Our First Home

Hi friends!

I hope your week is off to a great start. We had a pretty fun weekend. Friday, I officially changed my name at the Social Security Office and we celebrated our 1 month anniversary! We had dinner at BJ's and then bought a movie (we don't have TV or internet, so if we want to watch a movie it has to be a regular old DVD- which is fine, we love quality time!). Saturday I visited my former roommate's new apartment, and Sunday we had Haley over for dinner. Perfection!

My "take the freaking picture, I want to eat" face.

SO the subject of today's post… Our apartment! I was contacted by Compass (a NYC real estate platform offering personal service for finding a perfect starter home) to share a little about our first home for a blog series they are doing, so exciting! If we ever find ourselves in the NYC area for baseball, Compass' services would be SO helpful.

Our little home- we live in a 1 bedroom apartment just a few minutes from DBU. I finally have it mostly decorated and we are feeling very settled in! So much of our decor and whatnot was given to us as wedding gifts, we love being surrounded by the physical evidence of how loved we are by so many wonderful people! 

This is the view when you walk in our front door. It's a cozy little space, perfect for the two of us!

This custom made frame was a wedding gift from Cy's dad and stepmom to hold our marriage license and some photos. We love the scriptures engraved and the symbolism of the triangle- both sides growing closer together as they grow closer to the Lord!

Our Christmas wall :)

The view from the doorway into the bedroom.

Our room is painted light grey with white, gold, black, and espresso accents. I wanted it to be a very peaceful space. 

No worries, we do have a bathroom (ha!) but I spaced on taking pics in there, maybe next time!

I hope y'all like what we have put together! We love being in our first little home together- making lots of memories here :) It will be sad when we have to pack it all up to leave for Spring Training, eek! But that just means making a new place "home" again next off season :)

Until next time,

Hannah

Off-Season Rambles

Hi friends! I know I know- long time, no post… But can ya blame me ;)

Our wedding was an absolute whirlwind of perfection, I will share pics and further details in a bit when our oh so incredible photographer finishes the editing process! For now, here is a sneak peek she shared.

Photo by Cottonwood Road Photography

After a blissful honeymoon cruising the Caribbean, we are enjoying the transition into what off-season life looks like for us as a married couple. Currently, I am taking 3 classes and working every afternoon, and Cy is in his off-season workout program. Since he isn't working, he has fully embraced his self-appointed title of "stay at home husband" and has been incredibly helpful with keeping the apartment tidy, getting groceries, and starting dinner most nights- what a guy!

At the end of the semester, I will finish my time as a nanny (cue tears) and we will head to OKC to see  Cy's brother marry his beautiful Jamie (YAY!) and then we will head to Idaho for a couple weeks, then to Alaska for a couple weeks. It will be a fun and busy Christmas for us, and we are so excited to spend it TOGETHER! I am so looking forward to sharing our adventures with y'all here.

To wrap up this very random, lacking in real direction post, I'll share a couple recipes I've whipped up this week! Feeding an athlete…That ought to be a whole post in and of itself! Good idea, stay tuned for that one ;) This week I tried two new recipes- and they were hits! I like to browse Pinterest for inspiration, and then adapt them to work with whatever we have on hand. Also, I promise we eat other vegetables besides just asparagus..

 Bacon-wrapped chicken- served with oven roasted parmesan and couscous
 This was SUPER easy, and Cy loooved it! I had chicken breasts, so I sliced them into tenderloin sized pieces for faster cooking.

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Wrap chicken with bacon, sprinkle with garlic seasoning, and brown sugar
- Place chicken on wire rack on foil lined baking sheet, stick it in the oven
- Toss asparagus with about 1T olive oil, a generous sprinkling of parmesan, and seasoning
- After 10 mins, add asparagus to oven (I added it to the same baking sheet with the chicken, or you can use a second if you need more space)
- Bake an additional 10-15 minutes
- Make couscous (or rice, etc) according to box instructions.

Oven baked chicken parmesan with spaghetti and sautéed asparagus
- Preheat oven to 400
- For each chicken breast, combine 1T mayo (or greek yogurt) with 1T shredded parmesan, and spread over chicken
- Generously sprinkle with bread crumbs
- Place in baking dish and bake until cooked through
- While chicken is baking, cook noodles according to package directions, drain
- Add spaghetti sauce and simmer (I used a jar, nothin fancy this time)
- Saute asparagus in medium/hot skillet with olive oil and garlic seasoning
- Plate and serve :)

Anddd Cy's specialty, breakfast for dinner! He had this all ready to eat when I got home from my first day back to work after our honeymoon, he is so sweet!

Until next time,
Hannah

High 5 for Friday!

Hey friends! Once again, a month has gone by without me posting anything here. I'm the worst! Things have been CRAZY busy between school, work, and wedding prep!

Today I am linking up with Lauren and doing High Five for Friday! Here's a look at what I have been up to this week…

1. CY IS ON HIS WAY HOME LITERALLY RIGHT NOW!!!!! He will arrive in Dallas sometime tomorrow afternoon. Since June, we have spent a total of 2 weeks together, and I am BEYOND ready to have him home again. Being apart this long has been really hard, I am so thankful we are done with distance!

2. Our sweet friends Wesley and Emilee got married on Sunday! Wesley plays for the Brewers with Cy, and Emilee and I connected via Twitter right after the draft. It was so great to go through this first season of pro ball with friends who were also engaged! Having each other as a support system was a HUGE blessing and answer to prayer. Their wedding day was absolutely lovely! Shoutout to my sister for being my date since Cy was still at work ;)

3. I saw these adorable skeleton flamingoes the other day. I have no idea why I love them so much, but I think they're the funniest things I have ever seen. I plan to order/make some for next year for sure! 

Found a place to purchase, here

4. It's Rush Week for DBU Greek Life! Although I'm now alumni status, I still got so excited this week as my sisters went through the process of selecting new members for our sorority. Being a part of a sorority for the last 3 years taught me so much and led to some amazing friendships and memories! Since I know how hectic this week can be (I was the VP and then president, the stress is REAL) I made meals for some of the girls. It was a great was to not only ensure they actually had food (ha!) but also to get me back into the swing of cooking for more than one person.

 

Bid Night 2011 - Dinner at Joe T Garcia's

Wednesday's dinner - balsamic grilled chicken with rice and asparagus

5. And last but certainly not least….. TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY CY AND I WILL SAY "I DO"!!!! I can hardly believe we are already SO close. I took my dress for final alterations this week and suddenly it felt so real! The past 5 months have absolutely flown by. I am absolutely 100% totally and completely thrilled and ready for the big day!

How has your week been? Leave a comment, and head over to Lauren's blog to check out other people sharing about their week!

Until next time,

Hannah

Wedding Wednesday, Part 3: Get it booked!

Hi friends! I know it's been like a month since I posted last, forgive me! Between school starting and Cy coming home for a visit, I have been a little busy :) Currently, Cy is in Phoenix at the Brewers complex doing some rehab work on his arm. He developed bicep tendonitis at the end of his season, so they are just easing him back into throwing shape. As of today, they think he will be ready to start throwing again this weekend! PRAISE THE LORD!!

So the subject of this installment of Wedding Wednesday (only 6 more Wednesdays to go, ahh!) is choosing your vendors and locations! At first this can be a pretty overwhelming thought… There are just so many options! For me, it was pretty easy because I had a clear idea in mind, and didn't have time to do anything but just get moving. ;)

The first vendor I booked (3 months before Cy and I actually got engaged… haha!) was our photographer, the incredible Hannah Hagaman of Cottonwood Road Photography. I have been swooning over her work since she started her photography business. Hannah was actually a senior at DBU my freshman year, and we reconnected last year when I did hair for one of her best friends' weddings! Since then, she has recommended me as a stylist to several of her brides, so in addition to knowing that her final product is amazing, I had the opportunity to see her in action! It was important to me to pick a photographer that not only made incredible photos, but would bring joy and excitement to the big day- and Hannah is that and more! When considering who to hire for your wedding photography, start by asking around with any friends who recently got married. Then check out the websites of anyone they recommend to see what photography styles you are drawn to. Get in touch with various photogs and see what services are available for your date, and get your favorite person booked fast! Remember: your wedding day goes by fast, you want quality pictures to remember it by.

The second thing I booked was ceremony and reception venues. Since our wedding is in a town we don't live in, we had to find a church! The first place I looked at wasn't exactly ideal, so my cousin Donna recommended I look at the original First Baptist Decatur building, now home to Grace Baptist Church. As soon as I pulled up, I was in love. The church was built in 1904, and I love the vintage feel! The church also provides a wedding coordinator, and Megan has been SO helpful and kind to me in the planning process.

Since the church is older, it doesn't have much of a reception space. Thankfully, the Decatur Civic Center is a gorgeous facility just minutes away! My Granny had a surprise 85th birthday bash there for my Pawpaw a few years back, so we were familiar with the space. We went over and met with the director (Mrs. Sherwood is one of the SWEETEST ladies ever!) and quickly booked the venue! One great bonus is that the Civic Center has it's own catering company, so I didn't have to look any further for the food. Check and check, on to the next item!

Another important detail is your stationer. I choose to have a designer create my invitations and have them printed, and I am sooo thrilled with how they turned out! Aubrey is a lifestyle blogger and incredible web designer, so I contacted her to see if she might do my invites and she so kindly said yes! Whether you choose from a ready-made template or have something custom created, it's important to get this done step done early.

The last vendor I booked was the cake baker, Mrs. Berry. She is a high school teacher by day and a fabulous cake baker on the side, and was recommended to me by both Mrs. Sherwood at the Civic Center and my cousin Donna. I had actually had her cake before at my cousin Samuel's wedding, so I knew she had great stuff! I went ahead and booked, and we set up the cake tasting and "final decision making" appointment for when Cy was home a few weeks ago. Let me tell you, this woman is the queen of cakes!! We are sooo excited for what she is baking for our big day.

In addition to the vendors above, there are a couple other details to consider. For florals, I am so fortunate that one of my best friends has a ton of experience doing wedding flowers! We will be going to the flower market and picking out everything, and she will be making the bouquets and whatnot. For hair, one of my former roommates is a fabulous stylist and is coming up for the wedding. We are also SO fortunate to have some incredibly talented musicians for friends who have offered to do music at the ceremony. If you have talented friends, ask them for help with aspects of your wedding!

As you can see, most of my vendors were found through recommendations from other people. I cannot say enough that asking people around you for input can be the most helpful thing!!

To end this post, I'd like to share a few of our engagement photos! Hannah did an amazing job, and I am so excited for her to be capturing our wedding day as well! Be sure to check out Cottonwood Road Photography for more of her fabulous work :)

Until next time,
Hannah

My First Taste of the Baseball Wife Life - Helena trip recap

Hi friends, I hope everyone is having a great start to the school year! I don't have classes today, so technically my first day is tomorrow- but I am loving everyone's back to school pictures.

It's been a hot minute since I've posted, and the reason is because I spent all of last week in Helena visiting Cy! It was such a great trip, spending two months apart is brutal. Last summer we were apart for 91 days while he played summer ball in Massachusetts but somehow this summer was even harder! Doing the "engaged things" apart has been pretty tough on me emotionally, I won't lie! This week was what both of us needed- time to relax and enjoy being together after a crazy busy summer.

I arrived late Saturday night, just in time for Cy to pick me up at the airport after his game ended. We went to eat and were beyond excited to be holding hands- I'm sure we looked super cheesy but who cares!

Sunday Cy's team played an early afternoon game at home, the weather was gorgeous! After the game we went to darling downtown Helena for dinner and ice cream. We ate at Fusion Grill, it was delicious! I had chicken florentine and Cy had chicken marsala. We walked a couple blocks down to the carousel ice cream shop, and you better believe we rode that carousel! I am thankful that Cy will do silly things with me, we have a fun life together.

Monday was an evening game, I dropped Cy at the field around 1 and then went back to the hotel and took a NAP! For those of you who don't know, I am a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant, and as it would happen, my Senior Director lives in Helena! She had an event Monday night that I got to go to before Cy's game, it was so fun! At the game, It was Cy's day to sit in the stands and did stats, so I got to sit with him- it was the first time we have ever watched a baseball game together, crazy!

Tuesday we had a glorious OFF DAY! We had a delicious breakfast at Steve's Cafe, and then headed to Missoula. The 2 hour drive was gorgeous, I cannot say enough about how beautiful Montana is. When we arrived in Missoula we went straight to Cabela's to check out their gun selection. We love going to Cabela's! After that, we went to the AT&T store to have our phone contracts transferred over into our own account… We are really feeling like grown ups now. And Cy finally came out of the dark ages and got an iPhone, who would have thought!! ;) We ended our time in Missoula with a late lunch at Mckenzie River Pizza Co. and headed back to Helena for the evening.

I had the California Benedict- it was amazing x5

Wednesday and Thursday the team played in Great Falls, about 1.5 hours away, so I hopped in the truck and made the trip. Wednesday's game got rained out in the 3rd inning and I got completely soaked running out to the truck. Thursday it drizzled a bit but they played the whole game! My sweet friend Ashlyn's boyfriend plays for Great Falls (White Sox affiliate) so I got to chat with him during the game which was super fun!

Friday was another slightly drizzly and definitely chilly day in Helena, and being the dramatic female I am, I found that to be a perfect reflection of my feelings about leaving the next morning. Just kidding I wasn't too pouty, we enjoyed our last day together and had dinner at Perkins after the game. Saturday morning my flight left at 6am, so that was brutal. But somehow I held it together and didn't cry at the airport!

The good news is, Cy will be home on September 7th, so we are in the home stretch!

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. A week of baseball schedule (late nights, late mornings) really has thrown me off, but thankfully I don't have early morning classes haha! I loved being able to experience a little bit of baseball life with Cy, and I am so excited for what lies ahead of us. It is amazing that God has blessed Cy with a career that will allow us to travel and see so many different places together, and I can't wait!

Until next time,
Hannah

PS 73 days until the wedding!

Wedding Wednesday, Part 2: It's in the details

Life update: On the 26th, I moved into me and Cy's apartment! It's weird living alone for the first time EVER, so I am definitely excited for the wedding to be here so Cy can move in. Last Friday I finished up my online summer classes (praise the Lord!), and picked my mom up at the airport! She is here for a week helping me settle into the apartment and do wedding things, it's so great to have her here! So far, we have painted the bedroom, put together the dining set, and bought some of the home essentials. It's definitely feeling unfinished right now, but I have three months to make it feel like a home before the cutie pie himself moves in!

In some not so exciting news, Cy's team is on a road trip right now, and last night when they arrived to the field they found that their locker room had been broken into. Womp womp.  Both of Cy's gloves were stolen (one of which he got less than a week ago) along with many other guys gloves and sunglasses and whatnot. The team filed a police report, so hopefully some of the gloves are found or something, I'll report back if there's any updates. Baseball gloves are VERY expensive and VERY crucial for the players, so it is really tough that they will have to share until they can get new gloves, and then somehow get new gloves broken in and comfortable to use while playing. But as Cy said, "There's nothing we can do about it now, no need to waste time being angry, just gotta keep going." 

……

Now to the original subject of this post, WEDDING WEDNESDAY!

I have always been great with big ideas and overall goals and plans, but details are not my thing. (I took an aptitude test and the results said I would be a great CEO, score.)  So when I started wedding planning, it was a breeze to get the big "necessary for a wedding to happen" things like venues, dress, photographer, stationery, menu, and color scheme nailed down really fast. In fact, I had several of those things done before we were actually engaged…… oops ;)

But now I have arrived in the land of details- a terrain I rarely dare to venture into, as I can usually delegate that stuff to people who actually enjoy it. 

Luckily, I have some people in my life who are very organized and have been incredibly helpful in reminding me of details and helping me take my overall vision and zoom in on specific things that need to be planned (I'm looking at you, Jen and Amy!) Since my overall vision for the wedding is very simple and elegant, it is for sure easier to keep all of the details simple as well. It's just a bit of a brain workout for me to be thinking of so many little details at once. 

One thing that I'm currently stuck on is how to do the altar for the ceremony. The church we are getting married in is very old and filled with gorgeous stained glass windows, so I want to let that beauty speak for itself and not try to have other decor compete much. There is a beautiful stained glass window above the baptismal area, so I'd love to keep things simple so that can be accented as opposed to using an arch that could be distracting. We will have a little table for the unity ceremony, so I am leaning towards just having lots of florals throughout and keeping the details very minimal and clean looking. 

One thing that has been AWESOME is our premarital counseling! We have finished the 2 books we were assigned (The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn, and This Momentary Marriage by John Piper) and are now getting into doing the assignments and will start the actual discussion sessions when Cy is back in town. These are details that I love keeping up with! Cy and I both realize that marriage isn't some magical world where everything is perfect- it will be difficult sometimes! So we love that we going through a pretty rigorous premarital counseling course that is helping us prepare for everything that lies ahead and building a solid foundation for a lifelong marriage. 

So all in all, I am currently living in a world of centerpieces, specific decor for specific things, and accent pieces. I have had a few "Wow, this is really overwhelming" moments, but no major stress or breakdowns thus far. After all, even if the details aren't 100% perfect and the most fabulous of all time, I will still be marrying Cy, and that's what matters! 

Married friends- Do you have any details that snuck up on your at the last minute in your wedding planning? Leave me a comment!

Until next time,

Hannah

Wedding Wednesday- Part One

Including today, there are 17 Wednesdays until I marry Cy Robert Sneed! Yes, I am counting. Every day. What can I say, I am excited!! So with that being said, I thought it would be fun to do a series on how the wedding planning process is going thus far.

Today's subject is the basics of planning. Our engagement is 5 months total. In today's world, that is INCREDIBLY fast! Most planning timelines you find in magazines are at least 12 months. Needless to say, planning a wedding in less than half that time can seem like quite the daunting task at first! Thankfully, I have found a few tools that have really made the process simple.

For me, the first step in getting things done was getting organized. My sweet employers gave me this wedding planner by Erin Condren and it is incredible! It is very comprehensive and is packed full of check lists to keep everything on track and in one place. And its adorable so there's that too.

One day by miracle of all miracles, I came across the fabulous Karley Kiker on twitter. Karley is a Dallas girl who planned her own destination wedding in 4.5 months, and she recently published Hitched in a Hurry: The Ultimate How-To for a Speedy "I Do.  This book is amazing, it takes the timelines you find in magazines and condenses everything into a 6 month or shorter timeline! Hitched in a Hurry is not only full of all kinds of tips to make a speedy engagement a breeze, but also keeps the perspective that while the wedding is fun, it's the MARRIAGE that is truly the focus. If you are getting hitched in a hurry, you need this book. I'll even give you my copy. Seriously. You can find her website here!

Last but certainly not least is the book I keep turning to- A Christ-Centered Wedding by mother-daughter duo Catherine Parks and Lisa Strode. This book is "a guide to believers who want their wedding to portray the relationship of Christ with the church and to reflect the gospel to all in attendance… emphasizing the sacrificial love of the Savior more than the modern world’s idealistic view of romantic love." It gives practical advice to keep your focus on what truly matters for every aspect of planning a wedding. Cy and I really want the gospel to be evident in our wedding, and this book has been invaluable to me in planning for that. My copy is dog-eared and worn, and I will be recommending it to all of my friends for sure!

Ta-da! These three things have been incredibly helpful to me in the planning process, so if you are engaged or will be one day, keep these in mind! Wedding planning has been pretty stress-free for the most part for me thus far, and I am loving this fun season of life!  Stay tuned for the next installment in this series to see what else is going on in my little wedding-planning world ;)

Until next time, 

Hannah

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Alaska Recap

Hi Friends!

I just returned to good ol' Dallas after a short but sweet trip to visit my family in Kenai, Alaska. It's crazy to think that next time I go to AK Cy and I will be married! I am so thankful for some time to relax and enjoy time with my family during this busy engagement season.

On my Seattle-Anchorage flight I sat next to sweet Geri, she was flying to Anchorage for her daughters wedding and we became fast friends!

 The little plane from Anchorage to Kenai :)

4th of July Parade - I swear Haley does love America.

 The absolute greatest coffee known to mankind. 

OOTD: Fishing style.

I also had my first bridal shower while I was home! My best friend & bridesmaid Courtney did a fabulous job putting it together, and I am so thankful for the sweet friends who came and celebrated! My sweet friend Kierra gave me the adorable Brewers bracelet above, made by MiLB wife Chelsea Carroll Design

 Alaska Missions has a project called "Salmon Frenzy" each year, many people from the South fly up to give free food and lead worship services for the thousands of people that come to the Kenai beach to dip-net each summer. My friend and Cy's teammate/roommate Jay's dad came up this summer, it was great to hang with him! He joined our fam for a baseball game too, it was so fun.

I also celebrated my 22nd birthday last week with this amaaazzzingggg dinner :)

My parents beautiful back yard. My dad (the engineer) designed those chairs himself and is in the process of finishing a green house.

My parents live just up the road from the beautiful Kenai River. We took a little bike ride down to see how the fishing was doing.

I am so thankful to have grown up in such a beautiful place! Hopefully Cy and I will be up sometime this winter.

Until next time,
Hannah