Love Letters

Hello my lady-loves!

I know, I know, talk about slacking - it's been months since you've heard from me!  I promise it's all with good reason, though!  I'll blame it on this little thing called sorority recruitment...

For all you other sorority women and recruitment chairs out there, you know what I'm talking about!  Long hours, no sleep...basically bootcamp!  But, I must say that all the hard work and long hours paid off.  I wouldn't trade it for the world!  I mean, just take a look at our absolutely stunning new pledge class:

Seriously ahhh-mazing, am I right or am I right??

Well, I could just go on for hours and hours, but I have something else I've just been dyin' to share with y'all!  Now listen closely lady-loves, because what I'm about to tell you is pretty darn important. 

You know that stressful feeling we all get with birthdays and holidays approaching?  You want to find the perfect gift, but you're just not sure what it is?  Well, call off the hound dogs, because I've found it for you!  That's right, I found you the absolute perfect gift for any and every occasion.  Whether it's for Christmas, graduation, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, anniversaries, engagement gifts, big/little baskets, birthdays, or just because, this gift will work for you!

Without further adu, let me introduce you to a company called Treasured Passages.  They're the geniuses that created this fantastic gift that literally lasts a lifetime!  It's called a Letter Book and they come in 4 different kinds: Mother-Daughter, Sister, Friend, and Couple.  Before I get into explaining just what a letter book is, let me share this story with you about one of the company's founders:

Treasured Passages is a company started by three sorority women, because they saw a need for a product that would help people capture memories, while they were still there to capture.

 When Whitney, one of the company founders, was 30 years old, her life was ticking along just as she had planned….great family, great job, great husband and she was pregnant with her first child. Then she found out her mother had cancer. Her mother ended up passing away 4 months later and would never know her grandchildren. Whitney was devastated.

 Fast forward 5 years, Whitney discovered she had breast cancer. She was afraid that her children might not get to know her. That’s when she and her business partners decided that they needed to create something that would enrich relationships but also record the memories forever. Together, they came up with the idea of a letter book.

As I'm sure we've all realized at one point or another, life throws you curveballs and you never really know what can happen.  That's why I believe so strongly in this amazing product.  A Letter Book is "part journal, part letter, and part late-night conversation just waiting to be had.  Each Letter Book contains a drawer in the back of the book with cards and envelopes. Each page has an activity to be completed – sometimes answering a few questions, and sometimes sending a letter. Once the task is complete, the answers or letters are stored in specially-designed spaces within the Letter Book. The result is a tailored, personal recording of the relationship bursting at the seams with secrets, insights and laughter."


With all of todays technology (you know our favorites: facebook, twitter, email, text messages, etc.), we've lost sight of that personal connection between people.  This book allows you to record and keep your memories in one personalized, safe space, which can be passed down from generation to generation.

Here's a page from each of the 4 books to give you a little glimpse inside...

Mother-Daughter

Friends

Couples

Sisters

So, with Christmas right around the corner, consider this special gift for all those people in your life that mean so much to you!  If you're interested in purchasing a book, or several, please send an email to treasuredpassages@gmail.com!

Until next time, xoxo.

Simply Southern Soulmates

Happy August Lady-loves!  I am so excited for today because I finally get to introduce you to my fabulous sista-friend, Heather.  Heather and her fiance Chase were just recently and engaged, and the second I heard about the engagement I knew it would be the perfect love story to share with y'all!  Believe me when I say that these two are a match made in southern heaven!  Now, I may be slightly biased because Heather is a fellow Phi Mu and I just la-la-love this girlie to death, but I think their story is one that will just melt your heart and make you as giddy as a gumdrop!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story!

My fiance Chace and I actually met at the young age of five!  Labeling us as childhood sweethearts would definitely be an understatement.  Chase and I celebrated birthdays together, shared couple skates hand and hand, swapped presents on the holidays, AND were each other's first kiss!  This kiss dates back to a bus ride home from kindergarten.  Coincidently, we rode the same bus route and right before Chase's stop, he pointed out my side of the window and exclaimed, "Look!  A deer!"  As I turned to catch a glimpse of the invisible decoy, Chase laid one on me!  It is truly amazing that we can tell family, friends, and even our future children that we were each other's first kiss and will be one another's last.

Describe the proposal:

July 18th, 2011 was like any other relaxing day vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with my honey.  That particular evening, Chase was very eager to watch the sunset on the beach.  Because it was a Monday night, I really wanted to watch the Bachelorette, so of course I pitched a fit as we drove to the beach.  Eventually, I stopped whining and decided that watching the sunset with Chase by my side would be far more romantic than any television show.  As the sun started sinking behind the sand dunes, Chase and I sat on the toolbox on the back of his truck as we gazed at the breathtaking sky, and he began to tell me that I was so beautiful ("prettier than the sunset" to be exact, haha) and how much he loved me.  Fortunately for me, this lovey dovey talk was not out of the ordinary because Chase is a sweet talker; so I didn't suspect a thing!  Eventually, he stood me up to my feet and said he could not imagine watching another sunset with anyone else.  Then Chase dropped to one knee and opened a ring box.  Tears instantly flooded my eyes as I hugged him tight and tried to see the blurry, yet gorgeous diamond ring through my watery eyes.  Because I was completely surprised, I totally forgot to say "yes" until about one minute after the whole proposal!  So there we stood in the back of a truck bed, parked on the beach, with the sun dipping below the dunes, madly in love and happily engaged!

What ideas or plans have you made for the wedding so far?

Because Chase and I currently live five hours away from our home in Virginia, it has been difficult scoping out possible venues to host our wedding.  Thankfully, my momma has so graciously been driving to and from various spots and sending us pictures and her thoughts of the venues.  So far, we have taken engagement pictures which will be used on our "save the dates" (once we settle on a date!) and we have made a guest list!  Until we can visit venues ourselves in the upcoming future, we will be spending many hours on the internet researching locations for our picture perfect wedding!

If you could describe what you hope your big day will be like in three words, what would they be?

Romantic, breathtaking, and unforgettable!

What kind of style are you hoping to achieve on your big day?

Chase and I love putting on our country boots, but we also like to kick them off every once and a while to dip our toes in the sand at the beach!  With that said, we will without a doubt be incorporating southern and sandy elements to tie our interests together as one!

Have you set a date for the wedding, yet?  If not, do you have a time of the year in mind, and why?

An official date for our wedding has not been set quite yet (but we're working on that minor detail)!  Summer is our absolute favorite time of the year, and we are aiming to say "I do" in either late June or July of 2012.  I would really like to recreate the same scenic sky that radiated during Chase's proposal to me, so hopefully we will be able to say our vows as the sun sinks below the horizon (at an altar, not a truck bed of course)!

Thanks for sharing your ah-mazing story, Heather!  We can't wait to hear all about the magnificent details of your special day!  Wishing you and Chase all the best in your future together!

XOXO.

Southern Bells: Wake Up & Smell the Coffee

Check out this rockin' post by my favorite chickadee, Ms. EMo!  Talk about perfection.

Southern Bells: Wake Up & Smell the Coffee: "Top o' the mornin' to ya lassies! I've got something you're going to pour over so ch-ch-check it out! I know y'all love some DIY tricks an..."

Hope y'all loved it as much as I did!  Until next time, xoxo.

Happy 4th of July!

Hello again lovely ladies!  In honor of the fourth (I know, I know, I'm two days late!), I thought y'all might want to take a look at some perfectly perfect 4th of July weddings!  If you're working with a tight budget, this might be the perfect idea for you!  Weddings are all about family, friends, and the celebration of love - so what better time to bring all three things together than on the 4th of July?  How 'bout a casual, backyard barbeque complete with a fireworks display to dance the night away under?  You're wedding will be sure to be a hit with family and friends!  Check out some of these spectacular pictures for 4th of July inspiration! 

Like what you see?  Check out style me pretty for more!

That's all for tonight ladies!  Thanks for reading! xoxo.

A Night At The Movies!

Check out this winning performance starring one creative fiance!  One of my amazing sorority sisters showed me this stunning "romantic comedy" engagement proposal and I just had to share it with ya'll!  So, sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy!


Until next time, xoxo.