Moving on...

So the wedding is over and so is the honeymoon...:(

B and I will be posting wedding photos, honeymoon pics and continuing the blog over on the website of www.myfirstnameandhisfirstname.com This is not the site but if you substitute "myfirstname" with my actual first name and the same with his, you will get the site. It probably won't be updated for a week or two.

Also, there will be a page for you to upload your photos from the wedding. I am dying to see everyone's pictures so you can either upload them yourselves or send them to me.

More things...

Pineapples do not grow on trees. I thought they did.

Things I have learned so far on my honeymoon

1. San Francisco is very very very hilly. You might even say semi-mountainous.
2. Flight to Hawaii is 5-6 hours not 2-3 hours.
3. Time difference between Hawaii and Boston is 5 hours, not 8.
4. There are mosquitos in Hawaii and they do bite.
5. I do not like repelling.

Married

And it is done. And I couldn't be happier. The weather cleared just in time and I really believe that someone(s) from above was looking out for us. I don't normally dance and I danced up a storm. B and I were really glad with how it turned out and was what we feel was a great party.

Thanks to everyone who came, was thinking of us on that day or was there in spirit.

Also note to others - if you hand a card to a bride who has finally started drinking and didn't eat much, SIGN YOUR NAME because she won't remember who gave it to her.

Update on the Saturday

forecast: 100% good times!

Rain rain go away

Or stay, I don't care. While there currently is a 70% chance of rain for Saturday right now and I just bought a new umbrella to use and I am excited. It has polka dots on it.

cough, cough

Everyone in my office is sick and my throat is achy. I really need a good night's sleep to stave off any cold. Seriously.

I am packed and just need to finish this report at work. Then I am good to go.

Confessed...

Since the BC game was at night, B and I were able to go to confession and wipe the slate clean. Though I would like to go on record as saying we both got the same penance and I had more prayers to say when I was 8. I think they were happy to young adults were going to confession and didn't want to scare us away.

If we went with the original date...

...we would be married by now.

However, we would be drenched. According to B's mom it is pouring in Brooklyn. Also, weather.com is now saying sun for November 15. So we will see.

We have the infamous Notre Dame game tonight and all day we have been crossing things off the list. Everyone has been assigned a table and we are almost done with the placecards. I had a minor snafu but it is all minor and completely fixable. Tomorrow hopefully programs will be printed and folded and the dress arrives home.

I have yet to have a real breakdown but it may be coming. Or not.

We head to NYC late Wednesday night. Monday and Tuesday will be busy with actual work since we won't be back in the office until December 1.

10 day forecase

November 8: showers
November 15: showers

Single digit days to wedding: Yay!
Going home tomorrow: YAY!

Still in London...

While I wish I could have stayed up last night, I did get a very exciting text about 4:00 am my time.

In my absence, B has been a wedding task warrior. And I have done very little. It is amazing that it is 10 days away and tomorrow will show up in the 10 day forecast on weather.com. Weather.com is still predicting rain for November 8. However the 12 and 13 are rain as well. Maybe I should buy a pair of Wellies while I am here - just in case. I have always wanted a pair.

We still have not decided on a gospel reading.

Travel...

So not only am I in Europe a week before my wedding but I will be in Cincinnati the week after my honeymoon. Crazy.

Gospel?

Seriously we cannot decide on the Gospel reading and spent yet another night discussing it. We both finally picked one we liked but disagree with the other's choice. We have to do the programs so we need this decided in a week or so.

Also, I have to find a Catholic Church in London so I can go to confession. It seems like the right thing to do and I am surprised it hasn't dawned on me before now. (Actually it never dawned on me, BM Kim brought it up.)

I hope the Farmer's Almanac is correct!

from www.farmersalmanac.com

November 2008
1st-3rd Stormy, with snow over northern regions, and squally rains for the Mid-Atlantic States. Not a great day for the runners competing in the ING Marathon in New York!
4th-7th Cold and dry.
8th-11th Wet weather, then fair and cold. [ORIGINAL WEDDING DATE=WET WEATHER]
12th-15th Fair skies. [YAY!!!!!! I WILL TAKE FAIR SKIES TO WET WEATHER]
16th-19th Some snow for Mid-Atlantic States, then fair and cold. Stormy for Pennsylvania, New York up to Maine.
20th-23rd Wet for New England, then fair. Rain Mid-Atlantic States, followed by clearing.
24th-27th Fair and cold for Thanksgiving.
28th-30th Storm out of the Southwest dumps rain, sleet and wet snow from Virginia, Maryland northward.

We pray to the Lord...

Lord hear our prayer.

We also searched high and low for the prayer of the faithful readings but couldn't find any ones that were not cheesy. So I decided to hijack my friend Teresa's prayers (I read them at her wedding so it is okay. Because it is almost like I wrote them). We are just changing names (while I wouldn't mind praying for her Grandma who is no longer with us, I got peeps of my own to pray for) and we have one prayer that is dependent upon the outcome of November 4 (I will be in London that day which I think will be very interesting. And yes my absentee ballot has been sent in a VERY official envelope. I am not kidding about the envelope. I half expected confetti to pop out.).

It has been a very religous few days in our apartment.

Readings picked!

For those who want to know what will be read at the wedding see below. If you want to be surprised then don't look.

We were actually very picky about the readings and even as of right now don't have the gospel chosen.

The first reading will be Jeremiah 31: 31-34 and read by my niece Katie. The second reading will be Colossians 3:12-17 read by his niece Meghan.

I am starting to get stressed because I feel like I need to have things figured out by the time I leave for London. But between you and me, I am so excited to go to London and be a tourist by myself. And also not deal with wedding stuff. It is my last hurrah as a single lady.

And nothing makes a wedding seem real like paying all the vendors...

Kind of busy...

So I have realized my posts are becoming fewer and further between but things are just getting a bit hectic between the wedding, work and life in general.

So things are getting done and I leave for England on October 30.

Oh and I swear a guy that works in the building next to mine was on "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?" And I think I was staring and made him feel uncomfortable.

One month

It is one month away today. It is crazy how the time has been flying and that our wedding seemed like it was light years away. And now, it is one month away.

I think this weekend will be heavy with wedding tasks and a little BC football mixed in.

Work has been so crazy that I have to postpone my second dress fitting.

Leaving on a jet plane...

Just sent my travel information to the corporate travel agent. Looks like I am going to London and will be back one week before the wedding.

I don't know if this is a good or bad thing.

Forty percent...

With one week to go before the RSVP cut off and we are missing responses from 40% of invited guests. While some people have sent us part of the RSVP via email, we don't have cards in hand.

And since I am at work today I totally forgot that the mail won't come. Checking for RSVPs is pretty much my only motivation to go home. Well that and my DVRed tv shows. I love the DVR.

Weekend...

So it is Sunday and we had an action packed weekend. Saturday I finally got shoes that I liked, tulle to attempt to make a veil, returned the largest wine glasses ever (that we registered for so it is my fault), and got baskets for the bathroom baksets we will hopefully assemble. Also on Friday we had sent some hard to find songs to our DJ.

Non-wedding related: We picked up our half marathon numbers and today we got up at 6:30 to get to the Fens for the BAA half marathon. We then proceeded to run 13.1 miles. Both B and I ran well. We got decent times, felt good throughout most of it. We are now seated on the couch where we have been for a while and continue to be for the night. We are even planning on ordering in because we are that lazy. Oh one casualty was my running shoes (which were getting past their prime anyway), I guess I got a blood blister that popped during the run, bled through my socks ala Curt Schilling and then came up through my shoes.

Bad day...

I got dismissed from the impanelment process at jury duty and then I get home to find no RSVPs for the second day. I jinxed myself by bragging about 3 a day for 3 days.

Shocking

The first of the guys to get measured for the tuxedos are the last I expected...my brothers. I believe it is due to Jackie but I have been wrong before. Just the one time.

rsvps...

It is strange but for the past three days, we have received 3 rsvps each day. There are 13 mailing days left until the cut off date for the rsvps. If we continue at this rate, we will be done before October 20. But I doubt that will happen. But I am hopeful.

We are closing in on 100 people RSVPing yes...I wonder who the 100th person will be?

God Save the Queen...

...or rather God save B since it as it stands right now, I am scheduled to be in London (England) October 31 - November 7. Basically, B is going to have to pick up the slack while I am gone.

I should start making lists now for him.

New soul mate

I have been left alone which means I can watch all my saved TV stores on the DVR. So I have been watching back to back episodes of Oxygen's Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood and I think I found my new soul mate...Tori Spelling. Seriously, I have such a new, deep understanding of her and I think I can relate to her. I mean I know I didn't grow up in a mansion with a dad who had snow flown in so I could have a white christmas but that girl is crazy. And I like it. Though I disagree with her TV placement in her house.

I think I am done with all the episodes though. I hope there is a third season.

Shea Goodbye

So not only is the Mets season over but so is Shea Stadium. This past Saturday, B and I went to a game (the second to last game at Shea) and the best part was - we got to go on the warning track. A special fundraiser was put together by garykeithandron.com. We bought tickets and a t-shirt in exchange for going on the warning track during the national anthem.

Here is what we saw:

Santana warming up, he was lights out...


Our feet on the warning track...


The home run apple...


The stadium around us...

Thoughts on marriage...

The political climate being what it is and the recent decree by Governor Patterson has made me realize I shouldn't take for granted the ease as to which we walked into City Hall and got a marriage license.  

June 17, 2007 marked the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court case of Loving v. Virginia.  And on its anniversary, Mildred Loving (the wife of the inter-racial couple) issued this statement: 

"Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don’t think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the “wrong kind of person” for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about."

$5 savings plan

While at pre-cana, we had a talk about financials.  And the moderator talked about having to get creative about saving money.  She read an article about how five dollar bills had the least amount in circulation and that you should never spend one.  So she started stocking away every five dollar bill that came into her possession.  In three years, she had saved $12,000.  

Me being the consummate saver that I am, I jumped on yet another way to save money.  So since late April, I have been following this savings plan.  And I also set up a fine system meaning that if I use a $5 when I shouldn't, I owe myself $10.  Though things like buying a $5 charity raffle do not get fined.  

It is my system so I can make the rules.  However, here is an article about this savings method.

To date I have $515.  Not bad.   

E-pics are in!

And I love them!!!  The color, the lighting, the finishing, everything except my stomach or arms in certain pictures.  But she can't control that...

After the make up disaster it is such a relief that there are many pictures I want to have printed.  

Time to shut up...

A new book out says that verbal communication may not be the best thing. I guess it makes men shut down - oh really?? like that is news. An article on cnn.com says that it is about nonverbal communication with many men.

Statistics, statistics, yay!

So I promised you some RSVP trends.  And here they are... [some percentages do not add to 100% due to rounding].

The main thing I find interesting is that 2/3 of couples are ordering the same main course.  I would think people would take one of each.  

68% have picked beef compared to 21% for chicken and 11% for the kids meal.

• 77% of B's guests have selected beef compared to 57% of mine. 
  

We sent invites to 79 households for a total of 164 people.  This is an average of 2.1 guests per invite.  

Overall, 32% of households have responded and that is 33% of invited guests.  Of all the invited guests, 29% accepted, 4% declined, and 67% have yet to respond.

• B has an overall household response rate of 27% and I have one of 37%.
• I have heard from 36% of my invited guests (27% accepted, 9% have declined, 64% no response).
• B has heard from 29% of his invited guests (29% accepted, 0% declined, 71% no response).

Make up continuation

Shout wipes are a great make up remover. Just be careful not to get too close to the eyes.

Dressmaker, dressmaker...

...fit me a dress!

First fitting today and I don't really have shoes. I am wearing flats so the length really won't be an issue and I bought a pair of cheap shoes as stand ins.

I really have to stop procrastinating.

I said natural...

I said I don't want make-up at all.

I said I want to look natural.

I said I don't want to feel like I have a lot of make-up on.

She said I need to have a spray tan because I am pale.

She said my eyebrow shape needs to be redone because it does nothing for my face.

She said I need highlights.

She said I need to get a facial before the wedding.

After an hour (I only had 30 minutes to give her so now I am late)...

B said I looked like Krusty the Clown.

On to plan b...

Wild weekend

So B and I have just gotten back from a whirlwind weekend. While we didn't get everything done with got most of it done.

So I had my hair trial and loved it - messy bun that looks very nice. I know it sounds like an oxymoron that something messy looked nice but you had to be there.

Our engagement pictures with Sarah Tew were a blast. We had fun even though it was awkward at times. Sarah is very patient and the few pictures we saw on her camera looked great. My favorite so far is a picture of us at the end of a tunnel and we are in the shadows and jumping.

We had fun at B's sister-in-law's surprise party Saturday night.

On Sunday we went to Long Island and hung out with the brothers and Jackie. The DJ had to cover for an employee who got sick so we are meeting him next weekend instead. THis actually worked out for the best.

This morning we got out marriage license! We can get married in NYC sometime afte 9:28 tomorrow but before November 21. So we are ready to go. We got to the Brooklyn city clerk at 8:44 and left at 9:30. Not too bad since the line was looooooong as we were leaving.

I have not mentioned the make up trial and that will be coming in a day or two because it deserves its own post.

The British are coming...

Well actually one Brit and her transplant of a husband. I have become used to finding RSVPs in my mailbox when I get home. But yesterday all I had was a returned invite (sorry Jody I guess the USPS doesn't want you to attend). However, our houseguests (hi Sarah! hi Pete!) arrived and in their hands was an RSVP. It was carried on a pillow all the way from England. I think it had its own seat on the plane. If it didn't, well, it should have.

Lucky for them it was an acceptance (they are having the beef). They are staying at our place while we drive to New York. I had to make sure I hid all my unmentionables because I didn't want Pete to try them on.

According to the knot...

We have 59 days to go and 61 to dos...

Getting a lot done...

While I have been remiss in my blogging it is not because I don't want to tell you what is going on it is just that a lot has been going on and the next few weekends are jam packed with wedding stuff.

We have:
Ordered glowsticks to light the path from the picnic house to the bus at the end of the wedding (we will be handing that job out to someone but don't worry it is most likely not you).
Ordered luminaries for outside the Picnic House.
Confirmed our ceremony musicians, picked out the processional music.
Talked to the pastor of the church and everything looks good there and he told us how much the church costs. Apparently it has not gone up in decades. I guess they are just happy for anyone who wants to marry in the church these days.
Scheduled my hair trial, make up trial, and first dress fitting.
Decided on a new first dance song.
Filled out the DJ paperwork.

Next up this weekend is:
Meet with DJ.
Have hair and make up trial.
Get marriage license (scary! makes it very real!).
Have engagement photos taken (which reminds me we have to pick a place).

Shout outs: Happy birthday Drippy and belated wishes to Jody.

Up next: stats on the RSVPs and some interesting trends. I know you can't wait...

B's Bachelor Weekend

This weekend B is out partying with the boys. Last night about 15 guys met up for the Mets game but the weather decided that they should just hang out in the Shea parking lot for 4 hours. The game was rained out but now Gerard has 15 tickets to trade in for any game this year or next. And my only fear for this weekend was B falling to his death like this guy at Shea. So the weather calmed my fears. The other funny thing was my two brothers were there hanging out with B's friends and I just find it bizarre. I can't picture Rich talking to Bill H. without laughing.

Now he is on to Atlantic City and I just have to worry about how much he will lose...

RSVP trends

Beef is getting picked over chicken, the ratio right now is 2:1. The comment most often written on the RSVP card (when there is one) is Rare (for the beef).

Interesting stuff.

B is a landlord

While B did not sell his condo, he did get renters in there for a good price considering the timing (September 1 is the date of most leases so it is harder to get tenants after that date). So he is now a landlord. I hope he does not become a slum lord.

RSVP

B and I guessed who would be the first to get the RSVP in and we both picked the same person. Well, said person's RSVP arrived today. Yay!!!

I also added a new widget to the blog near the countdown - RSVP counter. So for anyone interested, you can see the progress of my mail. If you are not interested, then just don't scroll down.

They are hitting mailboxes!

I have received word that certain people in Mass (Keith/Jen) and NYC (Erica) have invites in hand.

I hope they have all the parts. Erica can most likely figure it out but Keith is a crapshot.

B's new job as a pundit

B came up with this tidbit all by himself (it is a dig at Sarah Palin so if you are sympathetic, do not read further or if, you know, you don't have a heart. Hi Hillary - glad you have one). He may be brilliant. I said MAY.

1.5 million US troops have served in Iraq.

As of 2006 Alaska's estimated population was 670,000 or to phrase it another way - if Sarah Palin sent every man, woman and child she has ever governed to Iraq she would still need to find 870,000 people to make up the difference.

Trying to convince B...

that I should be a stay at home wife.

My last day at work was yesterday-actually I left at one to go to the Red Sox game. But I did get a note of "thaks" from my boss.

Today I have successfully let the cable guy in, plugged in our phone, did two loads of laundry, ran 4.5 miles, took chicken out of the freezer which I will cook and made the bed. I could that all the time.

They are out!

I just dropped off the invites at the post office. Rather I put them in the box outside the post office because I wanted them out of my house. I just hope that all the envelopes have all the pieces they should. I am confident that they have the invite and the RSVP card so it can't be too bad.

B and I have rsvp'ed yes and we put it in the spreadsheet. We wonder whose RSVP will be the first we receive. I figure it has to be someone from Mass just because of the short amount of time to mail.

Also Ann called to tell me she received the invites and all is well.

I have a picture of them but I couldn't download it but hopefully I can fix that tonight.

B is a happy camper

Xbox 360 is here. In the house. I am so excited (insert sarcasm here).

We did get a vacuum though which again is more for him than me. But he did use it already on the couches so I am a happy. I wanted to mail out the invites today but I didn't motivate myself to go to the post office.

BC football starts today.

Moving Weekend...

For almost everyone in Boston but us. About 90% of all apartment renters have a September 1 start date to a lease. It is well known that if you need a Uhaul truck to move you have to reserve it in January. This weekend wreaks havoc on the city and they even schedule extra city workers for the weekend. Mainly it is because of traffic and trash - everyone piles garbage up on the sidewalk of furniture no longer needed/wanted.

I am keeping a low profile this weekend. One moving truck already left the street and the neighbors next door are piling up things to move on their porch.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Billy and Jackie on their engagement.

I received a picture of a hand with a ring on it from Jackie. Confused, I called B but he was out to lunch. So after texting back "Congratulations?" I received confirmation that she is in fact engaged.

I didn't confirm it was to Billy but I am assuming so. So congratulations to those two and welcome to the family Jackie.

My problem aka random thoughts of the morning

I have realized I have no problems with authority but I do have a problem with idiots in a position of authority - namely my boss.

I have sent email chains to others and they agree with my assessment.

Only four days...

Long weekend this weekend with fun filled shopping (we realized that fall clothes are coming and B only has one pair of swim trunks. We are hoping to get some honeymoon gear), golf for B, cleaning for the both of us, a Sox game, sleep, movies (for me), mailing of the invites, and some running.

We also created a JOINT savings account. Big day for us!! Hmmmm, I should get the login and password before I put any of my money in there.

Best Places to Get the Benjamins

America's Best Places to Earn a Living according to Forbes.com

1. Houston, Texas
2. Minneapolis, Minn.
3. Boston, Mass.
4. Washington, D.C.
5. New York, N.Y.

We are not moving to 1 or 2 that is for sure.

If this happens at the wedding...

we have some problems. Mainly the following:
1) I don't know Lucas Haas so making out with him would be awkward
2) I do not have the power to stop time but maybe I do. I would love to have that power, it was always the one I wanted on Charmed.
3) Obviously, this couple has some issues.



If you are in Denver, Death Cab for Cutie is playing at the SEIU/NEA rally for Healthcare Reform.

A side note: CSPAN is my favorite channel right now. I love the musical interludes with random delegates dancing.

Shout outs: Much belated Birthday wishes to Cousin Karen, Niece Megan

Invites galore!

So BM Kim and I stuffed, stamped, and addressed the invites on Saturday afternoon. B helped with the stamping part in between naps, the Mets, and Joe Biden's speech. Since a large majority of the work was done while listening to Obama and Biden speak, we hope that the invites were infused with lots of democratic vibes that will spread across the nation. Sorry Republicans!

Also, we sent some invites to politicians and B added David Wright to list. I decided at the last minute to invite him with guest because he wont' know anyone at the wedding and it seemed like the right thing to do. I wonder if he will respond?

More on the stamp...

While everyone knows that B is a big baseball fan and we have seen the Mets (and their minor league affiliates) play in many stadiums throughout the country but he actually liked the stamps for other reasons. B and I had gone to Cooperstown earlier in our relationship (we were going to my childhood friend's wedding and I felt bad for dragging him to Geneva, NY so I coaxed him into the idea of a 7-hour drive with promises of Cooperstown).

And while we were there we learned about the history of the song "Take me Out to the Ball Game". It was written by a man who had never seen a baseball game but got inspired to write the song after seeing a subway sign that said "Baseball Today - Polo Grounds". The song is about a girl whose suitor wants to take her to a show but she justs want to to the baseball game.

2008 is the 100th anniversary of the song. It didn't become popular until 1976 after Harry Caray was heard singing along during the 7th inning stretch and fans followed suit.

For more of the story behind the song, click here.

Original lyrics:1908 Version

Katie Casey was baseball mad,
Had the fever and had it bad.
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou
Katie blew.
On a Saturday her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go
To see a show, but Miss Kate said "No,
I'll tell you what you can do:"
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowds;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.
Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names.
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along,
Good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:
Enjoy the stamp for the one second you look at it.

USPS

This weekend I am addressing the invites and such with some help from friends. So I had to bring the assembled invite to the post office at lunch (which is right near Au Bon Pain which means I got me some Arizona Chicken. yay!) and have it weighed. it was .7 ounces which means we can go with the 42 cent stamp. Sweet! And here is the stamp I selected (with B in mind).

Funny that we come in under budget on small things like stamps but go over budget on big things like transportation or my rings.

I am a Barb

I was looking for Big Love starts again and took this quiz instead.

How did Weight Watchers Survive?

With foods like this:

Funny thing is, I remember these cards. I think I just blocked out the food on them.

One year of blogging

Today is the one year anniversary of my blogging!

Everyone go out and celebrate!

Can Love Survive the Flu asks CNN

B says he has a great immune system and never gets sick. He does caveat it with the fact that every couple of years he will catch something and it is always bad. Like really bad. He claims I will have to make him eat, drink, and basically breathe. Sometimes I think he doubts whether I can handle it. In my humble opinion, I think men are just bad patients good or bad immune system.

I thought of this fact when reading this CNN article, "Can Love SUrvive the Flu?". I had the flu this past year (I don't get the flu shot) and we survived.

Three month mark

Waahooo!!!!! I think it is going to start getting busy again which is good for since it will mean more posts.
And to be honest I didn't realize it was the three month mark until now. B claims he realized it much earlier. Whatever.

And...

I just spoke to my personal HR consultant (aka BM Ellen) and she said to wait until I have the paperwork or the tracking number before I tell my boss. Problem is I feel guilty. I need to get over it I guess.

Some news...

I got a new job. I hadn't planned to look until after the wedding but an opportunity fell into my lap. I am going back to the medical/pharma market research world and working with a former colleague. They know about my honeymoon and stuff and are okay with it. It is in the burbs which means both B and me work out of the city. I don't think we can both work in the suburbs. It annoys me.


Best part of working at this new place even though it is in the burbs? I don't need a car. I can take a shuttle bus from the T (a four minute ride from my current T stop)!!!! My commute will be about the same as it is now from Medford to Cambridge.


In celebration of the good news, B and I are rethining our cable package. We may just get HBO. I have been saying no to the added monthly expense for years now. It wasn't bad because I could just watch Sopranos and Big Love at B's place. Well, Big Love is starting soon and the increase in pay just may warrant a little splurging. Maybe. We will see what other channels B wants to add. I have the final say. That is how I roll.


Sorry for the rambling but I am excited. This is one of the reasons I haven't been posting as much.

Things we learned...

Sorry that I haven't been blogging lately but there has not been much to say. The Cape was awesome and we (me, B, John, Caroline, Keith, Jen, Erica, and BFD) ate a ton, went to the beach, played catchphrase, hot tubbed, and watched the Olympics.

But we learned some things:
a) I need a vacation house near water.
b) Bob Costas does not lie
c) Do not watch gymnastics with BFD - she gets too nervous
d) I am a much better tennis plater on a clay court
d) Cape rocks, returning to reality stinks
e) Catchphrase is the best game ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

100 days and counting...

I know I haven't been posting much but life has kind of been busy as has work. But I did want to point out that the wedding is 100 days away (tomorrow will be double digits!).

Going away to the Cape tomorrow so don't expect to hear from me.

How do I convince B?

CNN had an interesting article about the growing trend of stay-at-home wives. Wives not mothers meaning no kids, no job. Makes me think home ec classes may be coming back into fashion.

I want that. Then we could get a dog.

Read the full article here.

A shoe possibility

I think I may have found the shoe for the wedding. This may be it. I just have to try them on to see if they are comfortable. If they are then they will be my shoe.

The material is very soft and I like the idea of peep toe. And they are flats. Score!

Our Maui Condo

Here are some pictures (by special request):

The actual condo

And click here for the 360 view of the resort.

Who should make the guest list?

A really interesting article today on CNN about how the author devised a quiz to see who should make your wedding guest list and who shouldn't. Read it here.

I wonder how many of our guests would pass the test?

Maui Wowee

We settled upon accommodations for our days in Maui. Yay!!! We had decided a while ago to rent a condo for Maui and that is what we did. We went to Vacation Rentals By Owner and we decided upon the neighborhood of Kaanapali (I am sure there are grammar marks in there somewhere but I am fine with bastardizing the spelling right now). We are staying at what may be the same place MOH Ann stayed at. It is on a great beach, has two pools, and a good restaurant. So we are psyched. We also got an amazing rate on the place which is even better.

Though I did get my first real sense of sticker shock when I saw how much car rentals are on the islands. Wowee!

Belated Birthday

Forgot to wish my brother Rich a happy 4-0!!!! on Sunday. He claims not to feel old. Good for him.

Economy Doesn't Affect Dress Purchase

According to this article, brides will scale back on wine and food but not the dress. This all feeds into the notion that a bride is a princess crap or "Say Yes to the Dress". Let's focus on the main thing - the marriage. You know the thing that is forever and lasts longer than a day.

Read the article here. I sound a little bitter today.

Speaking of "Say Yes to the Dress" it looks like Claudia got the ol' heave ho as she is no longer on the show. Too bad. I liked her.

Bride Shot Dead in Honeymoon Hotel

Thank God we are not going to Antigua.

A bride was killed in a bungled robbery attempt - read about it here.

Financial Infidelity

Secret spending in a marriage was a big discussion item today on the Internet. The story about secret spending was on CNN.com and can be found here.

I am going to watch B like a hawk, like a hawk I tell you.

Versamarker...

A little trick that I learned from some peeps is that you have a code on all the RSVP cards that links back to a guest. This way if someone forgets to write in their name on the card, we know the response (and more importantly the food choice).

So to do this we are using Versamarker. It will put a mark on the back like a watermark and it will be inconspicuous for the most part. I just bought mine since we are doing invitations next month (I am taking any offers of help. I have some wine and may spring for the pizza. Anyone?)

Photog has a blog...

I stumbled upon a new blog by my photographer. Now she doesn't update nearly as much as I do but it gives me another site to stalk on the Internet - which I really don't need but I like.s

I hope she updates soon so I can see what kinds of pictures I like and want to have at the wedding.

Where in NY are E and B?

Now that we have a date for the engagement pictures, we have to pick a spot. One thought we had is to go to Prospect Park. This way we could scout out locations for the wedding day pictures. But then all the pictures would be from the same place.

Then B thought about Central Park - Bethesda Fountain specifically. I have always LOVED this area. You have water and trees and the rest of the city can seem miles away. Plus then we could walk over to the Arsenal where I used work and B can go to the Zoo.





Then there is a place I used to run a lot in New York City - Roosevelt Island. I loved to run around the Lighthouse. (I love any place with water.) There is also the remnants of the Smallpox Hospital and B said it looked like something you would find in an English country side. Though the facade did crumple recently so we would have to take the picture kind of quickly.




However, we have a few weeks to figure it out and we may come up with a new place we haven't thought of.

For his feet...

And B may be wearing these but he has yet to decide:

For my feet...

What I wanted to originally wear on my feet:


However, I was told that this will not provide enough support during the day and I will end up with achy feet and just not happy about it. So then I thought I would get something like these:


But then I thought I may take a cue from some people on Indie Bride and Alett and have my shoes have a bit of color, specifically blue and I thought about something like:


And while many brides change into white flip flops after the ceremony, I want to change into these:


Shout out to MOH Ann: it is her birthday!

You're so vain

Yes I am. I went to the eye doctor today and I got contact lenses. I have wanted them for awhile (I had tried them out once before but it didn't turn out well) and decided that now was the time. Basically I wanted to be able to see people on my wedding and not have my glasses on and my glasses on in pictures. So yes - this second attempt has A LOT to do with vanity and I admit it.

In my everyday life I do not wear my glasses that often. I wear them on my commute to work and then take them off unless I have to go to a meeting (I can't see the screen sometimes). I also wear them when I watch TV or drive. BUt often when we go out I don't want to wear my glasses so I don't and then just squint through the night. But I don't need to do that anymore because I am committed to lenses this time around.

So I am sitting here, with contact lenses on and I am afraid to take them out. I can put them in no problem, it is the getting them out that scares me.

Our E-Pics

B and I are hoping to have a whirlwind wedding weekend in September. We are taking our engagement pictures (something we did NOT want but it is part of the photographer's package as she uses it as a way to get us used to the camera and learns how to best work with us), getting a marriage license on the Monday (it will be 55 days before the wedding), hopefully I will be getting a make-up and hair trial and B will try to arrange a meeting with the DJ. Oh the fun I will have checking off all those to-do items.

Oh and in order to have the best light, we could choose to have our pictures taken at 8 AM or 5 PM. We took the 5 PM option. It suits our lifestyle much better.

Now I just have to figure out where we are going to take the pictures. Any ideas are welcome.

Bridezillas is no longer a favorite

I barely watch this show. The brides are just over the top and ridiculous. It is like they are just doing things to say they are a bridezilla. And one bride (Lisa Copolla) in particular just yells all the time and makes me uncomfortable. It turns out that Kristen is friends with one of the bridesmaids and she claims a lot of it staged and fake. This particular bride looks like she is about to laugh at the end of most of her tirades.

It is so sad that I don't watch this show faithfully anymore. I loved it so and the first few seasons were great.

Puttin' on the ritz

Last night B and GM John went to look and pick out tuxedos (and then came home and watched the DVR'ed Mets game while eating Anna's). I was glad because we had many to-do items with exclamation points in front of them because they needed to get done right away and more than half had to do with the groom thinking or picking out the day's outfit. So I was so happy to go and check off FOUR items last night. And I am glad that B has picked out his outfits and both he and GM John have told me I will like it. And I am trusting them because what they described sounds nice. I am sure B will look great in whatever he wears.

Hint on what he is wearing: It is black.

Rings!!

We finally picked up my ring and I was so excited. It looks so pretty. When talking to the saleslady, I tried it on and quickly put it back in the box. I was afraid to look at it too long because that is how pretty it is. It came with the cutest pouch that has two pockets for the wedding day: one for his ring and one for my rings.

We then go in the car and after five minutes I ask B if I can play with the ring. He says yes and expresses surprise that I didn't gush more in the store. But I was trying to play it cool with the ring.

You never want the ring to know how much you like it. It is all about maintaining the upper hand. You have to have the hand.

Now we have to finalize what we are engraving on the ring.

Run Bride Run

Well I signed up for the Boston Half Marathon (http://www.baa.org/HalfMarathon/Default.asp). I haven't run in awhile so I don't know how I will do but I figure even just training a little bit will help me get in and stay in shape for the wedding. But B is running it as well so I have motivation to train. I mean, it will be hard for me to sit on the couch when I know he is out doing an eight mile run. Guilt really works well on me.

M'head

Yesterday we went to a wonderful wedding (the only other wedding we have to attend besides our own this year) in Marblehead (M'head to the locals) and I want to say congratulations to Hugh and Alett!!

On Tuesday, me and the girls will meet up at the Red Hat to discuss Alett's wedding and this will be the last Alett focused get together. After this week, my wedding will become the focus of the get togethers. I hope I don't start crying at the bars, that will be sad.

Also a note that my wedding day is Hugh's birthday - thought you would want to know.

What we learned at the shower

We learned that I will no doubt cry at the shower. I cried when I got there (even though I had a strong suspicion I was going to my shower) and at the end (but that may have been wine induced). The new trend, that happened today is me welling up with tears just thinking about the wedding.

Case in point, today:
Set scene - in the car driving to the Burlington Mall.
Me: I told Ann I am going to wear her pearls at the wedding.
B: That will be your something borrowed then right?
Me: Yes and I may wear Aunt Betty's earrings and that will be my something blue. And the dress is the something new, I just have to work on the something old.
B: What is wrong?
Me: Nothing.
B: You look like you are going to cry? What is wrong?
Me: I start to cry when I think about the wedding lately.
B: Oh man you are going to be a mess.
Me: I know.
End scene.

I mean, if I cry thinking about the wedding and the shower which I highly suspected, I am going to be a mess at the wedding for sure.

May flowers

bring July showers.

I had my shower on Sunday (as most of you know because you were there) and it was perfect.
Many thanks go out to MOH Ann, BM Kim and BM Ellen.

I think my favorite part was the recipe box and if anyone wants to send more recipes, feel free to. I can read those instead of cookbooks.

Who is in charge of travel documents?

Not me.

We already heard about me losing my license in the airport but then today (another travel day for work and I hope not to travel again too soon) I lost me boarding pass. Twice.

First I lost my boarding pass for Boston to New York. I gave the boarding pass to the flight attendant only to be told it was the boarding pass for my return flight. Oops! Quickly they issued me another one.

Now my return flight's boarding pass has already been torn (and covered in coffee stains). So I handed in one half of the boarding pass and walked onto the plane. I couldn't find the other half and didn't know what seat I was sitting in. The flight attendant told me to just wait a bit to most people sat down and then just sit anywhere. What about the manifest? I guess it doesnt matter. All I know is that B has to hold all travel documents for the honeymoon.

And the winner was...(clarification on I love hot dogs)

After the dog-off (historic I should say), one winner was finally crowned.
He won by seven seconds.
He is an American.
He is Joey Chestnut.

My Green Thumb

I know that tomato plants are pretty hearty but I am excited that mine are growing so well. Over the weekend, they grew a few inches and the main stalk is thickening up. We now have FIVE tomatoes that have formed. I can't wait for them to be ready for harvesting.

The thai pepper plant is doing well also but they take longer to actually bear fruit so it is not as instantly gratifying.

Here are pictures of our growing family.

I love hot dogs

B and I have watched the Nathan's Hot Dog Contest since we first started dating. We love it. We think they are true athletes. When I realized that July 4th fell on Friday my first thought was "we have to go to Coney Island." Lucky for me, B was just as excited as I was. So we set the plans in motion and even convinced BFD (Best Friend Debbie for those who have forgotten) to join us.

We thought the contest started at noon but that is when the televised portion starts. They didn't eat until almost one o'clock. This was a blessing in disguise since BFD arrived late as she was coming from E. 91st Street. And she even arrived in the color of the day - yellow (B and I were wearing yellow by accident and then BFD showed up in yellow). We love you BFD!!

While we were waiting, B walked around and happened upon the bus of athletes about to arrive. Like any good fiance he ran over to get me and whisked me to the arrival area that was inexplicably empty. And then they all started coming off the bus - Sonia "The Black Widow", Badlands Booker, Kobyashi.








I missed getting a shot of Joey Chestnut - the reigning champion and world record holder. But I more than made up for that later.

Here are some pictures of the event. In the ten minutes, B, BFD and I screamed, yelled, and clapped all we could but it end in a tie. The first ever tie. To the dog-off we went. 5 hot dogs, first one to finish wins. All or nothing. America versus Japan. It was more than we had ever dreamed of. It was history in the making. And we were there to witness it first hand.

Pictures of the contest...







After the contest we walked up the boardwalk and caught up. We were getting hungry and decided to head to Park Slope for some food and a drink. While we were walking towards the subway we happened upon two crowds. One around Joey and one around Kobyashi. I thought fast and pushed my way to the top of the crowd and B followed. He got Joey to sign his t-shirt and then he muscled in towards Kobyashi and got his autograph. We are now the proud owners of an autographed shirt commemorating this historic day. We are getting it framed. No joke.

Other pictures of the day...







Shout outs: Happy belated birthday Tim in Georgia, Happy anniversary Jody and Katie, Happy birthday Matthew

Today's Hot Mess

B and I had a great weekend (Go Joey Chestnut! more on that later) but at one point we were discussing what the phrase "hot mess" means. And I provide the below videos as a definition. If La Pequena isn't a hot mess, then I don't know who is.

The Hillary Clinton video made after she conceded the nomination is brilliant but they all are - let's be honest. I like the Mother Teresa one as well. For more, look up La Pequena on youtube.

The final frontier...

Let's get married in space!!! It only costs $2.3 million. Read more here.

Domestic fun

After traveling for week this week and last, I was excited to sleep in and hang around the 'hood. So B and I had a very nice weekend together and it included a lot of Mets games. Saturday I hoped to get up early but my body decided that after hellish travel, it just wanted to sleep. While I started the day off slowly, it was nice. B and I took a long walk to Union Square and visited the Farmer's Market. There we bought banana bread, Armenian cucumbers, snow peas, zucchini, hot dogs and ground beef. We are excited for the hot dogs and I hope they are akin to the dogs at Spike's. We love Spike's.

After we the Farmer's Market we walked a few blocks to the Community Growing Center to buy some starter plants. I had learned about this place on the Boston Localvores web site. B and I are trying to eat more local foods. We realized it is a lot easier than we thought especially with things like the Farmer's Market. I know it will be harder in the winter time when gardens and farms are closed for the winter.

At the Growing Center we purchased some plants and we are now the proud parents of two tomato (cherry and sungold) plants and a thai pepper plant. I have never had a garden before and am very excited. Especially because after the first night they have already started to blossom.

On Sunday, we went to Home Depot to finish getting all the supplies for the plants and a wedding project B is working on (more to come on that later). So I spent some time transferring the plants to new pots, staking them and figuring out the best spot in the yard for them. It was actually enjoyable but I am not going to call myself a gardener yet. Especially since I don't know if I would enjoy gardening with flowers. Flowers don't give you anything back like a tomato plant.
We will see how these plants go before we add to our garden next year. Though I keep checking up on the plants and I don't know why. It is not like I will see them grow or they will tell me they need something.

Also, a lot of laundry was done and it was sorely needed. We also have gotten in the habit of drying most of our clothes on a clothesline but the work stuff gets put in the dryer. While I love the smell of the clothes dried outside, I like the fluffiness of the dryer.

Pictures of the plants and blossoms:

I am...

home!

I hope I don't travel back anytime sooon

So it could get worse. It is 8:10 and I am stuck in the airport. My flight was cancelled and they are trying to get us to Chicago tonight. Then we are taking the first flight out of Chicago tomorrow. It boards at 6:02 am. Elise is annoyed but whatever. That is flight I wanted. However there is still a good chance that the flight to Chicago is cancelled.

Hopefully the next blog posting is me typing from Medford. Hopefully.

Hotel drama

While connecting in Chicago yesterday I had a message from my colleague-the one that made it on the plane. Saying how the room she got was a single and the only room with a double bed was a smoking room. She said that the room was giving her a headache AND she is a smoker. I called back and told her that we have two different reservations so the hotel desk made a mistake. So that crisis was averted but then she dropped a bomb. There was a sorotiy reunion at the hotel. 600 Gamma Phi Betas were raming the halls. UGH!!!

Could this trip get any worse?

First class

The cookies in first class are awesome. Sandwich was better than coach but still gross.

I never understood the hot otwel but I like it. The flight home is going to be a disappointment.

Drama at the airport

So while I am waiting for my next flight. I decided to see if there was a way to get on an earlier flight. To do that, I had to leave the terminal. Once outside in the cold cruel world, I realized I lost my license somewhere in the terminal. Mon Dieux!

Panicked, I called B and asked him to go home and look for my passport in the spare room. In the meantime, I went to the ticketing desk to see if someone could call the gate and see if it was found. Well the first lady, the one who walks the line helping people, she left to go to the bathroom before calling the gate like she said she would. Then I go up to the gate and they said, "Oh, we can get you a new boarding pass." The one I got said "'NO ID". I was then told that I would just have to be searched. Um - okay but can I get back from Ohio was my main concern. You cant fly without ID, or can you...


Well the quick answer is: you can fly without ID. You just will get searched everytime. So getting back would not be a problem this was confirmed by TSA.

I still didnt believe that I could fly without I did and B didn't either. So then he told me to ask security. Off to the check point I wen and when I went to ask the security agent about it, he looked at me and asked me my name. When I told him, he said "I know you. We have your license." OH LUCKY DAY! So I called B and told him but he was on his way home. Luckily, he just turned around and went back to work rather than all the way to Logan and then back to work. I owe him big. Big.