If the Dress Fits....

**Our Toes after a fantastic Pedi**

My group of friends believe that one does not just a birthday, but a epic birthday week! Mine started this Saturday with a Magic Nails visit for a spa pedicure. This is a new place in D'Iberville that specializes in aromatherapy treatments with pedicures. Leah, Linda, and I got our feet done and used a combination of peppermint and chocolate. It was fantastic! They did a scrub down our legs and wrapped warm towels around our calves.

**Aromatherapy foot soak**

Ashlei met us and we drove off to Mobile for some bridal dress shopping. We went to David's Bridal where I tried on a few dresses that didn't impress me. The girls quickly picked out a bridesmaid dress. We then made our way to a shop in Mobile titled The Timeless Bride in downtown. A vintage bridal shop, and the owner agreed to meet us around 4 to squeeze us into the day. We then went to another shopped where I tried on the most expensive dress of the day (1300 dollars) We returned to The Timeless Bride, waited awhile for an appointment to finish and the owner let me try on dresses way past 5 pm. I went ahead and settled on a very simple dress that is going to be extremely altered in length and within my budget. I feel like the dress is a work in progress, and I still have a bit to go before its "the dress." However, I have never been one to step away from a project.

1,000

I joined the website www.goodreads.com the summer of 2008 when I still lived in Scotland. The site is like facebook for the avid reader. You have a profile and book lists. Along with creating your own lists (i.e. book I own and need to read) there is a "to read," "currently reading," and "read." I always am adding books I am reading and want to read. Today I added the 1000th book to my lists!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Although most of then are in the "to read" list, I feel like one day the goal may actually be met.

In other news, despite the tropical storm warning, I am going with three of my bridesmaids to Mobile to look at wedding and bridesmaid dresses. Yay for my birthday week!

Trade #30!!!

I cannot lie... I have an obsession when it comes to obtaining books. It is nearly as strong as my desire to read. Buying books from used bookstores, haunting BAM and B&N, raiding my libraries book sale closet, amazon, and my favorite for new books overstock are some of my most used methods for obtaining books. However, for about six months I have found a whole new way to feed my little problem....

It is called www.swaptree.com. Swaptree is web service where one can exchange books, CDs, DVDs, and video games. Each user creates a unique account that manages two lists a have list for books one owns that they want to trade, and a wants list for books they would like to receive in trade. When a trade is initiated (it can be two or three way) it is approved by all parties involved. Once that happens the address the item you are sending is given, and you ship the item for about two to three dollars using media mail. When the item is received you rate the user that sent you the item on promptness, conditions, etc. I have only had three negative experiences with two damaged items, and one item I sent that got lost in the mail that has not been found to this day. It is a great way to get rid of books that I don't want anymore for books that I really really want that are not circulating in the library system. The trick is to have double the amount of items on your want list than on your have list. Everyone should check out the website and happy trading!

Can one have a tax deductible wedding?

My latest wedding read is a new book called The Tax Deductible Wedding by Sabrina Rivers. The book was really a grab bag of different topics from issues of young adults personal finance and wedding planning basics. The first half of the book was mostly things I have read before in my extensive reading. Some more interesting ideas Rivers suggests are finding businesses to sponsor your wedding, media coverage of your wedding, and making certain aspects of the wedding donations to non-profits for tax write offs. I don't think I will personally be pursuing any of those routes.

The wedding budget is the real brick wall I have run into with planning. With buying a house, my student loan repayments, and my very low salary the money is just not there. I need some real creative options that are not tacky. I would rather not have a wedding at all than it be cheesy. One last thing, the book had random illustrations throughout and the photo I have included is the one that I related to most in this book.

Engagement Picture Teaser

Our wonderful friend Jessica took engagement pictures for Edward and I last month. This is just a sample of what is too come!