My January goals

Okay, I'm sure you've all missed me terribly, but I'm only going to make up a quick list of things I need to handle in January.

1. Assemble all of our invitations
2. Order rings
3. Order tuxes for FI, GM and readers
4. Have dress altered
5. Decide on my accessories and the BP accessories.
6. Finalize room designs with our event coordinator, event designer and florist
7. Finalize any changes with my florist (I decided in the last two weeks to completely change our flowers...)
8. Address invitations going out to any people our parents are inviting
9. Get FI a passport
10. Book the honeymoon
11. Order cakes

In the next couple of days I'll post about all of the things that have been going on in my absence. Now onto start working on my list!

Its Christmas Time!!

As I'm sure you all know, Christmas is right around the corner. And, for those that don't know me, I LOVE Christmas. I love to bake cookies, listen to carols, buy presents, wrap presents and decorate the apartment. This is the one time of year that I actually enjoy the cold and hope for snow. I love that feeling in the air and the way people act during the holiday season.

Since I can't show you all of the gifts I've been getting for people (mostly because I haven't gotten all of them wrapped yet), I'm going to take a moment to show off some of our Christmas decorations.

Our bar

 

Our fireplaces. And those paintings, yeah, I did them.

Our dining room table set up

And our wonderful tree!!

Day 24: Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

Today is going to be all about the wedding. With the five month mark only a couple days away, I'm starting to get a little stressed out. I feel like there is so much to do with almost no time to do it all!

First on my list of annoyances, I can't seem to get my last bridesmaid to order her dress. She, too, seems to have disappeared. Since the latest we can order them is December 14th, I'm starting to freak out a little. I don't want to turn into "that bride" but I'm thinking I might just have to call her and tell her to order it now...

Now to the flowers... For as long as I can remember, I've wanted simple centerpieces with simple bouquets. Now, I'm starting to think that this might not be the right way to go. I had originally told my florist that I wanted small centerpieces of rose.the more I think about our reception, the more I think that this is a bad idea. The room is extremely tall and there is a gorgeous fountain in the background that would make short centerpieces look... Well, odd. So I'm think maybe birds of paradise would work better....It would also mean that I would have to change all of my bouquets and boutonnieres, but I think that t would end up looking better. I've yet to talk to my florist about the change, I'm going to email her today, so I don't even know if its a feasible project. But I'm thinking maybe something like this:

My bouquet would look something like this, just not as much... stuff in it

Bridesmaid bouquet

Groom and groomsmen boutonniere

Another idea for the bouquets that I really like

And the centerpieces

I'm hoping she'll tell me that it would be totally fine and we can do it for less (which wont happen, I know that already), but I'm not holding my breath on it. I just think that it would add a lot more to the space... The only thing stopping us now is that little thing called money...

Day 23: A Youtube Video

Unlike most people these days,  I really don't spend a lot of time looking for Youtube videos. I don't care about the funny cat videos, the people that think they can sing but they can't or any other dumb thing that people post on there. Since I do occasionally watch Tosh.0, I feel like that is enough time wasted on dumb videos.

But, I did find this. And I think its actually pretty great. Its a parody of "Like a G6" and I personally prefer this version over the original.

Day 22: A Website

A website that I've come to love other than a wedding website, even though I am a little addicted to TheKnot is "A Softer World". If you haven't checked it out already, do it. Its great.

Day 21: A recipe

One of my favorite things about the colder weather is that it is a chance to make a lot of wonderful stews and soups. Sadly, being a vegetarian, there aren't as many recipes out there that I can enjoy. This is one of my favorite crockpot recipes:

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Irish Stew
1 – pkg favorite brand of “crumbles,” or your favorite meat substitute, up to two pounds
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cups potatos, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
3 cups tomato juice/sauce
2 cups canned or frozen peas

Cut up all the veggies (except for the peas) into 2-inch chunks and add to crock pot. Open “crumbles” package and pour on top of veggies in slow cooker. Add the salt, pepper, sugar and tomato sauce. Cook on low for 6-9 hours (I let it go for the full 9 hours because I usually cook this while I’m at work). About 15-30 minutes before you’re ready to eat, add the peas into the slow cooker and let cook for those last 15-30 minutes. Although I always make this in my crock pot, it also can be cooked it in a 250 degree oven for 6 hours.

Day 20: A hobby of yours

With work being what it has been the last couple of months and the wedding creeping closer every day, I haven't had a lot of time to indulge in any hobbies that aren't wedding or work related. Its sad, but my life is pretty much revolving around those two right now. And with the weather getting cold, I haven't been able to participate in one of my favorite hobbies: SCUBA diving.

Austin and I took lessons over the summer in order to become SCUBA certified and it is one of the greatest experiences you could ever do. I'm hoping that after the wedding (possibly on the honeymoon) we'll be able to go diving more. We haven't had a chance to go anywhere exciting. Yet. But I'm sure that will change once we can start buying our equipment and going out more on our own. And for anyone out there that might be interested in learning, just remember that it is a lot of work to get certified. And it is a very expensive hobby to have. The equipment will last you for years and years, but that doesn't change the fact that the up front costs for the essential equipment is a bit steep. And to get a good dive instructor will cost, but I think its worth every penny.

Day 19: A talent of yours

I like to think I'm a bit talented when it comes to photography. I love art and this is just one more way to express yourself. I like the way you can manipulate light and colors from something mundane and ordinary and turn it into something spectacular.

Day 18: Whatever tickles your fancy

Austin and I are huge hockey fans. Its one of the few sports we can actually watch together since I only follow soccer (real football...) and hockey and he's into football, baseball, basketball, hockey, golf... Really anything. Unless the World Cup is on, he doesn't care to watch the games. We rarely get the Real Madrid or Manchester United or Brasil national team games, and when we do it is usually on one of our numerous Spanish channels. Austin apparently is of the mind that unless he can understand what the announcers are saying, why watch. So for us to be able to sit down and watch a sporting event is a pretty big deal.

.

This is one of the reasons I'm a Real Madrid fan, he's also a pretty spectacular player on the Brasil team

Luckily, we have hockey.

We both enjoy watching the games at home, but we prefer watching them live. There is nothing that can compare to watching the game for 20,000 other fans (even if they are rooting for the wrong team). And before this year, we had not been able to go to one together. Neither of us are fans of sitting in the top row at the American Airlines Center and watching the game on the screen. If we were going to watch the game on a screen, we would watch it at home. In HD. And be warmer.

This year, I got a hook-up at work. Since we have a concierge that offers discounted tickets to tenants in the building, he has offered me tickets to any games I'd like for free (or close to it). We've already been able to go to four games this season with at least three more on our calendar. I'm thinking we might need to get a couple more since it looks like the Stars might be able to make a run for the Stanley Cup this year. A feat I wasn't thinkign they would be able to do considering how awful they were last year.

I would like to say all of the improvments are due to my favorite player, Steve Ott. But after last night's game were he really wasn't much of a force on the ice, I don't think I could say that. Well, I could, but it would be a lie.

So, if any one out there has any conenctions to Steve out there, tell him to step up his game. He should have beaten Ovechikin after the way that twat was acting during the game and nothing. Come on Steve! Where's the guy we all used to love to hate?! Where's the fire? Where's your spirit? Do something out there! When we're at the game next Friday, I expect to see more from you.

And if not, I'll still be a loyal fan.

As it is, the Stars are second in the Western Conference. They're currently at 15(wins)-8(losses) -1(OT Loss). They have 31 points, following the Red Wings who lead the conference with 34.

Lets go Stars!!

Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)

This is going to be a fairly short post due to the fact that I'm starting to get a little sick. So I apologize if this is a bit of a rambling post that doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm guessing its mostly due to the fact that Dallas weather is more fickle than any woman on the face of the Earth. In the mornings it has been in the low 30's and in the afternoon it gets up to 70. I know, people up in the DC and New York area are dealing with snow, but at least they know its going to be cold, none of this up and down. I kinda miss the constant cold, you can be ready for that but not this mess we have...

This is a painting by Claude Monet. He's famous for his work as founder of the French impressionist painting. He is one of my absolute favorite artists and I would love to one day own one of his original pieces. I love all of his paintings from his gardens at Giverny and his later work. His earlier work is fantastic, don't get me wrong, I just prefer his later work more. I feel like he really developed and become the artist we all love as he aged and delved more into impressionist painting.

Holy Crap

So we now have less than five and a half months to go. Wow. I feel like that's so close and there is still so much to do! And with the little bumps that come along with planning a wedding, it seems to be a lot of stress that I was not anticipating...

We're having issues with our caterer, problems that are out of our control, and if it isn't resolved soon I might go crazy. And since I work for the building and get all of the little details, I think that's making that issue even worse... As soon as its all worked out, I'll be sure to let everyone in on the madness and stress that I've been dealing with for the past three months. I have threatened my boss that if he doesn't get it all worked out soon, I may have to use his credit card to get a caterer. Because at this point, there is no way I could find a new venue. And even if I could, our invitations are made, hotels are blocked... It just isn't a feasible thing to do.

We were able to get out all of our Save the Dates on Monday, what a relief!! If you're one of Austin's friends and haven't received it yet, wait a couple days and then feel free to let me know and I'll make sure he gave me the right address. Or just wait until you get the invitation since the Save the Date isn't nearly as important. Because without your correct address, we wont be able to send you an invitation and I know everyone is just as anxious and excited as I am! No? Well, I'm excited. And a little nervous. And Austin is getting there.

I also met with a friend of Austin's mom, Beverly, who has graciously offered her services as a decorator to help us with the ceremony and the reception. After meeting with her, I realized how much I hadn't thought about. Like who is going to be downstairs to greet the guests in the lobby? How is the ceremony going to be set up? Who is going to usher guests to their seats, the groomsmen or ushers? Do we want ushers? What decor are we going to use for the ceremony? Do we want engagement pictures set up outside of the ceremony? Bridal portraits in the reception? Where will the quartet go? Oh, the list goes on... Hopefully with a little help from Gloria, our event coordinator, and Beverly things will get worked out soon.

And hopefully I don't drive Austin too crazy with my obsession of all of the little details.

Day 16: A Song that Makes You Cry (or Almost)

Lucero's "My Best Girl" is a song that makes me tear up, and sometimes even cry. It was a favorite of one of my best friends in high school, Justin. Justin was a fantastic guy and we spent all of our free time together, usually getting into some sort of trouble. That is, until he passed away. Even now, whenever I hear a lot of Lucero songs, they make me think of him and remember all of the amazing times we had together and how he was taken from this world much to soon.