A Recap

     Welp. I have finally finished my wedding photo album.  HOLY POOP - IT WAS TIME CONSUMING! I can totally see why people pay so much money to have someone else do it! I think partly because it's my own photos so I want each and everyone of them in there! 

Now that it's done, I can focus on editing some of our wedding video and putting together a small album of my Bridal Shower, Bachelorette Party and our Rehearsal Dinner and after those are checked off I can start the project I'm so excited about... scrap booking our honeymoon! ICELAND!

     I have been so antsy and really wanting to edit the photos and to put together a better video than I had slapped together right after the trip.  I have so many awesome photos I didn't post when I was blogging over there that I am really looking forward to putting them on the blog!  I am not tackling it currently because I am the type of person who gets overwhelmed way too easily and need to focus on only one or two projects at a time and now that I plan on blogging more... it will just be too much.  

     I have been thinking of some fun things to blog on here! I may do a post on my tattoos soon and maybe a hair tutorial but right now I may just do a weeks recap as things have been pretty busy this past week.  

     Though, I have a really fun project that I filmed a short video for and as soon as I get all the prints edited (I'm on 4 of 12) I will post the video and the prints here and I am hoping to get them in my store to sell! I really wanted to be able to post them today but I couldn't get them finished in time...it will just have to wait (There was 50% on shutterfly, had to finish my wedding album first... can't miss 50%)!

     Ok so on with the post ;) 

   I held my first Easter Dinner and we had both of our parents over! I was nervous and wanted to make it really special so I did my best with the table settings and food! They were also so wonderful to bring some side dishes over! We were able to set up our dining room table that we have on the back porch since it has been so beautiful out! Here are a few photos from our get together! 

 Creepiest cake ...ever. Thanks Dad ;) Love you!

Once everyone left Brian and I had a fire and relaxed, we both took off the following day to get caught up with a few things!

I think Easter turned out lovely! 

April has been very busy and I'm making time for myself lately.  I've been working out since the start of the new year and really learned that you have to give yourself time for it or it will never happen.  I'm really hoping to get into a 5k soon!
I have been trying to control my weight a little better since behind diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. The photos below are a few years ago (I just noticed I don't have any recent ones, I will have to update that) but it gives you the idea of how I fluctuate with my weight. The below photo is a 30 lbs weight difference!  It's tough. But I'm getting to know my body better and now that I have a reason for the weight changes, I'm not as frustrated with myself! 

    My goal is 7-10 more pounds, the same weight I was in the photo on the right.  I have been walking as much as possible during my lunch break and walking an incline or running after work for about a mile on our treadmill.  I like to walk the incline to work my legs and bum and I wear ankle weights (2.5 lbs each foot) to make it a little tougher.  I walk up a 10% incline.  The neighborhood is beautiful that I walk in during lunch with so many pretty homes.  

 and I always have my buddy close by while I'm working out!

     We have also been doing a lot of projects around the house- sorry for all the cell phone photos - I promise to start using my other camera more- sometimes it's just all I have at the moment :) 

     I wanted to paint the front door a pretty color (it was brown).  So I did.  I really love it except we have to power wash brown paint off the lower half of the house.  I will look 100 times better once I do that.  I don't mind paint on the lower half of houses, covering the cinder bricks, but it's just not for me.  We get a ton of sun too and the paint bubbles and peels and is a pain to keep up with.  

Before- brown door- sorry it's a bad photo

During 

After 

We have so much we still want to do to our home and we have the time this year since we aren't planning our wedding! 

They love to watch when we do yardwork

My plant babies! I'm doing okay this year- haven't killed any of them yet!

     We also decided to put a flower bed around the tree in the back after our fire pit didn't work out since the dogs kept getting caught on it.  I am so happy with how it turned out!  We did buy a new fire pit - one we can move...

 I have been crafting a ton to get my store started and hopefully do a craft show.  I dream of someday working from home... really. Anyways... things have been kind of a mess because I have craft supplies upstairs, downstairs, on our porch... everywhere. 

   

    These are some things I have been making.  My monsters are going to be for sale too- each with their own names and reasons why you should adopt them and if they are a good fit for you.  They are 15$ but we will be donating 5$ of each sale to Pets for Vets.  I will explain further once I make some more, take some nice photos of them and post them online.  This is kinda behind the scenes of what's going on... Spike is my favorite so far! 

 also- key chains ... 

     Fold over purses... this was my rough draft purse and please don't mind the monsters arm in the top right of the photo.  I plan on taking some nice photos for the blog of these products and then they will be available for purchase on the link to either Etsy or another site I decide to sell on.  

 Okay- dog photo break- aren't they the cutest!? 

     Below are some of the salads I've been making- SO GOOD! I'm really trying to watch more of what goes into my body and cut down sugar too... I really like to put the fake crab meat on them... I know it's not the best for you but YUM!  Since I've been working out and really watching what I eat, I'm down 9 lbs!

I can't remember what these were called but my Dad made me try them... they were so good! I will have to ask him again! 

     So- before I said things were getting out of hand with my craft supplies, well i just about had it on Saturday and couldn't even think straight.  I went out to Home Depot at about 7pm and stayed up until 3am to put together my craft supply shelving unit in our laundry room.  I just couldn't stand having things everywhere all the time! I can't tell you how happy I am to have this and it freed up so much space upstairs in our spare bedroom! YIPPPIEEEE! 

Well... :) That's all I've got for now- Tomorrow is May! My Birthday month! I will keep posting some fun things on here - maybe not so much any recaps as I think maybe some other things may be more fun ;) Let me know what you think! 

Dear Chance

     So. It's been five years since I first laid eyes on you at the shelter. Five years since you were dumped under that bridge covered in fleas, filthy with dirt and bruised from the abuse...I saw your photo and new I had to meet you and when I met you I knew I couldn't leave without you. We picked each other and now it's been five years of love, cuddles and kisses. You bring on challenges and try my patience as you required special attention...But I would not trade it for the world! I have learned so much from you and felt love in ways that I didn't think was possible! You are my best friend bud! Always my best friend! We will battle our anxieties together and overcome them at some point! I love you to the moon and back Chance, Happy Adoptaversary! -and here's to many more!

Our Rehearsal & Our Wedding Day

The Big Day...

Video By: Filming the Bride
Photography By: Oakwood Photos 

Wow, It was already 7 months ago! HOW?! WHEN!?

     I haven't been able to sit down to give myself enough time to clear my head and write this post.  I mean, how in the world do you sum up one of the biggest days of your life in a blog post? ... honestly, I don't think you can. 

     So... 7 Months later...here we are...  My name has officially been changed and I am now SHANNON MARTIN!  I have to admit that I've been avoiding writing this post.  I have had so much on my plate and it's caused some serious anxiety issues while trying to get my to-do list completed but for some reason, it only seems to keep growing.  I had started to write this as a long detailed post of what I remembered through the day but it just because so long and I was detailing everything when I really should let the photos do the talking, I mean that's why you have photos taken of the big day.  So... I deleted what I had written.

     I do have to say though, get a photographer AND videographer for you wedding day.  You will NOT regret having both!  The photos are so beautiful and the video put everything into motion.  The day goes so fast and you forget a lot that happens!

     Our photographer and videographers were incredibly talented and if you are in the Pittsburgh area, please look them up, I linked their sites at the top of this post! Also- our DJ was incredible!  I still have people asking for his contact information! Check him out at: DJ Loyal if you are looking for an amazing DJ! Just make sure that you find someone that fits your style, it's so important that you love their work! 

 Before I get into the wedding photos, here are some photos of the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner since I haven't posted those either.  It ended up STORMING and rain was predicted for our wedding.  I was staring to get bummed but I knew it was a possibility and there was a plan B if it rained.  We would just have the ceremony under the pavilion and there would be lots of umbrellas involved that the venue provides.

This is right before it stormed at the rehearsal:

I don't know what I was doing with my arm in the photo below... 

My sister and I with the pouring rain in the background :) 

Yep, blurry Cell phone photos:

 Butler Country Club where our Rehearsal Dinner was: 

I got my sister and old view finder for a matron of honor gift... it had photos of our childhood... I think she and my mom LOVED it! 

Okay, Now for the Big Day- sorry to smush this all into one post. 

     I remember getting up in the morning and saying goodbye to the dog sitter (who was so sweet and happy to watch both our crazies) and then driving up to Succop Conservancy bright and early!  What a name for a venue- Succop.  I got a lot of funny looks when I told people where we were getting married as it's pronounced "Suck Up".  It was about 50 mins from our home so we got a hotel block of rooms that night in Butler, PA and made sure that we had enough time to get home the next day after breakfast at the hotel, grab our suitcases and head out for Iceland!

Oakwood Photo & Video

The photo below is right when we arrived before everyone else - we snuck a few before it got crazy!

All the photos below were shot by Oakwood photo and video, Thanks Alexa! 

I picked my favorite the best I could- if I could, I post all of them. I am in love with our wedding day! I really feel so very lucky to have all that I did!  I know a lot of people in this world may not be as lucky.  I hope you enjoy the photos and my rambles and I can't tell you how happy I am that I am going to hit that publish button soon on this post so I can cross one more thing off of my to do list ;) Thank you all for checking it out! <3

Here's a shaky cell phone video but I think it perfectly sums up our night:) 

P.S.   I also wanted to post some of the photos I took after I made some things for my family for the big day!.  I made my Mom, Dad and Sister some special keepsakes for the big day.  The first one is a patch for the back of my Dad's tie, the second is a handkerchief I learned how to hand embroider for my Mom with the American Sign Language sign for "I Love You."  It was always our thing together.  Then I hand embroidered on for my Sister as well.  We call each other "Seester" and it just seemed like the right thing to put on there! I also posted the cake topper that I made and our ring pillow because they are super special and were super tedious to make!

 My cake topper mess: 

My ring pillow started out as a drawing and then I just watched YouTube videos until I learned how to do all of the stitching :) 

Okay. I'm done ;) Going to publish this post and thank you to all who are reading this!