casamos(es).

024: I've Had an Idea...

2011-02-18T18:46:00.000-08:00

Every time I'm skimming through Etsy or soaking in my favorite design blog, I start to wonder... "Could I do that?" When I walked through Pier1 last month, I saw a pillow with a lattice rick-rack pattern on it. It was almost $30 and a shade of brown that kind of made me cringe. Again, I asked myself "...Could I make this?" And without a doubt, my answer was... YES.

So, I really think I can satisfy my cravings for crafting and desire for DIY projects by seeing if, well, if I can do what I see! Now, I'm not trying to take over other people's business niches or cut into their reader base. No no no. If I make anything I'm not going to use myself, I'll probably give it as a gift to someone anyways.

But there are TONS of crafty people out there sharing how they pieced this quilt, what technique they used to antique this thrift-store find dresser, or the exact steps to their great-granny's cookie recipe. If they share it... why can't I try it? Why can't I tell YOU about it? Plus, it's more exposure for these awesome websites that truly inspire me every day. I obsessively follow and read them. While imitation is the highest form of flattery, I'm not everrrrrr trying to steal from these talented people.

I'm just curious... Could I do that too?

blessings, sgym

023: No, Let Me Sum Up...

2011-01-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

To try and call the past few months "busy" would be an understatement. There was a trip to Nashville, Cage taking test after test, the holidays, over 50 hours spent in the car, and nearly running out of money more than once. Needless to say, it was a very exciting time. And, exciting times sometimes pull me away from blogging at all. I'd love to write more often, but I'm afraid my life is just going to get even MORE busy. It looks like we're moving back to Nashville in early March. We still have NO idea where we're going to live, but we're putting it in God's hands while diligently searching for apartment complexes that would be equidistant from Cage's work and the church we'd like to attend. They're about an hour apart, so living half-way between them would be very good for us. Since that's the Brentwood/Franklin area... we're pretty much out of luck. This is why we don't rely on luck but the goodness of our Lord, hallejuah and amen. Haha, I'm having to hold a mini-church service over this issue because it's seriously stressing me out. So, what else is coming up for us? Uhhhhhhh... Birthdays! Cage and I are turning 24 on Feb 22 and Mar 6th, respectively. I've been working out under an incentive program here at the base in Biloxi. Basically I'm working out 4 days or 5 days a week from Jan 13th to Feb 28th. I don't think I'll win any prizes, but I lost 3 lbs in the first week and 2 inches in my waist by the second week. Soooo, maybe it's working? My goal is less to lose weight and more to get in shape. I want to be able to walk up a flight of stairs (or two) and NOT be so winded I'm having to sit down and rest for 10 minutes. Lots of pictures from the holidays and other adventures are sure to come. I've just got to upload them and then I'll get them to ya, no worries.

So yeah. Laundry is calling out my name.

blessings, sgym

022: Round Up.

2010-10-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

It's mid-October. Is it just me or is this year flying by? I was dying for 2010 to get here in 2008... and now I can barely believe so much time as passed! I'm living in my own apartment and I have an amazing husband. I find myself in shock a lot of the time! I can barely believe it sometimes.

I've had the opportunity to go to Ft. Walton Beach, FL and New Orleans, LA. We've had friends come visit us down here at the beach and, honestly, I think every weekend for the past month we've had visitors for the weekend!

The holidays are coming up and Cage and I are trying to decide where we're going.

Cage has a graduation date! We'll be done here and headed back to Nashville the week of Valentine's Day 2011.

He is also living with me now!
It only took 5 months after our wedding, but we live together!

We've picked up fishing as a hobby. Why?
Well, we're surrounded by water, so why not?

Yup. That's all I have for now. Haha.
Small update, but I would have to organize my thoughts a little better to get a longer post.

The following pictures are from our 2nd trip to New Orleans, and I've decided to try to do this on every trip I take.

blessings! sgym

021: Mississippi. Home.

2010-08-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

It's weird to me that I'm not living in Tennessee. I've lived there my whole life. Now, I'm not a shut-in that's never stepped foot outside a 100 mile radius of my hometown... but LIVING somewhere other than Tennessee is still weird to me. Mississippi is a mixture of new, exciting, and humidity that makes you want to cry because your make-up is sweating off and your hair is sticking to the sides of your face. That might be a dramatic interpretation of the humidity here, but it's true. I will never complain about Nashville's humidity as long as I live. I do find that I'm enjoying being in the heat though. It's a reminder of the fact I live within walking distance of the beach. I get to see my husband everyday. It's for only two hours a day but, I get him the entire weekend. I spend my time in my apartment making it into a home. I spend my time outside of our home with my new friend, Emily. I have to say, having a friend down here has been absolutely wonderful. We've been exploring the surrounding towns and relaxing at different coffee shops. I have ambitions for my time down here, but I haven't figured out which plan to put into motion first. I guess you'll be the first to find out.

That's all I have to say for now. Blessings.
sgym

020: Well. It's here.

2010-08-05T05:12:00.000-07:00

Moving time. It's 7:13am. I've been up for over an hour. My car is packed. My parents' van is packed.

I'm out.

Goodbye until next time, Nashville.
Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone.

blessings.
sgym

019: Ideas from "The Nest" ...

2010-08-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

We're moving! Or, well, I'm moving! Hooray! I'm finally relocating to the Beach and nearer my handsome, hard-working husband! We are so excited! In fact, I'm moving Thursday... and today is Tuesday. That means I have ONE full day left in Nashville. This will be the farthest away I've ever lived from my hometown. It's an 8 hour drive. In my pretty, but HOT A/C-less car. We're hoping we don't have to rent a moving van, but I guess we will see!

So, I've been in a "OMG I WANNA DECORATEEEEEE" mood. Even though I've yet to see my apartment and I have no idea of the floorplan! This is definitely an interesting time in my life. I know I couldn't even begin to decorate like this, but these pictures from theNest.com (the follow-up website to theknot.com) were just too good to pass up saving into my computer for ideas later on.

I love how bright and open this kitchen feels.

Even though I'm not a black/white fanatic, I keep imagining this is green/white.

The two-tone paint scheme paired with the low profile bed makes this room cozy and simple. I wouldn't do purple by any means, but I would definitely do this in gray.

This headboard is DIY. It's a door with a two-tone paint job. Honestly, I'm kinda thinking of getting a door, giving it legs on either side like a traditional headboard, and painting it a bright teal. I can't tell you why, that's just what is stuck in my head!

This headboard is made out of old cabinet doors, but I'm loving the couple's monogram over the bed. I adore monograms.

This living room's color is AMAZING. Enough said.

I love the little M monogram on the fireplace. Too cute.

This isn't from TheNest.com. This is from haverty's website... and I want this couch! The fabric looks plain in this picture, but the detail in it reminds me of the weaving in menswear fabric. I think it is beautiful. Unfortunately, it will have to wait with the price tag of $899 for a later time.

So, yes. Since most of my packing is finished here in Nashville, I've been dreaming of the Beach. I can't wait to get down there.

blessings,

sgym

018: Flea Market Finds.

2010-07-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

My mom has a sixth sense for when the Flea Market will be especially good. Even though we're not there every month, we always end up going and finding some AWESOME stuff. My own finds are as follows...

These two pictures came as a set for $20. I quickly compared the print and frame prices of picking something like this up at Michael's or Hobby Lobby and jumped on that deal. The jewel tone colors appeal to some of my favorite color sensibilities. NOTE: after stumbling on Google celebrating the 150th Birthday of Alphonse Mucha with their neat art nouveau logo, I noticed how similar it looked to these ladies. Turns out these are two prints by Mucha!Not originals, I'm sure, but they are (left) Amethyst. From The Precious Stones Series. 1900. Color lithograph. 67.2 x 30 cm. and (right) Emerald. From The Precious Stones Series. 1900. Color lithograph. 67.2 x 30 cm. .... How cool is that? I bought them on his 150th birthday! There are two more in that series, Topaz and Ruby. I'll be looking out for those ladies!

This bowl was SO fun and will make either a pretty catch-all in my entryway or bathroom... or a great fruit bowl for my kitchen. I like the possibilities. Sorry the picture doesn't showcase the pattern on the side. I'm not sure WHAT I was thinking with this picture. Anywho...
This small painting was in a lot of other kind of kitschy paintings of fruit and Paris. The texture, the small cherries, the purple undertones, and the bright happiness of the orange flowers made this particular piece scream for my attention!
For my wedding I bought around 6 green vases from Goodwill. You can read more about that in a previous blog post! Anywho, for $1 I could get this short little green vase to add to my collection. Uhm, YES.
This was my find of the day. We have my Papa Cy's old Nikon and it was one of the first cameras through which I really learned to love photography. This camera is exactly like his camera, but in even BETTER condition. The lens is beautiful, the viewfinder has all the working parts, the camera winds as it should... and the guy told me $125. I only ended up paying $90. It came with the external flash and another gadget that I've yet to figure out.

I got ONE more item... but it is a present for someone and I'm not sharing! Ha! I went with Mom, Dad, Sonni and then my friend Jael joined us. Sonni scored about 5 different cameras for $7 or less each. Jael found some beautiful tiles and other house decorating wares. Mom had some new kitchen pieces that were definitely needed to replace the current damaged ones. Overall, it was an amazing adventure. I'm a little sunburnt and my feet are still throbbing, but my heart is very full.

Cage and I are still waiting for information about moving me down south. I know it will happen eventually, but every day that passes with me here and him down there... my life gets a lot more frustrating. I miss Cage. Severely. I know God has everything happen in His time and I'm sure we'll have all this figured out.

blessings to you and yours, sgym

017: Graduation

2010-07-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

I cannot express how ecstatic I was this past weekend. Only if you've gone through something of this level of separation from your spouse, can you understand how incredible it is to see them again. From what I can tell, Cage had an adventure. He said multiple times that it was incredibly difficult, but he never really complained about the experience. Yeah, he said it sucked... but he wasn't whining. I am so impressed by his positive attitude throughout this entire process that it really has lifted my own spirits. The weekend was busy, but very fun. I picked up Cage's sisters from the airport around midnight and we were finally in bed and sleeping by 1:30am. We were up at 6am, the Airman's Run at 8am, and the Coin Ceremony at 11am. Because of bad weather, each training squadron did their own coin ceremonies at their headquarters. Cage had the rest of the day free to be with us, of course, his priority was eating! We hit up Burger King and then went to the bowling alley on base. After that we just wasted time at the mini malls and had some dinner before returning Cage to his training squadron. The girls and I then hit up Target and Ross for Cage's snack and swim suits for the pool the next day. We were up (again!) at 6am the next morning for the Graduation Parade. It would have been rained out and held in the training squadron headquarters again, except there was 4 Star General in attendance! His niece was graduating! How cool is that!? So, they did the parade in their ABUs (the camo outfits) which apparently has NEVER happened before. It was really cool, and since Cage was in the band flight, he got to play his trumpet and march around all important like with the brass and bugle corps. We then had to wait, while everyone else got to go to their Airman, while the band put up their instruments. After they were dismissed, we walked over to his dorm to see it. It was very interesting to say the least, and I will probably NEVER complain about my lodgings in college after seeing where Cage had to live for almost 2 months! We left Cage there to change into his blues, and went to get the car. I think I walked almost 4 miles throughout this past weekend. We drove back, picked up Cage, and went to Taco Bell for lunch. We went back to the hotel, had some alone time, went swimming with his sisters, watched hours of TV, took naps, talked to family on the phone... Basically, an awesome day. We went to dinner at a Chile's down the street and I was a little wary of the part of town we were in, but I did feel safer since Cage was with us! We had Cage back on time to walk over to his dorm, and the girls and I went back to the hotel and passed out! The next day we got to sleep in until 8am! I woke up at 6:45am and couldn't fall back asleep! But we were there on time to pick up Cage for our San Antonio adventure! We hit up Lulu's Bakery and Cafe, which was featured on the Travel Channel's Man VS. Food, and enjoyed their 3lb. cinnamon roll! After we had gorged, I drove around to find a parking garage, which was incredibly stressful, and finally parked the car. We walked through downtown until we found the Alamo, which was beautiful, and we then walked down the RiverWalk for a while. I have to admit, it was way too hot to be outside for much longer, so we retreated into the Mall! We decided to watch a movie with the small amount of time we had remaining. Cage hasn't seen ANY of the summer movies yet, so we thought it was a great idea! We watched The Karate Kid because of Cage's great love for Jackie Chan. After the movie, we were cutting it close to get the sisters to the airport on time, but we made it and their flight left without a hitch (as far as I know!). Cage and I had some alone time and got to talk through a lot of the changes coming up for our family in the next month. I had Cage back on time at the dorm and packed up my hotel room while watching Disney Channel for hours and hours. I did fall asleep, eventually. It was difficult being alone in that room and knowing that the next day was going to be the last time I see Cage for a while. Sunday was wonderful. Cage was restricted to base, so we ran the last few errands he needed to do before packing for Biloxi. We had some of his wingmen join us for an excursion to the BX and later for church. Church was such an incredible experience. The chapel was filled with 0-weekers to just graduated Airmen and their families. That many people in camo, with their arms wrapped around each other, some of them crying... It was powerful. After that, Cage and I ate a late lunch and I took him back to the dorm. Watching him walk away was, to date, one of the hardest things I've done in my life. I've already been able to text him a LOT, since the plane landed in Nashville... but I'm unsure of when I will get to see him again. I should be able to live in Biloxi and be near him, but both of us are unsure of when we will actually get to live together. If Cage and I were able to stay strong through just under two months of no more communication than 5 phone calls and 10 letters (I sent him 40+ letters)... we can make it through anything.

And, naturally, here are some pictures from the adventure!

016: All I Have To Say Is...

2010-07-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

I love my hero.

015: Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's July already? Is anyone else out there wondering why time seems to go by so much faster as an adult? I thought being in school had the year chopped up into 3 pieces and therefore the year flies by... boy, I was wrong.

I am currently in Plano, Texas - one of my favorite cities in the world. We're at my Uncle's house, which is without a doubt THE coolest house I've ever had the privilege of hanging out in. He designed it himself, being a brilliant architect and all. It's a modern home, but you can tell that the people within it aren't contemporary zombies. They actually live in the house, making it one of the warmest and welcoming homes in the country.

I'm sitting at the dining room table typing this, while my aunts and uncles, parents, and little sister watch a movie in the living room, and my brother and younger cousins play Monopoly Deal. I can't pretend to understand that game... and the movie is one of the ones I've not seen, so I would need to watch it from the beginning. I'm hoping to go to IKEA before I leave this area, and I'm leaving on Wednesday for San Antonio to see Cage's Graduation.

Originally, I was posting to update with some wedding pictures... So I'll give you two of my favorites.

Thanks to Krystal Waters of Krystal Clear Photography for letting me have digital copies of these. :) She worked with Andy Morris of AndyCam Productions on my wedding day and I ended up with some awesome pictures.

And, I found this on facebook... so I had to share. This is my handsome husband.

I love my airman!

blessings on you and yours,
sgym

014: It's the end of June...

2010-06-29T09:43:00.001-07:00

... and it's also the end of one of the LONGEST months of my LIFE. I cannot wait for July 8th. That's the first time since May 11th that I'll see Cage. I can't believe I've made it this far. Being without him is horrible, but knowing that he's serving his country, that he is working for our future... it makes me content to be away from him. I've never been happy to be away, but I am able to describe myself as content. I'm sending a card to Cage today with a few random pictures, not sure what OF yet, but it's a fun anniversary card and, yeah, it's not a year or anything... but at this point I am celebrating even the small fact we've been married 67 days. We've been apart for 51 of those days. Oh, the numbers make me sad, so I'm moving on! haha.

The youth camp my Uncle put on this month was AMAZING. Not only was it fun to be with my family for two weeks, but the camp itself was a blast. The daily outline: 7a - 7:50a Breakfast. 8a - 8:45a Quiet Time. 8:50 - 9:15 Worship. 9:20a - 10a Games/Trivia. 10:15a - 11:15a Big Session. 11:15a - 12:15p Lunch. 1p - 4p Activity. 5:30p - 6:30p Dinner. 7p - ? Service. 11p In room Devotions. 12a Lights Out. Usually, we didn't get back to the hotel until after 11:30p and there was more than one night where we didn't get to sleep until after 1:30a. Even though I was incredibly tired, it was very rewarding.

Well, I have pictures to gather and send to Cage. I see him in one week and two days. Oh, I can barely wait!

013: Lucky Number?

2010-06-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hoping that 13 is my lucky number since I'm driving 10 hours tomorrow to Owasso, Oklahoma to my Uncle's house for two weeks! Well, the second week is their church's youth camp, but still. Oklahoma. Two weeks. This is going to be such an awesome break up in the time that I'm waiting to see Cage again. I am really glad my Mom suggested it. I have received 5 letters and 1 phone call from Cage. I cannot wait for Sunday, because I have the chance again to talk to him. I know this sounds selfish, but I hope he calls ME! He has the option to call anyone, really. I can't lie, I'm living for the chance to hear his voice. So much of our relationship has been developed over the phone (since we spent two years at different universities) that it's the most natural thing in the world for us to talk or text. I don't look down on this form of communication.

Other plans... Hoping that my new sisters will be able to come to Cage's graduation with me in July. I'll be there Wednesday afternoon through Sunday evening, and I'd rather not spend the night times by myself. If we were to split a car and hotel... I think it would be crazy fun. What else can I ramble about... well, actually. I'm going to leave this post as is. Instead, I'm going to work on letter 21 for Cage that I will put in the mail in the AM before we leave for OK.

Goodnight all. Give your loved one a big hug, you never know when the next time may be.

sgym

012: Excitement!

2010-05-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

Let me share some exciting things coming up:

Getting my first letter back from Cage!

Cage's graduation on July 9th! Looks like I'll get to see him on the 8th! AHHH!

My wedding pictures are coming in June!

MOVIES: Toy Story 3, Shrek 4ever, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Eclipse

Two weeks in Oklahoma with my uncle's family!

Fourth of July weekend with my Dad's side of the family!

Short post... but I just wanted to post a few updates.

Also, I have a mind to make my sister do a photoshoot. With her as the photographer. She's 14 and she's crazy good. You can see some of her stuff (and some of mine) at our photography website.

That's all.

sgym

011: Finding It Difficult.

2010-05-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Cage is in San Antonio for training. He'll be there through his graduation on July 9th. He left this past Tuesday and I have to admit, I've been a robot. I would say I've been a mess, that I've been crying all the time every day, and that I mope around the house all day. Except, that wouldn't be true. I've been hanging out with Cage's family, tonight I'm having dinner with a friend and I've got a Starbucks date set up with another friend. I call myself a robot, simply because I'm trying incredibly hard to keep a brave face in all of this. This is probably the only time I will admit (to anyone outside of Cage and family) that I'm legitimately feeling pain in my chest from missing Cage. Just keep us in your prayers. We need strength and patience... and for time to pass by really REALLY quickly!

And what's a post by me if it doesn't have pictures? HA. No kind of post at all!

This is one photo from my bridal portrait session with Andy Morris of andycam productions.

It's rather random, but I love it. :) And, here are a few from our Honeymoon in Disney World.

010: We Are Nashville.

2010-05-08T16:34:00.001-07:00

009: It's April!

2010-04-01T00:45:00.000-07:00

First things first...

HAPPY APRIL! Cage and I are getting married THIS MONTH! AHHHH! I can remember looking at the TheKnot.com countdown and thinking "I've got over 400 days to go!? Am I EVER getting married!? GAH!!!" ... Yes! Yes! I can barely believe it.

Well, what would a blog post be if I didn't do some kind of picture post? Not much of one, that's for sure! These aren't the best quality, but they're from my blackberry which I have with me at all times. So, they're good enough.

I witnessed two rainbows this past month! I have a picture from the double rainbow that happened last Friday. (taken with my blackberry through a car window)

Below is a small snapshot of our wedding "loot" so far. And this is all from wedding showers! We have been truly blessed by all of you! Thank you again!

And this... well... Cage and his Dad were doing push-ups. And it was funny.

And below is a picture I didn't take. I got it from facebook, but I wanted people to see the Youth Center on the Bethel Community Church property. We'll be having the wedding behind this building in the backyard of Seward Hall. But, hey, in case of severe weather we'll have a solid building around us! Though I'm praying for sunny with a high of 75.

I'm sure there are other things I could update on... but I'm tired and I just wanted to exclaim excitedly about it being April and ... I did! Ha. Thanks for reading. Get those RSVPs in if you haven't!!! Thank you!

sgy

008: Goodwill Green Glass

2010-03-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I had another "holy cow the wedding is fill-in-the-blank" day. The particular phrase this time was "Holy Cow! The Wedding is one month away!!!" I tried not to freak out in a visible fashion, but I'll admit here to you that I was half girly giggles and half panic. Ok,mostly girly giggles with some panic mixed in. It was a fun day though! Mom, Jodi, and I met with Oksana out at the Franklin property. We also met with a lighting guy to tell him our ideas and to hopefully get an estimate (which we're still waiting on, hmm). The day was balmy with a breeze. Jodi kept saying over and over that this was what the weather needed to be one month from today. I couldn't agree more!
After the meeting, Momma and I popped over to Wolfgang Puck Express to make ourselves a plan of attack for the rest of our few precious free hours. Our list consisted of:

visit David's Bridal to inquire about the bridesmaids dresses that were overdue
and to look at their selection of veils
check out Hobby Lobby and Goodwill for some more glass pieces for our candy buffet
search some Franklin antique stores for a unique table piece for the ceremony

Our afternoon ended up turning out great! The remaining bridesmaid dresses had been at the store since February 25th! There had been a mix up in the e-mail system and we were never contacted for some reason (very odd, btw). So, dresses... DONE. And to the veils, I wasn't so sure if I'd actually find something. My original idea was for a birdcage veil sans feathers. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to win anyone over to the idea of my Jane Austen dress with a birdcage veil. Eh, that's life. Mom and I picked through the selection and stumbled upon an elbow length veil with very delicate pearls and teensy rhinestones. I'm normally against any gaudy jewels or anything that takes me over the edge into princess cupcake bride... but the decoration on this one was minimal and tasteful. Besides, it will look fab-u-lous with the pearl trim Angela Muir has added to my already wonderful dress. This veil, I've realized, is like a slightly longer version of the birdcage look I wanted originally. I think it paired with my grecian hairstyle will really be fantastic.

Next, Goodwill. I have to give my MOH Casey credit for this idea. She mentioned to me (after I giddily texted her about her dress being here) that Goodwill had good glass pieces sometimes. Eh, what can it hurt, right? Mom and I lucked out on this one! I stood there, staring at 12 feet of shelves with nothing but vase after vase... Thinking to myself that I need to keep two feet between myself and the shelves for fear of breaking every last item! I began to notice the green glass pieces. There were 6 different large vases. I also began to have visions of my blue hydrageas, purple tulips, white baby's breath, and green carnations in these vases. I knew I wanted something different for the buffet / food table decorations... but green glass vases? Hey. It's my wedding, right? So. I picked out six different green glass vases and then the bud vases caught my eye. Well, hellooooo there my pretty little friends. I asked Momma what we could use them for, and she recommended the bistro tables. Small, simple, pretty, done. We walked out of there with six green glass vases and nine green glass bud vases for under $20. Oh, and we found a large crackle glass clear vase for our candy bar. That fits into that $20 price tag. We perused Hobby Lobby for any candy bar pieces, but we decided we wanted to check out our candy order again before committing anymore money. Here is a picture of the green glass as I collected it in the Goodwill in Franklin on Highway 96:

Now. I love Franklin, Tennessee. I really do. I love the agricultural and historical feeling I get when I am in downtown. Like, if I wanted to wear a sundress and sandals everyday, I could. If I wanted to wear jeans and flannel camp shirt, that would be just fine too. Wednesday was just a great day to be in Franklin. Mom and I visited one of our favorite places ever, The Franklin Antique Mall and even found a few items we could be interested in purchasing. In the ceremony, we need something for our unity candles and other ceremony items to sit on. Mom suggested one of our card tables with a table cloth over it. I hate to say it, but I made a face. A not nice face. What am I, five years old? Then I used my words, like the adult I supposedly am now, and expressed that I would prefer a white console kind of table, beat up, vintage, antique, reproduction, primitive... Whatever. Long, thin, and preferably whitewashed. Personally, I think that would be awesome. Now, to fulfill that vision. I'm doing my best to compromise, with what is actually out there, but I don't want to spend $100+ on something unless I'm going to use it in my future house. I'd rather spend much, much less on it.

Tomorrow morning (if the weather permits) Momma, Dad, and I are venturing to the TN State Fairgrounds and the Flea Market to look for the "perfect" table for the ceremony. I'm also going to keep my eyes peeled for anything embroidered with an M, glass pieces for the candy bar, and vintage Little House on the Prairie books. To you, dear reader,

God's blessings on you and yours.

sgy

007: The Cake Topper

2010-03-23T23:56:00.000-07:00

Why in the world would I need to make an entire post about just the cake topper for my wedding? Uhm, here's why... Because it's a custom one made to look like Cage and I! AAHHH! I just saw the pictures today! The details are so fun, right down to my aquamarine ring! Cage's hair might be a little redder than I told her, but the pair together are so precious! I can't wait to see them in person. You can find the maker's blog post with more pictures here. And you can find her Etsy store here. I can't begin to express how excited I am. Well, that's all for now.

One month until the wedding!

sgy

006: Wedding Updates

2010-02-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

For anyone who has been following my status updates on Facebook or my Twitter, you'll be wondering what my ACTUAL date for the wedding is! HA! Cage and I are getting married on April 24, 2010. I am so excited! And also, for anyone who knows about Cage's job, he leaves for training on May 11th. That's right! We will get all of two weeks together before he's shipped off. Since we got wind of this date last week, I (my mom and my planner, Lori Green) have pretty much planned 3/4 of the wedding! No kidding. Here's is what we've got secured:

Wedding cupcakes and groom's cake from The Sweetest Day
4 Bridesmaid dresses from David's Bridal in Lapis
Groom's tux and 4 groomsmen tuxes from Street Tuxedo
The venue, Bethel Franklin
The invitations from Hobby Lobby (which will also serve as thank yous, etc)
Photography/Videography from AndyCam Productions
My custom design wedding gown from Angela Muir Bridal
The caterer, Kelly Hestla
His wedding ring, purchased
My wedding ring, getting an estimate

There you are. And all that in pretty much eight days! I'm completely overwhelmed, but I find that everyone is supportive and even though everyone I've talked to in the past week has given me the shocked face and reminded me that "April 24th is really soon!" ... uh, yes, everyone. I KNOW. That's why I'm working so hard to make it happen NOW! So there you are. I have less than two weeks to get the invitations out, and I have about 40% of the names and addresses that I actually need. I might do some individual updates about different elements that I've planned out, just because it's more fun to elaborate and give the "lace" as Mr. Bennett would call it.

That's all I have for this moment. Later today Mom, Lori, and I are meeting the location coordinator to space plan and see the details of what the venue really offers us. I am over the moon.

Blessings!

005: Arizona 2009 in Pictures.

2010-01-17T22:23:00.000-08:00

In June of 2009, I went on a trip to Tucson, Arizona with Cage's family. Cage, myself, and his two sisters drove from Nashville, Tennessee straight to their aunt's ranch in New Mexico. I believe in the town called Animas... I could have that incorrect. Anywho, we continued our journey after picking up two of Cage's cousins and finally arrived in Tucson! I love love love that city. The entire region is one scenic view after another. We visited the Chiricahua National Monument in Willcox, AZ, the Saguaro National Park in Tucson, and went up to 8,000 ft elevation on Mt Lemmon. Of course, I took pictures. And quite a few!

The first rays of sun as we drive into Animas, New Mexico.

Chiricahua National Monument - Willcox, Arizona

The famous vampires of Mt. Lemmon - Tucson, Arizona

The overlook on the way up Mt. Lemmon - Tucson, Arizona

Sunset in Saguaro National Park - Tucson, Arizona

Studying the wind - Tucson, Arizona

Smoke from wildfires seen from Interstate 10 in Arizona.

Sunset in Saguaro National Park - Tucson, Arizona

Jumping on not off Mt. Lemmon - Tucson, Arizona

Mother and Daughter climbed Mt. Lemmon - Tucson, Arizona

Me and my man on Mt. Lemmon - Tucson, Arizona

The sunset from the backyard - Tucson, Arizona.

Some trees at the Chiricahua National Monument - Willcox, Arizona

Being silly in the Chiricahua National Monument - Willcox, Arizona

Dodging the rain bursts in New Mexico.

An Arizona desert sky in the afternoon.

004: Hello Again, Dearest.

2010-01-17T22:13:00.000-08:00

*brushes off the cobwebs*

Hello all. I'm not sure if anyone even checks this thing, but I have decided to give myself a hobby. A blogging hobby. Again. For the 5th time in my life. Yeah. So! I am going to make the next post a beautiful one with pictures from my trip to Arizona in June of 2009! I just used the fabulous picnik dot com to edit them a bit so they'll fit on the blog page. And I'll give more text updates as well. Topics including, but never limited to: the wedding, travels, my last semester at TN Tech, and what Cage and I are hoping for now that we are "adults." Stay tuned. It should be fun.

sgy

003: Wedding Possibilities and Summer Plans.

2009-05-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

CAGE -

You are not allowed to look at the bottom of this entry.

It includes a picture of my dress. SORRY.

You have 367 days before you see my wedding dress!

Everyone else, feel free to scroll to the bottom of this entry and check it out real quick!

Ok. Let me tell you a bit about my dress - it's Jane Austen inspired and Angela Muir designed! I can't believe how absolutely fabulous this dress is going to be. Angela has been an absolute dream to work with! Her website is: http://www.angelamuir.com/

and you should visit it! So gorgeous! I would also recommend checking out her blog, it's given me quite a few ideas for a fun vintage inspired look to my wedding. Angela if you're reading this - YOU'RE AN ANGEL!

More wedding updates: I have a planner! My wonderful friend of the family, Lori Green, is going to put up with me for the next year and help my Momma and I with planning! I keep using exclamation points because I am so excited! She's only been in her official office (haha!) for three day and she has us three wedding venue appointments! I am ecstatic. We're going to check out: CJ's on the Square, the Carnton Plantation, and the Rippavilla Plantation. All are locations in Williamson County, but they have so many options for beautiful, outdoor spaces. Can you blame me?

I found a few other things from surfing the web today. I'm just gonna make quick notes about those so I won't forget: AndyCam Photo/Vid Special, Evin Photography Pic of color scheme, and Martha Stewart Weddings website. You can research those on your own if you're bored.

What could my summer update be? It looks like I'm going to be traveling this summer! In June, I get the opportunity to travel with Cage and his wonderful family to one of my favorite places in the world - no, not Venice (YET?) - to Tucson, Arizona! I absolutely love the desert. The difference between the lush, rolling Tennessee hills and the severe, sweltering Tucson mountains is so wide that I can't help but be enchanted by the alien landscape. My other traveling opportunity? A possible family reunion masterpiece of a trip - from Dothan, AL to Plano, TX. We're looking at the option of making it into a road trip and including the Gulf Coast - Mobile, AL or New Orleans, LA - on the way from Dothan to Plano. But, again... we'll see!

As hard as it is being away from Cage... the idea of such adventures kinda (only kinda) makes up for the distance. I love and hate anticipation. And now.... My dress! I took the picture with my macbook camera, I wanted it to be a bit blurry - in case Cage accidentally gets a glimpse!

"An engaged woman is always more agreeable than a disengaged. She is satisfied with herself. Her cares are over, and she feels that she may exert all her powers of pleasing without suspicion. All is safe with a lady engaged; no harm can be done."

-- Jane Austen

002: Growing Pains

2009-05-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

I think Cage and I are starting to actually realize we have to spend four months separated from each other. It's been literally three days in different cities and we're already going crazy. Having your best friend so far away is no good.

Luckily he is coming back to Nashville this coming Tuesday for Callie's graduation. Tomorrow my little sister, Sonni, is going to be inducted into the Junior National Honor Society. Saturday, one of my bridesmaids, Nicole Pearce, graduates from Belmont University. Lots of life milestones happening this week and next.

As far as the wedding goes, I'm waiting for the sketch of my wedding dress from local designer Angela Muir. I'm completely excited to see it! Hopefully next week I can convince my mom or any of my bridesmaids to location scout with me. I have to get serious about this... and quick!

In case you haven't had the opportunity to see my engagement ring,

please ogle at the pretty sparkle-y aquamarine and diamond ring.

Cage is just too nice to me.

001: Where the name came from.

2009-05-14T00:44:00.000-07:00

First post. Announcement (in case you haven't heard) --

Cage and I are getting married. Stupendous. Three hundred and eighty days to go.

The name: casamoses

In Spanish, casamos means "We get married."

For my purposes, it is Cage and Sarah Moses.

I had to add the "es" on the end (which is kind fun, really) since casamos was already taken. I'm okay with that though! So, quite plainly this is going to house ideas and such about the upcoming wedding, Cage and I, my thoughts, some memories, some poems etc. So... yes. Fun abounds. And I'm out of things to say in this first post.

oh, feel free to follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/casamos

Blessings for you and yours.