Jamaica!

Time for the honeymoon!

As soon as we left the reception, Kevin and I got all of our luggage ready to go to the airport.  With a flight leaving at 8:30am (EST), we decided we needed to grab some food and hit the road around 2:30am (CST).  With limited restaurant options at that hour, we decided on Waffle House for our first meal as a married couple.  As soon as we were done, we hit the road to ATL.  Staying awake was the biggest challenge, because neither of us had gotten much sleep the night before. When we finally arrived at the airport, we took a huge sigh of relief and eagerly anticipated the departure of our flight that would be taking us to an amazing week in paradise!

Upon arrival around 11am, we decided we should catch up on some sleep, so we ordered room service and then passed out until 4pm.  Later we made our first walk around the resort to check things out.  For dinner that night, we went to the restaurant at the pool that overlooks the ocean.  The food was fantastic, and I got a real kick out of them calling us Mr. and Mrs. Finnen!

Our first full day at the resort we spent at the beach soaking in the beautiful scenery and wonderful sunshine. In fact, we both soaked up a little too much of the sunshine.  Kevin's legs and my back both fell victim to the dangerous combo of steady cool breeze masking the hot sun. Fun fact, when you don't think about your packing, and put your sunscreen in you carry on, TSA likes to keep it.  =/ (We got to drop $40 on sunscreen in Jamaica...woooo.)

We meet a nice couple from Montgomery on the beach the first day.  It's such a small world.  I'm not sure if it was Kevin's croakies, my monogrammed floppy hat, or the way we said "hey y'all" that gave us away, but as we were laying on the beach they both turned around and asked us if we're from Alabama.  Amazing that we can go all the way to a beach in Jamaica and be sitting right behind another couple from Alabama.

Kevin and I spent the next 3 days lounging under umbrellas, swimming in the ocean, reading our books, eating the most fabulous food, and soaking up every second that we could spend together.  On Thursday, we had set up shop on the beach, and A-Money (aka: Andrew the entertainment guy) made his way over to get us to sign up for a catamaran cruise.  The boat was leaving at 2pm and would get back at 5pm.  The trip included:  snorkeling, free drinks, reggae dance lessons, a foot massage, and a trip to Margaritaville (with a 110ft water slide).  Who wouldn't want to go on a trip like that.  As we were going to sign up, a couple who had prepaid with a credit card was trying to cancel.  Unfortunately, there was a 24 hour cancellation policy.  Since we were planning to pay cash, Kevin offered for us to just pay them and we could use their pass to get on the boat.  The guy at the desk said that would work just fine, and the other couple was very grateful.

As the time for our little cruise approached, so did the storm clouds.  Over the mountains to the south was total blackness with the occasional streak of lightening.  We were assured that if the trip was rained out, all passengers would be refunded.  At the thought of a cancellation/refund situation, Kevin and I began to wonder how we would ever get our money back since our pass was on Ed's credit card.  The boat's crew were optimistic that we would miss the rain and should continue on with the trip, so everyone loaded up and took a seat.  Timing couldn't have been more perfect, because as we began to sail off, the rain started sailing in and surrounded us.  After an extended trip trying to avoid the rain that had entrapped us, we finally approached Margaritaville soaking wet!  Everyone went into the restaurant for 30-40 minutes and then the crew made the executive decision to head back to the resort (stillllll raining).  Once we all safely returned, we went to line up for our refunds.  As the guy at the desk saw us walk up, he did a head drop, palm of hand to forehead.  That's right, we're gonna be complicated.  He attempted to call Ed, with no success.  After that, he looked at us, pulled money out of his own pocket and paid us the cash back.  We were amazed at how smooth that went and thanked him so much.

As the night came to a close, it started to set in that it was our last night at the resort.  When morning came, we went to the beach one last time, and then caught a flight back to Atlanta.  Before the wedding, I had asked Kevin if he thought we would be too tired to stay in Atlanta that Friday night and go to a Braves game (of course he said we could definitely make it work).  So as soon as we passed through customs, we were on our way to Turner Field to watch the Bravos!  It was the perfect end to the most amazing first week as Mr. and Mrs. Finnen.

We had an amazing time on our honeymoon and can't wait to get a chance to head back to celebrate many, many anniversaries!  I've included some of the pictures we took of the resort, so check them out below!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Mr. and Mrs. Finnen

July 28, 2012 was the most amazing day of my life, because it was the day I stood before God and family and friends, and declared to them all that Kevin Finnen was to be my husband!  This day set in motion the rest of my life that I will live as Becky Finnen with my best friend always by my side.

My best friend

After our March 15th engagement, the planning was well underway with my wedding coordinator, Shalon Steed (What a Whirl Weddings & Events).  Shalon was definitely the best investment that we (or my dad) made for my wedding.  I met with Shalon to explain my dream wedding to her, and gave her creative liberties to make it happen.  She was so reliable, easy to communicate with, and is one of the biggest reasons that I had the most perfect wedding.  It was easy to be a calm bride when I knew I could completely trust her judgement and reliability to see to all plans.  She organized all of my vendors and took care of 99% of the communication with them, alleviating that burden from my family and me.  She and her staff were so amazing and we couldn't have pulled off the wedding without them!

The only glitch in the entire weekend was the total failure of my iPod at the most inconvenient time (well, that and maybe the speeding ticket I got on the way to Gadsden on Friday-my first one ever).  Our playlist had been set up on my ipod for the ceremony music to be played on a Bose stereo.  However, it disagreed with the 96 degree heat it was in all day and decided to take a permanent nap 30 minutes prior to showtime.  Luckily for us, the groomsmen of the year managed to download all the songs to his iPhone for us to use during the ceremony! Brett Crump was a total wedding music saver that day!

The setting of our wedding was the first decision that Kevin and I made.  J&D Farms is located in Southside, AL just outside Gadsden, and is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined for my wedding venue.  Our ceremony was positioned in the orchard, facing a beautiful summer sunset over the mountains.  After the ceremony, we moved over to the barn for the reception, where everyone danced the night away to the jams played by our DJ, Michael (Feel the Beat Entertainment).  We had dance offs, dance tunnels, dance circles, and a dancing ring bearer and flower girl that stole the show.  Everyone who attended had a great time and made the reception the best part of the night!

DANCE TUNNEL

So in love with this man!

I managed to spend all of dad's money.  

I would also like to thank my other vendors who did such a fabulous job and made a great contribution to our wedding:  Images Hair Salon (Thanks Caiti, my hair was perfect!), Morgan House Catering (the potato bar was my fav!), Southern House of Flowers (LOVED my flowers), and photography was also done by Danny at J&D Farms.

By the end of the reception, Kevin and I both felt so blessed to not only have found each other, but to have the love and support of so many amazing friends and family members.  We set out after the reception to get ready to fly to JAMAICA!  

Our wedding was such a wonderful experience and I could not have asked for a better day! I'd like to give a shout out to my lovely bridesmaids:  Bridgett Cox, Stephanie Wilbanks, Jordan Jones, Emily Doucette, Tara Clark, Allison Zackaroff, Trina Holmsted, and Kelli Phillips.  A BIG THANKS to my mom and dad who have always given me the world, and to Kevin's parents who are the absolute best in-laws a girl could ask for (I love them like my own parents and always will)!  Also, thank you to everyone who traveled the distance to attend the kickoff of our marriage(hope you had a good time)!  

I will update the blog later this week with the stories (and pictures) from our honeymoon in Jamaica.

Forever and EVER, Amen!

On October 1, 2011, I met the man that I will spend the rest of my life with.  After watching our respective team's football games that evening, we were both out with friends to celebrate our victories, and that's when this beautiful, wonderful man caught my eye.  Once a little time had passed, I took it upon myself to go introduce myself to him.  To say the least, I knew there was something special about him at that very moment and knew I wanted to get to know him more.

For the next two weeks, we talked on the phone (excessively) every night.  Finally, I was able to go see him in person (first time since the night we met).  As he asked me to be his girlfriend on October 17th, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before he asked me another question.

When you're in the "dating" phase of your life, ladies who have found their one and only tend to tell you that "when you know, you know".  Naturally all of those still "dating" would love to believe in that, but can't seem to grasp how realistic that may be.  Well, I'm here to tell you that "when you know, you know" and it's not something you can ever understand until you experience it yourself.  I am so happy to be with Kevin and the Lord has blessed us in so many ways thus far, and continues to bless us daily!

On March 15, 2012, Kevin and I went for a walk at the park and at the end of the walk we went out on a pier over the pond in the middle of the track.  Kevin asked me if I was ready to stop walking and just go home.  I replied, "Yes." After this he looked at me and said, "Well, while you're in the mood to say yes, , will you marry me?" Even though we had been talking about getting married already and making plans to do so, I was completely caught off guard.  Obviously I said, "YES!" (To make things even better, I had gotten a job offer that morning.  Pretty good day for me.)

We are now making plans to get married on July 28, 2012 and I could not be any happier to spend the rest of my life with my best friend!  Life is so crazy how you get from one point to another, and I thank God daily that I have chosen the path that led me to Kevin.  This is more perfect that I could have ever even imagined!

New Year....New Plan!

     In the spirit of the new year, I have decided to update my blog more often; however, this is not my resolution.  The second half of 2011 got so crazy that blogging didn't quite make the cut on the priority list.  The reason this isn't my resolution is because I rarely follow through past March.  It turns out I'm not the only one with this problem, here are some fun statistics I found on how many people stick to their resolutions:

"The following shows how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on:
- past the first week: 75%
- past 2 weeks: 71%
- after one month: 64%
- after 6 months: 46%" (http://proactivechange.com/resolutions/statistics.htm).


Being a fan of setting goals, I feel as though I should find a successful way to set a resolution.  After thinking about what I would like to make my resolution for 2012, I have come to the conclusion that I will have a different goal for each month this year!  This should help me focus on 12 different things throughout the year, and hopefully I will stick them all out.  Most of these goals I will set throughout the year as the new month approaches, but some I may set in advance.


For January, my goal is to pay off my credit card! It seems that every time I get that thing paid off, I turn right around and use it again....this is an endless battle that I will work to correct in 2012!  My plan to accomplish this is to cut out unnecessary spending (such as eating fast food, manicures and pedicures, and that shopping addiction of mine).  The reason for this is because according to Pete the Planner, I'm in the "Survivin'" stage.  I'm in a pretty good place to correct this all by the end of 2012, so it's time to get started now!


Each month I hope to track my progress and blog about my struggles and success!  Wish me LUCK! 


2012 Goals
- January:  Pay off credit card
- February:  Don't eat out!

Spring is in the Air (or is it summer? or back to winter?)

It's that time of year again....SPRING!  Days are getting longer and the sun is warming up the air....or is it?  Last week my travels had me visiting East Carolina University.  The weather was beautiful during my stay and temperatures made it to the 80's. This spike in temperatures caused me to re-evaluate the wardrobe in my closet/suitcase, and I found it challenging to put together an outfit suitable for such fabulous weather.  Due to the layering items that I've kept in my suitcase this past semester, I was able to manage for the week I was in town.  Unfortunately, I am back in Ohio and experiencing winter once again.

I look forward to the days when the heat of the day calls for a cooler at the pool with a little SPF and good friends.  The days where you drive around with the radio blasting and windows down.  Trips to the beach for the weekend and going for a long boat ride on the lake.  These days are right around the corner and this puts a huge smile on my face!

This is my last chapter visit as an ELC.  Next week I will be in Indianapolis with the other consultants where it all began back in July.  We will only have 3 days to debrief and catch up with the close friends we've made this year.  Time has passed by so quickly and I have no clue what comes next, but I know it will be amazing (it always is)!

March Madness....(but not the basketball kind)

While I do enjoy March Madness and all of the basketball triumphs and defeats it brings, the March Madness I am experiencing this month isn't as entertaining.  The madness of my March comes from my travel schedule.  Just looking at how busy I am this month makes me break a sweat, but I would be lying to yall if I said I didn't love it.   Here's a rundown of this month in the life of Becky Wilbanks:

March 1-3:  Kansas State University (Manhattan, KS)
March 3-6: Mardi Gras with friends (New Orleans, LA)
March 6-11: Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
March 11-14: University of Illinois (Champaign, IL)
-------Here's where life gets busy-----------------
March 14-15: Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY)
March 16: (Birmingham, AL)
March 17-21: East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, TN)
March 21-25: East Carolina University (Greenville, NC)
March 26-27: Friend's Bridal Shower/Bachelorette Party (Auburn, AL)
March 28-April 5: Ohio University (Athens, OH)
(April is just as crazy because I go from Ohio to Indianapolis, back to WKU, and then move to Alabama)

Adding this all up totals to 9 states in the month of March. Where life starts to get crazy is after my visit this week.  This Sunday time will spring forward giving us longer days (and hopefully bringing in some warmer weather).  This time change comes at a bad time for me, but I just have to buckle up and accept my fate.  Here's a breakdown of the next week of my life:

Sunday (Move time FORWARD 1 hour)
Monday: Flight leaves Indianapolis at 10am (need to be there by 9am, 2 hour drive, central timezone to eastern - 1 hour, means leaving Champaign at 6am - which feels like 5am bc of the time change). Arrive in Nashville (shop a little while waiting on Laura's flight to arrive) and drive to Bowling Green, KY.  Attend Greek Awards Banquet.
Tuesday:  Campus PR all day promoting our chapter that we will colonize in the fall.
Wednesday:  Drive (3 hours) from Nashville to Birmingham for an interview.
Thursday: Drive (5 hours) to Johnson City, TN for next chapter visit at ETSU.  Stay until Monday morning when my flight leaves for the next chapter.
(Some time in the midst of all this travel and chaos I have to write 2 reports and edit one to be sent out.)

I remember back in January thinking that this would be a long semester (especially with all the SNOW...yuck!), but as it turns out, the time is passing by so quickly (just as it always seems to do).  The other ELCs and I have been eagerly anticipating our return to Indy in April, when we will all be reunited and doing our debriefing for the spring semester.

Staying busy is something that I LOVE to do, and this schedule for March and April (as exhausting as they may be) is right up my alley.  Knowing that the constant travel and tasks will be occupying my time gives me relief in knowing that after each day I am closer to seeing my girlies. I have really enjoyed the experience of this past year traveling to chapters and having the opportunity to impact hundreds of girls lives each week, and I know that next year during recruitment season I will be missing it.  To all of the new ELCs (whoever you may be), good luck next year.  This has definitely been the most interesting year of my life, and I have learned so much about myself and grown as a person.  While my time as an ELC is drawing to a close, I will look back fondly on the memories I have made and the friendships I have formed that will honestly last forever.

Next chapter of my life is starting soon....stay tuned.

Today's Realization

It is time to grow up (or at least make an effort to start).  I am not in college anymore.