My first day of training for an Executive Team Leader position at Target felt something like the first day of grade school. I made a check list. Went over said check list about ten times. Laid out my clothes. Got in bed early. Tossed and turned (not sure if I was nervous or excited. Both. I was both.) Woke up way early. Ate breakfast-- the most important meal of the day. Headed out the door with a lunch packed by a very loving husband. (See Instagram photo, follow @missc_woods)

11 hours later, I am quite exhausted. I am also incredibly grateful for the support and encouragement of my husband, family, and friends. Your texts, Tweets, and Facebook messages have brought me lots of smiles today. 

Now, it's time to pack a bag full of Red and Khaki because tomorrow I will head from Fayetteville, AR to Little Rock to start my hands on training. 

Photograph/Quote via Amanda Raborn  @ It's an Easy Life's Word Pinboard. Friend. Mentor. Inspiration. Check out her blog. 

Fridays have historically been a day for treats, and by historically I mean, my whole life. 

When I was young it meant an after school stop at the gas station for an ICEE with mom, which recently evolved into Iced Chai teas from our favorite local spot. 

These sweet visits are something I already miss. a lot. 

So here I am at noon. Still in my PJs. Blogging (with the dove chocolate candy jar at arms length). Fully enjoying my last Friday of being a stay-at- home wife. Only, let me tell you it's not ALWAYS so glamorous... yesterday was a little rough. I don't want to bore you with the details... but I was certainly in need of some TLC (a day early). With the hubby at work, and not knowing a soul in this town-- I was the only person for the job. 

I plugged the nearest TJ Maxx into my iPhone maps and indulged myself in a little retail therapy. 

a few treats:

I could just root around in this store for hours (and I did). I started with a full buggy (hoping Chris could appreciate how much I put back) and left only with:

a bicycle journal (and I have a reason for this one!)La Petite Presse thank yous (my weakness)Cute cross body bag (to replace the one my sister adopted)And a date night dress in my favorite summer hue

Yay! for the weekend. Be kind to yourselves today, friends.

*Chris was not convinced by my putting things back method, and we had a executive budget committee meeting to follow... I do not recommend online shopping during said meeting. 

* *I am not encouraging reckless or excessive spending. 

A Woodsy Loft

 Our loft in downtown Fort Smith, AR is a real gem. We immediately fell in love with the high ceilings, wall of giant windows, and exposed piping, so despite the wall we share with a bar... we had to have it. This weekend, with the help of our family, Chris and I were able to move in, and it didn't take long for us to feel right at home. Unpacking our wedding gifts from layers upon layers of bubble wrap was like a Christmas in July. With each item we unwrapped we thought of the person in our life that so generously gave to help us start our home together. Those thoughts are quite comforting. 

Everything is out of boxes, but we still have a ways to go. Decorating a home is indeed a journey. 

Here is a peak at what we have so far...

We began by putting in some open, window shelving to display our Shearwater pottery and make the best use of space in our teensy kitchen. I scooped up many bamboo drawer organizers from TJMaxx for the kitchen and bathroom. Photographed above is our Bygones silver from BHLDN.com (Pssst. It's on sale now!!). It's a very eclectic collection of silver plated pieces. 

These things have become our everyday kitchen ware because 1) there is just not room for multiple  sets of dishes or flatware and 2) Why shouldn't every meal with your husband be fancy?? Even if you're eating dinner wrap, after lunch wrap, after breakfast wrap. 

Lastly, our lone plush chair. Chris and I take turns sitting in it. We need a couch, y'all. There are not many modern sofa options in Fort Smith, and shipping is like a katrillion dollars for the couches I've been lusting after online. So today the local search continues-- wish me luck!

I am a sucker for stationary. I am looking at an unpacked box full of it as we speak I write. IF I had finished all of my thank yous and IF I didn't already have such an abundance of pretty paper that needs to be written on, I would purchase these lil' sweeties from Wild Horse Letterpress and send them to everyone in our address book. 

The Woods' love to get mail. 

Write us a letter.

 We will write a letter back.

I'm sure my husband would appreciate mail from friends so I don't have to start ordering packages to myself just to get some-- let's get real. I'll probably do that anyway. 

Contact me through Facebook or electronic mail for our new mailing address in Fort Smith, AR:

christinelemon3[at]gmail.com

.... now for those thank you notes

Have you ever been browsing Pinterest, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, or a wedding blog of the like, and fallen in love? Maybe it's the elaborate tablescape set with grandma's finest antiques (set only for eight)  surrounded by amazing mix-matched chairs. Or maybe a full-lenth, sequined table linen with modern chairs (not found at your neighbor hood rental store). You might have to have the charming row boat from this Anne of Green Gables shoot (my current obsession) regardless of how near or far your wedding is from any water source! Your secret love might even be for this ultra boho beach wedding (If you love your grandparents I encourage you to resist this urge... unless they're really cool grandparents.)

My love?

Photo credit: Yan Photography Full feature: Utah Bride

It was like I got engaged and my childhood dream of not only becoming a bride, but becoming a ballerina came exploding out of me! (Sometime I'll have to tell you the story of signing up for ballet lessons... in college ...Mid, mid life crisis?) 

I found the above dress on pinterest, and that's where this love affair began. "No-- I don't need to go dress shopping, Mom." This was my dress! Problem? Well, it was one of those dreaded pins we all hate. The ones that lead to nowhere. After weeks of scouring the internet-- and I mean tearing the world wide web apart-- I found it. In Utah. 

UTAH!!

and lets make this long story short.  It was completely custom made. and blew my entire budget out of the water. So, I went dress shopping.... 

I won't go in to detail about the details of this shoot that I love because this post would get way long (and I reeaally should get to packing since I am moving today.) I think these images speak for themselves. What I would like to talk about today is EXPECTATIONS. an incredibly important part of weddings (if you want to have the best experience), relationships, and well-- life. 

Managing expectations is something I really had to learn because I live in a huge fantasy world in my head. When Chris and I were 16 the poor guy hardly stood a chance. I was all about romance. Having doors opened for me. Flowers all. the. time. and grand gestures. Somehow we were able to meet in the middle. He is the perfect gentleman, and I manage to come down to earth for visits. 

When you are browsing Pinterest and planning your dream wedding (whether you are engaged or not, it's okay), try and remember that many of the images are for INSPIRATION. Many of them are not real-- there is no family or friends seated around that gorgeous tablescape, and while the pictures are PERFECT, that would not make for the perfect wedding. 

My wedding dress turned out to be nothing like the dress of my "dreams", but it was amazing. From the shoot above I drew inspiration for my wedding color palette and soft feminine touches I loved, but I did not literally dance down the aisle in stunning point shoes and did not have yellow gold flatware. 

So, my advice? Pull what you love from styled shoots and be creative to do it within your budget while finding ways to manage your expectations. You will be a much happier bride :) and your wedding WILL be amazing (even when you think it won't)... and when looking through wedding blogs remember, "Comparison is the thief of joy" one of my favorite quotes by Theodore Roosevelt. It is your day, it is sacred, and it should be joyful.  

I've talked about the styled wedding shoot I've worked on with Paige Reaux Photography. We are hoping to bring lots of inspiration to our local Ocean Springs, MS brides by featuring a unique venue and incredibly talented vendors. Photos coming soon! (check Paige's website and facebook page for updates. hint, hint: there is one up now!)

Now-- time to pack, and let the moving process begin! Check back or follow me on Twitter and Instagram for #movingday updates. 

#weddingofthewoods

a few details from May 27, 2012:

Black Mountain, NC was the perfect setting for a romantic wedding of high school sweet hearts. Seven years in the making and six months of planning, and we were on a family vacay with seventy five of our dear family and friends. I had an amazing fiance willing to help with many details. We worked hard to merge my girly style with Chris' love for the outdoors; It was the hand made details (and hours doing them together) that pulled it all together. Here are a few of the highlights.

1. Save-the-date

2. Chris' dapper J.Crew suit & my dream wedding gown

3. Something borrowed... (I don't know what I'll do without my roomies' shoes)

4. Bouquets by Occasions by Emily

5. Bride's jewelry: The Waverly Bracelet by Ronaldo and pearls

Garter by Florrie Mitton, Mimi's hanky

6. Groomsmen and Bridesmaid gifts

Flasks from Izola (they carry lots of other manly goods)

7. Mr. Woods, ladies and gentlemen!

8. 9. &10. Our first look. hug. tears. 

11. The Woods in the woods at Montreat

12. Bride

13. Footsies

(Johnston & Murphy and Gianni Bini)

14. Banjo 

15. Hand painted sign

16. Sweet, sweet flower girls

17. What a lovely bunch, am I right?

18. Escort cards

19. Dinner at Bella Luna

Photo Credit: Gulfportraits

ENOUGH about me.... Wedding Wednesdays are back!

After my internship in event planning and planning my own wedding (TOTALLY different experiences) I am ready to take on your questions-- Yes, YOU beautiful brides, grooms (if you dare read this girly blog), or even those wedding enthusiast out there. 

Email questions to: ChristineLemon3{at}gmail.com 

So good to see you!

It is great to be back in the blogoshere, my friends. 

The last few days I have been in full force project mode. First of all, I have been glued to the computer working on revamping this blog. While the changes are very minor, it has take LOTS of googleing-- like googling words in the article I just googled.  HTML codes really had me questioning my sanity (and also had me a little cross eyed), but now I am a proud owner of my very own domain name. Now begins the process of transfering all the info to the new website and hoping that it all makes it there (which is a real gamble considering I have NO idea what I'm doing). Then for the fun part-- this marketing major gets to do something a know a liiitttttlle about, rebranding this bad boy, and finding a niche for my journal in a huge (and nearly over saturated) marketplace.
Thanks to the readers who give me encouragement every time they view this blog-- stay with me!

Like I said, I am in FULL force project mode... so that also means thrifting for apartment furniture and meetings at fancy bakeries with local wedding vendors. I am working with the very talented Paige Reaux of Paige Reaux Photography (website here) to put together a styled wedding shoot. She is a dream to work (and sometimes just play) with-- fun, motivated, and extremely talented.  If you are planning a wedding, I highly, HIGHLY recommend her (plus, she has some great specials that will make your budget very happy!).

Paige snapped this shot of me to feature my new Bonlook glasses-- the "geek" is really coming out in me (must be all the HTML coding). Bonlook has stylish and affordable prescription glasses and some fantastic shades! They are so much fun to wear when you just want to feel a little different, or for those running errands and "top knot" kind-of-days. At $99 (including your prescription) ya just can't beat it!

 (style above: Smoking Hot, color: Caramel)

Saturday night was a date night to remember. 

With Chris working full-time and traveling, we are learning that time together is something we just don't have enough of (like we could really get enough of each other). With thirty-plus percent chance of rain forcasted  all day and all night, we had planned a date night to the movies to see Moon Rise Kingdom, the Wes Anderson film our friends have raved over, but the cool gulf breeze lured us to do otherwise. 

Let me back up and say our little town, Ocean Springs, MS is quite the charmer, and with our days here quickly dwindling we are soaking up as much of it as we can: driving the beach anytime there is a chance, biking the bridge, shopping the fresh market, eating at our favorite restaurants, OR eating our favorite restaurant's food at our favorite spot. 

This was no ordinary picnic. This was a tremendous effort from a patient husband. This was fancy. This was fun. We packed up my latest DIY project (the sweet teak-topped folding table), the kitchen latter backs, a few of our favorite wedding gifts, a bottle of wine, and Chef Scott's takeout. With no distractions from being inside a restaurant (I am an AVID people watcher), we talked and talked until well after the sun went down.