Fiiiiiiiiiive for FRIIIIIIIIIIDAY [linkup]

[linkuphere]

O::N::E - My life has been insane recently. I can't believe June is already over, every day that goes by I find myself thinking "really the day is over already"? When I get busy, laundry quickly falls to the wayside. I haven't had time to do laundry in the past few weeks and Wednesday I found myself without any chilling shorts to wear. Cue Le Fiance :)! Yes, I'm wearing his shorts and yes I did laundry that night.

boyfriendFIANCEshorts

T::W::O - I've been a nawdy food pinner the past few days. Usually my food pins consist of drinks and healthy recipes. Yeah, not so much lately. I've been pinning desserts, upon desserts, upon desserts. They all look so delicious. Check em out *here*

[S'more Ice Cream Pie]

T::H::R::E:E - I can't WAIT to see this precious face next week. Sweet lil boy is already crawling and I know is going to be so big. I have big cuddle plans, hopefully he'll oblige me!

I mean really, so cute

F::O::U::R - This week on Facebook I found out a college friend [intheex'sfraternity], now acquaintance, lost his brother. A suspect broke into his brother's home and shot and killed him. Right now they aren't sure of motive or reasons why, but that really doesn't matter. This young man had a wife and was a brother and a son and now he is needlessly gone. My heart aches for my friend, I can not FATHOM the hurt and pain he and his family are feeling right now. If you could, please send him some prayers and some thoughts of grace. Life is so so so short.

F::I::V::E - I need to stop letting other people's attitudes effect me. Whether it's bad moods, negative attitudes, woe is me whines or just meanness I need to breath, stretch, shake and let it go [thankyoumase]. I can be there for people without assuming the negativity and I can also just let the blahness roll right off my back. I am responsible for my own attitude and I need to stop letting others affect me.

Happy Friday friends! It's July next week, say whaaaaaaaaaat?

Dear Pinky

Last month I was prompted to write a letter to my readers
and this month I wanted to write a letter to myself.

Dear Pinky,

WOW, life is good. Crazy busy, but good.

Since that fateful February Sunday your world has changed
for the better
and you are moving towards your wedding day.

YES!
your 
WEDDING
day!



The day you dreamed about, but weren't sure
would actually get here.

It's been a rough dating road, but you've w e a t h e r e d
the storms
and found the calm that is C.

And oh, he is so calm compared to you
and your mach 2304830284 personality.

But, as you know, that fact that you are opposites
and not the same
work so well for the two of you.

Does 'being opposites' grate on both
of your nerves at times?!? DUH!

However, you both have learned patience
communication and how to
\FLIPPIN' JUST RELAX/ and move on with life.

What an amazing concept huh?

It only took you 30 years to learn that lesson.

Oh wait, did I mention you are the big THREE-OH
right now?!?!

Yeah, you are and you know what, you're rockin  it.  

Speaking of rocking it, your family is your rock.

100% unconditional love in that Brady Bunch dynamic.

Of course you already knew this, but planning your wedding
has brought out a WHOLE
new
LeVeL of love. It's pretty *incredible* I must say.

Too incredible to really explain,
but you want for nothing when it comes everything
and they are RIGHT there to help you
when you are STRESSED
or annoyed
or ready to just elope [yes that thought has happenedonceortwice]


Yet, you know, a wedding here, surrounded by everyone
that LOVES you and Le Fiance,
will be the best thing in the world.

THE BESTESTEST! NO matter what happens.

So, sweet sweet Pinky, I leave you with this. 

Your life is peaches and cream right now,
so enjoy it.
hardships are going to come, and things will get
r o c k y.
BUT, you will always be able to look back to now.

The true beginning of your 'adulthood' persay.

Life is glitter and pink and butterflies,
don't let ANYONE take that away!

x's and o's and sugary love,
Pinky

What I Wore Wednesday [linkup]

Today I'm linking up with Tori for

[LINKUPY'ALL]

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This week's outfit is extremely girlie and fun.

Ballerinaesque

Dress: Ruche [on sale]

Shirt: Hecht's [Yes it's THAT OLD]

Earrings: Gift from parents in college
Bracelets: USA bracelet from WW2 museum, fake pearls a gift
Watch: Michael Kors
Engagement Ring: Le Beau

Black/Silver Ring: Wet Seal

Nail Color: Essie - Case Study

I'm lucky because I DON'T have to 

dress up for work. 

Honestly I could exist in jeans and a polo,
which is nice in the winter.

But sometimes I get really into looking nice

especially in the spring/summer.

I had our wedding tasting after work
and I wanted to look pretty and bridal. 

What do you think?!?!

What did YOU WEAR!?

Take A Look, it's in a Book...

It's a

I can go ANYWHEREEEEEEEEEE!

Anyone else nostalgic for childhood now? 

I haven't done very many book reviews here,

but I recently read two interesting books

so I thought I'd review em for you today.

First up:

[Via]

"A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures the love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking, fast-living, and free-loving life of Jazz Age Paris. As Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history and pours himself into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises, Hadley strives to hold on to her sense of self as her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Eventually they find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.

A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley."

[synopsis from *here*]

I was ahead of the curve on this book and honestly, I don't get the hoopla. It was a very different read than normal for me, which I did enjoy, however, I was NOT a fan of the heroine. I can't say much else without ruining the story, but Hadley and I would definitely have issues if we were friends. 

*******************

Next up:

[via]

 "A thrilling, haunting, and deeply romantic story."
-Rachel Hore, internationally bestselling author of The Memory Garden

"Whatever time we have," he said, "it will be time enough."

Eva Ward returns to the only place she truly belongs, the old house on the Cornish coast, seeking happiness in memories of childhood summers. There she finds mysterious voices and hidden pathways that sweep her not only into the past, but also into the arms of a man who is not of her time.

But Eva must confront her own ghosts, as well as those of long ago. As she begins to question her place in the present, she comes to realize that she too must decide where she really belongs.

From Susanna Kearsley, author of the New York Times bestseller The Winter Sea and a voice acclaimed by fans of Gabaldon, du Maurier, and Niffenegger alike, The Rose Garden is a haunting exploration of love, family, the true meaning of home, and the ties that bind us together.

[synopsis from *here*] 

I don't remember WHY I checked this book out, probably because it sounded interesting and I just needed to load up the Kammy the Kindle. I forgot about the synopsis when I began reading it and for the first few chapters I was lost. It took me awhile to get 'into' the book, but once it started the good part I didn't want to put it down. This book kept me up way later than normal for a week, but I was so anxious to find out how the story ended. There were a few "OH EM GOSH NO" moments that just pulled me into the story. If you are okay with 'fantasy' [a la Twilight, Harry Potter, not REAL fantasy] then I highly recommend this book.

Don't Even Know My Last Name...

Okay ladies I need your help.

When I become a MRS I gain a husband
and also a last name. 

That's just crazy right?!?!

Now, I know many, many women LIVE for the name change.

But, honestly, I'm not 100% sure I'm really excited about changing my name.

Thank you LC

Not quite what you expected huh?!?!

Coming from a family of three girls, I knew that when everyone got married,

our immediate family line of the Bradys would end.

And back then that made me sad.

It still does.

While I don't think for two seconds about other people changing their name,

[different strokes for different folks]

I've continued to silently wrestle with the idea of 'giving up' my name.

A sweet friend of mine put it perfectly last year,

"Your name is the FIRST gift you are given. 

It's okay to feel sad about 'losing it' in life".

How eloquent right?!?!

I'm probably in the minority here, 

with most women going "woohoo, finally married, new identity"

and I'm happy for y'all.

I really, truly am.

But, right now I'm not sure what 

I WANT to do

and that's frustrating.

I thought I would look to YOU ladies

and see what you think.

My full name is:

Pinky Tinkerbell Brady

[obviously ALL fake names, but since I blog under a pseudonym I had

to use some form of a naming convention to make sense] 

Do I want to become

Pinky Brady Baseball

or

Pinky Tinkerbell Baseball?

Or

Pinky Tinkerbell Brady-Baseball

I had thought about just having FOUR names,

but was informed I'd legally have to apply to CHANGE

my name and that's NOT what I want to do with my time.

How did/will you change your name?

Does anyone else feel the same way I do?

Any other name suggestions?!!

Fun-tastic Weekend

Morning kids, I'm tired.

I had a weekend jam packed of funness and I could totally use another weekend to recover. 

Friday night my family, Le Fiancé and my two cousins went into DC for the Nats vs Rockies game. C showed me how to mark a game book, which took a lot of patience but it was a lot of fun to learn. We picked a great night for baseball and were lucky enough to witness a Nats win.  #natitude

Thanks for sharing the pics Babyspice

We had our WAKA league championships Saturday afternoon and I'll be honest I was a tad bit nervous. Normally there are 11 people on the field and we only had 10 people for two games. But, don't worry, the ballers on OSC did work and we won :)! Even though the weather was hot, it was so awesome playing on the mall, in front of the Capitol with tourists everywhere! Man I love living right outside DC.

Saturday night my bestie T came into town with her bf and we had a double date. Dinner was a fun time and the food was amazing. I was a blogger fail whale and didn't take any pictures but we chowed down on ceviche, bruschetta, crab dip, ribs, surf and turf and I had an amazing dish of mozzarella and asparagus ravioli with a tomato creme mushroom sauce. Divine! 

Sunday morning we were up bright and early for a trip to kings dominion. Despite the rain in the morning, the day ended up being pretty perfect and a fun time was had by all.

Saturday and Sunday fun

First Roller Coaster crew [minus baby spice]

My cousin in the center had never gone on a loop roller coaster before, so we witnessed history this trip. Once he tried the loops, there was no going back. After the water park we probably rode each ride three times.

End of the night picture

The day was a blasty and we all were pretty dunzo by the end of the day. 

The boys head home today, and I'll admit I'm sad to see them leave. It's always fun having lil brothers.... That you can give back ;)!

So ladies, keep me awake and tell me about our weekend! 

Five on Friday

[linkuphere]

O*N*E My break from blog land was so nice, but I truly missed y'all. Thank you for all the sweet messages, thoughts and good vibes sent my way last week. Sometimes a step back is needed and I'm happy I'm back into the swing of things here. You ladies are seriously the best!

[KISSES TO YOU ALL]

T*W*O: Communication is SO IMPORTANT! It is so essential in romantic relationships, friendships and with family members. Even though I majored in Communications Studies, and kicked butt at it, I still need to be reminded of the right and wrong ways to communicate, especially when there's a conflict. This week I met with my pastor, for premarital counseling, and the biggest thing I took away from the meeting was the importance of communication and making sure the point is HEARD correctly. Any married ladies out there have hints for keeping the peace the first year? ;)

[source]

T*H*R*E*E: Oh em goodness, young boys are so different than young girls. My two 13 year old cousins have been in town this week visiting, and lawd have mercy are they energetic. It's bing-boing-bazinga from one thing to another and if I had a penny for every fart, burp or bodily function grossness I would be a bazillionaire. But, the are still super cute and sweet and fun so it's been a good time.

[goobs and a half I tell you]

F*O*U*R: The Gretchen drama on the RHOC just needs to stop. She sounds and acts like a child and it's pretty annoying to watch. Yes, I could change the channel, but I really enjoy the other housewives. I think it's super funny she ALMOST didn't get an invite to Tamra's wedding and that Vicki and Heather were bridesmaids while Gretchen wasn't. KARMA

[source]

F*I*V*E: We had our "tasting" on Wednesday for the wedding and it went really well. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical about the food, but the chef did an amazing job. C and I really liked him and he kind of cooked the way we do, which made us both really happy. We were also able to go over "the-day-of" logistics and I'm super excited to say I get PINK NAPKINS!!!! I've been very conscious of not making this wedding TOO PINK, but when the venue offered pink napkins C was kind enough to say yes when he saw my eyes light up. Wooohooo, thank you honey!

[source]

This weekend is going to be a super full one and I can't wait. Have a great one ladies! < 3

Adult ABC's

Last week I was 'TAGGED'
by the lovely Stephanie from Life, Unexpectedly
for Adult ABCs.

I haven't done something like this in awhile,
so was really excited to complete my LIST!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A. Attached or Single? Attached and about to be SUPER ATTACHED aka MARRIED

B. Best Friend? My soon to be husband and my two sisters.

C. Cake or pie? CAKE CAKE CHOCOLATE/SMORE CAKE!

D. Day of choice? Saturday. No work, lots of fun and one more day till Monday.

E. Essential item? My Louis or chapstick.

F. Favorite color? Pink....le duh! ;)

G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears, I bite their heads off....hahaha

H. Hometown? NOVA

I. Favorite indulgence? Hmmmm....a massage or a nap. I never get naps.

J. January or July? JULY! I hate cold! BRING THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY!

K. Kids? Not for at least three/four years :)

L. Life isn’t complete without? Family, love and dessert

M. Marriage date? September 7, 2013! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

N. Number of brothers/sisters? Two wonderfully annoying fabulous sisters.

O. Oranges or Apples? Oranges!

P. Phobias? SNAKES! feet!

Q. Quotes? "Life's short, you might as well be amusing" ; "I Love You" ; "Someone's throwing stuff"

R. Reasons to smile? LIFE! I'm living, why worry!? I love life and smile because I'm alive.

S. Season of choice?Summa, Summa, Summatime.

T. Tag 5 People. Lynn, Neri, Jenn, Carolyn, Liz

U. Unknown fact about me? I'm an Army brat but have lived in the same state since first grade [thanks to an amazing daddy who chose long commutes over moving, love you!]

V. Vegetable? Chocolate?!?! Ummm asparagus or fresh spinach.

W. Worst habit? Judging others and I lack patience.

X. Xray or Ultrasound? I've only ever had an Xray.

Y. Your favorite food? Ice cream, guacomole, pasta, smores

Z. Zodiac sign? Aries...FIRE GIRL

What I Wore Wednesday [linkup]

Today I'm double posting so I can 

link up with my girl Tori for

Linkitupy'all

You can check our all the deets on her blog,

but it's really fairly simple.

Take a picture of your outfits and

post em here with descriptions.

Easy peasy, fresh and squeezy right?

It's been while since I did a 'fashiony' post

so I'm super stoked!

..........************................***************................************..........

Wednesday work outfit

Dress: Ruche [no longer on the website]
Necklace: Charming Charlies [gift]
Earrings: Real Pearls [College graduation gift]
Watch: Michael Kors
Makeup: Elf
Engagement Ring: Le Beau

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Kickball after party outfit

Dress: Burlington Coat Factory
Earrings: Claire's [three years agoish]
Bracelets: USA bracelet from WW2 museum, pink bracelets were a gift
Watch: Michael Kors
Makeup: Elf
Engagement Ring: Le Beau

I know I'm in NO WAY a fashion blogger, but

I LOVED both of the dresses I wore last week.  

Next time I will be better about photographing

all of my accessories and finding the correct links. 

So ladies, what did YOU WEAR?!!?

LET THEM EAT WEDDING CAKE!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, cake.

I love me some cake. 

One of my favorite quotes states,

"A party without cake is just a meeting"

and who likes meetings?

When I was younger I always envisioned

having a traditional wedding cake

with all the tiers and butter-cream.

[via]

Yes, I know that look is a bit out dated, 

but I love the romanticism of the butter-cream

and just how beautiful it looks. 

Obviously wedding cakes are sooooo different now

and people are really thinking outside the box. 

[very nontraditional huh?!?]

As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm a traditional kind of gal.

I may put my own lil twist on things, but I LOVE
traditions, especially when it comes to my wedding.

 C and I have a special twist planned
for our wedding cake fun,
but we still plan on having
a small traditional wedding cake.

 As I mentioned before, we will be using
a bakery from C's hometown to do our cake.

We have our tasting scheduled for July,
when we head back to visit his family
and I can't WAIT to eat cake.

YUM 
YUM
in the
TUM
TUM!

The bakery has asked us to have our
wedding cake ideas ready then,
and right now I'm SO unsure 
of what all I want.

I KNOW:
I want butter-cream [ HATE fondant ]
I want simple
I want just two tiers
I want fresh flowers as decorations

But, that's it. 

I've scoured magazines
and Pinterest and have YET
to find exactly the cake that speaks to me.

Hopefully I will come across it,
or the bakery will have something
A M A Z I N G that we both love.

Here are some of the different cakes
that caught my eye via Pinterest.

Note: The size would only be two tiers
so some of the pictures are JUST here
for the color or the icing.

What do you think?!!?

Which one screams "Pinky's Wedding Cake"?

[via]

[via]

[via]

[via]

[via]

[via]

Anticipating Life

[via]

We humans think we can do it all.

We think if we plan and hope, we can make the future we want happen.

As you know, I'm not a planner.

I'm friends with LOTS of planners {you know who you are ladies}
and have realized HOW [LITTLE] of a planner I actually am.

I'm more of a 'give me the big picture' kind of planner.

I want to know all the options,
but don't have the energy or time to plan it all out.

I know plans change, that's life.

Opportunities are granted when least expected
and sometimes they are taken away just as quickly.

And sometimes the lost opportunities turn into the best thing ever.

Sometimes the opportunity is amazing and life changing too.

But, you never know, until it happens.

////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////

Grappling with the unexpected has never been my forte.

I'm not a worrier....but NOT KNOWING drives me nuts.

I seem to think I can anticipate the change
and prepare for everything that POSSIBLY could happen.

"If I prepare myself for all the options, I will pass with flying colors."

But then, what happens when an option happens
that I'm not prepared to deal with?

I am curious by nature, but I've begun to realize that the curiosity
isn't just childlike.
But, it's more of a 'I need to know WHAT so I can figure out the HOW'.

////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////

Life is moving at a break neck pace right now
and I'm in 'uncharted territory'.

I've been in weddings but I've never planned a wedding before February.

There are so many things to do, and while I'm no longer STRESSED
to the max like before,
there are times where I think "how will it all get done"?

I have so many different lists with so many things to check off,
and right now I can't fathom having everything complete
in the short time line ahead.

Let's be clear,
I chose a short timeline, because I'm ready for the next phase,
and so is C.

We didn't want to wait longer than we needed,
we just want to get married!

And ladies, we are soooooooooo close to W-Day.

We are less than 90 days out people,
LESS.THAN.90.DAYS!!!!

WOW!

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But, I'm not just getting married,
I'm also preparing to move in and live with my husband.

I know I'm one of very few women in this day and age
that chooses to NOT live with a bf or fiance before marriage,

NO judgement from me, to each their own,
but I've always been of the mindset, all or nothing [married vs not married], for my life.

In just a few months I will be LIVING with a man.

My husband.

I will no longer have MY stuff.

It will be OUR stuff and our place
and OUR decorations/decor ideas.

My lil apartment will be all packed up and some of his stuff will be packed up
and we will be figuring out what is important to us,
and what we need to let go of to make room.

Right now we have a plan for where we will be living immediately
after the wedding.

Life could throw us for a loop if it wanted of course, but
all we can do is plan for what we know.

////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////

Living with C is a vast unknown to me and it makes me nervous.

I know we will be fine and things will work out,

I TRUST God knows what He is doing,
but that doesn't mean I'm apprehensive about the future.

I've heard from multiple, multiple people that the first few months of marriage are hard
and that learning to live with each other
is part of the process [if you already don't live together].

Maybe we will be LUCKY like all those people out there that have NO ISSUES
and life is just roses and butterflies, and in no need of help
to understand a significant other.

Maybe.

But, maybe we will have some rough months full of fights
but also full of make ups and laughter.

I DON'T KNOW how it's going to roll
and that is no bueno in this Pink brain.

////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////

Life happens and you have to learn to roll with the punchesand TRUST and have Faith in the Lord.

IT WILL BE GOOD!

IT WILL BE A GOOD LIFE :)!

Guess Who's Back?!? Back Again?!?!

Pinky's back, tell a friend! 

Hey ladies, I'm back and I'm feeling SO REFRESHED!

[just say ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Sometimes a break is just needed!

As much as I love this lil spot oh internetz,

real life is more important and with

EVERYTHING going on,

I needed to take a week off to recenter.

I'm feeling 2104820348 better and happy to be back

to blogging and catching up with everyone.

Did ya miss me?!?!

Last week was super busy with,

overtime at work

wedding suit shopping

athletic games

procuring wedding dress underthings

wedding dress alterations

and nursing overworked legs : /

Phew right?

My kickball team also had a tournament

in Harrisburg, PA this weekend

and that was a blast as usual.

Last year we came in second
and our mission this year was to WIN!

Sportyspice, Le Beau and I headed up to PA
late Friday night, had a quick two hour drive
and met up with friends before hitting the sack.

Saturday was GORGEOUS and the PERFECT
G A M E D A Y!

Game DAY!

Pool play went decently, minus one oops of a game.
All in all it worked in our favorite
and we were able to cruise to the finals.

From the start of the finals we were rocking
and everything went our way. 

WINNER WINNER, PACK2013 CHAMPS!

After losing last year, it was nice to be able to WIN

our first tourney of the year. 

Babyspice wasn't able to make this tourney,

which was a way bummer, 

but we celebrated 'with' her anyway.

Champion sissys and fiances :)!

It's funny HOW many things have changed since last year.

C and I are engaged and the team has grown a lot too. 

We had our traditional after tourney pizza dinner

and then it was time to head out and celebrate. 

I wore one of my new maxi dresses out

and I absolutely LOVED it

[fashion post coming soon ;)]

The after party is ALWAYS more fun after a win

and Sportyspice and I had a great time together.

Rocking the belt at the bar :)

C showed up a bit later and of course we had fun too. 

Darn the haze, but I think this is a cute picture

Sunday was up early to get home for Father's Day brunch

with the bestest daddy in the world!

Three baby girls....daddy you had NO idea what you were getting into huh? ;)

After brunch Mama B and did some wedding stuff

and then I passed out on the couch for an hour.

I was done. 

Sportyspice and I did some wedding accessory shopping [yay]

and then I hung out with her before my soccer game.

The evening ended on a tad bit of a sour note
due to our horrific loss,
a slightly strained quad
and an extra thirty minutes in the car because
I forgot my phone at the sportsplex.

Talked about a pit in your stomach moment.

UGH! Luckily the Lord heard my prayer
and the phone was A-OK and not stolen.

Thank you Heavenly Father.

Sooooooo, tell me, how was your weekend?

Quiet

Is good.

Sometimes, quiet is necessary.

In all the hub bub of REAL LIFE and blog life

there can be a lot of noise.

Good noise and bad noise.

But still, noise.

Noise can get really overwhelming, even to an extrovert.

Right now, life is so noisy.

Too noisy.

 And I just need some quiet.

< 3 you < 3