Wedding stuff

L. and I are really making some progress on the details of our wedding. I had last week off as a reward for shipping our product, so I used the time to attend various appointments and do research for the last few things we need to take care of.

First up, L. and I met with our friend, A., the jewelry designer and figured out the design for our wedding rings. The wedding bands will be similar in style, even though L.'s will feature some green stones and mine will feature some purple stones (our favorite colors). I'm excited to see how they turn out. A. has done some really amazing work for both of us, so I know that his expertise will produce lovely wedding bands.

Next, we got our engagement photos taken. We chose to take them at the house, since we have a nice yard and it provided a nice backdrop for the pictures. We wore some of our swing-dance attire, so I think they will look great and will be very much "us."

My wedding dress arrived and I went to the bridal shop to try it on. I ordered it in a size down from what I was at when I ordered, and was sweating bullets that it wasn't going to fit since I didn't lose the last several pounds I originally wanted to lose. But, thankfully it did fit, and it fit like a glove. There are only a few alterations to make, and then it will be perfect. I took the opportunity to try on the bridal jewelry I'd been accumulating so that I could make a final decision about what looked best and take the rest back. I even did full wedding makeup that day - well, as close to wedding makeup as I can get by doing it myself. I will be getting a professional to do it the day of the wedding.

I met up with my mom and my wedding coordinator to get all of the decorations for the wedding and reception. We went out to the ceremony/reception location to meet with the facility assistant and do a check-in on the last things we needed to attend to in order to fulfull their requirements. We brought some of the decorations out, and did some planning about how we're going do everything. I'm quite pleased with the result. I really think people will enjoy it, because it's definitely not going to be a typical wedding. The main pieces will be there, but I think we're doing some really cool things and I can say that this place just has an incredible atmosphere.

We also met and booked our cake maker. She's a pastry chef who specializes in French cakes and pastries that she makes from scratch with as many organic and fair-trade ingredients as possible. She came highly recommended and was even featured in bridal magazines, but when we drove up to her house we wondered whether we'd found the right place. Let's just say that her house doesn't really scream well-organized, tidy, and professional food-handler. So, I was coming up with a Plan B in my head as we got out of the car. But, she proved me wrong. We rounded the corner and entered her kitchen, which was stacked with all kinds of professional equipment and was definitely clean. In the center of the kitchen, there was a table set with three place settings of china and crystal where we sat to taste all of her mousses, ganaches, compotes, cakes, and so on. She had containers of fruity items, nutty items, and chocolatey items, and she filled plates with various combinations of flavors to try. We spent over two hours with her, tasting all of her wonderful concoctions. At the end, I really couldn't decide what to pick. We're going to do a very small wedding cake for cutting, but a dessert buffet with various different cakes for people to try. So, she urged me to take several days to let everything settle, then look back at my list of favorite flavor combinations and let her know which ones we decide to go with. This appointment was like nothing else I've experienced. I'm so excited that we were able to get her for our wedding.

I also took care of the packaging for our favors and the paper for our programs. I'm still working out the final design for the programs, and it's proving more difficult than I originally thought. I really want to make sure that we include the words of our songs and readings somewhere in the program, but I don't want it to be cluttered, either. So, I'm trying to figure out a good solution to that.

L. and I took care of the banquet permit so that we can serve alcohol at the reception, and we went to the Snohomish County Courthouse to get our wedding license, which we took with us to our appointment with the pastor who is marrying us. The appointment went really well, and we were both set at ease by Pastor J.'s approach to religion and tolerance. Although he is a Lutheran pastor, he teaches graduate courses in comparative religion and is very accepting and inclusive of other faiths. This is very important to us, since we have a really mixed bag of religious beliefs in our families, and L. and I get really irritated with an overabundance of "God-talk." So, we worked out the flow of the ceremony and got an idea of how he'll approach everything.

Afterward, we started working on ideas for vows and readings. I'm really excited because a good friend agreed to do a reading for us. I just had to figure out what she was going to read. I knew we didn't want any bible passages or traditional readings. So, I started combing the Internet for some more unique ideas. I think we've found the perfect solution with some passages from a couple of books that really struck a chord with us.

We've also figured out the ceremony music, and I think we've got someone who will start and stop the CD at the right places during the ceremony. Overall, we've got a lot of help from family and a few close friends, so I'm really happy about that. Since we aren't having a wedding party, I wanted to include special people to us in the ceremony and reception.

And finally, L. got a suit. I think this was probably the most dreaded part of the whole process for L. - well that, and the expense of everything - but he really likes the one he got. When he put it on, it was like he was suddenly transformed into a "groom." And not only does he look amazing, but he also feels comfortable.

So, that's where we're at. I'm so thankful for that week off from work. It really enabled me to take care of a lot of things. Now we just have to get the beer, wine, and champagne for the reception, finish up paying balances on various services, and then get hitched! That last bit is the most important part, of course. All the rest is just going to be a kick-ass celebration!

For I.D. Freely and CGB

I thought I.D Freely of perpetual self-check and CGB of CGB Shoots His Mouth Off would find this tidbit mildly interesting, because it has to do with weight lifting...

This morning at the gym I did good mornings, and my trainer has been throwing squats in quite a bit. So far, so good. The hardest part thus far is keeping the form correct, especially on the good mornings. My trainer has also increased my weight routines from two sets to three sets, which is surprisingly difficult. You get used to a certain number of sets, and can even increase the amount of reps per set without as much effort as it takes to throw in a third set. I found this very interesting. I'm sure that this is not really new information for either of you, but I am in a state of discovery when it comes to weight training.

That is all...

September "Vogue"

I just finished reading through the live blog of September's Vogue on Glossed Over. Funny stuff. I especially like the following excerpts:

11:27 a.m.: Oh, it's Candace Bushnell time! Her latest book is about a young
woman trying to make it in the big city. Innovative!
...
12:10 p.m.:
Vogue explains how to "buy wisely." Not to be confused with buying
affordably—one of their picks is a $2,750 vest made of "raw goat's hair and
leather."
12:12 p.m.: Raw goat's hair?
...
2:20 p.m.: Marina Rust
tries an electric-stimulation device that promises to firm muscles and whittle
away inches, for the low price of $180 per 40-minute session. In a shocking
twist, two different doctors think this is a scam!
...
4:14 p.m.:
Speaking of ugly stuff I can't afford, I've reached "Sure Things," a fall
accessory guide. Semantics question: can jewelry really be considered "costume"
when it costs upwards of $2,000? Nicolas Ghesquiere, I'm looking at you.

It's like reading my own thoughts. Although I love flipping through fashion magazines, there are times when I just wonder what planet some of these people are from. For instance, in the last magazine I read (can't remember which one at the moment, probably Lucky or something similarly brain-numbing), there was an ad for Marc by Marc Jacobs clothing featuring a man wearing dresses and handbags. I suppose it worked in that I remembered the ad, but it sure wouldn't make me want to buy anything from Marc by Marc Jacobs line. Very creepy.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Wow, it's been almost a month since I last posted. That's so unlike me. I usually try to post at least once a week. Well, all I can say is that things are going at warp speed now, and the wedding is less than two months away. We've been plodding along at getting the house in order when we're not out in the yard trying to keep the weeds picked, the flowers and lawn watered, and the trees and bushes pruned.

As a reward for shipping a product at work, everyone got to take a week off from work, so I chose this week. I'm going to meet up with my mom and my wedding coordinator for several important wedding-related appointments this week. Things are coming together, and I'm starting to get really excited about everything.

I'm a little bit stressed about the honeymoon plans simply because 1) I know only un peu French 2) I'm not familiar with public transit and we'll be using a lot of it in France and 3) although we have a place to stay for all legs of our journey, we haven't yet planned the various day trips that we'll take outside of Paris. I like to have a lot more of an itinerary than we have currently. So, we have some work to do there.

On the diet/exercise front, I'm almost done with phase 2 of the 20/20 program. Overall, it was a huge success. At the most, I lost 46 pounds, and but I've evened out at 40-42 pounds down total. This is mostly due to the stress (and inconvenience) of the move, unpacking, and various things going on in our lives with our families. I went through a bit of time where I was really disappointed to have not kept it all off, but my trainer and nutritionist have been working with me on being a bit more accepting of the big changes going on in my life and trying not to worry so much about perfection. I'm getting better at it. I'm still thrilled to have lost and kept off 40-42 pounds. Were it not for the move into the house, I think that I would have gone a little bit further, but I'm so glad that we moved when we did because it's taking awhile to get furniture and figure out how we want to use all of the rooms. After I come back from the honyemoon, I'm going to start seeing my nutritionist once a month so that I can keep in control during the holidays. And then after the New Year, I'll really hit it again and get that last 15 pounds off. I know how to do it now, but I do need a little more time to focus on it all again. There are just too many big things going on and coming up in the next couple of months to worry about losing more weight right this moment. It will work out.

I see weeds...

...when I close my eyes. This last weekend, my parents came up to help L. and I with the yard work. We figured out a few more species (?) of plants in our yard, and went to Fred Meyers to get some additional gardening equipment that will make our lives much, much easier when it comes to the yard. L. and my step dad went up to L.'s old townhouse to do some yardwork to make it a little more appealing for prospective renters. It's amazing how out of control a yard can get without a few weeks of care.

While they were gone, my mom and I went to work in the yard here at the house. We started out with an empty yard-waste bin and ended up with an overflowing one full of weeds, pine needles, leaves, and clipped branches off of trees and bushes. It looks amazingly better. We have a couple more areas to finish up weeding, but it's all pretty much done now. We got a couple of soaker hoses, so we need to lay those around some of the plants in the next few days. That will make watering a lot easier than it currently is.

Tonight, we took some flowers and a card over to our next-door neighbor, G. It was a thank you for hauling away some stuff from our yard for us and helping us out by trying to get in touch with the sellers for a few things. He's been so nice. He invited us in, and we chatted with him and his wife, S., for awhile. We were pleased to hear that they are also liberal, so we had a nice discussion about the state of the union. Turns out that several other neighbors are also liberal, but there are a few conservatives around. I guess that makes for a well-rounded neighborhood. We'll all cancel each other out at the polls this year.

Overall, we're starting to get into our groove here. We still have a lot of unpacking to do, but that is in part due to an uncertainty about how we're going to use certain rooms. I got some of the bathroom stuff unpacked and put away on Saturday after we made a run to Fred Meyers for some baskets and other organizational items. On Sunday, we ordered a corner TV table for our family room, and once we get that, we can situate it and the bookcases, and then unpack everything in here. The table is off getting finished in the same distressed black that most of my furniture is, so it will be a few weeks until we get that piece. The other room is in serious need of some furniture, but we're going a bit slowly because it's rather expensive to buy good-quality pieces. So, that may need to wait a couple of weeks until the next paycheck and then we'll do a little more shopping and get that room in order. Until then, these two rooms are full of boxes. Upstairs, the guest room is full of boxes of collectibles, but L. is going to put those in the attic. Then we just have to tackle the craft/music room and unload everything in there. Right now it's just a mess of boxes and random crap that has nowhere else to go. All in good time, I guess. At least everything is here, so hopefully we'll get it all sorted out over the next few months and then we won't see boxes again for a good, long time.

Beautiful day in the neighborhood

We met several neighbors last weekend at our neighborhood's 4th of July party. Of course, there were like 30 of them and two of us, so I'm hard pressed to remember all of the names right now, but everyone was really friendly and the kids all seemed nice. Three of the families have been living in this neighborhood since the beginning (in the mid-80s). They told us that our house was actually the model house when this development was built, so that was kind of cool to find out. We had the best fireworks display ever, and we didn't even have to leave our own backyard. There were a few different cul-de-sacs nearby that lit off fireworks, and the effect of the whole thing was a great show.

I really like our immediate next door neighbor. He's the first guy we met, and we see him every couple of days. Today as I was heading to the mailbox, I ran into him again and he asked how we were getting along with everything. I told him that we're getting all settled in and trying to figure out a few things. He mentioned that he would try to text-message the sellers to see if he can figure out anything about the gas fireplace that we still can't get working. He also offered to take a few things with him to the dump next time he goes, since the sellers left a few random things in the backyard, like their broken kiddie pool and gardening equipment. Talk about a cool guy.

So far, we have only one semi-unfriendly neighbor. And I don't know whether they're really unfriendly, or just really shy. Sometimes it's a hard thing to figure out which kind of person you're dealing with. Anyway, the people directly across the street from us have been out in their yard a few times now, and both L. and I have tried waving at them or giving them the head bob of acknowledgement. So far, there's been no reciprocation. The guy even abruptly closed the gate on his fence when L. waved. So, I have no idea what's up there. I like to think that it's because we have the best yard in the neighborhood (even according to our friendly neighbors, this is so b/c the sellers worked really hard on the yard and it shows), and those people across the street are kind of runners up. Their yard is very nice and tidy, but has nothing on our landscaping.

To our surprise, we actually kind of like the yard work even more than working indoors. Every night except last night, L. has been out in the front or back of the house mowing, trimming, watering, and seeding. I came home from training the other night and it was still so nice out, that I promptly pulled out my new gardening gloves and knee pads, and went to town on the weeds in the back yard. I had to call my mom to tell her, and she didn't believe it at first. See, weeding was one of my childhood chores and I hated it. I don't even know if the word "hate" is strong enough to explain the emotion I had when weeding. As an aside, my guess is that if you want your kids to grow up and enjoy something, you shouldn't give it to them as their childhood chore. My sister and I were always mad at each other thinking that the other got better chores. I really wanted to vacuum and she didn't mind dusting, but those weren't the assignments. I was too young to work the vacuum, so no dice on that one. Even today, I enjoy vacuuming but hate dusting. Anyway, back to the point at hand. I was weeding, and it was on my own accord. This is nothing short of amazing, but it's kind of different when you are doing something to your own house and yard. Somehow, I don't mind so much now.

Last night, while L. went to do his radio show from midnight to 2:00 AM, I stayed up and prepared the master bedroom for painting. I taped all of the mouldings, window trim, light fixtures, outlets, and the heater vent. I don't know why, but it never seems like painting is that much work until you actually get into it. It's probably because I'm so anal about the whole thing, but I find that doing good prep work is essential when you're working with colors. The moulding, window trim, and doors will remain the same stark white that they are currently. But the rest of the room is getting a good dose of color. Those who know me, know that I despise white walls. So, I picked out a nice beige tone called Seagull Beach (valspar paint) that has a ruddy tone to it and will look wonderful with our mohogany furniture, plum bedding, and it will really make the white trim, moulding, and doors pop. I'm painting one wall a dusty blue/green shade called Autumn Fog (valspar paint, also) and it will coordinate with the drapes I got in the same shade. The drapes will be on one of the Seagull Beach-colored walls, and the opposite wall will be the Autumn Fog-colored wall, so it will all tie together nicely. I got a lightened tone of the Seagull Beach color for the ceiling, and it will also be the color for the master bathroom (which matches the Italian tile) and in the master bedroom closet. So, tonight I'll work on priming the bedroom (the bathroom and closet will be done another time) and then this weekend we'll do all of the painting. Then we can actually set up our bedroom and stop living out of garbage bags and boxes of clothes and shoes.

Moved in

Well, we're finally all moved into the new house. It was an incredibly busy weekend, and thank goodness L.'s step dad and my sister came to help us with the move. I don't know what we'd have done without them.

Of course, as with any new place, we're trying to figure out all of the kinks like switches that seem to do nothing and various little things that need fixing. Our front door knob kind of imploded inside the door, so L. and his dad spent a good amount of time trying to recover the hardware inside and then put it back together. The sellers did some random things to make the house appear better, but they didn't always do the work well. For instance, they didn't install the towel bar in the bathroom with sheetrock anchors, so that promptly crashed to the floor and will need to be redone. We also had a dickens of a time replacing some light bulbs in a couple of the light fixtures, which are ugly IKEA fixtures that make absolutely no sense. That's high up on the list for replacement.

I picked out two nice paint colors for the bedroom, and we found some curtains and a curtain rod that will go nicely with the furniture in there. We plan to start working on that in the next few days and finish up over the weekend so that we can get the bedroom all put together.

We need to get all of the kitchen stuff put away soon, too, or I won't be able to fit into my new jeans any longer. All of this eating out hasn't been so good for the waistline, so this is my last week of eating whatever. I've kept up with the workouts, and of course with moving boxes and climbing stairs over and over has been good. So, I haven't changed a lot but it's still not a good pattern and I need to get back on board with my diet so that I can get off that last 15-20 pounds.

Moving

It's been a really busy couple of weeks. I've been trying to get my condo all ready to be rented, and luckily I found a great property management company, and they promptly found me a renter. So, I've been busting my butt to get everything packed up. I have movers coming tomorrow morning to move all of my furniture and boxes. I honestly can't believe how I managed to pack this much stuff into a 1 bed/1 bath/den place. Amazing...

It became clear a few minutes ago when I tripped over my bed's footboard that I needed to take a break or risk breaking myself. When I've been working on something like this for such a long period of time, I become prone to accidents. So, it seemed like a good time to write a blog entry especially considering I'll have no internet connection for a week. I called Comcast last week, but they were really booked and can't come until next Wednesday. So, I'll miss a couple of programs I've been following, notably "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Design Star". Oh well. I'll be able to catch up with it all next week. L. and I toyed around with the idea of going with a different company for TV/internet but Comcast is just easier even if they do keep making their guide crappier and crappier every time they claim to "improve" it. I keep hoping that Tivo thing will work out soon so that we can get rid of the "Comcastic" experience, which L. and I both use now as an adjective for things that suck.

Overall, I'm in good shape as far as the packing goes. My bedroom, kitchen, pantry, den, storage, and most of the living room are all packed up. I have a few random things hanging out in the living room, but it's pretty good. The only thing left is the bathroom, and honestly if I don't get that packed up tonight, I may just get up a little early in the morning and finish that bit off or just move it myself later. I'm so tired of packing and repairing and preparing. I can't wait to just be in the house once and for all so I can get back to life as I previously knew it.

Today, I had to hang out at the new house and wait for carpet cleaners to come. Originally, they were supposed to come between 9:00 AM and noon, but surprise surprise, they didn't show up until 2:30 PM. It turned out that the gal who booked my appointment didn't write down the time quote, so they were working me in at the end of the day. Unfortunately, that meant that my previous idea of getting back to Redmond for work in the afternoon and for a workout this evening didn't pan out. So, I ended up taking off the whole day and cleaning the kitchen there instead. The carpet cleaners were really nice, and very apologetic, and they did a wonderful job on the carpets.

And even though I have plenty of things that I need to get done at work, I do feel good about having cleaned the fridge and freezer, microwave, countertops, dishwasher, and sink. The only thing I didn't get a chance to deep-clean was the stovetop and oven. But, considering the heat recently, I doubt we'll be cooking up a storm with either of those two appliances any time soon anyway so I can get to those this weekend.

Speaking of this weekend, L. and I won't be having a typical July 4th celebration. L.'s dad is flying in from Montana on Thursday evening, and L., his dad, my dad, and I will all work on moving Lon's stuff on July 4th. We met one of our neighbors, and he invited us to a BBQ that afternoon, so we'll probably take a break to head over there and meet some neighbors. I'm pretty stoked that the neighborhood seems tight like that. Apparently they have a yard clean-up time once a year for the common areas, and they have this neighborhood BBQ every year for the 4th. So, that's pretty cool. I'd like to know my neighbors and be able to count on someone to watch over the house when we're away and vice versa. My sister, L., is coming down on Saturday to stay over and help me finish up any last stuff at my condo and unpack some things at the new place. God bless her soul for giving up a holiday weekend to come down and help us out. That alone makes me feel so much better. L.'s father will be with us until Sunday evening when he flies back to Montana. So, we'll have some good help this weekend to get as much moved and done as possible.

As I sit here on my couch tonight, I realize that this is my last night in my condo. It's sort of bittersweet for me. I'm very excited about the future, and sharing my life and home with my soon-to-be husband. But I will miss my little place in the world here. I've been here for almost three years now, which seems almost a lifetime considering I'd moved every year since starting college before I ended up here. This has been my home, and when I bought this place I knew that it would be a good place for me to build a new life and heal my heart after the divorce. And it was just that. Plus, the location is amazing. I will really miss being 5 minutes from work, and being able to jump on the Burke Gilman trail to head to Redmond Town Center, Marymoor Park, and Bella Botega in a matter of minutes. Redmond has become my town. So, now I'll have to learn all of the cool stuff about Bothell and make it my town. L. and I will be able to do that together, and that's a great thing to look forward to. Tomorrow night will be my first night in my new home with L.