Out

This is my house.  

On Monday, I took a personal day from work to stay home and get a few things done, and also run a few errands.  

The afternoon turned out really nice. It was sunny and fairly warm outside. I had a little bit of outdoor painting that needed to be done, so I decided it was the perfect day to get that done. 

I went down to the basement to collect the paint brush, and bucket.  While I was down there I discovered that my little cat had been peeing on a plastic tarp that was on a low shelf...  apparently, she didn't like the type of litter I'd bought for her box. 

I carefully picked up the plastic tarp, trying not to spill it all over the place, and grumbled a lot. A lot. It was gross. I carried it up the stairs and out of the backdoor.  Another thing Kitty likes to do is run out of any door that's left open to the outside. So I slammed the door behind me after I'd exited.

After depositing the nasty thing in the dumpster, I went back to the house, and found the door was locked. My keys, and cell phone...everything was still inside, while I was outside. 

Thankfully, my mom had just returned home from a business trip. Their house is about 3 miles away from mine, and I didn't know if I had any choice but to walk to her. She also has a key to my house.  After walking about a block, I remembered there was a Locksmith just around the corner from my house. So I walked down there first to see how much it would cost for them to come let me in. 

The guy told me that because I lived so close, he would give me half-off the price, but it'd still be $45.  So I asked to use the phone instead.  Thankfully, Mother answered (she often doesn't), and I talked her into driving my dad's van (he had her car in Canada) to come and unlock my house.

10 or so minutes later, and I was inside. 

That was the first time I'd locked myself out.

Summer dreaming

Originally, Brad and I had planned to do a small salad/appetizer buffet at our wedding. To keep the costs low. But over the weekend, we found an amazing little Italian restaurant that gave us a great price quote for full meals, as well as tables and chairs, dishes, linens, and bar service! 

At first Brad was a little sticker-shocked by the price (it's a bigger number than we've spent on any other wedding item, which is normal. We're feeding nearly 200 people!).  But we talked to another caterer later on, and he had a higher price.  We also talked to one of Brad's aunts, who is a wedding planner in Sequim, and she was amazed that we could get so much stuff for such a low price!  So that made him feel better and he gave me the go-ahead.

The Flying Tomato Italian Grill is in Graham, WA, and Brad and I drove down there last Friday evening to talk to the catering coordinator (who's also the owner, I believe), and to sample the food.  We weren't sure if they were going to provide us full meals or just little samplings, but when we got there, he brought us GIANT plates of salad, two kinds of chicken, sausage and meatballs, and pasta with three different kinds of sauce.  And it was all DELICIOUS!  I'm so excited to have them cater! I've heard that the bride & groom don't often get to eat at their own wedding, but if I have to carry my plate around in order to eat that food, I'll do it.

Since the caterer will be taking care of our chair and table rental items, it was really the last big thing we had to cross off of the list. We have a place, we have a photographer, we have FOOD, we have chairs and tables, and I have my dress (with a few accessories!).

The rest of the stuff is the small things. Flowers, centerpieces, CLOTHES FOR THE BOYS (but that's Brad's job, favors, those types of things. Brad's mom has agreed to help me with the flowers.  I think we're going to try to find wholesale flowers and then arrange them ourselves. 

I wish it was July already, I want to get this show on the road!

Thursday Morning

Like any normal Thursday morning, I got up, got dressed, packed my lunch, and headed for the train station. Uneventful. As usual.  The train ride was also nothing special.

Upon arriving to Seattle, I hopped on the lightrail in the bus tunnel to take me the 2 miles north to my office. Today, I brought along a stack of Save-The-Date cards to put in the mail. The Post Office is just across the street from my office building, so I decided to run through there on my way into work this morning.

I found the slot labeled "stamped letters" and set to work depositing my postcards. A stack of 100 or so postcards would not fit into the slot, so I had to split the stack into smaller stacks. I was carrying two purses (one of which is my lunch purse. it's insulated. keeps my food cold), a water bottle, and the stack of slippery postcards.  As I went to deposit the first stack of cards, I noticed that the card slot tilted up, I assume so as not to bend any letters.  The slippery post cards did not want to go up and stay in, so I had to push them in further, sticking my fingers nearly all the way into the slot.

After getting the cards to drop into the box, I went to remove my hand.  Except I couldn't remove my hand. My ring was caught.

I was standing in the Post Office, with my left hand full of purses and slippery post cards, and my right hand stuck in the outgoing mail slot.

The postcards tried to dive to the floor, but I recovered my grip on them before any were able to escape.

I stood there for a minute and tried to figure out what to do. My left hand was full, so I couldn't use it to unhook my ring and free my right hand. I would have to jiggle it free.   Thankfully, I was able to spin my ring, and the mail slot released my hand.

All this before anyone else noticed that I'd been trapped.

what I did on my holiday weekend...

I love three day weekends. Especially productive ones.

Brad and I got lots of wedding items checked off the 'ole To-Do List , but it also felt very relaxing.

On Saturday, I got up and went to a Hot Yoga class with my mom. It was my first one, and it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be.  I'm going again tonight, actually.

After yoga, Brad and I were meant to go to Target to put together our wedding registry.  Four hours later, after Brad had hacked the yard to bits, we were finally on our way. 

OK, he didn't actually hack the yard to bits, but he did clear quite a few bushes and manage to cover himself in mud.  I told him I should have been out there with him to supervise.

We were at Target for a couple of hours making sure we got everything we needed on the list, and I still thought of a few things after we got home.

Sunday was Valentine's Day, of course.  We went to church in the morning, and then spent most of the day cooking and doing chores around the house. He made T-bone steaks and lobster tails for dinner with asparagus! 

And I made a chocolate cheesecake for dessert.  Oh, and I also made these very tasty Parmesan garlic mashed potatoes (not pictured).  Everything was so good!

We put a fire in the fireplace, and spent a few hours at the table just chatting.  Then we both (and Kitty) fell asleep on the couch at 9pm. We're old people. It was an exhausting day.

Yesterday was President's Day, so I had the day off from work. It was lovely! It was a nice sunny day out. Brad got up and did a p90x workout, and then we both went for a run together just before lunch. It was my first run ever!  We went a total of 2.2 miles!  Pretty good for my first run I'd say.  And I think ultimately, I ended up running about half of that. I wore a  heart-rate monitor so when my heartbeat got too fast I'd walk for a little while.  Then after our run, we did one last lap around the block as a cool down. I felt GREAT afterward!  It put me in an amazing mood. I got out in the sun, and got moving.  We decided we would make it a Saturday morning routine.

After the run, we did a bunch of errands, and then worked on getting our save-the-date cards addressed. I bought a printer so we could just print labels. It was way easier than trying to do them all by hand.  Today I need to go buy stamps so we can get them in the mail. 

We had dinner together at around 5, and then Brad headed back to Seattle to get ready for the work week.

It was a wonderful weekend. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

Valentine's [early edition]

I've been trying to get a head start on my Valentine's stuff this year. Last year, I was unemployed over the Holiday, so I had lots of time on my hands, but little money.  Brad got a homemade gift last year. I'm pretty sure he loved it more than anything I could've bought, so for this year I'm doing the same thing.

I found a cute idea on one of those DIY/craft websites.  I won't tell you what it is, but just know that it's nearly completed. I'm just waiting on one last piece that should come in the mail by the end of the week.

I also found a very yummy looking recipe for Red Velvet Sandwich cookies/cakes.  I'd like to make them for whatever Brad and I end up doing that day, but I can't find red velvet cake mix in a box! (and I'm feeling to lazy/distracted to make the batter from scratch.)  I bought the heart cookie cutter and everything!  ...Maybe I'll just make heart-shaped sugar cookies instead.  With colored frosting.  ...even though Brad and I aren't really supposed to be eating that stuff...

Also this week (not related to V-Day), I've decided to learn to knit.  I bought needles and some pretty orange yarn on Monday.  Last night, while watching LOST, I taught myself the basic stitch.  I think I'm getting the hang of it.  It's not quite as easy as crochet, but I kinda like it anyway.

Also, here's another picture of Brad and I from our engagement photo shoot.  'Cause we're just so cute!

Photo credits: 
Red Velvet sandwich cookies - mint.com,  engagement photo - picky penguin photography

Photos

Michelle put our engagement photos online today. I was so excited that I kind of forgot what I'm here to do... at work, you know, WORK.

So for the last 4 or so hours, I've nearly mastered the art of multitasking. (I read in a book that multitasking doesn't really exist, but whatever. I'm so doing it!)

They came out so great! Michelle did an excellent job of capturing us without Brad's creepy eyes, and me with my mouth closed (which is hard since I talk most of the time).

I've posted some of my favorites on Facebook. There's so many good ones (and the files are GINORMOUS). It's going to take me forever to save them all to my computer. And I will save them all!

Our next step is to pick one for our save-the-date announcements. Becky (Brad's sister-in-law) has them nearly completed except for the photo. So we just need to stick one of us in there, and get them printed. This weekend will be another weekend full of wedding things; printing and addressing cards and doing our gift registry.

Fun fun fun!

The Dress

I've recently discovered that Saturdays are my favorite day of the week. I get to sleep in, I have a full day to do whatever I want, and I still have another full free-day ahead of me so it's not poisoned by the thought of another fast-approaching work week. Sunday used to be my favorite day, but in the last 8 or so months, come Sunday I'm already feeling annoyed that Monday is just around the corner. Next Monday, though, is a holiday, so Sunday should return to its once blissful relaxation day status... at least for next week.

Yesterday, though, was not a bad Sunday. It started off looking a little bleak, but it quickly turned around. Yesterday morning, I woke up later than normal (still before 9, though), and took my time getting ready for my day.

Yesterday was Wedding Dress shopping day. Brad's mom, and my mom, along with two friends joined me at the bridal salon, a little shop just down the street from my house. I'd picked out a few style I wanted to try before going in, but by the end of the day my choices were NOTHING like what I'd imagined for myself. I walked out of the store with a dress AND veil. Without giving too much away (because someone reads this blog...or at least he SAYS he does), the dress is more of a vintage style than I thought would have suited me. I tried on the stock dress and it fit like a glove. It needs no alterations or anything. So I bought that one. No needing to order. Nothing. It is perfect. It's more of an ivory color (off-white) and it's trumpet style. I originally thought a trumpet or mermaid style would've made me look to hip-py (like big in the hip area, not like a flower child), but it totally works. I'm so excited to wear it!

On Saturday, Brad and I had our engagement photos done. It was TONS of fun! We were at Gasworks Park in Seattle, and we were fortunate enough to hit the 2 hours of sunshine that came out that day. I can't wait to see how they turned out! Brad kept having to fake laugh so that his smile looked more real. He has a hard time looking sane in photos of us together. We had a really good time hanging out with Murray and Michelle all day.

Yesterday after dress shopping, it was super bowl time. Brad and I just hung around the house and ate pizza. It was lovely. And by lovely I mean very manly and masculine.

Falling Apart

In my ripe old age of 26 (and 9+ months), I have recently begun to feel that my body is failing me.

First, on Monday, I sprain a neck muscle while working out. I was not working out my neck, mind you, but doing a routine that focuses on chest and back muscles. How I pulled my neck, I'm not sure. But it hurt. And the doctor told me not to exercise again until it healed so as not to risk further injury. I can already feel the progress I made melting away...or re-squishifying, if you will.

Also on Monday, my right eyelid started to twitch. It's not a new experience, but it's an annoying one. On Tuesday, I stayed home from work to rest my neck, and I took note of the eye twitches disappearance. But upon my return to work on Wednesday, the twitch returned with a vengeance. Today it is still continuing. It makes me want to punch my own face.

This morning I got my teeth cleaned. It was the first in far too long. And I discovered something. I hate getting my teeth cleaned. It hurts. The hygienist had blood on her gloves. I think that says enough to convey the discomfort I felt...feel. My mouth still hurts. But, on the upside, my teeth do feel nice and clean. Thank goodness I only have to do that twice a year. And I'm hoping next time won't be as bad because they'll be less time in between visits.

In other news, I've decided I need a new hobby. Today, I purchased a cross-stitching kit from a seller on Etsy.com. I'm kind of excited. The pattern is cute, and they'll make lovely decorations for my newly finished living room built-in bookshelf (now I have TWO!). I also need mantel decorations, so I should definitely be more crafty (...craftier?).

I'd also like to make a lavender wreath for my front door. It looks naked right now. I can feel the creative juices beginning to flow.

To Do List

This really wasn't meant to be a wedding blog, but since that is the biggest thing going on in my life right now then that's what this will be. For a while anyway. Along with whatever else is happening, of course.

So first the wedding stuff...

Brad and I need to make lists of all of the things still left to do. The more we talk about it without having a checklist, the more I feel overwhelmed by the amount of things still left to do. Ugh.

We're currently on the hunt for caterers. Fun fun. Actually, it's not un-fun, but it's the most expensive thing. I've spoken to a place in Graham; a small family-owned restaurant, and they've invited us in to come taste the food for free and to talk to us about what it is we're looking for. Free date night! No way we're saying no to that. Unfortunately we won't be able to get out there until a week from Saturday. Every weekend is jammed pack full of stuff.

This coming weekend we're having our engagement photos done. I'm very excited. Michelle Bartholomew is our photographer for the day, so we'll get to hang out with her and Murray all afternoon. Should be a good time! We're planning to shoot at Gasworks park, so hopefully it's not too rainy and gross out. If it is, we'll take our umbrellas and make due! What's a Northwest wedding without a little rain in the mix? Hopefully rain on engagement photo day means NO rain on wedding day!

On Sunday, the mommies and Andrea are going with me to go on a wedding dress hunt! I made an appointment at a bridal shop up the street from my house, and from the looks of their website they have quite a few lovely dresses for good prices. I've picked out a few styles I like (from their website), so hopefully they won't look crappy on me. I'm still pretty early on in the p90x workout regime to know how a dress will fit when I'm done, but that's OK.

Speaking of p90x, this week is a break week. Only for me though, because I injured myself. Yup. I'm that awesome. Or not. Monday was push-up/pull-up day, and somehow, at the very end of my workout, I wrenched my neck. It didn't hurt too bad at the time, but as the day went on, it started to be really painful. I already had a chiropractor appointment scheduled for that afternoon, so I made sure to be on time for that. The doctor said I'd done quite a number on it, and that it looks like I was in a car accident! It was swollen, and very stiff. He told me no more workouts for at least this week (!! Brad's gonna get way ahead of me! boo!), to ice it a lot, and to take it very easy. He also said that Tuesday was probably going to be a very painful day. He was right. I woke up and couldn't move, so I stayed home from work, and spent the whole day in my bed watching HGTV. I've been nursing it pretty good, so it's not too painful, just inconvenient. The doctor said that if I don't take good care of it, it could take up to two weeks to heal! I can't skip 2 weeks of workouts or I won't want to start again.

Brad and I both got our taxes done this week, and got quite a good lump of cash back to put towards wedding (HONEYMOON!) expenses. We're still holding out for a good Dreamtrip to be posted for the week after our wedding. They haven't posted a whole lot of trips for July yet, but my mom says that as the month gets closer they'll post more and more. So now I just need to save up my vacation days to make sure I can take all the time off of work. We're hoping for an all-inclusive Mexico trip.

I applied for my passport today. My very first one! The big post office in downtown Seattle is just across the street from my work, so I took an early lunch break and went over to get it done. Brad was thinking it was going to take a few months to process, but the lady at the Post Office said that it normally takes 4-6 weeks, but they've been even quicker about it this week, so I should have it before the end of the month! Then I can drive back and forth across the Canadian border as many times as I want! I'm probably a tad over-excited about this, but I don't care. It's my first passport!