number 27

"we were 'those girls' last night, and it was REALLY fun!" - my gal, meredith.

i'm not sure that there's ever been a more PERFECT bachelorette weekend in the history of time. ok, so maybe i'm a little biased. however, i'm quite positive that this past weekend was the best time i've ever had in my entire, unmarried lifetime - the perfect send-off to my life as a single gal! the weekend was full of laughs, fun stories, dancing, lingerie, booze, pictures, and maybe a few (happy) tears. i have the absolute best friends, hands down, in the entire world.

meredith t., emily t., and emily b. were fabulous enough to open their bachelorette pad to the party crew for the event in richmond. the decorations couldn't have been better!! you can tell how much time and love went into planning and executing this weekend - i'll forever remember and be thankful for all of their hard work.

we kicked off the weekend on friday waiting for all the girls to arrive, getting to know the new 2 (stacia and lauren! muah!), and getting ready for the night's festivities. the girls made some delicious, nearly authentic, mexican chicken tacos, yummy sangria, and a beautiful lingerie cake made by courtney, my zeta big sister. our group moved right along to banditos, a fun mexican burrito bar in richmond where we all danced the night away to our 80s favorites!!

saturday, we took time to recoop at a local neighborhood pool thanks to lots of water, diet pepsi, and ukrops box lunches (SO essential!). it took a few shifts for us all to be showered and ready by em b.'s specified time, and by 5:00 all 13 of us were ready for the official night out! all decked in our bachelorette gear, we spent some time at the house laughing, champagne toasting, and oohing and ahhing over the sexy lingerie!! this 3 hour period was my personal favorite of the whole weekend! complete with a mini "roasting" session from those who know me the best ;) we loaded into our cabs and headed to blackfin in downtown richmond to have dinner and dance (yet another) night away! everyone was able to get home safe and sound and snuggled into a bed by a decent hour...for the most part! :)

we said our goodbyes on sunday and headed back to our respectable lives. i'll always remember this weekend and being with ALL of my absolute best friends, having the time of our lives! I love you girls, so much!!! thank you all for a weekend i'll never ever forget!!

oh. ps. this is what andrew and the guys did while i was gone:

yes, that is a fu manchu. so many words come to mind. i only have 1 for now: gross.

number 26

it has been a long time since we updated the blog. a few quick items.

invitations have been sent. i put a lot of time, thought and love into these. just kidding! my extraordinarily talented fiance laura did an awesome job designing/making these. i don't know much about invitations/papery/design and i even liked them.

as you can see to the right, this weekend is the bachelorette/bachelor party. laura and i are super excited. we have such wonderful friends and family who made these parties possible. it will be great to have a mini-vacation as we get closer to the big day. much thanks! a quick aside : i trust your tastes when it comes to laura's lingerie. ha!

laura and i now have our apartment. thanks to my wonderful future mom-in law, the rooms have been painted to our liking. we have almost all of our furniture, minus a few small things. with all the fantastic gifts from the shower, i am basically set. just a few more items and i will be fully moved in. hopefully, this will be done by next week.

number 25

i know! i know!!!

it's been entirely too long since my last post! we've just been so busy lately - and with a cute puppy like jack to play with, can you blame me?!

i went to richmond last weekend to spend some time with my zeta sisters reliving the college days! it's amazing how much fun you have when you have so many of your best friends in one spot at the same time! *we missed you, al!*

on the marriage front: andrew and i have been getting really pumped about our new apartment! i just picked up the keys yesterday, and we've gotten the thumbs up to go ahead and start painting next week!! lately we've been dreaming of what kind of furniture we'll have and how to decorate on a budget (well, maybe that's just me!). andrew will be moving in this time next week to get things settled in before the big day. it should be an adventure - to say the least! i'll be sure to post some pictures once we get the paint on the walls.

on the wedding agenda - MY DRESS IS READY! the boutique in lynchburg called this week to tell me that i could come pick up my dress!! let's all cross our fingers that it fits like it should (read: not too small). i'm so excited! everything seems to be falling right into place. granted, i've got a long list of things left to do. on that list: i've got a long list of men who have yet to be fitted for tuxs - the groom AND my dad being on that list!! these boys! we'll get it done - i'm not concerned!

the summer is FLYING by! i can't believe next saturday is august 1st. next saturday afternoon, my wonderful family-to-be is throwing me a bridal shower (my first and only! and i prefer it that way!) i hope there'll be cake! two of my best gals, emily baxa and emily tretiak, will be making the trek down to danville for the big shindig. it's tretiak's first time to danville - does she know what she's in for?! haha

andrew and i have our 4th of 5 pre-marital counseling sessions today. i've come to see that this is so important for a couple. even if it's not at a church, definitely sit down with someone who will ask thought-provoking questions and really get you talking about important issues. to get these things out on the table initially and really develop good communication habits (if you don't have them already) is SO essential to a healthy relationship. ok! off my soapbox! bottom line: i think both of us have really enjoyed it and actually look forward to going each time.

i think that's it for now! just a quick wrap up! i think that's all you were wanting anyway! what have you guys been reading since i've been away?! :)

number 24

groomsmen comes from the old native-american word gruhmiquano meaning awesome family and friend. just kidding. but they are part of my awesome family and friends. my favorite men...

john tappan is laura's kid/man brother. so i kinda of look at him as the little brother i never had, but without all of things you dislike about little brothers. he attends radford university (wants to be like his future bro-in law haha). i am excited about joining his fam and i'm proud to call him a friend. he can always be counted on for a laugh. hopefully one day he can make me a better golfer.

jason burnette is dear friend of mine from high school through grad school. we've been through lots that has made us who we are today. i can remember playing against jason in basketball and baseball when we were tiny. he's always there to lend a ear if you need him or to gamble (he LOVES cards). jason is a truly great friend and i miss him now that he lives in greenville, nc.

david richardson and i go wayyyy back to good'ol blairs middle school all the way through tunstall sr. high, dcc, ru undergrad, and ru grad school. needless to say, we've hung out a few times. through dave's tutelage i learned many things, mainly not to be an idiot/pansy and how to play pool. david is one of the best friends i could ask for and i miss him (he's living in richmond).

ben swanson is my other big brother. since i was lucky enough to have him join my family (way to go sarah), ben has been an awesome friend. he brings lots to the table (wise and sagacious, funny, musical talent, and t-shirts haha) and takes nothing off it. ben is such a great person, my only qualm is that he lives in indiana and i don't get to see him as much as i should.

andy morrin was my roommate for two years at radford. he's the nicest person you'll ever meet and the greatest madden player i know. he is basically an offensive genius. andy taught me the ways of the man cave and we've had the best of times. andy has my back and i have his. he is a true friend in every sense of the word and i'm lucky to know him.

brad dalton and i have been thick as thieves since we were 7 or so. i still remember sunday school, roller blading, backyard football, crashing dirt bikes, and every other tremendous thing we did. i am pretty sure the definition of good is brad dalton; he is so genuine, sincere, and just...an amazing friend and person. he always makes me laugh and i know he will have my back forever.

mack wyatt has known me for my whole life; all 26 years. he is the greatest big brother in the history of the universe. mack is mad-scientist level smart and he's taught me so much (computers, cars, video games to name a few), that it is obvious how remarkably blessed i am. i love him and i am honored to have stand with me.

my best man was a simple choice. my father, mike wyatt, is considered by most historians to be the gold standard for dads. i cannot imagine growing up without him. he never missed a game or anything else i did. paps has always been there when i needed him. he shaped me into the man i am today and set the bar (insanely high) at the man i want to become. there is no better man, he is the best and i love him.

number 23

i think i owe it to my perfect weekend to devote a blog post to it. this weekend we celebrated july 4th at the wyatt's! saturday was filled with slip 'n slides, strawberry ice cream (homemade!!), and summer yard games. andrew and his dad manufactured an adult and kid friendly slip and slide that stretched over 75 feet and ended with a big pool of freeeezing water! yes, i did go down it!

we had SUCH a good time. my family got to spend some time with andrew's, and jack spent time napping. yes, he is always that cute. jack made friends with andrew's poodle nephew pierre, too! since the pups were present, there were no fireworks at the wyatt house. i know you're thinking, "what's the fourth without fireworks!?", but as andrew and i came back to my house saturday evening, we were able to stop and see the fireworks from downtown danville in the horizon - a great way to end the holiday!

number 22

ok ok! i think i've kept y'all in suspense long enough! sorry for the mental torture. my big announcement: drum roll please........

meet jack - the newest member of our family and the cutest being in existence on the planet at this very moment.

"hi! my name is jack, and i'm now a tappan! i am a golden retriever. my favorite things to do are explore, sniff the ground, eat leaves, chase the kitty, cuddle with humans, lick faces (human and animal kind), lay in the monkey grass (because it's cool on my belly), and chew on my rope baby chew toy. i'm a "morning dog" - i like to get up very early, and bark and whine until everyone else is up with me so we can PLAY!"

overall, he is a very very good dog. he loves to cuddle and is very well tempered. we're currently trying to break his nibbling habits and constantly making sure he doesn't tee tee on the hardwood floors. *bad dog!*

this is my family's dog - meaning that it will stay at the tappan house when andrew and i are married. luckily i'll be around for a few more months to give mom and dad a little help in raising our new baby!

here are a few more pictures for your enjoyment! feel free to comment on how precious and perfect he is! haha!

number 21

what a fun weekend!! some special family friends were nice enough to throw andrew and i an engagement party at smith mountain lake saturday. i hope everyone had a great time - i know i did! delicious food, great friends and family, and an absolutely beautiful setting! just a few pics from this fabulous event:



the cake was definitely a topic of conversation - way to go walmart!

some of my beautiful bridesmaids joined the party -

shoutout to sarah for coming all the way from indiana! *muah! (that's me blowing you a kiss!)

here's a pic of andrew and i with our beautiful, wonderful, hardworking hostesses! we love you!

we finished off the night with a house boat ride. we fit 30 people on that thing!! that's always my favorite part of going to the lake - you get to check out the gorgeous (massive) houses.a BIG thank you to everyone who helped with the party: mrs. nancy, mrs. mary, and mrs. judy! your hard work (and all your love!) paid off!

attention!!! i have some really awesome, exciting news!!! keep your eyes open for my next post!

number 20

hey friends! i'm such a consistent blogger this week! i'm really excited to have finished one of my projects. it took me forever to figure out how to neatly wrap my wedding card box, but i did it! voila! i hope you're as proud of me as i am of myself! haha! the ribbon is actually the bright kiwi/lime/green apple color that follows the theme - just doesn't show up that way here.

it was a tricky little thing, to say the least. so, when you see this very fancy "present" at the wedding, put it to use! just slip your card right in the front of the box!

number 19

YAY! last weekend was a huge success for andrew and i! we really enjoyed the band, 58 west. they had a great feel, lots of energy, and a super playlist. we found ourselves singing along to most of their songs that night, so we're sure that everyone will really enjoy them come september! band? check!

despite my mom's best efforts and advice ("why don't you get something pretty and white?"), i ordered my garter today! if you haven't checked out http://www.etsy.com/, take a sec to do it now -- better yet, take a few hours (there are a TON of items out there!). this site is very well known in the blogosphere, but not so much throughout the internet itself. here, users can sell their handmade or vintage crafts, jewelry, or in my case, wedding garters, for a very thrifty price. you, in turn, get an awesome - one of a kind keepsake or gift! for your viewing pleasure: today's wedding purchase.

haha! i'm so excited! it fits perfectly with my color scheme and adds a bit of feisty flair to my wedding attire! mom's comment: does it really have feathers on it? yes, mom, it does. love it! do you?

i realized that i had promised y'all a while back that i would post my inspiration board that prompted me to use the green apple/black combo. in my side bar, you see that i've listed "snippet & ink" as one of my favorite wedding sites. i can't count how many hours i've perused this blog. one day, i believe it was even before andrew and i were engaged, i found this: i decided (and not just because the bride in the center could possibly be my future self) that this would be the scene to shoot for. i love the colors together, and it definitely has a unique quality. you don't see the 2 colors together all that often. yay me! i'm not sick of seeing them together yet, either! yet!

since i'm in the blogging mood today and feeling generous, i'm going to share two of the most essential pieces for the wedding party:

so sharp! the ladies will be wearing the sophia dress from j.crew, and the men a joseph feiss black tuxedo - tres chic.

ok ok! that's enough suprises spoiled for 1 day! hopefully this gets y'all looking forward to the date as much as i am! love y'all!

number 18

band audition #2 is in the works. tonight andrew and i are going to listen to 58 west (www.58west.com) at smith mountain lake. keep your fingers crossed that this is the one! we're really getting close to the date and there a few major things that we haven't exactly gotten together - this being one of them. in the spirit of finding a band, please leave us a comment with any music that you'd like to hear at the reception! if you say the electric slide, you'll be uninvited. haha.

love y'all!

number 17

sooo we've had a little (or big) visitor on the mountain over the past few months...

bear encounter #1: andrew, sport, and i had decided to take a little after-dinner walk down the mountain one evening.

 there's a clearing on our road where deer usually graze and as i was looking to see if one was there. i spotted something a little larger and more grizzly. a bear, my friends! by the time i could stop bumbling and actually tell andrew what i saw, it was gone (of courseee!). long story short: we got one of my neighbors with a truck to come get us and sportie.

bear encounter #2: monday we woke up to find our little friend at our HOUSE! 

we have a corn feeder in the back yard for deer, and mr. bear was trying to sneak a little snack for himself. he wandered around the house, watching us peer at him through the windows, took a peek in our bluebird house (luckily not finding anything he thought was particularly tasty!) and went on about his way. fortunately he was around long enough for us to snap a few pics!

number 16

i'm just a tad behind on the weekend post, but i had to have a little time to recoop!! andrew and i traveled to the chesapeake bay this weekend to celebrate courtney marshall and steve ash being united in mewwage. :) it was such a beautiful weekend. the ceremony was held in weems, virginia at christ historic church. it was such a serene setting - i've never been in a church this old before. it was built in 1735. here is a little peek: the inside was the most interesting part, we sat in, what i would describe later as, "the little cubicles" and stood throughout the entire ceremony to be able to see the bride and groom. not an ounce of decoration was needed, the historic beauty of the church was decor in itself. so sweet :)

courtney is my big sister in zeta, and there were more of my favorite sisters there celebrating along with us! from left to right: top row: margo (emily's zeta little sister), courtney (mine and emily's big sister), emily (my zeta twin), me!, ashley (my zeta little sister); bottom row: meredith and alie(who are also zeta big and little sister! haha). we had so much fun! they had an awesome band AND awesome food (crabcakes!!! andrew had about 15!!). courtney made a beautiful blushing bride, and i wish she and steve a lifetime of happiness!

as for wedding planning, andrew and i have been planning more for AFTER the wedding. we've spent the past few days talking about honeymoon hot spots and where we'll spend married life for the first few years. we've stumbled on an awesome travel website: bookit.com. this site blows the others away on price deals! aruba is looking pretty nice now! please leave us a comment listing anywhere exotic and awesome that you've been! hurricane season has become a pretty big hurdle.

we've also been on the apartment hunt for a while now. fear not!!! there will be no living together until AFTER the big day! we've found a few places around town that we like, but nothing is set in stone yet!

on an ending note: i can't believe the wedding is less than 4 months away! whoa.

later gators. love y'all!