Just keep swimming...

Here we are, with four days to go. As far as the wedding goes, I'm not really stressed out. I'm excited for it and getting all fancied up and going on a week-long vacation with my new husband. But it's the other things that are really trying me right now.

For one, when I started my new job, I obviously had to change over health insurance. And trying to fill my one prescription afterwards was one of the most daunting tasks I've ever taken on. It literally took me weeks, only for the doctor to give me three months worth of samples for free in the end since it was such a problem. And the new insurance company wants to charge me a 100% markup from what the old insurance company was charging me, which is complete and total BS (but they don't seem to look at it that way). But anyway. It's resolved for now.

The other thing is that over the weekend, while I was at my bachelorette party and Philip was hanging out at my parents' house, someone broke into his apartment. Let me rephrase that. Some mother-effing jackass threw a rock through a window then reached through and unlatched the window, came in, realized that most of Philip's stuff was gone (Philip had moved a lot of it to my house the Friday before we drove to Houston), and in apparent desperation pulled whatever was left off shelves, dumped it on the floor, and rifled through everything he/she/they could find, including the silverware drawer (?).

They ended up taking several bottles of change Philip had been saving, including change that he was going to donate to the Pregnancy Help Center, a small tool kit, probably around $200 worth of liquor, possibly a phone charger and a large cooking pot (he wasn't sure if they were packed away somewhere already), and worst of all, my favorite wine bottle opener. It was one of those big contraptions where you screw it onto the cork and it raises its arms like it's excited for you, then you press the arms down and the cork comes right out, so easily. I was very excited to finally have it at the house, as I just have the cheap corkscrews you have to wrestle with, and he kept meaning to bring it over, but he never did before this happened.

We are very fortunate that all of his really valuable things--including my wedding band--were already at my house. The most sinister aspect of this is that he had important documents, like his social security card and passport and etc, laying in a file on the floor with some other stuff, and we're not sure if they were rifled through or not. Nothing appears to be missing, but who knows if they took photos of his stuff.

So now on top of all of the final wedding tasks he's going to have to call the Social Security office and credit agencies and his bank and deal with all of that. I am absolutely livid that this person did this and got away with it. The stuff they took can be replaced, but it's the principle of it, as I'm sure anyone can understand (except the piece of shit who did this along with the rest of his breed).

But on a happy note, the bachelorette party was a lot of fun, and the girls that put it on did a fabulous job. I'm lucky to have such great friends!

"Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, consider this justice a gift on my bachelorette party day."

My Maid of Honor and favorite sister!

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Omgosh!!!

So the second post down says 67 days to go...and here we are at 18 days! I'm probably starting to sound like a broken record, but I feel like the wedding is hurtling at me like a bullet. And everything about that analogy is yes. Am I stressing out? Maybe. Definitely.

There's really no reason. Everything is coming together very well. We are down to the little, final things that need to be done. There's only 15 more things to do on my theknot.com checklist. I've received RSVP returns from about 70% of the people whom we invited. Bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts are purchased, flowers are decided on, schedules are worked out.

It's just that these last few months would have been incredibly trying even if I wasn't getting married this month. I moved to a new city and started a new job after being at my old job for five and a half years. I love my new job and I've made some new friends here, but I still had to adjust. It's colder in Fort Worth and I've had to deal (not very well) with driving in ice, which is not something me or my truck are good at. I don't know where much is up here and have been traveling basically by GPS. Plus I didn't know anyone when I moved up here besides Philip, which made for some lonely times.

On top of all of that, my grandfather, who I am very close to, as he and my grandmother helped my mom raise me for the first 5 years of my life, was found to have Stage 5 skin cancer. It's a rare kind that can jump from nerve to nerve, so it's hard to find. Fortunately they found it before it made it's way into his optical nerve--it was very close--so they think they were able to remove all of it. This required removing all of his upper lip and some of the skin around his eye, so he had to have reconstructive plastic surgery. There were some problems after the surgery--he suddenly started swelling and needed an emergency surgery for that, then he had to have another surgery to try to find why he wouldn't stop bleeding--so he has been in the hospital longer than anyone, especially he, wanted--but he was able to go home yesterday. Hopefully he can start really healing now. All of my life the number one thing I ever wanted was for my grandparents to be able to attend my wedding and to meet my future husband so that he could understand how important they are in my life. Now that Philip knows them and has a relationship with them, I'm very happy, but for a while there I wasn't sure that the first part was going to come true, and so close to the big day. I'm hoping Gran'dad feels better in time for the wedding to be able to enjoy it.

I know the wedding is going to work out. Everyone says it will. I'm really looking forward to eating my cake, and of course I'm so excited to marry my wonderful fiance. That's the important part. I just have to keep reminding myself that this event is about God, not about what kind of flowers are on the tables or what kind of favors I give out. And I am very blessed to be able to share this big day with my family and my friends. I am excited, but I am trying to enjoy the 18 days laying between now and then rather than wishing them away. After all, my birthday is this upcoming Sunday, my bachelorette party is next weekend, and then there's lots of stuff to do the Thursday and Friday before the wedding...not to mention my deadlines at work!

Hopefully after we get back from the honeymoon I can get back to regularly riding Rosa again. She and Chica have been kind of neglected lately, and I really miss them.  I am eternally grateful for full  care board, but I hope to again one day have them at my house with me. In the meanwhile, I just need to set some goals for us, especially since I'll suddenly have one less huge project to work on after March 28th!

One day I'll upload pics again. These posts are too wordy without them. Maybe my next post will be just pictures. Wouldn't that be nice?

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Howdy from Fort Worth!

As of tomorrow, I'll have lived here a whole week. Where has the time gone? College Station already feels like forever ago, when in reality this time last week I was panicking over how much I still had to pack.

My house is coming along. There are still several boxes that I need to unpack (that I've mostly been stepping over and moving out of the way the last week), but it looks like a home now. And Romeo, Ramses, and Fiona are adjusting well. Romeo has just about gotten over his fear of the kitchen floor (he wouldn't walk on it when we first moved in because he thought he was going to slip and fall), and Ramses has apparently already made friends. Last night I was sitting on the couch when suddenly there was a loud thump outside. Ramses immediately flew off the couch and over to the window, where he stood up and pushed through the blinds. Fiona went running over too while growling. I was sitting with a "deer in the headlights" expression on my face when there came the sound of meows from outside. I crept over and peeped out the window, and a fluffy black and white cat was sitting out there, I guess hoping to have a late night chat with Ramses.

The ponies seem to have settled into their new stables too. Chica and Rosa share a paddock that has stalls in it so they can be separated out for feeding, as Chica is a vacuum and Rosa likes to take breaks while eating. I haven't gotten a chance to ride Rosa yet as it has been too dang cold, but I did hop on Chica bareback the other day and ride her at the walk and trot a little bit. She felt pretty good, which made me happy.

I'm really enjoying my new job so far. It has started off a bit slowly as new jobs tend to, but I've been amassing more responsibilities over the last couple of days. Next week I am co-covering the Aaron Ranch Cow Horse Classic Derby and the NRCHA World Championship Show. I am really excited; I have already learned so much about cutting, reining, and reined cow horse. Maybe I've found something Rosa and I can aspire to!

I have lots of pictures to share later, I'll try to get on that this weekend. Have a great day!

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Sixty-seven days to go!

Today marks the beginning of my last week at my current job, which I've been in for almost five and a half years. Let me tell you, it's a strange feeling. My coworkers have become like family. One of them has babysat my dogs for me several times at her home. I know the family of the other one almost as well as I know her. I've seen these ladies go through cancer, divorce, marriage, births of grandchildren, etc. And they've known me since I was a freshly graduated 22 year old living on a salary of beans, through my reptile phase (when I had 4 snakes and a bearded dragon), through the loss of my beloved Penny, through several horses, through grad school, and now through my dating and engaged months with Philip.

I used to complain about being stuck in College Station. I was bored living here, I wanted out, I wanted a job where I actually made a difference, etc. And while those things are still true, I'm very grateful for the opportunity I've had to make the relationships I have. I felt like God wanted me to stay in College Station for a reason, and I suspect that the reason has something to do with the human side of things more so than any other reason. I will very much miss these women.

Friday is my last day, and then I'll have the following week to pack up my place. I've been packing little by little, but the prospect of packing everything is pretty daunting. I'm pretty sad to be leaving my little house in the country, scorpions or not (although not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited about not having to worry as much about scorpions in the future). It's so nice to have my ponies right there. It's also nice to have total control over their diets, turn-out, blanketing, etc. But it's going to be nice to board again, too. I won't have to worry about who will feed the horses while I'm out of town, and I'll have people to ride with. Since I'll be moving to a place where I don't know anyone except Philip, I have pretty high hopes that I'll make some new horsey friends at the barn.

The barn is in Arlington, where we thought we were going to end up living, but the house we ended up liking is in Fort Worth. Philip will have a longer commute, but he wanted me to be closer to the barn so that I could get out to the ponies more easily. He's a sweet guy.

I start my new job February 4th! I'm going to be an associate editor for a publication that is stationed in Fort Worth. And I am so excited/nervous about it. I'm hoping that securing the house and getting my stuff moved will take my anxiety level down a few notches, but I know that until I get started and settled in my new job, I'll be boiling pretty high. And then there will be the wedding!

Like the title of this post says, we are only sixty-seven days away. That's only a little over two months. My bridal shower is this upcoming weekend, and I am so excited. My bridesmaids have been working really hard on it, and I know it's going to be fantastic.

So, that's my life right now. Since I dislike writing text-only posts, here is a photo of Chica and the sunset from last week that is pretty terribly quality-wise (I have a new phone and am still learning how to use several features of it):

And here is a photo of my little bear, Ramses, who was looking so cuddly that I just had to cover him up with a fresh-from the dryer hoodie. He was obviously super bothered by it.
 

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Seventy-nine days and counting!

Phew. I feel like just a couple weeks ago I was posting about it being 5 months until our wedding, and here we are, less than 3 months away! Where has all the time gone?

There is still so much to be done that it makes my head spin. I'll think of one thing that needs to be done and start working on it, but inevitably it will lead to something else, and then something else...I need like 5 of me right now to work on the various tasks.

In exciting news, my bridesmaids' dresses should start arriving in the next couple of weeks! And the groomsmen have already started purchasing their suits! Since I last posted, I've picked out all the flowers, hired a DJ, Philip has his suit accessories, the wedding shower is planned for January 24th, we're working on centerpieces and decorations...everything is moving! My next orders of business include figuring out how to decorate and arrange the reception space, figuring out and purchasing or making wedding favors, getting my invitations addressed, and ordering rental items.

...

There is seriously too much involved in weddings. On the bright side, I've gotten several new dresses for the various events I am to attend! Thank you, modcloth.com. Is it too girly to be excited about new clothes? Oh well.

But to top it all off...yesterday I received a job offer in Fort Worth, which I have accepted. More on it later, for we are still ironing out the details. But I'm excited! So now, on top of everything else, I'm looking for a place to move and a place to board my ponies and I'll probably be moving at the end of the month.

Go large or go home. That's my motto (apparently).

Since I've stressed myself out writing about everything there is to be done, let's calm things down with animal updates. During the holidays I took Rosa home with me and boarded her at my old stable. We got lots of good rides in, and I was very pleased with how she worked. I even had someone tell me to let them know if I decided to sell her, they liked her so much (and so now I'm like, hmm, maybe I should).

At the barn, Philip made friends with Bentley, a Saint Bernard that I had to force myself not to steal when I left.

Holding my purse, what a stud

 Romeo decided to join Rio on my parents' leather couch when he thought we were all gone:

He has the most expressive "I've been caught" face

Chica got a new halter that coincidentally matches her new blanket:

And the other night, possibly after a glass of wine, I decided to try to sneak pictures of everyone while they were asleep.

Fiona:

She never even knew

Romeo:

Passed out

And...Ramses...oops:

"I beg your pardon!"

A couple of pictures of Rosa and we'll have everyone here!

Her bridle path has been clipped since this picture. Sorry to not cover my shame.

Happy pony

Happy 2015! I hope it's a great year for you.

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Thanksgiving, DFW-style!

After 26 years of spending Thanksgiving with my parents/grandparents, I did something different this year. I stayed in Dallas with Philip, and we went to his sister's house in Fort Worth, where we spent Thanksgiving with her family and Philip's parents.

Ramses even went, as apparently he had planned:

It was his first time visiting Philip, and he didn't really know what to think. He walked around the apartment for the first 24 hours or so meowing at everything. But he did greatly enjoy the vertical blinds and the full length windows that allowed him to lay on the floor but still see out.

Philip's sister has four kids--I'm about to inherit a lot of nieces and nephews--that are all super adorable. And they are starting to become more comfortable with me, which is really sweet. They all love their Uncle Phil, of course.

Not this Uncle Phil

Friday morning, Philip and I went shopping for wedding bands, and I'm excited to say that we purchased mine! It matches my engagement ring really well, in spite of being a totally different brand. We haven't found one for him yet, but I'm hoping we will at the Kay Jeweler's sale going on this weekend.

Saturday morning, we took Fiona over to his sister's house to play with the kids. They are all still very small children, so I didn't want to bring Romeo since his tail is such a lethal weapon. The second oldest child was scared of Fiona as it was, so it was probably for the best that giant Romeo wasn't there.

Fiona enjoyed her solo outing:

But she doesn't like how far away from me she has to sit in Philip's back seat--she's used to my regular cab truck where she can sit against me the whole drive.

The oldest child loved Fiona. She thought it was hilarious when Fiona licked her and loved trying to make her wave and do tricks. At one point she took Fiona on a "walk" through the house, something that the second oldest even joined in on (although he ran away when Fiona turned towards him because he didn't want to be licked).

Fiona was wonderful with the kids...but she was OBSESSED with the seven-month old baby. At one point the baby was sitting on the floor, and Fiona would just lay across from her and stare at her. Every now and then she'd walk over and start licking her feet, and the baby would giggle and grab her fur, and Fiona would lick her hands instead. A couple of times she even licked her in the face. She also was obsessed with the baby's rattle, which was a stuffed bear. She tried to (gently) take it from her a couple of times, but she got scolded every time. When the baby was taken to the kitchen for a bath, Fiona whined and stared off in the direction she had disappeared the entire time she was gone. And when the baby returned and was drinking her bottle, Fiona did this the whole time:

Poor Corgi didn't know what to think about the tiny, dog-sized human (or "people-puppies," as Philip's sister's husband calls them).

It was a fun holiday, and I can't wait to spend Christmas with Philip and my family. He has my dad's whole side of the family to meet, so I hope he's excited!

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New Orleans, 2014!

I love New Orleans. So much so that I went three times in one year. I'm not exactly sure what it is about the little city that I like; maybe it's the history, or maybe it's the beauty of the older houses in the Garden District, or maybe it's the magical feel in the air that makes you believe in vampires, voodoo, and...well, I'm coming up with a loss for another word that starts with v, so we'll go with gumbo.

I got to go back last weekend with Philip and Patricia, my favorite P people. And we had a blast! I was definitely not ready to come back, even though I had the day after off to go get my bridals done.

The first day, we left Katy around 10 and headed east. We stopped in Lafayette for lunch at none other than Cracker Barrel, the official travel restaurant, then continued on. By the time we arrived and checked into our hotel it was already dark, so sight-seeing was out of the question. So we went to the mall instead, where I got a bottle of my favorite non-grape wine (blackberry) and where we made the mistake of entering the Lindt Chocolates store. Lo and behold, they were having a "100 truffles for $25" sale, and Patricia and Philip had to really twist my arm to get me to participate.

Pitzer family photo

We next hit up Pat O'Briens for dinner and hurricanes (and more hurricanes).

I can't tell if the man in the background is seriously looking at the menu or seriously trying to be in the picture.

One hurricane is enough. You can trust me on that.

After we left Pat O's, we walked down Bourbon Street, taking it all in. People threw beads (even without us performing the necessary task to receive them), which I found very exciting for some reason. We then ended up at the Cat's Meow where Patricia sang karaoke while Philip and I sat in the quieter (read: old people section) part of the bar and people watched.

After those hurricanes, this was pretty much my posture the rest of the night.

After a while, we decided we had had enough fun for one night and headed back to the hotel, where we got up bright and early slept in nice and long the next morning.

BEADS!

We met up with Philip's friend Kristen, who lives in New Orleans, at the Irish House for lunch the next day. Afterwards we went into the Garden District to check out my favorite coffee house in Nola, Still Perkin', and then walked around the Garden District for a while, checking out the cemetery and the houses.

At the cemetery wall

We next hopped onto the trolley (which was full to bursting) and headed into the French Quarter. Our first order of business, of course, was to stop at Cafe du Monde for Philip to experience the beignets. Yes, it was all for Philip.

The weather in Nola at this time of year actually got pretty chilly--much better than the last time I was there, when I nearly sweated to death from the humidity. Unfortunately I left my jacket in our rental car, which was all the way back in the Garden District, hence the "cold" look.

We walked through Jackson Square afterwards and just in time, too, for they closed the gates right as we were leaving.

"Wheeee!" says Andrew Jackson in the background

As we were walking through the quarter in search of dinner, Patricia spotted a sign for a ghost tour. So we went in and signed up, then, since we had some time before it started, we went off and had dinner at Maspero's.

The ghost tour was really fun. It was full of history with a few fun tidbits about hauntings here and there. The tour covered the Lalaurie house; the Count of St Germain, rumored vampire of New Orleans; the Lafitte Blacksmith Shop Pub; and several other buildings with haunted pasts.

We were exhausted by the end of the tour and headed back to get some sleep. This time we vowed we would actually get up the next morning and go do some things, before we had to leave to head back to Houston.

The next morning we drove back to the Garden District to check out Audubon Park, where Patricia graciously took engagement photos of Philip and I.

I'm so lucky to have a good friend that can put up with us being all couple-y!

We ate lunch at a place that doesn't even deserve a mention, the customer service was so bad, then headed home. It was a great trip that provided a wonderful respite from wedding planning and work for a few days. Here's to many more!

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