Engagement Photo Shoot Location

So it's almost that time when Andy & I need to take engagement pictures! Being that we live in beautiful Arizona and there's a million scenic locations we can pick from! So I'm reaching out for opinions...here's my vision...desert scenery but with arches and columns and great architecture! Easy right?! :-) suggestions?

Wedding Update

So for those of you that are interested here's the latest and greatest:
* I got my dress (if you didn't read the previous post) - next step...Alterations
* We scheduled our engagement photo session - March 22nd :)
* Bridesmaid dresses have been selected

Next on the to-do list:
* Meet with Fabulous Linens for chair covers and table linens
* Order bridesmaid dresses
* Meet with Kellee Goodman from Garden of England Flowers to plan for flowers
* Finalize the guest list
* Plan/design save the dates and invitations with my cousin Steph (you're the best cuz!)

Ya - Good times!

Next post - NHRA Drag Races :)

Hallmark's famous holiday - Valentine's Day

Being that Andy and I are trying to save as much money as possible these days we agreed that we weren't going to get anything for each other but we were going to have a fun date night and cook dinner together. Which left the whole morning and afternoon to do needed errands.

About a month ago, I received a call from my bridal boutique where I purchased my Oh So Beautiful wedding dress telling me that IT has arrived...TWO months early!! Woohoo! Well since I was planning on not getting the dress until the end of March, I was procrastinating on picking it up:

1. I wasn't ready for IT yet! Being that I haven't even THOUGHT about any bridal diet yet...
2. It was a secret storage spot so my hubby wouldn't see it!

So I waited a couple weeks to call them back to schedule a time to try it on and pick it up. Well, when I called I found out that the store will be going out of business and that basically, I need to come get my dress NOW. So of course Momma B (my mom) was in Lake Tahoe with Papa B (my dad) this weekend so I made sure Deeb (Debbie) and Kelser (my sister, Kelsey) who are my only AZ b'maids could come with me! I must admit...I was so excited when I bought the dress that I was nervous about the real thing meeting my VERY HIGH expectations! But, I must say (and not only cause it's mine...) IT'S PERFECT!! Even more beautiful then I remembered! It fits almost perfect as is...just some help with the length (shorty here!!) And a little taking in through the top and I'm good to go! :-) I was on a high for the rest of the day as you can imagine!

We ended the day by the four of us, Debbie, Craig, Andy and I all having a great home-cooked meal, none other than steak and bacon wrapped shrimp. Andy took care of the meal/seafood and I manned the side dishes - potatoes and green beans. Good times with good friends, food and wine (or beer). I think we are all over the cheesiness that comes with Valentine's Day, but it was still a cause for celebration since it marked Debbie and Craig's 10 year (first-date) anniversary! :) Andy and I look forward to the day we can celebrate our 10 year anniversary...October 3rd, 2019 to be exact! God, it seems SO far away! I will be 37, Andy 39, Kayleigh 15! Oh dear!

With that said - Congrats Craig and Debbie and Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovely people! :)

Jamie & Craig Say "I DO"

So I'm almost two weeks late blogging about Jamie and Craig's BIG DAY but better late than never! I'm trying to be more on top of this!

Since Andy and I are planning our BIG DAY, I've always wanted to see what The Castle at Ashley Manor was all about. It seems like it appears out of nowhere but as soon as you enter the property it is beautiful! Yes, it looks like a castle and has beautiful grounds and a very elegant feel. Jamie and Craig could not have picked a more gorgeous day. Andy took the day off and spent it with all the boys golfing and hanging out with Craig. Word on the street there was some golf cart testing that took place...check out the video Craig Flores put together...

Craig & Debbie's SUPER BOWL XLIII Party

Craig & Debbie's SUPER BOWL XLIII Party

Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburg Steelers
This is my second annual visit to Craig and Debbie's Super Bowl party and man do they know how to throw a good party! They have the decorations, the door surveys, the football toss, squares, and each year they come up with something new. This year was everyone's own "Press Pass" with picture ID. They don't mess around! This year the new commercial thing was 3D movie preview and commericals so C&D got everyone a pair of good looking 3D glasses!

We all wish the outcome was different but what can we do? There's always next year! Maybe it was because Andy had to finally give back Scott's jersey that he took ownership of all year...
...and instead we wears an ASU shirt that sadly resembles the Steelers gold!
Other than a game that was nail biting until the very end, we had some great cheerleaders rooting for the Cards!
Ms. Chloe Jones - pretty sure that football is as big as she is!
Ms. Alyssa Miller
and Ms. Shelby Hennessy!

Lastly - DAD OF THE YEAR:
Shawn Hennessy

Debbie and Craig - thanks again for another amazing Super Bowl party! Can't wait for next year and I can only imagine the kind of footage will be on next year's post-game video montage! :)

Upcoming - Jamie and Craig take the plung!
02-06-09 The Flores-Paris Wedding

3rd Annual FBR Open Brunch @ Casa de Brito-Crall

Every year the FBR Open golf tournament comes to town and I started the tradition a few years ago, of hosting a brunch before a long day of watching golf (ok not really) and drinking with friends! Everyone brings their mimosas, bloody marys and favorite breakfast foods and participates in some good ol' cornhole (aka bean bags).... ...and an always intense boys vs girls flip cup tournament...

...I'm sad to say...the boys dominated...we'll get you next year!!
The annual brunch wouldn't be complete without the annual girls' pictureI had to get all the Crall Brother photo-opts I could!! :)Looking forward to doing it all again next year...and Happy Anniversary to US!! :D This weekend marks the first time I threw Andy to the "dogs" aka all my friends! :) Glad you made it to another year my love!

Welcome Brother!!

It's been over a year since Andy and I have been dating and finally I get to meet BROTHER! Brian (Andy's twin bro) came out to visit over Super Bowl weekend and man was it a GREAT time! We kicked off the weekend on Thursday night at the Bird's Nest to see my favorite band, O.A.R.! Mama and Papa Brito were in attendance, along with many good friends! There wasn't a better way to start a packed weekend!
More exciting happenings to follow...

Pics of my BLING!

After spending too much time on my friend Katie's Blog (The Savvy Event) I came across a post of her's that was on how to take better pictures of your engagement rings. So here's what I came up with!!

Holiday Update

So Christmas has come and gone and we're almost a month into 2009! Time flies! I'm still trying to get the hang of the "blogging" world and I'm clearly terrible at posting within a normal time frame! With that said...Figure I would recap the holidays and post some fun pictures! :)

Andy and I had a great Christmas, or should I say we had a wonderful FIRST Christmas together! One of my bridesmaids, Debbie, actually gave us our first "First Christmas" ornament for the tree, so cute! Being that it's just Andy and I we decorated as much as possible, filling up our little condo with some holiday cheer. Andy did lights outside and I put up the stockings and decorated our 4 foot tree...and that's about all we could fit! :) Andy's parents were in town again for Christmas so this time we went to my parent's for Christmas Eve dinner, then on Christmas Day we went and had steak and crab legs at Andy's Aunt and Uncle's. It was the first year I had Christmas Day without my parents but I must say steak and crab and Andy's family's secret Santa exchange sure made for a great new tradition. (Next year I have the perfect gift for Bob – I don't think he wanted to trade me!) Yes, that's a little joke for those of us that were there but I'll give you a hint…Victoria's Secret! Haha!

After Christmas was over, Andy's been determined to buy a shotgun. I am definitely NOT into guns but after spending half a day out in the desert with some friends shooting I got more comfortable with the idea. Plus, the fact that it breaks down into 3 pieces which makes me happy! Feeling the power of the gun(s) is nuts and really gets your adrenaline pumping! I tried to shoot at the clays which was highly comical! I could barely hold the gun, let alone aim and shoot at a tiny disk flying through the air. Andy on the other hand, is quite the natural…go figure!

Next event on the crazy calendar of Andy and Kim was New Years Eve. Since 2009 is going to be such a fabulous year for Andy and me, we were determined to ring it in right! We got off work, got dressed up, and headed down to our new favorite restaurant called the Rokerij. We had some amazing food and drinks then headed over to our friend's Eric & Amanda's house for a '09 fiesta! I can't believe it's been a year! Andy and I started dating around this time of year last year and so much has happened and yet there's so much to look forward to.