Christmas Specials

Hello Sweet Friends!  I have some wonderful holiday deals for you when you stop by my website.  Make sure you take a moment to check them out because these deals won't last long and some of these items are seasonal!  

Shift where you shop this holiday season, and make sure your gifts are Pure, Safe, and Beneficial!

Gift Ideas from the Arbonne Holiday Line:

Lexie's Pick
She LOVES this shampoo and looks forward to getting it in her stocking each year!

Hadlie's Pick
The Arbonne Lip Gloss leaves your lips feeling softer than anything we've ever tried before!
Hadlie loves putting on her "lips"!

Josh's Pick
The Sky for Men is amazing, and it smells oh so good!
Get more than one set so you have it all year long!

Teacher's Gift
This is my favorite gift set for our teachers!
Great price and great products!

My Gift Pick
Divide it up to use as stocking stuffers, use it as a teacher's gift, or keep it for yourself!
Such amazing hand cream!

You will find more great items that we have year round when you "Shop Online".  The same discounts apply for these as well!  This discount is a great time to "gift yourself" some great skin care or get ready for the New Year by getting your Arbonne Essentials!

30 for 30

Yesterday I turned 30!  It was bittersweet, and I did much better with it than I thought I would.  I keep hearing how great the 30's are so that gives me hope.  And in all reality, I have so much to be thankful for in my 30 years... especially my amazing husband and beautiful children.  

So here is my goal for 30... to lose 30 lbs.  This will be tough for me because I'm a girl who LOVES food and isn't totally crazy about exercising.  And to be honest, 30 lbs lighter is a weight I haven't seen since, well... before college.  So it will be a challenge, but one I am prepared for and excited to take on!

I lost quite a bit of weight last year in preparation for my wedding.  (Exciting to lose the weight, but wedding dress alterations sure are expensive.)  Once it got close I started getting way off track in all the stress of things.  The worst part is that I've stayed off track.  As of today's weigh in, I've gained like 8 lbs back.  Ack!

So here I go, getting back in the gym and back to eating better.  I'd love for you to follow me on My Fitness Pal (mrsmarick).  If you are on there, I'd love for you to "friend" me.  I could definitely use the support!

30 lbs for 30 years... Let's do it!

November 2011 Weight
(Notice my fat face)

Wedding Day Weight

2012 Starting Weight
(The jacket helps hide my fat arms, but gotta shrink that tummy & booty) 

The Wedding

Pictures have been in for awhile now, and I have totally slacked on sharing them on here!  I wanted to post enough of them to sum up the day, so here goes!  

Photography:
Crystal DeAnda Photography
http://crystaldeanda.com/
Crystal is fabulously sweet and wonderful in every way!  She made us feel so beautiful, and we are thrilled with how well the pictures turned out!  I hope you enjoy them!

My wedding band.  Passed down to be from my Granddaddy.  It was his mother's wedding band.

Leaving the reception!

Special moments before the ceremony!

Praying with our sweet children and pastor.

So glad to be spending the rest of my life walking hand in hand with this amazing man of God.

Venue:
MD Resort
www.mdresort.com
MD Resort is the sweetest coziest little bed and breakfast.  We used them for the venue and catering.  They were so helpful and kind.  They were willing to go out of their way to make sure everything I wanted happened.  We enjoyed our stay there, and we look forward to going back on our first anniversary!  It was definitely the perfect venue for our rustic chic wedding!

Ceremony site - Pecan Orchard.
The reception was held in the Party Barn.

Decorations:
DIY
We did all of our decorating on our own!  Most of the crafty fabulous things that you see were done by my super talented Aunt Lisa.  A huge thanks to my mom, sister, and dad who also helped make everything we needed!  It was a little stressful going the DIY route, but it was oh so fun!

These are quilts that my Nanny has made for all of us.

Ceremony Music:

Jack Baldwin
Jack is a member of our church.  My desire was to have Canon in D played with only an acoustic guitar with the Bridal Chorus and Wedding March also with only the guitar.  He did a fantastic job making this dream come true!














Reception Music:
Melodies & Memories
http://melmemdj.com
Melody is super talented and is using her God given talents being a DJ!  She was the perfect fit for our crowd, as I imagine that she is for any group.  We loved every moment of having her with us.  I would recommend her for any wedding or event because she was just that fun and that great at what she does!  She truly completed the night!

Party Favors:
DIY
My Aunt Lisa & Nanny were oh so sweet to make little jars of jelly for all of my guests!  It was the perfect touch!




 
















Flowers:
Celebrations by Judy
www.celebrationsbyjudy.com
Us finding Judy was truly God's work.  She was so helpful and kind.  She was more than willing to work within our budget, never trying to sell us more than we needed.  She saw my vision and helped make it a reality.  

Cake:
Too Sweeties Bake Shoppe
www.toosweeties.com
My dear friend, Jennifer, runs Too Sweeties Bake Shoppe!  She makes the yummiest cakes and cupcakes.  She made me a beautiful lace wedding cake that tasted amazing!  Her cakes never disappoint!

Pies:
The Flour Shop Bakery
www.ilovetheflourshopbakery.com
This great little bakery is not far from us in Highland Village, TX.  This was our first time to get pies from there, and they were fantastic.  The price was great and the pies were even better!  

 

 And now we are living our happily ever after!

Just One Night

Josh and I had planned to go out of town this weekend to a benefit in Oklahoma.  Unfortunately, Josh could not find someone to work for him in time for us to be able to still attend.  At the last minute he was able to find someone to work for him so we planned to go camping.  Our back up plan seemed like a good one, and we were excited.  After all, we hadn't had a single minute alone since our wedding night.  

Anyone who has children probably already knows how this story goes.  Yep, our kids schedule changed, and that nixed our plans!  So here we are... married for two weeks... our first chance to get some time together... and wham, it's not going to happen!

Both of us had already taken the time off work so we agreed to just go ahead and keep the days off.  After all, we had a zillion in one things to do.  (Like get my name changed, a task I've been avoiding... but that's another story.)  We spent day one doing some house stuff and taking care of the kiddos (the reason for the change in plans to begin with), and tomorrow we will go forward with our plans to get everything else done.

On one hand, it's a good thing that we didn't get to go anywhere because we did have stuff that needed to get done here.  Stuff that will lift a huge weight off my shoulders when it is finally done.  On the other hand, it is so frustrating that we haven't had any time together.  Is it really too much to ask that we get just one night alone together?!?  It makes me wish we would have just sucked it up and went on a honeymoon for a week right after the wedding.  But we didn't because we didn't want to leave the kids in the middle of all that's going on right now.  

I love my kids, and I'm grateful for every moment with them.  But right now I'd really like just one night with my husband (with no child in between us).  Maybe next year... for our anniversary... if our kids' schedules allow it.

Wedding Planning

I always imagined I'd be the girl who would blog about every step of planning my wedding.  I'd share the intricate details about choosing the right florist and the struggles of finding a dress.  I would capture these moments so they would stay close in my heart forever.  Then on bad days, I could look back and remember all the joy that went into planning my wedding and the blissful feelings I had as I prepared to marry Mr. Joshua Marick.

Then we started planning.  And it was hard.  And it was messy.  And in the end it was a beautifully perfect testimony of God's presence in our lives... my life to be more specific.  So here is my account of planning the wedding of my dreams to the man of my dreams.

Josh proposed on New Year's Eve.  Since our anniversary (dating) was on New Year's Day, it was the perfect way to finish off our 4th year together.  We started our 5th year engaged!  How super exciting!

Immediately the planning began.  I knew right away that I wanted rustic chic feel to the wedding, and thanks to an episode of David Tutera, I wanted the reception to be in a barn.  So I googled party barns, and found one I loved.  Upon doing research about the place, I found out it was actually the venue used in the episode of David Tutera that had become my wedding inspiration!  And that was my sign (because I'm big on signs), that this was meant to be.  MD Resort in Aurora, TX would be my wedding venue.

I called and scheduled a meeting for us to go visit.  It was a long drive and in the country.  I questioned my decision for a split second.  But then we arrived and we walked around and talked numbers, and well... it was all fitting together.  Then we got to view the rooms at MD Resort.  It is a Bed & Breakfast so each room has it's own little theme.  We got to the suites and walked into the Western Vista.  It was a two story suite that smelled like the Lake House my family had when I was growing up.  Another sign.  It was meant to be.  At that moment, I knew all I had to do was convince Josh that this was what he wanted also.  I mean, he couldn't really be set on the church wedding he'd always dreamed of, could he?!?

Because Josh is who he is, he had an opinion on things.  And he needed to feel like his opinion was heard and mattered.  So I listened and my heart started to slowly break.  I didn't want to take away his dream wedding just so mine could happen.  After all, I could make anything work.  But then in true Josh fashion he goes, "Is this what you really want?"  My hopeful eyes screamed "Yes!  Yes!  Yes!" at him, while I sheepishly said, "Yes.  It really is."  And he kissed me and agreed that MD Resort was the perfect place for our wedding!  I was ecstatic!

MD Resort has a full kitchen and does their own catering.  We could bring in all our own vendors except for food.  And I had already told them all I wanted to do was rent the venue.  I did not want any of their wedding packages because I had my own visions... I was a DIY bride!  DIY could easily be replaced with crazy, but we won't go there right now.  So back to the food, they were able to provide my rustic meal of brisket, loaded mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls.  We were set.  So I thought...

Enter first problem.  These people wanted money.  Crazy, I know!  Well, when you are planning a wedding and your family is on a huge budget (that's another story for another day) then you can't just write check after check without thinking and planning.  And these budget problems seemed to be the trend for the remainder of the wedding planning.

So wedding planning started to become more and more stressful.  There were wonderfully exciting moments, like finding my dress followed by more frustrating moments... the dress would have to wait.  This pattern continued throughout the entire wedding planning process.  Numerous nights I spent crying over the frustration I felt about it not coming easy, the way I always imagined.  Then I would cry out of the guilt I felt for being so materialistic and wanting so many things that truly didn't matter as long as I married Josh.  Then the road blocks began to feel more like signs.  Perhaps this was God telling me not to marry Josh.  Cue more tears.  More confusion.  And a lot more guilt.  

But every time I wanted to give up and run to the Justice of the Peace something would work out.  The pieces would start to fit together.  The signs I thought pointed in the direction of running away and leaving Josh far behind me began to point straight to God's goodness.  

Throughout this entire process my family and I saw firsthand the work of our good Lord.  Sometimes it came in the form of our daily devotionals.  Other times it was friends or family members.  And for me, it was the constant reassurance from Josh.  Never giving up.  Never failing to hold me when I needed it.  Never belittling my wedding dreams and the importance they held in my mind.  

Eventually I began to see God's work for what it was, and I began to quit doubting His plan.  Because as silly as it may seem, my wedding was important to God.  Because I am important to God.  I finally came to the realization one day that God was going to provide all we needed.  But I had to stop doubting Him.  I had to trust.  And amazingly enough, once I did, the wedding planning became the blissful feeling I had hoped it would be from the beginning.  

I know God's hand in my wedding was shown through the countless people who love Josh and I.  It was shown more often than not through my parents selfless giving and sacrificing.  It was shown through my sister, my aunt, my grandparents.  All 120 people in attendance (and the others who weren't) had a hand in making it happen... they helped make the dreams of my wedding day come true in ways I never knew possible.

Needless to say, Josh and I are so very blessed.  There aren't enough "thank you's" in the world that could possibly express the way we feel about everyone who made our dreams come true.  Every single detail was just the way I wanted it.  There was nothing in the world that could have made our day more perfect.  Not even warmer weather... because that just added to our memory bank of the most spectacular day of our lives!

I am now that wife who thinks she has the most perfectly imperfect husband.  I'm more in love with him than I ever knew possible.  When I look back on planning our wedding it is not what I thought it would be.  I don't see flower arrangements or interviews with vendors.  I see love.  An overwhelming, out of this world kind of love.  And I see lessons... lessons in trusting God.  Much needed lessons in patience.  Lessons in sacrifice (thanks Mom & Dad).  

I will forever be grateful to my parents for all that they did and all the sacrifices they made.  The heartache they shared, the tears they wiped, and the absolute joys I was able to share with them.  I will always hold close to me the moments of trying on my dress with the people I love right there beside me, praying with my dad on a particularly rough day, endless dress shopping with my mom (for my mom), and cramming crafts and wraps into the most crazy wonderful wedding week a girl could imagine!  

This was my story of planning my wedding.  My story of love.  My story of dreams come true.  

I can't wait to share the wedding day details with you!

Here Comes the Bride

I can't believe it!  I'm getting married in 90 days!  It may seem a little obsessive to count the days, but we have been together for over 5 1/2 years.  And we've been discussing getting married for the majority of that time.  Now that the timing is right to finally take a moment for ourselves, I couldn't be more excited!

You would think that anticipating this day for (literally) years would mean we have everything in order and know just what we want.  Well, here we are... 90 days to go... and still so many decisions to be made!  It seems overwhelming at times and blissfully fun at other times.  I only hope that I can hang on to each and every moment as the process unfolds so that some day down the road as Josh and I sit in our front porch, watching our grandchildren play, we can look back and reminisce on the adventure that started it all!

Flower Girl Dress

We have started our premarital counseling.  (For lack of better words.)  We have a wonderful mentor couple, and I feel we are well on our journey to a marriage that includes God, Josh, and myself.  I am currently praying that I will be able to fulfill my role as an obedient and submissive wife, letting Josh lead our family.  These will be true tests for me and will require daily prayer and guidance from God.

We know where the wedding is going to be and what theme we are going with!  We have chosen my dress, invitations, flower girl dresses, and food!  We have spent countless hours debating cakes, pies, decorations, attire, photographers, etc.  Tonight we will tackle the final cake design (after baseball is over, of course).  Follow me on Pinterest to see my rather chaotic obsession with pinning wedding ideas.  You will also get an idea of the feel that we are taking with things!  (Or you can visit our wedding website!)


It's never ceases to amaze me that I can spend hours thinking about wedding details and ideas.  However, when I lay down at night all I can think about is how completely and utterly incredible it will be to finally be Mrs. Joshua Marick.  The thought of waking up everyday, sharing every moment, and loving each other into eternity brings peace to my soul.  And in those moments, I'm able to realize that it doesn't matter what shoes I wear or how I fix my hair... at the end of the day, I will be married to my best friend!

Dinner Calendar

Many people have inquired about our dinner calendar.  I used to do it as a word document and print it out.  Now I just type it in on Google Calendar (because I'm not fancy or computer savvy), and it seems to be working.  I also like that Google allows me to easily move dates or change them as needed.  You can search it under Jessica's Dinner Calendar (I believe) or here is the link.

Here is a little picture of it.  Enjoy!