i hope you have your party shoes on.

after this, it's heading off to nashville for

these newlyweds, sweets.

best wishes to each and every one of you for a

happy and healthy new year.

see you in 2012!

{aren't these ban.do shoe clips adorable?}

nashville road trip with two awesome buddies.

here's a little look at our road trip to and from tennessee

from a couple weeks ago, sweets!

lots and lots and LOTS of driving, sore bottoms from sitting for long hours

{okay, maybe that was just me!},

a visit to opryland to see their Christmas lights,

pancakes at our beloved pancake pantry,

many nap rotations in the back seat of johnny's suv

and lovely views of many rolling hills.

pretty much sums up my most recent visit to nashville.

next time i go there, it's to stay!

now to find a job . . . never a dull moment here, huh?

guest post: stephanie's ramblings

meet the lovely stephanie, who kindly offered

to drop by for a post while the mr. and i take some time together.

being a bride around the holidays left me feeling awfully self-concious

some days and stephanie bravely chats about

the things that we girls sometimes never put out there . . .

this post really resonates with me and i hope you enjoy!

~abby

Hey readers! My name is Stephanie. Stop by my little blog, Stephanie's Ramblings. I post about everything, literally. I love to write about clothes, food, my adventures, love, complaints, etc. I'm so excited to be guest posting today, but I must admit, it took me a while to decide what to post about!

Let's face it, as women, we are burried with images of how we should look, and oftentimes that just leaves us feeling bad about ourselves, regretting that last meal we snarffed down, and wishing away our features. I've learned (the hard way) that starving myself and beating myself up about what I put into by body does way more damage than just enjoying that extra slice of pizza. Or that piece of cake.

To me, being healthy means being both physically and emotionally healthy. The other day on pinterest I saw this pin that a girl posted "50 tips to skinny" and I about died when I read it! Tips included "eat in front of your mirror, naked, and then see if you want to keep eating." or "when you start to feel hungry, do a bunch of sit-ups and punch yourself in the stomach. you won't feel hungry anymore" or "tell your family you are eating at a friends, but just take a long walk instead." What the?

When I was 13, I saw a picture that had been taken of me and I thought I looked fat. I thought that my chin was looking chubby and I thought my arms and gut were just too large for a little 13 year-old like myself. I would give away my lunch money or spend it on expensive bottled water. I didn't want to eat. I felt guilty and ashamed when I ate out with my family or ate anything that wasn't a fruit or vegetable. Luckily, it never went to far. Between people's comments about my sudden weight loss and my own common sense, I realized what I was doing was not smart. But, that doesn't mean that I wasn't always aware of what was going into my mouth.

Now that I'm almost 21, I can say that I respect my body and who I am. I still get critical, but what girl doesn't? The things I've done over the past few years to help me appreciate who I am have really built my confidence and even put me on a stage, in a bathing suit, in front of a giant crowd of people and earned me a pageant title along with over $10,000 in tuition for my university.

Rules I live by:

1. Eat dessert. If I want a treat, I don't turn it down. I just have to be careful not to go crazy and eat tons of junk. When I hear roommates or people going on diets that cut all sweets, I get sad inside. Seriously though, you'll just binge when your diet is over! So, rule number one is eat dessert.

2. Move. I try to exercise 3x a week. As a busy college students, sometimes that's really hard. But, I can honestly say I notice improvement in my classes and relationships when I get exercise. It's a great way to burn stress and get those endorphins flowing. When you don't have a lot of time, do this workout in your room. I love blasting my favorite tunes and just powering through this work out:

3. Love brown.

I slowly started switching out white grains for whole grains, and now I don't even like white grains! I think that whole grains taste much better and they add a lot of fiber to my diet. It's good to get carbs, but you want the right ones. You can swith to whole grain tortillas, pasta, bread, Gold-Fish crackers, etc. Just make sure when buying whole grains you look at the item's ingredient list. Whole grain/whole wheat flour should be the 1st ingredient.

4. Compliment yourself.

This may be cheesy, but I give myself compliments when I'm feeling sad, and even when I'm feeling great! What is your favorite feature? Maybe you have killer legs, or an incredible set of pearly-whites. Maybe your hair is amazing or your hands are pretty. Remind yourself of that! When you love your body, you respect it. When you respect it, you eat better and find time to exercise.

5. Stop comparing yourself.

The images we see on T.V. and in magazines are usually photoshopped to the max. Celebrities have gobs of money and spend it on personal trainers and other ways of making their bodies look good (plastic surgery, etc.). Why would you want to be someone you're not? Be the best you there is by eating right and getting exercise!

Those are a few rules I follow in order to feel physically healthy and emotionally healthy. Thanks for reading!

One of my favorite movie lines:

"Let me ask you something, in all the years that you have...undressed in front of a gentleman has he ever asked you to leave? Has he ever walked out and left? No? It's because he doesn't care! He's in a room with a naked girl, he just won the lottery. I am so tired of saying no, waking up in the morning and recalling every single thing I ate the day before, counting every calorie I consumed so I know just how much self loathing to take into the shower. I'm going for it. I have no interest in being obese, I'm just through with the guilt. So this is what I'm going to do, I'm going to finish this pizza, and then we are going to go on a little date and buy ourselves some bigger jeans.” -Eat.Pray.Love

Enjoy yourselves. It's okay.

this post was previously entitled both, "the guests drank pedialite" and "honeymooning with the in-laws."

we are home right now.

home as in nh . . . not in nashville.

that's correct . . . we did not go on our honeymoon.

sounds wacky for a couple that just tied the knot and

planned to be galavanting around the bahamas this week, right?

since friday, the new mister and i have learned some big lessons

in keeping perspective . . .

friday morning, the day before the wedding, i came down

with the nastiest stomach flu that knocked me so hard

i thought i might not make it to the wedding.

gone was the manicure and eyebrow appointments

that i had so carefully planned to make myself all perfect and pretty

for my groom . . . gone was the chance to oversee every little decorating

detail of the ceremony and practicing the ceremony,

because i literally couldn't get out of bed to be there.

no longer was it about the details or the next day's schedule;

i just needed to get there and, man, were we scared that wouldn't happen.

i seriously had visions of saying my vows while tucked in bed

and surrounded by our immediate families.

i would have done it too, if that's what it had come to.

but no . . . by God's grace alone

{sooo many prayers from family, friends and church}

i was able to get out of bed, get into my dress, and lean on

my brother's arm to get down the aisle to my amazing guy.

we kept the ceremony short.

we didn't do the downtown urban photography extravaganza we had

dreamed about for so long.

i didn't eat much of any of the scrumptious breakfast reception food

i had looked forward to these last few months.

it didn't much matter at all.

i got married to my handsome guy . . . finally . . . and i was the most satisfied

girl on the face of the planet.

darn the details.

we had Christmas Day between the wedding and the honeymoon for me to recoup

and though i was low on energy, we thought we were in the clear . . .

until mr. wonderful fell terribly ill with his own stomach bug

just hours before our flight was to take off.

and so we're grounded here in nh,

hanging out with the in-laws, watching food network and hgtv,

eating left over rehearsal dinner cheese cake and helping

my new husband get back on his feet.

and i'm happy as a clam.

no fancy wedding day manicure or tropical honeymoon required.

~~~

"in every thing, give thanks;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

1 thessalonians 5:18

~~~

p.s. ladies, concealer really does do wonders for under-eye circles.

{via sister and instagram . . . real pictures to come!}

packages and bows

happy day after christmas!

wrapping gifts is absolutely on of my favorite parts of the holiday season.

what better way to put some extra love into your presents

than to carefully craft a beautiful package for your precious ones

to ooo and ahh over just before they open it?

i think it makes the gift-giving experience all the more enjoyable!

this year, i feel like loss of time and shortage of excess funds

left me to produce rather shoddy wrapping jobs

compared to years past.

good thing i have a whole year to plot next Christmas' wrapping scheme.

and a whole new side of the family to give gifts to as well!

merry christmas, one and all.

far beyond all of the craziness that has demanded our attention this year,

i don't want to forget the reason this day is so incredibly special.

today we celebrate the birth of our Savior,

who came to earth to die for you and me.

i hope we can all take some time away from our many distractions

to thank our Father in Heaven for this priceless gift

he bestowed upon us so that we might spend forever with Him.

~~~

and being found in human form, he humbled himself by

becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

~Philippians 2:8-10

{pssst! we're finally married! . . .

see the stocking my mother handmade mr. wonderful?

hung right next to mine at her place :)}

wedding countdown day 5 :: love letters

dear johnny, you are my best friend . . . i cannot remember what i did in

my life before you came along.

i could never be as silly and goofy

as i truly am on the inside with anyone else but you.

you tolerate and, better yet, encourage my julia child singing voice

and penguin-walking. amazing!

i have never had as much fun taking pictures,

blogging, drinking coffee, walking and talking

and just sitting on the couch watching movies

as i do when i am with you.

i'm convinced that even if we were deserted on a remote island together

without anything but one another,

you would still making it into a terrific time.

~~~

dear mr. wonderful, thanks for always being my shoulder to cry on,

the one who takes care of me and watches out for me every single day.

i love the way you throw your arm around my shoulders when we're walking

out and about, as if i'm yours to keep safe.

you make me feel so special, so beautiful, protected and cherished.

p.s. i promise the over-emotional wedding planner fiancee

is gone for good as of tomorrow.

~~~

dear john,

thank you for pushing me.

i've never met anyone who challenges me so much.

you don't ever let me settle for less than excellent

in my spiritual walk, my work, my relationships with others

and the way i view myself.

i honestly never thought i would meet someone who could

demand the best out of me without making me feel

demeaned, disrespected or pushed around.

you seem to be the motivation i need without the sting . . .

the best match for me i never knew was out there.

~~~

dear {as of tomorrow} husband of mine,

we get married in a day!

i can't believe i get to be a part of this amazing, sacred team with you.

i get to be the one who comes home to you,

love you, cheer you on, cook for you,

become "mommy and daddy" alongside you someday

and grow into two old, crazy people with you.

i am so infinitely glad that in this kickball game of life,

God picked us for one another.

~~~

i'll be back after the new year as a married woman

with all sorts of amazing new things to tell you.

thanks so much for all the love you've shared with me as we've

barreled towards our wedding day . . . i can't tell you how much it's meant to me.

my best to you all, sweets!

AN EARLY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

wedding countdown day 4 :: a pre-wedding fairytale date night

i heard once from a friend that she and her now-husband

had to deliberately make specific times to NOT talk about

wedding plans while they were engaged.

you know . . . a night off from the craziness and hype.

it may seem silly, but we're just a few days away from our wedding

and tonight johnny and i are taking an evening to do

exactly that . . . so, we're taking the night off!

it's a night to hold hands, snuggle as we scurry

through the cold boston streets, laugh together in excited anticipation

of a lovely nutcracker performance, Christmas and our special day

soon to come.

just a time to focus on being a couple together,

loving one another during this very special time in our lives.

absolute pre-wedding perfection.

wedding countdown day 3 :: our inspiration board

consider this your one and only sneak peek . . .

it's almost here!

wedding countdown day 2 :: remember when?

i was in the middle of watching (500) days of summer when

he called me 5 minutes before

the fourth of july fireworks were to start.

he was on his scooter and wanted to take me.

we sped downtown and made it just

in time to watch the show.

{it was the first time i was comfortable enough

to put my arms around him

while riding . . . so nervous!}

then we went back and finished the movie together . . .

and he held my hand for the first time.

sigh!

{via}

wedding countdown day 1 :: our place

just a little look at our first place . . .

of course, you can't see the closets full of unopened boxes,

counters and desks full of clutter

and plastic totes packed with clothes . . .

all of which we're leaving to deal with after we get back.

then we will actually be living together;

can't wait!

have a classy weekend.

the handsome fiance, our awesome friend katie and me

are driving up to NH after a whirlwind trip to TN!

this is the second road trip in 4 days for

miss katie and me . . .

i'm ready to have my feet in one place for a little bit.

it's officially one week until our wedding day

and i'm excited beyond belief . . .

i don't really think it sunk in until we moved the rest of my stuff

down to nashville this weekend;

we're getting married!

hope you all have a wonderful weekend, sweets.

i'll be back next week with some cute pre-wedding treats.

{by the way, aren't you excited for Christmas????}

{can't remember where i found this image, but it's hysterical}

a burger date for a meat eater and a veggie.

after a 20 hour car ride from NH to TN,

this girl needed some good eats.

mr. wonderful and i finally were able to go to burger up,

a spot in nashville that always has a line out the door . . .

and let me tell you, it totally lived up to it's hype.

not only had i never before seen johnny salivate over a burger

and close his eyes with bliss during each bite

{yeah, this almost married girl thought it was too cute}

but i seriously ate the best veggie burger of my life.

a burger place for a veggie and a carnivore??

yes, please!

oh, nashville, i think you and i are going to get along just fine.

{p.s. we're in single-digit countdown mode . . . 8 days!}

a frazzled mess

hey there, sweets!

getting ready to take off on another road trip to nashville tomorrow morning

and life is just full of packing and insane planning.

treats? check.

maps? check.

loads of accumulated junk thrown in the trunk? check.

it will probably be a little quiet around here for the next few days . . .

be back soon!

birthday sweetness

it's sister's birthday next saturday

and since i am heading down to nashville for the weekend,

we had a little birthday celebration yesterday

with tasty coconut cupcakes.

happy birthday before your birthday. sweet sister.

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .

everywhere i turn now,

the holidays are greeting me with warm smiles

and reminders that this season of year and life is a precious gift.

sister and i attempted a gingerbread house

but {being the rocket scientist that i am} seemed to get it all wrong

and it ended up looking like a gingerbread tenement.

in our defense, the wilton box did come with one broken wall.

this, of course, never would have happened

had we made it from scratch.

serves us right.

what to wear to our wedding {inspired by . . .}

i have a couple girl style crushes . . .

and one morning when i was up way too early for my own good

because my head was spinning with all sorts of thoughts,

i spent a good time on polyvore imagining what people would wear

to our wedding if inspired by said style crushes.

this is what i came up with.dress/flats/satchel/studs/ringdress/jacket/sunnies/clutch/boots

dress/flats/headband/cuff/clutch

the sweetest bridal shower

happy monday, sweets!

my dear momma and bestest hosted

the most adorable bridal shower for me this weekend . . .

there were lots of happy tears shed, laughter and love

in our little living room on saturday.

such a wonderful time to share with the ladies i love so much.

bestest also proved she is a most talented cook and baker!

she made almost all the of the delicious snacks we ate- all of my favorites!

greek salad, baked brie, lemon shrimp, orzo salad . . .

oh, and the most incredible desserts,

including a decadent mrs. lilien raspberry glam trifle;

it was my one and only specific request for shower food and

boy oh boy, was it a-maz-ing!

bestest and i finished the afternoon with a little trip to

get our manicures done

{i tried shellac for the first time and i'm hooked!!!

can you imagine, no chipping? genius!}

and then i spent the evening watching tlc's invasion of the christmas lights

next to momma and sipping prosecco left behind after the shower.

i mean, you have to drink it before the bubbles fizzle, right?