I know.

Yes, I know. I haven't posted in two months.

Here's the skinny - that wonderful, amazing, so perfect for me job that I loved? I was let go last week. The economy caught up with me once again, and it sucks.

But I've been spending the last few days working on a new project, something I hope means that I will never be laid off again.

Check out my work in progress here.

More to come, I promise!

Sleep Sweet

Over the last year or so, I've encountered my first bout with serious sleep issues. It's not that I'm sharing a bed with my husband - he's easy to sleep with. Actually, I think I've been able to correlate the incidences of sleeplessness with my anxiety levels.

When I was at my previous job, I rarely slept. I was always stressed out, and if I did actually manage to get to sleep at a normal time, I would inevitably wake up several times during the night, heart racing, mind a blur. When I lost my job, I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I finally started sleeping soundly and for 8 hours at a time. It was such an incredible relief, even given such an upsetting situation.

Oh, don't worry - it caught up with me. It was inevitable that I would start losing sleep as time went on and I wasn't able to find a new job. I would say it was around the holidays when I started noticing it again. Although the last thing I want is to be reliant on sleep aids, I began taking Tylenol PM or Advil PM, just so that I could get some shut eye before 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.

Enter my new job, and the wonderful, blissfulness that is sleeping like a log was my friend again. Not only was I happy and not stressed, I was physically exhausted. I'm spending 7 hours a day on my feet, and those dresses are HEAVY. I've been headed to bed around 10:00 every night and sleeping better than I have in years.

Last week, insomnia struck again. It may have been travelling to New Orleans for the weekend, it may have been some things on my mind related to a party I'm helping to plan...regardless, it was no fun at all. I briefly mentioned my lack of sleep to a girl I work with, and Monday morning I found the sweetest card in my inbox. She wrote me a quick note and included a verse from Proverbs that could not be more applicable. I may not consider myself to be the most religious girl on the block, but I firmly believe in prayer and the power of having people thinking/praying for you. I'm so thankful to have people in my life, even those who I've just met or only know peripherally, who care for me enough to pray for me. I only hope that I have the grace to return the favor.

"When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea,
thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet."
-Proverbs 3:24

Molly or Melissa? Hey - how about NEITHER?

Wow. Thank you so much to those of you who left good wishes on my last post. Dad's hanging in there - he had an appointment with the surgeon scheduled for today, but things got backed up, and he didn't want to wait around all day. Honestly, I can't say I blame him. Even this early in the game, he kind of feels like he's getting the run-around from this practice - particularly since they wouldn't even be able to schedule his surgery until May (!!!). He went ahead and made an appointment with another practice in a city 25 minutes away for tomorrow, so hopefully that will go as well as we hope!

On another (far more superficial) note, I couldn't be any more obsessed with this season of the Bachelor. It's not even that I like Jason himself all that much - it's the drama, drama, drama...and the online spoiler/speculation/conspiracy theories that have popped up to a ridiculous extent, thanks in large part to Reality Steve.

I've gotta tell you, it's gotten so bad that I even had a seriously in-depth dream about the final episode of the Bachelor last night. It involved them bringing back participants from previous seasons, Jason himself being eliminated, and the potential for a girl choosing to be with another girl in the end...because that sounds like traditional ABC fodder, right? :)

So yes - I am ridiculously excited for this Monday. I may have to banish Mr. T from the television for the evening, because I think that this is an event that will have to be viewed LIVE rather than on the DVR! I can't be the only one who's obsessed with this stupid show, can I? Ladies, help me out here!

One more time around

So, the bad news. I mentioned in my one-year anniversary post that my mom had breast cancer last year. She was diagnosed in July, had surgery in August, and she finished up radiation treatment right before Thanksgiving. Luckily, she's fine now. She's taking Arimidex every day for the next five years to help prevent relapse, but we've all been breathing easier lately.

However...

We found out Thursday that my dad has prostate cancer. It's incredibly small, and obviously very early, but it's still very scary. His father, my Poppy, passed away a year and a half ago after a 15-year battle with prostate cancer, so this is a familiar and terrifying enemy. Dad's made the decision that he wants to have surgery - just take the thing out, and be done with it. So now we just have to wait for his consultation with the surgeon and subsequent scheduling of the procedure.

It's just unbelieveable. I never thought that I would see both of my parents diagnosed with cancer in less than one year - and before I turn 30, no less.

Mr. T and I headed to Greenville on Saturday evening to have dinner with them, which was lovely. My brother and his girlfriend came over, and we had a fabulous lobster dinner and plenty of red wine. I'm so glad that we went, and I think that my dad was happy to have us all home for a little while.

My Valentine

We got some bad news the other day (I promise I'll write about that later), so today more than ever I'm so thankful for this guy:

Happy Valentines Day, Mr. T.

I love you.

Things I Love

Wow. In the last week and a half, my life has turned completely upside-down...in the best way possible.

I absolutely LOVE my new job.
I love going to the shop in the morning.
I love being surrounded by amazingly beautiful dresses all day long.
I love everyone who works with me.
I love being paid to read wedding magazines.
I love little tasks like folding veils, organizing purchase orders, and studying the dress names.
I love when a group of women come into the shop, and you can immediately tell which one is the bride because of the size of the smile on her face.
I love listening to my colleagues and the dress designers talk about the fabrics, and knowing that soon I'll know almost as much as they do about taffeta, organza, silk, satin, charmeuse, alencon lace, chantilly lace, chiffon, and tulle.
I love that all of a sudden, I work in fashion.
I love that I get to dress up and look pretty every day.
I love the look on a bride's face when you place a veil on her head for the first time.
I love how everyone has an immense amount of confidence in me and my ability to be great at this job.
I love hearing about the bride's fiance and watching her face light up when she talks about him.
I love that, for the first time in my adult life, I don't sit in front of a computer all day long.
I love hearing the words, "I LOVE THIS DRESS."

Tagged: Five Obsessions

Okay, so as I mentioned in my last post, I've been tagged by Stephanie at This Casita and Kasia at Good Finking...

Rules of the tag: List 5 Obsessions/Addictions that you have, and tag back to the person(s) that gave you the award. Post the rules and tag an additional 5 people.

1. Friday Night Lights. I love this show - almost as much as I love my husband. We don't have DirectTV, so I had to wait until January for the new episodes to air on NBC, and it was seriously painful. Apparently, Mr. T has already read all of the spoilers and knows exactly what will be happening this season, and he has been warned of the dire straits that will befall him if he utters even one syllable about it to me. Anyway, I truly think that it's one of the best-written, best-acted shows on tv right now. And I love me some little Matty Saracen.

2. Wine. Red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, dessert wine, I love it all. My Christmas present from Mr. T was a series of six wine classes at the Viking Cooking School. Class #5 is tomorrow night, and I'm sad that we're so close to being finished. I have absolutely enjoyed learning so much about how wine is made, how to discern the type and what region it's from, detecting scents/flavors, and appreciating the differences that can appear even within a single glass of wine. It's been fantastic. Is it bad that I'm obsessed with wine?

3. Georgia football, duh. Mr. T and I are season ticket holders, I have a dog named Knowshon, my other Christmas present was a signed picture of the other Knowshon, we took our engagement pictures in Sanford Stadium, and our wedding Save the Date included a 2007 UGA football schedule. Yeah, I think we can safely call that an obsession.

4. The following websites: Facebook for social networking, Gmail for email, Google Reader for blog following, Weddingbee for all things bridal, Television Without Pity for snarky tv info and recaps, Indeed for job hunting.

5. Comfy clothes. Old Navy yoga pants, long sleeved t-shirts that have been washed so many times that the hems are coming out, super-soft sweaters, and my beloved Uggs. I got these for Christmas from my mother-in-law, and I have worn them every. single. day. since then. I'm smitten.That's all, folks! I'm not going to list anyone to tag, but if you'd like to list your own obsessions, please do. I'm really enjoying reading all of these!

WOO HOO!

Okay, guys...this is it. I start Monday.

I am the newest employee at a fabulous wedding dress shop just two miles from my house! I am incredibly excited to start this new adventure and amazing change in my life.

Ever since getting engaged in December of 2006, I've been fairly infatuated with weddings. I was an avid reader of The Knot until I discovered the gloriousness that is Weddingbee. Contributing as Mrs. Magnolia, I think I had a great taste of the bridal industry, and my interest was definitely piqued. I've considered pursuing other paths, such as wedding planning and stationery design - both are still options I wouldn't rule out in the future, but for now - wedding dress sales it is!

I truly think that this is going to be so much fun and such a wonderful change of pace. I CANNOT wait for Monday morning! (How many people do you know who say that on Friday afternoon?)

P.S. I've been tagged by two lovies ladies - the fabulous Kasia at Good Finking and the simply adorable Stephanie at This Casita. I will definitely be posting my obsessions this weekend, so stay tuned!

This is the start of something good...don't you agree?

I got a job offer. As in, I was told - go home, talk to your husband, see if this will work for you guys. If so, you can start Monday.

Whoa.

It would mean a pay cut, but it would also be more fun than any other job I can think of. I know that I could be really good at it, and I would love going to work every. single. day.

Stay tuned. There's sure to be some serious discussions between Mr. T and me, but we'll see...

She's Crafty!

What did I do today?



I made an apron...seriously.

It's totally imperfect, and I kind of like that about it. The pleats are on purpose, though - imperfect as they are.

The "M" is for my friend Michelle, who will be receiving this apron as a birthday gift tomorrow evening.

Because nothing says, "Happy Birthday" like your very first sewing project since high school, right?

New Years Eve: A Progression of Pictures

We went to dinner at Room in downtown Atlanta. Eh, it was okay. Good company, though! Afterward, we hit up our usual party at the Capital City Club. I hadn't been back there since our wedding reception almost a year ago! I just love that we have a reason to celebrate there every year.

Happy New Year! I love my husband!

Now show me you love me. Kiss me for the camera!

Success! Happy New Year!