I had my first wedding nightmare this morning. And as mundane as it may sound to be, it wasn’t. It was truly terrifying.
Which says what about me? I dunno. How about if I describe the dream for y’all and we’ll see what you think…
I can’t remember much of it, of course. But I do remember that I was getting ready for the ceremony. It was about noon (ceremony is at 1:30), and I suddenly realized that I didn’t have my hair or makeup done, and I got very confused about how that had happened. I started to freak out a bit (i.e. whine and bitch and moan), and my bridesmaids wanted me to stop it, I’m sure, so they all told me that it would be fine, and one or two of them offered to help with my hair while another one helped with makeup. (Don’t ask me why I couldn’t just do it myself in a situation like that…apparently in my dream, I was the retarded bride from hell.)
So the one friend, my best friend from forever ago named Mandi, asks me what I was planning on doing with my hair. I told her about what I had thought we could do, and showed her sort of what I meant, and then she went to work. Her little sister Liz was there to help, too, for some reason. I think that had to do with the fact that she did Mandi’s hair for her wedding a couple of years back, but I can’t be sure.
All of a sudden, everyone was done, and someone handed me a mirror. I was still feeling beyond anxious without having seen a reflection of myself, but afterward, I REALLY freaked out! My makeup was HORRIBLE. I looked like I’d been aged about 20 years, like they can do in movies sometimes, except my skin seriously looked wrinkled and dried out and nasty. My eyes stood out the most makeup-wise though. Whoever had done the makeup had decided that purple metallic eye shadow was most appropriate for the day, and it caked my eyelids to the point that it wouldn’t rub off at all. (Of course, she had wanted my makeup to be tear-proof! AUGH!) My cheeks had a freaky amount of rouge on them, and my lips were…well, that was the one thing she did right, whoever she was. My lips didn’t stand out at all, now that I think about it. So she had stuck to the golden rule of makeup and had only emphasized my eyes, and not both my eyes AND my lips. Good for her.
But my hair - holy crap! My friend hadn’t done ANYTHING that I’d suggested, and instead had straightened out the curliness of it, and then put a bunch of product in it that made it greasy and dirty looking. And it was blond, for some reason. It looked gross.
It was about then that my alarm went off, and I woke up feeling truly horrified. Jesse came in the room a few minutes later, which surprised me because I didn’t know he wasn’t in bed with me all that time. I asked him if he was ok, and he said he hadn’t been able to sleep, but he was fine. I asked him if I had been making any noise that woke him up…I was worried that I was screaming in my sleep! He said no. So that’s nice…at least I’m able to keep my insane dreams inside my head while I’m having them.
How crappy of a human being am I that I consider a dream about my hair and makeup not being done and then being done improperly to be a frightening nightmare? I told my physical trainer about it this morning when we were working out…I said, “I had my first wedding nightmare this morning.” He said, “Oh yeah? What was it about?” I replied, “Hair and makeup…it was TERRIBLE!” He couldn’t stop laughing for about a minute and a half.
Anyway, I hear that this is how it happens. Brides have nightmares about the actual day of the wedding, and grooms tend to have nightmares about the bride leaving them sometime before the wedding happens.
I don’t want any more dreams like this though. No thank you.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Good news...
I know now what is going on with the dress and the dress shop, and am much happier over all because of it, which is sort of sad, but that's ok. I'm surprised at what stresses me out these days, is the thing. Anyway...
The store is currently being run out of a conference room of some sort at the Marriott on the Plaza, and it sounds like they're looking for a permanent place to reside while they're there. When the dress comes in (hopefully in the first week of May, since it's being shipped from the designer on April 24th), they'll call me to set up a fitting, and all that good stuff. Maybe by then, they will have found their new shop location. I hope it's as cool as the last one was!
So, all is well on the dress front again. I'm sincerely hoping that we don't have any other drama like this (or any other sort, really) throughout the rest of the planning. I suppose I'll just have to keep taking it one day at a time...
The store is currently being run out of a conference room of some sort at the Marriott on the Plaza, and it sounds like they're looking for a permanent place to reside while they're there. When the dress comes in (hopefully in the first week of May, since it's being shipped from the designer on April 24th), they'll call me to set up a fitting, and all that good stuff. Maybe by then, they will have found their new shop location. I hope it's as cool as the last one was!
So, all is well on the dress front again. I'm sincerely hoping that we don't have any other drama like this (or any other sort, really) throughout the rest of the planning. I suppose I'll just have to keep taking it one day at a time...
Monday, February 19, 2007
Just a boring ol' update...
Still unsure about what’s going to be happening with the dress, I’m attempting to shift my focus elsewhere until later this week when it might be a good time to try to contact the Gown Gallery again to see what’s going on.
So many other details require my attention right now that it’s easy to change gears, I think. Tonight, we have a meeting with our priest to go over the compatibility test that we did together (sort of…) around 2 weeks ago. We’re both interested in seeing the results, and know for sure that even if the test says we’re not compatible, we’re still sure we are. (We’re kidding around when we discuss that, though. We don’t think the test showed any great differences between us that we need to attend to before we should even consider getting married. I think that the questions about children and money are going to be the ones that will call for the most discussion. But, to be fair, the questions about children don’t really allow for the idea that some of the couples that are taking the “test” might have decided against having children, or are considering the possibility of adopting in the future. So that made it harder to answer those questions, really. The money questions? Well, money is a hard thing to deal with. Some deal with it better than others, some never learn how to deal with it at all, etc, etc…Jesse and I have discussions about money when required, which isn’t often. We’re pretty confident in our ability to communicate well throughout our marriage about money and whatever issues regarding it may arise. So that’s that.) This should be the last thing we have to do in terms of prepping for the ceremony, besides the Engaged Encounter weekend thingy we’ll need to attend a few months before the wedding itself. There are other things I’m doing to prepare for it, of course, but they involve musicians, and not so much anything having to do with preparation as a couple.
I’ve contacted a musician about singing at our wedding, actually, and was looking forward to heading down to her parish where she’s the music director on Friday night, as she was going to be singing for a wedding there. Unfortunately, we had a freak snow storm thing move through the area at rush hour that evening, so I had to cancel those plans. Not such a huge deal, as I will have a chance to hear her again on March 3rd at the church where Jesse and I are getting married. However, this past wedding would have given me the opportunity to hear her along with a string quartet, as that was the accompaniment at this particular wedding, and which I’m interested in having for our wedding. After the wedding on the 3rd, there won’t be any until Lent is over, so I’ll have to wait until mid-April to have the chance to see her sing with a quartet. Not a big deal, I guess. Just a little disappointing that I couldn’t get it taken care of like I’d planned.
This weekend, we’ll be having our first meeting with a baker about the possibility of her handling our cakes. I hope to set up meetings with at least two more bakers, but the other one I was particularly interested in meeting with is unavailable for our wedding date. Thankfully, plenty of bakers have info on The Knot for me to review, so I can look at pictures of their work online, and all that good stuff. It’s really helping me in figuring out what style of cake we might want to do. It’s a detail that seems silly to pay too much attention to, though. Maybe after visiting the baker, I’ll feel differently about it. (I don’t get it, is the thing. Why pay thousands of dollars for an ornately designed cake, when all you’re gonna do is chop it up and eat it? I mean, make it look pretty, yeah. But don’t go overboard. It’s the inside that counts to me, dammit…)
It appears that this is just a boring ol’ update for today. No funny stories to tell…no interesting facts to share. Just plain info about what’s being done. But I suppose that’s what some visit this blog for, anyway. So yeah…there’s that. (I’m kinda grateful I don’t have more scary/interesting stories to tell, to be quite honest! That means that things are going smoothly, and not much is happening to cause us any true worry. Even the dress thing will work itself out, I’m sure. I’ve got a few months before I really need to worry about it, anyway!)
Hope everyone has a great Monday!
So many other details require my attention right now that it’s easy to change gears, I think. Tonight, we have a meeting with our priest to go over the compatibility test that we did together (sort of…) around 2 weeks ago. We’re both interested in seeing the results, and know for sure that even if the test says we’re not compatible, we’re still sure we are. (We’re kidding around when we discuss that, though. We don’t think the test showed any great differences between us that we need to attend to before we should even consider getting married. I think that the questions about children and money are going to be the ones that will call for the most discussion. But, to be fair, the questions about children don’t really allow for the idea that some of the couples that are taking the “test” might have decided against having children, or are considering the possibility of adopting in the future. So that made it harder to answer those questions, really. The money questions? Well, money is a hard thing to deal with. Some deal with it better than others, some never learn how to deal with it at all, etc, etc…Jesse and I have discussions about money when required, which isn’t often. We’re pretty confident in our ability to communicate well throughout our marriage about money and whatever issues regarding it may arise. So that’s that.) This should be the last thing we have to do in terms of prepping for the ceremony, besides the Engaged Encounter weekend thingy we’ll need to attend a few months before the wedding itself. There are other things I’m doing to prepare for it, of course, but they involve musicians, and not so much anything having to do with preparation as a couple.
I’ve contacted a musician about singing at our wedding, actually, and was looking forward to heading down to her parish where she’s the music director on Friday night, as she was going to be singing for a wedding there. Unfortunately, we had a freak snow storm thing move through the area at rush hour that evening, so I had to cancel those plans. Not such a huge deal, as I will have a chance to hear her again on March 3rd at the church where Jesse and I are getting married. However, this past wedding would have given me the opportunity to hear her along with a string quartet, as that was the accompaniment at this particular wedding, and which I’m interested in having for our wedding. After the wedding on the 3rd, there won’t be any until Lent is over, so I’ll have to wait until mid-April to have the chance to see her sing with a quartet. Not a big deal, I guess. Just a little disappointing that I couldn’t get it taken care of like I’d planned.
This weekend, we’ll be having our first meeting with a baker about the possibility of her handling our cakes. I hope to set up meetings with at least two more bakers, but the other one I was particularly interested in meeting with is unavailable for our wedding date. Thankfully, plenty of bakers have info on The Knot for me to review, so I can look at pictures of their work online, and all that good stuff. It’s really helping me in figuring out what style of cake we might want to do. It’s a detail that seems silly to pay too much attention to, though. Maybe after visiting the baker, I’ll feel differently about it. (I don’t get it, is the thing. Why pay thousands of dollars for an ornately designed cake, when all you’re gonna do is chop it up and eat it? I mean, make it look pretty, yeah. But don’t go overboard. It’s the inside that counts to me, dammit…)
It appears that this is just a boring ol’ update for today. No funny stories to tell…no interesting facts to share. Just plain info about what’s being done. But I suppose that’s what some visit this blog for, anyway. So yeah…there’s that. (I’m kinda grateful I don’t have more scary/interesting stories to tell, to be quite honest! That means that things are going smoothly, and not much is happening to cause us any true worry. Even the dress thing will work itself out, I’m sure. I’ve got a few months before I really need to worry about it, anyway!)
Hope everyone has a great Monday!
Friday, February 16, 2007
The first battle has begun...
The store where I ordered* my dress and veil from burned to the ground this morning.
After a lunch of homemade chili and a small caesar salad, I'm feeling a bit better than I did when I first heard the news. I need to get to work now, and forget about it for a while. I won't be able to find out details of what to do next until a little while has passed, and the store has gotten its bearings. I'm going to try calling them next week. (They have a prom dress store across the street from the bridal salon location. I'm hoping their computer systems were connected to each other, and that all records of bridal orders weren't lost in the fire...)
My prayers are with the firefighters that got hurt while trying to battle the blaze. And also with the girls who have weddings in the immediate future, and who's dresses were being stored at the shop, possibly still being altered, and/or having just arrived without even being tried on for the first time at all. Jesse's general manager at the Moose has a sister who falls into my prayers...her dress had already arrived, and was waiting for her to use it in her June wedding. Now it's gone, and the poor girl is going to have to try to find a new dress very quickly. Thankfully, she's a petite girl, so hopefully that will aid her in her abbreviated search for a new perfect gown.
UPDATE: Just read this story in the KC Star. All is not as lost as I thought. But some is...apparently, they lost all records in the fire, as they had recently consolidated their two stores into one, and they no longer have the second location across the street I was hoping they would be able to rely on for back-up record keeping. They're currently trying to remember all bride names that they were dealing with. Holy crap. Holy, holy, holy...go and read the story for more info.
*My dress wasn't there...it's not due to arrive until late April, thank goodness. But I do wonder what will happen to all the records of our transactions, as well as the design notes for the veil and tiara I ordered last week. I'm sincerely hoping that the designer took the design info home with him, since he doesn't actually work on his designs there in the store, but rather just uses it as a place to meet with brides and to partner with the company in order to sell his designs.
When my dress is due to come in, I don't know what we'll do. They were supposed to store it for me (part of the purchase price of the dress is a $75 "storage fee"), and they would alter it if it needed any altering, and all that good stuff.
Lots of questions and no place to get answers from. Very frustrating. And very, very sad...
After a lunch of homemade chili and a small caesar salad, I'm feeling a bit better than I did when I first heard the news. I need to get to work now, and forget about it for a while. I won't be able to find out details of what to do next until a little while has passed, and the store has gotten its bearings. I'm going to try calling them next week. (They have a prom dress store across the street from the bridal salon location. I'm hoping their computer systems were connected to each other, and that all records of bridal orders weren't lost in the fire...)
My prayers are with the firefighters that got hurt while trying to battle the blaze. And also with the girls who have weddings in the immediate future, and who's dresses were being stored at the shop, possibly still being altered, and/or having just arrived without even being tried on for the first time at all. Jesse's general manager at the Moose has a sister who falls into my prayers...her dress had already arrived, and was waiting for her to use it in her June wedding. Now it's gone, and the poor girl is going to have to try to find a new dress very quickly. Thankfully, she's a petite girl, so hopefully that will aid her in her abbreviated search for a new perfect gown.
UPDATE: Just read this story in the KC Star. All is not as lost as I thought. But some is...apparently, they lost all records in the fire, as they had recently consolidated their two stores into one, and they no longer have the second location across the street I was hoping they would be able to rely on for back-up record keeping. They're currently trying to remember all bride names that they were dealing with. Holy crap. Holy, holy, holy...go and read the story for more info.
*My dress wasn't there...it's not due to arrive until late April, thank goodness. But I do wonder what will happen to all the records of our transactions, as well as the design notes for the veil and tiara I ordered last week. I'm sincerely hoping that the designer took the design info home with him, since he doesn't actually work on his designs there in the store, but rather just uses it as a place to meet with brides and to partner with the company in order to sell his designs.
When my dress is due to come in, I don't know what we'll do. They were supposed to store it for me (part of the purchase price of the dress is a $75 "storage fee"), and they would alter it if it needed any altering, and all that good stuff.
Lots of questions and no place to get answers from. Very frustrating. And very, very sad...
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
When does 9 months not feel like 9 months?
Wow. Things are really starting to wind up over here. I feel like 9 months is a good amount of time to plan for something like our wedding, but at the same time, I feel like I'm forgetting things. Even though I'm not. So what gives?
I feel bad for people who had to plan their weddings without the help of a handy-dandy online tool like The Knot.com. If it weren't for their checklist of things to do that I can constantly refer to, I might not remember to call and find a musician for the ceremony, or to get the registering done within the next couple of months. The only thing it isn't helping on is the planning of my shower here in Kansas, which is going less than smoothly, but that's because I seem to have "planner's block" for some reason. I can't think of a place to have it. I wanted to have it at a hotel downtown, but after checking out their prices, and seeing how many people I'll likely have at the shower, it simply isn't worth it. I'm sure it'd be lovely if we had it there, but not for that kind of money! I'm going to be checking with a few other hotels today, and hopefully I'll find an option that works for me soon.
For those of you who are wondering, yes, I am throwing my own shower here in Kansas. My sister and best friend are throwing the one in California, but with the fact of needing two showers to be thrown due to the living situation I'm in, I have to plan the one for myself here. I'm not going to ask my other bridesmaids to take care of it, as they have college to pay for and a baby on the way, respectively, and none of us really have a great big space that can pretty well accomodate 20 - 25 people, unfortunately. I don't know anyone here that has a large living room that we can "borrow." And I'd throw it at our house, really I would. But as it's in June, and weather can be spotty that time of year, I'd be in trouble if the back deck wasn't available for people to escape to when the crowd inside got too close! Plus, the idea of having it at a hotel, where set-up and clean-up are done for me, just seems so awesome. So cross your fingers for me that I find (and can even think of!) a place to have it at pretty soon here. I gotta get cracking on this thing, really.
Ok, work has beckoned, so I must run now. More later this week, I'm sure!
I feel bad for people who had to plan their weddings without the help of a handy-dandy online tool like The Knot.com. If it weren't for their checklist of things to do that I can constantly refer to, I might not remember to call and find a musician for the ceremony, or to get the registering done within the next couple of months. The only thing it isn't helping on is the planning of my shower here in Kansas, which is going less than smoothly, but that's because I seem to have "planner's block" for some reason. I can't think of a place to have it. I wanted to have it at a hotel downtown, but after checking out their prices, and seeing how many people I'll likely have at the shower, it simply isn't worth it. I'm sure it'd be lovely if we had it there, but not for that kind of money! I'm going to be checking with a few other hotels today, and hopefully I'll find an option that works for me soon.
For those of you who are wondering, yes, I am throwing my own shower here in Kansas. My sister and best friend are throwing the one in California, but with the fact of needing two showers to be thrown due to the living situation I'm in, I have to plan the one for myself here. I'm not going to ask my other bridesmaids to take care of it, as they have college to pay for and a baby on the way, respectively, and none of us really have a great big space that can pretty well accomodate 20 - 25 people, unfortunately. I don't know anyone here that has a large living room that we can "borrow." And I'd throw it at our house, really I would. But as it's in June, and weather can be spotty that time of year, I'd be in trouble if the back deck wasn't available for people to escape to when the crowd inside got too close! Plus, the idea of having it at a hotel, where set-up and clean-up are done for me, just seems so awesome. So cross your fingers for me that I find (and can even think of!) a place to have it at pretty soon here. I gotta get cracking on this thing, really.
Ok, work has beckoned, so I must run now. More later this week, I'm sure!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Weddings, weddings everywhere!
I've got two coworkers who are going through the wedding excitement along with me here at work, although one of them will be over it by Monday next week since her son's wedding is this weekend. The other one has a daughter getting married in April, and she's been fun to talk to about plans and dresses and how many are invited, etc, etc...as well. Since they're both in the position of being mothers involved in the wedding, it's been great to have their perspective on everything for these past few weeks. The one who's son is getting married this weekend has been very involved in the planning of the wedding, it seems, helping with everything from arranging for music at the reception to finding a cake at almost the last minute. (Apparently, her son and daughter-in-law-to-be had originally been planning a May wedding, but they pushed it up for some reason...she doesn't know why.) She only just found the outfit she'll be wearing to the wedding last week, and I'm glad because she'd been a little stressed over it. (She would prefer to wear pants, but she didn't think it would be appropriate, and neither did her husband, so she had to find a skirt, but she didn't want a long skirt, even though it's what she wound up getting anyway...I don't understand what all the hoopla was about. If she wanted to wear pants, she should have worn pants. I can't see why anyone would have cared, as long as she doesn't wear jeans, or something!) I didn't really understand why she was doing so much regarding the planning, but then she told me that her son is my age, and his fiance is only 25, and that sort of made it all come together for me. Perhaps his fiance doesn't have family near by...I dunno. I really can't figure out why it was left to my coworker to help find the cake. I'm sure she offered, but I just didn't understand how that worked out, is all.
Anyway, most days can go by without any one of us having a chance to talk about wedding stuff. But then around twice a week, we're at it like hens in a hen house, chit chatting about everything that's going on. Just now, I had a conversation with the mother of the bride coworker about how her daughter just got the engagement pictures back from the photographer, and she thinks they suck and she'd like new ones taken, but she doesn't want to be mean about it. This coworker and I agree that there's nothing mean about asking for quality work to be done. Apparently, several of the pictures that she got back were distance shots of her and her fiance sitting on a bench in a park (taken on a very cold day in January, mind you!), and the shot was taken from so far away that they aren't even identifyable in the photo! I don't understand how a photographer can be so stupid about something like that. I mean, there's art, and then there's the fact that you're helping to capture memories for a couple and their family, dammit. A little perspective should be in order there.
But it just helps solidify the need I have to collect photos of things that I do like, and things I don't like. Even our photographer told me to get some together, so she can review them before we do anything. It's so very important to illustrate these things, since it can be awfully hard to communicate it through words sometimes, I think. Kind of like my hair do that I think I'd like to do for the wedding day...I probably wouldn't be able to describe it very well to the hairdresser, so I'll be printing off photos (one of the hair I'd like to do, and another of an up do that can be done with the original style already in place...I'm still not sure if I want to wear it up or down!) to take with me, so I can show him what it is that I'm thinking would be fun to do. The last time I tried to describe how I wanted an up do done, I wound up paying $100 for something that made me look like an alien ghost from the year 3045. It was really scary. And it was HUUUUGE! So, yeah...not doing that again!
Anyway, it seems like weddings are all around me lately. The girls at the gym that are all getting married, the coworkers here at work that have kids getting married, my trainer at the gym that's getting married a week before I do, the friend at the Moose that felt lucky to be able to attend both our wedding as well as one for one of her oldest friends who is also getting married in October...lots and lots of weddings. And I'm making things more fun by having not one, not two, but three parties in celebration of me being a bride as well as Jesse and I finally becoming husband and wife! It'll all be fun, though. Parties are parties...I've thrown many before in honor of work occassions, and had a good time putting them together, so putting together a shower for myself should be a relative snap, especially since I've decided upon doing it at a hotel somewhere here in town now. Hotels are so easy like that...plus, they set up, and clean up, and provide yummy food (usually). It's a win/win! Now I just need to decide which hotel to set it up at...
Ok, I'm just rambling now. I need to get some more training done here at work before I go to lunch. Hope everyone is having a faboolous week!
Anyway, most days can go by without any one of us having a chance to talk about wedding stuff. But then around twice a week, we're at it like hens in a hen house, chit chatting about everything that's going on. Just now, I had a conversation with the mother of the bride coworker about how her daughter just got the engagement pictures back from the photographer, and she thinks they suck and she'd like new ones taken, but she doesn't want to be mean about it. This coworker and I agree that there's nothing mean about asking for quality work to be done. Apparently, several of the pictures that she got back were distance shots of her and her fiance sitting on a bench in a park (taken on a very cold day in January, mind you!), and the shot was taken from so far away that they aren't even identifyable in the photo! I don't understand how a photographer can be so stupid about something like that. I mean, there's art, and then there's the fact that you're helping to capture memories for a couple and their family, dammit. A little perspective should be in order there.
But it just helps solidify the need I have to collect photos of things that I do like, and things I don't like. Even our photographer told me to get some together, so she can review them before we do anything. It's so very important to illustrate these things, since it can be awfully hard to communicate it through words sometimes, I think. Kind of like my hair do that I think I'd like to do for the wedding day...I probably wouldn't be able to describe it very well to the hairdresser, so I'll be printing off photos (one of the hair I'd like to do, and another of an up do that can be done with the original style already in place...I'm still not sure if I want to wear it up or down!) to take with me, so I can show him what it is that I'm thinking would be fun to do. The last time I tried to describe how I wanted an up do done, I wound up paying $100 for something that made me look like an alien ghost from the year 3045. It was really scary. And it was HUUUUGE! So, yeah...not doing that again!
Anyway, it seems like weddings are all around me lately. The girls at the gym that are all getting married, the coworkers here at work that have kids getting married, my trainer at the gym that's getting married a week before I do, the friend at the Moose that felt lucky to be able to attend both our wedding as well as one for one of her oldest friends who is also getting married in October...lots and lots of weddings. And I'm making things more fun by having not one, not two, but three parties in celebration of me being a bride as well as Jesse and I finally becoming husband and wife! It'll all be fun, though. Parties are parties...I've thrown many before in honor of work occassions, and had a good time putting them together, so putting together a shower for myself should be a relative snap, especially since I've decided upon doing it at a hotel somewhere here in town now. Hotels are so easy like that...plus, they set up, and clean up, and provide yummy food (usually). It's a win/win! Now I just need to decide which hotel to set it up at...
Ok, I'm just rambling now. I need to get some more training done here at work before I go to lunch. Hope everyone is having a faboolous week!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Don't get used to this...
I have time to post, and I also have stuff to post about, so I just figured it’d make sense to go ahead and do it. Next week will probably be a totally dead week compared to this one…
Last night, Jesse and I went and met for the 2nd time with the priest that will be performing our ceremony. We talked about football a bit, and how things are going for us right now, and then got down to business. We needed to complete a little “compatibility test” for Father, so he could review it and see how close we are to being on the same page regarding issues that have to do with money, child rearing, communication, past family issues and how they have effected us, etc, etc…It was kinda fun, since Father left us alone to complete the questions (of which there were about 150 that we were required to answer…), and we were able to discuss the ones that didn’t immediately make sense to one or both of us, and on some of the ones that stumped us for answers (which usually had to do with the child rearing issues…) we were able to quickly discuss our same-pageness. We didn’t “cheat” really…there were a couple where he or I said, “Well, I agree/disagree with this…don’t know about you.” But we tried to answer honestly from our own viewpoints, mostly so that we would know what we need to discuss before we actually get married. The questions about our sex life were the ones that made us giggle the most, of course, since we’re apparently both only 12. But ones such as the questions about whether our future spouse had moodiness that was difficult to deal with made me cringe. What can I say, though? I’m a girl, after all. We weren’t built without moodiness issues, so Jesse can take that up with evolution or God or whomever he wants to blame for that problem.
Regardless, it was a fun activity that I appreciated over all. On the way home, we discussed some of the things that we could remember from the test that we had marked the “uncertain” circle for. I don’t know that he opens up to me as much as I do to him, sometimes, and it worries me. He thinks that we solve problems we have with each other well, and while he still has concerns about my perceptions on how he handles money, he thinks it’s getting better all the time. It was a productive evening, to say the least, and I hope that we can always communicate like this. I have some things I want to improve on in myself, but it still works pretty well over all.
Jesse hasn’t seen the church we’re getting married at yet, and I need to figure out how we can find a time to visit it when it’s open so he can check it out and see how beautiful it really is. I don’t know that he cares much, but it’s important to me that he sees how amazing the architecture is, and how beautiful our ceremony is going to be. Hopefully, I’ll have a holiday coming up relatively soon (does Memorial Day come between now and the 4th of July, maybe?) where we can take some time in the middle of the day and go check it out. (Ooh…I just checked the calendar and saw that St. Patty’s Day is on a Saturday this year. That’s gonna be one messed up day, I think. Not that this is relevant at all to what I’m talking about, but it was just something I happened to notice…)
So that’s what’s going on this week. I think we’ve pretty well decided on the DJ we’re going to use, so I need to get on that. I’m going today to look at a bridesmaid dress that I like, so I can check out the material and see if it will work on all the girls that are in the party. I wish I could try it on, but they only have it in a size 10 or 12, and that doesn’t work with my body unfortunately! We’ll see, though. Hopefully, it’s available in the stores that my maid/matron of honors are checking out pretty soon, so they can try it on. I hope. I love it, so I really want it to work!
I can’t believe that February is already here…this is going to be a crazy year, me thinks.
Last night, Jesse and I went and met for the 2nd time with the priest that will be performing our ceremony. We talked about football a bit, and how things are going for us right now, and then got down to business. We needed to complete a little “compatibility test” for Father, so he could review it and see how close we are to being on the same page regarding issues that have to do with money, child rearing, communication, past family issues and how they have effected us, etc, etc…It was kinda fun, since Father left us alone to complete the questions (of which there were about 150 that we were required to answer…), and we were able to discuss the ones that didn’t immediately make sense to one or both of us, and on some of the ones that stumped us for answers (which usually had to do with the child rearing issues…) we were able to quickly discuss our same-pageness. We didn’t “cheat” really…there were a couple where he or I said, “Well, I agree/disagree with this…don’t know about you.” But we tried to answer honestly from our own viewpoints, mostly so that we would know what we need to discuss before we actually get married. The questions about our sex life were the ones that made us giggle the most, of course, since we’re apparently both only 12. But ones such as the questions about whether our future spouse had moodiness that was difficult to deal with made me cringe. What can I say, though? I’m a girl, after all. We weren’t built without moodiness issues, so Jesse can take that up with evolution or God or whomever he wants to blame for that problem.
Regardless, it was a fun activity that I appreciated over all. On the way home, we discussed some of the things that we could remember from the test that we had marked the “uncertain” circle for. I don’t know that he opens up to me as much as I do to him, sometimes, and it worries me. He thinks that we solve problems we have with each other well, and while he still has concerns about my perceptions on how he handles money, he thinks it’s getting better all the time. It was a productive evening, to say the least, and I hope that we can always communicate like this. I have some things I want to improve on in myself, but it still works pretty well over all.
Jesse hasn’t seen the church we’re getting married at yet, and I need to figure out how we can find a time to visit it when it’s open so he can check it out and see how beautiful it really is. I don’t know that he cares much, but it’s important to me that he sees how amazing the architecture is, and how beautiful our ceremony is going to be. Hopefully, I’ll have a holiday coming up relatively soon (does Memorial Day come between now and the 4th of July, maybe?) where we can take some time in the middle of the day and go check it out. (Ooh…I just checked the calendar and saw that St. Patty’s Day is on a Saturday this year. That’s gonna be one messed up day, I think. Not that this is relevant at all to what I’m talking about, but it was just something I happened to notice…)
So that’s what’s going on this week. I think we’ve pretty well decided on the DJ we’re going to use, so I need to get on that. I’m going today to look at a bridesmaid dress that I like, so I can check out the material and see if it will work on all the girls that are in the party. I wish I could try it on, but they only have it in a size 10 or 12, and that doesn’t work with my body unfortunately! We’ll see, though. Hopefully, it’s available in the stores that my maid/matron of honors are checking out pretty soon, so they can try it on. I hope. I love it, so I really want it to work!
I can’t believe that February is already here…this is going to be a crazy year, me thinks.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Walkin' arm in arm...
Jesse has really gotten into this whole interior decorating thing with a ferver I didn't realize he would have for the subject. We got our new couch yesterday, and with that new couch, more space arrived as well. (Our old couch was a bit huge for the living room, which was one of the reasons we decided to go ahead and move on...) I'm interested in getting some "grown-up" bookcases for the living room which will hopefully hold most all of the books and things that we store on 3 different old-school Target put-together-yourself shelves that we have in several rooms of the house right now. One of them is in the bedroom. One of them is in the guest room/office/Jesse's closet room. And the third one is in the living room. I hate them, and always told myself that once I could afford real wood shelves, I'd go ahead and get rid of them.
So we went searching for a few items the other night at Nebraska Furniture Mart, which was fun. It was Jesse's first trip out there, and I had a great time with him as we ogled all the different stove/oven items they have on display, and wandered about talking about what we want to have in our next house for us to use. Of course our favorite model was the $6,000 jobbie that had one small oven next to the main oven, as well as 4 regular burners, a small simmering burner, and a built-in flat-top grill that was covered by a lift-off panel that kept it protected from any and all matter of splattering that might come from the other side of the stove. I was fine with this oven, though. I think it's my favorite...since we can't really justify spending $6,000 on an oven/stove, dammit.
Unfortunately, we didn't find any shelves that have a contemporary enough look for the direction our living room is headed. I'd love to get a set from Crate & Barrel that are actually well-suited to match our new couch, but they only come in a very dark finish that I'm afraid wouldn't match the wood we already have in the space. SO. I was planning on heading to Crate & Barrel this week during a lunch hour, since it's right down the street from the campus here, and seeing if they have the shelves we're interested in at the store so I can judge them in person. It's become a main discussion for us though, this simple interior remodel that we've been working on since we painted the living room back in June (or was it July? I don't remember exactly...), and when I told him my plan last night, he said he wanted to go, too. So now our Friday night date will consist of dinner and a trip to Crate & Barrel to look at the shelves they have in the store.
We also changed out a light in the kitchen that hangs over the sink area. We looked at several options at Home Depot the other night, and settled on a little sort of track-light thingy that has worked out really well. I don't think people realize (a) how easy it is to switch out things like light fixtures or (b) how very affordable a change it can be. The light we grabbed was less than $35. And instead of an old, crappy, institutional-looking flourescent light, we now have an up-to-date brushed nickle fixture with 3 very lovely (and wonderfully bright!) spot lights on it that we can aim all over the kitchen from it's spot near the window on the east wall. Jesse installed it yesterday, which I thought was fair since I had to change out the fixture in the bathroom when I moved into the house as a single girl some 3 years ago. We have three more lights we'd like to change...the bare bulb in the garage, the current hallway sconce, and then we'll be adding one over the stove, since all I have there now is a desk lamp that sets somewhat precariously on a shadow box shelf. It serves it's purpose, but Jesse doesn't like it, so he'd like to install a better light that runs on a switch installed in the wall. We'll be calling in the electrician for that project, I think. We just need to find the light, and I can move forward accordingly.
Anyway, we're all over making improvements and updating and getting the house in proper order for our plans to sell it in the year following the wedding. Jesse asked me why we don't just fix everything and then stay in the house for another 3 years or so, and I explained that I didn't plan on living in this house for longer than 5 years when I bought it, and I got a loan that fell in line with that plan. If we stay, I'll need to refinance, and if I'm going to just be getting a whole new loan, then I might as well get one for a whole new house.
Plus, we need another bathroom.
It's all good, though. Jesse needs a spot in the garage for his car, and I want a washer/dryer hookup that's inside the house instead of in the garage. He also thinks he'd prefer an oven that's in the wall instead of down low where we have to bend over (not as big a deal for me as it is for him, of course...), so there's that. And a basement...one we can convert into an entertainment room, if we can't find a house with one that's already been converted.
Lofty plans? Eh...if you take 'em all one step at a time, they aren't so bad. The next big project will be replacing the windows on the front of the house (I did the back of the house about a year and a half ago), so we can get the outside of the house painted. Thank goodness we have metal siding, so we don't have to paint the whole house...but the eaves and the trim and the windows all need to be scraped and re-painted before they rot clean away. That would suck.
Being a home-owner isn't much fun sometimes. But when it comes to updating and making things look pretty (again), PLUS having someone to help with it all that's as excited as I am about it, it certainly makes it more fun than it normally is.
I'll post some pictures this weekend of the living room, now that we have the new couch and the new lamp that I bought to go with it. It looks so awesome, it makes me tear up...
So we went searching for a few items the other night at Nebraska Furniture Mart, which was fun. It was Jesse's first trip out there, and I had a great time with him as we ogled all the different stove/oven items they have on display, and wandered about talking about what we want to have in our next house for us to use. Of course our favorite model was the $6,000 jobbie that had one small oven next to the main oven, as well as 4 regular burners, a small simmering burner, and a built-in flat-top grill that was covered by a lift-off panel that kept it protected from any and all matter of splattering that might come from the other side of the stove. I was fine with this oven, though. I think it's my favorite...since we can't really justify spending $6,000 on an oven/stove, dammit.
Unfortunately, we didn't find any shelves that have a contemporary enough look for the direction our living room is headed. I'd love to get a set from Crate & Barrel that are actually well-suited to match our new couch, but they only come in a very dark finish that I'm afraid wouldn't match the wood we already have in the space. SO. I was planning on heading to Crate & Barrel this week during a lunch hour, since it's right down the street from the campus here, and seeing if they have the shelves we're interested in at the store so I can judge them in person. It's become a main discussion for us though, this simple interior remodel that we've been working on since we painted the living room back in June (or was it July? I don't remember exactly...), and when I told him my plan last night, he said he wanted to go, too. So now our Friday night date will consist of dinner and a trip to Crate & Barrel to look at the shelves they have in the store.
We also changed out a light in the kitchen that hangs over the sink area. We looked at several options at Home Depot the other night, and settled on a little sort of track-light thingy that has worked out really well. I don't think people realize (a) how easy it is to switch out things like light fixtures or (b) how very affordable a change it can be. The light we grabbed was less than $35. And instead of an old, crappy, institutional-looking flourescent light, we now have an up-to-date brushed nickle fixture with 3 very lovely (and wonderfully bright!) spot lights on it that we can aim all over the kitchen from it's spot near the window on the east wall. Jesse installed it yesterday, which I thought was fair since I had to change out the fixture in the bathroom when I moved into the house as a single girl some 3 years ago. We have three more lights we'd like to change...the bare bulb in the garage, the current hallway sconce, and then we'll be adding one over the stove, since all I have there now is a desk lamp that sets somewhat precariously on a shadow box shelf. It serves it's purpose, but Jesse doesn't like it, so he'd like to install a better light that runs on a switch installed in the wall. We'll be calling in the electrician for that project, I think. We just need to find the light, and I can move forward accordingly.
Anyway, we're all over making improvements and updating and getting the house in proper order for our plans to sell it in the year following the wedding. Jesse asked me why we don't just fix everything and then stay in the house for another 3 years or so, and I explained that I didn't plan on living in this house for longer than 5 years when I bought it, and I got a loan that fell in line with that plan. If we stay, I'll need to refinance, and if I'm going to just be getting a whole new loan, then I might as well get one for a whole new house.
Plus, we need another bathroom.
It's all good, though. Jesse needs a spot in the garage for his car, and I want a washer/dryer hookup that's inside the house instead of in the garage. He also thinks he'd prefer an oven that's in the wall instead of down low where we have to bend over (not as big a deal for me as it is for him, of course...), so there's that. And a basement...one we can convert into an entertainment room, if we can't find a house with one that's already been converted.
Lofty plans? Eh...if you take 'em all one step at a time, they aren't so bad. The next big project will be replacing the windows on the front of the house (I did the back of the house about a year and a half ago), so we can get the outside of the house painted. Thank goodness we have metal siding, so we don't have to paint the whole house...but the eaves and the trim and the windows all need to be scraped and re-painted before they rot clean away. That would suck.
Being a home-owner isn't much fun sometimes. But when it comes to updating and making things look pretty (again), PLUS having someone to help with it all that's as excited as I am about it, it certainly makes it more fun than it normally is.
I'll post some pictures this weekend of the living room, now that we have the new couch and the new lamp that I bought to go with it. It looks so awesome, it makes me tear up...
Monday, January 29, 2007
DJ's in this day and age
I know it's weird for me to post more than once a month, but I thought I'd go ahead with it, just for kicks.
We're currently considering two different DJ companies for the wedding. While they're both local companies, one is part of a national company that handles DJ and videography services. It's hard to decide which one is the "winner" of our wedding, though, so I thought I'd go ahead and work it out here on proverbial paper...
First off, the locally owned company called me back first. The gentleman that left me a message had an awesome voice, and that was an instant plus for him. When I called him back, he was able to answer all my questions easily and he and his partner have the added plus of having already DJ'd an event at the location where we're having our reception, so that's nice. He understands what I'm talking about when I discuss the odd room shape, and where we think it'd be better for the DJ to set up for the evening, etc...
The other thing I like about him is that he has the partner that comes with him. They work together at the party, with one of them focussing mostly on setting up the future songs that will be playing, and the other one dealing with guest requests, announcements, and that sort of thing. Very cool.
The other company called me the following day. The guy talked a bit too fast for my taste (and I know that those who know me that are reading this are going, "Um, girlfriend? Yeah, ever had a conversation with you?" I know I speak really quickly, too, but I don't do it for a living, ok?), and had a packet he wanted to send me which he assured me would answer most of my questions. I still asked him some of the main ones I needed answered, and he did answer them without issue, but I felt like I was being rushed off the phone. Still, it's a national company, and they have phone numbers available to me of recent customers that I can contact for a personal reference on their services, so that's good. Their song list wasn't set up in as user-friendly a format as the other DJ I'd already talked to, but it still seems relatively comprehensive. They sent us a packet of info, as promised, which was pretty, but didn't answer all questions, but was still sort of helpful. It had a DVD in it that they wanted us to watch. It was boring, repetitive, and not too helpful over all.
Both DJ's charge about the same amount.
There was a 3rd DJ company that I contacted asking for info, but I never heard back from them, so they lose.
I'm leaning toward the 1st company that contacted me, not only because they were the quickest to respond, but because the guy was really well-spoken, answered all my questions patiently and completely, and I liked that he could send me info via e-mail, and didn't try to sell me something I wasn't asking for (namely the videography services that the second company apparently tries to upsell to all engaged couples, which I found annoying since we're not interested, but it was discussed anyway...). Jesse likes the idea of going with the first company as well, but I honestly don't know that he even cares. I need to discuss it with him more to get his take on it, I guess. We'll see.
Tonight, we'll be moving our old couch out into the garage where it will wait for it's pick-up tomorrow by the Federation of the Blind. We're receiving our new, more compact, more durable and sturdy couch tomorrow sometime between 9 and 11, and I can't wait! Now I'm obsessed with finding new bookshelves for the living room, which is proving a more difficult task than I had initially thought it would be. Had I thought about it when we ordered the couch, I have a feeling it would have been included in the one shipping charge that we were charged for the couch and the ottoman. Damn. So I'm trying to find something reasonable that won't cost another gazillion dollars to be delivered. (i.e. Pottery Barn has a lovely unit that costs another $150 on top of the purchase price for it's delivery. That's crazy...) I was hoping it wouldn't be this hard to find something, but I might have to actually go shopping in a store to find what we need. Depressing.
I'd best get back to work. I just found another thing that I might not be able to do, for some reason, and so my work continues to be in the form of having to find someone else who can do the job I need to do for me. It shouldn't be like this for much longer, thank goodness...
Happy Monday!
We're currently considering two different DJ companies for the wedding. While they're both local companies, one is part of a national company that handles DJ and videography services. It's hard to decide which one is the "winner" of our wedding, though, so I thought I'd go ahead and work it out here on proverbial paper...
First off, the locally owned company called me back first. The gentleman that left me a message had an awesome voice, and that was an instant plus for him. When I called him back, he was able to answer all my questions easily and he and his partner have the added plus of having already DJ'd an event at the location where we're having our reception, so that's nice. He understands what I'm talking about when I discuss the odd room shape, and where we think it'd be better for the DJ to set up for the evening, etc...
The other thing I like about him is that he has the partner that comes with him. They work together at the party, with one of them focussing mostly on setting up the future songs that will be playing, and the other one dealing with guest requests, announcements, and that sort of thing. Very cool.
The other company called me the following day. The guy talked a bit too fast for my taste (and I know that those who know me that are reading this are going, "Um, girlfriend? Yeah, ever had a conversation with you?" I know I speak really quickly, too, but I don't do it for a living, ok?), and had a packet he wanted to send me which he assured me would answer most of my questions. I still asked him some of the main ones I needed answered, and he did answer them without issue, but I felt like I was being rushed off the phone. Still, it's a national company, and they have phone numbers available to me of recent customers that I can contact for a personal reference on their services, so that's good. Their song list wasn't set up in as user-friendly a format as the other DJ I'd already talked to, but it still seems relatively comprehensive. They sent us a packet of info, as promised, which was pretty, but didn't answer all questions, but was still sort of helpful. It had a DVD in it that they wanted us to watch. It was boring, repetitive, and not too helpful over all.
Both DJ's charge about the same amount.
There was a 3rd DJ company that I contacted asking for info, but I never heard back from them, so they lose.
I'm leaning toward the 1st company that contacted me, not only because they were the quickest to respond, but because the guy was really well-spoken, answered all my questions patiently and completely, and I liked that he could send me info via e-mail, and didn't try to sell me something I wasn't asking for (namely the videography services that the second company apparently tries to upsell to all engaged couples, which I found annoying since we're not interested, but it was discussed anyway...). Jesse likes the idea of going with the first company as well, but I honestly don't know that he even cares. I need to discuss it with him more to get his take on it, I guess. We'll see.
Tonight, we'll be moving our old couch out into the garage where it will wait for it's pick-up tomorrow by the Federation of the Blind. We're receiving our new, more compact, more durable and sturdy couch tomorrow sometime between 9 and 11, and I can't wait! Now I'm obsessed with finding new bookshelves for the living room, which is proving a more difficult task than I had initially thought it would be. Had I thought about it when we ordered the couch, I have a feeling it would have been included in the one shipping charge that we were charged for the couch and the ottoman. Damn. So I'm trying to find something reasonable that won't cost another gazillion dollars to be delivered. (i.e. Pottery Barn has a lovely unit that costs another $150 on top of the purchase price for it's delivery. That's crazy...) I was hoping it wouldn't be this hard to find something, but I might have to actually go shopping in a store to find what we need. Depressing.
I'd best get back to work. I just found another thing that I might not be able to do, for some reason, and so my work continues to be in the form of having to find someone else who can do the job I need to do for me. It shouldn't be like this for much longer, thank goodness...
Happy Monday!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Here I am!
Sometimes, I wish that Jesse would want to post something out here now and then, so as to keep things going, and also because he's a pretty entertaining guy. Oh well...
Last night, I spoke to one of the DJ's we're considering for the reception. Since we'll be having our cocktail reception on a different floor from the actual reception itself, we're going to make it easy on ourselves, and plug in an iPod to play music at that point in the evening. I still need to start making the list of the songs I'd like to play. I don't know if Jesse is planning on adding his input to that, but I hope so. Anyway, the DJ I spoke to last night seemed really nice, professional, and had a good voice. It sounded all DJ-ish, and stuff. :) But their price was kinda low which sent up a red flag for me. I'm going to talk to a couple more DJ's, and it's not like I'm looking for the most expensive option, by any means. I was pretty impressed by the guy I spoke to last night, actually...he answered all my questions the way I'd hoped he would, he didn't mind when I interrupted his little schpeal to ask questions that popped into my head, and he sounds like he and his partner would be really honed in on what Jesse and I want to have played at the reception, which is the most important part. It's a fun vendor to work with, I think...I'm glad that so far, my experience in talking with them is good. We'll see how things go with the other two...
My twin and our oldest best friend (a.k.a. the co-matron of honor) have been busily helping me consider dresses for the bridesmaids over the past few weeks, and we're hoping that they'll be able to get out and try some on sometime in the next couple of weeks, so we have a better idea of what's going to be our final choice. I'm hoping we can start the ordering process on them no later than March...which is only about a month and a half away, which is crazy, and I don't even like to think of how quickly the year is already flying by, so don't get me started! I know it seems strange to even think of things that way, seeing as it's still only January, but here's what happens: I sit and consider the possible dates for my two showers that need to happen (one in Cali and one here in Kansas), and I think to myself, "Oh, we have plenty of time...I'll wait for the twin to get back to me on that when she can." But then I start working things out and I realize that one of the months we're considering (i.e. June) is not 6 months away any more. It's only about 4 months away. And holy crap, it's almost February, and where did the time go, and when can we have the shower here in Kansas because people need to take time from work and make plans ahead of time, and then I need to make my plans for going home to Cali for the shower in July, and I still don't have my veil designed and ordered and when do we have to order the cake again? And it suddenly just starts flying all about...my brain goes on overdrive, and I have to stop and watch something on Food Network to calm myself down again, for chrissakes.
So actually, I try not to think about it all very much. According to the vendors I talk to (as well as my nifty little timeline of tasks provided by The Knot.com), I'm running perfectly on schedule for getting things done. So I can go ahead and focus on the tasks that need attention around the house, like finding someplace to donate our old couch to in order to make room for the new couch we've ordered. And contacting the yard guys to let them know that I do want to upgrade our service this year in order to include the aerating process they suggested we do in spring. And then finding someone to paint the outside of the house, since it's going to start rotting away if we don't get it done this year. And how can we find the best deal on a new heating/cooling system that we must replace in the spring as well?
I must say, it's a damned good thing I found a new job like I did. Because otherwise, we might be in a lo-hoooot of trouble this spring. Unfortunately, these are things that must be done, or we'd put them off some more. But we can't go without A/C this summer. Or heat next winter. And it'd be bad to let the house start rotting away, I think. Those are the most pressing issues, anyway. I won't even start on the fact that we want to replace our kitchen table with something smaller.
These things would be so much harder to deal with, even on just an emotional level, if I was still single and having to take care of it all on my own. Thank God for Jesse. Thank God for someone that can deal with my strange moods, my sudden needs and desires to kick things into high gear (and, consequently, my sharp downslides into exhaustion on a weekly basis), and my somewhat constant picking on everything from clothing being left on a chair in the living room to the issue of why I really like the doors to be locked, even when we're home. It couldn't have been better timed for him to come into my life. For him to become the most important thing to me above everything else. I was watching a Grey's Anatomy episode over the weekend...one from season 2, which I have been watching via DVD rental from Netflix this year since Jesse isn't a fan of drama series on t.v., so I kind of "gave it up" for him when we started seeing each other. The main character (Meredith) was having a bit of an issue with the fact that she couldn't remember the last time she'd kissed the man (Dr. McDreamy) she's in love with (who happens to be married, but she fell in love with him without knowing that, and then had to break up with him when she found out and he chose to work things out with his semi-estranged wife instead of choosing her, and this is one of the reasons Jesse doesn't like these sorts of shows...). And I don't know why, but it started me thinking about my first kiss with Jesse. And do I remember it? Yes...yes I do. It was a surprise kiss...one of those ones you don't see coming. We were next to my car in the parking lot outside the restaurant. It was at the end of our first date, I think (one of the only areas I'm fuzzy on, I'm afraid...), and we were talking a little bit as things wound down for the night. All of a sudden, he bent down and kissed me. It wasn't as though we were sitting there with the anticipation of the dreaded First Kiss That Usually Happens At The End Of The Date, or anything. We were just...talking. And he caught me off guard. And it was perfect, and fun...and I hope I'll always remember it.
There's your dose of sap for the month, my friends. Next time, I should have more info about the DJ's, possibly some exciting updates about shower plans and whether I need to look into renting chairs for the reception, and maybe even some more house stuff. Ta for now!
Last night, I spoke to one of the DJ's we're considering for the reception. Since we'll be having our cocktail reception on a different floor from the actual reception itself, we're going to make it easy on ourselves, and plug in an iPod to play music at that point in the evening. I still need to start making the list of the songs I'd like to play. I don't know if Jesse is planning on adding his input to that, but I hope so. Anyway, the DJ I spoke to last night seemed really nice, professional, and had a good voice. It sounded all DJ-ish, and stuff. :) But their price was kinda low which sent up a red flag for me. I'm going to talk to a couple more DJ's, and it's not like I'm looking for the most expensive option, by any means. I was pretty impressed by the guy I spoke to last night, actually...he answered all my questions the way I'd hoped he would, he didn't mind when I interrupted his little schpeal to ask questions that popped into my head, and he sounds like he and his partner would be really honed in on what Jesse and I want to have played at the reception, which is the most important part. It's a fun vendor to work with, I think...I'm glad that so far, my experience in talking with them is good. We'll see how things go with the other two...
My twin and our oldest best friend (a.k.a. the co-matron of honor) have been busily helping me consider dresses for the bridesmaids over the past few weeks, and we're hoping that they'll be able to get out and try some on sometime in the next couple of weeks, so we have a better idea of what's going to be our final choice. I'm hoping we can start the ordering process on them no later than March...which is only about a month and a half away, which is crazy, and I don't even like to think of how quickly the year is already flying by, so don't get me started! I know it seems strange to even think of things that way, seeing as it's still only January, but here's what happens: I sit and consider the possible dates for my two showers that need to happen (one in Cali and one here in Kansas), and I think to myself, "Oh, we have plenty of time...I'll wait for the twin to get back to me on that when she can." But then I start working things out and I realize that one of the months we're considering (i.e. June) is not 6 months away any more. It's only about 4 months away. And holy crap, it's almost February, and where did the time go, and when can we have the shower here in Kansas because people need to take time from work and make plans ahead of time, and then I need to make my plans for going home to Cali for the shower in July, and I still don't have my veil designed and ordered and when do we have to order the cake again? And it suddenly just starts flying all about...my brain goes on overdrive, and I have to stop and watch something on Food Network to calm myself down again, for chrissakes.
So actually, I try not to think about it all very much. According to the vendors I talk to (as well as my nifty little timeline of tasks provided by The Knot.com), I'm running perfectly on schedule for getting things done. So I can go ahead and focus on the tasks that need attention around the house, like finding someplace to donate our old couch to in order to make room for the new couch we've ordered. And contacting the yard guys to let them know that I do want to upgrade our service this year in order to include the aerating process they suggested we do in spring. And then finding someone to paint the outside of the house, since it's going to start rotting away if we don't get it done this year. And how can we find the best deal on a new heating/cooling system that we must replace in the spring as well?
I must say, it's a damned good thing I found a new job like I did. Because otherwise, we might be in a lo-hoooot of trouble this spring. Unfortunately, these are things that must be done, or we'd put them off some more. But we can't go without A/C this summer. Or heat next winter. And it'd be bad to let the house start rotting away, I think. Those are the most pressing issues, anyway. I won't even start on the fact that we want to replace our kitchen table with something smaller.
These things would be so much harder to deal with, even on just an emotional level, if I was still single and having to take care of it all on my own. Thank God for Jesse. Thank God for someone that can deal with my strange moods, my sudden needs and desires to kick things into high gear (and, consequently, my sharp downslides into exhaustion on a weekly basis), and my somewhat constant picking on everything from clothing being left on a chair in the living room to the issue of why I really like the doors to be locked, even when we're home. It couldn't have been better timed for him to come into my life. For him to become the most important thing to me above everything else. I was watching a Grey's Anatomy episode over the weekend...one from season 2, which I have been watching via DVD rental from Netflix this year since Jesse isn't a fan of drama series on t.v., so I kind of "gave it up" for him when we started seeing each other. The main character (Meredith) was having a bit of an issue with the fact that she couldn't remember the last time she'd kissed the man (Dr. McDreamy) she's in love with (who happens to be married, but she fell in love with him without knowing that, and then had to break up with him when she found out and he chose to work things out with his semi-estranged wife instead of choosing her, and this is one of the reasons Jesse doesn't like these sorts of shows...). And I don't know why, but it started me thinking about my first kiss with Jesse. And do I remember it? Yes...yes I do. It was a surprise kiss...one of those ones you don't see coming. We were next to my car in the parking lot outside the restaurant. It was at the end of our first date, I think (one of the only areas I'm fuzzy on, I'm afraid...), and we were talking a little bit as things wound down for the night. All of a sudden, he bent down and kissed me. It wasn't as though we were sitting there with the anticipation of the dreaded First Kiss That Usually Happens At The End Of The Date, or anything. We were just...talking. And he caught me off guard. And it was perfect, and fun...and I hope I'll always remember it.
There's your dose of sap for the month, my friends. Next time, I should have more info about the DJ's, possibly some exciting updates about shower plans and whether I need to look into renting chairs for the reception, and maybe even some more house stuff. Ta for now!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Pardon the interruption...
I know it's been a while since I've posted on here. I have several excuses, ranging from holiday angst issues to deal with, to finding a new job, to dealing with the lack of routine, all of which really breaks down my blogging stride when it comes right down to it. Usually, I get to work in the morning, get all work-things in order and happy, and enter a blog post within about an hour of sitting down if I have something worth posting. Since I haven't had a regular job for the past month, I haven't had the regularity of a work schedule to work with in my daily activities, and when I'm not working, sitting down at the computer for any length of time isn't usually in the cards. Working out, playing with the dog, watching t.v., and hanging out with Jesse is what I generally focus on. I run errands, I visit with friends...the last thing I think about is blogging, writing e-mails, or surfing the net.
Which is weird, because it's a big part of what I do when I'm working!
But a part of the problem with working on the computer at home is the dog nipping at my feet and legs while I'm in the computer room trying to catch up on stuff. The only reason I've been able to type for this long is because she's found something outside that is exciting to her, and she's been leaving me be.
Anyway, I'm very sorry for the interruption in any kind of regularity we had with posting out here over the last few months.
In wedding news, I found a dress, we've booked the photographer, and my maid of honor (Twin) and co-maid of honor (best friend of myself and the Twin) are now blessed with the task of helping me find reasonable, pretty, and fun bridesmaid dresses. The next step is to start looking for a DJ, which should be fun. I'm waiting until after the new year, though...for obvious reasons.
So stay tuned, if you're still reading at all, and I promise that in the new year, I'll be posting more often and with more interesting info. (I hope!) Happy New Year everyone!!
Which is weird, because it's a big part of what I do when I'm working!
But a part of the problem with working on the computer at home is the dog nipping at my feet and legs while I'm in the computer room trying to catch up on stuff. The only reason I've been able to type for this long is because she's found something outside that is exciting to her, and she's been leaving me be.
Anyway, I'm very sorry for the interruption in any kind of regularity we had with posting out here over the last few months.
In wedding news, I found a dress, we've booked the photographer, and my maid of honor (Twin) and co-maid of honor (best friend of myself and the Twin) are now blessed with the task of helping me find reasonable, pretty, and fun bridesmaid dresses. The next step is to start looking for a DJ, which should be fun. I'm waiting until after the new year, though...for obvious reasons.
So stay tuned, if you're still reading at all, and I promise that in the new year, I'll be posting more often and with more interesting info. (I hope!) Happy New Year everyone!!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Ummm...
Are the photographers supposed to cost this much? Yikes.
Not much to update. As usual. :) I will be trying on the dresses this weekend, calling Dad to discuss the photographer thing tonight, and hoping that what they're charging is normal, and then the next step will be to buy the dress that I find to be the most perfect, book the DJ and order a cake. I'm hoping those last two things can wait a few months, though. I'm pretty sure they can.
Thank goodness I have a year to deal with all this stuff. Seriously, if I was dealing with looking for a new job, finding a dress, and having to talk to my dad about photographers/caterers/everyone else that wants money from us all at the same time, I don't know that I'd be able to pull it off. This way, at least I have something to look forward to every now and then, to fit between the nerve-wracking appointments for interviews.
I really, really need to find a cool job AND dress though, ok? So everyone put their ju-ju together out there for me and send me those cool vibes, will ya? Thanks!
Not much to update. As usual. :) I will be trying on the dresses this weekend, calling Dad to discuss the photographer thing tonight, and hoping that what they're charging is normal, and then the next step will be to buy the dress that I find to be the most perfect, book the DJ and order a cake. I'm hoping those last two things can wait a few months, though. I'm pretty sure they can.
Thank goodness I have a year to deal with all this stuff. Seriously, if I was dealing with looking for a new job, finding a dress, and having to talk to my dad about photographers/caterers/everyone else that wants money from us all at the same time, I don't know that I'd be able to pull it off. This way, at least I have something to look forward to every now and then, to fit between the nerve-wracking appointments for interviews.
I really, really need to find a cool job AND dress though, ok? So everyone put their ju-ju together out there for me and send me those cool vibes, will ya? Thanks!
Friday, November 17, 2006
Update to nothing...
Ok, so I made appointments to go try on dresses, have two trusty girlfriends that will be accompanying me to help me figure out what looks good and what looks bad, and I'm so excited I could burst!!
I had lunch with one of the bridesmaids yesterday who happened to get married about 2 years ago, I think it was. It was before I knew Jesse, so I'm not sure, actually. Anyway, she advised me not to wait too long to pick out a dress. I've heard this from more people than I expected, actually. And it's not that I was waiting for any particular reason to go and look, I was just not ready.
And now that I am, it's like I've released every butterfly that could possibly exist in my belly when it comes to wedding-day jitters. I'm kinda worried that I won't look good in any dress, which is probably just a bit of my own self-consciousness creeping forward. I'm not usually a super self-conscious girl. But I've never tried on a wedding dress. Yeah, it's a bit intimidating it turns out. Just the thought of it is intimidating. What's wrong with me???
On other fronts, I've signed and sent the contract for the reception location, and now the caterer is asking me questions that I'm unsure of how to answer. We're working it out, though. I just don't feel like trying to decipher certain aspects of an event, such as how long the clean up should/will take, that isn't going to happen for almost a year! (The reception site has a very stringent policy on clean-up, and apparently the caterer warned that he will need to staff accordingly to make sure that the clean-up can happen in the time allotted, so we don't wind up running into surprise fees for OT on the space rental.) I asked the caterer to prepare his proposal with what he thought would work best, as he's been doing this sort of thing for MUCH longer than I have, and I trust him not to screw with us on it.
And the only thing I feel I'm behind on is contacting a photographer. That's kinda giving me a bit of heartburn, but I'll put it on the list for next week and get it done. December is going to be a busy month, I think. Between finding a new job, football madness, trying on the dresses, and decorating for the holidays, I don't know when I'll find time to eat and sleep!
Somehow, I think I'll figure it out, though...
I had lunch with one of the bridesmaids yesterday who happened to get married about 2 years ago, I think it was. It was before I knew Jesse, so I'm not sure, actually. Anyway, she advised me not to wait too long to pick out a dress. I've heard this from more people than I expected, actually. And it's not that I was waiting for any particular reason to go and look, I was just not ready.
And now that I am, it's like I've released every butterfly that could possibly exist in my belly when it comes to wedding-day jitters. I'm kinda worried that I won't look good in any dress, which is probably just a bit of my own self-consciousness creeping forward. I'm not usually a super self-conscious girl. But I've never tried on a wedding dress. Yeah, it's a bit intimidating it turns out. Just the thought of it is intimidating. What's wrong with me???
On other fronts, I've signed and sent the contract for the reception location, and now the caterer is asking me questions that I'm unsure of how to answer. We're working it out, though. I just don't feel like trying to decipher certain aspects of an event, such as how long the clean up should/will take, that isn't going to happen for almost a year! (The reception site has a very stringent policy on clean-up, and apparently the caterer warned that he will need to staff accordingly to make sure that the clean-up can happen in the time allotted, so we don't wind up running into surprise fees for OT on the space rental.) I asked the caterer to prepare his proposal with what he thought would work best, as he's been doing this sort of thing for MUCH longer than I have, and I trust him not to screw with us on it.
And the only thing I feel I'm behind on is contacting a photographer. That's kinda giving me a bit of heartburn, but I'll put it on the list for next week and get it done. December is going to be a busy month, I think. Between finding a new job, football madness, trying on the dresses, and decorating for the holidays, I don't know when I'll find time to eat and sleep!
Somehow, I think I'll figure it out, though...
Friday, November 03, 2006
This is new...
I'm kinda in the mood to shop for dresses, suddenly. I don't know why. But I think I might need to call and make some appointments at places for early December.
We have the church set, as I've mentioned previously. We have the reception site set, although the contract hasn't been sent to us yet, but I followed up on that today so hopefully we'll be done with that by end of next week. The event planner at the Brewery suggested that I get a wedding planner for at least the day of our wedding, so I have someone specific to deal with all the vendors/issues/little things that pop up along the way. I thought about it and feel it's a good idea, so I might start meeting with someone about a month before the wedding, so we can make sure we're all on the same page, and then they can help with directing the DJ where to go on the day of the wedding, and make sure the cake is set up properly, and help my twin with the centerpiece set-up and all that good stuff. I also noticed that the chairs at the Brewery are unacceptable, so we'll have to rent some. Which sucks. But hey, we get free beer! Woo!
Next on the list of to-do's is to meet with the caterers. We have found that the caterers we want are available on our wedding date, which made us very happy, so now they're working up a proposal and should be getting back to us within the next 2 days here, I hope. I can't wait to see what they come up with!
But I'm definitely in the mood to start trying on dresses. Time to round up my super-honest girlfriends for a tip to a couple different salons, I think! As long as they can give me appointment times that don't interfere with football on Saturdays, of course. If not, then the search might have to be put off until January...we'll see!
We have the church set, as I've mentioned previously. We have the reception site set, although the contract hasn't been sent to us yet, but I followed up on that today so hopefully we'll be done with that by end of next week. The event planner at the Brewery suggested that I get a wedding planner for at least the day of our wedding, so I have someone specific to deal with all the vendors/issues/little things that pop up along the way. I thought about it and feel it's a good idea, so I might start meeting with someone about a month before the wedding, so we can make sure we're all on the same page, and then they can help with directing the DJ where to go on the day of the wedding, and make sure the cake is set up properly, and help my twin with the centerpiece set-up and all that good stuff. I also noticed that the chairs at the Brewery are unacceptable, so we'll have to rent some. Which sucks. But hey, we get free beer! Woo!
Next on the list of to-do's is to meet with the caterers. We have found that the caterers we want are available on our wedding date, which made us very happy, so now they're working up a proposal and should be getting back to us within the next 2 days here, I hope. I can't wait to see what they come up with!
But I'm definitely in the mood to start trying on dresses. Time to round up my super-honest girlfriends for a tip to a couple different salons, I think! As long as they can give me appointment times that don't interfere with football on Saturdays, of course. If not, then the search might have to be put off until January...we'll see!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Quick update for the week...
Just an fyi, I might not be posting much here for a bit. Things are in an ugly place for me right now, and besides the bit o' depression and problems with needing to put on a happy face regardless of them all, I've lost my job, sprained my ankle, and USC fell to #9 on the BCS due to their absolutely fabulous loss to Oregon State last night.
I'm sure I'll be in the mood to update again sometime next week. I hope. Maybe after I figure out the job thing, anyway.
Thanks to those of you whove been reading lately!! I'll try to be more upbeat in my next post, I promise.
I'm sure I'll be in the mood to update again sometime next week. I hope. Maybe after I figure out the job thing, anyway.
Thanks to those of you whove been reading lately!! I'll try to be more upbeat in my next post, I promise.
Monday, October 23, 2006
It's already happening...
Last week, I was having a hard time at work, running on very little sleep (for me, anyway) and feeling the stress of my constant attempts to lose weight (which consistently go no where, and can be very frustrating/troublesome/tedious/etc, etc, etc...). So when Jesse didn't come home at his usual time on Thursday, and I wanted to go to bed since I needed to wake up at 5 on Friday to go workout, I sent him a text message to find out if he'd be home soon.
No response.
I waited 10 minutes, and called him at about 10:40. He was having a beer, he said. He was on his way out and would be home soon.
I have this thing about schedules...while I know that Jesse's isn't "normal" in any sense of the word, if he's going to be home later than usual, I'd expect him to let me know. Just call me quickly, or send a text if he has time. Not a big deal. It's what I do if I'm even running just 15 minutes late leaving the office, even though I know he probably couldn't care less if I get home at 5:35 instead of 5:20, like usual. I see it as a common courtesy kinda thing.
So as we laid in bed that night, we "discussed" the issue for a bit. I can tell when he feels like I'm being a harpy, nasty old thing, and I didn't like that my request for a bit of courtesy on his part was bringing out that kind of tone. After a while, we just agreed to continue the discussion the following night, since it was getting late, and we both had early mornings the next day. We squeezed each other's hands, wished each other a good sleep, and drifted off.
After work the next day, I stopped off at the Moose to meet him for a drink and sat with some friends while I waited for him to finish his day and join us. One of the friends said, "So, I hear you're getting a jump-start on your wifely duties, eh?" Obviously, Jesse had shared with the group prior to my arrival, and now I needed to deal with the fall-out. I know this friend was just giving me friendly jabs...he's been married before and it didn't turn out all that well, I suppose. I replied, "Oh, wait a minute...so one of the things I need to learn once I get married is to just forget about my expectations of any kind of common courtesy on my husband's part?" "Well, YEAH!" my friend said.
He's funny.
After further discussion at dinner, Jesse and I came to an amicable point on the issue, I think. I told him that, as always, I think it's fine for him to hang out when he's done with his shift, have drinks, talk with friends, and enjoy himself as much as he wants to. But just let me know when he's planning on doing that, so I don't sit up well past my bedtime waiting for him to relieve me of the puppy-watching duties and hoping to see him before I hit the sheets. Because, had I known that he was planning on sticking around for an hour after he finished on Thursday night, I would have popped the puppy in her kennel, and shut things down at about 10:00. But I didn't know. And so I sat up and wondered. (It also can be kind of a pain to put the puppy down at 10 if Jesse is planning on coming in at 11 or so, since it generally wakes her up, and gets her scratching at her crate door looking for attention from the other parent in her life...) And I hate it when that happens.
So it begins...the fun of people mocking us for being newlyweds, dealing with these little quirky things we still have yet to figure out about each other, and all that good stuff that's bound to happen over the next 3 or 4 or 20 years.
I'm up for it, though. Thank goodness I think Jesse is, too!
No response.
I waited 10 minutes, and called him at about 10:40. He was having a beer, he said. He was on his way out and would be home soon.
I have this thing about schedules...while I know that Jesse's isn't "normal" in any sense of the word, if he's going to be home later than usual, I'd expect him to let me know. Just call me quickly, or send a text if he has time. Not a big deal. It's what I do if I'm even running just 15 minutes late leaving the office, even though I know he probably couldn't care less if I get home at 5:35 instead of 5:20, like usual. I see it as a common courtesy kinda thing.
So as we laid in bed that night, we "discussed" the issue for a bit. I can tell when he feels like I'm being a harpy, nasty old thing, and I didn't like that my request for a bit of courtesy on his part was bringing out that kind of tone. After a while, we just agreed to continue the discussion the following night, since it was getting late, and we both had early mornings the next day. We squeezed each other's hands, wished each other a good sleep, and drifted off.
After work the next day, I stopped off at the Moose to meet him for a drink and sat with some friends while I waited for him to finish his day and join us. One of the friends said, "So, I hear you're getting a jump-start on your wifely duties, eh?" Obviously, Jesse had shared with the group prior to my arrival, and now I needed to deal with the fall-out. I know this friend was just giving me friendly jabs...he's been married before and it didn't turn out all that well, I suppose. I replied, "Oh, wait a minute...so one of the things I need to learn once I get married is to just forget about my expectations of any kind of common courtesy on my husband's part?" "Well, YEAH!" my friend said.
He's funny.
After further discussion at dinner, Jesse and I came to an amicable point on the issue, I think. I told him that, as always, I think it's fine for him to hang out when he's done with his shift, have drinks, talk with friends, and enjoy himself as much as he wants to. But just let me know when he's planning on doing that, so I don't sit up well past my bedtime waiting for him to relieve me of the puppy-watching duties and hoping to see him before I hit the sheets. Because, had I known that he was planning on sticking around for an hour after he finished on Thursday night, I would have popped the puppy in her kennel, and shut things down at about 10:00. But I didn't know. And so I sat up and wondered. (It also can be kind of a pain to put the puppy down at 10 if Jesse is planning on coming in at 11 or so, since it generally wakes her up, and gets her scratching at her crate door looking for attention from the other parent in her life...) And I hate it when that happens.
So it begins...the fun of people mocking us for being newlyweds, dealing with these little quirky things we still have yet to figure out about each other, and all that good stuff that's bound to happen over the next 3 or 4 or 20 years.
I'm up for it, though. Thank goodness I think Jesse is, too!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Still not much going on...
This must be what it's like for a woman to be in the early stages of pregnancy. Nothing much happening for her except possibly some additional trips to the bathroom and the question of what to plan for this early, but still knowing that in about 9 (or in my case, 12) months, something BIG and life-altering will be happening. Unfortunately, when it's still such a far-off event, it's kind of a yawn-fest for everyone else to even think about!
This week, I had a review at work that included some complaints about my initial wedding-planning activities. It really pissed me off, to be frank, because (a) when else am I supposed to call vendors/churches/reception locations except during the week? They happen to have the same hours as me - 8 - 5 Monday through Friday. And from what I understand, they're usually kinda busy on Saturdays. And (b) the initial planning that I did do was very slight, involved calling 2 churches to see about their availability, sending out several e-mails to arrange to see certain reception locations, and didn't interfere with my work whatsoever. Now that I've found the church and the reception location, and possibly the caterer, I'm DONE with planning for now. And the whole comment that I got in my review about the office being "happy for [me]" and all, but that I needed to do wedding planning on my own time? Puh-lease. I asked my coworker if I needed to make up for the extra time I took during TWO LUNCHES when I went to see locations, and she told me not to worry about it. Apparently, our boss told her that if she's going to make decisions like that in the future, she needs to "check with [him] first." Mind you, this is a man that I'm not sure can even do laundry, he's always had someone else completing his tasks for him. I honestly don't understand where these uppity-ups come off telling their administrative staff that they can't take care of personal tasks - if they have the time to do so!! - while they're at work. Does he know how long I put off calling churches because my work schedule didn't allow me to? No. He's just heard that I was calling them, and that makes him angry. It really chaps my hide. I guess I should have had my personal assistant - a.k.a. our DOG - doing it all for me, right? Jeezy chreezy...
Aaaannnyway...:)
Work should be fine from now on, as the only tasks I need to complete in the next several months involves picking out my dress (will be doing that on weekends), picking out invitations (will also be doing that on weekends), registering (will eventually be doing that on a weekend...not soon, though), and all that good stuff. Jerks.
Jesse and I have a special wedding savings account that is slowly building up steam at this point in time. It's an account that can't be touched for anything other than using it for purchasing gifts for groomsmen and bridesmaids, for purchasing honeymoon tickets/paying for hotels, and that sort of thing. I'm hoping we'll have a decent amount of cash in there by the time another 6 months rolls by, but we'll have to see. He and I earn bonuses at such sporadic levels thanks to the funky businesses we're in, so while this next quarter promises to be really rather good to me, it's not so much to him. And Lord only knows what's gonna happen next year! We might have to cut out some of the date-nights we have...or at least change them up a bit so they're more stay-at-home dates, I guess. Those can be fun, too, right? But the point is that we're really making a very conscious effort to set aside a good amount of money each month, if possible, so that we can have a truly wonderful honeymoon. Because did you all know that the groom is supposed to pay for the honeymoon? Yeah, I didn't know that. And I would never ask him to bear the brunt of such an expense all on his own! That doesn't seem very friendly-fiance to me. we still don't know where we're gonna go, though. Someplace tropical...preferably that doesn't require the use of passports. That's what we're running on at this point. Suggestions are welcome. :)
Ok, I'd better get moving to finish up my work for the day. Just wanted to update a bit and get some stuff off my chest. Have a great weekend, everyone!
This week, I had a review at work that included some complaints about my initial wedding-planning activities. It really pissed me off, to be frank, because (a) when else am I supposed to call vendors/churches/reception locations except during the week? They happen to have the same hours as me - 8 - 5 Monday through Friday. And from what I understand, they're usually kinda busy on Saturdays. And (b) the initial planning that I did do was very slight, involved calling 2 churches to see about their availability, sending out several e-mails to arrange to see certain reception locations, and didn't interfere with my work whatsoever. Now that I've found the church and the reception location, and possibly the caterer, I'm DONE with planning for now. And the whole comment that I got in my review about the office being "happy for [me]" and all, but that I needed to do wedding planning on my own time? Puh-lease. I asked my coworker if I needed to make up for the extra time I took during TWO LUNCHES when I went to see locations, and she told me not to worry about it. Apparently, our boss told her that if she's going to make decisions like that in the future, she needs to "check with [him] first." Mind you, this is a man that I'm not sure can even do laundry, he's always had someone else completing his tasks for him. I honestly don't understand where these uppity-ups come off telling their administrative staff that they can't take care of personal tasks - if they have the time to do so!! - while they're at work. Does he know how long I put off calling churches because my work schedule didn't allow me to? No. He's just heard that I was calling them, and that makes him angry. It really chaps my hide. I guess I should have had my personal assistant - a.k.a. our DOG - doing it all for me, right? Jeezy chreezy...
Aaaannnyway...:)
Work should be fine from now on, as the only tasks I need to complete in the next several months involves picking out my dress (will be doing that on weekends), picking out invitations (will also be doing that on weekends), registering (will eventually be doing that on a weekend...not soon, though), and all that good stuff. Jerks.
Jesse and I have a special wedding savings account that is slowly building up steam at this point in time. It's an account that can't be touched for anything other than using it for purchasing gifts for groomsmen and bridesmaids, for purchasing honeymoon tickets/paying for hotels, and that sort of thing. I'm hoping we'll have a decent amount of cash in there by the time another 6 months rolls by, but we'll have to see. He and I earn bonuses at such sporadic levels thanks to the funky businesses we're in, so while this next quarter promises to be really rather good to me, it's not so much to him. And Lord only knows what's gonna happen next year! We might have to cut out some of the date-nights we have...or at least change them up a bit so they're more stay-at-home dates, I guess. Those can be fun, too, right? But the point is that we're really making a very conscious effort to set aside a good amount of money each month, if possible, so that we can have a truly wonderful honeymoon. Because did you all know that the groom is supposed to pay for the honeymoon? Yeah, I didn't know that. And I would never ask him to bear the brunt of such an expense all on his own! That doesn't seem very friendly-fiance to me. we still don't know where we're gonna go, though. Someplace tropical...preferably that doesn't require the use of passports. That's what we're running on at this point. Suggestions are welcome. :)
Ok, I'd better get moving to finish up my work for the day. Just wanted to update a bit and get some stuff off my chest. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Friday, September 29, 2006
The Painted Living Room
Not much of anything going on on the wedding planning front. So I thought I'd post some info regarding the domesticity of mine and Jesse's lives together.
This past month has been focused on updating some areas of the house. One of those areas is the back porch, which unfortunately turned a random purple/rose color from the stain we chose. We're still working on fixing that, but the main thing is that the wood is protected out there, and that's all that matters. The other area that needed updating was the living room. The paint treatment on the walls started to look a bit tired and kinda dirty to me over the last 6 months or so, and it became clear that a change would be necessary. I've been planning for a couple of months, actually, and have been working on deciding on a new color for as long. With Jesse's help, we came up with a Behr color called "Classic."
Here is the living room before:
And here is the living room after:
Yes, I'm aware that it looks a bit pink. And to be honest, the color "Classic" does have some rose undertones to it that give it that appearance in some lights. But it looks really nice with the furniture, and the walls don't look dirty anymore, which is a really nice change in my opinion.
This weekend, I'll be rearranging the furniture and resetting all the knick-knacks and art so that they're in a new configuration, which should be fun. The room had been the same for the past 3 years, so it's nice to shift things about a bit finally. Change is good, right? Right!
Off to work I go. Check back next week for more updates on the exciting domestic antics of myself and Jesse! WOO!
This past month has been focused on updating some areas of the house. One of those areas is the back porch, which unfortunately turned a random purple/rose color from the stain we chose. We're still working on fixing that, but the main thing is that the wood is protected out there, and that's all that matters. The other area that needed updating was the living room. The paint treatment on the walls started to look a bit tired and kinda dirty to me over the last 6 months or so, and it became clear that a change would be necessary. I've been planning for a couple of months, actually, and have been working on deciding on a new color for as long. With Jesse's help, we came up with a Behr color called "Classic."
Here is the living room before:
And here is the living room after:
Yes, I'm aware that it looks a bit pink. And to be honest, the color "Classic" does have some rose undertones to it that give it that appearance in some lights. But it looks really nice with the furniture, and the walls don't look dirty anymore, which is a really nice change in my opinion.This weekend, I'll be rearranging the furniture and resetting all the knick-knacks and art so that they're in a new configuration, which should be fun. The room had been the same for the past 3 years, so it's nice to shift things about a bit finally. Change is good, right? Right!
Off to work I go. Check back next week for more updates on the exciting domestic antics of myself and Jesse! WOO!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Slow month, it seems...
Still not much going on in the planning area. I've done everything I need to do at this point, and most other things need to wait a few months before they kick into gear. Right now, the main goal is to set up a specific spreadsheet of immediate expenses/deposits that are required to reserve spaces/caterers/send out "save the date" cards, and then I don't need to deal with anything until the day I find a dress to put a deposit down on. And that won't be happening for at least 3 months, I think.
The important thing is that we've found the church and reserved our wedding time with them, and we've also found a perfect reception spot, and we've been penciled in there as well. (Still working out the little details for the contract right now, and I hope to have it all in writing, in pen, by the end of October. Maybe earlier...we'll see.) The reception will be at The Boulevard Brewing Company. Unfortunately, they don't have the new space listed on their website just yet, since they only just opened the space officially last week, but I'm hoping to have a link to it up in the next couple of months. Or maybe y'all would like to be surprised when you first see it? Hmm...
My main struggle when it comes to the wedding planning these days is the distance between my father and I, as well as the issue of time. I feel like giving ourselves a whole year to plan is the most frugal and proper thing to do, considering that both Jesse and I work full time jobs (Jesse is even more than full time most weeks!), and are planning the wedding ourselves. Also, according to most planners, wedding websites, and venue managers, it's not abnormal to book spaces 9 months - 1 year in advance of the date of the event these days. Jesse has a coworker who is planning a wedding in a very short period of time...she got engaged mid-summer, I think, and she's planning her wedding for November of this year. She had a very hard time finding a proper venue that was (a) available and (b) affordable. When you limit yourself with time restrictions, you limit yourself otherwise as well. And I'm really glad that Jesse and I could both agree on having the wedding on a date that's as far out as it is, so as to give ourselves plenty of time to make sure we have the best celebration of our wedding we could ever imagine.
My father (and I hope he doesn't mind me talking about this...) and my stepmom planned their wedding in a relatively short amount of time, and due to certain circumstances, had to change the date at least once during the planning stages. With that experience behind him, he is extremely cautious about setting a date and putting down deposits on locations over a year in advance of the event. And I don't blame him! It's this sort of behaviour that I was exposed to when growing up that made me the no-nonsense, somewhat detail oriented kinda girl that I am today. (I hope to become even more detail oriented as I grow older and wiser...I can't really get any more no-nonsense about things, though. People might not like me much if I get worse on that end!) But the frustration remains when it comes to having to discuss these matters over the phone, with a man who can be sillier than I am when he wants to be, and without the ability to be face-to-face to discuss the details as quickly and efficiently as possible. It's my own fault for moving my ass to Kansas all those years ago, I know. But hey...if I hadn't moved to Kansas, I wouldn't have met Jesse! So there's the end to that argument. :)
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find some reasonably priced "save the date" cards to order, so I can plan accordingly for the expense. Hope everyone is having a great week!
The important thing is that we've found the church and reserved our wedding time with them, and we've also found a perfect reception spot, and we've been penciled in there as well. (Still working out the little details for the contract right now, and I hope to have it all in writing, in pen, by the end of October. Maybe earlier...we'll see.) The reception will be at The Boulevard Brewing Company. Unfortunately, they don't have the new space listed on their website just yet, since they only just opened the space officially last week, but I'm hoping to have a link to it up in the next couple of months. Or maybe y'all would like to be surprised when you first see it? Hmm...
My main struggle when it comes to the wedding planning these days is the distance between my father and I, as well as the issue of time. I feel like giving ourselves a whole year to plan is the most frugal and proper thing to do, considering that both Jesse and I work full time jobs (Jesse is even more than full time most weeks!), and are planning the wedding ourselves. Also, according to most planners, wedding websites, and venue managers, it's not abnormal to book spaces 9 months - 1 year in advance of the date of the event these days. Jesse has a coworker who is planning a wedding in a very short period of time...she got engaged mid-summer, I think, and she's planning her wedding for November of this year. She had a very hard time finding a proper venue that was (a) available and (b) affordable. When you limit yourself with time restrictions, you limit yourself otherwise as well. And I'm really glad that Jesse and I could both agree on having the wedding on a date that's as far out as it is, so as to give ourselves plenty of time to make sure we have the best celebration of our wedding we could ever imagine.
My father (and I hope he doesn't mind me talking about this...) and my stepmom planned their wedding in a relatively short amount of time, and due to certain circumstances, had to change the date at least once during the planning stages. With that experience behind him, he is extremely cautious about setting a date and putting down deposits on locations over a year in advance of the event. And I don't blame him! It's this sort of behaviour that I was exposed to when growing up that made me the no-nonsense, somewhat detail oriented kinda girl that I am today. (I hope to become even more detail oriented as I grow older and wiser...I can't really get any more no-nonsense about things, though. People might not like me much if I get worse on that end!) But the frustration remains when it comes to having to discuss these matters over the phone, with a man who can be sillier than I am when he wants to be, and without the ability to be face-to-face to discuss the details as quickly and efficiently as possible. It's my own fault for moving my ass to Kansas all those years ago, I know. But hey...if I hadn't moved to Kansas, I wouldn't have met Jesse! So there's the end to that argument. :)
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find some reasonably priced "save the date" cards to order, so I can plan accordingly for the expense. Hope everyone is having a great week!
Friday, September 15, 2006
Oh joy.
Well, I've discovered the truly fun part of being a bride in the 21st century...e-mail spam and phone calls from vendors soliciting my business. It's my own fault, I know...
I signed up about 2 weeks ago for a free wedding packet from KC Weddings, hoping that I could save a couple of bucks on having to purchase a magazine (which I received a free one of about 2 days later from one of the locations I visited, but I'm hoping that I'll receive a fall/winter magazine when they finally send one to me), and looking forward to receiving information about local vendors via e-mail and mail. The e-mail spam doesn't bother me, really. If I'm not interested, the "delete" key is only 2 inches from my main keyboard.
But on Tuesday, I received a call from an unknown number. I wasn't sure if it was my trainer at the gym finally getting in touch with me to set up our next appointment, or if it was someone calling to confirm my hair appointment a few days early, or what. I answered. It was some girl from a local bridal shop inquiring about my dress purchasing activities. First of all, they want to congratulate me. Nice. Secondly, they would like to know if I'd like to come in to look at dresses, or have I already purchased one? I had some questions of my own, too...how did they get my number? And did they realize my wedding wasn't for over a year? HELL no I don't have a dress yet!
I suppose that some girls will wear their mother's dress still these days. And perhaps there are those out there that would pick out a dress as soon as a whole year before they get married. Personally, I'm taking my time. I'd not only like to lose another dress size before I start shopping (I'm already down one size over the past 6 weeks...so I'm hoping that by the end of December I'll be in a size 14 - that should make it easier to try on more styles in more shops), but I've got other stuff on my mind right now. Finding the venue was one of them, and I think we've got that under control, but I'll know better at the end of next week. Still, it was just sort of shocking (and a bit annoying) to have someone call me out of the blue, in the middle of my work day, asking me about my dress-search activities. I managed to end the phone call without being too bitchy, explaining to the girl that their shop is actually on my list of ones to check out eventually, but that I wasn't going to start shopping until December. She thanked me for my time, and probably hung up hoping I'd lose their shop name and not come in to look for dresses there.
I don't like the feeling that I'm being rushed, and having these folks contact me before I'm ready for them is putting me right in that place, unfortunately. It's uncomfortable, and I don't like it. I can't WAIT to go look at dresses...but just not yet. It's not time. I hope the other stores will respect that concept, and hold off on calling me for a while.
In other news, the church is booked, and the deposit has been paid. The lady that helped me is really nice, and she's apparently the one that deals with most of the wedding planning stuff for the church outside of the priest that we'll be dealing with and who will be marrying us. When I went in to drop off the deposit, she gave me a little packet of information to take with me (basic rules about who they can allow to get married there, and what to expect, and how much it costs, etc...), and she offered me a second packet "to give to [my] mom..." I told her that it wouldn't be necessary. Actually, I think I said, "Oh, my mother is deceased." (I've been saying that a lot lately. To the priest, to certain location coordinators, now to this woman...seems that everyone expects a bride to be doing all this stuff with their mother!! I guess that would make sense, really, if my mother were alive of course. But even in that case, she would be in California...not very convenient for the wedding planning stuff, in my opinion.) The woman said, "Oh, I'm sorry!! My mom's deceased, too, so I understand how you must feel to have people saying that to you." I told her it wasn't a big deal, and she gave me the packet anyway, so I can pass it on to whomever else I have helping me out with certain stuff like dealing with church details (probably going to send it to my twin, so I can have a second brain helping me remember things like when we have to be done with pictures within the church, and what we can use as decorations inside the church itself). It's just funny to me, I guess. I know that a lot of people perceive my age as being much younger than it actually is, and while that's a nice thing, it still causes little hiccups like this now and then, and makes other people feel uncomfortable and excuses need to be made, and it's just a big mess sort of.
But that's ok. Because I have a wonderful stepmom who's willing and ready to help me in any way she can, and a new mother-in-law-to-be that is exactly the same way, and while it's inconvenient to be as far away as I am from the both of them (one in California and one in Indiana), I surely will be taking them up on their offers if I need to!! And I'm sure that mom's here with me too. I know she is, in fact. And for that, I'm always grateful...
Happy weekend everyone! (Go Trojans! Go Irish!)
I signed up about 2 weeks ago for a free wedding packet from KC Weddings, hoping that I could save a couple of bucks on having to purchase a magazine (which I received a free one of about 2 days later from one of the locations I visited, but I'm hoping that I'll receive a fall/winter magazine when they finally send one to me), and looking forward to receiving information about local vendors via e-mail and mail. The e-mail spam doesn't bother me, really. If I'm not interested, the "delete" key is only 2 inches from my main keyboard.
But on Tuesday, I received a call from an unknown number. I wasn't sure if it was my trainer at the gym finally getting in touch with me to set up our next appointment, or if it was someone calling to confirm my hair appointment a few days early, or what. I answered. It was some girl from a local bridal shop inquiring about my dress purchasing activities. First of all, they want to congratulate me. Nice. Secondly, they would like to know if I'd like to come in to look at dresses, or have I already purchased one? I had some questions of my own, too...how did they get my number? And did they realize my wedding wasn't for over a year? HELL no I don't have a dress yet!
I suppose that some girls will wear their mother's dress still these days. And perhaps there are those out there that would pick out a dress as soon as a whole year before they get married. Personally, I'm taking my time. I'd not only like to lose another dress size before I start shopping (I'm already down one size over the past 6 weeks...so I'm hoping that by the end of December I'll be in a size 14 - that should make it easier to try on more styles in more shops), but I've got other stuff on my mind right now. Finding the venue was one of them, and I think we've got that under control, but I'll know better at the end of next week. Still, it was just sort of shocking (and a bit annoying) to have someone call me out of the blue, in the middle of my work day, asking me about my dress-search activities. I managed to end the phone call without being too bitchy, explaining to the girl that their shop is actually on my list of ones to check out eventually, but that I wasn't going to start shopping until December. She thanked me for my time, and probably hung up hoping I'd lose their shop name and not come in to look for dresses there.
I don't like the feeling that I'm being rushed, and having these folks contact me before I'm ready for them is putting me right in that place, unfortunately. It's uncomfortable, and I don't like it. I can't WAIT to go look at dresses...but just not yet. It's not time. I hope the other stores will respect that concept, and hold off on calling me for a while.
In other news, the church is booked, and the deposit has been paid. The lady that helped me is really nice, and she's apparently the one that deals with most of the wedding planning stuff for the church outside of the priest that we'll be dealing with and who will be marrying us. When I went in to drop off the deposit, she gave me a little packet of information to take with me (basic rules about who they can allow to get married there, and what to expect, and how much it costs, etc...), and she offered me a second packet "to give to [my] mom..." I told her that it wouldn't be necessary. Actually, I think I said, "Oh, my mother is deceased." (I've been saying that a lot lately. To the priest, to certain location coordinators, now to this woman...seems that everyone expects a bride to be doing all this stuff with their mother!! I guess that would make sense, really, if my mother were alive of course. But even in that case, she would be in California...not very convenient for the wedding planning stuff, in my opinion.) The woman said, "Oh, I'm sorry!! My mom's deceased, too, so I understand how you must feel to have people saying that to you." I told her it wasn't a big deal, and she gave me the packet anyway, so I can pass it on to whomever else I have helping me out with certain stuff like dealing with church details (probably going to send it to my twin, so I can have a second brain helping me remember things like when we have to be done with pictures within the church, and what we can use as decorations inside the church itself). It's just funny to me, I guess. I know that a lot of people perceive my age as being much younger than it actually is, and while that's a nice thing, it still causes little hiccups like this now and then, and makes other people feel uncomfortable and excuses need to be made, and it's just a big mess sort of.
But that's ok. Because I have a wonderful stepmom who's willing and ready to help me in any way she can, and a new mother-in-law-to-be that is exactly the same way, and while it's inconvenient to be as far away as I am from the both of them (one in California and one in Indiana), I surely will be taking them up on their offers if I need to!! And I'm sure that mom's here with me too. I know she is, in fact. And for that, I'm always grateful...
Happy weekend everyone! (Go Trojans! Go Irish!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
