An unusual compliment

"You look like a teacher."

Hmm... Is the glass half empty or half full? Did this imply I looked like a frumpy old biddy today or someone who loves and inspires kids? I'm totally going with the latter, y'all!

In case you didn't know I've been in a third grade classroom for over three weeks now. I was originally asked to sub two weeks for a teacher who was having surgery. She was super prepared and left me fantastic sub plans - which I was very thankful for seeing as I have no clue what I am doing in the world of third grade. I got some great advice from all my Elementary friends and have really enjoyed my time with the sweet kids.

Today I was lining the kids up outside the lunchroom - which of course included using my teacher voice, fussing, making the face, and counting to five. Another teacher came up to me and asked me if I was a teacher. I answered by saying, "Yes, I've been subbing in third grade for a couple of weeks." She then asked me if I was a certified teacher and I told her yes. She told me I looked like a teacher and said she had seen me around the school several times. She complimented me on the great job I've been doing. 

Today was a rough day so it really lifted my spirits! It was just what I needed to hear! Subbing isn't for the faint of heart, that's for sure. The kids can be wonderful and awful all at the same time. I hate to admit it, but teachers are the same way. I've had some great experiences and some not so great ones. I have learned so much already about myself and the type of teacher I want to be. Tomorrow is theoretically my last day (again) but we'll see if that's actually true!

Style Me Pretty!

via

I am so so excited to share with you guys that our wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty Georgia today! Our wonderful vendors submitted their fantastic work and it was chosen! I couldn't be more excited for them. I am so thankful to have worked with such amazing people and I love that others get to enjoy their beautiful work too! 

When I first got my photos back I was talking to Hal about putting some of them on Pinterest. It felt kind of strange putting my own wedding into cyber space. Then, Haley reminded me that's what Pinterest is made for! If it weren't for new ideas it wouldn't have gotten so popular. When I started planning a couple of years ago I had a difficult time figuring out exactly what look I was going for. I knew immediately I wanted to use my milk glass but I couldn't find any photos of what I wanted. There's a lot more out there now but still not a lot of my wedding style. I wasn't going for the rustic look, but more of a clean, cohesive look and I really think I achieved that. I hope that someone gets some inspiration from our Style Me Pretty feature! 

How did people plan weddings before the internet?

Check it out here!

Blogged

Y'all. This shows just how crazy I've been lately. Our lovely photographer blogged some of our wedding photos and I didn't even know it! That is very unusual for me! I'm pretty on top of my social media! Of course you all have seen these before but just for record's sake here you go:

JEKYLL ISLAND WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY: CARI AND CHRIS

Happy Tuesday!

ps, Stay tuned tomorrow for something extra exciting :)

My favorite person

Okay, y'all know I'm super sappy and this post will be no exception. I want to dedicate a post to my favorite person... and no this post isn't about Chris (a loud gasp comes from all the newlyweds out there...) That post will come about a month from now so be on the look out if you're a fellow sap :)

I want to tell you about my favorite person: My sister. A few weeks ago a sweet friend wrote the best thing about sisters on Facebook. It's been on my mind ever since and is partially what led to this post. That, and the fact that my sister got an awesome new job working in the Terry College of Business at UGA! I know, I'm jealous too! I couldn't be more proud of her! She'd been looking for a job for a while and I have no doubt that God picked this job especially for her. His plans never cease to amaze me. The only thing that would make it better would be if I could be in Athens with her! Who doesn't want to work in the heart of the greatest campus on Earth? Okay, back to the point. 

Haley and I are almost six years apart and I cannot thank my mother enough for planning it out that way! Every family dynamic is different but ours couldn't have worked out more perfectly. I definitely want my kids spaced a few years apart too. We each had our time to shine and got all the attention we could ask for. It's so nice knowing that we both are "the favorite." I absolutely love watching home videos and looking at old family photos from when we were little. It seems like Haley was my mother because she was always dragging me around like a doll baby and taking the best care of me! Thanks for twenty two years of chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, Hal!

As we got older we gradually started to like each other less and less... to be expected I suppose. We were always in totally different seasons of life but I was always thankful to have someone around who went through everything before I did. When I hit high school and Haley was in college was when we began to get so close. I could call her to ask about what teacher to take for Math, how to tell mom and dad I hit something in my car (several times), or ask for advice about friendships. I'll never know if it's nature or nurture, but the older we got, the more alike we became in almost every way. Even our parents get us confused sometimes because we are so similar.

In the midst of all our silly scuffles growing up dad always said, "You two will be so thankful for each other one day," and he couldn't have been more right. I don't know what I would do without my sister. She has a place in my life and my heart that no one else could ever fulfill. She's my best friend, my biggest fan, and my rock in this crazy world. When something great happens she's the first person I call, and when my world feels like it's crashing down around me she's the one person I want beside me through it all. She has the kindest heart of any one I've ever known and would do anything in the world for me. I've gained friends and lost friends but through it all she has been the best friend I've ever had. I wouldn't have made it through these last two years without her to calm me and bring me back down to Earth.

We joke about our mom being best friends with God and "choosing" to have two daughters. I'm not sure which one I should thank more - I thank God everyday for my sister and I hope my parents know just how grateful I am for the life and love they have given us both. We wouldn't love each other so much if our family unit wasn't so abnormally close. I can only hope that my kids feel the same love from me and for each other that we have experienced during our lifetime.

I love you, Hal!

Missed

My sweet Meme went home to the Lord two years ago today. It is unbelievable that she has been gone this long and we miss her just as much now as we did then. A day doesn't go by that I don't think about her or want to pick up the phone and call her. Every time I buy some new clothes I immediately want to take them and show her! The woman loved nothing more than a new outfit!

As we watched the longest of the wedding videos a couple of nights ago, we all laughed about how much she would have loved to be there. She would have absolutely loved riding the golf cart around The Club and would have waved to everyone as if she was the Queen of England! Hopefully she would have left the decorations alone this time though, right y'all?

Meme adored Chris and couldn't wait for us to get married. Mama used to get onto her for asking us when it would be when we were still in high school! She's the one who gave me the idea to be married on Grandpa's birthday, June 3rd. We decided that would be the perfect day almost four years ago and she was so excited! She promised me he'd make sure we had a beautiful day and she kept her promise! She loved my Grandpa more than anything and loved seeing her granddaughters find that same happiness. She would have thrown Amanda and I under the bus for Matt and Chris any day!

The older I get, the more I appreciate my grandparents. I didn't get as much time with any of them as I would have liked, but God knows what he's doing and I'm thankful for the time we did have together. I am glad that I only have wonderful memories of them all to cherish forever. Each of them has contributed to who I am and I can't wait to share memories of them with my own children someday. I was so lucky to witness a fairy tale first hand in my grandparents and will always believe in true love because of them.

Do me a favor - if your grandparents are still alive, call them up and listen. Listen to the same stories you've heard a hundred times because one day you will cherish them! Take all the photos you can because you will never have enough. Lastly, learn from them. No matter how you feel about your family, you wouldn't be here without them. They are important. Learn about where you came from and be proud. You never realize how much you love someone until they are gone! Take it from me!

The last one, I promise!

The final deciding factor in choosing the vendor to video our wedding was comparing packages and pricing. We ultimately chose Artworks because we got so much in our package! We got a short trailer (3 minutes), the longer film (9 minutes) and the extended footage (30 minutes or so). I already posted our trailer and our film was uploaded to Vimeo today so I wanted to post it for our friends who don't have Facebook! Enjoy our beautiful day... again :)

http://vimeo.com/53458771

Have I mentioned how obsessed I am?

Halfway

Sorry I've been abandoning my blog lately! I've been super busy and am loving life in third grade. The little school I'm in has kept me working since I started substituting. As of yesterday I'm halfway through my time with my little darlings. At first I thought I was going to lose my mind, but every day I love them more! We are having so much fun together. Do I think I might want to teach the littles? Not so sure about that yet, but I sure do love subbing with them! I still don't handle tantrums and tattling all too well... It's never boring, that's for sure!

I've been all over the place lately so life has been a constant blur. Chris has been working almost every day so it seems like I haven't seen him in weeks! He's been working about 75 hours a week but hopefully that will be over when the holidays actually roll around. We won't know his schedule for sure until much closer to time.

I drove home to Habersham tonight because I'm heading my favorite place on Earth tomorrow with mom and Haley. Can anyone guess where that very special place is? Well, I'll let you guess until I post about our trip next week. Until then, loves! Have a fabulous weekend - I know I will...

My Best Friend's Wedding (Shower)

My beautiful best friend, Emilee, will be married in 54 short days! I remember how it seemed like I had so much time but at the end it absolutely flew by. The closer it got to the wedding, the more I had to do! Yesterday was five months since the wedding and it seems like time is flying by faster than ever! 

Yesterday Mom and I went to one of Em's showers in Habersham and I must admit, I'm loving how the tables have turned! It's fun being on this side of the wedding chaos! This is the only photo I took yesterday as my phone was not cooperating and I discovered my camera was dead...

Today the bridesmaids hosted a shower in Gainesville at 2 Dog Restaurant. We had eighteen people and the food was delish! The shower was "Around the clock," so guests brought gifts that corresponded to morning, noon, or night. We played the purse game, had delicious cupcakes, and had a great time celebrating sweet Em (and you too Kelsey!). I can't wait for the big day in December! I was there when Emilee fell head over heels for Kelsey and I couldn't be happier for them! They are the most perfect couple I know and I'm glad it's finally their time to tie the knot! Here's a few of pictures from the shower:

Welcome table

Table

Menu, favor, and spoon for marriage advice

Beautiful Bride to be!

Grandma Ruth writing her advice

Beautiful ladies - love you girls!

Such a wonderful time! Love you to the moon sweet friend!