Wedding Weekend Recap

We're definitely into the following week, and I have nearly fully recovered from the craziness that was this weekend. Let me explain.

We flew out Thursday night, after a mixup with the sis (a.k.a. driver to airport) which required us getting an impromptu cab.

I'm not the biggest fan of cab rides. They're always so awkward.

ANYway, after a red eye flight that included plenty of snoring from behind us and uncomfortable positioning, along with clock changes and random layovers -

3 flight delays. I crocheted, T slept on my shoulder in JFK-Kennedy airport. I think a girl across the aisle from us snapped a picture on her phone. What the heck...

-finally, we arrived in Richmond. I picked up my rental car. Oh,

...let me mention. I love California right now. It is freaking cold back East. Brrr.

-I dug out my coat from my checked baggage, hightailed it through the frigid air into the rental car garage, and saw, my rental Buick.

...wait a second...

The last, and only other, time I rented a car I got the little economy one. All weekend (this was coincidentally for another wedding in April '08) I felt like I was driving a matchbox car, and not in a good way.
This time, I decided that, since the economy, compact, and mid-sized cars were all the same price, I figured why not? It'll be nice to ride in, say, a Chrysler Sebring (which was my first love of the automotive variety, and the description on the website for that car type).

And I get a Buick. It was like driving a very smooth, Titanic-sized boat.

But, by Saturday evening, I was used to it. All was fine. And taking a break from my little Saturn to drive a car with seat-warmers was quite nice. Especially when it was in the teens outside.

So, Friday morning, we had breakfast/lunch with the Moms in Richmond. It was lovely. Next, down to the big E to check into the hotel, hurrying to get ready for the rehearsal, then said rehearsal and later, the rehearsal dinner. Which was more like a festival, there were so many people there! I knew, 5 perhaps.

With college friend Kelly and the coolest 6th grader ever:

And with T, of course:Back to the hotel, and to sleep. The next morning, after sleeping in after the bridesmaids' brunch (that was 8am for me!) I snuck out for an hour and visited by beloved Melissa and baby Nicholas, who I thought about stealing. Hey, he could fit in my carry-on! :)

Then, (drumroll please...) the wedding. It was gorgeous. There were about 5,000 people in the wedding party, my little song went just fine I guess, and it was great to see all the folks who I haven't laid eyes on in nearly a decade.

After the vows were said and everyone was on their way to the reception, T and I dodged back to the hotel to grab the camera (which I had awesomely forgotten...dang those little purses) and then followed suit.

How does 6 miles down a country road feel like you've been driving all night? Love it.

T and I at the reception, this pic taken by a bartender (of course):...and this is where I started to get self-conscious. I had a wine glass in my hand, of course, and when I felt awkward, I took a sip. And when I didn't know what to say, I took a sip. And when, on the wedding video playing on the wall for those who didn't go to the ceremony my face appeared and people noticed it was me, I sipped.

And when my glass was empty I, as auto-pilot as everything else, refilled.

Yikes.

Poor T.

But I think (hope) he's the only one who noticed.

Emporians who're reading this, don't correct me :) All things considered, especially my amazing boyfriend who attended to me all night and during the following morning's (early) plane ride back to CA although being quite annoyed with me, it was a lovely time.

And not just cause of the ice sculptures at the wedding. And a photo booth (see initial pic). Although those were awesome.

Oh, and the macy's dress (I swear that it only looks like I have a weird pudge):Happy Inauguration Day!

Product Review

Product name: Prime Time foundation primer, from BareVitamins (a subsidiary of Bare Escentuals)

Product description (from website): A preservative-free foundation primer developed to combat flaky dryness, fine lines, excess oil, and enlarged pores. This mineral-infused formula glides on with no tacky feel to provide a skin-smoothing complexion prior to applying bareMinerals SPF 15 foundation for a seamlessly flawless face.

Price: $21

My experience: As a result of the staggering amount of weddings I'll be attending this year, I decided that figuring out how to make my skin stay as flawless as possible was a priority. If for pictures, if nothing else.
note: I don't have many complaints about my skin as it is. I am a definite fan of Dr. Laslow's method, which I'll put in a future post. Lets just say that I never had even decent skin (always needed a boatload of concealer every morning), until I tried this. It's simple, effective, and cheap. Now, when I'm doing it as I should (twice a day) I have nary a pimple nor blotch. I have no shame in running all types of errands w/ no makeup, and I even let T see me makeup-free within a week of our dating. (now THAT'S saying somethin...)
I bought this primer two days ago, to test out before my upcoming trip that would have multiple photo ops, I'm sure, and, lo and behold, I love. I would recommend this primer to anyone. I have combination skin, and it keeps me satiny (not matte, which is gross in its own way) all day.
another note: I'm also a proponent of Bare Minerals foundation. I just love mineral foundations. I've tried both Bare Minerals and SheerCover. I found Bare Minerals to have a superior foundation, and SheerCover a superior concealer (that stuff rocks and I don't say that lightly).

Closing yay/nay vote: A big, resounding yay. Try it. If you're not sure, buy from Ulta. You can always return it.

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

Tonight I board a plane. Sunday I do it again. Here's the betweening of now and then:

-Work til 4
-Fight traffic home
-Try on various outfits to figure out what to wear to all the wedding stuff that I'll be attending
-Shower (I find that getting ON a plane clean makes you feel less dirty when you're done. Especially because I won't be close to a shower for at least 4 hours post-flying)
-Pack
-Dress (maybe dress before pack, but you know what I mean. Still not sure whether to wear pjish sweats or real clothes to fly the red-eye (awesome movie btw with Rachel McAdams and that creepily hot guy that was also in Batman). I mean, I'll be sleeping the whole time, but in the morning I'll have to go pick up my car and do the late-birthday-breakfast thing with my mom, so maybe I'll want to look presentable....suggestions welcomed!)

~oh, by the way, Happy 50th, Mom! Love you!! ~

-Drive to airport
-Board plane
-Have a layover somewhere eastcoastish
-Arrive in Richmond
-Get bags, pick up rental car
-Take mom out to late bday brunch
-Drive to Emporia
-Check in to hotel
-Finally shower and get all pretty-like
-Go to rehearsal
-Go to rehearsal dinner
-Make merry with bride and groom and family, etc.
-Return to hotel, sleep
-Wake up, get 2nd pretty-like
-Possibly attend bridesmaid's brunch (here's another imput request for you: I was invited to the brunch. I'm not a bridesmaid, but I'm singing in the wedding and have been friends with the bride since pre-puberty, aka, forever. However, I won't really know anyone there...should I go? I don't know...)
-Get 3rd pretty-like (with awesome Macy's dress! See yesterday's post)
-Go to wedding location early, then attend wedding
-Go to reception, eat, drink, dance w/ T (who I'm so excited to show off, btw), try to catch a profile picture of both bride and groom, separately, as I'm making them wedding-day silhouettes
-Return to hotel, sleep
-Awaken, (I think it'll be normal clothes on Sunday's flight; it's daytime) check out of hotel
-Drive back to Richmond
-Catch ultra-early breakfast w/ the Moms
-Return rental car, board plane
-Arrive in LA again
-Sleep.

So that's my weekend. And me, being a dummy, just found out that we have Monday off-yay! Which will mean more recovery time from all the craziness.

Wish me luck! I'll post pics!

On Missing Granola

So for lunch today I had 6 chicken Mcnuggets and a snack size parfait. Not the healthiest thing I could've had.

But, in my defense, not the unhealthiest.

As I picked up said lunch, I was on the way back from an ortho appointment where new fun attachments were stuck to my teeth (ugh. At least they're not really visible...unless you're up close. ANYway) and got my next 3 sets of aligners (yay!).

Now, some people reading this won't know the life long saga that is my teeth. Sure in pictures they look normal. But, I assure you, they are not. On my 1st summer of grad school, I was grabbing some D'lites (oh how I miss that delicious frozen yogurt fluffy stuff...healthy too! If you're in Gainesville, go. today. Then write me about it and make me jealous. At least I'll have some vicariously) with Katie and as I bit down on a hunk of cookie dough in mine, I felt a crack.

A big old piece of my #19 molar just broke off. Broke. Off.

We'd just been kayaking down on lake Alice (my very favorite thing to do on Saturday mornings back then. Now, it's...um...sleep. Wow the life of a working girl is glamorous...), and were all giggly and the relaxed that you only are after a nice workout and sunshine fatigue. And, it didn't hurt, so I called home, went to CVS, got some tooth putty, and went and had dinner at Katie's mom's (who was also my advisor . Miss her too!) house.

And that was the beginning.

Since then, I've had 2 root canals (on that tooth. Yes, both. The first time a file broke off in the tooth as they were trying to do it. Believe me, you don't want details), 6 crowns, I don't even remember how many fillings, and an immeasurable amount of tears cried in various dental chairs (and that's saying something for me), usually when no one was looking, sometimes when they were.

So, last summer the dentist I go to said that, to keep my teeth from breaking, braces would help.

Hmm, I'm kind of old for that. So, I weighed getting braces or getting veneers. I figured that if I spent time and money on braces, then those prettily straight teeth just broke anyway, it wouldn't be worth it (duh).

I said something like this to my Mom once over the phone, before I'd made a decision:

"If any dentist would agree to just pull all my teeth and put in implants instead, I'd sign up for it right now. Just as long as they won't break anymore..."

It was traumatic! Various ones (always non-visible. That's an interesting karmic thing I bet) over the next year or two, and they would always make for an afternoon/evening of tears. I know that, all things considered, I have it great in the body department (everything works just fine functionally, and I'm pretty happy with all of it as that stuff goes), but to have any part of you just quit, with no warning, and nothing you can do about it, is horrid.

So, I saw the orthodontist. When he said I was a candidate for invisalign, I was in. And, here I am now, several months later, with 27 more trays to go (which means 54 weeks, mind you).

But, my teeth are kind of sensitive all the time. Not sore persay, but I don't like unexpected crunches.

Which brings me to the parfait. No granola for me.

Oh, the humanity!

I used to eat granola every day in my yogurt. Sigh. I miss it.

But, totally worth it. I think almost anyone would agree, yes?

But still, it's sad to throw it away w/ the empty cup that was my parfait...

OH! And something else, more exciting than anything else in this post. Last night at Macy's I bought a dress for the wedding this weekend that was originally $349 for .........wait for it.............$15. Not. Even. Kidding. It rocks too. I'll post pics after the weekend :)

Introducing T

So my buddy B, a vegan chef, has a website and updates his opening video every Friday. It's a weekly thing to bug him, therefore, about what he'll post. Last Thursday I came over to the boys' house and was immediately ushered to the computer and shown this.

Amazing. Note the cameo by T (and my incredibly wobbly camera work), and definitely stay for the credits. You won't regret it.

Hobbies and a Looking Forward Theory

Those are the silhouettes I was talking about in yesterday's post. These are my first try - of course they can be better, but I like them :) I'll make them bigger next time, and do the pretty framing and all. Also, since they're of T and me, I think it'd be cute if they were facing each other, just saying.

I've also taken up crocheting, as of...yesterday. So far, I like it! (my Mom crocheted and my Dad knitted when I was little, so I've tried both, but probably not within the past decade and a half. A little rusty, ya think?)

So, as I got ready for my Monday yesterday morning, rather than crying woe at the long week ahead (I'm an anticipation person, what can I say? I'm happy for the weekend starting Tuesday afternoon...), I was looking forward to starting my fun new project. I couldn't wait to go to the fabric store and get all my hobby fixins to get me started.

I realized then that, it seems to me, if you have one thing each day to be excited about and look forward to, it can drastically change your outlook. If, instead of bemoaning something or the other, you can be happy about what's coming, then enjoy it when it's here (no not tasting the chocolate once it's in your mouth and you're reaching for another allowed!), then that's a step towards a more mindful life.

Today's quote is:

"Your own words are the bricks and mortar of the dreams you want to realize. Your words are the greatest power you have. The words you choose and use establish the life you experience."
~Sonia Choquette

That one not only went on the whiteboard and on a post-it on my desk, it's going in the journal. Wow.

That's what I've got for the day! Today what am I looking forward to? Being able to go home, right after work! And, a new book-on-cd for that long drive :)

What's your exciting thing?

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend was nice and, as usual, not long enough (never long enough!). On Friday night, T and I put on our "young people" hats and actually went out with some friends in Santa Monica: It was fun and all, but I do remember sitting on my hightop stool, sipping my malibu and pineapple and thinking, yeah, it's loud, and the people who keep brushing by me and nearly knocking me over are annoying, and I can smell cigarette smoke -please God don't let it get into my clothes- ... I think I'd rather be at home.

I know, I'm old.

Saturday, we went down to the beach for a little minus-the-food picnic. We laid out a sheet and read and watched the water and lazed around. It was so much fun, and I'm hard pressed to think of why we don't do this every weekend...oh yeah, we're lazy. And in the summer there are too many people for it to be fun (note the stockinged-feet-aversion-to-chilly-Pacific-breezes above)

I also made a couple of practice silhouettes, something I picked up from another blogger I love to read, and that I'll be making bigger versions of soon. For some reason I'm having a heck of a time uploading them, so I'll try again later.

Happy Monday!