Our Wedding Story

I guess the best place to start is the Thursday evening before the wedding, it was 3 am after a crazy fun and even at some times scary Bachelorette Party (all that one should be) and we had all finally decided to get some rest before the crazy weekend began.  After lying there wide awake for what seemed like ages, I decided to do what helps the most when sleep never comes - call Cal.  I went out on our dock over a quiet lake and I remember asking him "You really want to do this?" with a heart filled with anxiety that had been building up for months now.  "More than anything babe, we've finally made it" he told me.  I smiled and we let each other in on tid-bits of each other's party - like how he got food poisoning, and how we got a little too into Single Ladies.

Now I didn't realize it fully until we got to the Honeymoon, but my stomach was in knots (like barely able to keep down food knots) for the entire week before the wedding... and for really no reason.  Things went incredible smooth, especially considering we set up the entire venue in a little over a day.  It blew me away how many loving and thoughtful people we have in our life who selflessly gave up their time to help us out.  I could not thank them enough - our day was made oh so special because of them.

Friday was a bit rough and a tad surreal.  Going on about 2 hours from the night before and a few bites of food, adrenaline is what really brought me through.  Showing up to the Rehearsal Dinner was so strange because for the first time in the whole wedding process I was done planning.  Done!  Not that the nerves were done, of course, no they were still going strong.  It was so nice to see family and friends from out of town and to spend time together.

Then the morning of the wedding finally arrived.  My dad took me out to breakfast at Sam's Diner - our favorite spot. As we sat down and ordered our orange juice, he handed me a letter.  Now I would tell you what's in that letter but it probably wouldn't make too much sense - but I will tell you that that was when the first tears were shed that day, and they were plenty.  I am so thankful that I have such a loving dad with such a sweet heart, who knows how to make time stand still when it should and, although it doesn't happen often, knows how to have a good cry when reflecting back on all the crazy places life has taken us.  We hugged for a while and then both laughed at how short of time it took to get us both to cry and talked out the little details of the wedding to get our minds off the fact that today was the day.

Then the girls, the curling irons, bobby pins, and the mascara all started to arrive.  I was relieved when the photographers arrived because then I could think of shots and angles for them to get my mind off things.  (Always the photographer, never the bride! lol) It was also a blast to be pampered, I'm not going to lie.  I must say that my mom was a rockstar the whole morning (the entire wedding process really) but she was offering coffee and sandwiches and her smiles and gentle reminders made the day go by so smoothly.  Emily and I headed to the venue convincing each other that this was no big deal and that people literally get married every day. Nbd. We got this.

There were several tearful moments in the final hours before the wedding, and my wonderful ladies did everything they could to keep me laughing.  Yes, corny blonde jokes were told.  I love them all oh so much.

Then the moment came.  The processional music started, and my dad ran to grab me an umbrella because a light rain had started.  I laughed because that was literally the last thing on my mind.  I squeezed my dad's arm a little tighter to hold me up from the shaking and also the huge dress.  And then I remember seeing his face.  That face I had seen a million times before, and yet, now for the very first time. We choked through our vows and all I can vividly remember is this surreal nervous feeling I was just in a room with Cal and our Pastor... except EVERYONE we knew was there witnessing it. I had to look around a few times just to make sure.

We kissed (twice, I think) and the party began.  It was so cool to spend time with everyone we love, all in one big tent.  Hours felt like minutes, and I remember the DJ telling me "It's time to cut the cake" and thinking there was no way that it was 7:30 (yes, I had our schedule memorized).  We danced and talked and grabbed a few more photos as the night slipped away and then Cal and I headed to our car.  We said our goodbyes, honked a million times and left... and then I realized I had nothing with me.  I had Cal run back and I guess no one saw him so it was our little secret.. or not :) . Once we were on the road we looked at each other and I said "did that just happen?" Haha man that FLEW by.  How did 12 months of planning turn into 4.56 minutes??

What happened after? Uh oh no, internet, not going there. Not at all.


I guess what I can say after all of it, was that year of planning was one of the most challenging years of my life.  Because it was a year of intense waiting, intense worrying of what the heck it married life is like, and intense planning. It was a lot.  Married life, though different and a bit more difficult than what I thought it was, is so so worth it.  So yes. Do that crazy DIY project for your day even if it takes several late nights, because it's a labor of love, for your day and for your future.  Do go out to coffee after dress shopping with your ladies, because that may be one of the few times you will have them all together. Enjoy it more, and try to let the little things go, because it's not worth having your stomach in knots or getting mad that a little thing isn't just as it should be.  Marriage is a whole different roller coaster, but be sure to ride the one your on.  Even if it does mean you have to throw your arms up and scream ;)

Well that is my version of events.  We'll see if we can get Cal on here to tell his side - wouldn't that be fun?

So yes, we are finally with one more C.
Cathy and Caleb Craft - 07.26.14

With love,
Cath

Creating a Reading Nook

The last few months have been... insane, beautiful, hectic, fantastic, and overall a huge adjustment into married life! I will post more about that later though once I get all our wedding pictures. Patience, young grasshoppers!

So we live on the second and third floors of a really old Victorian house which makes for some interesting spaces, especially on the top floor.  It was a bit overwhelming to know what to do with all these places at first, but after living in it, staring at it with the contemplative hand on chin, and a little bit of online inspiration, I tried to make a reading nook for us.

  It was a lot more simple than I first imagined.  I had the hope chest (which my dad actually made me, it is one of my most treasured items), and I just folded up a quilt and added throw pillows.  The globe lights I found at Target during Christmas time for about $6, and I cant wait to add more around the house as the chilly weather settles in!

And this is the little new addition to our family, Theo, who I think just found his new favorite spot.  If there's anything to do with perching and stalking birds out windows, he's game.

Before - you may remember this
from a previous post :)

After

This has officially become my new catching up on emails and editing photos spot, and I love it! Cal loves to use it as a place to study for his notary, which is coming up later this month.

What is your favorite space in your home to relax and get away?

With Love,

Cathy

Few More Days

So I wanted to drop in and update just a bit before it's full time wedding mania.  Like has been so wild the last few weeks, it's so hard to even recall all the little "emergencies" we've taken care of.  I am moving out this week, which seems to add a whole new level of it all.  I seriously love my MOH who has been doing ALL my laundry this week to help me pack... she seriously takes this title to the next level.

And you know with each new change comes a whole range of emotions, too.  In some ways, this day couldn't come soon enough, I feel like I have wanted to be married to Cal for ages now.  But then there's other things that freak me out... like how little kids may call me MRS. Craft and how I feel like my friendships may change in some ways.  But then sitting in our apartment on our couch talking to Cal makes me realize how much I NEED this in my life.  Generally, I'm just overall pumped.  I can't wait to get this wedding on!

Anyways, just stopping by... until next time!

With Love,
Cathy Huntington (... for 11 more days)

We Found our Home

So as many as you know, Cal recently moved into our apartment.  It was a fun yet stressful process deciding where we want to live for the next year.  Some places we loved, but it just fell through, and some places, well, we couldn't wait to get out of there, lol.  But we ended up finding a large house in Hilton with two other tenants, and we are on the second and third floor.  It's a fun quirky little place and it fits us perfectly.  I wanted to document this huge change in out lives, so here are some photographs on our first few days there.  I'll have to admit it's a little weird moving into a new place with big empty rooms and different smells, but it gets better with each new thing that's ours.

So I will try to upload some photos in color and not so.. dramatic, haha to show what it what it looks like :)  Still so hard to believe that it's ours!

With Love,

Wedding Tips: Invitations and Stationary

Hey there! So I have decided to post some wedding tips that I have learned along this journey of planning a very DIY wedding.  I may not spill all of my secrets until after the wedding but I figured to post some as I go so I don't forget all of them. And since I am right in the middle of ordering invitations and stationary items, I figured it would be good to talk about that.

Now I am designing my invitations, which is obviously a cheaper option, but if you are not comfortable with that, there are plenty of cheaper options. This site talks about some great free templates online, but there are also some downloadable templates on Etsy like this for low prices.  Once you have that all set, all you need is to find the best and cheapest place to print them.  Now my automatic place to look is at Vistaprint.com, which has been great for many things which I will talk more about later, but that really wasn't the best option.  Actually the best place I found which my sister-in-law actually showed me is www.printrunner.com.  This place is the bomb.com! They do all types of printing, postcards, stickers, and all types of sizes for great, fair prices!  And they are great to work with, my SIL said that apparently with  the template she uploaded some of the design would be cut off, and they contacted her as soon as they caught it.  BUT also by being in school I was able to contact my colleges' printing services and they are willing to do it for a very reasonable price also.  So, whichever way you choose to do it, think outside the box!  With doing it myself, it looks like I am able to have the invitations (including RSVP cards and envelopes) for less than 60 cents each! SO worth it to me :)

Oh so back to vistaprint- the best deal there for sure is the 250 business cards for free.  Need an insert to say where you are registered of the location of the reception?  Use a business card! They have some decent designs, and its the perfect size for someone to fit into their purse or wallet.  They also make adorable small stickers that you can custom design for putting on favors.  This place has literally been a life saver!

Are there any other options that you explored! Would love to know!!

With Love,

Not My Strength

From my journal

 
So many moments of my life I focus on how to be a better woman - how to respond in a way that they know what I mean without seeming rude, how to be a better fiance, a better friend.  This is based on my shallow perception of what love is and trying my best to be that.  But that's the problem, I'm trying to do it all on my strength and my perception of love. And that can get depleted fast.  I can find myself getting easily frustrated with my life, my situation, anything that isn't completely going my way really.  But I am so so thankful for God's gentle reminders to love Him, and He will take care off the rest.  To stop thinking about it and just start living.  And loving. And to fight the good fight and keep pursuing Him.

Twenty Fourteen.

So I must admit that I am surprised that I haven't been blogging this much over Christmas.  I thought I would be full of little Christmas DIYs and gifts... but honestly I spiraled from my insane semester into a Downtown Abbey Coma.  And I'm ok with that.
Christmas was wonderful, had about a week full (I mean full) of seeing family and friends.  Cal and I got a bunch of appliances and things for the apartment which will help a ton for when he moves out. The new year has come and we are now in full time wedding planning mode: playing hard ball with vendors, meeting with the DJ, and figuring out which champagne glasses we really want to use.  With Cal and I pretty distracted with all that, it's pretty easy to forget to slow each down and be with each other... which is why we are doing all this, so we can be with each other forever!  So we've decided that and sit-down get-to-know-each-other date was in order. Pronto.
I love how Cal can remind me to slow down and enjoy life just by a simple smile, or giving long hugs right when I walk in the door.  And man could I use the reminders, too.  I am planning a wedding, my wedding with the man of my dreams, and I want to soak up every moment.  So although there may not be too many DIYs here in the near future (I pretty much have a DIY wedding on my hands here), I want to blog more.  To enjoy more.  To cherish more.
Bring it on 2014, you are gonna be the most exciting year of my life.

Ice-skating on New Years! ...goofiest picture ever.

With love,

Whatever you are

So I've been wanting to write for a while, but I wasn't quite sure how to put my thoughts into words... or at least good ones.  So for the past few weeks the weeks and the semester draws to a close, I am starting to feel the end of the semester blues.  I don't really know what to do with myself now without my head stuck in a book or in a project non-stop.  It's funny because the whole time I just wanted life to slow down.. funny how life works that way.  As I now face my last semester, I am faced with that terrifying reality that every graduate faces: doing what I want to do for the rest of my life (aka: finding a job). I know that the first job I get is not somewhere I have to stay for 30 years or anything, but it's just the thought of this huge change and transition in my life.

I feel like God has been growing and stretching me for some time now.  It was actually a big transition for me to go from dating to engaged, having the most intense semester of my life, and some highly emotional situations, but God has shown me His way through it all.  But I feel like I just finished that hurdle and I have another one right ahead.

Well I must say thank God for the scriptures (literally.. thank you, God) because they are such an encouragement, better than any pep-talk.  My facebook friend posted today Colossians 3:23-24 which states:

 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

 

 This is such a great reminder... I just have to worry about serving the Lord, and He will take care of the rest.  And He has proven it time and time again.  This also reminds me of the quote by Abraham Lincoln which states:

"Whatever you are, be a good one." 

 

It doesn't matter what I do, as long as I work hard and do it for the Lord.  Lemmetellya, change is hard.  But we have the Creator of the Universe to help us at any moment of any day.  I'm pretty sure you can get through anything with Him. Actually I'm 100% sure.

So I'm thankful for these little reminders and encouragements, they sure help me, and I just thought I would pass it along~

With Love,

The Good Life

So I know it's been a while.  Life has been... busy, to say the least. (I actually should be writing a paper on climate change right now... why would I ever want to put that off??) This has been an insane semester for me... 20 credits and 3 studio classes for me and a full time (big boy) banking job for Cal.  We get to see each other most evenings while I'm buried in my home work and he's calling venues and caterers (he's the best fiance ever).  But you know what? I love it.

Sometimes Cal and I get too caught up in whats ahead.  How AWESOME will it be to go home together instead of parting separate ways at the end of each night.  How amazing will it be to wake up next to each other.  How we can cook oriental foods together and watch New Girl or do whatever we want because we won't be distracted with boat loads of work.  The good life. But then we have to remind each other how awesome our life is now too.  There is only this point in our life once.  We are only going to be engaged for a short time, and then we'll be married till we're old and gray (which will be awesome in it's own way).  This is such a special time in our life and so was dating.  It was when we became friends, when there wasn't the other stresses of marriage.  And I know that being in school is awesome, too.  I have done so many projects that I just love and enjoyed, and I have loved collaborating and working with other people.  I need to stop wanting to rushing it along and wishing for whats ahead.  I want to love every single minute of this life.  And also not be too naive about the future.  I know that marriage will not be a "... and they all lived happily ever after.." and will present it's own challenges, but I know God has given us the tools to face those challenges.  So here's to a non-idealized future and a messy but perfect present.

The Good Life.

With Love,

Wedding Inspiration

    So Cal and I have a lot of planning to do as far as wedding planning.  There are so many little details to cover! But I honestly love it.  At first it was really overwhelming for us, cause we didn't even know where to start.  So I did what I do best - went on pinterest for a little inspiration, hehe. :)  Cal and I want our wedding to be a bit more personal so were incorporating a lot of DIYs, which I love.  So once I got adequate inspiration from pinterest, I made a collage of all the items I am looking for and made a spreadsheet for friends and family to keep their eyes open for at garage sales and goodwill, etc.  It has been great so far, and it's overwhelming how great and how good people are at finding these things for us!  We are so so thankful. It helps me a bunch too, being a very visual person.

Here is our inspiration!

Who knows if it is actually going to turn out like this, but it's great for me to use this as a guide.  Like other collages I've made, I did this at www.picmonkey.com. Love that program!

Also, if you have any ideas or more inspiration, I would LOVE to check it out!!

Happy Friday!

With love,
Cath

And I am going to marry that man.

Sometimes, he just blows me away.  It doesn't always hit me at first, sometimes it's in the drive home at night when I really think about how loving and selfless  and all around awesome he really is.  And it's in so many ways.

It's in the way he will volunteer to do something even though it scares him half to death because he feels God told him to do it... and then he ends up nailing it.

It's in the way he will not only give a homeless man money at McDonalds, but will talk with him about his journey and his past.

It's in the way he will use his day off to look for internships for me online.

It's the way he loves to play trivia in the car on long car rides.

It's in the way that all he requests for his birthday is that I watch the Star Wars Saga with him.

It's in the way people come up to me and tell me what a blessing he is.

..... and I am going to marry that man.

 

Happy birthday to the best man on the planet.

With -MUCH- Love,

DIY: Antique Gold Affect

Hey there! So I got all three of these candle holders from a garage sale for $1 (the guy just wanted to get rid of them) and I liked them but I really wanted to freshen them up and give em a new look! Hey why not for a buck?

So here's the down low...

What you'll need:

• Candle holders... or any objects in your house that is in need of a makeover
• Gold spay paint (man I love that stuff!)
• Black acrylic paint
• "Dry" paint brush

 How to:

 1. Spray on the gold spray paint outside, making sure to make nice even coats over the entire object.

 2. Make sure to turn it upside down to get those spots underneath!

 3. Then once it's dry, paint black paint with your dry brush.  You will want to put it in all the nooks and crannies - this gives it it's old vintage feel.

 4. Once it is slightly dry, wipe off the paint with a dry paper towel.  Just do it on the surface, and leave the black in the deeper areas!

Aaand.. done! Seriously. Easy as that.

 

Enjoy!

With Love,

Engagement Story

So as many of you probably already know, Cal and I are engaged!! Here is our engagement story:

So Cal and I have been talking and planning on getting married for a long time... as in around 2 years.  So with this long of time to plan and wish for getting engaged and getting hitched, it would be hard to not see this coming.. but somehow Cal managed to surprise me - big time.  It was around a week before the July holiday weekend when I suggested that we go on a picnic to the beach rather than going to the parade which we always do on the Fourth.  He agreed, and we loosely made plans for our excursion.  The weather threatened to rain out our fun, but it thankfully held off and we made some wraps and snacks and headed out toward the beach.  Now he was super chill and on the fly about the whole thing, so I had nooo clue at all.  I seriously said during lunch "Yano, I wish we could talk more about this whole engagement thing, I hate not being able to talk really at all about it. Like I almost thought you were going to do it today, but there is NO way, since your not nervous or making sure everything is going along to plan."  Literally. But he still gave no hints!

We then went to another beach that we had both been to together, and had fun memories there in the past.  We laughed and talked and looked out over the water.  A little while later, when we were both quietly taking in the view, he said he had a gift for me.  He described the gift, saying it was like me, unique and different on the outside, but once you really get to know it and look deeper into it, you see really how beautiful it is.  I still had no clue. I laughed and said maybe I should see the gift so I could understand it better.  He smiled and said I had to wait a little bit.  He then pulled out a little book out of his pocket and said it was a flip book and he wanted me to flip through it.  I saw that he drew a ring and a heart on the cover, and I started to sit up a little straighter and my heart started to beat a little faster.  As I flipped through it spelled out: "Will you marry me?" As I was reading this he got on one knee and said "Cathy, will you marry me?" At this point I am freaking out.  I am taking in the book, the gorgeous ring in front of me, and the love of my life asking me to be with him to the day we die.  I gasp and smile and eventually say yes, which he said felt like eternity.. which was probably a few seconds. We laughed and giggled and hugged and he placed the ring on my finger. We laughed and talked and had to pinch each other to see if it all was really real. It was a sweet moment of happiness that I will never forget.

It kind of blows my mind how faithful God has been to our prayers.  It somewhat seems like it has been a long time coming, yet I am nervously excited for this short time in our lives while we are engaged.  God has given me the man of my dreams, the man knows how to take me at my worst and encourages me to be my best. I am so blessed.

This cutiepatootie reenacted it for me :)

Thank you for all the love and support, the encouragement has blown us away!  We truly appreciate it.

With love
Cath and Cal

Maybe when we're 80 things will slow down...

You know, one thing I really like about blogging is that you can make all your recent memories stand still with a single blog post.  Cal and I were talking about how if we don't really take time to soak in and enjoy the happy little things around us, life is just going to fly by without really knowing what hit us.  So here is just a pile of recent pictures and memories of things that I don't want to forget...

Cal and I went out to ice cream last weekend with my family.  We joked and laughed and played games all night and it was wonderful.  I love when we're all just goofs! Side note: figured out that sundaes are just not my thing - the plainer the better for this girl! (lol I know it's sad that it took me 20 years to figure this out.)

 Fishing is the must boring/frustrating/rewarding thing one can do.  I enjoy to fish because it reminds me of fishing when I was a little girl with my daddy.  Good times!

Bahaha and Cal makes some pretty accurate (and hilarious!) fishy faces!

A warm and cuddly little max.  Mmmm.

Campfires with my bestie on summer nights. Now that's what I'm talking about.  Also - that is an awful fire.  Paper and logs apparently doesn't really work.  Gasoline? Now were talking...

I love this man more than words could say.  This picture reminds that even when things get tough, or busy, or confusing that I have the most wonderful man for me on this planet.  I am so blessed to have him.

 And here's a little video of us being goofs and showing off our "moves."  I think this one will make me laugh for years! :)

With Love,