{our little sunshiny date}

Sunday morning, Zack and I took a little walk to the bakery. It was so gorgeous outside -- so bright and sunny -- a prefect morning date :)

{It was so bright inside I didn't even realize my sunglasses were still on...}

This little date reminded me of when we were in college, walking the campus together as boyfriend + girlfriend. Man, that was a long time ago! Hah!

This spring marks our 6th year together ♥

Speaking of "years" -- I can NOT believe this June is our second wedding anniversary.
Yeow!



You should have seen the other side of this bakery. Not only did they have deee-licous looking cupcakes and cheesecakes, but they had fresh muffins, donuts, scones -- tasty :)

I love fun dates like this!

I knew I'd spend most of the day sewing or blogging, so it was especially important to have some Zack & Maggie time in.

Like last night. I knew I was tired. I knew I needed a break. I knew there was work to do.
But I knew I needed to be on the couch and not in The Sweat Shop.

We have to know our limits, right?

***

My nephew Collin has been saying the darnedest things to my mom.
Last night he told her his back "was all itchy."

She said, "I wonder why...?"

"Grandma, it's called Leprosy."


Duh, Grandma ;)

***

Have you entered in Nester's Giveaway Day?

Enter for a chance to win $50 Gussy shop credit -- or something else from the many wonderful featured shops!

{a tale of five pictures}

Zack and I got married one year and 4 months ago. I have cherished my wedding bouquet ever since because it was the most beautiful bouquet I ever laid eyes on. I remember my mom, on the day of our wedding, saying, Honey, would you like to see your bouquet?

Gosh, it was gorgeous. White flowers, tons of white flowers, with a dash of orange. We had a very colorful wedding: orange, pink and green. Zack loves orange. I was so proud to carry an orange-speckled bouquet as I walked down the aisle with my dad.

As for me, I love the color green. It is my favorite! To even things out we added the most feminine color: pink. Not a blush pink, not fuchsia, but a solid, fun shade of pink.

To this day I still love our wedding colors. Through all our moves {this is our third city as a married unit}, I have babied my wedding bouquet. It's always sat on our dresser, the the vase of salt that represented our unity "candle" during the ceremony.

***

Zack and I are very different. He's tall, I'm short. He is patient, I can be persistent. He is loud, bursting with song in the morning, I am quiet. {I know, what a shock!}

But despite all our differences, we are so thankful for them. There have been countless times when we've told each other "thank you for being exactly who you are."

We celebrate our differences daily, because it's those differences that make us a strong and happy team.

***

Zack and I dated for four years by the time we got married. Four years of memories; three of them college memories.

My maid-of-honor made this frame for us. It's filled with quotes, bible verses and stories from our dating years. It is a highly-cherished gift. I didn't know it would be possible to contain four years of memories, but I'm pretty sure she did just that :)

***

The Nester recently talked about grouping items around the home to easily decorate an area.

Plus, you can easily re-arrange that area later. {And if you know anything about it it's that I love to rearrange. Right Mama Gus?}

Hello, I know how to group!!!

Look at this: the items on the leather ottoman, the pillows on the couch {there's also a turquoise pillow back there!}, the college textbooks under the lamp. {Uhh... didn't realize my lamp lifter-upper would be a $360 item?! Yikes.}

The point is I know how to group! Ten points for Gussy, the sewing {and grouping} girl :)


***


Hello, three windows.

Hello three windows in our apartment that are the only three windows in our Minneapolis apartment.

Sigh.

Hello patience that has forced me to be creatively-patient with photographing.

Hello :)


***

RUFFLES.soft.COLORFUL.fluffy.RUFFLES.

{coming soon}

{canceled & shredded!}

I have a little but typical-of-Gussy random story to share. Oh, who am I kidding? This is going to be semi-long.

I had a rewarding experience yesterday.

Zack was setting up the router for our wireless internet and I was sewing and prepping new products. Let's just say I had a lot of time on my hands. I decided that since I was already sitting there, and it was after 9 p.m. {free cell minutes}, that I would tackle the credit cards sitting next to me on my desk. They needed to be canceled and shredded!

I'm going to be completely honest with you all.

Are you ready?

We have one credit card balance. It is from when I was in college {bahhh!, too long to be carrying around, but that is our situation}. It has a balance from purchasing my iMac and a D-SLR. Yeppp, not a proud moment here, but it's the truth! And I'm proud to present the truth.

However, and please remember this because you can experience it, too, I HAVE NEVER PAID INTEREST ON THESE TWO ITEMS! I was sure to sign-up for a 0.0% APR for 12+ months and have done balance transfers to continue the zero-cost credit card experience.

That's right, I haven't paid these companies a dime {aside from balance transfer fees, which are at most $50}. If you dig, sometimes you'll be surprised at what you find.


{I better stop with the facts and figures or I'll get myself in trouble because I'm not a cred-card guru girl, just a sewing Gussy girl.}

With doing credit card transfers we've obviously had to open up new credit cards because the promotional periods have expiration dates, but we have never used them. In fact, our most recent card isn't even activated! The only debt Zack and I brought to our marriage were student loans, this credit card, and a car loan {which is now paid off, thankyouverymuch!!! :) }

I am so incredibly proud that we do not use credit cards. If you are in the same boat as us, I'm incredibly proud of you, too. If you aren't in the same boat, I'm incredibly proud you're still reading this! Please stay with me here...

I haven't used a credit card since 2005? 2006? I believe Zack has never used one, but I can't recall. It is an incredible blessing to not be slaved to a credit card company. Would you like to be free of that? I bet you would {and you can!}.

Like I mentioned above, I was sewing last night and I decided to call these companies to cancel the credit cards. They all have $0 balances and are doing one thing for me: making me freak out over potential credit-card fraud. We don't use them; I glance at the monthly statements to make sure the balance stays at zero, but I don't need to be wasting time on this when we don't even use them.

I have ruffles to sew, right?

Right :)

I needed to make four calls, which lead to my rewarding experience:

"Hi, I'd like to cancel my credit card. {pause} Because I have a zero balance. {pause} Because I don't need it. {pause} Because we use our debit cards. {pause} No, thank you, I'd like to cancel my credit card please. {pause} Thank you.

One company definitely argued this with me. Because I was prepping items I had the call on speaker phone. Zack eventually came up to my phone and said "Ma'am. Ma'am! We'd like to cancel the card please."

Maybe if my voice was deeper I could have done that, too? What do you think? ;)

Another company actually said to me, "Can I ask you something? What will you do in an emergency if you don't have a credit card?"

My reply: "Pay with cash! Hello, use our emergency fund?!"

{What will you do, Mr. Credit Card man?}

A third company simply said, "OK" after I told him I wanted to cancel. That was National City. That bank deserves some applause from Gussy for not arguing with me. Seriously. I'm applauding them.

As I type this I'm sooo giddy to say that all four cards are canceled, shredded, and out of our lives forever!

I was told last night on the phone, But our cards are fee-free!

No {laugh}, they're not, because fee-free doesn't mean interest free. And if they have interest, that is not free! I may not like math, but I know the value words have.

Credit = expensive.

The fact is we have enough money to buy the things we need and want, pay our bills, and save with cash. We sit down twice a month and go over everything. Most times we have to organize, push-and-pull, maneuver things around to buy something big, but we can and we do it with the money we already have, money we've already earned, and when it's purchased it's paid for. We are not a slave to our purchases. I bet if you sit down and look your finances over you can figure out a way to let go of anything that slaves you.

So that is my Gussy has a lot to say story. Do you have a story to share? I love to be inspired but it; I hope you can find something inspiring in your life, too.

{looking back...}

delight yourself in
the LORD
and He'll give you
the desires
of
your heart,

psalm 37:4


***


About 447 days ago, Zack and I stood in front of my childhood pastor and listened as he spoke these words:

What is the date today?

June 7, 2008

That is 6-7-08

What does 6 + 7 + 8 equal?

21.

two become one.


***

that was so amazing!

{Hello, Minneapolis, I'm GUSSY!}

I posted this video a few months back. I'm here to share it again. The composition is so truly beautiful, it gives Gussy goosebumps. I love to listen to it.





I hope your day, your entire day, is so very relaxing and where ever you are you are able to take a few minutes to breathe in and breathe out. Meditate and reflect on your life. I know for some of you, you aren't able to think much past today. Hello, that is my life. Only God knows the plans He carries for me and Zack. We are taking strong efforts to move to Minneapolis soon.

Whoa.

It is hard to write that.

I joked with Zack today that we could move to Grand Rapids, MN, and then I could say I lived in Grand Rapids, MI and Grand Rapids, MN. I tried to find a little humor in it. Potentially moving that far is going to be difficult. I need to remember it's just an adventure. An adventure God already has planned for us.

We have tried, oh-so desperately, to stay in Michigan. We are open to staying if we can find fabulous jobs.

Back to the song.

Isn't it lovely?

It makes me feel so relaxed to listen to it. I would like more relaxing in my life and less stressing, thankyouverymuch! ;)

So what is new with you all? I know I have new readers. Most of you haven't commented yet, and I invite you to introduce yourself to me. Comments or e-mails are always welcome.

Maybe you are a little intimated to comment... feeling a little shy... feeling like I should go first?

OK.


Hello, my name is Gussy. I'm young {a baby, actually! Thanks Nester ;) }, and I'm a newlywed. I love my family dearly. I like to talk, duhhhhh, and I like to sew. Make that love to sew. I started an Etsy shop in November and by February I was sewing full-time as my previous full-time job disintegrated right before my eyes. Since February I've been relying very heavily on Etsy to keep things moving forward. It was pretty scary. Then, in July, I hit 100 sales. HOORAY!




Rewind: I have an older brother, two adorable nephews, and a set of parents that have been married for over 30 years.

Fast-forward: I met my husband just over 5 years ago at Central Michigan University. We were both freshmen and were head-over-heels in love. College sweethearts, they say. We dated for 2 years, were engaged for 2 years, and we married June 7th, 2008.



Now, Zack and I are preparing to move to Minneapolis. Do you think Minne is ready for Gussy? Hmmm... I sure hope so...

Alright. That's my story, now tell me yours ;)


Two things before I stop typing:

1. EverythingEtsy.com -- be sure to enter in the GUSSY giveaway!

2. Don't forget to take advantage of free shipping. Everyone that commented on my last giveaway is eligible. Offer is good through Thursday, August 6.

{weekend recap + sewing + you'll have to read this to know the rest!}

What a great, great weekend. Zackary and I spent it at our home and definitely spent a lot of time relaxing. Friday night, his aunt called and we talked for over an hour.

Oh, Gussy ;)

Saturday, I did some housework, met a girlfriend for coffee and we chatted for over 3 hours! Yeah :) Afterwords I did some sewing. Then Zack grilled chicken for dinner and later we went to celebrate a cousin's birthday. We had brownies and ice-cream. MMmmmmmmm.

That brings me to Sunday. I didn't set the alarm clock and we woke up well into the middle of church.

:(

That was a little sad because we like where we've been going and only go like once a month. We're out of town a lot... Once we got going yesterday we went to a restaurant called Toast. Zack gave me a gift card to Toast for my birthday. They are open for breakfast and lunch; I enjoyed a chicken salad panini, Zack ordered something with potato cakes and eggs, plus toast.

I did some more sewing, Zack vacuumed my car and cleaned up the garage. I cleaned the inside of the car.

I know, I know, such an exciting life! :) Guess that is what happens when you are home for the first and only weekend of the month: there's cleaning to be done.

Yesterday evening Zack actually asked me if he could schedule in a back rub with me. Since you like to be prepared and then that way maybe you'll put a good amount of time into it, he told me. Ohhhh, so funny, so funny! I should check with him to see what day works best.

We have some good news to share: Zack is working this week with his uncle. We've been waiting and waiting for work -- and it's finally here. Although it isn't permanent by any means -- only for 2 weeks -- it is something! We made a list tonight of the top 10 cities by economic to live in and I plan on spending a lot of time applying for jobs in those cities. It is beyond my understanding where we are supposed to be. I've mentioned this before, and while I haven't shed much light on the situation before, it is a serious situation. We have until the end of August to be in a new home.

No plans on where that home is.

Not sure how we'll have any income by then.

But, not too worried about it. God has a plan and it just hasn't been revealed to us yet. I'm hoping one day soon He fills us in but until then I'm just excited to not be worried over the uncertainty.

There is a large adventure planned for us. We could stay in the same town, move to another town in Michigan, or move to another state. Any state, really. Zack has experience with graphic design and video editing; I have experience with writing, editing, and proofreading. If anyone knows of a thriving company looking for talent in the aforementioned areas, please let me know. We both graduated from Central Michigan University and can move for a promising job.

In fact, we're moving somewhere. Just not sure where yet {our lease is up the end of August}.

I've been keeping busy sewing and am hoping it will continue to provide supplemental income. If you have a friend or family member that needs a gift idea, please send them to GUSSY! If you own a small gift store and are looking for new merchandise, contact me! We can talk wholesale! :) Or, if you have a Facebook or Twitter account, feel free to mention GUSSY and my Etsy shop! I would be so appreciative of your support: www.maggiewhitley.etsy.com.

Like I've mentioned before, I need three more sales on Etsy before I can do another giveaway. I'm looking for a reason to celebrate and making it to 100 sales seems like a fun reason! I'm at 97... spread the word to your friends and then we can celebrate success GUSSY style. I've been given a few really neat ideas for a giveaway, I'm sure they'll be well received.

Since Zack is working outside the house this week, he was sure to mention to me how productive I'll be all day today with him gone. No one to sing to me, beat box to me, whistle, run into in our tiny home :) -- that sort of thing. One thing is for certain: it will be weird!

For the last five months, off and on, we've spent most of our days together at home. Losing a job -- one, two, and finally three times -- means you finally just sit back and think, God, where am I to be? How am I supposed to provide for my family? Show me Your will. So with Zack gone tomorrow it will be a new "normal" for us. We've really been praying hard for a new normal to come our way. It can be a lonely world being an unemployed citizen. Lonely, sad and feeling a little helpless. Or a lot helpless some days. Right now we have steady income. But... that is going to end soon. And unfortunately what needs to go out monthly will still need to go out. I know when I started sewing in November, then heavily sewing in February when I lost my job, I never thought I'd be where I am today. Never, ever, ever. I knew nothing about sewing!

See, look at this zipped pouch. This was one of the first things I made:




And here is a picture of something I made over the weekend:



Whoa, Gus.

Thanks for getting some color in your life ;)

Also, please stop talking to yourself. Thanks.

Looking back, I can see my growth. It is humbling and amazing, and a little embarrassing! But whatever. I've made progress, that is the point.

Gussy isn't someone to sit back and not take action, so I learned how to sew a zipper in by watching tutorials online, without a zipper foot -- booyah! ;) I learned of a local fabric store that sells the most amazing and unique buttons, and I got to work. Zack nicknamed the sewing room The Sweat Shop, listened wholeheartedly when I asked for his opinion, and spent more time than I ever dreamed of congratulating me and telling me positive things about my sewing talent.

I found someone to sew GUSSY labels for me.

I started keeping track of my expenses. I knew what was going out and what was coming in.

I made connections; met people online and have been blessed for all the GUSSY referrals they've passed out.

I guess what I'm trying to say that while I wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring I knew I had a sewing machine with a drawer of fabric and sass, and I was going to put it to work. I look for jobs by day, sew by night.

Actually, I still don't know what tomorrow will bring, but it isn't here yet so I'm not thinking to far long. Sure, there have been days when all I've done was cry. Not having a job and not being able to find a job that will pay the bills is really scary. And, I'm only 24. I have my whole life ahead of me, yet I'm experiencing this now? Seems silly.

But...

Better now than later on I suppose. Better now while our family count stops at 2 instead of 6. Right?

No: Better now because that's God's plan.

Alright, I feel a bit better :) Thank you for reading and sharing in life with me and Zack. We'll make it through, and it definitely helps that we're not alone :)




And stay tuned... I've got Sweat Shop pictures to show you! But here is a sneak peak in the meantime :)

{the countdown begins...}

I can't believe we've almost been married 1 year! :)
36 days to go...
until our first anniversary...

*********************

06.07.08

all photos courtesy Mandy Gould :)

{oh boy...}

I'm taking a little break from The Sweat Shop to give you all an update. First, I'm finally finishing two projects that I started earlier this week. Since I had The Bachelor to watch on Monday, and Wednesday I had the day off work, not much got done. So sorry :( Anyways, I have two projects a-l-m-o-s-t done. It's a really good feeling. I also have some knitted things to put on Etsy because, as some of you already know, my shop is pretty pathetically low. I have had time to knit at work because we are so slow that I am feeling really uncomfortable with the fact that I have a job. I'm there for 8.5 hours and I do maybe four jobs. Not a good feeling, not at all. So I'm getting ready to update my shop. The dozen-a-day sales thing is killing me :P 

Back to the point of this post. A lot of weird things have happened this weekend and it's hardly the weekend. My stomach is just in knots.

• My husband lost his job yesterday. We have absolutely no clue how WE are going to fix this, but have absolute faith that God knows how to fix it. This job loss is settling funky in my stomach. Also worth mentioning: my hours have been cut at work. I'm down to 32/week, hence my day off work every Wednesday. Thank the LORD for unemployment, right? My friend told me 10% of Michigan is laid off. Uggh.

• My husband lost his cell phone snowboarding today. He went with a group of people he used to work with for networking purposes. {I hate this past-tense stuff!} He just called me to say his cell is MIA. In a time where it seems like everything is going wrong I really have to fight  myself to think otherwise. 
  

Zack and I have not been happy with our cell phone provider. Even though our contract isn't over for another year, even though it is SO EXPENSIVE to buy another phone, something good must come from this. We have seen it with our own two eyes that we will be taken care of. God has always taken care of our families... He'll take care of us.

Please pray for us. We are young and, with some recent unexpected expenses, we haven't had enough time to keep our savings account full. The rubber-band has been snapping at us a lot these past few months. It finally broke.

Now, I must get back to sewing. The mini-facial my iron has been giving me feels pretty darn good ;)

Thanks for reading.

breakfast is served!

GOOD MORNING!
Well, if it isn't Thursday already ;)

Dinner was served in Heaven again last night --Lasagna, garlic butter rolls and corn :) I'm not even kidding when I say that Zack tried telling me dinner looked great, but instead drooled a bit. I, as a witness before God, saw it happen. Poor guy ;) I love him! He is good for my ego :) What did you have for dinner last night? Once dinner was cleaned up I actually got to SIT DOWN & RELAX! It was amazing! I switched purses because talking about my Etsy bag yesterday had me just so excited. Took care of some online banking and receipts, ya know, the usual "evening routine." Then it was lights off at 11 p.m. Good thing, because Zack woke up today at 6:30 a.m. and started cooking breakfast for us. He is such a peach ;) He made scrambled eggs, maple sausage links and those DELISH orange frosted Pillsbury cinnamon breakfast rolls. OH MY GOSH IT WAS LIKE CHRISTMAS MORNING, but early! :)

MMMMMMM, finally I walked into the kitchen with some drool ;) haha. Thanks honey for breakfast :)

However, you know there was a bit of Gussy-ness to last night, don't you? You know I'm not sharing something. You can just feel it.

Alright, I'll tell you...

We had just gotten into bed and I thought, It's time to share some stories with my husband. So I began my story telling, and I talked, talked, talked. But halfway through I had to stop. I was out of breath. Not even kidding. I guess my little lungs don't hold enough air for a Gussy to get through all her stories. That, or I should practice the whole PAUSE then BREATHE then TALK thing. It was quite disappointing, but 100% funny nonetheless :)

I'm pretty excited about tonight(!!!) because I'm going to have some time to work on my sewing. (Zack is out with a bud.) This is important for two reasons:

1. I need to start some Christmas presents
   
2. I made ANOTHER sale on Etsy!!!!! :) woohooooooo. A kind woman from Arizona bought this zippered pouch last night:
   

So, if you were keeping an eye on it, it is now gone. Stay tuned for some updates on Monday. This weekend I have lots to do with my shop, more things to add, etc. I have now made two sales! Sweet!!!!!

I AM SO HAPPY :) And thanks for being happy with me!

Monday night Zack hung up some Christmas lights. I'll see if I can get some pictures of them soon. They are cute. He did a great job. Now we aren't the only house on the block without Christmas lights up. But, I will say we'll be the LAST house to have a blow-up Santa, Reindeer, Snow globe or anything else with similar qualities. We just don't do that on University Street. But we do have a HUGE (it IS huge!) wreath on our front door.

I'm really glad no one has stolen it in the night. And I would know if they did, too, because not only is it HUGE (20" in diameter) but I check every morning when I get up. Right after I've checked the lawn to make sure it's snowed a bit. You might recall that Sunday night was the first night we had some real snow. Yup. Every morning there isn't a new snowflake outside I pout back to the bedroom and get back in bed for at least seven minutes.

Oh, whatever. Tell me you don't have a little morning quirk of your own...

Another wonderful accomplishment today (the first was my Etsy sale) is that I have about 20 Christmas cards to send out still. Out of 70. I am on a roll. My mother-in-law suggested I just start signing her name after ours so she can have hers out on time, too.

Merry Christmas!
Love,
Zack & Maggie
and Mom Helak and Mom Whitley and all other family members including Dad Helak, Dad Whitley, Tiffany, Matt, Nicole, Collin, Jack and Scruffy.

Just kidding, there isn't a Scruffy in our family. Yet.

;) LOL, I think that would be a bit silly. But maybe I'll try it next year... So stay tuned ;)

See what happens when I have a lovely breakfast prepared for me? And I've had a cup of coffee run through my system? You get to enjoy this fact-filled blog with (let's say it together)

70% nice and 30% sass

;)

Something very strange just happened to me. You see, I was on the phone with my hubby, and we were talking about the possibility of me getting some bangs cut. I told him I had done ALL the research and this was clearly a brilliant decision. See the picture below for a bang-style example. So back to my story. I told Zack I had called a salon near my parents (we are visiting this weekend). They have some open time slots for Saturday morning. It will be $10-12. And so naturally this would fit perfectly into our schedule :) Then Zack did what any typical man would do: Suggest to do something else while I'm at the salon. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It would take just 20 minutes and then we could go out for lunch and celebrate our 6 month anniversary of MARRIAGE :) There wouldn't be time for him to skip away from the salon. Besides, that is just less time we get to spend together in our commitment of marriage and ultimate best-friend forever friendship.

Once Zack realized he was making me sad by talking about skipping out, he did this strange thing. (The purpose of this post, if I could just get to the point).

He said, I'm sorry honey. I don't want to argue with you. If losing this argument means you are going to be sad then I don't want to argue. I want you to be happy. I will go with you to the salon. You are worth losing the argument. I love you.

And then I smiled super big and everything was perfect again :)

Ha ha, I'll tone it down. But really, it was this amazing, perfect scenario that I never saw coming during the phone call. So that is reason # 296 while Zack is the perfect person. He is such a charmer. GO ZACK. I heart you :)

A big SHOUT OUT to my cousin, Taylor, for letting me use her beautifully cut bangs and the sample for what I am going for:

PS. A few noteworthy things:

• The salon I'm going to is called Attitudes. How perfect for this 30% Sassy girl?!?!
• The 30% Sassy comes from the quote "You are 70% nice, 30% sass." Said by my husband. He was just being honest, though...
• I am out of thoughts already.
  

Don't hold your breath

A couple days ago I had the golden opportunity to talk to my nephew, Collin, who is a talker, talker, talker! He called me and as soon as I said Hello? he started at it. To be honest, he carried most of the conversation himself. We talked about spiders, cake, and a lot of other things I couldn't understand. Then mid sentence he said, I want to talk to Uncle Pony. Where IS he?

Actually, he's right here, entering the house as we speak, because Zack never leaves my side and is always around when I (or Collin) need him. So then Zack listened to Collin talk, talk, talk :)

For some reason I thought Zack liked to only talk on the phone to ME... Uhh, guess not.

I can tell he loves being an uncle because he is smiling the entire time they are on the phone. We are going to have great conversations, me and Collin :) As soon as he lets me answer back.

Something else that is important to mention: there are some sad things going on with a couple Grandpa's right now. If you could just pray for their families in Michigan and Oregon, that would be really special. I know Jesus saves and has great plans for all of us... That is what we must remember and believe the most.

Last night, Zack took me out on a date. Except it was one of those late-night dates and it may or may not have included me wearing workout pants, a thermal shirt, boots, and... and... no makeup. Sorry Zack! Yesterday was so busy, Zack worked late and wasn't sure exactly when he'd be home, and then I was doing my workouts once he finally arrived back at our nest. So we didn't eat dinner until approximately 10pm. Whoopsy. We were at Qdoba... mmmm delish!, and God gave me the most perfect opportunity for a chuckle. Zack was saying how good his burrito was, except he thought there were too many beans.

"So next time ask for less."

The opportunity came at me fast,
"But sometimes I like a lot of beans."

"You are acting like a girl."

Ahhh, it was so amazing. Every day, and I mean every day, something happens where I kind of freak out because I can't have complete control over the situation. Like with our Halloween costumes (that is a story for another paragraph). I need details; I LOVE details! I also need time to plan. Some times I like it this way, and other days I like it that way. And naturally I expect Zack to know instantaneously what I want, without pausing. So yesterday, with pure joy, I smiled because Zack finally realized how difficult it is to be a woman. YES!

Speaking of women, I joined Weight Watchers at work just now. It is going to be amazing. The Rep is really awesome and had such encouraging words for me. I'm pumped for the 12 weeks to be up so I can be proud of my accomplishments :)

What else is there to share?

Zack had me wake him up this morning at 6:30 so we could get ready and spend time with me.
Awe :) I love him.

6-7-8

Because I am "The Bride" and I loved getting married so, so, so, so much, today's post is a tribute to our wedding and everyone involved in it. :)

The day I married Zack was an incredible day. We were married on June 7th at my home church. We had the traditional, "let's not see each other until I walk down the aisle" wedding. It was perfect... perfect because God was a part of it all. My childhood pastor, Rev. John Stieve, married us :) He said the most amazing thing during the message; I'll never forget it.

Your wedding date is June 7th, 2008. That is 6, 7, 8.
What do you get when you add up those numbers?
21.
Two become One.


And here we are, Mr. and Mrs. Zackary Whitley:

This is my Mom's favorite picture :)

My Mom did a lot of wonderful things to help us plan the wedding. One thing she was in charge of was THE CAKE. Oh man, she did a great job. I think aside from his Bride, Zack loved the cake the most. Countless times Zack's told me how much he loved our wedding day, and that just makes my heart flutter. (He remembers things about the day --details, it's really awesome.)

We are so excited!!!!! WE ARE MARRIED!!!!! After four and a half years of dating, we never have to part. For those of you who know us "from the beginning," we spent a lot of time apart during the summers and over breaks from college. It was absolutely worth it. I mean, look at my hubby! How can anyone not love that smile! :D Every morning he wakes up, looks at me and says, Good morning Princess. I love you.
Another fun fact: if I ever get mad or upset, or sassy (occasionally this happens), Zack just looks at me and smiles.
I'm serious.
Then he says, what's wrong? Please don't be ____. Look, I'm smiling Does that help?

Marriage is great!

My family: Mom, Nicole (sis-in-law), my bro, Bride & Groom, and my Dad--

My new family: Craig, Groom & Bride, Cindy, and Tiffany--

Our Fabulously Fun wedding party:
L to R-- Lisa Nelson, Clare Benson, Nicole Helak, Taylor Ward, Tiffany Whitley, Andriana Vincent, Jessica Metcalf (MOH), BRIDE, GROOM, Chase Wiseman (BM), Matt Helak, Jake Goforth, Greg Holland, Brenton Dalgliesh, Ryan Johnson, and B.J. Wirgau--

Such sweet, lovely friends :)

Hannah is my cousin and was my flower girl. She is very special to our family :)

Exchanging our wedding rings;
I bind myself to you, now and forever

You ROCK Zack! I'm so glad you're "The One!" for me. Because remember everything about our wedding day, I decided we're going to get re-married every year on our anniversary.

Does anyone have a problem with that?
No? OK, perfect :)
See you for rehearsal ;)

Have I mentioned I loved getting married??? :)

all photos courtesy Mandy Gould

T.G.I.F.

It is Friday and I am SO glad! For some reason this week was particularly tiring. I have no clue why. I worked every day...? Well, never mind, I did work every day. Zack took a day off this week because he was sick, and last week I took a day off. Not only do I spend 8.5 hours at work, daily, but I also spend roughly 1.04 hours commuting because of traffic. And also because I still don't know my way around town to know if this Target is closer or if this one is. Same goes for the grocery store and bank. I feel like I spend a lot of unnecessary time driving.

I had a bit of a rough start this morning. I blame it on not wanting to get out of bed so I was almost late for work. Yeah, not my fault. But I fixed it by having a hand full of Combos for breakfast. With some Vitamin water. See, balance :)

Yesterday morning was quite adventurous. First, I got out of the shower scared because I thought someone was in our house. Zack was sound asleep and here I am dripping wet and scared. Poor thing had to wake up to me screaming at him to fight off "the attacker." He must have been so confused :( Well, we realized it was just our neighbor Betty getting out of her car (at 6:19 a.m.?) and then going into her house. I swear it sounded just like someone was pulling our blinds open and crawling through the window. Turns out it was just her squeaky door. OK. Glad that was nothing. But I still wasn't satisfied. I took a little walk around the inside of our house... and guess what I found... a window with a 2" gap from when we took out the air conditioner about a month ago. Yeah. So THAT is why I have been "freezing cold and so uncomfortable" these last few weeks. Humph.

:) Mystery solved.

We have some fun plans for this weekend. Made by "The Planner" herself :)
Right now I can't get out of my head how wonderful and warm it's going to be tonight when I can get in bed again.

Did you know it's supposed to snow here Monday and Tuesday?
Good thing that window is closed!

Secrets to a Happy Marriage

I love this website: thenest.com

It is full of post-wedding advice, plus great articles on nearly every important topic.

Here are some great Secrets to a Happy Marriage :)

"If you're arguing over how to do a task, please remember that the results will not matter in one day, one week, one month, or one year. Chill out."

"Don't forget to keep 'dating' after you're married. Getting all dolled up and going out on the town, sneaking kisses in the movie theater -- these help keep things exciting!"

"Don't complain or talk badly about your husband to your friends, parents, or siblings. You'll forgive him long before they do. Keep your mouth shut or talk to him about whatever is bothering you. Otherwise, you risk having your relationship judged or commented on by others. And if you have to get it out, write in a journal. Diaries are nonjudgmental, and you'll be more likely to share the bad and the good of your marriage."

"Don't think that there won't be any problems after the wedding. There are bound to be difficulties. The key is to face them and get over them. Talk about what you're feeling and don't try to hide your problems from your spouse -- they'll only explode later on. It's like when you have a wound: Putting alcohol on it hurts immensely, but it disinfects it, stops it from getting worse, and heals it. Talking things out works the same way."

"Sleep naked!"

"Give yourselves at least one day each week to act like children -- like very best friends who have the whole day to do nothing but act ridiculous and laugh hysterically at nothing in particular. By obliging the everyday routine of the workweek, you tend to overlook the true purpose of life: enjoying each other and building a happy, memorable life together. I also recommend getting a dog. To me, this piece of advice is the most important because it allows a couple to have a gentle escape when you just need that extra bit of companionship. Pick a dog that fits your lifestyle and see what an amazing change this new friend can bring into your life."

"Always remember you don't own your spouse -- your spouse is a gift, not a possession."

"Be the bigger person -- be the first to apologize. I personally struggle with this. I don't want to be the first to say sorry! But marriage is more important than our own little self-interests, so I try."

"Nobody is perfect, not even you. Just remember that when he forgets something important or messes up; you could eventually do that too. And when you do, youll hope he won't hold it over your head for the next 50 years!"

"You need to be willing to make more than 50 percent of the effort nearly all of the time. This isn't about being a doormat; it's about really giving your all to the relationship and doing what's best for you as a couple. Don’t be territorial about things, like who changes the toilet paper roll. If each partner puts in what he or she perceives as more than half the effort, things will work pretty well."

"No marriage is perfect or easy, and both people must work at it. Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow. Build a strong team structure. Once that’s in place, then think about kids."