Author: Kyllan

I have a dress!

Kyllan 5 Comments

As you have already read in previous posts, my parents and William’s parents were in Dallas last week and it seems everyone thoroughly enjoyed their time here despite the triple digit heat each day and me running the moms all over town.  We made great progress on the wedding plans.  I now have a dress!  I am not sure how many dresses I tried on, but I would say close to 50 at the different bridal shops we visited.  This includes several dresses I tried on just for fun… no serious interest.  I seemed to have disapointed the salespersons at the bridal shops who were waiting for the “wow” factor from me, but despite what people may say… I liked the dress I chose from the beginning.  I had to think about it for a few days just to make sure it was indeed “the dress”, but I am very excited about the decision (Actually… I think my mom was more excited than I was).  My measurements have been taken, the dress is ordered, and I have been asked  by the stylist not to gain or lose any weight between now and September 8, 2006… we will see how that goes.  My thoughts are I will probably lose 10lbs since I am on my fitness kick right now and then gain them back later next year when I find excuses not to work out. 

After 5 cake tastings, we also settled on a bakery for the cakes and I even found a design for the groom’s cake that William gave the thumbs up to (those of you who know William well know this is not an easy task)! 

We are still undecided on a florist, but we have a bit more time to make decisions for that.  The major items are out of the way…bride, groom, ceremony location, reception location, photographer, cake and dress.  With a little bit over a year left, I think we are in good shape.   

I am not sure who won the golf tournament my dad and William’s dad had going each day, but I think there was some fierce competition on the course.  It was good to see the Brown & Cody families come together and it appears there are already plans for another gathering, so that is great news. 

So the planning continues as we approach the 12 month mark.  Make sure you are saving your pennies!  I think everyone will be in for a great celebration next September. 

2 more days to go!

Kyllan 2 Comments

As I mentioned on a previous post, my mom and William’s mom are in town this week and have been accompanying me on the visits to the wedding vendors.  We have seen lots of good vendors so far…. I already have a few dresses I really like (although according to the stylists at the bridal salons, I am not giving them the “wow” factor), we have tasted many wonderful cakes and visited a few florists.  It appears that we will be able to begin making some decisions as early as tomorrow!  I still have several on the list for tomorrow and Friday, but we have made great progress!  So… that’s the update so far.  I will post this weekend to let you know what choices I made.  

Gearing up for a week of wedding planning!

Kyllan 2 Comments

Well… the countdown continues…. and the hardcore wedding planning is about to kick in.  My parents and William’s parents will be in town this weekend and next week.  I have taken all of next week off work so that my mom, William’s mom, and I can visit wedding vendors until we collapse (just kidding).  I don’t know if the moms know what they are getting themselves into.  I can be quite indecisive at times, so when it came to narrowing down the vendors, I did the best I could, but I still ended up with about 20 different appointments while they are here.  This will include tasting wedding cakes, talking with florists and for the first time ever…. I will try on wedding dresses, which I am sure will feel very strange.  We will also look at possible rehearsal dinner sites, and let William’s parents see the reception site.  So… things are finally start falling into place, which would be nice because that we mean we would have the majority of the wedding planned a year in advance.  I will try to keep everyone posted on how things go. 

In the meantime… progress continues on the house.  I have posted new pictures of the cabinets that went in today!  I was very pleased with how they look.  I will say that the pictures do not do the cabinets justice.  The color is actually a bit darker than the photos make them appear, but it will have to do for now.  This phase is very exciting because when you pick out colors and finishes at the design center, you still don’t quite know what it will look like in the house, so to see the choices come to life is great!  I am very anxious about the paint since you don’t know the true color until it is on the wall and it dries, but I am sure it will turn out fine.  The paint should be done by the end of the week, so I will post more photos then.  You can always check to see new photos on my flickr page.  The link to my flickr account is on the sidebar on the right side of the page.     

Update on House Construction

Kyllan 2 Comments

After a delay in the construction at the framing stage, the house is finally making progress again.  The insulation was put in on Friday and the sheet rock is set to begin next week, so things should go much smoother and faster now.  I am in the process of preparing documentation to turn in to the mortgage company this week so that we can have a smooth closing.  🙂 The tentative closing is scheduled for August 30th, so hopefully that will stay the same.  Once the sheetrock is up, I will post more pictures.

Thanks to everyone who is checking out the site.  William says I don’t post enough, so I will try to post more often.  If there is something specific you want to know about…Let us know!  

Wedding Planning Weekend

Kyllan 8 Comments

William and I had a great time this past weekend during his visit to Dallas.  As usual, we ate at a few of our favorite restaurants in Dallas, Grand Lux Cafe, Maggiano’s and All Good Cafe (where we ate breakfast the day we got engaged…they have the best pancakes and peppered bacon!), and we tried a few new restaurants as well.  William had the opportunity to visit the Hilton where the reception will be held and is happy with the selection.  We also had the opportunity to meet with some photograpahy vendors.  We were both extremely impressed by one who we will more than likely book for the wedding.  I feel very confident that if we use him, William and I will have ZERO regrets about our decision.  We also had the opportunity to visit a local limo company to see their fleet of vehicles.  Again, we were impressed and seem to have found a vendor for that service as well…..so….. we are making very good progress on the wedding plans.  So far we have the church, reception site, and hopefully now a photographer and limo service.  Next big vendors are florists, bakery for wedding cakes, dj, and videographer and I already have some references for each.  So, that is the wedding plan update. 

The house is still progressing nicely (of course… never as fast as I would like as the excitement has consumed me) and the drywall process should be occurring this week.  I will update pictures as soon as there is something new to show.        

Cody Family Reunion- Memphis, TN

Kyllan 1 Comment

This past weekend, William’s parents invited me to Memphis, TN for the Cody Family Reunion. I got the opportunity to meet both of William’s grandmothers (from his mom’s side and his dad’s side) and well as several aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends. I already feel like part of the Cody family. My favorite part of the trip was getting the opportunity to visit the National Civil Rights Museum, which was constructed around the former Lorraine Motel (site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s assasination). The museum does a wonderful job of telling the story of the Civil Rights Movement and prominent persons involved. The exhibits are extremely well put together and provide great historical experience. During the trip, we also visited Beale St. and some other tourist attractions. William took lots of pictures that I am sure he will post after he gets some R&R after the long drive back to New Orleans from Memphis.

To top of the weekend, I returned back home to Dallas to find the house framed! Below is a view from the front of the house. As always, you can view more construction photos on my flickr site.

Front View of Frame

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

Kyllan 4 Comments

Happy Mothers Day to my mom, Sandra Brown, William’s mom, Betty Cody, and my sister, Kim Nickerson. All three of these women are epitome’s of outstanding mothers who have set a wonderful example for me to follow.

First to my mom- I would like to thank you for all of the sacrifices you have made and support you have given in order for me to grow and develop physically, intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally. You should be overwhelmingly proud that you have raised two beautiful daughters who look up to you as courageous, loving, gracious, intelligent, talented and kind. No words or gifts could ever repay you for the love you have shown, but know that our hearts are full with gratitude for being such a wonderful example for Kim and I to live by. Did I tell you I love you today? I love you Mom! And I love you Grandma (Eva Curtain) for raising such a wonderful daughter

Mrs. Cody- The first time I met you, I immediately felt comfortable and at home. You have an aura about you that is so sincere and genuine that I greatly admire. Your strength as a mother and wife is immediately evident and something I hope to emulate. Thank you for raising and nurturing such a wonderful son. Your relationship with him has clearly had a profound impact on his life and has in turn impacted me. I appreciate that you have passed on such wonderful characteristics to him that prove to me just how strong a support system he has been provided with. Your smile, laugh and joyous nature can make anyone immediately feel better. Thank you for being so supportive to me and making me feel like a part of the Cody family. You are truly the epitome of a strong woman. I love you!

Kim- It is still hard for me to believe you are a mother. If I think back on when I was 9 and you were 18 and your unwillingness to get out of bed on an early Saturday morning to watch the Smurfs, I don’t think I would have though that was “mother-like”. But watching your interactions with Drew and watching you raise a very hyper toddler shows me just how much you fit into the role. You are doing an amazing job! You have always been like a second mother to me… there when I needed a shoulder to cry on, someone to laugh with, or a word of advice. I truly cherish our relationship and continue to learn from you. I love you!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers! We are truly thankful for you! 🙂

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We have a foundation!

Kyllan 3 Comments
The finished product!, originally uploaded by Kyllan.

On Friday, May 12th, the slab pour took place making me one excited person! I watched the process for about 2 hours and it was very interesting and educational to observe. I was also able to meet a few new neighbors and talk with a few others I had already met. The slab will dry over the weekend, and they should be set to frame next week. So… the excitement begins and the house starts to take form. Check out my flickr site for more photos!