it's all in the details.

By now, it's really no surprise that I am a terrible blogger. I tried to do the 30 days - and I gave it a good attempt, but having three jobs...life gets in the way. But, I digress. I had a surprise party for my mom at my house on October 9, and it was a drunkfest amazing. This year marks her 55th birthday. I like it when numbers make sense, and if you do the math, you'll find that she was born in 1955, turned 55 and her birthday is 10/15.

My sister and I worked hard for months, getting decorations, finding addresses of mom's friends, buying champagne, sending invites, etc etc and I think the hard work paid off. Mom was genuninely surprised and I was so happy with the way everything turned out.

We had a professional photographer attend the event to capture everything and he was awesome. Check out the packaging on my cd I received in the mail from Bella Grace Studios:

So great, right? It's the little things. I was so happy to receive this, I almost didn't want to open it. Pictures from the party to come...tomorrow. Promise.

Day 23: a YouTube video

So, I don't check out YouTube frequently, so I'm just posting a YouTube video of my favorite commercial that's out right now. I love commercials. I guess it's the marketing gal in me, but I love them. I'm also a sucker for talking animals. The happy cows come from California? Love them. The KIA hamsters? Adorable. But this - this takes the cake:

Day 22: A website

I'm totally trying to make up for lost time full of surgery, a gimpy hand/wrist and preparing for this weekend's Bourbon Ball.

So, a website. Well...I'm on websites all the time. It's pretty much what I do best. My favorite website is technically a blog.

Cupcakes and Cashmere is borderline amazing. The blog author, Emily, is a doll and has the best fashion, as well as a pretty amazing life, I might add. She not only blogs about fashion, but also fashion, travel and sometimes just life in general. She's a great photographer - and includes multiple photos with every post. I follow her religiously...and you should, too.

The following photos have all been taken directly from Emily's blog and are property of Cupcakes and Cashmere.

Day 21: A recipe

Um...I'm going to go non traditional on this one and give you a recipe for disaster.

Lindsay Lohan + $300,000 bail = Disaster.

Homegirl should be in jail or rehab for at least six months. For cereal.

Day 20 - a hobby of mine

Okay - a hobby is defined as an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation. So, I would say that the invitation design is my hobby - because I kind of feel like it is and it's not my main occupation - but I've talked about that ad nauseum the past few posts, so I'm going with working out.

I work out almost everyday and I don't feel complete if I haven't done so. I'm also a part-time personal trainer (yes, I sort of have three jobs) which I LOVE. I run a women's only fitness boot camp three days a week but I really enjoy working out in my own time, as well. I am borderline obsessed with fitness which is funny because I have such a sweet tooth.

But nothing makes my day better than pounding on the pavement, or a great spin class or an hour on the elliptical followed by strength training. My body has changed drastically over the past few years due to my love for the gym, and I love it. I definitely fluctuate at times, but I'm happiest living a healthy lifestyle.

Day 19: A Talent of Mine...

Well, I would start by stating the obvious - I feel I'm fairly creative. I mean, I did major in Studio Art in college. I'm not Picasso or anything - but I'm pretty good. I received recognition for pieces while in high school and in college.

That being said, I've not even picked up a paint brush since I graduated. It's sad. I'm trying to get back in to it, but time is really a factor. And I don't have any photos of any of my work on hand. So for today, I'm going to be a complete attention whore and direct you, once again, to my etsy shop. This is my creative outlet for the time being - designing stationery, notecards, inviations, etc.

www.etsy.com/shop/fleurdebeedesigns

Day 18: My Wedding

Get ready for a long post, because I can talk about my wedding all day long. Originally, I was opposed to the idea of a destination wedding when Kyle proposed the idea. Would everyone come? How was I going to plan a wedding from thousands of miles away? Was my Dad going to be okay with me not marrying in a Catholic church? Eventually - and by eventually, I mean not long at all - I agreed to go for it. And I'm so happy that I did. It was, hands down, the best week of my life thus far. We were married on June 6, 2009 in St. Thomas, USVI. We took 40 of our friends and family there, and it was pretty fabulous. Here are details:

The first time my Dad saw me:



Our kick ass reception at Havana Blue (one of my fav restaurants on the island):

Cake! Tropical carrot cake with cream cheese filling and chocolate cake with chai mascarpone cheese filling.

Custom drink menu:

My seating cards:

An impromptu first dance - our friend Emily sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow for us: 

We were feeling good at the Rum Bar, at the after party: 

The next day, we did a Trash the Dress session (but not with my actual dress):

And then we had a reception back in Louisville at the Ali Center on July 11: