Holiday Treats

I will be helping my mom with holiday baking this year, so I asked Matt what treats he'd like. Since my mom always makes fancy treats like homemade fudge, carmels, and macaroons, I expected that he'd want something special, but he wanted something simple: Rice Krispies treats (RKTs).

I think RKTs are the most underrated treat. Everyone loves them, they are easy and cheap to make, but around the holidays people tend to labor over fruitcakes, pumpkin rolls, and other complicated treats.

Maybe Matt's love for RKTs has something to do with the fact that we live in Rock Hill, the same town as Vernon Grant, the artist who created Snap, Crackle, and Pop.

Jobs I considered applying for...

Looking for the next female pop star-- Do you have a great voice, Can deliver strong vocals, do you have personality and the look? If so we want to talk to you ...

Fudge Demonstrators -- Fudge Company seeks responsible and outgoing individuals to pass out free samples and promote our fudge products at Costco and Sams Wholesale Club's. Earn that extra money for Christmas and the holidays.

Earn Money for Your Plasma Donation! --We are also looking for people interested in being immunized against Rabies or Anthrax.

I think the most noteworthy thing about the last ad is that it asks that donors be vaccinated against Hepatitis B. Are the needles used?? And would they have to give me Rabies or Anthrax in order to test the effectiveness of the immunizations? Yikes. That's almost as bad as the apostrophe errors in the second ad.

Things I've done instead of writing a paper

1. Made iced tea (3 bags of Green Tea with mango, 3 bags of Green Tea with raspberry)
2. Went to Hobby Lobby and walked around aimlessly
3. Bought groceries
4. Drank 4 glasses of aforementioned iced tea
5. Googled pictures of cute puppies
6. Made a mix called "chillaxin"
7. Peed like a million times because of the iced tea
8. Blogged
9. Ate some mini-Reeses cups
10. Looked up recipes for lettuce wraps akin to those at PF Chang's
11.Plucked eyebrows
12. Filled in tiny bald spot in eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil

John C. Campbell Folk School

I see billboards for this school along the highway, so I decided to Google it. I think I need to go there!! The classes are week-long or weekend-long. I want to take these classes/programs: beads, book arts, calligraphy, felt making, glass, jewelry, KALEIDOSCOPES, knitting, needlework and thread arts, paper arts, sewing, and writing.

The school is about 4.5 hours away.

AHHH!! I could do arts and crafts all day long. Why didn't I hear about this earlier?

P.S. Did you know that I used to collect kaleidoscopes?

sweet dreams are made of these

Will someone buy me this bed, please? It's only $15,000.

Election hangover aka America loves Obama and hates the gays

All of the campaigning is finally over. The Presidential election results weren't much of a surprise, but two statewide votes have angered me.

Arkansas voted to ban unmarried couples from adopting or becoming foster parents. You are probably saying to yourself, "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!??!!?" But no, I am not kidding. The measure was created to fight what Arkansas officials are calling "the gay agenda," but I just see it as another way to discriminate. Most states have a hard enough time finding foster parents, so why would a state limit those resources even more? I'd much rather see a child raised by a gay couple in a committed relationship than crack-addicted parents. Another facet that most people aren't looking at: the measure doesn't just apply to gay couples--it also applies to straight couples who aren't married.

And this is the state that gave us Bill Clinton, someone who is notorious for having a moral compass that isn't exactly due North.

Also in the anti-gay news, California voted to "define marriage," which will in turn eliminate legal gay marriage in the state. Arizona and Florida did the same, but gay marriage was not legal in those states so it was an unnecessary amendment.

Here's my plan to fix the "economic crisis": legalize gay marriage. Most of the gay people I know who are in committed relationships would throw extravagant weddings, spending tons of money, "stimulating" the economy. I'm just sayin'.

Come and knock on my door

Halloween is my favorite holiday because it combines two of my favorite things: candy and playing dress-up. While my interests may be that of an eight-year-old girl, I think Halloween is a holiday that can be enjoyed by all ages.

This year, I told my in-laws that I was going to show up to their house in costume. Luckily, I have odd fashion sense because I came up with a costume without purchasing a single item.

I was going for a Chrissy from Three's Company look. I think I did alright.

How to turn good wholesome fun into something perverse

The Disney Princess saga continues...

I heard back from the Disney Princess Party company yesterday. They wanted a photo of me and my resume. I hope I'm qualified for the job!

I think this job would be good fodder for my future book. Remember when David Sedaris was one of Santa's Elves? Or maybe that would make me seem like a copy-cat. Regardless, it would ensue in many many jokes, and God knows I need all the laughter I can get.

Last night Matt and I went to his cousin Del's house to carve pumpkins. I think my pumpkin looks pretty bad-ass!

I do like pirates, but I admit that one of the reasons I chose that design was because the bones looked phallic. hahahah.

How I spend my time

Instead of doing my homework, I put my photo into this face-generator.

me as an Indian















me as an African



try it yourself!

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I have applied for over 65 jobs. I have only had two interviews, and NO OFFERS. Among those jobs have been library positions, newspaper jobs, coffee shop jobs, etc etc. But, tonight I think may have either found a great job or sunk to a new low.

Tonight I applied for a job to dress up as a Disney Princess and entertain children at birthday parties. When I first saw the advertisement I was skeptical, because it could have been a sneaky way to advertise a stripper job. This is the first sentence from the ad: "Looking for females ages 19-30 to play Princess Character Entertainers for parties."

Sounds strippery, right? But read further and it says "Role entales, reading to the children, taking pictures with them and entertaining them with danceing and games.

I was immediately turned off by the bad spelling, grammar and punctuation, but I was sold at this part: " pay for 1 hr visits is $35 and pay for 1 1/2 hr visits is $45."

I normally charge $50 an hour for "dancing," "entertainment," and "games" at parties, but kids don't have as much money as adults, so I'll let it slide this time. I kid, I kid.

Now the question is, what Disney princess do I look like?

Answer: NONE!! Maybe I could be a villain for some twisted kid throwing a Disney Villains party. I could be Cruella, the evil-stepmother/sister (I do have big feet), Ursula, Malificent, or maybe I could borrow Christine's Jaffar outfit from Halloween 2004.

Home movie

Here's a video I made of C and I at the beach.

Snow (Hey-Oh)

Little C is now back in Utah, but here are some photos of our adventures.


On Saturday, we went to the Etsy craft fair. If you don't know what Etsy is, I encourage you to check it out. It's an online site where people can sell their handmade items. Most of the stuff at the fair was overpriced, but there were some cool items. C and I have an Etsy store, but currently there are no items in it.







Later that night we went to the Blumenthal theater in downtown Charlotte to see one of our favorite authors, David Sedaris. He was really funny, and I think Cait had a good time. While we were at the event, Matt went to his grandparents' house to "help" them try out their new margarita maker.





On Sunday we went to the Southpark Mall, a big mall in Charlotte. The highlight of the trip was getting a soft pretzel. hahah.

Monday, we took the Jetta to get an oil change (fun for everyone), and planned on visiting the museums, but apparently they are closed on Mondays. But, we did get to see some freaks protesting Columbus Day. They had signs that said things like "Columbus and his men killed thousands." I was like, "come on you guys. That was like 500 years ago. Pick your battles."

On Tuesday Caitlin and I headed to the beach. We stopped in Columbia on the way to say hi to Russ and Dustin, then made our way to Folley Beach, which is near Charleston. We picked a perfect day--it was 86 degrees and sunny--but unfortunately forgot our bathing suits. While we were sitting on the coast, a stupid wave came up and destroyed my cell phone and camera, which pissed me off. It came about 20 feet closer than the other waves, and was the only wave to do so. I'll chalk it up to a freak accident, but I was still angry.



Wednesday we laid out by the pool at our apartment, and did some crafts.

I don't have photos for the rest of our week, because my camera was ruined (the pool photo was taken with Caitlin's phone) and C hasn't emailed me the photos yet.

We finally got to visit the museums on Thursday. First we went to the Mint Museum of Art. In case you didn't know, there used to be a US Mint in Charlotte, but it ceased operation after the Civil War. The building which used to house the Mint is now an art museum. I really liked the costume exhibit, but it made me angry that they had a Fendi fur coat dragging on the ground, dangling off a mannequin's arm. I think it should have been properly displayed! The art museum also had a cool Andy Warhol exhibit with a lot of his portraits and still life fruit prints (or whatever you want to call them).

After that, we went to the Mint Museum of Craft and Design. C and I both liked the jewelry exhibit, and we took advantage of the museums' hands-on craft and made brooches. I have to say that Caitlin's brooch made of paper, pipe cleaners, paperclips, staples, beads, and pom-pons was pretty sweet.

Friday was the best day for photos, because we decided to find the Blue Ridge Highway, which is allegedly one of the most scenic drives in the country. We went to Blowing Rock, NC, which was a really cool city.

This is what we would have seen, if there hadn't been a thick fog everywhere. But, it was still really beautiful with the fall colors, and we could still see for quite a while.

From Blowing Rock, we traveled to Boone, NC, home of Appalacian State University. Boone is a college town, and it had some really great little shops and restaurants. I want to spend a weekend there. We went to this store, which sells handmade items, and I got a mug for Caitlin since she'd been looking for a cool mug during the week.

After we got back from our drive up north, we went to Jim and Nick's, a barbeque restaurant. Caitlin thought this was cool, because she knows a pair of twins named Jim and Nick.

Then, in true Matt/Brianna/Caitlin style, we went home and watched an episode of The O.C. on DVD.

I'll add some photos of our drive to Blowing Rock/Boone later!

feel your boobies

Since this month is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I decided to make the blog pink. I hope everyone likes the pink puggie banner!

Whoaahhhh!

A few weeks ago I was watching a vH1 show about former teen stars, and they showed a clip from this video:


Does anyone else remember this? (Catherine, I'm hoping you will...) I used to watch Blossom, and though I was young I remember that they premiered this video after one of the episodes. You have to admit, it's a catchy song.

Back in the saddle again

I'm too lazy to blog about my recent beach trip, so here are some photos.

L to R: me, Varol a.k.a. "Vertyl Myrtle," Aunt Kim, Sandy K., Lindsay, Sandy W.













Here I am drinking a beer from a sippy cup.












We had a gay old time at the Gay Dolphin! It's the self-proclaimed "largest gift shop this side of the Mississippi," but it was basically just eight floors of yard sale junk. But that didn't stop me from buying something.








The view of our hotel from the pier. Our room was all the way on the left, second floor from the top.

My day in pictures

I know you all want to know about the average day in the life of Brianna.

First, I get up and make coffee. I usually don't eat breakfast until after I've had a cup or two, and I surf the 'net while drinking the aforementioned cups.






Next, I start doing homework. It usually involves watching online lectures, looking at PowerPoint presentations, and a lot of reading.













At noon, I take an hour-long break and eat lunch, crochet, and watch Desperate Housewives on Lifetime.

This is yesterday's lunch--a grilled cheese, pickle, and some iced pomegranate green tea that I made in my cool iced tea maker.










Then, I get back to work. I usually spend a couple hours writing and highlighting in my books.








...and, I forgot to mention that after I finish each homework task, I reward myself with a game of Text Twirl on Facebook. It's addicting!

Christmas in September

My mom starts Christmas shopping in the summer, and when she asked me for ideas for my brother, I suggested these. They are binoculars that take photos! Because you know that he needs to improve his peeping Tom skillz.

Here are my other suggestions:


Audio Rocker--a banana-style chair with speakers for your iPod, video games, movies, etc.

LED License Plate Holder. You know he'd come up with something hilarious for it to say.

Remote Controlled Golf Caddy. He loves to golf. 'Nuff said.




















Knife Block. He needs one for his kitchen.




















Little Champs Sports Center. He likes sports!





















Remote Controlled Zombie:






















After she rejected all of my brilliant ideas, my mom suggested this:




















My question is, how is that humping dog USB thingy better than my ideas!?!?!?

I got my hair did

Today, I finally got a haircut. One of the hard things about moving to a new city is finding things like a hairstylist. Finding a new doctor or dentist is easy, because you can just look on your health insurance company's Web site. But, if you want a decent 'do and don't want to go to Cost Cutters, it takes some work.

A friend gave me some good advice--look for someone with cute hair, then ask her where she goes. But, I'm antisocial and impatient, so I googled Aveda salons, and found a place in UPTOWN (they don't use the term "downtown," but that's 'nother story) Charlotte.

I ended up getting a great cut (in my opinion) for $25--a bargain in my opinion. I celebrated my new 'do by getting a large iced coffee.
Here's the old cut:
It's hard to tell, but I had a shelf of dead ends about halfway down the hair. It was grotesque.












And here's the new hairdo. For consistency purposes, I am wearing the same shirt.*














Matt and I got back from Vegas on Sunday night, and it was a great weekend. We flew out to surprise Ashley for her birthday, which is actually today. HAPPY B-DAYYY, ASH!!!

*Actually, it was a coincidence that I wore the same shirt.

ALA=buzzkill

I just found out that the American Library Association's annual conference is in Salt Lake on Sept. 18. How is it that once I leave, good things come to the city?

Matt and I have been trying to score Coldplay tickets for years, but they don't ever come to Salt Lake City. That is, until this year. :(

**UPDATE**

After some careful analysis (thanks, Wikipedia), I decided that I no longer like the Jonas Brothers. This is what their Wikipedia entry said:

The brothers are all committed Evangelical Christians, their father is a former pastor, and they were homeschooled by their mother. In addition, they all famously wear purity rings on their left-hand ring finger and have vowed not to have premarital sex. Joe has said that the rings symbolize "a promise to ourselves and to God that we'll stay pure 'till marriage," and Nick had stated that "it's [purity rings] pretty awesome, and the rings are just one of our ways of kind of like being different than everybody else out there." They started wearing the rings when their parents, Denise and Kevin Sr., asked them if they wanted to. They also abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.

Yeah, they sound like a ton of fun. They don't drink, do drugs, or have sex. And everyone knows that homeschooled kids are losers. They are NOT rockstars.

I am listening to Tupac to clean out my ears and to attempt to regain some street cred.

Apple Bottom Jeans, Twisters, and a question: Are the Jonas Brothers the new Hanson?

When you're friendless and unemployed, your days sort of run together, so you have to do strange things to keep it interesting. Today's task: learning the first verse to Overnight Celebrity. I didn't succeed, but I did trick Matt into thinking that I am an awesome rapper by keeping the lyrics posted on the screen (he was in the other room and could hear but not see me) while rapping. So far I know one line: Girl I see you in them Apple Bottom Jeans, chinchilla on yo back I wanna know yo name.

Today, there were tornado warnings and watches all day. I don't know the difference, except that a warning is to be taken more seriously than a watch. I guess I need to find out what to do if a tornado actually touches the ground.

The only other eventful thing that happened today: Caitlin made fun of me for liking "Burnin' Up" by the Jonas Brothers, or the "Jo-Bros" as their true fans call them. I think she said the phrase, "we need to reevaluate our friendship" in reference to me liking the song. Geeeze! It's not like I have a Jo-Bros Trapper Keeper!!

But seriously, the Jonas Brothers should be renamed "Hanson 2.0." Similarities: a trio of teen brothers, the middle one's the most popular, young girls are obsessed with them, they all need haircuts. Let's face it, "Burnin' Up" is the Jo-Bros' "Mmm Bop."


FYI, my Trapper Keeper has the cast of High School Musical on it.

.....and you thought I was joking.

Homework: day one

I am starting to feel overwhelmed by my classwork, and it hasn't even been one week. I need to just buckle down and do it, but I keep getting sidetracked. I did accomplish one task, though. I introduced myself on my class message board. Here's what I wrote:

My name is Brianna, and I’m interested in public and academic libraries. I’m probably one of the few students in the program who has no experience working in a library.

My husband and I recently moved to Rock Hill from Salt Lake City, Utah, but I grew up in a small tourist town called Moab, Utah. I have a BA in English from Westminster College, a liberal arts school in Utah.

Prior to moving, I was a newspaper reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune, but I decided that the field of journalism wasn’t right for me. I think a MLIS degree will allow me to do the parts of my former job that I enjoyed (researching, writing), while HOPEFULLY leaving behind the parts I didn’t like (hate-mail, massive layoffs, and the salary of a fast-food worker). Plus, it also helps that I love books and organizing things.

I don’t know anyone in the area, and I’d love to meet up with any classmates near Rock Hill or Charlotte. Email me, or look me up on Facebook. My hobbies include crocheting, listening to gangsta rap, and playing cribbage.

While I'm worried that it may come off as sounding too cynical, I wanted my classmates to get a feel for who I am. I think that by choosing three of my very different hobbies, I might make friends easier, and maybe the professors will remember me.

a recap

Caitlin complained that I haven't updated the blog in a while, so to humor her, here's a recap of the wedding, complete with a photo of Little C herself.

Everything went well, and I'm currently suffering from a wedding hangover. Since I'm currently unemployed and school doesn't start until Thursday, I've been working on a wedding scrapbook.

I did many crafts for the wedding, so here are some photos of the finished products:



Caitlin is modeling one of the necklaces I made for the BMs. Hottie!















Since we couldn't find a cupcake tower, my mom and I made one. It's hard to see, but it has lavender satin ribbon and pearls around the edges.







I didn't make the veil, but my mom did. It had a pearl beaded comb and pearl and bead edging.






















But, back to the present day...I went to orientation for my program on Saturday, and we stayed with Russ and Dustin that night. It was fun, but it was definitely a night for bachelors. We played beer pong, flip cup, and a confusing game called beer ball (I think??), then shot airosoft guns at a Miley Cyrus poster, watched the Little League World Series and Olympics, and ate pizza.

School starts on Thursday, and I'm a little nervous. All of my classes are online, and I'm still not quite sure how they work. Hopefully I'll get all of that handled today.

Go Gamecocks!!

Pimpin' ain't easy

Just when I start getting excited about my exodus from my job, I have a good day at work.

Today I got to write about a couple who's in trouble with the law because they didn't pay taxes on the money they earned from running an escort service. In the words of Academy Award-winning group Three 6 Mafia, "it's hard out here for a pimp."

Also, I talked to a woman who came up with a creative invention. I asked her how she came up with funding for the business, and she said, "Well, I'm a runner," (at this point I'm thinking that she got some prize money from winning a marathon or 5K) "and last summer I was attacked by a dog while running and got an insurance settlement, and we used some of that money to fund the business." AND, she has three children, one of which is two months old. So, she was pregs and recovering from a dog-attack and still had the motivation to start a business..? I would have resorted to a life of laying on the couch with a bag of Doritos.

Why are they so cute in cartoons

My brother moved into a new apartment on Saturday--a one bedroom, one bath unit that is part of a triplex. It's not a palace, but it's a cute little place for a bachelor.

I've been doing my laundry there for the past couple days, because I don't want to pack dirty clothes, and imagine my surprise last night when I saw a mouse scurry under the microwave. Of course the light switch is located behind the microwave, so I just locked up his house and left--leaving the kitchen light on.

Me: "I saw a mouse in your house, so I left. My clothes are all over the floor in your kitchen."
Kelby: "Yeah, I thought there might have been something in there. I heard something rustling yesterday."
Me: "You should call the landlord and make him take care of it."
Kelby: "Or I could just sit there with my BB gun and wait until it comes out."
Me: "Yeah, but in the meantime it could be having babies and spreading Hanta virus everywhere."
Kelby: "Ok."

While I did feel stupid for being afraid (and mostly grossed out) by a little beastie, I was proud of myself for not screaming. But, I did wake up this morning with the scary thought of rat babies being born in my pile of dirty clothes at Kel's house. :(

What should I do?

1. Suck it up and go back there and finish my laundry.
2. Take my clothes to a laundromat.
3. Make Matt wash the clothes (because I don't want to discover a rodent in the pile)
4. Wait until the exterminator comes before I make my next move.
   

Today I...

• said to my mom, "I'm a grown ass woman!"
• explained to my mom what that meant
• passed out wedding invitations to my coworkers
• got mad at Matt for making dinner plans for us tonight, when we have much packing left to do
• immediately called and apologized to Matt, because I was being an beeeyotch
• got an apartment in SC!!!

And we also found out that Matt doesn't have a torn ACL, and I just discovered a chocolate on my desk. So far it's been a great day.

Damn girl how'd you get all that ass in Dem jeans

I made an unnecessary and frivolous purchase a few weeks ago, and have been experiencing some guilt because of it. I had been saving my tax refund for Matt's wedding ring, and the one he wanted ended up being less expensive than I budgeted for. Good news, eh? Yeah, well instead of saving the rest of the money, or spending it on the wedding, I bought an expensive purse at the Coach store, while in South Carolina.

I'm not usually one for name-brands or logos pasted everywhere, but I've been searching for a large, sturdy handbag for a while. I needed one that had a zipper (I'm paranoid about all of my belongings spilling out on an airplane floor), would be able to withstand all of my abuse, and still look somewhat chic.

While I have enjoyed my purchase, I've experienced a lot of buyer's remorse. How can the same girl who cringes at spending $3 for a gallon of milk drop two bills on a purse? I've tried to justify it by saying "purses are forever," --unlike other fashion accessories--and it's something I can pass down to future generations. ...Or is it just an item that tells the outside world "mug me!!"?

The bag is now haunting me in my dreams. Last night, I had a dream in which my BFF's sister, Amber, and I were spending the money Matt and I saved for the wedding on Coach bags. And it doesn't take Freud to figure out what that means.

In the words of the great philosopher, Chingy:

Prada,Gucci
Tell me what you like
Coach bag
With the shoes
To match
Forget the price

-Dem Jeans, Chingy

Movin' on up, to the east side.

Lately, I've been more focused on the big move than wedding plans. We started packing this weekend, and discovered that we have way too much shit. We're downsizing, and only taking our clothes, kitchen stuff, and other necessities. Furniture is going to various family members, and the DI gets the rest.
We had a going-away barbecue last night, and had a surprisingly great turnout. However, a few moments made me feel like it was a spontaneous Brianna-Roast. My friend Jesse, asked me, "Are you glad you're marrying Matt and not Chris?" (background info, I once dated Chris, who is now one of my best guy pals.)
Also, Chris, Christine, and Ryan thought it would be an opportune moment to share with my siblings some of my not-so-greatest moments, ie: the time I got drunk in Vegas and screamed at them to find me my pug T-shirt, then went to sleep with sweet thoughts of Chris' dad's fictional bacon factory.
Yes, in my drunken state I believed the ridiculous lies they were feeding me about Chris' dad owning a bacon factory in Mesquite, Nevada. The reason I needed to go to bed was because we were taking a tour of the factory in the morning, they said.
Caitlin said she's really disappointed that I'm not like that anymore, because she would have liked to hang out with "drunken college version of Brianna." It's true that I rarely get drunk anymore, but what's not to love about "cola-sipping-crocheting-lives in the real world and can't get drunk on weeknights-Brianna"?
Maybe I should remind her of what happened the last time I drank...

Let's think back to Caitlin's birthday, April 4, 2008. Picture, if you will, a birthday party thrown in her honor. One of her friends calls. He wants to bring a homeless person he just met to her house. Caitlin doesn't want a random stranger in her house. Brianna makes a sign to welcome the stranger.














Caitlin gets mad, and tries to fight Brianna, but ultimately loses, because Brianna is stronger, and put her in a death-grip, leaving Caitlin begging for mercy.







Or at least that's how I remember it.

I'm barely keeping my head above water

This is not wedding related, but I've been stressing out big time about our upcoming move. The timeline goes like this:

May 11: our going-away shindig
May 16: Matt's last day of work
May 17-19: Matt and I drive to Charlotte
May 25 or 26: I fly back to SLC
May 30: my last day of work
May 31: Matt's birthday

The things adding to my stress include the fact that we have nowhere to wash our clothes and are living like we're homeless. We'll probably spend the whole night tonight at the laundromat, when we should be packing.

Also, we haven't turned in our application for an apartment in Charlotte yet. We're battling them because they are trying to make us each pay a fee instead of counting us as a married couple, even though we won't live there together until after we are married.

One more thing, which is beyond my control, is the fact that my boss hasn't announced my upcoming departure yet, and my job hasn't been posted. I know this isn't my problem, but I'd really like to be able to train someone so my replacement doesn't screw over my whole section.

...And I need to get the Subaru serviced before we drive it across the country.

Weekend Update

We got a lot done this past weekend.

1. We went to Park City and bought my wedding band and exchanged Matt's ring for a smaller size.
2. While in P.C., we helped Kelby pick out a shirt for the wedding and some shoes.
3. We went to the liquor store to get moving boxes, and bought a 1/2 gallon of Smirnoff to start out the liquor stash.
4. We bought three more ties for the groom's dudes.
5. I started making the cupcake tower.
6. Registered for gifts at Bed Bath and Beyond.
   

I think it was a pretty productive weekend. Registering was pretty fun, because Matt kept scanning in ridiculous things to make me laugh (like a shower massager and a soap dispenser shaped like a monkey), then deleting them. Now, I have to go online to make sure all the joke scans got deleted.

We'll be leaving in less than 2 weeks to move to N.C., so I'll probably spend most of this week packing and trying to get rid of stuff.

Things I left off the list: drank beer, ate wings and pizza, watched Rushmore.

Some things to check off the list

To do list:
choose a photographer
talk to florist
find an officiant (!!!)
buy wedding bands
honeymoon (!!!)
select tuxedos/men's attire
make a veil
nag three of the bridesmaids to get their dresses
select and purchase attendant gifts
buy hanging lanterns
visit the site again
address and send invitations
select songs
buy 100 plastic champagne glasses
choose neckties for the groom's dudes
reserve rooms for Matt's family members
finally get a passport
start the liquor stash

The items in italic are only 1/2 way done. I got Matt a ring in South Carolina on Monday, but we still need to buy mine. And the invitations are all addressed, and will go out this week!

Here are some new items to add to the list:
purchase three more ties for the dudes
get ribbon for the flowers
make a cupcake tower
talk about price with florist
make bouts for the dudes
plan the rehearsal dinner menu

DIY hell

Many people have cautioned me to "not do it all yourself." But anyone who knows me knows that I am a big DIYer. There are so many cool wedding crafts, but I have to limit myself. As much as I'd like to crochet cardigans for the BMs, I have a full time job and other things to do. So, here's my DIY list, posted mainly for my own benefit of keeping track of things.

DIY:
Cake/cupcakes- This is a HUGE task, but we're enlisting the help of my mom's very talented friend who used to do this for a living. I assume that I'll just mainly help with the baking, and doing things that I can't screw up.
Decorations for the cake & cupcakes - we are crystallizing pansies for this. Yup, they're edible. The pansies are currently growing in my grandpa's garden and my mom's planters.
Veil -- I'm sure my mom will do this for me, but I have to choose a style and get the materials.
Program -- This should be easy, because it just involves a bit of designing and then printing, which I will do at my parents' office. Plus, it can be done ahead of time.
Jewelry --I wrote about this on another post, but I'll be making jewelry for the BMs. I will start this sometime this week.

Invitation Sweatshop

Matt and I spent our morning yesterday assembling the invitations. Matt got really good at tying ribbons, which is a skill that every man should have.

I had addressed most of the envelopes last weekend, which wasn't an easy task! Doing calligraphy on 70+ invitations takes a lot of patience. But now I'm really good at writing "Mr. and Mrs. -- ------." I was opposed to addressing the invitations that way, since it seems sort of old-fashioned and a little sexist, but tradition and etiquette took precedence. I'll finish addressing the rest of the invitations when I get some addresses from Matt's family.

We'll be mailing them out on May 1, so watch your mailbox!

My tasks this week are limited, because we're flying out to South Carolina on Saturday. Here's what I hope to accomplish:
buy 100 plastic champagne glasses (probably from Zurcher's)
choose neckties for the groom's dudes
find a photographer
reserve rooms for Matt's family members
finally get a passport
start the liquor stash

The liquor task sounds funny, but we're providing our own bar, so I'm going to make weekly trips to the liquor store so I can buy the booze when it's on sale. Don't worry, Ash. I'll be sure to get us some Tarantula or Patron.

hair do

I found my ideal wedding hair today:

Light it up

I've been searching the 'net (does anyone call it "the 'net" anymore?) for a few months for some paper lanterns for the wedding, with these stipulations:
1. must be battery powered--I don't want to run extension cords to each and every lantern.
2. must match the wedding colors.
3. must be cheap.

Yesterday, I met all of my criteria--especially #3--AT THE DOLLAR STORE. I was ravenously digging through the shelves to find every last lavender lantern, and a fellow bargain-hunter started helping me. Thanks, random dollar store shopper!

This is what they look like, except mine are a prettier shade of lavender:

words and dreams and a million screams

I had a nightmare last night that a group of "mean girls" (for lack of better term) in Moab came to the wedding, and I got into a fist fight with the leader of the group. I was punching her in the head and slapping her, and my dad had to act as a wedding bouncer and kick the girls out. It was weird, because I've never been in a fight in my life, but the dream felt so real. I woke up feeling horribly guilty. The mean girls aren't invited to the wedding, but if they crashed it, I'd have someone kindly ask them to leave, and I wouldn't punch them in their heads.

In the non-nightmare sector of my life, Caitlin and I want to make these bracelets for the BMs:


I also want to make some necklaces, but my fear is that I will be one of those brides who gives the BMs jewelry they hate but are forced to wear. I know I appreciate hand-made jewelry, but will others? When I was in my friend Rebecca's line, she made us jewelry, and I still wear it to this day.

I like this one, but maybe it's too chunky:
I would make it with cream or light brown pearls (the color of the sash), and a lavender or chocolate brown ribbon. The beadstore by my house has a gazillion colors of glass pearls, so I could match the colors almost exactly.

Feedback?

20 hot wedding trends for 2008, aka: 20 hot wedding trends for those who have unlimited funds, crappy taste, and no common sense.

I saw this article, and have to wonder, where do they come up with this shit?

Some examples of horrible wedding advice:
1. Black Orchids. Uh, do I really want my wedding to look like a funeral/haunted house?

5. Imaginative Favors. If I bought iPod Nanos for each guest, I would exceed my wedding budget by about $8,000. Really, who can afford that?

13. Superstar Arrivals. I'm the princess, it's MY freaking day, and I want you to carry me into the ceremony! Oh, and can you feed me some grapes and fan me, also?

16. Woodland Fantasies. Number 14 recommends a "green wedding," and just two spots down is this tasty bit of advice, which includes spray-painting trees purple. Nothin' says "I love nature" by covering a living tree with toxic chemicals.

The article also included these lovely photos...
For the bride who wants to look like the old lady in "The Others":


















For the stripper bride:

Some details

I'm not going to reveal all of the wedding details (such as my dress), but I'll disclose some of the things we've picked.

Here's the bridesmaid dress my lovely ladies will be wearing:


But, I'll be removing the lavender tie and adding a mocha colored satin sash. I got a slamming deal on the sashes from Ann Taylor.








This is the invitation, which some of you will be receiving in the mail soon. I say "some," because we are keeping it fairly small, and inviting about 175 people.

We chose brown ink and a lavender ribbon.








Oh, and here's the ring for those of you who haven't seen it in person. I couldn't get a good photo of it, but I guarantee that it looks way better in person.