another wedding update

   Much was accomplished yesterday! About two weeks ago, Garrett and I registered at Macy’s for the wedding and we meandered over to the men’s suit section because he’s had his eyes on one for quite a while. Much to our surprise, the suit was on a ridiculous sale: pants & jacket for only $200! He decided then and there that he was going to buy each of his groomsmen a suit, both as a gift and to wear in the wedding. We didn’t much like the idea of tuxes for everyone just because it’d look a little out-of-context considering we’ll be married outside in front of a barn!

   He applied for a Macy’s card to get the additional discount but was denied because the car dealership screwed up his credit this summer. Did you know that every three times a business does a credit inquiry, it drops your rating by like fifteen points?! Yeah. Now you know. So we had to come up with a different plan to buy the suits which took us a couple weeks. But we finally made the big purchase yesterday! And got an additional 25% off everything because it was some sort of special Friday deal! We watched the total start at $1,150 and end at $750! So awesome. That’s including five dress shirts and Garrett’s matching vest, too!

   Then we went to the bridal shop I work at and ordered some pretty sweet ties. The four groomsmen will be in a patterned “Tiffany blue” tie and Garrett’s is the same color but solid. It’s going to look so nice! Seeing them is exciting because I feel like things are starting to come together.

   We still have a lot to work on, such as: figure out the invitation situation, complete the guest list once and for all, find someone to make the cake, clarify who’s going to cater, what the parents are going to wear, flower stuff, decorations stuff, etc etc etc! So much. To do. And days are still just ticking by! 

This is what Garrett will be wearing! But the tie will be a darker blue. Mmm baby.

this weekend, I...v.3

Linking up with Sar & Syndal for another round of This Weekend, I...

   This weekend seemed to drag on due to the fact Garrett has worked the past five days. 13 ½ hour days, at that. So you’d think with all this extra time I would be proactive and actually get some stuff done, but no. I tried, but did not succeed.

   Lucky for me, one of my good high school friends happened to be in town this weekend! She brought her two adorable kids and it was the first time I had held a child younger than a year old in…oh…six years? Yeah. Now I have baby fever. Great. The two of us went out to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Ale Works, sans-kiddos and gorged ourselves on cheesy artichoke spinach dip and other delicious yet thigh-enlarging foodstuffs. Come oooon, metabolism!

Me with baby Owen

Family picture!

   This weekend, I wrote about Sundays and what they mean to me.

   This weekend, I had a nightmare that I went in for the final fitting of my wedding dress and it was ginormous! I woke up very alarmed. I guess it’s the time to start having horrible wedding dreams?

   This weekend, I tried Oula for the first time! Let’s just say I’m not the most coordinated human and am glad I was in the back row in the far corner. I couldn’t see myself and no one could see me directly! Winning. All the awkwardness aside, it was super fun and I highly recommend trying it! I also recommend bringing someone that is on the same awkward scale as you or won’t judge your off-beat flailing.

   This weekend, I finished off the 1.5 lb bag of banana chips my roommate brought back for me from California. That’s probably not ok. Literally as I was shoveling the last of the itty bitty morsels from the bottom of the bag into my gluttonous mouth, I noticed the words “refrigerate after opening” near the nutrition info. Let me ask you this: why would you put the storing directions near the nutritional info for a snack that no one wants to observe the nutritional (or lack of) info of? I mean, how often do you dutifully examine the composition of chocolate? I know I don’t. That’s the last thing I want to know as I’m pathetically chowing down out of desperation. You feel me? So basically I most definitely did not know to refrigerate that enormous bag of probably now-deathly goodies. If I never write again, just know it’s because my beloved banana chips got the best of me.  

Hope everyone has a great week!

sunny sunday mornings

There’s something so special about Sunday mornings.

The sunshine pouring through the windows, 

reflecting sparkly sections of the linoleum, 

illuminating my little apartment in every room.

First step is to turn on the outdated stereo

tuned to Sunday Brunch, 

those cool, clear voices, 

so moving, 

pumping emotion into me.

A pair of warm socks instantly don my exposed feet, 

my favorite sweatshirt pulled overhead, 

hair immediately up into the infamous Sunday ponytail – unwashed and scraggly, 

but it doesn’t matter today.

Coffee is brewed, poured, stirred, enjoyed. 

One side of my heart feels a slight sting of sadness, 

reminiscing. 

Sunny Sunday mornings spent at home, 

the same genre of music softly echoing through the cozy house my family claimed. 

Those days spent in worn out pajamas, 

coated in a layer of dog hair from playing on the floor with the fifth family member.

Breakfast made to order. 

Sunlight spilling in from every direction, 

no houses to block the steady stream. 

Just trees upon trees, 

acres upon acres.

It’s enough to sting my eyes. My heart aches for those days.

The other half of my heart feels excitement and yearning. 

Sunny Sunday mornings spent in the new home I’m soon to create with my own man. 

This same music will echo through our halls, 

we’ll roll on the floor with our dog, 

we’ll make ourselves breakfast, too.

All the while, 

the sun sending its powerful rays through windows of a different home, 

but warming the same heart.

this weekend, I... v2

   I’m a little late on the “this weekend I” train but I have time to write this morning so what the hey!

This weekend, I…

   Got to spend some much needed time with the friends I left behind over Christmas break. It’s funny how oddly we’ve all come together. Garrett and I were dating. Garrett started a job as a cook and met Ashley. I worked with Ashley’s aunt. Ashley was dating Joey. Joey moved into Garrett’s house. And that’s only one of the couples we hang out with! It was also strange to me how much I missed hanging out with my usual “crew” while I was home for break. Usually I find myself looking forward to going home so I can see all my high school gal-pals, but now the winds have started to change. Don’t get me wrong, I still love seeing those familiar faces! There’s something so special about reconnecting with friends you used to tell all your secrets to.

Yes, that is an Oregon Ducks snuggie...

   Modeled in a fashion show! As I’ve mentioned before, I’m the bookkeeper at After 5 and Weddings here in town. My boss recently discovered that I fit into a lot of the showcase dresses so she’s been asking me to do a couple shows lately. I did one last weekend, too! It’s a lot of fun and I surprisingly don’t get as nervous as I thought I would. Plus, wedding dresses are so flattering! Luckily I haven’t been assigned a dress that I like more than my own – whew! I wrangled Garrett and Joey into the gig, too, and they did a great job. And I’d never pass up an opportunity to see my man in a tux!

   Saw Django Unchained. As gory as Mr. Tarantino makes his movies, I’m never disappointed! Pulp Fiction remains my favorite, however. Django was a bit too grisly for my liking, but the characters were awesome.

   Did a TON of wedding-related stuff. Mainly worked on the guest list (we’re at 380, folks. HELP.), looked at groomsmen wear, talked about timing details, etc. I’m hoping I can knock out a bunch of the important stuff before my internship starts in two weeks. I’m really taking advantage of the slow transition into crazy busy-ness!

the ol' grind

   Somehow I miraculously landed back in the Real World later last week…and I’m not the most gleeful of campers about it. Where did my break go? Why am I wearing pants instead of sweats? Where be all my sugary treats? I just don’t know how I’ll ever go on.

   Thursday I drove back to the land of homework and embarrassing meal planning to begin yet another semester of school. Will it ever end?! Friday I had to get my sorry rump out of bed at the ungodly hour of 6:00am to take the GRE for graduate school admission. Four hours later, my brain melted out of my head. Then it was to the bridal shop to catch up on the 3+ weeks worth of work I left behind! Good planning, self.

   Saturday was reserved for wedding registry things and whatnot! Garrett barely made it through the first store before gouging his eyes out with the little stylus that accompanies the scanny-thingy. Poor guy. At least I let him register for some weird bowls he liked. Win win. We later went on our very first double-date cross country skiing expedition! Up was fine, down was not. My poor, poor body. Knowing how to stop would have greatly benefited my sore bum.

   Sunday consisted of a great church service followed by me high-tailing it to a wedding-related event my bridal-shop boss needed me to model for. I literally stood in wedding gowns for four hours whilst wearing high heels for the first time in, oh, months upon months, and not being able to eat anything for fear of dribbling it down the front of me. Plus the dresses were slightly too large and my triceps were aching entirely too much due to the constant squeezing to keep myself clothed. Volunteering for the win!

   Monday brought me a present: my very first day as an intern! It was only training but I have to admit, I was pretty excited to get dressed up all business-lady-like and walk into a fancy shmancy office. After about two hours of sitting at a conference table listening to rules and whatnot, I kind of lost that spark. But hopefully it’ll return once the training is over!

   Today consisted of more training (over 8 hours worth!) and tomorrow brings school :( Luckily I only have one class so I just might be able to pull through.

   I found out my actual intern hours don’t start up for-realsies until early February which definitely took me off guard. It’s been so long since I haven’t had to work somewhere for a mandatory time each week! I still have the bridal shop so at least I’ll be making a little bit of money. Maybe now I can actually do some wedding things!

   Speaking of wedding things, I ordered up some Save the Dates! I’ll definitely post a picture when I get ‘em.

Have a great week!