it's all begins in Ireland

I bet You didn't know Halloween originated in Ireland, did You? If You did, Bravo You! If not, I consider it my duty as an Irish bride to impart knowledge upon You, so settle in and read the story, and consider Yourself edumacated for the day:

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death [The Fiancé couldn't agree more!]. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins [this makes my Miss Muffett costume seem even more inappropriate...hmmm], and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

text source: history.com

photo source: Boo-keh

let's talk about love, baby...

Very, um, informative post and resulting commentary over here.

As usual, the New York Times is a great conversation starter. I just wish I'd posted about it first so I could be the blogger with 72 comments and counting. *sigh* Jealous.

hump day

Ever had one of those weeks that you would pay a million dollars just for it to be over? Yeah, um, me neither. Alas, it's only Wednesday morning... we're still inching our way over the hump.

I pray we'll be sliding toward Friday soon...

photo source: Cordan

bullocks!

Sorry, ladies [as in my bridesmaids]. We were a scant too early in our choices for Your dresses, and now You won't be able to wear these little art pieces from Jenny Yoo's 2009 collection...

Mmmm, so pretty. I kind of want to buy one just to have it in my closet, just in case someone wants to invite me to be their bridesmaid.

That last one is breathtaking. If you're into that [spectacularly beautiful] sorta thing.

things that glitter

I am totally at a loss when it comes to jewels for The Big Day. Without giving too much away, let's just say my dress requires a little bling bling in the sparkly accessory department, so I have been on a quest to find the perfect jewels to compliment it without transforming me into a tranny princess with too many CZs on. In fact, CZs are a definite no no in my book. Which leaves Swarovski crystal or other gems. My mother bought a beautiful Swarovski necklace and earrings for my birthday, to wear on The Big Day. I can't decide, however, if they're The Ones. So the search continues...

Atlanta Bride turned me on to a little site with some unique options... If this were a bit more green and a bit less blue, I might try it... Thoughts?
...and the matching earrings:
What I kind of like about this is (1) the vintage feel; (2) the fact that arguably I could wear them after the wedding too, like, in real life. Then again, do I want to rewear anything from The Big Day?!

fleurs

What better way to brighten a dreary day (and my-oh-my is it dreary in Chicago on this particular Friday morning) than to look at bright, brilliant flowers!Right now (this is subject to change... there's six months of thinking still to do, after all...), I envision my bridesmaids carrying beautiful green orchids, with maybe some pink splashed in... I can't decide if I prefer they carry all green or green + pink arrangements... For me, I know what I [read, me, moi, the bride, no one else] want to carry: hot pink roses. Yep. Done. (Unless I change my mind; see above regarding rules and disclaimers, i.e., bride may change mind).

Don't these bouquets just *scream* Spring?! I love it. Now if I could just bypass Winter in Chicago to get there...

live and learn

Making grilled octopus salad
Originally uploaded by gserafini

...I had grilled octopus (and shrimp) salad for lunch today.

Lesson learned: I do not like octopus. I'm not sure why I thought I did.

serenity now

In stark contrast to yesterday's post [I never said I wasn't a whole host of contradictions], today I stumbled across a delightful little blog examining the ways in which we can simplify our life and our style.

I adore the author's perspective (and her photos), especially her most recent post, wherein she highlights the upside [yes, there is one!] to the current home crisis:

"Hard times make houses into homes. I’m hoping we’ll see less of city banker style: perfectly good houses extended and interior designed to death and then sold on to make big fat profits. Bring on the recession. Houses are reverting from assets to homes: they have skips outside because owners are staying put instead of making a fast buck and moving on."

I can't wait to create a home with The Fiancé, rather than just simply buy a house, though I confess that in the beginning of the process, the line between the two is frighteningly thin and hard to draw...

nerd

So, I'll be the first to admit I am no computer geek. I leave that crown to The Fiancé to wear in this little family.

But.

As my love of photography has grown, so too has my annoyance with my PC. Ok, not annoyance. Out. Right. Animosity. It tortures me on a daily basis with it's creepingly slow processing. I try not to smash my fist through the screen every time Adobe Lightroom locks up (which is roughly ONE TIME PER PICTURE that I'm processing). *Sigh* I hate it. I do.

But it's a perfectly good computer. For some things. Like gathering dust. I feel ashamed and guilty to be coveting a new computer as the economy spirals downward and I'm looking face-first into a year of mounting expenses.

However, covet the new Apple MacBook Pro I do. Gawd, I can just picture the speed and grace with which it would surf the Net... develop my pictures... make me happy. I. Want. One. So. Bad. It. Hurts.

it's official(!)

The date is now printed in ink, stamped and distributed to friends and family... which is the modern day equivalent to etched in stone.

Upon this realization, I exclaimed to The Fiancé last night: "It's official! We're getting married!"

To which he responded, deadpan, "Wasn't it official when I put that ring on your hand?!"

...Anyway.

Without further ado, here they are!

The front:

Detail of the stamp:

[I was indifferent to the stamp initially (the USPS standard 62 cent stamp with the dragonfly was fine by me...), but now that I see it, I *love* it - A stamp with our wedding date on it! It's the little details I totally dig.]

Speaking of details, here's a close-up of the crest:

Ahhh, the crest. This is The Fiancé's family crest, and we decided to make it a central part of our wedding motif - a symbol of the two of us as a family, so to speak.

And, it just looks cool.

The color Green in this coat of arms symbolizes Hope, Joy and Loyalty in Love. [Basically, everything one would want in a marriage.]

There are two lions on the crest, and between them, a bloody hand [yep, there is a bleeding hand on our save the date] The reason? According to one legend, once upon a time, the King had a very beautiful daughter of marriageable age who had many eligible suitors [don't we all?]. The King wanted the strongest and boldest for his daughter so he established a contest. It was to be a race in full armor with weapons culminating in a swim across the moat to the castle. The one who touched the castle wall first, would win the daughter's hand in marriage and inherit the King's lands and riches. One of the eligible suitors was O'Reilly. He was a very fast runner, but could not swim. When he reached the edge of the moat, only shortly in the lead, he realized that he couldn't cross the moat in time to touch the castle wall. He desperately wanted to win the daughter's hand in marriage, so he took his sword and cut off his hand and threw it across the moat and touched the castle wall. The King declared him the winner and heir to the kingdom.

Long story short, The Fiancé is particularly happy he managed to get a bloody hand onto our save the dates. Seriously. He said so. I just hope he doesn't toss his hand up the aisle on our wedding day.

Last but not least, the back:

Thanks to the lovely and talented Kate Berglund of KB design llc for designing these little declarations! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next...

the godchild meets the world

Ten fingers. Check.

Ten toes. Check.

One little nose. Check.

First appearance on the internet at just three weeks old. Check!

stupid spam

Here I was, diligently minding my own business, doing my work, when *bam*. JCrew spam mail. Announcing the latest "new arrivals". And I am a strong woman. But not that strong. When new clothing beckons.

So I thought I'd take just a 5 minute breather to check out what this email was all about.

And, I must stay, They certainly do have some adorable little ensembles coming out. We've come a long way, baby, from the over-sized wool sweaters that I used to love having delivered to Theta in college. (You know You did too).

Here's a few of my new favs [read: must buy when go on sale]:

Issy sweater-jacket = yum! Makes me want to curl up in it right now...:

Victoria ruffle shirt + Pembridge-dot pencil skirt. I'm actually already picturing myself wearing this. Yep. *Happy thought*:

Golden roses dress... I'm not sure why, but I love this one. I think there's a good chance it would actually look horrendous on me. But in the pic it's so super chic and elegant...:

And of course, don't forget the shoes! How cute (if something over $300 can be "cute"...) aren't these?!? The feather!!! Finally, I'd do a little Happy Dance if anyone wanted to leave this in my stocking this year:
... Okay... back to work now. Must afford online shopping diversions somehow. We all know my investments won't be doing it this year.

singing in the rain

In my semi-usual scanning of the wedding blogs today, many of which are based in Chicago (because I live here and thus feel a particular connection to Chicago bloggers), I noticed a prevalence of weather-based entries. Apparently there was a chance of rain this past Saturday (I wouldn't know; I was in Boston meeting The Godchild(!)), and it had all the Chicago brides up in a tizzy. I scanned turtlepond.com (yes, my beloved photographer) and noted a recent entry about a wedding in the rain and the bride's worried anticipation of it.

It made me wonder: will I obsess about the weather the week, the day, of my wedding? As an observer [which I still consider myself to be] of this wedding process, it appears that the closer the date approaches, the more brides become devotees of weather.com. The question that springs to my mind, is, why?

I mean, I won't lie: I'm just as much a weather-checker as the next guy on your average Friday afternoon with the start of a weekend [hopefully spent outdoors] rapidly approaching. Or when I have a flight to catch. But. Does it really matter what the weather is going to be on Your wedding day? The day should be anticipated most for the event, not the atmosphere. I can't imagine waking up on April 18, 2009, seeing gray skies, and caring one iota about it when I know that several hours later, I will marry my best friend. Come hell or high water, as They say.

Isn't that what it's all about? Now, granted, our wedding will be indoors, and other than photo ops and getting from here to there, the weather isn't really of major import. It would be nice to have pictures outside. It would be nice not to freeze when running from hotel to church, to not have to dodge raindrops. It would be nice. But not necessary. We are, after all, getting married in April. In the Midwest. And we are well aware of this (we chose the date, remember). Home of "April showers bring May flowers..." I know the rhyme. Several have reminded me of this brilliant pronouncement when I've told them our wedding date. It makes me wonder why people take pleasure in imparting such fantastic knowledge of which they clearly think I am unaware.

I'm not going to write about the weather the week of our wedding. If it rains on our wedding day, You don't have to tell me, "I'm so sorry!" I won't be disappointed. *Pinky swear*

But. You knew there was a but.

Just for good measure, I checked the weekly averages for rainfall in Indianapolis in April. Turns out chances of rain are better in May, June, July AND August. So there.


photo source: Laura Novak's blog of Matt and Carol's wedding

b-town

This weekend [I swear, every weekend lately it's one thing or another!] we're off to Boston to finally meet The Godchild. It feels as though he's been on this earth for nothing shy of a century and we are only now able to hold him and see him and touch him... The anticipation is nothing short of agony.

Tune in next week, for *hopefully* some beautiful shots of the most-missed-nephew on the planet. I've been studying my photography for just. this. moment. I cannot wait to try to imitate one of my favorite photographers [who incidentally will be shooting our wedding...] and capture shots like the ones she recently took of sweet baby Mia:

You know what They say: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

dress envy

I love my dress. I do.

And no, this entry does not (I repeat: not) include a picture of it. It does, however, include [above] a picture of another dress by my [ahhh...sounds like I own her] dress designer, Vwidon. Vwidon is a delightful little boutique in Chicago recommended by my friend (and future Vwidon-dress-wearer) Kate. When I put on my dress, it was the most comfortable darn thing I'd had on all day (in a long day of trying on torture chambers known as wedding gowns), and I simply did not want to take it off. So I can't wait to put it back on in six months and dance around in it for 12 or so hours. Till then, however, it's just a bolt of fabric somewhere in Vwidon's studio, waiting to be made (to my hopefully shrinking measurements).

In the meantime, I torture myself with pictures of other wedding dresses. Usually I can easily discard them, and note why it is I don't like them. Why my dress is superior. Usually.

Till today.

When I suffered my first bout of "dress envy."

It came upon suddently. On {ritzy bee blog}. And this was the dress:

And this was the beautiful bride it adorned:

And now I wish I could show You a picture of my dress so that You could validate my decision that my dress is superior [for me]. But since I can't [there must be some element of surprise!], I'm left to my own tortured, conflicted thoughts... and suddenly sad [for the first time ever in this wedding planning process] that one of the items on the Wedding To Do List is crossed off... [You see, usually I check things off with glee!] Because what if. What if...

Note to self: Stop looking at dresses. Stop. Looking. At. The. Ritzy Bee Dress.

Repeat to self: I love my dress. I do.

deeesiiiiiiiiiiiire

My throat is closing...

*can't breathe*

...because this ring (courtesy of Vera Wang) is so bloody beautiful... It's no wonder it's making the rounds on the bride-blog circuit (Snippet & Ink....Coco + Kelley...) it's absolutely delicious.

And man would it look great in my Irish green wedding... On my right hand....Ah, diamonds and emeralds... the stuff [my] dreams are made of.

fall

Red leaves/ 香山红叶
Originally uploaded by Luo Shaoyang

...The Fiancé calls Fall "the season of death." Yes. Well. It's not for everyone, I guess.

I, on the other hand, *used to* like Fall.

A couple of things have changed my love of Fall: (1) I moved to Chicago, where Fall is just a precursor to Winter. Which is painfully cold, windy and decidedly unfun. (2) I suffer (seriously) from a decreased love of shopping. The latter, I believe, is directly related to the fact that it's now my own money that must be used to purchase new 'school clothes', as opposed to, oh, say, Mom & Dad's. Given that my affection for the season was largely related to the new clothes purchased in anticipation of falling temps, and the fact that I have zero new clothes this year (ok, well, two shirts and one sweater. Oh, and a pair of shoes... but they don't count...), equals Fall stinks.

Now it's just cold. And I have to wear the same stuff from last year. And, like The Fiancé says, everything is dying. I was reminded of this on our drive down to Indy this weekend, which, granted, was beautiful, but also an unavoidable annoucement that soon the trees would be bare. And frankly, it just made me feel cold. And unstylish.

*long pause followed by deep sigh*

Maybe I will suffer through and go do a little shopping after all. I mean, the economy needs my helpful stimulus, right? I'm doing it for the country.

40 years

This weekend The Fiancé and I are heading to my hometown to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. I've always felt ridiculously lucky and blessed to have parents who have not only stayed together, but who also seem to really like each other, even after 40 years (or 47, as my mother would correct me, as how can I forget the years of dating through high school and college?!).

Mums (gold) were their flower. By all accounts, the weather that day was gorgeous. My uncle walked my mother down the aisle, because her father had passed away earlier that same year. Their reception was at the American Legion Hall. It was held in the afternoon, with a buffet, no dance. They had a fancy white wedding cake decorated with green and gold, and a chocolate groom's cake. The bridesmaids wore green. Afterwards, my grandmother re-opened my grandfather's bar for evening revelers. According to my mother, they refrained from telling anyone where they were living after the wedding, lest the bed in their new apartment be short-sheeted. They hid their car a town away to avoid it being decorated with beer cans and crepe paper. My father sported black-rimmed glasses and slicked back hair. My mother, a bouffant. He was 23. She, 21.

I love the fact that I will marry my husband 40 years and 6 months after my own parents were wed. I don't know what our flower will be yet, but in April, it won't be mums. The reception will be in a grand, old, gold ballroom in one of the oldest hotels in Indiana. I can't wait for everyone to dance. Even before I heard the details of my parents' wedding [my mothers always been stogy with the pictures], I'd chosen the color green. I want a white cake. And a chocolate (Guinness shaped...?) grooms cake. We're staying in a different, undisclosed, location the night of our wedding to avoid party crashers [who knew we'd be copying my parents in this decision as well!]. My father will probably wear contacts when he walks me down the aisle. And The Fiancé and I will be a ripe *young* age of 31 and 30, respectively.

There is a symbolism and awesomeness that warms my Irish superstitions in being married 40 years after my parents. I wonder when our own children will marry, and where we'll be 40 years from now? As tumultuous as the times we're in right now may seem, how will this year be viewed through the lens of hindsight? Consider the lens through which we can now view the year my parents were married:

On January 14, the Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl II. [Go Pack!]

The Vietnam War was in full force. In fact, on February 13, civil rights disturbances occurred at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, miles from where my parents lived.

On March 16, U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) entered the race for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. Three months later, on June 5, he was shot. He died from his injuries the next day.

On April 4, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot dead. Riots erupted in major American cities for several days afterward.

On April 11, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968. [Look how far we've come!]

Amazingly, on July 17, Saddam Hussein became Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Council in Iraq, after a coup d'état. [His star would rise and reign until December 13, 2003, when he is finally captured by U.S. forces.

On July 25 [my birthday, incidentally], Pope Paul VI published the encyclical entitled Humanae Vitae, condemning birth control. Many American Catholics defy it [then and now...].

On September 7, 150 women protested against the Miss America Pageant, as exploitative of women. It is one of the first large demonstrations of Second Wave Feminism. [Today, we have a former pageant queen running for Vice President.]

On October 12 (the very day my parents were married!), the Games of the XIX Olympiad begin in Mexico City, Mexico. [Forty years later, we celebrated the Olympics in China.]

On November 5, Republican challenger Richard M. Nixon defeats Vice President Hubert Humphrey and American Independent Party candidate George C. Wallace in the U.S. presidential election. [In less than one month, we again have an opportunity to elect our next President.]

In retrospect, it's amazing to me so many things happened in one year. I simply think of 1968 as the year my parents married each other and began what today is my family. So, this weekend we celebrate. Not just a wedding. But 40 years of life together. And for all the fun I poke at the wedding process, I wouldn't have it any other way. Because there are certain events from 1968 that I will gladly emulate. A marriage that spans over 40 years is one of them.

project wedding!

Last night on Bravo was a bride's dream...Not only was it the first of two finalé episodes of Project Runway [best. show. ever], but the competitors were charged with designing a wedding gown AND a bridesmaid dress [*squeal of joy*].

[An aside: If you haven't watched Project Runway, this season especially, I'm not sure we can be friends. But, anyway, we'll move on...]

To date, Korto has been my favorite this season... thus, I was insanely disappointed that she came up with these sad little brown numbers for her dresses... ew. I was expecting something much more from my reality-tv-crush. Thank the Lord she survived to show her collection next week, but looking at these dresses, I'm not entirely sure she should have...

Next was Leanne, who frankly annoys the crap out of me, but this episode, I must confess her dresses were spectacular. I mean, I would actually wear them. Both. A couple times. *Love* Sadly, I couldn't find a nice pic of her bridesmaid dress online, but take my word that it was darling (though a bit of a crap color, but we'll let that one slide). The wedding gown was re-donk-u-lous:

Then. There was Kenley. I can authoritatively say if I knew her in real life, we would not be friends. This child is just too mean for words sometimes. And lacking of any graciousness [she said, "I know," when Tim complimented her apartment. The normal person would say "Thank you."]. But, whatever. Her designs last night rocked my little wedding world. I would never wear them [see, Leanne, above, for what I would wear...], but there was no arguing with the fact that her stuff was stunning. Stunning. Who cares if she ripped off Alexander McQueen. In my opinion, her stuff was better. And look at that darling bridesmaid dress. *sigh*

Last (and least), there was Jerell. Oh, Jerell. He wants to channel Austin Scarlett, I think. Sadly, he does not. Flowers on the head?! Really??? His dresses could be amazing... but in the end I think they just look sloppy. Would You ever make your bridesmaid wear that wrinkly little mess of green?!
Which, in the end, is why Jerell checked out last night. Anyway, given this wedding diversion, I can hardly wait for next week's finalé part deux... How can you top a feather wedding gown, after all?!

not like grama's

Last night, I discovered a jar of applesauce The Fiancé had in the refrigerator. I decided to sample it as a new dessert option, in my effort to be healthy (read: effort not to eat ice cream). Gleeful in my discovery of something that was both wholesome and sweet in my own kitchen, imagine my disappointment upon the discovery that Motts is absolutely nothing - I mean nothing - like what Grama used to make.

This led to my declaration to The Fiancé that we need to add items to our registry that will enable me to make homemade applesauce. I don't know what those items might be, but I seem to recall some sort of grinder-contraption being needed to mash the apples (upon my explanation of this, The Fiancé looked at me like I was coo-coo; I could almost see his mind reeling at the vision of me, in a kitchen, with fancy grinding tools, trying to make something edible). I ignored his incredulous stares and continued with my illustration of why Motts is deficient and why I need to learn to make yummy, not watery, delicious homemade applesauce.

To which he responded (after decrying the irony of a woman who at lunch was learning about how to improve and reform the civil justice system in Chicago now wanting to learn how to mash fruit), "You know there are store-bought options out there other than Motts, that are made to taste more like homemade, right?"

Me: "What...?!"

Why didn't he just say so? Screw the grinder. What, did he think I wanted to be domesticated or something? As if.

i wish We wore hats

...because what is more darling than these beautiful pics from my increasingly-beloved-photography-site, Lillian and Leonard, of wedding attendees in hats?! These are from across the Pond, so they look natural. Put our American guests in hats, and suddenly it looks ridiculous. So sad. Because I LOVE hats [I will endeavor to dig up a little ditty from my childhood wherein I attempted to wear mutliple hats...at once... and not much else...]

For instance, there's Happy Hat:

Hats in church!

Little happy curly-que-almost-a-hat

and last but not least, Big hat + little person

*sigh* I wish hats were as prized over Here as they are in Lillian and Leonard's world... I for, one, would be all for it!

as good as a piece of string around my finger...

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed by this planning process [to those who know me outside this blog, this is a shocking revelation, I know...]. My type A personality is struggling to relinquish control of any detail whatsoever, yet it's the details that are driving me mad (what color green for the paper... crest or no crest... black ribbon or green... necklace or brooch...ahahaha it goes on and on... into my dreams, I swear...!) I chanced upon this little pendant on Etsy, and am thinking I would do well by sewing it onto my bouquet. Because, frankly, if I'm this stressed with six months to go, I can only imagine what will befall me on April 18, 2009. A not-so-subtle reminder to myself might be well taken...

hooray for the nineteenth amendment

Just a reminder that there was a time, not so long ago, where some of Us didn't enjoy the right to vote. Lucky for Us, times have changed. All that is moot, however, if you neglect to register. [In that case, you might as well live in Brunei.]

Please note: in some states, the deadline for registering to vote is soon. As in, the next couple of days. If you don't register, you can't vote.

There are plenty of ways to register online, and look! You're already online!

Learn about your state HERE.

Register HERE or HERE.

the things we do for friends

This weekend I'm off to visit two of my dearest friends from law school. And in between reminiscing, enjoying wine, going to a dog blessing [don't ask, because I couldn't explain it if I wanted to], vetting one's new boyfriend [we'll be nice, I promise...], we shall also be going bridesmaid dress shopping. Oh, You lucky lucky girls! I can hardly wait! Cross Your fingers we find some lovely options, lest we have to dig out numbers like those above...

At least I'll look pretty.

uhuru! this could be us!

Uhuru!
Originally uploaded by acastellano

...it started as a joke. I don't remember the details, but it had something to do with me talking about hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro, followed by The Fiancé disbelieving me [...not surprising, given my aversion to camping...], followed closely by my public castration of him over Facebook for "Not believing in my DREAM(!) to hike to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro!"

Anyway, following a recent begging-pleading-crying-for-mercy attempt on my part to ditch this whole wedding fiasco and elope instead [...it happens regularly, don't You all have the same desire now and then...?], The Fiancé declared that not only could we NOT elope [...something about the whole declaring-our-love-in-front-of-everyone is really important to some people, apparently (read: The Fiancé)...], but in fact, he wouldn't even contemplate the idea UNLESS said elopment were to occur in someplace terribly exotic [to us], say, like Mt. Kilimanjaro...

...which led me to thinking [a dangerous endeavor, I tell You]: COULD we get married on Mt. Kilimanjaro?!?

I am hating planning my wedding right now. I just want to fast forward, be married, and skip all this nonsense. A lot of this stems from my general impatience (it's a character flaw). I just don't understand why everything - takes - so - long. Time seems to be at once crawling (will April 2009 EVER get here?), and yet I don't have any time with which to be carefree and fancy free (where have all my weekends gone this fall?!). The road to The Wedding just seems to stretch interminably long right now.

At times [yesterday] when I realize that I just don't care what the Save the Dates look like [well, I do, but not really... No, I don't... Yes, okay, I do... Whatever...], I need to remind myself that being engaged and the planning of The Wedding should be as enjoyable as the day itself...

After all, “Too often we are so preoccupied with the destination, we forget the journey.” (source: unknown)

...Then again, instead of Save the Dates, we could always just send out After-the-Fact Announcements like this picture, that simply say, "We're Hitched!"

Mmmm.... tempting.

somewhere over the rainbow

According to Project Wedding, "the colors you choose for your big day reflect your personality and style." Here's what my colors say about me:

Black: A conservative choice, black complements almost any color, especially lighter hues. Dignified and mysterious, black denotes sexiness and sophistication with a modern twist. Black is classic, never trendy, alluding to a modern bride. As an opulent choice, black is timelessly elegant. [Commentary: after reading this, I thought about maybe scraping all my other colors and making everything black. I mean, seriously, I hope to be all these things!]

White: Symbolic of purity and innocence, white has strong connotations of youth and perfection. White aficionados seek excellence and enlightenment, as simplicity and recognition are constant ventures. White is a glorious hue (or lack thereof) that denotes a clean palette or fresh start for those who seek serenity and peace. [Commentary: hmmmm... this basically bears zero resemblance to me whatsoever...note to self: minimize "white" elements of weddding...]

Pink: A softer, girlish choice, pink is the sweeter side of red. A delicate hue, pink represents a sensitive heart that is affectionate and nurturing. The bride surrounded with pink has a maternal grace and compassion and a desire for protection or shelter. The rosy hue fan may also have a strong personality, but one that is willing to share. [Commentary: insomuch as pink will be a very small part of my overall motif (think: a few choice pink flowers through-out, but not like pepto-bismolly or anything, egads!), I think it will be a nice compliment to the stark black and green - just like these attributes are not the defining aspects of who I consider myself to be, but certainly they are important and present...I think. I hope. I'm nurturing and stuff, aren't I, Honey????]

Green: Green shades symbolize life, freshness, nature and fertility. A common choice for eco-friendly brides, green shows that you value your health and the environment. A harmonized and balanced color, green is a mixture of warm yellow and cool blue, just like its admirers. A calming and tranquil hue, brides who select green are affectionate, frank and responsible. You seek stability and balance, yet remain fiercely principled and refined. [Commentary: and Irish. What about Irish? Stupid website forgot IRISH!]

score!

Dear Fiancé,

You may think I don't listen to you, but, turns out, I do [usually.]

[ok, sometimes.]

I know you were scandalized by the thought of a $700+ pair of shoes in our home. And, truth be told, so was I (this is just one of the reasons I'm marrying you...we really are on the same page, see... except when you ask me to go camping). So, even before I saw the look of mortification on your face last night when I told you I'd bid on the Christian Louboutins, I had already discovered...[no peeking if Your name is The Fiancé!]... these ...at a mere fraction of the cost (literally)... and half-off. Half-off!! That just screams "buy me!" So clearly, I'd already ordered them (I mean, I didn't really think I'd luck into Louboutins for $300, and if I did, well, we'd find room for them. Somewhere. On my head if need be].

Anyway, the magical little much-less-expensive green shoes arrived today.

...AND I LOVE THEM! We have a winner! I do believe the green-wedding-shoe-quest has ceased! I actually can't adequately express on a blog how comfortable they are. And how they actually look far better in person than they did on the webpage. [And even if I hate them when I put them on with my dress - who cares! because they are returnable for 365 days at endless shoes - Gawd, I love online shoe shopping...]

This is not to say I won't be tempted to purchase a pair of designer adornments for the rehearsal dinner, but for now, I'm feeling pretty darn smug with the comfort and right-ness of these for the wedding day.

french kiss

Yum... Hostess with the Mostess is a site after my own heart. Check out this delicious little cocktail recipe... looks so easy I think even an attorney [read: me] could make it:

Ingredients:
1 part vodka
1 part Chambord
1 part dark cream de cacao
1 1/2 parts half and half

Directions:
Shake ingredients with ice and strain. and proceed to devour.