Guest lists...

I'd like to start out by first congratulating Laura and Devin, they tie the knot tomorrow and I'm so super excited for them! I can't wait for all the festivities to begin!

I'll start with my post now... I think if a couple can make it through the guest list and all the craziness surrounding it, they should be able to make it through most things. Or for at least us this has been a complicated task for sure. Really mostly w/ the replies as we've had quite a few requests for extra guests. Amazingly enough not much from our families (w/ the exception of Tim's Dad,) from our guests. I'm quite shocked how rude some people can be. We've had a few replies with guest that did not have a guest on their invitation, we've also had a few requests from others to bring a person w/ them (if we had wanted to give you a guest, we would have put that in the invitations.) I have a really difficult time telling people no, thank God for my sister! She is now "in charge of the list" and has no problem telling people no. If we go over our original number of invited guests it costs an additional $800 for the room plus the per plate price. So I'm sorry if you've gotten a no for an extra guest but its not simply just another plate its soooo much more! This has been incredibly frustrating to say the least, however all I have to do it make until 10/2/10... I can't wait to head to Rivera Maya at this point. I'm quite excited for the wedding as well, just have some hurdles I've got to jump to get there.

Getting settled?

Wow, its been ages sorry about that but again life gets in the way! Anyways, we moved into the new house at the beginning of the month and have been trying to get settled every since. This is quite the process I must say, very exciting though. We love the place and can't wait to start decorating, etc. Soon we'll be happy to host people but probably not until after the wedding.

There are quite a few things left to do for the wedding however its mostly small stuff... down to the nitty gritty stuff and details. I'm getting really excited and can't believe that its coming so quickly, almost like it sneaks up on you. Love is in the air!

Ta ta for now...

House purchase pending soon and realizations

Wow, again its been awhile but life gets crazy… right? Anyways, what the heck have I been doing? Well we’ve been working on trying to finalize everything for our house purchase. There’s a lot of back and forth with this type of stuff. We’re set to close on the 29th, somehow Liz and I had the incorrect date in our heads but I think that is because we wanted to close earlier, guess it didn’t work out. So that’s been keeping me busy in addition to packing everything I needed to. We actually packed the kitchen up 2 weeks ago. I’m so thankful to my sister as she’s been such a big help and keeps me focused. I hate packing so I’ll often try and do something else. In addition to that we’ve just been going non-stop, started dress alterations, trying to get everyone’s addresses, the list goes on... I did have an interesting realization last night however. Oddly, so I was on the metro train on the way home and sat next to this man. We were just chatting; you know I would probably talk to anyone. So we first were chatting about the Cardinals as I was on the train on the way home from yet another wonderful win! 7 game winning streak, awesome!!! It was a hot game to be at last night and he asked if I had an ice cold one from Bush and I replied no because I’m a bit of a diet and trying to keep trim. The man looked at me and said honey you’re not fat. After I said that I though, how crazy that sounds. I didn’t have one beer last night because I’m trying to lose weight and look skinny. I guess its just weird how things can affect you. Of course I’m not fat, however after going of the South Beach for awhile I did gain it pretty much back, I’m still 6 lbs down. Part of that is also that I haven’t been able exercise like I’ve been wanting to. I know that life gets in the way but that was a wakeup call to me to get back on track but also that its ok to drink a beer at the game, its not going to make me fat. Where did I get that in my deformed brain?

Well since we disconnected our internet my posts will again be spotty. I am going to Chicago this weekend for the Cards Cubs series and can’t wait! It will be my first adventure at Wrigley.

Bridal shower fun

Let me just tell you my sister is totally amazing and so are my aunties. They are so sweet and helpful to her, I'm pretty sure we're both thankful to them for all that they do! So yesterday was my first bridal shower. I arrived and they had decked everything out in red and black to match my wedding theme, super sweet! In addition everyone wore their cardinals gear... I loved it! They prepared a scrumptious brunch with fresh fruit and berries, excellent quiche, tasty salad and assorted pastries. For drinks we had the option of mimosas (my fav), tea, juice and pink lemonade. I'd just like to add the drinks also had a red hue to them as well. I got to visit with my Mom's family and close friends which was just amazing. After visiting with people for quite sometime I got to open our gifts, which was fun as well! I got a lot of really nice gifts and can't wait to have people over to entertain. Surely I will have no shortage of items to show off in the future. All I can say it that I had a great time and will be starting my thank yous tomorrow! Thank you for all the people that put that on, it was truly a wonderful party!!

On another note, exciting news is that the house we put a contract on in South City things are moving right along. Very minimal issues with the house inspection, it appraised and we're getting an awesomely low mortgage rate!! I am quite hopeful that this deal will go through. We should be able to move in at the end of next month, woo hoo! So many exciting things that are keeping us both very busy!

We'll be working on picking readings as well, open to suggestions!

Invites are in!

OMG can I say that I love the invites. They look just smashing as Aunt Nina would say. I will have to start hand addressing them. I'm actually considering having an invite addressing party... I also need to gather some additional addresses for those whom did not respond to my save the date.

A comment I will add is that I really wasn't into hand addressing them at all. It seems like a lot of work to address all of those envelopes. However in speaking with quite a few family members as well as etiquette type people that are close I was informed that this is a must. I don't want to seem like a brat however it just seems kind of odd to me.

Dresses are in...

Wow time flys! Anyways the bridesmaid dresses are in and being shipped the Lou. I can't wait to see them in person. Laura that lives in D.C. went to try hers on and said it looked lovely and bonus might not need as many alterations as initially thought, woo hoo! I am eager to see them...

Engagement Photo Fun

We had our session for engagement photos on Sunday morning w/ Kate who is our wonderful photographer and childhood friend. How lucky am I to know a wonderful person to take pictures of such a special times. She doesn't do just weddings, actually her main focus is taking pics of kids with special needs among other things. Check her out with Kids Being Kids Photography.

Ok, back to us... we met up with Kate in the morning to go out and get some pics. In stead of going Forest Park we decided on trying something out of the box and a little different and met up in Lafayette Square, what a treat! There were a lot of neat little places to take pics with architecture, including one of my favs with a brick wall as the backdrop. We also walked over to Benton Park and got some really great shots there as well. Poor Tim was dying of the heat because well it was pretty steamy and all he had was pants, but he was a trooper and in the end I think he might've actually had fun. If you check out the photos, I think you can tell just by our smiles how much fun it was. After seeing these, I just can't wait to see how the pics from the big day will turn out. Woo hoo! If you'd like to check out the engagement session: http://kbkphotography.exposuremanager.com/

Mmmm tasty cakes

On Thursday Tim's Mom and I met up there and went to Patty Cakes for our cake tasting. We had a lot of fun! They have so many different flavors of cake and filling, mixing and matching was wonderful. They can also make the design I picked out. So the cake is done and will be something amazing for sure. I'm not going to post the pick because I'm going to leave a few things up for surprise, however I will tell you each layer will have a different flavor: top- chocolate cake and coconut filling, 2nd layer-butter pecan and caramel filling, bottom-french vanilla w/ raspberry filling; we'll have a little extra cake in the back, one being french vanilla w/ double filling strawberry and cream cheese, the other being chocolate w/ bailey irish cream filling. It will be decadent that's for sure! I'm so so excited! Its a little less than 4 months away and I can't believe it. I'm going to go get a lil sun :) ta ta for now!

Home today...

So I'm stuck home today with Pink Eye, blah! I've been trying to get a lot of stuff done and finalized. So far things are going well. As mentioned just a few minutes ago I've got the limo done. I feel when posting I should try and post items that are related... anyways, I've also started out on the cake testing venture. 1st stop last Friday was McArthur's Bakery. My fiance's mother and I enjoyed our time there. I've kinda picked out a template of what I think I want, we shall see how it turns out. The cake is quite simple. I've been trying to figure this all out and truly don't feel like spending a ton of money on a cake. Not everyone eats it and you don't really think back to a wedding and think of how amazing the cake is, unless it was out of this world, so far I'm still waiting on that. I do believe that the party will be just smashing regardless. I've also toyed around with the idea finding a place that will decorate fake layers to have a cool looking cake for hopefully a cheaper price, but that is not something that they offer at McArthur's. This Thursday we're checking out Pattycakes which is a place that's been on foodnetwork twice! I'm thinking they will be too much, however we shall see how it all shakes out. More cake tasting later this week :)

Limo, done!

So we went to check out the place that had the limo, its all the way out in Gray Summit (kinda far out passed Six Flags for those that are familiar w/ St. Louis). I met the owner and he showed us the fleet. Due the size of our party we had the choice of either the Hummer or the Escalade. I suppose I will let you see the day of what we decided to choose. I was very pleased and everything in included with price (tip, fuel, etc.) I pay the flat price and don't have to worry, awesome! The place is called Presidential Limos and things have been good so far with them. Any issues that should arise I will let you know.

Wow soo much to tell!

Hello weddingland...

So big news, sad news the house didn't work out, it didn't appraise and we couldn't work it out. So at this point we're back to the drawing board. Liz and I will be hitting it again soon! Just kind of a bummer but long drawn out process as well, learned a lot this time.

I also finally sent out the Save the Date email this evening, woo hoo another thing off the list! I'm also touching base with a few places regarding wedding cakes and starting to shop around. Any suggestions are welcome! Tomorrow I'm also going to check out the limo and will be able to check that off the list as well. As you can read I've been a busy girl. Still a few other items to get squared away, but I'm feeling good. I can say that lately things have been overwhelming, just w/ the house hunting/contract, trying to finalize wedding plans (including a list that is a little out of control at the moment, I'm counting on that 10% that won't show!), and just a lot of other items. I'm just super lucky to have an amazing sister that keeps me grounded and sane. Things are rolling right along, who knows what the future holds however I know that everything will eventually fall into place and work out. If only brain could believe that! Ta ta for now

Wow time flies...

Sorry I've been gone for so long, after my wonderful trip from Hawaii I'm still trying to catch up. I can say I have checked a few things off my list including: invites (ordered!), Save the Date (about to send out!), room block (being firmed up)... Still have quite a few things to do... currently working on the limo and the cake, than all big things are done! Awesome!

I'll be back soon I promise!

Save the Dates

So I've found a website with a really creative easy way to email out save the dates. I've been meaning to get on this however with my pending trip to Hawaii (leaving this Friday, CAN'T WAIT!) As well as all the other things I've had going on, I just haven't had the time. I'm hoping to get something out this week. As its soon to be 5 months away! Wow, time flies! So be on the look out for yours! Hopefully it will be successful. I'm also thinking of having people respond with their home address so I will have them. Just thoughts. Lots been going on, so trying to give all the updates.

Crate and Barrel

So we went to Crate and Barrel this morning for one of their registry events. While I had resolved to only do BBB (which I totally still love by the way!) Crate and Barrel had a few other kinda fun items and cheaper things which were decorative and nice that will complete our registry. I now feel confident there are plenty of options at different price points for all. We also got to enjoy some demos w/ the pasta attachment from Kitchenaid- fun! My only comment for future registry-ees is that Bed Bath and Beyond was much more attentive and informative and had more options compared to Crate and Barrel, however they had a lot of fun and usable decorative items that one could use for entertaining, etc.

Houses and such...

So I guess I can let it out... We accepted a contract on a Duplex in Dogtown. Super cute. We both made a few concessions but we're all really excited! We're still pending inspections, etc. however feel that it should hopefully all go smoothly. I don't want to say too much more than that in case things don't work out, however we both feel really good about it. Exciting! Just wanted to share!

Fancy Fortune Cookies

Evening folks... been awhile, been super busy still. House hunting is exhausting! We're working on a house in Dogtown and see how it all pans out.

I've got a few random items I wanted to share with you. On groupon they had a coupon for this company called Fancy Fortune Cookies. You can add fun little sayings and get many different flavors. While we weren't planning on doing favors, I think this is a simple inexpensive favors that a different and fun. You'll just have to see which flavors I'll choose and sayings!

Also would like to comment that they were wonderful in responding and even sent me some free samples! Awesome! Nothing left to doubt!

A New Direction

Wow, so I’ve been sans computer a few days so I haven’t been able to post, not only that but I suppose I’m still in run around like a chicken w/ my head cut off mode. I must say that life is busy and figuring out our lives together and we don’t even live together is a new adventure. Luckily I love that my iphone calendar syncs with my google calendar, and well that’s how I run my life, literally! I did get Tim to also start a google cal to assist us in planning things. I swear it sounds stupid but I have tons of things cooking and the best way for me to keep things straight is to add it on the calendar, including little reminders to myself. I do love that!

As far as the house hunting goes, we’ve taken a new direction. Liz and I are checking out duplexes in which we’d share and each have a side. I think this is an awesome idea and I’m quite excited about it and the possibilities. It could really give us a rental prop for the future, which would be wonderful! A lil extra income, ya know? So tonight we’ll start that search and hopefully find something good. We’ve just on a deadline, hoping to put a contract on something by April 30th for the special home credit for new buyers. Let’s get this going!

As far as wedding stuff is concerned, I know I need to work on some type of save the date type thing to email out, like my friend Laura did. With just the basic info as well as hotel info, etc. I’m also getting ready to order invites, quite exciting. The only major things left 1. Honeymoon 2. Cake, everything else is minor. Very exciting but minor.

I also hope I can enjoy a lil of that sun today.

Hawaii conference countdown, 22 days to go! I’m so looking forward to that!

In search of the perfect shoes

Sorry things have been crazy and I haven't been much in touch. There's just been so much going on...

• Tim getting a job back here at home :)
• found a house we really like, still working on the financing portion, hopefully can get that rolling swiftly (it's in Kirkwood, more to come when we firm things up)
• been working a lot!
• Hurling season started this past weekend -this keeps me busy w/ practices a few times a week and games Saturday! You're more than welcome to come by and see the fun, we play at St. Vincent's Park from noon to essentially 4 pm

these are just a few of the things keeping me busy lately. I'd also like to comment that this weekend Tim and I were able to attend my friend Laura's engagement party which was a blast at Balducci's Winery in Augusta which was just wonderful!

Anyways, I've been in the search of the perfect shoe to wear on my wedding day. I've been checking out the internet and have yet to find the perfect shoe yet. However Runnels did send me an exhaustive list of adorable shoes which had many options. I've seen many pics on the various wedding blogs I follow and some pics have had shoes with hearts on the bottom which just makes the neatest pic and guess what, there's a company that sells these for the bottom of your shoes. You may find these below my heels on the wedding day. Here's a pic...

My baby's coming home!

Exciting news Tim has found a new job and will be relocating back to St. Louis shortly! We're so excited! It seems like things are finally falling into place. There has been so much going on lately, we've been house hunting and found a few with potential and one we really love... he's moving back, wow, its just so amazing how much can happen in so little time. I feel like a lot of stress is melting away. Just wanted to let you what's been going on. More to come soon!

the crazy time we call life...

Wow, its been awhile! Things have been crazy. Work is busy and I had to 2 late nights at work, plus of course St Pat's day this week, making it 3 later eves. Happy belated St Pat's to all by the way! One of my fav holidays, one of my Mom's fav holidays actually as well... I march in both the Saturday parade as well as the real parade on 3/17/10 :)

Anyways, so Tim and I have been on the house hunt... found a few we've liked and our real estate agent has been incredibly wonderful and patient. I hope she doesn't think I'm crazy wanting to look around. This whole thing is a learning experience, I keep trying to find the best deal w/ the cutest most ideal place. Part of me is coming to the realization of course there is no place is the perfect but often something that is close. It might be slightly easier if my sweetie and I could land on the location. Hopefully we're getting closer. City vs county, the debate continues...

Also most of my girls have ordered their dresses, woo hoo! We have our tasting tomorrow which I'm quite thrilled about! Hopefully I'll have some great reports tomorrow about it. I will try to take a little more time for adding some blog post for my away people!

Love to all!

BLOG FIXED

Just wanted to apologize and thank Brett... didn't realize that my blog was having issues with that constant pop up. This was fixed. Apparently the counter was making it messed up.

SORRY!

Fish frying in the Lou

For those not that familiar with St. Louis, we're a big Catholic town and well during lent they sure like to fry up some fish. Unfortunately for me, my Dad is severely allergic to fish, so as a child we were not exposed to it much, with the exception of fish sticks (ewww!) So I really don't like to eat fish. Part of me wishes I did because I can't really go out for sushi and often feel awkward at a seafood restaurant. (side note, my fiance and his family adore seafood...) Anyways an aunt is in from out of town and wanted to get together for a bite to eat this evening. Knowing we would also be taking out Grandma I suggested we check out this fish fry I had heard about... St. Celia's is a church with a large Hispanic population and they do a "Mexican fish fry," which of course appealed to me because of the other options besides fish, including quesadillas and beef toastadas. Here's the menu
Let me start out by saying, I was told by quite a few to arrive there early, but wow they are right. When I got there the line was out the door (which of course was no shock), as we got in the door they informed us it would be an hour wait from there. While we waited in line they have some younger girls come out and do traditional dancing, a mariachi band. There's quite the entertainment while you wait. When we finally go up to place our order it was about an hour from the time I got there, luckily my family was line before because I'm sure I would've had quite the wait. I got the quesadilla and chili relleno, both pretty tasty. It was just a fun and different experience. There have been quite a few articles and even news stories done about this. I will leave you with a link from CNN's story.

Wedding Maps...

Wow, the amount of stuff available online free for wedding stuff is quite amazing. Today in one of my emails from a daily wedding site I get emails from I found out about personalized wedding maps. Of course everyone needs a personalized wedding map, right?? Well probably not but I now can include a link connected to a google map with each location. This way anyone could get directions as needed. Kinda neat.

To see all of the important locations of our wedding on one interactive map check out our Wedding Mapper map!

There's an app for that??

Wow, who would've thought it... In checking out a few questions on The Knot today, I found out they have a wedding app. Quite amazing eh? I downloaded it today and will see what the features are. More to come on this soon.

Got my official bid from St. Louis Blooms and have accepted. I know I said florist was done, but its totally official now. I am also working on this whole dress issue. Town and Country Bridal has decided to not match the dress price of the DC Georgetown shop. Very disappointing really. Ultimately they lose ~$90, but are walking away from about $1,000 worth of business. Not the smartest move really. I may take back some of the nice stuff I said about them earlier. I'm just shocked/surprised/disappointed about this. Overall I know it will all work out. Night night!

Add house hunting to the mix??

Wow, can I say that things are in a whirlwind. With the amazing 8k house credit going on plus a little additional from the state of MO, purchasing a house is quite enticing at the moment. As if I thought that I could add another spinning plate in the mix, Tim and I are house hunting right now as well. We're kind all over the map, trying to find a good starter house. This is super exciting however slightly overwhelming all the at the same time. We've narrowed it down to a few neighborhoods and will go out to look at a few on Wed after work. We shall see how it all plays out. We'd have to have a contract placed on a house by April 30th in order to get the credit. Keep your fingers crossed for happy house hunting!

Love Bed Bath and Beyond!

I must say before registering I took my cousin's advice in checking out Bed Bath and Beyond, they have rave reviews about the return policy unlike Target... You can do a quick search and find many people discussing the multiple issues they've had. Plus Target is continuously rotating their stock so often items are out of stock or not in stores any more. So in going through this process I decided to check out Bed Bath and Beyond and what they had to offer. Can I just say they've been amazing! So far I've been there twice. The first time Tim and I went together and looked at the major stuff, pots n pans, knives, etc. We ended up spending a couple hours there but every area we were in, people often offered up help making sure we had everything we needed. We originally registered at the store at The St. Louis Mills Mall, which is a smaller store. The next time I went back we went to the Brentwood store. After the first bout of registering, Tim was done... so I recruited the assistance of my aunties and sister and went back. Again I ended up spending a few hours there but really knocked out a bunch of stuff! Changed the pots and pans, made a few other adjustments and picked out some everyday plates, etc. We had a girl that was helping us, her name was Storm and she was amazing. She walked us through all different ensuring we had everything we needed. The bonus of the Brentwood store is that is much a bigger and has more dishes, etc for you to look at. I can't say enough good stuff about BBB! I'm not sure if we'll register anywhere else. Maybe I guess gotta discuss that with the honey!

10 lbs

Ahh I knew I would remember something I wanted to share... So far after 11 days of South Beach I have successfully lost 10 lbs. I am thrilled, shocked, and amazed!! The main things I've missed during Phase I are fruit and yogurt. I totally love fruit! I love to snack on fruit, have it with breakfast, eat it as a snack in the afternoon. I do miss the convenience of sandwiches, however I think in Phase II I will be add tortillas which will help with that longing hopefully. I have been able to eat a fudge bar ice cream thing every night, which has been awesome! I've bought some ricotta cheese to try a few of their other dessert recipes. So this is the update on the South Beach diet... so far I'm pleased with the diet. I do not feel hungry to the extent that I did previously, which is great, maybe I'm a little more conscious of this, who knows? One thing I am sick of eggs for breakfast everyday, but adding the yogurt should be helpful.

I just hope that I can sustain the weight loss.

DSL FIXED!!

And I'm back, after a week of DSL problems and waiting from my noon to 4 pm slot today (luckily they came around 1:30ish, impressive!) So now the DSL is fixed and I'm quite thrilled to say the least... I had many thoughts of what I was going blog about once I got my net back but they are all escaping me at the moment.

There's been a lot going on this week, work wise as well as in general. I have received the paperwork from Complete Music and I will send it back with our little profile of what we'd like, etc. Otherwise not a lot has been going on decision wise this week. I think I might take a small break after all the exhaustive decision making last weekend! Tim and I started checking out houses as well, all of this is incredibly tiring! Well one big excitement for the month is that hurling officially starts this weekend. Can't wait!

I promise the next post to have more excitement!

Checking things off the list :)

So life has been crazy busy lately... however Tim and I talked through a few things today and offically have check some things off this list. One of these being our music/DJ. Upon careful decision, many phone calls, and emails back and forth we've decided to go w/ Complete Music. They seem to be the cheapest (quite persistent, they called multiple times) but over all a pretty good deal. I was highly considering the DJ vs the ipod however opted for the DJ. The main reason being that I wanted to have an emcee and just not have to worry so much about the music. My amazing brother wanted to handle everything but I wanted to ensure that he would be able to enjoy his time at the reception. So woo hoo, check that off the list!

Also decided this week is pretty much the florist. I will be going with St. Louis Blooms. My uncle is a friend of the florist and in speaking with her over the phone, she knows my family very well. She knew and loved my mother and will make sure we make a special memorial for her. So with that being said, I was done. Book 'em Dano! I am still awaiting my bid from her but I'm sure it will be the best. Check that off the list too!

So overall I feel incredibly accomplished! All of these items coming in or a little below budget. HECK YEAH! There are still a few items that I'm working which include our cake, limo, and more work on the registry... things are going good.

I think that the last couple weeks have not only been stressful at work but also at home. My sisters restaurant opening, while exciting I missed her a lot... I know she worked her butt off! Anyways, when it comes to weddings you end up making so many decisions. Its tough because a part you is worried that you might miss out on a good deal if you book to late, or that place/person/vendor/venue, etc. will be unavailable, but than there is another piece of you pushing you to look further find a better deal. I end up feeling incredibly torn about somethings. On these items Tim and I have discussed them thoroughly and have left a majority of that to his judgment call. So many of these other wedding blogs I read mention how nothing ever truly goes as planned in addition to that a lot of the details you focus on people hardly remember. Truly that day you should just try to enjoy yourself. So I'm trying to keep that as my focus and not let the little things bother me. It just feels wonderful to check stuff off the list. I also think once all the big stuff is done, the small things will fall into place. (let's hope so!!!)

The South Beach Diet

Ok folks, as all brides of course I would love to look fab the big day. In my recent trips to the doc I mentioned something to him about how I had been working out 3-4 days per week and seeing no results. He looked and me and said "you may not want to hear this but to see any significant loss you will have to kick it up to working out 5 times a week, plus I would suggest a South Beach type diet"... So this is day 2 of my South Beach diet. Please understand I am actually truly anti-dieting all together however was frustrated enough to try the docs advice. So I'm currently eating lean proteins with some low fat cheeses and nuts, can have some salad but I'm not able to eat any bread or fruit. Luckily sugar free fudgesicles and jello are allowed for some sweetness. I have read a portion of the book and there are some wonderful recipes in there. We will see how this goes. I really wish I had more time to go through the book and actually pick out some recipes to prep. I find this is my biggest struggle daily. Having the food prepped for lunch at work. I'll tell you lately things have been a crazy mad house! I actually feel like I'm a hamster on one of those wheels just running around but getting no where.

This is really the first diet I've ever actually been on. I do find myself snacking a little less but part of that is possibly me being conscious of this. The nice thing about South Beach is that at least I can have some snacks, I don't feel like I'm starving (except tonight because I just had a snack and no true dinner, too tired!), and unlike Adkins they do focus on the leaner meats, etc. I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Vertigo, vertigo, go away!

So I've been absent for a bit since I was recovering from a bit of vertigo. For those who don't know what that is I'll give you a brief overview... Essentially you feel a dizzy upon standing, but it interferes quite a bit w/ your day. So I was dealing w/ that for the last week and a half. It for the most part has finally subsided, yeah!

The last couple of weeks have been busy, but I'll be posting more soon!

Happy belated valentines day to all!

Bridesmaid dresses, check!

So I've started checking things off the the list, and wow it feels wonderful! So I've landed on bridesmaid dresses and I'm quite thrilled about them. The girls will be getting them from Town and Country Bridal which is located in Plaza Frontenac. I believe I mentioned previously how surprised I was that they were one of the most reasonable dress shops of all the places that I had checked out. So they'll be wearing the black version. I think all the ladies will be stunning in them. Here's a link to the site which a preview for those interested!

http://www.jasminebridal.com/J_2_1_1_1.aspx?sqno=JPN2008092511091&j_style_no=STYL20080821001&j_line_no=LINE20080821003&j_line_season=B

I would like to mention how easy I hope this process will be. For those that live out of town, they'll send them a form with how to do all the appropriate measurements and a thing they can fill all their credit card or payment info on and handle it all for me. I'm sure most dress shops handle this, but thin that's nice they'll handle it all for you. Plus they only charge you a $5 fee, no extra shipping and other random crap. Yeah!

CHECK!

Flowers, flowers, flowers

So I've come back to the budget and had forgotten a few things and had to go over some stuff (thanks for the help Aunt Nina). Actually I hadn't really looked at the budget much lately. Probably not the best idea. So anyways, I'm still currently in search of a florist. I have a few suggestions and meetings coming up with some others. I just feel like only getting one quote it totally insane. How can you take one person's word/price? So I'm searching for the perfect and most reasonable florist that I can find. I am open to suggestions and have gotten a few word of mouth. The only issue I have come upon is that fact that a majority of these florist are booked up solid of appointments until March! According to my timeline (well a few of the websites that have timelines, I should be getting this lined up this month or sealed the deal...) I know that most everyone else probably wants and evening or weekend appointment but geez, I'd just like to have a few meetings. Especially since for my 20% off with Artistry ends sometime this month. Details, details... Keep you posted!

Emotions and Stress

So I think I had one of those days this weekend when you feel all sorts of impending doom and just stress. As you read in books, blogs, etc they talk about having fun with everything. A lot of this planning stuff is a lot of fun. Picking colors, figuring out various things. But some of it can be stressful, how do you choose a florist? How do you pick a bridesmaid dress that everyone will approve… list goes on. Laura and I went on Sunday to the swanky high tea at the Coronado ballroom, which is absolutely beautiful. Before my Mom passed we had brunch there and she walked Tim and I and showed us how amazing it was and I think she really wanted me to have my reception there. Well reality check, they have an 18k min and well were just plain rude and slightly obnoxious in their reply to us. So I would not suggest them as a vendor just based on their interaction w/ us. As Laura and I sat there drinking tea and being served some nice little foods I thought about how much Mom would’ve loved something like this. One thing about my Mom was that prior to chemo, she loved the tea. She would drink it all the time. Funny how tea could bring tears to my eyes. Anyways I also thought about how I felt like Mom would know how to do everything. What’s the proper etiquette for this and who must I invite and who can be left off the list. All the Mom things that she knew. I know because of her I’m an amazing strong woman, but this was the first time it really hit me hard how much I missed her in this process. I know others are helping, however no one is the same as your Mom. So the rest of the day was just an emotional blah day. So that’s where I was this weekend. Lovely eh? I do know I have wonderful and loving family and plenty of help for everything and anything I need, its just the one person you wish could help you with something is a little unavailable. Big time bummer!

So I'll keep trucking on... I know somehow things will fall into place. They always do. I might just have to take a lil break from everything for a week or so. Maybe that'll help!

Planning, planning, planning!

So we made it in the Alive Mag bridal show pics... thus above. Shown are Elaine (Laura's MOH), Laura L (getting married 3 wks prior), Laura R, Me, and My sis.


Wow, its so odd how you have to make so many decisions and try to figure out how they will affect you 8 months from now. Well its just kinda crazy! So I do have a few resolutions to previous posts. The first of these being instead of joining any gyms, etc. I decided to purchase a heights fitpass. I am supremely pleased with my decision. With this pass I can go to unlimited classes which are scattered throughout the week and a few on the weekend. The pass was $120 (for a non-resident) and goes through May 15th, when working it out it was about $30 a month. I enjoyed that I didn't have to worry any gym commitment, etc. So far so good. I've been 3 times this week, woo hoo!

As far as other things are concerned, this week I met with one florist and went to the 3 bridal shops in search of bridesmaids dresses. The florist I met with was Artistry Florist. The man who must be the owner met with us, his name was Randy. Very nice guy and seem to know his stuff. Had some great ideas. I'm planning on meeting with at least 3 florist just to get different ideas and prices. So we shall see how the next appointment goes. Bonus is Tim's friends used this florist and really loved them!

For the dresses, I've been in search of the perfect but also moderately priced dress. Kinda a toughie! The first place I went, the Ultimate Bride, we get a 25% off discount there since we're getting our tuxes from Savvi formal. Bummer is that I didn't really see any dresses for under $185. I'd like to stay under a certain point, which was less than that. Plus I didn't feel the women were very helpful or paid much attention to me, not like the other places. So I guess I was less than impressed with them overall. There is another higher end bridal shop down the road from there Brides by Demetria. We stopped there. They had a larger selection but all the dresses were about the same price. I did find some I liked there and the women were very nice. On wed after work I stopped at Town and Country Bridal in plaza frontenec and was pleasantly suprised. The women I met when I walked in discussed with me what I was looking for and really helped me out a lot picking and choosing in my price range. Despite being in that fancy expensive mall they had some reasonably priced dresses for a fairly good price. Thus they are currently a front runner.

For some reason I have this feeling that Davids Bridal is the devil. I have no clue why this is. I spoke with my aunt on wed after town and country and explained that I was disheartened in being unable to find to many dresses in this arbitrary price range that I had dreamt up in my head. She suggested Davids and for some major reason I have this major reluctance to use them. I guess I would prefer to use a local place or some random thing, which honestly doesn't matter truly because these other places just purchase the dresses from the designers. So I'm biting the bullet today and going to check out Davids just to see the selection. We'll see how I feel.

Bridal show #3

Today was bridal show #3 at Windows Off Washington, and wow it was a cool space. I will say I investigated their prices and well they were a bit out of my range, but it was fun to go around and check out the venue. Anyways for our discounted $5 fee we got in w/ a lovely glass of champagne upon arrival and essentially open bar (beer/wine) throughout the event. Interesting enough today it was 3 brides, my friend Laura, Heather and I. Not to shabby if I do say so myself. There were quite a few vendors there, many I had seen before and a few new ones. I will scan in the super cute photo booth pic that we got done by Laughing Penguin... the neat thing they do w/ their "photo booth" is that its actually set up like a photo shoot w/ a background and actual photographer to take pics during the reception. While of course I loved the idea, the $995 price tag was a lil too much. I did like how they had an actual photographer though to get good shots. I'm sure they'll get some takers!

My main concern at the show, however was searching for a potential DJ as well as florist/flower people. Got a few good leads, so we shall see how this all comes along.

I've learned you really don't know what to expect of the show until you get there. They never post the vendors prior to going. I'm sure this is a way to lure people, however its quite frustrating. 2 more shows to go... next weekend is high tea at the cornado w/ just Laura and I. I believe this show should be pretty swanky and fun.

In the planning world I feel I've learned a lot but also have so much more to learn as well... Laura and I were discussing how we felt we needed an etiquette book in order to review important customs and things that are must, etc. I may check the library for such a book :) ta ta for now!

Fitness Problem Solved?

So I may have come to a conclusion for my fitness/gym problem. A co-worker of mine works at The Heights in Richmond Heights and its not too far from here. A little further than Ballys but without the essential commitment at about the same price. I can purchase a fit card from The Heights which entitles me to go to any classes that I want at The Heights for $120 for the entire session. In doing this, I have paid upfront and don't have to worry about canceling a membership or anything like that but I should be able to take all the classes I want. In reviewing the schedule, there are many classes tues-thurs eve that I'm interested, plus a kickboxing on sat morns that I could choose from. I suppose this doesn't give me access to all the equipment, but I'm not much of an equipment type person anyways. I figure once the weather is good (and hurling starts) that I'll also be able to throw a jog in here or there to make up for that missed time. So I plan on going this week to The Heights to get my punch card. Woo hoo, fitness here I come!

By the way, I'd like to add that I loved the classes by Inspire Fitness with Christy. I really enjoy the Fitball class that she does, its an awesome abs work out. It just was too hard to get to work on time (around 7:30), I could always adjust my schedule accordingly however I'm pretty sure the docs like me to get there by that time and don't want to mess up my routine...

Registering

As in most of my posts I'm in a bit of a quandary. There are many options for registering. I am acutally not even sure how far ahead in advance you are supposed to register, however most blogs/guides etc say at least 6 months before or prior to your first bridal shower. Luckily my cousin has done a little leg work for me and sent me a list of "necessities" for a registry which she had combined through multiple lists. Thanks Karen!!

Anyways there are many places you can choose from and in discussing this with Tim. He had no clear preference on a place. In going to the bridal shows a some research I've found out the following.

• Many people have complained about Target for many reasons... not updating the registry frequently, items quickly being discontinued or out of stock, and being NOTORIOUS for being terrible about returns. So I'm thinking that Target may be off the list.
• My cousin Karen is registering at Bed Bath and Beyond. They have tons of different stuff for all your needs. In addition to this, they'll take back anything that was on your registry no questions asked, according to the website. I'll have to go in to find out more about the other benefits.
• At the Alive Show, they had the people from Macy's there. At Macy's you get 5-10% off stuff if you don't get it, plus you get 5% back on a Macy's card for anything that people purchase there. Essentially it seems like you get free money on all stuff that is bought. That seems neat and is in the running.
• Crate and Barrel, my friend Laura is registering here. Throughout the month of February they have these registering events where you go in before the store is open (or they open it late) and they provide you some free breakfast and champagne and will have someone guide you through the store for registering. This is very intriguing plus sounds kinda fun! I haven't yet checked the other "benefits" that you get for registering there. More to come soon on this I suppose
• Williams Sonoma, haven't much looked into theirs. I do know that they have special hours you can come into register when the store isn't busy/open to the public.
  
• Sur La Table... until my Mom's cousin got married I hadn't ever heard of this place. Its a really cool place and had tons of different stuff. I'd have to check more into their benefits as well.
  

That's all of the places I can think of at the moment... I'm sure there is more. Just trying to exhaust the list :P

259 to go and counting

Wow, busy week! We had the Alive Magazine Show this past Thursday which was pretty fun, can't be bad w/ free booze n apps! Only bummer was that Laura or I didn't win the 5k prize :(

I think I may have mentioned this previously but let me back up for a second... My friend Laura who is in the bridal party is also getting married this fall, 3 week before I am, 9/18/10. Its quite fun because her and I can share of a lot of this together!!

Anyways, back to the show. From all the emails from Alive and promotion that it had it was a fairly small show which I was surprised by, however should mention the space while amazingly beautiful (Lumen) is small and wouldn't have been able to fit too many vendors anyways. I know Laura found some invite inspiration which was great. We stayed until the end as they had the 5k prize pack raffle at the end and watched the bridal fashion show. I had never seen a bridal fashion show but would like to say that the models showing off the dresses, only one of them was working the dresses. She was amazing and I couldn't wait to see her walk out, I even went so far as to say she could totally wear a paperbag and I would've bought it. LOL I have plans for 2 more bridal shows. One is high tea at the Coronado w/ just Laura and I. I anticipate that one being pretty swanky and fun despite their rude emails when we inquired about their venue. I did want to say one neat thing about Lumen is they have led lights all around their windows and will light them up to match your colors for your event, which is pretty cool.

Soon I'll be checking out invites w/ my sweeite. Lots going on and its hard to believe this will be happening in less than 9 months!!

Engagement Ring Care

So I've been thinking on this post for quite some time actually. I had to go out and do some research myself regarding this very topic. To be honest of course when I received my beauty, I was absolutely thrilled! However, I have no clue about the care of a such an object and unlike most expensive purchases these babies don't come with an instruction booklet... So here goes. I have pooled this from a few net searches, as well as asking the jeweler.

Prior to my engagement party, I went to the jewlers to get my ring cleaned because I wanted it to look as shiny and wonderful as it first did when I first got it. I'm not saying by any means that it looked dull or anything, but its quite amazing what a little cleaning can do to shine it up. So when I took it to the jewelers, they essentially told me what my aunt had told me. Put it in a small glass (a shot glass is often perfect!) with 1 part ammonia, 3 parts water. So just a tiny bit. Let it soak for overnight (or 1/2 hour according to the jewelers) and ta da, clean! A soft toothbruth or soft cloth can be used as well to help wipe and clean addition bigger dirt off of the ring. I will try this out soon and post results. I'd also be interested to know if anyone has other ideas/ways to keep it clean.

A few other important things the jewelers told me:

• take off prior to sports
• take off when showering, using lotions, etc this helps keep it shiny. (Have tried this and thus far it does appear to help quite a bit)
• try not to touch the diamond, excessive oils on your hands can contribute to the cloudiness of the diamond
• be careful when using harsh cleaners, they can cause damage to the stone
• (this one's from my mom) take off gold when getting in the pool, chlorine can damage/strip away layers of gold
• also check the prongs (the way mine is set, all the prongs should be atop the diamond, if they aren't take it back and they'll happily adjust it!)

When all else fails, the place it was purchased usually will clean it for free for you! So feel free to stop by there and have them clean it for you!

Clever Ideas...

Got this from Tim... just thought there were some good ideas...

CLEVER IDEAS WORTH KNOWING

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.
If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.
It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!


Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.


Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of
spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.
Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste
of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.
Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!
Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm.
This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.


Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up.
Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg.
Just throw bag away when done; easy clean up.


Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size.
You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in
a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food
moist and help it reheat faster.


Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers,
put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and for-
get about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will

not get through wet newspapers.
Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't

see easily.
No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!

To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! ... static is gone.


Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water.
Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such
as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.


Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove

box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
Re open ing envelopes
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.


Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.


Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!


Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material .. I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the drye r sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very longtime (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share!
Note: I went to my dryer and tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water and a nylon brush and I had it done in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it .. the water ran right thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!

Weight loss and finding a gym...

First of all, I'd like to congratulate my friend Lia and Wes who got engaged on New Years! I'm so excited for you both! In addition to that, Matt Schdmidt and his lady as well!!

So like most brides, (and women in general, in addition to the new year resoluations, etc...) I am making an attempt at losing weight and keeping fit. Not only do I want to look fabulous on the big day, there is the possibility of going to Hawaii in May for my job (trying to keep that on the DL a lil bit the ladies at work might get upset), for which of course I'd like to look nice in a swimsuit. Compouding this, having my Masters in Public Health, I would like to be healthy and fit as to set a good example. I know it might sound lame but I feel a calling to set an example for others that you can fit that time into a busy lifestyle.... So I've been trying to figure out what to do about a gym. I can go to the Wash U gym, which isn't too far away, however it's kinda crappy and I'm the kind of person that enjoys taking classes and doing more of a structured work out. So I had a friend that was a member Ballys and had gone there quite a few times w/ the passes they had given me to get in free. I have actually squeezed 3 one week passes out of them (at one point I was interested in figuring out how many I could get until they would finally tell me no!) I will admit the guy who has been calling me from there "Johnny B, as in Johnny B Good" he leaves me on my messages has been quite persistent. They claim to have no commitments, etc and I can cancel at any time. However when I asked to read the paperwork, they do it all through the computer and have no contract that you can look through. What the heck is up with that??? I do like the facility (but drive directly past the Wash U gym to get there a few blocks) however just recently found out my work out buddy will be moving to DC. So since she'll be leaving, I'm wondering if I'll go there as much. It always nice to have a work out buddy. To make it more complicated they are putting in a club fitness just 2 blocks away from my place. Its the kind of place that there are "no commitments and you can cancel at any time, also" etc. I'm not sure really what the deal is because I'd have to read the fine lines. Bummer is I'm ready to work out now but this dang place isn't open yet. They have been getting it ready for a few months, but I have no clue when it will actually open. I've been meaning to stop by, but just haven't made the effort... thus I'm in a quandry. I'm also considering trying out a fitness camp by Inspire Fitness (trying out the class next Monday). Sort of a boot camp... Not too pricey and would have the instructor for guidance. I took some fitball classes by the girl who owns it, Christy and liked them a lot. We shall see how this all turns out. I'll keep you posted on the weight loss and choices for working out.

the calls have started... but not too much

I just wanted to let you know that I forgot to mention yesterday in my post that when I got home I did go through all the various paperwork and flyers from various vendors and tossed the ones I didn't need, and organized the others into florists, DJ's, limos, etc... I must say I was quite proud of myself! With my pack rat mentality,that's impressive :)

I would like to also let you know I have only received 2 calls (one from Savvi formal wear and one from this company that sells dishware -looked it up online and lots of people claim its scam worthy, they pitch you this stuff and you get a complimentary honeymoon but have to pay airfare and taxes and other various fees. Thus I'm fairly uninterested in this and will just ignore. Thankfully my sis filled out that one and put Dad's home phone, pure awesomeness!) So far 1 email... I'll keep the count going.

On another note, do some fabluous work by my "second Mom" Cathy Hooper and Aunt Carol (my bro also went out...) We have a lil over 25 of my table decorations. One for each table, score! Check those off the list!! I just have to get them from Ohio to here, another job for my wonderful brother! Woo hoo!

Bridal show fun...

Apparently in St. Louis it must be bridal show... I think my sister and I could go to a bridal show practically every weekend through the month of January. Why this is, I'm not quite sure. One of the vendors suggested it was because a lot of ladies get engaged over the holiday season, I don't know...

So anyways Liz and I went to our first bridal show today hosted by St. Louis Best Bridal Magazine. I can that it was kinda fun but also a little overwhelming. From DJ's and photographers to bakeries and formal wear, they had lots of options. Prior to going to the show, I checked out the website and they had a few suggestions for going to bridal shows which are:

• bring address labels printed w/ your info on it... this helps save time from writing it all out at each vendor (I think this would've been helpful)
• if you already have your venue, etc don't bother wasting time checking out other places, unless say you are looking for rehearsal dinner or shower places
• bring a notebook and pen to take notes for any ideas/places you really liked, lots of people will be talking to you, if you jot notes down this can be helpful for who to contact in the future** I brought a notebook and didn't have time, but my sis is a great at asking questions, also have a bag you can put flyers, etc into!
  
• avoid the special show price, why wouldn't they be able to give you that any day?
• dress comfortably, you'll be walking around
• enjoy it!
  

There are a ton of people trying to sell you stuff... I could've had at least 4-5 different cakes/cupcakes to taste. (Proudly I only tried 2!) Also they all want you to sign up for their "raffle," while I know that these can be beneficial (my friend Jasmine won her honeymoon this way, which was awesome!) I'm curious as to how many people will contact me further?? I'll get annoyed if I start getting a bunch of random calls... The bummer is for me, that the only number I have is my cell phone and at the end as a home phone I started to put my Dad's number down. If I really want to contact someone, I'm the kind of person that will contact them, I suppose that's just me. Overall though, I think it was pretty fun and I did collect some information that I needed. A few more to go this month. So I suppose I'll be able to compare them.

I'll sign off today w/a pic from a photobooth my sister and I tried...