I have gratitude today for...
* feeling like the work I've put in is starting to payoff. I'm seeing results and getting appointments.
* going to the Intro to Spin class tonight at the gym class.
* checking out the Pilate's class after spin. I didn't realize the intro class was only 30min. I definitely felt like the new kid in school but I know the more I do it the more I'll improve.
* Andy having dinner made when I got home.

I have gratitude today for...
* seeing Erika at Hair Cuttery today for a long over-due hair cut. I was also able to reserve her for the wedding.
* the email I received from the make-up artist I talked to last week telling me she's available on 9/17.
* Jeffrey's 3rd Birthday celebration. It was a nice afternoon with the Roth family. It feels like forever since Megan left for FL with the boys.
* Jeffrey being so cute when Andy asked him to "carry the rings" in our wedding.
* Andy asking Jeff to be his Best Man. He had Jeffrey help ask and it was really sweet.
* a fantastic dinner with Erin & Bill at Totaros. I asked Erin to be a part of my bridal party and was happy she said "yes".
* the sweet text message from Megan Regan thanking me for coming out last night and for her birthday gifts.

I have gratitude today for...
* going to the 9am beginners yoga class at the gym this morning. It was a great way to start the weekend!
* being able to laugh at my OfficeSpace moment at the office when I was trying to print the engagement party invitations. I was pretty close to taking an ax to the printer!
* a really nice time at Leslie & Terry's house for Mikayla's 1st Birthday Party! It was great seeing everyone and the little princess was adorable.
* a fun night out in Manayunk to celebrate Megan's birthday. Megan, Jess & I went to Bourbon Blue and then Jess & I spent the rest of the night at JD McGillicuddy's.

I have gratitude today for...
* a pretty good size contract that come through from The Louver Shop. It's the biggest contract for 2011 I've sold so far.
* an excellent meeting this afternoon with Melmark.
* looking at the soreness from last night's yoga class as a sign of strengthening and using it as motivation to keep up with going to yoga.

I have gratitude today for...
* choosing to get up early to help Andy shovel. It took over an hour with the both of us! When will summer be here?
* my meeting with Jennifer at the Radisson. We talked about a front cover for their bridal show in September and had a nice lunch at Chumley's.
* being able to wear my warm & comfy UGGS to work on days like this.
* going to my first yoga class at Fairmount Athletic Club. I haven't taken a yoga class since sometime last summer. I've taken less than 10 classes in my entire life. I walked into an advanced class and thought, at times, I was going to die. Lisa, the instructor was excellent. It felt great to get through the class and I'm really looking forward to doing yoga on a regular basis.
* watching Friday Night Lights with Andy tonight.

I have gratitude today for...
* the beautiful snow when we woke up this morning. Although I can't stand the cold the snow is so pretty in the morning.
* Andy deciding to turn around this morning after her attempted to drive to work. It took him an hour to go just a few miles and I was so worried about him driving all the way to DE an then trying to get home tonight.
* Andy spending a lot of time printing mailing addresses on our save the dates today.
* talking with Megan for a bit today. We've hardly talked since she went to Florida almost three weeks ago. I filled her in on wedding planning. :-)
* watching a bunch of my Oprah episodes on the DVR while I worked.
* the touching story on American Idol. I know who I'm rooting for this season!
* avoiding that accident last week when a car almost hit me after running a red light. The story on American Idol made me think of that moment and how scary it was.

I have gratitude today for...
* getting up early and getting to the office before 8am!
* the Chinese place I tried in Bridgeport. I know, I know, I have to stop eating that crap in order to look my best in the dress.
* mailing the invitations for our engagement party.
* deciding to "invest in myself" and joining Fairmount Athletic Club. I got a great deal, less than $40 per month. They have so many different classes and a clean facility, unlike Bally's. Hopefully it won't snow too much tomorrow and I'll be able to go.
* the ham dinner Mrs. Roth made for us.
* the arrival of our save the dates. They're adorable and there were no mistakes. I was nervous I overlooked something. I can't wait to send them out!
* Flyers win again!

I have gratitude today for...
* making some calls to the gyms in King of Prussia and setting an appointment at Fairmount Athletic Club. Their class schedule looks pretty impressive. I'd rather not pay a monthly membership since we have the elliptical but I really want to start doing yoga.
* bringing my lunch today so I didn't have to leave the office. I got a ton of work done today!
* watching the movie Inception with Andy. We both feel asleep and I learned quickly it's not type of movie but I at least wanted to check it out because of all the hype.

I have gratitude today for...
* not having to get up early.
* getting most of the Christmas decorations back up into the attic.
* spending the afternoon with Viki. We went to Penzeys Spices and it was amazing. What an incredible selection! Anyone that likes to cook needs to check it out! We went into a few other shops and then to Totaro's for lunch. 25 cent wings because the Flyers were on, homemade soup and a salad. A perfect winter lunch.
* meeting with our photographers Cat & Al from BG Productions. I can't wait for them to be there all day to capture every moment! They helped us figure out a schedule for that day and made me even more excited. I am so happy the dates worked out---I told Cat I wanted her to photograph our wedding over two years ago!
* Andy's idea to make a new recipe out of the Giada cookbook he bought me last year. He decided on Chicken Cacciatore and we did the prep together. One of my goals for this year is to try one new recipe each week. It came out great!
* OWN and the shows I like on Oprah's new network.

I have gratitude today for...
* breakfast at Michael's Diner with Copley. We hadn't seen each other since May. We talked about business, wedding plans and I showed her my gorgeous engagement ring. I had a really nice time and was glad we decided to meet earlier than originally planned so we weren't rushed.
* being able to attend Wendy's baby shower. We had a whole table of Tynemouth Ct. alumni :-) Mom & I spent most of the time with Chrissy & Diane. It was nice to catch up and there was so much food! Everything was excellent. I can't wait to meet her sweet baby girl.
* going to the mall with Mom to look at dresses for her mother-of-the-bride dress! We found one at Lord & Taylor that was almost perfect, but not quite. It was on clearance so they didn't have any other sizes but at least we found something she liked. Can't wait to look at more!
* dinner with Naoma at Bella Tori I feel like all I did today was eat! The restaurant is gorgeous and the food was really good, as well as the service. I got to hear all about her wedding and tell her about our wedding plans. We talked about work and future life plans. Although we don't see each other often, we always have the best time together.
* finally talking with Aunt Colleen tonight. We've been trying to get in touch with each other since Andy & I got engaged. I told her about everything we've accomplished so far. It means a lot to me that our family is so excited for our wedding. I can't wait to share something so special with everyone!

I have gratitude today for...

* Bethany, Debbie and Cathie (my photographer) putting me at ease about my dress. When I looked at the pictures this morning (taken with my crappy camera phone) I wasn't so in love with how it looked. But then I kept thinking back to last night and how much I LOVED it. I guess I'm just horrible at making decisions and I felt overwhelmed. I second guessed myself and thought maybe I should have looked some more just in case. I'm also really critical of how I look in every picture so I found myself picking every little thing apart. The emails from all three, (and my mom, even though she didn't know I was having these feelings) made me feel better. I felt like such a dummy sitting at my desk hysterical about this. I am not Bridezilla!

* breakfast at Santangelo's with John, Brian and Bill.

* setting more meetings today!

* catching up with Mike, a friend of mine from Gwynedd-Mercy. I haven't talked to him in so long!
* Happy Hour at Totaro's with my work crew.
* the gift certificate Andrew (owner of Totaro's) handed me today while saying "this is just for you. I appreciate everything you've done for us." That meant so much to me.
* finally finding really cute stuff for Wendy's baby shower at Babies R Us after looking around the mall for over an hour. Apparently January = summer clothes in the majority of stores. Ridiculous!
* watching last night's episode of The Office- and of course the Dave Matthews reference.

I have gratitude today for...

* setting more appointments today. I feel like things are finally starting to happen!

* lunch at Plaza Azteca with Brian, John and Brian's dad. 

* my experience at Bridaltown tonight. Bethany & I went to look at wedding gowns and I found THE ONE. It's amazing. I'm so excited, everything is coming together! Gail was wonderful and helpful. I'd recommend this place to anyone. They had a huge selection!
* the excitement and enthusiasm Mom & Dad had when I emailed them a photo of the dress. Dad answered the phone and said "it's a go!" It made me happy they liked it so much!

* pizza from Sicilian Delight with Andy & Bethany. 

I have gratitude today for...
* my appreciation of the fact that I have a job where I don't have to sit behind a desk all day. As much as driving around and sitting in traffic can be annoying, I much rather be driving around, listening to music and seeing the outside than be sitting in a cube all day.
* my lunch at Totaro's and my take-out dinner!
* the short rest I took after work today. I laid down for about 45 minutes because I was feeling really tired. I made a deal with myself--If I laid down, I'd get up and do the elliptical.
* pushing myself on the elliptical tonight and staying at level 9 for the whole 45 minutes.
* my awesome chicken marsala dinner and American Idol tonight. Andy was out with a friend so I didn't have to worry about dinner or him making fun of me for still loving AI.

I have gratitude today for...
* how pretty the ice looked on all the trees on my way to work this morning.
* my two awesome interns at work who are great at accomplishing tasks and getting things done!
* the sale I made today to a company I've been after since LifeStyle. Finally got them in.
* discovering I forgot to convert a $4,000 contract so I added to my pre-booked #.
* the momentum I feel like I have going at work.
* getting my butt on the elliptical for the second day in a row!

I have gratuitude today for...
* sending in the deposit for our DJ.
* the two great meetings I had today.
* the awesome yoga pants made from bamboo John gave me from Chester County Bamboo!
* getting my butt on the elliptical tonight.
* finally watching the movie Atonement. I've wanted to see it for a long time and really enjoyed it. I love that we've kept our Netflix membership. We're finally seeing movies that have been on my list for years.

I have gratitude today for...
* having time to talk with Becky for a while this morning before her mom got here to pick her up.
* our meeting with Bill Scheivert, he is probably going to be our DJ. Super nice guy with a lot of experience, fair rates and great testimonials.
* talking with Celebrations and deciding it's the place we're going with. I feel such a sense of relief just having that out of the way!
* finding out a good friend of mine is pregnant.
* the awesome turkey dinner Mrs. Roth made tonight. It was like Thanksgiving all over again.
* sharing our wedding date with Debbie, Jillian & Katie. It was a lot of fun talking with them about it!

I have gratitude today for...
* cleaning up the basement and getting ready for the girls to come over tonight.
* visiting Celebrations, Blair Mill Inn and the Old School Meetinghouse (for the ceremony) today with Andy, mom and dad. I think Celebrations could be the winner.
* a great night with Becky, Adrienne and Megan. We had a bunch of apps and sat around and talked for a few hours. Then went to Reed's in Blue Bell for some old school cover band action.
* Andy picking us up from the bar, he was a saint tonight.

I have gratitude today for...
* how great the January issue looks!
* finding an awesome dress today that I really loved. The designer is Forever Yours International.
* getting a few calls from business owners interested in advertising.
* dinner at Spasso with Andy to celebrate our 7th anniversary.
* hanging at Kelly's apartment with a bunch of her friends to celebrate her 25th birthday!

I have gratitude today for...
* another really productive day at work.
* Mrs. Roth making a pasta dinner tonight. Yum!
* watching Grey's Anatomy- I just love those ABC shows!
* talking with Andy about this night 7 years ago. He had just flown into CA from Philly and met me at a bar near Becky's house. It was the first time we really hung out. The rest is history.

I have gratitude today for...
* reading Debbie's new blog about going vegan. I give her and Craig a lot of credit, I couldn't do it!
* Tina emailing me back to tell me about her experience with Celebrations.
* all of the calls I made today and feeling like I made some progress at work. It felt like a really productive day.
* designing the invitations for our engagement party.

I have gratitude today for...
* being able to reserve a limo for my 30th birthday celebration!
* the two new interns that started today.
* lunch at our favorite Mexican place with Beth, Sophia, John & Brian.
* the meeting I went to with John to learn more about a business opportunity.
* getting home safely, having to drive in the snow. It was beautiful.
* the arrival of Jonny & Lori's baby boy!

I have gratitude today for...
* finding another potential wedding venue, Celebrations in Bensalem, PA.
* visiting Viki and her new doggie Roszi.
* my sale at Totaro's today. We're looking forward to more gift cards :-)

I have gratitude today for...
* choosing to skip the Eagles game to go to Dane's 1st birthday party. It was nice to spend a few hours with him and Missy, and to see her mom.
* the picture book of Dane's Christening and wedding planner Missy gave me today.
* going to David's Bridal with Mom, Kelly and Kerry to try on wedding gowns. I definitely figured out what what I like and what I don't like. I'm excited to go to other stores to try on some more!
* going over Becky's mom's house to watch the Eagles game. It was nice to spend time with her and fun watching the 4th quarter when we thought they might come back and win.

The Dress (cont'd)

Today I met Mom, Kelly & Kerry for the standard trip to David's Bridal that (almost) every bride makes when she first starts looking for a gown.

The woman that helped us was great and I thought the selection was pretty good too. I like how they carry all different sample sizes so you can find gowns that fit you no matter what size you are.

I definitely ruled out some styles and found some that I really liked. I know I don't want strapless, poofy, or ruffled. There was one Mom really loved (I did too) but I didn't want to buy anything this early. (Pictures are below, none of them ended up being the winner.)

Kerry reminded me that I should visit some bridal shops---even though they can be expensive they put their samples on sale and you can often find a dress worth a couple thousand dollars for just a fraction of the original price.

It felt good to at least start looking and to find some styles that felt like "me". As much as I'd love to wear Mom's gown, I think I want something with a little more detail.

We'll see, to be continued (again).

I have gratitude today for...
* taking some time to write more about wedding planning on the blog, as well as another Year in Review. I had lots of things I wanted to write about when I started this blog that haven't been worked on in months.
* shopping for Dane's 1st Birthday presents at Barnes & Noble and the awesome pop-up dinosaur book I found for Jeffrey.
* the show on OWN about the making of Oprah's 25th Season. I found it interesting and love seeing the "behind the scenes" of her show.

I have gratitude today for...
* appreciating the snow even though I hate cold weather. Waking up today to a Winter Wonderland was really beautiful.
* the UGG snowboats I bought in the fall. They are the best $125 I could have spent. I was sweating while shoveling snow today.
* working from home in my PJ's and cozy bed.
* talking with Debbie for a while today on Facebook chat. She's inspired me to watch Food Inc. Now I just have to convince Andy to watch with me.
* dinner with Andy at Totaro's.
* Friday night movie night picked by Andy. Robin Hood. I couldn't get into it so I had fun looking on-line at wedding gowns while Andy watched.

I have gratitude today for...
* knowing the owners of our company are fair to their employees.
* the chicken cheese steak John brought me from Santangelo's. It was a nice treat.
* getting some of the basement cleaned up and my Tastefully Simple stuff organized.
* baby back ribs slow cooked and BBQ'd for dinner.
* Grey's Anatomy & Private Practice. It was nice to watch a few new shows after weeks of reruns.
* talking with Andy about our relationship. I feel extremely lucky to have him and I know he feels the same about me. I know a lot of people going through a hard time in their relationships right now and I am thankful we are able to talk about things on a regular basis without holding grudges or minor things build up until they become major issues.

I have gratitude today for...
* meeting with Connie from Ludwig's Catering today. I looked at the Freedom's Foundation in Valley Forge. I don't think it's going to work but I enjoyed meeting Connie & Andy. I don't feel the space is big enough and there is too much for us to do on our own.
* Andy being sweet about the wedding when I was feeling frustrated.

I have gratitude today for...

* talking with Missy today and finding out about what's going on with her these days. I wish I lived closer so I could help her with Dane. A lot falls on her shoulders and she deserves a break.

* having some good conversations with potential advertisers today.
* my dentist appointment to pick up my 3rd & 4th set of trays. I'm sooo happy I finally moved forward with fixing my teeth.
* prospecting in Newtown Square and seeing interest from a few people.
* the Cinnamon Spice candles I picked up from Rite Aid. They smell great and were 75% off from Christmas!
* an early dinner at Charlotte's with Megan Regan. We were with the early bird crowd today. The food was excellent and we had a nice time catching up.
* deciding to pass on "No Country for Old Men". I gave it a chance but the violence immediately turned me off. Andy & Mrs. Roth watched while I looked at videographer's samples on-line.
* finding someone that is looking to jump start their videography business that is willing to shoot our wedding day for a great price!

I have gratitude today for...

* feeling like today is a new beginning. It's time to focus at work, and focus on living a more healthy lifestyle. 

* lunch at Plaza Azteca again. Their food is so good, it's my new favorite place for sure!

* Ben & Dave stopping in King of Prussia so we could see Dave for a bit while he's in Philly from FL. We went to Screwballs for a couple of hours and had a nice time catching up. The next time we'll see him will be in warm, sunny FL! 

I have gratitude today for...

* a relaxing afternoon at home watching football with Andy. 

* leftovers!

* spending even more time looking at wedding venues. I can't wait until this part is done. 

* chicken wings Andy made for the Eagles game. 

* more Friday Night Lights. I'm sad this is the final season and there are only 13 episodes.

I have gratitude today for...

* not feeling hungover this morning.

*spending a lazy day with Jess & John while Andy slept. We watched TV, a movie (Ed TV) and ate Chinese Food.
* pork and sauerkraut dinner (for good luck, even though I don’t eat the sauerkraut) with the Roth family and Joe Pel.
* a laid back evening to start off 2011. I watched Easy A with Chris, Kem and Mrs. Roth. Later on Andy and I watched Friday Night Lights.
*all of the great things that lie ahead for us in the New Year!
* sticking with this blog for exactly one year today!