and we are at...

60 days!!!

Invitations were all mailed yesterday.

Tuxes were ordered last week.

My shower is coming up on January 17th.

First fitting is on January 20th.

Holy cow!

happy holidays to all!

Happy, happy holidays!!!

Whatever and however you celebrated, I hope it was wonderful and full of love and laughter.

As I was getting ready to leave work on the 23rd, a good friend of mine called to wish me a merry Christmas and said, "Enjoy your last Christmas as a single girl!" Reminded me that each time I do something of consequence between now and the wedding it will be the last time I do so singly. I've been used to making all of my own decisions for so many years that the concept really struck me.

Bring on the change. I'm ready to share both the responsibilities and the joys.

2 months and one day.

f.l.y.i.n.g.

DONE: Invitations were all addressed and assembled by FI and I last night. They're ready to take to the post office on Monday morning. I'll post pics of the process when I return home next week. So excited!

visions of sugarplums...

Well, chocolate dipped pretzels anyway! This was how FI and I spent our snow/iced in afternoon yesterday. Second year that I've made pretzels instead of the usual cookie baking. I have the space to do the cookie marathon now but, these take a lot less time and money and they were a huge hit last year!
FI and I each took 30 of these lovelies into our offices to pass around today. The rest are reserved for family...yum!

good fortune...

How fitting during a weekend filled with wedding related activites! This was FI's fortune last night, after our chinese take-out dinner...too funny.This weekend we:

• put stamps on all of our RSVP envelopes
• addressed invitation envelopes for a few guest list additions
• designed the insert with directions to the ceremony
• made some revisions to the program (almost done!)
• started work on the accommodations insert

I just uploaded the photos from our final food tasting on 12.03.08 - this first photo is looking out over a small section of the Grand Ballroom and dance floor from the balcony. I'm stading right above the bar (shown in the next photo). I love, love, love the original period chandeliers and inlaid marble floors in this room!This is the view from the back right corner of the ballroom, looking back to the bar and entertianment area. The staircase leading down from the balcony is where we'll make our entrance into the reception. The upper level will also have the placecard/favor and guestbook tables. Our beautiful moms (his on the left, mine on the right) hadn't seen each other in a few months and had a great time chatting about the wedding and catching up over the fabulous food and martinis. Something tells me they will become very good friends over the years! The holiday week will not slow down the planning process here. My must-do's are:

• design accommodations insert (Monday, 12/22)
• print accommodations/directions inserts (Wednesday, 12/24)
• assemble invitations (Fri-Sunday)
• MAIL INVITATIONS!!! (Monday, 12/29)

what's one more little project?

My shower is scheduled for January 17th and, earlier this week, gifts already started arriving. I wasn't prepared for this. I know full well that mailed gift protocol is to:

1. open the box
2. unwrapped and check for damage
3. send thank you note immediately

That would be all fine and good IF I had anticipated early gifts and had thank you notes ready. I did not. So, I designed these yesterday and will be printing up a batch tonight. I present...my shower thank you notes. I fully admit to falling prey to ridiculous matching color/theme mania hence, the colors and the vine flourishes match our menus and programs covers. Yes, I am slowly, but surely, losing my mind. However, they are still less expensive than a trip to papyrus or Hallmark to purchase pre-mades.

it {almost} went down like this...

Barely two months until our wedding and I had not booked a hairstylist. Actually, hadn't even figured out which salon to use. At the rate I was going, I'd be doing my own up-do and my hair would end up looking like this in my wedding photos, captured for eternity:
Thanks to not-so-gentle prodding by my MOH and my mom, I did walk into a well-known and reputable salon (an Aveda concept salon) in my town tonight and booked them for all three of us for the wedding day and a trial for me on January 24th. So, with any luck, my hair will actually turn out like one of these lovely photos...

Something soft, romantic and making use of the wave in my hair, rather than fighting my normal everyday battle against it. Now, to make dinner reservations somewhere nice the night of the trial and get some use out of it!

the start of a very, very good year...

Something tells me this will be the year when I can have my (carrot) cake...

and see all those birthday candle wishes...

finally and happily realized!!!

From my vantage point today, charging head first into my mid-thirties is a really and truly good thing. So much to look forward to in the coming days, weeks and months ahead. I'm planning to enjoy it all, one moment at a time.

My birthday gift to myself? I finished addressing the last of our wedding invitations this afternon. They are now ready to be assembled.