Carrie and Joey

This Sums it All Up

2009-08-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

We're Married

2009-06-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

If you don't already know, Joey and I were married in April. We went on a fabulous honeymoon to Hawaii for a week. We toured around by car and by sea and had a blast. Upon our return, we moved into our new house where we are getting used to living together. So far so good.

;)

!!!

2009-04-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe we are getting married on Sunday!

12 More Days

2009-04-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

You are all coming to CA in less than 12 days! Do you have any questions for me that I will be too frazzled to answer when you arrive?

Things to do in Burbank - Wedding weekend

2009-04-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Looking for something fun to do for cheap the weekend you are staying in Burbank? You're in for a treat!

April 25, 2009

Burbank On Parade

The theme for the parade is

“Burbank Goes Hollywood”

Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 11am

Olive Avenue from Lincoln to Lomita

Burbank (February, 2009) — Saturday, April 25, 2009 starting at 11am. Burbank On Parade, on Olive Avenue from Lincoln to Lomita. The theme for the parade is “Burbank Goes Hollywood”. We are looking for volunteers, sponsors, donations, and trade if it can used! Let us know if you would like to support Burbank On Parade!

April 25 & 26, 2009

Burbank Fine Arts Show & Festival

Join us for this not-to-be-missed art event outdoors on San Fernando Boulevard between Magnolia and Angeleno from 10:00 A.M.- 5:00 P.M. The festival is free and open to the public. The show will be even more exciting than years past with the addition of an entire city block devoted entirely to Burbank students and their work, with interactive art projects, performances, demonstrations and opportunities to express art in all of its forms.
There will be exciting raffles, a live auction and opportunities to contribute to the Burbank Arts Education Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring permanent and equal access to quality arts education for all of Burbank’s 15,000 students.

April 26, 2009

Burbank Kiwanis 10th Annual Car Show and Craft Fair

SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2009 - 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Johnny Carson Park, Burbank Kiwanis For Fun proudly presents its 10th annual Car Show and Arts and Crafts Fair. Vintage cars, music, vendors and great food. The Club will serve its famous pancake breakfast, followed by lunch of burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and the best french fries this side of the Mississippi. You do not want to miss this event!!! It is a great way to spend a Sunday with your family.

Author's Notes:
The Car show will probably be pretty cool. There are a lot of old cars in Burbank and I'm sure the pancakes would be a nice treat too. The Fine Art Show is a good way to see downtown Burbank if you like Art shows or need a long walk. My parents purchased their aluminum looking tree they have hanging in their house at this festival years ago. As for the parade, I'm putting it out there so that you avoid it rather than flock to it. This parade is relatively boring--nothing super cool and not celebratory of any holiday. Preview from 2007!

Countdown

2009-03-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

In just 25 days Joey and I will be married! I can hardly believe it. I know what you're thinking "what about all the plans?!" and "why haven't you kept up with your blogs?" It is true, I haven't kept up with this blog like I said I would--but we have been as busy as bees since the shower on 3/14.

I fitted my wedding dress on 3/13 and it still looked spectacular. On 3/14 was the shower (I told you about that). Then last weekend Joey and I decided we needed a break and went to Disneyland on Sunday on a whim. It was a rainy morning so we thought it wouldn't be that crowded---as it turned out it was a beautiful sunny day and crowded. We still had fun though going on rides we haven't been on recently (and probably won't go on anytime soon). It was a nice relaxing break from wedding stuff.

On Friday last week I took a half day and my parents came down to attend some final meetings. We went to see the florist and also to the venue. Everything is coming together well. Remember tomorrow is the final day to send in your responses! If you haven't let us know yet....your in trouble ;)

The Website Features--You!

2009-03-23T08:36:00.001-07:00

Have you signed our web-based Guest Book yet? To visit the other features of the site remember your password from your invitation!

Bridal Shower

2009-03-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Joey's Aunts held a bridal shower for me at a Chinese restaurant. It was a fun party! The group was mismatched with friends and family from across Southern California. I knew that 90% of the people who attended would not know each other. At first I thought it might be weird, but we're all adults and everyone was able to fend for themselves and meet new people. I heard there were even a few new friends made!

Our waiter was a card. He said that he just loved weddings and wedding events and showers and stuff. He told us that as Man of Honor for his friend's wedding, he had to organize a shower and bachelorette party. Because of this, he embarrassed himself when a buff-looking police officer entered the restaurant. He asked the police officer if he was here for the bridal party. The police officer, embarrassed wondered why. The waiter then asked the police officer if he was also a stripper. Needless to say, the police officer (who was not a stripper) did not attend the party. To his great delight though, we did provide him and dining mate with a cupcake.

I got a lot of fun gifts at the shower, but the one that was the strangest and most wondered about were the Himalayan Salt Plates from Robin. Robin and I talk online at work when we have free time. One day, she told me about these Himalayan Salt Plates and, thinking they were really neat, I added them to the registry.

Robin warned me in advance that these plates were really heavy. I didn't know quite HOW heavy they were until I held them in my hands. WOW! Now that is a workout and a half. Then next thing I learned about the salt plates was that they absorb heat and can be used as presentation, tabletop cooking and even a tray for fresh fruit, meats and cheeses! The plate seasons and cooks all at once! I'm really excited about this because it is so versatile.

Here are some things I am interested in trying with my new salt plate:

-Freeze a Himalayan salt plate for two hours. Scoop cream or sorbet atop. (just like salty nuts on your hot fudge sundae!)
-Getting back to basics, use it as a serving platter for cheeses, dried meats, or your daily dose of pickled ginger and wasabi. When used as a plate for moist food such as apple slices and mozzarella, the food acquires an enhanced salt and mineral flavoring.
-If musty corners of your soul crave drama, try serving up an entire meal using large round or square Himalayan salt plates. Moist foods take on a touch of saltiness, dry foods do not, and everything glows with the otherworldly power of the ancient world (see Ogling below).

The best part is you can wash it and use it again!

Meet the Smiths

2009-03-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

The second installment of meet the family, is to Meet the Smiths. Unfortunately, Carrie runs this blog--so this will be a meet the Smiths from a not-yet-Smith. It will be fun for you to actually meet the Smiths and try to determine if I portrayed them correctly.

Jerry - Joey's Dad

Jerry is a general contractor and also owns his own air conditioning and heating business. He works out of the home. In his free time, he goes go-cart racing and enjoys attending USC football and basketball games.
Favorite Memory: Tricking people with sarcasm and straight faces

Jenny and Gavin - Joey's Sister and future brother-in-law
Jenny has her undergrad degree in Graphic Design as well as her Master's in Divinity. She currently works part time as a hospital chaplain, is a guest pastor at some churches, and has several contracted graphic design projects. In her free time, Jenny plays softball and hangs out with friends. Jenny is engaged to Gavin who is a Federal Prosecutor for the IRS. Did you pay your taxes this year? In his spare time Gavin is a photographer.
Favorite Memory: Rock Band, Trip to Princeton

Grandpa Jack and Berri
Grandpa Jack lives with his girlfriend Berri in Walnut Creek, CA. They retired there just recently after years of living in the Palm Desert.
Favorite Memory: Picking grapefruits off their tree in the desert

Ellie and Scott - Jerry's Brother, Joey's Mom's Sister
Ellie and Scott live in La Crescenta. Ellie is retired from the air-conditioning business. Scott works for Edison. Ellie is very active with her church and friends. In his spare time, Scott enjoys working on old cars. Dave and Dan are Ellie and Scott's children.
Favorite Memory: Montly dinners, great food--great company

Dan - Joey's Cousin
Dan spends his winters trekking back and forth from the ski hills to San Diego. In the summer, he bikes and runs marathons. Dan is a computer programmer.
Favorite Memory: Meeting for Dan and Dave for dinner after seeing the Sand Castles

Dave - Joey's Cousin
Dave is an engineer and primarily works with hospital ventilation. He received his degree from San Diego State. He still resides in San Diego where he plays baseball for fun.
Favorite Memory: Meeting Dave after hearing about him for years and trying to believe Jerry that there was really another cousin.

Brad - Jerry's brother
Brad lives in Sun Valley, CA with his three dogs Petey, Darla and Jake. He works with Jerry in the air-conditioning and general contracting business. In his spare time, he works on Fords and attends car shows.
Favorite Memory: Summer swimming at his pool with watermelon and cookie breaks.

Sally, Roger, Keana and Leila - Jerry's sister
Sally and Roger live in Encinitas, CA with their two children Keana (age 9) and Leila (age 5) and their dog Sunshine. Keana and Leila keep their parents busy with their many activities from dance to karate to art. Sally sells batteries for industrial power plants and Roger is a Project Manager at Verizon.
Favorite Memory: Jumping on the trampoline, Leila insisting that I take her to the pool in the desert, Keana wanting to sit at the big kids table and being a big conversationalist, the laid back and relaxed atmosphere at their resort-like house.

Trish - Jerry's sister
Trish lives in Laguna Beach, CA with her dog Daisy. Trish acquired Daisy from the streets of Mexico on vacation. She lives just minutes from a secluded beach and is a nature enthusiast. Trish manages National Park land in the Laguna area.
Favorite Memory: Dinner at Trish's and taking the trolley into town.

Meet the Petersons

2009-03-06T09:27:00.001-08:00

The wedding is getting close and soon two families will be meeting each other for the first time. I'm confident that everyone will get along, but here's a little background on who everyone is. When I say "the Petersons" please note that I mean everyone on Carrie's side--even though most of them aren't called Peterson anymore--or are on my mom's side and never were.

Gail and Erick - Carrie's Parents
I think almost everyone has met Gail and Erick. This couple met in college and got married while Erick was in school getting his PhD and Gail was a grade school teacher. Shortly after they had Katie and 5 years later Carrie. They currently reside 1/3 time in Illinois, 1/3 time in Indiana, and 1/3 time in a little bungalow in Ojai.
Favorite Memory: Ice Skating in Switzerland, playing catch at Wexford.

Katie, Jeff and Christopher - Carrie's Sister's family
Katie and Jeff moved to Ojai in their 3rd year of marriage so that Jeff could run the Ojai Music Festival. They now have an adorable little 2 year old named Christopher.
Favorite Memory: Playing a duet with Jeff, The first time Christopher played with Legos, eating enchiladas with Katie on no-hands night.

Uncle Bill and Aunt Rita - Gail's brother
Uncle Bill and Aunt Rita recently moved from their Vitorian in Chicago to a house near the lake in Wisconsin. They are self employed and live a small-town lifestyle these days.
Favorite memory: Unique gifts when I was little--like the zube tube.

Grandpa Jonah - Erick's father
Grandpa Jonah lives on a farm in Indiana. He doesn't have any animals. He is a talented woodworker and carpenter. Grandpa keeps a small garden and rents out the rest of his land to nearby farmers. Grandpa is also a master gardener and, since retirement enjoys hanging out with his friends, gardening, and reading the newspaper.
Favorite Memory: Working in the woodshop with Grandpa

Aunt Deb and Uncle Alan - Erick's Sister
Aunt Deb and Uncle Alan live in Indiana and also in Illinois. Aunt Deb is a master gardener. Uncle Alan is in the real estate business and also writes for the newspaper. They have three children, Brad, Jeff and Liz.
Favorite Memory: Going to their house and watching movies my mom wouldn't let me see

Liz, Jake and Julia - Carrie's Cousin
Liz and Jake got married sometime when Carrie was in college. They live in Illinois. Jake is an actuary, I think and Liz stays home and cares for their adorable almost 2 year old Julia. Liz is pregnant with her second child who is due very soon after Carrie's wedding.
Favorite Memory: Improv Christmas with Jake and Liz participating like crazy, Julia playing with me alone at Christmas, Liz's secret room at her old house.

Brad and Jeff - Carrie's cousins
Brad and Jeff are twins. They both live in Chicago. Jeff works at Nordstroms. Brad works in the computer industry. Brad and Jeff are the same age as Carrie making them very good friends during childhood.
Favorite Memory: Playing cops and robbers at their old house, Easter egg hunts at their old house

Aunt Dean - Erick's sister
Aunt Dean lives in Illinois. She has her own Market Research business that she runs from her home. In her spare time, she enjoys crafting, fixing up her house, and hanging out with her dog Casper.
Favorite Memory: The Farm trip with Aunt K and Aunt Dean and stopping at White Castle.

Aunt Kathy, Uncle Greg, and Scott - Erick's sister
Aunt Kathy is a teacher at the nearby middle school. She also teaches interesting summer classes like Make em and race em - a build your own car and race it class and Survival. Uncle Greg works in manufacturing and spends his free time with the Boy Scouts. Scott just started his first year at the University of Kansas and is studying History and Education.
Favorite Memory: Helping Aunt K come up with Make em and Race em, Dirt Cake!, Playing Legos with Scott.

Things to do in LA

2009-03-05T08:57:00.001-08:00

Hopefully by now you have all started receiving your invitations and making your plans to visit beautiful sunny southern CA. That probably leads you to thinking, "What am I going to do while I am in LA before (and possibly after) the wedding? How will I spend my time?

Sure, you could look at the many guide books available. Or you could ask your friends. Or you could just take the easy way out and spend your day at the Happiest Place On Earth, just 40 minutes from Burbank. OR...you could consult my guide.

Your guide? That's right. I created a guide I like to call "Carrie and Joey's Burbank and Surrounding Areas." My mom tells me the title is a little awkward, but I think it is the best portrayal of what it is. It is a guide of my favorite things to do, places to go, and places to eat in Burbank. Complete with links to restaurant reviews, this guide may be your one stop shop or a launching pad for other ideas.

Click Here for a Better View!

So now that you look at it you might think, Whew! This is overwhelming! So let me give you some tips about using this guide:

1. Click on the link "Click Here for a Better View!" because it is easier to read in it's full mass.

2. On the left hand side is a little Key. Scroll down the list and click on the attraction you wish to see on the map. A little bubble will pop up showing you the location.

3. Use the slider to zoom in and out.

4. Click on one of the icons to view information. Sometimes, the information bubble has a link to a review on Tasting LA.

I hope you find this useful! I certainly think it is a fun treat.

Cake Cutting 101

2009-02-26T08:15:00.000-08:00

In November, our family friends Laura and Joe invited us over for an elegant engagement dinner. Audrey was also invited. Laura, who is a #1 fan of autumn decked her house out for the season and the dinner.

It was a fun night! Laura and Joe outdid themselves with a very fancy dinner that included bacon wrapped fillet mignon and tomatoes stuffed with creamed spinach.

After a lovely dinner, Laura brought out a lovely cake wishing us a happy engagement and decorated with gumpaste leaves. She told us that this was our chance to practice cake cutting before we had to do it in front of a large crowd. We posed for pictures as we willingly cut and stuffed pieces of cake into each other's mouths. What a fun time we had ringing in our engagement at that party!

There are now just 8 weeks until our wedding and I look forward to it in every way!

Mosaics

2009-02-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

Mosaics
=============
Joey
=============

1. Design......on Nature...., 2. Cone Pizza!, 3. Autumn's Brilliance Adirondacks, New York, 4. Green Dreams, 5. ready for the party......???, 6. thirsty?, 7. Sunset Beach, 8. Bad News Ice Cream, 9. Google Developer Day 2007, 10. Aunt Carrie, Are We Done Yet?, 11. Arriving at the Italian Riviera12. Hikash

Questions:
What is your first name?
Joel
What is your favorite food?
Pizza
What high school did you go to?
John Burroughs
What is your favorite color?
Green
Who is your celebrity crush?
I don't have one
Favorite drink?
Pepsi
Dream vacation?
Hawaii
Favorite dessert?
Ice Cream
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Developer
What do you love most in life?
Carrie
One word to describe you.
Terse
Your random screenname.
Hikash

======================
Carrie
======================

1. Carrie Bradshaw's Infamous Closet, 2. Pasta Flower, 3. Brooze Brothers, 4. Dazzling, 5. Hugh Grant & My Sister !, 6. Chocolate Milk!, 7. Hillside town Amalfi Coast , Southern Italy, 8. Profiterole, 9. Tokidoki: Moofia Bulletto, 10. ., 11. Tender Love and Care, 12. Gizmo - In the Soup

And, for those of you who can't surmise what the questions/answers were, here we go:

Questions:
What is your first name?
Carrie (if you don't know this I'm surprised you can read my blog)
What is your favorite food?
Pasta
What high school did you go to?
Wheaton Warrenville South
What is your favorite color?
Blue
Who is your celebrity crush?
Hugh Grant
Favorite drink?
Chocolate Milk
Dream vacation?
Southern Italy
Favorite dessert?
Profiteroles
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Toy Designer
What do you love most in life?
Joey
One word to describe you.
Loving
~~Your Flickr name.~~ Your random Screenname.
Whynotsoup

Make your own Mosaic.

Catch Up

2009-01-19T21:00:00.001-08:00

Around the turn of the year, I realized that the wedding is coming almost as fast as a speeding bullet. As a result, I am feeling rushed to do all the little things that need to get done.

My first order of business was to find a hair stylist and a makeup artist for the big day. At first I was polling all my friends that recently got married, but they all did so on the Westside. If you learn anything about LA, know that a business on the Westside when you are getting married in the Valley is like working with a business in Nevada. It just isn't feasible. Nobody from the Westside wants to go to the Valley and vice a versa.

Then I decided that I should ask Joey's sister Jenny to ask her friends. I knew that she went to at least four weddings in 2008, so I thought I had a good chance of getting someone. It was a good choice. Jenny's friends readily provided me with the information as well as pictures. In just 3 days I found both a hairstylist and makeup person--both who live in the Valley. Boooyah!

The next task was to find a place to get our nails done before the event. I had already tried out a place close to the chosen hotel but I found it to be very quick and warehouse-like. It wasn't the relaxing experience nail places are supposed to provide. Jenny told me that she loved a place nearby and suggested we go there together. Yesterday, we went and it was marvelous. It was very spa like and made me feel very relaxed. I also liked how the people there spoke English (which is rare in this part of town for nail technicians). I contacted Kristen and the plans were made.

Today I went shopping and got some shoes for the wedding! I felt like a hypocrit telling all my bridesmaids they had to get their shoes back in July and then never getting them myself. It was a weight off my shoulders to get my shoes today.

Joey and I also mandated that we make our honeymoon plans by the end of the weekend. Being a 3-day weekend we had extra time to do it and managed the task by 9pm tonight!

The next tasks include getting transportation after the wedding, a room for that night, finalizing the menu, finalizing the invitations, and I'm sure there are lots of odds and ends I'm forgetting.

In our free time, Joey and I are still looking for places to live, playing softball, and hanging out with all our friends. We also went to Disneyland twice this week and plan to go several more times before the wedding!

!:)

2009-01-17T21:50:00.000-08:00

The Personal Shopping Experience

2008-12-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

Last week my mom informed me that the Christmas Eve Party and any bridal showers that I attend will be semi-dressy. I sort of freaked out...so close to Christmas and I didn't have anything to wear--especially not for the 17 degree weather they've been going on about. So shopping was in the forecast.

It isn't that I don't like shopping, but just that I am in a rut with what I buy. It has gotten so bad that I can pinpoint which clothes other people have and which season they got them from my favorite store.

But my mom came through with an exciting idea! She would schedule for me a Personal Shopper at Nordstroms. I would meet with this person and try on some new things and get an outfit that I could wear to work, to showers, and most immediately, to Christmas Eve.

Saturday morning was the moment of truth. I met Joni at the Galleria and she showed me to a huge dressing room. She had already set out some things in my size--mostly from the sale racks. Nordstroms, as you well know, isn't the cheapest store in the mall.

After an hour of trying on I found something that I liked. We headed down the stairs to the other sections of the store (and saw Santa on the way). We needed to find a wrap for my outfit--something a little warmer for Chicago. On the way, we also found shoes, undergarments and accessories.

In the end, I had 10 items (soon to be 8 after some buyers-remorse returns) and 3 main outfits that I could wear about 9 different ways! After Nordstroms I headed over to my favorite store and got some dressy jeans to go with my new shoes to make another round of outfits with just a couple of things.

Guess what? I know have the ability to dress like a 26-year-old adult. So don't mistake me for Katie next time you see me!

Tasting

2008-11-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, Joey and I attended our Food Tasting. Food tasting is a very nerve-racking event because it happens AFTER you book the venue and pay them. Having been to hardly any weddings for which to base my opinions, I was worried that food would be terrible and then not feel so good about the place we chose.

Luckily for everyone, the food was delicious. The event was actually quite fun. The venue organizes a party for all the couples getting married in a certain period of time. The event takes place in one of the rooms (and it was ours!). Guests mingle prior to the event and then enter a beautiful room where they see buffets set around the room and tables set for 2 sprinkling the open spaces.

There were placecards and Joey and I sat at a table that was covered in brown linens. (they showcase all their linens at this party). There was a DJ showing off his lighting and his services. There was also a florist showing off a number of different kinds of things that can be done. Mostly couples attended the event but there were a couple of moms.

The stationary appetizers were set out from the onset. We enjoyed those and took notes on our feelings back at the table. Then the waiters brought over passed appetizers. Instead of trying to get our hands on more, they gave us 2 each at our table and the various sauces. I had fun mixing and matching.

Dinner was buffet style and instead of mini portions, they had full portions of every dish. I tasted everything (except the fish because that was an automatic no). By the end I was really, really full of all sorts of good food--but still able to talk with Joey and make sound decisions.

When dinner was over there were buffets for the Chocolate Fountain, the Viennese pastry bar and the candy bar. The chocolate fountain, as usual was delicious and fun. Joey had not seen one previously and was especially interested in it. It came with cream puffs that gave a burst of cool cream along with the rich dark chocolate dip.

The Viennese pastry bar had several kinds of mini pastries from a nearby Armenian bakery that I have visited only once before. It is the kind of bakery where everyone there is actually Armenian and speaks Armenian. I felt a little bit out of place and was embarrassed pointing to signs that I couldn't read for things I wanted to try. What I did eat though, was absolutely delicious and I have considered going back there again and again. It was nice to be able to taste as many pastries as we wanted--for free. While a nice touch, the Viennese pastry bar is a little too much on top of the delicious, moist, rich cake that will be on display at our wedding.

Overall, the experience was delightful and we came to quick decisions on what to serve when we get married in April. Don't worry, I had you all in mind when I was thinking about it.

And now for another preview of where you will be spending your April evening:

Cake

2008-10-23T18:53:00.001-07:00

Our Baker is a friend of Joey's family. Kelly left her job in Marketing 20 some years ago (I think) and started her own bakery, Wildflour, in Sierra Madre. The bakery serves lunch, pastries, bread, and makes cakes.

We arrived at the cake tasting after a weird map-quest version route from Burbank to Sierra Madre. It was actually quite scenic though.

Kelly made us 4 3 inch cakes with the various flavors we requested. They were fresh out of the oven when we got there and we perused some pictures of cakes they have made in the past while we waited.

Her buttercream is the kind that's light and fluffy with a subtle flavor. The ganache was rich and amazing. The mocha buttercream made my heart swell. And the cake....the cake was moist and melted in my mouth.

Joey had one or three bites of each cake and was decided. My mom had a couple bites of the cake and stopped as well. She saved a little for my dad, and then I proceeded to eat the remaining bits of the three cakes. Delicious! I bet you can't wait to try it either!

I could use one of those little cakes right now!

Flowers

2008-10-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, Gee Carrie, I know your mom was out there visiting you 2 weeks back with every intention of wedding planning and appointments. Tell us about it! It's true, I know and I'm sorry. But re-introducing wedding planning into my life combined with an uptick in my social life and then a bunch of late nights at work made writing harder than you may expect. So I'll do this in pieces.

My mom and I had an appointment a couple of weekends ago with Elizabeth from Van Nuys Flowers. Elizabeth's shop was recommended to us by some friends so we thought we'd check it out. The claim was that because she had a shop seemingly in the middle of nowhere, the prices were more reasonable.

We got to Elizabeth's minutes before our appointment due to some trouble with my navigator's sense of direction. If it hadn't been for me, I think we may have driven around for ages. At the very least, she was ready to call the flower shop when we were only a block away.

The flower shop is small but filled with pictures of weddings and different ideas all around. While I have always liked flowers, I really know the names of only a handful of them. The night before our visit, my mom and I scoured magazines looking for things I liked. I would say something like, "I really like these white flowers with only 5 petals" and my mom would say something like, "I think those are Sephanotis" amd then I'd put them on my list.

When we got to the florist we did the same kind of game except with colors. We all agreed that because my bridesmaids are wearing the color of grass the flowers could be of any color. Ever since my first wedding decisions I have wanted something that encompasses the beauty that is the earth. I remember a particular drive up to Ojai where the wildflowers were blooming on the hillside, the sky was a shade of blue that doesn't come in any crayon, and the greens where popping up all over the place. That is what I wanted my wedding to portray.

So we went with the beautiful blues and purples of the sky, we decided to create that crayon that Crayola couldn't.

Which is more worth it?

2008-09-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

What do you think?

A toaster or a toaster oven or both?

Joey tells me that toaster ovens are great appliances and yet, I have never used one. My mom never used one ever. I am not even really sure what they are for. I don't have a toaster at all right now and that is because I am not a fan of the stuff. I could eat it, but what's wrong with regular bread? Why ruin the freshness by toasting it? Joey does like toast so we have to get something...but what? While I don't know where we are living, I'm anticipating lack of counter space. And of course, we'll have a microwave as well. Let me know what you think!

Back by Popular Demand!

2008-09-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

So, you must wonder, what happened to the wedding--is it still happening? What about all the planning? Well it is, and the planning has been stagnant for a while. Because I crunched all the immediate planning into the first couple of weeks, I had a nice hiatus over the last couple of months to just plain hang out with Joey and our friends. And work of course.

But we did do something wedding related this weekend. On Sunday morning (early morning), Joey and I went to a Registry Event! A registry event is a little thing a popular registry store puts on to entice registrants to sign up at said store.

After a little mix up 2 weeks ago that involved us signing up for and then discovering the day before the even that it was not happening; Joey and I were a little bit worried that we would be the only ones there.

Although, imagining a whole store to ourselves and the on-hand staff didn't sound so bad to me.

When we arrived Sunday morning at the event, we were pleased to see a huge group of couples congregating around the side door. There seemed to be about 25 couples there.

The doors were opened promptly at 9 and we entered the store, signed in, and then were given a tour in small groups by a knowledgeable sales associate. She showed us all the different things we could register for and got us all acquainted with the store. Then she left us to our own devices.

Joey and I first stopped at the food stations. When the invitation said food would be served I figured it would be fruit and cheese or something lame. But alas! They used the store appliances to make breakfast for us!

One lady made pumpkin spice waffles with fruit and vanilla-cinnamon whipped cream. Another man was making scrambled eggs with bacon, cheese and green onions. They had mimosas, orange juice, and espresso too.

On hand they had a woman showing off her invitation wares and several product reps from different companies such as Cuisinart. It was pretty great. We roamed around the store chowing down and using our scan gun on whatever we found to be interesting.

The event lasted 2 hours and in the end we only had 30 items or so (I went a little wild without Joey in the last 10 minutes upping the damage). We set up our registry and printed it out.

Then we went home to check it out and learned that it did not save. Luckily we have the printout available and can rebuild, but I'm still waiting for the world-renowned customer service representative to get back to me about the issue.

I wish every store held a registry event!

The Dress is In!

2008-08-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

Today Jenny (my future sister-in-law) and I went to pick up my wedding dress! Just like the original shopping trip, the people who work and own Pebbles Bridal make for an excellent experience. The girl that helped me last time remembered me when I came in!

I worked with a different girl today and she was also really nice and helpful. I anticipated the trip to take 1-2 hours to try on the dress and all. It actually took more like 20-30 minutes. Mis-judgment on my part.

I tried on the dress and it fit perfectly and looked as beautiful as I remembered it. I was glad about that because, despite all my work, I felt like maybe I had gained wait since last time I was there. I have also been reading bridal magazines a lot and seen tons of other dresses wondering if I made the right choice. I'm now sure I did.

Jenny and I made a day out of the trip and went out for lunch at a place we knew Joey wouldn't enjoy. Then we went to Joey's Aunt's to store the dress.

Joey's Aunt Ellie agreed to store my dress for me in her house which is a relief because my apartment is hot and crowded with too much stuff (and some say the closet smells weird). Plus, there's always that chance that Joey will see it--and superstition says a big solid NO to that.

I can't wait to wear the dress again!

And more!

2008-08-14T19:54:00.001-07:00

Will Keeler Photography sent me a post card today. I like it, a lot. This might beat out Sweet Monday even. The postcard is simple and fun. The city is not in CA as far as I can tell but I guess anything is possible. The tagline, which I don't you can read because of my shaky photography says "Non-traditional, Non-cheesy, non-crazy-expensive wedding photography." I know what kind of age group he's aiming at! The prices aren't horrible either. AND the best part is that they saved the mystery of why I am getting all these postcards all of a sudden--it's the KNOT!

Photographer Postcards

2008-08-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

I started receiving postcards from wedding photographers. The thing is, they didn't all trickle in over the last few months, they came together in a flood. I already have a photographer, but I decided to collect the postcards anyway, they give me a chance to see how well people sell their image. Here are my ratings so far (sorry for the blurry images):

1. Sweet Monday The imagery is simple and modern, they matched the logo on their postcard with the logo on the mailing label. They also put a personalized real-written message on the card. Unfortunately, they are really expensive for all their personalization and they put it right on the postcard which will probably repel visitors a little--but also might give them real interest immediately. Also, their website has a 3rd word in it which makes it minorly hard to remember.

2. Norris Photo Then pictures look nice and the quality looks good. These are the kind of pictures though that make me question my choices like "should I have chosen a simpler service or different venue" so if I had seen it before I made any decisions I would like it better.

3. William Innes This is getting into the I would never choose group. This particular postcard is a little too artsy of a picture for me. It kind of looks to me like the bride is dead and a little too much watch showing on the groom. The back picture is fine but I don't know, it sort of reminds me of a stock photo. The website turns me back to them a little because I like the pictures in the galleries. I also recognize some of the venues. If my prices were this high though, I wouldn't advertise it right on the site "Our collections range from $2,500 to $8,100."

4.The Image is apparently actually a dress store now that I look at it. The website needs help. Plus, it took me a long time to realize that it was "TheImageBridal not TheLmagebridal. I realize that doesn't make any sense. The real problem with this postcard isn't even their fault, it's just that the post mark across the top looks horrible. The other problem is that the flipside is totally boring. The frontside is just not somethng that makes me think "exclusive wedding dress." The location confirms this.

5. Video Keepsakes and Photography has WAY too much going on. The card is oversized and it has people walking down what looks like a street at Warner Bros Studio. There is word art all over the place and it has a catchphrase that they could lose "Hello Knotties!" What?! Who says that? The otherside isn't much better, they say they work for hollywood but omg...check out the mouse-over on the pictures! I wouldn't consider this place, I'd rather have no pictures at all

My photographer is Adam of Embrace Life Photography. I found him on Facebook, his ad was targeted to me at the right time. He's a great guy, but also he is technologically saavy. When we met him he tried to get to know us. He has some pretty cool looking albums that he works with too. I talked to him about his ads on Facebook and discovered some things that social network does that others don't. Very interesting.

*Disclaimer: I have never worked with these photographers, I base my decisions solely on the postcards I received and the websites they have.

Family Bonding

2008-07-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

Katie, Christopher and Jeff came down last weekend to meet Joey and I for my 26th birthday picnic. We met at my house and then drove over to McCambridge park--a park with lots of grassy areas, picnic tables and three playgrounds. I made a fruit salad (with melon balls!), a vegetable salad and then picked up some sandwiches at a Cuban bakery nearby. Katie brought dessert.

The whole time we were eating Christopher wanted to go and play on the playgrounds. Then when we all went to play with him on the playground, all he wanted to do was look at the city truck parked nearby. So finally we decided it was hot and we should leave. We went over to my house for dessert.

On our way home, Christopher noticed some spring-animals and insisted that we play on those for a while. I played on the horse and we tried to race each other--but actually I don't think Christopher understood what it meant to race exactly, so I won.

When we got to my house Katie and Jeff served me birthday Strawberry Shortcake. Then Katie challenged Joey to a game of Wii Tennis. If you are not video gamers and you don't know any and have therefore never tried the Wii, you may not understand the draw to Wii Tennis. But if Katie is interested in video games then you know that this is not really a video game. The Wii is an interactive move around virtual style game. You don't wear any weird glasses, but you do have motion sensors and can interact with the TV. Sure you don't feel the wind in your face, but it does have a nice athletic-feeling when you are done. So Katie and Joey played tennis. I must note here that Joey was dressed in his athletic clothes because we both were getting ready for our softball game which was just two hours in advance.

I think Joey won, so Katie tired of tennis and moved on to Wii Fit. Wii Fit is an exercise program with a balance board made up of a couple of scales. It measures balance and weight shift and you can play lots of different games from yoga to strength training to balance games and aerobics. One of the aerobic games is the hula hoop. If you haven't done the hula hoop since you were 10, you should try it again, it is a surprising workout because you don't usually spin your hips like that. It was fun to watch. Katie was intent on breaking the record set by our friend Nate.

Katie forced Jeff to try it--and he looked--how do you say it? Hilarious doing the Wii hula hoop. Christopher, however was not amused. He wanted to go outside and play.

Because I want to show you exactly what it was like to be in my apartment on the Sunday before my 26th birthday, I am providing you with videos. It is too bad Katie and Jeff aren't the ones getting married because these videos could be used for something embarrassing, I'm sure of it. You and the rest of the world can watch the videos here AND here.

Next time you are in CA, you can try out Wii Fit too if you want--but I probably won't be able to video tape it--because I'll probably be wrapped up in last minute planning. But good luck to you with the next hula hoop record!

How we met

2008-07-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

My mom got invited to a wedding recently and the couple has one of those The Knot websites. In the beginning, when I was weighing starting this blog, I looked at the options of wedding websites. I thought, I could do that, but why not just start an interesting blog instead.

Interesting. Hah.

But then last night I checked out the friend's website at The Knot. And it was pretty neat. Plus, it has a privacy setting so that you can give extra information to guests (instead of a lot of invitation fillers) and then you avoid a bunch of wedding crashers.

So last night I decided to check out The Knot and see if it was for me. And well, it isn't exactly, but I went through with it anyway. BUT DON'T look for it, because I'm not done. The thing about The Knot is that it is a little bit sappy. And I just am not. You have to fill out an "about the bride and about the groom" section. I had a lot of trouble with these--I want it to be interesting even for people who already know us...and that was difficult. Then they had a section for "How we met." It probably didn't help that at the time I was watching Love Actually and they have all those great "how we met" stories. I dabbled in making up a new story for the entertainment factor.

For instance:
While hand-writing my first book in the south of France, Joey came by and offered me a fresh cup of tea. He took my old cup and my only copy of my book was swept up by the wind into an icy cold lake full of eels. Together we dove in trying to salvage the book. I left France two weeks later for home. Upon arrival, I realized my love for him and ordered the Rosetta Stone language kit to learn French quickly. I went back to France and met Joey in his new place of work where he had learned English in case I came back. We spoke to each other for the first time with understanding, and he proposed just months later.

Or:
In my hometown of Puerto Penasco, MX I was poor and impoverished. At 18, I decided to make a run for the border into the United States where I could get a better job and earn money to send back to my poor family. I crossed the border at Imperial Beach during the National Sand Castle competition. Joey was there with his family viewing the castles and our eyes locked over a sculpture of a treasure chest. Joey knew there was no treasure in the sand but instead just beyond. He swept me away to Los Angeles where he provided for my family and I until I could get back on my feet and we were wed.

Or even:
At UPS the student government was always throwing crazy events like Jello Wrestling and Pie fights and de-stress fests on the campus lawn. At one such event, Joey conquered my lifetime dream of being hit in the face with a custard cream pie. Being the first to acknowledge and then follow through with efforts to fulfill my dream, I immediately fell in love with Joey. To show my love for him, I pelted him in the face with a chocolate cream pie.

But alas, we don't have such an interesting story--and I doubt most people do--but wouldn't it make it so much more interesting?

Digital Snapshots

2008-07-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Joey and I went to the Dodger's game yesterday with our Monday Night softball team - The Sliders. Afterwards there were fireworks where we got to go sit on the field to see the fireworks! The firework display was spectacular and the grass on the field was like carpet. I decided to take some pictures of Joey and I on the field together. There's all this talk about pictures of us together that we might need in conjunction with the wedding. Even though we've been together over 6 years, we only have a handful. Apparently, I didn't take that many pictures in college.

This brings me to the digital camera. Digital cameras became common when I was in college. I got a digital camera in 2003 before going to Europe. I used it in Europe, but apparently not so much when I got back--or maybe I just brought it out for events and there weren't many events happening when Joey was there. Or MAYBE he just avoided the camera at all times.

Either way, I was a bad shot until I got a digital camera and then suddenly I could take pictures that people wanted to see. And I took multiple pictures of the same thing, because when you have a 4GB camera card, you might as well take 1000 pictures at a time.

Last night was no exception. I am not so good at taking pictures of Joey and I with one hand--I took a bunch before he took over and snapped some Polaroids--or digital snapshots if you will.

Prank #1

2008-06-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

My bridesmaids received their dresses.

My bridesmaids received an email from me introducing them to each other.

Then without my knowledge, my bridesmaids talked.

My bridesmaids schemed.

Unfortunately, they weren't all on the bandwagon at the same time. Those who were though sent me photos of them in their dresses. They scared me. Instead of being good little friends, they sent me fakes.

The whole story:

Katie was first. Katie sent me a picture of her in the dress outside on the patio that Jeff took over the weekend. Katie looked great in the dress, BUT it was the wrong color. Completely wrong. It was an ugly, shiny, verdant color that I would wish on my worst enemy. I freaked out. I immediately called my sister and told her that I thought the color was wrong and asked if she cut off the tags yet. She said she did, she said it must be the light. I was freaked out! The color was all wrong and now that she cut off the tags it couldn't be replaced without the extra cost. I didn't know what to do, I searched for the shipping receipt and came up empty handed. Katie sent me another picture. It was polka-dotted, and looked almost worse than the first (and probably a little less realistic, but I didn't notice). Finally, Katie sent me the real picture, and that is when I realized that this was a prank and someone with a keen hand at photoshop had changed things.

And so life went on.

And then I got a picture from Emily. Same ugly color. And that's when I knew that my email to all of them was my enemy, a way for them to all connect and trick me together.

And then my mom got the picture. She was tired, she thought it was the light in the picture. She emailed us all back that she "hoped the real pictures didn't turn out like that." That is when it started to be funny.

I guess the whole thing was a little funny, now that I think about it, but I certainly didn't expect it!

Edited by popular demand:

More Dresses?

2008-06-14T13:55:00.001-07:00

Last week, I went home to clean myself out of my parent's house because they are selling it. While there I found loads of things that I had forgotten about. I went through report cards, essays, drawings, toys, Legos. I even got rid of some Legos, toys and books, if you can believe it. Here I am going through my things. As you can see, I was very happy and excited about the whole thing. You may also notice that that picture is taken outside. The weather was actually pretty awful the whole time I was in Chicago, but, I did get to see and hear some great thunder and lightening storms.

While I was home, I decided to go visit Oakbrook Shopping Center with one of my bridesmaid's Jenny in search of dresses. I already had a plan. I looked up some dresses online and I found the one I liked. Unfortunately, the site said that I could only find these celebration stores in 3 locations, 2 in IL and 1 in Texas. Upon going to the store, I learned that actually that is not the case, there are really 70 stores--but it just happened that the size I looked for on the ill-organized website (it took me a half an hour to find a list of all the so-called celebration stores after I knew that it would be listed somewhere on the site, if I wasn't being so vague I would probably challenge my readers to do the same and find the store list and time themselves so that I could give the company some kind of idea of how poorly their site is laid out when you are looking for something specific).

The shopping was painless. The neatest part about going in was discovering the high quality materials. I had previously shopped only at 2 other stores looking for bridesmaids dresses and come up with a feeling of unease. One store, while organized by color and style seemed to supply only the lowest quality of materials with clasps and zippers visible from the outside. The second store had a small select crushed into a corner. While the dresses may have been of designer quality, they were in a small place with hordes of women circling the area, so I just wasn't sold on it.

This store was open and free. Nobody bothered us while we looked at the dresses and colors and chose what we expected to be beautiful choices. Jenny volunteered to be the model of all the dresses we chose. This proved to be excellent to me because I wasn't really keen on trying on a bunch of dresses anyway. Jenny was the perfect model. She looked good in all the dresses. I could tell her final choice leaned away from my final choice, but I do not doubt that she was happy with the end decision. The dresses are beautiful, the quality is wonderful, and I stuck with my Norwegian heritage on color decisions.

In the end my mom and I went back to the store and commandeered the dresses in the appropriate sizes and sent them to my bridesmaids scattered across the country. Everyone received their dresses in less than 3 days. It should be noted hear that Kristen actually drove a total of 160 miles to exchange her dress for another size instead of going through the hassle of returning and reordering from across the country. What a pal! And now, another piece of the wedding list has been crossed off.

~~Attendant Dresses~~

Dresses

2008-04-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago some friends and I went to checkout this place called the Bridal Bar during lunch. We were disappointed to see that it was closed but had weddings on the mind so we went into the dress boutique next door. It was a little crazy and I wasn't at all comfortable with so many people around pointing at what looked like 10 of the same dresses. But then my friends left and I chatted with the lady longer and I really felt comfortable and wanted to come back.

And so, on Tuesday I did return, with my mom. I took a half day of work and walked over to meet her there. We had an appointment and I tried on dresses for 2 1/2 hours. And I found one that looked great--even though it was 2-4 sizes too small. I wanted it, but not so fast, this was the first shopping I had done, I wanted to look around. And so we left and told the lady we would think about it.

After leaving the store we went back to Burbank and checked out David's Bridal where I had heard there was a possibility to find great dresses at great prices. I had seen some David's Bridal specimens at other weddings and found them to be beautiful. Unfortunately, our experience after coming from the fancy boutique was not as satisfactory. I felt like the service was suffocating and while some of the dresses did look pretty, the quality suffered. I was especially interested in the halter top because that is what had looked so great at the boutique, however, I was disappointed to see the clasps visibly on the neck of the dress. It was the little details that bothered me and my mom.

Luckily, my mom knows a lot of people in Ojai that are young and just recently got married and among other things, were able to recommend two different dress stores. We were worried that we wouldn't be able to get an appointment with such a short time schedule, but it turned out that the first place was walk-in only and the second place had two openings! So we made the plans for Saturday.

My mom was able to make time in her busy last two weeks in California to meet me for our Saturday excursion to the stores. Coming from opposite ends of the 101 freeway, the two stores were not in the middle at all. We arrived at Pebbles Bridal, a family business around 10 am, right when they opened trying to beat the crowds since this place does not allow for appointments.

Pebbles Bridal needs a new website, however, they have a nice store. Tucked into the corner of a busy shopping center, the brick building houses over 1000 bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, veils and accessories. The business is family owned and I felt comfortable immediately upon walking in. I signed in and then a lady came to help me. She showed me the dresses which are all samples so you can touch them all and know that your dress will be ordered for you, not tried on by eighty girls first. I asked Megan, my helper, to show me the dresses that she thought would make me look thin. I had a couple of things that I wanted, but I was mostly open.

I was very comfortable trying on the dresses even with her help inside the dressing room--you don't know how hard it is to get some of those puffy dresses on unassisted. I tried on a number of dresses and a couple of them were my favorites, and so, I decided and now, I have my dress for this exact date a year from now.

The Workbook

2008-04-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

The other day Joey and I went to Barnes and Noble after dinner. I happened upon the wedding planning section and sat there browsing through all the books. They have a lot of these planning workbooks that tell you what you should be doing each month up to the wedding date. But guess what? I found out that in the last two months I have done all the things you are supposed to do in the first three months AND I haven't even gotten to the first month of the twelve leading up to my wedding! Did you follow that?

We have secured our:
Bakery
Florist
Location
Date
Minister

And have a lead on the:
musicians
photographers

I don't think we'll be going the video route because I can't really see myself watching it. Do any of you have wedding videos that you watch?

Unfortunately, I have started to have wedding nightmares--like the kind where you're sleeping and dream about things happening at the wedding. The latest nightmare was that the musicians playing in the ceremony were high-schoolers and cracking notes like crazy and playing horrible music that was too rocky for ceremonies. Luckily, I know that won't actually happen, but still it was a bad dream.

Joey and I had 0ne of our married couple friends over for dinner last night. It felt so grown up to be making dinner for people and having them come over as a couple to hang out with us. We just ate, chatted, and played a board game. I made some delicious lasagna from a book my Aunt Gun gave me as an engagement gift. The book is one of Ina Garten's from the food network, and when telling about this lasagna recipe she notes that she wanted to make a "lighter, healthier recipe" The thing is, there isn't really much healthy about this recipe. It has a lot of cheese and Italian sausage. I guess she used turkey Italian sausage, but that was hard to find so I used half chicken and half regular. Anyway, the dinner was fun.

I read a 1937 newspaper in the morning before the dinner and noticed that adults got together to play Parchese and cards and they were all dressed up for dinner. I'm glad I didn't have to dress up for dinner, but I'm glad we were able to play a game too just like the old days.

Engagement Dinner

2008-04-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

My mom and dad threw a delightful engagement dinner party last night for the nuclear families. We drove up to Ojai around 4:30 and met at Katie's house for some appetizers. They got a delicious plate of taquitos and sparkling apple and grape juice.

We chatted a while at Katie's house and tried to play with Christopher who only wanted to go outside or eat. Jenny brought Gavin for the appetizers and then he left when we went to dinner.

Once the babysitter arrived, we made a sneaky exit and started walking over to the Ojai Inn and Spa for dinner. The walk to the spa was really nice albeit a little long. We must have looked a site all dressed up and walking. Not to mention, my mom got boutonnières for both Joey and I to wear on our lapels. They were really beautiful, but they definitely made us stand out among the crowd.

Once we got there we went to look at the beautiful view and noticed a wedding going on overlooking it. They were either doing the first dance or the ceremony--but either way the bride was dancing around the groom twirling her veil. I noticed her dress was ivory which is sort of a new trend. The thing is, my mom told me that that used to mean that the woman was married before. I think just because of that I will stick with white.

After checking out the view we posed for countless pictures trying to get some great ones. Joey and I decided that instead of professional photos for the engagement we can count on the massive amounts of pictures one can take with their digital cameras.

We had a private-style room right near the beautiful fireplace for dinner. My mom brought matching flowers to our boutonnières for the table centerpiece. She dropped them off beforehand so that they were on the table. Very Diane-esque. The waiter was incredibly attentive and the evening went without a hitch.

It was really fun to just dine with everyone whom we will soon call family. The dinner, although at a fancy location requiring everyone to dress up--was actually quite relaxing and enjoyable.

The Engagement Mix

2008-03-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Joey and I made a mix tape together last night. Feel free to listen to it as you do the rest of your web-surfing.

How Much is Too Much?

2008-03-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I'm nervous about this blog--more than any other I have ever had (and I've had my share of blogs). I think my mom started it, but who's to say for sure? Plus, I don't really know the etiquette for weddings and stuff and I just don't know how much to tell.

But good news! Apparently the date and place isn't actually a secret! Who knew? I guess it is unlikely that anyone will come and crash my wedding, and, if they do, well, then maybe they will be the life of the party.

So, drum roll please!

Joey and I will be wed at a place called Calamigos (at the Equestrian Center) in Burbank, CA on Sunday, April 26th, 2009. So mark your calendars now and keep your eyes peeled for one of those "Save the Date" announcements.

Speaking of Save the Date announcements, I have been trying to think of something really fun and creative--but am drawing a blank. Someone showed me some Lego ones that were really, really cute--but a little pricey and a lot of work. So, moving forward I just need something cool and not too expensive and unique. I will start thinking about it while you go and mark your calendars.

WOOOHOOO!

2008-03-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

We've settled on a date and a place! I'm soooo excited! :)

Venue Shopping Part 2

2008-03-03T23:06:00.000-08:00

When looking at Wedding Venues people around town are always willing to help. There is something about a wedding that just seems to put excitement in everyone I know. Joey's aunt obtained a book from the other newest member of the Smith Family, Laura who married in last year. The book is called "Here Comes the Guide" and lists all sorts of places for weddings in Southern California. The book has over 860 pages, so I have a lot of reading to do!

My mom gave me my first Bride magazine. Flipping through that gave me a lot of ideas about not only the place but also the themes people have as well as cakes and invitations. There is a LOT that goes into planning a wedding it turns out.

I requested information from a couple of other places and have gotten lots of emails and calls already. I wonder if these people get some kind of commission for the brides they pull in because they are VERY excited to talk to me. I hope to make an appointment for Saturday to check out a place that is right in the heart of Burbank.

Until next time!

Shopping for Venues

2008-03-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

The excitement of my engagement isn't dwindling as time passes as I thought it might. If anything, it gets more and more exciting every day. I often find myself in dull meetings at work daydreaming about wedding details like flowers, colors, locations--pretty much everything.

Last weekend Joey and I embarked on our first trip around town to find a location for our wedding. Here we are posing together by one of the garden lakes. Note the baseball cleats. We didn't get too many pictures of ourselves because only the two of us went, but the grounds were gorgeous and the garden was pretty close to where we live. It was a pretty dismal day and it was still beautiful, so that is a good sign. I also liked how they had a little train you could ride through the gardens. There was a volunteer running the train and he had a cute little engineer cap, just like one I had when I was a little girl.

This weekend, we planned to continue our search, but instead, I went to visit with my sister and parents in Thousand Oaks. They had the opportunity to see me for the first time after my engagement and there was a lot of excitement bubbling. Christopher was especially happy to see me smiling and pointing every time I appeared--even without the encouragement from his parents. I think he even said my name at dinner! Now he needs to learn Joey's name too.

If you have diligently read to here, I guess I owe you a real picture of Joey and I. Here we are in the Japanese garden. You can't see much, but we are in a little house with a Japanese style roof that is surrounded by a stream, trees, and the cherry blossoms. There were a lot of different garden themes from rose to camellia to Japanese to the Oak forest and everything was beautiful.

The Ring

2008-02-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

Everyone I have talked to to share my news has been asking me questions about the ring. A couple of months ago, Joey asked me whether or not I would like to be involved in picking out a ring or have it be a surprise. I said surprise. The only other ring related comments that I made were for a round diamond and a silver-colored band--I don't really wear gold gold anything.

So, Joey took my comments to heart and got me the perfect ring. It is a simple solitary diamond on a simple band. It is perfect because as you know, I never wear much jewelry so a real gaudy ring would be too much to handle.

This ring is perfect, simple, beautiful symbolism. And, as I have said recently to many people, it isn't the ring that makes the engagement, it is the guy that comes with it. I couldn't have found a better guy.

The Proposal

2008-02-17T18:42:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night, Joey and I were hanging out. I was flipping through the newest William Sonoma catalog, which is the Easter edition. If you haven't seen it, there are a lot of Martha Stewart-esque parts about Easter egg decorating. Joey and I discussed in great detail how we both didn't particularly enjoy egg decorating anymore because it really gets a little tedious after the 5th egg or so. It is OK when you are with others that love doing it, but alone it could really get old. We also discussed how the eggs in the catalog were way too fancy and would take a steady hand.

Finally I put the magazine aside only to notice Joey sitting there quite straight holding my hand. This didn't really phase me though. Then Joey told me he had a present for me in the pouch of his sweatshirt. My initial thought was "Ooh! A cookie!" because I was just saying that I was hungry for a cookie.

I reached inside the pouch and felt a small box and pulled it out. I must have said something like, "What is this?!" and then as I was opening the box Joey asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes.

The Strategy

2008-02-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

Joey and I both aren't big fans of the commercialized holiday of love--Valentine's Day. It just seems like everyone feels that is the main day to give gifts and be romantic and in love. But what about the 364 other days of the year? This isn't to say that we didn't spend the evening together--but we didn't treat it like it was a holiday either.

A few days before Valentine's Day, though, Joey gave me a gift. His argument was "Why wait for one day a year to give a gift to the one you love?" I agree, I'm always up for a gift! ;) So anyway, this particular gift was perfect.

A couple of weeks ago, Joey and I were hosting my friend Kristen in LA. It was a rainy weekend, so we didn't do any of the awesome stuff that you would do in LA. Instead, we were walking around Pasadena doing a little shopping. While there, I saw a lamp that I absolutely loved but decided not to buy it.

After that, I guess Joey remembered the lamp (I don't remember talking about it again even once) and went back to Pasadena without me and without really mentioning it. He hid his gift from me and then gave it to me as a surprise!

This lamp is so perfect! It is orange milk glass to go with my orange room. It is so nice, probably one of the nicest things I have in my apartment. I needed a lamp because the one I got from IKEA previously was pretty annoying.

Joey really outdid himself this time!