Have I Told You Lately That I Love You: Life in the Esparza Home

Hello friends and family!

Erik and I are settling into married life and slowly arranging things at home. December is here and our Christmas shopping has begun! We also have our Christmas cards and are in the process of addressing the envelopes! YAY! :) It's also cool by Miami standards - lows of 50's highs of 70's and we are loving it. We also have Mom & Pop Esparza in town for a few days before the head to Texas for Christmas! Erik has finals this week in school and then a short break until January. I've got a few big parties coming up with work, as it is that time of year! We've also got an engagement party to photograph on the 18th. Every little bit helps market Ezekiel e. Photography, and we love it!

We hope that everyone enjoyed their thanksgiving. We loved our first one together and are looking forward to many more! We didn't burn the turkey!!! [just the pumpkin pie crust - haha]


We have officially posted our professional wedding photos on facebook and on our shutterfly account. Therefore, if you haven't seen them already, GO CHECK THEM OUT! :)

Until next time.... xoxo

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You: We're Finally Hitched!!

Friends & Family - we have officially done it! On Friday, November 5th, 2010 we bit through the nerves, I walked down the aisle and we said "I DO!" So I now can formally introduce you to MR. & MRS. ERIK ESPARZA!

We went the evening of our wedding to the Doral Resort. We traveled via limo. It was an amazing evening and it was awesome to unwind from it all as husband and wife. We were treated by everyone as a king and queen and it was splendid! We got chocolate covered strawberries on our bed and the view from our room, overlooking the golf course, was absolutely perfect! We unwound in the jacuzzi and finally enjoyed our wedding meal while reading some of the awesome cards our friends and family left for us! In the middle of the night, we were gifted an interesting surprise of a stranger who walked into the room! Somehow he had stayed there the evening before and the housekeeping service assumed he checked out but he had not and his key still worked. Erik called the front desk and fixed it all and we were given an incredible room service breakfast, compliments of the hotel!

Later on Saturday, Erik's father picked us up and we ran around Miami with Grandma Sally, Aunt Ida, Aunt Lupe, Aunt Betty, Mom Esparza and Cousin Stacey. Then, that evening, we hosted the family from both sides at our apartment. Dad Esparza got a nice spread of food and we enjoyed some of Erik's videos of our trips to California, Texas & Georgia as well as laughter amongst ourselves. It was a fabulous time together. 

By Sunday morning, almost everyone was gone. Erik and I made breakfast for Grandma Sally, Aunt Ida, Aunt Lupe, Aunt Betty & Cousin Stacey. They spent the morning with us and then we said our goodbyes. After, we took Mom & Daddy Bush to the Port of Miami for their cruise to Mexico and a few short hours later took Samantha to the airport to head back home to Tallahassee. Everyone was gone except for G-ma who decided to leave Monday morning.

Unfortunately by Monday night, Stefanie was EXTREMELY ill with what turned out to be viral gastroenteritis. By Tuesday night, Erik learned about the words "in sickness and in heath" when he had to take Stefanie to the hospital. Stefanie spent the entire week home from work trying to stay hydrated and get as much rest as possible.

So here we are.... it has been 11 days since our wedding. We finally got a link to our professional pictures yesterday and we are VERY excited to share them soon (the DVD is on it's way to us now!) We also created a photo sharing site for everyone to share the pictures they took on our special day. Please do so!!! http://www.theesparzasexposed.shutterfly.com/ We are both back at work full swing. Stefanie is working on a Bar Mitzvah for this weekend for 160 guests and Erik made an incredible presentation today and we are very proud of his progress.  There are good things in our future. God is good and we love our families and they love each other and we could not be more blessed, or as the time of year is appropriate for it, more thankful! :)

Have I told you Lately that I love you: 9 days till wedding day

This weekend the team at Chef David Schwadron Catering and Event Design fed and catered to 878 guests in two days between five events. Erik and I worked Saturday from 2pm to 2am and then slept a bit then back to work 12pm to 1am. By Monday we were in zombie mood and couldn't walk! Thank God the money was decent! And with a wedding around the corner, every little bit helps!

So now the fun begins. I am still working on other clients events but also trying to hold ours together. Tonight Momma Esparza arrives and I will do a venue walk through with Nicole, our day of coordinator. Tomorrow I have a work meeting at 7pm. Friday, I think the office staff is taking Erik and I out to dinner. Saturday morning is my final dress fitting and he has school. Afterwards, we are moving around his house and getting rid of old things he no longer wants and making space for ME! Sunday, we are moving me in! On Monday, I will get my bridal party flowers, since they are all silk. After work, I am getting my car detailed. Tuesday night I am going to do my manicure and pedicure to get it out of the way. On Wednesday I get a hot stone massage! :) Afterwards, Erik and I will probably hang out with his family! On Thursday I have hair trials, we have the rehearsal and the welcome dinner and then Friday is D-Day. Whew! The week is already "scheduled" and packed full! Time is going to FLY! I still have to finish the favors, Shaina has to make the bows for the pews, I have a few other details to finalize, but all in all, it looks good to me and I am TOTALLY stoked to be Mrs. Esparza in NINE WHOLE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!

So I guess I should get back to work but had to give a "short but sweet" update. See you all soon!!!! :)

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You: & the Blogging Begins

Three weeks from today we will say I do. It feels a bit surreal. I am nervous but a good nervous. Excited nervous. Happy nervous. I am an avid reader & follower of www.weddingbee.com. Seriously, it is the best website I've ever discovered! I wanted to be a bee so badly but my wedding is a bit too close and there just isn't enough time. Erik and I wanted to start a family blog once we were married. So instead I start now. I will talk about the ups and downs of the wedding planning and other things in our lives.

Erik proposed to me on April 8th, 2010 at the Macarthur Causeway. It was a gorgeous evening and he was so nervous. We had spoke about marriage and he had walked with me to Mayor's a few months back so I knew it was in his mind already. The night could not have been better and I was so happy and excited to look at my finger, see that gorgeous ring and know at some point I was going to be his Mrs!!!

We spoke a few days later and set our wedding date for April 8th, 2011. We like the idea of "one year later." We figured it to be enough planning time and enough saving time. We sent our save the dates and the adventures began. In May we got a bit of a hang up and decided to move the wedding to the fall. So after tossing a few dates around, November 5th, 2010 became the new date. And I took off with the adventures of planning and budgeting and booking vendors.

Here we are three weeks from the big day. I am beyond blessed with this incredible man. Unfortunately there has been a bit of a hiccup and we have to move the ceremony to a church so I have to begin the task of contacting the guests to let them know this weekend. Luckily it is literally down the block so if someone "misses the memo" they still won't be late. God has definitely been good to us! In other planning news, my third dress fitting is tomorrow morning at 10am. I have found my jewelry and thanks to birthday gifts from my grandma, Erik's grandma Sally & Momma Esparza, I will purchase it tomorrow. There are many sunshine yellow surprises hidden within and throughout the wedding. Thanks to my amazing mommy, the wedding favors are getting closer to being finalized every evening. We have "fun favors" for the kids (infants all the way through 15 years old!) I have had a blast putting together gifts for my attendants. I had some friends from high school step up to the plate and offer their "services" for my ceremony music. So we'll have a woodwind quartet, I believe consisting of a flute, two clarinets and a saxophone. I am excited for this special touch! Our DJ is awesome with ISPDJ - Tony "the Hitman". He has put together a GREAT package for us! Our Engagement Photos, taken by Kristin Betancourt Photography, had a great vintage/classy feel, and will definitely be included within the wedding ceremony. The bridal party & parents/grandparents will have silk flowers. This is a nice touch and cuts the fees of preserving my bouquet. The ballroom will have gorgeous arrangements of yellow roses and yellow calla lilies with a lot of candles!!! A super special surprise is up my sleeve for our cake table but I dare not spoil that one! Erik picked out a GREAT garter for me! It's very original and quite perfect! We ordered a special and fun guest book that is NOT a normal one so we are encouraging our guests to sign it as many times as they want and really flip through it. Different pages are titled differently and not just looking for a signature! A great friend of mine is coming in from Georgia to do my hair and the rest of the bridal party girl's hair. She is amazing as my wedding day is also her birthday! Erik and I are also trying to plan a surprise for dinner service, mostly for his family but something we believe EVERYONE will enjoy! We picked up our marriage license right in time. I believe the expiration date is November 8th! Thank goodness we got it when we did and didn't try to go earlier! In honor of our grandmother's (our mother's mom's) we will be asking them to sign for us as witnesses. William Buttermore, a GREAT family friend has been doing pre marriage counseling with us and will be performing the ceremony. We are excited that he is willing to play this special role. Our photographer we met at the Mayor's Ball in June. He is Travis Harris Photography and his work is INCREDIBLE. He is actually getting married himself, TOMORROW!!!, in Vermont! Congratulations Travis! :) Dare I also mention one of my best friends, Nicole, who is sacrificing her true guest experience to be my day of coordinator and make sure she is the one to worry about it all and I won't have to. I do love that girl! <3 We have a few more surprises and special touches up our sleeves both for the guests and each other. We have chosen not to see our wedding bands until the moment we say "I do" so that is a special surprise I'm looking forward to!

There are so many more things I want to talk about and share but I have to be careful not to ruin it too much! 21 days out my friends. Soon all our family and friends will be gathered under one roof and I will FINALLY be Mrs. Erik Esparza. I can hardly contain my excitement. I have to actually focus on work and get through client's parties over the next few weeks and try not to think about my own! HAHAHA!

My friends, I love your following, I love your friendship, I love writing and I hope to use this as a new tool to share the beginning of my life with Erik with you. Soon we will really be "The Esparza's" and this is us exposed! Have a great day my dears! :)

Until the next time..............