"The One"

Ah yes, reference to Andrea's blog here (thegebelys.blogspot.com) on Saturday a failed attempt to bridal shopped due to my awful work schedule ended with the entertainment of me trying on Andrea's dresses. Dress 1: The Crusher! lol definately couldn't breath or move my arms in this dress but it was gorgeous and made me look like I had the tiniest little waist ever!!! Dress 2: Andrea's dress! Loved it, but I didn't feel like "mine" well cause, it wasn't lol. Very gorgeous and I love everything about it except that it just didn't... feel right? Now I know no one reads this damn blog... so its pointless to ask questions to myself... but Know what I mean??

So I wake up Sunday apx 1:30pm... call up mom "hey what ya doing wanna go to lunch?" "lets go to David's bridal call and see how late their open.." Call David's "can you be here by 3?" "sure?" "Mom, we have an appt at 3." "Maybe dad will take us" well yes, daddy played taxi driver for us and I'm glad he did.

Dress #1 very similar to my maggie sottero hampton I adore(d) so much... Love(d) it. lol
Dress #2 love(d) it now its between 1 and 2
Dress #3 love(d) but still ike 1 and 2 better
Dress #4 ehhhh not so much
Dress #5, 6, 7 ehhh not as much as I love(d) #1!
Dress #8 we have a contender!!!
Dress #9 doesnt even compare to 1 or 8

Try them on again...
#1 still love it... but ehhh
#8 this time in a 2 (not a 4) with a birdcage veil and pearls. Holy crap. I love this dress. But its nothing like anything I pictured...

Soo... when thinking of my "dream dress" 3 things came to mind... pick up skirt, lace up back, sweet heart neckline.... which lead me to think that "maggie sottero- hampton or andrea" were the right dress for me. Now, I'm more than a "hippie at heart" I'm a straight up tie-dye, croc wearing, composting, gardening, enviro-science, roll in the dirt, barefoot, rock-climbing fool. So, here I am trying on dresses and I'm trying on pick up skirts with intricate beading and trumpet dresses, ones with broaches and lace and yada yada yaaaa.... Well, they were all gorgeous and they all looked gorgeous on but I felt like a Barbie... and last time I checked Matel hasn't come out with dirt-worshipper Barbie! So I try on all these dresses and loved them all but they just weren't for me. Then, a light came shining down from the heavens *aaahhhhhhh* and God's finger pointed to this Galina halter on the sale rack (dress #8). Well thats not really what happened... but it was in the mix of dresses madre and I had picked up to try on at first. So I tried it on, while my mom was in the bathroom... oddly enough I didn't need any help with this one... So I step out of the dressing room... take a look and think "wtf? this dress is nothing like anything I wanted... but I freaking love it!" I kept that dress on for a while... everyone around me agreed it looked great. I had a 4 at first... then switched to a 2 (which still needs to be taken in.) The girls surrounding me seems irrirated to say the least... I heard the one say something under her breath about my "measurements." Considering I'm a D cup and a size 2, I don't blame her lol. Plus, I liked every dress I tried on... the 3 girls surrounding me hated everything they put on. Anyway! I loved it, but wasn't so sure about buying it immediately... so then I asked for a birdcage veil and instantly fell. in. love. Again with the lights shining down from heaven... ahhhhhhhhhh! Then, I asked the seemstress to show me how it would look bustled, and I fell in love even more. Then of course, the final touch a string of pearls! *ahhHhhhh* I felt gorgeous, and I felt like myself! So I called FSIL and txted her a picture for reassurance. Also, since my dad was playing "taxi driver" and took mom and I there I summoned him and made him come look at the dress. At this point, mom, dad and the lady who was helping us were crying. I'll admit I teared up when I saw dad reach for the tissue. So we bought the dress! With 17 months to go. Fiance gave me a blank check (what a lovely future husband) since he knew I wouldn't spend a penny over our budget, I'm just good like that. Now that's trust... give your fiance a blank check to go wedding dress shopping? What a perfect future husband. I can't wait for everyone to see ittttttt.....

Its a the parent's house so I don't put it on and walk around in it. LoL I know I would have that problem... just like I did with the wedding band. So yay! bought a dress, that I love and wasn't too expensive. I'm a happy bride :-)

and now.... we wait. *sigh*

looking for inspiration...

My mind is bustling with a million ideas and thought and DYI projects for this wedding... but I can't seem to focus long enough to work on one particular thing right now. I scoured photo printing websites for a different save the date design than the one I already created on snapfish.com but I still like my original one best. Then, I searched for wedding invitation inspiration. Google is my friend. I have this gorgeous DYI idea in my head... but it seems so far out of reach. I need some colored pencils so I can do some sketches. What else have I done today? Posted a thread on weddingbee to see if I'm the only person actually crazy enough to grow her own flowers... which entails making all the centerpeices and bouquets, for her own wedding. So far, yes, I am the only one crazy enough.

Back to invites... I'm imagining champagne colored paper with kind of a mother of pearl sheen to it... some red swirly-doos in the top left corner and in the botton left corner... a picture of 2 champagne flutes on the beach with a dark red lily lain between them, and a starfish off in the distance. We'll see. I know I have resources I can utilize (i.e. graphic designer friends) but at the same time I really really really want to do it myself. I have that problem though... I mean, I've planned plenty of events in the past where I took A LOT of little projects on myself and its those little projects that keep me sane. Focusing on the details makes me less stressed out about the obvious horror stories of nightmare weddings.... is it going to rain? will a tree get struck by lightning and level the reception hall? will a plague of locusts inevitably eat my whole crop of wedding flowers?! oh god. will mike leave me at the alter? will I wake up with some god awful rash all over my body? PIMPLES? sunburn? tragic death in the family? hurricanes?! Oh god oh god oh god... breathe. for the love of all this is holy woman, breathe!

back to reality... just for a moment, I suppose. The invites... hmmm I know I have plenty of time for all this but I just want to get them done. Perhaps I will start a draft or something today... while I'm ever so bored here at work.

I'm starving, E-Z mac to the rescue!

crud, I have to inspect the fire extinguishers today and make Mr. Brown some labels... crud crud crud... why does my job have to exist on saturdays?! I just want to go try on some dresses!!!! Actually... I just want this dress... *sigh* Maggie Sottero Hampton... you are always on my mind!

The wedding tree!!!!

I love this idea. Andrea sent this to me shortly after Mike and I got engaged and I just love it. I found this picture on wedding bee and thought i'd post it. This is so much more creative than just doing a guest book!!

The thing that excites me most.... I LOVE DRAWING TREES!!!!!!! :-D

weddingbee!

thatssss me!

so, as many of these site suggest... make an "inspiration board" in case you lose sight of your original vision...

well there it is!!!

"Champagne and sand" and some romantic reds of course... silly how could I not let myself fall into "red and white" after sporting the hamburg high colors so often and so long. Its really perfect I think... its romantic with the champagnes and reds and its whimsical with the starfish but its sophisticated at the same time... Hmmm... maybe I should be a wedding planner! lol

throat amphibians.

Ah yes, working 1st shift on a Sunday is not one of my most favorite things in the world but I guess it has its perks? Yes, the overtime is very nice especially with the ever surmounting costs of wedding planning but, I would much rather be cuddled up in bed with my boys. Its extremely boring here on the weekends... there are normally about 15 machines running on a normal day. Today, there are 4. I arrived here at 8:45am which is actually really late for me to get here considering my shift was techincally supposed to start at 7. No big deal though, since its so rediculously slow around here no one really cares when I come or go, as long as at some point I test some samples... and perhaps answer the phone when the airmilling supervisor calls. I am much more tired than I normally am while working a very boring 1st shift... I think I might be coming down with something. There is definitely a frog in my throat. Actually, whatever this amphibian is, it is much larger than a frog. I sound awful enough that when I had to page Stewie he thought, I was a man. So, with it being so incredibly slow and boring I went out to my car and grabbed a pillow and a blanket, laid down in my office on the floor on a drum liner and tried to take a nap... Well aparently the ever growing critter in my throat didn't agree with this decision because as soon as my head hit the pillow I coughed up not 1 lung, but 2. I actually might have coughed up a few other people's lung as well. I'm really at a loss here... Ah yes, on top of coughing up numerous lungs... its strange the noises you hear at work when you're trying to fall assleep... I mean, this is a pretty noisy place and I'm comfortable with that granted I've been working here for over a year... But as soon as my head hit that pillow I heard all kinds of noises... imaginary foot steps, the tick tock on the clock that strangely enough I have NEVER heard before after spending a gagillion hours here.

I would now like to take the time to express my disapproval of that stupid H1N1 rap... Maybe you know what I'm talking about... in case you don't... I will now take a moment to search via youtube and find a link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuITsj22QWQ
Now, I don't know how many of you listen to the radio all day at work... but I do. This FLIPPIN ad is on like 15 times a day and its just awful awful awful. So awful I, believe it or not, lost sleep over it. There must be some kind of subliminal messaging or brainwashing mechanism involved with this ad because this damn song was stuck in my head for hours. I tried everything to fall assleep!!! The final combo that actually worked was a benadryl, tylenol PM combo and the comcast hip hop music channel. Truly trechorous torture it was. Over and over again in my head... "stop h1n1 stop h1n1 stop stop... i scrub my hands wash them all the time and i scrub everything thats mind in an effort to stop all these germs around me..." AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL GAHHHHHHHHHHH I would've chopped my ears off or something but it was so imbedded in my brain by the time I got around to it that I was nearly on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Ah yes, 1st shift on a Sunday... no facebook at work... *sigh* I'm honestly really upset about it. Yes, I know its jsut facebook but man... I feel lost. When I used to get bored I could just go on there and look at pictures of Mike and the dogs and remember that yes, I do indeed have a life ourside of ICO Polymers. I feel out of touch with the world and I just can't seem to bring myself to waste any of my time not spent at work to fit in some quality facebook stalking time.

Ah ya know what's really buggin' the crud out of me???? I've gotten like 15 paper cuts in the past 2 days. What the frick is that about?!?! Its just so odd... ya know, I went probably like, a month without getting a paper cut now my poor hands feel like poor Edward Scissorhands' face.

Maybe I'll try that nap out again... I'm so so sleepy. Maybe I shouldn't have waited to get that 2nd wind last night... It was like 8pm and I was ready for bed... but I trooped it out with the boys and stayed out til 2am anyway. What a fool! Actually, time well spent, I love Cousin's nights with the guys eventhough I am permanently Francis' punching bag. I guess its better to be tired and miserable at work because I was out having a good time last night than missing out on all the fun and being tired and miserable at work anyway. I really miss Mike, the pups and the dogs right now :( bummer.

I've noticed I'm much more likely to break out into tears when I haven't had much sleep... over little things to. I was reading Andrea's blog and watched that silly video of Pepito, Thor and Katy... and it made me cry! Why?? No idea really... maybe its just that damn cute. Like peewee hockey, that always gets me teary eyed. Oh god, I'm going to be a hysterical mess at the wedding. Someone might need to slap me or something!

Well, maybe I'll do some window shopping on etsy... Andrea always gives me such good ideas!

Sand and Champagne

Horrray!!! So, Kristi a very good friend of ours sent me a terrific website with all kinds of neat little favors and what not on it... I found sooo many ideas!!!

I MUST MUST MUST order the champagne bubbles "bubbly" for everyone!

Also, I have the "troops" rounding up wine corks for me so I can make our very own wine cork place card holders. I also though the shell holders would be more appropriate for our underaged guests!

I loooove the idea of the little shells and the votive candles... so for practically FREE we can collect baby food jars, fill with sand and shells and insert a votive candle! Adorable decoration and cute little favor for the guests as well. Top off with some ribbon and rafia howwww adorable!!

I love this idea!!! <3>

full of news...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34824610/ns/technology_and_science-science/?GT1=43001
a slug that can produce chlorophyll!!!!!!!!?!?!?! How freaking cool is that? Call me nerdy, but this could be our solution to the energy crisis. Someone better get on that.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34829978/ns/world_news-americas/?GT1=43001
Unfortunately, in other news, a 7.0 quake hit Haiti today followed by two large aftershocks of about 5.o... the death toll is predicted to be immense, hospitals crumbled to the ground. The country is covered in dust... My prayers are with the country and everyone of their inhabitants' family and friends. Haiti is a beautiful country rich in biodiversity and a portion of their income is based on eco-tourism... Hopefully this quake does not push their status further into impoverished that before.

In less, international science related news... the cake topper came in the mail today and its gorgeous, I absolutely love it. In other more serious and saddening "mail" news Rocky's memorial stone came in the mail yesterday.. I caught myself hugging and holding it like a child today, only for a moment, I swear... *sigh* I miss my little Rockypoo...

Sweat related news... I did some working out today! Julianne's Cardio Ballroom dancing totally kicked my ass. I had to pause the hour long dvd for a few minutes to catch my breath. This left my muscles crawling!!! Thank you amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Julianne-Cardio-Ballroom-Hough/dp/B002LSI1GY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1263341078&sr=8-1

Also, yesterday we finalized our "wedding party" :-) there will be 5 bridesmaids and 5 groomsmen... I don't know what exactly the etiquette is regarding asking the remaining 3 lovely ladies to be in the wedding... but Im very excited to have my "sisters" by my side!!! The MOH's have already been alerted, my Burkert sista's from another mista's. <3 Along with this, we've started drafting the guest list... we have a lot more guests that I had anticipated... we're looking at about 200 (so far).

In other wedding related news... I have the sweetest idea for the numbers for the tables. Now, I know there are only a handful of people who read this... Michael, Andrea and my mother are pretty much the only ones I'm aware of so I'm going to share the secret. *shhh* I've come to terms with the fact that, although the dogs are very much a part of our family, they will not be able to be present at the ceremony, sadly. However, I've been searching for a way to incorporate the little mutts somehow. In the shower yesterday, it finally hit me!!!! How adorable would it be to dress the pups up in "formal attire" (bow ties and flowers for the boys and girls respectively) and take their picture with an oversized styrofoam and/or cardboard number decorated appropriately to coordinate with the theme of the wedding?? Now, since everyone in the bridal party has puppies what could be better than having "dogs of the bridal party showcase"?!?! Oh not to mention, the dogs in the family/bridal party are FLIPPING ADORABLE and a lovely mix of big/small/male/female. I think it will really be adorable. One thing I've had in mind for all the tables is that I don't want them to look exactly alike. I'm not a very "uniform" person... I'm all for the "whimsy" in things... I also have started drafting a poem... Andrea gave me the idea! What a helpful FSIL! :-) I was sincerely lacking creativity last night and I came up with a few stanza's... Michael thinks its cute so far. I also would like him to contribute a few lines... so it will really be something special. :-) 1 more thing before I go!!! The "coordinator" of Blue Falls Grove http://www.bluefallsgrove.com/ has officially "pencilled" us in for June 25th 2011! I don't want anything to be cliche about this wedding... except, of course, the fact that it is, in fact, in the most popular wedding month, but that's it! I PROMISE!! I'm really getting very excited about this whole thing... I've also come to terms with the fact that Mike doesn't really ever want to talk about anything wedding related especially on the phone, or at the bar, or at home... or anywhere else really. Haha. So I'm just going to dive into this! Some of you may know that I had an AMAZING job my senior year in college as a program coordinator which, HIZZAH! I got to plan events for an entire year!! So I've got some experience with this whole "coordinating" and "deligating" and OF COURSE "not forgetting any little detail!" Plus, I have an amazing wedding party, and amazing family, soon to be family, and lots of people with experience under their belt. This is going to be entirely too much fun. :-)

So all good news, bad news, sad news, wedding news aside... I hope everyone has a lovely Tuesday. Three more days til the weekend!