a full plate

i just realized it's been a week since i last blogged but lots has been going on and sometimes, i am convinced that my brain has reached a point where it's having to let stuff "leak out" in order to make room for new stuff to know, to do, and to remember. honestly, there has been so much floating around in my mind that i need to do that i don't even know where to start to even begin making to-do lists on paper. all my plates (work, wedding, friends, family) are so full that i can't even see the plate. needless to say, i'm trying to stay on top of everything and i've come to terms with the fact that all i can do is try!

so, with that great intro to this post, i just want you to know that when i sat down to update the blog, i had trouble connecting my thoughts into a coherent post and do you know what i do when that happens? that's right, i just make a list of all the random stuff floating around in my head. so here we go...in no particular order, here is the stuff that i've been thinking about, working on, and doing in the last week. enjoy ;)

• i finally picked my bridesmaid dresses for the wedding...yay! i love them and i hope that my bridesmaids at least like them. i can say, though, that they fit the theme and the style of the wedding perfectly. i will admit that it's a bit nerve wracking for someone like me who wants everyone to be happy to make a decision like that and just be happy with my decision (even if other people aren't). but, i'm learning that i can't always make everyone happy. you would think that i would have gotten that lesson down by now. oh well...it's another opportunity for growth.

• joel's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew were in town so we had dinner and spent time with them and his parents friday night. i know i've said this before but i am so very aware to of the blessing to have such a great family-to-be. and by the way...joel, will, christy, mary, & charles: i think i really won...i think there was a scoring error or something ;)...surely, i didn't lose after i did such a fantastic job building roads and such.

• for mother's day mom and i had a fun day at the biltmore house enjoying their festival of flowers. i have tons of pictures and plan to post them soon...or at some point you know, when i have time. (it will happen right after i post the pictures from texas ;)

• my nephew's baseball season started last night and i couldn't be prouder of him. his team won 19-3. i love going to his games and we have so much fun as a family cheering him on.

• i had a bit of a revelation about myself last night at pizza hut. (where everyone has a revelation about themselves, right?) apparently, i am way more passionate about the type of pizza crust on the pizza than i ever realized. as my family (all 9 of us) was trying to order...bless that waitress' heart...when she asked about the type of crust, i all of a sudden yelled, "PAN, WE WANT THE PAN CRUST!!" it was much louder than i realized because everyone stopped and looked at me and the waitress said, "you really like pan pizza, huh?" and started laughing at me. oh well. it was one of those moments that i didn't mean to yell out my answer but i knew i had to raise my voice in order to be heard over the 8 other people at the table. what can i say? i was the baby of the family for a long time (so i know all about making your voice heard) and sometimes you have to fight for your right for good pizza :).

• did i say that i'm feeling overwhelmed at work? well, i am and i just started feeling overwhelmed (really feeling it...i knew it was coming and it happened...today).

• mom and i are going friday to pick out the paper for our save the date cards. i'm really excited about that because if you know me AT ALL, you know that i absolutely adore cute paper and stationery. oh my word.

• i don't think that i mentioned on the blog that when i attended the "great bridal expo" two weeks ago that i won this fabulous prize from the charleston visitors bureau. i won a free night's stay at the downtown embassy suites (one of their packages that includes a reception, breakfast, the suite, etc.), a spa gift certificate, a charleston cookbook, free passes to charleston attractions, a travel mug, this great big folder thing all about charleston, a dvd, and a bridal planning kit that i have seen at barnes and noble but i skipped it because it was so expensive. needless to say, since i never win ANYTHING (and i mean i never, ever win) i was super excited.

• i'm really considering ways that i can manage my stress. does anyone have any solutions? (besides quitting the things that are causing stress...that's not even a possibility.)

• i was able to spend time with my friend melissa today and i just love her. she makes me laugh, she encourages me, and is all around simply amazing.

• i decided that even while i'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed, i want to be intentional not to let it effect other areas of my life and all you girls out there know how hard that is...because it's just how we're wired. i'm going to make an effort, though.

anyway, back to work for me. i will try to think of more funny stories that are potentially blog-worthy.

until then...