^^Me and Abby at Masque. Very fun!
^^My wedding ring. Pretty, no?
April 19, 2009
March 30, 2009
Wedding To-Dos and Thoughts
Pictures!
The colors:
I love this image because it shows just what I'm looking for in flowers - not so much the type of flower or the size of the bouquet, but the ratio of green to white. It also shows all three colors working together nicely:
I'm very attached to using braids in my hairstyle, and I love the middle one in this pic:
I want my cake to be very simple, with only a few fresh flowers for decoration. This is a good example, minus the pears:
To Do: Call Benham's Grove and get the date finalized and the deposit down - THIS WEEK. While there, look more closely at space issues - we really, really need to be able to seat at least 55. Also start thinking about table arrangements and decor - the house already looks nice, so how much do we really need to bring in?
To Do: We really need to book an officiant. I don't want to find someone I love only to have them be busy that day. That should really be the next thing after the location.
To Do: Talk to Barb and Jerry about catering. Get contact info from them and call company, set up meeting time.
To Do: Set up some appointments with bakeries. Definitely want to try the Bonbonerie.
To Do: Find a florist. Maybe ask Linda to help look into that, since I'm paying for all the flowers myself. Decide exactly how many flowers are needed and what kinds. I'm thinking we definitely need: bridal bouquet, three maid's bouquets, groom's boutonniere, three groomsmen's boutonnieres, petals for the flower girl's basket and to go on tables, and a few small arrangements to go on the cake.
To Do: Register! Never too early, right? Need to decide where we want to do it...
To Do: Do rehearsal dinner research and get that info to Bob and Nancy. I don't really care too much about this - I'm just happy we get to have one at all - but it needs to be done.
To Do: Choose invitations, finalize wording, and get them ordered.
To Do: Have Sam and Amanda order their dresses.
To Do: Start thinking about menswear. Maybe go and check out some things with Matt sometime.
To Do: Start thinking about hairstyles. Maybe meet with Diane to try a few things. No hurry on this one. See if she can recommend a makeup artist.
To Do: Decide on honeymoon plans. We've discussed everything under the sun, it seems like. We just need to actually decide.
To Do: Talk to Dad about music. I'm not too worried about reception music - it shouldn't be too hard to get an iPod (plus a backup iPod) full of music for that. I'm more concerned about ceremony music. I'd love to have some live music for that...but I probably can't afford it.
To Do: Look at wedding bands and get pricing. Plain and simple totally works for me.
Thought: Possible receiving line order - Me, Matt, Mom and Dad, Bob and Nancy (wonder if that's ok or if I need to include steps too?), Abby, Curt, Sam, Chris, Amanda, Matt P.
Get this: The two gemstones that, according to theknot.com, represent marital happiness? Sapphire and aquamarine. How awesome is that?
Thought: I want my bouquet to be very green. I love the color green, I love greenery...it just feels right. Hopefully I can get something in the lovely dark shade that's my favorite. I think green and white for me and just white for the maids would be nice - white, blue, and green being the overall color scheme. I also LOVE the idea of herbs in my bouquet...I love herbs for some reason.
Thought: Picture times. I do actually like the idea of Matt not seeing me in my dress until after the ceremony, but I wonder if it'll work out to do the pictures after, considering that there's no travel involved between ceremony and reception. I love the idea of a cocktail hour, but as we're not having alcohol...well, it kind of makes that hour less fun. Guess we'll have to talk that out later.
Thought: I actually completely love the idea of doing a seating arrangement. In fact, it might even be necessary considering how little space we're going to have. I think this is one place
where I'm going to let my control-freak out of the box.
I have SO MUCH to do...*sigh*
February 13, 2009
Knitting pics!
Here's a few pictures of the scarf I'm knitting right now. It's my first foray into lacework, and I am INSANELY happy with how it's turning out. I love that I can take pictures with my new webcam!
Detail of the stitching:
January 14, 2009
January 07, 2009
December 12, 2008
December 10, 2008
December 03, 2008
Parallel Worlds
Matt and I watched a show on the History Channel last night about parallel universes. I usually don't like that channel because they dumb stuff down so much, but the topic was interesting enough to pull me in anyway. I love that point where real-life science meets science fiction, when physics becomes so strange that it no longer seems like reality. The most interesting part of the show was about an ongoing experiment that's trying to prove the existence of extra dimensions, which would in turn prove the existence of parallel universes. They said it might take billions of tries before the particle reaction they want to see happens. That's persistence, right there.
The other interesting thing about this kind of science is the way it intersects with philosophy. For example, in the multiverse, there are infinite copies of me and they have done every possible thing there is for me to do. There's a me that's a rock star and there's a me that's begging on the street. Everything. This is a problem when it comes to free will. If every choice is made in some universe, is 
there choice at all? Does such a thing exist? And what about morality? I know that it's morally wrong to shoplift, but after all, there's a me that decided not to do it, and there's a me that did it and got away with it, and there's a me that did it and got caught. So doesn't it all balance out in the end no matter what I do?
This kind of thinking makes me unreasonably excited. Matt doesn't understand. I don't think many people would. But today at work, a guy came through my line with some physics books, one of which was about parallel universes. And he totally got it.
I love that about working at the bookstore. When someone brings up something I love, and I tell them I love it too, it's a bit like finding a kindred spirit - especially if the item in question is something pretty obscure. It's a really good feeling, sharing that little smile with them, as if we have some shared secret from the rest of the world.
December 01, 2008
One stitch at a time
Today (well, yesterday now, I suppose) I knit.
Let me explain. During the holidays, the bookstore I work at runs two calendar kiosks in the nearby mall. Being a new hire, three out of my four shifts a week are worked at one of these kiosks. They are...how shall I put this...less than busy. I spent perhaps 95% of my day sitting in a chair occupying myself quietly, 3% answering stupid questions, and 2% actually selling calendars. Most days, I take a book with me and read for seven hours. This is awesome. I love getting paid to sit and read. However, even a bookworm like myself needs a break once in a while. And a few days ago, I realized that I could take my knitting to the kiosk with me. Today was my first day doing so.
There is something about knitting that turns what should be an excruciatingly boring task into something calm, peaceful, meditative...even healing. Usually when I'm working, my thoughts are heavily tinged with anger, cynicism, and disgust. But today, sitting in my chair, letting the yarn run over my palm and through my fingers, carefully watching each stitch take its place in the larger pattern, I was happier than I've been at work in a very long time. When people asked me moronic questions, my smile was a bit more genuine than normal. When my back began to ache from the uncomfortable stool I sit on, I ran my hands over the fabric spilling out from my needles and felt a warm satisfaction at my accomplishment. When it was time to go, I was shocked at how fast the day had gone by - and even more shocked that I hadn't been checking the clock every two minutes.
I am a relatively new knitter. I picked up my first set of needles in February of this year, knit obsessively for a few months, stopped completely for a few more months, and then recently picked it up again. I can knit and purl. I can make scarves, hats, dishcloths, and socks. I love to knit cables and hate long patterns that I can't memorize but still have to repeat a million times. I'm still just beginning to learn the difference between acrylic, wool, and other fibers - how they feel in the skein, against your fingers, your face, your hand, how they change when knitted, how they smell, the emotions they invoke. What continues to astound me is how much more there is to learn and discover. I have barely scratched the surface. I'm so happy to have something in my life that is so very positive, that can keep me from becoming completely and irreversibly cynical.
Proof? I've started knitting blanket squares for charity. That sounds less like the me I know and more like the me I want to be.
