Belated Friday Fotos!

Well, you can tell things are back to normal, as I am late posting the photos (go to see them all), as always. :)

Never knew lightning came with volcanoes until all of these high-profile eruptions

Can't imagine such a landscape and it not being snow...eerie...

Could this look anymore refreshing? Woohoo!!

These were really my only favorites from this week- the others are a lot of human-on-human violence and butchered animals. Lovely! (Though I pick favorites based on photographic technique, not subject, truly)

Hope you have a more pleasant weekend! Feels good to be back! :)

Bride Brain

You may have heard of "pregnancy brain". Apparently women (who, let's admit, if they're anything like me, are already a little nutso...) get pretty nutter butter when pregnant, due to hormones, stress, lots going on and such. They put the juice in the cabinet instead of the fridge, etc.

Well, I'm sure I'm not the first documented case, but I've come down with a case of "Bride Brain", and bad.

Last week at work, I could not remember if I was 26 or 27 with any certainty, and almost started crying. Oh yes. (For the record, I think I'm 26).

On a Wednesday, I was thinking about my first dress-fitting, that Saturday. And then, and only then, did I remember: I don't have my dress! Granted, thankfully, it's picked out and all, but I just hadn't been called to say that it had come in. Who knew where it is! I frantically called the bridal shop, and they said it wasn't in yet, but had definitely made it to New York. Crap. I'd have to reschedule the fitting and pray that we'd get it all done before the dang ceremony! The shop called an hour later to say that my dress had come in. PHEW. One lucky bride, I am.

But who can blame me, with the pressure and stress that surrounds this occasion that is so beautiful and romantic at its core. Dang the media and (certain) vendors who lure me to lose sight of that!

For example, look at this HORRENDOUS paid advertisement:

From BRIDES Magazine, January 2011
(Click to embiggen)

Let me guide you through it.

They want to help me "rock" my dress a.k.a. look fabulous on my wedding day. Okay, I'm on board! Awesome goal! Should I let my natural glow come through? Exude confidence about my gorgeous self? Think about the man I'm going to marry and smile?

Apparently not.

Bride, leading up to your wedding, you should "wear a thin ribbon tightly around your waist as an accessory, or under your clothes. If you start to feel the ribbon tightening, slow down!" Seriously. So when your stomach starts naturally expanding, AS IT SHOULD when you fill it with food (nutritionally-dense or otherwise), stop eating, you pig! How dare you let physics control you! This also sounds like a great way to give yourself heartburn and/or make breathing painful. Lovely.

And also, dear Bride, who cares what you actually like to drink? At the bar, "avoid brown liquors" because of their fattening tendencies, and choose a glass of red wine.

And we conclude with an ad for a boot camp. Shocking.

I get it. Everyone, including grooms and guests, wants to look great on the wedding day. I'm just saying, there are healthier, more positive ways to get there.

And though I love my alterations lady, she told me to stop working out, for fear that my shoulders would bulk up. Stop. Working. Out. The only thing that keeps me sane right now! (Okay, somewhat sane- you got me.) And not to mention HEALTHY! So I should settle for poor health just in case I get some awesome shoulder muscles? Do you think the tailor told RightHand the same thing? HAHAHAHA.

So I've mentioned the bridal magazines, and their complicity in causing Bride Brain. Well, here we have the knot magazine recommending certain dresses for certain goals. This first one is easy enough to understand:

She wants her dress to be unique. Cool! Yay!

(Those giant chess pieces are pretty rad, so you are on your way, girl!)

This next one, however...

She wants to pee by herself. You go girl?

I get it. I truly do. Puffy wedding dresses call for assistants in the bathroom, and some women aren't comfortable with that.

But there's something about the script font. The balloons. The everything. To quote the amazing Lewis Black... This is when the left side of the brain looks at the right side of the brain and says, "It's dark in here. And we may die." I mean, I'm dreaming of peeing by myself? Is this what my life has become?

So many reasons to be crazy. Plus, there's that sugar high from cake tastings (or is it, "thank God there's cake"?):

Cake samples in my fridge after a bridal show
(Don't tell BRIDES magazine!!!)

But truly, thank God, there is my sweet, wonderful groom, who writes wedding checks with this memo line:


Yep, sometimes I like him. ;)

Needless to say, Friday Fotos, Caturdays, and Bundays, and likely blogs in general, are on hold until I regain my sanity/have a wedding ring on my hand. :)

Thanks for all of your love and support.

'Til next time...!

Review: Massager Heating Pad

You may recall a while back when I said there would be an upcoming review on this blog.

Well, 800 years later, here it is!

Using our generous $30 credit from CSN Stores, and with wedding stress and half-marathon training (RightHand, not me!) upon us, RightHand and I decided to purchase the Sunbeam Heat Plus Massager Heating Pad. (The link says the product is currently unavailable- great timing, CSN!)

So, I'll break it down simply for you:

Pros:
-It has heat and massaging action, so that really helps with sore muscles, etc.
-The heat and massage functions can be used together or alone.
-It is great quality- nice pad cover, strudy control remote, etc.

Cons:
-There are only 2 settings, high and low. I'm used to pads that have settings of 1-10.
-The shipping was pretty steep: $7.00. Not sure if that is standard or not.
-The pad is a bit thick, though I understand that's the price one must pay for the massaging function.

We probably would not have gotten this product without the voucher, but we are glad we have it. Overall, I would give it a 3 out of 5, and a big thank you to CSN Stores, and a huge recommendation that you check out their selection when searching for anything for your home- seriously! Their selection is overwhelming at times.

Thanks for tolerating a review, dear readers!

Wedding Decisions: Music

Much to my surprise, there will be two kinds of music at our wedding: live (live!) and recorded (I guess that's what you call it...).

I never thought I'd be one of those lucky brides accompanied by a string quartet (okay, ours is a trio, but still!), but, hello- nice to meet you! Due to amplification restrictions at our venue, we were "forced" to turn to strings. (RightHand was forced, I delighted in it.) (I played the violin in middle and high school and miss it so much... So glad to have a piece of it in our wedding!)

At first, my former violin teacher was going to play in the trio, and I was ecstatic!! But, things fell through, as things do, and we still ended up with a magnificent option (and are hoping said violin teacher will still be able to at least attend!): The Classy Chicks

I got a call from a classy Classy Chick (see what I did there? ;) the other day, saying they may have to use a classy man, so not really sure where that leaves us on the name. And they are currently updating their website, so there may not be a sample of their work, but still, you can check it out. (This post has a subtler theme of unfulfilled expectations, eh?)

To give you something concrete, here is the repertoire list they sent us last week, from which to choose the songs that will be played on the BIGGEST DAY OF OUR LIVES (you see how I put pressure on every aspect of the wedding, yes?):

Wedding Music

Seating of the mothers/grandmothers

Air on the G String, BACH
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, BACH
Air form Water Music Suite, HANDEL
Ave Maria, SCHUBERT
Largo from "Winter", VIVALDI
Ave Maria, BACH

Bridesmaids

Canon in D, PACHELBEL
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, BACH
Spring from the Four Seasons, VIVALDI
Autumn from the Four Seasons, VIVALDI

Bride

Traditional Wedding March, WAGNER
Trumpet Voluntary, CLARKE
Arioso, BACH
Canon in D, PACHELBEL

Recessional

Traditional Wedding March Recessional, MENDELSSOHN
Finale from Water Music Suite, HANDEL
Brandenburg No. 3, BACH
Rondeau, MOURET
Ode to Joy, BEETHOVEN
La Rejouissance, HANDEL

Other Pieces

Hymns
Fascination
Moon River
Almost Like Being in Love
Theme from Love Story

Now, I can't share the songs with you because, my zounds!, we don't want any guest reading this blog reading my wedding posts, adding a glass of wine, and considering themselves having attended, now do we?

But trust me, it will be delightful music and surely tear-inducing! I was getting chills just listening and planning.

For the reception portion of the evening, RightHand and I fainted at the cost of the DJ and promptly hired his (please please please) capable brother.

Yes, we are having speakers, an iPod, and a brother. (And perhaps a brother-in-law, who demonstrates such showmanship after a drink or two! Feel free to grab the mic, Paul! ;)

I sent the following passage from theknot.com to RightHand today, accompanied by a frowny face:

Skip The iPod Idea

You may have the most genius playlist in mind, but there's a reason why DJs and bands are so common at weddings—they are there to read, interact and adjust to your crowd's mood throughout the evening and to make sure everyone is dancing and having a good time (so you don't have to). Besides, do you really want a friend or family member getting up to grab the microphone all night to announce your cake cutting and bouquet toss? Didn't think so.

What do they know?! Right?? They're just a website dedicated to wedding planning! (But seriously, most of the articles assume you have money flowing out your booty...) We are putting together a killer playlist and instructing Daniel (said brother) to the point that he probably won't show up. (I kid, I kid...not...)

Can't wait to celebrate! It'll be great! :)

Happy Bunday!

Some weekends, ya just gotta...

Stretch out...

Tend to some personal hygiene...

And relax!

Hope you had that kind of Bunday!

Happy Caturday!

Well this weekend and last weekend have been frantic yet fun-filled, so it's only natural to show our furkids partaking of the same:

Gatsby checking out the new scratch pad plus feather toy
(This is about as active as he got :)

Royal goes in for the kill...

...Got 'em!
Though Latte looks envious...
(And great photography RightHand!)

Inspired by Royal, Latte takes down the mighty seagull

Hope you're having a playful weekend! :)

Belated Friday Fotos

So I completely missed last week. Perhaps that's what wedding planning and working on the weekend will do to you?

And I'm late this week, but we'll call that improvement. :)

Here are my favorites (go here to pick yours):

Such a crazy story, but perhaps further proof that cows aren't just food?

I am so anti-clutter, this gives me a heart attack!
So sorry for the people who have to clean it up :(

Quite beautiful propaganda

Reminds me of a certain high school playground in Highlands, N.C.
Ahhh, sweet memories...

Proof that, somehow, some way, life does go on

At first this looked kind of fun, but then I remembered: Pillow fights hurt!!

'Til next time!