Just In Case You Want To Follow Along

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I've never ever wanted to be one of "those people."  You know the kind - their conversation consists of one thing, and it's always the same old thing.  It's not that you don't care about their kids' neverending sagas or their parents being crazy.  It's not that you wish any ill-will on their big special day or their impending baby - it's just that it's hard sometimes to get just as excited as they do when you're not in the same situation. 

I want to be clear - I don't get aggravated with people who do this because I've done it myself from time to time.  I just decided that I'd like to set a goal for myself and that goal is this:  I don't want to force my wedding day to be the most important day of everybody's lives.  Yes, it will be the most important day of my life.  Yes, planning is stressful.  Yes, it's a big.freaking.deal.  But, people have other things going on, so my personal policy for all of my readers is this:  if you want to know about my wedding, ask me what's going on with the planning.  If you don't, that's cool too. 

This brings me to my latest struggle - I've been wanting to journal my journey of sorts down the aisle, and I wasn't sure how to accomplish this.  Originally, I thought I'd just write about the big day here, but then I realized that there are some folks who probably aren't that interested in weddings, so I didn't want to alienate anyone who chooses to read my blog.  Yes, I could argue that it is my blog and I can do what I want - rest assured, this is true - but I try to be courteous and respectful in my everyday life and my blog is an extension of that.

So, what's the solution?  For me, it was to create a wedding planning blog where I can write about the excitement and joy and frustration and pain that will go into my journey.  That way, if you want to read about it, you can, but you're not bombarded with it here!  Plus, I thought it would be a better way to keep it all seperate and organized so when I want to revisit it, I can do so.  Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to my wedding planning blog:

If you would like to check out With This Wing, you can visit my page by clicking HERE.

*Disclaimer: I chose not to continue anonymity on With This Wing because it is really hard to do, and my family wants to read about the wedding.  So, if you choose to stalk me or my man, I will hunt you down.  You've been warned.  ;) 

Until next time,

THE HAPPIEST POST OF MY LIFE

Okay, there is going to be limited verbiage.  I'm going to let the video and the pictures do the talking.

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So, I will apologize for the fact that I look absolutely HORRID in this video - I had bawled my face off with sheer bliss and makeup reapplication apparently never occurred to me.  For that, I am truly sorry, but I guess it can be forgiven since I was clearly high on love while this video was filmed!

So, needless to say, last night was amazing and I am greatly looking forward to spending THE.REST.OF.MY.LIFE with this man, and I am absolutely the LUCKIEST girl I know! 

He could have any woman in the world that he wanted.  Even as the ring sits on my finger, I still can't believe he chose me.

Okay, okay, you didn't think I would actually leave you hanging without seeing the most incredibly amazing gorgeous drool-worthy insane beautiful ring in the whole wide world, did you?  Come on, now, you know I'm not that mean. 

What do I love about this ring?

Let's do this in list form, because we all know that's how I roll.

1.  It was chosen by Comanche with absolutely no guidance from me or anyone else.  (Dang, he did good!)

2.  It really reflects my sassy, sentimental, and girly personality.

3.  Comanche used what I call the "lucky stone."  The lucky stone is the diamond that my darling PaPa (whom I lost last year to Alzheimer's) gave to my Grandma.  He picked it out for her, and she wore it for my whole life.  They were married for almost 59 years!  Also, the diamond once fell out of her setting when she was at a craft fair, and she didn't realize it until she got home.  After calling them frantically, she asked if she could take all of their trash home (hoping and praying that someone had swept it up).  After going through industrial-sized bag after industrial-sized bag, she found her diamond.  In the bottom.  Of the very.last.bag.  So, I call it the lucky stone, and I was honored and privileged to have her want to pass it along to me!

4.  It was designed by a pro.  Seriously.  You may know this guy:


Neil Lane, meet my peeps.  Peeps, meet Neil Lane.

 5.  Most important reason ever - because my Comanche gave it to me as a symbol of the fact that he wants me to be his wife.  There is no greater honor that I've ever achieved and I am so incredibly blessed to call him my future husband.  If he would have given me a bread tie or a popsicle stick, I would have been just as thrilled because the symbolism would have been the same.  I will say that this symbol is amazing, though, and I find that I will need to invest in more sunglasses.  ;) 

I love this man, I love this man, I love this man.

Until next time,

Music And Bling

"Music and bling, music and bling, these are two of my favorite things..."  Now, that's a tune that should catch on quickly, and while an unlikely combination for some folks, I happen to love all things music and most things bling!

Let's start with the shiny stuff - I just have to give a shout-out to Nick Lachey, who recently wed his longtime girlfriend, Vanessa Minnillo.  And, by the looks of things, "he LOVED it so he put a ring on it."  I mean, put on your Ray Bans, folks because the new Mrs. Lachey's left hand is currently blinding innocent bystanders all across California (and his ring isn't too shabby either)!

Kiss my Asscher cut, Batman!

Okay, now that I've picked my jaw up off the floor, I'm now going to admit that there has been a song that has been permanently lodged in my brain since the first time I heard it and I am hoping that by sharing it with all of you, it will set me free of my constantly singing, "Craaaazy girl, don't you know that I love you?"  I mean, I'm starting to get strange looks from girls thinking I'm simultaneously calling them mentally unstable and professing my feelings for them.  This = not a good look for the workplace.

So, without further ado, enjoy "Crazy Girl" from the Eli Young Band.  (Sidenote:  I love it because Comanche often jokes with me and calls me silly woman.  He also says, "you're so crazy, babydoll" a lot.  Should I be getting a message here?)


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Enjoy folks, and sorry if it gets stuck in your heads, too!  (But not that sorry, because it's such a great song!)


Until next time,

The Greatest Gift Of All

Clearly, everyone who has ever been on the internet is dying to know when my birthday is so they can send me a delightful gift.  After many denials of such vital information, I've decided to cave only because you all are so very important to me, and let's be honest, because I do love a delightful gift.  Yours truly was brought into this world on August 26th.  There, I said it.

Now, as far as gifts go, a girl could ask for sensible items such as ridiculously cute shoes, or that gorgeous new Coach purse.  She could ask for a fabulous dress that makes her feel like a million bucks, or she could ask for a new personal favorite gift of mine - a massage to get rid of all the stress in her life.  Some girls like a good book to curl up and read.  Some love things that are so sparkly they sear your corneas if you look directly at them.  (I'm not saying that I would say 'no' to that last one if you really, really wanted to give me that!) ;)

But this year, you will all have a very difficult time gifting me something better than my friend Nay has.  I'll tell you why.  She has beyond blessed me with the honor of standing beside her as she marries the absolute love of her life - her best friend, (and a good friend of mine), DK.

The thing about Nay is that, even though she is older than me, I've always been exceptionally protective over her.  She is genuinely one of the best people that has ever walked the face of this earth, and she is such a catch!  Lucky DK!  She is a fantastic cook, she is truly an artist (you should see her paintings), she does graphic design, she has a knack for looking flawless ALL THE TIME, and she is absolutely hysterical!  I mean, the girl will keep you rolling with her witty comments and one-liners.  Not to mention, she is absolutely GORGEOUS.  See?

Photo Credit:  Nay 

No matter what craziness we have encountered in the years that I've known her, she has always been there for me and she is one of the best listeners/advice givers I know.  I've always hoped and prayed that she would find the perfect man for her, and I am happy to say that I vividly remember the day that she did.

I was out at a fraternity party gathering at college, when all of a sudden, Nay ran up the stairs and said, "I have to tell you something."  So, we went to a place in the house that was more quiet, and she looked like she was about to pop!  I asked her what the deal was, and she immediately exclaimed, "I met someone!"  To be honest, I was in utter disbelief at first, because Nay just does not get super excited about men.  There were those that she liked, and those that she thought were attractive, but she expressed those things in a very reserved and nonchalant way.  This time was different.  So, naturally the next question I asked was, "Okay, well who is it?  Do I know him?"  She said that I did and that the guy she met was DK.

Photo Credit:  DK

Now, if I'm keeping it real, I was probably more in disbelief over this fact than the fact that she'd met someone.  Don't get me wrong - DK is an AMAZING guy.  But, he is also one of the last people you'd ever think Nay would go for (at first glance).  He was a member of one of the wildest most fun fraternities on campus and there were certain connotations that went along with that.  He was the lead singer of a band and just completely the opposite of what you would think Nay's type was (if you had asked me back then, I would have said, tall, dark, handsome, lawyer or do-gooder-type, possibly from a different country or world-traveled and cultured).

But here is what is important:  In the years that I had known her, I had never seen Nay light up the way she did when she talked about DK.  I knew in that very first moment that this one was different.  This one was special.  Like every couple, they had their ups and downs, but it was adorable to watch them all twitterpated, and it was awesome to see them as their relationship grew into a powerful and very real love.

So Cute!  Photo Credit:  DK

So, you can imagine my excitement when Nay called to tell me she was engaged, and she asked me to stand beside her as a bridesmaid.  I accepted with all the love and joy in my heart, and then she asked me if I would mind if she got married on my birthday.  Are you kidding me?  I get to hang out in a pretty dress, eat cake, dance and have dinner with tons of our friends, all while watching two people that I love so much committing their lives to one another?  YES PLEASE!  Sign me up for that!  I could think of no better way to spend my birthday than that.

So, that is why this year will be the best birthday ever!  I have to say a huge THANK YOU to Nay and DK for giving me the greatest gift of all - their love and friendship.  I could not be more proud if I tried, and I could not be happier for two people who deserve all the love and the happiness that life has to offer.  They are great for each other, and I am so incredibly excited to take part in their big day. 

Here's to friends!
Here's to love!
Here's to friends in love!

Until next time,

Mr. and Miss Chicken Wing: Model Citizens Part I

I'm sorry that it's been awhile since I've posted anything, faithful Chicken Wingers! I've had a computer issue that is pretty detrimental to my blogging endeavor - for some reason, the USB ports on our computer will not work! They won't recognize that anything has been plugged into them, and that is a tragedy! Basically, for all of the non-technological followers, I can't plug my camera into my computer, and therefore, cannot upload any of my pictures to share with you! And, oh, the pictures I have! Mr. Chicken Wing and I have been doing cool things, and I have yet to be able to share them with you! So, I beg you to be patient, and I am going to try to fix the problem as soon as I can!

One thing that is pretty timely that I can update you on is some modeling that Mr. Chicken Wing and I have done recently! Modeling, you ask???? Modeling, I reply!!! Apparently, there are people in this world that think that Mr. Chicken Wing and I are pretty darn foxy, and they wanted to take some photos of us! :) Just kidding!

*MAJOR DISCLAIMER: MR. CHICKEN WING AND I ARE NOT ENGAGED AND/OR MARRIED AT PRESENT DAY.*

First up was one of my best friends. She's just started her own photography business, and is in the process of building her own website and her own professional portfolio! While she's new to her own business, she is NOT new to being an exceptional photographer (and friend)! So, she asked Mr. Chicken Wing and I to model for the engagement section of her portfolio! Cool, huh?

*MAJOR DISCLAIMER (REPEATED): MR. CHICKEN WING AND I ARE NOT ENGAGED AND/OR MARRIED AT PRESENT DAY.*

Please enjoy some photos from our mock engagement shoot all around our city!

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Stay tuned for more modeling goodness, and I hope you enjoy what you've seen so far. In the hopes of not giving anyone a heart attack/stroke combo (which would really not be good either seperately or together), I would like to repeat the disclaimer here:

*MAJOR DISCLAIMER (REPEATED FOR GOOD MEASURE): MR. CHICKEN WING AND I ARE NOT ENGAGED AND/OR MARRIED AT PRESENT DAY.*

Thanks to my incredible friend for taking these shots! Click on the "Source" links to go to her website, which is still in progress! Check back often as she updates things!

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing