Good food, good friends, great time!

This last weekend my amazing aunt Amanda and super awesome future sis in law Courtney threw a bridal shower for me in Illinois. It was hosted at this adorable tea room complete with handmade decor by Amanda. My favorite decor item was the napkin that was sweetly embroidered with, 'I love you to the moon and back' which is what I would tell Matt when he was in Afghanistan. Don't even get me started on how caauuute the invites were! Compliments of Courtney!

I had such a great time meeting a few of Matt's aunts that I hadn't met prior and a great, great friend of his mom's. I always enjoy time with great ladies, but these ladies are super special as I will be joining their circle of family in June, and I couldn't be more honored.

Thank you ladies, for your support and kindness. I am so grateful to be surrounded by such caring people. A special thanks to Amanda and Courtney for all their hard work and efforts in making this special day so much more special than even I could have imagined. I love you girls!

Can't wait to see my Chattanooga friends in just a couple of weeks! :)

{future} Heisel Rules!

Oh For the Love of DIY

So, anyone that knows me (closely) knows that I am DIYer to my core. I'm talking all the way to my DNA. Not because I'm too cheap, but because I get so much satisfaction when I see something that I made. It's a high, but a safe one, and one that lasts longer than any other! ;)

This weekend was no exception on the DIY front. I finished 2 very large (time consuming) wedding projects over the weekend and I'm thrilled! Just as excited to see them done as I was to start them. Simply because they felt never ending. Those who know me also know that I am not great with decision when given too many options. I freeze up and it never gets completed. But these projects, they came with another layer of excitement as they will make their debut at my wedding this June!

Here's the long awaited chandeliers, countem...one aaaaand 2! Yep, the sweetie let me err gave me permission umm highly encouraged another chandy once the first was completed! The second was my creation nearly from scratch! I'm so lucky right? ;) Love you, babe! hehe What in the world am I gonna do with all these chandy's when the wedding is over?! :)

Their temporary home, humbly hung above Matt's beloved 4wheeler. I personally think it's  a nice touch! ha!

The next 2-month project was my brooch bouquet. This made its first appearance in my mind late last year. So, the next few months would find me collecting brooches, earrings, rings, basically anything that I could glue or wrap a wire on/around. It's only after countless hours on this baby that I can fully appreciate why they go for hundreds $!

I'm thinking it was very much worth it! I LOVE it! The funniest part is when I tell people that my bouquet is made of brooches, I get this comment, "Wow that's gonna be heavy and hurt someone when you throw it!" haha I've got too much time wrapped up in it to throw it! Oh, and I guess I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt either! ;) 

Hope you all had a fab-tastic weekend full of DIY goodness!

Heisel Rules!

An Epic Adventure

Well, we gave this adventure our very best shot and I wouldn't have done anything different. No regrets! We did what we set out to do and that was to qualify in the Top 5!!! You all have really amazed us throughout this whole process of voting everyday and just giving us some amazing support! We got over 1700 votes! Woohoo!!

With just a wee bit of disappointment, I must announce that we did not win the Q Wedding Giveaway. But that's ok because even though we didn't take home the ultimate prize package, we are still winners in each other's eyes and heart, and that is ok by us!

Thank you all so so much! We are so blessed to have amazing family and friends! We are so fulfilled in life and we don't need a contest to prove that! Sooo, the show must go on! Back to the real wedding planning! :) Business as usual!

Heisel Rules!

Roller Coaster of Love!

What a roller coaster ride!! We had soo many ups and downs throughout this whole contest, too many to count. But last night at 11:59pm central time when we refreshed that voting page for the final time to reveal that our vote count was good enough, it was all worth it right then! We ended with a whopping 1,720 votes!! I am in awe!

Check out the winner's circle here: http://q108.com/2012-Q-Wedding-Finalist-4/12127208

It's been especially interesting seeing Matt transform throughout this contest process. (He's prolly gonna get me for talking about this... it'll be our secret...sshhhh!) He went from laid back, cool 'it's whatever' in the beginning to 'We'll get em baby' and '5th place just isn't good enough!' in the end. Sitting there last night with him by my side solidified to me that he will always be there to support me. No matter what it is- no matter if it's a silly contest that we've worked weeks on, not matter if he has to wake up at 4:00am and the contest doesn't end til midnight, no matter if it's cathedral type windows that I've dreamed of for my wedding; he's always there for me. You know, there's always a lesson that can be learned from any situation. This one is: if we are willing to work this hard on a wedding contest, imagine how hard we will work for the actual marriage. I know, chill bumps. ;)

While still on the winning high, I just wanna take a moment to say thanks for putting up with our my incessant texts, emails, facebook posts, etc for the last 2 weeks! I haven't wanted anything this much in a long time, well actually, not since I met my mister nearly 4 years go! It just goes to show that family and friends always show up, especially in the 11th hour! You've got our backs and you've more than proven that. So, thank you. Really, thank you!

What's next you ask? Weeeelll, a panel of 6 judges will each rank us 1-5, and using a point system, they will determine the winner. For example, we could be #1 to one judge and then #3 to another. It seems confusing, but whatever works for them I suppose. Q108 will announce the winner on the Gretchen and Ryan morning show this Friday! I'll be listening! Listen for the loud shriek if we win! Whether we win or lose, though, we've still got each other and the show will go on!

Fingers crossed and happy thoughts!

Heisel Rules!

HOLY FREAK OUT MODE!

It's the bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, and we step up to bat! Adrenaline raring, heart pumping, sweat dripping...feels like you are going 100 miles an hour when really you are standing still. Step up, it's time to bat! The question is - will we hit a home run or strike-out at the last minute? 

It's THE LAST DAY TO VOTE!! All the anxiety, all the worry, all the stress and wondering comes.down.to.this. It's all over at 11:59pm Central time. Only YOU can help us win. How, you say? By voting! Get your vote in, call your friends and family get some more votes! Let's keep our death grip on the top 5 like we have all week!! Let's do this thing! (You can click on the picture to the right that says Vote For Me to access the voting site)


Stats: 
1st place - 1627
2nd place - 1565
3rd place - 1501
4th place - 1484
5th place - 1479 (us)
6th place - 1392 (they only take top 5, but wanted to show how close it is!!)
***********************************************************************************

As we near the end of the contest, I can't help but feel proud of all the countless hours that went in to collecting votes, talking to new people and crunching numbers day after day. More than anything, I get to walk away from this proud that each vote represents more than a number, it's a token of love and support from people near and dear, and those by happenstance, that believe in us. This is the love that will last all of time. Thank you all for being a part of that! Our sincerest appreciation goes out to all of you. Our hearts are full! 

God bless.

Heisel rules!

Are you new?

For those that received the business cards for voting, We are THRILLED to have you here on Heisel Rules! Come relax and stay awhile. I brewed you a nice cup of hot cocoa!

To Vote- simply click on the picture to the right that says Vote For Me and it will take you directly to our voting site! Registration is free and easy; just follow the steps. If your confirmation email doesn't arrive quickly (it should) then simply login to the site and then select resend my confirmation. Also, check your spam folder ! I promise after you get registered, it's easy peasy from then on out! You can register multiple emails if you have them.

***Vote ONCE EACH DAY; last day to vote is SUNDAY!***

We appreciate you all so much for stopping by and we hope you will do so again soon!

Have a great day!

Warm Fuzzies

WOW!! We made it to 1,000 votes!!! This is INCREDIBLE!! Thank you all!!

Votes will now be thought of as 'Warm Fuzzies' and all are welcome and will be returned one day! No 'Mean Pricklies' allowed! :)

Please read the story below that is suitable for this very occasion:

The Warm Fuzzies Story

Warm Fuzzy

by Duen Hsi Yen, an adaptation of Fuzzies: A Folk Tale by L.Richard Lessor.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful village, on a tiny atoll in the South Pacific, where few have ever visited. It was not on any of the maps. There were no motels, no golf courses, no TV's and no restaurants. The people living here didn't miss these things. They were ordinary people, just like you would find anywhere, and they were very happy. They had "Warm Fuzzies"! Some people are happy only when they are at a party or when they win a contest (I promise I didn't add that, but it's suitable, I believe) or when they are at a shopping mall. These Islanders were happy almost all the time. They enjoyed Monday mornings, storms or picnics in the rain.

They really liked people! They never mistrusted or were suspicious of other people. They went out of their way to do nice things for each other. The children were never scolded! If they were distressed, someone would come and hug them. Most of all they enjoyed meeting and greeting each other. When these islanders would meet, they would give each other a "Warm Fuzzy." Now what is a "Warm Fuzzy?" It is something like a puff of warm, soft fur. The "Warm Fuzzy" loved to be given away. It always made the village people feel better to give them to each other. A "Warm Fuzzy" meant "I care about you." A "Warm Fuzzy," is like an encouraging word, a hug, or smile :), OR A VOTE for a wedding contest couple! ;)

So the custom of giving "Warm Fuzzies" grew over the years. These Islanders gave them to sick people, so they would get well sooner. They gave them to young couples just starting out, to make their homes warm and cozy. They gave them to couple #86 in the Q Wedding Giveaway Contest! They gave "Warm Fuzzies" to just about everyone, at any occasion, just because it brought a lot of happiness and good cheer. Everyone looked forward to exchanging "Warm Fuzzies."

One day, an evil witchdoctor paddled to this isolated island from a neighboring island. He looked strange, with bleached hair and he talked an awful lot. On his island, if a child was throwing a temper tantrum, it would just be ignored. Everyone was suspicious and hostile to each other. He saw what was going on, that everyone was having too much fun, and not working like they should. "This is ridiculous," he said. "I have got to do something about these people. They may spend their whole lives thinking they are happy." Inside the witchdoctor's bag were "Cold Pricklies." These were mean, little, scratchy things, and they bite! If you look into the witchdoctor's bag, this is what you would see:

One VERY MEAN Prickly

This foreigner came into the village one day, and pretended to be sick. Sure enough, a kind lady came up and gave him a "Warm Fuzzy." He asked her how many "Fuzzies" she had. He then convinced her that someday, she would run out of "Fuzzies" and that no one would give them back to her. He gave the kind lady a "Cold Prickly" instead. The witchdoctor then spread the rumor that there would be a shortage of "Warm Fuzzies." After awhile, the wicked witchdoctor's plan worked! The people of this atoll would cross the street to avoid a friend. They stayed home and worried about people stealing their "Fuzzies," and began to give each other "Cold Pricklies" instead. The fuzziless months turned into fuzziless years, and soon there were quite a few people on the island who had never even heard of a "Warm Fuzzy." Soon the islanders became strangers to each other, and didn't even know their neighbors.

Then one day, a grandmother was telling her grandchildren about the good old days when everyone was happy and everybody gave away "Warm Fuzzies" and how good it felt to get one. The children got so excited that they went out and gathered up all the "Warm Fuzzies" they could find. Immediately, they began giving them away to each other. It brought much happiness back to the Island people and they realized how selfish they had been. They all lived happily ever after.

The end :)

Last revised 2 January 2002

Copyright © 1999-2001 by Duen Hsi Yen, All rights reserved.


***Moral of the story- We are SOSO Thankful for all of our warm fuzzies that you all have given us! Makes my heart very happy!