Christmas Wish List

Since my post last Christmas was so popular (according to my blog stats), I thought I'd put together a Christmas wish list this year as well.

1. Fit Bit
As a nurse, I know I'm on the move quite a bit and I want to track exactly how many steps I'm taking as well as stairs climbed and everything else this little gadget does!

2.  Michael Kors Watch

This watch would be perfect for those days where I have to wear business casual!

3. Puzzles

I got this puzzle last year for Christmas and absolutely loved it!  This one and this one are on my list this year!  To be honest, I would take any of the Thomas Kinkade Disney Dreams puzzles.  I love them all!

4.Real Simple

Real Simple is one of my favorite magazines to read and a subscription would be a perfect gift!

5. Christmas Dishes

Eight of these beautiful Christmas lunch plates.  I think having dinnerware for the holidays just adds a special touch to the traditions.  My regular dinnerware is red Fiestaware, so these lunch plates would fit perfectly and jazz up our table! I fell in love with this set last year when my mother-in-law gave us one of the smaller plates, but I can't find it anywhere!

6.Gloves

I burnt a hole through my gloves last year using the snowblower (first and probably the only time that will ever happen).  These would be perfect for the winter time!

7. Cards Against Humanity
I love this game!  Sure it's crude, but it makes for a very entertaining night with family and friends.

8. The Home T
I've had my eye on this shirt for quite some time and just haven't bit the bullet yet.  I absolutely love the baseball tee style!

9. Bath and Body Works Candles
I know this was on my list last year as well, but can you really ever get enough!  They smell so wonderful and make the house feel oh so cozy!  I bet this Hot Buttered Rum one smells yummy :).

10. Kate Spade Earrings
How fun are this sparkly studs!  I love all three of them and they would be perfect for dressing up that fun little holiday party number.

36 days until Christmas!  I need to get shopping!

Wedding Vendors

I'm working on a wedding post for everyone to see (it will actually be in installments), but until then I thought I would leave you with a list of the wedding vendors we used.  We could not have been more pleased with how smoothly our big day went and I give a lot of that credit to our vendors.

Reception Location
Our wedding reception was held at Heritage Hall in Topeka, just north of the Expocentre.  It was reasonably priced and I fell in love with the sunflower stained glass and stone walls.  It went with our country theme perfectly.  Plus, everyone we worked with there was great!

Food
After countless hours spent searching for the perfect caterer, we found Sweet Dreams Catering.  I cannot begin to tell you how many compliments we received on the food and I have to agree.  Ginny is great to work with and even took the time to put together two gluten-free plates for my grandpa and one of my best friends.  Plus, she knows what she's doing when it comes to setting up a reception.  I highly recommend her and her smothered pork chops :).

Photography
We were fortunate enough to have two of my dad's close friends, who happen to own photography businesses, photograph both our engagement photos and our wedding/reception.  They both do excellent jobs and I'm so excited to get prints of all of the fabulous moments they captured!  Check out Timekeepers Photography and Studio 66.

Flowers
Chinell's is the way to go in Topeka!  Our bouquets were beautiful and she helped make our reception hall even more fabulous with burlap table runners and small bouquets of sunflowers in our mason jars.

DJ
After attending the wedding of a cousin of Aaron's last year, we knew we had to go with Complete.  I had never had more fun at a wedding reception.  It was very interactive!  Our DJ wasn't near as exciting as we had hoped but, in his defense, I think his preceptor took over because we were on the same page in terms of music prior to the reception and during was a whole different ballgame.  It was still a great time though!

Cake
The local bakery in Seneca, KS has fabulous cakes and they supplied us with a beautiful wedding cake and seven different cupcake flavors for our guests.  Unfortunately, neither one of us tried any of the cupcakes because we were too busy mingling, but our cake was delicious!

Popcorn
I wanted to do something fun at the reception, and I opted for a popcorn bar.  Aaron and I sat down and chose which flavors of Cashmere popcorn we each wanted and we were ready to go.  We chose blueberry cheesecake, caramel crunch, cinnamon, and cheesy cheddar.  We received so many compliments on the idea and hardly had any popcorn leftover.  I highly recommend this idea and choosing Cashmere!

Paper Goods
Our invitations, RSVP cards, programs, and thank you cards were all designed by Katie Lane from LaneLoveDesign.  I found her invitations on Etsy and she was so great to work with and I loved her products so I asked if she would mind designing our programs and thank you cards.  She did a fantastic job!

Dress
My dress came from Bridal Extraordinaire and the alterations were done by Tae at Bridal Design and More.  I would recommend both!  The consultant at Bridal Extraordinaire picked out multiple dresses for me to try on with the first one being my dream dress.  As for Tae, she is a magic worker!

Stay tuned for posts all about our big day!



What I Read Last Month

It's been so long since I've done a post on what I've read recently and that's mainly because I didn't pick up a book for nearly one month.  One month!  I don't think I've gone that long without reading in a long long time.

 

The first book I read took a while to get through because it was non-fiction and there was a lot of information about culture.  The second book I read in a total of two days.

 

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

 

This book was a recommendation from one of my professors in nursing school and I am so glad I read it.  It tells the true story of a young Hmong girl suffering from epilepsy and the clash of two cultures; the Hmong culture and western medicine.  If you work in the healthcare field, I would strongly encourage you to read this book.  There were a few chapters I could have skipped that went into far more detail than I thought necessary, but I learned so much.

 

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

 

This was the September choice for Bon's Book Club and it was such an easy read.  From what I've read, the book has received mixed reviews, but I thought it was good.  Not great, but good.  It tells the love story of two high schoolers from different backgrounds.  Was it plausible? Probably not, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

 

Next up from my 2014 Reading List is Z by Therese Anne Fowler!



What's on... Your Bucket List?

Today, I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals for her "What's on.." series.

I have a bucket list that I started way back in high school and have continued to work towards.  It includes traveling to various countries (England, Italy, Ireland, etc.), riding in a hot air balloon, and finding a whole sand dollar.

This past year, however, I decided to make a more immediate bucket list of sorts.  To see my original post on my 101 things in 1001 days go here!  Or you can click here to see the page and my progress.

I cannot wait to see how many things I complete by the end!