Accessorize your GFs...

For my bacholerette party, I really wanted my girls to look super cute. I made them supercute shirts:


Now that one of my close friend's is getting married, she was tooling around trying to find something cute for her MOH and her guests! Then we found this:


SOURCE

So we sat down and used the other button and came up with this:



I love Zazzle because you can customize the designs to fit your party! YEA YEA YEA!!!

Mood Boards... Before and After...

I have to admit, when I first made my mood board, I didn't really expect to be so right on with most of my wishes for our wedding. Here's the before:



+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Here's the after... with photos from my actual wedding.



For the most part, I captured almost everything I dreamt of! How close do you think you'll be to your mood board?

Sweet inspirations...

In my search for something on the web, I ended up stumbling by accident on wedding cakes. While I LOVE wedding cakes and just adore them, my love for the cupcake just trumped it. Nonetheless, I still just love cakes. I love baking them, I love reading about them. I love pretending I'm a really great baker to make one of these. Anyhow, with a loss of memory of what I was SUPPOSE to be looking for on the web, I ended up drooling over these:

...Simple and modern...
...not my choice of colors but I like the two tone and the monogram...
...i love the whole lovebird theme...
..very elegant and stylized...
..just enough design...
...i love the simple flowers and the off center of the layers...
... i'm a sucker for height...
...possibly one of the coolest cakes ever, reminds me of pearls...
...i love all the colors and blooms, very feminine...
...the blooms are big enough to not over power this...
...this would be a beautiful shower cake...
SOURCE

Just after 9 days...

of getting our little Ringo, his big brother has fully accepted him as his side kick!

How sweet!

craziness

It's been one heck of a few days. On top of Mother Nature thinking we needed a skylight in the living room, work seems to be stacking up and the pet mafia have taken over the house.

Late last evening, I finally calmed everyone down, cleaned up my desk and finished the last of my thank you cards. Part two should be done shortly with them and while the hubby finishes his portion up, I hope... HOPE!!!!... that I can finally send them out by the end of this week.

On another side note... Yesterday I started using my workout journal. While I only did free weights and an ab workout, at least I did something! Today I think I'll go running for a bit with the Bruno (the big puppy) before I settle down and cook dinner. I'm feeling like salmon tonight. YUMMM....

darn #$*!*#@*! rain...

This weekend was a nice chill one. The past week it's been raining so when Saturday rolled around and it was sunny, we took the opportunity to go for a ride and let the rugrats run around in the front yard.

The evening crept up on us and yet another storm decided to dump more water than what's in the Indian Ocean over our house. The hubby made a comment about the ceiling being a different color in a little spot but I didn't think much of it... That is until I woke up the next morning and found this.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+


So... Today has been filled with cleaning up. Well, on the plus side, we're getting new furniture and better lighting in living room...on the down side, I have a GIGANTIC hole in my roof!

Catalog this as our first major house issue since we've been married! At least it didn't happen over our bed!! :)

Lurking...

While one of my last posts complained how I'm soo over weddings, let me just state, I am soo over my own weddings. It doesn't mean I hate talking about wedding or anything of that sort...in fact, I LOVE IT more than ever! But in my bid to stop planning my wedding (cause, it's over), I have moved on to more adult subscriptions...

Yesterday I bought my subscription to:


This doesn't mean I stopped lurking through wedding blogs and flipping through bridal websites. It's another one of my many addictions. I wonder if this ever goes away? Maybe after all my friends are married than it will... until then, I'll secretly plan another wedding in my head! :)

Almost last and final wedding project

According to the knot, We've been married for 89 days! WHOA!

My goal before that number his the triple digits is to finish up my thank you cards.

I totally understand when people say that after the wedding you become anti wedding stuff. This totally is me! So now, I have 10 days before these suckers will be in the mail! :S

I'll post how they turned out once completed! :)

The Ultimate training log...

I've gone and done it. I gave in and bought the one thing that makes me work out. The Ultimate Workout Log. I had this book a few years ago and it really kicked my butt into gear. I loved this book because it made me look at weekly goals. It's small enough to toss into my handbag and it helps me see what I've done. It's only 6 months worth of logs and honestly, I think that is enough. The little planner in me got all excited how routine like I can get with the book!

I wish I was strong enough to say the online guides or signing up for events really gets me out there but alas, it doesn't. What do you use to help you gauge our training habits?

Morning Traditions...

In the morning, we work like robots when we get up.
1.Take dogs outside to potty
2.Make coffee
3.Feed All pet dishes
4.Make breakfast
5.Turn on TV to the Today Show
6.Check email
etc etc etc...

We NEVER deviate from the routine and I love it... but I digress, this isn't the reason I'm telling you all this. Fast forward to Number 5 on the list. While I was munching on my low-fat western bagel and sipping my coffee, I found out a great new site about eliminating waste... I.E. catalogs. (Take the Challenge!) There is a site out there called Catalog Choice.com that helps you stop getting catalogs! This year, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to do a better job on what we trash and you should too! We only are borrowing the land we live on. We are only here for specks of time so watch what you use!

Okay, I'm off my little soapbox. But still, go check out the site and decline a few of those Victoria Secret Catalogs you get and do something good for the environment! :)

Photo borrowed from Save the World Project!

Addictions and fate... all rolled into one little post.

The last two weeks I've been walking around with truly one thing in my head... that I really wanted CrackberryPinkberry. I attempted to combat my desires with jello and nuts, and everything else possibly imaginable...but slowly I caved and like a addict who's excited when they they realize how they'll score their next hit, I jumped for joy (quite literally) when I convinced my husband we deserved it.

Last night on our way to Pinkberry, I sat in the car and imagined the taste and the crunchy texture of Capt'n Crunch would feel like. Once the car stopped, I jumped out and dragged the husband in. Trying to stay polite, I found myself all fidgety until it was my turn to order:

"ONE MEDIUM REGULAR WITH CAPT'N CRUNCH, RASPBERRIES, AND BLACKBERRIES PLEASE! THANK YOU."

One so it began, the ritual of Pinkberry. Order, Pay, step to the side and watch these teenagers CAREFULLY place each berry on the Delicious dessert. It's like a play, no wait, like an elaborate opera that ends with joy and happiness. Once the dessert is complete, you step up and obtain the tasty delight and off you go.

It's that first taste that is always the best! Getting the right mixture of berries and yogurt with a touch of Capt'n Crunch. Oh the bitter sweet taste! I'm dreaming of it now! And from that point on, your senses are free flowing and time stands still. All because of one little bowl of yogurt!

I thought I would be okay after it. I thought I could just stay away and be okay with my fix...until I went to LAIST and read this! It's fate!!! I think fate is telling I should have more!

sharing the bed...

Before you start thinking dirty thoughts, let me stop you right there. On Saturday, we let another into our bed... our bebe puppy Ringo!





Now, Rocco grabs the foot of the bed, Bruno plops somewhere on us, and now Ringo cuddles up to my neck. At first we thought it'd be too crazy but we realized how much we love having our family all together!

The best of the best showers...

As much as I love weddings, I totally adore showers more. I love spending an afternoon being all girly (which I hardly do) and doing girly things. Over the years, while I've been to a ton of weddings, but I've only been to a handful of showers. Here are the takebacks from all the weddings:

Flowers Flowers Flowers really make the event. I'm not saying go out and spend a ton of dough, but do go out and get some for tables where food will be placed or any area guests will be around. The aroma is always pleasing and it really brightens up any room!

Good food is a must!!! As for quantity, get lots! I know people always say ladies eat less but quite frankly, if there isn't a guy around, we'll eat normally!

One word: CAKE! You can have whatever type of dessert you want, as long as you have cake too! It's edible art!!!

Games!!! If you've been to one shower, you've been to them all! Make sure you have at least one game that is lively and gets your crowd mingling!

Favors! Yes, it is highly suggested to give some type of favor out. It doesn't have to be an expensive favor, but something that you can take home, show off, eat later, etc etc etc.

Spend time on the details! Use a color or a theme throughout! It makes such the difference

These are the things I've realized and enjoyed seeing in all the showers I've been too. OHHH, one thing that reallly was cool about the one from last weekend was the MOH hired a psychic for the guests. Everyone went up for 10-15 minutes and she gave her thoughts on us. At first I wasn't going to go, didn't really want to know what my future held, and later I caved in. OH BOY was she good at it! At the beginning she called me a planner in life... I about died!!!! It's as if she's known me for years!!!

What are your favorite things about showers?

The Dress...

One of my dear friends (also a BM) just had her shower yesterday. I felt soo honored to help her get ready for the shower and help out the MOH any way possible to make this day special for the bride.

Her shower was beautiful! I wish I could have taken photos but my camera was acting up a bit. Once I find a few from some others, I'll post.

In the meantime, I realized her wedding isn't that far away. She's already given me my To-Do list for the day of and so I realized I need a dress that is comfortable, elegant, and easy to run around in. In my search for dresses, I found this:

Cielo by Froxx Silk Charmeuse Dress
Orig. $158.00
Was $117.99
Now $70.79
at Macys

What do you think? Is it too much? Too little? Too old looking? Too lame? I need help... Can I get away with wearing this to a elegant (yet it isn't black tie optional) evening sit down dinner/dancing affair in an upscale hotel?

Marriage Myths

I found this great article on MSN about marriage:

‘Don’t go to bed angry’ and other marriage myths
Dale Atkins shares smart, practical advice on separating fact from fiction

By Dr. Dale Atkins
updated 8:26 a.m. PT, Tues., Jan. 8, 2008

For most people, the picture of a perfect marriage is a white picket fence and eternal happiness. But just how to achieve that bliss is subject to wide debate: Do babies really bring you closer? Should you be concerned if you’re not having much sex? How much should you tell your spouse? Psychologist Dale Atkins, author of “Sanity Savers,” helps separate the marriage myths from reality.

Your spouse is your best friend
If you think this way, you'll be in for a big disappointment. Over the years, you definitely develop an amazing friendship with the person you are married to. But it doesn't necessarily start off that way. You develop that respect because you have your own life and your own interests and you support each other through illness, bad times, and death. That is what the basis of the friendship is about.

A best friend is someone you go to the movies with, that you have a lot in common with. But you need someone who you can go through life with, depending and relying on — and that takes time. And you may not tell your spouse everything, but it doesn't mean you are not close.

Don't go to bed angry
When you are lying next to someone and you are seething anger, it's not good. The best thing is to table things so you don't feel like you want to murder the person sleeping next to you. Remind yourself of all the positive things about this person and hopefully you will have a fresh eye in the morning. If you are that angry with somebody, you might not hear what they are saying anyway. It becomes unproductive.

...read more here!

Nesting...

I feel like we should be getting ready for the little rug rat to come home this weekend! It isn't like it's a baby, but he's our latest addition to our family! Do we make him a banner? Do I get him his own toys? I already have a little list of stuff we need to get at our local Pet Store. I feel like I didn't plan very far ahead for this!

I'm super excited to bring him home! Only 3 days to go! I wonder how Rocco and Bruno will like him. Will Bruno think he's a toy and try to play fetch with him?

I'll be posting pics once he's home! :)


p.s. i was kidding about the banner... sorta...

Personal Online Programs

They tend to be 10$ a month... but I found a great one that will help you train and watch what you eat that is FREE!!!!

iVillage Total Health has everything you could possibly need and more! I'm going to test it out for three weeks to see if it's worth it. They have journals for food and exercise. You can even tailor an exercise program to fit in your schedule! :)

Go check it out!

81 days...

Since the wedding. We are MOSTLY done with our thank you cards... mostly.

Where did the time go? UGGGGHHH... Mental note to self, finish them this week!

Funny how time has just flown by!

Shaving off a few minutes...

I feel motivated and unmotivated. I just finished my ninth half marathon in reasonable time. I'm sitting here and while I talk a great game, there is a part of me that needs a good ass kicking to go work out. So, maybe by posting a training schedule for surf city, I'll do it.
For everyone out there, I do not recommend training for a half in only three weeks but since it is only my only option. This is what I have to look forward to:

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
10	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	9 m run
11	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	10 m run
12	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	3 m run or cross	2 m run	Rest	Rest	SURF CITY HALF MARATHON!!!

Source of training schedule

I'll be posting the training schedule a few times a week and Bold my workouts to see if this might help me. :| Lets see if this helps me get in better shape!!!

Creating a wedding bio...

I am a bit timid creating a wedding bio for the knot. When I first started out, I posted a question to the board and there were a few ladies who weren't "very" kind. The knot always gave me a bad taste in my mouth and so I was always a little reluctant to post a bio of the wedding. Now that the wedding is over... should I post a bio of the wedding (photos and reviews) to help out other brides in my area? I'm posting a poll on the side...

What are your thoughts?

Don't forget to vote... PRETTY PLEASE!!!!!

VENDOR REVIEWS!!! ...alterations

I had my dress altered by the wonderful and amazing Reene of In Stitches in Woodland Hills, Ca. While I loved my dress, she helped customize the dress to make it more me!

The dress before:


Source

The Dress after:

She took off that random bead thing and added this beautiful brooch my parents bought me.


Hemmed the back of the dress so the train would only be lace. She also took off about 10,000 inches at the bottom since I'm short. :P


Added our names to a ribbon and sewed it on for a keepsake! My husband got a HUGE kick out of it!!!!


Me just feeling great!

Photos courtesy of Toby Tucker Photography.

If you ever need to get in touch with her, send me an email and I'll give you her number!

Grade: A+++++

VENDOR REVIEWS!!! ...online buys

Papermart: SUPER FAST and everything we ordered was perfect

Envelope Mall: They were courtous and helpful! Well priced and delivery was fast. Overall: A

Zazzle: We bought all 4 different types of stamps, and three types of stickers from here. I really liked how easy and well priced it all was. Overall: A

Bulk Foods: Prices were unbeatable and shipping was fast. If they don't have something in stock, they refund you. Overall: A

My M&Ms: Prices are a little steep and they forgot 30% of my order. They shipped it out superfast and refunded what they messed up on and so I never had to pay for it at the end. Overall: B

Best Bridal Prices: I bought my wedding dress and BM dresses here. They were super kind and the prices are OUT OF THIS WORLD! There was a mix up with my dress but they quickly shippped mine overnight to me. Overall: A-

I think that might be all my online purchases... Any questions?

One down...

Three to go... as far as my goal to finish 4 half marathons this year.

I had an absolute blast in PHX this weekend my girlfriends. We finished much faster than I expected and really laid groundwork on what to improve upon. The next one up is in 3 weeks. Surf City Half Marathon.

It really IS all about this metal!!!


I think this last half really kicked my butt into gear, I NEED to keep working out!!!!! How is everyone else doing on their resolutions/to do lists?

i'm surprising not THAT sore...

i'm surprising not THAT sore... just ran 13.1 miles. even got a pretty metal also!

Leaving... on a jet plane...

Going to PHX to do another half marathon. This is my 9 or 10 race!!!! It's early and i'm Dead. wish us all luck that we start and finish this one!

:)

Dreams do come true...

I never get to travel for business, wait, I did once, exactly 30 miles for a lunch and a meeting afterward. My husband on the otherhand travels quite a bit. He even is lucky enough to attend really cool conferences where they schmooze and drink and all that fun stuff. (Okay, he's really working but it always sounds like fun)

This spring he has a conference in Orlando. When he told me it was there, my ears turned up and sat up in my chair. Then he said what could be words from a dream: "Wanna come with and go to DisneyWorldbefore the conference?"

OMG OMG OMG

I heart all things Disney. He the things I hate about that company, I love. I've been to Disneyland about 1 trillion times and know the park and every little bit of goodness it has to show. I've always dreamt of going to DisneyWorld. I even watched all those Travel Channel shows about DisneyWorld over and over. Then, it got better. He said we could stay there!

OMG OMG OMG

Dreams really do come true. I'M GOING TO DisneyWorld!!!!

Dreaming...

Thanks for one of my friends sending out an email about our 30th vacation, I can't stop dreaming about it! It probably doesn't help that I've seen commercials for Puerto Rico for the last week.

There are 176 days until Vacation!

It means it's finally coming around. That means I only have 176 to fit into bikini (without scaring anyone). That also means, I really have to start working out again. After the wedding I went on strike, and well, now because of the strike, my jeans are going on strike because of all the harassment I've put them through.

So, this week I have kicked off (sorta) the get back in shape program. I don't know what it entails, but all I know is that my tush needs to spend more time outdoors than inside in from of the tv. I feel a bit pathetic, I've turned into one of THOSE people, new year, new body. Well, not really... Same old body, I just gotta get rid of some fluff I've acquired over the past few months. :| It isn't like I'm asking for too much... just a few inches.

To kick off this program, I'm going down to Phoenix, AZ to run with a few buddies of mine in the Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon. I might be extremely sore on Monday but at least I'm out there!

Writing reviews,

I've realized that writing a review and either help or hinder a company's business. At the moment I've been compiling all my reviews up and have been trying to post them at various different sites. The latest and greatest site I found was ProjectWedding. I spent the evening uploading some photos and posted a few reviews on there.

Any good sites you might know about where I can write a review and help out a fellow bride?

THIS JUST IN...

Someone just by my desk today and changed my placard on my wall...

They took out my old last name and replaced it with my new one. My other coworker came up to ask me if it felt weird... ummm... no, not really. Is that weird?


:)

Bundle of Joy...

We were a little hesitant to add to our family soo soon after we got married but we just couldn't help it...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Bruno's little brother:




What did you think? It was an actual human? LOL.... not yet.

I love the fact that the orange next to him is almost as big as his head! He's a miniature schnauzer! He'll grow up to be the same size as Bruno and look something like this:

Source of photo

We get to pick him up in 11 days! Hooray!!!!!

Writing...

I've had a secret passion for writing since I was about 7. It used to be an escape for me when I felt so out of place in life (which was 95% of the time). I wrote fictional stories that just took me to another place and even wrote in journals. In my life, I've filled up about a dozen journals. Some were only a hundred or so pages and the books were small, others were the size of a regular school notebook, 100 page count. There is one though I'm probably the most fond of and yet cant bring myself to read any of it. It's the one of my early twenties. 8X10 size, and holds about 300-500 pages. It's a big sucker and darn it, I wrote on every last page. I don't know why I won't read it. Maybe it will remind me of heartbreak or just feeling like a lost soul. Maybe it is the fact I'm just done dwelling on my past.

I find myself more and more missing writing like I used to. I have a personal blog but I sorta miss actually writing down stuff on paper. I've also noticed this running dialogue in my head about the observations I've made about my surroundings. I used to do this a lot I've gotten soo caught up in the moment I forgot to notice anything around me.

I really don't know where I'm going with this post, it's completely unrelated to planning or anything of substance. I think I just needed to take a deep breath in my posts and write about something I love so much. Has there been something that you've missed since you started planning your wedding?

VENDOR REVIEWS!!! ...the reception site

We planned our wedding within weeks of getting engaged. I just didn't want the hassle of it hovering over my head. One of the non issues for me was the site,Bella Victorian Vineyards. I blogged about how I choose the site.

I must admit, weather was the ONLY thing that worried me about the site. Nothing else. And well, it did but just enough to make everything get a little damp and make the area smell FRESH. As for what we and all our guests thought about Bella? WE LOVE LOVE LOVED IT! I worked with Kimberly over there and she was soo wonderful to me. Even when I'd email random questions about the place, she put up with me! My photog took a ton of photos but here are some of my favorites of their estate!


They have a trolley pick up and drop off guests from the parking area to the estate.








Photos courtesy of Toby Tucker Photography.

From start to finish, Bella Victorian Vineyards was worth every penny!

Grade: A+++++++

Where is Little Miss Planner?

She has been traveling and ended up getting sick. :(

Lots to write about... just no energy to finish any of the posts.

Posting will continue tomorrow.

Our Candy Buffet

One of the favors we decided upon early into the planning was a candy bar.

Photo courtesy of Toby Tucker Photography

We found the jars at Ikea (post here). The candy we ordered online from various sources. We used the stickers and clear bags I bought from here. I made the little banner. At the end of the day, we spend 200$ for the Candy Buffet and everyone LOVED it!

Photo courtesy of Toby Tucker Photography



Photo courtesy of one of my BM's Apryl!

My little List of things to do before 2009

1. Join a boot camp
2. Paint the guest bedroom
3. Travel to Central/South America
4. Cycle 2000 miles
5. Complete 4 half marathons
6. Organize Closet
7. Set up wireless network in the house
8. Do one triathlon
9. Blog more frequently
10. Find out what a set of good abs look on me! ;)
11. Get the Holga up and running
12. Workout at least 10 times a month in the morning before work for 3 straight months!
13. Cook at least two meals at home a week
14. Start taking lunch to work.
15. Get a baby brother for bruno!
16. Finish all wedding related tasks

I'm adding my little list to the sidebar so I can keep on top of it all. What are your goals?

Ringing in the New Year...

NYE-NYC-Times Square 07/08