Bride Tales

we're engaged!! & buying a house!!

2012-02-08T18:47:00.000-05:00

Sooooooo...Chot finally popped the question. And of course I said yes. That was October 9th, fast forward to now. We are officially house hunting again and this time I think it's for real. We are actively planning our wedding at the same time. And we are both working FT and the kids are involved in sports. Our hands are full. But I wouldn't want it any other way.

We're on the hunt for a wedding venue and a house. Wondering which one we will find first....hoping the venue so that I can rest easy knowing that I will at least have somewhere to get married. The house will come in time, we are just waiting on pre-approval right now.

I picked out my wedding dress this weekend and I have also narrowed down the bridesmaids dresses to 2 styles that I like. I have picked the color, it is called Malibu. We will be visiting David's Bridal again soon so that we can make the final decisions and get this party started.

I'm thinking about doing a Mud Crusade run in April. I need to start training....and losing weight for the wedding. I need to just buckle down and get on it. Before I know it the wedding will be here.....

That is all for now....

house hunting

2011-07-30T21:02:00.002-04:00

We are officially house hunting and I am super stoked. This is a big step in our relationship, a big step in our lives! I may be a late bloomer on the home-ownership tip but it's better late than never. The market is very fair right now too, so that is a good benefit for us. The neighborhood we are looking at has really nice houses, decent size lots & a lot of community features! I cannot wait to move so the girls can have their own rooms again. So we can paint the kids rooms & decorate!! The most important part of owning a home is that our kids will always have a place to call home when they get older and move away. Once we buy a house, we want to stay in it for the rest of our lives. We want our grandchildren to come visit us there one day. This is the beginning of the rest of our lives together!!

2010-10-08T21:13:00.002-04:00

here we are again. it has been sometime since i last wrote. still no one follows my blog or at least thats what it looks like. i may have some private followers. thank you if you are out there. back to business. life is great. i am in love. i have finally found a full time job, been there almost 6 months. i am saving money. i am working out and getting in shape. i am able to do more fun things with the kids. and i have the man of my dreams right by my side.

where do i start- my job? it is great and i love the people i work with. they are from all walks of life. my department is great. i have grown closer and closer with my teammates josh and brittany. and that is awesome. they are both opening up and we are really clicking. we just got a new person on our team and her name is jenn jones. we are going to call her jonesy since our team leads name is jenn. our team lead already has a second name and it is bonnie. maybe we should call her something different? lol jk jk. eric the uh is silent always makes my days brighter. he is always making me laugh. of course there's carla...my long time friend who got me the job there to begin with. big ups to her again. she is an awesome friend. we can go without talking for long periods of time and then we are right back to where we left things. it is a very calming relationship, she's great.

enough about work...on to my personal life. now that i have a job we are able to do more with the kids. it is really nice. we got adventure island and busch gardens passes back in april. chot and i took makenzie to busch gardens for the first time 2 weeks ago. she had a blast. i can't wait to take her back soon with the other kids. that way i can ride the roller coasters with the big kids and chot can hang with doodle. doodle= makenzie.

i have been hitting the gym a few times a week. it feels good to work out and get some exercise. i have been trying to eat a little healthier. but i really need to lock it down and stop eating bad foods. my 30th bday is in a little over a month and i wanted to lose weight before i turn 30. well if i don't lose the weight that is ok. i am feeling like i have more energy lately and i really like that feeling. i want to tone my muscles and lose weight. i need to learn how to drink more water. that is a big problem of mine. i could flush out all the fat with drinking the water.

so we are going to connecticut xmas day for a week. we are going to visit with my family and with chot's in new york. i am super excited. new york city was so nice last year and i can't wait to take the kids. they are going to love it. i am going to love it. date night in ct/ny is going to be awesome. i can only hope that by the time i get to ny i will be engaged to chot. i know he is the 'one'. i could easily spend the rest of my life with him. he definitely makes me wanna strive to be a better person. and i think i have the same affect on him. he is my soul mate and there's no about it. i know he feels the same way i do but he is a little hesitant and i don't blame him. he has been through a lot. but my patience will win again....i waited 6 months for him to realize he wanted to be with me. he is so much happier and in such a better way bc of me. that makes me really happy to know that i can have that affect on someone.

well i guess that is enough for now. off to bed. i have work early tomorrow morning. straigh overtime baby!!

signing off--- amazing amanda

Somebody pinch me because I think I am dreaming....

2010-07-06T16:30:00.003-04:00

I am in love with my best friend, I think I always have been. It just took a really long time for me to realize. The friendship 'love' was always there, but what we have now is more intense, more real. Though it has taken almost 5 years for us to 'be', I couldn't be happier than I am right now. Life seems so right, so perfect. Being single with my 2 girls was ok. But being with him and his son makes my life feel like it has an extra special meaning. I couldn't ask for a better man to be by my side. He completes me. When I wake up every morning and see his face my hearts flutters. I love the way I feel right now and I know with him in my life I will always have that feeling. My life has purpose and I am so glad that we are finally together. He makes me a better person and I make him one too. Nothing in my life has ever felt so right. Somebody please pinch me because I feel like I am dreaming.

Summertime Fun!

2009-08-20T12:56:00.015-04:00

Summertime! So much has happended this summer: I lost my job right before summer started, the girls went to CT to visit my mom, the girls auditioned for a modeling agency, we attended a few birthday parties & we moved. Although losing my job was a horrible thing and at first I was really nervous, I left it all up to God. By doing so I was able to move into a cheaper place (but bigger) & prepay my rent for 3 months so I could have some time to find a job. (& the girls have their own rooms again!) Thank you God! Not having a job has given me the opportunity to spend extra time with the girls that I wouldn't have been able to spend with them if I was working. I think that everything happens for a reason. God won't give you more than you can handle.

We started the summer with Melanie's 29th birthday pool party....we all had a great time!!

At the end of June, I met up with Aunt Paula (who was in Orlando on vacation) & she picked up Makenzie and accompanied her on the plane to CT. She was such a big girl. She went up for 12 days. Janessa met her up there on the 10th day & stayed for 2 wks. They both had such a great time. Boy was mommy lost without her girls. The first wk Makenzie was gone Janessa was with her dad for a wk, so I was totally alone. As much as I thought that the time alone would be a good thing, I was totally lost without them and had no idea how to react to my circumstances. I made it through the wk with the help of my friends. When Janessa came back from her dad's house it was Mommy & Janessa time (something she had been looking fwd to for a long time). We did all the things we couldn't do with Makenzie here. We went to the movies and saw My Sister's Keeper, what a tear jerker that was. She had her friends stay the night. We went out to dinner just her and I. That was short lived....now it was her turn to go to CT. She was flying by herself too. I was totally scared and she was so brave.

Here's my brave girl on the tram on the way to her boarding area.....

Yes I cried when she got on. There was another mom there that was dropping off her 2 kids....all 3 of them acted like it was no big deal and of course her and I were all tears. Janessa couldn't understand why I was emotional. Maybe one day when she has kids she will get it =)

So began my last 2 days of 'freedom'~ coming and going as I pleased. I enjoyed the time by getting a mani/pedi & getting my hair done. When I drove to Orlando to pick Makenzie up I was so excited. When I got there I paced the airport waiting for her flight to come in....and when I finally saw her the tears welled up and I was so ecstatic to see her. I couldn't stop hugging and kissing her. (for like a week straight, lol)

Here she is when she got off the plane and met Mommy at the baggage claim~

That started the almost 2 wks without Janessa. Makenzie and I were both lost. Janessa would call here and there if she remembered too. And the late night text messages about my mom snoring were priceless! Thank you technology. We celebrated Kort's 26th birthday the day after Makenzie got home....we all went to Kobe's Steak House for dinner. We had a great time.

Finally came the day we had to pick Janessa up in Orlando. It just so happened that Kort was in Orlando already visiting a friend so she met Makenzie and I at the airport. I was pacing yet again waiting for my big girl (who flew by herself) to get off her plane. Her smile was huge when she saw us and she looked like she grew at least 3 inches. Man were the girls happy to see each other!!

Janessa's dad met us at the airport bc it was her time with him. So our reunion was short lived. But it was great to see her and hug & kiss her!!

Now came the moving part....tons of fun, sike! Ugh, packing....ugh, moving. Well someone (God) was watching over me and I got a place in the same neighborhood I was already living for a fraction of the price. So that help'd out a lot. The place we moved into was an upgrade of the place we were in (granite counter tops, new tile in the showers, painted walls). It's a little bigger than the last place and the layout is different. And the rent was cheaper, what more can you ask for? Kort didn't make the move with us, that was for the better. So my girls could go back to having their own rooms!! (Janessa was super stoked about that). Makenzie upgraded to a big girl bed from her toddler bed and Janessa got a new loft bed with a desk/dresser combo. We got rid of the Dora theme in Makenzie's room and turned it into a fairy/princess room. Janessa got rid of most of the Tinkerbell stuff and now has a room themed on Purple, Turquiose & Green. I was thinking about painting their rooms, their two rooms are the only white rooms in the house.

This is what her room looked like a few wks ago. We have changed the furniture around a little and added some wall art. (I'll take new pics soon & some of Ness's room too)

July 28, 2009~ my late grandmother's birthday~ The girls and I went to the Rays vs. Yankees game at Tropicana Field in St Pete. This was the first game we went to all 3 of us. Each of the girls had been before, but never together. We were at the very top...but that didn't stop of from having a great time. Makenzie was so cute rooting for the Yankees...and my big girl was rooting for the Rays =)

The last week of July I received a call from Model Productions. (They had set-up a booth in the food court at the mall in the beginning of summer and Janessa signed up for an interview. So I signed up Makenzie too) They wanted the girls to come in and audition for a modeling contract. I dolled the girls up and went to the audition. Janessa made it to the 2nd round but her father would not allow her to participate. This is something that she is seriously interested in, so hopefully one day he will see that and allow her to follow her dreams. Makenzie did good too! (for a 3 yr old)

Then in mid August we celebrated Sarah's "Dirty Thirty"~ it was really nice to see all my friends. Some I haven't seen in ages. Almost like a high school reunion, lol.

Then we had a 'family day' on August 16th for Krystal and Nanny Ro's bdays! They came in from Margate and Kort, myself and the girls drove to Spring Hill to spend time with them. We played 17 rounds of scattegories, which was absolutely great! We celebrated with Nanny Ro's homemade Lasagna and a Casada cake from Publix, yumm-o!!

So now the Summer is coming to an end and we're all sick. The girls have sinus infections and I think I have the same thing. Janessa is starting the 5th grade next week, I cannot believe she is getting so big! Hoping to start a job soon so Makenzie can go back to school too. She loves her school and her friends!!

Til the next time~

2009-04-29T10:18:00.002-04:00

Well where do I start? Its been quite a while since I blog'd last. My bad. I really wanted to start doing it more often to help me clear my head.....

Since my last post I fell deeper in love with Vampires. Crystin & I went and saw Twilight. I did not read the book prior but I wanted to see the movie bc I have always had a thing for Vampires. And that movie reassured me that I still love Vampires! The unspoken intensity between Edward and Bella was ridiculous.

2008-10-10T13:52:00.000-04:00

So I went to Howl-O-Scream last night with my girl Crystin. I had such an incredible time. I love hanging out with her!! The haunted houses were ridiculous and I mean that in a good way. I don't scare at all, but they were awesome. I think throughout the whole night with the 6 houses and the scare zones I jumped once and that is bc I came around a corner and someone was right in my face. I predicted all the other jumps and bangs and screams. Poor Crystin kept jumping, we held hands through every house and I was her protecter, lol. The one house with the full beer was not a good idea...bc a majority of it ended up on our arms and feet. Let me tell you the one thing I was not happy with was the guy's breath that got all in my grill and was whispering to me. BUT the highlight of the night was....**TIE** 1. riding Sheikra for the first time (possibly thought it was almost better than sex~ but then changed my mind) and 2. Dance Club Haunted House that included my soon-to-be new boyfriend the Vampire. We so had to go through that one twice. And on the second time I asked him for his phone number, lol. Bc of the line of people I was unsuccessful in my attempt but I tried. So that is all that matters :]] I'm so thinking about going back before it ends....$20 to ride all the rides you want and to enjoy 6 Haunted Houses and Scare Zones and shows (which we didn't get to see)~ But maybe next time....

2008-10-08T10:02:00.000-04:00

I really could've swore that I had blogged before....but apparently I hadn't unless it was under a different email and I forgot the log-in information. Anyhow....

Where do I begin?
Right now in my life I have a lot going on. About 6 months ago my boyfriend Cory and I split up. He left & I am stuck here with all the bills. I am out of work and trying to make ends meat. But the economy is in a real rut right now and jobs are minimal. I try and have a positive outlook on things because I cannot allow this world to consume me and my thoughts. I have to be strong for my children, so I keep a positive outlook on my life and where it is going. If you think good things then good things will happen. People who think negatively only set themselves up for failure. Some people think that they NEED someone in their lives to be ok....but I have realized (for the 2nd time now) that I do not need to have a significant other just to be happy. I am happy being me and being the mom I am to my children. Yes it is nice to have someone to come home too, to share things with and to love you. But that is not a necessity in order to be happy in life. These past 6 months have shown me that I can be a single mom to my two beautiful daughters. They mean more to me than anything else in this world and as long as I am sane and happy then my children will have the best mom they can have!! I do eventually want to find Mr Right and settle down and get married and possibly extend my family....but I am in no rush to do that right now. I need to do for me and then I can be with someone. When that day finally comes though and I find Mr Right...I think life will be complete. Adding that extra little bit of sparkle into my eye. But until then, its just me and the 2 bambino's :]]