Two Years: An Anniversary Post

Today, I'm blessed to be celebrating two years of marriage to my darling husband. And what an amazing two years it has been!

I am still so grateful for that day in (hot) July when we went on our first date. I remember opening the door to my bachelorette pad. He was even better looking than in the tiny little picture I'd seen of him. I think I remember even (dorkily) telling him weeks later, "A 125 x 125 thumbnail just didn't do you justice." Ha!

What had me hooked more than anything though was his kindness. Anyone who knows my husband knows that he's a comedian, always the one to hold court wherever he goes. But, behind the dry and hilarious extrovert lies a man with a heart of gold.
 

We fell hard and fast and so perfectly (for us) that only God himself could have orchestrated the details. But, isn't that way the best things always happen? When we least expect them?

To Stephen:

Thank you for loving me so wholly and unconditionally. Thank you for accepting me for all my faults and shortcomings, and for giving me the grace to be my best self.

Thank you for supporting my career and my ambitions. Thank you for bringing out my best qualities and for loving me in spite of my worst.

Thank you for your faithfulness and for your commitment to "us".

I cannot wait to see you hold our baby girl next month. I think "dad" will be one of your best roles yet, only second to "husband".

I love you.

Leslie



Photo  of us by Bethany McGhehey

From One Former Bride To Another

As this is wedding season and lots of you ladies are getting hitched in the coming weeks and months, I thought I'd share a few pearls of wisdom that I've gathered in our very long (okay, just shy of two years) marriage ; ) You do learn a LOT that first year, though.

Here are a few things I've learned that might help ya out, (or make you feel more normal if/when it happens.)

1) With men, it's better to just tell them how the heck you really feel. The beauty of guys, (and probably something we ladies should adopt), is that they typically prefer the blunt route. In the beginning, I used to keep S guessing. I wanted him to know exactly why I felt the way I did about something without me having to explain. Yes, clearly I that was flawed logic.

Problem is, this genius method of communicating with my spouse usually ended in me getting even more upset with him that he didn't just inherently know the cause of my foul mood. Men aren't psychics; do not treat them as such. Tell them when you're ticked and save yourself the extra time sulking. Besides, the making up is pretty fun ; )

2) Decide which household "jobs" you'll each take care of. We went into this with a 50/50 mentality. We'd each take on half of the household chores because we both worked outside the home and for us, it just made sense. We decided that Stephen would take care of the lawn, pets, kitchen cleaning and ironing (he's really quite good at it), and I'd take care of vacuuming, dusting, mopping and bathrooms. Laundry is a first-come, first-serve. On Saturdays, we split the chore list in half and in just a couple hours, it's done. Again, this method worked for us, but I know it's different for every couple and every unique situation.

3) Thank each other for the little things. I make sure to try and acknowledge his hard work both in our home and at his job. He does the same for me. Trust me, this will pay dividends.

4) Pray together. Shortly after we got engaged, we started praying together - out loud - daily. I understand that not every couple might feel comfortable with this and everyone has different religious backgrounds, so this is totally an "it works for us" thing. But, I love the connection that I feel with him when we openly share what's on our minds and talk to Him together. I'll be honest, when we first started doing this, it was a little awkward. But, I promise that within a week, you'll love the feeling of  intimacy that it brings.

5) Date. This is going to become even more important now that we are about to welcome Caroline to the picture. Be sure to take time one night a week or so and go on a real date. It can be as simple as getting a burger and walking around the outdoor mall, or having a fancy dinner and going to a movie. We even have "couch pizza" night where we get a pie and eat up while watching old episodes of The Office. The point is to turn phones off, disengage from social media for a few hours and concentrate on your partner.

6) Decide in advance whose family you'll spend each holiday with. For us, this came pretty naturally, as each of our families has different traditions. We always do Christmas Eve with Stephen's parents, Christmas Day with mine and Thanksgiving, we try to do with both families by hosting the dinner ourselves. Again, it works for us, but each couple's family sitch is different.

7) Remind them that you think they're attractive. Frankly, I married out of my league. My husband is a bonafied hottie. I make sure to tell him that I still think he's crazy cute, because, well, he is.

These are just a few of the things that keep us in check. It's tricky finding that balance of what works versus not, but hey, give yourself some time, sister. You'll get there.

Happy wedding bells, bunnies.

Our Christmas Card Photos!

We recently did a photo session with the fabulous Bethany McGhehey of Bethany Blair Photography and to say we were pleased with the results, is an understatement.



We found Bethany just a month ago from the recommendation of a couple of blog/Twitter friends and we're so glad we did. She captured exactly what we had in mind for fall photos at the University of Arkansas Old Main building.

The tough part is deciding which one to choose for the Christmas card photos : )

This one.

I will admit; I am not ashamed of my calves in this pic : )

Bethany, thank you so much for capturing these special memories for us. We will cherish these for years to come and we can't wait to work with you again next year!

Come back tomorrow and meet the amazing Kayla Mustacci, Arkansas Master Florist and decorator. She's Martha Stewart with a southern twist : ) Come early, so that you can get your order in fast. Her creations will go quickly!

*The photos above are screen caps from our proofing gallery, so please do not re-post or Pin. Thank you, girls!

Also, I had to brag on my dad today. He's on a business trip in Florida and went deep sea fishing in Fort Lauderdale yesterday. He managed to catch this whopping 50-pound Wahoo. My dad, the King of the Sea : )

Be blessed, lovelies-

Return Trip

Hola, chicas! Back from Chicago and back to the blog - both good things. We had such an amazing time in the Windy City. I'll have some pics to upload on here later tonight, but until then, an iPhone picture purge for your viewing pleasure...

Exhibit A...Chicago! Where we just came from yesterday. Love the city and everything about it. If I ever live in a bigger city, this would be my choice.

Exhibit B...a pic that Ruby's aunt Stephanie (who house-sat for us) sent on Saturday. Boy did we miss this little girl and her big brother, Ari!

Exhibit C...I decided to edge things out while in the Windy City, choosing a pair of snakeskin flats (from Savoir-Faire) and leather leggings from Forever 21 for the flight and first day. LOVED this outfit.

Exhibit D...this boy was in hog heaven at the Cubbies vs. Cards game on Friday afternoon. Go Cubs!!

Exhibit E...another pic of Ruby from aunt Stephanie on Saturday. Her eyebrows kill me!

Exhibit F...and a windy but blissful photo taken at the Adler Planetarium on Saturday. Love this man and our adventures together!

That's it! See the other pics tonight via the blog Facebook page, located here.

Coming up this week:
-The September Savoir Faire Moment of the Month
-Leather Leggings, How to Style 'Em - How to Get Over the Fear of Having a Ross Moment
-Outfit photos featuring two presh pieces from Maude Boutique
-Confessional Friday, baby!

From Miss to Mrs: One Year Later

Sometimes we refer to big events in life as game-changers. The day we're born. The day we head off to college. The day we get our first job. The first time we experience the death of a loved one. Moving to a new city. Winning the lottery (still waiting for that one to happen.) I can only assume babies can fall into that category, as well.

One year ago today, September 17, 2011, I married the love of my life.

Game officially changed.

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Our wedding day was perfectly imperfect.

It poured. Not a light rain or passing thunderstorm, but a monsoon occurred that Saturday of our wedding. In fact, on September 17, 2011 the state of Arkansas received the most rainfall in one day in the history of our state during that month.

Obviously, I was elated.

But around 4:00 p.m. that afternoon, just two hours before our wedding was to start, the clouds faded and the most beautiful, promising sunshine ripped the sky in half.

A little wink from God, I think.

The picture-taking ensued without missing a beat and the rest of the day and night were absolutely picturesque.

The ceremony, I'll never forget.

And the reception was magical.

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This year has gone by in a blink, but oh, how I've enjoyed every minute of it!

My love for Stephen only grows every day. I never would have imagined that there were men out there like this. The way he puts our marriage above everything makes me all the more grateful to have found him.

As I reflect on the past year, I can only get more excited about the future. Excited on the trips we'll take, the adventures we'll have, the family we'll make, the moments in life we'll experience together...it's enough to make one Southern belle ridiculously giddy.

It's funny; I still get butterflies in my tummy when I'm getting ready for date night. I still blush when he tells me I look pretty. I still sometimes catch myself staring at him, amazed that someone that good-looking would want to marry me ; )

More than anything though, I'm just appreciative. Appreciative of Stephen, of our families who have supported us and given us words of wisdom, to Pastor Carness Vaughan for his guidance throughout our pre-marital counseling and continued encouragement, most importantly, appreciative to God for bringing him into my life.

Be blessed, lovelies-

An Excellent Contractor

Photo by our friend and photographer, Rhyanne Ketron.

Hey, chicas.

Leslie, here.

(Obvi. Who else would be here writing this blog?)

This has been one crazy week that, to be honest, may not lend itself to a terribly large amount of blogging, but that's just how the Funfetti cupcake crumbles sometimes. Work is busy, which is always a good thing. And we're gearing up to welcome little Ruby into our household on Saturday afternoon. (Eeeeep!)

Anywhoodle, thanks to all (978!!) of you who have submitted a survey. This Type-A personality appreciates that very much! Your diligence and follow-through will be handsomely rewarded.

(Just as soon as I win the lotto.)

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Gaw. I was thinking today about the fact that S and I have been married for almost one year. A YEAR. It feels like we've been married for about five minutes. (Well, some days it feels like it has been a bit longer, but you get the picture. Ha!)

Next month, September 17, we'll be celebrating 365 days of being wed. Man and wifey. And I love it.

Someone asked me a couple of days ago if I had "learned" anything. I'm assuming she was referring to  lessons I'd learned since getting "hitched". (LOTS of quotation marks today, apparently. That's what Tuesdays are for, no?)

And, per usual for a writer, it got me to thinking...

1. I've learned that sometimes it's better to wave the white flag and just admit you were wrong. The argument won't stop until someone does and, since we're both bull-headed, we have to take turns.

2. I've learned that sometimes people don't start snoring until after you're well into a year of marriage. Surprise! (I'm sorry honey. I just had to.)

3. I've learned that, although she is really fabulous, Ina Garten's recipes are never something that can be "whipped up" after a long day of work in hopes of surprising one's husband with one's mad cooking skillz.

And really, who keeps organic white truffle oil in her pantry anyway?

4. I've learned that #3 usually leads to an emergency call to Pizza Hut. Program the number into the phone and memorize it just to be thorough.

5. I've learned that he will make you SO MAD.

6. But he will also make you SO HAPPY.

7. I've learned that after a couple of babysitting experiences together, we should probably stick to dogs for a few more years. (We love our niece and nephews, but MY WORD. Stamina, those children have!)

8. I've learned that the "I'll have the cleanest house on the block" mentality (that I had going into our co-habitation) was for the birds. Clean as you go. Do the best ya can. But don't kill yourself because there's spaghetti sauce stuck in the grout. It's not going anywhere.

But the fifteen minutes of time you could have spent laughing on the couch together is more precious that any sparkly grout on the plant.

9. I've learned that love really does only grow. Your heart - I'm positive that it enlarges.

10. I've learned that the best abdominal exercises come from laughter. The sort of laughter that occurs  after one of you accidentally uses "lip stain" instead of "chap stick", because the tubes looked the same.  (Shame on you, Burt and your Beeswax.)

(You should have seen the look on my face that night we crawled into bed and I looked over at my manly-man of a husband, only to realize he was wearing my Burt's plumping lip stain. A lovely peachy-pink shade. He'd grabbed the wrong tube in the medicine cabinet. It took me a solid 15 minutes of cry-laughing before I could tell him what he'd done.)

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More than anything though, I've learned that his imperfections are the things that make him the most perfect, (in my eyes, anyway.)

-The little scar above his left eyebrow, the result of crashing through a coffee table as a kiddo. The way it peeks out, just so, from underneath his baseball cap.

(All men should bear such sexy reminders of the past.)

-The way he makes the coffee just a little too strong. (I've grown to love the extra caffeine buzz.)

-The way the always uses the wrong cleaning solution on the granite countertop. (I've learned to love it. I call it the "Stephen Streak".)

-The way he tracks in dirt and grass from outside. It reminds me of my daddy and the farm. Two very good things that make me not mind the mopping one bit.

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I love our cooking messes. I love our Saturday pancake-a-thons.  I love our boating adventures. Our loud and rowdy SEC football-watching...my, how we get carried away.

So, when my friend asked, "What have you learned so far?",  I told her this:

"I've learned that God is an excellent contractor."

She looked at me quizzically.

I continued.

"He's an excellent contractor. Just when you think your heart is so full it can't possibly grow another inch, he expands it. Builds on. Makes room for more."

Be blessed, lovelies-

Nice to Meet You

Photos by Rhyanne Ketron

It just occurred to me today that we have lots of new friends around here! Trust me, I read each and every comment and it does my blonde heart good to see new faces.

I thought today that I'd just introduce myself to new faces here and tell y'all a little bit about us.

My name is Leslie (but you probably gathered that from the top of the page, huh?) I grew up in an itty bitty town with (legitimately) one stoplight. I majored in English at Arkansas State University (Jonesboro) and served on the Pom squad during college!

I moved up to Northwest Arkansas in 2007 for an advertising/PR internship and have never
left since : )

In 2010 I met Stephen, my husband. We got engaged on New Year's Eve and were married on September 17, 2011.

I work for an amazing communications/PR firm in Fayetteville as a writer. Stephen is a national account manager for a nutrition company that supplies products to Walmart, Target, Costco and more.

We have one furry son named Ari, a five-year-old German Shepherd who has the sweetest, most tender personality despite weighing in at over 100 pounds : ) I do believe that in his mind, he weighs 10 pounds, as he often tries to sit in our laps - ha!

(As for real kiddos, we're waiting a few years before going "there". Hopefully the Lord will have blessed us with some much-needed patience by then, haha!)

Stephen is my personal Tim Tebow (a lot of people say he looks like Timmy T.) He's super fit and super family-oriented. He's got a big heart and is one of the most generous people I've ever met. He's a character, that one...loves to make people laugh and usually can be found holding court and entertaining folks wherever we go. 


And, I'm sorry, but the boy is fine : ) 

A comedian, this one. Our three-year-old niece giggled out loud when she saw this photo : ) As you can see, he takes himself very seriously ; )

As for me, I love fashion, hair, make-up, workin' on my fitness, blogging (duh) and cooking. And SEC football. Y'all non-football fans will probably want to wring my neck at some point this fall. I get a teensy bit worked up over the Gridiron : )

So that's us, in a nutshell.

Anywhoodle, nice to "meet" all of you new friends. I hope you'll pull up a chair and sit a spell!

Be blessed, lovelies-

Celebrating Southern: {Weddings and Parties}

I could write a four-part novel on the effort that goes into planning a wedding or party in the South. When I sat down to write this post today, all I could think of was how long this post was going to be. But then I decided I'd just let some pretty photos tell the story of what's trendy in the South right now.

Southern weddings are something to behold. Seriously, if you've never attended a wedding below the Mason-Dixon, I'd encourage you to do that if you ever get the chance. You'll never see the amount of immaculate detail go into one day quite like you will a Southern wedding or gala.

It's a sport, y'all.

Mason jars have semi-recently become a really trendy way to showcase and serve bevies around these parts. Whether it's a wedding or a party, these simple, Southern jars make lovely little glasses.

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Burlap has become a really popular material of which to make bows and table runners at Southern parties. I personally LOVE this and will probably use this at our 1 Year Anniversary party we're having in two months!

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Baggo is one of the most fun and relaxing games to play at a Southern party. A lot of outdoor weddings and events may feature a baggo station, which is a great icebreaker for guests.

In lieu of the eleventy hundred "say whaa??"comments regarding Baggo - see here. It's a legit name for the game (ha- rhymed!) and a little less scary sounding than "corn hole", IMO, tee hee hee : )

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A lot of Southern girls like to add mementos to their bouquets, like a sorority hanky or mini photos of family members. I think this makes it extra special, don't y'all?

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The pie table has become a really fun addition to Southern weddings and parties. And really, who doesn't like pie?

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And finally, you can't have a Southern party without petit fours! We had Razorback petit fours on Stephen's groom's table at our wedding and they were certainly a hit. These petite cakes are pretty traditional for this part of the country. 

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Be blessed, lovelies-