I love this video. Everyone needs to click this link and watch this video. Well worth it. SO funny! (safe for work)
My Dream Wedding
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Wedding Countdown: I've Lost Count
I've seriously lost count of how many days/weeks/months left until we get married. I think it's around 20 weeks but ummmm ... I can't be sure. I get married on June 15. There ya go. You do the math.
And in wedding news:
I hate my wedding dress. Which is a pretty strong statement for me to make since I'm usually pretty easy to please and I'm usually confident in my decisions. But I think that I settled for a dress my Grandma liked rather then insisting on searching for the dress of my dreams. In my defense I did go shopping with my elderly grandma and after trying on over 40 dresses I did start to feel like I was wearing her out. Anyways, I think I've fallen in love with this dress and I'm half tempted to buy it.
I've also found bridesmaid dresses that I love. They look great AND incorporate both of my wedding colors (sage & champagne). Now I just need to convince my bms that this dress makes them look 15 pounds slimmer. Pfffttt! As if they trust me. Any good bm knows that the job of the bride is to make them look fat and frumpy. Just kidding. Kinda.
To see dress click here and then select the color "moss"
This Month's To-Do List:
* Find cheap votive candles on-line
* Arrange bm dress shopping trip with bms.
* Buy bm gifts.
* Buy calligraphy book and learn how. (No way in hell am I paying someone else for something that I could do myself.)
* Buy new bridal gown ;-)
PS - Dave is on week 2 of not smoking. Woot! Woot! And better still is that Normal Dave has returned. Depressed Dave made my heart ache and Angry Dave made me want to knock him upside the head. Normal Dave is the man I'm gonna marry. (And the man that I try and fondle every morning in the shower. That might be why I'm no longer allowed in the bathroom at the same time as him but that's beside the point).
PS v2.0 - We've put an offer in on a house. I'll blog more about it later.
PS v2.1 - So the other day I decided to go back in my blog and read what I was up to 2 years ago. Ummmmm ... can someone gag me???? I was obviously hypnotized by penis because there is no other reason to describe why ALL my posts were filled with sonnets of my ooey gooey love for Dave. Didn't I have any hobbies? Friends? Work? I'm hear to say that I'm sorry for subjecting anyone to all those pathetic posts. The sex turned my brain to mush. (Don't go back and read the link. I'm embarrassed by how pathetic I was. Seriously. I would delete those months if I had any self respect)
And in wedding news:
I hate my wedding dress. Which is a pretty strong statement for me to make since I'm usually pretty easy to please and I'm usually confident in my decisions. But I think that I settled for a dress my Grandma liked rather then insisting on searching for the dress of my dreams. In my defense I did go shopping with my elderly grandma and after trying on over 40 dresses I did start to feel like I was wearing her out. Anyways, I think I've fallen in love with this dress and I'm half tempted to buy it.
I've also found bridesmaid dresses that I love. They look great AND incorporate both of my wedding colors (sage & champagne). Now I just need to convince my bms that this dress makes them look 15 pounds slimmer. Pfffttt! As if they trust me. Any good bm knows that the job of the bride is to make them look fat and frumpy. Just kidding. Kinda.
To see dress click here and then select the color "moss"
This Month's To-Do List:
* Find cheap votive candles on-line
* Arrange bm dress shopping trip with bms.
* Buy bm gifts.
* Buy calligraphy book and learn how. (No way in hell am I paying someone else for something that I could do myself.)
* Buy new bridal gown ;-)
PS - Dave is on week 2 of not smoking. Woot! Woot! And better still is that Normal Dave has returned. Depressed Dave made my heart ache and Angry Dave made me want to knock him upside the head. Normal Dave is the man I'm gonna marry. (And the man that I try and fondle every morning in the shower. That might be why I'm no longer allowed in the bathroom at the same time as him but that's beside the point).
PS v2.0 - We've put an offer in on a house. I'll blog more about it later.
PS v2.1 - So the other day I decided to go back in my blog and read what I was up to 2 years ago. Ummmmm ... can someone gag me???? I was obviously hypnotized by penis because there is no other reason to describe why ALL my posts were filled with sonnets of my ooey gooey love for Dave. Didn't I have any hobbies? Friends? Work? I'm hear to say that I'm sorry for subjecting anyone to all those pathetic posts. The sex turned my brain to mush. (Don't go back and read the link. I'm embarrassed by how pathetic I was. Seriously. I would delete those months if I had any self respect)
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Glass Houses
Why is it that when I sleep in on the weekend I naturally wake up at 7:30 am feeling well refreshed. Yet, when my alarm goes off on the week days at 6:30 am (only one hour earlier). I feel like a mac truck has just run over me because I am so tired???
Anyways, since I'm a conservationist by trade (for those who don't know what I do, I plan conservation projects for a federal government agency) I always strive to use as many sustainable products in my everyday life as possible. My dream house would include bamboo floors which is easy to find these days since bamboo has become trendy. In addition, my dream house would also include recycled glass counter tops. These ones from Vetrazzo have me salivating at the mouth lately. Combine this with recycled glass tiles for a back splash, white cabinets, bamboo floors, and titanium appliances and you have a pretty sweet looking kitchen that is also good for the environment.
Great Article For More Info
Anyways, since I'm a conservationist by trade (for those who don't know what I do, I plan conservation projects for a federal government agency) I always strive to use as many sustainable products in my everyday life as possible. My dream house would include bamboo floors which is easy to find these days since bamboo has become trendy. In addition, my dream house would also include recycled glass counter tops. These ones from Vetrazzo have me salivating at the mouth lately. Combine this with recycled glass tiles for a back splash, white cabinets, bamboo floors, and titanium appliances and you have a pretty sweet looking kitchen that is also good for the environment.
Great Article For More Info
Monday, January 22, 2007
Week 1 Big Deal Executive Summary
I don’t come from a family of smokers and none of my close friends are smokers either. If I heard that a casual acquaintance was quitting smoking I would often think “Good. They never should have started.” When I began dating Dave I always assumed that he would quit smoking someday and that it wouldn’t be a big deal. He wanted to quit and I wanted him to quit too. I’ve come to say I WAS WRONG. Quitting smoking is a Big Deal. Capitol “B”. Capitol “D”. Big Deal. (You can even add an emphatic “f’ing” between the Big Deal and it would be appropriate).
Dave officially quit smoking last Monday. During most of the week he was Depressed Dave. He was ending a way of life and it made him sad to think that never again in his life would he be able to embrace his usual cigarette tendencies. I even got a little sad when I realized that quitting smoking involved limiting his exposure to “triggers”. All those times we made a late night run to Starbucks and sipped coffee while basking in the California night, talking about random topics, became a trigger. Those evening walks through our neighborhood where we both decompressed and talked about our work days while Dave smoked, once again a trigger. Getting drunk together off of good beer and afterwards sharing a kiss, me tasting the sweet mix of beer and cigarettes on his breath, trigger. (Secretly I loved that mix of beer and cigarettes on his breath). I’m still sad when I think that so many components of our relationship revolved around Dave’s smoking habit and that (for now) they are gone.
This week Dave’s mood has changed from sad to angry. Despite taking Wellbutrin he becomes easily frustrated and is quite often moody. Angry Dave is much harder for me to deal with then Depressed Dave. With Depressed Dave I could easily tell him a few encouraging words and commiserate with him on the loss of trigger activities. Now that Angry Dave has come to town, there is not much that I can do besides replenish his supplies of hard candy and sunflower seeds. I’ve often thought about secretly putting multiple nicotine patches on his body in the middle of the night but I realize that with time Angry Dave will pass. (hopefully soon)
One things for certain, from now on if I hear that someone has quit smoking I will look at that person with a huge amount of respect. Quitting is a one of the hardest things that a person can do. It’s a Big Deal.
Dave officially quit smoking last Monday. During most of the week he was Depressed Dave. He was ending a way of life and it made him sad to think that never again in his life would he be able to embrace his usual cigarette tendencies. I even got a little sad when I realized that quitting smoking involved limiting his exposure to “triggers”. All those times we made a late night run to Starbucks and sipped coffee while basking in the California night, talking about random topics, became a trigger. Those evening walks through our neighborhood where we both decompressed and talked about our work days while Dave smoked, once again a trigger. Getting drunk together off of good beer and afterwards sharing a kiss, me tasting the sweet mix of beer and cigarettes on his breath, trigger. (Secretly I loved that mix of beer and cigarettes on his breath). I’m still sad when I think that so many components of our relationship revolved around Dave’s smoking habit and that (for now) they are gone.
This week Dave’s mood has changed from sad to angry. Despite taking Wellbutrin he becomes easily frustrated and is quite often moody. Angry Dave is much harder for me to deal with then Depressed Dave. With Depressed Dave I could easily tell him a few encouraging words and commiserate with him on the loss of trigger activities. Now that Angry Dave has come to town, there is not much that I can do besides replenish his supplies of hard candy and sunflower seeds. I’ve often thought about secretly putting multiple nicotine patches on his body in the middle of the night but I realize that with time Angry Dave will pass. (hopefully soon)
One things for certain, from now on if I hear that someone has quit smoking I will look at that person with a huge amount of respect. Quitting is a one of the hardest things that a person can do. It’s a Big Deal.
Monday, January 15, 2007
I Dream of Houses In My Sleep
Dave and I found a house that we love and I didn't want to blog about it in fear of jinxing ourselves. I figured that either we would get the house or we wouldn't and then I would blog about it then. Well 2 weeks later and we still haven't done our 2nd walk through of the house and as a result haven't even put in an offer for the house. The seller's agent has been a dick and has given us every excuse in the book as to why he can't let us see the house again. Excuses have ranged from "I went to Europe for a quick vacation", "I live 30 miles away and don't feel like driving to meet you at the house", and my fav "I'm in a funeral procession right now, can I call you back?" and yet no call back (surprise, surprise).
At this point we don't want to seem desperate so we're stuck in a high school lover's dance of trying to act nonchalant and not call him more then he calls us. Needless to say Dave and our broker are doing a better job of acting cool. During the 1st week I was practically a mini tyrant bouncing off the walls. Poor Dave got a dozen emails, texts, and phone calls a day from me asking "has our broker heard from the seller's agent yet?" This week I've been a bit better. I've even agreed to look at new houses that have just been listed. Already we've found one that seems awesome. C'est la vie.
I think the part that upsets me the most is the potential reasons why the seller's agent is giving us the cold shoulder. Our broker thinks that either he has an interest in the property (which by law he should have disclosed) or the agent doesn't think his commission is worthy enough to demand more then the slightest of attention. Here in California, the typical agent receives 3.5% of the sales price. For our $400,000 home that means that after a sale the agent walks away with $14,000. Back in the day when houses flew off the shelf faster then they could be listed, agents had one open house and then (typically) the house would receive multiple offers and sell within the same week. These days most houses in our price range have been on the market for 3-6 months before being sold. (Which I should add for clarification that $400k is the BOTTOM price range of houses on the market in this area) Agents would rather focus their time and efforts on houses in the $750k-1 million price range because their potential commission is much higher.
In other news, we were pre-approved for our loan last week. Our new mortgage payments for our 30 year fixed loan will amount to $3k per month. For the first time ever in our relationship, Dave and I worked on a household budget. For the past 2.5 years Dave and I have had more money then we knew what to do with.
Play Station 3? Okay.
56" plasma tv? Why not!
All inclusive trip to Cabo? We deserve it.
We'll be going from a lifestyle where we spend money willy-nilly (and still save $1000 per month) to a lifestyle where we'll have to actually restrain ourselves from time to time. We'll still be saving some money per month ($500) and we'll still have money to go out to eat once a week so it's not like we're going to be poor but it is a big change. Honestly, it's a good change. I had started to feel like a spoiled glutton with our impulsive spending habits.
And in a last bit of news, Dave quits smoking today at 8pm. Updates to follow.
At this point we don't want to seem desperate so we're stuck in a high school lover's dance of trying to act nonchalant and not call him more then he calls us. Needless to say Dave and our broker are doing a better job of acting cool. During the 1st week I was practically a mini tyrant bouncing off the walls. Poor Dave got a dozen emails, texts, and phone calls a day from me asking "has our broker heard from the seller's agent yet?" This week I've been a bit better. I've even agreed to look at new houses that have just been listed. Already we've found one that seems awesome. C'est la vie.
I think the part that upsets me the most is the potential reasons why the seller's agent is giving us the cold shoulder. Our broker thinks that either he has an interest in the property (which by law he should have disclosed) or the agent doesn't think his commission is worthy enough to demand more then the slightest of attention. Here in California, the typical agent receives 3.5% of the sales price. For our $400,000 home that means that after a sale the agent walks away with $14,000. Back in the day when houses flew off the shelf faster then they could be listed, agents had one open house and then (typically) the house would receive multiple offers and sell within the same week. These days most houses in our price range have been on the market for 3-6 months before being sold. (Which I should add for clarification that $400k is the BOTTOM price range of houses on the market in this area) Agents would rather focus their time and efforts on houses in the $750k-1 million price range because their potential commission is much higher.
In other news, we were pre-approved for our loan last week. Our new mortgage payments for our 30 year fixed loan will amount to $3k per month. For the first time ever in our relationship, Dave and I worked on a household budget. For the past 2.5 years Dave and I have had more money then we knew what to do with.
Play Station 3? Okay.
56" plasma tv? Why not!
All inclusive trip to Cabo? We deserve it.
We'll be going from a lifestyle where we spend money willy-nilly (and still save $1000 per month) to a lifestyle where we'll have to actually restrain ourselves from time to time. We'll still be saving some money per month ($500) and we'll still have money to go out to eat once a week so it's not like we're going to be poor but it is a big change. Honestly, it's a good change. I had started to feel like a spoiled glutton with our impulsive spending habits.
And in a last bit of news, Dave quits smoking today at 8pm. Updates to follow.
Monday, January 08, 2007
My Friend Tammy Will Pray For Me
New house on the market. It's too soon to call this love. I call it lust. Deep lust. I'm humping the computer while I look at pics of this house.
PS - Since I mentioned humping, does that negate any prayer requests? It was all very clean humping. No funny stuff.
Update: Obviously the house did not enjoy my good, good lovin'. The house was sold the same day that it went on the market. Oh well. C'est la vie.
1 is the Loneliest Number
Dave begins his stop smoking workshop tonight. That means that after I return home from my belly dancing class I'll be alone for most of the evening. For some reason the idea of being without Dave for one evening is making me feel extremely lonely. I really shouldn't feel this way since he will be back later tonight and it's not like I wont be able to sleep in the same bed as him. We've been together non-stop for most of the holiday season since both of us have temporarily stopped traveling for work. I guess I've just gotten used to always being around him. Heck, most days of the week he's even been traveling 20 miles to the town I work in just so we can have lunch together. (Does that make you want to gag?) I'm going to have a huge shock when we both begin traveling again. Luckily, it looks like that wont happen until late February (Dave goes to St Louis).
In other news, Dave and I have found 13 houses that we like. Of those:
1 we've already seen and continue to like
3 we need to drive by to check out the neighborhood (living in a big city means that some neighborhoods are great and some look like they could qualify for ghetto status)
3 are okay but not my favorites (to blend in with the hillsides, most home owner's associations in our area require that your house be painted some shade of brown. Blech! This is why these 3 houses are ok but not my favs)
4 are slightly higher then we'd like to pay but they are worth watching in the future ($420-$440k, our budget is $420k and below)
and 2 we'd like to schedule appointments to come look at (1 of those appointments is scheduled for this afternoon)
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Dear Kitchen
I love you. I want you. I need you. A small part of me loves you so much that I'd like to hump you. Repeatedlty. Please be mine someday.
(Kitchen of house for sale that I LOVE)
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Things Not Recommended
Have you ever dated someone who was taking an anti-depressant? I don’t recommend it. For the past 3 days, Dave has been taking the mood enhancer Wellbutrin to help him quit smoking. So far the little pill has been working like a charm. Dave says that his desire to smoke has been cut in half and so has the satisfaction he usually receives after puffing on a cigarette. So you might ask why in the world would I not recommend it? Well, it’s not that I don’t recommend it, it’s just that I was mentally preparing myself to live with Mr. Hyde and instead I’ve found that I’m living with Mr. Rogers. He’s just so happy and cheery all.the.time! The house we were gonna bid on has been pulled off the market? That’s OK!!! The cat knocked over a soda onto the carpet? Now we get to use the carpet stain remover we bought at Target! YAY! *sigh* In the end, if it helps Dave quit smoking then I’ll happily date Mr. Rogers.
In other news, I had the past 4 days off from work. I spent most of that time being lazy. Between naps I sat on the couch and used my laptop to finish our wedding registry. Finally! I thought it was going to turn into the never ending project. Highlights of the registry:
Calphalon Pots & Pans
Fusion Blue Everyday Plates (I want them now!)
Nautica Bedding with this funky brown Coverlet
Lowe's Gift Cards (we're going to be buying our first house soon and someone gave us the wonderful [and practical] idea to register at a home improvement store)
So far we received several of our wedding registry items as gifts for Christmas. Score! One of those items was an electric fondue pot. On NYE we filled the pot with hot oil and fondue’d our hearts out. Items on the menu: steak, chicken, shrimp, andouille sausage, mushrooms, new potatoes, green bell peppers, onion, and bread chunks. Dipping sauces included honey mustard, horseradish, cheese, cocktail sauce, and bbq sauce. It was a lot of fun and VERY yummy. I can’t wait to invite another couple over to enjoy our next fondue experience.
And in final news, Dave and I decided at the last minute to make a fun outing to the San Diego auto show this weekend. My highlight was sitting in my dream car (Lexus IS 250) and finding that it really was as wonderful as I had dreamt it would be. Even better was looking at our finances and realizing that we’ll be able to buy my dream car after the wedding!!!! Can you see me drooling over here? I LOVE this car!
In other news, I had the past 4 days off from work. I spent most of that time being lazy. Between naps I sat on the couch and used my laptop to finish our wedding registry. Finally! I thought it was going to turn into the never ending project. Highlights of the registry:
Calphalon Pots & Pans
Fusion Blue Everyday Plates (I want them now!)
Nautica Bedding with this funky brown Coverlet
Lowe's Gift Cards (we're going to be buying our first house soon and someone gave us the wonderful [and practical] idea to register at a home improvement store)
So far we received several of our wedding registry items as gifts for Christmas. Score! One of those items was an electric fondue pot. On NYE we filled the pot with hot oil and fondue’d our hearts out. Items on the menu: steak, chicken, shrimp, andouille sausage, mushrooms, new potatoes, green bell peppers, onion, and bread chunks. Dipping sauces included honey mustard, horseradish, cheese, cocktail sauce, and bbq sauce. It was a lot of fun and VERY yummy. I can’t wait to invite another couple over to enjoy our next fondue experience.
And in final news, Dave and I decided at the last minute to make a fun outing to the San Diego auto show this weekend. My highlight was sitting in my dream car (Lexus IS 250) and finding that it really was as wonderful as I had dreamt it would be. Even better was looking at our finances and realizing that we’ll be able to buy my dream car after the wedding!!!! Can you see me drooling over here? I LOVE this car!
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