Sometimes, and this may come as a shock if you don’t know the everyday Alison, but sometimes, I just don’t really feel all that inspired.

In fact it took me all the way until evening – 11pm, east coast time – to feel good enough about what I had written to actually have it go live on the blog.  That’s what an Inspiration Block is called, I’m now recognizing.  (And I mostly blame the jack hammering.*)

This lack of inspiration thing, it’s actually not something that happens often for me, but that’s only because I have this aggressively overactive mind in the best and most crippling ways possible.  I can’t stop thinking of ideas all the time, which doesn’t seem like a bad thing until you realize that they shoot through my skull at terminal velocity and pingpong around the inside of my brain like so many inconsolable tantrumming toddlers.  There’s no grabbing and compartmentalizing them for future use.  So most of the time I sit at my desk feeling more burdened by them than anything else.  And when I sit down to write a piece on ONE of the ideas, I have to scrunch my eyes and purse my lips as if literally closing off all parts of my body to being receptive to competing thoughts.  I literally Renée Zellweger my way through 65% of the posts I write.  This is my life.  And don’t get me started on what goes on inside my head while I’m showering.  You guys have suggested I get one of those shower notepads, and I’m *this close* to pressing the gas on that purchase, that’s how idea-intense it gets in there.  What’s holding me back is that I know my showers will be 80 bajillion hours longer than they already are if I make our shower a workstation.  So I am trying extremely hard to keep the bathroom off limits to being a room of productivity.  In a business sense, I mean.  It has a couple of very specific types of productivity as its purpose, and I’d like to keep it limited to those — I may be progressive, but I’m still a lady and need to maintain at least *some* boundaries in my home.  If I blur the boundary on what’s bathroom-appropriate, I’m one giant leap closer to holding conference calls on the toilet.  I’m talking to you, Male Bloggers Who Know Who They Are And Are In Fact Proud of It.

But anyway obviously today was different from all other days.  Today was one of my more rare days.  The days when I can’t get my mind to want to think critically.  So how did I solve it?  The same way I always solve inspiration lapses: I did some internet surfing and blog reading.  Letting go of that drive to be uniquely creative and to DIY your own critical thinking topics can be overf**kingwhelming if it’s something you have to do on almost a daily basis.  So the occasional foray into other people’s worlds on the internet is often just the thing you need to spark something deep inside of you, that you may not have even known was lurking, waiting to break out and be analyzed.

And so.  I found bits here and there, glimmers of thought… but nothing substantial.  Nothing that was sticking and growing into a topic I could dive into and feast upon, and bloom into a topic that felt worthy of sharing with you.

Out of ideas, shockingly I opened up Twitter– a place I rarely go to waste time.  (Read: a place I fairly often go to waste time.)  And in an uncommon move, my eyes panned down to where the top trending topics on Twitter sit on the page.  I ogled the list long enough to notice that there was a particularly intriguing for whatever reason trending topic today and I felt like clicking it would somehow be an interesting way to spend five minutes.

You know those times when you go, “I’m going to look at this for five minutes just to unwind a bit and clear my head” and then it’s half an hour later and you’re in the weird part of Twitter and you have to click *Back* 7+ times to return to where it’s comfortable and/or you no longer feel like you’re stalking strangers on Twitter?  Well that’s not what happened to me.  FOR THE FIRST TIME THOUGH.

And it’s because the good stuff was right there in front of me, in a single page load after clicking on that intriguing trending topic.  The trending topic was: “#HowToKeepSomeoneHappy.”  It’s an unfortunate title for the trend, since what you’re about to read is more about how to ensure happiness in a loving relationship.  But oh well, that’s what the trend was.

Ok, here’s the list of some of the most commonly tweeted tweets by Twitter users (say that three times fast):

1. #howtokeepsomeonehappy smile at them :) even if neither of you are in a good mood, a simple smile will do wonders.
   
2. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy ”goodmorning”s and “goodnight”s go a long way.
3. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy RESPECT them.
4. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy: keep telling them u love em.
5. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy dont argue for the sake of pride.
6. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy Allow them the opportunity to know the real u from the beginning, so no false expectations are formed in the process.
7. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy: Be honest; it’s the lies that hurt the most.
8. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy care for them, and be there for them when no one else is.
9. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy: Keep promises that you make to them.  No one likes being let down.
10. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy Treat them the same way you would want to be treated. With love and respect.
11. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy : Give them food.
12. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy each day, tell them why you choose them over a million other people to be with. (<== ok maybe not each DAY.  but occasionally, yes, this one’s a good one.)
13. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy ..treat them like they mean everything to you.
14. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy –> BE FAITHFUL.
15. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy treat them the same in public as you do in private.
16. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy surprise them with simple gifts every now and then.
17. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy Don’t lie, don’t cheat.
18. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy remember the little things. (<== tweeted by a GUY :)
19. #howtokeepsomeonehappy make them feel important and make them a priority in your life (<== also tweeted by a guy :)
20. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy don’t tell them you love them; show them you love them. (<== ALSO, by a guy! :)
21. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy: truly love them.
22. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy make them laugh!

Here are some that didn’t make my short list, for various reasons:

1. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy it’s impossible, there’s always something someone’s going to get mad about.
2. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy sandwiches and beer.
3. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy Not letting them watch ASPCA Animal Cruelty commercials.
4. #howtokeepsomeonehappy bacon. Duh.
5. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy throw cake at them!

And of course, this one kicked and screamed its way into the trend:

1. #HowToKeepSomeoneHappy (beliebers) – play Justin’s music, talk about him, show them pictures of him, read his book to them. Yep:)

Even though that’s a pretty good list to start off with, I have a few of my own to add, though I’m not reinventing the wheel or anything.  Namely:

1. #IfIHadAGun,
2. #BieberTurns18IsSexy,
3. #OneDirectionIsABandIWantToSex,
4. #BieberIsMyBoyf,
5. #BeliebersUnite,
6. #OneDirectionIsHot,
7. #ChicksSuckBecause,
8. #WhyBitchesAreTerrible,
9. #50WaysToCheatOnYourGirlfriend,
10. #youknowshesDTFwhen or anything you know, of that genre of typically popular Twitter conversation topics that are dumb and/or offensive.

So yeah.  It was just a real treat to see a twitter trending topic that was so positive for once.  I wanted to celebrate it.

So I’m curious… what would you add to the list?  Or are there any that especially stand out to you?  Also, do you wish you experienced more of any of those listed, from someone you love?

Feel free to share some simple things that make you happy, too.

I can’t wait to hear what you have to say. :)

xoxo  - Alison

*Footnote: You know, I’ve always wondered if a month of sustained jack hammering could result in a full mental disconnect from reality – like mind body and soul level disconnection – or if it would just make life kind of a drag while it’s happening, but in the scheme of things be no biggie.  So I guess I’m just really excited that I finally got to test out that theory.  Thank you, massive road and building construction project in my neighborhood!  You make dreams realities.

Now that I’ve got your lady parts tingling, I hope you’ve been having a happy Friday.  It’s late afternoon here, and this is the post I was born to write.     

The tweet that launched a thousand feelings

It started with an intriguing tweet that popped up in my twitter feed yesterday.  It was from Sarah Yates; she was thanking Ashley Judd for her response to an article Sarah had written in reaction to Judd’s article, about ‘The Conversation.’  (Note: if you like it whenever Bamboface McPup graces this blog, you’re gonna like Sarah’s, by the way.)  Alright, the tweet: “@sarahyates TY! RT @AshleyJudd This is a beautiful post, Sarah. Thank you. It’s a core theme and essential part of changing #TheConversation. Well done”

The tweet was so intriguing to me (I mean, Ashley Judd’s never written to me on twitter; that’s pretty cool), that I stopped what I was doing and did what you do when your interest in a conversation on twitter is piqued.  I clicked AJ’s twitter, I scrolled down to find the tweet, clicked “ In reply to sarah yates” to unfold the conversation to reveal Sarah’s blog post link, and clicked that little stinker.  SO MUCH WORK.  I mean it took me like, *at least* 0.7 seconds.  Twitter needs to understand that I am not made of free time.

Fast-forward to me having read both articles – Judd’s and Sarah’s – and it was decided that this post had to be written.  I’m sure a lot of you would have wanted to write reaction-stories like I’m doing, but unlike a lot of people out there, I have the unique fortune of writing a blog that reaches a lot of people.  I would be remiss if I didn’t use that “power” in the right way at least some of the time.  So this post has little to do with weddings, and I hope you’ll pardon that for today.  What it does have to do with, is body image.  Specifically, my body image.

The issue of body image (this includes ya faces; the whole shebang head to toe) is something that plagues most if not all women, to varying degrees, myself included.  It’s one of those annoying but persistent things that we’ve all had to address within ourselves throughout our lives, it plays a significant if not dominant part in our daily routine and self-confidence, and we are all at varying levels of being able to deal with it properly.  It never quite goes away, the awareness of it.  The worrying about it.  The moments of utter despair over it.  At least if you live in this society.  And now, with even Pinterest becoming somewhat of a haven for anorexia-motivation and insult-slinging, it stands only to get way, waaaay worse.

The Judd Saga

Everybody knows Ashley Judd has been on the receiving end of a pretty insanely inappropriate media frenzy about her pretty little face.  She’s got the look.  She’s always been beautiful.  And isn’t it fun how it’s those girls, the pretty girls, who get the absolute worst scrutiny, when it comes time for them to be any age other than young?  But who cares, right?  Screw them!  They were lucky enough to be born beautiful, so they deserve to suffer for their birthright, at every. single. physical. mark. of change. we see.

Like I’ve made clear in the past, there are things that make me sigh.  And so I’ll go “sigh” in writing, like I’ll actually write it down here, to express my feelings to you on the internet.  And then sometimes, when I’m feeling especially taken aback over something, I’ll make the sigh French by saying “le sigh.”

This whole concept’s got “le sigh” written all over it.

A lot of people argue that people in the spotlight shouldn’t have stepped into the spotlight in the first place, if they weren’t ready to receive a lifetime of public scrutiny.  A LIFETIME of it.  ”It comes with the territory of being a public figure,” many argue.  I don’t know where that originated, but it’s the prevailing groupthink in our society.  People hear it, and then many think that it’s justification for leveling judgment.  It’s this type of rudeness that gestates within the broken pieces of our psyches, and the people who do it seemingly without shame, are coming from a place of intense and unrelenting insecurity of the self.  Their end game = feeling better about their own looks.

I can say now that this is an insane concept to me.  But in my sustained interest of remaining transparent on the blog to you guys, I will admit to drinking the kool-aid on occasion in earlier years.  Not the kool-aid flavor sipped by those horrible wenches who troll the gossip blogs just to leave hateful comments under pictures of celebrities, but definitely a watered down, low-sugar kool-aid, that made me feel comfortable making mental judgments about other women in magazines, etc.  And not to excuse it, but snap judgments are a part of human nature.  Which is part of the reason it’s so hard to make it stop.

When I think about my appearance, I’ve never felt, like, in love, with it

Lemme share a little bit about me that you don’t know if you haven’t met me personally.  I am 5’4, and I haven’t actually weighed myself in what feels like years so I can’t speak to that, but I’m a size 2 in clothes.  While I am happy with my body as it is, that is not to say that I am not an insecure person, because I am.  I am also someone who has been at a few different weights in my life, and it has taken me tiiiiiiiime to get to a place where I stopped being so acutely aware of my shape.  I started off at your typical healthy weight throughout my early years; then, a late bloomer in all things, I had trouble shedding my baby fat as I entered middle school.  The Abercrombie & Fitch tops just didn’t fit me the same way they fit my close friends.  And lemme tell you, it wasn’t a picnic still looking like a kid, when others around me were starting to look *sexier* and more shapely.  By the time I hit college, I was in shape, but almost instantly I gained the freshman 15, plus a little extra to really hammer home the insecurity.  While in college I developed a gluten intolerance (for instance, can’t eat wheat flour) and so I’ve been the weight I’m at now pretty much since then.  And I guarantee you, my inability to digest most carbs plays a HUGE ROLE in maintaining my figure.

I can tell you with confidence that the awareness of the importance of looking attractive hit me in middle school, and that was hard.  So knowing that in today’s society it reigns supreme at earlier ages than I ever could have imagined, I get goosebumps.

Ok, this is the tough part.  If they read this post, this part is going to make my parents cry, probably.  Though I hope it doesn’t.  Because I’m choosing to write about it for the express purpose of letting people know that it’s normal.  I have been growing more and more comfortable with bearing the Truest Me, if it can have a positive impact on the people who cozy up in my little nook on the internet.

When I think about my appearance, I’ve never felt, like, in love, with it.  The people who know me well know that I rarely wear makeup, but that’s not to say that I can get away without it.  When I have a tan, I feel like the prettiest little f**ker that ever did walk this earth.  But when I haven’t just come back from vacation (which is most of the time), I am one of the palest people I know, and I will forever wish that I had more color in my face.  I also wish my nose was smaller.  I wish my upper lip was ‘plumper.’  I could use a little toning here or there.  These are things that would have dominated my thoughts, years ago.  There were times when I wouldn’t go to a party because I didn’t feel pretty.  It happened more often than I care to discuss.  Those nights were dreadful; you feel like you’re at the bottom of a black hole of unattractiveness, and there’s absolutely no way out.  Honestly, high school was the hardest thing I’ve personally been through in my life.  And I’ve BEEN THROUGH SOME S**T, you guys.  I would come home from school crying over what someone said about me more times than I care to remember.  And if I didn’t have my mom there at home, telling me I’m beautiful, smart, funny and worthwhile, and then telling me that those mean girls are just troubled souls, I honestly don’t know what would have become of me.

As I stand here now, I can say that I am content with my appearance.  But it is a feeling that comes on the heels of many, many years of the opposite.  And it is a feeling that builds in you as you develop more love for yourself over the course of your life.

Of course, I still have those nights when I don’t feel like going out over something as minor as a zit.  They really never leave you, I think.

Final notes (I know, I know… I’m wrapping it up.)

Now, I know I said I’m good with my body, as it is.  But that’s not to say that if I ended up in a gossip mag tomorrow wearing a bikini, that I’d be buying up all the copies in my neighborhood so that I could mail them to everyone I know including past boyfriends; certainly not.  I’d probably be bundled into a spread entitled *why spray tanning was invented* or *the importance of working out those glutes when you’re pushing 30* or something equally as sinister.  (Because they’re all sinister, those articles doing anything but celebrating the female figure no matter its form.)  So just imagine, what women and girls in the spotlight have to endure, and what they must go through, emotionally.  NO ONE is immune to hurtful things from the get-go.

Ashley Judd says in her article, “The only thing that matters is how I feel about myself, my personal integrity.”  This is all that should matter, and I find that each day I live, I grow to feel more comfortable and confident in who I am, and how I look.  And the fun side effect of *feeling* good about yourself has always been that you *look* better, on the outside.  Who doesn’t love that? :)  Also, moisturize, get enough sleep and drink enough water.  Those are key, if you’re looking for tips.

Ok.  I believe in our society, and I feel that this can change.  And I feel that we can help to change it.  Because after all, it’s the collective Us, who allow judgment to prosper.  We buy the magazines that feed it to us, we read the websites that crap it out on the daily.  I am no innocent – I’ve paid for a gossip mag here and there, for a train ride simply because it’s fun to look at and I like the fashion factor.  But whenever I read the scathing copy about this actress or that model, my heart hurts.  Not for them necessarily, but for us.  For women.  I hate reading that bullshit, it is SO. EFFED. UP.  But here’s the wonderful thing to which we have to look forward: I already know it won’t go on forever.  How do I know?  Because I have to believe it.  I have to believe that we are going to become better than this, for the sake of ourselves, and our KIDS.  I imagine bringing a daughter into this world, and I hesitate.  I HESITATE, you guys!  Because I don’t want her to suffer the way I’ve suffered.

So!  Howsabout we grow past this.  Seriously, right now, let’s grow past this.  Let’s not comment on the outfit of the girl at the table next to us, and instead, comment on the status of whatever new project we’re working on, or the political climate, or even THIS s**t I’ve been blabbing on and on about in this blog post.  I do know that it’s going to take a LOT of time, and a LOT of people participating, but we can grow past this.

We pretty much just need to change The Conversations we’re having.

So, who’s with me?

xoxo  - superc Ali fragilisticexpialidocious.

Epilogue!

Thanks for getting to the end of this.  I’m feeling kind of like a shriveled up little lamb, on account of this being an aggressively revealing post.  It’s the written equivalent to shoving my labia in your face.

I look forward to hearing anything you have to say.  Like, at all.  That, and keep smilin’.  Also also, always remember, that no matter what, Bambino will always love you.

Happy Wednesday evening, friends and family!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I’m baaaack!  From my whittle burfday vacation in the south.  And I feel like a million buc–aaahhh, well, I don’t know if I’d say *a million* bucks.  Maybe more like a thousand bucks?  A thousand bucks.  Give me the ass I had when I was 18 and maybe then we’ll talk.

BUT I DIGRESS.

I have two things to share today; one is one of the loveliest southern weddings ever, submitted by our friends Vania and Christine of Simply Bloom Photography.  I thought it would be the perfect first post to share with your eyes upon our return from our little Georgia vacation.  Christine, I need to know where you got that green dress you were wearing at Airplanes & Blazers at WPPI.  Because it was a minty-fresh dream of a flowy frock.

The second thing I’m sharing today is wooHOO!, my very first horrible wedding planning dream.  Which I had last night.  Which is the night of the day of the confirmation of the visiting of the possible wedding venue.  Isn’t that great?  That’s great.

See here’s the thing.  I am fuh-REAKING. out in general right now because we are taking actual steps here, you know, in the actual planning of this wedding we’re having.  It’s one thing to announce the decision to be wed this year, but it’s quite another to start making the decision a reality by putting into place the necessary elements required to bring the event to life.  And I’m a little bit in disbelief that we’re visiting a possible wedding venue this Friday.  AAAHHH!!!  I’m sorry, this is just so mind-blowing to me.  We happen to be rather psyched about this venue, and we’ve enjoyed our discussions with them so far.  I’m just hoping the in-person IRL viewing element is as positive as I’m expecting it to be.  As you can imagine, I’m essentially hemorrhaging wedding inspiration out of my eyeballs and various other orifices on my body, at all times.  I bleed inspiration, instead of the typical red, white and blue of so many patriots.  So this whole decision-making process, as a whole, is definitely going to be… a toughish road.  You feel me?

So, naturally, last night I had my first – of what I am expecting to be an endless series – of nightmares about our wedding.  And I can’t help but laugh at myself for how incredibly superficial this is.  But I told you I was going to give you the nitty gritty, so…….

Last night, I dreamed that…………… it was two days before our wedding, and I wasn’t tan enough.

I WASN’T TAN ENOUGH.

WTF, me.

You wanna smack me, right?  For having such a superficial nightmare.  The superficial nightmare to end all nightmares of total arrogance and self-importance.  But I’m telling you, I WAS VERY SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING POSTPONING THE WEDDING OVER THIS, IN THE DREAM.

The fun part about this is that I mapped out my Lady Shark Week monthly predictions, and I’m pretty sure I’m cutting it within a four-day window of HAVIN’ ZEE PERRIUUHHD on or around the body and face of my actual wedding day.  So it would seem that my appearance is becoming a bit of a serious concern, in my subconscious.

Am I insane, or is this *bad dreams about the wedding* thing more common than I’m currently imagining.  I cannot be alone in this.

Time for a killer southern wedding, Y’ALLS.  Gosh I love it when Simply Bloom Photography shoots me stuff like this.  I think you’ll love it, too, you guys.

First, here’s the rundown from that gorgeous bride, Becca:

Justin and I met in high school. When I first saw him, I thought his smile was SO beautiful, and I just could not take my eyes off of him. We have so many things in common, such as a deep love for art and music, and we continue to learn from each other every day. Definitely the most important aspect to our relationship is to just keep each other smiling. So in planning our wedding, we wanted to let people in to the joy we feel in being together. We knew we wanted an outdoor wedding, and we wanted an intimate family feel as well. So we felt it would be so special to be married in the back yard of Justin’s family home. We didn’t want to distract from the atmosphere, so the theme of our wedding really centered on complimenting the scenery. We wanted it to be bright and cheery, natural and bold at the same time. In the planning, it was so important to us to be able to make our wedding as personal as possible, and to be as involved in the process as we could. So, anything we could do ourselves, we did. For my part, I hand-made the boutonnieres and the honey-jar wedding favors. (The honey was actually supplied by a close family friend who has a honeybee farm in their backyard-so special!) Since Justin is a musician, he really wanted to write the music for the ceremony. He wrote the most gorgeous music, orchestrated it, and performed it on the guitar while everyone walked down the aisle. Of course when it was my turn to walk down, he let the rest of the musicians take over ;). Without a doubt, the best part of the wedding was walking down the aisle to his music, and witnessing the sweet look on his face when I came around the corner. The second best part: having his wonderful father perform the ceremony.

My advice for brides to be:
I have to pass down the BEST advice we got while planning our wedding — Don’t take it all so seriously! I can’t tell you how many times someone said to me, “if I would have known how stressful planning a wedding was going to be, I would have eloped!” So many couples say that, and it’s unfortunate! Justin and I really had so much fun planning the wedding together (not to say that we didn’t experience some stressful moments). Try to let your family and friends in as much as you can without going crazy, and it will be that much more special. All in all, just try to concentrate on the fun and excitement of planning your wedding, and the love you have for each other, and hopefully you’ll remember the whole process with fondness.

Ok, now enjoy the loveliness, lovies!

Ok, so…

1) Do any of you ever experience bad dreams when you’re about to undertake a huge life experience?  I honestly don’t think I’m going to be able to stand regularly having eerily real-feeling dreams about how everything is going to go WRONG on my wedding day.

This is NOT ok, Alison.  Stop doing this to yourself, me.  Not cool at all, brain in my head.  Get it together, myself!

2) Do you love this wedding?  And how about that COLOR SCHEME, eh?  EH?!  Any favorite aspects?  I’m excited to hear your take. :)

xoxo  - Alison

Photography: Simply Bloom Photography / Dress: Pronovias (Arzelles in Nashville) / Flowers: Bishops Flowers in Huntsville, AL / Hair Accessories: Lo Boheme & Untamed Petals / Cakes: Peggy Ann Bakery / DJ: Metropolitan Disk Jockey Service / Rentals: Mullins in Huntsville

Hey everybody, happy number two post of Saturday, March 3rd!  Ok I’m crazy excited and don’t exactly know what to do with myself, and therefore I don’t know what to do with this post.  The gist is, 2012 is shaping up to be one of the most intense, exciting, neurotic, rewarding, busy, bringing-out-of-all-insecurities-known-and-yet-to-be-happened-upon-at-inopportune-times, fun, exhausting and joyful years of my life, for many wonderful reasons related to work and play, but the most important one being this next one:

Honey put a ring on it a whiiiiile back, and it’s time.  We’re right here right now kicking off the planning of our wedding.  And we’re getting married in the fall of this year.  High kick, woot!

Some of you might be thinking to yourselves, “wait, THAT’S the news?  I thought she was married already.”  I’m not. :)

I seriously took forever and ever to come to the decision to announce this finally, and therefore start planning.  I think it’s a potent combination of “holy s**t it’s happening!” mixed with my intense fear of making something that’s so private, just so incredibly, overwhelmingly, can’t-take-it-back-edly PUBLIC.  Especially being such private people, the way we both are.  I mean, once you get the wheels rolling on something like this, it’s not something you can just put a stop to if you’re feeling overwhelmed, and I wanted to be really, really ready to start these planning wheels a-rollin’ in such a public way.  And the thing is, I wanna share the experience with you.  The whole process.  The good, the not so good, the downright insane.  Even the emotional meltdowns, if I have any.  LOL I WILL HAVE THOSE.

I’m also very open to and excited about hearing your thoughts and suggestions, if you might have any.  I get inspired by you guys all the time.  I’ve already been feeling really overwhelmed just via the act of getting ready to start planning, so you can imagine how *interesting* a process this will be for us.  But I think, above all, it’s going to be the bestest, funnest year ever.  And I can’t wait to watch it all happen.  And even more, I can’t wait for the day I get to tell Honey how much I love him in front of all of our family and friends, kiss him right on the FACE, and then walk back down the aisle, my hand in his, married, and ready to start out on this road together for the rest of our lives.

You guys, I can’t wait.

:)

I wonder if any of you are getting married this year, too?  Or if anyone has any advice for me, or for Honey, or just in general?  I would love to hear anything you might have to say. :)

xoxo!  - Alison, soon to be Mrs. Honey. ;)

Image by Elizabeth Messina; design by Lisa Vorce of Oh, How Charming!; design and florals by Mindy Rice.