Tammy & Matt's Wedding

Matt & Tammy October 10th, 2009

Matt & Tammy were married on 10-10-09. It was the best wedding ever! There were only 50 people there, so it was very quaint and intimate. The ceremony was in Southport, NC at the Shoreline Church Chapel. It was a small cute little chapel. The wedding was at 4pm, and it was supposed to rain pretty badly right at four. However, the sun was out nice and bright and filled the chapel full of sunlight. It was beautiful. The ceremony was 15 minutes. They even had a sand ceremony, which I thought was really nice. After the ceremony Tammy had all the guests do a group picture. It was just great, as everyone there knew Tammy & Matt really well and everything was really relaxed.
After the ceremony, we went to the Oak Island Golf & Country Club about 5 min away. What a beautiful golf course. The trees were amazing, and you could see the ocean from the club. It started to rain when we got there, but it only lasted 5 min. O'dourves were served, and they had beer & wine there for everyone. Then everyone across the stree to the beach where we did a prayer and made wishes on sea shells that Matt & Tammy had collected and then we threw them back in the ocean. It was absolutely beautiful!! The sun was setting and I couldn't imagine anything more beautiful.
Afterwards we headed back to the club for dinner. The tables were decorated very well, and the color theme was purple, Tammy's favorite color. It was just what she wanted, and it looked great. They did the toast and then we ate. Food was great. Baked ziti, green beans, prime rib, and mashed potatoes. All of it was delicious.
After dinner we danced all nite on the patio. It was so much fun, and I even danced even though I can't do it very well. Once the party was over, we all headed to Matt & Tammy's condo and partied till 2am. It was just the most perfect night. Full of friends, laughter, and fun.
If I decide not to elope, I will do this for my wedding. I don't want too many people there, just my close friends and family. I want it to be a day of celebration, but most importantly, a day that is all about me and my husband and us committing our lives together. I think people forget what the wedding day is all about, and instead just focus on the party. Tammy definately did it right, and I may just take her up on her offer and let her plan my wedding, whenever that may happen (prob no time soon lol)!!!

Here are some pics from that great day!

Firefighter fighting fire - a must see

I saw this and thought it was hysterical. At first I thought it was set-up, but nope, it's for real. I feel bad for the poor fire fighter. The media made him look like a pot head, but you must see this. I have no idea how to post the video, but here is the link. You have to watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuecxDm2B9w

SICK

I tell you what, I am sick of being sick. Mom and I have both been sick as dogs for the past 2 weeks. I first got a cold, it turned into bronchitis, and then I got a fever! Mom had some sort of flu, got better, caught my cold, and now she has a fever! I don't like being sick, but would rather it be me than her as she has too much stuff going on. This is crazy! We both need a vacation and we are both exausted. It's been nice living with mom though, as she has really helped me out when I was sick and too busy, and I am able to do the same for her. It's nice having someone there to help you out when things are crazy, and crazy they have been. It's going to slow down a bit for me in another week, and I hope it slows down some for mom as well. We just need a break!

Bathroom COMPLETED!!

The Bathroom Renovation - Project #1

So, when I first moved back to Fayetteville, NC I thought I would renovate all the bathrooms in the house. The bathrooms all have the same octogon pink colored tile, which is horrible looking. The vanities are all 20+ years old. I figured I would start with my bathroom and then move on to the other two. I guessed it would take me 2 weeks to do mine. Was I wrong!!

I started with taking the wallpaper off the walls, which didn't go very well. It ripped the drywall off with the wallpaper, as the contractors who built the house didn't prime the walls before applying the wallpaper. I thought, well, just take down the drywall, it will look better and be easier, WRONG!! Mistake #1

I ripped the floorand vanity out, as this was easy. It only took a sledge hammer and a little sweat. Mom thought the ceiling was going to fall down, as the bathroom is over the kitchen. But it didn't and the floor was gone.

Our friend Greg came and pup the drywall up for me, as it was much harder than I thought. That took about a month to happen, as he would do it when he had time. Once the walls were up, he came and put down the tile. It looks great!

I then went and painted the walls. The first color we chose looked pink, it was supposed to be sand colored. So, back to Lowes I went, and got the current color. It looks great. Then it was time for the vanity. This should have been easy, but it wasn't. The vanity goes right against the dorr, and the door molding is right there. So, I had to get inventive, and put a piece of wood between the wall and vanity to ensure the drawers wouldn't hit the molding when I pulled them out. This took about a month to finally accomplish.

Then the baseboards. Oh, the baseboards!! I have learned I cannot measure!! And I learned that when doing a project, you need to have the proper tools. So, after trying to cut baseboards with an extinct saw (dad's) I went out and bought a 10" compund sliding miter saw!! It ROCKS!! LOVE IT!! The baseboards look great now.

This is a quick summary of the 6, yes 6 month project of renovating the bathroom. It is done now, but I need to paint the trim, do some touch up, and fill in the holes from the nails in the molding. It shouldn't take long, but I need to do it.

Here are some pictures of the finished project.
I will do a better job with writing about the second bathroom I am going to do.

The bathroom was supposed to be a 2 week renovation project. Well, it didn't happen that way. I learned to NEVER take drywall down, that cutting and measuring baseboards are NOT easy, and when you put in a vanity, make sure it's not too close to the door, as it causes issues. I think I did everything wrong the first time on this project, but at least I learned. Plus, I got a really cool 10 inch compound sliding miter saw, yes it ROCKS!!

I thought I would be funny. This one is for you dad!


This is the view from the door. You can get a good look at the tile floor, which looks great, thanks to our friend Greg Brown who did it for us. Also, get a look at the baseboard. Yes, I painted and cut them all. It took forever, and I learned I need to measure more accurately the first time.

This is the new vanity, and you can see the towel rack that Christian put up for me. As you can tell, it was a group project. I had help, thankfully.

I thought I would wave to you all!

Yet another view from the door.

The toilet and the towel rack

A great view of the vanity that was a pain in the butt to install. See how close it is to the door frame, yea, that caused a major problem that I finally figured out, with Christian's help of course

The bathroom was supposed to be a 2 week renovation project. Well, it didn't happen that way. I learned to NEVER take drywall down, that cutting and measuring baseboards are NOT easy, and when you put in a vanity, make sure it's not too close to the door, as it causes issues. I think I did everything wrong the first time on this project, but at least I learned. Plus, I got a really cool 10 inch compound sliding miter saw, yes it ROCKS!!

Love you all

Bri

Life update

I graduate in only 4 days! Unbelievable!! I am so excited. Can't wait to go to Greenville this weekend with Adam to go and party!! Mom is coming down on Saturday to watch me walk and then we are all going out to dinner, with some friends of course. It will be awesome, I can't wait. Adam and I will be there for the entire weekend, and then we will come home on Sunday to celebrate Mother's Day with mom.
I am back at work, which is really good for me. I need to get back into a routine. State walked in on Monday, so work has been 12 hour days, but I still love it none the less. The bathroom still isn't finished, but all I need to do is put the countertop on the vanity and nail it to the wall. I just need someone to help me bring the countertop upstairs. Then I will be able to use my shower again, and I am sure mom will be happy. But, the toilet is in, so that is good.
Also, I am going to be an aunt. Andi is pregnant, so the entire family is excited. It will be cool to have a little Nichols/Raponi running around. I probably won't get to see him/her for a while, but its all good, pictures will work for a little while. Congrats Andi and Tim!!!

GRADUATION... its almost here

Graduation is May 13th. Its amazing how quickly it is approaching. I can't believe that I will finally graduate and have my bachelors. Most people are really happy about this and say it was a long road, blah blah blah. But for me, it was a much harder road. It took me 8 years from high school graduation. I wasn't in school the whole time, as I was deployed twice, but it feels as though I was in school a lot. I never really got that whole "college experience" except for one year, and that was one of the best years of my life. I met some great friends and got to play Rugby. It was awesome. I even drank a little bit, not much but a little. It was fin going to BW3 at 11am with my coach and having drinks at the bar after classes. This is when I found out what I had been missing for so long. Just having good friends makes life so much easier. But after that year I decided that I would move to New Orleans for a boy that I met. Of course the boy only lasted 3 weeks, butI decided to stay anyways. It was probably one of the best things I could have done for myself, because I learned more than I ever thought possible about myself. I went to school full-time online and worked full-time. It was crazy, but I did great that first semester, 4.0GPA. The onlything that suffered was my social life, but I was used to this. Then, in 2008 I decided to go back into the Marines full time. That was good and interesting. I had always wondered what it would be like if I did active duty again, but I realized that it wasn't for me. I got out after 6 months and moved back to NC with mom. That brings me to where I am today. One paper away from graduation, still having to realize that I actually did it. I actually did everything I needed to do to get that piece of paper. And now things are moving right along. I start my internship for AIT next month, and then I will be an administrator. I will have a career, and a good one at that, and one that I know will fit me and my personality perfectly. I think that this is the best job choice I could have chosen. Its weird how things are starting to fall into place. At times it felt as though I would never be at this point, and there are times when I am waiting for someone to shake me and wake me up. It can't be true that life is actually working out, but it is. Life is coming together.
I even got a new car, well its used, but its new to me. I never thought I would ever get one, well at least not in the next few years. Its amazing and I love having something that is dependable and really nice. I mean I can roll the windows down with the push of a button. The lights turn on at night when I am driving. The driver's seat moves with the push of a button. Its just amazing to have something that is nice. My parents have helped me out with the car, but I really want to start working so I can pay them back. I am not used to having to have other people help me out financially. I have been on my own for so long and haven't had to ask anyone for help. But its nice knowing that they are there and willing to help.
Things with Adam are going well also. Again, this is weird for me, since I am not used to having a boyfriend. He's a great guy though and I enjoy his company. Currently he is in the Appalachian mountains hiking for the week. I think that its good that we can both do our separate things and still be happy. I do miss him, but know that I need time to get away and so does he. Its good for both of us. Time will tell with him, as my Mama always says.
So I have learned a lot these last couple of years. Things have been hard and good. Life is never what one may expect, but I am really happy the way things have worked out. I wouldn't have learned so much about myself and life if I didn't choose the road less traveled.... and that has made all the difference.
I will definately post some pics of me receiving my degree.

The Beach

Today is Wednesday and the last day at the beach. I was invited by Jennifer to go to the beach for 3 days 2 nights. She paid for the room and said all you have to do is show up. Its been nice. I figured that I would come and try to learn how to do the vacation thing. Actually relaxing and enjoying being away. Well let me tell you, itsnot as easy as one may think, well not for me anyways. I am trying to learn to be in the now and enjoy everything and not to worry about everything I have to do. Its hard for me. I don't know how people are able to do this for an extended period of time. I always think about what I could be doing at home or what I should be doing. Its hard for me to be out of my little bubble with the little amount of structure I have created for myself back home. I don't know why. I thought I was doing really good and relaxing, but it was pointed out to me last night that I need to loosen up. I am too uptight. The girls said it in a nice way and weren't trying to hurt my feelings. They said that I need to let go and just have fun. Well, I was for me. I wasn't in a bad mood or anything. I am just uptight, but that is ME! That has always been me. I don't think I will ever be described as a laid back person. God just didn't create me like that. But Lord knows I am trying.
I wrote most of my paper yesterday, and that really helped my stress level. I was almost panicking about it. I should have written it a long time ago but never did, and now I just wanted to write it and be done with it. So the girls left me alone for the day and I wrote about 20 pages. It helped that I had written a little while I was in England. Now I only have 5 pages left. Once this paper is finished I just have a few little tests to do and I am done, then I will graduate.