Moments of a Blonde

mr. and mrs.

2009-12-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

After our first look took place, our wedding party headed up with Jen Wade, our super awesome photography assistant to Wright Park where we planned to take wedding party and family pics. Jason and I stayed with Jenny GG to take some bride & groom photos with our cool ride for the day...the '56 Cadillac!

This beautiful car belongs to a very good friend of my family...who just so happens to be my sister's and my real estate agent.

This is one of my favorite pictures! I LOVE that it looks so old fashioned...and you get a little peek at my pink shoes!

After taking a bunch of pics, we hopped in the car and rode up to the park.

You can see that I was a little worried about my hair here...

...but then my inner beauty queen took over...

Up next: The Wedding Party

peek a boo

2009-09-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

After spending the morning getting all pretty, we had our "first look". We decided to forgo the traditional first look down the aisle so that we would have plenty of time for pictures and wouldn't have to miss our cocktail hour after the ceremony.

Jason waiting patiently for me...

We did our first look in front of the marquis with our names on it. A family friend let us pose with his awesome 56 Cadillac and even took us on a drive later (more on that to come)!

The wedding party watching from across the street...

Here I come!

Aww...you look so handsome!!!

Do you like my shoes? :)

You look good in a tux!

We're getting married!!!

Up next: Bride & Groom Portraits

pretty as a princess

2009-09-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

We started the morning off at my mom's house to get ready. We turned the dining room into a salon...

Putting my veil in...it was quite uncomfortable at first.

Even my grandma got in on the action...

Al of the bridesmaids & my mom helping me into my dress. I LOVED my dress so much. I wish I could just wear it around the house.

My sister (MOH) helping me get all laced up.

Ready to meet my groom!

Up next: The First Look!

officially a mrs.!

2009-08-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

Yep...it's official...we're married!

I know I wasn't good about updating the old blog about all of our details during the whole planning process, but I gotta tell ya...planning a wedding TAKES OVER YOUR LIFE!

To make up for my lack of pre-wedding posts, I am going to fill you in all of the details

now...and I even have pictures to share!

Here's a sneak peak!

We absolutely LOVE our photographer Jenny GG! She did SUCH an amazing job! I've been spending most evenings just oohing and aahing over pics.

Stay tuned for more details...up next Getting Ready!

are you coming to our wedding? please send us your RSVP!!!

2009-06-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

The invitations went out before Labor Day. A total of 86 in all. (I know, I know...I need to post some pics...I promise I will soon!)

We have only gotten 33 RSVP’s back.

What is the deal? I know they aren’t due until the first of July (and I did send them out a little early), but why procrastinate?

When I get an invitation I send back the RSVP immediately. I don’t want to keep the inviter waiting. So why, my dear friends & family, are keeping me sitting on the edge of my chair? I want to know if you are coming so I can highlight your name in pink on my list and get an idea of just how close to capacity we are going to be.

Please don’t keep me waiting…pretty please!

and so we begin the 7 week countdown!

2009-06-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

We only have 7 weeks left until the big day.

Seriously?

With all of our vendors booked (and awaiting their final payments) we’re working on the final details…which seem to be the most tedious and time consuming.

Programs – my mom keeps asking why we even need them… I can’t imagine not having them. I’ve come up with a simple design that shouldn’t be too hard to assemble…the real problem is what to put on them. Any suggestions?

Favor Tags – They’re designed, I just need to buy paper for them, print them and punch them out…they are going to be little round tags that just say Jason & Jenni Better Together and the date. Sounds easy enough, right? Well my printer is out of ink and I keep forgetting to go to the office store…

Card Box – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to Ross or Marshall’s and found really cute black, white & pink damask boxes that would be PERFECT for a card box at the wedding. Have I bought any of those boxes? Of course not! I always thought I’d find something better… Now I’m sure I won’t be able to find what I want.

Bridesmaid Accessories – I’ve nixed my original necklace idea. When my sister’s got their dresses and tried on the strand of black beads as a necklace it didn’t look as good as it did in my head… Back to square one.

Besides the outstanding projects that I keep thinking about, I have to say that things have gone pretty smoothly and I’m really excited for August! Our wedding coordinator, Bobbi Roth, keeps assuring me that all will be great and every time I meet with her and go over stuff I feel relieved.

So while I feel like I’m stressed to the max and can’t sleep at night…when I step back and look at all I’ve accomplished and what’s left, I realized that I really do have a firm handle on everything.

Ok…enough talking about what I need to do…now I’ve got to DO IT!

making it official

2009-06-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know, Jason and I have been together for a LONG time! We will actually celebrate our 8 year anniversary 2 months after our wedding! We already “pretty much” live together (my condo sits empty most of the time), and we’ve made big purchases together, pay bills together, split groceries, etc.

The one thing we hadn’t done was open a joint bank account.

Well, we can now check that off of our list…we can now officially share money! We’ve both kept our separate accounts and to start off we plan to just each put a set amount in the joint account each month for shared expenses. Our separate accounts will be for individual expenses – gas, lunch out, makeup (for me, not Jason), etc.

I’m excited that we’ve finally taken this big step, as it’s SUPER inconvenient to write 2 checks, swipe 2 debit cards and trade off buying coffee/dinner/[insert favorite meal here]. This way just seems so much more official…and grown up!

and now, a reading by a. sandler

2009-06-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

We’ve decided to include a reading in our ceremony to make things a little more personal. What we’ve chosen to include is lighthearted and fun and should crack a few smiles.

Read it below first and try to guess where it came from…

I want to make you smile,

Whenever you are sad.

Carry you around,

When your arthritis is bad.

All I want to do is grow old with you.

I’ll get you medicine,

When your tummy aches.

Build you a fire,

If the furnace breaks.

Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you.

I’ll miss you, kiss you,

Give me coat when you are cold.

Need you, feed you,

Even let you hold the remote control.

So let me do the dishes in the kitchen sink.

Put you to bed when you’ve had too much to drink.

Oh I could be the one to grow old with you.

I want to grow old with you.

If you’ve seen the movie “The Wedding Singer”, then I’m sure you got it. It’s a song that Adam Sandler sings to Drew Barrymore in the movie. I think it’s super cute and really fits our relationship.

One of my best friends since high school is going to read it, which is really special to me.

I’m going to include it in the program as part of the ceremony, but I’m not sure exactly how to do it…I don’t want it to say “I Want to Grow Old with You” by Adam Sandler. Should I just put A. Sandler and let people figure it out?

a tale of 2 pair of shoes

2009-06-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

When I first started researching photography, I found this picture and fell in love. I decided 3 things:

(I'm sorry I can't remember where I found this pic)

1. I wanted a pic just like this.

2. I HAD to find pink satin shoes.

3. Jason was going to wear argyle socks...like it or not.

Well, back in February I found my shoes. At Kohl's of all places...and yes, I will be rockin' Candie's at my wedding.

My bridesmaids will be wearing the same shoes, but in black.

How cute are they?

My only problem is that I do not do HIGH heels well. 2-3” is about as high as I can comfortably do.

These shoes have 4” heels…

So, I have decided that I will only wear these shoes for pics...and I will be following in the footsteps of many brides before me and wearing flips flops for the majority of my day.

I found a really cute pair of black & silver wedge flip flops at Target with rhinestones on the straps – not that anyone is really going to see them, but rhinestones are always a good thing – especially at such a formal event! J

My seamstress is hemming my dress to the flip flops, but it will be a long enough hem that the pink shoes won’t look stupid – in fact it will be just the right length for a little pink to peek out from under my dress!

And no, I wont’ be subjecting my bridesmaids to wearing these ankle breakers all day either…I’ll be giving them some comfy flip flops to change into after the ceremony.

Anyone else hiding flip flops under their dress?

dear blog,

2009-04-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I have neglected you the past month. I have been busier than I think I have ever been before. With just a little over 3 months to go until the wedding, I have a feeling this craziness won't end until August 9.

I don't want you to feel left out, so I'll fill you in a little bit on what's been going on...since I actually have 5 free minutes.

I started my new job. It's going good. I'm finally starting to feel a little more comfortable and am actually starting "get" things. I've met some new people and have even been invited to a co-worker's Cinco de Mayo party! Woot!

I've almost completed the wedding invitations! I dropped off the insert cards at a printer today and pick them up on Thursday. I'm hoping to get them out by mid May. Keeping my fingers crossed!

After being a fan for almost 10 years, I finally saw Britney Spears in concert! Yes, I went to the Circus and it was AMAZING! She looked hot and it was a great show!

I've been really sticking to my gym routine...which makes for long days. I'm taking a variety of classes at the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays! I take Tuesdays off to go to WW and Fridays because, well because it's Friday! While I haven't been dropping the pounds like I'd wish, I do notice a change in my body as a whole...which in the long run is better.

So, little blog, I haven't forgotten about you and I promise I will try to make a little more time for you....but please don't be sad when I don't.

-Jenni

P.S. How have you been? :)

tomorrow is the big day!

2009-03-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

No...not that big day...our wedding isn't until August.

I start my new job tomorrow! I've never really been excited to start a job...well I shouldn't say that...but I'm usually much more anxious and nervous. This time, I'm really not nervous. I'm just excited! I can't wait to have a job again! I can't wait to go to work and have a work space and feel like I'm doing something other than watching TV all day! I'm seriously stoked!

I've been contemplating what I'll wear tomorrow since they offered me the job. I had a few ideas in mind and was trying to include some green...seeing that it is St. Patrick's Day and all.

Well, I got a call today from my new boss and he said that because of the holiday they are having a casual day tomorrow and that I can wear jeans! Woot! This makes my choice of outfit much easier - cute dark jeans, green sweater and black heels.

In honor of St. Patrick they are also having a pot luck lunch. This, I have to say, makes me a bit uncomfortable...I'll definitely take something to contribute, but these kinds of social events are awkward when you're the new person.

Anyway, besides the whole pot luck thing, I can't wait!

Wish me luck!

pop quiz

2009-03-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Which of the following happened to me this week?

a) Left my makeup at my mom's house (an hour away) the night before an important job interview.

b) Got stuck in snowstorm on my way to a 4 hour long interview.

c) Got the job.

d) All of the above.

If you chose d you are CORRECT!

That's right, after 3 months of being unemployed, I finally found a job! However, the events leading up to the actual offer were quite stressful. I scrounged though my old makeup and found enough to make myself presentable, but not comfortable. It snowed about 6" in about a 4 hour period...and of course it was really only snowing where WE live! And yes, the job interview was scheduled from 1pm-4pm AND it was my 3rd interview!

I'm thankful it all worked out. I think the stress of the day has caught up with me and now I'm feeling a cold coming on. I'm hoping that it's passed by Tuesday - my FIRST day!

fat tuesday...updates

2009-03-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

As you may have noticed, there haven't been any Fat Tuesday posts for awhile. The reason for this is that WW and I have not been getting along with each other for the past few months. I've been doing this for almost a year now and have been floundering around between a total loss of 13 and 15 pounds since August! Ugh! I have less than 6 months until my wedding and would still like to lose at least 15 more pounds.

Three weeks ago, I got fed up and gave myself an ultimatum...I was going to follow my plan to a T, work out like never before and lose at LEAST one pound...or I was going to quit WW.

So, I tracked everything I ate and drank (I mean EVERYTHING!) and tried a bunch of new classes at the gym - Zumba, kickboxing & dance. I earned a total of 45 Activity Points (for those of you not familiar with WW, you not only eat food points, but you earn activity points when you work out...you can then swap these for food if needed).

Well, last Tuesday at my meeting, I was down 2.6! That's the biggest loss I've had in awhile! I tried to follow the same type of plan this week and earned 35 AP's and tracked almost everything I ate and stayed within my points for the week. Last night at my meeting I was only down .4... While I wish the loss had been greater, I'm just excited that I actually lost 2 weeks in a row! It's been while since I did! The past few months have been up and down every week!

So, there you have it...I'm hopefully back on the band wagon and will stay here for awhile...or at least until I lose some more weight.

For others who are on WW, or other weight loss programs, how are you doing? Has anyone else hit a plateau that's lasted for MONTHS?!

love/hate (the unemployment edition)

2009-02-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

Love: getting paid weekly!

Hate: that those weekly paychecks are considerably less than I'm used to.

Love: having lots of free time for going to the gym.

Hate: with the amount of free time I've had to work out, I should be stick thin by now. I have lost a total of 1 lb! (I am, however, feeling more fit)

Love: wedding planning is like my full time job now!

Hate: planning a wedding is stressful...and even more so when you have no money!

Love: not having to get up at the crack of dawn every day to go to work.

Hate: that I can't get up earlier than 8:30am anymore...even with an alarm.

Love: my new founds friends - Kathie Lee & Hoda, Ellen and Bonnie!

Hate: ugh...I watch WAY to much TV now!

Love: I was able to pick up where I left off 8 years ago with Days of Our Lives!

Hate: I am actually watching soap operas again!!! YIKES!

Love: Valentine's Day is tomorrow!

Hate: Jason has to work tomorrow!

Love: we just celebrated our 1 year engageversary last Sunday!

Hate: with the down economy, my lack of employment and money not growing on trees...we have downgraded our honeymoon from Mexico to the Oregon Coast. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Oregon Coast...it's beautiful and super romantic...but I have to say that it's not quite where I imagined spending my honeymoon...

Love: we are staying at a really nice luxurious place right on the beach with a hot tub on the balcony. Maybe I shouldn't complain...

Love: the book I am currently reading Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster. It is hilarious!

Love: your comments!

sex sells...coffee?

2009-01-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

Living in the Seattle area, coffee is a HUGE part of my life. You can get a latte anywhere around here - whether Starbucks, Tully's, Bigfoot Java or some other small independent stand.

In the last year or so I started noticing signs for "Bikini Baristas" at various stands around town. I wasn't quite sure I had read the sign correctly, and was surprised when I saw that the baristas in these booths were actually wearing bikinis...in the middle of winter! Brrr! While I was surprised by this, and maybe a little disappointed that girls would want to subject themselves to this, I really didn't think much of it.

Well...some of the local coffee stands have taken the "Bikini Barista" idea to a whole NEW level. There are at least 2 coffee stands within 1/4 mile from each other on a busy highway that now boast that they have "Sexy Pasties Baristas".

!!!

Are you kidding me? Is this real?

Yes, I am sad to say it is real. Jason and I happened to drive past one of these stands last Friday night and there was a LINE of at least 5 cars waiting to catch a peek at a boob while getting a latte. The girls who work at these stands LITERALLY only wear stickers on their nipples! Is that even legal? Couldn't this be considered indecent exposure?

Is this really what our world is coming to? Maybe I'm just an old prude, but I think this is SO completely inappropriate and wrong! I never in a million years would have thought serving coffee could become a step toward stripping!

Does anyone else think this is ridiculous? Is this something that has spread across the country yet? Or am I lucky enough to live in an area that finds this acceptable?

bridesmaid dresses!

2009-01-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

I finally found my bridesmaid dresses! David's just came out with their new line for 2009 and I absolutely fell in love with this dress!

Here is my Polyvore inspiration board for the bridesmaids...

This picture makes the dress look very 'dusty rose'...it's much more of a bubblegum pink. The color that I'm going with is called 'candy pink'.

Well, what do you think? :)

the importance of bridesmaids

2009-01-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

I came across this video today and thought it was really cute!

Enjoy!

save the date...

2009-01-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Our Save the Date's are designed...all that's left to do is send them out. I think they turned out great!

We used the photostrip that our photographer put together from our e-pics. I was having a hard time figuring out how to use the photostrip, when Jason came up with the ideal to just add it to the side of a 5x7 card and include more info on the rest of the card...so here is what we've come up with...

We're going to have them printed as 5x7 photos...they are only $.39 at Costco and then we're done.

So...what do you think?

happy 2009!

2009-01-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already 2009! What a year 2008 was!

In January I gave up the snoozing for lent. That didn't work out very well...I think I made it maybe 3 weeks!

Of course February was an exciting month when Jason surprisingly proposed!

I turned the big 2-8 in March and threw a joint birthday party with my sister.

I joined Weight Watchers in April...and am starting up again this week after a hiatus over the holidays!

We booked our wedding venue in May and also had a WW friendly Cinco de Mayo - complete with sugar free margaritas!

In June I got to meet Janet & Isabel...which was SO fun! And my friend K asked me to be a bridesmaid in her August wedding!

We started interviewing photographers in July...and found one we really liked. I got my first Mystic Tan, a new cell phone and were busy with BBQ's, bridal showers & bachelorette parties!

August was a busy month...we threw a surprise 49th birthday for my stepdad, I reached my goal of losing 15 lbs before my friend K's wedding and we saw Jack Johnson at the Gorge.

We booked our photographer in September and I started dress shopping.

In October we had our engagement pictures taken and...I found my dress!!!

November was quiet...but I didn't miss seeing Twilight on opening night!

December was a crazy month...losing my job was not part of our plans, but what can you do...

So, here's to a happy, healthy, fun filled 2009! I think this will be a big year - not only am I getting married(!), but I will also be starting a new career (soon hopefully).

what a difference a day makes

2008-12-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

Just yesterday I was getting ready for our company's annual holiday party this Saturday. I went shopping for a new dress and had plans to get 'spray' tanned tonight. Jason and I had reserved a room at the hotel where the party was being held and we had planned to head downtown early in the day to enjoy some of the downtown holiday bustle. I was so excited!

Today I am unemployed.

My company, a real estate developer, is obviously not doing well in this down economy. We have been selling homes at a HUGE loss the last month or so just to sell them. We've lost construction loans and have already gone through a massive lay off back in October. They cut our company practically in half leaving us at a 'skeleton' crew...or so they said.

Well today they cut that number in half. I was one of 10 people to be let go. I'm not sad. I'm not even really angry. I think I'm more relieved than anything. Work has been really stressful lately...never knowing what's coming next...so many closed door meetings...and just a general feeling of uneasiness has been sitting in the office for months now. After my 'meeting' I walked back to my desk and look at all of the CRAP that I needed to do and was so relieved that I didn't have to do it! They didn't give me any sort of notice...just that today was my last day, so I in no way felt obligated to help them out.

It helps to know that it wasn't a personal decision on their part - it wasn't anything I did, or didn't do. I'm not alone, with 9 other people also being let go, we were like a little 'club' today.

I think the thing that sucks the most is that it's just 2 weeks before Christmas! This year is already tight and now it is even more so. I did get a nice severance package and have some vacation time I'm being paid for...so I have about 2 months to look for a new job...but still.

My plan is to enjoy the holidays with my family and friends. I was already planning on taking vacation from Christmas Eve through the new year. Now I have more time to spend with everyone. I think I may even go down to my mom's and help her bake next week...which is something I haven't done since I was a kid.

So, for those of you who are also unemployed during this holiday season, I can empathize and I feel you pain. For those of you are still employed - be thankful for what you have.

a change of color

2008-12-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

Remember back when I said that we had changed our wedding colors? Well I never elaborated...

After visiting our venue for a tasting and seeing it all set up...I realized that our original palette of pink, brown and green just wasn't going to work. The venue is an old historic building and has a vintage glamorous feel to it. The colors in the room are ivory, gold, burgundy and pink...so we've decided to go with...pink (varying shades), black and silver.

Here are few inspiration boards I am liking...I'm still working on my own.

via Snippet & Ink

via Zinke Design

via Snippet & Ink

What do you think?

love/hate

2008-11-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

Love: vacation days for no particular reason!

Hate: Starbucks 'revised' their gingerbread latte this year and changed the name to gingersnap...what they failed to do is warn their customers that the new & 'improved' version includes CHUNKS of candied ginger - this was not a pleasant surprise when I sucked a chunk up through my straw while enjoying my first GB latte of the season. YUCK!

Love: our engagement pics! I can't stop looking at them!

Love: all of your super nice comments about our pics!

Hate: chocolate & donuts...well not really, but I hate that people keep bringing them into the office and forcing me to eat them! (Ok, they're not actually forcing me - but my will power is not very strong these days.)

Love: that I found a wedding coordinator who's just starting out and is offering her services for free! I meet with her Saturday!

Love: free Husky Football tickets! Hopefully we'll actually beat UCLA this week.

Hate: my lack of motivation for WW and working out - I have GOT to get with the program!

Love: Twilight the movie comes out next Friday! I'm counting down the days!

Share your loves/hates!

Happy Friday!

happy halloween eve!

2008-10-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

So I decided that a real blog post was in order since my last one was just a bunch of pictures - even though they were pretty fabulous if I do say so myself.

Things have been crazy lately. I'm not even sure where to begin, so I'm just going to share a quick rundown of the past few weeks.

Work Sucks. With the economy as bad as it is, my company has laid of almost 1/2 of the employees, many of whom I was pretty good friends with, and it was really sad. It happened on the 15th and things are still pretty somber around the office. I dread going in every day...but I should be thankful that I still have a job. It's just hard sometimes to be positive in such a difficult time.

Jason and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary on the 20th. We are heading to Ocean Shores this weekend to celebrate - that and his birthday which is on the 2nd. I still cant' believe he's going to be 32!

My 10 year high school reunion was a few weekends ago and it was SO much fun! I have 3 best friends still from high school and we are rarely all together at the same time (they all live in San Diego). We spent the WHOLE day together, just the 4 of us and no significant others or other friends. It was great! Such a fun weekend. I felt like I was 18 again!

WW is not going well. I broke my plateau a few weeks ago with the 'high protein' days and was really "re"motivated. That was 3 weeks ago and I have now gained back 2 lbs! Ugh! I know I need to stick with it, but it's really hard sometimes - especially since I've been so stressed...now I know for sure that I'm an EMOTIONAL EATER!!! :)

I just finished reading Twilight and I am HOOKED! I can't wait to read the next book and my sister and I already have a date to see the movie on the 21st!

Our wedding website is almost done and I can't wait to get it up and running!

Oh...and we've changed our wedding colors...more on that later!

That's about it. I can't believe October is over tomorrow and Thanksgiving is just around the corner...which means Christmas is just a stone's throw away. This is my favorite time of year and I am definitely LOVING the fall.

engagement pics!!!

2008-10-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we had our engagement session with the FAB Jenny GG. It was SO much fun and we are really happy with the results.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

sick day

2008-10-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

I came home early from work yesterday sick, and am home sick again today. Not sure what I have, but I feel like crap.

A few things have helped me to feel slightly better:

1. Sex and the City the series on DVD...I'm almost done with season 4 and I've got to say...I LOVE Aiden (especially with his new haircut!)...SO HOT!

2. Ritz crackers

3. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches

Ok, so I'm obviously not really keeping track of WW points today, but my pb&j sandwich was SO good.

If only I had some Oreos...

i said yes to the dress!

2008-10-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

That's right...I found my dress!

After trying on 50+ different dresses and not really 'loving' any of them, I finally found my dress.

Here it is...

and the back...

I absolutely LOVE it! It's silk satin and feels like butter to the touch...sigh. It's a Maggie Sottero dress and the name of the style is Nadine.

It was a little more than I had expected to spend, but worth the extra money. Plus, I'm buying the dress off the rack and they gave me a nice discount.

I found the dress at Lady Margaret's in Puyallup. It's a small boutique dress shop and so nice...nicer than any of the other places I had been. I would highly recommend it.

It's funny how it's totally not what I thought I wanted...I was dead set on lace, no side gather, a pink sash and pure white. This is all satin (with the exception of some chiffon), no lace, side gather, no sash and ivory. But...it's perfect.

The boutique didn't allow pictures until you put a deposit on the dress (designer rule?), but we put the deposit down today and I am going again on Saturday to try it on again and take some pics.

The best part is that the dress in stock was my size and with the lace up back it's very forgiving. The salesgirl told me I could lose another 10 or so pounds and not need any alterations...if I lose more though I'll have to have it taken in...which is totally fine with me...I'd rather have to take it in than have it taken out!

So there you have it...one more major item checked off the list!

fat tuesday

2008-09-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to our regularly scheduled programming!

Ok, so life has been crazy busy lately, hence the lack of blog posts, but I still have not missed ONE Weight Watcher meeting! Tonight was no different.

I've been stuck in a rut lately between a total loss of 13 and 15 pounds. My dad told me I should eat high protein and less than 70 g of carbs for 2 days and it would break my plateau.

Well, what do you know...Dad was right!

This week's loss: -2.2

Total loss: 17.8

I can't believe I'm only 2.8 lbs away from 20 lbs!!! I have never stuck with it this long...I guess a wedding on the horizon is just the motivation I needed!

book a photographer...check!

2008-09-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

We can officially cross one more MAJOR item off our wedding checklist.

We found our photographer....Jenny GG. I mentioned her before, after we met with her the first time, and I can honestly say I can't WAIT to work with her! Her pictures are great and her personality is awesome.

We have our engagement pictures scheduled for October 18. I know it's awhile before our actual wedding, but fall is my favorite season, so I really wanted some fall pics. Jenny is so great and really willing to work with her clients...we are meeting her at 3pm and she told us not to make plans that night! Most of the other photographers I found only included a 1 hour e-pic session!

I'm super excited and can't wait to go shopping for some new 'e-pic' outfits!

dresses, dresses...so many dresses

2008-09-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my mom, sister and I had our first "dress shopping" experience.

I have to say, I loved it! It was so much fun and I can't wait to go again! While, I'm definitely not ready to buy a dress at the moment, it was fun to see what's out there. I found 2 that I really like and am considering. Ideally, I'd still like to lose another 25 pounds or so, but that's neither here nor there.

The only complaint I have is that of the 4 shops we went to, David's Bridal was the only place that had dresses in multiple sizes. So really, it was most fun to try dresses on there because they actually fit.

The other 3 shops only had one size of each dress and most were too small. I can't even explain how uncomfortable it is to be zipped up and sucked into a dress...or to have them clip the back closed to your bra!

Now the moment you've all been waiting for...pictures!!!

This is one of the front runners. I love that it's all satin with just the block of lace on the torso...and it has no beading, which I do not like. Now, I know it's a little tight, but keep in mind it was about 2 sizes too small. It would not be so form fitting (especially in the stomach area) and the skirt would be more a-line and come out more at my waist. The sash would also be pink.

This was one that my mom really liked and wanted me to try on, but I ended up really liking it. I think it's a little too "sophisticated" for a summer wedding, but I do like it a lot. The bust area needs to be taken in a LOT...

...and I absolutely love the back of this dress! It has a really low cut back, but my hair fits it perfectly!

This one is also a front runner. I really liked that it's all lace with no beading and the bottom foot or so of the skirt is soft and laceless.

So...tell me what you think!

i've come to realize...

2008-09-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

...summer is over! What?! Where did it go?

...fall is just around the corner! Woo hoo!

...I have a blog!?

...we have less than year of wedding planning left.

...I absolutely LOVE trying on wedding dresses...I honestly have never felt prettier.

...I have got to get back on the ball with WW.

...my 10 year high school reunion is in a month!

...carpooling to work rocks!

...the new 90210 is good, but it's not really 90210.

...that I need to update you guys on what's been going on!

another busy weekend

2008-08-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

This summer has been so busy...we've pretty much had plans every single weekend! This weekend is no different with plans to see the AMAZINGLY TALENTED Jack Johnson at the Gorge in eastern Washington. The concert is tomorrow night and we have plans to camp over at Sun Lakes for the rest of the weekend.

For those of you who are not from the Seattle area, which is probably most of you, eastern Washington is like the Palm Springs of Washington (except in the winter). It's HOT and, for the most part, very dry in the summer. I seriously can't wait! This will be one of most relaxing weekends thus far this summer...with an itinerary of listening to great music, enjoying the sun, swimming in a lake and generally having fun!

My sister and her boyfriend are joining us which is exciting because we haven't been camping together since we were kids!

***

In other news, my friend K's wedding was SO much fun last weekend. I will post a recap with pictures sometime next week.

***

I'll leave you with a picture that just exudes summer! I took at it at Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula last weekend. I have to admit that I'm pretty impressed with my photography skills...

P.S. I did edit it a little in iphoto (antiqued & blurred the edges).

fat tuesday

2008-08-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

I set a goal for myself to lose 15 pounds by my friend K's wedding...which is this weekend.

After the past weekend in Canada eating and drinking myself silly, I was not expecting a loss...but more likely a gain.

Well, the weight loss gods have smiled down on me today.

This week's loss: -1.2

Total loss: 15.4

GO ME! :)

crunch time

2008-08-08T09:36:00.001-07:00

Today is exactly ONE year before our wedding date. Aah! I can't believe we've been engaged for 6 months already! It's flown by...and I'm sure the next 12 months will be gone in the blink of an eye.

While we do have the venue booked, which is probably one of the biggest items, we still have a TON of stuff left to figure out.

So, stay tuned for lots more wedding planning, weight loss results and random bits of craziness.

Have a great weekend! I'm off to Whistler, BC!

my current wedding obsession: garden roses

2008-08-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

I love peonies. They are probably my favorite flower and had I known that they were COMPLETELY out of season in August, well, I may have voted for a different wedding date...

I have said from beginning that I do not want any roses in my wedding flowers - not in my bouquet, the girls' bouquets, the bouts, the corsages, the ceterpieces - nowhere. They are just so...common.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this...

Behold the garden rose...I am completely smitten.

While it may be a "rose" and not a peony, it's SO fluffy and pretty...just like a peony! Imagine a bouquet of these fluffly beauties!

Oops...the above photo came from here.

fat tuesday

2008-08-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Even after ALL of the crap that I ate and drank this weekend, I surprising lost weight this week! I was only down .4, but I had set a goal that I wanted to be at a total loss of 15 before my friend K's wedding, which is next weekend, and I only have .8 to go! Go me!

This week's loss: -.4

Total loss: 14.2

surprise!

2008-08-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my stepdad will be 49. His birthday is August 5, and our wedding next summer is August 8...which doesn't leave much room for a 50th birthday party. So, my mom decided to throw him a surprise 49th birthday party!

She told him it was an engagement party for Jason and I so that he would help her get the house and yard straightened up. It was pretty funny...he was really into making sure that "our" party was great.

I even wrote a poem for the invitation:

J.R. will soon be 50
Of this he is aware
And we wanted to surprise him
With all of you folks there.

But our daughter’s getting married
In August of next year
So a 49th birthday bash it is
With lots of food and beer!

So keep mum, don’t let it slip
On him we hope it doesn't dawn
We’ve told him it’s an engagement party
With hopes he’ll mow the lawn!

To get him out of the house, Jason took him to get some beer growlers filled at a local brewery. They were gone for about an hour and as soon as they left it was like a mad dash to get all the "birthday" paraphenalia out. My mom and I were running around like chickens with our heads cut off!

Anyway, when he got home he was SO surprised! It was great. There were a few moments when we thought he was on to us, but he wasn't. It was such a fun party! Even if I did have a few too many drinks...and was nursing a nasty hangover yesterday. Totally worth it though!

Happy Birthday J.R.!

fat tuesday

2008-07-29T21:00:00.001-07:00

And so begins week 16 of Weight Watchers.

I am still only down 13.8. Today's weigh in was neither good, nor bad, I stayed the same. The funny thing was at first I had gained .2, but then the lady weighing me told me take my sunglasses off (they were on top of my head) and back down I went.

I'm frustrated, but have no one to blame but myself. I've been eating crap on the weekends and drinking beer. Plus, I haven't really been working out. I really need to step it up!

I'm going to start setting small goals for myself each week. This week I'm going to focus on water. I need to start drinking more of it. My plan is to drink a whole Nalgene bottle (32 oz) before lunch, and another after. Then I'll just drink a glass or two when I get home with dinner.

This week's loss: 0

Total loss: 13.8

love/hate

2008-07-25T13:09:00.001-07:00

Love: that we have 2 BBQ's to go to this weekend! One tonight and one tomorrow! We are p-o-p-u-l-a-r!

Hate: when I told Jason I was making fat free brownies for tomorrow's BBQ, he picked up a box of regular brownies & some frosting to make his own "full fat" brownies..."because construction workers won't like fat free brownies".

Love: we are camping tomorrow night! Just the two of us! We haven't camped AT ALL this summer, so I'm really looking forward to it!

Hate: that I have been living out of my suitcase for the past few months. Since I stay at Jason's most of the time (make that ALL of the time), but don't officially "live" there, my clothes are still at home. I just have a sampling of my wardrobe at his place...mostly summer clothes now, but it still sucks to not have my own dresser. Oh well.

Love: MYSTIC TAN! I went for my first time a few weeks ago and LOVED the way it looked (not so much the way it smelled). I bought a 10 tan package, so I'm going again next week and a few days before my friend K's wedding...and they don't expire so I can use them whenever!

Hate: working...can't I just make planning my wedding a full time job? And get paid for it?

Love: my new cell phone! I got the new LG Dare from Verizon. It's a total iphone knockoff, but since I don't wnat to switch to AT&T, I have to make do with what Verizon offers. I seriously love it though...it's the best phone I've ever had! I still need to figure out how to set up email though...

a picture's worth a thousand words

2008-07-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we met with our first photographers.

The first one was a husband/wife team whose web portfolio I've been drooling over since I went to the wedding expo in April! They are definitely on the HIGH end of our photography budget, but we still decided to meet with them anyway.

What a disappointment.

We only met with the wife and she just made us feel uncomfortable. First of all, we met at their "home" studio, so just to start off it was kind of awkward. What really sealed it for us though was that she was very quiet and didn't really tell us anything about them! She showed us some albums and gave us a price list. And, after looking through the albums I wasn't nearly as impressed as I had been previously.

So we left there a little discouraged.

Our second appointment was with Jenny GG. I've heard really good things about her on The Knot bulletins. I had talked to her a few days prior on the phone and she was SUPER nice, so that was encouraging.

Anyway, we met her at Starbucks - a totally "neutral" place and she was GREAT! We loved her personality...she is probably one of the nicest people I've EVER met! And her prices are SO affordable!

We haven't officially decided if we're going with her yet, as we have a few others to interview, but she's DEFINITELY on the short list!

So, what would you say is the most important thing when it comes to photography (and the photographer)?

*Update*

I should have elaborated a little more on what kind of package we would be getting with Jenny. It includes FULL wedding day coverage (up to 14 hours!), an engagement session (3-4 hours!), DVD's of each session (wedding & engagement) with high resolution images that are ours to use however we want (print, post, etc.), an online gallery/slideshow with online ordering for our friends & family, a photography assistant (who also takes photos), an album, some prints (which seems to be uncommon with most of the othe photographers I've researched), a $300 credit toward additional prints, albums, etc....AND, if we book her before September 30, we save $250! What a STEAL! :) Oh yeah...and did I mention we LOVED her personality?!

fat tuesday

2008-07-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I've been a bad blogger...not posting...not commenting...not even reading! I'm sorry! This summer has been SO busy and we're starting to get back into the wedding planning. More on that tomorrow.

This past weekend was my friend K's bachelorette party...it included a day of wine tasting in Woodinville and then a night of music at Chopstix piano bar. It was a blast, but my gut was NOT happy with me on Sunday. After tasting at least 15 wines, 3 pieces of pizza and some late night CHEESE FRIES, I was not planning on losing any weight this week.

Well, my theory of having a loss after a gain held true. I lost 1.4 this week! Now if I can just lose 1.2 this coming week, I will be at a total loss of 15 lbs!!! Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

This week's loss: -1.4

Total loss: 13.8

fat tuesday (a day late and 1/2 lb heavier)

2008-07-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

So I gained...again.

Only .6 this week, but still not a loss. I'm done being hard on myself though...I'm just telling myself that I'm going to lose and I'm going to gain...it's not easy. And, I'll lose next week...so far my pattern has been that if I gain one week, I will lose big the following week...

So here's to next week!

This week: + .6 lbs
Total loss: 12.4 lbs

a sweet dress for a sweet price

2008-07-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

How freaking cute is this dress?

I was downtown today running a work errand and looked up and saw this dress hanging in the window of Ann Taylor. I quickly ran across the street to check it out and, as luck would have it, they had my size.

Plus, it was on sale...HUGE sale...originally $148 marked down to $69.99! What a steal! I'm thinking of wearing it to my friend's rehearsal dinner (now that I don't have to find a dress for the wedding itself).

I do have to ask for some advice though...what kind of shoes should I wear?

*Just for clarification...the sash is not as red as it appears in this photo...it's more of a bright pink!

fat tuesday

2008-07-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

Since Tuesdays are my weigh in day for WW, I thought I'd start a new weekly post appropriately titled "Fat Tuesday"!

After drinking my weight in beer this weekend and eating enough Doritos to nourish a small

village, I had to go to my weigh in tonight. Believe me...I was nervous!

Well, apparently when I stress the most is when I lose more than usual! I was down 2 more pounds this week!

This weeks loss: 2 lbs

Total loss: 13 lbs

***

In other blog news, have you seen this new website called Wordle? No fewer than 3 of the blogs I subscribe to had links to it yesterday, so I thought I'd post about it too!

It's actually a pretty cool site. You can put in any combination of words, or type in your blog url and it makes a word cloud that you can then customize with various fonts, colors and layouts.

Here's Moments of a Blonde "wordled"!

happy birthday america!

2008-07-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post a quick update before the long weekend, as I will be out of town with no internet access.

I am currently frustrated with WW and the $300 worth of food we bought last night for this coming weekend isn't going to help. Last night at my weigh in I was up 1 POUND! UGH! Why am I fluctuating? My sister is losing at least a pound or more a week and I'm stuck with losing mere ounces, or even worse gaining!

It could have been the weight training I did last week (supposedly when you lift weights and your muscles are sore they are retaining water)...but I only lifted weights one day...I am still slightly sore though.

It also could have been the gyro, strawberry lemonade and strawberry colada I consumed on Sunday...but nevermind that.

This weekend we are heading our cabin down at Mt. Rainier with friends. I'm looking forward to the 3 day weekend and getting away from work and the city. We'll do a little hiking, some swimming, sunbathing, golfing...and lots of eating. Did I mention we spent $300 on food last night?!?! Granted $50 was just in beer...

Anyway, tomorrow is a short work day...off at 3 and then heading to the mountain. Hope everyone has a fun, happy & SAFE 4th of July!!!

walking down the aisle...as a bridesmaid

2008-06-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who's getting married this summer and I have been SO excited with all of the wedding festivities leading up to it...the shower, the bachelorette party, etc.

We have been friends for awhile (met through mutual friends), but I would never have expected her to ask me to be a bridesmaid...and when she didn't ask me I wasn't disappointed. She did ask me to do her hair & make-up, which I happily agreed to. And she's invited me along to all wedding related outings...including the rehearsal dinner.

Over the past few months we have gotten a lot closer. We're doing WW together and what brings friends closer than being starving & losing weight together? Our fiances have become friends and we do double dates often. Jason and I joke that they are our Deacon & Kelly (from King of Queens...if you don't watch that show, you totally won't understand that)...let's just say they are our go to friends when we want to do something fun with another couple.

Well, last night we went to dinner with another friend, who is a bridesmaid in the wedding, and K told me that she had a question to ask me and that I could say no if I wanted to.

Then she asked me to be a bridesmaid! She told me that she feels that we have become such good friends that she would really like me to be more of a part of her wedding.

I feel so honored! While the wedding is less than 2 months away, I've been involved in all the planning with her and am MORE than happy to stand next to her on her special day!

I can't wait!

summer is FINALLY here!

2008-06-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

Summer has finally reached Seattle! This last week of June is forecasted to be great weather, which is a welcome change from the crappy rainy weather we've had during the first 3 weeks of June.

It's SO nice that it's actually warmer outside than it is inside (doesn't happen very often here) and today I spent my lunch break basking in the sun!

This weekend it is supposed to get up into the 80's and my plans include lounging by the pool at my condo with my sister and going to an outdoor festival on Sunday. I can't wait! I'm actually counting down the days to this weekend as if it was a vacation!

I'm also looking forward to getting a little color on this pasty white skin that hasn't seen sunlight since LAST June! And, now that I've officially lost 12 lbs (I was down another .4 last night), I can feel a little better putting my bathing suit on!

Anyone else looking forward to a relaxing weekend?

love/hate

2008-06-20T09:59:00.001-07:00

Love: it's OFFICIALLY summer today!!!

Love: that it's actually going to be summer weather here today...almost 80!

Hate: that the forecast is calling for rain on Sunday.

Love: that I have dinner plans with friends tonight!

Love: playing cribbage...we've been playing at least one round each night (I know, we're old fuddy duddies).

Hate: that my cell phone only holds a charge for a 10 minute conversation...then it dies! Damn LG Chocolate.

Love: that I get a new cell phone in less than a month.

Hate: that Verizon won't let me upgrade early! I seriously can not use my phone to talk on...only text.

Love: that it's Friday...OBVIOUSLY!!!

Happy Friday!

a turn for the better

2008-06-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the morbid post on Monday...I just coudn't stop thinking about it and needed to get it out.

Anyway, my weigh in last night at WW was GREAT! I lost 3.6 lbs! That makes my total loss 11.6! YAY! I made it past my first goal of 10 lbs, and am now well on my way to my second goal which is 10%.

I am again feeling really good about WW and my ability to lose weight!

This weekend will definitely include some celebrating (although I did already treat myself to a new purse this past weekend).

sad news

2008-06-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today one of the residents at one of the condos where I work jumped off the roof off the building.

Apparently he did not think his life was worth living anymore.

He did, however, survive the fall...and, as of this afternoon, is expected to recover.

It's such sad news. I didn't know him well, but saw him on an almost daily basis. He was a really nice guy. He also has 2 small children.

I'm not sure why I'm posting this...it's just been on my mind all day and has not allowed me to concentrate on anything else.

How can life be so bad that you don't want to continue it?

love/hate

2008-06-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

Love: that we actually had some SUN yesterday and it's supposed to be nice this weekend! Is summer actually here? I won't hold my breath.

Hate: that it now costs me $50 to fill up my gas tank...when I bought my car (7 years ago) it cost about $18!

Love: water aerobics! I went for the first time last Saturday morning and it was such a great workout...I was seriously sore. And we're going again tomorrow morning!

Hate: that I gained .2 lbs this week at my WW weigh in! Ugh! I thought I had been SO good!

Love: even though I gained, I bought 3 pairs of pants last weekend...in a NEW SIZE!!!

Hate: that I'm still kind of in between sizes...my old pants are loose, but my new ones are a little snug.

Love: that last Friday I got to hang out with the fabulous Janet & Isabel. And yes, they are just as smart, funny and gorgeous in real life as they are online...maybe even more so!

Happy Friday!

aaah!

2008-06-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

OMG! Tomorrow I get to meet Janet and Isabel IN PERSON!!!

I'm SO excited!

i haven't forgotten about this blog...honest!

2008-06-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

I've been busy and haven't had much time to blog lately. So, I thought I'd just share a quick update of what's been going on.

***

As of Tuesday I have lost a total of 8.2 pounds! While it's not coming off quite as fast as I would have liked it to, I have to say that I am starting to feel my clothes becoming a little looser! Woo Hoo!

***

Not much new on the wedding front. Once we got our venue booked I sort of slowed down. We're planning on just enjoying the summer and maybe meeting with a few photographers, but not stressing on it to much.

***

We're participating in another fun run this Sunday. It's the Furry 5k that benefits the Seattle animal shelter. While we don't have a dog to run/walk with, it's still a good excuse to get together with friends and sneak some exercise in!

I'm also going to a water aerobics class on Saturday morning with my WW buddy. I can't wait! If we like it, we'll be getting up at 7am every Saturday to go.

***

Friday is my little sister Courtney's 8th grade graduation. I can't believe how old she is or that she'll be in high school next year! Gah, I am OLD!!!

texting your way to love

2008-05-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

A friend just emailed this to me and I couldn't help but laugh...it reminded me of this previous post.

I'm so glad that I'm getting married and don't have to worry about that whole 'dating' thing anymore!

an honorary norwegian

2008-05-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend, well Saturday May 17 to be exact, was the Norwegian Constitution Day. While I am not Norwegian, I work in an area with a large Norwegian population and one of the women who lives in the condo where I work is very involved in the community Norwegian club. Apparently this area is host to the 2nd largest Norwegian Constitution Day parade outside of Oslo itself!

She has been telling me about this special event for months and I mentioned to her that I thought Jason was Norwegian. This fact completely thrilled her and she was SO excited to meet him that she invited us to her party and to enjoy the parade and festival that was scheduled for Saturday.

Well, come to find out, Jason is NOT Norwegian! But, we couldn't tell this woman who was so obviously enamored with the fact that I was engaged to a Norwegian. So we went along with it!

And it was a blast! The weather here in Seattle on Saturday was perfect summer parade weather...it broke a record at 88 degrees. The parade wasn't anything fancy, just a bunch of people who were proud of the heritage, a few middle school bands and some unicylers! It was like a small town summer parade! So fun!

I joked with Jason that we were now honorary Norwegians!

Besides Saturday, the rest of the weekend was pretty event filled and fun! Sunday morning we participated in the Beat the Bridge 8k Fun Run. Well, I did the walk with a friend and Jason ran it with his friends. Afterward we all went out to lunch and soaked up some more of the much welcomed sun. Then, last night was dinner at my mom's for my grandma's birthday.

I ate way too much (both last night and throughout the rest of the weekend) and am NOT looking forward to my WW weigh in tonight. But, such is life. At least I had a great weekend and even got a nice workout in.

This week it's back to the grindstone and saving ALL my extra weekly points for this weekend...first camp out of the season!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Only 5 days until the 3 day weekend!!!

Happy Monday!

big wedding news!

2008-05-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

One major item has been checked off the wedding planning list.

We booked our venue!

We decided against our original location and went with something more budget friendly and more flexible with ending times and alcohol. Hey, what can I say, we like to party!

We will be having both the ceremony and reception at the same location...the roof of a downtown historic landmark (in my hometown). It's old and beautiful! And, has an amazing view of both water and mountains.

The ceremony will be outside on the roof deck with a backdrop of Mt. Rainier and the reception will immediately follow in the ballroom adjacent to the deck...the ballroom actually looks out onto the deck.

Once the ceremony is over, the deck will be reset with cocktail tables that will be adorned with candles and s'mores burners...which, by the way, I have found online for only $6.99 each! What a steal! I think we'll also string lights from the railing and have candles here and there.

Our reception doesn't have to end until 11:30 here, which means that we will get to enjoy a little candlelight! And, I can have my signature cocktail!!! The venue offers beverage packages for unlimited drinks for 4 hours (beer, wine, hard, sodas, etc.) for a flat rate!

It wasn't our first choice, and we actually considered not even touring, but I'm so glad we did! I think that it will be perfect!

a little of this...a little of that

2008-05-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

I know you're all waiting to hear about the margaritas...

Yes, they were good! They actually tasted very much like the real thing. However, I kind of used the recipes as a guide and made my own up. I used the lemon Crystal Light dissolved in 5 oz of water, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, 1-1/2 oz tequila and fresh strawberries...plus lots of ice.

They were really light & refreshing...and didn't leave any of that thick sugar feeling in your throat like real ones do.

***

Ok, so this really has nothing to do with anything, but the first time I saw this I laughed so hard that I was crying. It is just SO funny! Watch it and try not to laugh!

hola amigos!

2008-05-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I love Mexican food (among most other foods), therefore I LOVE Cinco de Mayo.

As you all know, I re-joined WW a few weeks ago and have been going strong (I actually have my weigh in tonight...keep your fingers crossed for me!). I really don't want to blow my weight loss victory on a gallon of margaritas and a pound of chips & salsa...so tonight we are doing C de M WW style!

Lean meat tacos with low calorie tortillas, low fat cheese & sour cream. I am, however, going to indulge in REAL tortilla chips (those lowfat cardboard strips just don't cut it) and a few margaritas.

In honor of my WW C de M, I thought I'd share a few low cal margarita recipes that I recently stumbled across over at HungryGirl.com (if you haven't checked out this website, I HIGHLY recommend it!)

I can't guarantee that they will taste like the real thing, but I will be testing them tonight and will get back to you tomorrow!

Rockin' Razzy Rita
(Entire recipe: 105 calories, 0g fat, 5mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 0g protein = 2 Points)

Hand over your keys. It's time for a Rockin' Razzy Rita…

Ingredients:
*1.5 oz. tequila
1/2 tsp. Crystal Light powdered drink mix, Raspberry Ice
5 oz. water
1 oz. lime juice
Optional: lime slice for garnish and salt or no-calorie sweetener for rim of glass

Directions:
If desired, run some lime juice along the rim of the glass and dip into a dish of salt or sweetener. Combine all ingredients, mix well, and serve over ice. Or, for a frozen one, place all ingredients (dissolve Crystal Light in water first) in a blender with 1 cup crushed ice, and blend on high until well mixed. Optional: Garnish with a slice of lime. Serves 1!

HG's Fruitylicious Margarita
(Entire recipe: 105 calories, 0g fat, 15mg sodium, 3g carbs, 0g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 0g protein = 2 Points)

This one's crazy delicious, customizable and guilt-free to boot!

Ingredients:
*1.5 oz. tequila
5 oz. SoBe LEAN; Diet Mango Melon, Energy Diet Citrus, or Diet Cranberry Grapefruit
1 oz. lime juice
Optional: lime slice for garnish and salt or no-calorie sweetener for rim of glass

Directions:
If you like, wet the glass rim with juice from a lime and dunk it into a dish of salt or sweetener. For frozen sips, combine all ingredients in a blender with 1 cup crushed ice, and blend on high until well mixed. Or, mix ingredients well and serve over ice. If desired, garnish with a lime wedge. Serves 1!

HG's Magical Low-Calorie Margarita
(Entire recipe: 105 calories, 0g fat, 58mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 0g protein = 2 Points)This one's an old favorite...and it ROCKS!

Ingredients:
6 oz. Sierra Mist Free (or Diet Sprite Zero, or your other fave no-cal lemon-lime soda)
*1.5 oz. tequila
1/2 tsp. Crystal Light powdered drink mix, Lemonade
1 oz. lime juiceOptional: lime slice for garnish and salt or no-calorie sweetener for rim of glass

Directions:
If desired, run some lime juice along the rim of the glass and dip into a dish of salt or sweetener. Mix all ingredients together. Pour over 1 cup of crushed ice. Optional: Garnish with lime slice. Enjoy. Serves 1!

ww update

2008-05-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah...I forgot to mention that I lost 2.8 lbs last week! My total for the 2 weeks I've been on WW is 3.6!

I'm pretty happy with that! I've been really good this week and don't plan to really 'splurge' again until Cinco de Mayo. My WW buddy and her fiance and Jason and I are doing homemade Mexican on Monday night (after our weigh-in) so that we can easily count points.

But believe me...I AM having chips (real ones...not those cardboardy baked ones) and a margarita or 2!

oh honey(bucket)

2008-05-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my mom, sister and I went to check out another wedding venue. It was actually the grand opening of a brand new venue in Puyallup (which is about 20-30 minutes away from Tacoma, where my family and I live). Construction wasn't quite complete on the waterfalls, but the venue itself was quite beautiful and I could definitely see the vision of what they are still working on. The rental rate was along the same lines as other places I've seen and the layout of the property was really nice. I was thinking to myself that I'd have to bring Jason out to check this place out.

Then I found out...

...that they don't have bathrooms!

They are going to rent port-a-potties!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? FOR A WEDDING?!?!

I'm not trying to be a snob or anything, but I just think that is really tacky for a wedding. We actually went to a wedding last summer and they had port-a-potties and I was appauled! I couldn't believe it! I got dressed up for their wedding and then I had to pee into a hole? All the while holding my dress up and hoping it didn't 'touch' anything?!?! YUCK!

For us, no bathrooms is a deal breaker.

So, we are touring 3 more places this weekend. Hopefully they all have real working bathrooms with flushing toilets!!

oh e-ring, how i miss thee

2008-04-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

I'm (hopefully) getting my engagement ring back tonight. The original setting was kind of a placeholder until I was able to pick out something else. When Jason bought the ring, the band I had picked out awhile ago was no longer available and so he just went with a simple 4 prong setting.

We went in a few weeks ago and I picked out a new setting (which I would share, but for some reason the website won't allow me to link to individual photos).

Anyway, I dropped my ring off last Thursday and they told me it should be back today! I can't wait...my left hand feels naked without it!

**UPDATE**

Well, the ring was ready and Jason picked it up after work...but we noticed that the diamond is set askew! It actually looks more like the whole setting (prongs and diamond) are askew. So...he's taking back after work tomorrow! :( I get to wear and admire it tonight, but have to give it back in the morning! Hopefully it won't take too long to fix! It looks beautiful other than that! I will post pics as soon as I get it back and it looks perfect!

back in the day

2008-04-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

After my disappointing weigh in last night...I thought that today I'd post something fun that has nothing to do with WW, weight loss or diets! Michelle did this awhile ago and I saved it for a day like today! Here goes...

The Number One Song on:

The day I was born:
March 20, 2980
Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd

The day I turned 5:
March 20, 1985
Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon

The day I turned 10:
March 20, 1990
Black Velvet - Alannah Myles

The day I turned 15:
March 20, 1995
Take a Bow - Madonna

The day I graduated high school:
Mid June 1998
The Boy is Mine - Brandy & Monica

The day I turned 21:
March 20, 2001
Butterfly - Crazytown

The day I met my fiance:
early August 2001 (I think)
Bootylicious - Destiny's Child

The day we had our first date:
October 20, 2001
I'm Real [Murder Remix] - Jennifer Lopez feat. JaRule

The day I graduated college:
mid June 2002
Foolish - Ashanti

The day I got engaged:
February 8, 2008
Low - Flo Rida feat. T-Pain

The day I turned 25:
March 20, 2005
Candy Shop - 50 Cent feat. Olivia

Consider yourself tagged if you have nothing better to blog about today!

a little nervous

2008-04-21T15:27:00.001-07:00

Tonight is my second WW meeting and I am a little nervous.

I've been good ALL week...staying within my allowed points each day and saving all of my "extra" points for Saturday night (pizza with Jason and my sister and her new boy!). I was really proud of myself! I've usually had a hard time staying on track on the weekends, but I was very conscious this past weekend.

I packed my lunch for work today (Smart Ones enchilada, 60 calorie pudding, carrots & low fat ranch) and was rather excited to eat it!

Then I got an IM from a coworker reminding me that we were going out to lunch today for Administrative Assistant's Day! How could I forget??? I look forward to it EVERY year!

I was as good as I could be. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with no mayo and a salad instead of fries...and I only drank water.

I don't know why I'm stressing over it...but going to meetings and having another person actually weighing you and seeing how much you weigh makes me feel more accountable, and I would HATE to have GAINED weight my first week!

Keep you fingers crossed for me!

**UPDATE**

Only down .8...oh well...I'm sure I'll do better next week. I know I was good all week, so I'm not to stressed about it!

love/hate...the LOVE edition!

2008-04-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

I'm, suprisingly, in a good mood for a Friday afternoon...so today's love/hate is going to be all LOVES!

love: that the weather forecast is calling for snow this weekend...at the END of April! :)

love: last night's episode of The Office...how freaking cute are Pam & Jim?

love: that I am getting my engagement ring reset...can't wait to get it back! (I miss it in the meantime though...and my hand feels naked without it!)

love: my new Bluetooth Speakerphone for my car that my mom got me for my birthday! It's so much better than those DORKY earpieces! (Oh...and speaking of dorky earpieces...last weekend I saw a young boy, probably about 11 or 12, WEARING BLUETOOTH EARPIECE! Are you KIDDING ME??? What is this world coming to? He was also drinking a latte!!! He was with his dad who was also wearing an earpiece and drinking a latte...I looked a Jason and he said "I know what you're going to say".)

love: Dove's new Go Fresh cucumber green tea body wash. It smells SO good and is super moisturizing!

love: Clean & Clear's new In Shower Facial. It has glycolic acid, which is a great exfoliant, and tiny exfoliating beads! It leaves your skin feeling cool and fresh!

love: that I 're-joined' Weight Watchers this past Monday with a friend who's getting married this August and I have been SO good all week! I'm actually looking forward to our meeting this Monday to see how much weight I've lost!

Happy weekend!

OMG!

2008-04-17T21:25:00.001-07:00

Did you watch The Office tonight?

I actually squealed a little bit!

SO SWEET! :)

comparing our options

2008-04-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's post, I thought a little more about my 'predicament' and realized that part of my uneasiness is coming from the fact that we've only visited a total of 4 venues. One was WAY out of our budget (how does a food of beverage minimum of $11,000 sound?), one was a public park that wouldn't be very 'private' and had very little parking and the other was a frontrunner until we found this place and would save on renting a tent.

One of the places I found at the Wedding Expo a few weeks ago is the Landmark Convention Center in downtown Tacoma. My sister has attended quite a few weddings there and said it is nice. I was mostly interested in the Garden Ballroom with the Rooftop Garden Deck. Having the reception here would definitely change the dynamic of the party...it's much more formal than an outdoor area...but formal is not necessarily a deal breaker. We didn't really consider visiting because we weren't sure we wanted to be confined to one room as opposed to a big open outdoor area.

Well, I got a letter in the mail the other day that was congratulating me for winning the drawing for a free room rental. This would save us a considerable amount of money and allow us to put it toward other things...such as my s'mores burners or possibly a photobooth!

We're going to try to take a look at it in person this Sunday. I hope all goes well!

bridezilla makes an appearance

2008-04-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

Since I've been planning my wedding in my head for the past, oh...forever, I always thought that I would have a clear idea of what I wanted.

Lately, though, I feel like I've been second guessing myself on everything! It's a little unnerving and starting to stress me out!

We toured a beautiful venue on Sunday and fell in love with it. It's a beautiful restored mansion that's over 100 years old. They have a 'pavilion' which consists of a stationary tent...but not just one of those white tents with metal poles...this one has a gorgeous fabric liner that's gathered at the top with beautiful chandeliers hanging throughout. It's quite elegant for a tent. The ceremony would be outside at their, soon to be built, pergola. They even have a putt putt golf course that our guests could play on during the reception if they don't feel like dancing. I can even imagine having wedding party photos of all of us playing putt putt!

The pricing is in line with other outdoor venues we've looked at and, if anything, is slightly less expensive because we won't have to rent a tent and all linens, tableware, silverware, etc. are included. Plus, we get the bridal suite (which is the whole 3rd floor of the house) over night! This obviously saves on the cost of a hotel room that night.

After we left I called my mom and told her that we found our venue...that this was it.

But now I'm having second thoughts...

One of my main concerns is that the reception has to end at 10pm, which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but in August, the sun won't even set until 9pm or later, and I've always imagined my reception at night with candlelight and maybe even tiki torches. I asked about paying extra to keep the party going longer and was told they do not allow it because of a noise ordinance.

They also do not allow us to bring in our own alcohol, so we have to purchase everything through them. $4.50 per bottle of beer isn't completely out of line, but $23 per bottle of wine? That's a little pricey! We asked if we could choose another type of wine (we are ALL about saving money and going with Charles Shaw!) and we were told that we would have to pay 3 times the amount of the wine plus $1. So that makes our beloved Two Buck Chuck $10 a bottle (but still half the cost of their house wine). And when I asked about a signature cocktail I was told that we could do it, but when I emailed yesterday to get pricing, I was told that they do not have hard alcohol and that we could do a belini (champagne & peach nectar)...neither of us like champage, so that doesn't really work. I guess we could just skip the signature cocktail, as most of the other venues I had been looking at didn't allow hard alcohol either...so even though I'd had my heart set on one, I had already come to terms with the fact that it might not happen.

Maybe I'm just being fickle...but I don't like this feeling of indecisiveness!

Am I being ridiculous? Or is this what happens when you're planning the most important day of your life?

*UPDATE*

Thanks to k who sent me this link, I was able to calculate that the sun would set at approximately 8:33pm on our wedding date! I'm feeling a little better now!

802 minutes of pure wedding bliss

2008-04-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

A girl that Jason works with gave him this today...

...for us to KEEP!

You know what I'll be doing all weekend!

wedding overload

2008-04-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my mom, two sisters and I went to our first wedding expo.

What an experience!

The good thing was that I found at least 3 venues that I hadn't heard of! Which is great because we still haven't chosen a venue.

All in all though, the expo was a little cheesy. It wasn't the big Seattle one, so there were less than 100 vendors and some of them shouldn't have even been allowed to set up. I'm not planning on purchasing my wedding venue, so I don't need a mortgage company. And online invitations are not really my cup of tea.

I did finally finish my inspiration board for the wedding. Our color palette is going to be varying shades of pink (pastel to hot), green (not sure of the exact shade yet) and chocolate brown.

So here it is...

picture credits:

row 1 - picture 1, picture 2, picture 3, picture 4

row 2 - picture 1, picture 2, picture 3, picture 4

row 3 - picture 1, picture 2, picture 3, picture 4

row 4 - picture 1, picture 2, picture 3, picture 4

a little wedding chit chat

2008-04-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

I'm finally starting to feel better and kick this dang cold that I've had for over 2 weeks now! Finally! This sickness has been the reason for my lack of posting...that and I just haven't had much to blog about.

While wedding planning is going fine, we're still in the very beginning 'idea gathering' stage and have made no major decisions yet. I am going to try using the new mosaic maker and put together an inspiration board one of these days...I just need to find a few more photos.

I will give you one little tidbit...

We're thinking of having a s'mores bar (kind of along the lines of a candy bar). One of the venues we're considering has a firepit that they have a bonfire in. I thought that s'mores would be just perfect! If we don't have it there, I'd like to try and find little mini burners that we can put on each (or every other) table for people to roast their marshmallows at their table, similar to this.

What do you think?

it's...enchanting!

2008-03-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

If you grew up watching and Disney movies (especially ones involving princesses) then I recommend that you RUN (don't walk) to your local video store to rent Enchanted.

I haven't watched a movie in a long time that brought me back to my childhood. I felt like a little girl who wanted to be a princess again! When I was younger, I looked forward to every summer when Disney would release it's new movie. Then as I got older they started making the Pixar type movies that didn't have the same feeling as the older movies and they never had the musical aspect to them. I always LOVED the songs! Well, Enchanted delivers! And the best part is that it's live action. Do you remember in Cinderella when the animals help her get ready and the birds tie the bow on her back? In Enchanted this happens too...but not animated! It's just so cute!

I don't buy a lot of DVD's, but I am definitely buying this one.

Let me know if you've seen it, or what you think after you watch it!

i feel like [enter your favorite synonym for crap here]

2008-03-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

Ah...the joys of being sick.

I love not being able to breath easily. I also love feeling like I'm choking while I'm trying to sleep.

I feel so productive when I am forced to lay on the couch all day wrapped in a blanket clutching a box of kleenex while watching reruns of Law & Order.

What's even better is being sick for your birthday...and the day after...and the following weekend.

Ok...sorry to sound so bitter. I've been sick for a week. I left work sick on Wednesday and am home sick today. I took my birthday (Thursday) and Friday off as vacation days...and was sick for both days. I did venture out on Friday for a my birthday facial (a tradition that started last year) and the steam seemed to help...until Friday night. And during Easter mass yesterday I think people were afraid to shake my hand and wish me peace after I had been sneezing and coughing!

Oh well...I've been catching up on my blog reading and got to watch last night's episode of Rock of Love 2. Woot!

Oh yeah...Happy Belated Easter!

i wish

2008-03-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

Today I am 28! Yikes!

For some reason 28 doesn't seem as scary as 27 was. 29, however, will be another story. In honor of my birthday I thought I would make a list of wishes for my 28th year!

1. I wish to be healthy (can I please get rid of this crappy cold that has set it on my special day?)

2. I wish to be less stressed (oh wedding planning, please let me enjoy you and not stress over you!)

3. I wish to enjoy the company of my friends & family more.

4. I wish to get in shape, and for the motivation to do so.

5. I wish for Michael Kors Island Fiji perfume (hey...I can wish for material things too!)

6. I wish for new speakers for my car (goodbye rattling music!)

7. I wish for you to comment!

planning, planning, planning...

2008-03-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'll admit it...planning our wedding has become pretty much all I can think about these days...which is, unfortunately, a reason I haven't been blogging as much. I'm still reading blogs, and have added 4 new wedding blogs to my google reader, I'm just not actually posting. I will try to do better and start posting stuff about the planning process...promise!

This past weekend I took a break from wedding planning and took on birthday cocktail party planning! You may remember that my birthday is just around the corner (March 20 to be exact), and my sister's birthday is on the 9th. Well, long before I got engaged, we decided to throw ourselves a joint birthday party this year. It was last Saturday at our Mom's house (her house is SO great for entertaining, whereas our condo...not so much).

We decided to have a cocktail party, and my sister found these SUPER cute napkins that were light blue with a pink martini and green, brown and pink polka dots. I decided to run with the colors and really coordinate everything...I figured it was good practice for the wedding...right?

We bought a few bags of valentine's day M&M's and picked out all of the reds, which left varying shades of pink and white. Then I found Shrek M&M's and picked out the green and brown ones to add to our pink/white combo...SO CUTE! Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of this...oops!

Instead of cake we opted for cupcakes. So, the weekend before the party, my mom and I were up until 11pm Friday night baking 4 dozen regular size cupcakes and another 4 dozen mini cupcakes...both chocolate and white. We froze them and I decorated them the night before the party.

Here is a picture of my work of art!

And a close up...(notice the color coordination!)

I hand decorated each and every cupcake with homemade cream cheese frosting (the chocolate was store bought). My mom has a cake decorating kit and for most of the cupcakes I used a star tip to make little stars all over the top, right next to each other. I think Martha would be proud!

This was not where the party planning ended...we asked everyone to BYO(favorite)B. Knowing full well that people would bring alcohol, I just couldn't not make a punch of some sort...which then led to making jello shooters as well. Between the punch and jello we went through 4 bottles of vodka! Not to mention all the beer, wine and other bottles of stuff people brought over.

(You can see the napkins & plates on the far left and that cute frame has a pic of us when we were little!)

We also had a full spread of appetizers including: BBQ wings, gyoza, spring rolls, spinach dip, veggies and ranch, hummus and pita chips, homemade salsa and tortilla chips...and something else too, I just can't remember.

Anyway, the party was a HUGE success and I finally breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday morning! Now it's back to WEDDING PLANNING!

The birthday girls!

tag...you're it!

2008-02-28T22:06:00.000-08:00

Ellen tagged me with this SUPER sweet "You Make My Day" award!

It TOTALLY made my day! :)

The rules are that I'm supposed to tag 10 of my favorite blogs...unfortunately I can't 're-tag' Ellen, but she rocks and definitely 'Makes My Day'!

So, here's my 10 (in no particular order):

1. Janet - this is the first blog I started reading regularly and is the reason why I started blogging!

2. Michelle - she is just SO sweet and we have a lot in common...it's nice to know I'm not the only one going through some of the craziness that is life!

3. Sarah - her blog just makes me laugh!

4. Emily - makes me smile!

5. Jenn - she writes really well and her posts make me think! Plus...we're related!

6. Kate - just found her recently, but she's planning a wedding too...and her 2 favorite color schemes are pink & green and pink & brown...same as me!!!

7. K - she's a local and it's cool to read about someone else's life in Seattle.

8. Brandy - sometimes she makes me laugh, sometimes she makes me cry.

9. Katelin - she's just so dang happy!

10. Perez - I know he'll never even know that I tagged him...but I am completely ADDICTED to his blog! :)

help?

2008-02-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

I know there are a few fellow Seattle-ites who read this little blog. Some, like k even comment. Others only show up in my sitemeter stats.

Well, the time has come to delurk yourselves! I need some help. We're trying to find wedding/reception venues in the area that have a large enough outdoor area that we could have the reception outside if the weather permits.

I've been scouring the internet but keep stumbling across the same places...I just know there are more places.

We're not set on a particular location, but don't really want to go much further south than Tacoma (Olympia may be an option if we find something amazing) and not much further north of Camano Island/Stanwood area.

So...please leave comments with links (if possible) or at least the name and area of the venue.

Thanks!!!

love/hate (2 week engagedversary edition)

2008-02-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

So, because I'm head over heels in love at the moment, I thought I'd start with the loves and leave the hates for last (because there aren't too many)!

Love: that I just used the worked engagedversary :)

Love: being engaged...still!

Love: that we are going to check out our first venue this weekend!

Love: that I'm planning a wedding to my best friend!

Love: that I can finally buy bridal magazines...I never did before because I had this horrible feeling that it would jinx my chances of getting engaged...weird I know.

Love: that I'm spending the weekend with my fiance.

Love: that we're thinking of next summer, so it gives us LOTS of time to plan & save!

Love: this website that I stumbled across over at Kate's.

Hate: that the whole wedding planning process is slightly overwhelming...I mean, there are just SO many things to think about...we're trying to just focus on location & date at the moment.

Hate: that weddings are dang expensive!

i love...

2008-02-13T22:05:00.000-08:00

Brandy just posted a great list of things that make her happy. In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm going to post a list of things that I love...and I'll only list 'being engaged' once!

...my cats (even when they're being crazy)

...grilled cheese sandwiches made with white bread & american cheese

...chocolate milk (preferably Nestle Qwik in the bottle)

...chapstick

...Guitar Hero

...rainy days

...watching QVC when they're selling bareMinerals

...Michael Buble

...the color pink

...vodka tonics with extra lime

...red wine

...my family

...flip flops

...Target

...blog comments (hint, hint)

...french pedicures

...my friends (in real life & online)

...iced americanos with 2 raw sugars & light cream

...the fall

...camping

...birthdays

...being engaged

...being in love

...my fiance :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

my boyfriend fiance

2008-02-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

Today I referred to Jason as my boyfriend.

It's going to be very difficult to get into the habit of calling him my fiance...

There's something about the title of fiance that just sounds so fancy. I don't know what it is...maybe because it sounds (or is?) French.

It's just weird to not call him boyfriend...that's what he's been for so long. It's going to be even WEIRDER to call him my husband!!!

But, I have a whole year and 5 months (or so) before I have to worry about that. I'm just going to enjoy the fact that I now have a fiance!

wedding fever...

2008-02-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

I've got a serious case of wedding fever...and we've been engaged for less than 72 hours!

I have already registered for theknot.com, mywedding.com, various stationery companies (so I could play around with making invitations :) ), and I even signed us up for a joint email address...something along the lines of jasonandjenni@i'mobsessedwithgettingmarried.com.

The problem is that I've been planning this dang wedding in my head for, oh, about 5 years! So, I feel like I've already got a pretty clear picture of what I want...now it's just a matter of finding it and putting it all together.

It doesn't help that Jason is out of town and I don't have him to talk to and bounce ideas off of. I'm having dinner with my mom & sisters tonight, so I'm really excited to talk to them about ideas. We're also going to the jewelry store where Jason bought the ring to look at bands for my diamond...he just got a simple one for the time being.

I . Can't . WAIT !

a night to remember...

2008-02-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

So dinner last night was great. We went to Anthony's and when we were seated there was a beautiful pink rose already on the table. Jason ordered an appetizer and a bottle of wine.

This is the bottle of wine that the waitress presented to us...

The he gave me this...

I have never been speechless before...but I honestly was SO surprised. I started crying and laughing all at once. I had every emotion running through me at one moment...it was crazy. I kept asking if he was serious!

It was the best proposal I could have asked for!

OMG!!! WE'RE ENGAGED!!!

love/hate

2008-02-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

Love: that Jason is taking me out to dinner tonight for Valentine's Day.
Hate: that he won't be here next Thursday to celebrate the real day...

Love: the SUPER cute slideshow that I made for Jason with iDVD on my new Macbook!
Hate: that I can't figure out how to work my scanner...so I was only able to include pics that are already on my computer.

Love: that it's Friday, of course, and that I have a girl's night planned for tomorrow!
Hate: that it's not even 1pm...4 1/2 hours left...

Love: that I have lots of plans this coming week with friends...because I'm staying at Jason's for the week and it's a LOT closer to most of my friends than my place is.
Hate: that the only reason I'm staying for the week is because Jason's going out of town and I'm cat sitting (not that I hate cat sitting...) :(

Love: that the new season of LOST has finally started!
Hate: that I'm still not caught up on last season! I pretty much missed the second half of the season...when they moved it to 10pm...I have to get up early!

Love: that I haven't pressed snooze ONCE this week! WOOT!
Hate: that I haven't pressed snooze once this week...I do NOT feel refreshed, as I was told I would.

Happy weekend!

pick a team!

2008-02-05T12:05:00.000-08:00

I am by no means a 'football fan', but when Superbowl comes around, I have to admit that I get a little excited. I just think it's a great excuse to get together with friends, eat a bunch of crap (guilt-free) and watch some football. I mean, I don't even really understand what I'm watching!

I don't usually even care who wins (except for 2 years ago when the Seahawks made it). This year, however, was different.

Jason's best friend is HUGE Giants fan...and since he had invited over for the game (and gave us Giants jerseys to wear) we decided to root for them. I gotta say, rooting for a team and having them win is a great feeling!

It got me thinking about how I am completey undecided on the current presidential race. I don't consider myself a Republican or Democrat...I agree with some conservative views and some liberal views. I definitely think the upcoming change in the White House will be a good thing, I'm just not sure who the best candidate is to create that change.

I LOVE presidential election season...ever since I was in college and was taking a political communication class during the Bush/Gore election. Even then I was really wishy washy up until the end, but for some reason, this year it's really bothering me!

I think the fact that we have a woman and a African-American man running for president is so groundbreaking...and I really wish that I could get behind one of them now and root for them until the end, but I'm just not sure yet.

I have quite a few friends who have already chosen Obama and are 100% decided on him and I envy them. I know, I'm weird.

I just want to put on one of the candidates jerseys and root for them until election day!

i heart snoozing...

2008-01-29T21:16:00.000-08:00

I love sleeping.

I hate waking up.

The SNOOZE button is one of the best inventions ever (hey, that should have been my perfect invention). Without it I would probably go insane.

So...I've decided to give up snoozing for lent this year. I know...crazy!

I'm not sure what else to give up...I don't drink soda, I don't eat junk food, I don't smoke and I gave up coffee for lent 2 years ago and swore I would never do that again. I would kill someone if I gave up chocolate...and I've tried 'giving up' NOT going to the gym and no, it doesn't work.

After a random conversation with a coworker this evening, I've decided to give up snoozing for 40 mornings. I currently use my cell phone as my alarm clock...and I set 3 separate alarms (instead of snoozing, because pushing snooze on my phone involves opening my eyes) for 5:50am, 6:00am & 6:10am.

Well, starting next Wednesday, I will set my alarm for 6:10am and just get up! You're supposed to feel more refreshed without snoozing...we'll see.

What are you giving up for lent?

a perfect life...

2008-01-25T12:39:00.000-08:00

The perfect outfit: has to be comfortable...plain t-shirt, slim fit hoodie, dark jeans with a slight flare, tennis shoes (not like gym shoes, but the ones that have a thin sole and look kinda retro...often made by Diesel)

The perfect meal: pasta with my own homemade meat sauce, lots of (canned) parmesan cheese & red pepper flakes, a loaf of fresh french bread & a bottle of red wine. YUM!

The perfect hangover cure: fast food...McDonald's preferrably...and a regular Mr. Pibb...no diet allowed when nursing a hangover!

The perfect road trip: Seattle to SoCal...along the coast...beautiful!

The perfect facial feature: a nice smile

The perfect drink: a calorie free pina colada...hey, a girl can dream right?

The perfect song: Jack Johnson - "Better Together"

The perfect sign of affection: holding hands

The perfect afternoon: not having anything important to do and hanging out...whether it be at the beach, in the city, at a park...just being able to spend time not thinking about work, responsibilities, life, etc...with the one you love of course!

The perfect vacation: somewhere tropical where you can just lay on the beach all day.

The perfect invention: cell phones

The perfect type of wedding: one with all of the people closest to you in attendance...that shows your personal style and is FUN!

The perfect album: John Mayer - "Room For Squares"...I gotta agree with you on this one Michelle!

The perfect accent: British...it just sounds so sophisticated!

The perfect date: a beach picnic, watching the sunset, sipping on a glass of wine.

The perfect weather: a cozy thunderstorm.

The perfect party: one that all of your friends from different "friend groups" attend.

The perfect sport: Wii bowling!

The perfect thing to say: "I love you."

The perfect day of the week: Saturday...or any other day that doesn't require working!

Thanks for the post idea Michelle!

moment of truth or stupidity?

2008-01-23T21:48:00.000-08:00

I am currently watching the new FOX show called "Moment of Truth".

And all I can say is OMG!

What inclines people to want to participate in this show? I honestly don't get it.

The premise of the show, if you haven't seen the previews leading up to this show or didn't watch it tonight, is that the contestant is asked VERY personal questions in front of their friends and family. After answering 5 questions (TRUTHFULLY) they get $10,000. If they want to keep going they have to answer 5 more questions (again TRUTHFULLY) to get to the next $ amount. If they answer just 1 question untruthfully, they lose everything.

Now, you're probably asking "What's so hard about answering questions truthfully?".

Well, when the questions include the following, I'll let you decide...

1. Do you think that you have delayed having children because you don't think that your wife is really your partner for life?

2. Do you really care about the starving children in Africa?

3. Do fat people really disgust you?

4. Are you in love with your girlfriend?

These people CAN NOT lie! If they do they will get the question wrong, but if they answer truthfully, and the answer is a horrible one, then they look absolutely awful...in front of America AND the people who are closest to them!

I would NEVER in a million years have any desire to be on this show.

Would you?

love/hate (past month update edition)

2008-01-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

Love: my new Macbook. I bought it for myself after Christmas and I love it more every time I use it!

Hate: that I've been completely neglecting my blog. I'm sorry!

Love: that things are going really well with Jason. We've been spending a lot of time together working through things. And, we have a date on Saturday night!

Love: the diamond earrings that Jason gave me for Christmas! They're beautiful!

Hate: that I was sick for the majority of my vacation. I took a total of 5 days of vacation and when combined with holidays and weekends, I ended up having 12 days off. Well, I was sick for 4 of the 5 vacation days! Ugh!

Love: that I got to see 2 of my best friends over Christmas who live in San Diego. I hadn't seen once since August and other since October...of 2006!

Hate: that the holiday season is over.

Love: the movie Superbad. I watched it 3 times during the holiday. And yes, I laughed harder each time!

Hate: that Jason will be out of town with his family over Valentine's Day...even though I know we'll just celebrate before he leaves.

Love: Wii bowling!

Love: vanilla vodka and pineapple juice. It tastes like a pina colada! Yum!

Hate: that my little sister just turned 14! Why do I hate that you ask? Well, I was 14 when she was born...and now that she's 14 I feel SUPER old!

Love: the new season of Biggest Loser.

Love: that the new season of LOST starts in less than 2 weeks!!! CAN'T WAIT!

Hate: that I haven't been keeping up on reading my favorite blogs...I'm actually nervous to check my Google Reader...it's probably going to take me all weekend to catch up!

Love: that I finally updated my blog!!!

martha would NOT be proud!

2007-12-20T07:55:00.000-08:00

Today is our annual holiday cookie exchange at work, so last night I attempted to make these, because Sarah's post convinced me that they would be the perfect cookie exchange recipe!

They sound easy enough right?

WRONG!

First of all, let me start off by telling you that I had to be at work early this morning, so I stayed up at Jason's last night. His place is about 1/2 the distance to work as my place is...so when I have to go in early, I usually just stay with him.

Unfortunately, being a boy who lives on his own, he does not have a mixer, food processor, or other baking necessities. So I, being the smart cookie that I am, grabbed my mixer on my way out the door yesterday morning and figured that his blender would make a great substitute for a food processor.

Um, not so much.

The first round of 'ground' cookies comes out fine and I pour them into a bowl, add the cream cheese and get out my mixer, that I was so proud of myself for remembering.

But oh no!!! Where are the beaters???

Oh, that's right, I don't keep them in the box with the mixer. I keep them in the drawer with the silverware...at my house...60 miles AWAY!!!

Well, maybe I can make do with the whisk that comes with the mixer, because it just so happens to be in the box.

Now, as I'm 'whisking' my cookie crumbs & cream cheese, Jason is blending the second round of cookies. As he is blending the cookies, it starts to smell hot, but you know how blenders are. Well, he takes the lid off and low and behold the cookies have actually gotten burnt!

So we put everything away and head to Fred Meyer (kind of like a Target, but with a grocery section too) and buy ANOTHER package of oreos, a small food processor and a new mixer (with beaters). Both small appliances were only $7.99 each, so I'm not too upset about rebuying things that I already have.

Back home to finish up the first part of the cookies. Jason grinds up the rest of the cookies while I use the new mixer to 'remix' my cream cheese & cookie mixture. We gradually add more cookies, as the recipe calls for, and I keep mixing away...

Until the mixer stops.

(and no, I didn't turn it off or unplug it.)

Oh...and now the new mixer is smoking!

Are you freakin' kidding me?!?!

I actually burned out the new mixer. I guess that's what $7.99 buys you. I should've known better. Luckily the mixture was pretty much done at that point and so I just hand mixed it a little bit more and was able to combine it all.

I think that they turned out pretty good...I haven't tasted one yet, because a Cookies & Cream truffle just didn't sound very appetizing for breakfast today, but I, along with the rest of my office will be enjoying them later today.

Well, they better enjoy them...at least they're not getting burnt Oreo crumbs!

love/hate

2007-12-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

Love: that Jason and I have been spending lots of quality time together! *sigh*

Hate: that I only got 5 hours of sleep last night *yawn*

Love: that my sister and I are cutting down a Christmas tree tomorrow...don't worry, pics will be posted!

Hate: that I STILL haven't completely unpacked!

Love: that Christmas is just around the corner! It is definitely my favorite holiday!

Hate: that Christmas is just around the corner! I haven't done ANY shopping yet!

Love: that I get to see my best friends in a less than a week! Woot!

Hate: that we've gotten a few snow flurries...but nothing monumental yet!

Love: that I am officially on vacation in one week!!!

fa la la la la...

2007-12-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

I found this over at More, More, More. And since I'm ALL about all things Christmas...here goes!

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
Depends...I would take hot cocoa over regular egg nog, but I would take and egg nog latte over hot cocoa!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa never wrapped our presents, nor were his gifts ever under the tree. On Christmas morning our stockings are down (from the mantle) on the floor (or on the couch) filled with goodies...and sometimes there are presents surrounding the stocking...but always in separate piles for each person. Our stockings have always been the only presents we could open until our parents get up...even to this day!!!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White on trees. Houses can be colored...but only if there are different colors for different bushes, windows, etc. I hate the multicolored light strands. I also HATE it when people combine strands that blink and or pulsate. First of all...DON'T DECORATE YOUR HOUSE WITH FLASHING LIGHTS! Second...if you MUST do so, make sure that ALL of your lights are flashing in synchronization! Having half of a window flash and the other half steady looks RIDICULOUS!

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No

5. When do you put your decorations up?
I used to always put them up the weekend of Thanksgiving...but this year I've been busy (& lazy) and still haven't gotten around to it.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Hmmm...probably our family Holiday Bread. It's an Italian recipe that my grandma used to make and now my mom makes it. It's basically just white bread filled with meat (Italian Sausage, bacon, ham, salami) and cheese (provolone, mozzarella, parmesan). It is to die for!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
Whenever my mom would get our ornaments out, my sister and I would set them all up and play school with them...well the ones that were animals & people...not the balls!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I think I just asked my mom one day. I don't remember how old I was...maybe 8? I wish so badly though that I still believed. Christmas is so much more magical if you believe...

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Nope.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
White lights and sentimental ornaments. Every year we get an ornament from our mom. It's usually something that has to do with a hobby we have, or our personality, etc. For example, I have a TON of unicorns from when I was like 6-11, and I have one that has 2 squirrels talking on the phone (from when I was in high school). Now I get a lot of snowflakes because I LOVE the snow. Jason and I started this tradition between the two of us a few years ago. The year before last he gave me a pink purse ornament!

11. Snow: love it or hate it?
LOVE IT! Especially if it's enough to stay home from work!

12. Can you ice skate?
Nope!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Hmmm...that's a hard one. Last year Jason gave me a North Face fleece, which I LOVE. When I was a kid I think my favorite was probably a phone jack in my room and an old fashioned phone!

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Spending time with friends & family.

15.What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Anything chocolate!

16. What tops your tree?
An angel.

17. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Well...who doesn't love getting presents. I have to say though that as I'm getting older, I absolutley LOVE it when I find something that someone will really love. I can never wait to give it to them so that I can see the look on their face!

18. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Let it Snow! and Sleigh Ride. I also love the Charlie Brown Christmas album.

19. What is your favorite Christmas movie?
Home Alone...my sister and I watch it EVERY Thanksgiving night!

20. What would be the best gift you could receive this year?
Happiness...and less stress!

the -tini...

2007-12-07T09:55:00.001-08:00

As requested, here is the recipe for the -tini. Yummy!

2 oz vodka
1/2 oz triple sec
1 oz white cranberry juice

Shake with ice.
Pour into a martini glass.
Garnish with cranberries.

Enjoy!

P.S. These go down easy, so keep count of how many you drink!

'tis the season...

2007-12-06T16:06:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday night was my company holiday party. Last year it was held a the W Hotel in Seattle and this year it was at the Sorrento Hotel. It was SO beautiful. I was, once again, the party planner and the theme was cranberries. We had this huge glass bowls in the middle of the tables filled with water, cranberries and floating candles. At each place setting we had a stemless martini glass filled with cranberries in which we propped the name cards. We also had a signature cocktail called the "[company name]tini". It was basically a white cosmopolitan garnished with cranberries. SO yummy!

My sister Alicia was my date this year! We had a blast...but drank WAY too many "-tinis". After the part was over, around midnight, a group of us went out with the big boss where we continued to drink Grey Goose and tonics the rest of the night.

The party wasn't the only exciting part of th weekend. It started to snow Saturday afternoon and continued to snow until around 10pm. It was so pretty...and a perfect way to start the Holiday Season.

tag...I'm it!

2007-12-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Michelle tagged me, which I actually really appreciate, because I didn't have much to blog about today. I mean, I did have my company holiday party this past weekend, but I still need to upload my pics, and then I'll post about it.

Anyway, on with the TAG!

Rules:
1. Put your iPod on shuffle.
2. For each question push the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song down...no matter what!

After you've answered all of the questions, tag 5 other people and then let them know they've been tagged.

If someone says "Is this OK" you say?
Got to Give it Up - Marvin Gaye
(Um...ok)

What would best describe your personality?
Gold to Me - Ben Harper
(Well...I am pretty great!)

What do you like in a guy/girl?
Not Even the Trees - Hootie & the Blowfish
(So I have some random songs on my iPod...)

How do you feel today?
Swing - Trace Adkins
(Hmmm...again not sure about this one)

What is your life's purpose?
That's Why I'm Here - Kenny Chesney
(Yeah...not an alcoholic...but this song does have a great message)

What is your motto?
Out of My Hands - Dave Matthews Band
(C'est la vie - whatever will be)

What do your friends think of you?
Flathead - The Fratellis
(???)

What do you think of your parents?
Spider Fingers - Bruce Hornsby
(I did used to play the piano...)

What do you think about very often?
Date Rape - Sublime
(Not so much!)

What is 2+2?
Don't Waste Your Heart - Dixie Chicks
(Not even sure what this question is supposed to mean...but I do love this song)

What do you think of your best friend?
Lee - Tenacious D
(If you've ever listened to this album you would know that these songs pretty much have no meaning whatsoever!)

What do you think of the person you like?
Better Together - Jack Johnson
(WTF???)

What is your life story?
I'm Not in the Mood (To Say No)! - Shania Twain
(I think this kinda fits me...although I'm not nearly as ambitious as this song is)

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Get Ur Freak On - Missy Elliot
(Freaky!)

What do you think when you see the person you like?
Drive My Car - Bobby McFerrin
(I seriously had NO IDEA this was even on my iPod!)

What do your parents think of you?
Wildfires - Josh Ritter
(I guess I'm unpredictable!)

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Hands All Over - Soundgarden
(Maybe later on the honeymoon!)

What will they play at your funeral?
Uncle Al - Kenny G
(Again...surprised that I even have this on my iPod)

What is your hobby/interest?
Greensleeves - Vince Guaraldi Trio
(I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this CD...it's one of my favorite Christmas albums...and I LOVE Christmas time/music!)

What is your biggest secret?
Waiting on the World to Change - John Mayer
(I love John Mayer...but I don't think that's a secret!)

What do you think of your friends?
Freedom - Kenny Chesney
(Hmm...)

What should you post this as?
Diablo Rojo - Rodrigo y Gabriela
(Red devil?...great song!)

So pretty much all of these are totally random...EXCEPT the Jack Johnson song! Are you kidding me? Another random coincidence???

I'm not going to tag anyone...I think a ton of people have already done this...so if you want to - feel free, if not, no worries!

another sign?

2007-11-27T12:38:00.000-08:00

So...I spent this most of this past weekend with Jason.

It was so great. It just feels right when we're together...and it's apparently visible to others.

We drove out to the coast on Saturday afternoon and stopped at this little surf shop. The owner and Jason talked about surfing and boards, etc. Well, as we were getting ready to leave the guys asks us "Have you guys been together awhile?"

We both just kind of looked at each other not really knowing how to respond, and finally Jason says "Yeah, a little over 6 years."

The surf guy responds by saying "Well, you guys look really good together. Like you belong together. You seem like a really nice girl. I wish my son would find a girl like you."

I didn't really know what to say...my eyes actually started tearing up! I mean...this guy doesn't know us or our situation and his comment couldn't have come at a more opportune time! I just smiled and kind of looked at Jason like "WTF?"

The rest of the weekend was amazing too.

So what do you think? Was it a sign? Was the song at dinner a sign? Or am I just crazy?

a day of thanks...

2007-11-22T21:27:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful for:

-my family. I am so lucky to have them!
-my friends. They are amazing and supportive in anything that I do.
-my internet friends. You guys have been so great during the past few months.
-my new condo. I feel blessed that I have a roof over my head, and one that I own at that!
-my job. Even though I hate it at times...I'm glad that it's stable and I don't have to worry about whether it will be there tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

the last ingredient...

2007-11-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

We had dinner last week.

It was great.

Great to see him.
Great to be near him.
Great to feel comfortable.
Great to be together again.

While we were eating this song came on.

There's no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard
No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things
Like a, shoebox of photographs
Of sepiatone loving
Love is the answer,
At least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? And were do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing it's always better when we're together

Mmmm it's always better when we're together
Yeah, we'll look at the stars when we're together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

And all of these moments
Just might find their way into my dreams tonight
But I know that they'll be gone
When the morning light sings
And brings new things
For tomorrow night you see
That they'll be gone too
Too many things I have to do
But if all of these dreams might find their way
Into my day to day scene
I'd be under the impression
I was somwhere in between
With only two
Just me and you
Not so many things we got to do
Or place we got to be
We'll sit beneath the mango tree now

It's always better when we're together
Mmmm it's always better when we're together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

I believe in memories
They look so pretty, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when I wake up,
You look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time,
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no, combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing
We're better together...

I believe it was a sign...

Song by Jack Johnson

recipe for a nervous breakdown...

2007-11-16T12:44:00.001-08:00

1 part job that you're completely bored with and want to poke your eyes while sitting at your desk everyday!

1 part fabulous holiday party that you are planning for aforementioned job that includes coordination of venue, menu, decorations, entertainment, games, drinks, etc., etc.

1 part new condo that you just moved into and can not seem to get unpacked and organized.

2 parts cavities in your mouth (found by new dentist) that need to be filled even though you've been going to old dentist every six months for years!

1 part ex-boyfriend thinking he's made a mistake and wants you back...

Combine all ingredients with ice.

Shake well.

Pour into sugar rimmed martini glass.

Go crazy!

picture time!

2007-11-12T19:05:00.001-08:00

We still have boxes everywhere, so unfortunately I don't have any condo pics to post yet.

But, I do have pics from the party last weekend and girl's night out this past weekend.

Enjoy!

Holiday Party at the EMP

The EMP - beautiful

Stephanie & me

***

Girl's Night Out!

The girls out to dinner!

Kya & me - old college roomies!

Marisa & me

Thriller

a moment to breathe...

2007-11-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

The last 4 days have been so busy and tonight I am finally able to stop and breathe for a minute.

Friday night my sister and I met up at the condo and painted until midnight. The place looks great. I painted one wall in my room a really deep plum color and one wall in the living room a terra cotta color. My sister repainted her whole room and we painted various other walls in the living room a mocha color. I promise I will post pics once we get all of the boxes unpacked.

Saturday afternoon my little brother had his championship football game. And they won...by one point!!! Once the game was over I headed up to Seattle to meet a friend for her holiday party (a month early). It was being held at the EMP (Experience Music Project) in downtown Seattle. We rented a hotel room for the night so we didn't have to worry about driving.

It was a blast! I wore this really great green, black & brown dress that I got at TJ Maxx for $20 and really cute black peep toe pumps! I will also post those pics as soon as I get a chance!

Sunday my mom and I came back over the condo and shampooed all of the carpets...yuck! And did some touch up painting.

Finally Monday came around and the actual move in began. I gotta say...I ABSOLUTELY HATE moving!!! Our couch didn't fit dow the hallway to the living room so we had to HOIST it up over the balcony railing! Last night was our first night staying in the new place...it was kinda weird, but still exciting.

Today I moved the rest of my stuff over from my mom's house. But, I still have my WHOLE storage unit packed full! I have NO IDEA where I'm going to put everything! I think I'm going to have to purge a ton of stuff...maybe have a garage sale!

So there's the update...I'm moved in, but not completely. And I . am . tired!

Bedtime!

new homeowners!!!

2007-11-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

it's official!!!

2007-11-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

I am officially a homeowner!

We closed on the condo yesterday afternoon! Woo hoo!

Tonight we're going to go inspect everything and just remind ourselves how AMAZING it is! Not that I need much reminding...I've only looked the pictures twelve thousand times!

I'll post some more pics as soon as we get in!