The Table Settings

Last night I put together a mock up of how are tables are going to look. That way I can give the caterer and setter-uppers a picture of what I want the table to look like. Because we are doing a family buffet dinner, I decided not to set the tables with any plates. I kind of think it is strange to go to the table, pick up the empty plate and head over to the buffet. All of the plates will be sitting at the end of the buffet waiting to be filled with the delicious food.

Anyway, the settings. The ear doctor and I wanted to used solid brown table clothes. I think the dark tables will really bring a warmth and luxury feel to the room. At each place setting there will be a white napkin with a blue ribbon wrapped around it. On top of the napkins there is a little favor box. We haven't decided yet what to put in the boxes, but I thought they were too cute to pass up.


In the center of the table there will be 9 shallow canning jars filled with water. In each jar there will be one big blue hydrangea head (I had to use spider mums for the mock up because I couldn't find hydrangeas at the florist this time of year). There will be a couple of pictures of the ear doctor and myself popping up from in between the hydrangea mounds held up on those picture clips.

I was thinking of labeling each table with a different phase in our relationship like "the first date" or "the proposal." Then, at that table we'd write out our stories so that the guests have something kind of fun to read while they're eating dinner.

Any thoughts or suggestions for what we should change or add?

The apartment

Today during lunch the ear doctor and I are signing our first joint contract. We're getting our first apartment to live in together. HOW exciting!

It's so cool to think that we will get to live together soon, under the same roof. No need to go home late at night, or to be inconvenineced when looking for a rubber band to keep my hair up at his house. It will be SO great!

The apartment we've found isn't my dream home...but it will do until we've saved up a bit. In the search for the housing over the past month I've found some really interesting trends in housing.

It seems right now, in Colorado, there is a push to develop new neighborhoods of retro-looking, small houses packed very close together. I think this new concept is ideal for starter homes. They are small, and compact but still have style. I'd much rather live in a small house that I can fill with the few pieces of furniture I have than buy a big house and feel pressured to buy tons of junk just to make it feel full. These housese are kind of like living in a condo or a townhouse but still has the individuality of a stand-alone home. Plus, these developements are much better from an urban planning frame of reference. The down side is that they do'nt really have big yards, but for a couple where both people are working I think it doesn't really make much sense to have a big yard.

Engagement photos

I thought that not taking engagement photos would be a great way to save money. I thought that since I'd received both invitations with and without an enclosed photo it would be alright to forgo that experience. I thought that since we were trying to pull a wedding together in basically 2 months, we wouldn't have the time.

I was wrong.

The more I read and talk to photographers I see that the engagement photo shoot is crucial. It gives you a chance to get to know your photographer before the big day. That way they don't feel like a stranger intruding on one of the biggest moments of your life.

Also, I realized that I would be sending announcements/invitations to extended family and acquaintances of my parents who maybe haven't seen me since I was 4. I've changed a little since then, so it seems like a good idea to send a photo to those people.

Unforch, we ran out of time to include them with all our invitations/announcements. (insert sad music here)

Our engagement photo shoot is on Friday. The weather looks great, partly cloudy only 10% chance of rain and 71 degrees.

Now the big question is: what on earth should I wear?!?!

Great, great show!

Two years ago I "met" a great fellow blogger, K. She suggested that I go check out this local Washington singer, Brandi Carlile. When she came through Boulder the tickets were cheap, so I grabbed my friend Genius and we went to the show. The entire Fox theater was vacant. There were two sad little rows of chairs. Genius and I plopped down and waited with the 4 other people there for the show to start.

She played and was really good.

Last night she was back in town and we decided to go to the show again. It was SOLD OUT! and PACKED with people. As we edged our way past the clump of tall people (why do they always stand together at shows?) we barely could catch a view of her on stage.

She was even more fabulous last night. She played a bunch of covers, which I usually get a little annoyed by. However, she shed new light on this subject. She said, if no one plays covers how are the songs of our generation going to become "standards." It really made me start to appreciate a good cover. I love all the old jazz standards and I never considered that without a good cover our songs will never be remembered like the songs of our past are. Pretty interesting.

Anyway, it was crazy to see an artist grow into such popularity. Two years ago neither Genius or myself knew a single song she sang. Last night the entire room with singing along with the exact same songs. Pretty cool.

The invitations response

Thanks so much for the great suggestions on our invites!

After looking at the comments we made the following changes:

1. Lightened the swirls. They are a lot less intense brown.
2. Re-worked the wording so the thoughts weren't split on different lines.
3. Moved the text around to create more white space on the page.
4. Darkened the blue so that it was easier to read
5. Used my full name, instead of just Katie
6. Added the date again with the rest of the particulars in the lower left hand corner.

I printed up one on the real invitation paper and they are SOOOOO cute!

We decided to print a swirl on the bottom left hand side of the envelope, and print the little flower in the design on the envelope flap.

I've never been more impressed with a wedding invitation. WOW!

Is it wrong...

So the colors for our wedding are blue and brown. Light blue and chocolate brown. I'm in love with this color combination. We're using blue hydrangeas in the centerpieces. It will look great.

However, I found this bouquet. It drives me wild with desire.

Would it totally destroy the continuity of the day to use these beautiful peonies for my flowers and keep with the hydrangeas in the centerpieces?

The invitations

Be critical! What do you think? What should we change?



FYI-That solid dark line on the left side isn't really there.

Cutest couple

I lurve this picture from my cousin's wedding last weekend!

He's so hot!

The registry

So the ear doctor and I are officially registered. Hooray! Everyone told me that registering would be awful. A pain in the neck that was really annoying.

For us, it was awesome! We had so much fun walking around and scanning for tons of awesome stuff. I felt a little strange about the whole process. Seriously asking people for specific gifts seems so foreign. On one hand, it is nice to help people pick out something, and nice to give a large variety of things to choose from. On the other, I would never want someone to look at this list and think, jeez, they're sure expecting their friends to shell out a ton of money on gifts. I would be mortified if anyone ever thought that.

Anyway, we're officially registered at:

Crate & Barrel

Bed, Bath, and Beyond

and

REI (please, someone, get that sleeping bag for me!)

Becuase she asked so nicely...

...and I'm feeling totally uncreative this morning, I'm going to do the meme that Courtney tagged me for. Here goes!

A - Attached or Single: Attached to the man who is a perfect fit for me. Really, I never thought I'd find someone so compatible for me! June 21st, here I come!

B - Best Friend: Well, I kind of think it is like elementary school to say that I only have one best friend. I've had so many awesome friends who make me feel so loved that it astounds me. Brooke in high school, Kathy after that, Anth during college, Britt after. Eleanor when I interned in Colorado, Amy when I moved here. Sarah when I got to know her. Alayne now that we live together. My sister and baby Charlotte. My mom.

C - Cake or Pie: Both! I love me some cake and with all the wedding tasting I'm starting to develop a very refined cake palate. But there's nothing better than a slice of warm cherry pie with ice cream....or a tart lemon meringue.

D - Drink of Choice: Diet coke with a lime. I'm trying to limit myself to only one soda a day.

E - Essential Item: As lame as it sounds, my cell phone. I left it in Utah for 5 days and almost went crazy without it. Trying to plan a wedding in a month is hard enough as it is, but without a cell phone it is next to impossible!

F - Favorite Color: Always has been, always will be...GREEN.

G - Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms because they get all slippery and feel cool when being eaten.

H - Hometown: Spokane, WA. Not much to say about that.

I – Indulgence(s): Lame TV. For some reason I am drawn to ANTM like a moth to a flame. I can't get enough of that dumb show. Oh, and the bachelor, which I am totally embarrassed to admit.

J - January or July*: July! Totally my birthday month!

K - Kids: Oh yes! In my dream world I'd have two little boys and then a girl. The boys would have the ear doctor's perfect brown hair and the girl would have my red curls. All three would have his deep blue eyes!

L - Life is incomplete without: Family, friends and great food.

M - Marriage Date: JUNE 21, 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

N - Number of Siblings: 2. An older foster brother who lives in London and is the most sarcastic rad big brother a girl could have! A little sister who just had the cutest baby in the world!

O - Oranges or Apples: Oranges plain, but apples when paired with caramel.

P - Phobias/Fears: Ticks....yuck.

Q - Favorite Quote: How do you pick a favorite quote? Different ones have meant more or less at different times in my life.

R - Reason to smile: I don't have to come into work over the weekend!!!!!!! And I'm going to finalize the design and paper for our wedding invitations with our designer!

S - Season: Spring. Nothing makes me happier when it starts to get sunny after the long winter.

T- Tag Three: Hmmm, I think I'm going to pass on the tags...

U - Unknown Fact About Me:

V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: I like me a rib eye....

W - Worst Habit: I pick my lips when I'm thinking. After finals week they were raw and bleeding. Yuck!

X - X-rays or Ultrasounds: I don't get this question. Who cares?

Y - Your Favorite Foods: Anything with cheese, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, pesto, lemon, sausage, or halibut. Anything using the words encrusted, pounded, braised, or slow-roasted. Anything you'd find at a fair or rodeo. Anything with Cinnamon sugar on it.

Z- Zodiac: I am a cusp kid...Right between Leo and Cancer. I probably lean more to the Leo side than cancer.

The Dress: Part II

I'm just going to brag here for a second about the awesomeness of my family. Specifically, the women in my family.

My grandma is awesome. Almost 75 years old and works out more frequently than I do. She has the energy of a teenager and can do anything.

My aunt is also pretty fabulous. She worked with high school kids for 25 years and still has the energy to teach. Now she's teaching at BYU between the days she goes skiing. I think she got over 50 ski days in this season!

Then there is my mom. What can I say about my mom other than she is amazing. Full time job, three awesome kids, can do Calculus in her head and also crochet a mean baby blanket.

The reason I am bragging about these three women is so that you can fully understand how awesome Monday was for me.

In 4 hours the 4 of us started, tailored and finished my WEDDING DRESS! I've never seen a more well-oiled machine. It was truly inspiring for me to watch their expertise so clearly demonstrated. Really quite amazing! All that is left now is the hem because I haven't bought my shoes yet. So I have my designer knock-off dress that cost about $300 and is probably made out of better fabric than the original. It is beautiful and I love it!

A possible candidate for our Photographer

Last night the ear doctor and I met with a great photographer. The cool things about her:

1. She grew up in a photography family. Her great-grandfather owned a camera store. Her grandfather taught photography at a university. And now she and her mother run a photography business. Her photos have been critiqued since she was 9 years old.


2. Her price is just right and she offered to give us an extra hour for free. Score.


3. Her albums are beautiful and she really tailors the whole album to the couple. This is good because we've seen some albums that we really didn't like.


4. She's already photographed an LDS wedding and understands the limitations with regard to the ceremony.

Here is a sampling of Amanda and her mother's work:

I copied all of these images off the Kokoro website.

Hil's wedding

Well, this last weekend I got to go to my cousin Hil's wedding. It was really so awesome and showed me just how similar my cousin and I are. The weather was cold and crappy on Saturday, so pictures outside the temple didn't last too long at all. I was very impressed with the photographer they picked. He was very clearly seeing every detail of the shot. I loved that he asked my grandma if she wanted to keep her dark glasses on, and that he told my aunt to fix her hair that the wind blew up. It's really important that a photographer sees every element of the photo, not just the focal points.

Their reception was held in an old, historic hall. A long skinny room with exposed brick walls and beautiful hardwood floors. The centerpieces were simple lime/grass green runners with a very vertical arrangement of yellow and white Gerber daisies. To each side of the vase there was a patch of wheat grass with a picture of the couple springing up. Very clean looking and modern. They hung about 100 round white paper lanterns all over the ceiling, which really make a cool statement.

My favorite part was that in the middle of the room there were stairs going down to the basement. This could have been a very awkward feature of the venue, but my cousin covered the railing with ply-wood and white table clothes, so it looked like a high, large table. Then, they displayed photos that they'd taken earlier. The frames of the photos were BEAUTIFUL! My grandpa made them all by hand and the grain in the wood was really SO pretty. I wish I had a photo of them to share.

The food and cake were REALLY good. I made myself sick and the white and brown chocolate fountains. The ear doctor and I danced a little in the corner because the music they were playing was so awesome. Even my grandma and grandpa joined us in a dance.

I took a lot of great notes from their wedding that I can't wait to apply to my own!

The Music

The music at our reception is a big, BIG, B-I-G deal for us. I am such a believer that all of the senses really need to play a part in designing a great event. For instance, you could have the most beautiful wedding in the world with all the right lighting and food and if it's downwind from a barnyard, it's not going to be that much fun for your guests...trust me, I've been there.

We want some kind of music to be playing at all times during our event. Soft, quite, classical music for our intimate ring ceremony. Classy, fun, but somewhat understated standard jazz for background dinner music, and (hopefully) the gypsy swing revue to pep things up for dancing.

The ear doctor and I are heading out to a bar tonight to listen to them play live. So, so, so excited to hear them live.

Here's a question. The ear doctor and I really want to get people up and dancing at the reception. We both swing dance, and will be dancing a ton. However, we also realize that the general public may be a little intimiated to join the dance floor when the music is a littl bit specialized and there are people there who clearly know what they are doing. Would this make you hesitant to dance? If you are the type of person who isn't the first on the floor, what helps you break loose and join in the fun (sans any kind of "liquid courage")?

The Honeymoon

We're BOOKED! I'm SOOOOO excited about this. We're taking a 2 week land/ocean cruise in Alaska. We're starting in Anchorage and taking a land cruise through Denali, and Copper River wilderness center. Then, we're cruising down the inner passageway to see my cousin in Skagway and ending in Vancouver. We'll have a couple of days in Vancouver, so I want to show the ear doctor Victoria. We went there a bunch of times when my sister and I were little and I loved it!

Don't we look good in Alaska?

The settings

For some reason the table settings at the wedding reception have been occupying an obscene portion of my thoughts as of late. Here are pictures that make me smile.

This picture has been saved for a long time in my "inspiration" folder on my computer. So fresh, so alive. I, however, probably wouldn't put dirt on the plates for my guests' food. I think that's a little weird.

This may be a little too girly-romantic for what we're thinking, but I just love that color of blue and the big open flowers. I'm sure there would be a way to manly up this idea, right?

This picture seems so ME. Although, I don't understand the movement of putting sticks into flower arrangements. I'd never pay for sticks.

Love the two tone greens. We'd probably do blues, but you get the picture. I just found out that those chairs cost an arm and a leg to rent, so we'd probably just have normal white chairs.

The idea for the centerpiece is really cool, and so pretty I think. Just grow wheat grass and then on the big day stick tulips down in. Genius! (isn't that a crazy amount of stemware on one table?)

Last, but not least, Jordan's friend Rachel set her table this Easter in the exact colors we're thinking of using for our wedding. Love the milky blue plates and the dark brown cloth as an accent. Plus, I'm a huge fan of the planter boxes and little mint bowls.

Any thoughts? Where else should I look for inspiration?

Panda, why must you torture me?

When did Panda Express start mixing nasty, slimy celery into their mixed veggies?!?!? Gross

One week left

I sort of can't believe that in one week I will be totally done with my Masters degree. Holy Cow! How cool is that?!?! I'm so glad that I decided to go back to school. I'm so glad I did it when I did. I've learned so much in the two years here at CU here is a list of things off the top of my head:

1. MATLAB is hard, but awesome when you figure it out.
2. I don't have to get straight A's in everything. This is a lesson that I'm SO glad I learned. I don't think I would have learned it any other way.
3. Some things are more important than others. I've learned to prioritize these things a lot better.
4. I've realized that school/work/"success" doesn't really drive me like it used to. People and my interactions with them tend to by my main motivation.
5. I'm so lucky to be blessed with a mind that understands things, because I have not been blessed with the patience to persistently work to understand.
6. When sitting in an otherwise boring class it is important to keep my mind wide open to the different interpretations of what the teacher is talking about. One lecture on bacterial growth in space helped me reaffirm my faith in God. Beat that!
7. Having an advanced degree means that someone worked very hard in one particular area. It does not give them carte blanche in all areas.
8. Teaching is awesome, grading papers is not.
9. In the future I will remember to treat those less experienced than myself with respect.

Well, that's all I can think of at the moment. I'm so excited to graduate!

The Venue

The ear doctor and I are planning on getting married in the Denver LDS temple, so the ceremony will require no additionally planning on my part....phew!

For the reception, the venue was REALLY important to me. I've been to so many weddings where the couple didn't start with a good venue. It you don't start with something you really like, you're sort of sunk in the water.

I had a few qualities that I really wanted in a venue.

1-Good Dance floor, not some small little square tucked back in a corner. I want people to dance and my reception, so this needed to be front and center.

2-Big enough to hold everyone, and small enough so that everyone feels included.

3-Character. We went to a bunch of places that were trying to be elegant. New places where people tried to add things to make it seem romantic. They just seemed to be trying too hard. I wanted somewhere that I really felt like it was true to itself...if that makes any sense.

4-In our budget, of course.

5- Really felt like Colorado. Both of our families will be traveling from out of state to come out our wedding. I wanted to make sure that everyone got a chance to see the beauty of Colorado.

So, after spending 3 weeks frantically driving all over the Denver Metro area, we decided on this beauty:


The Boettcher Mansion. It was built in 1917 and is located on top of Lookout Mountain, overlooking the city lights of Denver. This place is SO awesome. For the past 3 months it has been undergoing $3.1 million of remodeling. Here is the main room where we'll have our reception:


It's called the fireside room because it has a huge open fireplace on the right hand side of the photo. The overhead lighting will be spectacular! I even kind of want to get an old Model T to drive us around so that I can capture the feel of the house. Since we're having a swing band play at the reception I think the feel of this house will go perfectly!

Bridal Shower dress

Alright, lets talk about how awesome the dresses are over at Shabby Apple. Why haven't I known about this store earlier?!?!? I'm pretty sure this dress will be perfect for (1) our engagement pics {maybe}, (2) my bridal shower...hosted by the awesome Sarah G, (3) Going out to our engagement celebration dinner that the ear doctor's parents have financed in advance for us, and (4) the wedding of a dear friend in Huntsville, AL later this summer.

Plus, only $92?!?! Are you kidding me?!?! It could only be better if it was green, baby blue or yellow. (I get scared of wearing red as a redhead, but I think I could rock this one.)

The Ring

By popular demand....

More on a theme

An anonymous commenter suggested that I check out the work on a very talented photographer, Charlotte Geary.

All I can say is...WOW. This woman has amazing talent. She is my favorite photographer I've seen in a long, long time. Amazingly adept at capturing the perfect moments of the big day. Her photos look like paintings...each one really captures emotion and beauty. I cannot say enough about her work. I looked through every single photo on her website and then went over to her blog and was astounded. Plus, she does great volunteer work in the community. This is a person that I would not only love to hire, but want to be best friends with.

I mean, really. Wouldn't you want to be friends with the person who took this photo?

Its a real shame that her services are a little outside of our budget (which I am determined to stick to).

This is me with a really, really sad face.....

Finding a Photographer

Today my aunt sent me this amazing photo of my cousin and her finance. They are getting married in just over 2 weeks. I think it is an amazing shot.

I love how perfectly it captures my cousin! The framing, the line...just perfect. Finding a great photographer is sooooo important to me. I want someone who is almost a photojournalist. I want them to capture really tender and moments. I want something really special to remember my day, like this photo.

Virginia

It rained a lot last night. It's strange because it hardly ever rains in Colorado.

Because of the rain a bunch of worms thought it was safe for them to come out of the ground and float around through the water. They didn't think anything was out of the ordinary when they decided to leave the safety of their holes. They thought it was any old average night.

They floated around, probably thinking about the family they left behind down in the dirt. They were probably enjoying their new-found freedom. They were learning more, seeing the world, and really experiencing life.

Then, the rain stopped and they were stranded on sidewalks and roads.

As I walked across campus this morning I noticed that the majority of the squished worms were small, skinny worms. The ones who had probably just left the dirt for their first time. The squashed potential made me really sad. How would they have ever known that today was going to be the day they were run over by some bike tread? They could never have predicted that their new found independence was going to end up in their unexpected meeting with the bottom of someones Merrel shoe.

The really moving thing is that some of the worms were able to brush themselves off and wriggle their ways back to the dirt. Back to their lives, back to something they know. That they will go on digging holes and rebuilding after today gives me hope.

The Invites

I love the idea of having perfect, themed invitations. Awesome invitations that are custom designed and a perfect foreshadowing of the wedding. However I don't have a gajillion dollars. If only there was a person who has started her own letterpress company who has great style that I feel comfortable trusting.

So far, my quick attempt at finding invitations I love have yielded the following results.


I really really like this invite. I think I'd change the yellow to green or blue (still working on colors), but I really like the style.

From Kenzie Kate invitations, this is a really cool invite. I like that it's not feminine, so it seems like its coming from both the ear doctor and me. Also, these are already colors that we're considering. Also we're doing an indoor/outdoor so this invite kind of introduces that idea.

From Ceci New York, these are my favorite invites by far. Absolutely perfect for the theme/feel I was hoping to convey during our reception! This is me wishing I had an unlimited budget...

These invites are simple, but still pretty cool, I think. I love that the envelope has the pattern from the invite. The plus of these invites is that I can order, proof, and buy online so the turn around time is really quick. Awesome for planning an event in less than 3 months!

Masculine, foresty, perfect for a Colorado mountain venue, which is the other idea we're working with. The ear doctor really liked these when I showed him.

I like the contrast of the loose, organic outer border and the strict inner border on this one. Plus, the branches on the envelope are cute.

5 years ago I would have thought this one was old looking and almost "matronly" but now I think it is feminine and beautiful. I don't know if you can tell from this small pic, but the whole thing is done on a letterpress and the top has a lace-like ink-free imprint from the heavy press. I think the ear doctor didn't like this one at all...I see what he says, it is really girly.

I don't really like the peach ink on this one, but I really like the pattern and layout. Plus the paper is so thick that the letterpress looks AMAZING!

I like this whole set together. I really like the idea of tying all the paper products together. Not in a perfect match way, but a theme way. This whole package is really cool.

Last, but not least, this invite is really cool. And, the ear doctor would be proud of me because it is the ONLY invite in the whole list that has any birds on it. See, I have restraint. I really like the colors and we're considering a blue/brown scheme, so this would work well.

Ready to get married

Well, I think I'm officially ready to get married.

You may be asking yourself, "how does she know, how can she be so sure?"

Well, I'll tell you how.

Yesterday I roasted an entire turkey all by myself, and it turned out perfectly. Golden brown on top, juicy in even the most top piece of breast meat. Even the microwaved leftovers are moist and delicious for lunch today.

I've arrived.

The dress

While I was over in Utah two weeks ago, I tried on wedding dresses with my mom. We started at the most awesome store in Trolley Square, Alta Moda. If you live in Utah, you MUST go to this store. The owner is a really nice woman who treats you like a queen. They only carry designer dresses and have a special relationship with most designers to get their dresses altered to have sleeves and backs. Really, SUCH a great place! I found the dress of my dreams. Unforch, I'm not going to share and details at all because ear doctor reads this and I don't want to give anything away.

The dress I found cost $4600! Who in their right mind would pay that much for a dress? Anyway, I sunk down into a pit of despair after I took a look at the price tag. Ugh. I was annoyed all day.

We went to some other shops and tried similar cuts and styles. The thing is, you can really tell the difference between at $500 and a $5000 dollar dress.

We decided that my mom is going to make me the dress of my dreams. She's an amazing seamstress, at the dress really isn't complicated so I'm pretty sure it will turn out beautiful! Plus, I think it is a really awesome way to have my mom involved in everything with her being so far away (she lives in Washington State).

My aunt and grandma think we are crazy to try to do this.

I'm going to love proving them all wrong.

The Proposal

We weren't supposed to leave for spring break until Tuesday. I'd decided to force myself to go to work on Monday so that I didn't use up all of my so painstakingly accrued vacation hours. However, when my little sister went into labor on Sunday morning I knew I just had to get over to Utah. I didn't want to miss a thing. Excitedly, I ran up to ear doctor and asked him if we could leave after church to drive over. He was a little thrown off because I'm not really one for spontaneity. He sat and thought all during the first hour of service and then told me that we could leave after a meeting that afternoon. Awesome!

On the drive over he told me that we had to swing by Salt Lake on Monday morning to get him some clothes. He had been planning to do laundry all day Monday, and since I had an out-of-character spontaneous moment, he wanted to buy stuff over there. I thought it was a little strange that he wanted to go to Salt Lake for clothes, since my sister lives in Logan, but whatever.

We got to Ogden late, late Sunday night and slept at a friend's house. Then, Monday morning I called my mom and found out that she'd had the baby. I wanted to drive up to Logan ASAP, but the ear doctor looked at me and said, I HAVE to go to the distribution center to get some "clothes". I don't have any at all to wear. I really wanted to go see the baby, but I realized that the ear doctor's need was more pressing than mine, so we took off to Salt Lake. It was a BEAUTIFUL day...clear, sunny, warm. We got to temple square and he bought what he needed. I wanted to rush back to the car because my mom wanted to meet us in Brigham City for lunch. He suggested that we take a walk around because it was so nice and we hardly ever get to go there anymore.

We walked around for a while and then he asked me if I'd ever been to the top of the conference center.

I had, but he wanted to go up and look out at the city and the mountains. I agreed. We walked up the outside stairs of the building to the very front where a huge, beautiful waterfall cascades between the beautiful marble stone. We stood there looking at the temple, which has great personal significance to us. I was getting a little antsy because I didn't want to miss my mom for lunch. Plus, the sun was really intense, so I said, "let's go...I'm getting a sunburn."

He turned to me and smiled and said, "no, lets' wait another minute"

He gave me a hug, told me I was his very best friend, got down on one knee and asked me to spend my life with him while offering me the most shiny, beautiful ring the world has ever seen. In one swift movement, I stuck my right pointer finger through the ring (I didn't want to loose it, but I didn't want to take the time to wait for him to slide it onto the correct finger) and fell into his arms.

After a minute we separated and he told me that the stone was the same one that his grandma wore for 52 years of the most love filled marriage. She called him up 3 weeks ago and offered it to him. After telling me that I was a complete wreck. I started crying so hard! I've never felt so honored or welcomed into someone's heart and family. That his grandma would offer to give me something so prized left me absolutely speechless. Thinking about it still gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes.

Turns out, that he had been planning to ask me here, in Colorado on the Monday before we planed to leave. My little Carpe Diem moment totally messed up his plan and sent him into a 24 hour tailspin trying to figure out a new way to ask me. Good thing he's so great thinking on his feet!

We danced to no music on the top of the building.

It was perfect.

Back to life

So sorry for the complete cessation of posting with absolutely no warning. It's not that I didn't want to write, I just didn't have the time. There's nothing wrong with you...you're great. It's me. I've just have been so busy. I really did mean to write you.

Anyway, there are some very good reasons why I haven't posted. My little sister had her baby! Little Charlotte was 8 lb 8 oz 21 inches long and perfect. She has dark brown hair and pretty blue eyes. She is adorable and I can already tell she is really really smart. Plus she has great fashion sense because her auntie Katie has basically supplied her entire wardrobe. My sister is pretty much amazing. After being a mom for only 4 days she had it down. A total expert already!

The other big news is that the ear doctor asked me to be his wife and I GLADLY accepted! Hooray! We are engaged! I love this man more than life itself. He is the perfect match for me and I can't wait to be his wife.

We're planning on getting married at the end of June, so the planning will be frenzied! However, I think it's better to just get it done fast so that the planning doesn't stretch out forever. I promise that I would be just as frenzied in a year long engagement as I will be in the next 3 months so at least I'm decreasing the span of the insanity.

Anyway, if anyone has any great suggestions for a wedding reception in the Denver area, let me know!

She works hard for her money

So I kind of can't believe that I am at work at 9:20 in the morning on a Saturday. Unreal.

At least it is pouring rain outside so I don't feel like I'm missing much.

Last night we threw an awesome birthday party for my cool roommate. One of the traditions at our house is that during your birthday we play and awesome game called "birthday girl trivia." The room is divided into two teams and they get points for knowing trivia about the birthday girl. It's always a ton of fun and hilarious. It was particularly hilarious last night.

About 3 weeks ago the birthday girl was on a camp out with our friend...we'll call him...Joe. Roommate was the only girl there who wasn't a member of Joe's family. Well, they all stayed in this big cabin-like room that had only one, huge bathroom. Sounds nice right? well, the problem was that said spacious bathroom had no door. There was a policy instituted that if a cowboy hat was on the floor in front of the bathroom someone was in there and you couldn't come in. Well, roommate woke up very early to go to the bathroom. In her sleepy stupor, she forgot to put the hat down, but figured it would be alright for a quick pee.

She thought wrong.

Just as she was finishing up her business, Joe sleepily walks into the bathroom and catches her peeing. In a flurry of embarrassment he rushed out of the bathroom.

Since that time Roommate has felt a little distance between them. She didn't know how to bring it up to break the ice.

Now we come back to her birthday party and the trivia game. I was the question asker, and was really getting the room on a roll. Everyone was really into it. I then asked the following question:

"Who in this room has seen birthday girl peeing?"

The look on Joe's face was priceless. He started laughing so hard that he almost passed out. The whole room went wild with laughter and the ice was successfully broken. Roommate thought it was hilarious!

Something strange

For some reason someone moved a brown metal 4 shelf bookcase into the women's bathroom at work.

Every time I go in there it really confuses me...it's empty. Why is it there? Why is it empty? How did they move it there because we (employees) aren't allowed to move any furniture on our own at all. In an effort to prevent workers comp claims we hire contract movers to move anything over 10 lbs, which this bookcase most certainly is. It's really weird.

These are the kind of things I wonder about.

A word to the wise

Last night I started making this cake for my roommate's birthday party we're throwing tomorrow night.

She loves all things Hawaiian/tropical so I thought this coconut cake with lemon curd filling would be perfect. While I probably won't be making this cake again any time soon (it took about 2 hours to get the cakes and filling made...and about 6 bowls!), it did teach me one invaluable tip of cake baking that I will use from now on. The recipe told me to butter and flour each pan and then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.

Why has no one ever told me this before!?!?! The cakes came out easily and PERFECTLY! No longer will I get that scary/sinking feeling when I invert my cake and wait feverishly for that satisfying thump of the whole cake falling together out of the pan.

Try it next time you bake...you'll thank me.

Congrats!

My good friends Ryan and Vanessa just got engaged on Saturday! I'm so happy for them and excited to help them pull together some of the details for their wedding. They've already decided that they're going to get married in the bride's grandmother's back yard...in Alabama...in August. Which means that, if I am lucky enough to be invited, I am going to be a melted grease spot sitting, roasting in the sun.

That means I'm going to have to find a great, very light dress to wear to the wedding. So far these are the best candidates:

From Anthropologie (of course): Silk and flowy would keep me quite cool. Longer sleeves will prevent sun burn

A classic from Ann Taylor Loft: A more conservative dress ensures that the bride is always in the spotlight, plus I love wearing brown

Via Banana Republic: Holy Stunning! How pretty is this?

From J. Crew: I love wearing this color, and the details on the back of this dress are adorable!

My rad weekend

Friday night the ear doctor and I went, with my two awesome roommates, down to Denver to watch the DU/BYU/Cal Berkley gymnastic meet. First of all, I have to complain a little about the parking situation down at DU. So annoying! How can you have a university in the middle of town and not plan ahead and have enough parking. I was so annoyed as I had to drive all over town just to find a parking spot. Ugh.....

Anyway, the meet was great. BYU got slaughtered, but it was still pretty awesome.

Saturday I worked all day....sick.

Then, Saturday night we packed up into the car and all went to the most awesome event of me life...yes...the demolition derby. There is just something so satisfying about seeing people ram each other repeatedly in old junker cars. Plus, it's a way to reuse car parts that would otherwise just be sitting in junk yards...see...earth-friendly.

Plus there were guys on motorcycles doing back flips 40 feet in the air. Amazing!

If you've never been to this kind of thing because you think it is kind of low-brow tacky you should re-evaluate, give it a chance and go because it RULED!

My midmorning snack

Read it and weep! Jealous?



You should be

New Shoes

It's a long standing joke in my family that all I ever buy is black shoes. And, when I was younger, I had a hard time buying shoes other than black. I wanted to be able to wear my shoes with as many different outfits as possible. I was practical. I was nervous about clashing.

Now I understand that a cute shoe can turn a mediocre outfit into something sensational.

This season's Blueprint inspired me. Buy their magazine, because it is AWESOME!



Starting at 12 o'clock and working clockwise:

Camper "Twins" $134
Dolce Vita "Noritz-3" $95
Michelle K "Emery - Galvanize" $65
Me Too "Nevada" $70
Poetic Licence "Check Mate" $65
Type Z "Kit" $70
Bettye Muller "Bliss" $348 (ouch)
Franco Sarto "Tequila" $83
Seychelles "Little White Lie" $60
BC Footwear "Baby Cakes" $50
Linea Paolo "Leonardo" $80
Cole Haan "Naya" $185
Laundry "Beckin" $155
Biviel "518" $125
Joie "Rapture" $195
Seychelles "Social Climber" $65

What would you do?

You are the CEO of a consulting firm that does a fair amount of business with Fortune 50 and 500 companies. You have about 35 employees working under you who all earn upwards of $200K a year. Unlike most consulting firms, they do not have yearly contracts, but instead are permanent employees of your firm...they have security in their jobs.

One of your most valuable employees, Marilyn, comes to your office. She tells you that even though you've offered her a promotion she is going to decline and move to Texas to be with her husband and his new job he's just been offered. You are sad to see her go, but understand.

Then, 6 months after she's left your firm you get a call from a lawyer. Turns out that Marilyn is going to sue your company for sexual discrimination.

You go to a meeting with Marilyn's lawyer and he lays his cards on the table. You ask him if he is aware that 52% of your employees or currently female and that right now the average salary of a female employee with your firm is actually higher than that earned by the males. The lawyer says he is aware of this.

You ask the lawyer if he really thinks they can win the case.

He says no, he doesn't think they'll win the case.

Frustrated, you then ask him why he is threatening this suit.

He tells you this: Going to court, and winning the suit will set the company back $300K at least. Plus, all of the firm's employees will need to be depositioned, most of the firm's clients will be called in as references. The firm's otherwise spotless reputation would be damaged. They will not only look like a firm that has discriminatory hiring practices, but they will also gain reputation for wasting client time and resources. Marilyn's proposition is that if she is paid $50k she will settle out of court and never tell anyone about the situation.

Do you write the check or not?

Face Update

Good news! Last week my face looked like this:
Today my face looks like this:


Not all the way normal, but I am starting to be able to move my right cheek. Hooray!

New Trick

Want to know what I love right now?

Cute, cotton button-down shirts like this one I just bought at American Eagle:


What to know what I hate about this type of shirt? The fabric is so light that, even though the shirt fits perfectly in the shoulders, length and bust, it still ends up pulling and gaping across the front. So annoying when you want to pull off that casual/put together look.

My trick?

I whip out my sewing machine and a cute, contrasting color of thread and sew the shirt together between the three middle buttons! It looks great, is really easy and prevents any kind of gaping whatsoever.

I love it and you should try it sometime!

My movie review: Wild Hogs

From the trailers, this movie had the looks of another retarded "comedy" with no plot and no real laughs. It looked like the kind of movie my dad would beg the family to go to. The kind we'd all go because everyone gets to have a pick once in a while. The kind where he'd fall asleep 10 minutes in and then we would all be stuck, bearing the agony of 2 hours of lame, dirty jokes and no funny moments at all.

However, the trailers didn't do it justice. It was surprisingly funny and I found myself laughing really hard through most of the show.

Sure, some of the characters were unbelievable.

Sure, the whole thing was contrived for a laugh.

Sure, most of the jokes were obvious and could be seen coming from a mile away.

But, boy did I laugh! Hard, and through almost the entire thing.

Maybe it was that I went it with really low expectations, but this movie was a great Friday night date with my man.

Taking a sick day

Yesterday I had to stay home and take a sick day.

Instead of reading my newest book Taxonomy of Barnacles (which BTW I'm really liking at only 4 chapters in), I decided to doze off in the cuddlebag and watch movies.

It really seemed like the best option.

As I popped The Notebook into the DVD player I started to kind of chuckle at myself. The last time I watched this movie was about 2 years ago when I was just starting the date the ear doctor. As we spooned on the couch I tried really hard to avoid letting him know what I big baby I am at movies. I did all I could to just let quite, beautiful tears roll down my cheeks, but this movie was too much. Soon enough I was letting out huge, hacking, body wracking sobs. For the last two years I've not heard an end about this.

Well, as I popped the movie in yesterday I thought, there is NO way I'm going to be that effected by this movie again. I know the story. I know the end. I am prepared.

I should have known better....I'm the girl who still cries at Beaches, Steel Magnolias and Where the Red Fern Grows!

As the opening notes of the music started and James Garner's cool, calm voice started my tear ducts perked up. I watched that stupid movie all the way to the end at which point I found myself sick, in pain, and now sobbing and the beauty of the story. The ear doctor would have had a hay day teasing me!

Please, someone

Make this dress mine! So pretty!

Thanks so much!

After 3 different floral arrangements dropped at my door, a box of chocolates and a hundred loving phone calls over the past 5 days I sure have felt like one loved girl! I'm feeling much better today, despite my slightly droopy right side face and leaking eye!

This weekend was great. I dialed the pace of my usually frantic life back a few notches and just tried to recoup from the emotional roller coaster brought on by nerves, deadlines and medication. I still managed to pull off a delicious dinner for 15 last night as a going away celebration for my roommate. It was a lot of fun to have people over and not let this silly face thing mess things up.

This morning I got a really important email from a friend that summed up my take-home lesson from this whole "event". She wrote:

I guess the moral of the story is, even though your physical disability is temporary, you will forever have a greater understanding and compassion for those who struggle with a physical deformity or disability which will benefit you for the rest of your life.

I'm so lucky to have such grounded and supportive people in my life.

My movie review: Amazing Grace

This movie was good.

Maybe it was just that I was really in the mood to watch a period movie, or just sit in the dark with my sweet heart, but I totally enjoyed this one. It was smart, entertaining, engrossing and made me proud of having my ancestors in England. I found myself leaving thinking, "see, there were SOME people who didn't support the slave trade, and those are the ancestors I'm claiming."

It also was empowering. One person can make a difference.

Plus, on the girly side the costumes, hair, make-up and design were really pretty. Loved seeing a beautiful red head in a leading lady role. (wink)

Made me want to go back to Westminster Abbey (where he is buried) and thank great men like William Wilberforce.

Being a girl

When we're little we don't care. We have one outfit we love and want to wear every day. We don't judge ourselves on how tight our french braids are, or who has the coolest outfit from gap kids. We just don't see other people as metrics to compare ourselves to.

We spend our middle school and high school years constantly comparing ourselves to other girls. We think we are never pretty, popular or liked. We worry about small imperfections on our faces and bodies: zits, nicks, bumps. We never see our own beauty. We are overly harsh on ourselves.

We spend our college years learning to like ourselves and the way we look. We begin to see beauty in differences, instead of in same-ness. We see unique features as desirable. We start to see ourselves how our mothers saw us...pretty, loved and special. We start to let passing imperfections go. We start to see that beauty truly is only skin deep.

After college we really start to love the way we look. We pride ourselves on the "style" we've created for ourselves. We start let the importance of looks go.

Which is why what has happened to me in the past few days seem like such a cruel joke. In the past couple of years I've really felt that the way I look is for me, and not others. I've come to appreciate how I look and even like the things that I used to hate. Thanks, in no small part to the ear doctor, I've begun to really feel pretty.

And even though it isn't serious, or permanent, or life threatening, getting Bell's Palsy at 25 is kind of rough. I do not feel pretty. In fact, I feel very very unpretty bordering on monster-like. Most of the time I just want to stay at home and avoid the eyes of everyone but those who really love me for what is on the inside.

The doctor said it will go away in 3 weeks. I'm confident that after 3 weeks of a lop-sided smile and constantly leaking right eye (because I can't close it) it won't seem like a big deal. I'm sure if I could just get some perspective that this wouldn't seem so bad.

But right now it is.

It sucks.