25 days until the day...

Last week! Day 8, 7 & 6....

2011-06-20T02:36:00.000-07:00

Day 8

Reordered OOT (Out of Town) bags. I hope they get here on time!
Bachlorette Party:

So much fun!
Tons of friends
Lots of food
Too many drinks...

This was water. Or, the Blue Dolphin as it is called... I guess. Look how cute it is! Kimi, Rachel and Erin did a great job decorating and organizing it. THANKS SO MUCH! I felt super special all night...

Day 7

...All day recovery
I did get some gifts ready and Bill and I started working on the ceremony... Nothing like leaving one of the most important things to last minute

Day 6

Happy Father's Day!
Shopped till I dropped with Bill. First pre-wedding week major fight, check! What a great recipe for a fight: Spending tons of money, tons of stress because of the upcoming event, and fatigue. Oh well, what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger! And we aren't dead... so, ya.
Finished our table numbers! Look at how we did 'em:

These are the numbers that fit on top of the wooden sticks that were cemented in the pail. I hate how most of the numbers turned out. OH WELL! You'll see how they came out later. K?

Started the name placement game. I hate this game. It's like a horrible logic puzzle that really effects peoples' lives for a few hours. I hope no one gets mad at the choices!

Day... 9 and 10!

2011-06-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Holy goodness. I cannot believe it is almost here. I am running out a time, getting a little overwhelmed at the moment. Oh well. I have a list in my head of all the things to get done. Bill and I have a list that is also written down. It's funny because I start doing something and then he says "wait, you just start doing stuff that's not on the list. I feel like you are just making up more work for you to do." Ha ha... There are just too many little things to do. However, I just go through each thing and figure out "what needs to get done so that is done?" And then do it. For example...

Yesterday, DAY 9!

I completed the Guest Book Table set up. It looks awesome and all bundled up in a box. Thing on the list for that still, pens! Need to buy pens today.

I finished the veil and it looks really pretty. My mom did most of the work, of course. But I added the little detail on the clip.

Those fabric roses are pretty easy to do once you get the hang of it. You get ribbon and then you wrap the ribbon in a circle. However, as you wrap, you twist the ribbon. Here is a YouTube video of what I am talking about:

I watched this about a million times until I got the hang of it...

I got my make-up! I ran by the mall and decided to go to the Mac counter and get some make-up for the big day. 30 minutes later, my face was done and I spent... some money... (crying inside a little)... and now I am ready! And I will have make-up to last for a century. Make-up: DONE!

Fixed my tan. It was hideous. Out of all times to get a bad tan, the week before my wedding. You can still tell A LITTLE that there is an out-of-place line on my chest. Oh well.

I bought books for the rings. I was going to do pillows, but something just turns me off about pillows. I don't know, it just doesn't go with this rustic theme we are going with. SO, books! What do you think of that? We will tie ribbon to it and then put the rings on them. Cool, huh? And simple. What was hard, though, was finding the perfect book. I wasn't going to use just any book (I saw the Communist Manifesto, the Bible, books on how to cure your relationship...), I wanted books that spoke "us". And I also wanted them in our colors. It was hard at first, but then all these books just came together! Look how it looks:

These are the ugly book covers. Sorry, they were ugly. What can I say?

There is book on Frank Ghery (Bill and my favorite architect), a book on Music Appreciation, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff in Love, a book on wedding etiquette and the history of it (hello! awesome!), a and a book on gardening. Perfect for us. Now, we choose 2 books for the rings, one book to paste the ceremony script in, and 2 books to paste our vows in. Then, during the ceremony, we will read from those books. CUTE, HUH???? On with the list of things to do: Finish books. Tie ribbon to them.

I was able to hire some free labor to clean my house... Just kidding. My mom and dad came over and helped clean my house so it is ready when we leave. They were champs! My house is beautiful and it was done in no-time. It really does help having tons of people help clean a house at once! Sure beats doing it by myself.

Wednesday, DAY 10!

I finished Kimi's dress. I added a yellow flower to it to make it "blend" with the rest of the wedding party. We all have two toned colors in the wedding party, so she will too! Kimi's Dress: DONE!

I put all of the mason jars away. Whew! Mason Jars: DONE!

I finished the Guest Book pages by copying them at Kinkos and putting photo corners on them so our guests can attach Polaroid pictures of themselves on it. Love it!

I cleaned... Ugh.

I worked on the Name Tags some more.

Too much to do!!

Day 11...

2011-06-15T01:08:00.000-07:00

11. Tuesday is 11 days to go... Do you want another number? How about 184. Yes, that is a lot. Of what, you ask? Well, here you go:

Yes, those are our vases and mason jars that are to be used at the wedding. We have had them in the garage, piling up as we got more and more (thanks Melinda, Sanchez, mom!). Tonight I had the great fortune to take them all out, count them and sorta clean them (sorta = dishwasher. Hey, I have to wait for them to clean! That requires effort!). 184 mason jars. Wow. Then, I took the number of each size and divided them by the number of tables. That was a great math equation. "If I have 10 tables, 1 gift table, 1 name placement table, 1 guest book table; and I have 43 jars, how many goes on each table?" I got it figured out, and now I am ready.

Well, sort of. I have to pack them all up. So far I have about 8 carefully packed boxes of mason jars. By tomorrow, they are out of here and I will not see them until they are nicely positioned on that reception table. Wow, all this effort for a few hours of one day. Oh well, it's my wedding. It'll be worth it!

What else did I do today? Hummm....

Figured out a transportation issue. All I have to say is limo is out, school bus is in. Oh yeah.
Got a weird tan. When one problem gets figured out, a new one enters. Perfect. Guess I'll have to figure that one out in a few days. I know, it sounds weird. A weird tan? But I did. I tan so easy, I had the wrong swimsuit on, and not there is a line across my chest that is, well, weird. Ugh.
Worked on the veil with my mom. We have been having fun working on it. We both decided that a veil is so easy! And do you know how much they cost? $200! At least! So we spent about $50 on a homemade one. Sure, there is some loving care and man hours, but it is worth it. And my mom is doing an AMAZING job making it special and pretty. I love it! Here she is, hard at work:
I worked out. The moon was full today! Look at that moon on the run. It was amazing.
And hot. Sac-town got to the 90s today! Bring on that hot weather, I have been dying for some heat!
And now, this. It's 1am. I need to go to bed. Another eventful day tomorrow!

Day 12!!

2011-06-14T01:11:00.000-07:00

OM. The days are going to continue to fly. I cannot stand it. WAIT! HOLD ON!! I NEED MORE TIME!! I guess that is what I get for doing EVERY SINGLE THING FROM SCRATCH! Oh well, I love it and am so excited for the final day. However, it is getting more stressful. B and I have been a little snappy with each other lately. Humm... I wonder why? Oh, ya, cause we are planning a wedding together! It is only natural that we are going to vent to each other, get mad with the other, question the other's actions... What's great is that we come back from it, though. If we didn't, something would be very wrong.

Today (I mean yesterday, Monday, not Tuesday...), Day 11:

Guess what I did? I went to San Francisco! Yes, I needed a day to me with my trusty friend, Francois the Ford Focus. I don't know why, but I always get so relaxed on a long car ride...

And, so, today was what I needed. Now, I did have a reason. Have you been to Zara? It is one of the best stores in the world and the closest one to me is in SF. I bought some amazing scarves there for the wedding dress (Mendocino will be cold, so I need a cover-up just in case!) a while ago, and I wanted to return the ones that didn't look right. And, well, because I was going to "the city" (as we Sacramentans call it), I decided to stop by my equally favorite city of Berkeley. Ahh man, there is a Crate & Barrel outlet in Berkeley. So I had to go there. And then I needed to go to Paper Source since it is right there. Oh, and then I HAD to pop my head in the Anthropologie to see what was on sale. Come on, I had to... Don't worry (I'm talking to Bill here), I didn't buy anything. Only stuff for the wedding at Paper Source. Sware.

After I needed to go to the Urban Ore. Have you heard of it? It is the biggest, umm... the biggest... dump? I guess? It is a place to find any kind of old window, door knob, old door, crap furniture, recycled anything... It is awesome. And a huge, organized, dirty mess. It is great for hunting for that weird thing you think you need. I found an amazing window, a shutter and a cabinet door. See? You can find anything. I'm going to incorporate those things on the place name table. You'll see.

I did make it to Zara and then rushed home to do my Tracy A video and then take Bill to the airport. Yes, he left me. :( He'll be back on Wednesday. Hey, it is the perfect excuse for me to make a total mess (yep, I'm the messy one). And then I HAVE to clean it all up on Wednesday.

This evening I did do some Wedding related stuff. I started and finished the Menus for the wedding and I did some major design work on the place cards. Look at this amazing work in progress:

Sorry Kari, Taush, Kimi and Rod (who doesn't check my blog anyway), I used you guys as guinea pigs for the design.

Ok, tomorrow is a BIG day. I have about 20 things to do and complete. Let's see if I get close to finishing them.

Ugh.

Ahhh! Two weeks away!

2011-06-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

I can imagine that in two weeks exactly, 14 days from this time of 10am, I might not be feeling well. And I hope that feeling is because of sleep deprivation and party exhaustion. That sounds AWESOME.

14 days! Can you believe it? Sorry about the lack of posts - I told you that Fridays and Saturdays would be bad days to post. However, I did do a lot of stuff those days. Let's recap.

Day 15 - Friday

Took care of some of the fun reception activities. Thank goodness for Martha Stewart on that one, again. Here is a link (in case you are interested) in some of her fun reception ice-breakers. I did one, but I'm not telling... Well, here is a hint of the one I did... It may not be hard to figure out. I also will give you a step-by-step on how I did it... I know, not that super "secret" as you may think!...

Buy some of these:

Get some fonts! www.fonts.com is really awesome.

Go to "find fonts" and click on "free fonts". There are tons of really cool fonts that are totally free! And amazing. Goodness, I love fonts. I can really talk about it forever. Fonts are so cool! They can look pretty, make you feel good about what your reading, incite emotions like "happy" "sad" or "yuck" (time new roman does that to me every time I look at it). I love fonts. Wait, did you know I love fonts? I do... I'll shut up now.

Start the project. I used Apple's "pages" program. I really like it.

Print project:

Cut it:

Punch the corners so they are round:

See?:

Glue it to some other color paper:

Cut that to size:

See?:

Round corner that, too:

Grab your eyelet maker. This is mine:

Put an eyelet in:

Add ribbon:

Attach it to this:

And that is what I did on Friday.

I also had a dress fitting, the last one. I LOVE MY DRESS! I made some major changes to it and it looks awesome. Sorry, no pics though. You gotta wait on that one!

Day 14, Saturday:

Shopping day! Bill had his bacherlor party in San Francisco. He went with a few friends and my brothers. Needless to say, I picked him up at the train station drunk as ever. And happy. He had a fun day. I do think there ARE some secrets, but I won't ask.

So, I went shopping with a good friend. I got some cute outfits for the Honeymoon - Hawaii baby! And I'm all set.

I also started working on adding a flower to my maid of honor's dress. More on that later.

AHHHH!!! TWO WEEKS!!!

Day 17... & Tracy Anderson

2011-06-10T00:28:00.000-07:00

Today, well...

I worked out. So, I guess I'll talk about my fitness inspiration... The lovely, the beautiful, the so-in-shape-and-hot-it-makes-me-sick Tracy Anderson! (T.A. for short, ok?)

First off, I like exercise videos. As stupid and nonsensical as it sounds, sometimes I am too lazy to leave the house and work out. Ok, maybe lazy is too harsh, but listen, I have a point. Going to the gym requires getting in my car, driving, parking, walking to the desk, walking to the locker, getting my water... a lot of steps! And a lot of time - all that takes about 20 minutes. If I stayed home, I would be 20 minutes into the work out. And, well, going out for a run is good but sometimes it's too hot, too cold, too wet, too... outside-ish. So, a good work out at home is a nice thing when I have no time or no energy to battle the natural elements. I have a couple videos that I like, but nothing that ever really "fit" with me. I wanted something interesting, that didn't get too old, that made me feel good and that complimented my lifestyle. And, well, T.A. met those things.

How did I meet her? Some silly article from Gweneth Paltrow explaining her amazing trainer - she has core strengthening, plus cardio dancing. It's hard, but you get results quick. Blah, Blah, Blah. (That is a link to Gweneth's website Goop where you can hear from her, first hand). I though, well, why not? It works for her, why not a tiny bit for me? So, I bought a few DVDs and, well, I guess I like them. Well, at least one of them. What I own is her Mat Video and a Dance Cardio DVD. You are supposed to do one with the other (a total of 2 hours but, who has 2 hours except if you are a high-paid celebrity?). I tried to do the Dance DVD, but my two left feet cannot hang. I could do it if I were more motivated and driven, but I usually say "forget it" and go for a run. The video is fun and is done so "anyone can do it" - it has a step-by-step lesson of the dance, and then you dance with her for 10 minutes. Then, after that dance, there is another dance that you learn and then you do it with her. I think there are 5 dances all together? So 50 minutes of dancing all together. I can imagine that if you do if for 6 months every other day it would get easy quick. However, it took me forever to get the first one down, and I really don't have time to sit and learn the others (remember, wedding? 17 days?). Hey, the fact that I got one dance down is impressive since I am more often trip than hold rhythm!

What I do love is the mat video. Here is a little preview:

What do I like it?

Her exercises are doable, she does not talk too much (which is annoying at first when you are learning and need more information, but which is nice after you get the hang of it and you still have to listen to her for the 30th time), and she makes you feel like you can be her.
She is hot! And it's nice to think that you can look like that too, one day, after many videos I guess.
The Mat workout is 50 minutes, but it is broken up in different segments that never get long or boring. So, once you get to the end, the time has flown by! That is awesome since working out can be grueling sometimes. Plus, after doing the video a bizillion times, it is nice that it still flies by.
She has a few arm workouts that help you get "ballerina arms". She stresses strength without bulking, and that is exactly what I want. No huge muscles, but toned arms. And, well, admit it ladies, our arms are the easiest things to worry about once you start seeing wings. A good arm workout is nice to have around! That's a plus with this video.
The workouts are tough, but it gets easier. That's how I know it is working, cause I can do and finish the workouts. And then, I feel good after that I challenged my muscles (accessory muscles to T.A.) and completed the hard task. Ahhh, the sense of accomplishment.
I can cut the workouts up and do arms one day, legs another and so on. However, because of the wedding, it is arms EVERYDAY

What I can't stand about her and what a lot of people complain about?

The girl can't count. She'll do 10 repetitions on one side, and 30 on the other. Hello? So you have to learn to go on your own pace to even it out, to count for yourself and to not get frustrated. It's not that big of a deal. Really.
She flirts with the camera. "Oh, look at me. I'm super cute so I'll pout and bat my eyes at you". I sware that's what it looks like she is thinking. However, I have concluded that she does this because she is a little insecure with the camera. She messes up sometimes and then smiles, coyly. It's pretty human. So, a little nervous smile makes her seem a little more "real". (But, it can also make her seem a little annoying and conceited.)
She doesn't cue. Which is annoying at first, but then you learn to live with it. However, when your head is down and she stands back up without letting you know... A little awkward and frustrating.

So that is that. This is what I do every day. A little T.A., some cardio, and I better look nice in the wedding photos. :)

Day 19/18...

2011-06-09T00:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok; I know, I know. I needed some time off, ok? This is what I did...

Yesterday, Day 19:

Girls day! Yesterday I worked out like a champ, took care of some gifts for the family and then got to hang out with some awesome girls. There's nothing like taking some time with friends to eat pizza, drink beer and watch THE MOVIE Bridesmaids.

Awesome! The movie was great and very appropriate for the theme of this blog. I can relate to the movie, well, somewhat. Maybe not all the hype and over-ambitious bridesmaids, but definitely the fun and the prep for that day. A little less drama, crass humor and crazy awesome surprises (Wilson Phillips? Probably a no-show)... But a good laugh, never-the-less.

Oh! I did do something productive! Make-up trial! We went to Macy's afterward and was able to get some make-up trial in. It went well, as any make-up trial will go. I really just hate getting my make-up done because it is always too much and too-not-me. Here, what do you think?

I like the color, just not the intensity. I really thought Bill wouldn't notice. He did. Then he explained that he didn't really like it. I then took one eye "off" and asked him which eye was better - he picked the one without make-up. Figures. We'll see what I end up doing. I am not getting a professional to do my make-up, so the trial is really a trial and lesson on how I will apply (or Kari, since I asked her so long ago to do my make-up. Kari, you still in?)

Today, Day 18:

Today was a day off, again. I am letting the house fall away during all this wedding madness, so I had to pay some attention to it. I also needed to just take some time away from the wedding madness for me. So, I just took the day off. No exercise and no major project...

That is kinda a lie.

I did get my hair done. According to some research, your hair looks the best 2 weeks after a hair cut. So, I booked my haircut for today (even though it is 2 weeks and then some). It turned out nice and will look great for the big day. Hair, done.

Plus, I kind-of figured out my seating card holders tonight. I will not show the final design, but I will show you where the inspiration came from:

Super cute, huh? And from the one and only, Martha Stewart. Well, I am sure it did not come directly from her, but from someone she pays to make up really cute stuff. Close enough. Thank you Martha Stewart, you are amazing. I really believe so, and I hope you agree. If not, just check out her website and that will be enough. She is brilliant - decoration, organizing, her recipes (I probably cook one once a week)... I love her.

Anyway, I started getting those ready. That'll take awhile. I'll give the step-by-step later. They are really easy once you get the hang of it. You'll see.

Ahh! So much to do!

Day 20 & CAKE TOPPER...

2011-06-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? 20 more days! UGH! I have been waiting forever for this event (wait, that could be an understatement since I have been technically waiting for this day since I was 5). Bill and I have been engaged since October of 2010 - wow, forever ago. So now that this crazy day is 20 days away! AHHH! Exciting! I cannot believe it is almost here.

So, now, what did I do today?...

CAKE TOPPER!

And it looks amazing. My inspiration is from this:

So cute! Of course, instead of buying it, I had to do my own. So, I did. Here's how.

Bought/Get supplies

Floral wire - both bare and covered
Cute ribbon flowers
Ribbon
Silver beads
Wood base
Fabric
Small puffy balls (what are those called? Pom-poms! I'm dumb and not erasing what I wrote originally just in case you guys thought I was a genius or something)
Wool Roving
Needle Felting Needle
Glue gun
Drill

I first worked on the birds. Have you ever Needle Felted? If not, try it! It is tons of fun and easy too. What you do it you get Wool Roving (at your nearest big craft store - the big JoAnns, Beverly's and Ben Franklin is where I found stuff) and a needle-felting needle (also at the store. Just NOTE, this is NOT your average needle. It has barbs on it that essentially work the wool into a knot). Get some foam to protect yourself! Then teach yourself by looking up needle-felting on YouTube. I watched this video and felt pretty confident afterward:

You essentially just jab the heck out of the wool to shape your creation. It is JUST like using clay, but NO mess and you are using a needle. It is fun and so addicting. However, not for kids. The needle is really sharp and I have poked myself a bunch of times. So, please be CAREFUL. And have fun, cause it is.

So, I created my birds using the needle felting technique. They turned out super cute, I love them.

THEN, I created the stand.

Curved the covered floral wire to form the arch. Marked where I wanted that on the stand.
Drilled the holes into the stand to fit the arch.
Took the wood base and covered with fabric. Glued that on.
Cut holes where the floral wire/arch would fit.
Took the arch, twirled ribbon around it. Glued that on.
Attached the arch to the base.
Started placing flowers in random spots. Just to get an idea! I didn't glue them them on!
Wrapped green flower wire in a few spots, and then curled them around to get a vine affect.
Once flower placement was made and wire was on, I tied green ribbon to the arch to be the leaves. I cut the ribbon to appear like a leaf and melted the tips of the ribbon very slightly to prevent fraying.
Also wrapped green flower wire in a few posts and attached a silver bead, just to get a shiny thing on the arch.
Glued the flowers on top of the leaves
Glued other random things to fill in and add color - Pom-Poms to be exact
Tied the ribbon on top.
Placed the arch on the stand
Glued flowers at the base
Glued ribbon around the base

DONE!

In the picture there is a faux cupcake since we are going to be doing cupcakes at the wedding. Our birds will be put on one special cupcake.

Day 21...

2011-06-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today was very low key. We did very little to work on the wedding. Well, it seems like a little. Here's the list:

Talked to DJ - we created our awesome master plan for the wedding music and schedule. Look forward to some chicken dancing! :)
Discussed ceremony music with Bill. That was pretty painless - "I want this song." "Ugh, really? We have to play THAT BAND at our ceremony?" "Yes. Sorry." "Fine." "Fine." "I can't believe that that band (or person) is going to be in the ceremony." "Sorry, but that's what we're doing." I love negotiating. :)
Worked out

A nice, lazy Sunday. See you tomorrow!

Day 23/22...

2011-06-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I guess I need to add these two together. Posting on Fridays & Saturdays will be hard since those are the days Bill and I party! Just kidding. Those are the days we tend to go out, though. You know, date nights and such. Gotta keep the relationship alive! ;P So, here I go:

Friday, Day 23:

Ordered our B+T book. B+T book? Yes, I did a story book on our lives. It is all inspired by this picture:

Super cute! These are all the movie ticket stubs that this couple saved! And they scanned them and put them in a photo book. Well, guess what? I SAVED most of our movie tickets, and other memorabilia throughout our relationship. Why not do it too, then? So, I did. The book is more than the movie tickets, though - it is a collection of pictures, cards, and short descriptions of what it took to get us to this point. I love it, and I hope our guests love it too. I also added pictures of most of the guests who will be at the wedding, because they helped us get to this point. I can't wait to get it, I look forward to it.

And, just for an FYI, I did a lot of research for the type of photo book to use. This website gave a lot of detailed information that I loved and helped me pick. So what was it? MyPublisher. It was a program that I downloaded and opened up to work on every now-and-then. It was pretty easy and turned out nice. Yes, it wasn't perfect, but I am happy with it overall. I just can't wait to find the final product! I'll let you know how it goes.

Worked out, Tracy Anderson style. Did my arms, did some cardio. Oh yea.

Cake Plates are DONE! Yeah. I bought epoxy glue to make sure they stick, and they are stuck. They also look really awesome.

Saturday, Day 22:

Guest book pages are designed! I thought that this would take WAY longer, but it didn't. It was fun and I am VERY happy with how it turned out. Wait, are you thinking what Bill was thinking? "I thought we have a Guest Book with the B+T book?" Well, no. That is a book that tells our story to our guests. The Guest Book is what our guests will fill out so we remember their presence at the wedding FOREVER. What our guests will do it complete a page in a fun and creative way. I will not show you the pages I created, but I will show the inspiration of them! Here you go:

CAKE PLATES

2011-06-03T00:29:00.001-07:00

I love these things - so cute, so rustic, so pretty and fun! And easy! And cheap! What's not to love about them?? We are going to be doing cupcakes (not my first choice, which was pies. However, pies were complicated, expensive and, well, too awesome. Cupcakes are good, easy and the lady we are going through rocks. Her cupcakes are amazing. So, what can you do???). This is what one of them looks like:

You take a candlestick holder and glue an antique/thrift store plate to it. Easy!! And fun. I didn't think of it, I think I saw it on some random DIY wedding website... Oh, here is what I just found that could have been the source:

IntimateWeddings.com

This site give an amazing step-by-step. I started to glue them down but want to wait to see if the glue really works. I picked a cheaper one and may need to go heavy-duty on these. This is how they look ready to be glued:

and all together...

The post-its are to determine how many cupcakes will fit on a plate. So nice, huh? And look at this. The AMAZING website, BHLDN.com, which is Anthropologie for weddings, sells plates similar to these. Check it out:

And they go for $70 to $90 dollars... each! I like their twist which is colored, antique glasses. However, a candlestick holder and plate from Goodwill? Cheap and just as nice. Don't get me wrong, I love BHLDN.com and if you haven't seen it, check it out and droll a little. But just a small trip (or two) to your local thrift store can save you tons of money.

Day 24...

2011-06-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

10 more minutes left in day 24... Wow, what a day! Let's see, what happened. Oh, yes...

8:00 - Wedding License

Wow, I never really thought of marriage being so "official". Bill and I had to fill out an online application, make an appointment, sign a document, raise our right hand and sware to an oath, and then pay $70 for the license. The whole time I was thinking, "this is crazy! so formal and bureaucratic!" But then I really thought about it. Hmmm... Marriage between two people is a sacred bond, whether one is religious or not. However, it is also a political bond. Think of centuries ago when marriage was not just from love but from a joining of two families and the growth of those joined resources. I even think of my grandmother's parents who were not only husband and wife, but uncle and niece! A union to keep their valued property in the family! (Oops, now you know my interbreeding family past. :/ ) And then the issues of citizenship and being able to be a part of a country solely through marriage. I wonder how many times someone has applied for a license just to jump through that citizenship loop-hole. Goodness, and I shouldn't need to get into the issues of marriage equality. Not too long ago a large number of states refused marriage licenses for interracial unions. Oh, and do not get me started on Gay marriage. We all deserve the right to marry who we love... Ok, I'll stop on that thought. So, now that I think about it, I am really lucky that I can go to the County office of records and sign that paper, give that oath and pay that money. I am lucky cause I get to do it to the man I love and for the only reason of love. No one is forcing me, no one is telling me no, and we both really want this. I am quite lucky to be a part of this bureaucratic craziness after all...

10:00 - a dear friend's mother's funeral

Last week, a dear friend of mine lost her mother out of nowhere. It really makes you think and treasure all that is near and dear. You never know when someone will just leave this earth... You never know, so treasure every moment.

2:00 - eye brow waxing!

For the first time! I just made a good amount of appointments to "beautify" myself. You should have seen me at the Origins store yesterday. I think I am ready and have a nice plan to get myself all pretty and perfect for the big day. I talk more about this later...

4:00 - finally did my Tracy Anderson video for the day

Oh, and Tracy A deserves her own blog post as well. I love her, but I am also getting really sick of her. After Bill, Tracy is the most consistent person in my life. I see her everyday. Every stinking day... Much on her later.

6:00 - finally got my butt out the door to do cardio

I walked. Couldn't get myself to run. Hey, it was 40 minutes! My goal for these 25 days is to exercise EVERYDAY. And to do a portion of the Tracy A video everyday (the arms. I want ballerina arms.)

9:00 - finally started some real wedding tasks that were on the list

This was good and productive. I started and almost finished a big task... CAKE PLATES! So cute and perfect! And cheap! I'll give a tutorial on the cake plates on the next post. :)

11:00 - ordered fun stuff (he he) online

Victoria Secret. That's all I'll say. Was able to use a few gift cards, he he... Also bought Bill's swimming trunks cause we need suits to GO TO HAWAII! I keep forgetting that we have a Honeymoon after the big day. That will be SO nice - a break from the planning, dieting, working out, stressing... Cannot wait.

Oops, it's 12:30am. We are now on day 23! But, I'll leave day 23 till tomorrow. This post is technically day 24. Ok? Ok.

Nighty night.

CRINOLINE...

2011-06-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

I would be lying if I said I am starting all of the detailed things today. Over the past two days I have been working on a few projects. I have to share and teach you so you can do it too! I really only say this because I learned how to do these on the internet, so now I have to contribute to the community by putting my tutorial on the web too!

Here I go...

Crinoline:

I bought the dye from Jo-Ann's. Goodness, I love that place. The dyes were different than what I researched. I looked into RIT and Dylon, but both had me hesitant since I constantly heard that the polyester/nylon fabrics didn't hold the dye well. Also, I really wanted to do it in my washer machine since I do not have a stainless steel sink and my bath tub is an antique and, well, I am not comfortable with discoloring it at the moment. So I wanted something that could be used in my washing machine.

Well, guess what? The brand has dye that dyes polyester! And has printed instructions for the washer machine! Yep. Seriously. See?

So I bought one poly dye and one just regular dye for natural fibers, both in a nice rich yellow color (by the way, iDye has a nice variety of colors, just like RIT). From there I went to my moms (she lives out of town, which means I go there for an over-night trip) where I did a little research and then changed my mind. According to the iDye website, the most effective way of dying polyester is to use the stovetop. Great. I need to cook this slip like spaghetti. Thus, I discussed the situation with my mom, she filled a few pots with water and we started the task.

We didn't have a pot big enough, and I didn't want to render any pot "unusable" after I soiled it with dye, so we took the very hot water and filled my mom's laundry sink with it. I put both packets of dye into the hot water, shoved my slip into the hot, yellow mess, and the let it dye!

The instructions said 30 minutes to 1 hour for letting the dye set. I decided on 1 1/2 hours. I really wanted a yellow crinoline! I made sure to give the sink a nice stir every 15 minutes (with gloves and long sticks since the water stayed really hot the whole time!). Here it was after that nice, long bath.

Once done, I threw the slip into the washer machine with some Woollite and gentle cycle. My mom then hung the crinoline to let it dry, I was sleeping during that task. And, well, this is what I woke up to!:

Overall, I love the slip, the color is PERFECT and it looks fun under my dress. :)

it starts today...

2011-06-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Today is the day that I begin my daily journal of the last few days of our wedding. Why not? Why not create a daily blog to list the crazies, the busy-s, the fuss? A place to see the progress? A place for me to vent so I do not have to vent or get really excited to just Bill? Why not? So, let's go...

Here are the details so far:

Where: Mendocino, CA
When: June 25, 2011
How: I get my dress on, walk down the aisle, say "I do" and then party
Why: Cause I love that guy with all my heart and it's time to take this relationship to the next level (it's about time!)
What: A wedding, big dummy
Who: Me, Bill and quite a few close friends

So, as you can tell, I only have 25 DAYS until the big day. Surprisingly, I am not freaking out. However, I am getting busier with all the things I have to do. Thus, I will write as the tasks unfold and as I prepare... for the big day! We have a long list, I have a full agenda, I am not going to rest until the details are settled. Oh, and should I mention that the rest of the items are just details? The big stuff is taken care of:

venue, check;

invites, check;

Bill's suit, check;

(That's not it, but you get the idea)

my dress, check;

(also not my dress, could you guess that?)

vendors (cake, food, DJ, flowers, hair, photographer), check;

So, yes. A lot of stuff is figured out! And now on to the smaller things. Watch me figure things out, put things together, gets things sorted out (sorta).

And thus, I begin...

25 days until the day! YAY!

I have learned A LOT about weddings...

2010-01-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

Getting married is great. Uh-huh. Yep. That is what I have to constantly tell me myself after dealing so many things that a wedding entails! Location, place-settings, time limits, food, outside, inside, hotel rooms, money, money, money... Bill and I really do not know how people do it, but it seems that so many people out there drop $1,000s on weddings! $10,000s! I wish we could too! But we can't, and that is what makes it so hard. I love the idea of marrying Bill and having a great day, weekend or week to celebrate with our families and closest friends. However, it is a long and stressful process finding the "perfect" place that works with what we want and what we can spend. Well, what is it that we want? Well, here is the vision:

A pretty place that is a little more un-conventional (ranches over hotels; local restaurant over chains)
A June 2011 wedding
A place that stays open past the 9 or 10 o'clock noise ordinance (preferably till 12am or 1am-ish?)
A place where EVERYONE can just walk back to bed, so we can all party without worrying about getting home
Good food (preferably organic and local) and beverages
Warm-ish (I say this cause the Nor-Cal coast can be cold and foggy during the summer months)
Possibly a place where we can chill over a few days, not just get bussed in and out for the wedding and reception

It is tough, especially since we live in some of the most popular and in-demand wedding areas of the world - Napa, Carmel, San Fran, Mendocino... There are MANY places to get married, but MANY places that are just out of our price range. For example, I want to get married at the MacCullam House in Mendocino. Look at it!:

This place is perfect - at a hotel, the party moves indoors after the music outside shuts down, beautiful area, everything is included in the cost of the place, comes with a wedding coordinator, they even shuttle the guests to and from the ceremony site! However, this place is about $5,000 out of the price range. Plus, people will be expected to drop a few for hotels and it gets cold and foggy in Mendocino during the summer. Dang.

However, there are some other options that I'll show below. Bill and I visited places last weekend and yesterday. It is looking more promising, especially as we are finding it easier to give up a few things to make our vision work. So, here is what we have so far:

Randonich Ranch in Los Gatos, Ca:

Map:
Place:
Thoughts:

Love the look of it - open ranch, pretty area, tables will be set up outside, the house with the big door will hold the DJ and dancing, great location near the beach and cute towns
The lady who we would work with is AWESOME! So sweet and caring. I feel like she would be very mothering, helping us solve problems with a great smile and pat on the back. Love that!
The food will be local, grilled on site, fresh...
We will provide alcohol, which sounds nice and kinda fun (I think) since we will choose.
Ceremony will happen onsite
Ok cost - $3,000+/- site rental, $80+/- per person for food (not alcohol)...
CONS: Ends at 9:30pm, is 20 minutes down a windy road back to a hotel site
We are thinking of this place, and thinking that if we do this, we will DEFINITELY have to rent a shuttle.

El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma, Ca:

Map:
Place:

Thoughts:

Love the location - downtown Sonoma, across the city square (where the Bear Flag Revolt happen, the fight for California Independence. Gotta love history!). Sonoma is also close to Napa, San Fran, Sac, pretty places, great shops and restaurants...
Has a hotel on site - the El Dorado Hotel
We can move the party at 10:30 to the Meritage which is described below
May stay open a little later if we rent the whole place, otherwise shut-down is 10:30
May work with our budget, but still need to get the details
CONS: May be out of budget? May need to rent all 27 rooms? The people were nice, but not helpful. First time we were more confused after viewing than before. Will need to figure out a ceremony site elsewhere.

Ramekins in Sonoma, Ca:

Map:

Same as above

Place:

Obviously under construction - $30,000 renovation to the outside

Thoughts:

Again, like the location. However, it is NOT in the town square but about 1/2 mile away.
It is in a building that would be very much like a hotel reception room. It is nice, but newer, more conference-room like
The lady we talked to was AMAZING! She asked tons of personal questions to get an idea of who we are, I loved that!
Ceremony can happen there, outside in renovated outside
Can go late (I think maybe 12?)
6 rooms will be available there
Can work with our budget - site fee is $4,000 on weekends, $2,500 on non-weekend and probably about $80 for each person for food AND alcohol
CONS: Not liking the ambiance

Meritage in Sonoma, Ca:

Map:

Same as above

Place:

Thoughts:

This would be the "after-hours" place in Sonoma, if needed
$2,000 to rent this place from 10pm to 1:30 am, DJ included. The bar will be open and we could do light appetizers
Nice option to party late, if needed

So, this is where we are at. We are going to "chew" on these options a bit, try to make it work in our heads. Who knows, maybe we'll find something else? Maybe something perfect and beautiful will fall in our laps? Who knows... We have got time!

that love happens...

2009-12-27T23:30:00.000-08:00

I learned that love happens. All my life I have dreamed of being in love, getting married, having a family... And now it is happening. Bill proposed on November 21, 2009, in Mendocino. Right at this spot:

It was short, sweet, and very quick. It was very much like Bill, and it was very perfect. Well... except that he didn't go on a knee, which I complained about the next day. Yes, we argued over it. However, when we got home, he got down on a knee and proposed to me a third time (the very first time was done "informally" in Vietnam). Here is the ring:

The inscription is perfect and Bill did it all by himself (ahh...) - Feb 12, 2005 - (eternity symbol). Here it is on! (Just got it back, re-sized and beautiful!)

I learned that I love to take pictures...

2009-09-29T17:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the highlights of my last trip to China and Vietnam...Taking pictures of Hong Kong.
Yangshuo, China. Beautiful rice paddys and crazy mountains.
Right outside our hotel in Yangshuo, China.

Hanoi, Vietnam.

Our hotel in Sapa, Vietnam. Northern Vietnam and a place that is so beautiful you would sware it was heaven.
Picture I loved in Sapa, Vietnam.

Pink skies, purple roads - I love Hanoi! Such an amazing city....

my "high" of the day...

2009-01-15T22:09:00.001-08:00

I thought I would be fun and mention the "high" of my day today. Well, there were a lot of lows - I have been sick for a few days, I have been bombarded with tons of grading and I my house has been a mess (and will stay a mess) for the longest time. However, I have to say that I have the most wonderful guy in my life... My "high" of the day involves a trip to the emergency room at 1 am. I woke up feeling HORRIBLE; my throat hurt, I couldn't breathe, I had a horrible headache and I wanted to die... I knew I couldn't make it, and I knew that hospital was the only option. SO, I woke up Bill, cried, and then he drove me to the ER. Now, I live near downtown, so this had to be the most interesting ER EVER! While waiting, a man with only a few teeth told me he was as old as the bible (I think that is what he said, I couldn't really understand him), some very masculine women were drunk and one looked as though someone scratched her really bad across the face, tons of bums (and regulars that I have seen in the neighborhood) were sleeping, other crazy people were coming in and out.... Oh, it was a SIGHT! I was a little nervous, but I felt bad for Bill - he was sick too and had to get up early for work. I told him to go home (since it was only three blocks away), and he said he will... "in 15 minutes..." But, 15 minutes turned into 2 hours of waiting. I loved him for that, since he knew and I knew that I would have been fine in the waiting room of the crazies. However, he knew he didn't want to think of me being in such a place without him. I totally love that guy, and was so glad that he stayed and kept me company. So, that was my high of the day, the feeling that my significant other does love me and is willing to sacrifice a little for me...

Christmas time!!!

2008-12-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

Bill and I got our Christmas tree yesterday. It was awesome! We went to Apple Hill, about 45 minutes from here in the foothills of the Sierras. I was able to get some apple cider and we chowed down on an apple fritter... so good.

We then went to the Christmas Tree farm to get our tree and, as soon as we got there, it started snowing. Just a few snow flakes at first, and then, by time we found the perfect tree, it was crashing down!

It was awesome, though cold. Stupid me, I wasn't even thinking of how cold it would be in the hills - usually I am super prepared but I didn't even bring a glove yesterday! Good thing we didn't stay too long!

The tree is awesome, even though it cost us $60! However, it was worth the trip and the fact that we didn't "kill" a tree, they cut the tree high so another tree grows on the same stump. Essentially we cut off a branch of the tree. We were a little more ecological!

Last year we bought a live tree (tree was still in the planter so it was alive) - I wanted to do this to save a tree. However, since I do not really have a green thumb, the tree died in our house anyway. So, we'll just cut down our trees from now on.

My day today...

2008-12-07T12:51:00.001-08:00

Can I post all the cool things I learned today? Why am I asking? Here are all of the "ah-has" and just cool stuff I stumbled upon today as I was finishing my last assignments for my masters program (that sound like I am finishing the program, which I am not even close to! I am just finishing 2 of the 1,000 classes I have to take... it's going to take awhile!).

Websites:

Mahalo.com

This site rocks! It condenses all the information you would search for into a page of tons of information! I just looked up "Sacramento" and the page I got back had fast facts, history, suggestions on where else to look and so on. Rad!

Wordle.net

I don't want to say much because it is just awesome on it's own. It's fun, you'll like it!

Words of wisdom:

I love these quotes that I found...

Man: The glory, the jest, and riddle of the world.
To err is human; to forgive divine.

Both are by Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

oh, io...

2008-12-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

Tons of fun was had in Ohio-land. We hung out a lot with his family; I ate more than I have ever eaten, ever; and it was nice to get away... I did get sick, though, and threw-up on Bill's mom's carpet in the hallway. Oh well, Bill said it was good and that I am more "in" with his family since now there is a story - "hey, do you remember when Tracy threw-up in the hallway?"

oh ohio...

2008-11-24T22:20:00.000-08:00

ohio haiku:

tracy's version:

ohio is cool

white snow, fall leaves, big gray skies

will i stay warm? no.

bill's version:

ohio, my home.

leaves change color and it snows

go bucks, tribe, and the browns!

Super duper ohio time. We leave in a few hours and it will take us a few hours to pack. Can't we just throw clothes in a suitcase and not sort it out? Wouldn't that be nice? Throwing stuff in a bag and everything is what you need????

Ugh, I hate packing. But I look forward to seeing bill's family. I LOVE HIS FAMILY! :) His sisters are like bill, but they are girls - even better!

Here's a picture from when we were in ohio-land last time:

blogging wasn't on my list of things to do today...

2008-11-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

I wasn't supposed to set up a blog today. I have a stack of grading, I need to run, I need to clean, I have to go to Trader Joes (oh, I love that place) and I want to relax. And I need to do all of that before I go to my dad's. When am I supposed to do all of this in just a few hours???

Ugh.

Happy note (I need to force it out before I get too negative): Umm... I get to go to Ohio on Tuesday? Oh, and I am going to develop three of about a million rolls of film today. I love developing pictures, so much excitement in what the pictures are and how they will turn out!

shall i begin?

2008-11-23T14:27:00.000-08:00

I guess I will start this online journal of me, for everyone to see. Sound good? Maybe this way I will stay in touch with my friends even more. Maybe this way they can peak into my life and see what I am up to? I hate having friends so far away, I wish I wouldn't have to have a blog so they can see what is going on. But, then again, this is kinda fun playing with new Web 2.0 technology. Humm... what will I start writing????...