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Our Very Own Reindeer

In Celebration of the upcoming holiday season, we decided it was time for Gable to become a reindeer...she was having none of it. Congrats on your elk kill Garrett! As for Gable, we will leave her alone...for now.

Sorry they are grainy...they were taken with my phone while I was laughing.

Nikki

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What are you being for Halloween?

I am a nurse...

not by choice though...and not by dress. I am more acting like one since Matt's ACL surgery. It was Wednesday morning and went very well...until about 3 pm when his nerve block wore off about 6 hours too early. He hadn't yet started taking his pain medicine and was caught off guard. We spent the next 8 hours playing catch up to his pain which was excruciating. I have never seen him like he was that night...

The doctors apologized the next day for giving him a bad nerve block and not warning us that it may wear off early. His pain decreased greatly that day, but the pain medicine was the next obstacle...causing nausea and dizziness for two days.

Today we decided the pain was not too bad and quit taking the pain medicine...it has been a great day! Matt is up and about on his crutches and has been doing his exercises regularly.  Keep praying that his healing and physical therapy goes well!

Nikki

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Cruisin' to Cozumel

After a rough month-and-a-half, Matt and I were more than happy to take a short cruise to Cozumel given to us as an early Christmas gift by my Hubbard grandparents.

We left Thursday at around noon (after staying up all night to build my model) and boarded the ship at 4 pm. This was Matt's first cruise so I quickly introduced to the large buffet and then we found our room. That night we relaxed and caught up on our sleep.

Friday we got a late start, but were able to work out and pool-it for half of the day. Dolled up for formal night, we headed to the dining room with our unsocial table-mates. Afterwards we played some blackjack (I won), saw a comedy show, and hit up the dance club on the ship where I lead the cupid shuffle (yes Ashtyn I actually lead a line dance) and we danced 'til we dropped since we knew Matt would not be able to for a while.

enjoying a colada with the sun in my eyes
Matt by his slide

the Cupid Shuffle

Viva la Mexico...Saturday was the day we spent in Cozumel. We started off with an excursion on a catamaran that took us to a snorkeling spot and then a beach for an hour. The fish were beautiful and the water was an AMAZING blue that was so clear. After that we went with my parent's approach to traveling, we grabbed a cab and hit up a nearby beach that was connected to a Carlos and Charlies (with hopes of catching the LSU game on one of their t.v.s). We ate refreshing guacamole, cheesy nachos, and drank fruity drinks while watching the tide roll in. We also enjoyed some time in the perfect October ocean...paradise. Unfortunately, the game wasn't on...but by the time we got back to the boat we were able to catch the second half and watch LSU lose.

This looks fake...

Matt checking if they had the game
the rain showers over the water...they never came to us!

We accidentally slept most of Saturday evening (missing dinner), but I was tired and on vacation so it was worth it.

Refreshed and reinvigorated, we woke early Sunday to get as much sun on that last day as we could. We pooled it, rode the slides, and drank tons of fruity drinks (or at least I did). We met Tulsa people and right when leaving met four people from Austin who graciously waited for the sunset to turn orange to take our picture as per Matt's request. That night we didn't feel like going to dinner with the non-talkers who appeared to be everything we never want to be, so the Austinites invited us to their table. Of course, not one of the four is originally from Austin (like most people there), but they were very cool and around our age. They also helped me convince Matt to move there in a couple years ( I LOVE that place). After dinner we all went to another comedy show and then gambled for a few hours. I really do think if you are gambling to have fun and not to win money, that is when you get lucky...maybe it is the positive vibes of the good company. So finally we made friends on the last night (we forgot to take any pics with them)
, but we did get their e-mail. We received an e-mail from them today with the picture we took of them, their number, and an invite to Austin! Love making new friends!

This is what every Sunday should be like...

To end this blog, here is a series of our towel animal/doll pics:

Nikki
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Blessed All the Way Around

When weeks like this end with me feeling awesome, I wonder if it is just the amazing weather, or the people I surround myself with. Maybe a combination of both....

I am so proud of my husband...who received a great honor at work this week. To celebrate, I cooked him (yes me) a large dinner on Wednesday that was ready when he got home for work...SURPRISE! It was delish...baked tilapia with butter and lemon, roasted red potatoes, and broiled bacon wrapped asparagus. Yes, I am steppin' up my game!
 
I am also proud of our friend, Garrett, who finally had us over for dinner in his first place! It was a short-notice get together so I did not have time to get together what I have been wanting to give him as a home-warming gift, but I swear I will next time. He has been fighting tooth-and-nail to get his town home (in the inner-loops) finished...and now he is officially in. The biggest obstacle was the kitchen, which he redesigned himself and had the contractors redo before he moved in. Who would have thought a country, cowboy boot wearing engineer could be so creative (and it is good creativity). The kitchen is now my favorite part of the home...apparently he paints paintings too, but that has yet to be seen by me (stay tuned). Thanks for having us over and cooking for us!
Garrett, Sina, and Matt working together to hang his HUGE tv...over the FIREPLACE! (the only flaw in his creativity ;))

The redesigned Kitchen...the bar on the left wasn't there (it was a solid wall, etc.)
Sometimes I feel so blessed...not only for having fantastic friends and family, but also for having people close to me that know how much I love costume jewelry. ;) Thank you so much, Erika, for my belated, yet totally awesome birthday gift!

 It is ALMOST obnoxiously huge which makes it the perfect thing to wear with my cute fall going-out outfits... when I don't feel like having people look at my hair haha. This little gift was left on my back door step last weekend while I was in Louisina...and Erika was in Texas. It was a nice surprise on Sunday night.

Niks

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Back to See Our Tigers Play

First of All...It's Fall ya'll!

My favorite season of the year. The summers down here are fantastic when on the water, but every other time of the day they are miserably scorching. This is something I thank God for sometimes because it makes me appreciate when the weather cools off and you can open your windows and enjoy the Fall air (Today)!

Another reason I love Fall is Football Season!...I might eat my words come Thanksgiving when Football has been on at my house EVERY weekend, ALL weekend for 3 months...but for now, I love it!

Last Friday, we headed east...
We could barely stand being in Houston while the Tigers played at home the weekend before, so this weekend we decided we were going. We spent ALL Saturday at a tailgate for some oil companies that Kristen and my dad know. It was not quite the same as when we get together with our friends, but was still fun non-the-less. On the way to the tailgate I HAD to get my chicken shwarma salad from my favorite greek food place near LSU...later I ate the jambalaya that they made haha. The day of tailgating consisted of beer pong, LOTS of food, music and a little dancing...you know, the usual.

We were late getting to the game so I missed my favorite part...the band playing the fight song. Just thinking about it gives me the chills. The game was ok...not as much fun to watch as usual considering we have no offense, but we survived. Until next time LSU!

Nikki

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Here is to Our Husbands...

I have noticed that many people are quick to point out their husband's faults when they become evident, but we sometimes forget to point out what makes them special when our life is going good.

So for today's blog, there will be no inserted quote about how men are different than women and don't understand how to do things haha...no, today I am thanking Matt for all he has done for me (you know what you do).

"Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat."- Joanne Woodward

The beautiful fall flowers that Matt got me after a rough week
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Same Girl, New Life

Or at least it feels that way now that school has started.

After getting organized, we took the weekend to relax and enjoy the sun before I started school and never got to see the outdoors again. Ok I guess I am being a little over-dramatic, but whenever school starts for architecture students and your first project is assigned, you cannot help but get that knot in the pit of your stomach.

Saturday we took in a little Saints action as they beat Houston in the pre-season game. I also (in my typical multi-tasking fashion) worked on two paintings. They are almost done. I guess the Saints inspired the fluer de lis (even though I had been working on it for a while, and the peacock, well that was just something I had been wanting to do for some reason. The idea hit me and I drew it out in 5 minutes.

The fleur de lis should have been finished and photographed yesterday...only needing a signature and coat of varnish...however, I never thought to check the weather. .

After my first day of school that was pretty relaxed with only one class we had someone come fix our upstairs ac. Just as he was finishing up the mini hurricane hit us hard. It started with harsh lightning and thunder and then we saw the trash flying and horizontal rain. The winds had to of been around 50 mph. Matt and I were in shock at what was hitting as. We hadn't seen weather that bad in years. As I went to restore my crashed computer files for school, the power went out. Welcome back to school Nikki! There was no homework, painting, or anything really done last night. We went into Houston to eat at a gluten-free restaurant, hoping to come back to restored power. The drive out looked like a hurricane hit. Sugar Land was dark and there were downed trees and branches EVERYWHERE! Unfortunately, we returned to a dark house, found Matt's huge stash of flashlights and got setup to camp out. I woke up at 1:50 soaked in sweat and prayed until the power came on 10 minutes later...the power of prayer!

My second day of school was exhausting (4 classes from 8:30-3:30 straight). For studio we headed to Galveston to see our first project's site. Nothing like a road trip with 3 friends you haven't seen in 3 months. Hoping the year is full of GOOD excitement!

Niks

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Well Hello There...

Friends...
Since our wedding we have been busy. Most of this has taken place in our very own home; cleaning and organizing before school starts (it rules my thoughts unfortunately). We were able to get away three weekends though...not for our birthdays (we stayed at home for those).

Birthday Cake...
Kristen, who is now our 3rd roomate, and I got rained out of the pool the Sunday before Matt's birthday. He was golfing so we went and bought ingredients to make the ultimate birthday cake...neither of us LOVE to cook, but we both really enjoy baking. It was a yellow butter cake with strawberries, chocolate chips and had a fudge icing (Matt loves fudge)...we were ambitious and went for two layers with a cream cheese icing in between (he loves cream cheese). We then used our decorating sense (her's from doing actual cakes at a bakery and me just being me) and put cut strawberries on top with chocolate chips around the sides. Happy Late Blog Birthday Babe! Exactly one month after our wedding, he turned 26.

Cabinet Doors...
We have missed you, but now you weird us out a little.

We recently decided that we're giving up on the staining the cabinets ourselves and are saving the money for someone to do it after putting only one coat on all the doors that need two. (Probably gonna take a while) So this year when your thinking of Christmas gifts, think cabinets! Since they prob. won't be finished until next summer, I started to put the doors back on...I was sick of the cluttered look after 2 years. Waiting for Matt's help this weekend with the tall doors...

Weekend Fun...
First is was the 4th at False River with Ashtyn and Derrick.

Next Kevin and Denise's Wedding July 24, 2010 in Lafayette. Congrats you guys...you were both beautiful! This pics of Matt and I at the wedding are on a different camera. :(

Last weekend was our last summer bash at Lake Sam Raborn in Texas. It was awesome...we will def. be going back! Me, Matt, Ashtyn, Derrick, Garrett, Leslie C, Matt M, Kristen, and Brandon rented a lake house and took Derrick's boat out for some wake boarding and tubing from Thursday to Sunday. We got a spa treatment every day as we walked through the wet, clay/mud to the boat from the house until we realized we could roll out a dock that sunk into the mud and stayed suctioned for the last 2 days.

I am almost back to wake boarding like a normal person again after falling on my face too many times last summer. (when am I ever normal anyway?...). Matt was mastering his many tricks he is trying...including his infamous back flip where he throws his body upside down in the air and hopes for a good landing.

got pretty sunburnt..had to keep layering it on

I love my friends...Ashtyn helped me to discover that I can eat marshmallows, hershey's bars, snickers, potato chips, and tostitos on my new Gluten-free diet. Thanks for giving me reasons to eat junk...on occasion. We also managed to run out of gas, but seriously licked out that we were so close to a camp. The boys got out and pushed/pulled the boat while Kristen and I swam and hiked the rocks to the camp to ask for a gas can. A man just so happened to have a can with Gas...ooo ya! He saved the day!

Kristen and Leslie trying to flag people down before we decided to swim to them
Matt M and Derrick pulling
Garrett, Brandon, and Matt T pushing...no one needed a work out after that

The rest of the weekend details are on a need to know basis, this includes: cave woman, mud fights, beer pong, smores, etc.

Garrett, the model
Gluten-Free...
Two weeks after our wedding I was re-tested for Celiac Disease and a few days after making Matt's cake I was told by the doctor to stop eating Glutens. There is no sure way to know if you have it besides biopsying a piece of your small intestine (which I am not doing anytime soon)...but after testing for EVERYTHING else and discovering that Celiac Disease appears in my genetic test, the doctor is pretty sure I have it to some degree. The only way to cure its symptoms and avoid complications that include infertility is to avoid Glutens for the rest of my life. 
This must be Gods way of getting me to enjoy cooking for my family. I never enjoyed it before, but now knowing that Glutens can be found in some vinegars, sauces, meats, breads, and anything that is processed in factories that process glutens; cooking seems safer and easier than eating out. At first it was daunting to avoid everything and still be able to eat a variety of things. Luckily, this week I have made some discoveries.
First:
This is not a cook book, but a book to understand what is happening and how to cope with every day life. This includes going to parties and getting asked constantly why you are not eating the food that is out...without sounding whoa-is-me, and a section for people who live with people that have Celiac. Matt has been very good and understanding...another reason to love him. I have also discovered a range a Gluten-free food at local grocery stores like HEB and Walmart. Not that I want to eat bad all the time, but the key to staying on a diet is to let yourself cheat every once and a while...when I want a brownie, I think I deserve one. Sooo, I found gluten-free baking flour, bread mixes, cakes, pancake mix, pizza crust, brownie mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, lunch meat, drinks, peanut butter, almond butter, pasta noodles and sauce, granola, and even more! I feel like the possiblities in my kitchen just tripled...of course any fruit or veggies will always be perfect for me.

Yes, that is Mac-N-Cheese on my dinner plate...rice noodles rock! And corn noodles...after being at the lake and not being able to eat the Mac-N-Cheese with everyone both nights they all ate it, I was jumping up and down through the aisles when I found the rice noodle macaroni.
Etsy...
I am also managing to work on my etsy shop, portfolio, and learn a program I need for school. I have added photography that I have done over the years (hoping to get new stuff soon) to the shop and am working on 3 new paintings to put on there soon. (branches, peacock, and fleur de lis) Check it out...
Who Dat!
The Tags-Nikki
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Our pictures are ready!

I have been seriously neglecting the blog since getting married. This is not because I don't love it...I am just in mega-cleaning mode these days. I have been organizing my whole house. This includes giving away 3 bags of clothes/purses/shoes from my closet, organizing Matt's closet, organizing my design shelf and throwing away 3 shelves of samples/brochures, organizing our office, etc. I think the fear of going back to school unorganized is the culprit of this.

If I haven't already e-mailed you this...our pictures from the wedding are in! Matt and I have been re-living our wedding day in all of its wonderful excitement over and over again. Thank you so much Clint Shuttlesworth! Go to the link below and enter in the password: yourock. We get the cd of them next week so I will be posting them on Facebook. In the meantime, here is a pic I "stole" from his gallery. Now I am off to replant some plants in the flower beds!

http://www.clintsbad.com/pickpic/gallery/splash.php?gallery_id=55

Niks

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Can We Stay on Our Honeymoon, Please?

I asked the last day of our Honeymoon as we walked on the beach...

Our honeymoon was the most needed vacation I have ever taken and was also one of the best! We left the hotel at 3:30 on Sunday morning...we had just enough time to shower and take a short nap. We slept on the first flight and the second watched the movie, "Valentines Day" with the other 90% of the plane that were honeymooners. Most of the girls wore their "bride" shirts  or sun dresses and some guys had their "groom" shirts. All had their shiny, newly polished rings on that glistened in the light, freshly manicured nails, and a newlywed glow. Matt and I had bags under our eyes and no rings (thought it was a smart idea when going to the ocean), but we did have pretty nails. ;)

We arrived on St. Lucia and were greeted by the rain and gray skies due to the recent tropical storm. We didn't mind, we just wanted to sleep...but this didn't happen until we rode an hour and a half on very windy roads...many got car sick while Matt slept haha. We were greeted by friendly staff at Ti Kaye who gave us welcome leis made out of banana leaves and a welcome rum punch in a wooden cup. That night we ate dinner at the resort (the only available place to eat at night, averaging 100 dollars a dinner).

 Our bungalow was amazing with a gorgeous view of the ocean that we would never get sick of looking at. It was complete with french doors that would open to the porch that had a hammock and private plunge pool...that connected to our outdoor shower from which we could look at the ocean. Flowers covered our bed that we quickly brushed off and fell like zombies into until about noon the next day.

 Our shower

We woke to partly cloudy skies and took the chance to relax on the beach...only 160 steps down from the resort. (better than the boat/car ride at other resorts) We ate at the beach bar and grill and took the day to kayak to private beaches and lay around.

On Tuesday, we took a 30 minute water taxi ride to the capital city of St. Lucia, the Castries. While there we had the opportunity visit the craft market, a local cafe for some juice, a 400 year old tree, the city's cathedral, some duty free shops, and see an animation about the island's history.We finally found out that the island was fought over by the french and british until the 70's, when they got their independence...just in time for a hurricane to hit and destroy many homes; leaving the country with little money to support itself. This did explain the mixture of creole food and language with british-english and driving on the left side of the road. That night we ate our cold lunch left-overs from the mini-fridge in order to save money for activities and relax on our porch...

Matt and the lady at the craft market that sold him a painting
 The Cathedral in Castries
Us in front of the 400 year old tree
Wednesday, we woke up excited about our horseback riding that morning...only to find that it was storming and canceled...it rained until around noon so we sat around reading and eating. After the rain was done, we hiked down the steps to the beach and lay out under the cloudy skies. Later that day we were able to kayak some more and snorkel next to the beach. We saw a lot of fish and found out why we kept seeing Sandals and other boats dropping off people there...apparently our cove has the best snorkeling on the island, SCORE!
That night, the resort hosted a cocktail hour with a live band and a large buffet in order to get the small amount of guests that stay there acquainted with each other. We met many couples and have kept in touch with a couple from Orlando that wants us to go visit.
The day of sitting around made Matt antsy...he booked up our last 3 days with back-to-back activities. This started with a beach outing Thursday morning, followed by horseback riding in the afternoon. We each got a well-trained female horse...his was named, "Olympia" and mine was, "Dalila". We felt bad for his for having to carry such a heavy guy...she was the slowest one of the bunch. We road through the banana plantations...learning all about bananas and then down to the beach to get on our guides horse in the ocean bareback. It was as bad as I thought, but his constant bucking and sitting due to the "ladies" on the beach made it a little difficult. Afterwards we rode our girls down to see St. Lucia's rum distillery and back to the ranch. When we got back to the resort, we quickly changed and left again to head to our romantic dinner at the Rainforest Hideaway restaurant 20 minutes away in Marigot Bay. 
Friday morning we got up bright and early, went to the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, and headed an hour away to our Rainforest Canopy Tour- code word for zip lining through the rainforest. We looked EXTREMELY attractive in our outfits...and I was nervous to control myself on the lines and still let myself go fast enough to not stop in the middle of the lines. After a few lines...they told me I was better than Matt! I let him know...he got a video on one line, but I am not sure how to post it. We cooled off in our plunge pool and that night went with a group of guests to a local fishing town called, Anse la Raye, for their weekly fish fry festival. Matt and I love seafood so we sat at a table most of the night eating king fish sandwiches, crab cakes, grilled red snapper with garlic, and other dishes. After that we walked around the town watching the locals and tourist dance to the music while they waiting for a local club to open up.

 Eating at the fish fry festival
Saturday was another early day, but since it was our last full day we didn't mind...we were going scuba diving! I had been sick ever since our plane ride there (my darn allergies), but luckily this day my congestion had gone away (otherwise I couldn't dive). I was still extra nervous about getting my ears to equalize as we went deeper...my ears always give me trouble...ever since I was a baby. We took the DSD course which only took about an hour and can contribute towards our eventual certification. We had to pass a few underwater tests before going; including flushing our mask (the hardest for me) and putting our respirator back in and purging it if we were to lose it. Then we were off...we completely forgot to take pictures in our dive suits and tanks (which were heavy as hell) because of our excitement/nerves in the beginning and more excitement/hunger at the end. We got to pet a sea horse and hold and arrow-head crab. When I was given a slug to hold, I didn't realize I had sunk and was about to hit the lava rock at the bottom...my instructor, Lester,...and awesome guy...pointed and out and I freaked (thinking about snorkeling near the sharp coral in Hawaii); I then knocked my respirator out of my mouth at about 30 feet under...freaking out Matt and Lester. To their (and my own) surprise, I calmly held up my hand to calm down and got my respirator back in my mouth... and we continued. Honestly, if it would have been my mask and I couldn't see I would have lost it...but when we got back to shore Lester said we were naturals and need to get certified...I am never a natural at ANYTHING! We want to get certified now so we can go with my dad on future vacations...get ready dad!
  The only pick we got of our gear
 Us with Lester later that day
Directly after lunch we went to our hour-and-a-half free massages that provided a terrific view of the ocean. And right after that trucked it to our wine tasting with Cleus...our favorite staff member that we are still keeping in touch with. He has a smile that brightens your day and was a wealth of wine knowledge. We found out he has a girlfriend of 6.5 years at the resort, so as any girl that waited a long time herself would do, I suggested that our tip go towards the engagement ring savings account haha. The tasting made me like wine again and I felt quite nice afterwards. ;) We ate at the resort and sat at the bar with the orlando couple until it closed...Perfect last night.
The next day we hit the beach for an hour before leaving and walked around thinking about having to leave, but wanting to stay. When we left our taxi driver took us to see the Pitons which we had not gotten to see yet and a small town of, Soufriere, that we are told we must visit when we go back. Twelve hours later we were in Houston driving on fast, straight interstates again...boo hoo. We are looking into our next vacation! ;)
 The Pitons with Soufriere in the foreground
Nikki 
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Our wedding day was more than either of us could dream of...pure perfection. We hope our marriage follows along those lines although we are not naive that it takes work. I figure if after 8 years of being together and two years of living together we still jumped head-over-heels into marriage...something must be working for us.

Our families have been at our sides every step of the way and showed us how much they care during our year of wedding planning...yes, the entire year of venues, food, flowers, music, dresses, invites, rings, smiles, and break-downs. Wedding planning does take a lot of work and I am glad to get to rest and relax now, but it did pass by too fast. An entire year of planning for four hours of fun that felt like 20 minutes. I kept reminding myself to take it all in...in each moment. From the getting ready with my girls, to the ceremony music played by my cousins, to the saints chant at the reception...everything was special and memorable.

Thank you everyone for coming to our weekend of wedding fun...we had a blast and hope you all had just as much fun as we did! Also, thanks to our parents for working so hard to help us put this wedding together...it is now over and you can go get a margarita or two! ;)

Nikki

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Wedding,Wedding, and more Wedding

I haven't been doing much of anything besides final wedding planning since school got out.

However, I was able to get a weekend away to ride some boats in tickfaw with Matt and some friends. I hadn't been out there since the Boat Bash in 2008, when Kristen made an entire ice chest of jello shots. Ashtyn and I attempted to be Kristen and make our own (I have never made them before)...but when getting the jello powder out, we realized we forgot to buy the little cups so I had to settle for crystal light and vodka and Ashtyn drank her Michelob Ultra.

The first boat we went on...courtesy of Michelle's family
The Propstop- a boat dock bar
Matt sporting his knee brace after wakeboarding
The next weekend I was kept busy and entertained by my very well-planned Bachelorette Party. Thanks Mom and Kristen! They worked so hard to plan out every detail of the weekend and I felt so lucky to have such a wonderful maid of honor...seriously if anyone is getting married and looking for a moh...Kristen is your girl! ;) They had a cheesy bridal veil for the day just to tick me off (but I wore it joyfully), and at night I had a cute birdcage veil with feathers made by them...and they got all the girls black clips and headbands of different types to wear at nights. Many of the details and pictures of this party must remain under-wraps until after this coming weekend (Matt's Bachelor Party) due to him trying to top our un-toppable party. He has found out about a lot ofit because I cannot keep my mouth shut...but the details he doesn't know. So I will just post two photos to get the imagination going...
 Danielle and Kristen
Me, Leslie, and Erika...poor Leslie had to drink water the WHOLE weekend due to baby Guilbeaux on the way...what a good friend!
Now that we are 12 days away...I have found comfort in following this girls blog who has the same wedding date as me...wish I would have found it months ago... She blogs about EVERYTHING wedding related (much of it comes at the exact same time as my stuff). This week was the weather...yes a stress that is topping my list this week. We do have a backup plan, but I would LOVE for it to be not deathly hot and clear skies. We got our marriage license last Friday and now I am just finishing up details (if only it would stop storming so I could go paint outside). Another thing that comforts me about reading her blog is her "wedding brain" as she calls it, that has rendered her (and me) incapable of making ANY decisions on our own. I have never taken so long and needed so many opinions when picking out jewelry; in fact I am the jewelry queen usually, but over the last month you would swear I was a tomboy who has never worn a necklace in my life. If I could get them on time I would have just bought 3 options to pick on the wedding day, but the shipping time made the decision for me. If I have to and I'm not happy with my jewelry the day of, I will simply pull a forever 21 necklace out of my closet collection. Wish me luck for the next 2 weeks!
Nikki 
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An Oklahoma Weekend

Last weekend Matt's parents, Matt, and I packed the van full of luggage and headed over to Norman. It was a crazy weekend with lots going on.

We got there Friday, just in time to head over to the Kansas, Styx, and Foreigner concert. I remember always listening to my dad's foreigner cd when I was little because it was one of the first cd's we owned. The crowd was unusual and after hearing Juke Box Hero and Hot Blooded, my mom and I decided to leave with Matt's parents to finish getting stuff for Kristen's party the next day. Matt and my dad staying until past the end...and when we saw them that night they were off of the deep end as well.

Saturday was Kristen's graduation AND her birthday. So it was her birthuation I guess. We went to the packed arena to see her get her diploma, and she then snuck out early (thank god!) haha. Matt and his parents left early to go prepare the Jambalaya and potato salad for the party.

We got home and helped to finish cooking everything and began the party. It was a day of food, hot-tubbing because it was unusually cool, and games...and for me a little nap.  It turned out to be a wonderful day and Kristen had a lot of fun.

On Sunday, Dawn through me a bridal shower at her house...themed yellow. LOVE IT! She had the most beautiful setup with yellow cupcakes, lemon drops, tulips (my favorite flower), punch, and other treats...including some AMAZING chocolate covered strawberries. Not as many people as I would have hoped came due to weather and graduations, but the people that did were my closest family so I could not have asked for more.  Casey was so excited about the wedding and the fact that he was in it. I think at this point he has totally forgotten about Matt, and it is now mine and his wedding. Thank you so much Dawn for such a beautiful shower, it meant so much to me!

P.S. whoever has the pictures with the grandparents and Kayla, could you send them?
Now ready or not, here comes the wedding...29 Days and counting!
Niks
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Updates...

Well finals are over...well somewhat over. Although my studio professors are supposed to have the grades in this weekend, they want us to come back Monday with newly printed boards showing the edits we have made. So I guess that means I still have some editing to do haha.

It has been awhile so although I haven't slept at all, I thought I should write a little something. It feels so nice to know the semester is coming to an end. Not only that, but we should be getting our engagaments pictures that we took on April 29th any day now. (I'll will post a link when I get them). If we get 25-75 comments on our pictures on the photographers blog we get free stuff, so get ready to comment when I let you know. I had been waiting and waiting for the day of the session to get there...bleaching my teeth, working out, getting sleep. The day of I wasn't feeling very well though, of course. I could not get my head on straight and was VERY nervous to take pictures. I will tell more of the story when I post them.

 We were trying to find Matt new jeans before our shoot...he was frustrated and this is how I found him when I walked into the hall. I think it looks funny...
The night before our canceled shoot, enjoying gelato's after shopping hard for outfits

So what else besides wedding and school has been going on? Well, Matt tore his ACL...ya you read correctly. You know, we figured that we didn't have enough going on in our lives so let's add this into the mix. He hurt it a year ago playing flag football (yes he also broke his nose in college playing flag football). We would ice it every night and he would go play again and again (reinjuring it). He wakeboarded all summer, and this winter he was fine. Then flag football started again this year and in the first game he hurt it yet again so he decided it was time to give in and see a doctor. I wish he would have done it sooner because he has been very active on a torn ACL for a year. He got a VERY expensive knee brace so he can continue to be active...luckily we have a fantastic support system to step in and help us out.;) After the wedding he plans to get the knee surgery to have it fixed. But this will have to be done soon after because there is talk that he could be going to Russia for work (for 3 months to a year) in the fall. (yes, leaving me behind). This is not certain, but it will make for one hell of a first year together.

How I will treat myself if Matt goes to Russia...this was just one night he wasn't home..

 This weekend we are heading to Oklahoma for Kristen's graduation and birthday, and my bridal shower. I am so excited because I haven't been since Christmas and I haven't seen a lot of my family since thanksgiving. Now, I just hope that the tornado's stay away while I am there, but hey, last time I was in a record breaking blizzard when I went! I just want some pool time...

Nikki

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Tie-the-Knot Celebration

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Related Posts with ThumbnailsYes...two posts in one day. I am playing catch up. Still very busy, but since our shoot was canceled I am catching up on life outside of school for a few hours.

Last weekend we went to Lafayette for a party thrown for us by Bob and Lou Ahrabi. I have been calling it the, "Tie-the-Knot Celebration", but it didn't really have a name.

It was at the Petroleum Club in Lafayette...walk through the 50th Reunion Party in the front room, to the old Men's Quarters in the back. Not only was the room we were in small and quaint with a nice warm feel to it; hearing the old people (who I loved) say, "You are too young to be here for our reunion!?' was pretty funny. If Kristen was there, I am sure she would have ended up on the dance floor with them.

This party was planned quickly, so my mom, Kristen and Jake were not able to make it due to the 20 hour round-trip drive. My dad was in New Orleans for work, so he rented a car (if you could call it that) and drove over to "represent" as mom called it. I wish I had a picture of that car...picture my dad in a small white hatchback that looks like a smart car in size...with manual window roll down that he would feverishly turn in order to talk to us...or pick up the ladies haha.

Matt and I showed up a few mintue late, as usual, and were amazed by the setup when we walked in. I am hoping that our wedding can compete with the decor. I had told Mrs. Lou to do a Louisiana theme if she needed ideas. The decor was in our wedding colors; each table had a basket of citrus fruits and the mantle had an assortment of Louisiana greenery. The cake was delicious; decorated in our colors with a fleur de lis and they handed out favors of Tabasco sauce and pecan pralines. Wow!

We stepped into the crowd of people and I don't think I stopped talking from that point on...next to the door was also a framed picture of us that people could engrave their name in. The food was a buffet line of all sorts of stuff...including my favorite, CRAB CAKES! Mrs. Debra and Mr. Saeed stood up to give a great speech and called on my dad, who was put on the spot, and told a sweet story about when we moved to Louisiana...I looked down at the table the whole time to keep from crying...yes I am Debbie Junior.

Then Matt and I were called up, and of course he says a great little speech while I look at Mrs. Linda, mouthing, "I don't know what to say..." She was my "mom" for the night. So it came to me and I said..."Yes, I agree with Matt." haha...WHAT!? I need to practice that stuff...no words could come out, yet I am known to ya'll as the person who won't shut up... Matt then goes on to tell the introverted/extroverted story from our marriage class, while my teeth chattered together...too many people looking at me. How am I gonna get married in front of double the number of people?!

Anyway, it was a fantastic night full of lots of friends...although I did miss many as well. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Ahrabi!

The cake
 mmmm...buffet
 Lindsay and Linda
The reserved table
 
The speeches
 Bob and Lou Ahrabi

Love this series of pics...all the "adults" were amazed by the iphone barcode scanner and took the b.m. dresses to see if I got the best deal, then Erika fussed at my dad to give them back, then she got them! haha
Amy, Lee, Matt and David: Coffee Drinkers

 Mr. Saeed and Mrs. Debra with the flowers I got, then accidentally left at their house

And if you haven't gotten your wedding invite, be looking for it!

Nikki

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Sit Back and Relax

Our engagement photo session was supposed to be at 5 pm, but due to weather was rescheduled this morning for this coming Thursday evening. I hope it doesn't rain on Thursday because we cannot reschedule our shoot for a fourth time...Matt and I have devised a plan to make our shoot really cool if it does. This would involve dramatic lighting, dancing (my idea), an umbrella, and kiss under it in the rain (Matt's idea).

I guess here is to another week of eating right, excercising, teeth whitening, and face cleansing routinely. Luckily, Matt and I felt the pressure to go shopping together last night for our outfits...finally! I will get mine ready this weekend so my crazy week doesn't get in the way of looking pretty for the shoot. But...since it is cancelled for today...I am taking a spoon and scooping out a glob of Nutella from the jar Matt keeps hidden from me on the top shelf of our pantry; for fear that I will not be able to resist and eat it all before he gets a bite. Yum!

 A photo taken by our photographer: Clint Shuttlesworth...Just to tide you over until ours... www.clinttakesphotos.com
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Spring Fever-Today in my Yard

I had to take a short break from the loads of homework piling up on me as school nears an end this year. I have a total of 4 weeks left which is bitter-sweet considering how much more needs to be done before I get out.

I took a couple hours on this particularly beautiful day to work on some plants in our recently re-planted flower beds.

Matt and I recently re-planted plants to replace those that died over the harsh winter, as well as, made a new flower bed in the backyard over my Spring Break a few weeks ago. I know...sounds like a crazy fun Spring Break. I was feeling so daring that I actually wore shorts and a tank top to pull weeds so that I could get some sort of tan before we take engagement pictures on April 23rd. (Thank God I also got to go on a pretty chilly boat ride last weekend to keep me sane)

Well I have been trying to feed these plants for the last few weeks to get them to grow lush and beautiful...and today I took pieces of my pink Oleander to propagate into a whole new plant (hopefully) for our backyard. I will update as to whether or not it works. I did take some pretty pics of my plants starting to show signs of life.

As of this coming Saturday, our wedding is 10 weeks away! It seems unreal. Please be looking for your invites in a couple of weeks!

Nikki

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New Spring Additions

Spring has sprung, and I am loving it! The weather is still pretty cool (hoping it will be a cooler summer= a cooler wedding), but it has been nice for running, building our new flower bed, and bbq'ing.

Along with the beautiful flowers starting to come alive in my flower beds, we have welcomed another addition to our extended family. My best friend of almost 11 years had her baby boy, Tyler Morgan, on March 25th.

 Yes, that is the day after Jake's birthday so I am hoping it will be easy for me to remember. He came around 10 pm and weighed 6 lbs. and 5 ounces. He has a full head of hair and looks like a doll...just like his momma ;). Unfortunately, they now live in Alabama so I have not gotten to see my little man yet, but I am counting down the days until I can. The painting I have been working on was for his room, and it was very fitting that I finished it on his birthday...granted I stayed up until late to do so haha. It is now packed up and ready to be shipped to Alabama. The only thing I am wondering is, will he be an Alabama or LSU fan? I guess no matter what I will have to love him. Congrats to the two new parents from Matt and I! Here is hoping you get lots of rest!

The week before was my spring break. Erika and Isla (now almost 2 years old) came to Houston to help me paint our guest bedroom. I love my little Isla bean; she has the biggest eyes and wipes her hair from her face with her whole hand haha...like most little girls. We took them to have some bbq and go to the Houston Rodeo to see Gary Allan while Isla enjoyed her large hat of ice cream; eaten with a spoon twice her size of course. If you haven't ever gone you should; it is quite a spectacle. It is so weird to be around all of the little kiddos, but pretty soon I am sure all our lives will revolve around them...

 We chose a concrete gray for the room which goes well with the large upholstered chartruse head board I made when I lived in Lafayette and white bed spread(pics soon to come). Thanks for the help you guys...I have such fantastic friends! Hopefully our house can look a little better than a construction zone when everyone comes into town for the wedding.

Niks

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A Beautiful Day for a Run

    Yesterday I ran my second 10K race; that would be 6.2 miles to be exact. I was more nervous for this one than the last time I did it. Matt and I ran this same race together last year so he was a nice tag-along buddy to alternate with, and I had been following my training schedule perfectly (running 3 to 4 times a week and sometimes more miles than it said). This year, however, Matt decided to focus on lifting weights and opted out of the run. I have also been more busy with school and wedding planning and could only run 2 or 3 times a week...so the nerves kicked in that morning.

    The alarm rang at 6:30 (yes 6:30)...I had to be in Downtown Houston for 8 am...and I am not a morning runner to begin with. Matt could tell I was nervous/tired so he made me two eggs over-easy and a banana for a good race-day breakfast. So sweet! We hop into the car as I drink my electrolyte drink... being prepared now after getting dehydrated last week.

    We arrive to the race start 5 minutes early and I had made myself so nervous that I needed to use the restroom haha...As soon as I got in the porta-potty I heard the race gun go off...it had started with me in the restroom! I run out and run to the back of the crowd that was still walking slowly towards the start line. I wave to Matt and cross over the line.

    I like to leave my music off for the first half mile or so because as I weave through all of the walkers it is fun to listen to the things they are talking about with their friends. At the turtle pace I hear one woman say, "Why was I so nervous, this is just my pace!" with a laugh. Photographers appear during the race on certain parts and the man run-walking strangely next to me lifts he yellow muscle shirt and flashes the first one we see.

    I have decided that when I do this race next year; because I will be doing it next year; I am going to try and bring a camera to take pictures because you can get vantage points of this that you can never see otherwise. My music is on, but low and I hear the crowd standing next to the road cheering. I cross over the one miles mark at 13 minutes and tell myself to stay slow and controlled for now. At around 2 miles I see the 1st place winner going the opposite direction...there is NO way I could do that. Minutes later I see the first girls...a few of them looking pretty manly and another wearing her little sports bra with a six pack; over-achiever.

   I get water from the people sticking their arms out with cups. These are the worst things to drink out of while running...a drop gets in my mouth while the rest splashes on my face. I throw the cup in the trash and feel like I just swallowed an air bubble. I finally cross over the 5K mark where my stomach ulcers start to scream at me as they do during my longer runs these days. (That is why I finally went to the doctor for them) They will not hold me back anymore...  As I turn to go the opposite direction, the sun is now in my eyes, "O yes this is where it got hard last year". I see another girl behind me with a thin figure and sports bra...she is just lucky! I decided it is time to turn up my Girl Talk mix Kristen gave me, zone out, and cruise a little. This is where my little strides become longer and my abs start to help out my legs. 6K, 7K, 8K.

   I pass up a big man that then comes around me to pass me; we stay with each other for a few more minutes until I pass him up again and run a little faster as I see the 9K sign. I pass up the water (it held me back last time) and come to a huge hill (disadvantage point Erika ;)), but then shortly hit the huge downhill...ahhhhh. The over pass takes the sun out of my eyes and I feel in control again...although I now have a cramp on the right side to go with my ulcer pains on the left. I start to sprint the last bit, turning into the street where I see the finish line. The people in front of me are un-catchable so I slow down a little...and pass at one hour and 4 minutes... Not as good as I wanted, but I did start the race in a porta-potty...;)

Nikki

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