My good friend Jill has been dealing with a medical nightmare over the past several months. (Click on her blog for details, I'll just say it's been a nightmare for her).
In an attempt to deal with this medical nightmare, she's been getting her records together from all of the various specialists she's seen so when she goes to the Cleveland Clinic next week, they'll have a more complete picture of what has been going on.
She found out that one of the specialists wrote a letter to another saying that Jill was crazy and everything was caused by severe psychosis.
This absolutely scares me. Not only am I worried that one doctor's invalid opinion will make it virtually impossible for Jill to get a diagnosis or treatment for the medical mystery, but I'm also worried for a very selfish reason.
I deal with depression. I have for years, but it wasn't until about three years ago that I swallowed my pride and got myself put on some medication to deal with the situation. If one doctor or just thinks there is a mental health problem can screw everything up for someone...well, what would happen if something nightmarish happened to me? I have a documented history of mental disorder. I've been on a medication you're supposed to have for six months for three years, with no sign of being pulled off of it anytime soon.
I know, I'm selfish for thinking of this, but in this day and age where we have to be our own advocates for EVERYTHING, how can I not be worried?
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
"Cost of Delay" Healthcare Vigil
I just got this email from Progress Ohio.
I'm going, pending my own death. Anyone who wants to join me, please let me know. I have dollar store candles we can use and we can make wax catchers from index cards fairly easily. The following is the email I received:
We can't afford to wait. As the Senate debates their version of health care reform, we need to ramp up public pressure on our senators to pass real reform before the end of the year. So, on December 8th, our friends at MoveOn.org are organizing a nationwide day of "Cost of Delay" vigils.
These vigils will shine a spotlight on the number of Americans in our communities who can't afford to pay the costs of their medical bills and are being forced into bankruptcy. And we'll show the Senate that we can't afford to wait to pass health care reform with a national public option this year.
Right now, there are 251 gatherings planned - including one in Grandview:
WHAT: Cost of Delay Health Care Vigil
WHEN: Tuesday, December 8, 2009, at 5:45 PM
WHERE: First Avenue and Grandview Avenue, Columbus, OH 43212
RSVP: Click here to let us know you're coming!
Bundle up, bring your own candles. Parking is available on some side streets, and in the parking lot behind Stauf's, Spagio, etc. on Grandview Ave.
To your health,
I'm going, pending my own death. Anyone who wants to join me, please let me know. I have dollar store candles we can use and we can make wax catchers from index cards fairly easily. The following is the email I received:
We can't afford to wait. As the Senate debates their version of health care reform, we need to ramp up public pressure on our senators to pass real reform before the end of the year. So, on December 8th, our friends at MoveOn.org are organizing a nationwide day of "Cost of Delay" vigils.
These vigils will shine a spotlight on the number of Americans in our communities who can't afford to pay the costs of their medical bills and are being forced into bankruptcy. And we'll show the Senate that we can't afford to wait to pass health care reform with a national public option this year.
Right now, there are 251 gatherings planned - including one in Grandview:
WHAT: Cost of Delay Health Care Vigil
WHEN: Tuesday, December 8, 2009, at 5:45 PM
WHERE: First Avenue and Grandview Avenue, Columbus, OH 43212
RSVP: Click here to let us know you're coming!
Bundle up, bring your own candles. Parking is available on some side streets, and in the parking lot behind Stauf's, Spagio, etc. on Grandview Ave.
To your health,
Brian Rothenberg
Executive Director
ProgressOhio.org
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Dog Auctions
http://www2.aspca.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=65204.0
This only pertains to Ohioans right now, but since I'm pretty sure that is most of my readership, there you go.
This only pertains to Ohioans right now, but since I'm pretty sure that is most of my readership, there you go.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
weirdly nervous
I've decided that I'm freaking myself out unnecessarily. The other day, I started having chest pains. This is nothing new for me. I've damaged the cartilage in my ribs enough to where stupid things like lifting a heavy book bag will cause me extreme pain. I'm used to it, and I know my restrictions..I also have medication to take when the pain gets out of hand.
What I'm freaked about is that despite taking the medication (and trying a couple of others the doctor suggested in case my body is getting too accustomed to the prescription)...well, the pain isn't going away.
I've been here before. Usually when it gets exceptionally bad it takes about a week to go away. The problem is that right now I don't have the time to slow down to let myself heal.
I've thought about going in to the doctor to maybe get an updated prescription or to get a new x-ray done to make sure I haven't made the damage worse. I won't do it, though. Partially because I'm semi-sure I'm over-reacting and partially because I don't have health insurance anymore.
I'm attributing the excess pain to stress. I'm losing my job in January, and we're already broke all the time because Nate still doesn't have a job. He's spent our entire marriage jobless. We're running out of savings. I'm losing my job.
I'm panicking.
And I think that's why the pain has come back so strongly. I'm panicked. I'm absolutely terrified because everything is going to hell, I can't stop it, and I don't know how to deal with it.
I realize there are people out there in much worse shape than we are...some of them are my nearest and dearest friends.
I just don't like being out of control of my own life, and that's what it feels like. I have no control. It is taking so much effort on my part to not revert to the nasty habits of my teen years. My meds are barely working, and it's because I'm so freaked and scared and I have no idea what I'm going to do.
I'm at a loss. I had somewhere I was going with this, and I've completely forgotten. I'm...done.
What I'm freaked about is that despite taking the medication (and trying a couple of others the doctor suggested in case my body is getting too accustomed to the prescription)...well, the pain isn't going away.
I've been here before. Usually when it gets exceptionally bad it takes about a week to go away. The problem is that right now I don't have the time to slow down to let myself heal.
I've thought about going in to the doctor to maybe get an updated prescription or to get a new x-ray done to make sure I haven't made the damage worse. I won't do it, though. Partially because I'm semi-sure I'm over-reacting and partially because I don't have health insurance anymore.
I'm attributing the excess pain to stress. I'm losing my job in January, and we're already broke all the time because Nate still doesn't have a job. He's spent our entire marriage jobless. We're running out of savings. I'm losing my job.
I'm panicking.
And I think that's why the pain has come back so strongly. I'm panicked. I'm absolutely terrified because everything is going to hell, I can't stop it, and I don't know how to deal with it.
I realize there are people out there in much worse shape than we are...some of them are my nearest and dearest friends.
I just don't like being out of control of my own life, and that's what it feels like. I have no control. It is taking so much effort on my part to not revert to the nasty habits of my teen years. My meds are barely working, and it's because I'm so freaked and scared and I have no idea what I'm going to do.
I'm at a loss. I had somewhere I was going with this, and I've completely forgotten. I'm...done.
Friday, November 20, 2009
We All Need Something To Fear
People crave crisis and fear.
We are all aware that the American media panders to fear; scaring people equals ratings which equals advertising dollars. Nobody likes the fluffy stories about little old ladies and their cars they've owned for fifty years.
We, as Americans, like to panic.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, we are panicking over the wrong things entirely. We're so freaked out about the world ending in 2012 that we're ignoring the greater issues, that are all right here at home. I'm focusing on the 2012 things because let's face it, you can't turn on the History Channel without seeing something about it anymore. There's a movie out starring John Cusack that is all about the crisis, too. It's ridiculous.
So, in our focus on the end of the world in true apocalyptic fashion, we are forgetting that we have several crises here at home that we need to acknowledge and work towards repairing.
Americans at large are still convinced that we are the greatest country in the world. In my research, the only place I've found we're even close to ranking in anything is according to the World Economic Forum, the US is #2 for competitive economy. Funny thing, until this year, we were the top country for competitiveness. Thanks to our tanking national economy and people being afraid to invest in anything or actually *do* anything, we've lost our top spot.
Health Care Reform needs to happen. I don't know anyone who genuinely disagrees with that argument. Sure, we all disagree on how it should be done, but for the most part, Americans agree that it should happen.
At least, that's what I thought. I found someone who thinks our system is just fine the way it is.
Funny. According to the World Health Organization's 2000 healthcare rankings, the US is #37 in the world. 37. Wanna know who is ahead of us?
1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America
Since 2000, the World Health organization has stopped making a ranking system due to the complexity of the task,
but can we honestly tell ourselves that this isn't a problem?
Alright, you don't believe me on this one? Here's another for you, that is a little more recent.
Global education rankings. I'm not talking post-secondary, here.
15 year old students among the 30 countries that participate in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
These nations are our peers, not everyone. Broken down by subject...
...Guess where we are?
Math: 25 out of 30. The average score across the OECD is 500. The US average is 483.
Reading: 16 out of 30. OECD Average: 494. US Average: 495.
Science: 20 out of 30. OECD Average: 500. US Average: 491.
Problem Solving: 25 out of 30. OECD Average: 500. US Average: 477.
Am I the only one appalled by how pathetic we are compared to our peers?
No wonder we are the laughingstock of the Western world.
Seriously, we're so busy concerned about what is going on everywhere else that we are ignoring our problems at home.
How can we possibly presume to tell everyone else how to be when we can't even keep ourselves under control.
Why, then, are we focused on things such as 2012?
I'm sorry, I'm more concerned that if my husband's appendix ruptures, we'll be screwed because we can't afford
health insurance. I don't care if the Mayans thought the world would end in 2012.
Oh, and by the way, they didn't think the world would end. They thought that the current historic era would end and we would
transition into a new age. Kinda like the Millennium fears, isn't it?
So, my dears, let's calm ourselves down for one damn minute.
Since we love crisis so much, let's get angry and work towards fixing the crises we have going on within our own borders.
Let's educate our damn kids, be parents, and stop being afraid that we aren't going to be "cool".
Let's tell our government what we want. What we need. We need a better health care system.
It is their job to listen to us, all we have to do is speak up and hold them accountable.
Here's a big one.
Let's take responsibility for ourselves. Stop playing the victim.
What we've done, we've done to ourselves. Let's stop bitching and start fixing.
We are all aware that the American media panders to fear; scaring people equals ratings which equals advertising dollars. Nobody likes the fluffy stories about little old ladies and their cars they've owned for fifty years.
We, as Americans, like to panic.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, we are panicking over the wrong things entirely. We're so freaked out about the world ending in 2012 that we're ignoring the greater issues, that are all right here at home. I'm focusing on the 2012 things because let's face it, you can't turn on the History Channel without seeing something about it anymore. There's a movie out starring John Cusack that is all about the crisis, too. It's ridiculous.
So, in our focus on the end of the world in true apocalyptic fashion, we are forgetting that we have several crises here at home that we need to acknowledge and work towards repairing.
Americans at large are still convinced that we are the greatest country in the world. In my research, the only place I've found we're even close to ranking in anything is according to the World Economic Forum, the US is #2 for competitive economy. Funny thing, until this year, we were the top country for competitiveness. Thanks to our tanking national economy and people being afraid to invest in anything or actually *do* anything, we've lost our top spot.
Health Care Reform needs to happen. I don't know anyone who genuinely disagrees with that argument. Sure, we all disagree on how it should be done, but for the most part, Americans agree that it should happen.
At least, that's what I thought. I found someone who thinks our system is just fine the way it is.
Funny. According to the World Health Organization's 2000 healthcare rankings, the US is #37 in the world. 37. Wanna know who is ahead of us?
1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America
Since 2000, the World Health organization has stopped making a ranking system due to the complexity of the task,
but can we honestly tell ourselves that this isn't a problem?
Alright, you don't believe me on this one? Here's another for you, that is a little more recent.
Global education rankings. I'm not talking post-secondary, here.
15 year old students among the 30 countries that participate in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
These nations are our peers, not everyone. Broken down by subject...
...Guess where we are?
Math: 25 out of 30. The average score across the OECD is 500. The US average is 483.
Reading: 16 out of 30. OECD Average: 494. US Average: 495.
Science: 20 out of 30. OECD Average: 500. US Average: 491.
Problem Solving: 25 out of 30. OECD Average: 500. US Average: 477.
Am I the only one appalled by how pathetic we are compared to our peers?
No wonder we are the laughingstock of the Western world.
Seriously, we're so busy concerned about what is going on everywhere else that we are ignoring our problems at home.
How can we possibly presume to tell everyone else how to be when we can't even keep ourselves under control.
Why, then, are we focused on things such as 2012?
I'm sorry, I'm more concerned that if my husband's appendix ruptures, we'll be screwed because we can't afford
health insurance. I don't care if the Mayans thought the world would end in 2012.
Oh, and by the way, they didn't think the world would end. They thought that the current historic era would end and we would
transition into a new age. Kinda like the Millennium fears, isn't it?
So, my dears, let's calm ourselves down for one damn minute.
Since we love crisis so much, let's get angry and work towards fixing the crises we have going on within our own borders.
Let's educate our damn kids, be parents, and stop being afraid that we aren't going to be "cool".
Let's tell our government what we want. What we need. We need a better health care system.
It is their job to listen to us, all we have to do is speak up and hold them accountable.
Here's a big one.
Let's take responsibility for ourselves. Stop playing the victim.
What we've done, we've done to ourselves. Let's stop bitching and start fixing.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Frustration
For whatever reason, mobile blogging refused to work for me while I was off in Atlanta celebrating the release of Mentally Incontinent.
I have pictures and experiences to share, none of which are that interesting, but that I'm going to share anyway.
But not until later, for now I have an English paper to dive into.
I have pictures and experiences to share, none of which are that interesting, but that I'm going to share anyway.
But not until later, for now I have an English paper to dive into.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Preparations
One week from today, Mentally Incontinent comes out in bookstores. People who know me (and have seen the infamous tattoo) are probably thinking "wait a minute, Mentally Incontinent came out years ago. WTF?" Well, due to Joe's success as a self-published author/writer type person, he got a book deal with Penguin Books. Yup. So, they're releasing the next book, but not calling it a sequel as part of a very logical marketing scheme.
Anywho, the book comes out Tuesday November 3, 2009. In case you haven't figured it out, the links are to the Amazon.com presale page. I preordered mine forever ago.
The preparations aren't just for the book, however. The following weekend, there is a big book release party happening in Atlanta. I'm going. Yes, I am driving 9 hours to go hang out with Joe and others and to celebrate yet more weird stories from one of the coolest guys around.
So what have I been doing to prepare for my big road trip? Very little until now. I had Googled directions from my house to the hotel I'm probably staying at and from there to the venue for the party. That was about it, actually. Fortunately, the Fates intervened in my procrastination.
We decided to go see a movie on Sunday night. The app on my phone said 8:45, in reality it was a 10pm showing. Solution? Buy our tickets, and walk down the strip mall to the Barnes and Noble.
I bought a Streets of Greater Atlanta map, and the Rand McNally 2010 Road Atlas of North America. I'm already a pretty big nerd when it comes to maps and whatnot, and I'm just having ENTIRELY TOO MUCH FUN with my new atlas. Not only have I marked out the route suggested by Google, but I've found a detour I'm going to take on my way back to Columbus to indulge my Civil War geekiness. I found 3 fun things a lot closer to my fastest route than shooting across and through Nashville, which was my original plan.
Now I'm sticking to my Knoxville route for the most part, but I'm going to experience Jelico mountain and hopefully Gatlinburg. *happy dance*
By the time I'm done with this, I'm going to have at least four routes with various fun things to do along the way. Part of me feels bad for anyone who ends up riding with me on this one.
I've also gotten Blogger set up for mobile blogging (so people reading this on Xanga will have to switch over to timeracer.blogspot.com). I'm going to post cell photos and whatnot from the road. If I can figure out how to send video, too, then perhaps you'll get to enjoy a video of me harassing rest stop patrons. Hard to say, really.
But yeah..that's really all I have. I'm insanely excited about this road trip/book release/seeing people.
Oh, and did I mention that the preliminary forecast for Atlanta the weekend I'm down there is a good 15 degrees warmer than the forecast for Columbus that weekend? I might actually get to shed my hoodies for a couple of days.
The biggest downside to this trip so far is that CakeWrecks will be in Atlanta...the day after I leave. Grrrr.
Anywho, the book comes out Tuesday November 3, 2009. In case you haven't figured it out, the links are to the Amazon.com presale page. I preordered mine forever ago.
The preparations aren't just for the book, however. The following weekend, there is a big book release party happening in Atlanta. I'm going. Yes, I am driving 9 hours to go hang out with Joe and others and to celebrate yet more weird stories from one of the coolest guys around.
So what have I been doing to prepare for my big road trip? Very little until now. I had Googled directions from my house to the hotel I'm probably staying at and from there to the venue for the party. That was about it, actually. Fortunately, the Fates intervened in my procrastination.
We decided to go see a movie on Sunday night. The app on my phone said 8:45, in reality it was a 10pm showing. Solution? Buy our tickets, and walk down the strip mall to the Barnes and Noble.
I bought a Streets of Greater Atlanta map, and the Rand McNally 2010 Road Atlas of North America. I'm already a pretty big nerd when it comes to maps and whatnot, and I'm just having ENTIRELY TOO MUCH FUN with my new atlas. Not only have I marked out the route suggested by Google, but I've found a detour I'm going to take on my way back to Columbus to indulge my Civil War geekiness. I found 3 fun things a lot closer to my fastest route than shooting across and through Nashville, which was my original plan.
Now I'm sticking to my Knoxville route for the most part, but I'm going to experience Jelico mountain and hopefully Gatlinburg. *happy dance*
By the time I'm done with this, I'm going to have at least four routes with various fun things to do along the way. Part of me feels bad for anyone who ends up riding with me on this one.
I've also gotten Blogger set up for mobile blogging (so people reading this on Xanga will have to switch over to timeracer.blogspot.com). I'm going to post cell photos and whatnot from the road. If I can figure out how to send video, too, then perhaps you'll get to enjoy a video of me harassing rest stop patrons. Hard to say, really.
But yeah..that's really all I have. I'm insanely excited about this road trip/book release/seeing people.
Oh, and did I mention that the preliminary forecast for Atlanta the weekend I'm down there is a good 15 degrees warmer than the forecast for Columbus that weekend? I might actually get to shed my hoodies for a couple of days.
The biggest downside to this trip so far is that CakeWrecks will be in Atlanta...the day after I leave. Grrrr.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Breakin' my heart.
Nate is obsessed with the crashing housing market right now. It truly is a buyer's market, and he keeps looking at houses that are going for *CHEAP*.
Usually, they're OK houses in OK neighborhoods, so it's just like "eh, whatever" for me. Today, he found one. The one. In Gahanna instead of Pickerington, but still, the house. Perfect sized lot, the big house we'd love to have. For cheap. Insanely cheap. Like, if he had a job so we could qualify for the loan we'd buy it today cheap.
But alas, my income alone isn't enough to qualify us for *any* loan. He has to have a job as well, even for such a small loan as we would need for that house.
It broke my heart just a little bit. I know it's silly and that we should really sit tight where we are so I can finish paying off the student loans (hey, I have them under five grand from the over 15K I started with!) and so I can finish paying off the credit card...but still, my heart broke a little bit seeing that gorgeous house within our budget and knowing we couldn't get the loan yet. If he had a job, yes, we could get the loan rightnow.
It's a blessing in disguise. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway. It's an opportunity for me to finish paying off my debts to get my credit from being "meh, okay." to being at a point where we can get the very nice interest rates on a mortgage.
It's ridiculous that I'm writing about this, but it's what is on my mind. I have no real complaints in my life at the moment (for which I am very grateful!) so you get to read about my sadness that we can't buy a house right now.
So. Other than that, my life is pretty much at the same place it has been. I'm in school, I'm married to my best friend, and...my dog and cat are constant little bundles of cuteness.
Nothing more to say...wait. Yes.
If I manage to figure out how to mobile blog from my phone, I'll be posting pictures and random bits from my road trip to Atlanta coming up the first weekend of November. Consider yourselves warned.
Usually, they're OK houses in OK neighborhoods, so it's just like "eh, whatever" for me. Today, he found one. The one. In Gahanna instead of Pickerington, but still, the house. Perfect sized lot, the big house we'd love to have. For cheap. Insanely cheap. Like, if he had a job so we could qualify for the loan we'd buy it today cheap.
But alas, my income alone isn't enough to qualify us for *any* loan. He has to have a job as well, even for such a small loan as we would need for that house.
It broke my heart just a little bit. I know it's silly and that we should really sit tight where we are so I can finish paying off the student loans (hey, I have them under five grand from the over 15K I started with!) and so I can finish paying off the credit card...but still, my heart broke a little bit seeing that gorgeous house within our budget and knowing we couldn't get the loan yet. If he had a job, yes, we could get the loan rightnow.
It's a blessing in disguise. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway. It's an opportunity for me to finish paying off my debts to get my credit from being "meh, okay." to being at a point where we can get the very nice interest rates on a mortgage.
It's ridiculous that I'm writing about this, but it's what is on my mind. I have no real complaints in my life at the moment (for which I am very grateful!) so you get to read about my sadness that we can't buy a house right now.
So. Other than that, my life is pretty much at the same place it has been. I'm in school, I'm married to my best friend, and...my dog and cat are constant little bundles of cuteness.
Nothing more to say...wait. Yes.
If I manage to figure out how to mobile blog from my phone, I'll be posting pictures and random bits from my road trip to Atlanta coming up the first weekend of November. Consider yourselves warned.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Invites are out!
So, I've gotten the invitations sent out, and so far I've gotten two RSVPs back. One was a glad acceptance from my boss and her family. They love me and we've worked together for years, and have a friendship outside of work, so I expected that one.
What I didn't expect was the decline I also received. My own grandmother isn't coming to my wedding. I found out that she's only gone to one wedding in the family out of the four that have happened...but still. It's more than a little heartbreaking.
On the plus side, Brooke is definitely going to be our flower girl (whoo!) and...yeah. That's it. I'm kind of surprised I haven't gotten back any more RSVPs, to be honest. Most of my friends and family are very punctual and prompt.
Well, that's it. That's all I've got for now. Off to work to earn the money to pay for all this :-)
What I didn't expect was the decline I also received. My own grandmother isn't coming to my wedding. I found out that she's only gone to one wedding in the family out of the four that have happened...but still. It's more than a little heartbreaking.
On the plus side, Brooke is definitely going to be our flower girl (whoo!) and...yeah. That's it. I'm kind of surprised I haven't gotten back any more RSVPs, to be honest. Most of my friends and family are very punctual and prompt.
Well, that's it. That's all I've got for now. Off to work to earn the money to pay for all this :-)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Hopefully my hand holds out!
The RSVP cards are here, meaning I actually have to start getting the invitations out now. I'm being incredibly lazy and just addressing the envelopes myself. I was going to print them, but I don't have enough extras in the correct size to play around with my printer settings. So, while Nate goes grocery shopping, I'm going to be here addressing envelopes and getting ready to head to the post office. It's amazing when you realize that...yeah. We're getting things done! finally!
The bags I got for the girls showed up today, too...and fortunately the purple I used for Christi's bag didn't come out super girly and dorky like I feared. It actually looks very good.
My hand is cramping just thinking about how many addresses I'm going to have to write today! Fortunately, I'm going to save a little bit of money by breaking decorum and hand delivering a few of the invitations. I figure that if I see certain people almost every day, I can go ahead and invite them personally rather than spend the money to mail invites out. Yes, it breaks decorum and formality, but we've never been that formal and we're on a tight budget.
I'm off to brave my list of 50something envelopes. Away I go!
The bags I got for the girls showed up today, too...and fortunately the purple I used for Christi's bag didn't come out super girly and dorky like I feared. It actually looks very good.
My hand is cramping just thinking about how many addresses I'm going to have to write today! Fortunately, I'm going to save a little bit of money by breaking decorum and hand delivering a few of the invitations. I figure that if I see certain people almost every day, I can go ahead and invite them personally rather than spend the money to mail invites out. Yes, it breaks decorum and formality, but we've never been that formal and we're on a tight budget.
I'm off to brave my list of 50something envelopes. Away I go!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Wow.
It's starting to hit both of us just how close our wedding is now. The invitations showed up yesterday, and looking at them just makes it so much more real. In just over two months, all the planning and the stress will be gone, and we'll be Mr. & Mrs.
Wow.
Anyhow, the invites are here, and we went shopping to find random wedding stuff we needed. We now have all the favor bags we need, and we found an album that we love love love, so there we go with that. We also picked up the last of the flower petals we're going to need for Brooke and for the tables and some pretty seals for the envelopes. I don't think I have much left, really. Monday the RSVP cards and the bags for my girls should be here, so that will be the last of the deliveries for a little while..unless, of course, I find something else random for the girls that I just have to get for them :-)
That's all I've got. We're getting closer on a solution to the catering problem, and as much as it pains us, we're going to get that done very soon.
I'll update with pictures as soon as I have the time!
Wow.
Anyhow, the invites are here, and we went shopping to find random wedding stuff we needed. We now have all the favor bags we need, and we found an album that we love love love, so there we go with that. We also picked up the last of the flower petals we're going to need for Brooke and for the tables and some pretty seals for the envelopes. I don't think I have much left, really. Monday the RSVP cards and the bags for my girls should be here, so that will be the last of the deliveries for a little while..unless, of course, I find something else random for the girls that I just have to get for them :-)
That's all I've got. We're getting closer on a solution to the catering problem, and as much as it pains us, we're going to get that done very soon.
I'll update with pictures as soon as I have the time!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Deliveries and Caterers and Invites, oh my!
Delivery #2 showed up yesterday, as scheduled. So far, so good. Tomorrow should be the arrival of my invitations, followed by the RSVP cards on Monday. I still have to get envelopes for everything, but that's alright. The bags for my girls' gifts should be here sometime that week, too.
I know I'm harping on and on about waiting for UPS deliveries, but in all honesty, that's the only place where we're making progress. We're still at a stalemate with how to trim some of the cost with the caterer so we can afford it ourselves.
We have hit the first snag with invitations and guests, though. There are several people who have assumed they are invited that, due to our budget limitations, we can't invite. There are also several people we haven't spoken to since the engagement, since long before the engagement, that have asked where their invitations are. Nate and I made a rule when we agreed to our budget that we're only inviting people who are active in our lives. If it's someone we haven't even spoken to since high school, then we aren't inviting them. As much as we'd like to invite everyone we know, it just isn't reasonable for us at this time. Needless to say, it's frustrating to be pelted with emails and phone calls from people we figured didn't know about the engagement in the first place. Weird how something like a wedding makes people suddenly want to get back in contact.
Oh well. We've been kindly explaining to everyone our budget limitations and how we're doing a smaller, more intimate ceremony, and so far people seem to be OK with our replies to why they weren't invited. Next week when I send out invitations is when things are going to get *really* interesting, I think, since several of the people we're inviting are college friends who still live with roommates, and we aren't inviting the roommates we barely know. I know at least one of those people is the kind of drama queen who will take it as a personal insult and get offended and try to cause some sort of trouble. To be honest, I'm almost looking forward to it, just for the entertainment value.
I know I'm harping on and on about waiting for UPS deliveries, but in all honesty, that's the only place where we're making progress. We're still at a stalemate with how to trim some of the cost with the caterer so we can afford it ourselves.
We have hit the first snag with invitations and guests, though. There are several people who have assumed they are invited that, due to our budget limitations, we can't invite. There are also several people we haven't spoken to since the engagement, since long before the engagement, that have asked where their invitations are. Nate and I made a rule when we agreed to our budget that we're only inviting people who are active in our lives. If it's someone we haven't even spoken to since high school, then we aren't inviting them. As much as we'd like to invite everyone we know, it just isn't reasonable for us at this time. Needless to say, it's frustrating to be pelted with emails and phone calls from people we figured didn't know about the engagement in the first place. Weird how something like a wedding makes people suddenly want to get back in contact.
Oh well. We've been kindly explaining to everyone our budget limitations and how we're doing a smaller, more intimate ceremony, and so far people seem to be OK with our replies to why they weren't invited. Next week when I send out invitations is when things are going to get *really* interesting, I think, since several of the people we're inviting are college friends who still live with roommates, and we aren't inviting the roommates we barely know. I know at least one of those people is the kind of drama queen who will take it as a personal insult and get offended and try to cause some sort of trouble. To be honest, I'm almost looking forward to it, just for the entertainment value.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
More Deliveries, More Impatient pacing
Chances are that UPS won't deliver until after I go to work. Therefore, I'm preparing a signed note to the UPS driver to either drop the box in the specified area, or take it around the corner to my dad. Here's hoping that my note works.
Today's delivery should be my underoos, followed on Friday by the invitations and the RSVP cards should be here on Monday. That gives me a couple of days to assemble the invitation package and get them sent out on Friday. I realized that I forgot to put an email RSVP availability on the invites or cards, so I guess I'm going to just be getting a lot of mail for a few days :-)
My wedding band is still on back order, so we remain only 1/2 a set. Nate knows his band is here, and he knows where it is. He's still a bit pissy that I won't let him have it until July. He wants to wear it now. It's so cute when he reverts to being five...at least for the first two minutes. Then it's just annoying :-)
So, that's it. We're at a stalemate as we (I) impatiently wait for UPS to show up. Since I do work today, though, I need to scamper away from this computer and get some housework done. Boo, housework.
~The Future Mrs. K
Today's delivery should be my underoos, followed on Friday by the invitations and the RSVP cards should be here on Monday. That gives me a couple of days to assemble the invitation package and get them sent out on Friday. I realized that I forgot to put an email RSVP availability on the invites or cards, so I guess I'm going to just be getting a lot of mail for a few days :-)
My wedding band is still on back order, so we remain only 1/2 a set. Nate knows his band is here, and he knows where it is. He's still a bit pissy that I won't let him have it until July. He wants to wear it now. It's so cute when he reverts to being five...at least for the first two minutes. Then it's just annoying :-)
So, that's it. We're at a stalemate as we (I) impatiently wait for UPS to show up. Since I do work today, though, I need to scamper away from this computer and get some housework done. Boo, housework.
~The Future Mrs. K
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Gleeful arrival!
So, shortly after my last post, UPS showed up! Huzzah! I now have one part of the gifts for my girls! *happy dance*
The next scheduled delivery, according to the webtracker, is for Wednesday, which should be my undies. After that should be wedding invites, then the bags for the girls, and then the RSVP cards.
There's a nasty storm rolling in, so I'm venturing away to shut windows and see if I can get any good pictures. I'll post some pictures of some of my wedding collection soon, too.
The next scheduled delivery, according to the webtracker, is for Wednesday, which should be my undies. After that should be wedding invites, then the bags for the girls, and then the RSVP cards.
There's a nasty storm rolling in, so I'm venturing away to shut windows and see if I can get any good pictures. I'll post some pictures of some of my wedding collection soon, too.
Impatiently awaiting UPS
I have no patience for things to be delivered! I love getting mail and deliveries, so I get insanely excited when I check the UPS tracker, and it says it's on a truck for delivery to my home! I think what bugs me the most is that the UPS hub is literally a five minute drive from me, so I get really antsy wondering where on the route I am today. Usually, since we are so close to the hub, we're right at the end of the driver's route.
I'm so impatient! Today's delivery should be the manicure kits I ordered for myself and my girls, then by Wednesday I should have my undies that I ordered to go under my dress. By next Friday at the latest I should have the invites! As I was typing this, I got the shipping confirmation on the invites. Monday is when the RSVP cards should be printed, so those should be here by the 11th at the very latest. I'm so excited! Honestly, I love mail and deliveries, so I get very excited when I get things that aren't bills.
That's about it on the wedding front, actually. Well, other than something completely random and silly.
Our announcements, invites, and RSVP cards are all part of a matching personalized set offered by American Greetings. Originally the plan was to do our own design, but after pricing it out, this way was more cost effective and less time consuming for us. Well, part of the collection is also a set of thank you cards. I was considering matching the thank-yous to the rest of the wedding, and have since changed my mind.
Dan (soon to be father-in-law) has been cleaning out various things in his house that he doesn't want or need anymore. This has resulted in me getting several classic books that I've been wanting, some great old cookbooks, and $15 from half price books for the stuff we didn't want or need. Well, one of the items Dan found stored away was a large box of various stationary sets left behind by Nate's mom. Some of them are just obnoxiously cute, but most of them are very classic and make me smile. I now have an excuse to buy a new calligraphy set! I'm going to use the various sets to send my thank you cards. I'm so excited! Have I mentioned that I love sending mail almost as much as I love getting mail? I'm seriously thinking about just randomly mailing friends notes on the pretty sets...just because I can! Mwaha!
Which reminds me...I need more stamps!
That's all I have for now, wedding or otherwise.
I'm so impatient! Today's delivery should be the manicure kits I ordered for myself and my girls, then by Wednesday I should have my undies that I ordered to go under my dress. By next Friday at the latest I should have the invites! As I was typing this, I got the shipping confirmation on the invites. Monday is when the RSVP cards should be printed, so those should be here by the 11th at the very latest. I'm so excited! Honestly, I love mail and deliveries, so I get very excited when I get things that aren't bills.
That's about it on the wedding front, actually. Well, other than something completely random and silly.
Our announcements, invites, and RSVP cards are all part of a matching personalized set offered by American Greetings. Originally the plan was to do our own design, but after pricing it out, this way was more cost effective and less time consuming for us. Well, part of the collection is also a set of thank you cards. I was considering matching the thank-yous to the rest of the wedding, and have since changed my mind.
Dan (soon to be father-in-law) has been cleaning out various things in his house that he doesn't want or need anymore. This has resulted in me getting several classic books that I've been wanting, some great old cookbooks, and $15 from half price books for the stuff we didn't want or need. Well, one of the items Dan found stored away was a large box of various stationary sets left behind by Nate's mom. Some of them are just obnoxiously cute, but most of them are very classic and make me smile. I now have an excuse to buy a new calligraphy set! I'm going to use the various sets to send my thank you cards. I'm so excited! Have I mentioned that I love sending mail almost as much as I love getting mail? I'm seriously thinking about just randomly mailing friends notes on the pretty sets...just because I can! Mwaha!
Which reminds me...I need more stamps!
That's all I have for now, wedding or otherwise.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Email post test
Since I spend more time checking email than anything else, I'm testing my ability to blog via email. That's really all this is.
Oh, and I ordered our wedding invitations today. Hopefully I can get the reply cards ordered soon so I can have them all sent out by the 15th. Wow, I'm really cutting it close here!
Oh, and I ordered our wedding invitations today. Hopefully I can get the reply cards ordered soon so I can have them all sent out by the 15th. Wow, I'm really cutting it close here!
I'm the worst blogger in the universe. I tend to either post completely irrelevant things, or to ignore my blogs for weeks at a time.
This one was supposed to be about wedding planning. It was supposed to be...something. I don't know. In the months since the engagement became official, I still haven't posted much of anything useful.
I ordered Nate's wedding band. It showed up a few days ahead of schedule, and *drumroll* it's the right size! Now it resides in its box in the wedding pile, and he's very upset that I won't let him have it until the wedding. I had to venture away from tradition to be able to find something suited to him, but hopefully a steel ring won't get too abused by him :-)
Our photography panic has officially ended. My mom's best friend Evelyn (god love her!) is going to show up early and do the portraits and whatnot for us so we can have the traditional shots. Everyone I know who has heard about our panic has agreed to have a camera in their hand for us, since I'm a big fan of candid shots anyway.
It's a relief to say the least. That is one more monster taken care of for me. I still have to check in with my girls, find out if they've gotten everything (Christi has, I know that much)...but yeah. Rehearsals still have to be scheduled, and we're still grappling with the caterer. We're got to figure out a way to reduce that cost...again.
Kristen, my coordinator, has been the most patient person on the planet when it comes to this. Here's hoping that patience holds out for us, because I'm going to have to ask her to run a proposal, again...and cut even more back. This is starting to frustrate me beyond all belief.
I do have one small glimmer of hope. I know my wedding cake won't end up on Cake Wrecks! Honestly, Jen's blog has been keeping me sane the past few weeks. I need a good laugh, I venture over, laugh at others' wrecks, and enjoy the comments.
Nothing more to report, really. We've trimmed the guest list, again. Invites have NOT gone out yet, so people really need to stop badgering me....and...uhhmmm....yeah. I have nothing else wedding related to report, really.
I do know I'm getting sick of that pretty picture frame Nate bought us for our wedding photo being empty. I just want to see it filled with our smiles already!
*sigh* 2 and a half months left to go.
This one was supposed to be about wedding planning. It was supposed to be...something. I don't know. In the months since the engagement became official, I still haven't posted much of anything useful.
I ordered Nate's wedding band. It showed up a few days ahead of schedule, and *drumroll* it's the right size! Now it resides in its box in the wedding pile, and he's very upset that I won't let him have it until the wedding. I had to venture away from tradition to be able to find something suited to him, but hopefully a steel ring won't get too abused by him :-)
Our photography panic has officially ended. My mom's best friend Evelyn (god love her!) is going to show up early and do the portraits and whatnot for us so we can have the traditional shots. Everyone I know who has heard about our panic has agreed to have a camera in their hand for us, since I'm a big fan of candid shots anyway.
It's a relief to say the least. That is one more monster taken care of for me. I still have to check in with my girls, find out if they've gotten everything (Christi has, I know that much)...but yeah. Rehearsals still have to be scheduled, and we're still grappling with the caterer. We're got to figure out a way to reduce that cost...again.
Kristen, my coordinator, has been the most patient person on the planet when it comes to this. Here's hoping that patience holds out for us, because I'm going to have to ask her to run a proposal, again...and cut even more back. This is starting to frustrate me beyond all belief.
I do have one small glimmer of hope. I know my wedding cake won't end up on Cake Wrecks! Honestly, Jen's blog has been keeping me sane the past few weeks. I need a good laugh, I venture over, laugh at others' wrecks, and enjoy the comments.
Nothing more to report, really. We've trimmed the guest list, again. Invites have NOT gone out yet, so people really need to stop badgering me....and...uhhmmm....yeah. I have nothing else wedding related to report, really.
I do know I'm getting sick of that pretty picture frame Nate bought us for our wedding photo being empty. I just want to see it filled with our smiles already!
*sigh* 2 and a half months left to go.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Here We Go, down to the wire!
We're officially less than three months away from the Big Day! I'm fully freaking out at this point.
Tomorrow I'm ordering his ring, and his father is paying for our honeymoon...even though Nate shot down the idea of going to NYC. I'm a bit disappointed, as I thought going to NYC for our honeymoon would be amazing, but Nate flat out refuses. He pretty much refuses to do anything other than sit at home for a week, but he says that isn't a good honeymoon, either. I can't win with him.
I'm still grappling with the caterer. We just can't afford this like we thought, and we have nobody to help. We knew we were getting into an exclusivity contract, but we didn't realize that it meant spending $3000 more than we budgeted. It just can't happen.
I'm officially beyond frustrated with the entire idea. I'm frustrated that my original idea of eloping and then throwing a party later got shot down. I'm frustrated that Nate isn't meeting me halfway on anything. He's indecisive, and it's screwing me over.
I just want the next three months to be done. I'm done with weddings. I want to get on to my marriage.
Tomorrow I'm ordering his ring, and his father is paying for our honeymoon...even though Nate shot down the idea of going to NYC. I'm a bit disappointed, as I thought going to NYC for our honeymoon would be amazing, but Nate flat out refuses. He pretty much refuses to do anything other than sit at home for a week, but he says that isn't a good honeymoon, either. I can't win with him.
I'm still grappling with the caterer. We just can't afford this like we thought, and we have nobody to help. We knew we were getting into an exclusivity contract, but we didn't realize that it meant spending $3000 more than we budgeted. It just can't happen.
I'm officially beyond frustrated with the entire idea. I'm frustrated that my original idea of eloping and then throwing a party later got shot down. I'm frustrated that Nate isn't meeting me halfway on anything. He's indecisive, and it's screwing me over.
I just want the next three months to be done. I'm done with weddings. I want to get on to my marriage.
Friday, March 27, 2009
109 Days To Go
The caterer is the last major hurdle we need to tackle. The proposal I received was great, except for the price tag. It was almost double what we can afford. I'm going to try to trim things down, but I'm now officially terrified that this isn't going to work. We have to have food at the reception, and with the downright damned attitude to have the location we wanted, we have to use this caterer. There is no other venue.
I think, though, if I work with Nate to pin down a firmer budget, I can make this work. I've already found a way to cut almost $1000 from the proposal, for the simple fact that I didn't like the food in that selection. Now, I need to trim at least $1000 more while still having enough food for everyone *and* keeping within our budget...AND convincing Nate that I can do it all.
I hope I can do it all. I need to be able to figure this out, and I need to make this work.
I've officially found the downside to doing this ourselves without any financial help.
I think, though, if I work with Nate to pin down a firmer budget, I can make this work. I've already found a way to cut almost $1000 from the proposal, for the simple fact that I didn't like the food in that selection. Now, I need to trim at least $1000 more while still having enough food for everyone *and* keeping within our budget...AND convincing Nate that I can do it all.
I hope I can do it all. I need to be able to figure this out, and I need to make this work.
I've officially found the downside to doing this ourselves without any financial help.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I'm Addicted to TackyWeddings.com!
This tacky little princess was found on TackyWeddings.com in an article I'm assuming was republished from the UK Daily Mail last October. Seriously...just...OH MY GOD. Between CakeWrecks and this website, I'm not getting anything accomplished. Honestly, though, if you want the whole scoop on the UK's very own Lil Miss Tacky, click her pic to go to the article at TW. Or, click here. Either way, go. Read about the...festivities. Just..wow. That's all I can come up with for this one. Wow.
Mini Update
So, I'm now expecting a proposal from Cameron Mitchell to work up a rough estimate of what they can do for us. We're still being a bit "meh" as far as specifics go when it comes to the catering. We know we want food and we want it buffet style. That's about the extent of it.
Nate has unofficially picked his other two groomsmen. He needs to ask these two guys if they'll do it, but he's being a major whiny jerk about it. I'm tempted to just call them and ask them myself...but he doesn't want me to do that for the simple fact that I would go bridezilla on him and override his best man choice.
Did I mention that his best friend and I don't get along?
Anyhow, that's where I'm sitting right now. Not much progress, really, but enough to make me feel like I've done *something*.
Once I go over the proposals and have a better budget plan, I'll be able to get one more thing checked off my list. Wish us luck!
Nate has unofficially picked his other two groomsmen. He needs to ask these two guys if they'll do it, but he's being a major whiny jerk about it. I'm tempted to just call them and ask them myself...but he doesn't want me to do that for the simple fact that I would go bridezilla on him and override his best man choice.
Did I mention that his best friend and I don't get along?
Anyhow, that's where I'm sitting right now. Not much progress, really, but enough to make me feel like I've done *something*.
Once I go over the proposals and have a better budget plan, I'll be able to get one more thing checked off my list. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Wedding Chaos Updates
I've neglected my adventure journal recently. Two months! Goodness. Well, we're starting to get down to the wire on this one. We're just under four months away from our big day. Since my last update, we've secured our date and location. The benefit to getting married on a Tuesday :-)
So, it's official! Franklin Park Conservatory is ours! *gleeful happy dances all around*
I've gotten almost everything else taken care of...and I just want to say that between Flower Factory and Michael's...well, my DIY attitude has equaled in saving a boatload of money. We have a good 85% of the favors ready; I just have to build the boxes and buy the candy. I'm waiting to the last minute to get the candy since we're not personalizing it in any way and I want it to be as fresh as possible. Seriously, I'll probably go to the store and pick up the chocolates the day before the wedding.
The boxes we originally picked were discontinued, when I had only bought half of what we needed. Fortunately, we've improvised, and due to our love of mixmatching, we've ended up with a nice combination that flatters our style and still looks cool in the mix.
My girls are pretty awesome, I can say that, too.
Nate's still struggling with his guys, mainly because neither one of us trusts his best friend to give a good toast. Seriously, the guy greatly dislikes me and I tolerate him only for the sake of Nate. That's really our only little piece of drama as far as the wedding goes.
The caterer is the last thing I need to finalize, and Cameron Mitchell has so many choices that I'm just overwhelmed. At least I'm stressed for a good reason.
I think my last big stress is going to be my centerpieces. I know what I want, I have some of them, but the woman who shoved me out of the way to snatch up literally every single item on the shelf the other day really irked me. I wanted to say something, but I hate being a drama queen in public. I learned young that it's just embarassing.
So...that's really it. We're ordering the invitations next week, complete with reply cards, I have to convince myself to stick to a budget with the caterer, and Nate has to PICK SOME FREAKING GROOMSMEN! Yeah, obsessive, but it needs done.
That's all I have, really. I'm just putting things together a little at a time.
So, it's official! Franklin Park Conservatory is ours! *gleeful happy dances all around*
I've gotten almost everything else taken care of...and I just want to say that between Flower Factory and Michael's...well, my DIY attitude has equaled in saving a boatload of money. We have a good 85% of the favors ready; I just have to build the boxes and buy the candy. I'm waiting to the last minute to get the candy since we're not personalizing it in any way and I want it to be as fresh as possible. Seriously, I'll probably go to the store and pick up the chocolates the day before the wedding.
The boxes we originally picked were discontinued, when I had only bought half of what we needed. Fortunately, we've improvised, and due to our love of mixmatching, we've ended up with a nice combination that flatters our style and still looks cool in the mix.
My girls are pretty awesome, I can say that, too.
Nate's still struggling with his guys, mainly because neither one of us trusts his best friend to give a good toast. Seriously, the guy greatly dislikes me and I tolerate him only for the sake of Nate. That's really our only little piece of drama as far as the wedding goes.
The caterer is the last thing I need to finalize, and Cameron Mitchell has so many choices that I'm just overwhelmed. At least I'm stressed for a good reason.
I think my last big stress is going to be my centerpieces. I know what I want, I have some of them, but the woman who shoved me out of the way to snatch up literally every single item on the shelf the other day really irked me. I wanted to say something, but I hate being a drama queen in public. I learned young that it's just embarassing.
So...that's really it. We're ordering the invitations next week, complete with reply cards, I have to convince myself to stick to a budget with the caterer, and Nate has to PICK SOME FREAKING GROOMSMEN! Yeah, obsessive, but it needs done.
That's all I have, really. I'm just putting things together a little at a time.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Accomplishment Feels Great
I've had a busy weekend.
Sunday, we met with yet another officiant. We've found one we love! Finally! We've decided to go with Elayne from A Wedding Expression. Her personality and professional philosophy is exactly what we've been looking for that we couldn't quite find. I'm delighted to be working with her on this.
Monday afternoon I met with yet another cake designer...and this time I absolutely loved what I saw both in pricing and in quality...plus our Tuesday date isn't a deal breaker for her! Alice from Alice's Piece Of Cake is who we've decided to go with for this. Her designs are absolutely beautiful, the cake was delicious, her daughter is adorable (and insists on saying "hi!" whenever possible :-))...plus she helped me work my way into our budget while still getting exactly what I want as far as designs and flavorings go. Our supremely chocolate cake is going to be fabulous and I'm going to feel a bit guilty eating it, but that's OK.
I'm so excited to have finally found some professionals who also have a personality. While I respect a strong professionalism, I feel that when it comes to weddings and other such celebrations that the professionals should have some personality to boot.
So there's my teensy bit of bragging. I stayed within my budget and got exactly what I wanted. If anyone in Central Ohio is looking for a great cake designer, Alice does all occasions, and I have to say to check her out!
Happily yours,
Tonee
Sunday, we met with yet another officiant. We've found one we love! Finally! We've decided to go with Elayne from A Wedding Expression. Her personality and professional philosophy is exactly what we've been looking for that we couldn't quite find. I'm delighted to be working with her on this.
Monday afternoon I met with yet another cake designer...and this time I absolutely loved what I saw both in pricing and in quality...plus our Tuesday date isn't a deal breaker for her! Alice from Alice's Piece Of Cake is who we've decided to go with for this. Her designs are absolutely beautiful, the cake was delicious, her daughter is adorable (and insists on saying "hi!" whenever possible :-))...plus she helped me work my way into our budget while still getting exactly what I want as far as designs and flavorings go. Our supremely chocolate cake is going to be fabulous and I'm going to feel a bit guilty eating it, but that's OK.
I'm so excited to have finally found some professionals who also have a personality. While I respect a strong professionalism, I feel that when it comes to weddings and other such celebrations that the professionals should have some personality to boot.
So there's my teensy bit of bragging. I stayed within my budget and got exactly what I wanted. If anyone in Central Ohio is looking for a great cake designer, Alice does all occasions, and I have to say to check her out!
Happily yours,
Tonee
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Outfits
OK, so I've had my dress since November, and now that I've bought my shoes, my outfit is done. I even know how I'm doing my hair. Mwaha!
Monday night we finally made our way to the tuxedo shop to pick out what our guys are going to wear. We found a beautiful black three buttoned jacket that looks amazing with the marine vests. We picked a traditional collared ivory shirt and an ivory pocket square to pull all the wedding colors together. As for shoes, we're going with basic black for the guys. It makes everything much easier in the long run.
I just wonder one thing about my trip to the tuxedo shop: WHO WEARS WING TIPPED COLLARS? They looked so...silly! Then again, I'm a strange one, I suppose.
So, we're fully running with the ivory and marine theme, and here we are. The outfits are picked. Done, finally. One more thing to knock off my list.
Sunday is my meeting with a potential officiant. If meeting her in person is anything like chatting with her via email and phone, I will be a happy happy woman. Monday afternoon I'm meeting with a cake designer, now that I've found one who works in our price range AND whose designs I've liked thus far. I'm unbelievably excited that things are finally falling in to place like they're supposed to.
So, all that's left is to beat the groomsmen into going to get fitted, and for my delightful hubby-to-be to pick one of his groomsmen as a best man. I've agreed to just deal and let his best friend do it, but he doesn't seem to trust his best friend with the whole toasting thing. One dilemma after another with us, I swear.
That's all I've got for now. Hopefully I won't be as neglectful with this in the future. God knows I'm going to need to rant and my poor MOH can't handle all of my rants on top of her ER schedule :-D
Monday night we finally made our way to the tuxedo shop to pick out what our guys are going to wear. We found a beautiful black three buttoned jacket that looks amazing with the marine vests. We picked a traditional collared ivory shirt and an ivory pocket square to pull all the wedding colors together. As for shoes, we're going with basic black for the guys. It makes everything much easier in the long run.
I just wonder one thing about my trip to the tuxedo shop: WHO WEARS WING TIPPED COLLARS? They looked so...silly! Then again, I'm a strange one, I suppose.
So, we're fully running with the ivory and marine theme, and here we are. The outfits are picked. Done, finally. One more thing to knock off my list.
Sunday is my meeting with a potential officiant. If meeting her in person is anything like chatting with her via email and phone, I will be a happy happy woman. Monday afternoon I'm meeting with a cake designer, now that I've found one who works in our price range AND whose designs I've liked thus far. I'm unbelievably excited that things are finally falling in to place like they're supposed to.
So, all that's left is to beat the groomsmen into going to get fitted, and for my delightful hubby-to-be to pick one of his groomsmen as a best man. I've agreed to just deal and let his best friend do it, but he doesn't seem to trust his best friend with the whole toasting thing. One dilemma after another with us, I swear.
That's all I've got for now. Hopefully I won't be as neglectful with this in the future. God knows I'm going to need to rant and my poor MOH can't handle all of my rants on top of her ER schedule :-D
Monday, January 5, 2009
Here I am, Bride-to-be, in my new pink-n-sparkly hat. In case it's hard to read, it says "Bride" and was a complete impulse buy when I went to David's Bridal today to buy my shoes. I got the shoes on super mega clearance for $20 (that includes the price to have them dyed), so I splurged $12.95 for the hat. It's actually a very comfortable hat, and makes me feel delightfully girly with all of this.
Yup, there's more of me being silly in my pretty and sparkly pink hat. The camera doesn't do this thing justice, as it is delightfully bright pink and very silly girly. I somehow see me arguing with my bridesmaids over wearing this hat instead of the veil at the bachelorette scavenger hunt chaos.
I've decided that I'm just not going to stress out about everything like I have been. I have a meeting with an officiant on Sunday, and tonight is our appointment to start finding things he likes for his clothing. We at least have agreed on vests, so there's one step in the right direction for us.
One of my girls found a dress at JC Penney in the perfect color that works beautifully with her body type. Best part? On clearance for $70 marked down from almost $200. One girl down, two to go. I still have to get the ring-bearer pillow and flower girl basket. Then again, we still need a ring bearer. Maybe. It looks like one of my bridesmaids is going to loan me her son for the evening :-D
That's all, really. I've decided that I'm not going to stress out and cry for at least three months. Come St. Patrick's Day, though, all bets are off. For now, all is good.
~The Future Mrs. K
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