2009 Blog!!!

Here is my end of the year blog to recap this years events. It has been a fun year! In March we went on a camping trip to Van Dam/Mendocino with Mike’s family and the Costello’s. I have never been to Van Dam/Mendocino and was pleasantly surprised. It’s a beautiful town with all sorts of shops, restaurants and fantastic view’s of the ocean. Below is a picture of Mike and I with Matt and Kirby.


In May, my sister and I turned 26…how the heck did that happen?! I can’t tell you how fast the time has gone by. We went to dinner at PF Chang’s and spend the rest of the evening in Old Roseville at the local bars. Even though I’ve had my itches to leave this town, I have to admit, sometimes a night in Old Roseville is the best. Below is a picture of my sister and some friends.


Summer rolled around and my family made our first house boating trip together in Mount Shasta. It was HOT! It was one of those family trips that make you think you could totally have your own family reality show because of the drama. LOL It was a great time though! We spent some time wake boarding, drinking on top of the roof of the house boat, playing truth or dare…mostly truth, and docked the boat and told jokes around the camp fire. Below is a picture of the “Crew” of the “Ship”


Later that summer Mike and I got engaged! We’ve spent the last several months planning and still have several months to go. The date is officially set to September 25, 2010 at Sun City Roseville. It appears we are ahead of schedule in our planning, however there is still more to do. It has been a great time planning thus far.


Below is a picture of my siblings this Thanksgiving. (Missing Natalie)


Below is a picture of Mike and the “Cartello’s” (which is a combination of the Carroll’s and Costello’s) during Christmas.


And below is a picture of our child…Kitty! She is practice for now until we have the real thing. We stinking love that cat! Look at her eye-ing all the Christmas gifts!

I can’t forget to mention the Addison Avenue crew! Below is a picture of my co-workers. I’ve been with the company for about a year and half now and have learned sooo much. Thanks ladies (and Robert) for welcoming me to your group!


And that raps up my 2009! I hope that 2010 will be good year for everyone!

"I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord.
"They are plans for good...to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11

♥morgiegirl6.blogspot.com ♥

Losing the ones we love...?

I’ve found the easiest way to express my feelings and thought is by writing them out. I don’t mean to put a damper on anyone’s day, however I love the feedback I get from my friends and family. I haven’t experienced the loss of a relative or loved one other than my great grandparents who lived long happy lives. Other than knowing a friend of a friend, or relative of a friend, no one close to me has passed away. I’ve never really had to face the loss of a loved one or deal with the feelings that come along with it. Recently my ex step grandpa, Tim (who I consider my grandpa) was diagnosed with brain cancer.

It seemed so fast and before we knew it, his head was shaved and he was taking treatment to cure the disease. A couple weeks later he fell into a coma. Things were not looking good for a few days so my siblings and I decided to visit him at the hospital and say goodbye. Miraculously (and I mean miraculously) he came out of the coma a few days later. To say the least, we were all stunned. He made an incredible recovery, considering his condition a week prior. In fact, his recovery was so great that he was released to go home, with the proper assistance.

My grandmother and him were able to celebrate Thanksgiving, their 21st wedding anniversary, Christmas, and New Years! We were also able to visit him Christmas Eve where he made sarcastic jokes and opened gifts. His progress was slow, but he continued to be a fighter. At the same time, we were painfully aware that the cancer in his lungs and brain were very hard to treat. We were all still aware what the inevitable future holds.

On January 11th Tim fell into another coma and passed away the next day, January 12th. I am thankful that he was able to celebrate the holidays with his family and friends before his passing. I am comforted that he is no longer in pain and will never have to suffer again. However, after this experience I am faced with so many feelings and emotions. It's an entire new emotion that I have not yet had to deal with until now. I’m slowly sorting through my thought and putting things back in place but I can help but to question EVERYTHING. Feelings of sadness, feelings of fear, feelings of thankfulness, happy memories, etc…

I know it’s important to experience these feelings and thoughts and they will help me grow as a person. At the end of the day I realize how blessed I am, not by things but by people. I have so many people who love and care for me it’s simply not fair. Once again I’m reading the purpose driven life. Its such a wonderful book that brings me peace, hope, and excitement. Does anyone else have any suggestions or words of wisdom?

Finally, a quote from my grandma, Tim’s wife, one of the strongest people I know:

“The realist in me knows this journey still has many twists, turns and challenges ahead. I just hope I can put my worries about the future aside long enough so that I don't miss out on enjoying the present.”

So simple and true for any experience in life!!

Morgie ♥

Bridesmaid and Groomsman?

Deciding who will be involved in the wedding has been one of our biggest challenges. We started off wanting a smaller wedding party, however we ended up with 5 bridesmaids and 5 groomsman. That’s not to say a wedding party of 10 is large by any means, but it did take us quite some time to make this decision. In the end, I am happy with our choice, although we are changing the traditional rules of bridesmaid and groomsman. We have created what we like to call a “Bridesman” and “Groomsmaid.” To prevent from hurting any of our friends feelings and for our entire family to be involved in the wedding, we have ask my brother Jeffery to be a “Bridesman” and Becky (Mike’s sister in law) to be a “Groomsmaid.” They both happily accepted! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family! Feels good to have this part of the wedding checked off the list! Wedding Party ….CHECK!

Bridesmaids

Mallory Tudor
Brittany Tudor
Brittany Coss
Kassi Neff
Jeffery Tudor (My brother)

Groomsman

Steve Carroll
Matt Costello
Dan Vergara
Kirk Okenquist
Becky Carroll (Mike’s sister in law)

Jr. Bridesmaid
Natalie Tudor

Flower Girl
Allyson Carroll

♥morgiegirl6@blogspot.com ♥

Wedding Venue / Sun City Roseville

When we got engaged I went into instant “To Do List” mode. There is so much to plan for and I wanted to be prepared. The date is officially set for Saturday September 25, 2010. We got engaged in June and have more than enough time to plan a wedding. (15 months to be exact.) I did a lot of research on potential venue’s in the Roseville area and found that weddings are not cheap. A couple of our friends got married at Sun City Roseville, so I decided to check out their website.

As I was looking at their website I found what my dad would say, “A Killer Deal!” The website was advertising their “Bridal Bail Out For $500” I thought to myself, to good to be true. There must be a catch, right? Maybe it’s only available on Fridays or Sundays, or maybe it was only to rent the ceremony site. I had a lot of questions so I though it would be best to contact the representative listed on their website. She sent me the following list of items included in the $500 package:

Wedding Ceremony

Ivory Chairs
Gift table with tablecloth and table skirt
Guest book table with table cloth and table skirt
Easel for engagement photo
Ceremony rehearsal time
Dressing room for bride and bridesmaids
On site complete wedding ceremony coordination

Wedding Reception

Use of Timber Creek Ballroom
Complete coordination of reception
Round tables that seat 10 guest
Large dance floor
Table clothes and variety of napkins to coordinate
Ivory China, glassware and silverware
Head table for the wedding party with tablecloth and table skirt
Cake table with tablecloth and table skirt
Buffet table with table cloth and table skirt
Portable Bar with professional bartenders
Complete serving staff

I couldn’t believe what I was reading. All of this for only $500! The package was available for the entire year of 2010. I asked what was available in September and all she had left was the 25th. I immediately had her book us on that date. At our appointment with the wedding planner we picked out our table linens, napkins, menu, alcohol, ceremony arrangement, reception arrangement, guest book location, gift table location, etc...

We decided to have a buffet style dinner instead of individual entrees. Like I mentioned before, Mike and I had already been to a couple wedding there before, so we know the quality of the food will be great! With the cost of everything combined such as food, alcohol, Bridal Bailout Ballroom Rental, 19% gratuity etc...I was very please with the price! Exactly in our budget! I am so pleased with the service we received from Sun City Roseville and can’t wait for the big day!

&hearts morgiegirl6.blogspot.com ♥

Wedding Check List

Since there is so much to plan for, I thought I would put together a list of things to do. Below is a check list of completed/non completed planning items. I know many of you have already planned a wedding so I was wondering if anyone has any advice or suggestions? Let me know what I’m missing or should be prepared for.

Complete

Location for wedding (x)
Location for reception (x)
Rehearsal dinner location (x)
Wedding Party (x)
Guest list (x)
Engagement Photos (x)
Menu (x)
Drinks (x)
Wedding Dress (x)
Wedding Shoes (x)
Bridesmaid dresses (x)
Linens (x)
Table settings (x)
Center Pieces (x)
Invitation (x)
Toasting Glasses (x)


Not Completed

Save the Dates
Wedding favors
Wedding Party Gifts
Photographer
Florist
DJ
Cake
Veil
Arch
Glower Girl Dress
Guest Book
Limo/Transportation
And of course, some one to marry us :)

San Francisco Fleet Week

I didn't know much about Fleet Week until recently, so here is a little background. Fleet Week originated in 1908 and became a San Francisco annual tradition in 1981. Fleet Week is now the Bay Area’s opportunity to pay tribute to the men and women of our nation’s Navy and Marine services. Fleet Week features Navy ships dock-side, while the Blue Angels and other aircraft fly above the San Francisco Bay.

Mike and I made a trip to San Francisco to visit a friend and to attend Fleet Week. Below is a picture of us on top of Kirk's building's roof that over looks the Bay! So awesome!!


It was pretty cloudy that day and unfortunately we were only able to see the Blue Angel's make 2 or 3 passes. I was however able to take an awesome picture of them flying in front of the bridge.


Below is another picture I took. I can't begin to explain the sound and feeling you have as they fly over you! It's insane!!


Over all, very fun trip and I'm open to going again next year :)

♥
morgiegirl6.blogspot.com

Old Friends and Fun Times!

I recently got together with a few of my old friends. Although life has taken us all in different directions, we recently started getting together again. The five of us met in high school and shared some of the most wonderful memories. I want to take a moment to look back.

Below is a picture of the 5 of us at Marine World. This picture was taken our Senior year of High School. We were all around the ages of 17 years old.


Below is a picture of us at Brittany’s house ‘Twirling’ our hair. We spent many days in our PJ doing nothing really. Looks like Julie was taking this picture.


Below is a picture of our Senior years‘Saidie Hawkins’ dance. Don’t ask me why we thought these outfits would be a good idea. For some reason we collected clothes like these. We all had our own pair of animal print pants and thought they were awesome. This already is that high school picture you look back on and cringe cause you can’t believe you wore that in public.


Below is a picture on our graduation day. As you can see, we were really big fans of this pose!


And finally, a picture of us all today. From left to right, Morgan, Julie, Brittany, Mallory, and Amanda. We all did different things after high school and continue to keep in touch. Some of us moved away, some graduated college, some are married with kids, and some are engaged. “I Had the Time of My Life” with these girls and I’m enjoying catching up with them all!!



♥
morgiegirl6.blogspot.com