2 Amazing Years

Yesterday Mj and I had a wonderful day together. Nothing big. Sleeping in. Lounging around in pajamas for a bit. Catching a matinee [Shutter Island] and running a few errands. Cooking tostadas together and eating dinner and beer in front of the TV while watching a DVD. The sun was shining, the day was relaxed and I was happy. Just happy to be in that moment. Ordinary day or not it was perfect. I'd look at Mj and think to myself "Oh my god, how I love that man." This amazing feeling of love sometimes just overwhelms me. I look at him and I cannot believe that this amazing person is mine to have and to hold. He has gotten used to me just sort of staring at him for no apparent reason with this [hopefully] dreamy look on my face by now.

Like life a relationship is composed of moments. Snapshots in time. Not always perfect or ideal and often times pretty ordinary, but snapshots just the same that create the continuum of what we do and who we are. That moment that I met Mj was life changing for me. I certainly didn't know it at the time but I was meeting the man I always wanted and needed. He completes me. How corny is that? I mean, it is best known as a Jerry McGuire quote but corny or not it is so true. There aren't better words to describe it. I cannot imagine a world in which he does not exist. I don't want to.

Sometimes I get annoyed at him when he leaves his socks on the floor, his clothes hanging haphazardly over the couch or he looses something else. There has to be a laundry list of ways that I probably annoy him with my neat freak tendencies, pessimism, and being so darn picky when it comes to food just to name a few. He is not perfect. I am not perfect. We are not perfect. But that does not matter. We are perfect together and any imperfections he may have are drowned in the love that I feel for him. Sometimes I do not feel worthy, but he loves me despite all of my flaws. There is this level of comfort in the knowledge that simply being me is enough.

2 years ago today we had our first date on a rainy Saturday night. We got set up by my friend. They were both in Arizona for some Military schooling and at a get together and she had the bright idea after meeting him that we should meet up. And meet we did. Fall in love we did. And now I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I was working a promo job that night. I was downtown and when I saw a silver SUV pull up to the designated spot outside the convention center I walked right up to it and got in. I suppose he could've been a psycho or another guy who's calls I would have to dodge but instead he turned out to be my future husband. We ate dinner at Friday's. I was dating just for the hell of it but this one stood out for me because I genuinely laughed like I had not on any other date. It wasn't that ha, ha polite kind of laugh but one from the heart. This one was different.

One date led to another. I could only describe it as a whirlwind of fun, romantic dream dates and getting to know each other better. I would tell myself one day that this guy better not expect me to spend every weekend with him and then the next thing I knew that was all I wanted. I was reluctant to take this journey because of my issues, my fears and because of my past. My sometimes very depressed and often isolated lifestyle was not healthy and often unhappy but to change anything about it would mean to lose control and that terrified me. When it was just me I could and did neglect my own emotional well being but having him in my life meant I could no longer do that. I could no longer wallow in misery. It meant I needed to do better. Not just for me but for him too. Finally, I could no longer ignore what my heart was telling me and I chose happiness. It was really hard for me to let go and let love in but when I did I fell head over heels. We missed out on eleven months of our 2 years together when he was deployed but we quickly picked up where we left off and have made up for lost time. It was a tough time for me but he was well worth the wait.

I am sitting at my desk at work when I hear a man say he is looking for me. He walks back to my desk with a package from Edible Arrangements. I am puzzled and completely surprised. This day never actually became our official anniversary because we became engaged the same year that we met and changed it to that instead for the following year. Inside are chocolate & peanut butter covered apples and a note that says "Do you remember what day today is?...I do." And of course I remember. It was only one of the best days of my life. And I smile because I am lucky and happy. And because I remember all the times it felt like there was nothing worth living for and thanks to Mj I now know without a doubt that there is.

I'm Gettin' Chair Covers

I know I know, it's probably something someone somewhere made up to convince brides that there was something so wrong with chairs that they needed to be covered up so they could make money and I am falling into their evil trap. I just couldn't help but be amazed when I saw before and after pics with and without. I love the way they totally transform a room and make it so festive and elegant. It's a great way to incorporate your wedding colors too.

When I saw that the ballroom chairs at our venue were gold not some ugly maroon or green color I decided that chair covers were not a must have. It's a nice cozy ballroom on it's own. I would table it and see where we ended up budget wise everywhere else AND what kind of deal I could get and make a decision then. Aside from my little simple centerpieces that I am making and the tulle to decorate the ceremony arch I am not doing much decorating so it would be nice to do something but not at the expense of budget. When even the groom pipes up and says that it would be a really nice touch...well, then you really have to take it into consideration.

Some charge as high as $4.50 per chair but I found a lady that works out of her home who only charges $2.70 a chair total!! This is pretty much the lowest price anyone is offering them for in our area. This includes delivery, set up, and breakdown. That is a super bargain and I really wanted them so I decided to go for it. The total cost is $202.50 for 75 chairs. I also added the $11.00 insurance at .15 per chair so if any permanent staining or damage occurs to any of the covers I won't be responsible for replacing them.

I considered black covers with pink sashes because those are our exact colors but have decided to go with a white cover and the light pink organza sash instead. The black just didn't look right against a white table cloth and even if I wanted to pay for black linens which I don't.  black on black would have darkened up the room way too much. I plan on choosing the black linen napkins.

I'm even getting excited about my DIY centerpieces now which will cost about $80 total for 10-11 tables. I found slightly fuller and a bit higher rounded vases at Walmart with a lip at the top for $1 each. This one is not so tiny and it will allow me to tie a black organza bow around each one. I'm adding a single floating pink carnation to each. It will be lit up with a submersible LED light and have pink stones at the bottom. They will sit on top of the round mirror and be surrounded by 3 votive candles and I'll scatter pink and black silk flower petals around it. So far, I've only found black ones online and the best price is 500 for $6.00 at eFavorMart.com. It's all coming together!

I am so thrilled to be adding such a pretty decoration to our venue that actually fits my budget. Our reception will be transformed into this beautiful display of whimsy and elegance. I am so not the girl who has always dreamed of a fairytale wedding. Not that I didn't want one. I just never imagined it would be possible for me and it's so exciting to feel like I am getting one now.

Bridal Bouquet & Dress Size

Did anyone know that the size of the bride is supposed to play a role in the size of her bridal bouquet? I surely didn't but come to think of it the florist did mention something about my size and that the bouquet should not overpower me or overshadow my dress. I guess it makes sense I just never thought about it. In doing some internet research I actually came across a formula.

• Dress size 1-10=12 roses
• Dress size 12-18=18 roses
• Dress size 20+ =24 roses

I came across this pic of a bride with a gigantic bouquet and it is a perfect illustration of how a bouquet can overshadow a bride. Now that's a big bouquet if I ever saw one!! You can hardly even see her dress behind that thing. I think they went a bit over board on that one.
Also, you are apparently not supposed to toss your actual bridal bouquet. The florist asked me if I wanted a throw away one and I decided not to for budget reasons. If I do a throw away bouquet you can bet that will be one I buy at the grocery store and put together myself! I am not even sure I want to do a bouquet toss. I think I will see how many single ladies there are going to be and decide from there. And, the more I think about it the less I want to throw my $110 bouquet away. It's going to die anyways and I will be throwing it away eventually but I guess for sentimental reasons I would like to wake up the next morning and still have it around.

Flowers Aint Cheap

But then I knew that already. I went to the flower shop I was referred to at the tasting a couple weeks ago today to get a quote. When I originally did my budget way back when I was still searching for a venue I used $700 as my figure. Since then, I had dropped it down to $350 after running some numbers and taking into account the anticipated number in our bridal party and the fact that I will not be using flowers to decorate the venue or as centerpieces.

I would love to have flowers for centerpieces but I simply do not want to spend the money that it would cost to do it. My centerpieces will be DIY and each have one pink floating carnation. There is a beautiful elegant white arch with multiple columns at the ceremony location set against a wall of greenery that will be in full bloom with flowers in July so I have decided to leave well enough alone. I will only be dressing the arch in tulle that costs $100 from the hotel.

My price quote is $428.04 and includes the following:

• Bridal Bouquet $110.00
• Attendant Bouquets 4 @$40.00 each
• Mom's corsages 2 @$17.99 each
• Groom Boutonniere $14.99
• Groomsmen, Dad's, officiant Boutonniere 7 @$9.99 each

I feel just a little bit indulgent and excessive at the thought of carrying a $110 bouquet. I mean, do I really need a prop that expensive? One I will carry down the aisle then toss over my shoulder and send home with someone else. I did not order a "throw away" bouquet. I was hoping for $80 and do not feel that I have requested anything too elaborate. I don't like cascading. Good thing because they cost even more. I chose a round bouquet with all light pink roses and baby's breath throughout which I love. It will have some ivy around the edges for finish and a white satin ribbon around the stalks with white pearls running down it. And that's all folks. The range she gave me for the bouquet was $110-$140 so of course I asked for the lower end. However many roses $110 will get me should be enough.  The attendant bouquets have a lot more greenery and a few different kinds of flowers in it with names I can't remember, including Carnations in different shades of pink and will be tied with a black ribbon. One benefit of having a smaller bridal party-less flower expenses.

I didn't originally think about all of the extra corsages and boutonniere's for the mom's, dad's and officiant/friend but I want each of them to have one and as with everything else it just adds up. The thought has crossed my mind to try to do DIY some of it. I don't know if I am ambitious enough to do it all myself but if I throw the attendant bouquet's together myself I'm pretty sure I could do it for less then $160.

I have a co worker who does flowers on the side as a hobby. I might be able to have her do all bouquet's  and then I would only have to order the boutonniere's and corsages from Allen's which might save me money if she could do it for less then the $270 quoted. Fifty Flowers.com has some DIY Wedding combos I could play around with. I have also found some reasonable priced wholesale flowers online at Growers Box and Blooms By The Box but I will ONLY pursue this route if it will save me significantly more money otherwise I might as well save myself the time and worry and just leave it to the professionals.

We shall see. Either way I am still under my original budget and overall $428 for bridal party/parent flowers doesn't seem to be all that bad considering what it could be. I am really happy with my selections. The lady who helped me didn't seem pushy and it was not some high end boutique shop. After browsing online I think the prices are reasonably low and competitive.

Can't Miss Gymnastics

Rebecca Bross

"Gymnastics is on." I hear Mj yelling out to me while I am in the bathroom getting ready for my eye doctor appointment. Oh crap. How could I have forgotten about this? "I'm canceling my eye doctor appointment." Mj thought I was joking but I was serious. Without hesitation I went into the kitchen called up the doctor office and told them I couldn't make it and that I would call to reschedule. Then, I settled down to watch the American Cup for the next two hours.

I love gymnastics. It's my favorite sport in the whole world. It only comes on about 3 times a year and I wasn't about to miss this one. Mj has learned not to mess with me when my sport is on. He gave up the remote without me asking because he knew I absolutely would not tolerate flipping back and forth between channels on commercials.

Rebecca Bross won first place as expected. She may not have the artistry of Nastia Liukin but very few do. What she lacks in artistry she makes up in power, difficulty and consistency a la Carly Patterson. She narrowly missed being a World Champion last year and even though the Olympics is two years away she is expected to contend for the All Around title there. When you think about it she's actually next in line. In 2004 Carly won. In 2008 Nastia Liukin took the throne. What do these gymnasts both have in common aside from winning Olympic gold? Both trained at WOGA in Plano Texas and so does Rebecca. She is also trained by Nastia's dad/coach Valery Liukin. 2012 is really Rebecca's turn to win the Olympics when you think about the lineage of Olympic champions in her gym. She got to watch Carly and Nastia train their butts off, kick butt at the Olympics, and cash in on all of the wonderful rewards that come to those who win Olympic Gold. She probably wants it so bad for herself she can taste it. It seems as if it is her destiny to win it next and she is on her way. Carly and Nastia are among the many great gymnasts who have won the American Cup and now Rebecca is too.

So much pressure goes along with all that destiny but she is a solid competitor and if she stays injury free it can be hers. There are world class gymnasts all over the world training day in and day out for that very same goal. The competition will be fierce and destiny or not she will have to fight for it just like everyone else.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the competition even though I had to blow off my eye doctor appointment to do it. It's all about priorities.

UPDATE:  Rebecca Bross's Olympic Journey

Invites/RSVP's En Route & Website DONE

Hitting submit on my final order was a bit nerve wracking. Once I do this it's final. It's too late to decide that there should have been a comma there or a certain word should have been capitalized. Unlike my blog once I hit submit I can no longer go back and edit. That being said I am also glad to have it done because it IS so final. No more obsessing over the wording and whether or not everything is perfect.

After extensive research I decided on Invitations By Dawn. I immediately liked "In The Pink" online and knew it was perfect when I received the free sample. I could have gotten some cheaper ones but they would have looked that way too. It is a fold over design printed in raised black script on pink heavy card stock paper. There is a pretty black and a pink pearlized flower embossed on the front and our first names are visible from the front through a little cut away. They match our wedding colors, they look elegant and are of good quality. They come with outer AND inner envelopes. The cost is $121.80 for 100 invitations and $65.80 for 100 Response cards. We also got invitation tissue for $2.00 making the grand total $189.60. I was able to customize everything online. I was able to view a mock up of the invitation but not the RSVP. I did not order proofs. They were $15 each. I liked the invite sample and I proof read the invite so I think it will be OK that I didn't.

I also got to working on our wedding website because we are going to print the website URL on mailing labels and stick them to the outside of the inner envelope. This is the online digital age. There is a website for everything so why should my wedding be any different? We are using mywedding.com. Guests can RSVP and choose their meal here. They can view our wedding registry, city information, wedding and hotel information, view pictures of us , sign our online guest book, contact us, and find out a little bit about how we met. It's totally free. I LOVE the way it turned out and it was really fun doing it too.

I will plan on sending them out early March and request RSVP by June 1st.