An Announcement

I'm NOT pregnant, so just get that thought out of your silly little heads. 

A few of you know this already, but I think it's time to finally spill the beans on here.

I started a new blog! It's called A Leap Begins and while still in infancy, but I'm very excited about what's to come.

But fear not, loyal Burning River Bride readers! I'm still doing recaps on here and promise not to neglect this blog. However, once I finish recaps here I'll begin posting exclusively on the new blog.

I hope you'll join me over at A Leap Begins (be sure become a follower and add me to your reader!) and follow along with my post-wedding life. And to all my still-engaged girls, yes, there IS life after the wedding! It's actually pretty great :)

An update

June 11 was the last time I posted. Life since then has been crazy. Let's take a look, shall we?

June 11-13: Spend the weekend with my bff (and BM) Claire doing things for her upcoming wedding.
June 13: Fly out to Mountain View, CA for Google training.
June 14-18: Google training; did the best out of our 17 person training group (pretty proud of myself for that one); thought I would have a ton of time to catch up on blogging but met awesome people and hung out with them every night after training.
June 19: Fly back to DC
June 20: Catch up on sleep
June 21: Begin first week out in the field; photograph businesses; pitch other businesses this awesome service; deal with some of the rudest individuals I've ever encountered; sweat my mother-effing balls off in the DC heat; hardly have any time to spend with my husband let alone live a normal life.
June 24: Have a mild job-induced meltdown; unsure if I can keep this up for 6 months; have Josh take a pic of me all dressed up in my Google polo and gear:

Laugh it up

June 25: Survived my first week! (barely)
Weekend: Amazing and intoxicating! (literally)
June 28: Week two! I can do this!
June 30: Have a major job-induced meltdown; can't stop crying; work for 2 hours then take the rest of the day off; decide I definitely cannot do this for 6 months; send in my "I quit" email (resignation sounds too formal); feel immediate sense of relief coupled with intense sense of failure.
4 day holiday weekend: Much needed, much enjoyed.

So, I quit the job with Google. Believe me when I say I did NOT want to do that. I'm not a quitter. But at the same time, I was incredibly unhappy and it was starting to affect my marriage and my sanity. Every night I would come home exhausted, cranky, and a gross sweaty mess. Then I'd have to do more work to prepare for the next day. It would be one thing if I was making a ton of money or enjoyed what I did...but neither of those things were the case.

After this week (I agreed to work 3 days this week) I'll be back on the job hunt. I need a real job. I need a real job doing what I really want to do.

In between job hunting I'm hoping to catch up on blogging, start those damn recaps, figure out what direction to take this blog, enjoy my new city, enjoy my husband, put my apartment together (I've been here for over a month and it's still a mess), and basically start my life as a married woman in a new city.

Thanks for sticking around. I definitely miss my readers, writing, comments (they're like crack, ya know), reading other blogs, etc. I promise not to be so MIA from now on. And I promise my next post will channel Kelly Killoren Bensimon and be full of rainbows and unicorns :)

I'm not dead

And I haven't forgotten about all of you beautiful people out there :)

Things have been pretty crazy since the honeymoon. As most of you probably know, I moved to the DC area (Bethesda, MD to be exact) the Wednesday after the honeymoon. My mom stayed with us until Friday, then we finally had some time to experience our new city together. We had a fun weekend of exploring the city, enjoying new restaurants, and hanging out with friends, both new and old. Of course, I didn't take any pictures. Bad blogger (I promise to get better at that).

On Tuesday of this week I called the local office of the temp agency I've been working with for the past year. I figured I'd try to get a short-term temp assignment while I search for a permanent position. Well, I found a temp assignment! It's a bit longer than I originally wanted (6 months) but it's a pretty amazing opportunity. So who will I be working for?

Google. As in, THE Google.

Normally for the sake of privacy I wouldn't reveal this info, but it's just too good to keep to myself. I don't want to go into detail about my assignment, but it's very exciting and will allow me to flex my communication muscles while learning a new skill (photography) at the same time.

This Sunday (as in 2 days from now) I'll be on a plane to Mountain View, CA where I'll train at Google headquarters for the next week.

This has all happened incredibly fast, and while I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, I am very excited.

I promise to start honeymoon recaps soon, plus we're set to receive our pro pics in the next few weeks and you all know what that means...wedding recaps!! Just bear with me while I try to juggle all of this few stuff going on. And please, follow me on Twitter @Em219 if you want to read my random musings throughout the day.

Guest Post: She's Soo La La

Hey-o Burning River Readers! “Happy Hour with a Housewife” blogger, Laura here (some others may know me as Miss Mojito from “With this ring, I thee blog”) and I was delighted when Em asked me to be a guest blogger while she was on her fabulous honeymoon with her new hubby!  When Em asked me to write a post for her blog I started stressin’ yo! I didn’t have any clue what to write to impress ya’ll... and let’s be frank, I’m using this opportunity as a shameless plug for my own blog aren’t I?!

So you can put a face with the name

So Em is awesome... I could go on about so many things! We live across the country from each other but we couldn’t be more similar and meant to be bloggity buds.  We share a love for RENT (the musical, not paying for it monthly), bitching about idiots involved in our weddings, and talking about the differences between a Brazilian Blowout & Wax. (Editor's note: I secretly believe that there is actually *no* difference between the two and Laura is pulling a fast one on me.)

So now that I’ve blabbed on a little bit, mostly because I still don’t know what I’m going to write about, I guess I should get to some type of point.  I guess what I want to share with some of you today is what I feel are the top things you need to discuss with your significant other before tying the knot.  Agree or don’t, this is just the Top Ten things I feel are important to have a clear understanding about with each other before jumping in...

1.   KIDDOS – This always seems like an obvious one but make it clear.  Because I’ve personally known girls to act completely blindsided when they find out their husband doesn’t want any kids.  Discuss how many children you want to have and more importantly when.  Most girls want to be young moms and finishing up by the time their thirty... while your hubby might be more interested in having fun for a while and possibly waiting until he feels his career is more established.  Okay now you’ve had kids... who’s going to stay home with them? Or will you put your child in day care.  And will you be putting them in public or private school, maybe even homeschool?  This is one we haven’t decided on yet.  I went to private school my whole life and the hubs went until 8th grade. I think it might depend on our location once we have children.

2.   RELIGION – Do you both share the same views? Is it alright if you don’t? If you don’t share the same religion do they at least “mesh”?  Is one of you willing to convert to the other’s religion?  Will your religious value affect your sexual values? For example, some religions don’t believe in ANY form of birth control.  This is definitely something to spend some time discussing if you don’t share the same views.  My hubs and I had all of the same religious views when we met so this was thankfully an easy one for us.

3.   DAY TO DAY LIVING – How do you live day to day and what do you expect your living situation to be like? What are your eating habits that you grew up accustomed to... eating out every day or just on special occasions? Where will you be eating the dinner... in front of the tv or at a table as a family?  What is one persons extra expenses that maybe the other thinks is a waste? The hubs and I decided we would have a specific dollar amount a month that we can spend on WHATEVER and anything over that we should talk to each other first.  My whatever money goes to things like nail appointments and Brazilian blowouts while his might go to a round of golf with a buddy.

4.   FINANCES – Who is primarily in charge of the money? Who will be paying all of the bills? Will you both work full time? Will you have separate checking accounts or will it be joint checking? We decided to do joint checking which we actually did about four months before we were married.  Best decision we personally ever made.  It was never a discussion (read: argument) on who was paying for what... it was paid and that was it.  Next, how are you going to save and what are you going to save for?

5.   DEBT LEVELS / CREDIT – This I think is really important.  Before the hubs met me he NEVER had a credit card... that was until he wanted to buy me an engagement ring, buy couches we wanted, etc. I on the other hand had a lot of credit cards in my time.  About the same time we got engaged I paid off a good chunk that I had built up when I first moved out when I was younger and was spending it all on food, gas, and booze.  It’s not fun paying for that Long Island Iced Tea from four years ago let me tell you.  Sometimes debt is really important to one person... I have a friend who didn’t tell her future husband about $6k in credit card debt she had... but you have to remember, your debt is now going to be his debt as his will be yours.  EVERYTHING needs to be put out on the table.  If possible, I think it’s a great idea to try and find a financial advisor to help you find the best way to get out of debt in your situation (school loans, credit cards, etc.) and how you can start saving money for emergencies and retirement.

6.   “ME” TIME – How will you both be spending your free time after work and on weekends?  Will there be a specific day of the week that will be YOUR date night and nobody will consider planning anything that night?  Are you used to a girl or guys night out that is a tradition that you expect to keep? I had to make it clear when I first met my husband that I love my friends and I don’t plan on giving up regular time spent with them.  Luckily he loves them so has never had an issue with me spending time with them whenever I want.

7.   CHORES – This one’s simple. Who’s going to do what? Cooking? Cleaning? Shopping? Trash? Etc? This is what the hubs and I did and it worked out fantastic.  Both of you separately write out a list of what you think the “husband duties” are and what you think the “wife duties” are.  Come back together and compare lists.  The ones that match, perfect. The ones that don’t discuss and come to a logical decision.

8.   CAREER – Will you both be working full time? Maybe you will work part-time and then do the stay-at-home wifely duties? What about once you retire... are you seeing yourself on a cabin in the woods, the balmy beaches in Florida, or the dessert resorts of Palm Springs or Scottsdale?

9.   LOCATION – This has been a biggie for me and the husband although I think just within the past week we know where we see ourselves... and that’s pretty much right where we are.  We have both grown up in Southern California and have wanted to be anywhere from Oregon to Arizona to the beach.  Make sure you both see the same vision on where you want to have your family’s home be.  The more you cannot have to move around the better and you both want to be happy... not all of us can be a little bit country and a little bit city.

10. PERSONAL GOALS – Discuss your personal goals that you’ve had set for yourself since before you even met your significant other.  Make sure you both are fully aware of what you want to accomplish in life and support each other in the most realistic ways as possible.

Duuuuuude, am I boring or what? I think I tried to hard to want to be the funny blogger on Em’s blog... instead I felt compelled to share something my husband and I did before getting married and it was a great experience.  We made it a big date night and discussed all of these things... most we already knew but it was nice to reiterate some things as well as learn more about each other we didn’t really know.

I swear I’m not always so preachy and I actually do have some fun on my blog... so if you’d love to follow my journey as a newlywed please visit me at my blog, www.happyhourwithahousewife.com & if you’d like to see the journey before my big day you can always check out my old blog, http://withthisringitheeblog.blogspot.com!

Thanks for having me Em and I hope your wedding was nothing short of fabulous! And Burning River Readers... well, if you’re still reading... thanks for listening to me blabbb.

XO,
Laura

P.S. You can also follow my daily antics on Twitter... www.twitter.com/mesoolala

 The Mojitos!

Guest Post: Keep It FUN

*Today we have Stacey aka Born to be Mrs. Beever from Thoughts of the All Consumed Bride. She is, in a word, awesome. Please check out her blog (she's recently married and in the process of recapping her gorgeous wedding!)

I am thrilled to be able to write a guest post for Em over here this week while she is basking in the glory of her new love and marriage!  What a joy I know it will be for her and I am so excited to see the amazing photos and beauty that will exude from her on her wedding day!

Today, I'd love to share with you a little quote I found from Katherine Hepburn:

I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun.

In life, as in love, you need to always have a little fun.  After all, what is the point of being in a relationship if there is not a good deal of laughter and enjoyment from the day to day routine activities?  Especially once you're married.  I have found that in the 2 1/2 weeks that Mr Fix It and I have been settling in to married life in the same home as husband and wife, it is difficult to not fall into a boring, mundane routine with little or no excitement.  And that's where Mr Fix It's personality comes in to the rescue!

Mr Fix It was definitely a little rambunxious as a child, but today, he's a big kid almost every day.  Don't get me wrong, he works...and hard.  His job is physically and mentally demanding.  And he's pretty tired after a long day at work.  So when it's time to run errands, he has to find ways to interject some fun.

For example, when we went shopping for my nephew, PJ's 1st b-day gift at Toys R Us, he found a big bin of bouncing balls in the middle of an aisle.  He grabbed one and said "I'll give you a 3 second hard start for dodge ball!"  When I looked at him and told him to knock it off and be an adult and put the ball down, he just reiterated that I was only being given 3 seconds.  When another customer came around the corner, I assumed he would put the ball down and act his age, but when I turned over my shoulder to look at him, I knew I better run!  And there we were, causing havoc in Toys R Us.

And that is one of the reasons I married him just last month...because no man has ever been able to do silly things like that and learn to just have fun in the silliest of ways.  It's really there within all of us, that element of fun.  We just need to learn not to stifle it and to let it come out and play once in a while.  I'll admit, that I don't typically lean that way in my day to day activities, but being around Mr Fix It, I've learned to play some jokes, make funny faces or even pull off some fun wrestling matches sometimes at unexpected times.

I believe laughter and fun are an essential part of any relationship...not just with children, but with spouses as well.  And today, as I congratulate Em and her new hubby on their recent marriage, I also wish them a lifetime of fun filled days and lots of laughter.  I am sure we will see those beautiful smiles full of joy and fun in the photos and recaps that I for one am so excited to follow very soon!

In-law Jackpot

On this day, the day before my wedding, I want to take a few minutes and talk about the amazing family I'm becoming a part of. Ugh, I'm crying already...

You see, somehow I got ridiculously lucky in the in-law department. Josh's parents have accepted me from pretty much Day 1. I *LOVE* them. Like big, pink puffy heart with rainbows and kittens *LOVE* them.

My future mother-in-law Nancy is incredibly kind and loving with a little bit of sass thrown in. She raised her boy RIGHT and should be incredibly proud of the job she did. Plus, this woman knows how to PAR-TAY. She even came to my bachelorette party!

This is one of the tame pictures. I don't want to embarrass her.

My future father-in-law Brian is basically Josh only 20-some years older. They are so much alike, it's scary. He is a notorious jokester with a heart of gold. He taught Josh not only how to be a man, but also how to be a gentleman. Brian has become an amazing father-figure to me and for that I will forever be thankful.

Rockin' out at a wedding last summer.

Not only did Nancy and Brian raise two fantastic children, but they are the epitome of a fantastic marriage. Over the past few years they've exposed me to something I've never seen my entire life: a married couple who, after almost 30 years, still loves each other. They are the perfect model for "making it work." Has it always been easy? Hell no. But have they always made it work? Hell. Yes. Maybe one day they'll reveal their secret.

Finally Josh's sister, Brianna, Bree, Breeze, Breezy (she has many names). I immediately loved her and while it took a bit longer for her to accept me, I know she loves me, too. Once everything was put out in the open, we became extremely close. She is everything I look for in a friend. Kind, hilarious, smart, sassy, loyal...the list could go on. She is beautiful inside and out and I'm *so* looking forward to calling her my sister (ooh and hair stylist, too!).

 Classic Em and Bree.

Oh, and not only do I love Josh's family and they love me, but my mom loves Josh's family and they love her, too! Winner, winner chicken dinner! We're so incredibly blessed and I don't know how it happened, but I must have done something right in my life to be awarded with such an amazing family.

Our rehearsal dinner is tonight and Josh's parents are graciously hosting. So here's to them! 

What is your in-law dynamic like? Familial bliss or Monsters-in-Law?

And I just can't hide it!

Is it normal to be *THIS EFFING EXCITED* a week before your wedding?

Because you guys....I'M REALLY REALLY EXCITED!!!!

Ok, I just had to get that out.

I think I'm supposed to be stressed and worried and anxious, and people are supposed to ask in hushed tones "Emily, honey, how are you doing? Are you ok?" But I'm honestly really good! Maybe under a bit of pressure to make sure I've crossed all of my Ts and dotted all of my Is, but for the most part I'm a happy bride.

Mind you, this could all change at the drop of a hat (or the drop of my wedding dress or something really breakable and expensive). Let's just hope that doesn't happen.

I have lots of things to show you so hopefully I'll get a bunch of posts written and scheduled this weekend so I don't go completely MIA next week.

One more thing: I love you guys SO MUCH! All of my blog friends and my Twitter friends and my real life friends who read this....I just love you all so very very much and I'm so thankful to have this outlet. Oh, and that's just a taste of the wedding day post I have brewing. I plan on making each and every one of you cry (tears of joy, course).

Do you guys think this is just the calm before the storm and next week I'll be all "WAAAAAHHHHH CRAZY BRIDE"?

MOMMY!

(Source)

Ha! Perfect, right? 

I just wanted to take a minute to wish my mom, my future-almost-in-two-weeks-Mother-in-Law, and all of the mommies and mommies-to-be out there a *very* happy Mother's Day.

My mom, me, BM Claire Bear, and FMIL at my bachelorette party. 

So blessed to have 2 of the coolest moms on the planet!

And away we go!!

If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen some recent tweets about "big news" or "big changes" going on in my life. Well, I'm excited to FINALLY announce that...
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We're moving!!

 

(Source) 

Ha, you thought I was gonna say "pregnant," huh? Def not.

Josh and I have been discussing leaving Ohio for quite awhile now and that dream is finally being realized. The job market in Northeast Ohio is abysmal and it's just time for a change. At first we thought about North or South Carolina, but after a few serious discussions we settled on the DC area. We know a good number of people out there and Josh's sister moved to Maryland a year ago, so it really was a no-brainer.

Recently Josh has been a bit unhappy with his current job and decided to start applying for jobs in the DC area. I told him if he got a job before the wedding that I would stay back and he could move out there without me. Well, he applied, interviewed, and got a job! So that means I'm moving back in with my mom for a few months and we'll be apart for the last 2 months before the wedding. No worries, though. We've done long distance before, I'm not worried about doing it again. 

It will definitely be a bit of a struggle, but I know it's temporary and it's the best decision for us. I just can't wait to get out there and get a J-O-B!

Have any of you gone through major life changes immediately before or after your wedding? Any advice?

Me? Twitter? Hmm...

So as I mentioned before, I've started temping. My job is very simple (read: boring). I open mail, I sort the mail, I scan the mail, I sort the mail again. In the afternoon I go through returned mail and delete addresses. That. Is. It. I work within a small team and don't really know anyone too well yet. It's tough. I can't really join in the witty banter. And believe me, I'm a pro at witty banter. I have so many things I want to say during the day, just quick one-liners, but no one to really say them to. So I'm thinking about opening up a Twitter account.

(Source)

I wouldn't use my real name (or BRB, for that matter) and I wouldn't reveal the identity of my company. I just really need an outlet for my random thoughts, and my understanding is that is what Twitter is all about. So what do you guys think? Does anyone here Twitter? I might post this over on Weddingbee, too. Which, by the way, I cannot participate on during the workday!! That's right, posting in comments and boards on WB is restricted at work. Seriously, I'm dying here. Anyway, thoughts and suggestions are welcome. I'll let you know if I sign up!

Happy Dance

I got a jobbb, I got a jobbb *does a happy dance* yay!! I don't think that was a complete sentence, but I don't care. This bride is no longer unemployed. Since graduating back in November I have had no luck finding a job. Cleveland is not necessarily a mecca for wanna-be event planners and communication grads. I had a handful of interviews, but nothing stuck. A few weeks ago I decided it was time to do something about it. Insert temp agencies. WHY had I not contacted one sooner?? I literally had a job lined up within days, and I'm finally starting on Wednesday. I'm not sure what to expect, and it's not exactly what I intended on doing with my BS in Coms from OU, but it's a paycheck and it gives me something to do.

Thankfully I have so many of my wedding plans finalized already (at least the Big 4: venue, photographer, DJ, florist). Hopefully I can keep reading my favorite wedding blogs during the day. At least I have an iPhone if using an actual computer to surf is frowned upon. I'll do my best to not ignore this blog, too, but posting may be light while I get back into a "real world" schedule.

Wish me luck!! Any other recent grad brides out there trying to find work??

Wowza it's been a while!

So I totally fell off the blogging wagon for a whole MONTH! I kept reading blogs, but I stopped paying attention to my own. For this, I apologize. But, I have 2 very cute, cuddly, and fluffy reasons:

We adopted!! Their names are Tyler (on the left) and Joey. I. Love. Them. We'd talked about getting a cat but always thought that we didn't want the expense that came with it. Well, Josh decided that since he's buying a computer in a few months, I should have the option of getting something too. We started our search at the beginning of March and finally got them a week ago!

I know this is not wedding related, but sometimes real life gets in the way of the wedding. In this case, it was a much needed break from constant wedding planning. As of today, however, we're 13 months and 2 days away from the Big Day. Time to get a few more things checked off the list. Back to wedding-related posts ASAP!!