that we have for her wedding and mine!!!  It is so fun living with her because we are pretty much the same and always have fun together...it has been like that since birth!!  Saturday, we woke up and began working on our projects again, but soon decided to take a break to do somethings around the house that we have been needing to do.  First, we spray painted an old mirror that my mom was going to give to Goodwill, but I snatched it up and we bought some spray paint and it looks awesome hanging in our laundry room/entrance to our garage.  I think it will look great in mine and Michael's home one day (weird to think about).  Next, we had to go to Walmart to buy an air filter and then to Home Depot.  So on our back patio we have a pipe thing that drips water when our air conditioner is on and well it has kind of created a mold infestation...gross yes I know!!  So our dad's told us that we just needed to buy some PVC pipe and make a long pipe so it will flow into the grass. Sounds easy right...well I guess when we walked into Home Depot they spotted us as a couple of girls that had no idea what they were doing, which was pretty much correct.  So we had a guy help us figure out what we needed to buy and he cut our PVC for us..which is super cheap!!  We decided that we should grab lunch before heading home.  When we got home, we started our project and well the first pipe that we connected  didn't get put in straight and we still had a drip issue...so after calling both our dads that pretty much told us that we had no idea what we were doing...we were determined to make it work.  So we finished making our pipe contraption and then had to head to Lowes to get some kind of sealent and well of course they again could tell we had no idea what we were doing.  So we got some epoxy and figured out that we should have turned the air conditioner off before even beginning our project...so we put the epoxy on and it was still dripping. We now were very frustrated because it seemed like everything we did wasn't working so we finished the epoxy, cleaned up our mess and decided to leave it to see what would happen.  So that took from about 12:30 to 5:30 and we were worn out!!!  We cleaned ourselves up and worked on our homework again. We still aren't sure if it is going to work or not because it has been raining on and off since last night.  Our dad's said they could fix it for us if it didn't work...we aren't sure why they didn't offer to do it for us in the beginning but we both decided that it was a fun adventure and we know what we did wrong so next time (hopefully there is never a next time) but we will know what to do.  This has been a somewhat lazy weekend, which was really nice because school was really starting to get to me.  Hopefully next weekend I will be able to get some wedding planning done.  My goal is to have a reception site and a photographer by the first couple of weeks in October.  OH and I almost completely forgot...my little brother bear, Trevor participated in rush this year and today he got his bid to PHI GAMMA DELTA!!!!  He's a FIJI just like my dad and uncle (Megan's dad)!!!  He is so excited and I am excited for him, I know he is going to have an awesome time. AHH my brother bear is growing up...brings a tear to the eye :) 

Love at the County Fair

So last Thursday I was sitting in class and I recieved a text message from Michael saying "Call Jordan Nutt ASAP about taking pictures!!"  I was like what?? I had no idea what he was talking about, but then Jordan sent me a text saying her friend works with a local photographer and they are looking for engaged couples to take pictures of and she had given them mine and Michael's name, she said the photo shoot would be that night and they would pick the couple around 1:30 that day. I was like ummmm heck yes please sign us up!!!  So around 1:40 Jordan sent me a message saying we were in!!!  I was so excited because I didn't know what to expect.  She told me to wear something fun and flirty and for Michael to wear a button down and jeans....so for the rest of the day I was freaking out about what to wear, not to mention that I didn't even have my ring (it is being sized).  After eating dinner with my Nana and Pops, which is a weekly deal we ran home to get ready.  I ended up trying on several things and borrowed a fun skirt from my roomie Jamie. Michael picked me up and we drove to the meeting spot.  The shoot wasn't untill 8:30, it was dark, and we had no idea where we would be going.  Then Dale and Lauren pulled up and we found out that we would be going to the Washington County Fair..I was so excited because I knew the pictures would be awesome!!  We walked around the fair taking pictures, played games, walked through the mirror house, ate cotton candy, and rode the ferris wheel.  It was like we were on a date, but better because we had people taking our picture!!! Dale and Lauren were awesome and we had the best time ever!!!!  You can check out Dale's Blog...Benfield Photography Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the night!!!

Guest List....

Who knew that we know so many people!!!  We have begun putting a preliminary guest list together just to get an idea of numbers so that we can pick out reception sites.  Well, so far the first and only place I have found that I really loved is too small, GHETTO!!!!  I guess the search is still on, I know we have plenty of time but I would just feel better about things if we could get the major things booked and out of the way....especially since I am taking 18 hours this semester.  Who would have ever guessed that looking at wedding stuff is way more fun than doing homework and projects.  Just kidding, I am getting my stuff done, but wow there is soooooo much to look at and think about and take into consideration when planning a wedding. Can't wait till Friday when I finally get my ring back!!! Oh and there should be some fun pictures posted soon....story to follow when they are put up yay!!!

THE DATE.....

Well, since I have always imagined having a fall wedding we have been doing lots of research this week to see if we could get our hands on a copy of the RAZORBACK football schedule for next year.  I knew that by having a fall wedding I would run into this issue, becuase I do believe if there was a home game that I would most likely be walking down the aisle by myself and there would have to be a stand in groom or we would be having a ceremony while tailgating.  Well the University of Arkansas athletic department has sealed lips and "no one knows" haha I find that funny considering contracts are made for every 5 years.  Anyways, Michael looked at the schedules from the past 10 years and he has concluded that NOVEMBER 6, 2010 will be the South Carolina game...in Columbia.  Therefore, it looks like we will become Mr. and Mrs. on NOVEMBER 6, 2010!!!  It is so nice knowing that I now have a deadline and can begin to book a reception site, photographer, and so on!!!!  Here is a picture of Michael and I from a game last season....

The Video

Here is the video of the proposal!!!

THE PROPOSAL

So here's the story.....Michael and I have been dating for almost 2 years and have talked about marriage, especially since my cousin and MOH got engaged last February.  However, I never expected to get engaged this soon!!!  He will be done with school in December and I will be done in May, so I honestly thought it would be sometime this coming summer...but oh did he surprise me!!!  On Sunday, August 30 he told me that we were going to be going to dinner with some of our friends, Bryan Speed and Heather Gray.  He dropped me off at my house so I could get ready, he told me he had to go to the library to print some things off for his Monday class.  I went ahead and got ready and around 6:40ish Michael and Dickson (our 9month West Highland Terrier) came back to pick me up.  Michael took a corner a little fast so I went to reach for Dickson's collar and he didn't have it on, Michael said that he took it off to loosen it up a bit.  We got to Michael's house and Dickson and I began to watch tv and Michael was on his computer.  About 6:50ish Michael went to the bathroom and recieved a "phone call" from Speed.  He said he was going to be later than expected so they wouldn't be there to pick us up till 7:30.  Well I was like uggghh I am so hungry, Michael then asked me to go on a walk, I said no!!  He then told me we need to take Dickson since he is going to be put in his room while we go to dinner, I then said yes.  We usually turn left from his apt to walk down a a trial, but Michael said we were going right...I was confused.  As we were walking I noticed Dickson's collar was hanging lower to the ground than it normally does and Michael said he just made it a little looser than normal.  Soon Michael said his foot was hurting (he has had foot surgery) and I said well lets just turn around and head back to your apt.  he said no, that they always rest on some rocks up ahead...I told him that was weird!!  So we get to the rocks and Michael asked me if I wanted to sit down, I said no...I don't need to rest.  Then Michael told me he had gotten Dickson a new tag and said I should read it, it took me a bit to get Dickson to cooperate and I bent over to read his tag and I saw 8/30/09 I was so confused, but I looked through my legs and Michael was down on one knee...I turned around letting go of Dickson and said WHAT!?! and starting hugging Michael.  The other side of the tag said Will You Marry Me Natalie?  Needless to say I was surprised, and then he proceeded to tell me that he had filmed the whole thing!!!  I then asked if we were still going to dinner because I was hungry he said yes and we walked back to his apt.  When we got there he unlocked the door and when we walked in both of our families and some of our closest friends were there waiting on us!!!  I screamed, let go of Dickson and ran out the door, when I walked back in I was crying.  I proceeded to tell the story, we ate, got PRESENTS, and had a delicious cake from Ricks Bakery.  It was one of the best nights of my life!!!  I am such a lucky girl to have found the man that I am going to spend the rest of my life with!!!