Day 365

I cant believe we are already are at day 365. I am glad we decided to have a long engagement rather than a short one. I couldn't imagine getting married today! 

We sent out our Save the Dates and our engagement photos today. I read that for a destination wedding giving more notice is better. Our pictures turned out pretty well with special thanks to my friend Eren who took them. I am disappointed we didn't get better shots but I believe it was the weathers fault, it was a pretty windy day that we decided to do it. 

I also purchased my wedding dress this week. I pulled a Carrie Bradshaw and just bought a dress without the traditional bridal shopping trip. I had been looking online at dresses for a few weeks, and had been saving the ones I liked in my favorites. However, there was one particular gown I had become rather fond of, I called it the Greek goddess dress because it reminded me of something Aphrodite would be sculpted wearing. It is simple, flowing, and elegantly romantic, which is everything I was looking for in a wedding dress. 

After several days I returned to my favorites to glance at it and the Davids Bridal website had taken the dress down and posted a note that let viewers know this dress (Greek goddess) had been discontinued. My heart became heavy. I frantically began searching the internet for this dress on eBay, amazon and anywhere I think it could have been. I was able to find it through the manufactures, straight from China. I was apprehensive about ordering something so special to me through such a long chain. My cousin Leanna -my moral support during all of this-reminded me that most clothing comes from other countries. 

I took several days to deliberation and research on sizing, I decided that I would be upset to let this offer pass. Did I mention that the dress was significantly cheaper through the manufactures website? Go figure, right. To get it made and shipped to me from China cost a third of the price that Davids Bridal wanted for just the dress and nothing more. I read reviews and most of them said "You receive exactly what you order." I will post a picture of the dress once I receive it, I ordered it in ivory. 

I did not mean to hurt anyone's feeling by not doing the shopping trip, I just felt like I got the best deal. Danny is very adamant about not seeing it until we are getting married. I will still need people to model it for when it comes in! 

Last night we were going to try to do something special for our pre-anniversary day. Danny had to work until 8 though so we had a low key night when we came home. However he did get dressed up, we played chess, had a beer and watched some CSI. Not a bad evening! 

Day 377

Sorry it has been awhile since I have brought anyone up to speed. It has been a busy time of year with school and work. Danny has been working anywhere from  45-60 hours a week between his jobs. That is not including his school work. He is my hero. We have been working on some wedding things however.

 We got his attire for the wedding (mostly) picked out and purchased.  We knew we wanted gray for his suit and we had our eye on one particular suit at Macy's  last week when they went into their Columbus Day savings we were able to pick up exactly what he wanted for about 75% off! What a steal!

He looks so handsome! 

I started working on my vows today. Just the first draft but for some reason I felt relatively inspired today while watching Pirates of the Caribbean during Danny's 10 1/2 hour day. 

Note this is just a first draft, and Danny has been advised to no longer be an avid follower of this blog(that way I can start posting the good stuff).

" When I was young I promised myself I would never be with someone who I wouldn't commit a crime with. Though I have no desire to do ill will, the point was to never settle for someone who did not inspire great adventure. My heart reminds me of this every time I look at you. I see a man who encourages me to grow everyday. A man who is strong and wise in his silent way.  A man who loves and forgives as easily as he breathes. A man who has faced struggles but still greets each day with an open mind and warm smile. A man who hold me to the highest honor and never lets me feel anything less than sweetly blessed. A man who will go out of his way to make someone else feel hope. You continually teach me what love truly is. As we begin this stage of our adventure I promise to spend my time nurturing your dreams, feeding your thoughts, cherishing your talents, freeing your fears and simply holding your hand with mine in those quiet moments. I pledge, above all things, to give you the love of my whole heart and entire brain no matter which paths we pursue or challenges we must conquer, for forever and a day." 

What do you think? Any thoughts or edits? Is it to mushy?

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!