Throwback Thursday

So I have decided to join in on the "Throwback Thursday" fun. 

Yesterday, I randomly remembered that I had a Photobucket account and Webshots account from high school. Oh the days when Facebook was only for college students... 

After many attempts into trying to hack my own accounts, I finally got in! Boy, what a trip down Embarrassing Street. There were a TON of pictures I found... and for your sake, I didn't put them all on here for many reasons. You all can thank me later.

Alright... here we go... Hudsonnnn are you readyyyy? To rockkkkk, rock steady?! Are you ready for this Thor Explorer Throwback Thursday? Prepare yourself to either 1. pee yourself laughing or 2. get in your car to hunt me down. 

LE'GO...

Oh Em Gee Cheer Camp.

Hudson sure is number 1.

Schaefer, me and Ryan. Cool necklace, Joanna.

Black and White night with some girls. Maggie, I'm diggin the popped collar.

Young Life Dinner. We only know classy. 

Christmas Dance. Cool dresses... were these considered scandalous back then?

Maggie.. you look stunning. Me.. lose the choker. Dear Heavens.

 Typical Caitlin and I.

 Ellen and I at the Coldplay Concert. Apparently REALLY EXCITED!!!

 I'm a Kaaa-niggit. Spamalot in NYC. I am cool.

 Yeah, Molly?

 Nichole's 18th Birthday.

 Paul and I doing our hillbilly skit. YUUUUP

 Making really pretty faces. You beurna.

 Schaefer, David, BWhite and Ryan... Where is Officer Barnahby when ya need him. 

 You might kill me for this.

 Andrea.. this picture leads me to believe that you probably drive a white creepy van too...

 Senior bonfire, I think. Cool Hudson gear. Joanna, lose the double chin.

 Just practicing for Days of Our Lives.

Seniors and our winnings. Carrie stop being so tan. Taylor, your shoes don't match everyone else's. Typical.

Prettiest girls I know. And then there is poised Carrie.

 Super Bowl party at mi casa. Hey Drew.

Val... I am nominating you for American Idol with this picture. No sound needed, you will win with this picture alone.

 Pictures in the movie theater? Cute face Courtney!

 I spy Fuenning's ball-pit balls...

 Looks like we made Jill take the picture... hahahaha

I'm just gonna go ahead and say it... we all look like hell except for Morgan.

We are so funny.

Cool outfit Joanna.

What an attractive Quizno's employee... Was this before or after I got fired?

Sorry I am not sorry Linds... I had SO many of you that I just had to put one like this on here. Hahahahaha. 

I think I'll end with this one...

Tony... do you have any idea who you are marrying? 

So Jo(W)anna know what? High School: We all did stupid and silly things that got us in trouble, fought and held grudges with friends, moved away to college to learn how to stay in touch with friends, and finally learned how to dress ourselves (well, most of us). But all of that helped shaped us into the people we are today. Yes, we grow and change, but a part of us always remains the same...

For instance... I am still making the most hideous and ridiculous faces possible known to man-kind.  

Yep... and that's recent. Probably not socially acceptable, but oh well.

In all honesty though, I hope you all find this just as humorous as I did. This is all in good fun. If you are seriously vomiting over a picture and absolutely need it taken down, please let me know. Otherwise, enjoy looking over these a second time and hey, you stay classy Hudson Alumni.

My Bucket List

Oh the things I would like to do before I die...

I present to you: My bucket list.

This drawing "pails" in comparison... har har har

There are so many things I want to do. Tony constantly has to listen to me say "we should do this" or "wouldn't it be fun to do this?" Then, when he immediately reminds me these types of things are not in our budget, I begin to mewl followed with puppy dog eyes. (Never works) 

Maybe it doesn't work because I look more creepy than I do pitiful.

Like this guy. 

However, it seems as though whenever I come up with an idea of something to do, I want to do it right away. Maybe if I had the appropriate funds and time to get everything done when I wanted to get them done, then perhaps I wouldn't even need a bucket list. But since I am no millionaire with all the time in the world, here I am. Creating one.  


So here we go. The 50 things I would like to accomplish before I turn age 50:


1. Marry the love of my life. (5 more months!!)
2. Move out of Ohio.
3. Buy a house.
4. Start my own garden. 
5. Skydive.
6. Travel to all 50 states... I already have 24 down!
7. Ride in a blimp.
8. Be in a musical.
9. Buy a dog.
10. Record a song of my own. 
11. Run a full marathon.
12.Coach a cheerleading squad.
13. Maintain my blog. 
14. Get over my fear of Rollerblades (ever since that dreadful day in 6th grade I despise those 3 wheeled shoes)
15. Swim with Dolphins.
16. Hike a volcano. 
17. Get my Masters Degree.
18. Learn how to speak another language fluently. 
19. Visit Ireland. 
20. Send my parents on a vacation. 
21. Surprise Tony with something! (Can't write it on here or he won't be surprised!)
22. Bicycle on the Great Wall of China. 
23. See Jason Mraz in concert. 
24. Go to a Saturday Night Live show. 
25. Make my own wine. 
26. Donate blood every year. 
27. Learn how to cook (Yes. I can't cook). 
28. Go on a safari. 
29. Write letters to my best friends and never lose touch with them. 
30. Go to Vegas for my 30th birthday. 
31. Professionally photograph as a side job. 
32. Lose 50 pounds. (Almost there!)
33. Learn to play golf. 
34. Go on a helicopter ride.
35. Visit the Niagara Falls. 
36. Visit Stonehenge. 
37. Visit the Art Institute of Chicago. 
38. See Mount Rushmore. 
39. See the Hollywood sign.
40. Solve a Rubik's Cube. 
41. Go to the Kentucky Derby. 
42. Make a list of 100 books I want to read. 
43. Grow Orchids. (My favorite flower).
44. Make a difference in at least one person's life. 
45. Buy a Coach purse. 
46. Be debt free!
47. Raise a happy and healthy child. 
48. Attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
49. Retire to a beach house. 
50. Grow old with Tony. :o) 


There it is. Published for all to see. Now I feel obligated to scratch them off! Something about accountability that really get's me going... 


So Jo(W)anna know what? Time to get started! Time is on its' own time; it waits for no one or nothing. So when life presents you with life-changing opportunities, live with no regrets. Don't procrastinate on your goals! YOLO!

What's on your bucket list?

My DIY Wedding

Oh the joys of weddings these days. How they can be quite sumptuous....

Yep... venues, florists, DJ's, Bakeries, anyone, will do everything they can to nickel and dime you so that they can make a living in this tough economy. Then before you know it, you have easily dropped 15 grand on a wedding that only lasts one day. 

"But you only get married once" is the typical and common reasoning for dropping all that dough. Well yes, that's supposed to be how it goes. But these days, it seems like with most marriages, third time is a charm. (If that)


Nope. Not with me. I am only getting married once. Sorry Tony, you're stuck with me. But for me, that is no reason to max out my credit card. When Tony and I got engaged, we discussed priorities. What is most important to us are the things we are willing to spend most of our budget on. Some of these things include: My dress, venue/food, honeymoon, rings, and music. 


Thanks to Pinterest and Etsy, everything else is DIY (Do it yourself).


Two weekends ago I was headed to Pittsburgh for a very blithe and productive weekend with my mom and aunt. In a four day time span, we made all of my centerpieces (27 of them), my bridesmaid bouquets (6 of them), the boutonnieres (6 of them) and a small addition to my purchased veil.

There's my mom putting together the centerpieces. 

Multiple glasses of wine accompanied us into the early morning. 

Once the centerpieces were done. We did some research and found inspiration for the bridesmaid bouquets. After we clipped a few coupons, we headed out to hobby lobby for the necessary supplies. 50-some dollars and a few more glasses of wine later, all six bouquets were completed. 

Crazy, right?! I promise they look good! We were not completely impaired while making them! ;o)

The crazy thing about weddings is that flowers can easily account for 1/4 of your total budget. Although some may find freshly arranged flowers a priority to spend a lot of money on, it definitely was not one of mine. In all reality, they die in a week. For me, I just couldn't fathom the idea of spending so much on something that will just get thrown away. I reckon that guests will look at the centerpieces for maybe 10 minutes, then head to the bar, order a drink, and shimmy on over to the dance floor... I hope... fingers crossed. I guess we will see come November! But with my handmade centerpieces, guests can take them home if they like and display them somewhere! High five!

Next?

Ahhh yes, my Grandma's broaches. Quite frequently I am convinced I was supposed to live in the 50's. In my opinion, I have a very vintage style. Since my Grandma is no longer with us, I wanted to incorporate and include her on my very special day. I accumulated (or as my Grandma would call it, "tackle boxed") some of her broaches while in Pittsburgh and decided to use some in my veil and on my bouquet. My Grandma was a very crafty person. That broach with the rose in the picture above is one that she made. It is made out of an egg shell and she painted on the rose. Creativity must be hereditary because my wedding is very "DIY". I only hope she will be smiling down at me when I walk down the aisle! 

While crafting I found a handmade apron of my Grandma's with me and my sisters on it.

Of course I have pictures of the finished products, but I can't post them on here until after the wedding. I don't want to give all of it away or else people won't come! ;o) 

So Jo(W)anna know what? Planning a classy and unique wedding in today's economy is not impossible. In fact, DIY wedding's are the "cool thing" to do these days. Truth be told, even if it wasn't the "cool thing" to do these days, I would still rather spend hours with my family crafting, rather than spending thousands of dollars on something just to get it checked off my list. At one point over the weekend in Pittsburgh, my two cousins, my aunt, my uncle, and my mom were all around the dining room table cutting, arranging, and wrapping my centerpieces. I wish I had a picture of this to share with you, but it is definitely an image that will always stick with me. 

So when it comes time to plan your wedding, remember to include your family in the planning process. They will appreciate it more than you'll ever know. A wedding isn't about how much money you spend, it's about who was there by your side to help you plan it. And it absolutely warms me up how I can say my centerpieces, bouquets, and my veil are made with love. 

Ain't that the truth.