Day 400

Today we are celebrating the 400th day of our engagement. Id like to report that we had a lovely date planned tonight. Well, we did but our plans got shot down. After our vacation last week we got slammed with work....and when I saw we I mainly mean Danny. He is still working two jobs to support us, neither one will give him the commitment of a 40 hour work week so he is still battling the limbo caused by scheduling. One of his places of employment will schedule him on calls so he is never really sure when or if he is going to work there. 

Anyway, it worked out this week that between Tuesday and Wednesday he worked a total of 30 hours. You read that right, in two days he worked 30 hours! I wish I could have worked some of those hours for him. Overall for the week he is at about 54 (scheduled) hours. He was called into his second job for this evening after working during the day at the other one.

Basically, we haven't seen each other at all today (excluding a half an hour this morning). We had talked about going wine testing for this date. There is a popular festival in town this week that would have been fun to attend too. I was at work when I found out we weren't going to get to go through with our plans and I was bummed out. 

When I came home this evening to our empty home, as I have been growing accustomed too, I was surprised to find these sitting on our coffee table. 

How sweet of him to take the time between jobs and shifts to do something because he was thinking of me. The note was wonderful too.

"My dearest love,

Can you believe it? Only 400 days 'til our day of marriage! I can't wait..."

 Tonight might have to be some thrown together event when he gets home, if he is up to it. However, something tells me he will be. I'm thinking a big bowl of popcorn and a lord of the rings movie! Which would work out because i'm really not all that ready to share him with people. 

Day 401

My little sister turns the sweet 16 this Sunday. Boy does that make me (and everyone else around) feel old. When I was in the first grade I brought my brand new baby sister to show and tell....and that was 16 years ago! Anyway, Lindsey is a soccer star at her high school and in our family. Her team is having a team dinner before their game Saturday and Lindsey asked me to make special birthday cupcakes for the event. She requested vanilla and chocolate cupcakes both with vanilla frosting but nothing else too specific. So I put on my apron and here is what I came up with:

Dark chocolate cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting

I love making off the wall recipes....ok so this one is not really all that crazy but in a world full of people who bake from boxes it is fun to throw zany ingredients into a homemade creation. Not to mention I would do anything to be a chocolate-tier, even though I can eat it I just love experimenting with it! Below is a link to the recipe I based my treat off of. My professional taste tester (Danny) said "these are delicious." 

Dark chocolate cupcake recipe

Vanilla neon rainbow cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting

These were totally fun to make! Lindsey loves neon colors so they are perfect. Basically I just made vanilla cupcakes then separated the batter into 4 bowls and dyed each a different color. When I was filling the cupcake liners I just used the colors to create layers. It made me feel like I was making something for a Dr. Seuss book.  The lime green color turned out a bit yellow but it doesn't mess things up. 

I hope the girls like them, I have had a migraine all day and had to force myself to keep going with this project. Though I would do anything for my sister and I feel like baking is my calling, I really was not feeling well and had to take little breaks so I wouldn't get dizzy. It was worth it!

Good luck on your game Saturday ladies and Happy early birthday Lindsey! 

Day 404

Tower of Terror

Hello! We are back from Disneyland and I am happy to report we survived and had a great time. The temperatures were record setting, which made some points pretty miserable considering I do almost everything possible to stay indoors when it is over 95 degrees. Thusly, the reason I am so pale. 

Danny had never experienced Disneyland before so it was such a special treat to be with him on his first visit. Not to mention this was our first family vacation together(not just a weekend trip). We got to pretty much walk on rides the first 3 days we were there since school was in session. However, Friday is when the heat and the crowds set in and the park starting loosing its luster. We ate some great meals, and witnessed some wonderfully designed shows. Danny said he couldn't wait to go back.....well technically he asked if we had to come home...I think it translates into the same thing. 

I love Disneyland and always have. I even was named an Honorary Citizen....ok that might not actually be an award but I wore the button with pride. It is always fun to go on thrill rides, story rides, see shows, wave at characters, get your walk on, dance in public and people watch but honestly the trip was so special because Danny and I got to spend so much time together. 

I know that sounds super cheesy but most people need breaks from each other  and we really didn't have any moments where we wanted to push one another off a cliff. I'm not saying that we don't appreciate alone time too, it is just that we really are the best of friends. Towards the end of the trip we just wanted to hang out together it didn't matter where it was, hotel room, park or various stores. I think that is a sign that our relationship is strong, because even faced with constant contact we wanted to be closer. We are probably the most annoying lovey dovey couple, but I don't care if its a cliche. 

This morning we were having separation anxiety when I had to get up and get ready for work. Gross I know. It is going to be a long week coming out of our vacation land haze......especially since school starts Monday. No worries though we have already talked about our next few trips! :)

Day 415

So today might be 415 days until our wedding but we have some other exciting events coming up too! 

413 Days until our stag and hen party (bachelor/bachelorette).

197 Days until spring break where we are going to check out our wedding venue (mini vacation on the coast...hola').

69 Days until we go see one of our favorite bands in concert, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

5 Days until we go to Disneyland!

We are getting so excited for our upcoming trip. I thought this would be a perfect time to discuss save the dates since I am sending one to some celebrities and royalty I might be seeing next week!  I hear if you send them an invitation they will send you a little something back! I love mail, we have extras and I think it is a cute idea. 

I got our save the dates on Etsy and we are sending them out next month. However, since I am on a break from school and my job apparently does not feel the need to give me very many hours. I have been working on tons of miscellaneous wedding stuff in between unpacking boxes and cleaning.  

My calligraphy skills are improving but I am no professional. Can't wait to see if we hear back! 

Day 419

This week we have been looking at a lot of wedding stuff! From photographers to the dress. Here are some of our thoughts on the different topics

Photographer
We are booking with Acorn Studios which I found online at myoregoncoastwedding.com. The prices are very reasonable and Kacey's work is ranked as one of the top 10 wedding photographers in Portland. Which sounds pretty creditable to us since Portland is a pretty artsy city. So far she is professional and wonderful with communication. Not to mention her family has a weekend home on the coast and she wont be charging us for traveling. We are pleased to have made this connection.

I love her on location wedding shots at the beach that are displayed on her website.

For the reception we will ask people to download this app to use on their smart phones to take pictures and upload them to a designated website. You can also upload your digital camera photos afterwards to our album online. That way everyone can become the photographer and have access to the photos! I saw this idea on Pintrest and thought it was very clever. I think its called wedding snap.

Favors
Alright now I know I already said I was going to make pumpkin-apple butter as our wedding favors.  However, my baby girl Eren had the most brilliant idea for us.....drum roll...... home brewed beer! Well for the adults that is. Danny is some what of a beer aficionado so this is a perfect way for him to give thanks. When Eren suggested this idea to us Danny's face lit up. I am excited to design all the labels. Pretty swell!

Dress
Since the beginning of this engagement everyone has been asking me about the dress!! For some reason I have not been as excited as everyone else. Recently though, I have been getting more amped up for the dress! I am looking for a simple ivory lace dress that is  long and flowing. I have found some beautiful ideas online. I want to post my ideas but Danny would really like this aspect to be a surprise. I am torn, should i share?

Caterers
Ok so this is the next area we are jumping into. For this I know nothing about. When we went to the coast in May(our engagement trip) we dined at this wonderful restaurant called Pig N' Pancake. So I know what your thinking, Pig N' Pancake? That is really romantic!

Here is the deal, breakfast is my favorite meal. Anyone who knows me knows this is true! When Danny is not home and I have to fend for myself you can bet I am eating breakfast! Danny is also wonderful at making us delicious breakfast creations. This is how he got the nickname Special Potatoes.

Pig N' Pancake has the second best pancakes I have ever had in my life. The first belonging to my Grandmother Pat, her hotcakes have stuck in my memory since I was a little girl. Danny got a scramble and the eggs were fluffier than my mom's.....see what I'm getting at? I am a breakfast/brinner expert and I say they are delicious!

It is a family restaurant that has locations up and down the Oregon Coast. I recently found out they cater, here is to hoping they respond and it is reasonable!

I found this helpful website written by a women who had $4000 to put on her wedding for 245 guests. She had a lot of ways to cut corners. She only hosted a dessert bar but had tons of cakes and pies. I am looking for ways to do the same thing. Our budget is close but our guest list is shorter. I am anticipating that catering will be the biggest expense. I am not sure what to do, only serve dessert? Hors D'Oeuvres? buffet?

Any ideas or opinions would be helpful!

Day 425

Hello Hello!

The past day has been spent researching one of the most important aspects of a wedding in my opinion and that is the photography. Boy was I clueless to how expensive wedding photography could truly be. I read in Real Simple magazine that brides should expect to spend between $2000 and $6000 on photography. Holy cow that is so much! For me, photography is on the top things I want to focus on. However, I think it is outrageous so spend that much. I know everybody has to make a living too. I did find a reasonable photographer who is willing to travel without added expense. She seems very eager and nice. She is even willing to skype with me to meet for the first time.

One of my best friends from childhood takes beautiful photos for her church. I have seen some of her work at weddings and it is wonderful. I would ask her to do this special job for me however she is moving to Africa in the next couple months and wont have a return date. Therefore, she might not make it to my wedding :(

My baby girl Eren is another creative person but we already have a role in mind for her and if we asked her to do this I am afraid we would have her double booked for the day. To me, I would rather her relax and have a great day than anything else.

Danny also hates to have his picture taken in a controlled environment so it is important to create a personal relationship with our photographer to help us relax and feel natural.

We are going to ask Eren to help us with engagement photographs. I don't really see the point of them but from what I understand they are a standard. So I have a question, are there any "must have" poses or pictures?

Day 432

Danny had to go to work while I was already at my job. I just got home and this is what I found.

 Here is what his note says in case it is hard to read:

Dear Tricia,

You are the love of my life and you are my shining star. I miss you and cant wait to come home to you! Sit back and relax; cheers is cued up for you and there is a cold beer in the fridge. I will see you very soon. With all the love my heart can give

Danny "Legosoup" Sorensen

I am so blessed. I know its cheesy and probably pretty lame but I totally go all butterflies in the tummy when he does little things like this. What more could I ask for than a man who finds little ways to make me feel wonderful whenever he can. That is pretty swell. Not to mention he left me set up with our TV show and beer! I am so glad to be on my summer vacation so I can back to wedding choices.

Here are some other things I am considering:

Another sign I would like to make

Instead of rice or bubbles we are going out with a spark!

This is my solution to our tight-ish budget. Boys will wear starfish instead of flowers :)





Im really not into the wedding garb but for some reason I really want this tank!