So I “unfriended” someone on Facebook

It seems like this is a no-brainer.  Someone annoys you sufficiently, you remove them from your live.  Online, it should be even easier.  Block emails, unfriend from Facebook/Myspace.  Sounds simple.

I unfriended a high school acquaintance on Facebook for a good reason.  He constantly turned things into political tirades – not political discussions,  tirades.  He literally turned the phrase “Meow” into an anti-Obama, anti-Welfare, tirade against lazy people.   I’m not entirely certain HOW these things are related, but in his mind they are.  He got condescending; I went off on him, and clicked “unfriend.”  This SHOULD have been the end of the story.

Nope:  first he sent a note to someone else to forward to us (John and I both unfriended him) which contained an “apology” (of the “I’m sorry but….”  variety).  His apology also called me “wifey” and insinuated that John couldn’t fight his own battles.   I told the person who sent it to me what happened, and let her know that she was welcome to forward if she wanted to, but I was not asking her to.  And I asked her not to send us any more notes from him.

Then he tried to re-friend us.  He sent another apology of the “I’m sorry but…” variety. 

It’s not like he was unfriended after this happened once.  It’s not like he didn’t say that he thought our opinions were worthless (not in so many words, but he pretty much told me that I didn’t need to weigh in on the subject since he wasn’t holding his breath to find out what I had to say).   I think he just gets off on people getting into it with him, and was mortified that someone decided to take all their marbles and go home.  We bruised his ego.  He doesn’t really want to be friends with us so much as he wants to be “friends” with us.

When do I panic?

I am a mortgage processor for a national bank.  Not a big bank.  Not a well known bank.  But a bank which has always had a very good attitude towards its employees.  And Wednesday at 5 pm, the government shut us down.   I guess we just weren’t too big to fail.  I know there is a lot involved that I do not know, and a lot that is behind the scenes that I do not understand.  But I also know that come the end of this month, there will be a lot of people on the unemployment lines that were not at the beginning of the month.   And it pisses me off that the little banks that need a LITTLE help (not that we’re not profitable, but that we’re just not profitable enough for the regulating agencies…not that we didn’t have sound business practices, but the economy changed that definition…not that we were making bad loans or being a fraudulent bank), but those banks that need a little leeway to get back into the good are given exactly SQUAT in support from the federal regulators, but those banks that are too big to fail are bowed to.   I am sorry, if you’re too big to fail, then sure…let’s get you going again, and then let’s break your sorry ass up and make it so that if THIS division is losing money and can’t stand up, then THIS division can be put out of my misery!   Our bank was not allowed by the regulators to give any employees raises this year, not even COLA.   And the week after I read that, I read that BofA was going to give each of their employees big bonuses.   (Where did those bonuses come from?)

My company was good.  My company was profitable.  And my company has been shut down.  And I think that is wrong.   BofA deserved to be shut down, but in the country’s best interest it couldn’t be.   But because it wouldn’t cripple the country if my company is shut down, they seem to take out all of their frustration on the little guy—who they can attack.   That is just not right.

I don’t know when my last day is…but I do know I’m being laid off.  I’m much more fortunate than most people in my situation (and I know a lot of people are in my situation—and not just from my company).   One of the people from my company has been striving to find a place for everyone who works under him.  And with his time in this industry, he’s made a lot of contacts.  He’s working for us, and that is a nice thing.  I think I even have a landing pad.  I don’t know the details of it, which is pretty much my life right now.  I don’t know anything.  When my last day is, what the package is where I am going, when I have to report there or lose the opportunity (if it is a choice of severance package or recurring paycheck, I’m personally taking the paycheck.)   I’d rather have both.  And I am going to do the best I can for the customers and my company while I am there.  The customers deserve good service regardless (they could jump ship, but they are trusting us with their loan), and the company has been good to me.  I don’t want to kick it while it is down. 

But I am looking forward to the time when my life is back under MY control!

Random Rant

Some companies should not be entitled to do business. 

Probably a bit of a harsh statement, but I don’t feel that it is untrue.  Here are my feelings regarding things:

1.  If you cannot afford to pay your employees Federal minimum wage, then you cannot afford to be in business.  Too bad, so sad, sucks for you.  But honestly, restaurants are making a killing off of the backs of their servers by paying them slave wages at $2.13/hour.   That might be fine if the restaurant is a busy one, well-managed and able to provide a decent crowd reliably.  However, restaurants which are slow, poorly managed, and unvisited are not paying their staff, and they are not bringing in the customers to ensure that the tips are sufficient to justify it.  Tips should be considered ‘commission’ for a job well done, not part of the hourly wage of servers.  So truly, if you can’t pay your employees minimum wage, then you don’t deserve to be in business.

2.  If you, as a customer, go out to eat in an area where you know that the restaurants are scumbags who pay their servers $2.13/hour, and you cannot afford to leave a tip if you get decent service…then you cannot afford to go out to eat.  No, customers should not have to pay the salary of the server, not when they’ve already paid for their meal…and in a perfect world they would not.  However, we don’t live in a perfect world.  We live in a world where servers are treated like slaves by the restaurants and you, the customer, are basically paying their living salary.  If the server treats you well and provides good service, then leave a decent tip.   And a tip to some of you cheapskates:  a tip is not a religious pamphlet telling the server about your religion of choice.  This is not the place to proselytize.  If you want to impress the server about your religion…leave the pamphlet and a 40% tip.   That will make them think a lot more highly of you and your religion than leaving a pamphlet AS your tip.

3.  Any employer who cancels their employees’ insurance without notifying them is no longer going to receive my business (if I know about it).  So several restaurants that I enjoy are now on my “no, I’m afraid I don’t eat at that chain” list.

Yes, there is a reason for this rant.

Back and a Mrs.

Well, the wedding has come and gone, and the day went beautifully and according to plan. It rained, which made pictures an issue, but I didn’t mind (it was an indoor ceremony, who cares if it rained?)

Memories:

My bridesmaid Kathy duking it out with my dad to get the ceiling decorated exactly how I wanted it. It came out lovely, and I got a lot of people commenting on how beautiful it was and how much they loved it. Way to go Kathy! My father was trying to do the tight Christmas light configuration that goes outside of the house – but I wanted a really loose look.

Of course, I did want the room darker, but that’s okay. It’s good for people to be able to see.

My mom actually loved the hand fasting part of our ceremony—this was the part of our wedding that we kept secret for the longest. I think she was told about it around two weeks before the wedding, and amazingly didn’t freak out about it. And her favorite part of the ceremony? The hand fasting. She was actually a whole lot more cool about the whole event than I expected her to be…we were doing a lot of non-traditional things, which I felt made our ceremony more reflective of us as a couple. However, she comes from a very traditional background, so all of those things could have really made it uncomfortable for her and some of our other guests. We did put a few things in there for them: the vocal piece (Ave Maria), the reading (Corinthians), the minister’s attire (the dog collar). We had a prayer, but no deity was named – that’s one of those things that people tend to automatically just fill in the blanks on their own though. I wonder if anyone noticed we didn’t invoke God or Jesus.

It was kind of a weird feeling, going through the ceremony – I felt more like this was some production we were putting on for others – as I already felt like John was my husband, this was just a formality for others to recognize it. And having spent as much time as we did creating this ceremony together, in many ways, I feel that cemented us more than actually saying the vows, going through the ceremony. I wasn’t nervous – except I was afraid that if someone started to cry then I would – I was more relieved to actually be doing it. No more rehearsals, no more tweaking/adjustments. This was it. Now appearing, for one night only. Probably doesn’t hurt that we’re theatre people.

My bridesmaids were amazing – they worked so hard getting our reception site decorated. It looked amazing – and it was very exciting to see the puzzle FINALLY put together. What I loved was that our vision was actually very beautiful. Strange little details that we didn’t expect – the disposable linen tablecloths (paper that was linen look) that I bought were silver tone. Choices were silver tone or gold tone. But in that silver tone was a touch of green – which happened to be EXACTLY one of the colors we picked out. The appearance of the words we used as the ceremony benediction… on the programs, on the bottom of the cake topper (we didn’t pick them out because those words were there. We picked them out, then discovered them all over the place.)

As we were setting up the table decorations, my aunt was talking to my mother about how nice they looked. She said something along the lines of how perfect it would be if only we scattered some leaves on the tables – when out came the leaves that I had bought. My mother was surprised at how well the table chocolates matched (I had been waiting for those chocolates for a year – the fall Hershey’s miniatures. Last year I saw them and knew they’d be perfect – but I couldn’t buy THOSE at Cheap Chocolate Day. Those had to be fresh. And I’d been waiting for their release this year.) Apparently, the latest limited edition Hershey’s KISS is a hit (Candy Corn Flavor)

Set up took longer than I hoped, but not longer than I’d budgeted time for.

The cake was lovely – not quite what I expected, but still beautiful. And different.


Notice how the top of each layer is a different color? Those are our wedding colors. I've not seen a cake similar and our baker had never (!) done one like it. The owner commented that she wondered why they had never thought of it before. I love the look of it.

And John’s Nutter Butter Pirate Ship really rocked!

(It sailed on an ocean of tulle. )

Everything came out wonderfully, and we had an amazing honeymoon.

Planning our wedding was really wonderful, as we did plan it together—I was so very lucky that my husband was as interested in the event as I was…because this became an event that didn’t celebrate me, or him….but us. And that’s what a marriage should be.

Wedding Planning Thoughts

When most people think of weddings, they think of cakes and flowers, ceremonies and dresses, food and dancing. However, unless someone has actively participated in the planning of such an event, he or she often does not realize the amount of effort that planning a wedding can require. A wedding might be the beginning for a couple, but it is also the end of something—the planning phase. Planning a wedding can bring you closer to your fiancé, test the strength of your friendships, and teach you valuable skills related to budgeting and time management.

Many women grow up with a vision in their heads about what constitutes the perfect wedding. They are so focused on this particular vision that they fail to realize something very important: this is not just a day about the bride, it is also the groom’s day. While many men do not grow up thinking about the perfect wedding, that does not mean that they do not want to be involved in the planning process. In fact, planning a wedding together can actually strengthen a relationship as the couple learns how to work together, compromise with one another, and see the strengths and weaknesses of each partner.

However, because most women do not realize the benefits of co-planning their weddings, the common complaint is that women cannot get the men to participate in wedding planning. But the secret is a simple one. Usually at the outset, he tossed out an idea or two, and those ideas were shot down. The man simply decided it was not worth the rejection, and to let the woman plan the event alone. If the woman can overcome this instinct, she will discover that not only does her fiancé have some good ideas, but the wedding planning process can actually bring them closer as a couple. How? They work together. Before we started planning our wedding, my fiancé asked if I would mind if he wore a kilt. It was something he had always envisioned doing. My response to him set the tone for our wedding planning process. I told him that it was just as much his day as it was mine, and if he wanted to wear a kilt, then he was more than welcome to wear one. His choice of apparel actually set the theme for the wedding – Celtic. Because I didn’t reject his idea, my fiancé actively participated in the planning of our wedding.

While many people might view compromise as a bad thing, it can actually be a very strong and positive thing. Compromise can be give and take, no one getting exactly what he or she wants. But compromise can also be a way where the ideas are blended. Our wedding planning has been an extremely smooth process. There are many elements where I came up with an idea, and my fiancé offered a suggestion regarding that idea. I offered a counter suggestion. By the time we were finished, we had built something neither of us would have devised on our own—through compromise and being willing to listen to one another’s ideas.

The willingness to listen to one another’s ideas also taught us to see one another’s strengths and weaknesses. Recognizing our strengths and weaknesses as individuals and as a couple is actually very beneficial. My strength is in budgeting time. That is a weakness with him. However, he is strong at detail work, and I am weak in that area. As a result, we have a lot of wonderful details that were done in plenty of time for the wedding. The last week before the wedding, for most brides, is pretty stressful, with the finalization of many different things. But for me, my to do list the week before is comprised only of items that cannot be accomplished ahead. Another weakness of mine is control, but because I know my fiancé’s ability to mind the details, I am willing to trust him with one of the most important details of the reception – set up on the wedding day.

Because we were able to work together to plan this event, we are both invested in it being a success. My fiancé wants more than when, where, and what to wear. I believe that wedding planning has brought us closer together.

Not only can planning a wedding strengthen your relationship with your fiancé, it can also test your relationship with friends and family. There are many factors which cause that test: attitude of the bride (or groom), security of the friends in the friendship or in their own relationships, and the true feeling of families towards the future spouse.

The bride’s attitude sets the tone for the wedding day itself. A lot of brides focus on the following statement: “it’s my day.” They fail to remember another truism. “No one cares as much about your wedding as you do.” It is the bride’s day, but it is not her year, month, or week. Many brides expect total dedication from their bridesmaids, which causes the bridesmaids to resent their brides. A fairly laid back and respectful bride can show her friends how valuable they are to her. For my wedding, I asked my bridesmaids to pick a little black dress that they loved. The only requirement was that it not be longer than tea length. I asked them to find black shoes that were comfortable to them. Each of them is going through a different financial situation right now. I wanted them to spend money on a dress that they would wear again...not one I thought they’d wear again. However, I also had a bridesmaid tell me the following: “It’s your day. If you ask me to wear a potato sack, I wear a potato sack with no complaints.” I don’t feel that is true. We ask our friends to be a part of the wedding because of how important they are to us. Why should we treat them as if their opinions, feelings, and comfort are unimportant? These are supposed to be some of the people who are most important to us. We should treat them as such.

But it is not only the bride’s attitude that plays a part in the test. A fairly laid back and congenial bride can have bad experiences with her wedding party because of how insecure one of the bridesmaids is in the friendship, or even worse, her own relationships. Many a bride has suffered through the antics of a cross bridesmaid because the wedding brought out issues with the bridesmaid. The bridesmaid might be happy for her friend, but is also worried about how their relationship will change. She might also be extremely jealous because she is either not in a relationship and is losing hope of finding her true love, or she has been dating someone for a long time, and he has not proposed yet.

Frequently, either situation—a “bridezilla” or a jealous bridesmaid – can end an important friendship.

It does not end with bridesmaids. Relationships with family members change. Dynamics in the future family change. There is a good reason for this: a wedding is a life-changing event. A daughter is no longer single; there is now a son-in-law to be considered. For a mother whose son is getting married, it means that she is being supplanted by another woman. Never mind that this has already happened, the wedding seals it. If the family has had issues with the prospective spouse when the couple was just dating, those issues will magnify as they believe they now have the right to ask all sorts of questions. All of the relationships surrounding the couple are about to change as they go from single to married. A wedding doesn’t test just the couple’s relationship; it tests their relationships with everyone.

A wedding also teaches couples the valuable skills of budgeting money and time management. Couples learn to set fiscal priorities regarding the wedding and how to apportion their time so that the tasks get done.

Setting fiscal priorities for the wedding is part of planning. Couples have to determine what style of wedding is more important to them, based on what is affordable. If the budget is small, but the couple wants an extremely formal affair, then the couple will likely have a very small guest list. But if the couple wants a larger guest list, then other items will have to be changed – buffet versus sit down, live music versus recorded, weeknight versus weekend. It’s a matter of deciding what is most important to you and setting a budget where that was possible. Flowers were very important to me, because I have a designer friend who does amazing work. I really wanted to use him, if at all possible. That also meant that I had to choose between flowers for just the wedding party, or flowers for the wedding party and for decoration. My fiancé is diabetic, and it was extremely important to me that he be able to enjoy the wedding cake. This meant that budget shopping for our wedding cake was not possible. We’d have a limited number of vendors who could meet our need. And we decided together to splurge on live musicians for the ceremony. This was a joint splurge that we talked about many times before deciding we would regret it more if we opted not to do it than if we did. That was the priority. What is more important to us? What will we regret not doing? We eliminated things that were not important to us, like a Unity Candle, in order to make sure that we had what was important to us. We also saved a lot of money by making many things ourselves.

Time management is also very important in planning a wedding. There are a lot of things that must be done when planning a wedding, even more so when you are doing a lot of it yourself. Doing any form of craft takes time, and a wedding offers a definitive delivery date. Some crafts actually take time to learn before you can begin producing the final product. But since you do not want your entire relationship to be wedding planning, you also have to budget time for your relationship too. The ultimate test of time management comes in the final week, when the items that were on hold until this time frame suddenly start to become due.

Planning a wedding can bring you closer to your fiancé, test the strength of your friendships, and teach you valuable skills related to budgeting and time management. However, it does more than that. Done properly, planning a wedding can actually help you plan your marriage as you learn to navigate trials and upheavals together. Unforeseen things happen during wedding planning that can bring you closer to your fiancé and test your friendships. These things also show you how well you’ve actually planned your event. But there is one important truth about wedding planning that every couple should know as they go through the process. It is a phrase that will help them when everything seems so frustrating. At the end of the day, the cake may fall, the flower girl may trip, or the best man may forget the rings. But as long as you two commit to one another, the event was a total success.

First Dancing

Yesterday, John and I went out to Blount Park, specifically Shakespeare’s Garden (which would, incidentally, be a lovely place for a wedding).   We went there so that we could practice our First Dance.  

The choreography is a bit loose.  We have a couple of elements to put in, and we need to decide where those elements are going.  However, it’s Foxtrot and Triple Time Swing.   We are fans of the Swing, but not so much the Foxtrot.   (Actually, I’m starting to like the Foxtrot—hated it at first because the first guy who taught it was so confusing I felt like an idiot!)

Then we fed movie popcorn to the geese and ducks.   In the months where it is cool enough to enjoy visits to the park, we like to feed the birds.  And why NOT get a refill of the popcorn just before leaving the movie?  The geese went wild, and we were completely encircled by birds who were thoroughly enjoying their buttery treat.

Then we went to the turtles.  For the turtles we had bought one of those GIANT bags of generic Honeycombs from Walmart (seriously… a huge bag of cereal for about $3.50).   Goodness did those turtles enjoy that!   We even saw one we called “Big Boy” because he was huge.  But instead of a rounded nose, he had a needle nose.  And his fins had claws.  We’ve never seen him before (and we go out there often).   He really enjoyed it, as did the other turtles.  The funny thing: while Big Boy was still there, the ducks would not come ANYWHERE near those turtles.  Once he left, they got brave.

Saturday, I had my hair trial.  I really love how it looks.  Sheila did a great job with it.  And she’s going to do my mom’s hair (and maybe my MOH’s hair) for $30.   (Mine is a bit higher than that…but $75 for a wedding hair style is NOT bad!)

Programs are done.  Reception music is ready.  Place cards are done.   All we really need is the license, the food, and the playlists and toasts to be printed up.

19 days to go, and I’m not in a panic – but we’ll talk when we’re in W-6 and counting.   I’m hoping I’ll still be as calm then.

Ah Choo!

So I’ve been hit with a pretty nasty bug.  A week into it, I finally conceded defeat – man, I hate getting beaten by a stupid cold! – and went to the doctor.  He decided I needed two antibiotics, a cortizon shot, a cough syrrup, and a cream – well, that was because I’ve got a charming under-the-nose rash, which is so wonderful to have in the best of times, but 29 days before the wedding… NOT acceptable!

John has now been hit by the bug, and I’m pretty much of the opinion he should not wait as long as I did to doc-it-up.

The table chart has been created.  That is not a pleasant task, I assure you!  But it is done.  The place cards have been put in their draft format, and they are going to be very cute.  Each one has the name, the “clan” assignment, and a sample of the clan tartan.    Now, we just have to make them fit inside the design of the place cards themselves, but John is the graphic genius and he’s handling that.

Tomorrow, my mom and I go shopping for a dress for me to wear to the bridal shower sunday, so I’m rather excited about that.  Then next Saturday, it’s a hair trial!  Soon after that, the make up trial.  John and I will soon need to go get our marriage license—we’re under 30 days.  We can now do that at any time.

Is it September Yet?

I know… I’m jumping the gun a little here, trying to warp through some time and bring the wedding closer.  I’m just, well… ready!

Today, I picked up my dress.  It needs to be steamed, but other than that it is beautiful.  The alterations look great, and the dress looks like it was made for me.

I also visited with a local woman who is making jellies for the Swag Bags.  We went over the cloths that she will be using for the jellies, and she showed me the labels she made for them.  They are going to be FAB!

We have arranged a final meeting with our musicians on Saturday (August 22) to set down the music that we’ll be using for the ceremony – my entrance, etc.  Then we can start to finalize the programs.

RSVPs are due next Friday – so we’re close to making calls to check on them.  Once we’ve worked with those, I can start the seating chart and the place cards.

(Okay, maybe I’m not ready for September just yet!)

I’m a “Lucky” Bride!

Yes, I’m feeling very “Lucky”.    I could tell you my photography horror story…or I could tell you about my photography Guardian Angel.

Suffice it to say that less than two months before the wedding, I had to get a new photographer.   Lucky Photography stepped in to the rescue.   I’m excited to be using their newest team member, and our wedding will be her first one as the Director of Photography, rather than the assistant.   She’s a friend of mine who has been working as a wedding photography assistant for about two months or so, and this is her dream job.   Every wedding photographer has to have a first wedding, and we get to be hers.   To be honest, I’m not sure which of us is more excited.

Lucky Photography

Wedding Planning Update

It’s been a while since I checked in… and a lot has happened, weddingwise, since the last update.

Invitations are done and the last batch is about to be dropped in the mail. I have got to actually go into the post office as this one includes the international.

This is the wedding invitation – and completely DIY. Sure, the addressing could have been a little prettier, but overall, I think they came out quite lovely!

The pirate ship has been finished and John did an amazing job on it. I think people will really love it (that and the fact that it will be filled to the brim with Nutter Butters. (Who DOESN’T love a Nutter Butter?)

I’ve had my first fitting with the seamstress – in theory, the final should be today, but I don’t know if it will be or not. We’ll see.

We’ve met with Southern Strings, and must meet with them again.

And we’ve picked out our table theme – that was actually pretty hard. We’re assigning our guests to a Clan. Our wedding party’s table will be Clan MacPherson (since one of them actually IS a MacPherson). Not sure how the rest of them will play out though just yet. I also have not decided if there will be place cards for everyone or if I’m doing a sheet stating where people are to sit. I might well put the place cards out – I just do not know yet how I’m going to arrange the seating. It will be at least SEMI assigned (meaning, assigned a table, but not necessarily a specific chair)

We’ve decided to go with Winn Dixie for catering (yes I know that sounds super exciting – grocery store and all…but they do a good job with the platters, and they have good trays. We’ll get meat tray, cheese tray, fruit tray and veggie tray… with all of the vegetarians in attendance, I do not want the meat touching the cheese – and I don’t want the cheese touching the veggies, as there is at least ONE vegan coming)

The only thing disconcerting: I really wanted to be able to invite everyone at my church—but I cannot. And I’ve been holding their invites for last, in case I got sufficient ‘no’ responses, so that I could add more to the guest list, without them feeling like they WERE B listers—because they really weren’t. I’ve said it many times. I HATE my guest list. I love my guests, but my guest list is a nuisance.

Other than the programs and the things listed above (like food and two meetings), we’re set.

OMG…. we’re getting married next month!

Wedding Invitations

Firstly, my wrist is beginning to hurt.  Not right at this moment, mind, but whenever it sees that I am forcing it to get out the invitation box, I can almost hear it screaming.

Today, I put the address on 40 (yes.. 40) of my response cards.  And I put ribbons in 10 invites.  Considering John had at them earlier, we have ribboned up 80 of the 100 invites.  So, I think I can safely continue actually addressing tomorrow….especially since I’ll have the waxer with me.

Oh … did I mention… the envelopes themselves kinda look like an owl from Hogwarts (what with the wax seal and all).   I think they are super adorable, and I probably should take a picture (for posterity, of course) and post them here.

John’s ship is coming along too.  We made cannons.

Things are beginning to be checked off.  I am currently not in panic mode, though my b.c ticker now states that we are less than 3 months out.

Something about addressing the invites makes it seem more real.

I’m excited, and I’m also really excited to get to see people who are coming in from out of town.   That will be a lot of fun!

This is only a test

Okay, I’m just testing this out.  New computer, new things.  This is “windows live writer” and I’m not really sure what it will do.. so it is only a test.

Where We Stand So Far

Well, we're approaching a major milestone -- three months. Today we are at 3 months, 2 days, and beginning to get to a point where things DO have to get done. And there are always the things that cannot get done until almost on top of it.

But... just to make things interesting, John and I both auditioned for a local community theatre production of "While the Lights Were Out"

So... here is our accomplishments.

1. Musicians - Check. We've met with Southern Strings and given them a deposit. Some of the songs we have chosen; however, there are a few which remain open as we have given them a CD with songs we would like but understand they may not be able to play on their instruments or learn in time for our wedding.

2. Handfasting Cords - Check. Not only have we ordered them, we've also made the box they will eventually be displayed in. YAY!

3. Flowers - kinda check. My florist is in the process of moving and will get in touch with me to go over things shortly

4. Hair - growing. My stylist said that we would have the hair trial about two weeks prior to the wedding.

Big Items Remaining.

1. Address the invites - that is planned for Friday night.

2. Print the invites, and assemble -- not sure should be soon

3. Alter the dress -- yeah... and I'm feeling horribly guilty about this one. I need to do it to get it off of my annoy me list

We're coming along at a nice clip though.. . I'm not feeling compelled to panic today.

A Change of Name

Considering that the majority of this blog has been devoted to my upcoming wedding, you would probably think that this is referring to that name change. You'd be wrong.

I've been " Catstandish@thewateringhole.com " for about 10 years. That's a long time. However, I've sold thewateringhole.com and bought a new domain.

In many ways, it is the final severing. I bought Thewateringhole when I was very active in The Magnificent Seven Fandom. For that fandom, it's a historic site and was quite instrumental to our save the show campaign (we won a second season, btw). However, that chapter of my life is over. I have a few friends from the fandom, but we don't actually talk about the show that brought us together. I've often thought of getting a new domain, more fitting with who I am today -- but moving is a pain in the neck.

So I have a sparkly new domain, not up and running yet. But my new home on the web is www.celtic-cat.com

Checklist Update

Okay... we've actually accomplished quite a lot recently!

1. Wedding Favor CDs. -- DONE! They came out amazing, and they do not look at all home made. I'm very excited about them!

2. Wedding Bands - PURCHASED! This was at the conclusion of a very long and stressful part of our wedding planning. But it is done.

3. Decorations - I have three more items to buy and then the decorations will be all settled in. Basically, I need to get the mirrors that the candles will be sitting on and the tulle for the pew decorations as well as the pew clips. So we're trucking along there nicely.

4. Flame Bearing Item - Yeah, that's the weird one. We have a Flame Bearer instead of a Flower Girl. The flame bearer lights the path. We bought a tall votive holder today and a candle to go in it. It looks beautiful and will be lovely walking down the aisle. Initially, we were looking for a lantern, but this is what we ended up with -- it's different.

So... we've done a lot, but a lot remains.

1. Order handfasting cords
2. Set up meeting with Southern Strings to pick out music
3. Design and print invitations
4. Address and send invitations
5. Design and print programs
6. Set up meeting with Rincon Latino for rehearsal dinner menu
7. Make reception food
8. Get dress altered
9. Order jelly for OOT bags
10. Finish Reception playlist
11. Assemble OOT bags
12. Assemble BM bags
13. Assemble alter decoration
14. I think I'm going to stop here because I was feeling accomplished and now I'm having an OMG moment

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The Ring Saga

On November 1, John and I went to Marguirette's Exquisite Jewelry, here in Montgomery, Alabama. We were looking for Celtic wedding rings, without much expectation of finding any in town. One of the owners of the store, Lyle, mentioned that we could have them custom-made and gave us a great estimate for it. He told us we would need to provide a sketch of the design we'd like. He also asked us to give him a couple of days to verify the estimate with his vendor. Excited, we went home to start designing our wedding band.

On November 15, we went in with our design and put down a 50% deposit. We provided a .gif file to Lyle at this point in time, and we looked at it on his computer. He told us -- two to three weeks.

On January 21, we went in to check the status. Lyle tells us: "Oh, I'm sorry. They weren't able to open the file." We asked him why he had not called us with the problem, and he apologized. So we went home, converted the file to a .jpg, and emailed it to him. I called on January 23 to confirm that the image was viewable and acceptable. It was.

In February, we called to check status. He tells us that they are waiting on the interior design (okay, now honestly... why was this not mentioned previously?) We were not planning on an interior design, so we talk to him about this for a bit and off we go back home to design the inside of our bands. It's emailed to him within two days.

March 9, I call Lyle to check the status. He's not in. March 10, he returns the call (only he calls John) to tell us that the interior design that we had given him three weeks prior was too big for my small ring. I can understand that--but what I can't understand is the delay. Because he didn't return MY call to ME, I called him also on March 10 and actually asked him if he knew how to dial numbers on the phone when he started in on the lastest problem. (seemed a valid questions) At that point, I decided John would have to deal with them from that point on, because I was about to go off. We redo the image and send it to him on March 11.

April 1, John goes into Marquirette's and asks for Lyle. Lyle is at lunch, but one of the employees calls him. He tells her that the outside of the rings are done (yay!) and that the inside has been sent off for engraving. I admit, we're confused. We were told that the outside could not be done until the inside image was in, because it was being done on the same machine. And if they could be done separately, then why were they holding off for the inside image. but whatever, the outside is done. YAY!!!! They tell us one to two weeks. By April 15, our rings should be done.

April 17, John goes in to check on the status. Lyle tells him that he never got our revised interior image. (Then how were they sent out to be engraved?) John is a little irked, to say the least, and at that point, I'm done. We decide that we are going in there on April 23, giving them one week to deliver the rings, or a refund. PERIOD.

April 18, we go into the store. Lyle and Marguirette have gone to New York for 8 days for a purchasing trip. ARRRRRRRRRRRR. We're done at this point. Absolutely livid. We talked to the manager, Anne, and told her what was going on. She's had nothing to do with it, and she is not authorized to give us a refund. So we tell her we will be back on May 2 and they can give us the rings--engraved or not--on that date, or they can give us a refund. One thing Anne said that infuriated us when we went in was: "Your wedding isn't until September, so what's the problem?" The problem? Hmmm.... your company has had our order for five months and done exactly SQUAT.

April 20, I mail a certified letter pretty much stating exactly what I told Anne on Saturday. I mail it to Lyle and to Anne.

April 21, Anne clearly gets her letter. Anne calls the vendor, who tells her that the image (for the OUTSIDE) is fuzzy and they need us to provide it in a CAD format. Okay, reputable jewelers can take a customer's design and put it into their own software. They do not ask the customer to purchase software to do it for them. While I'm nice to Anne who has not had anything to do with this, I'm also pretty livid again. We were clearly lied to back on April 1 about the exterior of the rings being finished. The company wants to use our design as a test for their equipment.

Lyle gets back on April 27. He does not call us to apologize. I call on April 29 to verify he will be in on May 2. His only comment to me is "I'll be here." Not "I'm sorry I dropped the ball." Nothing. Not amused with his personal attitude.

Keep in mind: I have not yelled at anyone at this store to this point. John is pretty angry too and he wants to shout at them. He has a MUCH longer fuse than I do. For him to be wanting to yell and break things is rather indicative of the level of frustration we have.

May 2, we went in. Lyle had gone home sick, but Marguirette was there. She didn't try to argue the "we only give store credit" angle. She didn't try to say that they had plenty of time to get our rings done. She gave us a check for our deposit and apologized. She gave us the name of three companies in town who might be able to help us get our rings.

But the bottom line: we are now very nervous of the custom angle at less than 5 months out, since it took them 5 and a half months to accomplish nothing. And whatever ring I get was going to have to be sized down period. We looked in to custom bands, but now we're rather gun shy of them at this point when there is a time crunch. We bought our wedding bands at Kays. John's is really pretty. When we add the two 2 mm white gold bands to mine, they look like a perfect matched set.

So, we have our wedding rings. Are they everything I hoped they'd be? No. But they are what we can afford, and they are no longer stressing me out! As soon as the two 2mm bands are back from the sizing, they will be in hand and I can put them in a safe place.

And for one of our anniversaries, when there is no time crunch and the economy has gotten better -- we *will* get the wedding bands we wanted. We'll probably use the metal from the ones we have now so we have that metal involved in the process. But someday, we will have the bands we designed.

And DO NOT USE MARGUIRETTE'S! (if you do... UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES allow them to put Lyle as your account rep!)

Wedding Bands

No comment. Just.... no comment. Following Thumper's rule.

Check back on May 3. Hopefully there will be a comment (and I might ignore Thumper's rule then).

The Wedding Party Totes

I have yet to really sing the praises for these...but I received the tote bags I ordered for my Bridal Party. They are gorgeous. AND was it ever fast! Seriously, fast. I ordered them on April 5 (a Sunday) and I had the totes in hand on April 11 (a Saturday). It took less than a week.

Here are the gorgeous totes!



and a close up



The lighting is kinda bad, but the totes are really really nice!

I got my totes at http://www.justembroideredtotes.com/page/page/4619797.htm

And I really can't wait to give them to my Peeps! I'm sure they are going to love them (Particularly those with names that just do not appear on things...or if they do, they aren't spelled right!)

Soap Opera

I really enjoyed making the soaps for the wedding, so much so that I'd like to continue it as a for-profit craft project. This weekend, I'm planning on going down to our Farmer's Market and finding out how much a spot there costs....I would not need a big one. And once I know that, I'll probably invest some more in it -- plus there is also always Etsy.com.

Right now, I've pretty much got three molds -- one of which is rather wedding specific, so not much commercial use. John's planning on making me another claddagh one that is more general. I want to get a couple basic bar soap molds (oval and rectangle), and probably a soap loaf. I prefer to work with silicone, as demolding is SO much easier. (Other molds tend to require a trip to the freezer.)

But I do have several scents/looks figured out for the soaps.

1. Rosemary and Goats Milk: Very natural soap. Goat's Milk Soap (Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coconut oil, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Myristate, Triethanolamine, Sodium Cocoate, Purified Water, Goat's Milk, Titanium Dioxide, DMDM Hydantoin), Rosemary.



That is fresh rosemary there... it really gives off a nice aroma. Rosemary seems to carry more strongly than other scents do. I intend to put this soap in oval bar format. It will probably be about 4 to 5 ounces.

2. White Tea and Ginger. This one has the same Goat's Milk base as the Rosemary, but has two fragrances added into it: White Tea and Ginger. The ginger scent is: Fresh ginger notes enhanced by notes of nutmeg, lime, lemon, and black currants. Middle notes of jasmine, base notes of white musk. The White tea scent is: White tea is the principal ingredient. Notes include: Artemisia Leaves, Ambrette, White Pepper, White Tea, Musk, Woody Amber. Phthalate-Free. It's a very unisex scent. This one also has some natural loofah included in it.



This will be another oval bar. I'd leave it like this, except the soap doesn't look very unisex.

3. Butterfly Wings: Another Goat's Milk based product. This one also has fresh lavendar in it. The added fragrance is a very light floral with notes of apple blossom, lily of the valley and rose petals. In addition to Goat's Milk, it has Aloe Vera soap blend added. (Bleached deodorized coconut oil, sodium cocoate, sodium myristate, sodium laurate, sodium stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, glycerin, propylene glycol, sucrose, triethanolamine, aloe vera leaf extracts, water.)



Butterfly wings might end up in the hummingbird mold seen above. That mold produces a 5.5 ounce soap.

4. Ambrosia: Ambrosia is a clear glycerin product. The fragrance is lightly fruity with top notes of tart kiwi, middle notes of lilac and tiger lily, with fresh based notes of pineapples and pears. The soap itself is made up of Coconut oil, sodium cocoate, sodium palmitate, sodium laurate, sodium stearate, glycerin, sodium laureth sulfate, propylene glycol, sucrose, triethanolamine, water. A touch of purple coloring was added to give the soap a fun feel.



I like this one in this mold. It is approximately 3.5 ounces.

5. Monkey Farts: Yes... I know. Crazy name! But the smell is amazingly nice. It would be a great soap for kids. It would either be a regular bar soap, or a more boy friendly bar than is presently seen. It is also glycerine based. The fragrance has top notes of fresh bananas and juicy grapefruit, middle notes of kiwi, juicy bubblegum, and strawberries, and a hint of vanilla as a base note





The color... ah, now THAT is my secret.

6. Tootie Frootie: This will be the same scent as Monkey Farts, only in a Goat's Milk base, and placed in the oval bar mold. (No picture yet.)

7. Goat's Milk & Honey. No pictures of this one. It will be in the rectangular bar mold. Milk and Honey is just that ... with a dash of nutmeg, to give it a little bit of spice

8. Clover-Mint: Goat's Milk soap base. The Clover-Mint is seen in the wedding DIY area. It will be in the rectangular bar mold.

I really like the ones that have a little bit of something added, whether it is an herb or a flower or some loofah.

letting down

I've been a member of several RPGs for many years. Just to break that down -- it's role playing games, and ours are writing groups--specifically for The Magnificent Seven, a television show that went off the air in 1999. One of the groups has literally been around for eight years. That's a really long time. However, I have not watched an episode of this show in at least three years, and I really do not feel inspired to write for it anymore. I'd like to move on to writing original fiction, rather than serial fanfiction with a soap operatic twist.

The problem? There are other people in these groups who will be disappointed. My characters are so immersed that removing them would drastically alter anything that they might choose to do. It's a bit like I'm still there, not because I want to be, but because I do not want to upset the other writers.

But, I find myself drifting apart from the groups, and writing my parts is a chore. I don't enjoy it.

I'm going to have to bite the bullet and send in a "It's been great writing with you" note to all of them.

I would like to start writing an original piece, but I don't feel I can while doing this. At the same time, these groups have really helped me hone my story telling and character development skills. It's just time to move on. Sometimes, though, I think we feel the good bye well before we actually say it.

Of Soaps and Songs and Sunlight

Today is going to be busy. Right now, I'm waiting on my laundry to finish drying, so that I can go to the grocery store before choir practice. And the soaps? Already made three today. I made a White Tea and Ginger -- very fragrant (see... that'll teach Bath and Body Works to discontinue my favorite scent!)...it's light, but also unisex. Basically White Tea and Ginger with loofah and goats milk. I really like the goats milk base. It's very creamy and lathers quite nicely.

The other soaps are done (yay!) and wrapped up. Now they get to sit for a while. I placed them each in a sort of cardboard soap dish, so our guests will have a place to sit them, if they choose to use them at the hotel.

And my first batch of Goat Milk & Honey soaps are finished. I just used one, and I really like it. Light, clean scent. Very sudsy.

Choir is having practice today because we have our Flower Communion tomorrow, and we're actually doing a LOT of music for that. Choir is going to be rather busy for the remainder actually. We have Flower Communion tomorrow, Earth Day next week, and then our Music Sunday is the first Sunday in May. Then we're done for the summer. But what is amazing is that we do not have a full time pianist, and our long time choir director quit (honestly, I don't blame him....it's a lot of work for a volunteer job). Unfortunately, his wife was our strong alto, and she's not been back either -- so we had to build an alto section. at the start, it looked insurmountable, but I'm really proud of what we've done over this season. We have built repertoire, taught new hymns, and had a consistent presence in the service. Not bad for a little choir of 9 and no piano.

After choir, John and I are going out to the park to ride our bikes -- and I'm picking up our picnic soon (come on dryer!). He insisted on helmets. Whatever -- anyway, I ended up buying a helmet designed for youth (8+) by Bell (It's black with pink and white flowers. Tres cute). We both got gloves. I expect to be sore again, but we'll get used to it.

Ta ta!

Yard Sailing

Today, I finally did the yard sale I started preparing for over a year ago. Yes, I am afraid I did procratinate that long. Did pretty well too! We earned $118 (yay!). Of course, while there, John spotted something he really wanted (EARLY too... I mean, at 7 am). What was it? Bicycles. One of the people there had two bikes, each at $35. He watched them all day. No one bought them...though I think they had a couple nibbles, but no actual takers. So, when they were packing up, he said "Wonder if they'll take $30 for both." So I handed him $30 from our proceeds. Actually, they dickered up to $40. So, for $40, we got TWO (count 'em) TWO bicycles. They have a little bit of maintenance issues -- his needed a new seat since it was a bit hard. Mine has a decent seat, but I'm getting a memory foam seat cover. Of course, I had to get a bike rack. You can see where this is going can't you? We pretty much spent the whole yard sale take on bike things.

But that is okay! It's healthy, it's something we can do together. We traded the pile of junk that has been living in my living room for a year for something he has really missed since moving here. Of course, it has been over 20 years since I rode a bicycle. We had briefly considered renting them while in Hawaii; however, for some reason, we decided against--probably how long it had been since I had ridden, since Gen, my Maid of Honor, definitively had lots of biking experience.

The most terrifying part of the day came when it was time to go home. Keep in mind, at a yard sale, you never sell everything. And I was not bringing that stuff back home. No, it was going to the Good Will. But my car was loaded. Granted, it was loaded significantly less than when we got there that morning. John's car is still pretty loaded. Getting the bikes in them....not an option. How to get the bikes home? You guessed it, we rode them....then walked back to the location of the yard sale, and took the cars. Fortunately, we live pretty close. Unfortunately, it is a hugely busy street, and we had a mega intersection to traverse. AND, as I said, I have not ridden a bike in 20 years. I was so worried I was going to fall and not only hurt myself with lots of scrapes....but also get tire treads on me. Normally, my street is busy. But this weekend was "Zoo Weekend" and the main shuttle pick up point is on my street. It was busy. But we managed to get home and back to the cars all safe and sound.

Then we actually decided to go to a park and ride our new toys. It was really nice and invigorating. Plus, I felt like I was getting some real exercise. I'm really looking forward to the muscles that will start complaining tomorrow. Right now, I think they are in shock. Of course, my legs have been hurting for no reason lately....at least they now have an excuse.

The bikes are both Roadmasters. Mine is pink and purple (very cute). John's is blue. I do want to get a handlebar bag...but we did already get our bottle holder -- they actually have a place built into the frame for that! Awesome.

And the bike rack was on sale! (Normally $60, on sale for $40. Good timing.) I have to say, the way we got the bikes loaded in the car worked, but was not exactly the best way to do it. Next time, it will be so much easier.

The Frames

A couple of days ago, I said I'd upload some images of the picture frames that John has been working on. These are completely made from scratch. He's really good! See, MY projects take something and enhance it somewhat -- his are absolutely 100% from scratch.


This image shows two frames -- one showing the front and one showing the back. The only thing not in them at the time of this picture was the piece of plastic to protect the picture itself. He's added those now.





This is a close up of the front of the frame. It is our wedding logo. He made this by literally carving the design and then casting a preliminary cut, which got a little bit of fine tuning. Then he created the final mold. These are resin frames which have been painted black with silver. The over under of the line for the heart knots took FOREVER, but the effect is so worth it.




The back of the frame. Cardboard covered with felt. There is a little door hatch. Frame doohickeys are really hard to find.

I'm really proud of how these came out. He did a phenomonal job. And he's about to create another claddagh mold that is different from ours, that he'll be selling. The overall effect of these frames is just amazing, and I know that had we had these commissioned, we'd have paid easily 5 times the actual monetary cost (and it would have been a steal at that). John has put SO much work into these.

It's kind of funny how they evolved. Hobby Lobby is the root of all evil, it really is. At Christmas time, we were looking at something and somehow came up with the idea of making these things. I'm not even sure whose idea the frames were. (A lot of our wedding stuff is like that. Suggestion, counter suggestion, image, evolution.... both of us had input on almost everything. But the actual work of this was *all* him. I would not have had a clue where to begin.) MANY different methods were tried before he came upon one that worked. But seeing them - concept realized - is just a thrill.

The funny thing: he's an artist, but he has not really ever given out his artwork before. He has not really done sculpture in about 20 years. And he's sculpting these amazing frames, and making molds for my soaps. He sculpted my soap mold too (see below). It's amazing how many standard things we're actively producing ourselves rather than buying. Candles, soaps, bags, veils, and frames.

And I am really proud of all of it. It doesn't look cheap or subpar. Well, HIS stuff. My stuff looks home crafted. His item looks like it was professionally produced. (And I'm good with that.)

And now we wait....

Okay, the annoying part about soap making. The time it takes to cure. Basically, I've poured all my soaps and have finished with them. But they must sit out and take up space for two weeks before I can do anything. The first soaps were cast on Wednesday night. The last today. Some molds take longer to set before you can de-mold. So it did take quite a bit of time to make the soap -- but they are made. But they won't be done for two weeks. April 12. (Yes, some will be done the Wednesday before that, but I didn't mark them....so we will go with April 12 for all of them.)

But they are cute!

And John's frames are quite amazing. I can't wait for him to finish so I can post pictures. He is thinking about selling custom frames. He made the mold for the soaps -- it is slightly modified from our wedding logo, with our personal claddagh design. Note the Trinity Knots on the cuffs. That style is exclusive to us. You've possibly seen claddaghs where Trinity Knots surrounf the heart, taking the place of the hands, but I doubt you've seen one where the Trinity Knot was used to make the cuff, to look a bit like a lace cuff.

He is going to make a generic claddagh frame mold and a matching soap mold; however, it won't have the trinities. He's also thinking about designing wedding logos and creating custom frames. They *will* be more expensive though. The materials to make molds are not cheap, and creating the initial scuplt for the cast takes a lot of time. There would definitely be a design fee and a set up fee involved. Our frames are amazing, and there is a LOT of detail in them. I am very impressed with them though.

Potpouri

A while ago at a Bridal Show, Gutter Guardian was out, and I signed up for them to come give an estimate. We've been playing hit-miss for a while, but finally got to see the system and get a quote.

Is it expensive? Yes. However, it also adds some serious value to my home, and protects my property from water damage. So it's a good investment. And these gutters are actually very pretty.

So, I ordered them. They do have a very good payment plan, and because of all the hit and misses going on, I ended up with at 20% discount on the system (Saved about $1,000 on installation). I think they will add to the resale value also, because these do have a lifetime warranty.

And: I will never have to feel guilty about the window planters I'm currently sporting as my gutter system (I'm serious. There are little green plants sprouting in them now.)

Yesterday when one of my co workers got back from lunch, she informed me that a tire was low. My fiance checked it out. NAIL. Yes, I had a blasted nail in my tire. So my sweetie put the donut on the car (my car jack is very cool, by the way. The jack crank also removes the lugnuts. And the jack fits nicely under the tire in its little hideyhole in the trunk. We also managed to locate my battery -- he's been wondering where it was since it is not anywhere obvious. The battery is in the trunk, under the mat, near the donut).

So off to the tire place (I had purchased road hazard with the tires). But they also do oil changes, so got that overwith too.

A bunch of things that need to be done, but still... cost money.

AND the candles are done! YAY!! Okay, these are really simple, I know. But still, that is one project down.

I will be using a different mirror to set them on. Michaels has some really cute etched mirrors that are actually less than the one that the candle is currently sitting on. Cannot wait to see these lit!

Next up, Soaps. I'm anxiously awaiting the goat milk soap base that I ordered. I also got '4 leaf clover' scent, which I will be combining with a bit of chopped up lemon thyme. I may (still pondering) get some green dye and color a portion of the soap, but I'm thinking no right now. When those are done, I'll post a picture here.

So. DIY Veil (I can't post a picture) - done, DIY candles - done. We're trucking along! Of course, the dining room table looks like a craft explosion.

New Year

I know... it's March 13. What am I on about calling it a "new year"? Well, it is to me. I just celebrated my 41st birthday. It's funny; I don't feel 41. I don't look like what I always imagined 41 to look like. But as we age, we tend to modify our outlook of what 'age' actually is. To me, it's a number.... but it is not 'old'. Old is when all you do is complain about your health and the young whippersnappers. Basically, there are people I go to church with who are 'old' in years, but very young at heart. I know this lady who is 77, and you'd never know it to look at her. She's as vibrant as the 20 year olds. Sure, she doesn't look 20, but she also doesn't look 77 (I'd put her at about 55). She's active and really involved in things. What 'age' has done for her is allowed her the time to enjoy what she enjoys rather than having to spend 40 hours plus a week working for someone else. So she volunteers and interacts.

But I'm now 41. What did I expect of my life at this age? I don't know. Am I the person I expected to be 'when I grew up'? Again, I don't know. I never really had these 10-year goals or anything. I have always hated those questions.

However, I think it is time to set some personal goals.

By 50:

1. I would like to have WRITTEN a novel. Note: I'm not going to say 'have a novel published'. I just want to have written one--one that *I* am happy with and proud of, even if no publishing house wants it.

2. I would like to have visited Europe again.

3. I will be married, still. I truly believe that this time we have it right. John and I have waited a lifetime to be together. And I do mean a lifetime. We met over 25 years ago. And it really does seem like it was love at first sight. Everyone I've ever dated has been compared to him. I evaluated how I 'felt' with them, compared to how I 'felt' with him. They all fell short. Life, circumstances, weird things happened and separated us. And I never thought we'd get back together--so he was not an 'option'. But technology of the 21st century changed all that, and here we are again--together. If we have loved each other apart as long as we have, I do think that we'll continue to do so together.

So... not a lot of goals. but still, a few.

Checking In

It's been a few days since I posted.

Saturday, as planned, I did go and audition for the Montgomery Biscuits. It was a very nerve-wracking experience...not the least bit hampered by the weather weirdness. My voice cracked in an unexpected place. And the Biscuits don't tell people until about 2 to 3 weeks before a game if they are interested in them. So...I do not know if I am one of the people they are interested in or not. About 80 auditioned and they have spots for between 30 to 45 to sing during the year. I would have been happier if they'd have said "Thanks for coming, but we're not interested." OR "Thanks for coming. We're interested in the possibility of you singing the National Anthem for us.... we have between 30 to 45 games where we will have a performer, and we'll let you know about 2 to 3 weeks before your scheduled game." Oh well.

Here is the link: http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-FyEWYLtrQ

Saturday evening, John and I went dancing (still not sure of the name of the place). The band was really good though. It was an 18 piece big band. I had no idea Montgomery had one of those! So we had a lot of fun with that, and the price was great too. Unfortunately/fortunately, the weather had been so awful that attendance was down. Unfortunately because the owner of the club didn't quite get enough take to pay the band, but fortunately because the dance floor could not have handled too many other people. While the floor was nice, we didn't like one of the regulars -- SUCH a snob. John didn't want anything to do with her, and after earning her snob status (she basically decided to tell us to learn to dance -- and I'm sorry, I'm not there to enter a dancing competition, I'm there to have fun. And John *can* dance.), she then wanted to make nice because there were fewer males than females and she was an unattached female. John was not going to dance with her. Period.

Sunday it snowed! Yep, it snowed here in Montgomery. It was beautiful--driving in to church in a snowstorm, I just loved it. I enjoyed watching nature drop graceful bits of peaceful calm all during service. I was disappointed when it stopped and started to melt, but it was lovely while it lasted.

I also went to a bridal show. I'm torn on the Princess House stuff. It's beautiful, but some of it really is expensive. Sure, it is quality--but I just don't feel worthy of a $200 pan. I am not a 'chef' cook. I'm good in a t-fal pan. I don't have the skills to really have a use for a pan that is half a car payment. It's beautiful pan, and the lids that match are gorgeous. But ALL of their pans are at least $120. I was going to let her do a shower / registry. But I just can't see asking my guests to spend that much on those things. Everything else we've registered for is much less. I mean, my china IS the big splurge, and that is for the whole set -- and I think it's $350 or something-- for an 8 place setting of china. And she thinks I'm going to ask my guests for a $200 pan? I wouldn't be able to afford the completion!

Monday -- hair cut! I'm growing it out for the wedding, and it's getting longer. And I've started taking gelatin tablets to hopefully make my nails stronger. My sublime stylist is closing her salon and moving to a new place. She's had the salon for 22 years, and is just ready to not have to be the one who worries about the plumbing, etc. So it was a bit of a sentimental thing. At least I know where she is and I've not lost her or anything. She's still in business, just in a different area.

So, that's my weekend in a nutshell. Hope everyone had a safe one!

Wish Me Luck!

Tomorrow I'm going to challenge my nerves and audition for the local baseball team, the Montgomery Biscuits. NO.... not to play baseball. I'm auditioning to sing the National Anthem at a game. Basically, I have to go sing it for them, in the stadium -- and there's really no way to practice that accoustic until I get on the field. On the plus side, I do know the audition piece.

I wish John could come and watch, but he's got to go coach fencing (for a group that can't seem to get it into their heads that he is an employee who deserves a paycheck on time--and that is really pissing me off. I have to give up half a day with him every Saturday, the one day neither of us work, and they cannot be bothered to pay him. That means, we can't leave town Friday night and go somewhere because he has to be in town on Saturday morning.) I hope they get their act together, because we do need the money from that job -- but if they're not paying, then what's the point in working for them? Waste of energy.

Anywho -- as I was saying, wish me luck. I'm nervous. Auditions are nervewracking, even when you have a track record of success, and I do not. I got into the college choir (you do have to audition for that), and I got cast in a community theatre musical. But that's it. I don't have a super track record. But -- you have to start somewhere.

Movie Review / Rant - Hoot

yes, it's an old(er) movie.

Attention Hollywood Producers. It *IS* possible to make a movie starring kids which does not have adults who are assinine, unintelligent, incompetant, unsympathetic, unpresent, and clueless. Trust me, it really is.

Hoot: I'm not going to bother listing all the people in this, because most of them are one-flick wonders (except Luke Wilson) who you recognize but don't really know their names.

Roy (main kid), Beatrice (girl kid), and Mullet Fingers (other kid--and yes, that's seriously the name of the character) are out to save a field for burrowing owls. The owls are cute--I will give them that. And I will note too: I did not realize that there were owls that lived in burrows rather than trees.

The problem: you've got a corporate jerk face who knows about the endangered species and has tried to cover it up -- however, he's done a piss poor job of it!. I've worked for agencies which did environmental impact studies. I can tell you that the manner that this was done was NOT the correct process. Impact studies are submitted directly to the state agency, not through the company involved. And if there was a torn page in the report received, the agency would not just glibly move on without saying: "Hey, I need another copy of the report." (and no thinking company trying to cover this up would be keeping one SHOWING the torn out page on site. I mean...if you're going to cover it up, cover it up man!) Yes, our studies were given in draft form to the organization so they'd get an opportunity to respond, but we did not remove things because they didn't like the finding. So the bottom line: the permitting process by which the jerk companies got their authorization was falsely formed. They would not have been given a permit with an environmental impact study showing endangered species on site. (I know this: we had a similar issue with one that we did. In the case of ours, we had to do mediation by moving the species -- it was a moveable one. But we had to find a compatible habitat before we could move them. And it was expensive.) The state would not grant us permits until those endangered species were moved.

So right there, the movie falls off of its tracks.

Onto Mullet Fingers: Mullet Fingers is the step brother of Bridget, who knows where he is. He doesn't get along with his mom or his step dad (and this is a kid who seems pretty amiable, so it's not like he's a drugger kid or something). Mom shipped him to a military boarding school and he ran off about two weeks later. Yet....the school has never reported him missing! Excuse me? Are you serious? Missing kid from their role books and they do not report this to the parents? Are they trying to become the property of that kid's parents? I mean, I smell a serious lawsuit.

Roy's dad is Department of Justice. That's just a random, irrelevant factoid.

There is also a school bully who clearly beats on kids within the purview of the driver. Yet, when Roy fights back, HE is the one who is suspended from the bus. The bus driver (obviously from the filming) saw that the bully was choking Roy. Roy breaks the boy's nose. And she reports him. Okay, what planet is that bus driver NOT suspended on? And why do Roy's parents not report what ROY's version is to the school when he tells them why he punched out the bully and broke his nose? This is not exactly a kid who has been a problem child before, so why would they not take his side with the administration. Instead, he has to write an apology to the bully. Excuse me? That's lame as all get out.

The writing is horrendous. The plot development is horrendous. Luke Wilson is WASTED on this film.

The two pluses. Soundtrack is good and the owls are cute. Buy a Buffet CD and get a picture. You'll enjoy it a lot more.

Have a Ball!

So.... we've decided we're going to try to book Southern Strings (yay!) for our wedding. They really have some lovely music (we were actually going to use some on the CD). They have added a member, and hopefully that doesn't mean their price has gone up -- that's one of my main concerns. We'll definitely have them play guest gathering and wedding (it will just add that otherwordly feel) and hopefully we'll be able to have them play at the reception until it's time for dancing to begin. That we're still probably going to keep as CDs -- simply because of the type of music we want.

And I've come up with another cheesy label for our cheese ball spread: Hope you have a ball! (Meatballs/cheese balls) So, now the reception 'food' has a theme.

I do feel for poor John (that's my fiance's name) though. I do keep changing my mind about things, or coming up with other ideas. I'm awful. Of course, once we put money down, it's stone.

Wedding Bits

My fiance and I have an appointment with our minister on March 4 at 6 to discuss the ceremony and what we have planned. And boy do we have plans!

We have written out our handfasting ceremony, picked our vows, decided to do a Rose Ceremony and to scratch the obligatory Unity Candle (mom will be so pleased...not). In addition, we're doing a chalice lighting at the beginning.

We are hoping that we'll be able to have a Flame Bearer (I don't see why not) carry a lantern, bringing the flame into the space -- sort of lighting the way. I would like our sanctuary to be dark and just lit up at the front. Since this is an evening service, it will be more dramatic, I think, if the light is 'on the stage' so to speak. My concern: I do know how our sanctuary lights work. I'm not sure that they can be dimmed at the appropriate time. May have to have the minister do it before he comes out. (Not sure when he should). Basically, the lights are in the little room between the minister's office and the sanctuary. FH is processing in too, rather than coming in from the side -- he and his party will march in to something like "Scotland the Brave" (that's not settled; he's in charge of the music). They would follow the Flame Bearer.

My mother is driving me nuts. I swear, she's Momzilla. She doesn't like this and she doesn't like that. Never mind that this is reflective of US and our guests will appreciate it. She complained about the cake -- then she got to taste it and decided it was actually good. She fussed about what color dress I could buy. She fussed about our wedding colors. She fussed about the Rehearsal Dinner menu. She fussed about the hotel. She fussed about the Reception Menu. There's not a thing that we're doing that she has said "Oh I love that!" EXCEPT that I asked the florist for wrist corsages instead of pin on ones. She thinks we're paying too much for the cake (except for the fact that a> we have to have a diabetic cake and that limits our options and b> yesterday, I heard a quote from Publix....which was freakishly HIGHER than what we're paying!). Quite frankly, she's pissing me off.

And we have not even told them the bulk of the plans. She doesn't know we're doing a handfasting and not doing the Unity Candle. She doesn't know that Dad is only walking me half-way down the aisle. (Yes--we need to have that conversation with them.) And to be honest, half of the reason she doesn't know this stuff is because she's been completely unsupportive of the entire thing. Okay, so it isn't a standard wedding. Get over it. The point is, the wedding has actually been co-planned by both of us--and that's really the way it should be (ideally. granted, getting most guys to participate is not easy. My fiance is actively planning, and not being roped in. Yay him!). It's about us. It's not about the Baptist Church (and we're not having it in a Baptist Church). It's not about my parents -- they had their wedding. This wedding is going to be unlike anything that most of the guests will have seen -- and that is good. We have an officiant to sign the license, and that's really all we need. The rest is just stagecraft. It's telling a story of who we are.

But truthfully, if we were not blood -- my parents and I would have no contact. We are far too different. I do love them -- but they do not understand me...or rather, they do not choose to accept the person that I am rather than the person they wish I was. (A good little Christian woman.)

Belk, Cats, and Wow

Belk had a bridal event today. I didn't really need anything they had to offer; however, it was free and there was cake. Of course, I had to go. One of my favorite wedding vendors in the area was there -- Southern Strings. Basically, if we can work them into the budget, it would be great. They just added a floutist to the group, and they sound amazing.

But we must be ruled by the Almighty Budget (blasted thing... who came up with this idea )

Other than that, my goal in going there was to speak to dress vendors about who they might recommend for alterations. However, no dress vendors were there. They're supposed to be giving out several door prizes, so with any luck, I will win one.

Regarding cats: Sam is sitting next to me right now, looking at my hands on the keyboard with an expression on his face that very much says 'Get off my bed!' (Pardon me, Sam... it's not a cat bed. I bought you an amazing kitty tree at Christmas. Lay On That!)

And wow. I have been very faithful to this blog. It's a record! Of course, we'll check back in a week to see how faithful I've been.

This is it!

Today is the day I go pick up my wedding dress. I thought that on January 31 too....I know. But hopefully, this really is it. I'll give David's this much credit, they underpromise and overdeliver. They told me my re-order dress would be in March 3. It arrived February 13. When I initially purchased the dress, they told me it would be in on February 13, but it arrived on January 28.



I do have a lot of time between now and the wedding still, but I do like marking things off of the to do list.



Now -- to find a seamstress. I'm not 100% sure I'd like David's to do it. I may go back to them eventually, but before defaulting to David's, I'd like to hunt around. There will be at least three alterations needed. And I can't even mention the required alterations -- in case John comes by the blog. He'd hate to discover the dress style by mention of the alterations.



My dress is nothing like this. I just thought that a blog about wedding dresses should have a picture of a wedding dress.

Footloose and Fancy Free - A Celtic Swing Reception

My fiance and I celebrate our nuptuals on September 26, 2009. That's a really fancy way of saying we're getting hitched in a little over 7 months. Time seems to fly and drag simultaneously, which is truly confusing!




This is our reception!

We've got a lot settled, and a lot that I seem to revisit all the time. I guess I'm doing that because we're doing this shindig on a budget--no shame in that! But in many ways it means that we're doing things as inexpensively as possible, and I'm not really happy with the lesser cost item. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to overspend just to give my inner princess a carriage ride or something insane -- but I keep tweaking the reception menu. My poor fiance thinks it's settled and I go "I have an idea...."

So, right now (and I do say that with a bit of a sigh), our reception menu is interesting, and I'm actually happy with it. It's also a tad different (which makes me even happier with it).

We're going to be doing a cheese ball theme for the reception. I'll start making the cheese balls about three months prior and freezing them, and then unfreeze them a week before, form them and roll them in their nuts (or whatever... yeah, balls and nuts. Of COURSE there will be jokes over that!). We'll also have some chicken nuggets and meatballs. The cheese balls / dips will have breads or crackers served with them, depending on what they are. Some cheese balls will be meaty (there is an awesome chicken cheese ball I'll be making). Some will be just cheesy. And some will be cheesy/fruity. And since we're doing cheese -- might as well go completely with it with some 'cheesey' names for our cheese balls. My current favorite is the "Erin Go Ball" (for Erin Go Braugh). The meatballs will be labeled as "The Best of Haggis (because no one really wants to eat the rest of it)". Chicken nuggets are "Because the Scots love fried food" Our wedding has a Celtic theme, so our cheese balls will be named after Celtic stuff (hence haggis and erin go ball).






<------- This is our cake topper. Our cake is going to be amazing. I can't wait to see what we envisioned come to life. I'd show y'all a picture, except that it really was something that my fiance and I designed ourselves. We presented it to the baker, who made a couple of suggestions, and told us how he intended to do certain elements.





The cake is sour cream pound cake with raspberry/amaretto filling. (Trust me, it's quite yummy!) It will be a three-layer cake. The sides of the cake will be a bisque white color to match the cake topper; however, the top of each later will be in one of our three wedding colors. The middle tier will have celtic knotwork matching our cake topper. And because it is an autumn wedding, instead of sugar flowers, we'll have pastillage leaves painted in autumn colors placed about the cake. I wish I could show a picture of this cake; but it was designed by us. We're all just going to have to wait until September (well... you will have to wait until October. Sorry.)



As far as decorations go, this was the inspiration for ours. The ceiling will be decorated in white Christmas lights (got on sale...yay!) with leaves tied to it via twine. I have about 100 or more leaves already ready to be tied to the lights. The effect I am going for is a forest canopy at night with the stars twinkling above. It's abstract of course, but that is what it is supposed to represent.

I am also making candles in our wedding colors. They are not made yet -- I figure I will start them next weekend. These will be placed on mirrors on each of the tables (probably about 2 or 3 candles per table) .


As far as entertainment? We're the iPod generation. My fiance is responsible for the music for both the ceremony and reception. We'll be having a Swing Dance, with 80s music too. He's going to do a quick lesson in Swing right after our first dance so that everyone will have an idea of how to do it. (I picked it up without lessons, so I figure anyone can.)

I ordered my garter! I have to make a toss bouquet. We'll be doing an anniversary dance, and the couple married the longest will receive the bouquet and garter. I am pretty certain it will be my Aunt Sissy and Uncle Marvin. I don't know how long they've been married. I'm sure it is over 50 years though. They were married when my Dad's brother got married. And my Dad's brother was married when HE got married. It's going to one of my Dad's siblings--unless someone at my church surprises us.

Cheap Chocolate Day

Cheap Chocolate Day has come and gone, but another is just around the bend. What is Cheap Chocolate Day? Why, it's the best holiday of all....it celebrates chocolate -- on sale at 50% or more off!!

Cheap Chocolate days are:

February 15 - this is the best cheap chocolate day. The high holy cheap chocolate day. Adult chocolates abound -- not just bags of Hershey Kisses or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Boxes of chocolates, truffles, and other yummy delights

Day after Easter - As far as Cheap Chocolate Days go, this one is pretty good. Stock up on Cadbury Eggs, but watch the chocolate bunnies. Most are made by Palmer chocolate, and their chocolate is just a grade above chocolate flavored chalky wax. Steer clear of that stuff. Better NO chocolate than Palmer's chocolate.

November 1 -- All CHOCOLATES day it should be! This is where you can stock up on your minis to fill up office chocolate bowls. It's the 2nd best cheap chocolate day of the year.

December 26 -- Christmas is not a true chocolate holiday, but still, people do put chocolate in stockings. The danger of the post-Christmas Cheap Chocolate Day is that December 26 is a notoriously busy shopping day--people doing returns and checking post-Christmas sales. This is a cheap chocolate holiday for the truly chocolate obsessed -- because who else would brave those crowds for cheap chocolate without that obsession.

Yes, I realize that most people do not celebrate this holiday -- but I really do not see why not.

Dia duit

It's the Celtic Cat blog, so I figured I should start off with something along that vein. Dia duit mean hello in Irish. So...hello!

Upcoming Nuptuals:My fiance and I are in the process of planning our wedding (7 months, 7 days to go. wow), so you'll likely read a lot about it. I've also got to edit a bit -- he's traditional and doesn't want to know *any* details of the wedding ensemble. So you'll just have to wait until the wedding photos are posted to see it! (But I'm picking it up on Saturday.)

We're getting our rings from Marguiritte's, here in Montgomery. This is one of those rare jewelers where you get to design what you want and they will make it for you. This is actually really cool--but also a bit frustrating.
We ordered back in October -- and went to check on them in January. They had not even sent off yet. I just called today, and they still have not sent off (apparently, there were email issues with the laser engraver.) Anyway, I'm starting to get anxious. Back in October, we had a lot of time. But time is now getting shorter -- and time to get a different ring if this takes too much longer is also getting shorter.

Economy: The economy here in Montgomery is not the best. I'm sure that no one reading this is surprised. I'm doing all right, but my fiance is not faring so well. The service industry, particularly restaurants, is hurting. When people have to cut back, they cut back on the "I don't have to haves" first -- the little luxuries, like eating out every other day or once a week. When you're a server, and the floor is not full, that hurts your bottom line even more.


Cats: I have two. Gus and Sam. Sam has lately started to sleep on my laptop keyboard. NOT happy about that. On the plus side, I've learned about a lot of functions my computer has that I was not aware of. I didn't, for example, know that I had a reading software that would read the screen to me -- in English AND in French. This was interesting. However, I don't know how he did id, so it doesn't help me much.


Theatre: I am on the Board of Directors for Prattville's Way Off Broadway Theatre, and have been in three productions.

I'll probably talk about a variety of these things and more. I hope you'll join me as we explore my life as a Cat.