So much to do, so little time...

Today has been a crazy day! Kristofer called the Swedish Embassy on his lunch break to found out all the information needed for the Swedish wedding. We have to fill out some forms and also include a certificate stating that I have never been married. I called the County Clerks office today and after going through recorded messages and being on hold I finally talked to an actual human after ten minutes! I'm pretty sure that they just read information straight off their website while going through the voice directory! I then got to talk to multiple people since not everyone knows all the information that is expected to be known on marriage.

I found out that they don't necessarily have a certificate stating that I have not been previously married. What they can do is search the database for each past year to see if there is a record of marriage. The fee is $2 per person, per year plus $7 for the certificate. I then asked what I needed to do in regards to making the marriage legal in the States. Of course I had to be transferred to another person yet again! I talked to the next operator and she basically told me, 'go to the website and it will tell you what to do'... Awesome! So I get off the phone and go to the website and read information on the "Apostilles" that I will need to file. I guess this will basically check the authenticity of our Swedish marriage license in order to make it legit in the states. So that is the latest on the legalization of our marriage!

I also went to Michaels this morning and got the remaining supplies to make the invitations. I need to find 6x6 envelopes, anyone know where I can find them? I still need to decided how exactly I am going to make the RSVP cards, I am thinking I will just get card stock and print them and cut it up. I bought a paper cutter today as well, so that will help in all the cutting I have in the near future!

Kristofer's mom and grandma have been helping me come up with ideas for the decorations for the Swedish wedding. We are thinking of taking candle holders and decorating them in some way, either with our names and date or frosted with snowflakes on them.





Here are two examples of some ideas we have.

Kristofer and I didn't get to the beach this weekend as planned so I am hoping we will be able to do so this weekend. Especially since he doesn't have school on Saturday! I can't wait to go and look at the pavilion and see if we can realistically have the wedding reception there! Tomorrow I start my new job. I will work a half day tomorrow and Thursday to get to know the boys schedule and then on Monday I will start full time! I am super excited about this job. I love being a nanny and can't wait to get to know these two little boys! But for now, the wedding planning and dreaming continues...

True love stories never have endings. ~Richard Bach 

Weddings on My Mind!

Well over the past two days I have continued to make lists of wedding ideas and things I need to do. And boy, the list keeps growing! The other night I was awake for two hours after I was supposed to be sleeping just thinking about the wedding and everything in between!

Being as we are getting married in Sweden there are some documents we need to have in order to marry since I am not a Swedish citizen. Some how I need to have a legal document stating that I am not married. I have no idea what document to use for that, so I will need to do some research and find out! Another thing to add on the list!

This weekend Kristofer and I are planning on going to the beach to look at the pavilion to see if it will work for a wedding and reception. If it doesn't seem suitable we have decided that we will just have the reception back at our house. We are planning on having a small wedding so we think it would work just fine. I'm excited to go to the beach and start picturing how things will be for the ceremony and possibly the reception.

Even though it will be 'Florida Winter' when we get married, there is a chance that it may be a little warm on the wedding day. So I decided that I wanted to make 'program fans.' Another cheap DIY project!



Something like that. I figure if I just get cardstock paper and print them at home and use a cool stamp on the back, I could make these for under $20. Well, thats the hope of it all! I will see when I go out to actually price everything.

I am finding it to be quite fun planning two weddings. There is a lot to do; everything is double. I have to come up with two different ways of decorating (I already have the decorations for the FL wedding, but I don't think I will be able to get it all to Sweden). Luckily, we have Kristofer's grandmother who does amazing centerpieces, so she just may get promoted to Swedish Wedding Decorator! :) I am however, enjoying planning and trying to come up with the most ways to save and do things myself. It's a challenge and I gladly accept! (I think Kristofer will be happy with the most savings as well!!!)

Who, being loved, is poor? ~Oscar Wilde

The Beginning

So I decided to start blogging. There is a lot going on in my life and maybe my ideas can inspire some, or just make others laugh! So here we go!

About six months ago Kristofer and I bought our first house. We have been spending those six months trying to get the house to be our perfect home. We still have many projects to complete, but we have come a long way and we are loving every minute of homeownership!

Another exciting life change is that in six months we will be getting married! We are having two weddings, one in Sweden and the other here in Florida. We are trying to keep both weddings at a low cost so I am trying to come up with the most DIY projects I can do to save the most money. Kristofer and I have finally started to really getting into the swing of wedding planning. We have decided that the Florida wedding will be on the beach. We thought it would be cool to have one wedding in the 'Wintery Wonderland of Sweden' and the other in the 'Paradise of Florida' within a matter of two weeks time! I will need to make sure my wedding dress accommodates both environments!

After my parents brought it to my attention the beach wedding is a perfect place for Kristofer and I to be getting married. In August 2008 I was beginning to think that I needed some kind of change in my life. I didn't know what it was, but I knew God was preparing me for something big. I thought that He was preparing me to move to Georgia; boy was I wrong! I began praying and praying about what I was supposed to do. Kristofer and I had just started "talking" here and there and really starting to form a friendship. I had liked him but the feelings didn't seem to be the same on his part. So I decided one night to go down to the Venice Jetties (my special place I have with God). On my way there Kristofer sent me a text message checking in and seeing how I was doing, which put a smile on my face.

While sitting on the rocks looking out into the Gulf of Mexico watching the sun turn the sky into shades of orange and pink, I began to pray. I asked God to tell me what to do. Tell me if I should move to Georgia or stay. At that moment a huge wave crashed on the rocks, splashing me and I heard God's voice. He said to me, "stay". I was in awe. Never had I actually heard His voice. Sure, I had seen which way He wanted me to go in life as He pointed me in the right direction, but never had I heard His beautiful, calming voice. It was an amazing moment. I knew in my heart that that was what I was to do. Stay.

So the thoughts of moving to Georgia left my mind and I began trying to figure out why God wanted me to stay. What was His reasoning for having me stay here? As the months went on Kristofer and I grew closer. I began to consider him one of my best friends. We talked every day and saw each other often. I of course, began to like him even more. And then finally in November we had the conversation about our "relationship" and what is was. We then began dating and haven't looked back since. It has been a crazy past two and a half years and every second has been amazing. We constantly look at each other in awe of how blessed we are to have each other and our families. God has truly blessed us!

On August 7, 2010 Kristofer surprised me with a sky diving trip. Our families joined to watch as Kristofer and I took two of the biggest jumps ever! We jumped out of the plane and when we had our feet back on the ground, Kristofer was there on one knee asking me to be his wife. It was a perfect and joyous time and I couldn't have asked for anything better. It was a perfect proposal, one I will never forget!

So now I have caught you up on our life together and I am sure I will fill you in on the in-betweens as time goes on. So now I embark upon the next adventure... wedding planning! There is a lot to do in the next six months and I am hoping it will all get put together in that time frame! I have a lot to do and the stress has already begun!

Today I made a DIY wedding invitation using scrapbook paper and ribbon. If Kristofer likes it I think that is the route we will take concerning our invites. In order to make 100 invites I am guessing it will cost me $15 for the invites themselves. I am SUPER excited about that price! I still need to buy the envelopes and cardstock to make the RSVP cards, but I think I am off to a good start!