White Wedding...

I got married PRE-PINTEREST, I know gasp!! So way back when I had to do things the old fashion way..... A wedding binder of FUN! And in true Nicole fashion I kept it! I have been going thru memories, purging and organizing lately so I pulled out some memories but got rid of the binder this week! SAD.

 But before I got rid of it I spent some time taking it all in and taking some picture for you all of course! I mean I kept EVERYTHING..... every idea, contract and list upon lists upon lists!!!!

 Here is my hand drawn reception floor plan, I mean how cute am I! LOL!! I love being organized, I love a good list and I love a hand drawn floor plan! And I still love our 3 level reception site! Our theme was "Fall in Love"

 Here was my drawings for my wedding planner/floral designer! These huge hurricanes were filled with apples and fall flowers! But ya, I never said I was good at drawing!

 And before Pinterest I would tear ideas out of magazines and this was one of my inspiration pages! And I would have a Fall wedding all over again!

 Lastly here was the "Research" on our Honeymoon, we went with Sandals and I loved it! This year is our 10 year anniversary and I am considering doing Sandals again to bring back memories. Maybe the same place or a different one maybe? We shall see, I gotta make that money first!

Thanks for the walk down memory lane with me! Happy Thursday Friends!!!!

Ups and Downs

2015 was a weird year, as I was looking back to make this post I loved seeing all the fun things we got to do. I loved seeing all the experiences we shared with all our family and friends who came to stay with us this year. But, this year was also filled with unbelievable heartbreak. I do feel like I am leaving 2015 a little more beaten down than what I was this time last year. 

I am a part of a blogger group on Facebook and yesterday the post/roll call was for everyone to share what their word of 2016 would be and why. I was surprised when one word immediately popped into my head

HOPE

That word is a double edge sword it can bring great happiness or ultimate disappointment but HOPE is my word. Hope that 2016 will be better, that 2016 will be the year that things will happen for us. HOPE for a baby, HOPE that I will finish Real Estate school and start a career, HOPE that our finances will fall into place.... and I could go on and on!

But on this last day of 2015 let's look back at a few memories that stand out.....

2015 was the year that we bought a home in Colorado! The process may have been the worst but the outcome is the best. 

 2015 was the year that we went to a Rockies Game, Nuggets game (vs Thunder) and a Broncos game! We love sporting events and hopefully this year we will go to more!

 This was the year that I went White Water rafting for the first time in like 18 years!!!

 This year was the year that my Oma came to see me!! She also took her first plane ride in over 25 years! Those memories will last a lifetime for us all.

This was also the year that I actually got to cross 2 things off of my Bucket List:

1. Stay the night at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park! Thanks Becky's!!!

 2. Visit Alcatraz Island!

2015 also brought immeasurable loss, my Granddad. I still do not think I have allowed myself to grieve properly, I can't think about it. What he was in my life's story is irreplaceable. There is NOT one day that I do not miss him. 

 This year was also the year that we learned that we will be saying Goodbye to one of our children soon, Oscar. Somedays Oscar acts so normal we think he will be around for quite awhile longer but other days are bad and we think the time might be near. But right now we are giving him all the love you can imagine.

This isn't the only year we have been trying to conceive, that started in 2014 and I can't believe another whole year has passed for us and we were not able to make a baby. This has consumed my life, the doctors visits, ultrasounds, blood work, shots, IUI.... you name it. This picture below sums up most of 2015. 

Well 2015 you were Grand at times and Horrific at times, I am not really sad to see you go. I need to be filled with Hope about what 2016 will bring instead of scared.
Happy New Year friends thanks for sharing in my life with me, the good and the bad! I love ya all!

A Few of My Favorites...

Hey Friends!!!! 4 DAYS left in Ohio, can you believe it??? Matt is flying in this afternoon and I think he is going to have to immediately mow the yard here before our final walk thru tonight! It is gonna be hard making the house look awesome while it is in utter disarray! We shall see, huh?

I also want to throw in a WW update...... my current weight is 142, which is 34 pounds total lost since I started this journey! But over the coming week I will be eating out for every meal as well as traveling in a car for 3 days (which means snacks) so I can guarantee that once I get settled I will have some catching up to do!!

Ok, back to today! I want to share with you a few of my favorite memories over the last (almost) 2 years here in Columbus! I know I missed many but here are some that stand out!

* Visiting the National Air Force Museum with my family last Labor Day to celebrate my Dads 60th Birthday! That was a wonderful weekend and this museum is a "CAN'T MISS"!!!!! I only wish I had read Unbroken last Summer before I went, it would have been neat to put the real planes in my book memory!

 * Visitors!!! Family, Friends and unlimited Fun Times...................

* Being 10 rows back to see Payton Manning and our Broncos play the Bengals!! #orangecrush

 * Watching Tiger Woods play here at Murfield in the Memorial Tournament here in Columbus. This was also our 2nd weekend in Ohio, seems so long ago!

 * Doing the OVER night Ghost Hunt at the Ohio State Reformatory and getting to see where the Shawshank Redemption was filmed! The best!!!!

 * Visiting Ohio Amish Country! My first time to see Amish Country side, Buggy's, the cheese factory and eating home cooked Amish food!! What a fun day with Mom!

 * Snow! I loved all the snow, it never got old to me! I love these pictures of the boys frolicking.

* Going to see Kings of Leon with Kylee! One of the best concerts I have been to! So much fun! I LOVE KOL!

 * Getting to see the Diana exhibit in Cincinnati and exploring a new city both with Mom and Kylee!!

 * Crossing over into Kentucky and visiting one of the most haunted places in the US.....even if only from the outside, still very very cool!

We will always have good memories to look back on and I know that many more will be made in Colorado!

Throwin' it Back

This week I have been purging things in the house to get ready for our move and I found a few picture CD's in Matt's office here at home....... they gave me a nice walk down memory lane!

All of these pictures are of the first year Matt and I were dating.... 8 years ago! I mean I can't believe it has been that long sometimes. So much life has happened since then. 

Lets Dive In!

This picture was taken after church with my family in April 2006 before we went to celebrate my sisters Birthday at lunch! We had been dating a little over 3 months here! Matt dressed in his Sunday best to impress my family! :)

 This is us at Easter at Matt's parents house and I am not sure if this is 2006 or 2007 when we were already engaged. Look at me in my Harold's dress looking like such a classy little girlfriend! hahaha!

This was Summer of 2006, Matt and I were on our way to see the Circus! Yes, really that is true! Look how good our skin looks? For reals!

 This was May 2006 and this was the FIRST time Matt came to see me dance. This was at an AF2 game with the Yard Dawgz and I think he brought his Dad with him to the game! Welcome to the world of dance Matt which little did he know this was a preview of the next 2 years of your life!

 And this was taken at Christmas 2006 which was our ONE Year Anniversary of being together! Time flies..... ya know?

Thanks for taking the walk down memory lane with me today friends!!! #tbt

Throwback Thursday

Oh ya, that happened! This throwback Thursday takes us all back 14 years to 1999 and my senior prom! My friend still to this day Brad was my date and last week his wife found this gem when she was going thru old boxes of his!! Brad was one of my closest friends for almost 10 years, him and his wife were in my wedding. His tux makes me laugh, it was the 90s people and this look is very "Backstreet Boys"
Yes, you also see something I was "known" for in HS....my butt. Really, I have always had a ghetto booty which I hated at the time but I would do anything to look like that again!
Yes, for those of you who don't know I am a natural blonde....no, that blonde isn't isn't natural but when I was born it was that color.
You can't see my hair but it is small french braids that pulled my hair back....with DIY rhinestone bobby pins of course! (To match my body glitter)!
I hope this made you all smile, thanks for taking a ride down memory lane with me!

Memory Lane

 So, my Mom has been cleaning out her pantry and unearthing like 30 years of "stuff".  Among all that stuff Mom found some childhood memories that she sent me in a care package! Get excited......

This megaphone as you can tell was from Red Oak Elementary Fall Fest 1990 and it is covered in the signatures of everyone in my class.  And yup, a few of those people are my Facebook friends all these years later! How fun??

 Look at this......this was my first "Baby Shoes" and in my parents hallway hangs a picture of a baby Nicole wearing these shoes! Fun! They were from John A. Brown department store.

 Mom also found this locket with a picture of me, I think I am 2 in this picture! Cheese!

 Here we have a Christmas gift to my Mom and Dad from a 6 year old Nicole! Apparently I have been "Pinteresting" long before everyone else!

 My Mom also found this notebook and in it holds my Elementary Report Cards, School Pictures and who my teacher was every year! And I was never very good at Math, I got my first C in 5th grade! Really, true story! ha

 These are two of the memories Mom also found, my Dance Recital program from when I was 5 years old. The Back to School Style Show newspaper ad was from Dillard's, my brother and I modeled for Dillard's growing up!

 This Red Oak Report Card was 1st grade I think! A+ all over the board! But sadly my "performance" was only "Satisfactory" not excellent! HA! I never said school was something I was good at.

 Here is a page from my school book................ And yes, I am rocking a mega side pony and a blue jean cut off shirt!

 Now here is something really fun!!! This is compliments of my 2nd grade self and what is the funniest is that somethings (other than hair color) never really change! This is my stunning self portrait and yup, I had permed bangs ONLY......that is true, hence the curly bangs...straight hair....then curls again. I was a trend setter! hahaha

 Ok, you can probably read most of these and I have to say "Things I dislike" is my favorite:
1. Mean Boys
2. Being Sick
3. Rude people!
Amen to that.

 Here are my All-Time Favorite things and I have a few observations:
*Yup I was a second grader whose favorite color was Black and still is!
*Noodles are still a top food for me now!
*And it also seems that my magazine addiction started early with "Barbie" Magazine!
* Lastly, I think we all know by now after reading my blog that me saying my "favorite" outfit was "Blue jean jumpers" must have been my mothers doing!

Well guys I hope you enjoyed this silly walk down memory lane as much as I did!! What can I say I like what I like! hahaha