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.

Logan is beautiful in the morning

So I am stuck in Logan having just been involuntarily bumped from my flight. My work colleague made it on the plane but alas I did not.

Trying to look on the brighter side of things:

• I will be flying first class to Chicago and then on to Cincinnati later today which is fun I guess. I have never flown first class before.
• I received a free round trip ticket to anywhere in the US.
• I saw Milan Lucic at the airport. I didn't know who he was until a guy asked for his autograph. He wasn't flying first class.

Since I am here for another four hours I may update the blog with the ongoings and shenanigans of the airport. People should hang out here more often.

Tonight the part of bride will be played by...

While under the effect of the sugar high at the Cupcake Cafe that led to the POTFR discovery (read about it here), we (me, BM Kim, E the J and POTFR Kevin) were talking about my wedding program. POTFR Kevin came up with a great idea of making it like a Playbill and then putting in a piece of paper that said "At today's wedding, the part of the POTFR will be played by So and So" as if they were an understudy. We discussed celebrity names we would place in the program.

This discussion took on a whole new meaning after the realization that POTFR Kevin forgot he was asked to do the reading. Because then we were laughing about the fact that he would have discovered he was doing a reading by opening the program and an understudy might have really been needed.

Our wedding challenge

At pre-cana one of our discussions lead us to both saying that we wish we did more acts of service and volunteering. While I was on the plane last weekend I thought about something we could do instead of gifts to each other. It is kind of a wedding challenge of sorts.

I told B that instead of gifts we should commit to one day of service (together) every month for the first year of marriage. While it doesn't have to be the same thing each time, it would be nice to get in a groove somewhere.

I think we are going to start out with something like BostonCares and maybe go from there.

We hope to turn the wedding web site into a blog of sorts for after the wedding so you can follow up there to see how we fare we the service challenge.

As you wish...

I saw this posting on indiebride.com. And I am flabbergasted. She must really like the movie, "The Princess Bride".

"I'm trying to do something special for my cocktail hour - hiring 3 actors to mingle with guests and act as part of the "Princess Bride" movie. I would be buttercup, my fiancee: Westley, two of the actors would be Westley's friends and the 3rd would be the evil prince.
Any recommendations?"

Day of Coordinator in Boston - Free

I saw this posting on Indiebride and just letting people know about it.

WEDDING DAY COORDINATION & HOSTING

Rehearsal Attendance / Coordinating with Your Officiant
Management of Décor Set Up
Management of Vendor - Meet & Direct
Maintain Communication with Vendors & Services / Items Provided as Promised
Cue Wedding Party & Family for all required activities (seating, line up, processional, toasts,
cake cutting, etc)
Coordinate with Vendors throughout the event
Ensure Proper Flow of Ceremony
Ensure Proper Flow of Reception
Execute Backup Plans (if necessary)

Packages like this go for around $2000... I am here, for free... I am happy to help you! If, at the end of the day you feel like tipping me, great. If not, great. Take the stress off yourselves and let me handle some of the oversight for you.

email me: curlyhairedmegan at gmail dot com.

Hmm, this is interesting...

This social experiment would be have good for some kids in Gloucester, Mass.

Basically the show, Baby Borrowers puts teen couples in charge of real, live babies that poop and cry for a few days. And this would have been beneficial for the teenage girls in Gloucester who made a pregnancy pact. 17 girls are pregnant in the school which typically sees 4 pregnancies a year. Maybe if they actually had to take care a baby they would back out of the pact.

And where do you put that...

I have been watching all the bridal shows for some time now and one is Rich Bride, Poor Bride. The episode I saw today that got me cracking up is one where the couple wanted to (and actually did) rent an ATM for their reception. Why did they rent an ATM? Perhaps it was a cash bar and they wanted guests to have a chance to drink more? Um no. They wanted the ATM there so that if a guest came to the reception and saw how nice it was, they would be able to add more cash to the cash gift they were giving.

Even if they did want to give more, won't the envelope be sealed?

People are crazy, just pure crazy.

More post card info

So remember the postcard debacle of '08? While I was away my wonderful fiance B went to the Brookline Paper Source (all on his own, I never told him or asked him) and found the LAST package of Soft White post cards. The package didn't specify the color but he and the sales person compared it to a bunch of other colors and it aligned with the soft white. When he got home he also compared it to the package we already had and it was a PERFECT match!



So now we can start working on the direction cards!

Speaking of the New York Football Giants...

I just got this email...

New York Football Giants fans,

It is with great pleasure that we announce a partnership with CruisesOnly to provide “Big Blue” fans an opportunity to interact with Giants players on a themed cruise. The inaugural seven night voyage, “Cruise with the Champions”, will take place on the Norwegian Gem in March 2009, depart/return from Manhattan and visit The Bahamas and Florida, and provide a “Super” trip down memory’s lane.

We invite you to join several players from the championship team as they share their insights and memories from the historic season. Key players such as Kevin Boss, Antonio Pierce, Justin Tuck, Lawrence Tynes, and others are scheduled to attend and participate in meet & greets, interactive events, and provide their unique feedback. This will truly be the experience of a lifetime for any Giants fan!

Our partner, CruisesOnly, has developing pricing ranging from approximately $1,200 to $1,925 (per person; excludes taxes/fees) for interior to mini-suite cabins. Included in the prices are a spectacular variety of meal choices plus access to other scheduled entertainment and onboard events.

CruisesOnly is the exclusive booking agent for this cruise and has reserved a limited number of cabins for this memorable group activity! We urge you to act quickly as we anticipate the cabins selling out prior to the start of the 2008 NFL season. Please click the link below or call 1-877-711-0748 to find out additional information on how to reserve your cabin today plus take advantage of an early bird discount and group bonus. We hope to see you on board!

Sincerely,

The New York Football Giants

LINK: http://www.giants.com/cruiselanding.asp

Maybe I will invite some NY Football Giants to the wedding. That would be fun. I just hope they are better behaved than Vikings Players...

Celtics Win!

If only the Patriots could have won, then Boston would have a sports tri-fecta. But alas, they choked and the New York Football Giants won.

Who knows - maybe the Bruins are headed for a winning tradition again? Everyone else has done it.

Countdown

150 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Band of gold...

My wedding band has arrived at the jeweler. B has to go at some point and pick it up. I hope it is okay. They called about two weeks before it was due in the store and asked B if he had wanted round or square diamonds and to double check it is to be platinum. They also asked when the wedding was.

Um...okay...

We think a mistake was made and they wanted to make sure they had enough time to remedy it. They do but I am now going to check the heck out of that ring.

Peeko Gocco

Peeko Gocco means nothing to most of you and I am not sure if it means anything to me but hilarity ensued at Cafe Medina with the utterance of the words. But part of the reason we were easily amused may have been for the sugar attack we had at Cupcake Cafe. So let me backtrack.

While in NYC, BM Kim and I met up with POTFR Kevin and Erica. Erica due to her religious background is not allowed to have a part in the ceremony. It is something we like to point out and mock her for - she is one of the chosen people and not of a lost tribe - which means we ridicule her and comment about how she can only enter the church in a bubble and will have to roll down the aisle. I guess you have to be there.

Anyway, the four of us went to Paper Presentation to look for direction card paper and program paper. Across the street from Paper Presentation is Cupcake Cafe (voted Best Cupcakes by The Knot and I have to say, I know do not trust any rating system from the Knot). We all got some cupcakes and they SUCKED. While eating them, we were talking about the wedding and this here blog. We mentioned how Kim is known as BM Kim and Kevin is POTFR Kevin. He didn't understand why. And after talking for a few minutes he admits that he doesn't know what we are talking about with him doing a reading. He said he remembered B and me talking about a reading when he was in Boston but thought if he was going to do a reading, we would formally ask him.

UM I DID AND HE DID NOT REMEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

POTFR Kevin forgot he was the Prayer Of The Faithful Reader!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the hell?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?

Erica said the look on my face was a mix of shock, amusement and anger. Sounds about right. It also makes me want to doublecheck with everyone we have already asked to make sure they remember being asked and know the part they are to play.

So Kevin was given a piece of paper with the wedding web site, the blog web site, the role he is playing, the wedding date and time and the date of the rehearsal dinner. 50/50 odds he makes and does the reading.

Leaving on a jet plane...

There has been a change in our rules of engagement.


I have to go to New York for work and since the flight was the same price if I left Monday morning or Saturday, I opted to leave on Saturday and hang with some peeps in the Big Apple. The weird thing is that while I love to travel, I rarely fly alone and it is usually B going away for weekends with friends not me. Or I do go away but it is at the same time as B going away. So it was very weird to be dropped off at Logan Airport knowing that B was going back to sit on the couch and watch the Mets game from last night.


And apparently, June is the month for my work travel as I have to go to Cincinnati in a two weeks. Unfortunately, B has to drop me off at the airport at 5:00 AM and then pick me up the next night at 11:30 PM.


The good news is that I am racking up my thank you points - they got us the almost free round trip tickets to Hawaii/San Francisco. I am going to get something for myself the next time I redeem those points.

I can feel them killing

I had the first of two chicken pox vaccines today. I have a live, but weak, amount of the varicella virus in me. Right now I can feel my T-cells readying for battle. They will kick the varicella's ass. Because that is what T-cells do. They kill.

By the way - next time I will have the shot in my left arm. The arm is sore.

Another song that wasn't....

I am realizing that I do not like conventional songs. I like darker ones that have a bit of saddness or struggle to them. I don't know what it means but I bet a psychologist would have a field day with it.

Tracy Chapman - The Promise

If you wait for me then I'll come for you
Although I've traveled far
I always hold a place for you in my heart
If you think of me
If you miss me once in awhile
Then I'll return to you
I'll return and fill that space in your heart

Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace I
'll find my way back to you
If you'll be waiting

If you dream of me like I dream of you
In a place that's warm and dark
In a place where I can feel the beating of your heart

Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace
I'll find my way back to you
If you'll be waiting

I've longed for you and I have desired
To see your face your smile
To be with you wherever you are

Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace
I'll find my way back to you
If you'll be waiting

I've longed for you and I have desired
To see your face, your smile To be with you wherever you are
Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace
I'll find my way back to you
Please say you'll be waiting

Together again
It would feel so good to be
In your arms
Where all my journeys end
If you can make a promise
If it's one that you can keep,
I vow to come for you
If you wait for me and say you'll hold
A place for me in your heart.

I just find the sentiment of this song beautiful.

Ann Taylor Online Coupon

Feel free to splurge on a new dress to the wedding event of the century (aka my wedding) or something else for the summer.

"Ann Taylor is having a Friends and Family Sale Thursday, June 12 through Sunday, June 15th where you’ll get 30% off purchases online and in stores. Use code 10901097 for purchases online."

Food with friends

So I have mentioned before my friend Alett who got engaged on All Hallow's Eve in Salem. Well I was excited to have someone going through the wedding process at the same time. And she is one of my partners in crime with all this wedding madness.

We have had semi-regular dinner meetings to discuss what decisions we had made, what our respective partners had not done even though they said they would, also then when they finally did it, etc. And it is very official - complete with a printed agenda. We do not mess around.

And don't mess around with us. We started meeting at the Beantown Pub but then a waitress gave Alett major attitude for wanting to move to a different table (it was winter and if you sit in the doorway area it is cold). So then we moved to the Joshua Tree.

Now that Laura is back in the Massachusetts area with some regularity, she joins us. She provides that hard-hitting opinions of someone not entrenched in do's and don'ts or ettiquette or family squabbles. She also provides some hilarity in her own stories of cat dvds and red noses.

We had a meeting last night as Alett is only 1 month and 8 days away from the big day. I provided her with those facts and I think I overwhelmed her. But in the end we all will have a kick ass time in M'head and everyone will stay dry!

Postcard mania

B has started to work on the directions card for the invites (the last missing piece before the stuffing party in August which the date may have to change - sorry ladies!). And we had purchased the last set of soft white postcards at the Cambridge PaperSource. The salesperson called around and had a set held for me at the Boston location.

So last night I walk to Boston from Cambridge (it was hot) and when I get to PaperSource they don't have the postcards in Soft White instead they have Luxe Cream for me on hold. I am annoyed. The salesperson looks and can't find any but then finds an open pack with about 40 postcars. Perfect I say but as she is ringing it up I realize the paper is scored and these are not postcards but PLACE cards. Ugh! So I struck out again.

Tonight B will be near the Brookline store and he will hopefully have time to check in and see if they have the postcards. If not, I wil have to find another 50 postcards somewhere.

If B is unsuccessful (by the store being out or him not going) then I will try to stop by Paper Presentation this weekend when I am living la vida loca with BM Kim in NYC. I checked Staples and Office Max and they only sell white postcard paper. I never thought it would be the directions card to provide so much angst.

Heat wave no more

I came home to regular sheets on the bed, an air conditioner installed upstairs, one of our two really old air conditioners (both were free) sold and another about to be sold.

B must have been really hot last night.

Heat wave

I assume that this past weekend was very humid and muggy for you as well as us in the Boston-area. But how many of you had flannel sheets on your bed (and still do)? Okay that might be just us. You see, when B and I merged households, we did a deep discard of the duplicates and one of those was sheets. We had a ton of bedding and are registered for more bedding. We donated a lot and left us with the bare minimum - one set of high thread count sheets and one set of flannel. We didn't take into account when we had to wash sheets until we washed the regular sheets and had to put flannel sheets on the bed. We were doing fine because we still had cool nights here in Boston. But this weekend changed the rules of engagement.

Hopefully we will motivate ourselves to put the non-flannel sheets on the bed.

Hopefully.

Hotels done - or most of them

After we had our flights booked we knew we had to get cracking on the hotels. We decided to do a mix of hotels and condos for a) variety and b) cost efficiency. So since we have Marriott rewards we looked into Marriotts first.

Our first stop is in San Francisco and we wanted to have a luxury few nights on the honeymoon and decided to do it here since it would be cheaper than Hawaii (everything is just more expensive there). So we booked the JW Marriott in San Fran and its located right in the heart of downtown and we probably won't need a car. Isn't it purty? We have a city-view room.



Then we move on to Kauai and here Marriott was having a Rewards-member special and we got a great rate for the Marriott Resort in Lihue. So that was booked. And I will tell you, I had the most pleasant experience with the reservations person. She made sure to make a note that it was our honeymoon (something that may help in San Fran but most people in Hawaii will be honeymooners from the messages on the Knot) and then gave me some life advice for being married.

Invite Party - One Non-Respondent

I have one non-respondent for the invite party and it is B. I have reminded him twice to RSVP and he claims he can't see the date options. I think he is trying to back out of it. I don't know why. I mean who doesn't want to spend an afternoon with some wine, stuffing envelopes with me, BM Kim, bridal assistant Laura and Dr. Alett. I mean to me that sounds like a kick ass group but I am biased.

And the wine really can't be consumed until the invites are done because I will kill if red wine is spilled or people keep messing up because they are intoxicated.

Invite Party

I am having a "Wedding-Invite-a-Palooza" in August so if you are around let me know and I can add you to the evite (seriously there is one).

Birthday shout out to BM Extraordinaire Kim. I made this cake for her.

I heart our priest

We met with the priest again on Sunday and had a nice talk. We weren't really sure what we were going to discuss but we did have to hand in our pre-cana certificate. Colleagues at work (one who is married and one who is getting married one month before me) had talked about taking the FOCCUS (Facilitating Open Couple Communication Understanding Study) test and how annoying it was. I had asked about taking the test and was relieved that Msgr. Massie had never heard of it.

From what I gather and have read it is a multiple choice test about your feelings on everything from family to careers, drugs, gambling, god in your life, divorce, children etc. It is too make sure you are on the same page or to open up discussion in the areas where you differ.

Super special shout out to super star Katie - happy birthday and good luck on your summer exams.

Bridezillas is Back!

I watch Bridezillas - I admit it. And I like it. B gets aggravated by it when everyone is yelling. He is too sensitivo sometimes. The best part is that they had a best of show. Below is one of my favorite brides.

Let them play! Let them play!

A break in wedding-related posts because I found this absurd. It seems that Major League Baseball is protecting its intellectual property by saying if local youth teams want to be named "Mets", "Red Sox," etc. you either have to buy them from MLB (cha-ching!) or ask them permission. I feel bad for the mom & pop uniform shops that do this and have done this for years. I don't get why MLB is pulling this card now.

Here is the article for your perusal.

Don't Worry

If you thought I was going to use the Death Cab for Cutie song about following someone into death, I am not. Even if I was considering it, grandma put the official kibosh on it over the weekend. Thankfully I did not have my heart set on that song. I guess I did inherit the morbid trait from my mom's side of the family.