My Last Days as a Hunter - Ready.Lissette.Go

99 days...

2009-08-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

In just 99 days, this will be my husband and I.
My Husband. ;) It feels lovely to say that.

I saw The Time Traveler's Wife last night, and for the first time, it hit me. I'm getting married. I know what you could be thinking, really - you saw a movie and that is when it hit you??

But I dont know there was just something about her walking down the aisle to meet her groom that gave me goosebumps. I'm getting married. In just 99 days, I'll be his wife - I am so happy.

I know that these last few weeks before the wedding, things are going to fly by, chaos could arise but I hope to enjoy these last moments of prepartations and the moments I can steal away with him before we become Mr. & Mrs.

Let's start the official countdown, 99 days...

xoxo.
L

Ohh la la.

2009-08-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

As wedding dates near, there are a few events leading up to the wedding that usually get the bride amped. You know the ones, the Bridal Showers, the Bachelorette Parties...the Boudoir Photos.

Wait, what? Boudoir Photots? Yes!Boudoir Photos!

I had my session this past weekend, and although I was a nervous mess, (think clammy hands and awkward face poses) towards the end, I became much more comfortable, and the pictures turned out incredible!! In many, I couldn't even believe it was me.

I will be giving these photos to my husband-to-be as a wedding gift. They will all be in a photobook, with my favorite image framed. I can't wait to give them to him and to see his reaction. I'm sure it will be priceless.

Here are a few sample images. (He never reads this, so I have no fear that this will ruin the surprise.)

You can see a few more here.

[all images by the talented Elaine Palladino]

10 things that make me terribly happy

2009-08-13T08:43:00.001-07:00

One of my daily blog stops is over at Rockstar Diaries. The blog consists of the stories of Taza + Husband-which really are some of the sweetest you'll read. Anyway, she asked her readers to email her about 10 things that make you terribly happy. I love reading what all these people have to say so I'd figure I'd write my own.

Here's my list.
1. A fresh coat of paint on the walls
2. A conversation on the phone that you don’t want to end.
3. Kisses that give you Goosebumps.
4. The way a baby smells.
5. Thanksgiving & Christmas.
6. All green lights on the way to anywhere.
7. Sleeping in.
8. Fresh flowers at home.
9. Thinking of people, the culture, the sounds and even the food of Spain.
10. Vividly remembering my dreams.

Tell me, what are some of the things that would be on your list?

[image via le love]

I'm terrible, really I am. BUT I've been inspired!

2009-08-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

So I knew that keeping with this blog would be difficult. I always manage to get caught up in other things and forget that I wanted to do something for myself. But in the last couple of days, a great friend of mine started up her own blog - (go take a look here - I dare you not to be inspired!) and with her constant updating, I thought to myself, why did I stop? SO, let's try again.

Since I my last post, a lot of things have happened....

We are now only 112 days away from our wedding day!! Time flies, and I really am so excited that I could now say that my wedding is just a few months away. I have a few wedding-related events coming up (Bridal Shower, Lingerie Shower -oohlala, & of course the Bachelorette Party!) I'll be sure to post all about those, as I am sure they will all be fabulous! :)

Sam's sister got married! And she had an absolutely incredible wedding.

I turned the big 25 already ;)
We bought our first home and have been constantly trying to make it our own.
My brother and his fiance moved in together.
One of my dearest friends (and Bridesmaids) also got engaged! Congrats Sher! :)

That's all I could think of now, I really should be working ;P

I have an exciting day tomorrow...I'll keep you posted! :)

xoxo

Elle

and with 25 things, I'm back :)

2009-02-27T06:43:00.000-08:00

Well someone should have told me that this whole planning a wedding, going to school, working and trying to make a house a home business was going to take up so much of my life!

What?
People did tell me?
Well then, I should have listened!

Without anymore excuses - I really wanted to start writing again. Most of the time I have a lot to say, and I want to be able to read back on my thoughts to see how much things have changed, and to be comforted by those things that haven't. So I'm welcoming myself back to the blogger world ;) I'll try my best to keep it up to date and with that said - 25 things about me!

1. I have a thing with Post-Its. I use at least 15 a day.
2. I love days where I do absolutely nothing.
3. I wish I had more "me" time.
4. I have thing with countdowns, all sorts.
5. I believe in bathroom courtesy. Yes, I think that if you finish a roll of toilet paper you should put a new one on. I also believe you should do your VERY best to keep it inside the bowl! If you were unable to, please clean up after yourself. Geez.
6. I am extremely opinionated. I’m learning as I get older, sometimes it’s best to keep my thoughts to myself.
7. I only want the very best for my friends or family.
8. I love taking pictures. I take entirely too many pictures when I go on vacation. My friends can attest to this.
9. I love trying to cook.
10. I don’t care for surprises. Actually I don’t really like them at all, but when they happen I do.
11. I wish my best friend lived in Miami.
12. If I could, I would pick up my entire life in Miami and move back home. (San Fran)
13. I am so excited about the next coming years. I will be a wife, a sister in law, a daughter in law and I will gain a sister and a brother in law. Things are going to be changing all around me.
14. I still want to start up a non-profit organization – but it’s not the right time, my Tools for School with happen though, I promise!
15. I think about Spain almost every day since I returned – almost 9 months ago.
16. I am not an animal person. I mean, I like to look at them, but when it comes to carrying them or purchasing one – yeah, not for me.
17. I am a blog stalker – there are soo many great ones out there. I have a list of the ones I visit regularly. Some have taught me cooking techniques; others shooting techniques while some just provide good laughs.
18. I love Oprah. It’s the only reason I am subscribed to satellite radio – Oprah and Friends Radio Show. I listen to it every single day.
19. I wake up to the Today Show. My fiancé does not. This may be an issue soon… ;)
20. I love El Salvadorian/Nicaraguan food. I never knew how much I did.
21. I would love to travel the world.
22. I have 2 half brothers and a half sister I have never met.
23. I am a control freak and I didn’t realize it until very recently.
24. I love reading. I wish I could spend a week somewhere with great books and just escape from the regular everyday
25. I love my life and feel I am blessed to be able to live it :)

So there you have it ladies and gents, nice to be back again.

xoxo,
L

Tuesday Goodness

2008-10-07T12:23:00.001-07:00

So here are a some things that have been on my mind lately...

Our Honeymoon.

We had originally thought of doing the Greece/Italy stint, but since we are getting married at the end of the November, anywhere we traveled in Europe would be in the midst of winter. So we've decided to look into South America - where our winter is their summer & let me tell you - I'm getting excited. Very. Very. Excited. Now I know its still 417 days away - but I love looking forward to trips, and well - this is a pretty special trip - so let me be excited. We’re thinking Chile, Argentina & Uruguay. Here are some pictures of Argentina:

Flowers.

I’m not a flower girl. I’ve never been into flowers; I don’t know which ones bloom in the summer and which ones bloom in the winter. I don’t know them by name, or by color. So you can imagine my horror when I learned I would have to choose all the wedding floral arrangements for the wedding. What?! Me?

Luckily, my kick-butt wedding planner seems to know all things flower - so I'm a bit more at ease.
This a picture I found of a real wedding and love these simple arrangements.

Here are some of the highlights from the past two weeks:

Sammie's Baptism - she is so sweet in this picture.

Lukie in all his glory - so carefree - I love this shot.

My best turned 25 - in Miami!

More later...

Happy Tuesday.

She said yes :)

2008-10-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

With that one word - families come together and lives start changing.

She said yes!!

So welcome Martha, to our family! I couldn't have chosen a better person to call my sister. I'm so happy to have been able to witness last night - it was something else:)

Happy Thursday!

Countdowns

2008-10-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have this thing with countdowns. No, really it’s bad. I have countdown for everything!
Birthdays, vacations, tests, everything. If anyone has an iGoogle webpage as their desktop, you have the option of adding on a countdown or two, so I'm taking full advantage with seven!

Here they are as of Oct. 1, 2008:

23 days until Sammie & me are in NYC!
27 days until we close on our first home! (Sooo excited!)
55 days until Thanksgiving
85 days until Christmas (Holy crap!)
91 days until 2009!
208 days until the BIG 2-5.
423 days until we say I do!!!!!!

Okay, that’s it :)

Wednesday Goodness

2008-10-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

I love getting things in the mail!! Yesterday I received this adorable onesie that I ordered from The Sweet Line. Isn't it just the cutest?! A good friend just had a baby girl and she is going to look so cute in it!

I will be getting two of these for my flower girls as well. Oh they are going to look so yummy in them :) Oh and they're organic!! Heck yeah!

My big brother is turning 27 today - Happy Birthday Eric!! BBBBUUUUTTT a tad more important - he is also proposing to his girlfriend today!! Good thing she doesn't follow this blog - or else I would have totally spoiled the surprise. ;)

Anyway, here's the game plan: we're all going out to celebrate his birthday with a big dinner (by we're all I'm talking about my family & her family included) and he's going to make a toast to their new house (they just became proud homeowners) and then thank everyone for coming out for his birthday and then BAM he'll turn around and ask her!! Oh I can't wait!! :)

Yay! Hopefully by the end of tonight - I'll have a new sister in law. :)

Show the World What's Possible

2008-09-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

I am obsessed with XM Satellite Radio. I admit it. BUT it's not for the swanky music, or the commercial-free goodness, I am obsessed because of Oprah and all her friends. If you're an XM junkie you gotta check them out on channel 156 - and WAIT! Sirius and XM joined forces - so now Oprah & Friends are on channel 195 for them. Oh life is good.

Anyway, many months ago I was listening to The Gayle King Show (which I love, love love) and she had Daryn Kagan(former CNN reporter) on her show and she talked about her new website. She has created a "Good News" website. With the amount of bad news out there, it's comforting to go somewhere and read about the good things that are easily overlooked.

If you're ever in need of a pick me up, this is a great place start...

Happy Reading.
(for my best)

TGIF

2008-09-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

After a long week, I am so very happy that Friday is here! My best friend is coming down from New York to celebrate her 25th birthday - Miami Style. 25 years! We have a weekend filled with relaxation and laughter. Good times ahead.

On another note, a professor of mine handed out a poem that I've always loved by Mother Teresa: Here it is below.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

If you were able to catch the Grey's season premiere and were left wanting to know more - you can always read a little more about the episode here.

Have a very Happy Friday!!

Recap.

2008-09-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, I don't think I will ever post more than 3 times in one day - shoot I'll be lucky to get one in daily - but since I'm starting out fresh I feel I should update you (the reader)a bit.

I'm an ESE Major - and I work for a privately- owed retirement facility - which I usually enjoy very much. I've got THE BEST entourage.

I'm marrying the THE MOST amazing man. Really, I know all people say this - but ladies, if I could - I would clone him and put one in every state. :) I would keep the original here with me though ;) Our wedding date is set for Thanksgiving Weekend 2009. Where I hope to look like this :)

He proposed to me in Spain while I was on "a girls only" vacation. Totally Surprised me - and my friends! :) You can read more about it here: Samandlissette.us We just put an offer on our first home - and we hope to close sometimes next month!

Well that's pretty much the the gist of what's going on in my life.

That's it! I'm done for the day.

Happy Thursday!

In just a few hours....

2008-09-25T08:44:00.001-07:00

It's Back!!! After months of waiting, we'll finally find out if Meredith stayed, if Derek broke up with Rose, how did he do it??! Lexie & George?! Karev & Izzie... Oh the drama!

Can't Wait!! 2 Hour Season Premiere Tonight!!

xoxo

New on the "blogging" scene

2008-09-25T07:13:00.001-07:00

I've always been horrible at keeping up with a personal journal/diary thing (do people still call it a diary?). Anyway,I'll start one and always find it seemingly impossible to finish it through. But this year something major happened to me and I want to document everything! - Ms. Lissette Hunter got engaged!! And with all fun things that come will come my way during the whole getting married thing - I will also be letting go of my name. The only name I've known all 24 years of my life. The name that is called during attendance in class, the name that is on my diplomas, and most importantly the name that is familiar to all friends and and family. So, am I excited about becoming the future Mrs. Montenegero? Abso-freakin'- lutely (the delvish way Big says it to Carrie in the 1st episode but of course he uses the f word ;)) but it will definitely take some gettin' used to!

Soo this is why I'm entering this blogger world, and hopefully - I will be able to look back at my last days as a Hunter and smile :)

Cheers!