Original awesome drawing from here. Original hack photoshop job by yours truly. Mixer by Kitchen Aid, pitcher by Crate and Barrel, wooden spoons from Branch.
Thus far in the planning process, registering has been the most surprisingly stressful and un-fun bit. From beginning to end. It probably shouldn’t surprise me that I was set up for failure on this part. I am a) an overthinker, b) generally a loather of shopping, malls, busy stores, and unhelpful sales people, and c) prone to imbuing things with a lot of meaning (and thus, those things really matter to me).
I’m a BIG fan of the holiday season. Granted, I’m not super into Christmas music (there’s only so many times I can hear Frosty the Snowman before I want to punch a wall), and I absolutely loathe packed retail stores with angry and stressed people. But I love the crisp, chilly weather (ah, the beauty of Southern California winters), and the emphasis on family, friends, and good will to all mankind. Plus, any reason for an extra dose of positivity is good, right?
The overwhelming, glowy Christmastime joy I’ve felt the last few years is a little different this time around, though. I suppose you could say it’s been tempered with a bittersweetness. Is this called growing up?
I grew up on old, classic stuff, with the Beatles included. But frankly, I just never loved the music. (I’m more of a Stones girl.)
But in recent years, I picked up that greatest hits of John Lennon cd…and it kind of blew my socks off in a way that a Beatles record never did. I know, I know. I’m crazy.
But I love that stuff, man. And I love that, even though I never lived in a world that he lived in, I still get to hear his voice echo through my life. I love that he was so tirelessly passionate about making the world a better place. I love that he left a legacy worth remembering.
(Peace in your mind, peace on earth, peace at work, peace at home, peace in the world.)
Colder weather has me longing for all kinds of snuggly things. I love my little house, but oh how I wish we had a fireplace at this time! (And how I wish that Ace wasn’t a few hours away too! He and my grandma’s quilt are the best snuggling things in my world.*)
Here are a few other things on my wishlist:
Set 1: Slippers from Target, Necklace (for some inexpensive, June Cleaver-type lounging about) from Swell, Christmas wrapping via SMP, Pajamas and Robe from Aerie (they have the best fleece — so warm and soft).
Set 2: Marshmallows from Whimsy and Spice (I’ll take maple, espresso, and caramel please!!), friends and a fire from Lavender and Cinnamon
Set 3: Beautiful lights photographed by Irene Suchocki, a puppy to cuddle with…preferably a toller, like this one by tenya
*Sorry, I know that was a little too pukey-cute. But if I’m gonna marry that guy, I’m gonna freely admit that wrapping up next to him is my favorite place in the whole world to be. Smoosh.
Anything else wonderfully warm and soft on your lists?
Tomorrow night, the first half of the last installment of the Harry Potter films will be released.
I (and others my age) had a very special bond with Harry. The first book of his series was published in the US in 1998, the year I turned ten. Which means that through the course of the series, Harry, who receives his life-changing letter to Hogwarts at the age of eleven, and I grew up together. We began together as children, and we end together, now, as adults.
Hey guys, it’s been a crazy period of time at work again…super long days, an insane amount of stress and things to be done. BUT no sob stories here, because I’m on vacation for a few days! This post has been kicking around the drafts folder for a while, as it was fraught with more of those big-concepts-fitting-into words difficulties (which is seeming to happen quite a bit with the hitchfest posts). But now, sitting on the couch in my lovely little casa, seemed like a good time to get this one out there.
We don’t often talk about flexibility in our culture. We talk about staying true to yourself, about sticking up for your convictions, about having the courage to not give in…especially among women. We live in an age of growing backbones, of fighting for what we believe in, etcetera etcetera.
And while those things ARE very important and very good…some times there are other things that are better. This engagement period has been one of those times. Where courage has taken on an entirely different form — the courage to let go.
So, the dress has been found, the deposit has been put down, and I’ve started dreaming about how to accessorize her! Of course, I’m not a super awesome fashionista, so the thoughts in my head were a bit jumbled and confused: what better way to sort them out then visually combining some ideas?
Of course, this is a fairly sensitive post so this is the last call for…
…to scram. Love you, hugs and kisses, and we’ll see you in the next post.
Last week, Ace and I hit month numero uno of being engaged! And in that relatively short amount of time, we have gotten quite a bit done: we found, booked, and contracted a venue; found and are in the process of booking a photographer; confirmed our officiant; figured out food and dessert logistics; confirmed our wedding party; confirmed our musicians; decided on our color palette and overall design branding. And, oh yeah, I found and bought my dress! Eep!
And it’s safe to say that I was incredibly blown away by how quickly things fell into place. You see, as someone who has been reading wedding blogs for a while and had quite a few friends get married in recent years, I’d heard many of the horror stories about the difficulties of wedding planning. About roadblocks and stumbling stones and dead ends. Yet this has truly been wedding planning as I never expected it. And I must say, it’s been pretty damn awesome, and I’m still reeling at how, well, breezily things have gone so far. Part of the equation has been some sheer fortune. And another decent part has been a lot of support from family and friends. But a dash (well, maybe a crazy amount) or preparedness definitely didn’t hurt!
Here are the few nuggets of wisdom we’ve gleaned…maybe they can be helpful to you too?
Whilst searching for some musica for our fabulous speakeasy Halloween shindig*, I stumbled across this. It is…basically one of the coolest vids ever. And I guess I’m kind of late on sharing it, but just in case you haven’t seen it:
* I think there should be a post about this party soon. Because I kid you not, we speakeasy girls are planning an amazeballs party on a pretty small budget. Of course, saying I will be blogging about something is usually the death-knell for that subject’s blog post…so go ahead and place your bets on whether it makes it to elevensies or not.
So I have already shared our goals with you. Which could only mean one thing in the planning process — it’s inspiration board time!!
But let’s be honest for a sec, k? There’s a whole lot of inspiration that we’re gathering from in planning this affair, and a good amount of it doesn’t fit into visual stimuli. So rather than putting together a straight-up inspiration board, I’ve gathered an inspiration amalgamation.*
It’s a bit much, honestly. So I’m throwing it all after the jump. Be brave and have a look!
So I have already 