Back on Track

Hi. Remember me? 

Oh, that's right- I have a blog. 

While it might be terribly interesting to only post a single blog every ten months and see how my life changes (a la that How I Met Your Mother Episode: Trilogy Time), I think I'd rather just try and update regularly. 

Don't hold me to it, though. 

So since my last update I have had three different jobs, including a legal administrative assistant to a huge television network... 

... and collecting on late trailer payments. 

Clearly I am living the post graduate dream.

Matt, however, has finally finished his post graduate degree and is now officially Dr. Gross... commence with the giggling. I myself will only be referred to as "Mrs. Dr. Gross."

Lately my inspirations have limited themselves to... writing a blog post regularly.

Oh, and making perfect fried chicken.

And having a washer and dryer connection.

Live big.

I have this idea that eventually I'm going to look around my one bedroom apartment and be like, "You know what- I have everything I could ever want." There's always that one obnoxious, self-righteous person going, "Somewhere in the world someone is happier with less than you have." Well now I feel crappy on top of unsatisfied... Thanks a lot.

But seriously, I'll have these grand epiphanies in the middle of the night as I'm kicking off sheets and then pulling them back on (I guess I'm just as fickle with my sleeping wants and desires) that I'm going to radically alter my life... by cleaning out my closet.

Seriously- that's always my big idea.

So,  I'll pull out my clothes and sort through them, but as I'm deciding for the tenth time if I really need that dress my father bought at Macy's in New York City, I'll look over to Matt's side of the closet and think, He really should clean out his side of the closet. This leads to me sorting through his side (which is always easier than going through my clothes) and then dragging him upstairs, away from his oh-so-important class planning (ppffftt! Real jobs are lame!). I'll point out all the the stuff he needs to get rid of, including his three blue polo shirts, the five white stripped button downs that vary thismuch, and his 1990 over-sized sweater.

This never goes over well.

I might be able to get him to agree to get rid of like, one shirt. Maybe. It depends on how recent my last life-altering closet cleaning escapade happened. 

We once had a HUGE fight about his three pairs of New Balance sneakers. I know you're saying that is ridiculous: No one needs THREE PAIRS of New Balance sneakers. Thank you for that validation. 

Maybe one day I'll be able to really take a look at all the stuff I have and genuinely sort through it to what I need. I'd like to think I could be one of those people who recognize that the simple things make them happy, like a cup of coffee on a rainy day with a book of Browning's poetry. 

I don't know why I always imagine that with poetry- but I do. Perhaps because I never read poetry. Rather than that sweet image, I'm the girl forgetting she had a cup of coffee next to her, even though she has reheated it three time since her sweet husband put a pot on for her that morning, or that it was even raining, as I've been stuck on the same Zelda boss for days (weeks.) 

Obviously I'm a work in progress.

The other side

Good golly I'm married!

Life on the other side is just as grand as I suspected.
No wedding stress, just normal married life-ness.

Rather than try to describe the sheer happiness/stress/joy/terror/bliss of my wedding day- I put together this small slide show. I may or may not have been watching Sleepless in Seattle when I heard this song.

Oh, Harry Connick Jr. You should stick to only singing...
P.S. I Love You, anyone?



Photos by my wedding photographer- Kyle Gregory.

The final stretch!!

So we are nearing the end of the wedding countdown. I have to count backwards now to figure out how many days until October 2nd. As I have never been skilled at mental math it still takes me a moment...

... ten seconds later...

24 days? Is that right?

After looking at my computer calender, I've determined that is correct.

This is where I should cue my freak out, but I'm actually feeling okay. It's like the closer it gets I have this nagging feeling that I should be, you know, doing something wedding related, when in fact I just return to the book I'm reading with a hot cup of tea (Translation: watch another episode of Law and Order: SVU with a cup of cold coffee).

To catch up on my lack of posting:
I had my bridal shower!!

It was a sweet get together thrown by Eunie and sister Suzanne. Shelby helped from a distance- four babies are difficult to travel with.

Giant engagement ring napkin rings, dolls dressed like bride and groom, fresh fruit, sorbet punch, and mini sandwiches were every where to be found. Eunie even went as far as to incorporate my colors (pale blue and peach) everywhere, and had pinwheels in the corsages for the mothers and me.

It was wonderful- elegant, classy, and so much fun.

Earlier that day, Matt and I went for a photoshoot!

Now, normally Matt and I do not take the best pictures together. Matt has a tendency to squint his eyes and bare his teeth like a deranged psycho.

I am allowed to say this as I do love him.

Example:

I had joked with Matt that all of our photos at our wedding would be of him gazing lovingly at me- since those always turn out well (at least of him. I do occasionally jack up a photo or two.)

Anyways, or engagement session actually went MARVELOUSLY!! Kyle Gregory of K.G. Photography is going to be photographing our wedding, and we met with him for our engagement session. After a quick jaunt to lower Station Camp Creek road, we pulled our cars over, hopped out, and ran into the random field with hay bales (bails?).

After some quick direction from Kyle (place hands here, look this way, etc.) we were placed and ready to go. Matt and I were looking right at each other (it was supposed to be loving, or intense longing or something romantic like that) when Matt says:

"I want to like your nose so badly right now."

So we lost it. But the photos came out great! That's when we discovered the secret to good pictures! LAUGHTER!

Kyle said something along the lines of us being the most "natural" couple he's shot. Probably because we wouldn't stop goofing around.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post Kyle's photos, as I don't have the rights to them yet, but go THIS LINK to see a preview of our session on his blog.

Also- go here to see photos of Suzanne's wedding. Kyle did that, too.


Quick update on what is left:
Bridal party gifts
Teeth whitening
Table seating arrangement
Escort Cards
Programs
Thank you notes for bridal shower
Matt's wedding gift (I'm assuming my wedding gift as well)
Sound system (COME ON MATT GROSS- get that taken care of!)

Yup, I think that is all. Not too shabby for... hold on, let me scroll up again....
24 days.

Scavenger Hunting for Place Settings

So I'm not sure if anyone one remembers my inspiration for table settings, but I'm sort of going for a vintage/victorian/eclectic/whimsical/tea-party-ish feel. Rather than have all my plates and cups be matching, I decided to hunt for EVERYTHING.

That would be:
Dinner Plates
Dessert Plates
Saucers
Tea Cups
Knives
Spoons
Forks (Dinner and Dessert)

Many caterers will rent you these crucial items (who wants to go to a wedding with no plates?!) at a cost, but you are responsible for paying for anything that is broken (that has to be a downer for the weddings where plate breaking are a sign of good luck and well-wishes.)

I challenged my mother and future mother-in-law, Denise, to help me find these pieces.

And off to Goodwill we went!

Now, I used to not be a fan of Goodwill. Seriously, my mother and sister, Suzanne, would go on these seven hour shopping bends, and the last stop would ALWAYS be Goodwill. After seven hours of shopping ("Does this basket look big enough to hold my socks? Wait, wait- I just found these for a nickle cheaper! Do you like it better than this one? It's a bit smaller. Do you think this one is worth the extra nickle, or should I go for the smaller, cheaper one? I'm not sure how many socks I have. Maybe I need two baskets...") I am normally at my wits end by the time we make it to Goodwill. It's at this point that all I want to do is sit on the floor and cry like I did when I was four(teen).

But now that I went to Goodwill with a purpose I was renewed!! Now it was a treasure hunt! I relished in sorting through cups for hidden jems (a gold border? AMAZING! Hand-painted flowers? It's like it's Christmas!!) Mom loves anything for a good deal, so she was timing her shopping to the first Saturday of each month where EVERYTHING was half-off.

Apparently this is only valid at Nashville locations, because the lady at the Goodwill in Knoxville looked at me like I had two heads. I wanted to tell her they needed to have everything half-off because her prices were OUTRAGEOUS. Target had better prices on tea cups for crying out loud.

Denise also got in on the place setting hunt, dropping into vintage boutiques, both overpriced and super cheap. Denise loved the haggle- she got an entire bag of silverware for, life, five dollars. I would listen to her ask how much something was, ("10 dollars.") and then succinctly state what she would have paid ("1 dollar").

I do not have pictures of my mother's finds (those will come later) but I did photograph Denise's "staging" area in her dining room.

Denise's Finds
12 Dinner Plates
26 Dessert Plates
23 Teacups and Saucers
73 Forks (seriously- these are like gold. Everyone has spoons and knives, but forks were always MIA)
19 Spoons
12 Knives
6 Various serving spoons

10 Milk bud vases
Sterling silver salad tongs
Sterling silver butter dish
Sterling silver sugar and creamer set

5 Pie plates
15 Wine glasses
3 Mimosa glasses

Denise thought it would be nice to do a mock table setting in her kitchen. When I try describing my tables to family members and friends, I mostly get cocked heads and raised eyebrows. I am totally confident that the tables are going to be beautiful, but for the doubters, go a head a take a look.

Now just imagine how pretty it will be with peach table clothes, burlap table runners, and cloth napkins with button napkin rings?

Can yous see it? I certainly can.

Ceremony sites and Reception Plans

Long time- no see.

Let's see- an update shall we? I've been a busy little bee with only...

47 DAYS UNTIL THE WEDDING!!

Jumpin' jehosephats! A little over six weeks!

I've actually been fairly productive though. It's such a weird feeling, seeing everyone head back to college. This is the first August I've not done the typical school supply shopping, elbowing the other girls for Lisa Frank folders (oh, wait. That was second grade.)

I'm, like, done with school. Weird.

Anyways, with all this free time NOT going back to school, I've been finishing up this wedding business. Here's what's left on my To Do list:

1. Print the invitations and pay the postage
2. Bridal party gifts
3. Guestbook
4. Escort cards
5. Family Wedding Photo table
6. Rent the sound system
7. Finalize the song list
8. Finalize the officiant (We may have found one!! Hooray!!)
9. Photobooth

And I really think that is it! Mom said all that's left is too look pretty and open gifts.

Last week Matt and I FINALLY got to see the Allandale. Besides those ice cream socials Matt attended as a boy and the 5 second walkthrough I got with Denise that one day, neither of us had really seen the place.

It took 2 WEEKS to get a hold of them. The first time I tried calling to pop by, I was told that one day was too short of notice. Then, we I tried the next week to set up a time, no one returned my call. Or my message. Then I sent an email. No response. Then Matt left a message. No response.

I was getting kind of antsy at this point. I finally called the city of Kingsport's Parks and Recreation department and THEY got the Allandale to call me back.

Denise, Matt and I headed up last Thursday. And I have pictures!

Here are the three potential ceremony sites:

The front of the house.
Pros:
Included in our fee
Pretty
Stately

Cons:
You can hear the traffic from the road
I'm not sure how I'm going to get to the back of the aisle to walk down it. Coming out of the front door is a little anti-climatic. Matt said I could just hide in the bushes while the guests are seated. Denise has mentioned a horse and carriage ride, but those are EXPENSIVE.

The gazebo at the back of the house.

Pros:
Pretty- not a lot of decor needed
I can walk out the back of the house and down the aisle
Guests will be right by the reception site

Cons:
Extra fee
I'm not sure if you can see it, but there are heron statues inside the gazebo. Random.

Pros:
Included in my fee
More casual and laid back- like the wedding
No road noise

Cons:
The walking down the aisle thing again- how do I get at the start of the aisle??
Ground is kind of not even- makes chair difficult
Someone would have to clean up the branches
I don't exactly scream "nature lover"


I'm not sure if you have noticed yet, but all three sites are OUTSIDE. Just like my reception site:

The dance floor!


So if it rains... well, I'm trying not to think about it. I'm not too thrilled with the plan B.

The inside of the house is beautiful.

But here is where I would have my ceremony AND reception:

What's that you ask? Did I type ceremony and reception?

Yes, I did.

I was told I can fit 72 people in the living room, but 62 would be a bit more "comfortable." After the ceremony, everyone would get up. Someone would have to move all the chairs, roll out five of the tables, and then set them up with the linens, plates, and centerpieces.

What are all the guests going to do? Stand and watch? I think it just sounds so... awkward?

Not to mention there would be NO dance floor. So we'd basically eat, cut the cake, and roll out.

So, I'm putting in a personal request to God for no rain. Hooray!

Pinwheel Boutonnieres

Ladies and gentlemen- I have accomplished my first DIY project for the wedding.

Hooray!!

I have an entire bookmark folder dedicated to all these Do-It-Yourself projects I want to make, with things ranging from escort cards, a photo booth, table numbers, to the favors.

And now there is one down: the pinwheel boutonnieres!!

Photo: ruffledblog.com/diy-pinwheel-boutonnieres/

I've had these things picked out since before I got engaged (what? I was SO not one of those girls who planned their wedding before they had the ring.....)

I love how whimsical they look, and silly- just like Matt. He's going to have on a bright yellow bow tie, so it's only fitting that the boutonnieres were bright and crazy, too.

Here's how I did it:

Patterned 4x4 origami paper
Spray adhesive
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Buttons
Adhesive pin backs

1. Take two different pieces of paper and spray the back of one. Glue the backs together.

2. Cut from each corner to about 1 inch from the center. I eyeballed it. You could use a ruler and stuff but I try not to sweat the small stuff.

3. Put a thin layer of hot glue on the center. Glue alternating pieces down- it should look like a pinwheel now.

4. Add another thin layer of hot glue in the center and place the button on top.

5. Once the glue dries, place the pin on the back.

I have 11 guys in need of boutonnieres, so I made 15. I figured four were bound to be ruined.

Daddy's Song

I have found the song.

Daddy and I are going to dance to "I'll Always Be Your Baby."

No. Not the Mariah Carey 90's hit. (That's what Matt thought.) Although that would be funny.

It's some random Natalie Grant song.

So here's the thing. I think she sounds like a 90s Celine Dion knock off. She's got a lot of obnoxious "ooohs" and "mmmmms" at the beginning, and she sings a little breathy.

Suzanne, my sister, said it has a contemporary Christian sound which means I'm right. It does sound like 90s pop music. Matt and I have this theory that Christian music is always one decade behind on the current "sound." That means ten years from now Christian music will sound like Ke$ha.

Wrap your mind around that if you will.

But I digress- this is the song I'll be dancing to with my father.
And while you may ask why after all my moaning and groaning about the sound, it all makes sense when you hear the words. No other song (and I did look) captures my feelings for my Daddy like this song.

I was listening to it on the couch while Matt played Civilization (yes... again). He hears me sniffling, he leans back in his chair to see me, and laughs.

I was crying by the first verse.

I'm posting the lyrics in case you can't get past the breathy singing.



You were my first love
Always there for me
You taught me how me to walk and how to dream
God gave me your eyes
But it was you who showed me how to see
Now I can stand on my own
But I know you'll never let go

I'll always be your baby
No matter how the years fly by
The way you loved me
Made me who I am in this world
I'm a woman now
Not a little girl
Wherever this life takes me
I'll always be your baby

You are my hero
And that will never change
You still can dry my tears with just your smile
The one I've leaned on
From my first steps
To walking down the aisle
Now there's another man in my life
But I know by the look in your eyes

I'll always be your baby
No matter how the years fly by
The way you loved me
Made me who I am in this world
I'm a woman now
Not a little girl
Wherever this life takes me
I'll always be your baby

Your faith, your love and all that you believe
Have come to be the strongest part of me

And I will always be your baby
No matter how the years fly by
The way you loved me
Made me who I am in this world
I'm a woman now
Not a little girl
Wherever this life takes me
I'll always be your baby

Songwriters: NATALIE GRANT, STEPHANIE LEWIS, GEORGE TEREN