The most awkward meal ever...

Have you ever eaten a meal where you felt you were being scrutinized by chef? This is a common fear in my house I assume, as I am still in the "experimental cook" phase, but nothing tops the awkward moment of apprehension that occurs during your wedding meal tasting.

I was not worried that the food would suck, but more that my comments and praise of the chef would be inadequate. It was not our caterer's fault at all, but moreso the setting and atmosphere that created the uncomfortable tension. There we were, at the official catering kitchen, and in case you've never experienced it before, they are not exactly 5-stars in decor and atmosphere. This is good, it means I am not paying for showmanship. But I just couldn't get past the fact that my purse sat atop a stack of linens and the glasses were towered precariously close to my head.

Then the meal started. It was divine. Not to ruin any surprises, but we chose a fish and beef main course, with a vegetarian and kids option, and some amazing passed appetizers. My favorite part, as always, was the bistro salad with warm goat cheese. If I get nothing else but that during my reception I'd be a happy girl. Along with this, we got to taste 1/3 of our cake. After completely stuffing our faces, and feeling like we weren't going to be able to fit through the door, we were satisfied with our menu selections.

Pinterest

During the meal, the bizarre part was having the chef watch from across the table as we took each bite. I felt like I was taking some sort of test. I know really that he was the one being tested, but I just didn't want to take a bite and grimace. Luckily, the food didn't suck. He did teach us about how each item is made, where he gets his ingredients from, and how he plans to present and serve each item with his staff. I now better understand what party planners and food critics experience.

The last awkward moment was finishing my 10th glass of water (it is altitude, it is really dry!) and then realizing there was no obvious bathroom. Luckily we found a nice flower shop next door that let us use theirs. To think, on my wedding day those bathroom emergencies will require helpers, due to my dress!

Confession: I watched more wedding-themed shows in college than I do now...

I was one of those girls who always wanted to dress up and have fake weddings as a kid. I used to make my Barbies marry each other practically daily. I'd dress up all the Barbies and Kens in different "fancy" outfits and pretty much my entire collection was married to someone else.

Then in college, when I had ample free time in the afternoons, I got hooked on TLC's A Wedding Story. (This show, sadly, does not seem to exist anymore as I've searched in TIVO many a time.) I saw some of the weirdest theme-weddings ever, some really good stories, some really homely couples, and just about every trend available in the mid 90s to early 2000s. If nothing else, these shows gave me inspiration to not completely give up on my childhood dream of having a wedding. But they also gave a false perception of the reality of wedding planning. This is exactly why I had to blog, so that the other young women hooked on the latest and greatest wedding show trends (Say Yes to the Dress, Bridezillas, and Four Weddings) know that those "reality" shows don't provide the complete picture for you.

For instance, I am pretty sure that because my mom and younger sisters watched Say Yes to the Dress a few too many times in my dad's presence that he was a little more than freaked out about the prospect of buying an overpriced gown that I'd wear once. Took care of that, bought my own dress. I also think that the idea of attending a total stranger's wedding (or for that matter, inviting total strangers to your wedding) to simply judge them for a chance at a free honeymoon seems a bit ludicrous. It is bad enough that we brides already have all this pressure for a "perfect" wedding day, much less knowing that someone is rating your every move.

I won't deny taking a self-indulgent moment here and there to watch a cheesy wedding chick-flick, and yes, I have watched wedding-themed shows occasionally, but the romantic notion that most of these shows portray is for our younger and more idealistic views of marriage. In MY reality, THIS is what you get--a blog, embarrassing anecdotes, and raw emotions. You're welcome ;)

Say Yes to Which Dress?!

Wishing today...

I wish for more fun traditions with Kyle after we get married (perhaps starting with the wedding day!) like the one we just partook in this past evening- attending concerts together!

Back in the day when I was in high school, I fell in love (kind of literally) with live music. My first major boyfriend was a base player. Attending his concerts in coffee shops with twenty people in attendance was my gateway into a much deeper passion for live music that I now feel.

Fast forward to meeting Kyle, we found that we both shared this love for music and we have the same taste in bands. (Ok, maybe he won't go see Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga with me, but Incubus or Dave, no problem!). Kyle and I have now attended nearly twenty live shows over our relationship, from local shows at Tempe Town Lake, to destinations like Red Rocks.

Last night, we attended our 7th O.A.R. concert together. Kyle's is the true fan, having followed them since before college, but he has turned me into just as big a fan throughout our time together. I remember him picking me up in his red Honda Accord with the gray door and key that wouldn't ever come out of the ignition, listening to O.A.R. CDs on repeat, and soon after I had memorized the entire song "Crazy Game of Poker" (or just "Poker" to true fans).

So here's to one of my favorite traditions so far. It is these shared experiences that make our relationship unique and special to us, and that help us keep our dates fun and exciting! I believe this wish for more fun traditions will come true for us!

O.A.R. at the Marquee in Tempe

Mumford and Sons Railroad Revival Tour- April 2011

Love is hard

All So Cute on Etsy.com

I figured that I would take a moment to contemplate the old cliche here today. The truth of the statement "love is hard" is that we really, as humans, do not fully understand what this emotion "love" is. It cannot be scientifically broken down into elements, it cannot be extrapolated from the body, and it isn't the same for any two people on this planet. How are we, as individuals, as complex and complicated as we are, supposed to figure out ways to make love make sense in our lives when we don't even understand ourselves half the time (and love, as we know, involves others in the equation)?

Another scary thing about love is that can control our thoughts and feelings. It has the ability to change our lives in fundamental ways. When we find love, we will do anything to keep it. But sometimes we think it is love and it really is not, so we spend our precious time trying desperately for something that wasn't meant to be. Given my own history, I feel like we go through these experiences to learn something about ourselves, but sometimes I feel like it would have been nice if we could figure that thing out without such heartache and frustration. Is it all worth it in the end when we realize that we've really reached that pot-of-gold at the end of a rainbow of crazy past "practice" relationships?

Love exists not just between couples, but also between family and friends. Love has so many faces and so many challenges, it is hard to keep loving when the world is so distracting, and the movies and tabloids put misconceptions in our heads and lead us to distrust our own feelings. But after all of this, we still come back for more, we continue to pursue love, fall in love, and do crazy things out of and in spite of love.

And that is why love is hard.


And worth it--worth the fights, the sadness, the worrying, and the frustration--for the feeling you get when he or she is holding your hand through the hardest of times.

When he or she is helping you achieve your dreams.

When you realize that there is no one else you'd rather see every morning when you wake up.

When you get past the heartache and the honeymoon, and all you have left is happiness that is as indescribable as the idea of love in the first place.

Don't define it, it doesn't need logic, it just needs faith and trust. Here's to love feeling a bit easier today.

I'm wishing...

For an awesome wedding reception song list! I am in some serious need of dance tunes lately. Maybe I need to go to more Zumba classes and get my dance on to get it out of my system. I love really good dance tunes, but not all the "traditional" ones like "Celebration" or "Shout" (although some relatives may be a bit upset by that...) This has been on my mind since we've been setting up appointments with DJs for our wedding this week!  Now that most of our bigger contracts are taken care of, I am ready to focus on the details!

Really, this is in my blood people. Check out the proof:

My sophomore year of high school- Show Choir in Nashville

Action Shot- Company of Singers

My senior year of high school- Branson

Happy Birthday to my Love!

I want to wish Kyle a very happy 32nd birthday. Since 32 is my lucky number, it only makes sense that he is going to marry me this year, and make me the luckiest girl alive! For his birthday, we went out for 2 wonderful dinners, and one delicious brunch, visited 2 favorite bars, and watched our favorite football teams. But I think his favorite gift would have to be the couples' massage I scheduled for us! We both needed it!

Who wouldn't love this bearded hottie?! By the way the background is the Silverthorne Ice Castle.

I learned through our couple's massage experience that we will definitely need a session the week of our wedding, and I think I'll spring for the 2 hour massage for that one. I have come to love the power of a good massage over the past few months of wedding planning. In fact, I sprang for the monthly massage to get the preferred customer price (the nice thing is that if we don't use it one month, the cost we pay rolls over and then we can get a longer massage or add a facial the next month if we want.) Kyle also can use my account so we can treat each other as times get stressful closer to the big day.

So beyond being a birthday wish and gift, my point is that I recommend finding a good masseuse nearby and treating yourself without feeling bad about it for one minute! It is totally worth the extra time and cash to relieve the tension while planning for anything in life, or even when not planning anything at all.

Confession: Wedding Videos

I watch total strangers' wedding videos and cry my eyes out when no one else is looking. Hopefully, this exercise in self torture will purge me of all the tears I will try to avoid on my wedding day. I'm paying for that makeup, after all! I found this beaut just this week: Peak Impact Productions

To a tear-free weekend!!

www.mobiletoones.com

Knowing when it's right...

I may have led you astray in that title, because I am not here to talk about knowing when you are ready to marry the right man, as the famous cliche would allude. I am sharing with you the lesson this past 6 months of wedding planning have taught me, that I need to just go with my gut. I shared with you that I just knew that I needed to retry on my wedding dress (the one I chose) because I couldn't get it out of my head. Then I also shared how I subconsciously did not pay for the first officiant we found and liked because he seemed rather pricey.  Well, all has fallen into place as we wrapped up another week of wedding planning in Colorado last week. We hired our officiant, Josh, and spent a wonderful hour and half at our favorite local joint, the Dam Brewery, outlining what is set to be an amazing wedding ceremony that captures our humor and fun-loving personality as a couple, but incorporates the very real love we share and want to express to each other in front of our closest friends and family. We also got our contract with our caterer, who is by far the best deal we've scored so far in this wedding planning, and after the tasting we had (more to come), is not just a value but a talent! We got a videographer, a florist, and a rehearsal dinner lined up as well, and all because I stopped worrying about doing "the right" thing and started to go where my heart led me. After all, it is how I found Kyle, why couldn't it also apply to our wedding vendors?

Lake Dillon, CO as the sun rose our last day. It is the only time we've seen a glassy frozen lake, due to lack of snow.

2012 Preview

I am a list-maker. Since I was a young age, I have found it easier to be productive when I get to cross off each item as I complete it. Today, I make electronic lists by e-mailing myself with schedules, agendas, and reminders. I make lists in my planner (still old fashioned- not electronic) and make lists on post-it notes that I post in my planner. I make lists all over my desk at work, and make new lists each time the current list starts looking too messy. I will not apologize for my lists. So here is my current 2012 wedding planning list, otherwise known as a preview of what fabulous topics are to come over the next few months of this blog.

• Book caterer 
• Decide on cake decorations and flavors
• Book DJ
• Decide on Videographer
• Choose floral arrangements
•  Make reservations for rehearsal dinner
• Choose groom's and groomsmens' outfits
• Choose my wedding accessories, shoes, jewelry... 
• Choose first dance...
• Create Centerpieces
• Write wedding ceremony (portions)
• Order favors
• Lose that last inch so my dress zips up
• Accessorize the wedding!
• Continue Pinterest and Etsy inspiration (obsessions)
• Make invites
• Send invites
• Stay positive
• Enjoy every second of it, as it will be the only time I'll get to plan a wedding!

It may look like a lot, but the biggest decisions have already been made and the overall wedding is coming together splendidly already! I cannot wait. Happy 2012 everyone!

As the sun set on 2011, 2012 is set to be the best year of our lives thus far!