Great start to 2009

Well it is officially 2009 and we have 7 months until the wedding. Things have actually started out very well this year. My parents finally gave me a wedding budget of $2,000. I had originally talked with them about doing the entire wedding for $5,000 but they had different thoughts, so now I have to figure out how to do everything I want for a lot less. They did also pay for the venue, so I am very grateful for that. So far I think I may be able to do the things I want and only have to spend around $500 out of my own pocket which would be GREAT.
I had wanted to use a specific photographer but I would have lost half my budget by going with him, so I decided to do some looking around for someone just as good, but for less. I had excellent luck! I posted an add on Craigslist.org and had so many responses I could barely keep up. I was think we have found the perfect one, well actually two. The gal is younger, but she teams up with a friend who owns her own photography business and we get two for the price of one. Both of their work is amazing! Not to mention I told her of our small budget and she not only agreed to do exactly what we wanted for $700, but then came back and said she would take another $100 off of that and not charge for mileage little or the editing time! I have not booked her yet but only because I just got the email and its after 1am lol.
I also went and talked with Andy's aunt Kathy who owns a flower shop. I was not planning on using real flowers but I really wanted to after I saw how dull the fake flowers looked in photos. I was hoping for a little "family" discount but she blew me away when she said she would order whatever I wanted at cost, and if I wanted her to help me do them she would just close her shop down one evening and we could get in there and get it done. She said we will most definitely be able to get all the flowers I want for $200 or under. I was so shocked she gave me that great of a deal, but I was really happy!!
Things are just coming right a long which makes me feel a lot better, and take a bunch of stress off. Anyways....
Tomorrow we are having Riley's 3rd birthday party here. It is early but we are going home and everyone here wanted to do something for her birthday. It should be fun, I am excited. I just hope the weather is decent. It was ok and then it snowed about 4 inches last night so the roads were pretty bad. I have to drive to town to pick up her cake in the morning so I hope its nice so I can get there and back quickly and safely.
Ok well I am going to sign off for tonight. I am still a bit ill from my activities last night so I need some sleep.