Wedding Website!

Okay, I haven't been posting a lot lately. This is mostly because most of what I have been doing is wedding planning. I'm sure that people would get tired of just hearing about my wedding plans... but, I still want to write about what I'm doing. So, I have started a wedding blog: http://taragettingmarried.blogspot.com/. Please check it out!

I plan to do a lot of DIY stuff for my wedding, so I will hopefully be able to give others some ideas.

Also, if you're curious, we also have a wedding website through theknot.com. It is: http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/Ketcham&Buch.

I love Sam. :)

No, I am not cheating on Philip. I still love him beyond belief. He is amazing and wonderful and spectacular and every other positive descriptive word. :)

Sam is my car. Sam is a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am. I have had her since high school. She was originally red, but now she's more of a dark orangish color.

Many people ask me why I continue to use Sam. They demand to know why I have not "upgraded." You see, some people choose to define Sam as a "clunker" or "Piece of Crap" car.

Not me. I love my car. She is awesome. She is paid for. She has no problems that interfere with her driving. Sure, she may have a few minor imperfections, but do those really matter? I mean, the point of having a car is to get one from point A to point B, right? Well, Sam does that perfectly. I get her regular oil changes and that's about it. She just continues to go. She will hit 200,000 miles very soon. :)

What are those imperfections, you ask? Well, here goes:

• She has some scuffs in the paint from when I was first learning to drive and backed into my uncles truck... not as bad as it sounds. It just scuffed up the paint job in a small spot on the back passenger side fender.
• She has some denting and defects around the front, driver's side fender. This is because she was hit by a school bus... while parked... at a school. A school bus driver hit and ran my poor, Sam (but I got Jack -- my oldest pup -- as a "feel better" present, so I believe it was fate).
• The gas gauge does not work. It never has. I just track the mileage every time I fill up. I know when I need gas.
• The light in the clock/radio does not work so I can't actually see what time it is or what station number is on. Eh, who really cares. I've got my cell phone to tell me what time it is... and, I already have my favorite stations programmed anyway. :)
• My back, passenger side window has come off the track. It won't roll up or down... but it does slide down. It's not a big deal. I never have anyone in the back anyway.

I think that's about it. There are some other minor imperfections regarding cosmetics, but nothing serious. So, what is wrong with my car? Is it really so bad that she has history? She's been through a lot with me. I feel a connection with my car. She is a GREAT car.

I will drive Sam until the day the wheels fall off. So, for those of you who think I should take on another expensive bill when, really, my car is just fine, mind your own business. I hope Sam lasts another 11 years. :)

It's too late for me now...

As the years have gone by, I have realized that I am becoming more and more of a "nerd." I was fine with that. I typically date the "nerdier" guys anyway. However, I still held onto the idea that I was only semi-nerdy... until a few weeks ago.

I was in Target with a friend of mine. This friend is sort of nerdy, but not really. We were in the men's clothing section and he pointed out a Star Wars T-shirt. I was checking it out because Philip is a HUGE Star Wars nerd. I was trying to figure out if he had a shirt like it yet.

At this point, my friend says, "That shirt looks pretty cool with the ship... what ship is that? The Millennium Falcon or something like that?" Without thinking, I blurt out, "No, of course not. That's an X-Wing... like what Luke flew in to Dagobah to meet Yoda."

I know that I immediately blushed. Not because my friend thought I was crazy or anything, but because I knew that I had reached the point of no return. It is official. I am a nerd.

Lucky for me, Philip thinks my nerdiness is sexy. ;)

Wedding Updates!

Hello to all. I have not been able to blog as much as I would like recently. As I have said before, wedding planning takes up a lot of time. I have no idea how some couples do this in such a short amount of time. I would be pulling my hair out!

I have hopefully found a venue. I am SUPER excited about it. I have not received the final okay on it yet (from the venue), but I am keeping my fingers crossed (you can too!). It is Chickies Rock Park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is absolutely beautiful.
Am I right or am I right?? It's gorgeous. And, it's incredibly convenient. It's right in Lancaster (where many of Philip's family lives). There are hotels, bars, restaurants, etc., right in the area. I fell in love with it immediately. I think it will be perfect! :)

Also, for convenience sake, Philip and I will be getting legally married on September 24, 2010... a full year before our real wedding ceremony. In Colorado, it is incredibly easy and convenient to get married. It will mean that we will get some excellent tax breaks which will allow us to pay for the real wedding. :) And, that means I can be added to Philip's insurance sooner. We do not want to take away from our actual ceremony with friends and family, so we are not going to exchange rings and I will not be changing my name yet. We are just doing the legal part. But, we are doing it on the same day as our wedding so that there will never be any question as to the date of our anniversary. :)

I am really excited about doing this because it means we can have whoever we want do our actual ceremony in Pennsylvania (since the ceremony does not have to be legal)... so, we can have a friend or relative do the ceremony. I think it would be more meaningful that way. So, any friends interested in performing our wedding ceremony, please let us know! I already have some ideas for it. And, I'm really excited! :D

I think that's about all for now. We have decided some other details, but I don't want to give it all away... it'd be nice for there to be some surprises at our wedding! :)