Oh so sorry

Why am I apologizing...I have no idea. I just haven't had anything good to write. Well, I have, but usually when I am at work, and we all know how easy it is to become distracted by actual work.

Wedding planning is going great. All the big things are done (I hope) and it's on to the details...If you will bear with me a moment..I need to make a list

1. Cake-Check
2. Church-Check
3. My Dress-Check
4. Bridesmaids Dresses-That's their problem, but one out three isn't bad
5. His Suit-Check
6. Reception place-Check, A very cool house in the area has been rented for a BBQ the next day...Yipee!
7. Flowers-Not having any. Ordered some very lovely paper bouquets from a lovely woman on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/listing/75270324/peaches-and-cream-bouquet-ready-to-ship) That's just a sample, but she's doing them in my colors :)...so umm Check
8. Gifts for Wedding party- Um, not so much. I am thinking Flasks for my girls (check these out: http://www.etsy.com/shop/thehairofthedog?page=1), but what else for them?
9. Decorations for the BBQ- I hear a Target run calling my name.
10. Party Favors- Ideas? Anyone? Hellloooo Imaginary Friends....?
11. Food- I'll wait until the date gets closer, but burgers, hot dogs, chicken, salads...any requests?
12. Music- iPod,- Check
13. Place to live after the wedding- Check

So thanks for that. Am I forgetting anything? Any Suggestions?

Accessories are what seperates us from animals

This past Sunday I and a couple of good friends went up to David's Bridal and found me a wedding dress. It was a very exhausting search. I have to say that it was only made bearable by the fact that my friends are funny, witty, and will give their honest opinion; also the consultant, Jasmine, was fantastic! I should not have to point out that it wasn't all sweetness and fun... I get cranky when I get thirsty/hot. It was hot in that store and even hotter in that dressing room. I normally carry a water bottle with me, but in my haste to get out the door on time, I had forgotten about it. Luckily, my BFF and Matron of Honor (MoH) ran and grabbed me a water bottle from a restaurant across the street. She got back right after I had tried on the dress that would become mine. Good timing all around.

So the dress is purchased and hanging in its own little garment bag in my closet. Now comes the fun part; shoes, veil/hat, earrings...in a word Accessories!

First off the hat/veil. I want to wear a cute little 1920's type cocktail hat with a birdcage veil. I am actually not sure if the 20's are the right era, for what I have pictured in my head; maybe the 40's would be more accurate. Anyway, I have a vision and I have the realistic expectations that I want something similar, I know exact may (most likely) won't happen, but I have a vision. It shouldn't actually be that hard to find. I saw lots of 'sort ofs' on etsy and some of the sellers say they are willing to work with customers to create what is needed...I just need to try on a hat (or two) to see what actual style/size works best for me. There is this great hat store just down the street, but he has very sporadic hours (and no website...the horror).

Second...the shoes. This is harder. I don't know what I want. I have generalizations...I want something a little funky/different; no plain white satin with crystals (blah). I don't want to go above an inch and a half heel height. I am not always steady in heels and would prefer lower for comfort sake. Also, my fiance is the same height that I am. Not that it matters to me, my mom is three/four inches taller than my dad (I got dad's height), but I just don't want him to feel uncomfortable in pictures...I guess I should ask him.
The question no becomes...what do I want? Do I search websites for all the shoes and hope that something jumps out at me and then start refining my search for something similar? Should I pick a color of shoe I want first? My sister wanted blue heels for her wedding...I ended up finding her blue wedges that fit her requirements except for the heel part...she loved them. Maybe I should just look for green shoes, but I like pink too, or blue...

I guess I'll figure it out...later. I can always ask twitter. There are some smart, funny people there. Ok, on to the third accessory; Earrings. Not so much a problem. I plan on wearing my grandma's pearls. I just have to find earrings that match. Hmmm...that was easy. I guess I have to focus on searching the internet for shoes.

Filler...sorry

I always get these great ideas to write about. Then I get distracted by a shiny object or work and out the brain they fly. I know I should keep a notepad around for just those occasions...and I do have notepads laying around. I just forget.

Maybe I shouldn't just wait for these great ideas to pop into my brain. Maybe I should just take time everyday to write something...anything...I wouldn't even have to publish it that day or ever. Maybe just taking the time to write will help me remember to write down those great ideas. Maybe...

So here is your filler for today my dear IFs...a catchy annoying song/video.

La la la la

Just made the appointment to go try on wedding dresses. ~La ~la~ la~ la ~gonna go pretend to be a princess or at least a '40's movie star.

I don't have a set idea of the dress I want. I have the set idea of what I want for a veil. I would like something similar to this. I would like classic, vintage, elegance. Who knows what I will end up with.

I am nothing like my mother...

Sorry IFs (Imaginary Friends)...but I need to vent. Actually I am not even sure it's venting, maybe I could call it concerned typing. The preparations for the wedding are going along smoothly for the most part. We have the church almost booked (I need to send the deposit in, but am waiting for the wedding account checks to arrive). We have the reception/BBQ/summer house rental almost booked (see reasoning above). And now we have my mother telling all sorts of family and friends that they have a place to stay. *sigh*

I know that it is part of my family/regional mindset that if you go someplace for a holiday and you have family there...you stay with family & take them out to dinner and maybe a lunch too as a thank you. Everyone just smiles and nods. Sometimes, that works great; especially if you are a kid and live a million miles away from other kids your age and your cousins come to play. Sometimes it doesn't. What if you wanted some space? What if you really needed to get things done that week? Sounds a little selfish I know, but I have learned something...sometimes you need to be selfish to survive.

The house is four bedrooms, sleeps about eight and there is space for more. I was thinking that since Mom ad Dad are paying for the wedding, including the house, (I really do have great parents), they would stay there or at our apartment in the city. I also thought that since my sister (& niece and hubby) need to save money, she would also stay there, at least for a couple of days. I thought that maybe it would be nice to offer the same for the fiance's family (mom, dad and bro), but they are of a different mind-set and I doubt they would take me up on the offer. So, in my happy little mind I thought four plus the fiance and me is six...six is good...six is normal...six people won't be tripping over each other, as we prep for the wedding (food, tables, flowers, etc).

My mother has told my cousin that if she comes up with the money for the plane ticket (yes my family is flying in...I come from the middle of nowhere) she can stay with us...I have not been close to this cousin, ever. My sister was always closer to her, both in age and in terms of babysitting her, hanging out, gossiping, etc. Oh well, that's fine. Then she tells the same thing to her best friend and youngest daughter. Seriously mom? Fine, I know your best friend is like another mother (more for my sis than me), and the youngest daughter was the first kid I ever babysat and I was her favorite for a while... but now, the count is at eight...not counting the fiance and I.

Where the hell are we going to stay? Sure, the teenagers could sleep on the floor...and we have our place in the city, but I don't want to drive 45 minutes everyday to get my family and everyone else just so I can entertain them...or have them underfoot while I am trying to get all the last minute things done. I can't have them help a whole lot, because they don't live here or visit more than once every four years. I know where I am going and why, and trust me, they would want the explanation of 'why?' if I asked.

I know things will work out. I know I will be stressed before the wedding no matter what (hello type A personality). I know my mom means well. I understand her reasons behind inviting people...but dammit it's like a small child trying to "help" make christmas dinner. It all works out in the end and there are small moments of fun, but it would go a lot smoother if there was only me in the kitchen.

Thanks for listening...I feel better now...a little

Why am I the only working...

My fiance and I live apart. It seems that the only time I can get an anwser out of him about the wedding is on the weekends when we see each other. It doesn't seem fair. I wanted to go to Vegas. He's the one that wants the whole church wedding. Blah.

Not that I'm stressing out...Oh no my IFs. There is zero stress to this wedding. Once I get the boy to agree to the house I want to rent to have the backyard party (because who knows where we will be living), I can show him the church I found nearby and all is set. Well, except for the dress and invintations. But that is it. A simple wedding. Thank gods we agree on that.

I am hoping to have the wedding on a friday and then saturday we will have most of the day (not all day, because seriously...wedding night!) to make snacky food for the party and of course I will need to decorate...and we will have our families there to "help."

Yes, as a matter of fact I am naive and optimistic. I am also a very cheery morning person. Why do you ask?

And so it begins...

Well, I'm engaged. Yay me! And so begins using this blog as a way to voice my worries, concerns, and other random ramblings associated with planning a wedding. I'm sorry to my imaginary friends. I had originally started this blog just to ramble. Now, I seem to have a purpose for it. Crap.

I'll start by telling you, my imaginary friends (or IFs for short) how it happened. I wasn't expecting it. Not at all. I thought I had just gotten the boyfriend to agree to move in together at some point this year. I considered that a major victory and maybe in 6 months or a year I could start hinting at my true feelings, that I want to marry him. Never doubt that; I want to marry him and come home to him every day and share everything with him. I realized that he was the one I was willing to and wanting to spend the rest of my life with a while ago. Ok, now I'm rambling again...

So how it happened...It was New Years Day...not Eve. We had spent NYE hanging out at his house, he had just gotten back from visiting his parents and was tired. We just watched TV and took mini-naps until we decided we were hungry and grabbed some pizza before heading to a friend's little get together. It was a great time. On new years day, we decided to have a nice meal together, since we didn't get to spend Christmas together and pizza on NYE was silly. We grabbed a lobster (we could only find one) some oysters, champagne, a very nice fillet of cod and spinach. We love to cook, so we made the lobster and fried a few of the oysters of questionable quality and had that along with the good raw oysters for an app. Later we baked the cod with a mustard and panko bread crumb combo we enjoy and served that with spinach and couscous. I popped the champagne (one of my favorite things to do) and we had a very filling meal. After we were cuddling on the couch, with a fire going in the fireplace and listening to the radio. He moved to the floor, going on one or both knees, grabbed something out of the drawer in the end table and handed me a little box. I thought it was earrings. (He hadn't given me my Christmas present yet). It was a very beautiful ring (that boy has really nice taste in jewelry). He said 'I think we should get married' (he does not have a way with words). I said yes and then asked 'really?' about a hundred times. I didn't believe it. I was shocked into crying. Not the deep breath can't breathe crying but the eyes just leaking type of crying.

It was great. I don't remember what was playing on the radio. He does...the end of Styx's 'Come sail away.' How romantic, but since we were listening to Alice Cooper's radio show, it could of been worse and it is a fun song to sing along too.

So there my IFs...is the beginning of this little journey. I'll be back with other rambles and useless words later. TTFN