Just Poppin` in to say Thanks!!

Hey guys!
I know probably most of you are expecting a big "anniversary recap", but you are going to have to wait until the end of the month! I am going to post my anniversary recap with the last link up that I am doing for the June Brides series! The recap is going to be so so awesome & I will even be able to  reveal some GREAT news that we received while on our trip. Stay tuned!!  You honestly don't want to miss this!!  =D
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Man... I'm gone for a long weekend and I feel like I've got so much to catch up on in my blog reading, as well as a lot of comments & emails to reply to, so bare with me.  =)
Thank you so so much for all of your well wishes and congratulations!

Scott & I had a truly wonderful first anniversary weekend in Cape Cod. It was peaceful & relaxing & I am feeling so rejuvenated, just in time for our second big move.
As soon as we got home from the Cape, I started packing like a crazy woman! We had also started packing before we left for the Cape,  so now we finally have 1/2 of our belongings packed up in boxes. That's a relief because our move is just 2 weeks away!
We have a bunch of people who are willing to help us, which I am so incredibly thankful for, because I'm sure we will need it!  
Last night, we also had our first anniversary photo shoot with one of my best friends. I cannot even wait to see some of the pictures, & then of course, post them here for all of you to see!

Okay, that's all I got for today.
Thank you again to everyone who wished us a Happy Anniversary!
I still can't believe I've been a wife for one whole year!

=)

A Year Ago Today

As some of you know,  Scott & I are in Cape Cod for the weekend.
So, right now I'm sure we are having breakfast in bed while over looking the water, or perhaps I'm downing a mimosa on the beach. You are welcome for that visual.
But-- today being our anniversary, I had to tell you guys that today, I will be giving Scott his "paper" gift.   It's a message in a bottle.  I know, I know... I'm very clever. (Message in a Bottle (the movie) is one of my favorites! 
It's on the coast of Cape Cod where the main character finds the message in a bottle! C'mon people... I know you've read this Nicholas Sparks book!) I plan on hiding it in the sand and everything!  
Anyway- Here is what the message reads:

Dear Scott:

A year ago today, I woke up so happy. (And yes, I do realize that started off sappy) But seriously, I just couldn't wait to be married to you, and as I put on something old, something borrowed, something blue, I remember my eyes welled up with tears when I saw my something new. You had bought me a beautiful pearl necklace with a cross that dangled down, and it matched perfectly with my sparkly white gown.

I slipped on my shoes, pink to match the girls flowers, and I remembered us talking about that color scheme for hours. All that planning paid off, everything was coming together, and soon we would be married; united forever.

When I got to the church, I had butterflies They were the same that I had when I first caught your eyes. When the organ starting playing, my heart starting doing flips... and then I remembered those mimosas and how I should have had a few more sips! My Dad took my arm and walked me down that aisle, and all I could do was look at you with those big eyes and that smile.

When I took your hands, all the nerves went away, as we stood in front of God and said our vows on that day. I remember looking around and smiling; feeling such bliss, even though there were 100 people watching our Mr & Mrs first kiss. And I will never forget the feeling I felt when the minister announced us for the first time, Mr. & Mrs. Scott & Karla Sypek... (and yes, I know that doesn't rhyme)

As we walked back down the aisle, and you saw your step fathers car, the one you both worked on together and shaped you into who you are, I'll never forget the way you looked at me, and the way you squeezed my hand... I wanted nothing more in that moment than to make you the happiest man. I know you won't admit it, but I saw you shed a tear, because we both knew that though he wasn't there, his spirit was so near.

Scott's face when he sees his step-fathers car I surprised him with.  Priceless!

Us in the car!

The minutes after we said "I do" were the best moments for me, we took pictures with our loved ones as one big happy family. After photos we drove off to our party, in the big blue Bel Air, and danced the night away at the reception without a single care. Cheesin` in the photo booth, or "creeping" under my dress, the reception that took so much time to plan ended up a huge success!

Scott got the garter by going under my dress with a creeper that car mechanics use!!

Our wedding night was typical, romantic & sweet, our honeymoon in Maryland was amazing and I would go back in a heartbeat. A vacation for the record books, we enjoyed every last minute there... but even better was coming home and realizing we had our whole lives to share.

When I think back on how this first year has been, I think of this crazy fun ride that I want to be on again and again. Sure, it's crazy.  Sure it's got it's ups and downs.   But I don't want easy, I just want you around.

I love you Scott, more than life itself, and I'm not just saying that cause` I couldn't think of anything else. You are my passion, my soulmate, my heads up penny- and unfortunately, no words rhyme with that... at least I couldn't think of any.
Love you so much! 

Happy One Year Anniversary, here's to many, many more!
=)

=)

Lauren's Honeymoon Planning tips!

Hi Friends!!

So right now, I'm hopefully on my way to Cape Cod with Scott,

eagerly anticipating a very much needed mini-vacation!  

My gorgeous friend, Lauren from SLP Sooner or Later

is taking over my blog today and talking about her up and coming HONEYMOON!!

Hint: It is somewhere tropical and beautiful and I am SUPER jealous!

She gives some pretty nice tips too for those of you who may be planning a honeymoon,

or just a vacation in general!

Take it away, Lauren!

________________________________________________________________________________

The Honeymoon. If you have ever planned a wedding, you know that easily becomes the thing you end up looking forward to the most. Of course you are thrilled for your wedding day, but with the wedding day comes some stress & massive organization. The honeymoon requires NONE of that. 

My fiance, Dustin, & I are getting married on July 20 and on July 21, we fly out to COSTA RICA!!!! 

We are SO excited & cannot stop counting down. The big thing I always used to wonder was how people picked a honeymoon destination when you have so many choices to pick from. 

Here is a short guide to how we did it.

1. We used a travel agent. At first (because I have never used a travel agent) I was skeptical and didn't understand quite how it worked. However, I went to the Dallas Bridal Fair & met Stephanie (from All about Honeymoons & Destination Weddings) and it was a match made in heaven. She was so friendly and explained to me that it didn't cost me a thing to use a travel agent. She makes her money through the resorts. Now, if you're like me, you're skeptical AGAIN. You feel like they might just try to get you to go to their one or two resorts. Not the case here! We had HUNDREDS of options. She helped us narrow down our top choices and ultimately helped us pick Costa Rica.

2. We decided what was important to us. While both of us love some fun laying in the sun, neither of us are the type to sit around & tan all day. We wanted a little bit of adventure on our honeymoon! Costa Rica had both the beautiful beaches plus the jungle/volcanos that we could go zip-line through or explore. We also knew we wanted an all-inclusive resort so we wouldn't be "nickel & diming" our whole honeymoon. 

3. We budgeted out what was reasonable for us. Would we have LOVED to have our own private villa with our own swim-up pool? Absolutely! Would we have had to given our first born child for it? Absolutely NOT. No bueno. In the end, we figured out what we wanted to allocate our money to and what wasn't really worth it to us (I'm looking at you private swim-up pool).

4. We bought insurance for peace of mind. Some people might say that it isn't worth it to buy insurance and that you're throwing away your money. Perhaps it was because what we are spending on our honeymoon is a big chunk of money to us, we wanted to ensure that if anything should happen and we aren't able to have our vacation that we would be refunded (i.e.- hurricanes. a VERY real possibility).

I cannot wait to enjoy the sandy beaches & ocean air with my (at that point) HUSBAND. 

Can the honeymoon get here already??!! 

Thanks so much Karla for letting me share a little of my wedding world & for being such a good role model for all of us who want to be "Forever Newly Wedded".

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Aw.  Thanks SO much Lauren!! 
=)

Leaving on a Midnight Train (We're Moving!)

In the midst of packing for our long weekend in Cape Cod, we've also been packing for another reason!
That's right.  We are packing up & shippin` on out.

(& don't worry, we're not leaving on a midnight train...

it's only a 20 minute drive-- I just thought it was a cute little song!)

Scott & I are full of all kinds of emotions. (Although, Scott denies having any emotions...ever.) We are exciting for this new chapter of our lives, we are hopeful for what the future holds, yet we are sad to leave our little apartment that we have grown to love.
So many memories, so much love. It will be so bittersweet to leave, I actually don't even want to think about it.
I'm not the best when it comes to change. It will be a whole new town to get used to, new neighbors, new commute, new landlord, new... everything.
Although, I want to try and focus on the good things that are going to come out of this move. I do like that it's gorgeous and was built in 2011, so it's brand spankin new!  
I do like that it has a dishwasher because we've lived without one for 3 years. I know, call me spoiled.  I just grew up having one  & washing dishes every night sure does a number on my lower back.  Ouch.
This place is a tad closer to my hometown, which means that I can join dance again! If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that this is HUGE for me. I think I'll probably cry on the first day of class, I've missed it so much. And I'm kind of a sap.

I'm also excited to give you all a little "home tour" once everything is unpacked & prettified. Yeah.  Whose with me that "prettified" should be added to the dictionary?  Mmhmm.
If you know of any muscley men who would like to come & help us move, I'd be very much obliged.  Just tell them there is free pizza & beer. I'm going to start tweeting Luke Bryan & Jason Aldean to see if they could lend a hand, you know... in their free time.  
;-)
Anyway-  if I'm a little quiet on the blog.. you'll now know why. But, I won't be quiet for too long. It's hard to go a day or two without writing!
Well, today is my Friday. We leave for Cape Cod in the morning.

Stay tuned for my 1st Anniversary surprise to Scott, I'll post that on Sunday (our actual 1 year anniversary!)

Gosh... it's kind of hard to even type that out... seems like we got married just yesterday.
Love you guys!  See you next week!

Hardest Moments From the First Year

Happy Wednesday, my friends!
Today is the second "From Year One To Beyond" link up for the month of June, and we are all talking about the hardest moments from the first year of marriage.

Ashley @ It Is What You Make It // Kalyn @ Love.Laughter.HappilyEverAfter  // Mallory @ From California to Kansas // Karla @ Forever Newly Wedded // Maggie @ A Weaving of Grace 

Samantha @ Designer in Teal // Veronica @ Passion.Pink.Pearls // Kaitlyn @ Wifessionals // Emily @ Newlywed Moments // Callie @ My Something New With You

Is it bad that this one is just a tad easier to write than last week's funniest moments?? I guess it's just very human-like of me.  Sometimes, it's easier to remember the bad than the good. Tough moments leave an impression that is hard to smooth over sometimes.    I've heard a million times that the first year of marriage is the hardest... but Scott & I lived with each other while we were engaged, and so I think that living together before we were married helped smooth out some wrinkles. So, in all honesty, this first year has been the time of our lives... amongst some tough moments. And for that, we are both so thankful.
But, if I were to pick a couple... they'd be:

one:  My Grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
I've never ever talked about this on here.  Yes, I am real and raw on this blog... but there are some things I just can't get myself to write about on here.  There are some things that are better off private.  I'm sure I'll talk about this at a later date... but for now... cancer sucks.  Cancer can kiss my ass.  I hate it and I have nothing nice to say about it.  And for now, I'd rather my blog be a positive place.  For now, I want to leave cancer out of it, and instead, talk about what a great guy my Grandfather is.
Prayers are so very much appreciated.  Thank you.  =)

two:  12-14-2012
I don't have the strength to write exactly what I want to write about this horrible day.  My hometown is different now.  My Dad is different now.  The school he works in is different now.  This rocked me... hard.  This ate me up, and spit me back out.  It triggered a lot of emotion, a lot of panic, anxiety, and pain for me.  If it wasn't for Scott... well....  I don't even know.  I really don't.

three:  Bills go up- Pay stays the same

Story of our lives, right?  Being broke newlyweds is something we struggled with for a while.  We cut down like crazy on the amount of "going out" that we did.  We cut down A LOT!  Because when the cost of living keeps going up, and our salary stays the same.... well... it's hard!  Plain and simple.  It's frustrating.  It's straining.  It takes a toll on relationships.  Big time!  But we cut down on going out on dates... we got creative with our "stay-at-home" dates, and we just managed!  Sure, sometimes it makes me want to rip my hair out of my head... but then I remember what is most important:  Our love. Our marriage. Our happiness.  Our relationship.  Our family.  Our friends.  That's it.  =)

So there you have it.

Three of our hardest "moments".

=)

Our Story: Planning a Wedding

Today, I continue "Our Story" (because I forgot last week!) "Our Story" is a little series I'm doing to preface my relationship with Scott. Since starting up this blog four months into our marriage, I never really prefaced our relationship, so I'm making up for it now!
So, without further adieu... here begins the longest post in Forever Newly Wedded's history... sorry!
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First things first...  My advice to any newly engaged women out there (for whatever it's worth)... Do not... I repeat... DO NOT plan a wedding while you are working AND going to school FULL TIME!
My second piece of advice... no matter how many bridal expo's you go to, all it leads to is annoying phone calls from Mary Kay ladies telling you that you won a free makeover... and don't fall for it.  All of us "won".  It's a total scam. It also leads to unwanted phone calls from venders you'll never use. But go to at least one.. you get some free stuff, & it makes you feel all special.

Scott & I had SO much help from my Mom as far as planning goes. I seriously don't know what I would have done without her help. She helped me with the guest list (a daunting task)  as well as the seating arrangements... (another daunting task)... and who can forget... the invitations (yet another daunting task).

Oh heeeeyyy.. Saturday night seating arrangement party!!

My third piece of advice... if you are on a tight budget (like we were) try & do a lot of things by yourself instead of buying!
For example, I did my own wedding invitations with a handy dandy wedding invitations kit I bought from Target for $40. They were simple, yet elegant, and fairly easy to do. We addressed them and stamped them all ourselves. Talk about a major hand cramp... but at least it saved us $$$!

These were our exact invitations!!  -source-

I also made my own guest book by using Snapfish. I put all of engagement photos in it, and it had lines for people to write.  It worked out perfectly and with a groupon, it went from $30 to absolutely FREE!

Here is the book.

Here is the proof that I got it for FREE!!! Thanks Groupon!!

I also made a "thumbprint guest book". I drew and colored the married couple at the bottom, and wrote our instructions for our guests to use the ink pads provided, and put their thumbprint on the canvas above the couple, to make their thumbprints look like balloons!   (in our wedding colors of course!)

As far as the ceremony goes... our minister took care of everything as far as scheduling. And the reception venue took care of everything for our reception. I never had to worry about linens or dishes or chairs or tables or centerpieces or even a wedding cake.

The venue did it all for us.  The Fox Hill Inn in Brookfield, CT did a fantastic job. I recommend them 110%.

Us with The Fox Hill Inn behind us, on the day we saved our date!

My Mom took care of the flowers (thank God!),  and my Mom made all of our wedding favors, ordered from Oriental Trading. They were butterfly cookie cutters with a recipe for sugar cookies. We only spent $8.50 per dozen on them, and they had our names and wedding date on them! That has "awesome" written all over it. Find them, here.

We added blue and pink ribbons (our wedding colors) to jazz it up a bit!

My Aunt even made them for us after the wedding... so I have proof that the recipe is pretty darn good!!

Also- at the last minute, our wedding photographer told us we could have a FREE photo booth! So last minute, we were SO tight on money that we bought colored card stock, and long wooden sticks... and we made our own photo booth props!! SO much fun!

Of course, we had to have a little fun the night we made them!

The hard part is when it came time to start paying for all of our venders. Scott & I had just moved into our first place, & I had started Student Teaching. I was only working a total of 8 hours a week at my job... and wasn't being paid for Student Teaching. We were living off of Scott's paychecks... and barely made ends meet with paying for a wedding and a rent.  Actually, we were so broke that we couldn't even pay rent, and lived rent free for almost 6 months.
Our landlords were Scott's grandparents, who were patient and worked with us. Now, for years, they have counted on the rent they get from their tenants as a source of income, I can't imagine what it must have been like for them to not get any rent from us for 6 months, but it was the best gift that they could have ever given us & I will be forever grateful. We were truly, truly blessed... because had it not been for them working with us,  I have no idea what we would have done.
In the end, there were a lot of lessons learned. I should have finished school before we started planning. Even though I finished school before we were married like I wanted to, it still would have been nice to finish before we even started to plan.
But, through it all, it made our relationship stronger. There were times when I wanted to pull my hair out, and Scott helped calm me down & told me it would all work out in the end.
Did I believe him?
Honestly, no.
But, in the end... he was right.
It was a beautiful wedding, a perfect day, surrounded by the people we love, & it couldn't have been better.

=)

Weekend Recap!

It's Monday.   Here starts the beginning of reading everyone's weekend re-caps. And usually I don't like conforming to what everyone else is doing, but at the moment... it's all I can think about!

Finally, after days of pure rain, it was nice to see the sun again!
Saturday was spent at the beach, & it was perfect timing for it because it was such a great day. After a long week of work & one extremely tough decision (more on that later),  it was just what both Scott & I needed.
We visited family, enjoyed great food  & got to drive around in Scott's grandmother's golf cart with our nephew! Nothing better!  =)

Scott & I got up way too early for a Sunday.

We made an 8am Home Depot run to buy some chalkboard paint,

and then we painted some wine bottles we had saved up for this project.

This is a great DIY project for under $10! 

(We had a glass of wine at 9am to help free up another wine bottle we used,

don't judge!  haha)

We used 2 coats of chalkboard paint on each bottle.

Make sure (if you do this) that you wait until the first coat completely dries,

or else the paint starts peeling off when you put then second coat on.

Also-- save the corks... they will be helpful to help spin the bottle around as you paint!

Less messy that way!

Here is the ending product:

Eventually, it will be put in our kitchen!  I think it will make a great conversation piece!

Sunday afternoon, we drove to my parents house to celebrate 3 birthdays,

as well as our 1st anniversary... even though it's not until the 16th!

It was a gorgeous day for an outside BBQ.

We brought our defrosted cake topper with us & decided to slice & eat it

since we will not be around for our actual anniversary.

To our surprise, it tasted pretty good & did not taste like styrofoam!! 

Winning!

We fed each other the first piece, although I didn't get any pictures, which is kind of unfortunate because it got a little messy, unlike our very clean cake eating on our wedding day.
The cake ended up on my Mom's living room floor and all over my dress! This was Scott's pay back for not being able to smoosh cake in my face at our wedding. (I didn't want him to get it on my dress! )
It was really fun & we had some laughs. It was also nice to see family that I hadn't seen in a while.

How was your weekend?
Leave a URL if you'd like!  =)