54 Days...

So much has happened during the past few weeks. I was on Spring Break last week and I had such a great time with my friends, Amanda and Tori! On Friday, John Hoyt and I drove over to Alabama to attend my grandparents' 50th Anniversary party! I was so amazing to see that after 50 years they are still so in love and so happy! It was so inspiring! After the party, we drove back to Georgia to celebrate John Hoyt's dad's birthday with his family. Sunday, we had our church shower that John Hoyt's family threw for us! It was so much fun and we got a lot of beautiful things! On Monday morning, Tori, Amanda, and I left to drive to Pennsylvania! We got there Monday night and then got up early the next morning to drive to Niagara Falls! It was such a fun day! We got to see the Falls on the American side and then we drove over to Canada to see that side too! We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, and then went to the Skylar Tower (a spinning resturant) for dessert! It was so much fun! On the way back, we had a terrifying trip though. What would normally take about 4 hours ended up taking 8 because we got trapped in a huge snow storm in the mountains. I was driving and it was awful. We got pushed off the road by an 18-wheeler and almost hit the guard rail. It was only by God that we didn't hit it because I lost control of the car and we were sliding on ice and couldn't stop. When we finally got about 10 mintues from home, we got stuck on a hill. My big truck couldn't make it and a Pennsylvania DOT angel saved us! He somehow got my car turned around and we were able to take the long way home. It was truly a miracle because we were stuck in the middle of the road with no way to get up the hill or even move to the side of the road. It was an adventure to say the least. We got home at around 5:15 the next morning. Wednesday and Thursday we stayed at home. On Thursday night we had a "wedding celebration" with some ladies from our church in Pennsylvania and some of our neighbors and friends. Since the wedding is in Georgia, we knew that most people wouldn't be able to make it to the wedding, so they all came to celebrate with me while I was there. We played our slideshow and some music from the wedding, had some great finger foods and got some beautiful gifts! It was SO much fun! We are less than 8 weeks away from the wedding now! I really only have to finish up some details which can be time consuming, so I'm trying to work on stuff a little at a time. We are just so excited! There has been a slight delay in the closing on our house because of a problem with the water company, but it might be good because it gives me a little bit more time to focus on the wedding. I am so thankful for that 2 weeks between graduation and the wedding to finish up and organize everything!

70 Days...

So much has happened since I posted last time! We finally found our house!!! The weekend after my last post, we looked and looked and still couldn't find anything. I left Sunday night feeling very discouraged and upset and wondering what we were going to do. It seemed that we had exhausted all of our options. While I was on my way home, John Hoyt called me and said that he had been looking online at houses in Pendergrass, a town really close to Braselton, where we had been looking. He said that he found two houses that were really beautiful from the pictures and that were definitely in our price range. When I got home that night, I looked at them and fell in love with one in particular. John Hoyt called the real estate agent and set up a time to look at it on Monday night. He loved it and thought I should see it in person, so I drove up that Wednesday night to look at it myself. I fell in love immediately and knew that this was the house for us. We had to put in a bid on it, and so we decided to go ahead and do it that night. We were supposed to hear back to see if we won the bid on Thursday because the bidding ended on Wednesday night, but we didn't hear anything all day. We were so anxious and nervous to hear if we got the house or not. Luckily for me, I was at UGA for my new student visitation and so I was a little distracted. We didn't hear anything all day Thursday. Friday, I was still at UGA and John Hoyt text me and told me that he needed to talk to me about the weekend. When I got a break, I called him and he started telling me about something for that weekend so I thought he hadn't heard anything yet. Then he said, "So, when do you want me to dig up that bush in front of OUR house?". There is a bush that I hate right in the front of the house, so I knew that we had won the bid!!! We were so excited!!!! Saturday, we met with our real estate agent to sign the contract. We should be closing sometime around the end of March!! We are so blessed and we can't wait to start cleaning the house and painting to make it our home. Right now there are 2 hot pink rooms that need to be painted. I just can't wait to get in there and put my touch into it! The house is in the perfect location between his work and UGA. It's also pretty close to his family and our church!

Now that the house is pretty much settled, besides all the paperwork, I can start thinking about the wedding again. John Hoyt and I got some minor shopping done for the ceremony last night. Last weekend we went to Alabama to do our premarital counseling with Pop, since he is performing the ceremony. While we were there, we finalized the details of the ceremony so now I can finish up the program and start working on that. We bought our vases for the sand ceremony and the sand and wax to seal it. Last weekend, I also bought the rest of the napkins for the reception. We've been working on music for the reception and all of that too. Time is ticking away, so I'm trying to stay focused and get everything done. Once we get to close on the house it will be a balancing act trying to get the house ready, move, finish up school, and work on the wedding, but I'm excited. My new obsession is HGTV.com. I can look at rooms that have been decorated on there and so I've been having a blast doing that. John Hoyt and I looked through the pictures I saved and picked out some colors for some of the rooms. We also were blessed with a phone call from a friend who works at Lowe's who found us a brand new, in the box, washing machine for VERY cheap! We went and picked it up Thursday night and we're storing it at John Hoyt's work until we close on the house. Our friend is in the process of looking for a dryer and a fridge for us as well. We are so blessed to have so many things going for us right now!

89 Days...

Only 3 more months to go! It's amazing how fast time is flying by but we're so excited! We did some more house hunting this weekend. So far we haven't had any luck in finding something. There is one we really like, but we're trying to decide if we want to put in an offer or keep looking and see what else we can find. It's been an emotional rollercoaster but we know that God is going to lead us to where we need to be. We've been praying so hard and so much! Sunday, I went shopping with Christa and Jackie to pick out plates for the reception. We got that taken care of so that's one less thing I have to take care of! John Hoyt and I had plans to go to Starbucks and just sit together and make all of the minor decisions about the wedding that we haven't made, but Starbucks closes earlier than it says on their website :( It's hard for us to focus sometimes when we're not by ourselves and it's very rare that we have quiet time on weekends to make decisions. It's good that we have some time :) Our last shower was planned and we're really excited about it! Our church is throwing us a couple's shower!! I can't wait!

With the house hunting kind of being our first priority, we haven't really gotten a chance to work on wedding stuff. I've been very busy with school too, so wedding is just kind of taking a back seat for the next few days. We're hoping we can get something settled with a house really soon. John Hoyt is going to scout out some houses this week with the real estate agent and see if there are any that I should look at when I get to go up there next time. I feel like a grown-up and I'm not sure I like it :) I am really looking forward to having OUR place and having all of my belongings in one place. My plan is as soon as we close to start moving all of my stuff and have one room designated WEDDING and just putting all of the wedding stuff in that room! That will be one very full room, but I'm exicted that it's getting here so soon! Now we just have to find the house for us and we'll be good to go!!

94 Days...

Well our stress levels just moved to an 11! It's a good 11 though because the reason is really exciting :) We got pre-approved for a loan on a house this past weekend! We spent most of the afternoon on Sunday looking at houses and we found out that in order to be able to move in when we want to, we have 2 weeks to find a house and make an offer. That's a little nerve-racking, but we are also really excited. I will be going up there this weekend again to look at houses and hopefully make a decision to put an offer on one. We are really excited but really nervous at the same time. Just please be in prayer for us as we make this huge decision for our lives. We didn't get a lot of wedding stuff done this weekend because we were so focused on the house. We were also able to celebrate Valentine's Day! He took me to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta as a surprise which was so much fun! We both love art and we were so excited to be there! We also went shopping and had dinner at O'Charley's (my favorite). We were waiting for a table and his aunt and uncle that I don't know very well walked in. When we got a table, we asked them if they wanted to sit with us. It was so great to get to know some of his extended family that I don't know very well! On Valentine's Day we met for dinner in Madison since both of us had to work and I had some school on Monday during the day. We ate at the Chophouse and then he took me grocery shopping which is really romantic because I hate shopping by myself. We have been looking online at houses this week and will hopefully be able to make a good decision this weekend or next week. We can't believe it's all happening so fast! The wedding is a little more than 3 months away, so we're getting to crunch time. But that's ok :) We're so ready to be husband and wife. All the stress is worth it! Your prayers during the next few weeks would be very appreciated as we make some big decisions! Thanks!

101 Days...

We're almost in double digits! We had such a great weekend with our friends and family this weekend! We had a shower on Saturday in Moody, AL for our family and friends there. John Hoyt's family was able to drive over from Georgia and my family came from Pennsylvania to be there. It was so great to have so many close family and friends all there to celebrate with us! We got some wonderful gifts for our home and tools for John Hoyt :) We moved all of that to the Butler's to store there until we find a place to live. On Sunday, I got to celebrate with more family and friends at a lingerie shower thrown by Ms. Kim, Ms. Wanda, and Ms. Doris, our neighbors in Dacula! My mom, grandmother, and aunt got to come as well as so many of my friends! It was slightly embarassing but it was so much fun! I got a lot of really pretty stuff and some other fun stuff :). I got to meet my best friend/MOH's boyfriend afterwards when we all went out to El Centinela. Overall, it was such a fun weekend and I am so thankful for all my friends and family who sacrificed to be there! I am so thankful to you!

This week is going to be very busy. I have a lot of school work to do and the wedding is closing in, so I'm trying to get some of the details done. I've been assigning jobs to close friends and family for day-of tasks and everyone has been so willing to help! I have the BEST family and friends a girl could ask for! Since we're not getting the location to decorate until about 2 hours before the ceremony starts we have asked several people for their help and they have been SO wonderful!

This weekend, John Hoyt and I will start the process of finding a place to live. We are going to get preapproved for a mortgage on Saturday and will hopefully start looking at houses on Sunday. I'm going to be going up there the next few weekends so hopefully we'll be able to make a decision pretty soon on a house. Just pray for us that we'll make the right decisions and that God will lead us to where we are supposed to be. We are also doing some minor wedding details this weekend like choosing the music for the reception, etc. Since it's Valentine's Day weekend, we are trying to spend some much-needed time together. We had such a great weekend last weekend, but in all the hussle we didn't really get to spend any time together. It will just be so nice to get some things done as a couple this weekend. :)

114 Days...

So, my first shower is a week from Saturday and I am getting really giddy about it! My mom keeps texting me telling me who all is coming and how excited everyone is and I just can't wait! Yesterday I went to Monograms and More and picked up our cake serving set! It is absolutely beautiful and the monogram is so exciting! The knife says "Mr. and Mrs. Richardson" which makes me smile really big :). I also went to Hallmark and picked up a journal for our gifts to be written in at each shower and I also picked up a guest book so everyone at the showers can write in it! They're both so cute! It's these kinds of things that temporarily wipe away my stress and just make me so excited! I'm trying to take deep breaths and just enjoy my time planning this amazing day instead of stressing out. All the e-mails are no fun, but I love the shopping!!!

116 Days...

If someone tells you that they're going to get married 2 weeks after their college graduation, tell them NO!!! Just kidding, but really it's going to be a crazy semester. I've been looking at my calendar and I will have 1 free weekend...the weekend before graduation. I'm trying to keep that weekend open because I'm not really sure if I'll need to study or move or...actually I have no idea what I'll need to do. We've been trying to schedule everything so that nothing gets left out, but it's been difficult. I have 8 showers...really ridiculous, but since I've lived so many different places, people in those places are offering to throw me showers, and I of course want to accept all of them! Showers are so much fun and I've been trying to spread them out so that I'm not driving myself crazy trying to be at everything. My first two showers are next weekend and I can't wait! I'm really ready for the first one to get here! I think it will be so real once we start all of that stuff. I am currently in the process of finding dresses for everything, which is so much fun but so money-consuming! I'm really glad we're getting married so soon after graduation...I don't want to wait a second longer than I have to, but I'm just working on time management and stress management. I can do this!!! :)