Gracie – my soul sista since middle/high school years got married this past weekend. It was absolutely perfect in every way and she was the most stunning bride! 
On top of it all, my brother flew in for the wedding, and my BFF Sarah was in town for our baby shower and attended the wedding with us as well! All in all, it was a GREAT weekend and I can’t believe it’s already over!
Without further ado, pictures:
(Sarah<3)
my SS & beautiful bride, Gracie!<3
Linking up with Ashley & Neely for this week’s Sunday Social!:
1. What were you like in Middle School/HS?
I was a band nerd in MS… was friends with random different people and had my close group of 3-4 gfs. Went through growth spurts (physical and emotional!). Middle school is also when I found God and became heavily involved in church youth group. Then I got contacts in HS and tried to be “cool.” But even then, I really had friends in every “clique” at school – so HS wasn’t all too bad for me. I had tons of fun and lots of great memories.
2. What were your favorite past times?
AOL, chatting on the phone with friends, and socializing at the mall!
3. What songs were you obsessed with?(Backstreet Boys anyone?)
*NSYNC, BSB, Spice Girls, Biggie, Mariah Carey, Brandy, etc. A wide range of music!
4. What fashion statement do you look back on and cringe?
My glasses, JNCO jeans and oversized Vans (do I really look like a “skater?”).
5. Who was your celeb crush?
In middle school, most definitely JTT, Devon Sawa and Andrew Keegan! Def wrote them fan mail! In high school, Justin Timberlake?
6. What were your favorite tv shows/movies?
Friends, Romeo & Juliet, Empire Records, etc.
Hope y’all had a good weekend, stay tuned for this week’s baby boy dubs posts!
Mr.Dubs and I had the week of Memorial Day scheduled off from work for a couple of months. We were contemplating booking a trip/”babymoon,” but weren’t really diligent about making any solid travel plans. I was weary of how I’d be feeling, Mr.Dubs was too stressed out with his lack of resources at work to even really look forward to having time off work.
Last month, Mr.Dubs got some information on a timeshare that his parents have had for quite a few years. So we looked up a few ideas here and there for a short getaway, but in the end, the booking complications with the timeshare agency got to be too much for either of us to really want to book a trip through that program.
As this week approached, (and I mean just last week!), I slowly came to terms with the fact that we’d turn it into a “stay-cation” and maybe get started on cleaning out the room that will be the future baby nursery. I had no expectations in mind, so needless to say, Mr.Dubs completely blew me away when he found an amazing deal for non-stop flights and a 5 day/4 night stay at the South Seas Inn Resort on Captiva Island, FL! Talk about a last minute DEAL!
Aerial View of South Seas Island Resort
(Source)
We talked it over, read some reviews, and bit the bullet and booked our trip a week before takeoff! Due to our TTC/baby schedule in 2012, Mr.Dubs and I had planned on saving more money and forgoing our annual vacation(s) this year. So this was a nice, unexpected treat for the both of us. And we’re both glad we decided to book the trip. It will be a long while before we vacation (with or without) our future LO, so we want to make sure to enjoy this time while we can!
A picture update to come soon!
So for those of you that read my birthday week entries a few weeks ago, you should already know that Mr.DJW took me and our furbabies camping for our my birthday weekend. When he had asked me last month what I wanted for my birthday, I told him two things: I wanted to be surprised & I wanted romance. I just wanted QT with my hubby.
And so after a week of bday festivities with friends and family, Hubby and I took our furbabies, Bailey & Buddy, up to Higgins Lake for our camping adventure! And boy, was it an adventure! 
After spending most of the day trying to take out the trailer hitch that had rusted onto Mr.DJW’s truck, we made a pit stop at Wal-Mart in Bay City for our mountain bikes and got up to the campsite, just after the sun went down. Needless to say, we had to setup camp in the dark with the help of our flashlight/lanterns. We were surprised at how quickly we were ready to go!
We had a late night BBQ for dinner and I thoroughly enjoyed toasting marshmallows on our campfire!
So did Mr.DJW, mmm isn’t he zexay?
We stayed up until 2am roasting marshmallows and watching the packed campsite slowly die down and enjoyed being out in the woods. Yes, I’m a nature freak. I LOVED every minute of being outdoors.
Our sleeping bags were actually surpringsly cozy and the double decker air mattress that Mr.DJW’s parents lent us made for a very comfortable sleep in the tent. Until the rain started. Yep, at 6am, both of us awoke to the sound of rain pouring down on our tent. Luckily, hubby is a great outdoorsman (Eagle Scout, Sir!) and our 9x7ft. tent sturdily held up throughout the morning storm and kept us dry.
We laid in our sleeping bags for an hour or so, just laughing about our bad luck. But, smiled knowing that this first camping trip is one we’ll never forget. And a story to be told to our kids someday in the future.
Once, the rain cleared out, we got out and made the most of a rainy campground.
The furbabies were so well behaved! I think we tricked them into it by feeding them extra hot dogs from our bbQ (4x)! 
NOMNOMNOM. It was delicious!
After our fights with the rain, we decided to take the dogs for a bike run. In the middle of our ride, it started thunderstorming. All of us got soaking wet! I think it’s what made the ride that much sweeter!
After the ride, we decided to pack up, as we didn’t want to spend another night in the rain. It was a short 24 hour camping experience in the woods, but it couldn’t have been any more perfect. We made the most of it, laughed lots, and created new memories that I will cherish forever. <3
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Yes, I am a newlywed. Yes, this is going to be a mushy post about my husband. (You’ve been warned!)
LOVE MY MAN<3, that grainy picture above is the one and only picture he texted me back in our early dating era. I think it was a few weeks after we had been dating, he had to go out of town for a week; so we spent a lot of time on the phone, conversating when we could, texting when we couldn’t.
Even though it was early on, we were pretty much seeing each other every day at work and sneaking out afterwards for a dinner or movie date every night of the week.
Have I told you how we met?
We are the stereotypical “met at work” love story.
It was my first job out of college. 100% Commission, Private Investment firm, strictly cold-calling sales. I was burnt out from undergrad and paused my plans of going straight into law school. So I moved back in with my parents and started the job. Needless to say, I only lasted 6 months and only made one decent paycheck. But, hey it’s where I met my husband! JACKPOT?!
Mr.DJW was in management and had been working at the company for 3 years. He’d been single since his college years and on a hiatus from the dating scene. I was coming out of a bad on/off-again 4 year college relationship. Alas according to Mr.DJW, there were sparks from Day 1. I plead the fifth as my memories of the first few days are grainy just like that picture! Haha.
We were lucky enough to spend our dating years traveling. A LOT. We went to Denver for one of my best’s wedding, Vegas for a weekend getaway, Eastern Caribbean cruise for our ‘spring break,’ Chicago, Memphis, Mackinac Island, Traverse City, etc.
I swear I have 2 encyclopedia-sized scrapbooks to show for it.
It’s all been a whirlwind romance. I have days when I feel like we’ve been together forever and can’t wait for the next step in our exciting adventure together. Then there are days when I feel like we just met, butterflies & all, and I get giddy just sharing a meal together.
Mr.DJW was there for me through all of my aches and pains of joining the “real world.” He was my pillar of calm and strength when real adult issues came up and all I wanted to do was pout and cry. He fought for me, cried and laughed with me, and listened to everything I said and didn’t say all at the same time.
There’s a lot of reasons I gladly awake (most days) to tackle another day of this life I’ve been blessed to have… but all reasons aside, Mr.DJW is the top reason that makes my life worth ALLL THATTTT and MORE!
–Who makes your life worth living for?
