...I've been having some strange dreams about the wedding day. Here is a recap of the latest, which still cracks me up:
My sister Jenny is spending all of the wedding day morning in her old bedroom at Mom and Dad's house trying to decide what to wear until she decides to wear a peach/turquoise skirt suit from like 8th grade graduation or something. She's walking down the stairs and I remind her that she is a bridesmaid and has to wear her black dress. So, she goes to change into her bridesmaid dress, which ends up being black all right, but it is a mock turtleneck crocheted dress, haha! Cut to us at the rehearsal dinner instead and Jenny deciding to wear the shortest, tightest brown dress ever...
I must have some anxiety about her wardrobe choices, which is hilarious because I am definitely the sister that takes fashion chances, not Jenny!
And the latest dream? I had a dream that I lost all of my bottom teeth right before the wedding and didn't have a chance to get them fixed in time for my wedding day! :(
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A lull in the planning...
...We are currently experiencing a bit of a lull in the wedding plans. The big things have been done for a couple of months now and we have some details to work out, but I think the bulk of the planning is behind us. Now we get to sit back and watch the RSVP's role in!
We are still undecided as to the exact honeymoon details, but it looks like we will be spending part in the Caribbean and part in Lancaster, PA (that's the practical side coming out...we need to work on Jason's house a bit and while we have the time off, we might as well, right?)
Today we are 46 days away from our wedding day...and 2 days away from our 1 year anniversary! What a year it has been!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
About a year ago ...
I've referenced how Abby and I started exchanging communication via e-mail in previous posts, but as we were talking today, I went back through my e-mail and realized a few things.
I'm writing this after midnight as we just left the Ides of March -- for you Shakespeare peoples, that's the Et tu Brute dealio. Anyway, we're now nine days away from the one year anniversary of our first date. I'm doing the same thing right now that I was a year ago at this time, looking at things on the computer prepping for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This is the REAL March Madness.
So around mid-March was when my eHarmony account was closed. Abby and I had exchanged e-mails before it ended so we could continue talking outside of the eH framework.
The first e-mail she ever sent me was with the subject "Azerbaijan" ... which as you should know by now, is the dirtiest place I've ever been. The last exchange on eH had to do with the most random place we'd been. Of course, you know by reading past blogs, she said "Ohio."
She closed her e-mail with Abby (from eHarmony in case you need some context for this email)!
Punctuation outside of the parenthetical statement aside, I didn't know what I was getting into. We traded a few more e-mails before I got busy with the big show, the finale of the college wrestling season. This is a big deal.
I didn't give it too much thought before I got on with the tournament, then as I was driving back, checked my e-mail from my then-crappy phone and noticed she'd sent me her number. The first call was on March 22, then on March 23 when I was back in Minnesota. First Date: March 25.
A lot has happened in a year, but here's the funny thing. She'd talked about South Africa and had the trip planned. After two dates, my trip to Virginia and then a proposal for her to "be my girlfriend," she sent me an e-mail about going to South Africa ... this was on April 7. Seriously. This was about two and a half weeks after we'd met.
I think it was safe to say we "knew" then.
But I find it somewhat fitting, that a year ago, I was in my element with this wrestling thing, and now today, I'm in my element with this wrestling thing, but planning a wedding in the process.
Well, she's doing the lion's share of the planning. I just stand back, smile and nod.
What DIDN'T happen last year was any trip to Bed Bath & Beyond. Can't say the same for Monday night. I went through BB&B and went ape using the scanner to complete the gift registry.
If you didn't know already, I'm the cook. I am the master of the kitchen and took care of the cookware, cutlery and all things cooking related. I almost added that stupid "Filet-O-Fish" singing fish to the registry just to annoy her. That could have been the deal breaker.
One year since our first real e-mail, not some eHarmony discussion. I wondered what "Abby Los" actually meant. Los was her last name, go figure.
Of course, during this time, she'd Facebook stalked me, read my wrestling blog (derived from my e-mail address) and learned a bit about me before we even had the 8-hour first date.
I think back to five years ago ... it was this weekend five years ago I was approached about taking a job with the National Wrestling Coaches Association. It was at this tournament, only it was in St. Louis and not Omaha. (By the way, don't stay at the Carol Hotel ... it's a dump).
Five years ago this weekend, my life was set toward a different path. About two weeks later, I went up to Lancaster, Pa., and interviewed for the job at the NWCA. At the end of the week, I'd accepted and planned to move. From there, wrestling took me away from my home in Virginia to a new land in Pennsylvania. Three years later, I was moving to Minnesota. Eight months later, I met Abby.
And the rest ... is the future.
I'm writing this after midnight as we just left the Ides of March -- for you Shakespeare peoples, that's the Et tu Brute dealio. Anyway, we're now nine days away from the one year anniversary of our first date. I'm doing the same thing right now that I was a year ago at this time, looking at things on the computer prepping for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This is the REAL March Madness.
So around mid-March was when my eHarmony account was closed. Abby and I had exchanged e-mails before it ended so we could continue talking outside of the eH framework.
The first e-mail she ever sent me was with the subject "Azerbaijan" ... which as you should know by now, is the dirtiest place I've ever been. The last exchange on eH had to do with the most random place we'd been. Of course, you know by reading past blogs, she said "Ohio."
She closed her e-mail with Abby (from eHarmony in case you need some context for this email)!
Punctuation outside of the parenthetical statement aside, I didn't know what I was getting into. We traded a few more e-mails before I got busy with the big show, the finale of the college wrestling season. This is a big deal.
I didn't give it too much thought before I got on with the tournament, then as I was driving back, checked my e-mail from my then-crappy phone and noticed she'd sent me her number. The first call was on March 22, then on March 23 when I was back in Minnesota. First Date: March 25.
A lot has happened in a year, but here's the funny thing. She'd talked about South Africa and had the trip planned. After two dates, my trip to Virginia and then a proposal for her to "be my girlfriend," she sent me an e-mail about going to South Africa ... this was on April 7. Seriously. This was about two and a half weeks after we'd met.
I think it was safe to say we "knew" then.
But I find it somewhat fitting, that a year ago, I was in my element with this wrestling thing, and now today, I'm in my element with this wrestling thing, but planning a wedding in the process.
Well, she's doing the lion's share of the planning. I just stand back, smile and nod.
What DIDN'T happen last year was any trip to Bed Bath & Beyond. Can't say the same for Monday night. I went through BB&B and went ape using the scanner to complete the gift registry.
If you didn't know already, I'm the cook. I am the master of the kitchen and took care of the cookware, cutlery and all things cooking related. I almost added that stupid "Filet-O-Fish" singing fish to the registry just to annoy her. That could have been the deal breaker.
One year since our first real e-mail, not some eHarmony discussion. I wondered what "Abby Los" actually meant. Los was her last name, go figure.
Of course, during this time, she'd Facebook stalked me, read my wrestling blog (derived from my e-mail address) and learned a bit about me before we even had the 8-hour first date.
I think back to five years ago ... it was this weekend five years ago I was approached about taking a job with the National Wrestling Coaches Association. It was at this tournament, only it was in St. Louis and not Omaha. (By the way, don't stay at the Carol Hotel ... it's a dump).
Five years ago this weekend, my life was set toward a different path. About two weeks later, I went up to Lancaster, Pa., and interviewed for the job at the NWCA. At the end of the week, I'd accepted and planned to move. From there, wrestling took me away from my home in Virginia to a new land in Pennsylvania. Three years later, I was moving to Minnesota. Eight months later, I met Abby.
And the rest ... is the future.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
License to Wed
Jason and I applied for a marriage license in the state of MN today! There have been several times throughout the planning process that make things seem very "real" and this was on of them. I had to be at a 9:00 client meeting and Jason was leaving for Omaha so we got an early start. In Ramsey county, you need to go to the MN Dept of Health building to apply for a marriage license, which is in downtown St. Paul. It opens at 8 am and we were definitely the first people in line...in fact, we got there before the window even opened.
When it did open, I greeted the worker with my perkiest, "Good Morning!" only to be greeted with complete silence while she got her work area situated - laying out the clipboards in a neat pile, arranging the pens, etc. Once she was set, she turned her attention to us and we handed her our completed application and she ended up being very helpful and efficient. During the part where we raise our right hands and attest to something (honestly do not remember what), I was grinning like a schoolgirl...it felt very official, yet was surprisingly easy!
All in all, it took less than 10 minutes and we were on our way...license will be in the mail next week!
More food tasting...more details and many, many invites
In the middle of a 3 week roadtrip to cover Division 3, 2, 1 and NCAA Wrestling finals (in that order), Jason was able to work remotely from MN this past week (it was wonderful to spend our evenings together again!) In addition to the many house-related projects we worked on in order to get my house ready to go on the market, we were able to accomplish many wedding-related things...here's a rundown:
1. Food tasting (#1) We have booked rooms at the White Bear Country Inn/Best Western for guests to stay at (only 3 blocks from our reception site). There is a restaurant in the hotel called Rudy's Red Eye Grill, which is a somewhat known steakhouse in the area. I've been begging Jason to try it for several months now but he is very anti the restaurant in a hotel concept. However, we did find an evening to go out to dinner and decided to try Rudy's, only to find out it used to be affiliated with the Axel's chain in the area, which we both have been to and liked very much. At the end of the dinner, it was clear that their food was delicious (especially their twist on green beans, believe it or not!), and that the atmosphere/decor were lovely as well and we decided that we'd consider it for a groom's dinner option. Jason talked to them later in the week and booked one of their private party rooms so we are set for the groom's dinner!
2. Food tasting (#2) We spent one evening at our reception location tasting some of their menu options in order to put together a dinner menu for our reception. We would like to do some traditional MN dishes, since many of Jason's friends and family have never been here before. Also, we would like to include an element of South Africa into the menu somehow. With that in mind and based on the catering menu available, we decided to try the following plates of food: Walleye with Tarragon served with MN Wild Rice and vegetable medley, Ranch-style chicken served with potato croquettes (think sophisticated tator tots - mashed potatoes baked in a breading - so good!) and vegetable medley and a flat-iron steak served with horseradish mashed potatoes and maple-glazed baby carrots. We were also presented with 3 bottles of red wine to taste and pair with the food - a Shiraz, a blend of some sorts (not our favorite!) and a Cabernet Sauvingnon. Neither of us are white wine fans, so we declined to taste their white wine options. We had previously tasted a Parmesan-encrusted walleye and their prime rib, also options in our mind for consideration.
All of the options were delicious and it was somewhat difficult to determine which would combine well together, be liked by most guests and would look nice on the plate. We have opted for table service (versus buffet) and will have one food option only for all guests, versus allowing them to indicate a food choice on their RSVP card. The final menu looks like it will be a dual entree - flatiron steak and Walleye with tarragon sauce served with a MN Wild Rice pilaf and maple-glazed baby carrots. The wine options (not nailed down yet) will be imported from South Africa. My mouth is watering just remembering the food!
3. We also spent several hours working on our invitations this past week. We had to print off one item ourselves - the insert with map, accommodations and registry information. Choosing to do this at 9:45 on a Sunday is probably not the best option, as we ended up spending a fair amount of time with the paper cutter trying to get them sized correctly and not show crop marks and learning that the paper cutter really only cuts in one direction...who knew? Once we had all the pieces together, we assembled, stuffed and addressed around 125 invites, with the hopes of ending up around the 200 guest mark. Many have commented that they are surprised we hand wrote them instead of having them embossed or using labels, however, the exercise of handwriting them together was actually a lot of fun as it led us to talk through who each of the people was as we got to them on the guest list and a little bit about each guest.
In addition, we met with our ceremony musicians, attended another pre-marital counseling session, met with the pastor who will be performing our ceremony to talk through ceremony and rehearsal logistic, as well as registered for some additional items (online)! All in all, we had a great couple of days together - exhausting, but productive!
Less than 2 months until the wedding!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Registering...
So Jason and I started our gift registry last weekend. I am convinced that this will be a 2 month process all on its own! It is difficult to do, since we don't have a house together, so it's hard to know what our decorating scheme will be like...plus, Jason seems to have an aversion to brown towels and linens and I love them. However, he is patient enough to see my vision for how to pair them with other colors and realize that they can be a nice, strong neutral (a.k.a...I won...just kidding...we'll see if he reads all my posts!)
We spent about 2 1/2 hours at Bed, Bath and Beyond on Saturday and got quite a bit done...as always, the sales associate helping us was super nice and helpful, and once we got the hang of the scanner, we were set. I only had a yell for Jason a couple of times when he wandered off to look at the cooking section (way more his department than mine!) and he only nailed me in the back of the head with two chair cushions throughout the course of the morning. We actually enjoyed ourselves a lot throughout the process - it allowed us to dream that living together and decorating a house together might actually be a tangible reality for us since the logistics of actually getting to that point seems like a lot sometime!
We spent about 2 1/2 hours at Bed, Bath and Beyond on Saturday and got quite a bit done...as always, the sales associate helping us was super nice and helpful, and once we got the hang of the scanner, we were set. I only had a yell for Jason a couple of times when he wandered off to look at the cooking section (way more his department than mine!) and he only nailed me in the back of the head with two chair cushions throughout the course of the morning. We actually enjoyed ourselves a lot throughout the process - it allowed us to dream that living together and decorating a house together might actually be a tangible reality for us since the logistics of actually getting to that point seems like a lot sometime!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
