Quick... ish update!

Its been about a month and a half since I have written anything. Not due to the lack of action, but because I have been going going and going. Its been nuts but fun!!!

I will have to go into more detail when the wedding is over since, I have to make this short.

So first things first: VEGAS

Vegas was amazing. It was perfect and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Well, okay, one thing was missing. My cousin, Sharon. But, we’ll just have to make up for it during her party 

Here’s a couple teasers to start it all off.

Actually, this is a little out of order, but that’s okay. The weekend before Vegas(July 25) we went to Cole’s cousin’s (Shannon) wedding at Newcastle Golf Club in Seattle. Its an absolute beautiful venue and I am so jealous! The wedding was beautiful and fun. They had it on a Sunday and when I think back to all the wedding planning, having a wedding on a Sunday is a great idea! You have 2 great days of the weekend to lead up to it and even getting done at 11pm on a Sunday night was not that bad for Monday!

The weekend after Vegas(August 7) we were in Fresno for another one of Cole’s cousin’s(Katie) wedding. They also had a lovely wedding in a catholic church in Fresno. It was the first time I had been to a full catholic mass wedding. It was long, but not dreadful like most people tend to describe catholic weddings. I actually thought it was really beautiful and lovely! I loved the traditions that were done and so nice to be indoors, especially in comparison to the Fresno heat. I was over 100 that day.

The next weekend Cole and I decided to take some much needed time to ourselves and went to the first preseason Seahawks game against the Titans. We got really good seats and the hawks won! Woo hoo!!! That next weekend we went to the next preseason game against green bay for Courtney’s Birthday! We enjoyed the game, okay… we enjoyed about half the game before we all met up and decided to move on. With that, we went to Cowgirls inc. I don’t know what it is, but theres something about that place. I LOVE it! It’s kind of trashy, but I always have a good time there! I think because its fairly easy to get tasty drinks, the expectations aren’t very high and they play country music! After a couple hours of that, someone…. I didn’t know the guy, convinced us that there was a club “close by” that we should go to called Republiq. We walked so far, in our Seahawks gear, that we all sobered up, when we got there. Then told the cover was $20 per person…. WHAT!?? Who charges $20 per person in Seattle? Anyways, needless to say, it was a great night.

The following weekend, our friends Stephanie and Matt hosted a Couples Shower for us at Newcastle Golf Club. There were great drinks, great food, great company and fun games! It was extremely well organized and Cole and I had a lot of fun! It also was great because Newcastle is just up the road from our house so it was nice to not have a long drive home after a night of celebrating 

Since then it has been wedding planning and more wedding planning.

We have had a break also to celebrate Taylor’s birthday a little early. Since things will be hectic with wedding planning, we decide early is better. With the idea steming from our friend Amanda, Taylor, Brody, Nutmeg and Eli were able to participate in Pawswalk at Magunsen park!!!

oh and we brought dog ice cream..... brody's new guilty pleasure :)

Tid bits, here and there

Caution:   this is about nothing in particular.


Cole and I are finally home from a great trip in Portland,Or. Although, I have a new found love for Portland and want to see more of it, it wasn't just the city that made the trip so great. The trip had a rough start since we both had a hard time being prepared to leave. The trip kind of snuck up on us since we have been so busy with Dance lessons, wedding appointments, planing, preparing for other people's weddings, other people's events and work. All the typical stuff and nothing out of the ordinary for most people. But once we finally got to Portland, it was a great time! We went for work related reasons for Cole, and I met his VP/boss. We stayed at the Benson Hotel with our dogs and walked around the Pearl District. It was nice to have the dogs around and to do a little family trip.

One of my favorite parts was on friday night we went to a Builder's Dinner at Kell's in Portland and it was beautiful! It was such a great place and had amazing food! They even had irish cloggers and gave us Kell's Sweatshirts! which I loved! The next day we went to the barge christening for the Crowley barge 455 9.They even announced us!

Later that night we went to Dukes Country bar and met with Courtney, Cheryl and Cheryl's friend Sarah. It was nice to go out there and try to  line dance! I was in need of some cowgirl boots though :) So on our way home the next morning, Cole and I stopped in Centralia and I got my first pairs of boots. and I Love them!!! I can't wait to wear them in! One of the hardest things in Portland was to not get too carried away with shopping due to the lack of sales tax! I tried very hard to justify buying things, but Cole reeled me back to reality that if I managed to shop and spend $100... Im saving only $10.....which, yes money is money, but that I shouldnt just spend... to spend. It was a diffcult thing to control. Good thing Cole was strong for me :) He did let me get some very needed eyeliner :D

Well the reason I bring up portland, is Cole and I really needed a break from our lives and the wedding. It was a nice getaway that wasn't too far away and we got to spend a lot of time alone and relaxing, without the pressures of "cleaning the house" or "running errands" or "making appointments".

So here's a random thought... maybe a bit sad, and I'm just feeling sorry for myself at the moment and need to snap out of it. But...so my bachelorette party is in 2 weeks... and I'm really excited. I am! But Im having a hard time getting myself to be outwardly excited. :( I don't know why....

maybe im being selfish and sulking about it cause I feel stressed and I have to much to do to really allow myself to have a vacation, or maybe I feel like I forced everyone to go on this expensive trip to vegas, or maybe... and this is the WORST, is that I don't feel like this is a bachelorette party for me? or that is should be for me? it just feels so selfish....:( and my schedule with everything has just been so busy, that not only have I been unable to ask anyone else to go shopping with me, I havent been offered any plans to go with anyone else. I took Cole shopping for his clothes cause he asked... does that count? and I found something for myself cause I stressed) Okay... I know that sounded bad. And it was... gross...I need to snap out of it FAST! like I said... its only 2 weeks away! The point is, I love Cole and we're awesome... but because of all the planning and everyone having busy schedules as well... I feel a little like a lonely bride... friend-wise. Yes, this is coming from the person who has 16 girls coming to vegas for my bachelorette... I guess just the leading up to it is lonely...friendwise....cause of my busy schedule :( Granted... at times I am reminded that not everyone is coming to celebrate another "last fling before the ring"

Well, I still have some time... and I still need one more outfit. If I dont find the time to shop (or the money for that matter) then I have stuff in my closet that will suffice.


One thing I was worried is that I have heard a lot of couples fight a lot during the wedding planning then dont make it to the vows because their differences showed during the planning. I am happy to say, Cole and I are NOT one of those couples. We have bonded even more.... if that was even possible... and really been there for each other and even though I have these times where I feel "lonely...friend wise" Cole reminds me that he will always be here for me and he will be taking a vow so be my friend forever....

This went from a positive post to a negitive post. So I need to bring it back around!

So on happy note... a few actually! I have been dieting and working out a lot and feeling like my heard work is starting to pay off. I am far from the flawless body of Jennifer Anniston or Rihanna, I am still proud of myself for sheding an inch or two :)\

Also! Cole's cousin Shannon is getting married in exactly a week!!! at Newcastle in Seattle! its going to amazing and beautiful! I can't wait!

Okay.... so obviously my posts for the last couple months have been a little stale and lacking in personality or emotion, so I thought I would do one of things on my mind and the up and downs being engaged... at least for me.

ps... I am VERY aware that my downs are silly and I am just being down. But I would hope that for whoever reads this can just remember, everyone has their bad days. Although not everyone will think that my lows are founded, to me they are and I have to live with them

Invites are Out!!!

So much is going on lately, I don’t even know where to start!




First off, my invites went out!!! Woo hoo! And here they are!

The design is by Tanya Williams at www.designbytanya.com



And she did an amazing job! The concept is of a story book! This all started when Cole and I were having a hard time finding beginning “wording” for the invites. We found one that said “Boy met girl, they fall in love, move in together and get a dog” which we loved. But we didn’t want to copy it right off the bat. So we had it changed  It seemed like a story and it sparked the creative genius in Tanya, and here is the product 

I also got my hair comb in! yay!! As well as belt for my wedding dress! I was so excited to see the belt on my dress that I made Cole stay downstairs while I tried to put on my wedding dress to see the belt. It LOVE it! Exactly how I wanted it  Once I was done and had put everything away, I saw a rhinestone on the floor. My heart dropped!!! It had obviously come from my belt!

So I had to take the belt out and I noticed another one came loose! I brought it downstairs for Cole to examine and we decided this could be hot glued on (even though everything else was hand stitched on). So I decided it would be best to put glue on the rhinestone, then the rhinestone on the belt. Cole decided it would be better to put glued on the belt, then put the rhinestone on. Well…. Just take a little guess as to which rhinestone turned out better ;)



The rhinestone that Cole and his giant engineer hands put on had too much glue that globbed everywhere. We had to let it dry and carefully cut off all the globs. It looks great now, but you can only image the horror on my face when I saw my belt, with rhinestones….but also with TONS of hot glue 

Everything is much better now :) Now I await the RSVP's..... now the REAL planing begins..... :)

someone elses invites....that I like :)

Ok since I have yet to blog about my invites... and I probably wont till next week.  I thought I would blog about someone elses!!! haha

I saw these on this amazing blog called oh so beautful paper. I LOVE this blog!

anyways, these invites are soooo adorable, I wanted to share :) Click Here

99 days!!!!

Today…. Thursday June 24th…. I patiently await a few lovely things in the mail today ..

1. My exciting new baby girl, my iphone4 :)

2. My invites!!! (I will posting them here in a few weeks once they are out in the mail)

3. More pieces to my bridesmaids gift

4. a mini girl night dinner with my ladies!!! Well that’s not in the mail, but its something im looking forward too!

I just can’t wait for my work day to be over so I can see all my exciting stuff!!! Even more so, Im excited to see Cole tomorrow.  HE’s so comfy and wonderful. I love that we can be away from each other, miss each other, but not fall apart,…. Anymore. I used to Cry to hard everytime he left, but now I have that sense of “he’ll be back soon and it will be great”. I guess it’s a little easier for me to say cause its only a week and he barely travels anymore. If he did travel more for long periods of time, I’m sure I’d be singing a different tune:)

Anyways, I was hanging out with my friend and AMAZING make up artist Erica last night (www.ericamadera.com) and we had recently talked about silly wedding terms we see on various wedding blogs. One of them being “Hot dog and two donuts”. Yes its like a fatty meal, but it actually represents 100 days till your wedding! Erica pointed out that yesterday was my hotdog and two donuts! OMG! 100 days away!!! Finally!!! Its starting to happen, its almost here, and the wedding planning is almost over! EXCITING!!!

Through my engagement, I have noticed a few things I would definitely do differently, knowing what I know now:

1. wedding planning is fun and exciting, but very time consuming, and can sometimes distract you from the point. (those vows of love and commitment to another person… yes… that is the point.)

2. Its never to early to wedding dress shop. Don’t feel silly going in before you have a ring. They are expensive, and you should make a very educated decision by looking at as many options as you can. Maybe even in just magazines. I wanted a A line at first, I ended up with a trumpet. I wanted no sleeves… I ended up with sleeves. Look at as many options as possible, don’t get pressured into a dress because it’s a “good deal”. Like your dress for the dress…. Not the price.(but of course, stay in your budget, don’t bother putting one on to “try” unless you can actually afford it…… after tax.)

3. When considering your budget, be realistic. Over budget, don’t under budget. Things add up. When we did our budget, I completely forgot about shoes…. Jewelry, hair pieces, make up, grooms gift…. So many things were left off that were ended up being not cheap.

4. Involve your bridesmaids as much as they want to be involved, or don’t have any. Its kind of easy for a bride to do everything themselves because you don’t want to feel like you are burdening everyone else with your wedding stuff. But some people, mostly your close friends and family, want to be involved!

5. Just because your wedding is expensive, don’t spend your whole engagement locked up in your house because you have to “afford the wedding”. Continue to go out and enjoy your time being engaged. Go camping, vacation, continue your hobbies. Stay happy and not miserable.

Those are the ones that come to mind as of now…. Just some words of advice. Im sure not everyone would agree with me, but its just my little option.

On to some pictures from one of my favorite blogs that I borrow ideas from!!!

So if you didn’t know… I have 2 wonderful doggies. One is a pug. His name is Brody and he is the most handsome pug in the world. Anytime I see a pug I get so excited. Brody doesn’t…. he apparently doesn’t think he is one, and the others are beneath him. But I saw these pictures on SMP and I had to share!

Lastly,…. Look at this girl’s dress!!! Isnt it beautiful! I hope to look that beautiful on my wedding day!!

Its all coming together... yay!

So many things feel like they are finally coming together! It’s great! Invites should be in soon, and out in a couple weeks, my shoes are in, my dress is in, my belt should be mailed today, starting to collect “wedding night’ attire and thinking about wedding day jewelery! Done a hair and make up trial and Vegas is coming up!!!




Its fantastic to feel on track and not behind on anything. I love it!



I am still working on losing some inches around my body. Im more worried about the inches, than the pounds. I am trying to eat smaller portions, healthier foods, trying to avoid sugar as much as possible and keeping my lunchtime exercising! Its taking a lot of commitment to remember all these things.



With Cole being gone in Jacksonville this week, I am going to try on my dress again, with my shoes and hope I won’t need a hem alteration. With a lace dress, an hem alteration can easily start at $200, depending of the type of lace. It can just go up from there. Seeing that I have already spent a small fortune on my appearance for the wedding, I don’t really want to tack on too many more costs! Okay… I do want a little photo booth, but im pretty sure we can’t afford it haha :D



I have been watching all these silly wedding shows and it just makes me so excited! It also put things in perspective, that I am not the only person in the world to get married and to take a little pressure off. I just really hope I don’t cry during the ceremony. I hope I can just take it all in while its happening!



I think one of the most exciting things will be changing my name. At this point, when I think of “Mrs. Van Gundy” I think of Cole’s mom, but I know that in about 3 months, that will be me as well! So weird! Or to hear “for the first time, I present to you Mr and Mrs Coulston and Holly Van Gundy” . To not see the Johnson after my name…. and so many capital letters in my new name.



I know I may have mentioned it before, and its silly, but I am starting to feel more and more like a bride. I know being a “bride” isn’t that big of a deal, but it feels like it should be. It’s a title most (not every) girl wants to be someday, and it’s a little exciting  To feel like my wedding and pre wedding stuff is happening and to cherish all these moments of happiness with my closest friends and family is really exciting!



Ok, well that’s enough on my “feelings” for now. Haha



One of my bridesmaids, Stephanie, is throwing Cole and myself, a couples shower here in Seattle, in August! We’re actually both really excited about it! Sharon and Courtney and throwing the bachelorette party in july, with the help of the other bridesmaids, Stephanie, Tany, Diana and Lindsay. So we have some fun time ahead of us! Its really nice to have so many friends surrounding us and it really make this time special. Cole and I loving each other is an obvious given (ex: ring on my finger :) ) but to have so many friends and family supporting us is really touching and so wonderful!



Even my friend not in the wedding party! For example, my friend Amanda, helped me through the process of thinking of bridesmaids and groomsmen gifts(Bridesmaid: do not ask her what it is! :) ) and countless other things and my friend Erica doing my hair and make up for the wedding AND my bridal portraits (:) ) and all 17 girls coming ALL the WAY to vegas for the bachelorette!!!! Its just really makes me recognize how grateful I am to not only have Cole in my life, but all my friends and family…. Here I go about my “feelings” again haha.



Okay… I should end this blog before I get all teary eyed….


on a happy note, check out this photo gallery from SMP... how amazing is this venue! I didn't post pictures cause the whole gallery is drool-worthy :)
http://www.stylemepretty.com/gallery/gallery/a-simple-photograph+1693

Blogging

I know, I havent had a post in awhile. The reason is, my work computer has now blocked blogger.com except I can use it inintervals of 10 min at a time and only 6 of those 10 minutes a day. Also, work has gotten incredibly busy and made it really diffcult to think about wedding stuff!

But to share some good news, I FINALLY got my shoes in the mail and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! AND I also recieved a proof of my invite and they are so amazing! I love how unique they look! the design the paper, everyone is fantasic! Can't wait till I can share!

Lastly, my wedding dress belt should be done in about a week and then it will be shipped here! I am so excited! I hope it looks wonderful!!!

I will share more when I have more exciting news and possibly once my invites have been sent out, I can show everyone else my invites! Im so excited!