Gettin' our Drink on...

The normal wedding in my hometown features one beverage choice--Beer! The classier events offer wine, but beyond that, there isn't much drink variety. We aim to change that for our wedding!

We'll of course have beer, most likely MGD 64. We tossed around a few beer ideas including Michelob Ultra Amber (my mom's favorite), but my dad has always been a Miller drinker and in college, I was in a community service that was founded in 1977 by Miller Brewing Company--MILLER GIRLS!! Granted, the organization disaffiliated with the Brewing Company in the late 80s, I still love Miller Beer! I have a large collection of Miller Pub Glasses & other paraphernalia to stock a future bar in a future house! Its perfect :-D


We'll also be serving some of my Grandfather's wine. My grandfather started a winery 5-6 years ago and recently decided it was getting to be a little too much work for him, so he's begun the process of selling his machinery :-(



We're stealing this idea from my sister's college roommate, but after realizing we had 3 of the 4, we have decided to Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue for our drinks!! The wine will be our Something Old since it is my my Grandfather's old family recipe.

Next is Something New. We'd been thinking of a good Mixed Drink to serve at the wedding for awhile when I stumbled across Miss Spring Roll's post about the Perfect Pear on Weddingbee.

My absolute favorite bar drink is Sprite & Vodka, so this mix of Sprite & Pear Vodka seemed like a great twist on my fave, so I headed off to my neighborhood liquor store and came home with quite a collection of flavored vodka!

Okay, so I already had the Big Bottle of SKYY (we love it) and the Stoli Vanil, but I purchased the other 3 for sampling purposes (man, I look like an alchie!)

First, SKYY Passion Fruit. I couldn't really tell you what Passion Fruit tastes like, so I was intrigued... (plus, I love SKYY vodka)

Second, Grey Goose La Poire. My mom was in Specs (a fantastic liquor store in Austin) and the buyer recommended Grey Goose's Pear Vodka over Absolute Pears!

Finally, Svedka Clementine. The Spec's buyer told my mom that most Orange Vodkas taste similarly and Svedka is reasonably priced, but still quite smooth and tasty!

So, I used my trusty Jigger and precisely measured 1/2 ounce of Vodka into each glass. Excuse the Pink Ice stirrers, I received those as a gift like 3 years ago from a roommate and recently stumbled across them still in the package...and decided to use them!

The results:

SmallTownBride:

1) Pear!

2) Orange (Not quite Orangy enough with just the 1/2 ounce, with a little more Vodka, it was perfect)

3) Passion Fruit (tasted like a Starburst, not quite what I was going for)

CityBoy

1) Pear

2) Orange

3) Passion Fruit

(we totally think alike!)

My mom and dad had their own tasting at home with the La Poire & Clementine and they picked the Clementine as their favorite, so we're expanding our test audience! I invited Bridesmaid S over for drinks one night next week, so I'll let you know her decision!

Something Borrowed was easy. For as long as I can remember, every Christmas, Domino Night, random Tuesday, my dad has made the same drink for himself. Sprite & VO with a Marascino Cherry & a splash of the juice from the jar of Cherries!!

Something Blue is the hard one...Blue doesn't really go with our theme and I don't want another alcoholic drink, so for now our solution is Blue Lemonade for the kids (yes, we will have kids at our wedding, LOTS!)

What drinks are you serving at your wedding?

Ahhh, the weekend!

I have been daydreaming about 40 hour weeks lately and although I have to trek downtown to the office tomorrow for a meeting and a few hours of work, IT IS THE WEEKEND!!

CityBoy and I picked up PeiWei and were set to cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie until our good friend/groomsman, B, called me. I chatted with him a few minutes about the newest goings-on in his world and then passed the phone off to CityBoy (who had by this point started pouting and demanding I give him the phone!)

That was over an hour and a half ago and they're still yaking! What a bunch of girls? From the bits and pieces I'm overhearing they're talking about work...FAS this and GAAP that...ITS THE WEEKEND!

I'm debating what on my long list of Wedding ToDos I should Do this weekend... Here are the things I hope to get done:

Finish the Guest List
Call/Email/Facebook all our friends in LBK for Addresses
Start compiling our OOTer Things To Do list

A modest list, yes, but probably one I won't even get through...ugh.

Oh yeah, B, he was calling to tell us he's coming to visit next weekend, so add clean house to that list!! (Our apartment is a wreck, CityBoy compared it to the Flamingo in Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas....YIKES!)

Any good ideas on how to get stuff done when all you do is work?

I hate Unity Candles... and I really hate Unity Sand...

I have serious issues with Unity.

The first decision I made regarding my wedding was that we would ABSOLUTELY NOT have a Unity Candle (or worse, Unity Sand)! CityBoy agreed after sarcastically suggesting we mix various ridiculous things.

We also don't really want a Soloist. Neither of us really see the point in sitting around listening to someone sing unless its a very important song to us and none of the songs we'd want would really be church appropriate.

That leaves us with a) a really short ceremony, b) a really long message, or c) add something else. After some research and discussion, we decided to have one of my childhood friends do a reading during the ceremony. While my friend is very religious, I didn't think a religious reading was most like us, so I found some that I think would work well...

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride:
I love you in this way because I don't know any other way of loving
but this, in which there is no I or you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.
Pablo Neruda

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks - all those sentences that began with “When we’re married” and continued with “I will and you will and we will”- those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe”- and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “ You know all those things we’ve promised and hoped and dreamed- well, I meant it all, every word.” Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another- acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this- is my husband, this- is my wife.
Union by Robert Fulghum


I love you
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am
When I am with you.
I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.
I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out;
I love you
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things
That you can't help
Dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find
I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple.
Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song.
I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good.
And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.
You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it
By being yourself.
Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means,
After all.
Love- Roy Croft


THOUGHTS?

Make-Up Test Run

So, this weekend after the lovely Free Wedding Demos at Paper Source, I wandered around North Park Mall. I decided to wander into Sephora and ended up getting a make-up artist to test some makeup out for the wedding!!

(I have pictures on my camera at home, but I'm STILL at a client at 7:00 PM!! I'm taking a short break so I don't go cross-eyed looking at a Fixed Asset Rollforward!)

Anyway, I have had crazy dry skin lately, so she started with Philosophy's Hope in a Jar for Dry, Sensitive Skin (totally me!) and generously slathered it all over my face, I'm usually apply moisturizer sparingly.

Then, she used Make Up For Ever's HD Invisible Cover foundation and MUFE's HD Microfinish powder (I requested this makeup, I've heard great things!) to create a flawless finish!

She topped that off with NARS blush in the ever-so-famous Orgasm, eyeshadows from Benefit's Smoky Eye kit & Dior Show mascara!! (I think the eyes were wrong for me, but very alluring!)

So, I headed out of Sephora feeling much more presentable than I did when I walked in sans makeup. Surprisingly, I got complimented on my makeup in Anthropologie!! WOW!

I gave it the entire day for a test-run and I was very pleased with the results. CityBoy loved it and it looked natural and lasted all day!

I'm going to test a few more before I shell out the cash for fancy makeup, but I definitely liked MUFE's HD makeup.

What makeup are you wearing for your wedding??

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I don't want to think today...

I'm having a BAD day. I stayed up way too late last night watching junk on TV...

We decided to add premium channels since we won't have time for any outside entertainment between now and May! Instead of going to the movies or out for drinks, we'll be sitting at home on the couch cranking out financials in front of the TV watching HBO!!

Let me give you a rundown of a traditional evening at our apartment...

We both roll-in sometime between 5:00 and 6:30, usually me before CityBoy. I change out of my work clothes, take Mia out, get the mail, and start dinner. We eat dinner at our bar, while watching TV, then CityBoy disappears into the office to read Wikipedia, CraigsList, etc. This leaves me with full control of the remote!!

LATELY, however, I've been getting home between 6:30 and 7:30...after CityBoy. The last couple nights, I've walked in and found him watching some bizarre movie...which delays my delicately planned TV schedule and has ultimately made both of our bedtimes later and later...not good.

Hopefully, we'll find a compromise...or else Showtime has got to go!

Anyway, I don't wanna think today, so I'm stealing this post from ThisCasita, with some modifications....enjoy!!!

Here's a chance to see how well you really know your Man.
Cut, paste and fill in the answers, then forward. The real challenge is to send it to your Man to see how right you really are.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
Some bizarre movie, Top Gear, Time Warp

2. You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
CityBoy doesn't eat Salads

3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Mushrooms

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?
Ribs and a Coors Light

5. Where did he go to high school?
Livonia Stevenson High School, Trenton High School

6. What size shoe does he wear?
10? I dunno?

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Turkey with Avocado & Bacon...no Cheese

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
White Castle!

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Hmmm...he doesn't eat his cereal with milk, but I'd say his favorite is Fruity Pebbles

11. What would he never wear?
Clothes I picked out for him...

12. What is his favorite sports team?
Detroit Red Wings

13. Who did he vote for?
Obama

14. Who is his best friend?
Besides me? Mikey

15. What is something he does that you wish he wouldn't do?
Leave his shoes in the front hall!

16. What is his heritage?
A little bit of everything, some Irish, some Portuguese

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday, what kind of cake?
Ice Cream Cake!

18. Did he play sports in high school?
Nope

19. What could he spend hours doing?
Playing on the Internet or Looking at Cars

20. What is one unique talent he has?
He knows everything there is to know about cars, and punk music

A Valentine's Tradition...

Last year for Valentine's Day, CityBoy was out of town for work, so we planned to have our Valentine's Day a few days later. To my surprise, he called me mid-afternoon on Valentine's Day to tell me he would be back that night!

I had instructions to meet him at his apartment that evening and when I showed up, he greeted me with a Heart Shaped Pizza (I can't find my pictures of it!!), Half Pepperoni (his) and Half Mushroom (mine)!! His sweet gesture and a great chick flick made for a fantastic Valentine's Day!

This year, we both have audits to wrap up this weekend, so we decided to do V-Day low-key, but that didn't stop CityBoy from disappearing this morning before I woke up and returning with Dunkin' Donuts (and all my favorite donuts) and little presents for me!!

So, I decided to surprise him for lunch by going to Krystals (the Southern White Castle...he LOVES White Castle) and bringing them home for lunch and going with our Heart-Shaped food tradition, I used a heart cookie cutter to cut them into Hearts!!

HE LOVED THEM!! I think tonight we might order pizza??

How are you making Valentine's Day special??

Sadness...

I got home today after a long workday, a quick trip into target & a stop to pick up dinner and lugged in my laptop, target bags & dinner in one fell swoop. I plopped everything down in the front hall, unpacked dinner for CityBoy and went to change out of my work clothes.

I was simultaneously pulling on jeans and taking off jewelry when I realized my College Ring wasn't on my finger!! My fingers have been getting smaller lately, but I didn't think my rings were that loose!! I'm hoping it didn't slip right off my finger and that its safely sitting on the conference table at my client, but I'm starting to think its gone forever!!!

I tend to play with my rings (CityBoy always yells at me), and sometimes my jewelry bothers me when I'm working, so I'll slip off my watch & bracelets and sometimes my rings!!! I know I had my bracelet off at the client, but I think I would have seen my ring laying there...

Tomorrow I'm duct taping the diamond to my finger!!

Budgeting our Time...

Last night, CityBoy and I both had a guap of work to do. So, we retreated to our separate corners of the apartment and started ticking and tying ourselves into a frenzy of auditing!! Even though we were both at home, we hardly saw each other outside of scarfing down the yummy Chipotle I managed to grab on my way home.

I'm still trying to decide if it is a Pro or a Con that CityBoy and I are in the same profession and therefore have the same Busy Season...

Pros:

• He understands when I'm at work until 8:30 PM one night and 6:00 PM the next
• He doesn't expect dinner on the table
• When I'm working at home and ready to beat my head on the table, I can ask him for help
• He isn't out doing something fun while I'm stuck in the office on Saturdays

Cons:

• When I have a free evening, he's working
• If I want to do something fun on a Saturday, he's working
• HE'S ALWAYS WORKING!!

We keep making promises to ourselves--"we're going to have dinner together every night" or "we're going to put work away at 9PM"--but, we haven't kept any of them! Some nights, we do our own thing for dinner, work til 11PM and don't even go to sleep together!

Last night, we had a chat about spending time together. It always seems like in the middle of the day, I'll suddenly, overwhelmingly miss him. We may live in the same house, but its like we aren't even there together. I was happy to discover he felt the same way, so we decided to do something about it.

We didn't come up with a resolution outside of hanging out together on Sunday just yet, but this is my best idea so far:

In the spirit of 2 accountants, we need to budget our time at home like we budget our time on engagements. In addition to the work we have to do at home, there are other little chores and things to do such as: unloading the dishwasher, doing laundry, making sure our DVR doesn't get full and start deleting our shows (AKA watching TV), showering (this can be a chore when you're really busy), working out (always the first thing to go!) and most importantly, SPENDING TIME TOGETHER.

So, I'm gonna pitch the idea to CityBoy of planning out our days using this budget... I haven't worked out all the logistics yet, but something has gotta change b/c I miss that BOY!

ANOTHER First Dance Song...

I was just doing my daily blog-stalking over at Weddingbee, and read Mrs Sea Breeze's recap post and they played this song by Colin Hay:





I LOOOOOVE this song. My friend B (also a Groomsman) introduced this song to me and I think I listened to this song a million and one times while I was in my last semester of college, getting ready for my "real life to begin" I am picturing this as our first dance song now too...or maybe we'll just play it during our Cocktail Hour music??

New Blog Design

Thoughts? I think it might be too much, but the birds are super cute!

UPDATE: I ditched the birds & just updated my colors, I like a simple blog!

A Case of the Mondays...

I hate Mondays.

I have always hated Mondays.

I ESPECIALLY hate Mondays now that I have meetings every Monday at 8:30 in the office!!!!!!

This morning, I woke up, scrambled to throw on something a) clean, b) not wrinkled, c) business professional, ran the Chi rather haphazardly through my hot mess of hair, slapped on some makeup, took the pup to potty and ran out the door (in under 15 minutes, I'm a speed demon)... 20 annoyingly traffic filled minutes later (why is it that I can get to the office at 8 or 9 with no problem, but 8:30 is a nightmare??) I'm sitting in my 30 minute meeting just to say "I'm wrapping up at ABC Company today and tomorrow, helping out at DEF the rest of the week and at GHI next week."

This particular Monday was particularly terrible because immediately after our meeting, I headed out of the office to meet the Principal on my current job at the predecessor auditor's office...LITERALLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY APARTMENT!!!

After reviewing some workpapers, I grabbed a quick lunch at home (the one sunny element of the day), and headed 30 miles away (back past the office...grrr) to my client. So, I have driven a grand total of over 50 miles so far today, about half of that for no good reason...

Okay...Rant Over...

In order to make my Monday a little better, I'm taking a break from ticking and tying to share some Etsy lovelies I came across at lunch!!!

My sister has been talking my ear off about invitations and her inspiration and I sent her this invite and she agreed, this is sorta what she's picturing!!

I looooove Paloma's Nest. This bowl would be so cute on the dresser in our bedroom...

My mom want's to do button magnets at our wedding. I wasn't too keen on the idea until I saw these fun buttons!! I guess I'll just have to get mom to make cute ones :-D

Finally, I saw this hairpin and decided my mom totally needs to open a shop on Etsy!! She loves making jewelry and this is right up her alley!! I wish this hairpin was in Red/Orange/Pink so I could buy it for my hair!!

Dancin' the Night away!

I've been thinking for a long time about the song we will dance to as our first dance as husband and wife.

I remember dancing with my Dad as a little girl, standing on his boots in my stocking feet. Now that I have grown up, dancing comes naturally to me. CityBoy, however, is clueless! But its okay because sometime this summer we will be partaking in lovely dance lessons!!

Now...on to the songs!!

First, Jack Johnson - Better Together! I love this song, its so fun and it makes me warm & fuzzy when I hear it, but Bridesmaid SA and her hubby danced to this song and I'd feel like a thief!



Next, Jason Mraz/Colbie Caillat - Lucky. I hear this song on the radio and swoon, but it doesn't feel quite like us!!



Michael Buble - Everything...Can't go wrong with Buble, but CityBoy wasn't havin' it!!



This next one is the theme song to our relationship...and my blog!! But, its not really first dance material. But don't worry, Journey's Don't Stop Believin' will definitely be played and we will definitely dance!!!



Honeybrowne's Texas Angel was the finalist for quite awhile, but after listing to the lyrics over and over and over, I realized its kind of about breaking up...



Soooooooooo...

We're going with a song that we both like, that has a connection to us, and is shor & sweet....

Without further avail, our song!

Buddy Holly's Dearest!!



This song definitely fits the bill because its a little bit funky, Buddy Holly hails from the city where we fell in love, LUBBOCK, and 2 minutes leaves very little time for us to be the center of attention on the dance floor!!

What is your first dance song?

STD Teaser

Here is my fabulously talented sister's first mock up for our STD!! My sister took these pictures when she was in Texas for Christmas. This picture was actually taken at Addison Circle (near where we live) with the big blue sculpture thingy in the middle of the circle! (More pictures to come as soon as I get them!!)


SmallTownSister has another design up her sleeve that I cannot wait to see!! I'm not a "wordy" person when it comes to design, so the less words on an invitation/STD, the better. The new design is going to be a play on CityBoy & I both being Accountants! It will say "SmallTownGirl + CityBoy = 9/5/09" plus the relevant details below that in small print. I hope it turns out like I'm picturing!!