Like a Glove

It was a beautiful, perfect Saturday morning. The sun was warm, the skies were blue. My mom arrived the afternoon before just in time for a delicious dinner at our favorite Mexican food restaurant. We left in plenty of time, though parking was somewhat challenging.

My mom and the seamstress helped me change - it's definitely one thing a bride cannot do alone. I can't even do up the bra top in the back without help. It felt so wonderful to slip into my dress again, the crisp white fabric cool against my skin. I feel just like a princess every time I put it on. It fit like a glove when we bought it last May, all it needed was the bustle. The seamstress pinned the dress for the bustle markings...it's going to be beautiful.

The only difference on this day was that the dress didn't fit quite so well as it did before. It kept slipping down, being dragged by the weight of the fabric. I was sick with the flu only a week before and had lost 8 lbs. I later remembered that I had lost about 10 since we bought it. On the upside, at least it was too big rather than too small. They're doing the bustle now, and we'll wait to take it in until closer to the wedding.

The fiance joked that we could go out and splurge to gain weight...that won't be happening. I will never deliberately gain weight. It was gratifying to actually have lost. I've been working on toning and definition, I plan to keep it off. It's just rather entertaining since before it fit absolutely perfect. But I'm not worried, it will fit like a glove again soon. :)

Engaged Adventures

Whoops. There I go again, all MIA. Will you forgive me if I tell you I had a light virus for a couple days, was fine over the weekend and then had the flu? I spent Monday through Wednesday laying in bed feeling miserable last week. I was so stubborn and went to work Monday morning. May I recommend NEVER trying to go to work when you've been sick less than 6 hours before? Having to cut across two lanes of traffic, jump into your passenger seat and roll down the window is NOT an adventure I would recommend. Just saying.

The good news is that I was fine over that weekend before I got the flu and the fiance and I had a fabulous time with our photographers capturing our engagement session. I have never really done a photo shoot or anything like that, and let me tell you, it was a blast! We had such a great time and I know the pictures will be amazing! Not only did we get to take pictures in the restaurant where the fiance proposed, but we just happened to be able to take them at the table where he proposed. :) We brought one of the engagement wine bottles he made and used them in some of the shots.

If you have never had the opportunity to do an engagement shoot or a photo shoot, I would highly recommend it. We have such an amazing time hanging out and just playing around. It was fabulous getting to know our photographers better, we had such a great day. I cannot wait to see the pictures.

Hi, it's me again

Hi, remember me? I'm that girl with a camera who never seems to post anymore. Life is crazy that way. Sometimes I want to just step back and watch it all happen instead of being wrapped up and swept away in the ever racing current of life. Of course those moments are rare and far apart.

What's new for me? Let's see, I got a promotion and a raise. I'm in the office with my boss now, which is fun because it's a little bit quieter and I have more of my own space. It's weird not being in the main office area anymore, but I'm getting used to it, and I have to say that I like it. And my third monitor. And my Mac. You know, fun toys.

We are slowly but surely getting everything done for the wedding. We found and booked our amazing photographer team and videographer team, I am SO excited. I know they are going to capture lasting, incredible memories for us. I am really looking forward to doing our engagement photo shoot with our photographers too :) We know where we are getting the cake, just have to go put in the order. It's DELICIOUS. As a cake baker, I can truly appreciate the deliciousness of the cake we're going to be getting. (one of the first things that happened in the planning is that my mother and my fiance forbid me to make the wedding cake....a demand I was more than happy to comply with) We will be putting the invitations together soon and choosing the bridesmaid dresses.

With the weather cooling off as we go into October, I find myself wanting to spend time in the kitchen baking up deliciousness with fall flavors and spices. Perhaps I will indulge this weekend.

Magical Memories

A few months ago my mom and fmil and I went to look for my wedding dress. First store, four dresses later and we found the dress. I absolutely love it and feel like a princess when I wear it. I did not want to take it off. I nearly went back to the store the next week just to try it on again.

It wasn't supposed to come in so early, but I got an email about two weeks ago letting me know my special order had arrived. The downside is that they won't store it for me. I love my apartment, but it's a fairly small studio and I simply do not have anywhere to hang a wedding dress for 8 months. Timing is everything. My neck finally slipped out after first trying to make my head explode (I was very near asking the fiance for his drill to relieve the pressure). The symptoms had been bothering me long enough that I decided I needed to make a quick overnight run home to see my chiropractor. (he's one of my favorite people right now) It was instant relief when he made the necessary adjustment (same one as always, go figure, at least I'm consistent) Since I was going home anyways, I picked up my dress and took it to hang safely in the back bedroom at my grandparent's house.

I was on a tight schedule and didn't have time to try it on at the store. I am so grateful that I was in a hurry that afternoon. My Mom and Grama helped me try it on before my chiro appointment. It felt so good to get into the dress, even though I didn't have the undergarments that go with it. (added bonus: it fit perfectly) I cannot even begin to relate how special that moment was when my Grama and Papa first saw me in my wedding dress. It was such a wonderful, special moment that I will remember forever, trying on my wedding gown in the front bedroom at my grandparent's house. Magical. Precious. Unforgettable.

Pardon me while I have an excited wedding moment...

I always anticipated having a lot of fun planning our wedding together, but I think I seriously underestimated just how fun it would actually be. Even the littlest things have brought huge smiles and giggles. Of course the fiance teases me all the time about it, but he actually loves how excited I've been lately. It seems like everything is just falling into place since we booked our reception venue. We have our wedding party asked and confirmed. I found my dress!!! My mom and the fiance's mom came with me and we found THE dress at the first store we went to, 4th dress I tried on. I absolutely adore it, I didn't want to take it off. Now all I need are shoes and whatever jewelry I'm going to wear. We found the most amazing and delicious caterer, they are SO nice. We'll be booking them by the end of next week. I seriously cannot wait to eat at our reception. (we did a tasting a couple weeks ago) I have already asked my mom and the fiance's mom to make sure I get something to eat at the reception.

The fiance's parents are throwing us an engagement party/kitchen themed shower this summer, so we started off our registry with kitchen items. Talking about our entertaining wants and selecting things we would love to use was really exciting. What's even more exciting is that some of the items are being purchased. The fiance's counterpart at work was the first, her gift is the only one that I know what it is. (unintentionally) Let's just say that I absolutely love her to pieces and she is beyond generous. I came home last night to find a fairly large box on my doorstep from one of our registry stores. I was so excited, even though I have no idea what it is. I could probably figure it out if I wanted to though, I'm sure. The fiance says he knows what it is. He's so cute about the gifts.

We are just about 10 months away now and things are just perfect. I am so happy and having so much fun. Everything just makes me smile. I'll be even happier when we find and book our photographer, videographer and florist. Those are the only other major vendors we have left to figure out. Hopefully we will have everything sorted out and booked by the end of the month, including our honeymoon. It's really exciting, if slightly overwhelming to look at honeymoon options. There are just so many great choices and packages. The fiance is taking point on that topic though, which is both incredibly romantic exceedingly helpful. I love how involved he is with everything. He's not overbearing, but I get input and help making decisions. Did I mention that he's absolutely perfect? I'm so very, very blessed to have such a wonderful fiance.

How Time Flies

Time certainly flies when you're busy having fun. We had the memorial desert trip for Moe. It was intense, fun, sad, wonderful, memorable, emotional, closure. We had a carpet of purple flowers welcoming us on either side of the road as we drove into the flats, it definitely set the tone for the weekend. We knew Moe was there waiting for us. The valleys were covered in purple flowers. Now, I haven't been going to the desert for very long, but some of our friends have been going for close to 20 years. They have never seen purple flowers out there, not like this. Yeah. Intensity. The crack of dawn ride was incredible, watching the sunrise from the top of a dune after being cleansed with white sage by her brother was an amazing experience. Camp was huge, so many people. The ride out to the memorial valley was epic, so many people whose lives she touched. I know she was right there with us, loving every minute of it. I broke my quad. Well, my quad broke, but it wasn't my fault. I think it was Moe's way of telling me I am ready for a bigger bike. That's what I get for showing off for her playing in the dunes above the memorial valley. It makes me smile.

We booked our reception venue last Friday. It's such a relief to have that figured out. We met with a caterer last night and will hopefully have the food booked by the end of next week. Everything will flow together after that, the venue was the biggest obstacle/stresser. I'm getting so excited. We registered for kitchen stuff over the weekend, it was a really fun experience. And, let's be honest, those little scan gun thingies are incredibly fun to play with. The fiance's mom is throwing us a summer kitchen Jack & Jill wedding shower so she needed us to at least register for kitchen related items. I'm looking forward to completing our registration, it really is a fun experience discussing and deciding on the items we would like to have for our life together. It seems so simple, but it's really meaningful and a lot of fun.

In Which I Vent

Let me preface this by saying that I am irrationally venting. I've been in an apathetic kind of mood most of the day. I know everything will fall into place, that I'm likely hormonal and just need to bury myself in dark chocolate and strawberries. Or dark chocolate covered strawberries. Oooh that sounds good. I should get the fiance on that.

We are less than one year away from our wedding. The ceremony is in place as far a time and location, but I don't have the reception yet. This is getting increasingly stressful, because the longer we wait to book a place, the harder it's going to be. Half my problem is that everything is so damn expensive. It's incredibly frustrating to try and plan a strictly budgeted wedding and not be able to find a lot of places to choose from because if they aren't charging you thousands of dollars just to have the room, they're charging you $75 a person to be there, or both! I know plenty of people pay this without blinking. Kudos to them. I don't have that kind of money. Yes I know cutting the guest list is a great way to save money, we may end up thinning it out, but I need numbers first!!

We are technically on the books for a site, but we have no numbers and no contract, and to me, until I have those things, there is no guarantee. It's a newer place, so I understand that they don't have everything all packaged and whatnot which is fine, I understand that. And they are great and I love them, I just need to get things figured out so that we can get to work on the rest of it.

I know that something is going to work itself out, it always does. But at this particular moment I feel like a stubborn child, stomping my foot, throwing my toys and saying I want it NOW! Is that really too much to ask?

I had a dream last night that was kind of amusing but also a little stressful. Nothing was planned for our wedding except that I had my dress and somehow people were coming. For some reason we were up at my parent's house for the wedding. We were trying to get things ready, but nothing was planned, so we didn't have anything. It was in the last hour before the wedding was supposed to start and I hadn't even started getting ready. The fiance and I, my parents, my brothers, my grandparents and some of my cousins were all sitting around our long dining room table, I was in my wedding dress. I was at one end, the fiance was at the other. We were debating postponing the wedding because we weren't prepared, but we were worried because there was only an hour till the wedding started and we knew that some people (specifically my two bosses for some reason were in it) were likely almost there if not there already, and had driven at least 3 hours to get there. We finally made the decision to postpone the wedding. I was inconsolably upset that the fiance had seen my dress and we weren't even going to get married that day. Somehow we all ended back up at the table again. Someone, it might have been me, suddenly sat up and asked, wait a sec, what year is it? Someone (I think my mom or grandpa) answered, 2010. And I was like, omg, we're a year early!!! The wedding isn't until 2011!!! I think we started laughing out of sheer frustration. It was at this point that I woke up.

Yeah. I need the reception venue nailed down with numbers and a contract, stat.

2 - 365

2 - the number of years the fiance and I have been dating (as of yesterday)

365 - the number of days left until our wedding

Infinite - how indescribably happy I am

Hello

Apparently I'm not entirely past that whole blog writing apathy thing yet. Working on it. Time seems to be short these days. Or rather, I just have too much with which to fill it. But don't worry, I'm still here, I haven't disappeared (contrary to what my lack of posting might indicate)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Ours was rather eventful what with the ground rolling for 2-3 minutes. Longest earthquake I've ever felt (that I remember) The fiance was sitting down and wasn't feeling well so I went out to the back patio to get him a glass of water. As I was standing there, it felt like the table was moving....or I was moving. I'm usually really fast at this stuff and hyper sensitive to earthquakes, but this one took me a moment. My whole family was together, gathered throughout the house, wondering when it was going to stop. My mom was leaning against the door near where the fiance was sitting, and ended up having to sit down in the fiance's lap because she got so dizzy. I wasn't inside at the time, but it was a rather entertaining story. The water in the pool sloshed a good 5 or 6 inches over the side, it was crazy.

I finished my fondant and gumpaste class, I learned a lot and am having a great time with all the new creative possibilities. As for the class itself, I relied on my visual learning and the pictures/instructions in our book. By the end my teacher was speaking primarily in Spanish, but at that point it wouldn't have mattered if she was speaking Swahili, because I had switched to visual learning. I definitely won't take another class there, but I'm glad I got the fondant and gumpaste under my belt. I will have 3 new cake pictures up later this week.

We're rapidly closing in on the one year mark to our wedding. Things are starting to get going, still have a lot to do though. I couldn't be more excited about everything, it's so nice when everything falls into place :)

Rainy Weekends

Rainy days make me smile. Don't get me wrong, I'm still clamoring for the warm summer sunshine when I can spend my days in tanks and flip flops. I just love the rain. It makes for excellent indoor relax weather. I did an invitation mock up design Friday night while the fiance was at work. My mom loved it and so did the fiance and his mom when I showed it to them Saturday! I'm really excited about it :)

The fiance ended up being able to work from home Saturday and Sunday, so we had some nice hang out and relax time. I got signed up for the Wilton level 4 Fondant and Gum Paste class, I start tonight, I'm SO excited!!! (don't worry, there will be pictures over the next few weeks) We spent a pretty relaxing weekend. The fiance wanted to try his hand at fondant. I didn't want to touch it until I did my class, so he was on his own, but he did a really good job. We watched a bunch of House too this weekend. One disk left of Season 5...the last episode we watched last night was rather depressing though. I'm half convinced that Joss Whedon wrote it. (not that I don't love Joss, but still) The fiance also made an incredibly delicious tortilla soup. Perfect for a stormy day.

That said, bring on the sunshine. I'm ready for sunscreen, sandals, sand and fun. I promise not to whine about how hot it is. Well, at least not very loudly. :)

Wedding Musings

• I absolutely adore the fiance's groomsmen. I work with three of them, and they are just funny, awesome, all around nice guys. They are such good friends to the fiance and I'm really excited to have them standing with us when we tie the knot.
• I should not work on wedding stuff right before bed while watching Mamma Mia. Even if it's just organizing stuff into the notebooks. Stressed out wedding dreams are not relaxing. And I'm not even really stressed out! That night I dreamed that nothing was planned, I didn't have a dress and my hair wasn't done, it was pouring and nothing was going right. Definitely not restful. I had another wedding dream last night, it was different, but odd at the same time. That's two wedding related dreams in three nights. Maybe it's because we're slowly counting down to the one year mark? Who knows. Don't worry, I'm not going crazy, I'm not even stressed. I'm just laughing at the insanity of my dreams.
• We have our centerpieces. Well, we know what they are going to be, and we have all of one of the designs. I'll post more about that later, but let me tell you, they are going to be awesome!
• We had our chapel tour and orientation. Turns out the fiance knows the chapel wedding coordinator! He's friends with her daughter. It makes everything that much easier to work with, she is SO nice. Our deposit and papers are in so we are officially, 100% booked for our wedding.
• I still have to go look for my dress. Oh, well, I guess that's the only potential stresser I have. With the disorganized insanity of the little league schedule, my mom isn't sure when she'll make it down to go shopping with me. I WILL NOT go dress shopping without my mom. Period. We're working on finding a time that will work.
• We have asked all but two members of our wedding party. I have to ask my final two bridesmaids, I'm just waiting for an opportunity to do it in person. I can't wait for their reactions, I think they're going to be really excited. (they're two of my younger cousins)
• I think we've decided on the cake design, but still have to figure out the flavors, pricing and baker.
• The fiance and I are going to another bridal expo in about a week. I was thrilled that he was excited to go and told me to get the tickets right away. I'm sure to see a few repeat vendors, but probably see some new ones with new deals as well.
• All in all things are going well. The fiance has to work this weekend, so I'm planning to hang out in my apartment, tucked away from the rain and work on wedding stuff.

Random Stuff

• I feel like a lizard soaking up the beautiful 70+ degree sunshine. I'm hoping it sticks around longer than they predict, I'm ready for it to be warm all the time again.
• Fan Fest at Petco Park is pretty fun. The Padres locker room is a big circle...one of the guards there made a crack that contrary to what we had been told, it wasn't the locker room but rather the set for the new Star Trek (insert some sort of Padre/baseball related statement here) movie. It totally fit, I thought it was hysterical.
• We found part of our centerpieces and bought the number we needed over the weekend, they are totally awesome and chock full of character.
• We also decided to look more at tropical, oceanside honeymoons rather than Europe. I think we might just be able to pull this whole thing off without breaking the bank.
• I'm very disturbed by season four of House. I DO NOT like the missing team. I have complained very loudly to the fiance, who keeps telling me that I can't change the storyline and to just keep watching. I still don't like it. (but I am rather addicted to the show)
• Valentine's Day was really cute and funny. Total line twist towards the end had me beside myself with laughter. Did NOT see that one coming. You should go see it, it's worth it.
  
• The fiance made me chocolate covered strawberries yesterday. With sprinkles. 'Nuf said.
  

Messages of Love

Moe once told me that she wanted to be there for me during the wedding planning process. She wanted to be the one I came to when I was stressed or frustrated, to be the person I could talk to and vent to when I needed. She would be there for whatever I needed help with. I wasn't far enough into planning to take her up on this offer before she left.

The fiance and I were talking about wedding stuff at lunch and I've been thinking/stressing most of the day now. I was standing at my stove cooking quesadillas, stressing about the wedding and how we're going to make it work in the modest budget we have available, including the honeymoon. As I continued stressing, I started thinking how this would be a time to talk to Moe, to share my fears and stresses and hear her tell me that it was going to work out and then make a few brilliant suggestions to help it work. I was stressing how I didn't know what I was going to do now, because Moe isn't here anymore. Who was I going to talk to?

As I was standing there in the midst of these thoughts, mentally freaking out, I get this text message from the fiance:

Moe loves u princess

I can't tell you exactly what went through my mind at that moment. I texted the fiance back and said I know. A lil random, but i know. She loves you too.

It was his reply that got me: Hahaha not what I meant but she does I meant muah
I was stunned. I replied with Wow, and then completely lost it when he said Hahaha yea something happened.

Yeah, Moe used you to send me a message. Right when I needed it most. Right when I was stressed and freaking out and worried. Right when I was thinking about how much I needed her to be here, for so many reasons, not just for this. And then came the text.

Moe loves u princess

Not exactly an answer, but it's all I needed to know. The fiance has a Blackberry. Muah coming out as Moe was not an accidental typo. Fresh tears subsiding, I know I can do this. So does Moe.

447

Not feeling well is not fun. Scratchy throats that induce coughing is not much better. Toss it into a three day weekend and it really sucks.

A fiance who is unbelievably sweet and will go out in the rain to get you mint chocolate chip ice cream to soothe your throat is absolutely incredible. A future mother-in-law (in 447 days) who makes you hot tea with lemon and honey because she hears you coughing from the other room is also incredibly sweet.

I am so incredibly blessed.

Happy 2010!!

Happy 2010!! I hope that everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday and New Year. Mine was amazing, if a bit on the chilly side. We left the east coast at under freezing and stepped out of the airport into 70 degrees. I loved the east coast, but I was sure happy to be home in my warm California sunshine.

I have lots of stories to share from up and down the east coast. Fun adventures, long walks, nights with my cousin and her boyfriend, historical sites and all sorts of fun. I think the highlight of my trip was sitting around the living room with my Uncle Don, fiance and grandparents on New Years Eve, just chatting for a couple hours. It was quality time with my uncle that I absolutely loved. That's not to say that the rest of my trip wasn't amazing, it absolutely was. That moment was just one of the most meaningful.

I spent more time on the east coast in December than I did in California. Consequently, I had my first real encounter with jet lag. I went to bed at 5:45 last night and did not get up until 6 this morning. 12 hours was wonderful though and most definitely needed. Sadly, the fiance's grandmother passed away while we were gone, so we were at her funeral yesterday afternoon. It was a beautiful service though, I think she would have liked it. The fiance is doing pretty well, but I'm sure that prayers would still be very much appreciated.

I've cleaned most of my apartment but still have a few things to do. The spring cleaning bug always hits me after New Years. I guess I just like to start the year out clean and organized. It will also help as we delve into our wedding planning. I'm really excited. I should hear back from the chapel wedding coordinator hopefully Thursday to secure our date. I am SO excited!

I'm planning to keep up regular posting this year, let's call it a New Year's resolution. Maybe not everyday, but at least a few times a week (though daily would be great). I will also do my best to get more photos up as well since my blog did initially begin as a place to post my pictures. I have a few ideas for some series/themed type posts as well, but more on that later.

Head in the Clouds

I cannot tell you how many posts have be in my head but never made it to posting because I never actually managed to find time to write them down. I have to admit, my head has been a bit in the clouds lately with wedding fantasies, plans and dreams. Suffice it to say that things are coming along quite nicely. :)

I'm heading home this weekend with the fiance so my mom and I can finally clean out and organize my bedroom so it can be used as a guest room. Don't worry, it's been planned for a while (partly so I have a place to stay when I'm home!), it's not just because I'm getting married. I'm looking forward to it, I haven't been home in a while.

I really am planning to get back to regular posting without completely driving you nuts with wedding talk and actually writing something substantial. Hey, at least I finally got caught up with my reader, right?

Ready to Ride

Getting ready to head out. This weekend marks the first desert trip of the season. I cannot express how excited I am to get back out there. It's so relaxing and fun being out there with our friends, away from the city. We're approaching the season with a new tactic of inexpensive and easy. We're pre-making just about all the food, keeping it simple. It saves time and energy on prep and cleanup, and gives us more time to ride. Keeping things simple also means that we have more money that can go towards our wedding.

Just gotta get through the work day and then we're outta here! Can't wait to get back on my quad, it's actually mine now. The fiance traded his 400 that our friends crashed for their 250 plus a little extra to make it an equal trade. The 250 is now officially ours :) I can't wait to go riding! (and I promise to be very careful)

Do it right the first time

Haha, typical me to post that I'm engaged, throw up a couple pictures of the absolutely gorgeous (and VERY sparkly) ring on my finger and then disappear.

I would rent the first apartment I ever looked at because it was absolutely perfect, and then not too long after start the first real and serious relationship I've ever had.

And then, 18 months later, would become engaged to the first guy I was ever in a real and serious relationship with and fell madly, head over heels in love with.

Because that's how I roll. I guess that when it comes to things that truly matter, I just know how to pick 'em right the first time.

All I can do is smile. I'm getting married! :)

Disclaimer - I promise some regular posts will come soon, but I'm still walking on a cloud and I'm finding it incredibly difficult to focus on anything but smiling.

The Ring

As promised, here are a couple shots of my amazingly gorgeous and sparkly engagement ring. I cannot stop looking
at it!!! It's just so sparkly and shiny. I absolutely love it. The fiance did good, very good. It was the most perfect, romantic proposal ever. We've already started planning.

The One Where She Says Yes

I am absolutely ecstatic to share something, especially following the more melancholy post yesterday. Thank you to everyone for your kind wishes, I really appreciate it. I am officially changing the bf's nickname. He is now the fiance!!! We got engaged last night!!!! =D

It was so perfect! Yesterday was our 18 month anniversary since we started dating. He took me to the Italian restaurant that he took me to for our one month and one year anniversaries. :) After dinner he came over to my side of the table with this wine carrier, which he'd said earlier had presents in it for me but there wasn't wine. When he opened it, there was wine...he gestured to it and I pulled out one of the bottles. It was inscribed with the verse: "There are three things that last faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love." Below that it has a Celtic cross with Celtic knots and whatnot. Below that it says "will you marry me and love me always and forever" and then has the date, October 8, 2009. And then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! =D =D =D

I am SO excited!!!!! It was even more significant since yesterday was exactly one year to the day that he took me to Julien for our 6 month anniversary, after which we stopped at the winery where we work sometimes. It's also the day that I first tasted the tawny port wine there that was and is still in the barrel. I've been waiting for them to bottle it for the past year. I now have the first and only two bottles currently in existence. He let the fiance bottle it and cork it and everything himself. :) We're friends with another winery couple up there that also does bottle etching. He etched the bottles for the fiance!!

I am so absolutely ecstatic. I am floating on a cloud and I can't stop smiling! =D