Yes!

I now have two pages of questions answered!

Keep them coming!

http://www.formspring.me/ineedrachel

Ohh, Fun.

http://www.formspring.me/ineedrachel

Ask me anything. The best part? Unless you let me know, I won’t know it’s you.

Bullets.

• Work has been a little insane. We brought on new staff and the tech duties that come with setting someone up suck all of my time and energy out of me.
• Oh yes, and I fell down a few stairs at work on Tuesday. I’ve spent the day with a heating pad at my desk.
• We miss Mexico, and Winter is really hitting us hard.
• The renewal, at least in the sense of spending any money, has been called off indefinitely. We have a very happy marriage and so many around us are struggling financially (us included) that it went from something fun and worthwhile to something upsetting and seemingly pointless with everything else that is going on.
• I met with an advisor, and hope to start classes in the Spring.
• I was able to buy an entire season of The Golden Girls with a $10 gift card.
• I have decided, that even though I am turning 28, that I would like nothing more than a Nintendo DSi for my Birthday. (Matte Black, if you love me) Because of this, I feel…ridiculous.
• I have about six hours of extra work to catch up on.

Extra Holiday Cheer.

Hazel wanted to spread Holiday Cheer. There really is no stopping her.

Happy post-holiday shopping, everyone.

I, personally will be stocking up on Lush Products. Buy one, get two free…can’t really beat that.

Merry Christmas.

We’re back from Mexico, and I have to admit that we’re having a difficult time with it. I would recommend our resort, Secrets Maroma Beach to anyone who asked. Even though we had two rainy days, we still had one of the best, if not the best, week of our lives.

Coming back to the cold and snow was hard enough. Coming back to our post-vacation apartment (complete with mess and empty fridge) is a little torturous.

Our resort made us forget how to live our normal lives.

We’re getting back  into the swing of things, with the addition of (at least) five vacation pounds each.  Nothing motivates you to get your bum in gear quite like watching bikini babes strut around Mexico.  But, the room service was more than worth the beach cover-up. We forgot what it was like to be hungry between meals.

It was truly paradise. We’ll do everything we can to go back next year.

On another note:

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy (healthy) New Year.

Our Souvenir.

We brought back more than suntans from our trip to the Rivera Maya.

We picked up a rather beautiful Christmas Ornament made of hand-painted clay.

It was only 89 pesos and It was one of the best things we ever bought while on vacation.

Vintage Dress, Check!

A Practical Wedding had a ‘guide to a blog-chic wedding’ post last week. Meg (The Editor of APW–the wedding site I adore most in the world, by the way…) broke it down into easy steps. You should check it out if you’re planning a wedding. Or, are just wedding obsessed. She really trims the fat. Which, is the most disgusting way to describe the really helpful post.

One of the key steps was to secure yourself a unique dress. Vintage (or vintage inspired) being a major bonus.

I couldn’t agree more. This Olivia dress worn by real bride Tricia pretty much hit the nail on  the head.

Now, hop over to APW and read the tips already…chances are, it will save you some tears and a little bit of cash. We all know the honeymoon is where-it’s-at anyway.

Image Credit: Stephanie James Couture Facebook.

Gone.

I wanted to post something on Brittany Murphy’s death. News hit that she had passed away while we were on Vacation. We were out of the loop and watching CNN when they briefly touched on the story. I gasped and my Husband squeezed by hand. He knew I would be upset.

We all feel attached to celebrities. We see their movies, some are our favorites and magazine interviews make us feel like we know them as we may know, say, a neighbor.

I too felt that attachment and have my own personal story in connection to Brittany that made the news especially upsetting. It never helps when there are curious circumstances surrounding someones passing. A lot of the press has been negative and focused on possible drug use, erratic behavior and weight loss. These stories forget the soul of the person who has passed. I can only imagine how painful it would be to deal with the media in tandem with such a great loss.

There isn’t much else I can say, other than my thoughts are with her family and loved ones. She will be surely missed.

May she rest peacefully.

A Married Vacation.

A Married Life is on vacation. We’re headed to Mexico, and I’m actually keeping the laptop at home for once.

We’ll take more pictures than you could shake a stick at.

If only there was a way to avoid the three hour layover in Texas…

Photo Credit: Mary Blair

Real Wedding Photos: V&C

Sometimes amazing weddings full of inspiration are only as far as your Facebook friend list. Such is the case today.

Enjoy the goodness.