The bark is bigger than the bite...

We have thunder and lightening in KC every night, without fail, right around 9:00 pm.

Yet, rarely a storm.

The clouds in KC...their barks are bigger than their bites.

Sean has a schedule!

Sean officially has a schedule at the law school!


He's enrolled in 15 hours for his first semester. It sucks, but it's what he was placed in, so there's no arguing it. Apparently the law school decides not only what you're taking, but when you're taking it too. Coupled with my 3:30 pm - midnight shifts (oh yes, I'm full time second-shift at my new job, at least for the first 3 months), we probably won't see each other at all on Tuesday or Thursday (as he has an 8:30 am and a 2:05 pm class, damn!). But, as we finally live in the same city, we will be seeing each other more than we have for the past 5 years, so I really can't argue too much. And he's on his way to becoming a lawyer!

He'll be taking Intro to Law, Torts, Criminal Law 1, Property 1, and Contracts 1. The first three are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while Property and Contracts are on Tuesday/Thursday.

There's a better chance of me seeing him (other than super early in the morning) once we move though. Which, btw, we signed a contract for it today! We love the people at the new place, unlike the people here. It much more laid back, and a lot less redtape. We'll have a bottom floor apartment (which is partially underground, so lower utilities), with washer/dryer hookups, though we'll have to purchase/rent those on our own. It beats going to a laudromat or having coin laundry though! We're also an end apartment building at the back of the complex, which means there won't be a lot of traffic either. We can move in any time after September 1st, though we do have our current place until September 27th (after a bit of arguing with the complex - I won though). It'll be much less stressful :)

Life is coming together, slowly but surely. I'm employed, Sean's in school, and we're getting a place we found ourselves that's perfect for us. I am in love with life right now.

In the News...Jury Decides Consent Not Necessary for GGW

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_30865bcc-95eb-11df-9734-00127992bc8b.html

Scenario: Girls Gone Wild is at a bar, filming. A woman is dancing on the bar. Someone else pulls down her shirt, revealing her breasts. Woman is heard saying "No! No!" Camera man films. Woman never. gives. consent. Footage is later scene on GGW video. Woman sues. A St. Louis jury states that "Through her actions, she gave implied consent".

Wait. What?

Is it just me, or is this like stating that woman who dress slutty are consenting to be raped? "No" means no. Plain and simple. Right?

Apparently, not in St. Louis.

This just makes me so angry. I can't even formulate words for it. Not only is this arising in my hometown, but it's just not right. I've danced on bars before. But there is no way in hell that I would do something like this. And I doubt that this woman would either. She's now 26 and a mother of two. A jury voted for this...eleven to one.

I hope to hell she files an appeal. 

Do me a favor...

And humor me while I talk about favors.

Ah favors. They're the neverending debate in the wedding world. To some, they're pointless wastes of money. To others, they're cliche. To me, they're a requirement.

Yes, I could skip them and save major bucks (a few dollars really adds up when multiplied by 200!). I could donate a couple hundred bucks to a charity and ignore the favor situation. But I love the idea of favors. I take home multiple favors from every wedding, especially if they're edible. I scrutinize favors. I think it's a creative element that can be anything, regardless of the feel of the wedding.

A few of the favor ideas I'm digging for my wedding? 
Exhibit A: The hot chocolate in a jar

Simple and classy I think, but fun. People could take them home, or use them at a hot chocolate bar at the wedding, which I would also LOVE to have.  The downside? I'd have to buy each one of those lovely little jars. At 99 cents a piece. Which doesn't sound too terribly bad, but when you consider I also need to buy hot chocolate (it's actually cheaper to buy premixed than to mix your own - who knew?!), cups, and any sort of mixings if I choose to go the bar route.

Said "bar" would have marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, peppermints, cinnamon, etc. Maybe some sprinkles and m&ms? We could easily get plain styrofoam cups from Costco, and spice them up with some jumbo cupcake wrappers. Right? It seems like a wonderful, warm twist on a candy buffet. Going with the classy winter theme, I'd like to not have snowflakes everywhere...

 But I also love the idea of a cookie buffet.

I know my bakin' maids would be all for this, but I'm thinking that 3-4 cookies per person for 200 people...dear Lord that's 600-800 cookies! Maybe I can convince my lovely MoH (that's maid of honor folks) to pull this one together for the bridal shower? There are very few times that I wish I had a smaller wedding, and this is definitely it.

I like the idea of people being able to customize their own goodies, and pick and choose what they like. Maybe it's because I'm a picky person myself (hello, why else would I choose to do all my DIY stuff while I live at least an hour and a half from my nearest maid?).

In any case, the favor situation needs to be sorted out now. I can't shop without coupons lately, and these lovely jars from Michaels tend to be a hot topic. I'd probably end up arming myself with these coupons and hitting every.single.store. in the area. I could always scrap the jars all together and just to a hot chocolate bar sans cute-at-every-place-setting-containers.

What do you think? Jars or no?

Church Shopping.

Church shopping. It sounds like a ridiculous term, doesn't it? But it's probably the best thing to describe what Sean and I are doing now. We're looking for a new parish to call home.

Catholic-speak breakdown: Each church is a parish (usually). Some parishes have schools, some don't. Each parish has suggested boundaries (or did at one point), though depending on the area, most people don't need to stay within parish boundaries. A collections of parishes is a diocese.

We are in the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese now. It covers over 15,000 sq miles, 27 counties, and has 97 individual parishes. Now, we're only looking at parishes in Jackson county, but that's still 50 parishes. FIFTY. Our new apartment is at the corner of Kansas City, Raytown, and Independence, though we're technically in Kansas City. We're looking at parishes closest to our new place first, because we're more likely to go and be involved if we're closer.

Sean and I come from All Saints and Saint Joe's parishes in StL - and they're large. All Saints has over 750 families and 7 masses a weekend (not including the two masses held every weekday morning). KC just isn't as...Catholic. Most of the churches have 3, maybe 4 masses a weekend. We ideally want a church with a school attached to it, because it means younger families. We know we'll probably switch churches when we buy a house and have kids, but we still want a young population. I would love to have a young adult group, so I can meet people/be involved. I was very active over at All Saints, and I miss that a lot. But I'm not going to join a women's quilting group or anything. At All Saints, the young adult group met at a brewery. Just saying. Speak to your audience, ya know? I thought we had fairly simple requirements, but apparently not.

So far, we've been to two churches out here - Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Nativity of Mary. OLPH isn't anywhere near our new place (we went there when apartment hunting in May), so that's immediately out. Nativity wasn't too bad. It has a school attached, but apparently we went to the geriatric mass. The older people out numbered the younger ones three to one, no joke. We might try to go to the other mass next week, but there's also several other parishes to try. We're looking at St. Bernadette, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Mark as well. There's a total of 11 parishes within 5 miles of our new place, so hopefully we'll find a good fit for us. Every parish is different, and it's important to find one that we like - just like any other sort of group.

From Long Distance to Living Together

When Sean and I moved to KC, we took a plunge. A big plunge. We went from being long distance - living over an hour apart and only seeing each other on weekends - to living together and being around each other 24/7. People keep asking me what it's like living together, and if we're loving it, so I thought I'd post about it.

Being able to see Sean whenever I want is awesome. We've been dating for 5 years though - we know each other's ins and outs. I know that he's bad at laundry and putting dishes away, and I wasn't really expecting him to do it here. I know that he loves video games, so it doesn't surprise me that as I'm writing this, he's playing Lego Harry Potter. He knows that I have a tendency to leave my shoes everywhere, and clean up after him in the kitchen (and occasionally put away things he's still using - oops). We haven't lived together before, but we've been around each other enough that we know what annoys us and how to handle it, and it's made the transition to moving in so much easier.

That being said, it still feels a bit like playing house.

First, I'm not working yet and Sean's not in school yet - we're literally around each other 24/7. We haven't established any routine because we don't need one - there's nothing that "has to be done today". However, I start work on the 4th (oh by the way - got a job! I'll post more on that later as I'm waiting for my starting meeting next week), and I can't wait to get into an actual routine. Also, because I'm not working, we're not doing much. Yes we have a few friends out here, but we can't afford to do most things (like the Platte County Fair - sigh), so we're homebodies right now.

Second, we know we're moving in 6-8 weeks. Our lease is only until the end of September. The place we're looking at renting only does leases on the first of the month, so we'll probably end up moving the entire month of September (slowly, piece by piece). We've reached a point where we're not hanging curtains or pictures, because we know they're just going to be taken down. It's a bummer, but we know it will make moving easier.

Finally, we've talked about and imagined living together so much, that it's kind of strange to be actually doing it. I've lived in an apartment with friends for 3 years, and it still kind of feels like he's "staying over". I'm having a hard time transitioning from someone who visits my apartment to someone who shares our apartment. It's weird. Not gonna lie. MaybeHopefully once we're in a more permanent place this will change.

All of that being said, I need to go run some errands. I need to get a present for Heather's wedding on Saturday, hair dye, and a bit of crafting materials. I need to make a tray or something for all of the gaming stuff to easier land on/into, and some coasters for our new tables. In other words, I need a few bathroom tiles, and some sort of tray to decorate. I was thinking about making a flat tray, but now I'm leaning towards a shallow box kind of tray so that it actually catches things...thoughts?

This is my temporary home...

We've been here a little over a week, so I think we can consider ourselves officially moved. There's still some things that need to be unpacked and put away, but for the most part, we're done! It's been a pretty hectic week, but Sean and I are in love with our new place (too bad we're moving again in less than 3 months). Want to see some pics?

First up, le master suite. Otherwise known as a bedroom, bathroom, and massive closet: 

(Really, it's all about the bed - Sean scored this bedframe for $200, when it's regularly $1200!! Check out the neat detailing. Love.)

 (Our bathroom, which is mostly grown up, minus the orange rugs, and our phenomenal walk-in closet)

Next up would be the kitchen:

(Thankfully all electric, there's also a pretty good sized pantry that you can't see. And no, those aren't granite counters. Just laminate that looks like granite)

 

The kitchen opens up to the living room, which is kind of empty and not quite unpacked:

(The old yg couch, and the new tables that Mama bought Sean for his birthday)

(the place comes with a built-in nook - it's developed into a bill paying station)

(the first is the view from our door, and the second photo is our dining area. It's big enough to have the table out, but we don't use it much so it's pushed against the wall)

And finally, our office (aka where most of the still packed things are):

(I'm actually standing in the walk-in closet for this first one!)

So there you have it! Our place! Unfortunately, it's way too far from school for Sean to realistically commute. Thankfully, we're actually subleasing, so we're only obligated to be here until September 27th. We've been apartment hunting like mad, but we think we've found a place we like (with a discount for UMKC students nonetheless!). It'll be about $300 cheaper a month, still have laundry included in the unit, and be only 10 minutes from campus, as opposed to the 35 minutes we are now. The only catch is that we'd be paying for 2 rents the month of September, because that's the longest they can hold the apartment - we're pretty sure the $300 a month savings plus gas is worth it though. It's a shame that we'll be leaving such a great place, but we really can't afford it now that Sean is in school - we were assuming he'd be working too when we accepted. Ah well. C'est la vie, right?

Tan Lines

Can you believe that I have to worry about this? I'm getting married in January, when most of the population doesn't have any sort of tan whatsoever. My skin, however, is "special".

For those of you that don't know, I tan very easily. I mean, veeerrrryyyy easily. I can get a solid tan in a mere 2 hours. I've always been darker than most of my friends, but it's just the way I tan (can you believe I'm the palest out of my siblings too??). Examples:

(Going out with friends)

(in the Mizzou locker room)

(tan line after ONE football game - our uniforms had a weird back)

See what I mean? The Nike swoosh picture was taken after being outside for THREE hours. I had it for over a year. Once I get a tan line, that baby stays.

For most people, there's the simple solution of sunblock. Except I'm allergic to it. I get little red bumps all over my skin when I use it - all kinds. My siblings are too. As unhealthy and cancerous as it sounds, the best way for us to not burn is to maintain a tan, which isn't hard. I don't go tanning (well, I haven't since high school), because I'm able to maintain a healthy tan just by being outside regularly.

I don't want tan lines at my wedding, with my strapless dress. It sounds frivolous and conceited, but it's January for heaven's sake! And I'll have them if I'm not careful. I'm trying to limit my sun exposure, or if I do lay out, do it without the straps of my swimsuit. At least then my tan lines will be under my dress, right?

Oh the things you worry about when you're getting married...

We're a moving on up!

The vehicles are unpacked. The families are gone. Our furniture is put together. The lease is signed. We've moved!

It's been a crazy, hectic weekend, but I'm so glad it is over. We picked up the u-haul at 3 pm on Friday, and loaded it and my mom's van with all of Sean's stuff that night. Sean needed to be in KC by noon on Saturday, which meant that he wasn't going to be able to help load in CoMo. He drove down to CoMo Friday night, and finished the drive Saturday morning to get to his law school welcome picnic on time. Saturday, we loaded up and headed down to CoMo. Papa and Pat (Sean's brother) were in his Pathfinder with the u-haul, my dad and brother drove the (empty) truck, and Mama and I were in my car. My sister was sick, so mom took her to the doctor and just met us in KC. We barely fit (nearly) everything in CoMo - Sean and I will need to go back for my folded screen (plus we need to return some syrup and Allie's wd remote that accidentally came with us). We all met up in KC at about 1 pm, and were unloaded by 2:00 (my family is phenomenal at moving). After lunch at Applebee's, we went back to the apartment and began putting together furniture (all of it was still in boxes) and unpacking.

Mama and Papa had to get the u-haul back to StL by 3 pm today, so they left early this morning. They needed to stop by my place in CoMo and get Sean's bed and a few other items as well. My parents stayed for a while - we took my brother on a tour of UMKC (I can't believe he'll be in college this time next year!) and my mom bought us a Costco membership and groceries. She spent like $200 on us, and we still have a good $100 trip ahead of us. We were able to get cereal and bread and such, but most things are still cheaper at the regular grocery store.

We forgot the wireless router in StL too, so Sean and I are sharing a computer for a bit - it's just easier.

I'll definitely write more and post pictures of our new place later. Right now, I still have a ton of unpacking to do (though the moms helped soooo much with that!). Ciao!

Officially Unemployed.

As of last Saturday, I am officially unemployed. It's a very strange concept to me. I've had a job nearly constantly since I was in 7th grade, whether it was baby-sitting, Schnucks, F&B, or MBS. I love working. I love being able to fend for myself, knowing that I'm in control of my money. And now, for a while at least, I don't have any of that.

I gave my two weeks at both of my jobs in preparation for the move to KC. I knew that I would be super busy this week (and rightfully so), and I didn't want to get too overwhelmed. I've been very busy this week, and the downtime has been wonderful. Hopefully I'll be able to get another job in the next few weeks in KC (even just a small one to hold me over), and things will be better. Sean knows that he's been accepted into to school, as so his loans will arrive shortly as well. But I don't want to rely on those. I would love to be able to support us solely, so that the loans are only for the cost of classes. One can only hope, right?

I've been spending time with friends here in StP for a bit. We'll be back next weekend (maybe) for the Toby Keith Concert, and then we'll be back in August. Life is crazy. Absolutely crazy.

Wedding Lull - Banished!

I've been a lull lately. For the past two weeks, I've been reluctant to plan anything wedding related, simply because I didn't know if it was going to be affordable. Up until Tuesday, in our eyes, we were moving to KC without school, jobs, or even an apartment really. We were going in with the thought that we were going to be incredibly poor, and every last penny was going to survival.

But then, Tuesday rolled around. And Sean was accepted. And I bought embossing powder, votive holders (ahem, 210 - but for only $40!), and jars. Suddenly, life wasn't so dull. We knew that we had something to move for, if not for us. Wedding planning was on. Packing was on. Life was on.

It's nice to know where you're going. Even though we're going toward debt and 3 more years of school, it's wonderful knowing it's something. There's less pressure for me to get a job right away (even though the force will resume once we move). We're not focusing on a dark hole of no hope. Sean will be starting school at the end of August, I have plans to run a 5k (oh that's a whole 'nother story), and we'll be together. It's a huge weight lifted off our shoulders.

Now. Backing to that packing game. Oh the chaos that is my room...