gorgeous paper goods and a giveaway!

Check out this great blog from elephantine and enter to win these gorgeous notecards from kristinsanchez!

i win.

i always knew that i was a pretty competitive person. whether on the lacrosse field or simply playing a board game with kenny, i like to win. what i didn't realize, was just how much i like to win...

i was at the eye doctor yesterday and they were having me look at the eye chart. we started with the top line of the larger letters and moved down to the bottom with the smaller letters. i found myself thinking, "i'm going to win this. i'm going to get all the letters right on the smallest line." so, here i am at the eye doctor having a simple check-up and i have turned it into a game that i want to win. well, it didn't stop there...next they showed me a line on the chart and asked me which lens i could see better through, lens 1 or lens 2. they showed me each line with each lens and i had to tell them which one was clearer. instead of thinking about my eyes and trying to be helpful for the doctor so they can prescribe me the right correction for my contacts, i started thinking about which one was the "right" answer and how i wanted to guess the "right" lens each time.

the game soon ended as my appointment was over...but i'll be back next year ready to win the eye chart game again...

just another day...

while driving home from the grocery store the "i'm not wearing my seat belt" indicator starts beeping...

me: "kenny, buckle up"

kenny: "we're only a few blocks from home"

me: "so, we could get in a accident right now"

a man on a bicycle rides by...

kenny: "he's not wearing a seat belt"

me: "he doesn't need one, he's wearing a helmet. you don't have to have to wear your seat belt if you wear a helmet while you drive." kenny: "i will"

so, if you see someone driving around wearing a bicycle helmet...just say "hi, kenny."

wedding planning.

i feel like something is wrong with me - i'm not really into wedding planning at all. don't get me wrong, i am SO EXCITED to marry Kenny, but i just don't care about many of the details of the wedding. now that i am this far, i'm seeing that i am probably someone that would have been better off eloping. i know that this will be an incredible memory and i am excited to have all of my friends and family with me on the day i get married, but i don't feel the need to talk about wedding planning all of the time. i feel like all anyone asks me is, "how's the wedding planning coming?" and i just don't want to talk about it. i don't really do much besides the essentials and what needs to be done right away. i have a venue, band, invitations, photographer, flowers, dress...what more do i need? i'm not having any favors and am having no decorations besides the flowers (oh, and the ocean...) part of me wishes that i was more into the details and was excited about the wedding planning, but the other part just isn't into it. i feel like i am letting people down (my mom, his mom...) by not wanting to do wedding things all the time. there's also the shower. i am so appreciative of everyone who wants to throw me a shower, but i don't even really want one. i am having one (thankfully, not 3 as requested by some family memebers), and i am excited to share this time with everyone, but would be ok if i didn't have one. am i normal? do other brides feel this way? i just don't really like a lot of attention on me and don't like to be fussed over. i'm already starting to mentally prepare myself for my wedding day as i have no choice but to be the CENTER OF ATTENTION!

pretty ruffles...

i have been looking for a clutch to use on my wedding day and this gorgeous ruffled clutch from nordstrom has really struck my fancy...now, which color?

details.

i love these hair pieces and think they would be the perfect detail to any outfit.

(J.Crew)

(etsy via MischaM) (anthropologie)

Semiahmoo

I love telling people where I am getting married (almost more than the fact that I am getting married in the first place!) because of how special our venue is to Kenny and me. We will be saying "I Do" about 20 feet (ish) from where we first ever met. Semiahmoo is more than just a beautiful location to get married for us. I wanted to share with you our stories from our wedding website...

Sara's Story: I met Kenny while working in Packers Restaurant at Semiahmoo in July of 2004. I was hired at Packers as a server (where Kenny had been working as a server for the past year), but had to bus tables while in training. After working there for a few weeks, I still hadn't been trained to be a server. While working one day, I was complaining about how I was not being trained and that I didn't want to be a busser anymore. Kenny was working that day and volunteered to train me as a server. He let me take some of his tables and even let me keep my own tips from that day!! Over the next few weeks, Kenny and I started talking and hanging out more at work. On August 31, I invited Kenny to come hang out at a bar for my friend's birthday that night. He came out to the bar and he later drove me home. We stayed up until 7am talking and laughing. I had to leave because I was supposed to drive back to Bellevue and go to Portland with my mom and sister. After a VERY tough drive back down to Bellevue, I headed to Portland for the weekend. All weekend I stared at my phone and waited for Kenny to call me, but he never did. Finally, I called him and he said that he didn't call me because he knew that I was out of town. When I came back to Bellingham a few days later, we went out to dinner and to a movie. Five years later, he proposed.

Kenny's Story: As you probably know, Sara and I met at Semiahmoo Resort in Bellingham, WA. I had been working in Packers restaurant for about a year and seen many people come and go. It was fun meeting new people, but for me it was always work as usual. So I wasn't shocked at all when I came in to work one July afternoon to hear that there was a new girl. I was, however, amazed when I saw her....this girl was cute, smart, had a beautiful smile, dazzling brown eyes, a little attitude, and great legs...just my type! Because I was such a hard and responsible worker, I selflessly volunteered to help train her as a server. We slowly got to know each other and flirted back and forth over the next few weeks until she finally gave in to my charm and good looks.

i'm going to need this...

While working on my wedding registry the other day, I came across the Storage and Organization section of Pottery Barn. Frankly, I'm going to need one of these set-ups in my house...

wedding inspirations

While browsing through the site of Junebug Weddings the other day, I came across their real-wedding section. I love looking at pictures of weddings and getting inspired and excited for my own wedding coming up in May!! I found this wedding here with a similar color combo to mine. Although my bridesmaid dresses are more of a marine-navy blue, I fell in love with the orange shawls and plan on having my bridesmaids wear something similar.

breakfast on bainbridge

Kenny and I ventured over to Bainbridge Island for breakfast at Cafe Nola on Saturday. I love the food at Nola and I even more love an excuse to ride the ferry!

Let me recommend the Caramel Pecan French Toast (challah bread - smoked bacon - orange bourbon butter - fresh fruit - pure maple syrup) - YUM!!

Alaska

A few things I learned while in Anchorage, Alaska for 28 hours...

(photo found here)

1. powdered coffee creamer IS NOT the same as liquid coffee creamer

2. don't worry about booking your flight early - there are only 10 people on the plane

3. the Sheraton hotel may or may not give you the room key to a room they gave to the person in line before you...

4. Thursday Night Fights is the place to be and be seen...(oh! look - they even have a MySpace http://www.myspace.com/thursdaynightfights)

5. no one visits for downtown Anchorage - stick to the mountains...

6. the rental car company doesn't have real cars, so they give you a red Chevy HHR for you and your 3 co-workers

I actually had a great experience and learned a lot on my first official business trip. The view from the plane was gorgeous and I hope to go back one day to explore the beautiful surroundings.

Skirting.

I'm seeing skirts EVERYWHERE and many looks that I would love to recreate. The problem - I don't really own any skirts. I think I have 3 to be exact. Here are some skirts I currently I have my eye on.

P.S. Forever 21 has tons of cute skirts at great prices! I always like to buy a cheaper version first when trying a new look...

1. Anthropologie

2. Banana Republic

3. Forever 21

4. Forever 21

5. Anthropologie

6. Target

7. ModCloth

8. Forever 21 9. ModCloth

elephantine & abigailpercy

LOVE these necklaces by etsy designers elephantine & abigailpercy. I love how simple yet gorgeous all of their styles are. I think that the you and me necklace by elephantine would be a great gift to my little sister.

(heron by elephantine, Colourful Jade Faceted Line Necklace... by abigailpercy, Prehnite Faceted Line Necklace...by abigailpercy, and you and me by elephantine)