$wedd-cha-ching$

weddings are expensive. that's all there is to it. i always believed people when they would say that, but i never really looked in to it to see what exactly they meant by it. well, now i believe them even more.

i do believe that if you look hard, or get creative, or even a bit daring you can cut some costs. but still, even when you "cut costs" those numbers keep adding up. i am pretty cheap - but i am nothing compared to Bo. He is CHEAP. don't get me wrong, i love this about him, well most of the time i do. (it is sometimes embarrassing at a restaurant when he asks for the cheapest thing on the menu. as an ex-server, i know they automatically hate us for sitting in their section after being asked that question). So, being that we are both cheap...we are trying to find how we can get this done and still feel like we are being true to ourselves, and most importantly that our wedding is representing the most important things.

a few things we have found...
1. we decided to go with a recent grad who is trying to build her photography portfolio. she is talented, and so why not give her a chance. our wedding will be her 3rd to shoot.
2. austin community college has a floral design program. so, students will be doing all of our flowers. http://www.austincc.edu/ce/cp/floral/ . this is about 3 times less than other florist i talked to.
3. i found my dress at a little shop in wichita falls. i am not sure about all cities, but the dresses i looked at in austin, were so pricy. i am pretty sure smaller towns are the way to go.
4. we found a small town baker to do our cake. she is simple, tasty, and has the right price.
5. save the date - i had my aunt take our picture, and then i just emailed the picture to everyone.

things we are considering doing without (feedback would be great. let me know if these are a must)
1. party favors - i don't know, unless we find something that really is going to make you remember us on our wedding for a great price, i am thinking of doing without these. to be honest, i usually leave weddings empty handed, just because i forget the favor at my table.
2. videographer - how many times do you watch this? unless i find someone who is testing out there new skillz, our memories might all be in still frames only.

things i still need to find the right price for:
1. invitations. most of the do it yourself ones i have found, just aren't what we are looking for. any designers out there, looking to make a buck?


so, all this to say... i know i am not going to win the most frugal award for a wedding, but i am trying.

also- i am collecting mason jars for the reception centerpieces. so, if you have any and want to donate them - or know of someone, send them my way.

times, they are a changin...

so, a lot has changed in my life since i last wrote. some big changes, and some small. some happy, and some sad. i have moved twice. lost two aunts. ended a job i loved dearly. i have a new car. it's a new year. i cut my hair. we have a new president. i got a wii for christmas. and probably the biggest change is that i will soon (aiming for august 2009) have a husband! that's right, all of these things have happened over the last couple of months. it's a lot to take in, i know.

two months ago, i was doing the same thing everyday. i went to work from 9-5, volunteered with the youth at my church, hung out with my favorite co-workers on the weekends, talked on the phone to the boy-- (so thankful this is not part of my daily routine anymore-the phone was not our friend).

i moved back to wichita falls in late november and literally did nothing for 2 months. i hung out with my favorite person in the world-my meme. we drank coffee in the morning and watched the news. we ran errands to the grocery store and the bank. we had lunch dates, and watched our soaps. we occassionly snuck off accross the river to the casino. i was able to just "be" with her during a hard time. she has lost her life partner and her daughter in one year. for the first time in her life she is not taking care of anyone. i would like say i took care of her, but i didn't. i just was with her. i have no idea if it did anything for her, but it did a lot for me. this was a special time.

last week, i made another move, to austin. after weeks of looking for a place to live, i finally found a little house, in a neighborhood that i love. i am in the city, close to downtown, but part of a neighborhood that has a story. i don't know all of the story yet, but i'm eager to know my neighbors. i know it will take time to adjust and meet friends in a new city, so i will just take it one day at a time for now.

and finally, four days ago, Bo asked me to marry him. i had had a stressful day. nothing was going right. it was little things, but they all added up enough for me to have a breakdown. if you know me well, you know that i don't really have break downs. so the day goes by, and that night, Bo came over and cooked dinner for me. he cooked pad thai---our first date was at a thai food place in dc. i joked with him and asked if he was making that meal because it was our first date, he shrugged and said no he was just in the mood for it. dinner was normal, we just talked and watched a movie. he took our plates to the kitchen, and then brought out two small dessert plates, with one fortune cookie on each plate. i asked him why he put them on plates, and he just played it off like it was no big deal. i had no idea. he ate his cookie and a few minutes later i picked mine up. when i picked it up, the ring was underneath the cookie. i laughed and cried hysterically. i mean i laughed, who does that? he got down on one knee and asked if i would marry him. i said yes :) afterward we went and celebrated a comedy club downtown and then to a rooftop deck. my bad day- turned into a day i will never forget!

so, like i said, times, they are a changin. no matter how good change is, i don't think it's ever easy. i am happy to be in a place of change, but i know i need guidance and prayer through it all- and especially for my future. one of the most comforting things about Jesus is that he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. though we change, and the world around us changes, i have one thing that i know will not change. thanks Jesus- you knew we needed that one.

as my friends of bill say - the only thing that is constant is change.

hope

With the elections coming, there have been a few buzz words in the advertising and the messages from each candidate. One word that has become a buzz word, is hope. Even though I have heard this word about 15 times a day over the past few months, it is still a word that has not lost meaning to me. In fact, it is a word, that can, at times, bring a tear to my eye.

 The definition of hope is:  A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.

 Things that I have hope for (in no particular order): end to racism, church = true community, equality, neighbors loving neighbors, people before money, dramatic decrease of violence, love into action.

obviously i am not putting my hope in obama for all of these things. although, i have a feeling we might hope for some of the same things.

 What do you hope for?

I knew this would happen...

i haven't blogged in two months. in fact i haven't read anyone's blog in two months. it's not that i have been busy, it's just that i forgot, and then when i remembered, i had nothing to write about. needless to say, i knew this would happen. but i am back! (thanks to some accountability from a few friends).

what has been going on with me? a lot actually. i know i have talked about it some, but i am officially making my move back to Texas at Thanksgiving. i told my work last week, and i have mixed emotions. for one, i am excited, because i have a peace that this is what i am supposed to do. on the other hand, i am very sad to leave the place i have called home for 2 1/2 years now. it looks like i will go home to wichita falls for about a month over the holidays and help my family out with some things. then, i will make my way down to the capital (of texas this time). i am excited to be within driving distance of most everyone i love. i am also excited to lower my carbon footprint and not have to fly as much! i am eager to see what all the lord has in store for me in this next season of my life. i am ready to bring much of what i have learned over the last couple of years here, to whatever i do next.

i never would have thought that i would have been here this long. i moved up here to spend one year as a volunteer. and now 2.5 years later... i have worked 3 different jobs at my work, lived in 4 different houses, joined a church that i believe in, met a boy who loves god and people with all of his heart, met life long friends, and learned more about Jesus, life, and people than i ever had. it's been a journey.

change can be hard. but its necessary. as they say here, "the only thing constant is change". so true.

I'm an ESFJ, what are you?

Have you ever taken the Myers Briggs personality test? I took it once in college, but kind of forgot what i was, until a few weeks ago, Shelley made me take it again. I took the test (http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp), and I am ESFJ, Extrovert Sensing Feeling Judging. It's actually pretty accurate for most people. Here is a little about mine...

Warm-hearted, popular, and conscientious. Tend to put the needs of others over their own needs. Feel strong sense of responsibility and duty. Value traditions and security. Interested in serving others. Need positive reinforcement to feel good about themselves. Well-developed sense of space and function.

you can read more about all the personality types here, http://www.personalitypage.com/high-level.html.

it's fun to take the test for other people, and see if you get theirs right. guess who is the same type as me?

what's next?

i have been asked the question a lot lately, " so are you going to stay in DC for long?", " what are your future plans looking like?", or the most famous from my peers and especially the special male peerfriend, "when are you moving back to texas?"

i am not one to make definite future plans, because i have great experience of the lord showing me that his plans might be different and better than mine. however, i have had a pretty strong calling lately to back to school for social work. i am confident this will help get to a place of serving directly the people i love the most.

now, having said all this, it looks like my goal is to try and start school next year. so, as any good student would do, last night i purchased my first gre study guide. today, after church, i found myself sitting in my neighborhoodd starbucks, having flashbacks of college. i was trying to re-teach myself how to divide fractions, and familarize myself with analogies. then, as i was trying to study, my mind started to wonder. i got bored. i guess i started staring. a woman sitting across the room from me started to violently wave her arm and glare back at me. i didn't mean to stare at her. in fact, i think i was staring at something near her. she embarrassed me, but more than that she made me kind of upset at her. did she really need to react that way? i usually just turn the other way (yea jesus thanks for the advice on that one ) when i see someone staring at me. but no she had to make a huge scene. AND im pretty sure she had just got out of church too. at least that's what her clothes said.

well, if im going to start studying again, maybe i should start off in my room before i do it in public. i usually study best under pressure, maybe i should just wait the night before the big test.

sharing

hi, my name is brooke, and i am a new blogger. i have tried this once, but it didn't really work out. i never knew what to write about, i still don't, but i am going to try. i have a feeling that if i had kids, a husband, was in a band, or was on a reality tv show, i would have a better chance at coming up with some either funny, inspiring, or ridiculous stories. however, i am not a mom, wife, rock star, or tila tequila. i have been a part of a community now for a couple of years though, that has taught me to share. they have taught me to share my story, my life, my struggles, my ups, my downs, my hope, and my doubt. they have taught me the power in sharing. their sharing has changed my life and many others. i don't think ill change your life by telling you what i did over the weekend, but if anything, i hope that i get to share with you a little about my life as you share with me yours.

i have read a few of the do's and dont's of the blogging world (thanks to amy), and i will try to abide by them. please hold me accountable if you see me doing something wrong. also, it's really frustrating trying to make my page look as good as the ingram gangs. how do they do that it?

well, i think this is it for now.

thanks for letting me share.