Eric's Surprises!

So, since Eric's on the road now and won't be looking at this until after he sees the apartment, I'd thought I'd update on the little surprises I've been working on him the past week!

He's said multiple times, "I claim the back bedroom!!" for his schoolwork. I've taken over a little bit of it with art ;), but I wanted to add a little something in there that would make it more "manly"...
So, knowing that he loves the hogs, I painted a razorback canvas!



Perfect for above the futon!



And then I went ahead and got his desk...he still thinks we need to go get it today at Target :)



Hopefully I left enough wall space for him to put up everything he's bringing today!

I then wanted a little something else for the bathroom walls. Knowing that Eric knows some French and likes things about France, I got a cool aerial photo poster of Paris and framed it... (unfortunately I accidentally broke the glass, but so far it's worked out okay!)



And, the best for last! We've talked about getting a painting of Memphis for our living room, and I wanted a cool painting of Fayetteville, too, but I wasn't having much luck finding any and I knew if I did it would be reallllly expensive. So, I went about the idea an alternative way. My sister helped me out last weekend by going around Fayetteville and taking pictures of some of Eric and I's favorite town and campus spots. I went through my computer and got all the photos I've taken while in Memphis over the years. Thankfully, Joann Fabrics was having a 1/2 off sale on frames, so I basically bought them out! I thought this is a cool way to have "little pieces of home" away from home! :)
Here's the finished product!





I tried to make the layout more "modern" since Eric isn't a very traditional kind of guy. The frame in the bottom right corner stands out a bit with the matting, so I made it a little more meaningful by putting the UA Greek Theater photo in there since that's where we first met!

In other news, the first week of work went well! A little slow, but I've gotten the hang of most things. Everyone is really nice and great to work with, so I'm really happy about that! I'm slowly working on decorating my office, too!





That's all for now! :)

Weekend Update

Anna-Marie and Emily came and visited me this weekend! In the less than 24 hours they were here, we toured around town, did some shopping, and tried out the famous Shakespeare's Pizza downtown. They helped me get some antique furniture, too! A coffee table and a chair!
Our sofa and bed were delivered yesterday as well - things are looking more put-together now.

Antique table before...


And after painting it!


The living room is looking more complete now.


And I don't have to sleep on an AeroBed anymore!


I went to mass this morning at this cute old church downtown - definitely a neat building! (Here's a pic of it I found online)



Tomorrow is my first day of work! I'm excited, but I hope I can manage to get up at 6:30 - not working the past few weeks has sure altered my sleep pattern! It will definitely be a busy week...I've got several surprises/projects up my sleeve to get done for Eric's birthday next week! I'll post pics on that next Sunday after he sees it all! :)

Hello from Columbia!!

Hello family and friends,

I thought this would be a fun way for us to keep everyone updated on Eric and I's new life and adventures in Columbia! We're 18 days away from the wedding and I couldn't be more excited to see everyone!! I can't wait!

Eric traveled up here to meet my family over the 4th of July to help move everything in, and my wonderful Dad drove our local Rotary club's truck filled with all our stuff (THANK YOU DAD!!!). We wouldn't have gotten everything up here without him! :) Here are some before and after pictures (click on any to enlarge):




Eric's so excited about unloading all the stuff!!



Our kitchen and dining area (complete with an antique table and chairs I repainted!)



Our bare-walled living room - sofa comes Saturday! :)



Desk area and our porch!



We have a washer and dryer! And the antique tables I painted that I just LOVE!





Office/art room (Eric better get here quick before I take it over!) complete with the infamous futon, bookshelf I put together, and diploma frames from Cindy and Dave! (We still have yet to receive our diplomas though...)

Eric won't be here again for another 12 days so I think I'm going to take the time to decorate a little more...Hopefully I won't make things too girly for him. :) Our remaining furniture should be delivered on Saturday - I'm so ready to pack that AeroBed back up!

2 of my amazing bridesmaids/interior design friends, Anna-Marie and Emily (shown with me below at graduation), are coming to see me this weekend - they're making the 5 hour per way drive just to be here for less than 24! I'm so excited that they're coming! We'll definitely be doing some shopping in the short time they're here.



In other news, I have a job (thankfully!). Unfortunately, the design position I was going for and really wanted didn't work out because of the current economic conditions and the fact that there isn't as much of a demand for interior designers here (*sigh*). However, I will be working for the University of Missouri School of Nursing as an administrative assistant beginning (hopefully) sometime this week - still waiting on paperwork to go through. I'm really excited about being in a healthcare-related position and of course the pay and benefits. I know Eric's excited, too, about our picnic lunch dates on campus now that we'll only be a building apart. :) LOL (He's rolling his eyes right now, I just know it...)

That's all for now!
Love,
Caroline