Before & After

This morning when I went to the shower I just could not bring myself to stepping in there one more time.  Here's why:

Ew. ew. ew.  I know.  Girls don't live like this.  Well apparently, we do.

After just 30 minutes of scrubbing...it looks a LOT better.  By no means perfect, but definitely acceptable!  When I step out of the shower I will actually feel clean!!

By the way, I have to tell you:  it took me about 10 minutes of digging/ plugging my nose/ actually gagging to the point I almost threw up.....to get the hair out of the drain.  I think I could puke just thinking about it.  Ew. 

Bridal Portraits--check!

Today my mom and sister took me out to Old Town Alexandria to shoot my bridal portraits. We had so much fun together, and I really loved getting all dressed up and marching all around town. Once, we passed a lady with two little girls and the little girls asked, "Who is she?" and the woman replied, "She's a princess!" I have to admit I smiled after that comment. I also had my hair trial today which went pretty well. I really like the woman who's doing my hair, she was really sweet. I liked how the hair turned out too, but I think I'll change one or two things for next time....that's what a hair "trial" is for :)

So not only did my sister shoot the whole session (all 2.5 hours of it!!) she also made my bouquet!! And as I watched her make it I started to question why in the heck we even have a florist. It was really pretty. (I'm pretty sure this is the only picture I can post of the bouquet--the rest had me in them!!) But it was a blue hydrangea in the center surrounded by sweetheart roses.

I wish I could share my pictures. I think they turned out really nice. But if nothing else...you'll see them in just a fewwww days now :D

Sooooo close!!

1 month.

30 days.

4 weeks.

4 Saturdays!!!!

However you look at it, our wedding is fast approaching.  And we couldn't be more excited!!!!!

A Royal Affair

A little wedding inspiration for yours truly.  Two of my favorite royal weddings.  Of course, I'm no princess...but I do have the whole man-in-uniform thing going for me...

Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco 

April 19, 1956

Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly

May 17, 2008

Benjamin Bond and Caroline Yearwood

May 23, 2009

4/16

April 16th.  I have come to hate this day.  I hate it because it forces me to re-live that week in 2007.  I have been able to repress it all year and not even think of it.  I can enjoy getting ready to graduate, and I can enjoy preparing for our wedding, but once this day came around everything else stopped in my mind and I can only think of that week. 

I remember the nervous laughter sometimes heard around the campus, followed by the silence once everything began to set in.  The campus was just flooded with media trucks and people shoving microphones in our faces.  Some of the media was sympathetic and respected our privacy, others were just looking for that story.  I was insulted by two of the worst.  

I remember the colorful posters with words of sadness and those of inspiration for the rest of us, set around the campus.  I remember the trees surrounding the drillfield displayed a single orange ribbon tied around each trunk.  I remember the walls of Squires Student Center were completely covered with messages from schools around the world.  I remember students crowded around computers in the hours and days after it happened--looking for people they knew on the list of those that had passed.  Most of all, I remember the night Ben found out his engineering teacher was one of them.

That week people were wearing orange, maroon, and black.  Families came to be with their kids, so the campus was filled.  Funerals were held in every Blacksburg church multiple times a day by the weekend.  People were on the campus offering free massages, free bibles, multiple booths set up where you could just talk to someone.

These are things I will never forget.  And while I'm only 31 days away from graduating, I have to remember that many of them were, too.

A special note

To our dearest family and friends:

If you haven't gotten a chance to send in your RSVP yet, please please please do that soon. As you can see, there are only 39 days left until the wedding and still so many things to do until then!! We would love to see you all there.

Love,
Caroline and Ben

Happy Birthday to my big brother, Tom! 

My favorite books

So thanks to Facebook, I got the idea to list some of my favorite books I've ever read.  (I love reading, so I'm really hoping others will take this idea and give some suggestions on their blogs)  Keep in mind that this list is probably going to change within the next few months (once I get to reading the rest of the Twilight series *wink)  So without further ado:

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  (Now this, I can undoubtedly say, will always be my number 1 read)

2. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  (I know.  It jumped right up to #2.)

3. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

4. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger.

5. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.

6. Emma by Jane Austen.  (Are you seeing a theme here?)

7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. 

8. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.

9. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

10. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi.

When I find favorite authors I tend to stick with them.  That's why I feel the need to branch out, hoping I can get a few suggestions.

Recent News

Blacksburg weather is just so unpredictable.

  

Yesterday it was in the 30's and snowing...in April.  Typical.  This weekend it's supposed to be in the high 60's.  No wonder I get sick so much!  I can't wait to move to a warmer climate soon....say....Virginia Beach?! 

 That's right, all this week Ben and I have been securing an apartment we found in VA Beach.  (Hence the non-posting) We're pretty friggin' excited!  Of course, it's not right next to the beach...but it's about 20  minutes away...which is a heck-of-a-lot closer than we are now (considering we're in the mountains).  We actually found a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom place which (because of a special deal they have) was a lot cheaper than some of the other apartments in the surrounding area.  I'm hoping that our family and friends will consider visiting us slash taking a vacation this summer in VA Beach (free room!) I know I already have 4 takers.  I never thought I would live near a beach...I guess it's true what they say--Join the Navy, See the World (....starting with Virginia Beach....)

There's a reason it's popular right now.

So, let's talk. I know you've been hearing a lot about the book/ movie Twilight, lately. C'mon. Everyone is blogging about it. I am yet another one to discover the amazingness recently (don't question my use of the word "amazingness"). 2 days ago I hadn't read the book, and I hadn't seen the movie. But I did notice the overwhelming amount of bloggers who advertise it on their blogs. Seriously: from one girl to another: you will FREAKING LOVE IT if you like romantic stories. (Actually I should add that I'm not done with the book yet...but I'm loving it currently.) But the movie was awesome. My friend Cara was the first one who introduced me to the book. I seriously hadn't even heard of the entire series until last fall. She is (and has been)....for lack of a better word....obsessed with the series since before Stephanie Meyers even wrote them (haha). Oh and did I tell you that Cara has already claimed Robert Pattinson for herself? So don't try, ladies. He's taken. No bother for me--I recently discovered the villain who is so hot. ("The Villain?? Caroline, what are you thinking?"---Google Cam Gigandet and let me know what you think.) That's about all I wanted to say. I just really encourage you to watch/rent/buy the movie and read the book.