Oh Halloween

If there is one thing the Mr. and I both love equally, it's Halloween and the ensuing decorations. Growing up his family always went all out and they loved it. My family... not so much. We would make Jack-O-Lanterns but that is about it! Well, now that we are in an apartment we actually like and care to decorate I am getting excited! I went to the Dollar Tree (yeah... we have THAT kind of budget) got a bunch of stuff that looked as uncheesy as possible and I am setting to work. I have already spider webbed up our entry way and seeing as how I am barely through the first bad and I bought 2 of them, I may be wedding some living room space too! (Shhh... don't tell the hubs. He may kill be and use me for decorations if he heard that.) I plan on surprising him with it so he will be so mesmerized by its awesomeness he can't say no! And if he does, well, I'm not taking it down and I know he wont want to pull staples out of the walls.

My real obsession though? Pumpkins. Seriously. I. love. pumpkins. But not the normal carved kind. I like the fancy expensive glass blown kind like this.

 

Or the more affordable but equally as cute painted or decorated pumpkins (with a slight preference to white for some reason...)

I may just have to find a way to make these puppies... I wonder if lace would look the same on fake pumpkins... We will have to see!

Does anybody else <3 Halloween decorations as much as us? What are your favorite parts?

The Little Things

Things have been crazy lately, to say the least. Things have been a roller coaster of event and emotions. But when I stop and look around at the things I have and the people I have put around me, I am forced to realize how blessed I am. One of the things that has really caught be off guard but also really put things into perspective is the kindness of pure strangers.

Throughout the entire process of planning a wedding and now getting used to life as newlyweds we have had more support than I can tell you. The difference between these strangers and our family and friends is simple. While we appreciate and adore all the love and support we have gotten from our loved ones, without sounding ungrateful, it is what we expect from them. It is why we have chosen to keep them in our lives and keep them close. It is why we love them. With strangers, it is not out of obligation that they show their love and support. It is out of pure kindness. For me, genuine kindness is something to be treasured and truly appreciated when it is given. So, it is with the greatest amount of sincerity I can muster, that I thank my fellow Bees. You ladies have been amazing and anybody should be truly honored to have you in their lives.

Lazy Sundays

Most weekends right now are either spent with me working or Brian working. With graduation being just over two months away for Brian (and 5 1/2 years coming) he is busy working on so many projects I can't even keep them straight! While I am holding down 2 part time jobs waiting for said graduation so that we can figure out where we will be living based on the job he gets. Only then can I start applying to be a Police Officer.

All that to say, we are usually very very busy people... or just tired people. Either way, we took this weekend as an opportunity to actually spend some time together. And it was nothing crazy. We both woke up as late as possible, he took Arwen out to potty while I rolled over and went back to sleep. (I am anything but a morning person.) Starbucks for lunch, took Arwen to the dog park where she played non-stop for an hour or so, home to play on our addictions (AKA computers) and then off to the park for a picnic dinner. Simple. Chill. Perfect.

With how crazy our lives are and how insane and impossible things seem like they can be sometimes, it is days like these I am reminded why I married this man. We can manage to find the most perfect way to just be together and yet manage to have done nothing really major at all. It isn't always about the super excited and expensively romantic things we do. Sometimes it is just about spending lazy Sunday's together just being that. Together.

Where to Begin...

Every blog has a beginning. And every beginning post is as awkward as the last. So, let the awkwardness begin!

I am Kristen, the newly Kristen Shef, to be exact. I am a graduate (thank God!) of The University of North Texas (GO MEAN GREEN!) with a degree in Criminal Justice. I am not at all what you picture when you think of somebody who loves Criminal Justice and the Law. I am closer to the chick on Legally Blonde than I am to Officer Krupke. I have always kinda likes being the "unexpected" and doing things a little different. I love the girly things in life but can run with the big boys.

Now, Brian is about to graduate from UT Arlington with his degree in Software Engineering. He already has his foot in the door working for a game development company. (Which acts just like what you see on TV!) He is a nerd and gamer through and through. But I still love him!

What I love about us is how oh so very different we are from one another. Yet, I think it makes up perfect for each other! We have so much going for us already and even bigger plans for our future. So, get ready for the ride as we learn how to make the big shift from singledom to newlyweds!