.where i've been part 2.

Ok- Where I have been, part 2…

What a few months it has been, as you already know.

During a shaky economy, nothing can be more wonderful than being slammed at work, right? Sure- if you aren’t planning a wedding, writing for four blogs and a magazine. My life in August-October flew by. At my Event Planning job, we were slammed with events, especially in the month of September. I find that on days when you are on your feet, physically and mentally, all day long it leaves you with zero motivation for your own life once you get home.
So you all know that in addition to this blog, I write for Tweet My Wedding (catch me every Monday), Weddzilla and Bridal Buds… I tired to give each new content, but it became too much and I slacked as evidenced by this blog. I still write my column, The Nearlywed Report for Las Vegas Bride and one day…. I just happened to stumble upon the publisher on the right day. A long story short, I am now the Editor-in-Chief of Las Vegas Bride and another fabulous publication, Dine Out Las Vegas.

Whew… so needless to say, I am no longer an event planner, but planning is in my veins and will never go away. Being in the wedding industry does not grant any additional time for my own wedding, as I am trying to put my heart and soul into this publication- for several reasons: my loyalty to the publisher, my loyalty to myself and my desire to spend the rest of my life at the mercy of a keyboard, writing.

If I thought that there was an extreme amount of wedding planning pressure when I was just an event planner, imagine the pressure of being the editor of a bridal mag and throwing a wedding. Can you say yikes with me?

I am so excited to be embarking on this career path, which is now in its fifth week and my first publication is at the printers and I await it with great excitement…mostly to see how many typos were missed, but hey, we all live and lean. I've been blessed with an amazing opportunity and am thankful for it each day.

So there you have it folks, my life has been flipped and turned upside down and right side up all within the five months leading up to the wedding. Maybe all of this change will turn into a wedding novel someday. Hey- if anyone wants to publish it, let me know. I’d be cool with that! (Yes, wouldn’t we all?!?)

.kreativ blogger award.

YAY! Hooray! My first blog award…. It is an honor to just be nom, er… I mean just to have a reader! Just kidding, my following is growing and I am thrilled to give you some entertainment! Moving along…

The dearest, sweet, adorable, fun, knowledgeable and all around great girl Ashley tagged me as a Kreativ Blogger! Yippeee!!! So now you have to endure 7-10 things about me and then, I pass the Kreativ torch onto other bloggers! I "know" Ashley though our coveted wedding forum site and am honored that she reads my blog and then gave me a Kreativ Blogger Award! So thank you, Ashley, for this honor:


1. Ok, I will get this out in the open because if I don’t, then my sister just may do it for me. I watched Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood up until I was about 9 years old. It was fun- who wouldn’t want to visit The Land of Make Believe? Won’t you be my neighbor??

2. I love even numbers. My favorite number is 22 because not only is 2 and even number, but 22 is two #2’s.

3. I’ve been told- from a tarot card reader- that I have a little bit of psychic ability. And I believe her. When my last boyfriend and I broke up, during one of our heated “I can do better than you” arguments, he said, “You are probably going to run off and find some suit and tie wearing guy.” To which I replied, “Yea, and I’ll probably meet him at the dog park.” And I did- both. Everything happens for a reason. So thank you for putting that out into the Universe for me.

4. I love sports. I love the Steelers. And the Yankees. There are other teams I follow as a here and there fan, but if it is live sports, count me in to spectate. However, I have ZERO athletic ability. None. The adage, “You blank like a girl”, that is me. I run, throw, kick, etc. like a girl.

5. I HATE feet. HATE. THEM. Hate looking at them, anything. My feet are quite ugly so it has to stem from that. If you run after me and try to touch me with your feet, I scream and probably cry if you succeed.

6. I am petrified of the dark. There always had to be a light on in the house. If I am going to bed, I have to go and turn on the bedroom light, then come back into the hallway and turn off that light. It started when I was in Italy and went to the beach, it was dark. The ocean scares me because it is so vast and full of deadly creatures.

7. I been both a T2 and a T1 diabetic already in my life. How? Well, I was diagnosed with diabetes at age 29. My idiot endo- who I’d love to share the name with you and if anyone reco’s her to you, RUN FAR AWAY- looked at my and said, “No you are a T2.” She did that by looking at my 29 year old body, all 5 ft., 7 inches and 138 lbs of me. Turns out, the only way you can tell is by an antibody test, which I failed. I am a T1…or 1.5 (Latent Autoimmune/Adult Onset). So now, I am kept alive by a piece of plastic called an Omnipod. So when you have a hang nail or a bad day, just remember, I am kept alive by a piece of plastic.


Here are the procedures connected with the Kreativ Blogger Award:

1. Copy the award to your site.

2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.

3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.

4. Link to those sites on your blog.

5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.- I may just send them an email!



My nominees for this Kreativ Blogger Award go to:

1. Jenny. We've never met but I consider her a friend- she is humorous, always gives great advice and is a great supporter. She generously donated to the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes! Read her blog here.


2. Kelly. My friend and Zilla. When it comes to friends, everyone needs a Kelly. She is the slap that you need when you really want to be hugged. She is the truth when you want to look in the mirror and lie. But when you want to cry, she will have a tissue and bottle of Merlot ready and waiting. Read her blog here


3. Sarah. My friend and fellow bride, She is hilarious and keeps me entertained via email and Twitter all day long. Read her blog here.


4. Kari. The Crazy Baykah. There is nothing crazy about her, but her energy is contagious. And her cupcakes....even better. Words like addictive and can't have just one come to mind. Read about the good, the bad, the ugly and sweet of being a crazy baykah.


5. TweetMyWedding. This is both an award and a shameless plug. TMW was one of the first places to accept my application as a blogger. What is TweetMyWedding? Well just head on over there and find out. You will be glad that you did.

6. BrideOnBudget. Two words that typically don't fit harmoniously into one sentence. but somehow, Ashley makes it work!! BrideOnBudget is having a fabu wedding without breaking her bank- and she shows you how every step of the way!

7. Becca. Another fellow bride who is also getting married in Vegas. I've been trying my best to help her out and am pretty sure that I am responsible for her bakery selection. Who is it? See above, #4.

.more venue delight.

I love this blog post that was written for Tweet My Wedding!! It truly captures more of venue debacle and delight.

Go there. Read it. And enjoy it.

.more of the nearlywed whereabouts.

Ok- so in one of my last posts I said that you would soon know why I've been a mish-mash of a person. You still have to wait.


In the meantime, you can see some of the fabulous things that I've written. The fabulous is clearly subjective.


When setting up my blog, it was a no brainer to try to write for someone else too! So I sent in apps to a few blog sites and they all took me! YAY! Which means, that I am a busy writing woman right now....and in return, my blog has taken a backseat. BUT I will post some of those entries here.

On Mondays, you can find me on Tweet My Wedding, where I take one of my Twitter tweets and turn it into a blog. This is where I write the "ugly", the stuff that may not be for all public eyes. This is almost like my journal that stays hidden. But now...well....that won't happen any longer.

Twice weekly, you can find me on Bridal Buds, where I am Poinsettia Bud. This is where I try to post some inspiration, whether it is for my wedding or just in general. I find it challenging to post inspiration for something that may not work for me, but it is a work in progress.

You can also find me at Weddzilla, where I am just me (Jennifer B.). I love this blog and try to post some of my "hot topics" or current challenges with planning.

Blogging is one of my favorite things. Do I think that maybe it is over committing? Maybe, sometimes, but the stuff gets written. Whether everyone finds it interesting or not...that is personal. Most readers seem to enjoy me and for that, I thank you, dear readers. And promise to get you more content more often.

Have a great day!

.where oh where has the newlywed been.

Well Blog followers…. It has been a month almost since my last post. In that time, there have been a bunch of new followers! ::Hi, new followers!:: And hopefully it gave long time readers time to catch up on old blogs.

The months of July and August were interesting and flew by. Although, when it was 120 degrees for a week, those days crept on by. Anyway, my friend who got married in June (already THREE MONTHS AGO?!?!?!) told me that the summer flew by in her planning- and she was right. And then the next few months will fly because it’s the holidays and then darn it- it is almost the wedding.

So why haven’t I blogged? Been busy- plain and simple. And uninspired.

The summer started early in May with the birth of the most beautiful girl in the world- my niece. I was lucky enough to spend two weeks on the East Coast getting to know her. I was in a wedding and spent some time with my dear friend, A-Zilla. Then, my sister returned the favor and came to Vegas for a five days and my mother in law was here for just over three weeks. So then we enter into July. I have a break from visitors and then my parents came to visit for 10 short days. In those 10 days, we did a few wedding related things: I picked up my reception dress, we talked about favors, we saw our venues, we looked at a new venue, we gambled and ate at buffets like they were brand new. What is that I wrote?? We looked at new venues? Hmm…what does that mean?

Then, my parents leave and frankly, I am exhausted. Having guests is fun but a ton of work and once they left, it was time to recoup, recover, and rejuvenate. And connect with my hubby-to-be, again. When you have people in your house for such a long time, you start to become roommates instead of fiancés and worry too much about making sure everyone is happy and entertained. If we had no guests until the wedding, I would be a happy wifey-to-be. The months of March and April next year are going to be insane. That is all.

In August, we tasted cakes, met with a florist and some other things…. More details will follow, there needs to be a reason for keeping you reading, right?

Ok- so we passed the nine months to go and the eight months to go. We are just over seven-and-a-half months until “WE DO!” And big things are happening in the wedding of the Nearlyweds.

Now that I am back on and back to blogging…. You will have to stay tuned for the big announcement. Ohhhh….it’s killing you, isn’t it!

.when good things happen to great people.

One of my favorite things is celebrating the joys, accomplishments and successes of others. Really, I do. I know that this is a rare find...but I truly think that if you are happy for others, good things come your way and others can be happy for you.

I'd love for my blogging friends to get book deals... then I can go to their signings and have a gront spot in the line...or do their hair or style their clothes. I love when new businesses take off and become hugely popular thanks for social networking sites and their own personal triumphs.

So today, I am going to shout out my accomplishments....be happy if you want...post yours if you would like! Let's hear it for success!

My first ever article was published in Las Vegas Bride Magazine (Summer 2009). In meeting with the magazine to discuss wedding stuff, I asked for space and they delivered. So please, follow them on blogger and check out my article, The Nearlywed Report

I am currently blogging for myself (ahem...you are here) and three other FABULOUS wedding websites... again, congrats to those who have started these sites and have pursued making them the successes that they are!
In no order:
1. TweetMyWedding- This site had five bloggers who expand on one of the "Tweets" from the week. Happily, I can say that I am the first blogger on this site... my first post went live on Monday. There are four other talented blogger brides who write... so check them out daily!
2. Bridal Buds- I love this site! An inspirational place for brides, who are named after "buds". I love posting here and hope to continue well after I am a Misses. You can find my posts under the name of "Poinsettia" bud...along with all of the other talented brides.
3. Weddzilla- This site provides inspiration & insight to brides from brides. There are so many great posts from how to be a great MOH to e-pic ideas and beyond. My intro post is on August 5th, so stay tuned for great posts by Jennifer B. (that is my government name!)

So there ya have it! I am trying to make my way as a writer... anyone have any book deals they want to hand out?!? Ha...well if you do, who am I to say no!?

Share your recent joys with me! I'd love to be happy for you!

A few words from two of the Zillaz

Once I had confirmed the members of The Dream Team, I told the other two bloggers to feel free to write on their respective blogs or to be a guest blogger on my blog. They are both fantastically funny and wonderful writers. I told you that I had The Dream Team. Anyway, they both posted their blogs and I am floored, again, by my emotions in reading what they had written.

Everyday when I wake up next to Flo, I realize and feel how lucky and blessed my life truly is. When I hear from my friends, cousin and sister, whether it is a text, email, facebook message or letter, I realize how lucky and blessed my life is. After reading their blogs, I wonder what I did to deserve such wonderful people in my life!! On with the blog...

Just to give you insight: One of my Bridesmaids says that she will be a Bridesmaidzilla and if anyone trys to not make this wedding how we/I want it, she is going to go zilla on them. So the bridesmaids are my Zillaz. For life. It provides humor. Trust me, though... we aren't Zillaz....

Visit here to read her blog about my asking her to be in the wedding.
Here is a photo of her reading her card.



For the blog of my other Zillaz, please click here and be sure to the blog entitled "Bridal Wave".
Here is a picture of her opening her card: