One more down

We have finally booked an Officiant! i know that is probably one of the first things people do in their wedding planning, but for some reason or another it just didn't happen. however, even with the extreme delay we were able to find someone we felt that would do a really good job and knew his way in and out of a ceremony. he is warm, friendly, and knows his stuff, thank goodness!

I've now moved on to working on transportation for the wedding party and guests. this is a project that i have very much not been looking forward to. i can't even stand the idea of it, but i'm sure it will work out alright....maybe. there are so many other small things to do, and they all totally kind of suck, and i totally understand why people hire wedding planners. because Nobody wants to do this kind of detailed stuff: coordinating who is staying where, who is driving, seating charts, seating cards, favors, headcounts, kids, gift bags, programs, rehearsal stuff, outfits, plants, omg the list goes on and on! but it is quite nice to cross things off the list one by one, it's satisfying at least sort of.

Battle of the volumizers

Biolage Volumizing Shampoo $10:

this brand is a stand-by in my shower. it's high quality and affordable. it does a really good job at keeping hair nourished and hydrated to be shiny, but does it volumize? it volumizes when you use all the other volumizing products in the line: the conditioner, the styling products, blow drying your hair upside down....so really to me that's kind of like: Not Really. but the smell is invigorating, it's so fresh and exactly what i want my hair to smell like: clean and fresh. it doesn't do what it claims to do, but i will keep it in my shower anyways.

GHD Elevation Shampoo $25:

I would just like to start off by saying that i've never paid $25 for shampoo Ever. i didn't realize how much it was when i got it at my salon, next time i should probably check that! because of the price point, i figured this shampoo would really be everything i've been searching for: big awesome hair. it failed miserably. it's just a regular old shampoo, and it did nothing for my fine hair until i used other products and turned my head upside down to blow dry it. the results even there were only moderate. it's a nice shampoo, my hair feels very clean and protected, but it looks like this everyday. i will not be buying this shampoo again because for $25, there should have been someone in that bottle to style my hair for me.

Bridal Shower

Today was my bridal shower!!  i was really nervous and anxious about it because i really don't enjoy being the center of attention for lots of people.  generally i don't mind being the center of attention for like 3-5 people that i know Really well, but that's where i draw the line.  but it wasn't as horrifying as i expected it to be.  once i started to open gifts and relax a little bit i started to have a great time.  i mean who wouldn't like tons of gifts with your own name on them!!  it was at my parent's country club.  i know, we're like soooo yuppy, but otherwise it would have been squooshed into my parents living room on the hottest day ever.  the better call was made there.  we had some brunch and the guests did bridal bingo while i tore through boxes.  my poor bridesmaids were running around organizing gifts and cards and making lists and gathering ribbons and taking photos.  they were really earning their keep today.  later when i got home i felt like i didn't really even get to talk to them much and i was really sad...  they did a great job.  there were fresh cut flowers on the tables, and little funny moments of abe and my relationship written on a card at each table, and they used my pastel favorite colors all over.  below is a photo of the new apron that my fitness buddy and other bridesmaid (on vaca)  sent along.  i LOOOOVVED this thing.  i put it on right when i got it and had to be told to take it off later on.  it's sooooooo me!  the tulle at the bottom is just priceless.  i wish i had millions of these things to wear every day of the week.  but i got a lot of other really awesome gifts too, but this is a To Be Continued post... more to come.

At the salon

The spaceship is back sucking me up!!
I'm having my wedding hair trial today and of course I forgot my special feather headpiece. Oh well. My allergies are ruining me today.

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ZZZs Please

this week has been really long. every day a little bit more of my energy has been drained from my body through my alien toes. despite my longest run (4.25 miles woo!) on Monday, i haven't really been able to move much since. i am all hunched over, and dragging my feet everywhere and i shouldn't be there's a lot of excitement coming my way. i'm just exhausted beyond my means. i've been sleeping alright, despite our bizarre stare-off at 4am this morning, but it just never feels like enough rest, my body just wants more. more ZZZs, less yawns. i even forgot my fruit on the counter this morning, and i never forget my snacks at home, because i love snacks! oh i miss those grapes. i'm going to do an outside run today after work and maybe some fresh air and vitamin D will perk me up a little. otherwise i'm going to need lots of reminders this weekend.

Primer Potion

i got a big sample of this Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion from sephora when i got my makeup last week. i saw it sitting there this morning and thought that i should give it a test. 7 hours later it's still perfectly set on my eye lids with absolutely no creasing. the color is a very light champagne, so you get a soft pink/peach shimmer that just brightens your eyes a bit. i really liked it, i was really impressed with the no-crease factor that i usually get when i use a cream based product on my lids. if you need something like this, try it out, the price isn't so bad either: $17 at sephora.

Cheap Bastard: Week 3

Groceries: $99
Eyeliner: $16.50
GRE Study materials: $33
Total: $148.50

i was hoping to have a small grocery week, but we ran out of bulk items like our big bag of white rice, and cleaning supplies, so that alone was $25 of the grocery bill. oh well, and i totally had a $10 off coupon and forgot to use it, that really annoyed me once i got home. but i didn't have any social activities this week because i had some wedding things to do. i'm keeping it under control, and there are so many cute spring outfits hitting the racks right now, the best thing for me to do is not set foot into a store.

on sunday night we got takeout for the first time this month and i only spent $30 on it when normally we spent around $50-60, although i totally forgot to tip the poor delivery guy. sorry, my bad! also, we are heading to san franscico in october and we previously had booked the W but i found another boutique hotel for less and so i booked us there and saved us $300-400 with additional discounts! that's a little weight off my shoulders.

Say What

This is probably why i love my friends and their genius insights. i laughed out loud when i read this in an email. we were chatting about chestnut hill area and the cuteness, and she writes:

Yup Pine Manor. That school blew.

HA!! i can't remember the last time that i heard anyone say something blew. and i think that i'm going to have to bring it back, it's hilarious!!

Nerves of jello

i had a meeting with our day of coordinator and caterer last night to go over some details and timing. it was intense. i couldn't believe how much stuff still had to be arranged, it was really overwhelming because everyone looks to me for the answer and it's just like: the most simple way is fine. but that doesn't always apply. now i have a lot of anxiety built up because the walk from the house to the garden with my dad is Long. we're talking like 3-5 minutes of everyone staring at me, i wish i had thought of that beforehand. can i get a xanax?? that's all i wanted to say. and my parents are all super excited for that kind of stuff, they just kept saying: that would be really nice so dramatic, etc. and i just wanted to reply: this is horrifying. but a bride can't do that, she just has to accept the good with the bad - and that is my best advice to anyone getting married soon.

this weekend there is going to be a family invasion for a couple of days. i also have my wedding day hair trial with my beloved Elle, and my bridal shower, and a visit to the rehearsal dinner restaurant. it's going to be a very busy weekend full of new and scary things, so i need to make sure that i take it easy before then and get enough rest and exercise or i'm probably going to be overwhelmed. i'm nervous just thinking about it all, but i am sure it will be fun.

Mac Shadestick

like many asian women before me, i struggle with finding eye makeup that won't smudge or move all over the place. normally i wear only mascara on a day to day basis to keep things clean and easy and fresh. i used this shadestick as eyeliner for years, i believe i had the same stick for 2 years...which is both unsanitary and weird, but even so, i loved it. last year i went to the Mac counter in Macy's to get another one because mine was completely gone and those people told me that it had been discontinued. i gasped with horror. how could they discontinue such a fantastic product!! so i went on and started using revlon's colorstay eyeliner because i heard it was so good that britney spear's wore it during her tours. after testing it, i found that it was actually quite good because the pigment was really dark and it went on easy, but it still did smudge a bit sometimes. i'd give it a 7.5 out of 10, it wasn't something that i could depend on lasting throughout the day. i was looking at makeup online today for something totally different when i came across my shadestick. i almost screamed!! i actually did a silent scream, the kind where my mouth was wide open and a tiny little high pitched noise came out when i realized that i was actually indoors and not alone. so now i can throw out all the liners that have failed me, and i have to pick one up for $16.50, hopefully it's the same quality as i remember. $16.50 may seem a little on the high end of a liner, but remember it lasts for like two years.

Lust

Tory Burch Crinkle Patent Zip Continental Wallet, $225 Bloomingdales.

Tory Burch Crinkle Patent Purse with Key Fob, $105 Bloomingdales.

Hello Awesome!

RIP Cameron

i just got word that The Sarah Connor Chronicles has officially been cancelled and that brian austin green is actually signed on to another show for next year.  i was So dedicated to this show.  i followed it every week, and even when it moved to friday nights....the worst night for a tv show to be on, i still continued to watch it that's how much i enjoyed it.  when i saw commercials for the first season i could only think: man, this show is going to seriously suck, who would watch that?  and then i got drawn right in and it was not a bad show at all.  it had it all: comedy, action, complex plot (too complex maybe), and decent acting especially from summer glau.  i'm not sure why it didn't do well, but i think it was just the night they put it on.  i mean monday nights put them up against how i met your mother, which is a much more mainstream show.  then when they moved it to fridays to ward off the competition, it was still friday nights, it was kind of a death sentence.  i'm really going to miss it.  Kath and Kim got renewed, and that's not really that funny but it's a chick show i'm pretty sure.  if Parks and Recreation gets renewed then i'm really going to freak out.  that show has no right being on tv.  if it's listed as a comedy and i can sit through a whole episode and not laugh even once, then maybe a different direction should be taken.  and Oh God, prison break, let's be for real people.  that show should have been cancelled years ago.  good thing summer is just around the corner and i won't need tv for entertainment anymore!

This is how i think

abe: [holding up his computer in my direction] What about the hamster from Bolt?

me: what is it?  a stuffed animal?

him: yeah.

me: how big?

him: 12 inches

me: where am i going to put it, i already have two stuffed animals in the bed...

him: i was talking about for Grant (nephew turning 3 yrs. old)...

me: oh HA!

7 hotdog guy

He makes me proud.

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First game of the season

With awesome seats. Go sox!

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Cheap Bastard: Week 2

Last week my total was $127

This week:
Groceries $97
Kim Chi $5
Dinner with my MOH $17
Powder foundation and mineral veil, totally ran out, had 15% off coupon: $36.55
Total: $155.55

One thing to note is that the groceries are for two people, so in retrospect i should be dividing that bill by two but just for ease of recording i'll keep all things just As Spent. I knew that this week would actually go up since abe is in town so the grocery bill is higher. I know that some people may not consider makeup an essential, but i do and i'm not putting the cheap stuff on my face, so i was proud of myself for waiting for that coupon atleast because that's the best i can do. Abe isn't participating in this tally, although he is participating in the saving for the most part. he's been packing his lunch and being more controlled with social outings, and he wants to extend this cheapness through May and June and that's fine by me. If i owe you a date, we'll still be able to keep it, i just need to spread them out, last month i made the mistake of having something every single night, and i can't do that again. I haven't included any weekend spending mainly because it's just kind of too hard to show what i spent vs. what abe spent since we normally do things together, but i know that we're both spending less in that department so that's all that matters.

yeah we know, it's late.

we are still on the hunt for an officiant for our wedding. we are being married outdoors at our venue which nixes a whole slew of religious people, so that's fine, we will use a justice of the peace and i'm 100% ok with that. this was abe's job, and it didn't get done before he got slammed at work with about 10 projects that have must finish deadlines. so i took it over, but so far, it's going not well. the very first officiant i contacted was booked, but no worries, i have a whole list and i'm going to contact the rest of them today. this was her response to my inquiry though:

Hi Laura:
Thanks for contacting me about your wedding. What a popular date 6/20 is - I have 4 weddings on that day so unfortunately don't have your time open any longer. Hopefully you got other names of JPs. Best wishes to you for a happy life together.

how sweet is that of her. i mean i don't even know you and you're wishing me a happy life with my future husband, how nice! and now back to finding one who isn't booked solid!

Cute Cute!

I'm still on my shopping diet, and it totally sucks, but if you aren't and you are looking for a really cute t-shirt then look no further than Forever21 and their cupcake t-shirt!! how super cute is this. these past two years i've had a bigger sweet tooth then the previous 20something years all put together, this would be so appropriate for me. but i really don't need it, even if it is only $16.90. Other things i've been wanting to buy are: new perfume, running sneakers, and a Korean language learning tool. that's not bad actually. at least none of it is really that frivolous!

Palate-to-Pen

Everyone knows that i love food.  I love Good food and I love Great food, I don't discriminate on flavor.  I often find myself viewing taste spotting just so I can look at photos of delicious little dumplings and crazy edibles i've never seen before to make my mouth water.  My friend Jen is a true foodie and food blogger over at Palate-to-Pen and has been nominated for a Bloggers Choice Award.  Check out her site, and if you like it, then maybe you could vote for her insightful writing here.  Panda did!

Burn

Everything has been really annoying me these past few days.

- there's an intensive jewelry making class in June that i was getting pretty excited about enrolling in, but it's the week of my honeymoon. so crash and burn there, i'll have to take it at a different time all spread out which is fine just less convenient.
- i used to enjoy making healthy lunches for abe. it's less cool now. maybe if i put it in a batman lunchbox if would be more fun for me.
- my portion control has been pretty off lately. i've been working out like a madwoman since january 1st and haven't lost 1 freakin pound. ok well maybe just 1. i'm obviously sucking at this game. it's pretty sad, but i'm upping my game. time to take no prisoners.
- my back and hairline where my bangs sit are peeling from my sunburn that i got in miami. i look like i have some kind of horrible skin disease, and i know people are staring at me funny.
- i'm totally exhausted and thus more annoyed at stupid things than i should be. i have a crazy 1 hour class tonight at the gym to alleviate some pent up attitude, it should help if i can walk out of there alive.

But on the upside, here are some hilarious little tid bits:

Just overheard someone on the phone -
Person: But She's EVIL!!
__
At home.
Abe: where is the camera
Me: by the elephants
[30 seconds later he returns, totally flustered]
Abe: [arms up in the air] There are so many elephants in here!!!
__
Very pretty, but very stupid.

Nothing Special Monday

The pirate situation came to an end this weekend, and I'm glad for everyone involved even the dead people. A couple years ago I was telling someone that I was afraid of pirates. They of course thought I was crazy, but now look who was right!! Anyways, today in the paper there was a quote from the pirates and all i could do was think: how can they even speak english?? it doesn't look like translated text, it looks like straight English to me. do they have like pirate english tutors on their boats so they can make demands? they probably do. i guess i answered my own question just now.

I'm sure you all know that i've been thinking about going back to school for some time now, and i'd consider myself to be a very decisive person but not when it comes to a career. that is the one place that i find myself uncertain. originally i was drawn to website development, but i was only able to find one program for it around here and it was Very Expensivo for a certificate. so i decided to keep on looking. lately i've been very drawn to the idea of working in the health and wellness field: nutrition, dietetics, healthcare administration, etc. i'm not sure why. i guess i've always just been very interested in being healthy and making smart choices for my body. we'll see where this leads. i mean the main problem is that since my degree is in something totally different, i wouldn't really even have the pre-reqs for a masters in any of this, so i'd have to start there first. it's kind of like, how many student loans can one little person rack up? it's rather daunting. but i think i forgot to mention that abe is now reading I Will Teach You To Be Rich, so maybe we'll be able to finance my education better once he's done.

The easter bunny

Abe made me look kind of bad. He made me an easter basket! I never in a million years expected that from him on such a minor holiday. I got him a few eggs with chocolates inside thinking that would be pretty exciting.  And then he outdid me with a full out basket with stuffed bunny!  

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Cheap Bastard, Week 1

the first week of my pared down spending went pretty well, although it could have been better....
Groceries $24
Toothpaste, mascara, and 2 bday cards, but used extra care bucks to save, $9
One lunch with Coworker $17
Beads and such at my jewelry making class $27ish...
Dinner out one night with a friend after class $50
Total: $127

This may not seem pared down, but actually it's Really Good. In an average week we spend $100 alone on groceries, but since abe was away on a business trip we were able to save big there. also, the $50 dinner out was on the higher end, but we're cooking tonight as opposed to ordering takeout which i think makes up for that cost. I think it was a good start! Next week will be even better i think.

Good Friday

today is boring, and i can tell you that because almost nobody has updated their blogs which leaves me with nothing to read this morning...because, i don't get Good Friday off anymore. we used to get out at noonish, but things have drastically changed here.

the most disgusting thing ever:
taking the organs and stuff out of a chicken. that's what is going to happen if you buy a Wild Harvest chicken at the grocery store, nothing will be nice and tidy in a bag for you, instead you're going to have to reach in squealing like a little girl and pull out all of that stuff with your bare hands like something that i'm quite sure was the liver. i had to do this last night, but let's hope that my slow cooker chicken is worth all the disgust! i'll share the recipe if it was worthwhile, it smelled amazing this morning so that's a good sign in the very least, it's asian style of course.

i'm not an Easter person. let's just push aside the religious aspects of the holiday and focus on the mundane for a bit. An Easter Bunny! for real? yeah i was never feeling it. i didn't even like chocolate until i was like 18, so it's not a very fun holiday for me. and last year i blew out like 20 eggs and painted them all and hung them on a pussy willow type tree a la martha stewart, and you know what? it didn't look anything like martha's! so i'm not doing that again this year. i'd rather just sit back and watch the holiday come and go because it's kind of a boring one. maybe i need to create a new easter tradition that involves veggie pizza and spring rolls and spinach and artichoke dip!

Tiffany & Co. Keys

I am on a serious shopping diet, but i just wanted to share these new Tiffany keys with you! they vary in price from $150 - $3,000. depending on how much bling is on them, the plain sterling silver ones are really inexpensive and nicely made but the ones with just a little adornment are just so gorgeous to me. i'm not sure what is so luring about them, maybe just that they're so sparkly....but i think they're something worth sharing!

rocks and such

Tonight I took a jewelry making class with a friend and made cocktail rings. I made 3 but only one came out fantastic. The one shown is one large rose quartz and pretty bling. however now I have the skills for future rings. It was really fun! I can't wait to go find stones to make more great rings for all my inexpensive accessorizing needs! I think this really enriched my week.

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Timber!

i stepped out of my comfort zone and tried a new class at my gym last night. i thought that my usual 1/2 hour classes were really challenging because they try to squeeze everything into a short class, but the one hour fitness classes are worse. after just 15 minutes i felt close to fainting, and then it just kept on going. bosu ball, weights, push ups, bosu ball, weights, bouncy things, squats, weights, lunges, crunches, leg lifts, planks, weights, push ups, OMG. for an hour!! and the instructor would make sure he checked every one's form, so you really needed to keep up. after the class i kept getting muscle cramps in my feet and calves from over exertion, and i just laid on the couch like a helpless little lamb chugging water. it was totally awesome though, i'm going back next week for another ass kicking. i think i should get my blood pressure checked, i've been really close to fainting multiple times this month...

The Un-Bride

i got a phone call from my caterer yesterday. i had no idea who it was, and when she told me my first thought was: Oh. God. It's just too soon for this! she just wanted to do a walk through of my venue. i'm not sure what is wrong with my DNA, but i just wanted to tell her: you can put stuff anywhere you want to put it! i mean really, i don't need to micro-manage that. i'm sure they know exactly where things should go...right? because i certainly don't know, and i'm sure abe doesn't know. i was kind of hoping that they'd just take care of that little detail of placing tables and whatever she's talking about. they can basically shove things where there is room, and i'm fine with it. in fact, i just might say that when i call her back: do anything you want, i trust you, please don't make me get into my car to drive an hour away to point at where things will go. i really trust that everything will run smoothly enough, and the placement of a table or the color of a flower won't ruffle my feathers. maybe i can send my mother....

Cheap Bastard

with an unexpected car repair, tons of social outings, purchasing of wedding bands, a couple new hobbies, a vacation to miami, and abe's wedding gift, the month of march quickly became our most costly month to date. and so, the month of april is going to be my most frugal month! my goal is to not do any shopping at all, keep social outings to very minimal costs (and less of them), and be more prepared with my grocery shopping. i'm going to keep a spending log, similar to that of a food log so i can track all our expenses at the bare bone level. i think this is going to be a good exercise for us/me. i'm not sure how much abe is really going to participate in my bare bones april spending, but i think he will give it a good effort. i may need to do some wedding related things, but that won't count since that money is already budgeted. the challenge is on!

Back Home!

And we couldn't be happier.  oddly, taking these stupid pictures was the most entertaining stuff we did all weekend!  But i think it's hilarious.  when we disembarked at logan, we were walking down the terminal and saw Will Ferrell.  that was unexpected, he was just standing there wearing a gray and green track suit with one piece of luggage.  almost everyone turned their heads to look, but nobody bothered him.  

Broke and burnt!

We got so flipping burnt today by the pool. I have no idea how that happened but its bad news. Random patches all over my body are bright red and I hardly ever burn. by the end of the day we were practically sprinting to the airport. I'm not sure what it is about miami beach but this will probably be my last visit. I can guarantee its the last time I ever stay at the eden roc!! Those idiots were the absolute worst I can give you examples. Although we were on miami beach we did go to south beach and I thought it was a little piece of hell. I really thought this would be my scene! Models and cocktails on the beach and whatever. It was more like tourists, aspiring models, and $15 drinks. I think my expectations were a little too high and I like things to be a little more laid back and easy. Nothing there was easy! And now I'm heading back to boston burnt and broke. Our honeymoon is going to feel so awesome compared to this mess.
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Cuban and thai

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So bland

I don't know how to dress here. But they have a full length mirror so that's cool.

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The saving grace

The view from our room is amazing. Everything else here is total crap except a pats fan working here gave abe a stack of 10 towels for us on the beach. Excessive yes, but point taken!

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See these idiots?

They like to do aerobics to techno music at 8am at the eden roc hotel. There is a Fing DJ and everything. I hate them. this hotel is really nice looking, you would expect it to be totally awesome. but that assumption might be dead wrong! too bad the W isn't open yet.

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Eden roc

We made it.

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Unsolicited Advice

I'm not really one to ask for advice because i generally like to approach things my own way. Occasionally i do ask for help or insight or whatever, but i do not do this to people i would put in the Jerk category. this woman i somewhat know (but generally try to avoid) decided to give complete and total unsolicited advice yesterday. first off, she criticized my outfit. i know it wasn't a good outfit, but this is a recession and i'm getting creative with my attire. she tells me that my shirt was Really Springy, as she eyed me up and down with a nasty look on her face. so i'm thinking, yes she's so right, my top is very springy and i do resemble an easter egg....but a seriously cool easter egg, argyle no less! and then somehow she tries to suck me into a conversation about house hunting. we are Not currently house hunting, we are planning to start after we get married as to not add another task on top of our running list to To-Dos. apparently she finds it utterly idiotic for us to not be looking Right This Second. And in fact we should look in [some random town] because her sister lives there and there's lots of conservation land. this person is basically a stranger! and honestly i think conservation land is fantastic, i grew up around acres and acres of it as a kid, but having it in my future home town is extremely low on my list of what makes a town perfect for me. i like things like ice cream stands, boutiques, whole foods, hydrangea bushes, and sidewalks. i do not like things like bugs, poison ivy, frogs, and things my dad calls Grubs. i also do not like things like unsolicited advice from someone who just two seconds ago gave me The Face.

Funny stuff, not from me

This post will make you laugh. A Lot.

Miami!

Today at the end of the work day i'm heading to south beach First Class of course. i've never been there before and i really have no idea what to expect. i'm super stressed with life and pretty much over the edge with a few retarded things so when i get down there all i want to do is sit by the pool and get a tan, have a cocktail, and eat cuban food. i don't want to go clubbing, bar hopping, or experience that glittery part of miami. i just want to relax and decompress for a few days with my favorite fiance. it's going to be awesome!