Can y'all believe it is almost July 4th! Since it's the last week of June, that means it's time for What's Up Wednesday. What's Up Wednesday is a peek into our life over the last month...here we go!
Monday - Zucchini and Bean Burritos
Tuesday - I'm meeting a college friend at Tortaco for dinner
Wednesday - Fish and Brussels Sprouts
Thursday - Grilled Chicken and Cauliflower
Friday - Turkey Burgers with Green Beans
Saturday - Not Sure Yet
Sunday - Not Sure Yet
I am reminiscing about this past weekend! I went home and my sister threw me a lovely wedding shower. It was nice to celebrate with friends and family. And hand with this cutie.
dress (similar) | knot earrings | wishing necklace | parker sunnies
And I got to hold this handsome fella. Oh he is just too dang cute! Those cheeks! And he is just content to be held and loved on.
Sleep. Seriously, I had a lot of crazy weekends in June and I am loving catching up on sleep.
We've started to get wedding presents in the mail, which just solidifies for me that the wedding is AROUND THE CORNER. Holy cow.
I went on a cruise to celebrate my 40th birthday!
We went on a date night excursion to The Highland and had a fantastic dinner at Knife.
We had date night at the movies and saw Wonder Woman (we loved it).
I've been trying to get my workouts in. These summer hours are tough. I'm over them already (summer hours, not my workouts).
We had a division retreat at work which I spearheaded. It went great! But I am excited to have my regular work life back.
top | jeans | shoes (similar) | earrings | watch | bracelet
I had a bachelorette party! Nothing too crazy. We went bowling and dancing and just had a fun night out. It was more about the company than anything else.
The next four weeks of summer hours. Sigh. I'm done with the longer days. It just throws me off my whole routine.
Wedding invitations! I have five days off this weekend and one of those days will be devoted to putting together invitations.
I've got a Sample Sale coming up. Mainly Stella & Dot, but a few other accessories as well.
I've also got a trunk show tomorrow night. If you'd like to be added to either event, please email me at nichole@themrsfisher.com and I will add you!
Oh Eddie Izzard, how I love you. I've seen him live three times and he is just phenomenal. Wicked smart. And so funny. Look up his Cake or Death bit on YouTube. Watch it now, I'll wait. Great, right? His memoir reads just like him and I can't put it down.
And then I binge watched all 7 episodes of The Keepers while traveling this last weekend. I could not stop. Compelling does not even begin to describe it. Watch it. It's heart breaking and fascinating and so well done.
Podcasts! As usual, ha! I've recently added a few to my roster and now I am listening to tons. Recently added are: Sorta Awesome, 30 for 30 (yes, like the tv series by ESPN), Stuff You Should Know, The Daily, and Up First.
top | skirt | valencia tote | hammered hoop earrings | wishing necklace
embarcadero scarf | dress | mini hammered hoops
top | shorts | sandals | luna pendant | valencia tote | hammered hoops
dress | taj clutch | hammered hoops | essential fringe | sculpted x cuff
We might go to Canton, we'll see. Also, see the aforementioned wedding invitation assembly. I also foresee lounging by the pool and reading. And barre. Of course.
A trip to Phoenix for work, also a trip to Austin where some of plan on going to Salt Lick. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. Finalizing the last of the wedding details! And we're seeing the Red Sox play the Rangers. #gosox
Not much - but for real, go check out The Keepers!
Our July 4 is usually low key. We cook dinner at home and just relax then we head across the street to Lake Carolyn for the City of Irving Fireworks. Because we live there we don't have to stress about parking or driving anywhere and the fireworks are good. The Irving symphony accompanies and it's a nice night.
See you Friday for Friday Favorites!
xoxoxoxo
In T-Minus 2 days I will be flying home for one of my wedding showers. With a lot of family up north, it made sense to do one back home and one here in Texas. And since coordinating travel was required, this is not anything approaching a surprise. Which is fine. #ihatesurpriseparties
Y'all. We are 4 months away from this wedding. Yikes! And EEEK! And how about a SQUEEE!!!! for good measure? I am so excited. So much going on - wedding, house, hawaii...the rest of this year is going to fly by. And first up in the wedding extravaganza is my shower. The question remains...what to wear? I know I want to wear a white dress, but there are so many great options to choose from. Here are some that I am considering.
I love this pretty bell sleeve dress from Loft. The cutout detail with the slight bell sleeves is perfect. It's a simple dress with some fun interest in the details. Definitely a contender.
I love a swing dress and this one from Loft is no exception. The tassel detail is darling and the swing shape is an almost universally flattering silhouette. Great for a Saturday morning brunch shower.
Another silhouette that works well for me is a shift dress. I'm curvy, so dresses that tie around the waist can look bulky and not flatter my figure, but a swing dress, sheath dress, or shift dress work really well. I've also had good luck with a fit and flare shape too. When I saw this lace shift dress from Ann Taylor I knew it was going into consideration.
This pretty number from J. Crew might be my favorite of the bunch. I love the eyelet detail and the bell sleeves. What do you all think?
I think this J. Crew Factory linen cami dress is adorable and a great summer option that will get tons of wear all season long.
Of course I need to consider one of the hot trends of the moment - a one shoulder dress. The ruffle trim is sweet and I think this J. Crew Factory dress would make a great option for a bridal shower.
I love the look of this dress. I like the wrap detail and the ruffles, but as a curvy girl, there may be too much going on at the bust. It's a maybe though.
This one might work better and I LOVE the accordion pleats on the skirt. I love how flirty and feminine this whole look is.
Now to choose! I love a pretty white dress in summer, so this is going to be a tough choice. Which would you pick?
xoxoxoxo
Back on December 31, 2015, I said yes when the man of my dreams asked me to marry him. 473 days later and we are 6 months away from our wedding. EEEK! I'm not nervous, I'm excited! I'm excited to throw a big party for family and friends to celebrate with us. But I am more excited to be saying yes to the person I want to spend the rest of my days with.
To be honest, as excited as I am to be getting married, I was kind of happy with the long engagement. It meant that we have not stressed over any part of this wedding planning. We have taken it one step at a time and have not let it overwhelm us. What is basically a destination wedding for about 3/4ths of our guests has been relatively easy to plan. What would make it easier would be vendors who understand that brides and grooms might have full time jobs and can't just take time off in the middle of the day. Fortunately, it seems the only thing we are going to have to juggle our schedules to fit in is the menu tasting for the reception.
We have managed to check almost everything off the list:
Wedding dress - check
Venue - check
Save the Dates - mailed
Engagement Photos - check
Photographer - check
DJ - check
Wedding Coordinator for the day of - check
Favors - picked out
Invitations - picked out
Bridesmaids dresses - check
Flower Girls - picked but not finalized
Tuxedos - check
Officiant - check
Venue - check
Flowers - check
Rehearsal Dinner - booked
Honeymoon - booked except for flights
We are really in great shape with six months to go. We are going to schedule our tasting soon. I need to decide on hair and makeup. We need to finalize flower girl dresses. I have ideas in mind for welcome bags for guests at the hotel. There is not much left to decide on. And I feel really good about where we are at with what is left to do.
Let me just take a moment to gush about two things. First - my wedding dress. Oh how I love my dress. It fits perfectly. I am 18 pounds away from my goal weight, so I might need to have it taken in in a few months. We'll see. It may not. Either way though, I had a moment when I went for my fitting a couple of weeks ago where I almost burst into tears in the alterations area. Standing there in my dress and seeing myself in the mirror, if you had asked me four years ago if I would have been standing where I was, I would never have imagined it. Four years ago I was 100 pounds heavier and just not very comfortable in my own skin. Four years later and I was standing in front of a mirror, in a wedding dress that fit perfectly and I almost didn't recognize myself.
Second, I'm going to gush about this guy. This perfect man for me. If I could have written down on paper everything I wanted in the man I would marry, I would be describing Phillip to a T. He makes me want to be a better version of myself. To keep pushing for my goals. He is my biggest cheerleader. I fall in love with him a little more every day. I cannot wait to be his wife.
192 days from now.
xoxoxoxo
It's Wednesday already, can you believe it? As usual, the week is moving entirely too quickly. #toomuchtodo #notenoughtime
I've had some new readers join us and it's been awhile since I did an introduction for you all, so I thought I would take the time this week to tell you a little bit about me.
I grew up in North Providence, Rhode Island, so Texas is kind of a long way from home. That's me, second from the right in the top row. I come from a big, Italian family and as we continued to add more and more grandchildren to the picture, we kept taking more and more pictures on these steps.
Disregard the hair, it was the 90s. So we added a few more kids from that first picture. And we weren't done yet. There were still four more that came along in the years after this picture.
I went to an all-girls, Catholic high school, BayView Academy and it was the best thing for me. The Sisters of Mercy turn out some pretty remarkable women. After high school, I attended Fairfield University for my undegrad (a BA in History) and then on to Ohio State for my master's in education.
Ohio State is where I learned my love of college football. Oh boy, it is my favorite sport, hands down. I had no idea what I was getting into when I went to my first game. But it didn't take long for me to be sucked in!
After I graduated from my program I started working in student affairs. Those are staff members that are involved in non-academic departments. I worked primarily in housing and student conduct (oh the stories...). I did that for about 7 years before moving over to the records and registration side of the house. It's what I've done ever since. It has allowed me to explore new places and live all over the US. It's how I ended up in Texas. I have lived in Connecticut, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas. At the time I was single and unattached and moving wherever I wanted to for a job was a great way to see the country and also figure out where I wanted to put down roots.
I lived here in the Dallas area from 2010-2012, moved back to Rhode Island from 2012-2013, and came back to Texas in 2013 where I have been ever since.
That year back in Rhode Island was the perfect year to be back because I got to be there for this little miss' first year of life. From the day she was born until her first birthday. I moved back to Texas two weeks after her first birthday. She loves her Auntie Nichole though and we chat every week. She was tickled when I FaceTimed her on her iPad this past weekend.
I LOVE to bake and love to try out new cakes. This is the German chocolate cake that I make for my fiance for his birthday every year. Except this year, this year he wants chess pie instead.
I took the trip of a lifetime in October of 2014. I went on a solo trip to Hawaii. It was a reward trip for myself. I had lost 100 pounds after having had weightloss surgery the year before (you can read about that here) and I was wrapping up my doctorate degree. I spent a week in paradise and loved every minute. Riding that high, I came back to Texas and two weeks later, met this guy.
He was who I had been waiting my whole life to meet. Our first date lasted three hours. We met at the Foundry in Dallas and sat outside and had a drink. That drink lasted three hours, despite the chill in the air. I knew from that night that he was the one. He's smart, funny, well read, we have fun together and I love coming home to him every night.
We've traveled a bit - Enchanted Rock in Fredricksburg, TX; we've been to New England a few times. We're off to New York in a couple of months and then Hawaii for our honeymoon. We've also been to Vegas!
We went to Las Vegas for New Year's Eve 2015. We toured the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, we explored the Strip, ate at lots of great restaurants, saw a Cirque du Soleil show, and we got engaged! Just before midnight on December 31 is when Phillip proposed. We were waiting for the fireworks to start at midnight. It was perfect. It would have been an amazing trip regardless, but the proposal made the trip that much more special.
We love traveling, but we also love our home city of Dallas. We love going to see the Mavericks, the Stars, and the Rangers. We've been to the Opera, to see Broadway shows, we've been to the Fair, we've done overnights at fancy hotels, and tried lots of restaurants. We love being tourists in our own city.
Other stuff about me...I'm the eldest of three siblings! My sister is three years younger than me and my brother is ten years younger. They've all been to Dallas to visit and I love when they get to come down. My sister is also mama to my niece and she's a fantastic mom.
I've got two cats. Jack, my tabby, was a rescue as a kitten when I lived in Boston. He's 12 now and is enjoying his senior years. He's not the jumper he used to be but he's a fair hunter and will chase down any Mayfly that may sneak into the house. Kate, my tortie, is a goofy, daffy, sweetheart of a cat. She's 9 and is usually found pacing the dinner bowl. #sigh #shesnotfatshesfloofy
I love to read! I've been reading since I was three. I love all genres and I am sure my love of reading anything and everything helped me out when I was on Jeopardy! Yup - I was a contestant on the show. I won! Only one day, but the whole experience was a huge bucket list item of mine.
After my weightloss surgery I picked up running and I love it. I'm good for about 3 miles and then my breathing starts to get the better of me. If I could figure out my breathing, I could probably go longer as my legs are fine. I just end up with a stitch in my side around the 2.8 mark.
I love listening to podcasts - my current faves include Crimetown, S-Town, My Favorite Murder, The Popcast with Knox and Jamie, and the Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey.
I am a Barre addict. I recently completed my 100th class at Pure Barre Las Colinas. I love it. I love how it makes me feel, I love the workout I get, and I love the people at the studio - the owner, the instructor, the clients. 3-4 times a week, you can find me at the studio.
I have signed on in the last few months as a Stella & Dot Stylist.
I have loved their jewelry for years and signing on as stylist will help me with some personal goals. Here I am wearing the super popular rebel pendant, the knot hoop earrings, and a wrap bracelet. I love how versatile the jewelry is and believe in the mission of the company. It's a win-win for everyone. Every Tuesday I post about how I am styling my Stella & Dot. If you ever see something you like, you can order here or email me at nichole@themrsfisher.com.
And that's a little bit about me! If you have questions about anything, please feel free to ask in the comments or shoot me an email at nichole@themrsfisher.com
Enjoy the rest of the week and I'll see you back here on Friday for Friday Favorites.
xoxoxoxo
