Josh and I are Married!!!! It's odd but I'm already totally chill with calling him my husband, as well as using excuses such as "oh I'm sorry I need to check with my husband about buying that first" to irritating sales people (although I have always been fabulous about doing that, this one just happens to have a touch of the truth to it). If you are wondering, no, I have not gotten the chance to use that line yet, but I have no doubt that that day will come.
We had a lovely wedding surrounded by our family and friends followed by a week in heaven aka Fiji at Vomo Island Resort. So, I'm going to give you all a few details on the trip in my next post since I believe, as of right now at least, this blog hasn't gone viral yet and it is predominantly my friends/stalkers who read this : ) On to my point of the day...
I believe that the modern day honeymoon is a sort of detox for the bride. After spending months to years planning every detail of your special day from the flowers to the attire and from the timing of the day to the specific songs that would be played for different moments one big question still remains. How do you just stop. Cold Turkey, that's how. Here, go on this trip to a tropical location where you already payed for everything so you don't have to worry about a thing. Oh, and you have a gourmet chef and the activities are amazing and there are things you have always wanted to see just steps outside your beautiful bungalow. And you have no cell service or Internet... yep that's how you stop. Believe me, by the time I got back I was barely even willing to send one last email thanking my vendors. Actually, I've been back a week now and I still haven't started those emails yet. So, future brides and grooms I in my expert post-Bride experience say that if the trip is a bit pricey it's all right. That trip is legitimately what you need (just be sure not to take out any loans or second mortgages to make it happen).
Also, a bit of shameless feel goodness for Me on my Tuesday afternoon. It is totally cool if you choose to "officially" follow this blog. So go ahead and click that little icon and you will have done your good deal for the week! Who knows I may even send you something special :)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
A determination to love all things Fall
It is finally Fall in California. Sometimes it can be a very hard season to define here as we do not have an abundance of trees that turn brilliant colors : ) Now Fall is my favorite season, has always been and will always be. Every thing about it is perfect, how the air gets crisper, that wonderful fall smell in the air (which is actually made from decaying leaves but whatever), how you get to change into a whole new wardrobe but still enjoy the sun annnnnd the rainy season starts!!! Josh and I even managed to plan a fall wedding (12 days away!!!!). However, I don't think California will cooperate. Pretty sure it's going to end up being in the 80's even though we waited till November to have it and I also don't think the vines in the winery will have changed color yet like we were hoping for. None the less, Fall is still a superior season especially since you can also call it things like Autumn and Harvest Time and it sounds all the more festive.
Fall is probably the thing I miss most about moving away from the midwest. When you move to one state with hardly any seasons (Florida) to another with the same almost season less year (California) you tend to want to celebrate the fall even more. I have been looking at just about every crafty blog and email that pops up thinking "why yes, of course I want to make a decorative fake leaf wreath to hang on my door" or "how did Martha know I've been looking for 37 Halloween cupcakes to make." Hell, if I could I think I would take a hayride to work though a corn field while carving pumpkins wearing a sweater and warm boots and occasionally sipping some cider. I know you would all want to be in my "car-pool" then!!
Now there is only one thing that I have encountered about Fall that I still not have gotten on the bandwagon for... squash. Now believe me I have tried loving squash. Last fall I even went and purchased the most lovely looking butternut squash along with organic brown sugar to cook it with. It was such a sad disaster. But I will not give up. Every time I look at a beautiful squash puree soup I think to myself "Damnit! This is the year that I will love squash!!!" Ok, maybe I am not that intense about it, but I do glance at them out of the corner of my eye when I'm walking through the produce section and want a redo on last years squash.
Now the other hurtle is that Josh doesn't want anything to do with my desire to dabble in the cooking of squash. But, despite my fiances blatant hatred of trying more than one new food a year I know that if it looks good enough he might even try it. I have yet to pick out my target or the date, but I think mid- November is looking good : ) I will intend it to be my first "I am your wife now and you have to try it or you will hurt my feelings" stunt. If anyone has some exceptionally delish recipes feel free to share!!
Fall is probably the thing I miss most about moving away from the midwest. When you move to one state with hardly any seasons (Florida) to another with the same almost season less year (California) you tend to want to celebrate the fall even more. I have been looking at just about every crafty blog and email that pops up thinking "why yes, of course I want to make a decorative fake leaf wreath to hang on my door" or "how did Martha know I've been looking for 37 Halloween cupcakes to make." Hell, if I could I think I would take a hayride to work though a corn field while carving pumpkins wearing a sweater and warm boots and occasionally sipping some cider. I know you would all want to be in my "car-pool" then!!
Now there is only one thing that I have encountered about Fall that I still not have gotten on the bandwagon for... squash. Now believe me I have tried loving squash. Last fall I even went and purchased the most lovely looking butternut squash along with organic brown sugar to cook it with. It was such a sad disaster. But I will not give up. Every time I look at a beautiful squash puree soup I think to myself "Damnit! This is the year that I will love squash!!!" Ok, maybe I am not that intense about it, but I do glance at them out of the corner of my eye when I'm walking through the produce section and want a redo on last years squash.
Now the other hurtle is that Josh doesn't want anything to do with my desire to dabble in the cooking of squash. But, despite my fiances blatant hatred of trying more than one new food a year I know that if it looks good enough he might even try it. I have yet to pick out my target or the date, but I think mid- November is looking good : ) I will intend it to be my first "I am your wife now and you have to try it or you will hurt my feelings" stunt. If anyone has some exceptionally delish recipes feel free to share!!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Wedding Realities
I just want to let any brides that are about to read my post know that this is not a post bashing a newly engaged bride or one that will be getting married tomorrow or any bride in between. It is simply me trying to explain this frustration I encountered when a friend of mine who is also planning her wedding started talking to me about hers. Now I love all things weddings right now (as most girls planning their own wedding do) but I was irrationally angry when this friend of mine started talking as if she was dealing with the same trials I am going through. I didn't know why it bothered me so much when she is really a fellow comrade in arms, but something about the fact that most of her major wedding details hadn't been planned yet just got me in a mood, and not the good kind either! I thought maybe she was trying to grab attention, but it was only an exchange between the two of us over lunch, so I left the conversation feel hurt and a bit perplexed.
I went home and consulted a few of my friends who have recently (within the last 3 years for all) gotten married and what they thought about this, was I just getting overly sensitive as the date was getting closer? I was told by not just one friend of mine, but all three I chatted with that I was not crazy or sensitive. One explained what was going on very well and what I wasn't really able to put into words she totally got with me having to do minimal explanation.
A bride who is more than 2 or 3 months out on her wedding is still in Fantasy Bride land. She is getting to pick out all the big lovely things that will make her big day exactly what she wants it to be; her venue, photographer, dress, caterer, etc. However, once you hit that 2 month mark things change into Real Bride land. This is where all the tiny details have to be decided, dead lines must be met, time tables and lists made and also the manual labor of putting all those last things together that transform a mainly ordinary day into your Wedding Day.
Heads up Fantasy Brides!! You can't start buying accessories until you find your dress and you can't start planning center pieces until you book your venue, general ideas great, precise things no. While you may think right now you know exactly what you want, things don't always go that way. A form fitting gown may not look great on you. Your ideal venue may be remodeling and flowers aren't always in season no matter how badly you want them. And let me just warn you about a rare event you may just witness and have to deal with in the planning of your wedding. A groom that wants to be very involved!!! Shocking, I know. While I didn't have one of these, Josh is more along the lines of tell me when to show up, I have had a very close friend who's now husband was potentially more interested in the planing than she was. This isn't a bad thing, but take a moment to realize that if you do have this type of fiance then it will be more of an uphill battle to satisfy both your wants.
So, unless you have been to that 2 month mark you just don't get it. It doesn't matter if you were your best friends go to person or the best maid of honor that existed, you won't get it till you hit that mark. The stress is crazy overwhelming and not only that you start to question yourself. Will my center pieces look alright with the size of the table? Will everyone think the favors look cheap? Did people actually recieve their invitations? Should I have gotten bridesmaid dresses with straps instead of strapless? And for me the most important one, will things look like they go together or will it look like a poorly coordinated 10 year old's birthday party?!?!?!
Right now you maybe thinking to yourself "I never got that worried" or maybe "this whole wedding thing sounds ridiculous." Well I have a few different responses which you may pick to suit your taste, choose your own adventure style...
1) If you said "Brittany, I totally get what your saying", then Thank You!! You are awesome and probably went through or are going through all the things I am right now.
2) If you said "Brittany, I was never that nervous", then you either have nerves of steal in which case I bow down to you OR your wedding might have been a smaller or more laid back version in which case I would apply my bigger bombs cause more destruction theory (we will go over this theory later since it has several requirements such as bombs being composed of the same material etc. to make it valid).
3) If you said "Brittany, I am totally not a Fantasy Bride, your post is major insulting!!!", I say reread this when you are down to just 2 months and assess the situation again.
and last
4) If you said "Brittany, you need to chill the F*%& out!", I would say you are probably a guy and this post is something you could not possibly relate to.
Any other thoughts and you can leave a comment and I will tell you what I think about that!
In summary, you may think newly engaged wedding planner gets what 2 months till the big day engaged wedding planner is going through, but you don't and I am not crazy.
Annnnd End Rant
I went home and consulted a few of my friends who have recently (within the last 3 years for all) gotten married and what they thought about this, was I just getting overly sensitive as the date was getting closer? I was told by not just one friend of mine, but all three I chatted with that I was not crazy or sensitive. One explained what was going on very well and what I wasn't really able to put into words she totally got with me having to do minimal explanation.
A bride who is more than 2 or 3 months out on her wedding is still in Fantasy Bride land. She is getting to pick out all the big lovely things that will make her big day exactly what she wants it to be; her venue, photographer, dress, caterer, etc. However, once you hit that 2 month mark things change into Real Bride land. This is where all the tiny details have to be decided, dead lines must be met, time tables and lists made and also the manual labor of putting all those last things together that transform a mainly ordinary day into your Wedding Day.
Heads up Fantasy Brides!! You can't start buying accessories until you find your dress and you can't start planning center pieces until you book your venue, general ideas great, precise things no. While you may think right now you know exactly what you want, things don't always go that way. A form fitting gown may not look great on you. Your ideal venue may be remodeling and flowers aren't always in season no matter how badly you want them. And let me just warn you about a rare event you may just witness and have to deal with in the planning of your wedding. A groom that wants to be very involved!!! Shocking, I know. While I didn't have one of these, Josh is more along the lines of tell me when to show up, I have had a very close friend who's now husband was potentially more interested in the planing than she was. This isn't a bad thing, but take a moment to realize that if you do have this type of fiance then it will be more of an uphill battle to satisfy both your wants.
So, unless you have been to that 2 month mark you just don't get it. It doesn't matter if you were your best friends go to person or the best maid of honor that existed, you won't get it till you hit that mark. The stress is crazy overwhelming and not only that you start to question yourself. Will my center pieces look alright with the size of the table? Will everyone think the favors look cheap? Did people actually recieve their invitations? Should I have gotten bridesmaid dresses with straps instead of strapless? And for me the most important one, will things look like they go together or will it look like a poorly coordinated 10 year old's birthday party?!?!?!
Right now you maybe thinking to yourself "I never got that worried" or maybe "this whole wedding thing sounds ridiculous." Well I have a few different responses which you may pick to suit your taste, choose your own adventure style...
1) If you said "Brittany, I totally get what your saying", then Thank You!! You are awesome and probably went through or are going through all the things I am right now.
2) If you said "Brittany, I was never that nervous", then you either have nerves of steal in which case I bow down to you OR your wedding might have been a smaller or more laid back version in which case I would apply my bigger bombs cause more destruction theory (we will go over this theory later since it has several requirements such as bombs being composed of the same material etc. to make it valid).
3) If you said "Brittany, I am totally not a Fantasy Bride, your post is major insulting!!!", I say reread this when you are down to just 2 months and assess the situation again.
and last
4) If you said "Brittany, you need to chill the F*%& out!", I would say you are probably a guy and this post is something you could not possibly relate to.
Any other thoughts and you can leave a comment and I will tell you what I think about that!
In summary, you may think newly engaged wedding planner gets what 2 months till the big day engaged wedding planner is going through, but you don't and I am not crazy.
Annnnd End Rant
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Officially the Last One to Know
First off I would like to premise this post with the fact that there isn't a single extra minute in a day, only minutes you should be doing something else. At least this is my argument as to why it is going on 3 months since my last post... not that I really have readers to disappoint :)
The official first complete product replacement in my life.... Toothpaste!
Now for me I thought there was going to be two major hurtles to my goal of replacing just about everything in my home to products not tested on animals; toothpaste and deodorant. Well of course that meant that the first thing to run out would be the toothpaste. As I was watching the tube slowly disintegrate to a mangled mess of plastic and foil I knew the time was fast approaching. I happened to mention to Josh (the soon-to-be husband) how I had no idea what brands weren't tested on animals. My decision to make this transition had been a long time in the making and I felt I was fairly knowledgeable about brands I could trust, but yet I still had no idea about toothpaste.
To my complete surprise Josh responds with "UGH, we're going to be stuck with Tom's because of this aren't we?!?"
To which my reaction was something along the lines of "What! How do you know a brand that will work?" which actually meant "What! How come you didn't tell me about this earlier!" because for some reason it felt like he was hiding this crazy secret from me.
Anyway, Josh proceeds to tell me that his mom used to buy it when he was a kid and he always hated it. Something about tasting like baking soda with some peppermint extract added... whatever. We had a brief discussion on whether he was willing to try it again or if I had to buy him his own tube of toothpaste and he was generous enough to try Tom's again.
Now I was raised by a mother who whenever possible took the all natural approach on things or as I like to explain it, she used to be a hippie. So somewhere inside of me I felt like how could I not know of this?!?! Upon further reflection it was most likely because I was a picky child, you know the kind that only eats buttered noodles until they are approximately seven years old and refused to try anything new unless it was ice cream (which obviously somehow includes toothpaste).
Later that evening while on the phone to my best friend I was relaying the story of the toothpaste to her and right before I drop what I thought was a huge bomb shell in the form of Josh knowing exactly what brand to look for she goes, "why don't you just buy Tom's?" "WHAT!?!?!" I almost screamed into the phone, "you too!!!" And to me that was it, I was officially the last person (in my mind at least) to know of this hippie, earth and animal loving toothpaste. After my devistation at my own un-hippieness I went out and got some Tom's (Sucess!!!).
Now on to the thing you actually care about (and if you are still reading this I apologize for the long story getting to the point, I'm a journey person so I care about how I arrive somewhere and will almost always relay that entire journey in my stories). Tom's is actually a wonderful and good tasting toothpaste. We have already gone through a few tubes (like I said it has been 3 months since my last post) and Josh doesn't find any fault with it either, or at least it has not caused any bad flash backs to childhood from its use. In addition to not testing on animals, they also donate to environmental causes and have a certain percentage of hours/days a year where all the members of the company volunteer. In case you want to know more here is a link to the Tom's page.
A few things to look forward to in my next few posts: finishing a Master's Degree in Geology in the hardest possible fashion, beginning a journey into yoga and trying not to swear at the instructor in my head, other products I have replaced in my life (which will be grouped together), throwing the most bad ass wedding EVER and whatever else my overworked mind decides to ponder over. Till next time!
The official first complete product replacement in my life.... Toothpaste!
Now for me I thought there was going to be two major hurtles to my goal of replacing just about everything in my home to products not tested on animals; toothpaste and deodorant. Well of course that meant that the first thing to run out would be the toothpaste. As I was watching the tube slowly disintegrate to a mangled mess of plastic and foil I knew the time was fast approaching. I happened to mention to Josh (the soon-to-be husband) how I had no idea what brands weren't tested on animals. My decision to make this transition had been a long time in the making and I felt I was fairly knowledgeable about brands I could trust, but yet I still had no idea about toothpaste.
To my complete surprise Josh responds with "UGH, we're going to be stuck with Tom's because of this aren't we?!?"
To which my reaction was something along the lines of "What! How do you know a brand that will work?" which actually meant "What! How come you didn't tell me about this earlier!" because for some reason it felt like he was hiding this crazy secret from me.
Anyway, Josh proceeds to tell me that his mom used to buy it when he was a kid and he always hated it. Something about tasting like baking soda with some peppermint extract added... whatever. We had a brief discussion on whether he was willing to try it again or if I had to buy him his own tube of toothpaste and he was generous enough to try Tom's again.
Now I was raised by a mother who whenever possible took the all natural approach on things or as I like to explain it, she used to be a hippie. So somewhere inside of me I felt like how could I not know of this?!?! Upon further reflection it was most likely because I was a picky child, you know the kind that only eats buttered noodles until they are approximately seven years old and refused to try anything new unless it was ice cream (which obviously somehow includes toothpaste).
Later that evening while on the phone to my best friend I was relaying the story of the toothpaste to her and right before I drop what I thought was a huge bomb shell in the form of Josh knowing exactly what brand to look for she goes, "why don't you just buy Tom's?" "WHAT!?!?!" I almost screamed into the phone, "you too!!!" And to me that was it, I was officially the last person (in my mind at least) to know of this hippie, earth and animal loving toothpaste. After my devistation at my own un-hippieness I went out and got some Tom's (Sucess!!!).
Now on to the thing you actually care about (and if you are still reading this I apologize for the long story getting to the point, I'm a journey person so I care about how I arrive somewhere and will almost always relay that entire journey in my stories). Tom's is actually a wonderful and good tasting toothpaste. We have already gone through a few tubes (like I said it has been 3 months since my last post) and Josh doesn't find any fault with it either, or at least it has not caused any bad flash backs to childhood from its use. In addition to not testing on animals, they also donate to environmental causes and have a certain percentage of hours/days a year where all the members of the company volunteer. In case you want to know more here is a link to the Tom's page.
A few things to look forward to in my next few posts: finishing a Master's Degree in Geology in the hardest possible fashion, beginning a journey into yoga and trying not to swear at the instructor in my head, other products I have replaced in my life (which will be grouped together), throwing the most bad ass wedding EVER and whatever else my overworked mind decides to ponder over. Till next time!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Hippie Ideals
Every journey has a first step and this one is no different than any other. One of the first and biggest things I wanted to change about myself and the way I live is the impact I have on the world. In this regard I'll be working on two things to start with, being more eco friendly and also stopping my use of cosmetic and body products tested on animals. You see I was raised in a house where respect of the things around you (people, animals, the environment) was something that was really impressed upon me. Or, you could just go with the view my fiance has and call me a hippie :) (both my degrees are in geology so it's really not that far of a jump)
So my first step was actually a few weeks ago and was a long time coming. It all started out like this, while putting away groceries...
Josh (the fiance) : How many more of these F#@$ing plastic bags are you going to save? (while trying to stuff even more plastic bags into the cabinet already stuffed full of plastic bags)
Me: Well, I feel bad wasting them of throwing them out (after which I proceed to list off all the things grocery store plastic bags are good for)
Josh: Your like a grandma hoarding things (said under breath, but still loud enough to hear)
Me: (Crosses arms, gives super evil stare while cocking head to side until Josh realizes it's not cool to call me a grandma... )
This resulted in the start of buying reusable shopping bags (which in just a month we have somehow already lost one). Yes yes, I realize most people started doing this years ago but when you are constantly moving around sometimes this things get pushed to the side. Anyway, I have felt like a badass (an eco badass dare I say) ever time I walk out of the store with my awesome cloth bags full of groceries ...and Josh can't complain about plastic bags taking over our pantry.
So my first step was actually a few weeks ago and was a long time coming. It all started out like this, while putting away groceries...
Josh (the fiance) : How many more of these F#@$ing plastic bags are you going to save? (while trying to stuff even more plastic bags into the cabinet already stuffed full of plastic bags)
Me: Well, I feel bad wasting them of throwing them out (after which I proceed to list off all the things grocery store plastic bags are good for)
Josh: Your like a grandma hoarding things (said under breath, but still loud enough to hear)
Me: (Crosses arms, gives super evil stare while cocking head to side until Josh realizes it's not cool to call me a grandma... )
This resulted in the start of buying reusable shopping bags (which in just a month we have somehow already lost one). Yes yes, I realize most people started doing this years ago but when you are constantly moving around sometimes this things get pushed to the side. Anyway, I have felt like a badass (an eco badass dare I say) ever time I walk out of the store with my awesome cloth bags full of groceries ...and Josh can't complain about plastic bags taking over our pantry.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Start
In a little less than 7 months I will be married. I am totally and completely thrilled about this, but upon looking at my life I realized that this is the perfect time to start making changes. Making changes, step by step, to anything that just wasn't right, or well, prefect. This is going to be a journey of not just the things I am changing, but also the things I love and want to share with others. If you are following me on this journey I hope you enjoy!
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