almost winner

so.


today i made (what i thought was) an executive decision and picked a dress. the winner.


and it is. it is totally the winner.


well, that's a lie, it's the winner in my price range. the REAL winner is about $500 too much to be worn once and hung in my closet for decades -- noooot worth it to me. but i'm over it.


so this winner dress kind of snuck up. it wasn't love at first sight. i fell in love the SECOND time i tried it on.


and i've been really excited about it.


it would be so easy for me to post the pictures i took today of my trying it on -- but i would so much rather keep it a secret from you all! the people that matter most have already seen it :) haha and yes, that includes my fiance. the whole "don't see the bride in the gown before the wedding" thing is so superstitious. myth. i want devin to see it and have an opinion. of course, he loves the winner, and says it's perfect.


but someone else did not.


when i told my parents about the winner, they were excited, but they are also being very reluctant. i have only been to 2 stores. granted, i've tried on my share of wedding gowns, but my mom still isn't understanding the importance of an expensive dress. which it is not.


i have budgeted for a $700 dress.
i have been shooting for a $500 dress.
the winner is $629.
and i am willing to pay for alterations out of my own pocket (because there will be next to none -- fits me like a glove, practically)


but she insists i keep looking. she loves the dress, don't get me wrong, but she is so frugal, and i don't blame her.


SO the new solution is: i have a winner. but the competition is not over.


tomorrow, the hunt continues, and i will see if there's anything out there that can beat my winner.


bridal center, here i come!


ALSO... Dev had a late night craving for coldstone, so we went around 9:30 when i got off work. I got OREO CREAM FILLING ICE CREAM. it was divine. great way to end the night!


also -- I went with my wonderful mother-in-law-to-be to Kohl's and saw the dress she found for our wedding -- that is exactly our colors! it's perfect. it looked great on her and i'm so excited about it. what a find!


tomorrow will be a wedding day.
searching for my dress more.
and buying some decoration stuff -- it's about time, right?


that's the other thing. time.
i think i keep kidding myself that i have time to do all of this, that whatever it is can wait until the wedding day gets closer -- but that's false. that's my word of advice to future brides. just get it all done in advance so you can have the time leading up to the wedding to relax and focus on what matters, instead of doing it the other way around.


also... time. i'm running out of it. i need to find a dress within the next 2 weeks and make a final decision so it has time to be altered. if i decide to do bridals, i might be out of luck. hopefully not. we'll see.


i just want to find the right dress! hmph :(


but to keep you satisfied... here is the ACTUAL WINNER. the one that is totally out of range, but everything i've ever wanted in a wedding dress ever. dropped waist. V neck in the front and back. COMPLETE LACE. it's perfect. but it's not mine. and never will be. i will just continue to envy it from here.


this is the one i tried on that i had been stalking online for... all my life, and i wasn't expecting to like it on, because that never happens -- but then it totally did and it's the most perfect dress in the world. oh well. i'm over it, really... (sigh) haha

bad day

...but my night made up for it :)


i love my fiance.


and i especially love that i only have to call him that for 2 more months!

texas hold 'em

after work, I decided I wanted to take all my kitchen stuff (because i have a lot of dishes and things from college and such) over to the apartment, because I can... and I brought Kylee with me, because she hadn't seen it yet.


We unpacked all the dishes, and it was harder than I thought to try and decide where everything should go! I gave Dev full permission to rearrange the kitchen if he wanted, because he can probably do it more logically than me anyway. And he'll probably care more.


also...


D and I had planned to go see TREVOR HALL perform tonight at the Velour, but it ended up being sold out.

But then, just a couple minutes ago, I got on facebook. My friend Ryan wrote on my wall saying Velour had posted that they would be selling more tickets at the door.


bummer dude.


except not really. trevor hall will come again. but tonight was PRICELESS.


we decided that instead we'd spend some quality time with Sean and Chloe, D's brother and sister-in-law.


we wanted to show them bananagrams, and Chloe offered to make some dinner!


while we waited for Sean to get home from school, we talked, I showed Chloe some of the dresses that i've tried on... which are ALL perfect. Which I think is harder than not finding anything, in a way!


Devin worked on homework, and of course Mosey was there to entertain us.


we had some delicious enchiladas and rice -- it was SO good. i don't care what Sean says about your rice, Chloe, it was great!


we played bananagrams, the first couple rounds individually, and came up with some awesome words, like guarantees and volcano. then once we started playing as teams (couple vs. couple), things got interesting. Sean and Chloe started making up words once they saw that D and I had started with "koolaid" and "kewl" and all the rules went out the window! there were some funny, funny words. We made Sean explain all of his words to us. Most of them were acronyms like VOD, AI, ET... it was hilarious!


after that, we played POKER.

Devin and I have never learned, but Sean and Chloe were great teachers. We just played with chips, and I got the hang of it really fast! D had some awesome comebacks, but Chloe ended up winning it all!


I am a horrible, horrible bluffer, so I just end up smiling and laughing the whole time, but apparently that threw them on occasion, so it worked out well for me! Sean and Chloe said I was brave -- but I guess I just don't see the point in being afraid to lose fake money. It was fun to learn and play, and I feel like I really understood!


I am actually a huge fan of the game now, and it will definitely become a tradition! I like that it's risky, but you also have to be smart. You have to really know the cards and your chances, and you have to be able to read people, bluff well, and hide your emotions -- all things I need to work on -- but SO much fun.


when we were done, we had some dessert Chloe had made, that was mostly just glorified raspberry yogurt -- but better. It was really good! I love spending time with them, and hopefully we can get jason, amanda and brandon to all join in next time! I love my Ashby family!


also...


today at work was pretty slow, so I did a lot of reading and i'm almost done with my book! (the second book in the hunger games series). Chloe and I talked about it, and apparently they've begun casting for the movie! This series has the potential to be a really, really great film-- I just hope they do it well! looking forward to it.


one last plug-in... TOMORROW, Devin will announce the winner of the FREE MINI SESSION. So if you haven't already entered, do it. Right now. You won't regret it!


here's the link to the post/directions of how to enter!


it's been a great couple of days! i'm looking forward to Saturday when Devin and I take our engagements -- then all the real fun begins! We will start addressing our announcements and get them sent out toward the end of April -- I'm just hoping we have some decent weather! But then again, the grey skies would actually work great, too :) I'm sure that our photographer, who I'm really impressed with, will get some great pictures for us! It will be hard not to, I think, because both Devin and I have positive attitudes, and we'll be able to make it happen!

on the hunt

now that we have a space of our own to decorate


i've got a few things on my mind that are necessary
and about 1/2 gallon of cowslip 2 yellow paint to use up


so i'm on the hunt for:


*a vintage mirror (larger, maybe an oval one. or rectangle. with an awesome frame)


*lamps


*throw pillows. to accent neutral furniture.


*key/mail rack


*something cute to store blankets/etc in the living room. like a tub or bin or large container


*tablecloths. cool ones.


*curtains. at least for the bedroom.


*possibly some shelving options. for our bedroom and the living room maybe.


i'm sure this list will grow as soon as i realize what else i will need. but for now, i'm keeping my eyes peeled for these pretties.


soooo.... AMANDA AND CHLOE: a trip to the antique mall is mandatory. in the very near future. this needs to become a monthly tradition or something. including Lee. and Cracker Barrel.


if you guys have any ideas of where i can find cute things, cheap things, or anything... let me know. it would be appreciated! i'm getting a little too excited, i think...

((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))

devin and i spent the afternoon napping/watching cops.
i couldn't go to church today because i had work, which went well, but i'm getting awfully tired of rearranging our store every 2 weeks just because we get ONE new thing... oh well.


then we went to grandma and grandpa's (our landlord's) for a family party. potluck. stayed late and played some card games with my aunt and cousin and grandma and grandpa -- that's always exciting!


then we talked with them about cable and bills and utilities... turns out we are getting an even bigger steal than we thought! we have a flat monthly rate now, which i love. and we will be getting HD DVR with comcast -- which is a dream! that on top of our extensive movie collections and dev's netflix account -- i don't think we'll ever get bored!


if i have any free time this week, i think i'll start moving my kitchen things over. dishes and stuff. that way i will have those boxes emptied to move the other stuff in my room! i love moving. not for the sake of changing/leaving... but because i like packing and unpacking and redecorating and cleaning.. it will be fun.


life's been good to me :)

GIVEAWAY

yes. you heard me right.


my amazing photographer fiance is doing a giveaway.


www.capturedbydash.com
(blog side, not website)

a FREE mini session!

1 hour session of your choice

(family, child, engagements, senior photos, etc)

any one location of your choice in Utah or Salt Lake Valley

cd of 20 edited images

one professionally printed 8x10 photo

all you have to do

is become a fan on his facebook page 

and leave a comment on the blog post

the winner will be selected randomly and picked on TUESDAY

so you better hurry up.

why would you want to miss out on a FREE session?

totally worth it.

he's amazing.

yellow.

day 30: a picture of someone you miss.


hmmmm.... i had to think about this for a minute. all of my loved ones are around me all the time! i would say i miss the ones who have passed, but it's not entirely true. i miss them physically being here, of course, but it's hard to be selfish in that way, when i know they are doing something much more worth-while with their time now.


now that i am engaged, it's hard not to miss my dad's mom, Grandma Pertz, who died when i was only 5. i have such vivid memories of her though, because she was my pre-school teacher. she was the most kind-hearted, loving, outgoing woman i've ever known. she would be having a HEYDAY with all this wedding planning. she would absolutely love it. i can't even imagine! she was so full of life and positive energy, and it was so hard to not be happy when she was around. she would be a RIOT to have around during all this planning. and sometimes i wish she was, but again... it's hard to wish for something like that, because i know she's in a much, much better place.


on a much less sentimental note... i have thought of who i do miss:
matt passmore.
who plays detective longworth on "The Glades". i don't miss him specifically (lie) - i miss the show! i have no idea when it comes back, but i should probably find out. it was the best crime show ever.

today, devin and i did some much-needed painting at our apartment. the only room that needed it was the master bedroom, which was an unfortunate shade of brown (my aunt had painted it that color years ago, apparently. and we weren't fans at all). we decided to paint all the walls white, and wanted one wall to be a good complimentary color for the dark wood furniture of our bedroom set.


we finally decided on a pale yellow, and today was the day.


once i got off work, we headed over, and from 4:30-11:00 we were painting fools!


i'm just noticing that the lighting in these pictures makes all the walls yellow-ish. but trust me. 3 of those walls have a beautiful fresh coat of "dove white". only one is yellow. and it's perfect.

 i forgot to get an official "before" picture, so here is devin, starting with the primer.

 just want to point our how awesome our closet is.

 the brown as awful. it made the room so dark and it seemed so small.

 way too depressing-looking for dev and i

 we had to get "high-hide" primer... it worked wonders!

 i was a MESS by the end of the night. i had managed to flick myself in the fact, kneel in paint, and get it on almost every inch of my pants. almost.

 yellow! we're so excited.

we both really love how the color turned out, and are excited to look at it again tomorrow when it's dry, since it will be a little lighter once it's not wet anymore.

 now to clean up -- which was an unexpected adventure involving spilling things and having nothing to clean it up with... oh boy.

 this i think shows the yellow color best. it's not bright yellow, like it looks in the other pictures.
and yes... that is my future husband... haha love him.

all done! i'm glad that we have extra yellow paint. my new goal is to find an awesome old mirror at the antique mall, and paint the frame of the mirror with the yellow and hang it on one of the white walls! i told devin that i would find use for all the left over yellow paint -- and i fully intend to!


we weren't able to watch or listen to the BYU game, so we checked devin's phone every couple minutes for his sportscenter game scores app thing -- which is really awesome, and were so excited to hear that we actually beat the Zags and are in the sweet 16! wasn't expecting that, to be honest... but GO COUGS! not expecting them to make it to the elite though, just sayin.


even though it wasn't super eventful or anything -- devin and i had a blast painting today. it was just the 2 of us -- and that's what i liked most. we didn't need anybody's help. it made all of this become even more of a reality, and when we talked to my grandma, it sounds like we'll be able to start moving in around the beginning of May! i'm so excited to see how it will all turn out!


Vicki stopped by, and told us she loved the place. Then Jason came to bring us some spackle, and we worked out a bunch of different options for our tv stand situation. i don't know if i've blogged about this yet, but basically, there is an entertainment center built into the wall, and our tv is WAY too big for it. grandma said it would be too expensive to fix, but we had Jason come look (dev's brother in law), and he's a contractor, and said he could do almost anything we wanted for free. he's the coolest. so i think we'll end up rearranging the shelving to make it more convenient and better fit the TV. i told devin that was all his job, because i don't especially care. but it was such a relief to know that we could work that out! it was our only quip with the apartment.


well... that and how cold it is! but devin doesn't mind -- of course it's just me. i'm always cold. Vicki offered us use of her space heater though! so i think i'll survive.


room painted.
cougs in sweet 16.
fiance as great as ever.


it's been a good day!


p.s. in case you were wondering... devin knows me so well that when we dropped me off he said "i expect a blog post within the hour about this" hahaha i love him.

SOME people.

day 29: a picture that can always make me smile

any picture at all of this beautiful temple. especially now that it's the place Devin and I have chosen to be married. i have always loved the salt lake temple, but now that i know that I'm actually, literally going there some day [soon] it means so much to me. it is a huge motivation to continue doing what is right. what a great goal!

as i've said before, i am fascinated by architecture, though i don't know much about it, and especially the architecture in Europe, particularly Paris, but no building will ever be as beautiful to me as this one. it means a lot to me personally, because of what it stands for, and the covenants i will make when i go will make it a great deal more special to me.

when i said i was going there some day... i meant it! so thank you to devin, for taking me here in 2 months -- nothing could ever mean more to me than this.

+ + + + + + + + + +

today, work was actually uneventful. the only exciting thing that happened was a man who called to cancel his reservation, and he insisted on telling me why (i say insisted, because 1. i really don't care why you aren't coming and 2. it's none of my business). he told me he had to track down the hotel number, and make several other phone calls to find someone who could actually tell him what the conference was serving for dinner. it was sandwiches. he was LIVID. i have never heard anyone so mad! and over sandwiches! he screamed at me for at least 5 minutes, and said it was ludacris, and there would be a lot of angry people showing up, when they realized all they were getting were sandwiches.

please keep in mind that these conferences i'm scheduling people for are:

1. completely free.

2. no obligation to buy anything from us, or continue learning from us

3. providing a FREE MEAL

4. every. single. attendent gets a FREE MP3 PLAYER

5. and we give away netbook computers like samples at costco. literally.

so... why is he mad? because we're not paying for him to have a 5 star meal at his free conference, where we are teaching him what he needs to know about making and maintaining a website for an online business, free of charge? from a ticket he recieved in the mail, because his name happened to be on a mailing list?

oh, i'm sorry sir...

????

SOME PEOPLE.

devin and i swap work stories at the end of the day, and we almost always have funny things to share. he has experiences with customers all day long, and the people he runs into are winners. my favorite quote from one of devin's customers is a guy he was doing a service for in december-ish. the guy was trying to make small talk and said
"So, are you married?"

and devin (we were just dating at the time) said

"no, not yet."

and the guy said

"oh... do you wanna talk about it?"

haha it seems like devin's customers are always extremely interested in his personal life, especially his love life. just like his co-workers. it probably gets annoying to him sometimes, but it's pretty entertaining for me! i'm a big deal! haha correction: WE are a big deal. it's true.

+ + + + + + + + + +

speaking of Dash... today we moved the furniture that's still in the apartment out of the bedroom, so my Uncle Quincey, who is a fantastic carpenter, could rip up the carpet. We're painting tomorrow, but the room is also getting new carpet padding, so we are pulling up the carpet to save it from getting pain on it, plus also, it won't have to be ripped up again later! on Sunday, we're having a family party at my grandma's and hopefully then, we'll be able to talk to them about when we can start moving things in! i'm SO excited to fill that place and make it our own! we'll be there for at least 2 years, so it's gotta be HOME, you know what i mean? what are your tips and ideas for making our apartment our own, instead of just a rental apartment? i need some inspiration!

i'm excited to spend the afternoon painting, and also excited to spend the earlier afternoon at BBW at the FRAGRENCE EVENT. that's right. BBW in the Riverwoods (and all other locations) are having a fragrance event tomorrow from 1-5. come vote for the new summer citrus scent, figure out which scent is best for you, and try the awesome new products in awesome new forms. we just put out a ton of cute new wallflower stuff, and i'm soooo tempted to buy some, even though my BBW drawer here at home is overflowing! i'll end up coming home with a bag anyway, no doubt. because with every purchase of a signature collection item, you get a FREE TOTE with a 10oz bottle of our newest scent, COUNTRY CHIC (which i tried tonight for the first time and LOVE). so it's definitely worth it to come down. exclusive deals only lasting 1-5!

okay, that's my plug-in for my fun job.

and i guess i already did a plug in for my desk-job. which isn't un-fun... it's just... a desk job. it's typical. i LOVE IT, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. BBW though, is always a blast. i love it there!

i'm super tired from all these early morning -- my body is definitely still adjusting to waking up at 6:45 to be at work by 8:00 from sleeping in until whenever i wanted! i think i'll give it a break tonight, and leave my alarm clock OFF so i can get some real sleep.

p.s. in case you were wondering... why yes, i am in the early stages of becoming a college basketball fan. and yes, i am super bummed that i have to work during the byu/gonzaga (is that who we're playing? or denver?) game tomorrow. no worries, it will most definitely be taped on my dvr (thank goodness for that!). this morning at desk-job, i was on the NCAA website looking at the standings, and the bracket, and i could hear my boss, Brandon and some other guys in the back talking about the tournament, and when Brandon walked passed me to go back to his desk he said, "how's it going ka.... you like basketball?" it made me feel really cool.

yeah i like basketball. how cool am I? yeah, i'm spending my free time at work on the NCAA website looking at the game schedule! i don't think the guys quite expected that from the new girl!

that's what i get for spending every day with Dev! haha he's turned me into a rock-climbing, sports-watching, constantly-cleaning, always-hungry katie. 

...and i like it!