Not-So Miscellany Monday---Chicago?

{ONE} I find myself in a state of perpetual indecision.

{TWO} After receiving a trip to Chicago for an anniversary present from my hubby {I know amazing gift, right?} I have yet to give him the green light and commit to going.

Find image here.
{THREE} The inside of my head sounds like a Clash song! Should I stay or should I go? If I go there will be trouble. And if I stay it will be double...This indecision’s certainly bugging me!

{FOUR} I feel like a bad end to a summer romance. You know, the whole it's not you it's me cliche. As horrible as it sounds, my concern is not for Gillian Grace. I know that leaving her with my mom and dad {Gammie and Grandad} means that she will be well taken care of, if not in fact, spoiled rotten. I'm more concerned with how I will handle the time away from her. Having never been away from Beans for more than a few hours, much less overnight, a 3 day trip seems like a lot!






Though I take a ton of pictures, I realized I need more of GG with family! That's a new priority!
{FIVE} And complicating the situation even more, the early birthday surprise Bret threw into the mix. Can you say, Bon Jovi LIVE at Solider Field?!

It may not be the best quality, but it's still a picture of Bon Jovi. I snapped this at a concert in Fort Lauderdale several years ago.

{SIX} Am I shirking my mommy duties if I go? Will I regret it if I don't?


I love my Gillybean!
{SEVEN} Part of me does smile at the thought of wearing something other than poop as an accessory for a change. {Recently, I went through an entire day before discovering that I had a glob of poo on my shirt! And you thought Heidi Klum was a fashion icon!}

So come on and let me know, should I stay or should I go?


{Click here to enter my newest giveaway (a $45 value), courtesy of Jumping Jax Designs.}

The "WRITE" Choice (An Invitation Consultants Giveaway)

As I mentioned in the previous post, I used Invitation Consultants to create and order the guest invitations for my parents' 40th anniversary party.


Since I created the invitations, it goes without saying that I thought they were perfect for the occasion. But after numerous compliments and inquiries about the invitations from guests of the party, I knew for sure I'd made the right choice selecting this company.

Not only does Invitation Consultants offer a wide selection of stationary and invitations to meet your every need, but they have simplified the entire online ordering process making it convenient and easy to add a creative touch to your next big event or special occasion.

After corresponding with Kaity, Invitation Consultants' Media/Client Relations Coordinator, I couldn't be more thrilled to host a giveaway for a $20 gift card to their online stationary store.

And, as with any giveaway hosted here on Webbisodes, I thought you would like to know a little more about this fantastic company.

{From the Invitation Consultants website...}

It all began in 1999 when Allison, a born entrepreneur, left her career in marketing to start her own business. She wanted to do something that truly touches people's lives. So, from a spare bedroom in her apartment in Tampa, Florida, she started Invitation Consultants.

Initially, the business catered to local brides. Pretty soon, however, she started realizing that the internet was a much more effective way to reach potential customers. She set up a website and started selling customized printed invitations and announcements online.

She also realized that brides are not the only people in need of invitations, and the website started offering invitations and announcements for any occasion: birthdays, bar & bat mitzvahs, corporate events, holiday parties, and much more.

The business is on a fast growth path. The business moved out of the apartment into an office space in 2001. The first employee was hired in 2001, soon to be followed by many more. In 2002, Allison's husband Olivier left his job, in order to join Invitation Consultants. The company has been growing at a steady rate.

Thanks to Allison's passion for invitations and stationery, true dedication to the customers and a lot of perseverance, Invitation Consultants has grown to become a real success story.

So, not only is this a great company, but it's a company based out of Florida, my home state! It just doesn't get any better!

Giveaway ends, 7/6/10. Now, here's how to enter:

Mandatory entry

{1} Visit Invitation Consultants and leave a comment here telling me how you'd use the gift card.

Additional entries:

[2} Follow Invitation Consultants on Twitter.

{3} Follow Allison on Twitter.

{4} Become a fan of Invitation Consultants on Facebook.

{5} Tweet about this giveaway.

{6} Post a message on FB about this giveaway.

{7} Blog about this giveaway.
Remember to leave a comment here for each entry and be sure to include your email.

Gillian Grace was a big fan of her grandparents' invitation.

Just don't take it away!


Miss my post about the surprise anniversary party? Don't cry, scroll down or click here to read all about it.

First we HOST, now we BOAST!

What has been an idea several years in the making, finally came to be one weekend ago. On Saturday, the eve of my parents' 40th wedding anniversary, Bret and I {together with 25 of their closest friends and out-of-town family} pulled off a surprise of a lifetime, an anniversary party!

Party preparations began in the New Year and by the second week of January, I had the date and location set. I then began scouring the Internet for ideas and inspiration for the soiree. Although red is usually associated with 40th wedding anniversaries, I only wanted to use it as an accent color. Having had our rehearsal dinner at this particular venue, I knew I needed colors that would brighten, what has a tendency to be, a dark space. Plus with it being a summer party, I wanted the decor to be a reflection of the season, light and airy! Once I arrived at my color palate of corals, peaches, yellows, and light greens, with hints of purple and touches of red, the rest was just legwork and details.

From the cake to the flower arrangements, down to the outfits my family would wear, I wanted to keep all my ideas for the party organized. With the help of a free online photo editing site {Big Huge Labs}, I created an inspiration board to keep me on track. This is also the site I use to create photo collages here on Webbisodes.



My original inspiration board

Creating and ordering the guest invitations was one of the first items I tackled.


Invitations by Invitation Consultants

Being a self-admitted perfectionist, I knew exactly how I wanted the evening aesthetic to look. Convincing Mom and Dad that dining out with the baby on a Saturday evening during the peak of tourist season would be difficult, so I knew a great plan was necessary! Being cautious not to reveal our hand, I devised a CIA inspired, black-ops esque, mission impossible, you never saw me coming, failure is not an option strategy! {I'm expecting a call any day to take over all military operations!}

For my parents, I created an invitation similar to the one I made for the guests, obviously omitting parts of the original invite like SURPRISE and PARTY! I purchased my mom a beautiful outfit from her favorite store {Chico's} and ordered my dad a Tommy Bahama shirt from Zappos {Can't say enough great things about Zappos.com}. I wrapped everything in a big brown box and attached the new invitation on top.



During one of our weekend visits, I left the package behind unbeknownst to my parents. After Mom and Dad's discovery of the mysterious parcel, we received an excited phone call and a grateful acceptance of our dinner mandate invitation.

Planning this party, I felt a little like Santa Claus. I made countless lists and checked them all no less than a million times. For months, I made phone call after phone call to vendors and shop owners to ensure that everyone was on the same page. I grew up a little while planning this event and learned to care a little less about others' perception of me {the persnickety, persistent, pain in the you-know-what client} and care more about doing whatever it took to produce an unforgettable event!

The night of the party, I was a nervous wreck! Not able to oversee the final preparations myself, I sent Bret to supervise and complete a few finishing touches. Walking into the restaurant that evening and seeing that everything had come together so beautifully was a great feeling. But nothing compared to the satisfaction and joy Bret and I received from finally having the opportunity to give a little something back to my parents, the two people that have given us so much.

One of the many highlights that evening included a video in honor of my parents' special occasion. I've uploaded an abridged version of the video shown that night. If you plan to watch be prepared, even this shorter version is nearly ten minutes in length. Hey! What can I say? For a couple with 40+ years of history between the two of them, it was a miracle I was able to get it that short! {Quicktime movie may take a few minutes to load, but hopefully you'll find that it's worth the wait!}

To view the video, click here.

The room was beautiful, the decorations splendid, and the food was top notch prepared by renowned Pensacola chef, Irv Miller. But it was the company that surpassed it all! The tone of the evening was nothing short of magical, and seeing my parents surrounded by such a large group of family and loving friends, meant the world to not only them, but me as well.

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.--Anonymous
{Party Pictures}It's all in the details...

Red velvet cake topper with individual red cupcake favors for each guest


The arrangements turned out beautifully!

Dinner and Toasting {Buddy Lanier (lower right) and Dad (upper left) make toasts.}


Playing hostess and Momma was hard work! But as you can tell, GG found ways to keep herself entertained.


The guests


Mom and Dad enjoying the party! And, as always, GG was a big hit!



Mom and Dad, the couple of the evening!

Be sure to check back later today for an exciting giveaway sponsored by Invitation Consultants!

Miscellany Monday

{1} It's Monday and that can only mean one thing...back to work! Just kidding, every stay-at-home mom knows there's no such thing as a weekend off, we're always working! Monday means it's time for a Mommy and Me picture. It's been a while and we've been so busy around here that I have little choice but to make the best of the few pictures I have of my munchkin and me, good or bad!


This would be an example of a BAD one (at least of me anyway...)


{2} Good news! Heather is the winner of the On Top Baby Bows giveaway! Please email me by Wednesday to claim your fabulous prize! Congratulations!



{3} Email is wonderful, but like laundry if left unchecked it has a tendency to quickly pile up. This past week during my brief bloggy vacay, I unplugged completely. For two full days I did not so much as open my laptop, only to return home and discover a whopping 362 messages in my inbox. Holy communication overload, Batman!



{4} Vacation season is in full swing! Never a fan of flying, one trip has us scheduled to hit the skies in late July. Destination: The Windy City!



{5} There wasn't any wind to speak of but even the slightest breeze would've knocked me over last week as I opened my anniversary gift. Let's just say Bret truly outdid himself this year! {More details in a future post!}

{6} It's all in the details and with GG's first birthday less than a month away, there's so much to do! Currently our guest room looks like the backroom of Party City.



{7} I've been racking my brain trying to think of ways to keep the kiddos attending Gillian Grace's birthday party entertained. Please send any ideas and suggestions my way!

{8} May I make a suggestion? If you're planning a summer trip to our area {the Gulf Coast}, you might want to reconsider. No thanks to bureaucratic politics in Washington and the good-for-nothing folks at BP, the oil has finally reached our beaches. What was once just a nightmare, has become reality and making matters worse is the fact we know that this is only the beginning. It's hard to tell which birthday GG will be celebrating by the time this wrong is finally made right.


Find image here

{9} Beginning this week, the wait is over! Eclipse, the third movie in the Twilight saga, hits theaters Wednesday. Though I never would've thought I'd be a fan, I can't wait to see this movie! I see a date night in my future!



{10} I'm a huge fan of this week's featured commenter, Jennifer. She puts the real in NY Housewives.




{11} Even though I hope you visit every day, be sure to check in on Thursday, July 1st. I'm unveiling a really big surprise that will hopefully be a bright spot in your day! Here's sneak peak...



{12} Thanks, Torie from Life with Rylie for passing along the Sunshine award. Awards from bloggy friends always brighten my mood!

Make it a great week, y'all!

Lucky number 7

Bret and I were born in 1979.



My first name has 7 letters.



His middle name has 7 letters.



We first met in the fall of nineteen ninety-seven.



On our first "date" he picked me up from my sorority residence, 807 West Panhellenic Drive. It was October 17th.



7 years after first meeting, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary.



The address of our first home was 2635 {2+6+3+5=16; 1+6=7}, and our townhouse number was 907.



Bret graduated with his Ph.D. and we made our first major move as a family from Florida to Alabama in 2007.



Our first child, Gillian Grace, was born on 7/20/09.



And today, Bret and I are celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary.



Looks like the odds are in our favor for a long and happy marriage!

{Lucky number 7...}

Happily Ever After

I take you to love and to hold from this day forward...



for better or for worse...



for richer or for poorer


in sickness and in health


to love and to cherish until death do us part.


This is my solemn vow.


Tomorrow my parents will celebrate 40 years of wedded bliss.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Your relationship is an inspiration to me and to Bret. If we are able to experience half the happiness the two of you have shared, we will consider ourselves very fortunate.

We love you very much!