2009

2008 was a big year for me! Lots of movement toward so many dreams. 2009 is the year where I expect so much to come to fruition. I cannot wait to see where my career goes, I cannot wait to have an excuse to get all of my best girlfriends together for a shower and bachelorette and of course I cannot wait to marry B and become his wife.

Thankful for the year that was, thrilled for the year to come!

Cheers!

photo: A Bryan Photo

V is for Veil

I know this is a little cart-before-the-horse, as I don't have a dress yet, but I've really been into veils lately. I'll give you a run down of my veil-a-lution so far.

A lovely illustration of the ungodly amount of veil choices.

First thought: no veil! I want casual, I want easy.

photo: Terra Tabbytosavit

Second thought: I'll never wear a veil again in my entire life! Must have veil. I like a chapel length!

1st Photo: Jennifer Skog

2nd and 3rd Photo: Paul Johnson

Third thought: I like a two-tiered veil!

photo: Once Wed

Fourth thought: I like a big poufy veil because I think I can pull it off!

Now that is some pouf! Why do I love this so much?

photo via Southern Weddings
Shorter and sassier. Found here

I am loving the combo in the above photos. Two-tiered with a little pouf. I think this look is my current favorite.

photos: Jose Villa

Sixth thought: Stop thinking about veils and start thinking about dresses!

The A&B Merger

A few weeks ago B and I co-mingled our funds and opened a joint checking account. While everything I ever learned in my Community Property class should have taught me to never do such a thing, it was the perfect time for us to make this financial decision. Now that I am on the attorney payroll at my office, I have to sign a new contract and also submit my direct deposit.

It took a good hour to sign all of the documents and figure out what would work best for our relationship. We did decide to keep two separate savings accounts. We do not have access to each other's savings which may be legally significant if (heaven forbid) anything were to happen to either of us. It has a lot to do with creditors, etc.

We were both a little nervous as we were sitting there, but as we paused and linked hands on our walk back to the car I could feel that sweet giddy feeling. With every big decision we make together it feels that much closer to the biggest committment of all. We're both starting to wonder how we are going to wait until October 2009!

Skins

Is anyone else watching Skins on BBC America? I cannot remember the last time I was this obsessed with a show. It's dark, raw, funny and brilliantly written. The Season Finale of Season 2 airs tonight. I highly recommend.

Bitter, Party of One?

As a person who was once single for a very long time, I still find myself reverting to certain fears about being single for the rest of my life. I have to say that finding my future husband at age 22 was something I had never, ever imagined possible. I never dated in high school and by college I was having too much fun to be tied down in a serious committed relationship. To be honest, I always thought I'd be 29 and panicked. Now that I have several unmarried friends who are 30 or older, I'm not sure what all of the fuss was about, but from what I hear, this is a common "worry".

The Blog is Found

While only one of my high school friends is married, most of them are in very serious relationships. But several of them are not. Several of my co-workers are not. And most of them are not happy about it.

I have to admit that I had a great time being single and carefree, but now that many of my friends have been dating unsuccessfully for a number of years, I can see that the joy of being "free" is starting to wear off for them. I try to sympathize, but I can tell that my encouraging and hopeful words are being met with disbelieving gazes and whispered "whatevers". The consensus is that I just cannot understand what it's like. I met my husband- to be fresh out of college, without any great heart-break or any long drawn out "drought" as they call it. Fine.

But then comes the inadvertent eye roll whenever the conversation remains on wedding-talk for too long. Even on the phone. Yes, I can hear their eyes rolling. For the most part, my very best friends are very excited about the wedding and want to see my ideas and hear about our progress, but there are quite a number of friends who it really seems to pain. Is it a coincedence that these particular friends are all single?

Believe me, I have a lot of other things going on in my life and I generally start my conversations with news about everything but the wedding, but sometimes there is something "new" in my wedding world and it comes up. And I can tell that they just do not care. I try to think back to when my cousin was married while I was as single as could be, I try to remember when my first high school friend was engaged and I was still waiting for a date to call me back. I remeber that point in my life, granted that was three years ago, but yes, I remeber being single. One thing I don't remember is being bitter.

Sure, I understand if weddings aren't your thing, or if it makes you nauseous to talk about centerpieces or dress shopping. I don't always have an avid interest in my friend's and co-workers topics of conversations, but I still care. I usually don't roll my eyes and I definitely don't make discouraging comments. Like I said before, my best and closest friends for have been great as usual, but I'm starting to see some true colors from the rest of the crowd. Has anyone else had any problems with the bitter party out there?

Christmas Picks

Happy Holidays!

source

I absolutely love Christmas. I love bundling up, making nice warm-comfort food, baking and decorating, decorating, decorating! As everyone in my office puts it, I am a "Christmas person". I'm not ashamed!

Our house has been decorated since the Saturday after Thanksgiving. B did a great job on our outdoor lights and I decorated the tree with Maverick. I decided to be selective about the ornaments this Christmas, since we've accumulated quite a collection over the last three years. Our tree looks much more coordinated, lots of golds and pearls with tiny hits of red. I love the clip on poinsettias I found at wal-mart! They are nice and big and so easy to place (only $1 each!).

I bought many, many pillar candles for the mantle but have yet to arrange them. I wanted to buy some fresh garland, either eucalyptus or evergreen to add some scent (our tree is artificial) but I haven't been out to grab some yet! That will be this weekend's project. Since we will not be hosting Christmas this year (we did that last year) I'm not as motivated to make sure every nook and cranny of our home is festive. I think we have just the right amount of Christmas cheer.


I LOVE holiday movies. I watched The Christmas Shoes last weekend and loved it! I rented the sequel, The Christmas Miracle but have yet to watch. My top holiday favorites are: Home Alone, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Love Actually and The Holiday.

source

I haven't decided if I'll do a lot of baking this season. I don't have as much time as I normally do and I'm also committed to eating healthy through the holidays. My favorite Christmas cookies include: Magic Cookie Bars, Thumbprint Cookies and Peanut Blossoms! Oh goodness...so good!

source

My office thinks I'm crazy but I've been rockin' the Christmas music for the past month. It completely puts me in the Christmas spirit. While there are some amazing Christmas classics, my absolute favorites are Mariah's "All I want for Christmas" and *Nsync's "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays". Yes, you read that correctly. It's such a fun song to sing to, and it brings back some great memories.

source

In my opinion, Northern California gets a much better winter season than SD. My car was covered in ice on Tuesday morning! I realize that for people who live in legitimately freezing climates, it might seem crazy that I get excited for ice, but when you grow up in Southern California, it's nice to feel like it's actually winter.

Missing the Match

A sampling of some amazing non-matching, but coordinated bridesmaids...

Photo: Michèle M. Waite
Photo: gabriel ryan

photo: Martha

photos: Instyle

The Fun Stuff

I must admit I haven't thought about our wedding for the last couple weeks. Tuesday I was sworn in, and it felt great to finally seal the deal. Now that I'm a licensed attorney (well, still waiting for the card in the mail, but technically I can practice) I have some big decisions to make. I'm fighting for a position with the office I am currently with, but the timing is not the greatest and I may have to wait a month before I'm taking my own cases. I love the work, but I'm disappointed that I don't have a concrete offer.

I got a call today from an attorney I've worked with who wants to see my resume and talk shop this weekend. The best part is, I may be able to work for him and continue with my current office. If this works out, I think I would be completely content. I promised myself I would not become the type of attorney who loses sight of what is truly important. I have no plans of working 90 hours a week, no plans of divorcing because I don't know my husband and no plans of buying my (future) children's love because I can't devote time to their lives. Unfortunately, this greatly limits my employment options.

I'm definitely trying to think positively, and after the phone call today I feel enthusiastic about the possibility of having a multi-faceted legal career.

I also mentioned to B today that I've always wanted to get my real estate license. He responded with a silent stare and said, "I think you might enjoy punishing yourself with tests."

Full

I've been overwhelmed with happiness this week. So many of my friends have gotten in touch to congratulate me, and so many of them have mentioned what a great year I have had. I have to admit I hadn't realized how many amazing things have happened this year. Talk about thankful.

This is my absolute favorite time of year. The air is crisp, I can smell Christmas coming and nothing feels as good as a Thanksgiving meal. B and I always enjoy decking our halls for Christmas. We usually start pretty early because I get so excited, so I wouldn't be surprised if our outdoor lights were up this weekend.

Since we were with my entire family last weekend, my little brother and I are not making the trip home for Turkey day. He and his girlfriend drove down to our house this evening. It's so relaxing to not have a huge group, but I think we all feel a bit strange without our parents on Thanksgiving.

Nonetheless, we will be going all out tomorrow. Two turkeys (one in the oven, one deep fried), mashed taters, my brother's favorite green beans, my grandma's famous stuffing, and canned cranberries (by special request). My brother's girlfriend made two pies!

This will be my first Thanksgiving with B. I'm so excited to create an awesome meal with him together in our home.

Happy Thanksgiving to All! I hope you all feel as full of thanks as we do.

photo

A Good Weekend

This weekend was an amazing whirlwind of excitement. Our trip to Vegas had been planned for months, as we were meeting my mom's entire family to celebrate my Grandma's 80th Birthday. I wasn't so happy to learn that the day we would leave would be the same day I'd find out my bar results, but I knew that either way, being with my family would be great.

I called my mom at 6:02pm (we found out at 6:00 on the dot) laughing, screaming, crying and screaming again. She was already in Vegas at a restaurant with my family and I heard the entire table erupt in screams and excitement. "I did it!" was the first thing I said. I guess they then went straight to Party City, because when B and I made it to the hotel, our entire room was full of balloons, a huge banner, family members and a bottle of Cristal. Although my dad doesn't drink, he apparently understands good champagne. It was such a great night. I think I was still in a state of shock, but it's slowly starting to sink in that I don't have to take this thing again!

On another note, I'm so excited for Thanksgiving. I'm making dinner (eek!), luckily my law school roomie emailed me an amazing guide to Thanksgiving that her dad put together. I bought turkey last night but I still have so many things to get at the store!

Thank you all so much for your support and congrats!

Guess What?

I did it! I passed the California Bar on the first try! Currently celebrating in Vegas with my entire family! I think the smile is permanent. It's been a long week, but a very happy ending! I'm just incredibly relieved and happy! My family went all out!

Making It Yours, pt III

When it comes down to it, people just want to feel included. Most people like feeling taken care of. I know, for myself, I enjoy it when I feel some sense of ownership in a project or event. I would really love to enlist our family and friends to help, but I'm trying to be sensitive to the fact that not everyone is going to want to cut flowers and arrange centerpieces the night before our wedding.

Irregardless of who lends a hand, my goal for our wedding is for every single guest to feel at home. I wish we could actually have a wedding at home, but since that was not feasible, we chose a home-y ranch in the hills. One of my bms attended this at-home wedding as a guest. She had never met the bride or groom, but like the good lil bm that she is, she took lots and lots of pictures. She said that this was hands down the best wedding she had ever been to. She was enthralled by every detail (this particular bm is not necessarily the type to be enthralled by a wedding). Basically she told me she would never forget it, and that was saying a lot seeing as she has no clue who they are. I'm so glad she sent me pictures, I told her she basically got a sneak peak of our day!

I love all of the flowers! I love that they are so random, so colorful and placed in such unique containers. I also love the wine barrel cocktail tables. T said the whole evening was incredibly relaxed and romantic. The wedding was in a backyard, the ceremony took place on a structure that was built over the pool while a dance floor on the grass provided a sturdy place to bust a move.


A small white row boat floated in the pool, loaded with bushels of florals.

So this was T's favorite detail of the entire evening. The couple had a few kegs of beer and an abundance of wine. Instead of unsightly keg cups, or small cocktail glasses, the favors were these old fashioned glass mugs. Each guest filled out their name on the adorable tag, attached, and enjoyed their frosty beer for the rest of the evening.

Because B works with several major beer companies, we have a great source for beer. I was thinking bottles, but everyone else has told me that kegs would be easier. Cups were a big question mark. But I LOVE these!

All photos by BM, T. This wedding took place in the LA/Long Beach area. While T remembered every single detail of the wedding, she could not remember their names off the top of her head. If you recognize it let me know, I'd love to see how the professional pictures turned out!

Making It Yours, pt. II

While I do agree that there comes a point when you have to stop obsessing about every minute detail of your wedding day, there's just something about those small personal touches that really make a wedding memorable. I know people say that no one will remember the linens or the chairs, but I, as a bride, want to remember a few little things. A few little things that I thought about a little too much, a few little things that make the day more about us, and less about a wedding.

Have you ever seen a more darling bouquet (or photo for that matter)? I'm sure she will never forget it.

So simple. So sweet.

A couple after my own heart! I love the street name idea for table numbers. The groom photo-shoped two pictures together so that they would appear in front of select street names.

Can't get over the s'mores station. I love the thick, square marshmellows. Such a great setup. I'm sure this was not a budget buster, but I doubt anyone who attended will ever forget it!

All photos captured by the ever-so-talented, Terra Tabbytosavit

WeWa Week 1: -4

I thought WeWa was more fun than WW. No?

So..drumroll...I've lost four pounds-gone!

I definitely did not eat as great as I thought I would, but lo and behold, when I logged my points, I only went over one day. The rest of the days it was really difficult to eat my entire allotment.

I ran into a friend of a friend Friday night and hardly recognized her. She has lost 44lbs since July, and she looked incredible. She is a huge advocate of WeWa and told me (very sternly) that you must eat all of your points in order to lose! She has had a loss every single week since she started and I found her tips to be very inspirational. It's hard to argue with a skinny woman who used to be not so skinny.



I haven't been following TBL Families this season, but saw this article and could not believe the before and after. This couple reminded me of me and B-both of us have different porportions, but I bet we are around the same size as this couple (in the before pic). Check out the after shot! Amazing.

Making it Yours

I'm so excited to see that the homespun wedding is completely "in" right now. I'm gathering so many inspirational details lately! There's nothing quite like a wedding where the couple's personality really comes through. Kelly and Terrell's wedding is the perfect example. The day was shot flawlessly by Whitebox Weddings (so talented)! I had to share some of the great details!

Craft paper table covers? Oh yeah. How fun to see what little bursts of artistry your friends would leave. If not for all the tables, definitely a great kids table idea.

I'm loving the red buckets.

Oh no. I'm now completely smitten with the multiple cake table. This couple had been together nine years, so they had nine cakes! I love this idea! Our wedding is on our fourth anniversary. Four cakes?

Oh the sewn pocket for the invitations is incredible. I'm loving this idea more and more. The simple red heart motif is perfect. A nice, easy way to tie everything together. Is this wedding not amazing? This is exactly the feel I'd love to have on our day. Warm. Unique. Not over done.

The perfect meal for a cozy wedding. Gotta love that BBQ.

Thank you SO much to Whitebox Weddings for capturing these great detail shots, and for allowing me to share! There are so many more great details from this day, check them out here.

Berry Board

I've played with polyvore in the past, but since I've been home all day with an awful cold, I decided to see if I could come up with something relevant. This is definitely a first draft, but I wanted to see what the berry colors looked like put together.

I chose these dresses mostly for their color, but also tried to pick the style based what I think will suit each bm. I am only planning on five bridesmaids, but I loved the color of that last dress. As for the shoes, if we do go for the mismatched dresses, I would love to do a uniform shoe. I think white and light pink florals with beautiful stems and leafs will also add a nice uniformity. If we go this route I'll carry white flowers with pops of the berry color to compliment their look.

I loved Jenna's comment on my other color post. I actually had an entire post written up about how I'm not going to have a color palette and how I'm so tired of people asking! It was a bit of a rant, so I decided not to post it, but needless to say, I'm not going for the matchy-matchy look. I do think it is a great idea and think it can be gorgeous, but I'm with Jenna in thinking it's easier for me to eliminate colors from the day than to commit to just three.

I'm still playing, who knows where we'll be months from now!

WasSuuuuuplements!

I am so excited about getting back to my healthier way of life. One thing that I think kept me on track with my first 50lbs were the array of vitamins and supplements that I took religiously. I know there have been many a argument that vitamins and supplements are not all they're cracked up to be, but on a personal level I do feel that they worked to my benefit.* I'm not a big pill popper, but these did become part of my routine.

First, through my journey to a healthier me, I started to recognize the importance of fiber in one's diet. From apples to steel cut oats, to Fiber One cereal, I've become somewhat of a fiber junkie. To ensure that I always had enough to keep me goin, I started to take Psyllium Husk Capsules. I would take about four per day and noticed a difference right away. I ran out of these and waited a while to re-order, and let me tell you, I noticed a difference almost immediately.

Next, I was (am) eating a very low fat diet and was told that I needed to supplement with oils, specifically Essential Fatty Acids. I also take four gelcaps a day and noticed a difference after about two weeks. My hair and nails were shiny, thicker and grew like crazy! My manicurist also noticed. She even asked me what I was taking because she couldn't believe the difference. I also think these make a big difference in my complexion.

B introduced me to Vitamin B-Complex. I'm still not exactly clear what the exact benefit is, he claims it gives him energy and boosts immunity. I also read it may speed up metabolism and promote health in general. So I signed on.

I am finishing off my Costco-brand multi vitamin and then I will try another. Quite a few have been recommended. I buy all of my vitamins online at Vitacost.com. The prices are pretty amazing, and with an online coupon code I've gotten free shipping almost every time. Pretty sweet deal!

Anyone else have vitamin/supplements they've found helpful?

*Of course I am not a health care professional and as with anything, consult your doctor before you begin a new health regimen.