The brisk breeze whipping through the full trees in our backyard is a refreshing take on our typically stifling Sacramento summer. The weather so far this year has been quite peculiar in Northern California. We experienced a late spring and received a ton of snow and rain that took us nearly in to June. As I lay in bed tonight, I am bundled under the covers with my pups cuddled up next to me. It's really quite chilly... but absolutely fantastic.
It reminds me that I will experience my last fall, winter and spring for several (or many) years to come. As much as I hate the bitter cold winters and sizzling summers of Sacramento, I will miss being a part of the seasons.
Honolulu is paradise. It rains almost every morning and usually clears up into a beautiful day. But the rain won't be cold. We won't need to use the brand new comforter that was just gifted to us as an early wedding present. No more cozy fires in the fireplace.
I have always been in love with the feel of winter. A cozy home lit up on the inside while the skies stay dark throughout the day. The warmth of a wood fire. Hot cider and blankets and heavy socks. It reminds me of Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sweet holidays to spend ample amounts of time with the ones we love. And though I know we'll have many very special holidays with my new family, I will need to adjust to the feel of the entire atmosphere.
Though being away may bring back the magic of spending holidays with my family in Sacramento. Maybe the distance will ignite a special bond between us all. I take for granted the fact that all of my friends and family live no further than a couple of hours outside of Sacramento. No planes needed. Just a full tank of gas and a Go Girl.
Our future on that beautiful island is guaranteed to be perfect... we'll have each other and I will have a supreme opportunity to become close to Phil's family. I am so looking forward to this new adventure. But I will miss the winters.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Snug as a Bug
Let me start off by saying how much I love my wedding dress. I only tried on a few dresses before deciding that it was the one I had to have. We ordered it that day... with one catch. It was going to be coming in one size smaller than I needed. Apparently, the dress didn't come in plus sizes, so I had to get it one size small and work my ass off to fit into it.
That was 14 months ago. And though my dress today fits quite a bit better than it did the day I ordered it, it's still, quite simply, too small.
What I would learn after purchasing my snug gown is that they do actually offer my dress in plus sizes, it just had to be purchased online. Damage was done, so I left the order as it was.
I had my first dress alteration today where I learned how expensive it can be to nip a little here and tuck a little there. Every minor change can be pretty costly. And let's just bring this to the table here and now... I'm cheap. I recognize this in myself, there's not much I can do about it, it just is what it is.
Because the dress does not fit, we have to add a corset back. This adds a ton of extra space for me to squeeze into without having to let the dress out. This alone is $175.00.
Here's the next best part...
My torso is too large, so we have to add the corset.
BUT, my boobs are too small, so we have to take in the bust as well.
There's another $120.00!
I felt a little dizzy up there on that step surrounded by mirrors. $300.00 out the door, and that doesn't even include the cost of the bustle! I'll have to come back for a second fitting after the corset is added to see how the bustle will work. That's where I'll fork out another $125.00.
I am trying to keep in mind the fact that my mother and step-father bought my dress for me... so I'm technically not spending THAT much on this dress. But I didn't really realize that I'd be upwards of $400.00 in on alterations!
I guess you have to do what you have to do to make that puppy fit. Does anyone object to my starving myself for the next two months?
Kidding.
But no, really...
That was 14 months ago. And though my dress today fits quite a bit better than it did the day I ordered it, it's still, quite simply, too small.
I had my first dress alteration today where I learned how expensive it can be to nip a little here and tuck a little there. Every minor change can be pretty costly. And let's just bring this to the table here and now... I'm cheap. I recognize this in myself, there's not much I can do about it, it just is what it is.
Because the dress does not fit, we have to add a corset back. This adds a ton of extra space for me to squeeze into without having to let the dress out. This alone is $175.00.
Here's the next best part...
My torso is too large, so we have to add the corset.
BUT, my boobs are too small, so we have to take in the bust as well.
There's another $120.00!
I felt a little dizzy up there on that step surrounded by mirrors. $300.00 out the door, and that doesn't even include the cost of the bustle! I'll have to come back for a second fitting after the corset is added to see how the bustle will work. That's where I'll fork out another $125.00.
I am trying to keep in mind the fact that my mother and step-father bought my dress for me... so I'm technically not spending THAT much on this dress. But I didn't really realize that I'd be upwards of $400.00 in on alterations!
I guess you have to do what you have to do to make that puppy fit. Does anyone object to my starving myself for the next two months?
Kidding.
But no, really...
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Crying Wolf
This is a reposting from May of 2008 when Phil and I were first living together on our own. I've always thought these stories were funny. Hope you do, too.
I'm a light sleeper, so most bumps in the night wake me easily.
Sometimes something spooks my pups causing them to bark wildly, waking me in a panicked state. Phil sleeps through most everything, and that results in my night time anxiety to worsen. I'm fearful something will happen, and he'll snore his way right through a home invasion. I know I sound nuts, but that's how I am. I've been like this since I was a little kid - not sure why - so I try not to fight it too much.
Now that you understand a little about my sleeping patterns, you'll understand why the spontaneous barking fit spawned by my two protective mutts caused me to wake up with a racing heart and shaky hands. I spent a few minutes lying in bed, listening to the barking, hoping they'd realize nothing was wrong and go back to sleep. No such luck. I finally got out of bed, while Phil snored, to check things out.
I looked through the front window, peeking through without moving the blinds much in case someone outside would see me. Nothing. I went to the slider and looked through the blinds. Again, nothing. But the pups kept barking - so I wondered if they could hear something that I couldn't. Naturally, I had to retrace my steps and look through all of the windows again.
This time, I saw something.
From the large front window, you can see about half of our driveway. I was able to see my car, and about half of Phil's truck. One thing I could see was that his passenger side door was open. I instantly freaked out and ran into the back bedroom to wake the beast. He questioned my certainty that we were being robbed as he stumbled out of bed and grabbed his flashlight and switchblade and headed furiously out of the front door ready to confront the hooligans who were taking our things.
Like the scared pussycat that I am, I watched out of the front window to make sure he was okay.
I finally had the dogs calmed down when he came back into the house. "There's no one out there, and my door isn't open... must be a reflection off of the paint," he said in an aggravated tone. "Oh, hehe, better safe that sorry, right?" I responded sheepishly. I felt silly for making such an assumption, but there was no way I'd go back to bed thinking our vehicles were being raided.
We teased about the incident the next day, but I could tell he was uninterested in my night-time nervous episodes.
I woke this morning around 4:00am and rolled over to cuddle back up with my handsome man. As I was dozing back to sleep, I hear what I believe are five gunshots in the near distance. It wasn't close enough to call the cops, but it was close enough to make me nervous. Of course, I nudged Phil awake and said, "I think I just heard five gunshots." Without missing a beat or even opening his eyes, he responded, "You got bullet holes in you?"
"No," I assured.
"Then you're good."
Not quite the support I was looking for during the 4:00am shooting, but I understood that unless there was an emergency, Mr. Big wasn't going to let me disturb his beauty sleep.
I'm a light sleeper, so most bumps in the night wake me easily.
Sometimes something spooks my pups causing them to bark wildly, waking me in a panicked state. Phil sleeps through most everything, and that results in my night time anxiety to worsen. I'm fearful something will happen, and he'll snore his way right through a home invasion. I know I sound nuts, but that's how I am. I've been like this since I was a little kid - not sure why - so I try not to fight it too much.
Now that you understand a little about my sleeping patterns, you'll understand why the spontaneous barking fit spawned by my two protective mutts caused me to wake up with a racing heart and shaky hands. I spent a few minutes lying in bed, listening to the barking, hoping they'd realize nothing was wrong and go back to sleep. No such luck. I finally got out of bed, while Phil snored, to check things out.
I looked through the front window, peeking through without moving the blinds much in case someone outside would see me. Nothing. I went to the slider and looked through the blinds. Again, nothing. But the pups kept barking - so I wondered if they could hear something that I couldn't. Naturally, I had to retrace my steps and look through all of the windows again.
This time, I saw something.
From the large front window, you can see about half of our driveway. I was able to see my car, and about half of Phil's truck. One thing I could see was that his passenger side door was open. I instantly freaked out and ran into the back bedroom to wake the beast. He questioned my certainty that we were being robbed as he stumbled out of bed and grabbed his flashlight and switchblade and headed furiously out of the front door ready to confront the hooligans who were taking our things.
Like the scared pussycat that I am, I watched out of the front window to make sure he was okay.
I finally had the dogs calmed down when he came back into the house. "There's no one out there, and my door isn't open... must be a reflection off of the paint," he said in an aggravated tone. "Oh, hehe, better safe that sorry, right?" I responded sheepishly. I felt silly for making such an assumption, but there was no way I'd go back to bed thinking our vehicles were being raided.
We teased about the incident the next day, but I could tell he was uninterested in my night-time nervous episodes.
I woke this morning around 4:00am and rolled over to cuddle back up with my handsome man. As I was dozing back to sleep, I hear what I believe are five gunshots in the near distance. It wasn't close enough to call the cops, but it was close enough to make me nervous. Of course, I nudged Phil awake and said, "I think I just heard five gunshots." Without missing a beat or even opening his eyes, he responded, "You got bullet holes in you?"
"No," I assured.
"Then you're good."
Not quite the support I was looking for during the 4:00am shooting, but I understood that unless there was an emergency, Mr. Big wasn't going to let me disturb his beauty sleep.
Monday, July 5, 2010
A Smidge of an Update
As the details of our upcoming move has completely overrun my mind, I had almost completely abandoned the wedding plans. Not the best idea at a mere 75 days 'til touchdown! So I decided to take first things first... let's get this party executed perfectly, then I can spend my days working out the details of the move. A tough task for a worrier like me.
But exciting things are happening!
The invitations for my bachelorette party have come in. It'll be really classy... a pub crawl downtown. Bring your walkin' shoes, ladies!
We bought the linens that Phil will wear to the wedding, and I can't wait to get them. All white. He's going to look so handsome.
With the help of an incredible friend and my always willing grandmother, the centerpieces are coming together nicely.
I picked out the decorations for the cupcakes, though I still need to find a tier.
We've chosen the ceremony verbiage... so now all we need to do is write our vows.
My sweetheart father is building our bamboo alter.
We've begun the daunting task of choosing the music for each piece of the wedding. This part, as much fun as I assumed it would be, actually kinda sucks! It's really hard!
I go in for my first trial appointment for hair and makeup, uh, TOMORROW actually! HOW EXCITING! Who's coming with me? I'll need a second opinion!
I have almost finished addressing all of the in-state wedding invitation envelopes.
Really, all that's left to do is buy the booze, finalize the bouquets and leis, figure out the layout for the tables, and begin paying everything off. That's the part I'm looking forward to the least.
But exciting things are happening!
The invitations for my bachelorette party have come in. It'll be really classy... a pub crawl downtown. Bring your walkin' shoes, ladies!
We bought the linens that Phil will wear to the wedding, and I can't wait to get them. All white. He's going to look so handsome.
With the help of an incredible friend and my always willing grandmother, the centerpieces are coming together nicely.
I picked out the decorations for the cupcakes, though I still need to find a tier.
We've chosen the ceremony verbiage... so now all we need to do is write our vows.
My sweetheart father is building our bamboo alter.
We've begun the daunting task of choosing the music for each piece of the wedding. This part, as much fun as I assumed it would be, actually kinda sucks! It's really hard!
I go in for my first trial appointment for hair and makeup, uh, TOMORROW actually! HOW EXCITING! Who's coming with me? I'll need a second opinion!
I have almost finished addressing all of the in-state wedding invitation envelopes.
Really, all that's left to do is buy the booze, finalize the bouquets and leis, figure out the layout for the tables, and begin paying everything off. That's the part I'm looking forward to the least.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane
It seems our path may be changing.
It's to be expected. We are two people, who lived very different lives many miles apart prior to the coming of this relationship.
He spent more than 30 years in that house on the hill with the unimaginable view of Honolulu and the endless ocean.
I've always been here... in Sacramento... with little desire to spread my wings and fly away.
Because of his unselfish willingness to help our new relationship mature, Phil made the decision to leave his home, family and friends to be with me in November of 2007. What a sacrifice! He loved me enough to leave everything he'd ever known to be here with me.
Now that he's asking me to do the same thing, I'm having to face one of my greatest challenges. After six years, I will be leaving a company who has treated me impeccably and given me all the opportunities I needed to succeed. I will be leaving my friends... some of which I have loved for my entire life. Most of all, I will be leaving my family. My father, whose health hasn't been the greatest these last couple of years. My mother, who is my biggest supporter and fan. And my sister... my absolute best friend and the mother of my precious niece.
Despite the fears that I have about putting myself on that little bitty island of Oahu, I think I'm ready for the challenge! It's not every day that you get the opportunity to move to Hawaii. Any sane person would be thrilled! I'm not quite so sane. Admittedly, I'm a nervous wreck.
But the rewards will be worth the sacrifice. I will have the opportunity to live in his world for awhile. To spend endless evenings with my future in-laws, who I have come to cherish and adore. To be around his friends, who are some of the most incredible people I've ever met. And to live life the way he'd live it.
Maybe we'll rebuild that big house on the hill. And maybe we'll love it and it'll become our home. Maybe I'll finally feel like I belong somewhere. After all, anyone who knows me, knows I'd wear little spring dresses and flip flops year round if I could. Maybe Hawaii is exactly where I belong.
It's hard to tell at this point, but I am sure that I'm ready for the challenge. I'm ready to show my soon-to-be-husband that I am willing to follow him to the end of the earth and back. He is my home. As long as I'm by his side, I will be safe and secure and the happiest girl in the world.
It's to be expected. We are two people, who lived very different lives many miles apart prior to the coming of this relationship.
He spent more than 30 years in that house on the hill with the unimaginable view of Honolulu and the endless ocean.
I've always been here... in Sacramento... with little desire to spread my wings and fly away.
Because of his unselfish willingness to help our new relationship mature, Phil made the decision to leave his home, family and friends to be with me in November of 2007. What a sacrifice! He loved me enough to leave everything he'd ever known to be here with me.
Now that he's asking me to do the same thing, I'm having to face one of my greatest challenges. After six years, I will be leaving a company who has treated me impeccably and given me all the opportunities I needed to succeed. I will be leaving my friends... some of which I have loved for my entire life. Most of all, I will be leaving my family. My father, whose health hasn't been the greatest these last couple of years. My mother, who is my biggest supporter and fan. And my sister... my absolute best friend and the mother of my precious niece.
Despite the fears that I have about putting myself on that little bitty island of Oahu, I think I'm ready for the challenge! It's not every day that you get the opportunity to move to Hawaii. Any sane person would be thrilled! I'm not quite so sane. Admittedly, I'm a nervous wreck.
But the rewards will be worth the sacrifice. I will have the opportunity to live in his world for awhile. To spend endless evenings with my future in-laws, who I have come to cherish and adore. To be around his friends, who are some of the most incredible people I've ever met. And to live life the way he'd live it.
Maybe we'll rebuild that big house on the hill. And maybe we'll love it and it'll become our home. Maybe I'll finally feel like I belong somewhere. After all, anyone who knows me, knows I'd wear little spring dresses and flip flops year round if I could. Maybe Hawaii is exactly where I belong.
It's hard to tell at this point, but I am sure that I'm ready for the challenge. I'm ready to show my soon-to-be-husband that I am willing to follow him to the end of the earth and back. He is my home. As long as I'm by his side, I will be safe and secure and the happiest girl in the world.
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