It's Monday already?!

Why is it that the weekend goes by soooo fast!? Mine started out by going to the Roughrider's game. It was just Alec, Chris, and I and we had a great time. I had to wake up early Saturday morning to head to Waco, Texas. One of my friends from high school asked me to be in her wedding and Saturday was her "bachelorette" party. We started out at a spa in Waco and we all got Manicures and Pedicures. They were great, we were there from 10:30 till 3:00pm, so it took a while. After that we were going to grab lunch but by then it was almost time to eat dinner so we headed to her future mother-in-laws house where her lingerie shower was. I hadn't seen a lot of those people in over five years, so it was nice to catch up and see how much has actually changed. I stayed for dinner and to watch Chelsey open gifts and around 10:00pm I headed back to Dallas. I'm not going to lie, it was a strange feeling to go back "home". I mean, that is where I grew up and I loved it there, but I started thinking about it on my way back to Dallas, so much has changed. It was also fun for Chelsey and I to retell some of our stories from High School. Oh my gosh, we were so bad. No bad in the sense that we drank and did horrible things like that, we were just so silly, but we had so much fun, that is for sure! It was nice to take a trip down memory lane, but I sure do love my life now :)

Sunday we went over to Alec's parents house for lunch. We hadn't seen them since they picked us up from the airport from our honeymoon. We also had to take more of our stuff, ahh, we have so much stuff everywhere. We had a good time. AFter that we went over to see Jordan's new apartment and watch some golf. Had the game ended differently I might not of had such a good time, but seeing as how Tiger pulled it off, I had a great time! Alec will seriously tell you this, I don't watch golf unless Tiger is playing. I don't know why, I just love him. I mean I guess it has something to do with how good he is, but honestly if he isn't playing, I don't really care. haha. I told Alec the other day, there are two people I would LOVE to meet. 1. Terrell Owens2. Tiger WoodsIn that order. You don't have to comment on that, I'm entitled to my own opinion and it doesn't hurt you for me to like them. So there.Anyway, after golf, we went to check out Chris's new apartment. It's pretty awesome too. I just like that he and Ashley will be sooo much closer. YAY!

I have to get back to work now. A couple of random thoughts that I have on my mind today:
I want a dog. BAD. I've been looking at English Bulldogs online today.... someday :)
Any suggestions for what to make for dinner??? I'm stumped
I really need to workout
I'm planning a trip to Missouri!
I get to see my parents in less than a month! yesss...

Have a great Monday!

Freaky Friday the 13th

I LOVE FRIDAY'S! The day just seems so much better when you know the weekend is right around the corner. My work has also started this "incentive" program that we do every Friday. It basically evaluates how the Dallas office does and the better we do, the earlier we get to leave on Friday. AWESOME! We left at 3pm today and last Friday :)

We went to BJ's Brewery with Kyle and Jessica last night. For starters, Alec and I shared a pizza there, it was sooo good! Kyle and I grew up going to church together. I'm not even sure I remember how old we were, but for a looonngg time I was the only girl my age in the youth group but I had Kyle and Jason. He married Jessica and they now live in Plano. They are so much fun and it is so nice to have friends so close to us. We had so much fun and are looking forward to hanging out with them more often. 

We are headed out to the Frisco Roughrider's baseball game tonight. If you've never been out there you should definitely go. I like any kind of baseball, but Dr. Pepper Park is a lot of fun. There is nothing better than spending a Friday night at the baseball field :)

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Friday night, remember Father's Day is Sunday! This father's day is particularly special to me. So much has changed since last father's day and I just think about everything that happened this past year and thank God for being so amazing. For those that don't know, he found out he had cancer last October. After some surgery and HOURS of prayer he is doing great. I can't imagine my life without that man. He really is one of my best friends and I love him so very much. It really makes you realize how great our God is! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD! I LOVE YOU!

I would like to leave you with a few honeymoon pictures (completely irrelevant to the whole post, but I said I would post them). These are seriously all I have because I forgot my digital camera in the business of the wedding and lets face it, disposable cameras are no good! Enjoy!

This was our FAVORITE place to eat, Maria Marie :)

The view from our front door. I LOVE MEXICO!

The pool, this is from "our spot".

Our balcony... I liked that hammock

The Royal... I want to go back so bad!

Our last day :(

Back in that hammock

Hanging out on the beach... he ended up getting a little more color by the end of the week

(When I say color, I mean DARK red because we laid out for hours our last day and it was cloudy and he fried, literally)

Finally Home

As most of you know my parents moved from my home in Troy to Ballinger about 3 years ago. I love their house in Ballinger, but it just never felt like home to me. So, for the past 3 years I have definitely not been houseless, I just felt homeless. You know how college is, I went from an apartment w/Brandi to a duplex, then to a house w/ Lacey, to a house w/ Chris and Ash, and finally moved in with Alec's parents 3 months before the wedding. Needless to say, my stuff was everywhere!

Well, I can finally say that Alec and I have a "home". We love it. Me loving it has nothing to do with the things in it or the way it looks, more that it is where Alec and I live. I'm not going to lie, he is a great person to live with. He is home this summer studying for the CPA but he helps with dinner and laundry and is a wonderful husband to me:) I love living with him. I have done no decorating yet, but maybe I will have time to do that this summer. Here are a few pictures:

This is the half bath, it really is used more than I thought it would be.

You can't really tell but the closet is HUGE! Definitely a plus!

This is our bathroom

Our front door :)

The kitchen

The Living Room

The last picture is actually our first piece of furniture that we had to buy as a married couple. Alec's dad lived and worked in California and he let us have all of his furniture from his apartment in California. The kitchen really doesn't have much cabinet space, so this helped with some overflow of cups and pitchers and who knows what else.

Chris and Ashley came to visit us this weekend. As usual, we had such a good time. They got here on Thursday and we took them to Gloria's. For those of you who have never been, you should go. It is pretty good. Chris and Ash went w/ Alec to buy the new TV. It is definitely a GREAT addition to the apartment. The weekend ended up going by so fast as usual, but it really was nice to have them here for a little while. We got pretty used to seeing them every single day for quite some time so it felt like old times in Abilene with them here, even if it was only for a weekend. I just wish that they would move to Dallas, along with Carrie and Brian and Seth and Amy. It would be hard to get any work done, but it sure would be great!

Hope everyone is having a great week. Don't start thinking about Friday yet because it isn't even Wednesday.... boo!

Two days in a row...

contuinuing from where I left off from the previous post....

We woke up Monday morning after the wedding and Alec's parents picked us up and took us to the airport to head to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico! They also got us first class seats there and back. This is awesome because it is going to be a LLLOOONNNNGG time before Alec and I go anywhere first class, but it was great! I always wondered what was so great for people to pay more, but now I know. I will tell you what Alec I enjoyed most about it: no lines! they serve you warm nuts and they are sooo good, they give you the earphones to watch the movie (how nice of them not to charge you the $2.00) and you get a full meal. The meals were both really good. On the way there we had sandwiches and on the way back we had tortalini and it was good also. Would we give up eating for a week to afford first class tickets, no, but it was pretty cool and we both enjoyed it a lot :)

We got to Playa Del Carmen and took a bus to our resort, it was called the Gran Porto Real. We were so excited, we had a "Ocean View" jr. suite. We thought that was pretty cool! We were on our honeymoon and we were going to be staring off of the balcony at the ocean.....or so we thought. We got to our room and looked out and saw..........the street. Not a pretty pool or courtyard, definitely not the beach, but the street. If you leaned out over the balcony you could get a gimps of the ocean. Alec and I were kind of bothered by this. They lied! They do that to you on purpose, so for all of you who don't know, there is a difference, you don't want an "ocean view" you want an "ocean FRONT view". So, we actually ended up going across the street to the Royal at Playa Del Carmen and it turned out to work better for us anyway. It was the "couples only" resort and there were a ton of other honeymooners. Our room was awesome, we still weren't looking at the ocean, but we didn't care, we were much happier there.

The week started out with us finding our spot at the pool after breakfast and staying there till mid-afternoon. The weather was beautiful and it was so relaxing. Thursday we went on an Aquadic Expedition. We got on a van at 8:30 in the morning and our tour guides, Oscar and Leo, took us to three really cool places to snorkle. The first was in Akumal and it was really pretty. We swam out to a coral reef and it was so pretty. We saw some cool fish and a snake! (My mom would have died) The second place was a cavern/cave. I will start by saying I don't like to jump into swimming pools in the dark, they freak me out, I'm not sure why? Secondly, I was unaware of this "cave snorkling" but I was not about to be the loser that sat out. It turned out to be one of the coolest things I've ever done. God is amazing. It was beautiful. It was fresh water and it looked man made, that is how beautiful it was. We went into places where no light has ever been, the water was FREEZING, but it was worth every second. They made us lunch and then we went to the last place. It was called a "cenote". It was a beautiful fresh water pond, that is what I would call it. Alec jumped off of the cliff there and we looked at all of the fish, they were everywhere! We had a blast. The next day we got massages, they were great! The rest of the time we spent on the beach, we walked through town, and laid out at the pool. I was literally depressed when it was time to come home. I loved every second of the vacation. I wouldn't have changed a thing, and I hope that someday Alec and I will go back to the same exact resort. It was perfect! Oh, and I know you are wondering about the food, because well, you have to eat. Their food was AMAZING. I'm not just saying that. All of their restaurants were very good, they had an Asian place that had sushi and it was really good, they had a very nice Mexican place, and their main cafeteria called "Spice" had the best breakfast in the world. Oh yeah, one more thing, you could order room service 24hours and that was part of the all inclusive. AWESOME!

So, the wedding and honeymoon are over, and Alec and I are just trying to get settled. I love our apartment but I am so ready to have it in order. I am back at work, its hard to go because I think my body knows that it is summer time and I'm suppose to sleep a lot and get a lot of sun and I'm not really getting either. It doesn't help that Alec is at home. It is actually probably harder for him. He is studying for the CPA and I can't imagine how hard it would be to make myself wake up and study for most of the day. He told me last week that 10% of the people that take it, pass it on the first time. His job right now is just to get as prepared as he can. I know he will do a great job, but yall just remember him in your prayers, its a stressful time for him!

Ok, I'm back to work. It is Thursday, one more day and the weekend will be here!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Alec Sowards

Well, I am married! :) I have to put a smily face after I write that because a smile comes across my face when I type it. It is still weird to be introduced as Alec's wife, but I love it.

I will start with saying, I learned how to post pictures, however, I don't have them yet, so give me a little time and I will post some from the wedding and honeymoon.

The wedding was perfect! The whole weekend was so much fun. It started out Friday morning, my mom, Brandi, Allie, and I all went to favorite spa in Southlake and got massages, they were much needed and felt amazing. Then we had everyone that was in town for the wedding over to the Soward's for a cookout. It was very relaxed and just a good time to catch up with a lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time. Just as the night started to wrap up, I get orders from Alec that I have 45mins. to shower because we were going out. One thing should stand out in your mind right now and that is that I cannot shower and be ready to go anywhere in 45 mins. However, I looked like crap, but did pull this off. around 10:30pm the a stretch hummer limo came and picked everyone up (compliments of one of my favorite people in the world: Mr. Chris Wiman) and we headed to Dallas. I'm not gonna lie, I was tired, but we had sooo much fun. For the most part it was baseball guys, my sisters, Ashley, and Carrie and Brian. I'm so glad we did that, it was a lot of fun. Saturday was the bridal luncheon at Blue Mesa Grill, it was very good and I will be going back. We had a lot of fun and once it was over we didn't have much time to change and get to the rehearsal.

After the rehearsal we went to the rehearsal dinner. All I am going to say about that is it is a night that neither Alec or I will ever forget. We are blessed to have the most amazing friends and family and that night will always be very special to me. Sunday was the wedding. It could not have been better. Alec and I had a blast, seriously. We had so much fun talking, dancing, and hanging out with everyone that was there. I won't lie, I cried a little. The only times were when my dad came in to get me, he was just so handsome! And, I cried right as my dad and I got to Alec. I really can't believe how fast it went. I tried to listen for most of the ceremony but I kept looking at Alec and thinking, this is really happening finally. I can't believe I get to marry my best friend. It's probably one of the best moments of my life. It was just so much fun having everyone that we care so much about in one room. After the wedding we went to the Gaylord Texan and left for our honeymoon the next morning....

to be continued.

(I guess I should work now)

That is a fast verision of the wedding recap. I can't say thank you enough to everyone who was there with us. I just ask that everyone continue Alec and I in your prayers as we begin this journey together :)

Chelsea Sowards... Sounds good to me!

Well, 5 days. I can't even believe it, FIVE days. It went by so fast and I am so ready to begin this new chapter in my life.

I'm at work right now, and for some strange reason I thought I would be able to work the week before the wedding. I am now second guessing myself because I get to work and can't seem to think of anything but the wedding. Everything is for the most part done, but I just start thinking of everyone coming into town and I get so excited! I think the only thing I am nervous about is crying my eyes out in front of everyone during the ceremony. Oh well, anyone who knows me knows I cry at commercials, so it shouldn't be a shock.

In honor of my soon to be husband (ahh) I wanted to tell all 3 of my loyal readers why I am marrying Alec:

1. He is the MOST caring person in the world!
2. He has really never been mad at me, he is so patient with me.
3. He loves dogs as much as I do. (and yet we aren't getting one...)
4. He loves my family!
5. He puts the toilet seat down!!!!!!!
6. He gives me hugs, kisses, and holds my hand in public.
7. He gives the best hugs in the whole world, if you don't believe me, ask for one!
8. He is hilarious! I think it is funny when people tell me he is so quiet... NO.
9. He loves to make other people happy.
10. He thinks it is HILAROUS when I'm not happy to tickle me, and somehow I always end up laughing.
11. He likes to help me cook.
12. He always knows when something is wrong.
13. He has been there for me through some really hard times, and he has a way of knowing what to say or not to say to make me feel better.
14. He is my best friend.
15. He laughs at me. I like that. :)
16. He lets me get the wrinkles out of the sheets. hahaha
17. He loves me exactly the way I am

There is a short list of the reasons why I can't wait to be married to him.

I really am the luckiest girl in the world. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful fiance, family, and soon to be in-laws. They are the most loving and supportive people in the world.

I ask that everyone keep Alec and I and our families in your prayers this week as we all begin this new chapter in our lives! I can't wait to see everyone at the wedding!!!!

Holy Cow!

I got a sweet message at work this week from my sweet friend Carrie and all it said was, "Could you please update your blog, thank you." While I realize she may be my only blog reader, Carrie, this is for you.

Life is CRAZY right now. And by crazy I mean WONDERFUL!! I will start with my job. Professional Alternatives is great. I think I am really going to like what I do and I really like the people I work with. There are 5 people in the Dallas office right now so it is really like a small family. They are great and they have really made me feel welcome and that is a good feeling. It is taking me some time to get used to waking up early and staying busy literally till I finally get home at 6pm. It is a little difficult right now because I'm living in Colleyville and it is a good 35 miles away. For those of you who are in Dallas, yall know that this does not mean it takes me 35 mins to get to work. Rather, on a good day I can get home in a little over an hour. Needless to say, I'm working on my road rage. Right now, I hate every other driver on the road and I'm learning to use that time to chill out and enjoy the sunrise. 

Wedding planning is really coming together also. There are a few loose ends, but we are really wrapping things up. I took my bridal portraits last weekend and it really made things feel real. I got to put on the dress, shoes, do my hair, and make up and it hit me, I really do get to marry Alec. Life is wonderful. It is hard right now because he is finishing grad school and is SWAMPED with school work, but I know that it will all be worth it in the end. It is sometimes just hard to know that when you spend 24/7 in the library working on paper after paper. I'm ready for him to be here with me. I miss him a lot. We didn't see each other for almost two weeks, and I started thinking about it and I think that is the longest we have ever been apart in the past 4 years. Thats crazy. I know that he will be so happy to be done on May 10th and I just hope he knows how proud I am of him. He really is amazing.

I will try and summarize the exciting events that have taken place in the past month. For starters we found an apartment!!! I LOVE it and can't wait to move into our first home. It is located in Garland or a little community called Firewheel. It is awesome but i'm stressed out about having to move all my stuff yet again. Secondly, my sisters and Molly threw me the best bachelorette party ever. It really was better than I could have ever imagined. We started out Friday night with dinner and then a pj party/lingerie party. We had a blast and I ended up trying on everything I got. haha. I got some great stuff too. Then Saturday we laid out at the pool and hung out. Then, a limo came and picked us up and took us to dinner. It was some place called El Tiempo Cantina? It was sooo good. We then went to two other places and I had so much fun. The fact that they went to all of that trouble to make sure that I had a great time makes me realize how blessed I am to have two sisters that I absolutely adore and best friends that I couldn't live without. And finally, I had my last bridal shower yesterday. It was at my mother in law's house and it was a lot of fun also. I'm not sure what to do with all of these wedding presents but I suppose that is a great problem to have. 

Time is flying by and I'm just trying to enjoy every second of it. I just want to say that God is pretty amazing. I have always known this but I have realized it more in the past year. By no means has it been the best year but my family has gone through a lot and I think that it has made us stronger. I am so blessed to have such an amazing family and am so thankful for all that they do for me.

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL week!!!