Wedding Wednesday!

I know, I know. I vowed to stick with the "Wishful Wednesday" but as a blushing bride, I feel obligated to participate in "Wedding Wednesday"! (and I'm kinda excited about that...)

So, you ask, what's it like to plan a wedding? Things no one tells you...

*You make it as stressful as you want: it's not bad at all. (I say that now... I will probably be kicking myself in the butt a few months from now.) It's basically a big puzzle. You have to figure out what you need to do to get to the next step.

• Example: You can't meet with your florist until you have your bridesmaid's dresses. You can't pick your venue until you have a guest list. etc... (I've figured this out by now...)

*YOU make all the executive decisions: no one tells you exactly what to do. The ultimate answer from everyone is "It's your wedding. Whatever you like." OK...B.S. Yes, it's my wedding but dang it I need someone to tell me what to do sometimes!

*Everything you do is for the wedding: from taking hair growth vitamins, to timing your highlights perfectly for engagement, bridal and wedding pictures, to shopping for only wedding related items (centerpiece rocks, cake table tablecloth, honeymoon clothes/towels, bridesmaid's gifts, you name it.) Everything is for the wedding...no. joke.

*Honestly, the guy really could care less about everything...except the bachelor party, the reception and the honeymoon (and the fact that he's marrying the girl of his dreams...or so I'd like to think!). I've tried to get Beau involved and (like any typical guy) he simply agrees with anything I say...which is why I have delegated the honeymoon planning to him...one less thing I have to worry about. (Or maybe I should worry about it?!

*Every weekend from here until "I do" is designated to wedding planning...in one way or another.

*No matter what, you always know the exact number of days 'til your wedding: no-it's not an OCD thing...chances are:

• A) you are signed up on theknot.com , brides.com, or projectwedding.com who email you daily wedding nonsense...including a countdown...

Exhibit A...(a real email on my phone from projectwedding.com) B) it's on the top of your wedding website

OR

C) someone will buy you a wedding countdown clock...like this...to remind you how many days you don't have before the big day! (Thanks Brookie!...I really do love it!)

Registering is BY FAR the best part of planning a wedding. It's like making a GIANT wish list for anything and everything you could possibly want at anywhere and everywhere you want!

**Disclaimer: Registering for tools sucks, ladies. But registering for wine glasses and sheets isn't your fiance's idea of fun either so keep that in mind!

Yesterday I picked out our table linens. I had no idea there were so many dang options but I got them all picked out and one more thing checked off the to-do list.

My next big step in this process is fLoWeRs-which I pick out tonight!! And then invitations!! I have a few things in mind so it should be pretty stress-free!

Altogether, it really is fun and exciting! There are so many options for each part of the process and it all boils down to what you and your fiance ultimately want! Luckily, there are magazines and websites out the wazoo that tell you what to do when...it's just actually getting it done that's the hard part.

Taking engagement pictures & kissing your lovebug every 5 seconds isn't all that bad either! ;)

Anyways, sorry if I bored any of you totally not interested in weddings but it's pretty much consumed my life these days so I had to write about it!

XOXO

Weekend Recap

As you can tell, I have been pretty m.i.a. over the weekend. I ended up having about a week of vacation that I need to use before July 22 so I had a fabulous extended weekend, starting last Thursday and ending tonight. ((5 day weekends are amazing, by the way!)) I felt like I was in college again...went to bed extremely late (5am on one occasion) and slept in wayyy to late (11am on a few occasions). To say the least, it was extremely nice to not have a care in the world and to only have to worry about what my next cocktail would be. Lucky me-I'm off this Friday as well!

Thursday afternoon a group of us went to stay with Beau's Aunt Frances in Concan, TX (or the Frio River, as most people know it). It's absolutely amazing there. Not only is it beautiful, but there's no cell phone service half the time so it's pure [[bliss]].

On the way down, Kristen, Beau and I stopped in Flatonia to take pictures (and not to mention the pit stop at the local liquor store...)

Kristen & I at the cutest little gazebo

We arrived at Aunt Frances' around 11pm and decided to spend the remainder of the night sitting out on her wrap-around porch with the amazing view of her pastures, horses, donkeys, goats and mountains. (Have I mentioned how much I love this place?!) It's fabulously peaceful! We had a few cocktails, spent hours asking each other random questions, like the deep, "what would you do if"...and "if you could take one thing with you..." kind of questions. Next thing we knew, we went inside and it was 5 A.M.! I have not stayed up that late since my bartending days! After realizing that we had stayed up til the same time most of us get up for work, we agreed it was time for bed. (Plus the guys ran out of whiskey...)
Friday morning we all woke up and drove into Garner State Park. I've been there a zillion times so it's not necessarily my cup of tea but some of the other kids were dying to go plus its gorgeous so we went for a little while. Not to mention, Kristen and I got a pair of these... That's right...Sanuk Yoga Mat flip flops! If you have not seen or heard about these, you've GOT to buy a pair. Trust me. They are a little hard to find which is why I think I am so excited we found them at the Garner State Park gift shop-of all places!!

The girls (Kristen, me, Sierra) at Garner State Park.

After our adventure in the park, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in the ice cold river! (Hence, the name Frio?!) We aren't the floating type...it's too much work. We much rather stick lawn chairs in the water and watch other people float by. (It's so much more fun...plus...we never have to worry about where the ice chests are and who's tied up to what.) Beau & I are regulars here so we kinda have things figured out! The rest of the gang wasn't there yet so we waited for them to arrive.

That night, Raj cooked King Ranch Casserole (uh-mazing!) and we enjoyed yet another relaxing night on the porch. Well, Kristen and I went to bed early...the sun and the booze knocked us out early... Or we thought we went to bed early. That was until everyone came stumbling in (mind you there was 12 of us sleeping in Aunt Frances' upstairs t.v. room) and woke us both up...and not to mention Margie's sleep walking episode...but I won't go into details lol.

Saturday morning, the entire crew was there so the first thing on all our minds was getting down to the river!

The girls! Kristen, Ashley, Me, Meagen, Sierra & MargieJonathan, Beau & Jared "showing their muscles"...inside joke...

That night, Kevin Fowler (one of my all time favorite Texas Country singers) was playing at the local bar, House Pasture (or Horse Pasture...as Kristen insists). We headed up there around 7pm and the rest of the night was history...and so is Kristen's camera (ha-no pun intended Grube...RIP Sony!)

Sunday morning (well afternoon by the time we actually got up), the boys fixed burgers and we hit the river for our last hoo-rah before everyone went home.

This was our float that fit all of us on it AND two ice chests! (Thanks to Raj)

Everyone left Sunday afternoon but Beau, Kristen & I stayed one last night to relax. We went to Neal's for dinner and had the second best chicken fried steak in the state of Texas!

And that's all folks!

We spent too much, drank too much, and slept too much but I had an amazing time with some amazing people! (Our next river trip definitely has some competition on this one...)

Blog makeover!

As you can see, my blog got a little bit of a facelift over the weekend!! My good friend Kristen, professional blogger, helped "pimp my blog" (as she would call it)! Enjoy it & let me know what you think!

And the award goes too...

ME!

My new blog friend, Emily Ann from My Heart Shaped Life, has given me my very first blog award!

Apparently these awards come with a few stipulations:

Thank the person who gave you the award, share ten things about yourself, pass this award onto ten bloggers who you recently discovered and think are fantastic and finally contact the bloggers to let them know you’ve picked them for an award.

So, I will start with thanking Emily for my first award! :)

Ok, let's see if I can scrounge up 10 interesting facts about me...

1. I absolutely LOVE grocery shopping! HEB Plus would have to be my favorite grocery store everrrr. My mom thinks I am absolutely nuts for liking the grocery store so much but I just can't resist. This is typically where you will find me on a Sunday afternoon for 2+ hours, and I don't even have kids or a husband (yet)!

2. Taylor Swift is my girl. She is a musical genius. Period.

3. I absolutely hate switching out purses and jewelry. It's too much of a hassle for me. I stick with the same purse and jewelry every day...unless I get a wild hair, or I buy something new. Then I just might put forth the effort of un-screwing my studs and putting on some chandelier earrings or putting everything in the new purse. (Highly doubtful though!) I know I'm a girl and these are things I am supposed to do but it's not my thing. at all.

4. I am a list person. I can't get through the day without making list after list after list. These lists typically consist of:

• things to do at work
  


• things to do at home


• wedding things to do


• things to buy

You get the point...

5. These were in my ankle at one point in time:

Yes, that's 7 screws and a metal plate. Long story short, but I played softball my entire life. When I was 17 I was turning a double play on second base and the runner slid into my ankle, breaking it on both sides. I ended up in surgery and had these gadgets put in. As if thay wasn't bad enough, my body "rejected" the "foreign object" (titanium screws and plate) and I had to have them all removed. They gave them to me as a keepsake lol. Not sure why? Perhaps I can use them to hang a picture?

6. I am highly addicted to lip balm. Any kind. It's like a smoker feening (sp?) for a cigarette. I have 4 tubes in my purse, 3 next to my bed, 1 in my bathroom, 1 in my desk drawer and I can't workout without carrying around a tube. It's bad.

7. I am petrified of having kids. I want to have kids (and I WILL have kids) but I am extremely scared of labor. I have a really high pain tolerance but doctors scare the living shit out of me. (Ironic-I work for a doctor.) I'm sure my perspective will change and I will soon realize the prize will outweigh the pain but for now, I'm absolutely terrified of the idea of labor.

8.My dream vacation is to go to Bora Bora. (Who doesn't want to go there?!) I've already planned it out. I will stay in an over-the-water bungalow that has a glass bottom. Each morning someone will paddle my breakfast to me in a canoe. I would spend the day either snorkeling, reading or snuggling up in a hammock with Mr. Beau. Talk about paradise!

9. I will one day own a kayak and a hammock. This obsession started about 7 years ago and it's still alive and kicking.

10. I'm a firm believer in living every moment as if it were your last. You never know when the good Lord will call you up so take advantage of every living second. If you love someone, tell them every day. You never know when it will be the last time you see them.

::I love you, dad. Miss you terribly::

So that's a wrap and now it's time for me to pass this on! I don't really know 10 bloggers (yet!) to send this to so I will award my top 3:

Kristen @ All In My Twenties
Jenny @ Jenny From The Blog
Julie @ The Girl In The Red Shoes

Sorry-I know that's slacker-ish of me! I promise to get better at this whole "blogging" thing!

Off to the river...

Steph

The Power of Persuasion...

...and the vacation days you can squeeze out of your friend's boss...

I read a lot of sales books... It comes with the territory! In saying this, not only have these books paid off in my career and my relationships, but the lessons I have learned about "selling" and "persuading" have started to come to good use in my social life as well.

As you know from my previous post, my friends and I have an exciting river trip planned for the weekend. It's been planned for a while and has been much anticipated. (It's hard to get all of us together for an entire weekend so this is really a rare occassion!)

Well, earlier today, I received an email from my BFF, Kristen. You see, she is one of the only people who had no planned on staying at the river through Monday and therefore, had not taken off Monday. Be in corpo, you learn to be respectful and give plenty of notice of the days you would like to take off. Since she had not asked for Monday off, she was a little skeptical about asking her new boss to have the day off at such short notice. So she put it in my hands. She requested for me to email her boss and request that he let Kristen have Monday off. Below is my email to Mr. Boss Man, trying to convince him why he should let his employee have a day off:

From: Stephanie Joffrion
Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 2:50 PM
To: Robertson, K
Cc: Grube, Kristen
Subject: Kristen's Vacation

Dear Mr. Robertson,

I am writing you in the hopes that you will give my dear friend, and your dedicated employee, Kristen Grube, a day off on Monday June 28, 2010.

Why, you ask, does Kristen deserve a vacation?

• Kristen is very honest. She really wants the day off and if you do not allow her to take off…I wouldn’t be surprised if she called in “sick” on Monday morning.

• I'm pretty sure you need a break from her. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s a lot to handle.

• And last, she’s single. I have high hopes of exposing her to all the single men at the river. She needs a man. (Let’s be honest here.)
  

This is all the persuasion I have. It’s pretty simple. She needs a VACAY!

Thank you for your time.

Stephanie Joffrion

Vitamin Consultant

Physician's Preference

---------------------------------------------------
I nervously awaited his response. I've never met this guy a day in my life so I was starting to wonder how much of an impact I could acutally have on him and his decision to give Kristen the day off...until I received this:
---------------------------------------------------

From: Robertson, K
Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 2:59 PM
To: Stephanie Joffrion
Cc: Grube, Kristen
Subject: RE: Kristen's Vacation

Dear Stephanie,

Thank you very much for your mail. Kristen is indeed a lucky young lady to have such a friend as yourself. In reply to your request, please find my response below... (He copied and pasted my plead letter and wrote his responses in red)

Dear Mr. Robertson,

I am writing you in the hopes that you will give my dear friend, and your dedicated employee, Kristen Grube, a day off on Monday June 28, 2010.

Why, you ask, does Kristen deserve a vacation?

• Kristen is very honest. Mmmmm. If she really wanted a day off and you would not allow her to take off…I wouldn’t be surprised if she called in “sick” on Monday morning. That I do agree upon and have noticed a trend developing, (especially after a heavy weekend on Washington)

• I’m pretty sure you need a break from her. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s a lot to handle. 110% agree…..it has only been two weeks and I am already exhausted!

• And last, she’s single. I have high hopes of exposing her to all the single men at the river. She needs a man. (Let’s be honest here.) Exposing…..??? Ooh, you mean showing her off! Well, agreed, she certainly needs something, but is it fair to subject all those poor unsuspecting souls to Kristen???? Hell YES!

This is all the persuasion I have. It’s pretty simple. She needs a VACAY! Agreed……vacation granted, ;o)

Thank you for your time. Your welcome and have a great weekend. I am sure you girls will.

------------------------------------------
And that, my friends, is how you get your BFF out of work for a day. (Not to mention, Boss Man seems pretty cool himself!) I'm not saying I'm good an convincing, but I do have to give myself a little credit. This isn't something I do on a daily basis. If you find yourself in need of a vacation, and you too don't have the juevos to ask you boss, feel free to contact me. The first plead letter is complimentary. After that, I just might have to start charging!

XOXO

Stephanie

Wishful Wednesday

I'm a "Wishful Wednesday" virgin so here goes:

Disclaimer: This is my first one so I will try to maintain it weekly. Don't hold me accountable though!
I wish...the weekend would come sooner so I could be relaxing on the Frio River, my all time favorite vacation spot, with all my favorite people, especially Ms. Grube, Ms. Bright & my lovebug...to name a few!!



Now do you see why I LOVE this place?!

Hurry up Thursday! I'm ready for a LONG, relaxing weekend!

Calling all women...I need your opinion!

Ok so I know I have a wedding blog for stuff like this but it doesn't let me put pictures on there so I need to incorporate a little bit of it on here. I am in desperate need of an honest opinion. My mother is too busy getting into other people's cars (read my last post if you're confused), the fiance could really care less about centerpiece arrangements, and the future mother-in-law is just too darn nice to give me the low down, dirty truth.

Before I begin, I need to explain our wedding style. See, we are both from Texas and love the outdoors, hunting, fishing, rodeo, you name it. However, I'm still a girly-girl at heart. So we have combined the two. I like to call it "rustic with a touch of class". My colors are hot pink and black (see...girly...) but the venue we are having the ceremony and reception at is very rustic.

The ceremony will be held outside at a spanish style gazebo. It has huge white columns with a spanish red roof-just gorgeous! (See below) I know the picture is small but it's all I could find...you get the idea, right?The reception hall is called "Settlement House". It's a huge ballroom and it looks like Davey Crockett threw up Texas flags and cacti everywhere. (No, really!) But it totally suits our taste! See! It has a wrap around porch with old wagon wheels, wooden benches and rocking chairs lining the patio.This is the bar inside of Settlement House. It looks like an old Texas style saloon with swinging doors and barstools. (Not to mention the huge Elk hanging from the wall...)It's no "grand ballroom" and may not be some people's idea of a reception hall, but it's perfect for us!

Just for fun, the venue also has "The Alamo". Yes, an exact replica of the real Alamo! It sounds a little cheesy but you would not believe the amazing pictures I have seen using the Alamo in the background. It's stunning! Believe it or not, people actually get married in there!Ok, so now that you have a better idea of our wedding style, I need your help! I have been literally racking my mind for centerpiece ideas. (Not to mention I am now a regular at Hobby Lobby.) I don't want huge floral arrangements in the middle of every table that the florist throws together...bor-ing...and totally not my style. So I have "googled" and "binged" and searched blog after blog to come up with some ideas for a "rustic" centerpiece. After searching for well over a week, this is what I have come up with. Don't judge me. I'm not a florist. These are just mock centerpiece ideas I came up with to give the florist some direction as to how we would like the reception hall to look. Since I'm pretty good at killing plants, all the flowers are fake. This way I can use them over and over again without them dying. At our reception, the flowers will most definitely be real. The pictures are a little dark so it's hard to see but there is a round mirror under each arrangement with black river rocks scattered.

For this one, I think white gerbers will look better...

I found these little metal embellishments that I couldn't pass up. They are tied in with the raffia...

So that's all! What'd you think?! Honestly...I need all the help I can get & would love your feedback!

Funniest thing I've witnessed in a while...

Let me give you a little background before I begin this story...

My mom is a little hard of hearing. She was born with nerve damage and therefore she has difficulty hearing out of her left ear (yes, I got away with a LOT when I was younger because of this...) but anyway, since this whole "texting" craze...she has come to the realization that it is much easier for her to text than to talk on the phone because she doesn't have to say "huh?" or "what?" every 5 seconds because it's right there in black and white...

Ok. Back to the story.

Tonight mom and I went to run a few errands. Our last stop was at Kroger because she needed coffee creamer. (God forbid she ever run out of her French Vanilla...) Anyways, I dropped her off at the entrance and waited in my car. I never moved. I try to keep an eye out for her because she can be a little dingy at times...which brings me to exhibit A:

The next thing I know, I look up and my mom is walking out of Kroger, looking down texting, and walks right up to the car. She proceeds to open the car door and put her stuff in the back seat until she looks up and realizes there's a kid in a car seat in the back!

::Mind you, I am watching the ENTIRE thing::

Yes, unknowingly, she walked up to a WHITE BMW (I have a SILVER LEXUS), opened the door, put stuff in the backseat and THEN realized she was in the wrong vehicle! She exchanged a few words with the nice lady in the BMW and then looked back and realized that I had never moved and that I had just witnessed the entire thing. She was dying laughing all the way to the car. We both had tears in our eyes before we ever put the car in drive.

Me: "What were you thinking?!"

Mom (I quote): "That lady looked at me like I was trying to steal her kid!"

Me: "Well I would have too!"

Mom: "Well, why didn't you honk?"

Me: "HELLO, MOTHER!? Did you forget that you can't hear?!"

It's been a while since we laughed that hard. I die laughing every time I replay the scene in my head. So don't blame me for the stupid things I do...it's genetic!

OH EM GEE!

Am I a sLaCkEr or WHAT?!

I am SO sorry! I have been extremely busy and have had zero time to blog...even though I could probably use the venting...

Anyways...I will write soon...but in the meantime check out my brother's blog. He's a junior (I think?!) at UT and is enrolled in a photography class and has started a photography blog. His first post is pictures from our trip to stay with Aunt Frances. The pictures are amazing! I don't know how he does it!

Christophotography

Be back later...

Steph

So I'm crazy...

Yes. Officially crazy!

Last night I bought 8 hot pink, short, strapless, really cute, different sized, potential bridesmaids dresses from Saks. By myself. I bought one in every size in hopes they would fit my girls...and that they would like them.

That's right. No bridesmaids were with me. I saw them and couldn't pass the store without trying one on. So I did. AND I LOVED IT!

As the saying goes: "If the shoe fits, buy it in every color!"

Well, all I have to say is: "If the dress fits, buy it in every size!"

I only have 7 bridesmaids but I bought 8 dresses. I'm a pretty good estimator at people's sizes but one of my girls is expecting a little one in September so I bought an extra one "just in case"!

Now it's time to see if they like it...

Both Julie and Brooke have tried them on and so far I'm 2 for 2! Ashley will be the "tell all" since she's been "blessed" (as I call it) up top...if you know what I mean! And homegirl Kristen is like a size 2 everywhere except her butt...geez girls..get it together! Can't we just all be the same size?!

Anyways...this weekend I will make my journey out to see my girls and get their approval on the dress. I never imagined picking out bridesmaids dresses. I was going to leave it up to them but I got a HECK of a deal for the perfect dress!

Squishing boobs, butts and babies into dresses,

Stephanie

Skippy

One year ago today, grandpa "Skippy" went to visit my dad in heaven. I miss him. His soft blue eyes and his slightly crooked smile could melt anyone's heart. Not only was he my grandpa, but he was my dad's dad. He raised daddy into the kind, gentle, loving man he was and I miss them both terribly everyday. They were both far too young to leave this earth. But I know they are in a good place. I know they are safe, free of pain and probably up there fishing and hunting together. I love you dad and grandpa.




Wish you were here...

My hero.

When I think of a hero I immediately think of someone who is strong, intelligent, and daring. Upon closer examination, many different qualities than these become apparent. Courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to try are just a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero. The definition of heroism changes with the context and time. Below is the story of my hero...

I'm sure you know by now that I have been without a car for exactly 2 months. This week I will be filing a lawsuit against both NTB and Mazda in hopes that one of these foolish companies will step up to the plate and take responsibility for the $8500 in damage they have done to my vehicle. NTB is in the same parking lot as my company. Therefore, almost our entire staff gets (well, used to get) their oil changed by them. They always knew who we were (because we all wear black suits and heels) and they gave us 10% off all oil changes. Well, when all this happened to my car I began to boycott NTB. I wrote all over their facebook wall, their twitter account and also wrote a "press release" to my entire company as to why they should NEVER EVER take their vehicle to NTB and how they completely ruined my car. (If NTB is wondering why sales are slow lately, they can thank me!) Since then, everyone at work is constantly showing genuine concern for my situation, and it is truly appreciated. It's humbling to know that people are thinking about you.

Well, on Friday I was making small talk with our president, Mrs. Monica Luedecke, and was telling her that I would be filing a lawsuit against both companies, would be without a car for another 6 months and that I had decided to just flat out buy another vehicle (yes, have 2 car notes...crazy...I know!) She sighed and apologized that I was having to deal with all this at such a young age but she had a good feeling that everything would get settled. She went back to her office and I continued to work. Just as I was about to clock out on Friday afternoon, I noticed Monica was back in my neck of the woods. She had a sly smile on her face as these words came out of her mouth...(not word for word but you'll get the point real quick):

Monica: I talked to Leroy (her husband) and I have an offer for you. Don't feel obligated to take me up on this offer. You can tell me 'yes' or 'no' and it won't be a big deal. Amanda (her daughter) bought a car last weekend. She was driving a 2001 Lexus prior to and when she bought her new car she didn't want to trade it in. Leroy and I don't feel like messing with taking pictures, posting it on a website and having strangers come to our house to drive it. We know you are in desperate need of a car so we would like to give you Amanda's Lexus.

Me: (gaping mouth) What?!

Monica: It's a little silver car with black interior. It's old and there are a few dents in the back but it has two new tires and it's just going to sit it our driveway. The only thing I ask is that you can't pay me for it and you have to drive with me out to the Woodlands to pick it up.

Me: Well what do you mean? I have to give you something for it. And are you kidding? All materialistic-ness (if that's a word?) aside...it has 4 wheels and an engine! I could care less what it looks like! But still...I have to give you something for it. You can't just give me a car.

Monica: You can give me $1 for it. You can buy me a Starbuck's. Take my cell phone number. Go home and think about it. If you decide you want it, just call me and we can go pick it up this weekend.

Me: Umm. Ok! It's most definitely a 'yes' but can I think about it a little more and call you later?

Monica: Yes. Call me later.

I got home. I thought about how miserable and stressed out I had been over the fact that I had to rely on my mom to take me everywhere...to and from work, to and from my apartment, to and from seeing Beau...it was getting old. Fast. And the fact that I was moving home made my situation even worse. I would be stuck in Katy every day with no car. Beau would be at his house in Bellaire, which is a pretty good hike and our time seeing each other was going to be hindered. Not only that, but try planning a wedding with no means of transportation! It's all I can do to get to the bank these days...So I called Beau and told him about this "offer". He always explains the pros and cons of everything to me but this was a simple one for him. He confirmed that it was a "no-brainer" and to take Monica up on her offer. So I did.

I called her later that afternoon. She didn't answer so I left a message. I went about running my errands when my phone rang. It was Monica! She was so happy to hear that I wanted to take her up on her offer-I could hear it in her voice. We made arrangements to meet Saturday morning.

Saturday morning came and I met Monica so I could ride with her out the the Woodlands. I could not express enough how much I had appreciated her and how I could never repay her for what she had done. Soon enough, we arrived at the dealership the car was at. Monica had talked the car down so much I was anticipating seeing what the car actually looked like. They pulled it around and there it was. A 2001 Lexus IS300...it was adorable! It was silver with black interior. Sure, there's a little ding on the trunk and another one by the back tire but it's a car and it runs GREAT! The air conditioner is as cold as all get out, it's great on gas mileage, and IT HAS A FULLY FUNCTIONING ENGINE! Amanda got her last few things from the inside and Monica signed the title over in my name. As if she hadn't already done enough for me, she made sure I had quarters for the beltway. Monica was beaming. Don't get me wrong I was absolutely thrilled as well but I truly think Monica was more happy to sign the title over to me than I was. It's amazing how the act of giving can touch someone's life so much.

I drove off and felt as if I were in a dream.

Not because I had a car again. Not because I had my "freedom" back. But because someone who I haven't known for very long at all just did the most selfless thing anyone could have ever done for me. How thoughtful of Monica to think of me. Little old me.

I always find myself bragging about my company. If you ever have to opportunity to step foot in to our building, you would know right off the bat what I'm talking about. Not only is the building pristine, polished and immaculate and so well furnished, but the way our businesses are run would absolutely blow you away. The incentives and opportunities that are placed in front of me on a daily basis would be enough to make anyone quit their job to work at mine.

As if I can't say enough about where I work...I can't even begin to talk about the people I work for. I started at the Hotze Health & Wellness Center July 22, 2009...not even a year ago. You could say I'm at the bottom of food chain...well...not really...but I'm still "new". (I could definitely see myself in a leadership role one day but there's still time for that...)But like I was saying...I still feel like the "new kid on the block" and here the president of my company has just handed me a vehicle.

I don't know how or why such wonderful people like the Luedecke's were put into my life but I am forever grateful for them and what they have done for me. There are no words that can express my appreciation for them. They are the most kind, generous, un-selfish family I have ever met and I am very lucky God has put them in my life. Monica is truly a hero to me and someone I will forever cherish. I don't know how I will ever physically repay Monica for what she has done for me but I hope one day I can do something like this for someone else.

I doubt they will ever read this but if they do...Thank you. Monica, you are my hero and someone I will admire forever. From the very bottom of my heart, thank you. You have given me the inspiration to one day pay it forward to someone who is in as dire need as I was.

As the tears well up in my eyes, I leave you with my all time favorite Mariah Carey song, Hero:

"And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you"

Thank you, God, for the wonderful people like the Luedecke's that you have put in my life. I am truly blessed.

Sincerely,

Stephanie

School's Out For Summer

So my co-worker announced this morning that today is the last day of school for her boys, which brought back so. many. memories! Great memories!

I remember the last day of school like it was yesterday...

-You typically went to bed way too late the night before because you knew you won't have to do any school work the next day, plus it's only half-day so you could always go home and take a nap
-You cleaned out your locker and threw out all traces of anything school-related, including your planner (which is now attached to my hip all year round)
-You rode to school with your best friends because you had big plans for later that afternoon, like pool parties or staying home alone with your friends/boyfriend because your parents were at work
-You gave your teachers hell because you were ready to get out of there and you knew they were too
-Later that day, your biggest dilemma was finding something to wear to the biggest party of the school year, which was later that night
-You had no worries for the next 2 months

That was it. No worries! That was the best part of summer! As a kid, you never realize how wonderful it is to have absolutely nothing to worry about...until you have to "transition" into the adult world. Really, the only thing you had to worry about was what new rules your parents were going to strap on you or whose house you were going to spend the night at every night since they didn't have a curfew and you did.

As an "adult" (or a "should be adult")...summer break has a whole new meaning...

-More drunk 18 year olds on the road at night...and not just on the weekends
-More traffic in the stores and malls during the day. (I get off at noon on Fridays and the mall is usually my first stop!)
-More stressed out mothers because their kids stay out til the wee hours of the night (thank God I'm not a mom!)

Summer break is such a good change of pace. If I were Obama and I wanted the world to even begin to like me again, I would demand a summer break for everyone...not just students and teachers. Just sayin...

Ok so I've blabbed about how great high school summers are and the fact that you have ZERO. ZILCH. NADA to worry about but in all honesty, I LOVE my life and I LOVE being "grown"...or at least "trying/pretending to be grown". Sure I have things to worry about but that's just life. If I didn't have to worry about when my next car note was due, or running out of groceries, or driving across town in traffic to make my future husband homemade chicken soup when he's sick, life would be pretty darn boring! I don't have a curfew nor do I have to answer to anyone and that's a pretty awesome feeling. It's amazing how your entire perspective on life changes when you hit 24. I like my life. A LOT. And I really like my life a lot more now that I know I will be sharing it with Mr. Beau for the rest of our lives!

So, cheers to never having another summer break but remembering all the great things about them and cheers to growing up!

XOXO

Stephanie