Gearing up and dealing with stress

This next few weeks are going to be super super busy with DJing, main job, second job, cousin's wedding planning, wedding showers, Foxfields, and much more tiny things, so I am prepping for my stress levels to go up. I would love to not be stressed out so I am going to make it a goal to do one of the following at least once a day:

• When I am in the car, drive with NO music or radio on. Sounds a bit funny but when I get crazy busy, this is like the only time I am alone to decompress.
• Take a hot yoga/yoga class.
• Walk with Mousse and Jason. Possibly squeeze in a marina date. (Fav thing to do, the three of us)

• Bake. Maybe these. or these.
• SLEEP at least 8 hours. 
• Stick with my exercising program and goals. I tend to slack when I have a lot going on. Plus I just feel better when I work out. 

• Bike ride. Long/short distances will do, as long as I get something in. 
• Skype with the Kobers. (Will help that they will be here at the end of MAY! YAY!)
• Learn to meditate. 
• Have a talk with Jason and go on dates with him as much as possible. He makes me feel better instantly and possible less crazy than I feel like I am. 
• Always remember this....

Yes. Easier said then done sometimes. I feel I am in the middle of SO many changes and seemingly huge life decisions so it is very important for me to remember that I am in control of my happiness. I let pressure control me and I need to just let it all go and do what makes me happy. 

Any tips on stress relief? What helps you?

xoxo

Pearl

Shrimp and that $400 Chair

The other night I met up with my mom, aunt and sister to pig out at one of the best pig pickin' places around here, The County Grill and then to do some shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Priorities first though people. The food is just amazing here. They also serve mouthwatering corn muffins with the creamiest butter in the world. I may or may not have taken like 5 with me for later.

You may drool. I give permission only because I did. 

Because I knew I would binge inhale delicately eat these muffins from heaven, I chose my entree carefully. I normally splurge and get the pulled pork sandwich with crinkle fries (duh) but I decided to go with something different and chose the bacon wrapped shrimp with black eyed peas. Southern meal WHAT!? 

I was a fatty and took a few bites of the beans before I realized I am trying to actually keep up with this blog haha and to do that you need photos! I at least did not mess up the fancy swish of bbq sauce on the plate. A picture of me licking the plate would have been classy. 

After, we rolled our big bellies over to BBB to pick up some gifts for my cousin, Sam's, bridal shower(s). (She will be having three showers over the next 4 weeks!) I can for real live in this store. You always realize how you cannot possible live without all of the kitchen gadgets this store carries. What is even better is it is actually decently priced and they always accept coupons that expired like 5 years ago. (EVERY time. I never even bother to look at the date any more, it is fantastic.) Those coupons save you even more money. Score!

Well we finally got out of the kitchen section (our basket was full) and stumbled across this beauty!

Who does not need this!? Ugh. If that baby was within my budget of $20, I would be doing this blog while swinging away in that bad boy. Who would pay $399 for this? Wowza. I enjoyed my swinging chair experience for a few moments and grudgingly got up to check out. Sad face. 

Ps. I bought my super power shoes while I was in MI and LOVE LOVE THEM! So comfy and once I got them a little dirty, they are even better. Is it just me or does super bright new shoes make you feel like a giant douche? I like to scuff em' up a bit. 

xoxo

Pearl

Mornings with Mousse

To say I love my dog is a little bit of an understatement. Mousse is pretty awesome. With our crazy schedules, it becomes a little hard to keep a strict routine when it comes to him so me knowing that we have our mornings together is just super duper. As of recently, I have been working out at home so I get up around 5:30am and trot downstairs and find him slowly and sluggishly getting off the couch before I "catch" him. (Jason and I have been at war with Mousse and the couch. We all three came to a compromise that as long as he didn't jump up there during the day or while we were sitting on it at night, he could have rights to the couch when we were gone or while we were sleeping. It is going well. He doesn't jump up on the couch whenever he wants to and that is all we really care about. Plus it is pretty funny that he thinks we don't know he gets up there "behind our backs". Sneaky bastard.) So while he is basically walking around still asleep, I pop in my dvd and get ready to do my thing. 10% of the time he slumps down on his bed and goes back to sleep or just stares at me like I am having a seizure. He might even decide that during my workout that I am annoying him and gets up and re-locates to the freaking MIDDLE of the floor where I happen to be jumping around and such. Geez. The other 90% of the time...well...Mousse wants to work out too. He thinks we are playing and either brings a toy to me and I multi-task with high jumps and a rowdy game of tug-o-war. Or I will be doing floor work and he will come right up and help out with the sweat by licking my face off. Crazy dog. Days like this I like to end the dvd early and go for a nice run with him to get that energy out that I love oh-so-much!

This mornings rendition of Tug-O-War. I won. 

He hydrated.....

....and do did I! Yummy Shakeology!

xoxo
Pearl

Can I "wine" for a minute?

Yesterday was rough. Nothing too out of the ordinary but it didn't help that I thought it was Friday alllllll day. I was just ready to be off work and come home. I had a ton of little things to do but all was derailed when I came into the house and saw this loverly scene.

Nice right? Love that dog but when you are already distracted with a million things, you can't focus when you are stepping on piles of fuzz and plastic.

J must have seriously read my mind because he walked in the door with sunflowers! This man has never brought me flowers before. He has given me rose bushes and stuff to plant in our yard (which I love!) but it was such a nice surprise. Add in the delicious tuna bites he made for dinner and I was just a happy camper. I sat at the table and poured a glass of wine and started reading my new issue of Shape magazine. Totally made the rest of the day worth it.

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

xoxo

Pearl

Apology

WOW. I have neglected this blog. I could go into details on why (wedding, getting jilted on our honeymoon, NOT moving into our house yet, packing STILL, and other fun things that life has thrown our way) but because I have vowed to not be so negative I won't do that. What I will do is share my amazing and blessed life lately according to my iphone:

life is pretty freaking fantastic....

xoxo

pearl

Wedding. Wedding. Wedding. House. House. House. Work. Work. Work.

…..not necessarily in that order :) My life lately has been all of the following:



1. busy

2. motivating

3. busy

4. EXCITING

5. busy

6. exhausting

7. busy

8. very….very….FUN



Between the wedding and building our house, needless to say we are going full throttle. I honestly wouldn’t change a thing though mainly because I really feel Jason and I have a system with all of this, or we kinda feel like we do. One of the best things I have found to help me are LISTS. Yep. The over-prepping, micro-managed lists that I never thought I would do but I have had TONS of them!! So here is a little sneak peak on whats going on!



WEDDING STUFF TO DO! – Not bad for less than three months away, if I do say so myself.
Wedding Baskets for out-of-towners. Have list. Need to buy and assemble.

Baskets for bathrooms at the marina.

Props for the photobooth.

Pick up flags from Nags Head Rental Company.

Buy materials for making boutonnieres.

Buy marriage license (!!!)

Finalize Playlist for pre-ceremony and reception.

Edit mix for Ceremony.

Final dress fitting.

Buy Jason new sandals for ceremony…and subsequently hide them so he can’t mess them up.

Get step stool and decorate for ceremony (you think im kidding…)



HOUSE STUFF TO DO!
Painting to be finished this week.

Final trim out with light switches, HVAC vents, etc.

Pick out ceiling fans and pendant lights for kitchen.

Carpet and laminate installed.

Toilets, sinks and vanities set.

Water, sewer and power connected.

Final grading.

C.O. INSPECTION!!!

MOVE IN!!!

Oh. And…….START PACKING. Hahaha.

Um HELLO 2011?!??!?

Bajeezus. I cannot believe that 2010 is over. So much amazing stuff happened this year that it is almost overwhelming to think back on. However, bring it on 2011. This is our year. We are moving into our house in the next few months, GET MARRIED and spending a week in Jamaica just the two of us. It is just so wonderful to think about. Who knows what else is in store for us?!!

Have a FANTASGREAT new year!!

Wedding Inspiration

I have seen these profiled here and there throughout blogland so i decided to make one for Jason and mines wedding because i have a SERIOUS amount of pics that i have copied and pasted into my computer to keep my creative juices flowing for the wedding. Looking through all those pictures, I realized that I have had a ton of ideas for this wedding and only have a few stuck around. Which made me realize thatI have learned a few fun things over the past 8 months of being engaged (!!!) so i though i would share them:

1) With long engagements, you tend to change your mind alot with the miles and miles of information at your fingertips for wedding planning. Def. not a bad thing because you are just throwing your ideas around at first. When we first started planning I had a image in my head of the wedding. The image is the same now except i have more colors (im not a matchy-matchy kinda person and well, Jason? He is lucky if he gets a shirt on without holes in them so he could care less) and we are just doing what we want without wondering if people will "get it".

2) One of the first pieces of advice my Mom told me when we first got engaged was "ITS YOUR WEDDING. Dont try and make anyone happy but you and Jason. Do what you want and everyone will love it." Ive heard this advice before and Ive read about it in magazines and blogs and it hasnt really sunk in until recently. Jason and I wanted this wedding to be a party. Be FUN. Reflect both of us, not only individually but as a couple. So that is our mantra for the whole thing. We are doing it because we want to and we think the whole thing is gonna be a blast.

3) family, family, family. When it comes down to it? That is what is ALL about. Jason and I consider our friends a part of our family too so its all the same. When doing our guest list we carefully considered who we knew would be a part of our lives for a long, loooooong time. When we were done with it and looked over the list, i realized that every name i saw typed out was our family and who we wanted to experience the coolest day of our lives with. (Jason looked at it and said "looks like a kick ass party to me!") The most important thing isnt the colors of the dresses or what kind of "cake" we are gonna have but its about celebrating the choice that Jason and I made to spend our lives together. That is pretty awesome. Who better to surround you than family?

4) MUSIC. Seriously. The playlist is hard. I was going to include in the RSVP a section to where all of our guests can put down a song or two that they wanted to hear but I quickley vetoed that once i realized that just between Jason and I, we have almost 250 songs on our playlist. Its only October! We have many more months of hearing songs and going "OH OH! I LOVE THAT SONG!" or Jason texting me after a few bud lights telling me to add Children of the Sun to the list. So I have decided what the hardest part of this entire wedding is going to cutting down the playlist. (Either that or have a 10 hour reception....hmmm.)

5) I have learned that being engaged is just awesome. I love everytime someone asks me to see my ring and tell the story behind it. I love annoying Jason with how many days until our wedding (232). Most of all i love thinking about the feeling i will have once i can actually call him my husband. Its so cool. <3

have a GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!!!

xoxo

PEARL

Mind Splatter....

You know those days where so many things are going on in your head and you cant seem to sort them out and you just wind up over thinking everything? HMMM. Well unfortunately that is how my days have been the past few weeks...well i lied. Past few months. Without throwing all my dirty laundry out in cyberspace...i do want to vent. 


I have been through some...interesting things in my life. Because of those situations, i have become stronger and the person i am today. so therefore i dont regret anything. i have always said that but i mean it more and more the older i get. i realize the lessons have been taught and there are more lessons to be learned. it does seem that the mistakes that i make dont always add up until a few years later. when im in the middle of the current whirlwind, i kinda shut myself off and dont really want to deal with the real issue why i made the mistake in the first place. i want a quick fix and move on so i can just deal with it later. basically? thats me in a nutshell. im ashamed to say but its my biggest flaw and i realize it so im working on it. basically ive been through a lot of mint choc chip ice cream this past week because of this whole car accident-insurance drama ive been having. but the good news? out of all the drama in my life i have a center. a calm before the storm if you will. without being too corny.... it is jason. i know i know! gag. but in all seriousness, i can be flipping out, crying and being crazy and he just listens and smiles and calmly lets me freak out then once i realize the balance is off, i calm down and we talk things through. ive never really had that before. its amazing and that is my balance. i know that i am his balance  too. i know when to give space and when to be supportive just as he does for me. with these little things, i know we can always get through the tough stuff. the little thing that i love the most is that i can sleep peacefully at night, no matter what happened during the day. we have great families and friends, a roof over our head and a great dog and most of all...eachother. so as nauseating as that may sound to some of you...its the truth. that kinda stuff is love. getting through the bullshit and supporting and listening. 


with all that being said...im gonna go. im snuggling up with the mousse-man and watching will and grace. jason is having man-night over with Steve and Brandon so i will see him later....something about football? preseason? i have no clue. when does hockey start again??? ;)


xoxo 
pearl

Catch Up!

Whew. The past few weeks have FLOWN by. So much has been going on. In a nutshell? Here is a glimpse in me and Jasons craziness in the past few weeks...

Peggy (jasons mom), Kevin (jasons cousin), Kyle (jasons cousin) and I did the MS150 Ocean to Bay Ride in honor of Jasons uncle Gary who has Multiple Sclerosis. The ride consisted of 150 miles in two days. (Or if you want to get technical...it was about 79 bc it was cut short and CRAZY HOT) I just loved that I did this ride this year with them. It was special to be a part of something that they have done for so long. It opened my eyes to this disease that I feel goes un-noticed. I was def. inspired to keep riding.

I had my first official Coney Dog in downtown Detroit! I went to Jason's cousin Elizabeths wedding in Detroit and I went to Lafayette Coney Island twice. It was awesome. 

Jason, Gwen and I posing before trying out the street fair's basketball contest. We ventured out with his Aunt Shelly and Uncle Don and had a BLAST. 

I was the only one that made a shot. Go figure. I got a sweet pen that had the Detroit Pistons schedule that rolled out of it like a scroll. I loved it! (Until i realized it was three years old...way to go promotions department haha)

The wedding and reception was GORGEOUS! The room was stunning and had a blast!

I also had a few showers to go to :) This was my friend Taryns baby shower! Her and her husband Gerald had a beautiful baby girl (Madison Taylor) about a week prior to the shower. She was just adorable. My gift was the pink cow she is holding! Isnt it precious! I get it at a shop here in Williamsburg called Paisley and the store is awesome. Check em' out!

Isnt she so sweet??

This is my friend Kristin. She is awesome, pure and simple. I met her at a previous job and we just clicked. Her and her now-husband Matt jetted off to Jamaica to get married, just them and i think it was just perfect for them. She had a shower about a week before they left. It was a blast :)

She had a "gift card tree"! How neat??

mmmmmm. CAKE.

Of course we had to go inside afterwards and have a few more drinks <3 It was at Greenleafe (my fav bar) so we had to! It was at this time we decided we had to give her a proper Bachelorette Party...pics to come :)

AND...we just got back from another wedding in Michigan and Jason finished a hike out in Kings Canyon National Park in California..(talk about AMAZING pics!!) so i will have more later :) But now? Jason just made us his super fantastic stir fry so i have to cut this short!

xoxo

Pearl

Why hello June...you kinda surprised me!!

I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. Its basically June already. (And 356 days till our wedding...what? who is counting?) Already so much has happened this year and as much as I am excited for the next 6 months of 2010, I am trying to not wish it away too quickly bc I tend to do that when I am really excited about things. We have so many friends and family getting married this summer, Jason and I will begin building our garage/loft on our land in the next few months, my Mabecca's 75th bday CRUISE with our family is in August, and then we will be enjoying the holidays once again. Whew. Looking back this year I met my niece Claire for the first time, got engaged to this kinda great guy, went to Arizona and saw the Grand Canyon for the first time, I was published in a national DJ magazine, saw Jasons best friend James get married to his amazing now-wife Lauren,  and both Jason and I have been training for a bike race that I have no idea if I am ready for or not. (MS 150 is NEXT weekend. 150 miles in two days on a bike. Pretty exciting...if exciting means kinda scary? Also I will call Jason out on this...he hasnt trained at all. He is one of those get on a bike and go. Ugh.) So its been a great start to a great year. Cheers to the next 6 months!! 


A few photos that make me happy :)

Mousse chillin' out in my car...that dopey face just melts my heart.

This is my Mabecca on her 75th birthday! We surprised her and told her we were all taking her on a cruise in August. Can't wait!

Meet Sampson. My familys' cat. He is getting kinda old so my parents have to shave him every now and then. He looks like a little lion, I just laugh everytime I look at it. I love animals with personality and he takes the cake for cats with personality. Know of a well-known grumpy cartoon cat? Well. Sampson might have well been his twin. 

I just dont need to explain this photo. I cant look at it without laughing out loud. (Left to right: Jason, me, Laura and Gwen)

My family knows that I enjoy milk. A lot. When I was younger my dad joked about getting a cow out back so I could at least be semi-satisfied. That craving has not gone away and it excites me that my cousin Tyler (T-man) enjoys it as well. For  my familys' bdays we all go out to dinner at a place of that persons choice then we do a "washdown" at Outback Steakhouse. For my parents its Baileys and coffee, for my Aunt Carla its Crown Royal and coke, Jason has the good ole bud light, Uncle Dan and Sarah switch it up and for me and Tman...its milk in a tall frosted beer glass. Genius. 

This is a group shot of all of us at James and Laurens wedding in MA last weekend. I love this group of people. Pure and simple, they just are amazing. (Left to right: Anu, Kevin, Ryan, Pam, me, Jason, James, Lauren, James bro in the back peeking up, Rob, Gwen, Amy and her daughter Charlie, Chuck, Tiffany, Dan and Ashley.

This is my family at Cheeseburger in Paradise for my Dads bday a few weeks ago. (Before our washdown) (Left to right: Tyler, Sarah, Aunt Carla, Uncle Dan, Dad, Mom, Me and Jason)

This is the motley crue aka The Southeastern Chapter of the American Disc Jockey Association. This was the night I got to sit down with them and have a few and get to know most of em. Robbie Britton (red shirt up front) was the speaker at the meeting that evening. He knew some pretty fly bar tricks that he taught us. Oh and that guy in the blue shirt across the table in the front? Thats AC. He got me into DJing when I was 15. Pretty much my big brother and a hell of a great guy. 

HAHA. I love his face expression. 

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

I heart Kilwins!!!

Yes. Ladies and Gentledudes. That is a chocolate covered twinkie. Thats all. Nothing else to say. Kilwins Chocolate Store is now my uphoria.

Think of happy thoughts!

This is what I feel like doing.....

Im at work and completly over this day already!!!! We are remodeling our offices and the fun has now migrated over to my work area. Dont get me wrong! I love me some paint fumes and the chance to re-arrange but adding all this PLUS angry homeowners coming in confused about re-newing their gate cards kinda gets my heart rate going. Doesnt sound as bad as I write it but its more frustrating than I making it out to be. ARGH.

On a positive note! I have a meeting with a client this afternoon for her July wedding! I am SUPER excited. I went to high school with Desiree and and so happy that she is getting married. :)

Speaking of weddings!!!!! My mom and I went shopping on Saturday at the Williamsburg Pottery and got EVERYTHING for the centerpieces!!! They had exactly what I had envisioned!!! The best part? Everything was on clearance!! SCORE! I cannot wait to put them together. They had a huge wall with every type of shell you can imagine. They were cheaper there than buying in bulk online PLUS I am supporting the amazing Williamsburg Pottery :) LOCAL LOVE! Check out this wall!

We also stopped by Kohls and they have the cutest line of dishes and trinkets out now that are beachy and fun! AND ON SALE! We bought some shell dishes for the M&M's we are putting on the tables. After the wedding we will use them for salad bowls or soup... look how cute they are!!

SO. Now back to work. I think I just need to talk or think about wedding stuff whenever I get stressed because I feel so much more relaxed! BRING ON THE HAMMERS GUYS!!!