Disappointment

we watched...

...we waited...

...defeat...

this team must be stopped.

Say Yes to the Dress!

In all the chaos of Black Friday shopping this year (and yes, I was one of the hundreds freezing outside of Target at 5:30 am) I got one of the most key elements to my up-coming wedding: the dress!

Click on the hyperlink to see a sneak preview. Obviously I couldn't put pictures of me in it on here in case Mr. Snyder happened to get a glimpse. But nonetheless, I have a dress, and it is hanging safely in a closet at my grandma's house.

Next task to conquer: outfitting the bridesmaids!

Wedding Photography: The Ups and Downs

Man, I am such a horrible blogger. Ah well! I don't really have much to write about, which may be the reason for my lack of posts. However, there is one thing that I am quite excited about and that is my newest wedding arrangement: photographer!

I must say that at the beginning of this week, I couldn't have imagined blogging about a triumph in the wedding photographer department. I felt like Goldilocks trying out the three bears' beds: "This one's too expensive," "This one won't do a deposit," "This one has cheesy editing," etc. However, I am no longer in despair!

Why you ask? Because I have a truly amazing friend named Brenda Ahearn who has agreed to do our pictures. Not only is she an amazing friend, but one of the most talented photographers I know. Her style is exactly what I want for my pictures: candid, intimate, and outside of the box. Three cheers for Brenda! Thanks for making my week!

Love

Photos by Andrea Burnett

My First Costume Ball

Tonight Dusty and I attended the ONE Costume Ball and Silent Auction benefit at our university. The tickets cost $5 and everyone was supposed to bring a can/cans of food for a local food pantry. All the proceeds went to an organization who helps children in Africa afford to be able to go to school. It being for a good cause, Dusty and I decided to go. We dressed up as Burger King and Dairy Queen and got honorable mention for "best couples costume." Take a look below at some highlights of the night:

Classy-ville

Upon driving past the movie theater here in good old Campbellsville tonight, we were all amazed at the grammatical proficiency of their sign. Take a gander below:

A Conversation Piece

A few months back I made mention to my grandma that I wanted some bamboo for around the house. Not a lot, just a few stalks that would grow through the winter, giving me green in my life when I had none.

I walked into my grandparent's house tonight and the first thing I saw was this vase, along with two other similar ones, sitting on their coffee table. My mouth agape, I looked at my grandma with that questioning look that only the most confounded could give. She bunched her shoulders up and said in the cutest old lady voice, "Aren't they cute? I picked them up at a yard sale for only a quarter! I got one for all three of the girls!" (That being myself and my two female cousins!)

She proceeded to tear off two stalks of her own bamboo plant and put them in my new vase. She said everyone needs a conversation piece in their home and this was her way of giving me one! It now sits proudly on top of the spindled ledge in my house.

Priceless...

Vellum Paper is my Friend

Last post for the day, I promise. This weekend I also got a head start on some chair decorations for the wedding ceremony. These cute little jars are wrapped in pink vellum paper and different patterns of brown ribbons. Using a larger brown ribbon for the handle, these jars will hang on the outer chair of every row going down the aisle, holding flowers. Or maybe candles...I can't decide!

Dusty's First Birthday Party

One day while walking to class, Dusty mentioned to me that he had never had a birthday party. Though I wasn't sure how true the claim was, I did know that I wanted to do something special for him. Here what went down:

16 of us met up at Ginza, the Japanese restaurant in Elizabethtown. It's one of those places that cooks the food in front of you, forcing you to catch things in your mouth, like so:

The chef really liked to play with fire...

After we ate some delicious food...

We let Dusty open his gifts, making up for lost birthdays of old...he got everything from a baby bib to cigars:

After eating we all headed back to the Snyder House to do some more celebrating! The next days was Dusty's sister Aubri's birthday, so we ate and celebrated times two:

So, happy birthday baby! Let's keep the record going: 4 for 4!

Wedding-ness

I've just realized that I have so much to blog about! I recently have gotten a few quite essential things done for my wedding. Here's the list:

1. Reserved the church and set a date: May 17, 2008
2. Got the wedding website up and running! To check it out go to http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/EmilyHamlin&DustySnyder
3. Picked out my bridesmaid dresses! Devon was an essential factor of this venture as you will see below.

The list may look small right now and I know there is still so much stuff to do, but that's ok. So far things seem to be going just fine...

Friends And Bread

Andrea and I recently ventured into the world of Amish Friendship Bread. Though it was hard work, and we had a minor incident with baking powder, it turned out great! Thanks to Andrea for the mini bread pans!

Lawn Gnome Caper

As I drove back to my house on Tuesday, I noticed something orange sitting on my porch. Curiously, I went out to see what it was and was surprised to see the ugliest chew toy I have ever seen, with a note that read:

"If you ever want to see your gnome again, go to the bench at Hole 1, Par 3 golf course at Miller Park."

Puzzled, I called Garrett and he and I headed out on what turned out to be a multi-stop wild goose chase all over Campbellsville! Luckily, my gnome is back in his rightful spot, though has moved his post to the back patio and not the front porch.

If anyone is interested, search "Andy Hrabar" on facebook and add "him" as a friend...it's my gnome. And keep your ears out for any practical jokers! I'd love to know who pulled off such an excellent prank!

Spider Web-y

A few days ago I was walking out my back door on the way to class when something caught my eye. I walked over to investigate and I found the most perfect little spider web, with the morning dew still covering it. Welcome October--my favorite month of the year!

Life...So Far

So I got to thinking tonight that so much has gone on in my life lately! It seems like ever since I got back from the Middle East things have moved at a rapid pace:

1.) Dropping my lease and scurrying to find a new place before school started
2.) Starting my senior year
3.) Getting engaged
4.) Waking Sam up at 3 am with a mounted ram's head...what?!

OK, so maybe life is crazy, but whoever said that was a bad thing? Below is a tribute to life so far this wonderful fall semester!

Nineteen Hours in A Neon

For those of you who don't already know, Dusty and I were engaged last weekend! We drove through the night for nine hours until we reached the Atlantic Coast. We then proceeded to watch the sun come up and took a walk down the beach. Next thing I knew, he was down on one knee in the sand asking me to marry him! Anyone want to try to beat that?

Anyways...we're still working out a date that will best suit all of us (family included) but as of now, nothing is set in stone. However, we do have pictures, so that's enough for now!