where do I even begin?

I've been sort of dreading this post because I don't know how to put into words how fantastic last weekend was! Jackie gave a really nice summary on her blog, so let me see what I can add. In true preferred list fashion, here are some of my favorite moments of the weekend:

• Spending time with the early birds on Thursday! The turnout at Kung Fu was way bigger than we thought it'd be, and it was so exciting to have Memphis/Colorado/Chicago/Austin/etc. all convene together in one place. And, let's be honest, I got to get drunk and get it out of my system for the weekend :)
• Friday's luncheon on the lake - Megan's mom, Amanda, and her mom did an amazing job with the food and setup, and I couldn't have chosen a more perfect way to bring all my girls together! The weather was perfect (eh, okay, maybe a hair warm but dry!), and this was the last quiet moment of the day, so definitely something to be grateful for.
• Rehearsal dinner toasts - it seemed like every single person in our wedding party spoke (+ a few others), which was so wonderful to hear! I had been a crying machine earlier that day and was glad I could keep it together during this part of the night :) Also, the slideshow that Amy made was just amazing - so well put together, great music, a lot of surprise shots (and some great photo exclusions as well). Thank you so much, A!!! I'll be sure to contact you the next time I need another thousand-hour favor.
• Hanging out at Side Bar afterwards - it was nice to narrow the crowd a little and get some better one-on-one time with people. Oh, and to ride home with Team U was pretty much the best way to end my singledom!!
• My view in the morning - Looking out the window at Town Lake, seeing partly cloudy skies, and having some time to myself was a perfect start to the day. Getting out of the house and into the hotel was an awesome idea in general, because I was able to have some peace and quiet Friday night post-bar, as well as in the morning (minus one knock from my then-fiance who crashed on the other side of the suite at the last minute to escape sharing a room with dirty drunk rowdy all-of-the-above three boys).
• The Blackhorn bus - I know it's probably a tiny bit tacky to cart your wedding party around in a blacked out bus with longhorn steers on the front and a stripper pole inside but hey, I do what I want! This was definitely one of the biggest highlights of the day, because everyone was super relaxed, it was fun to take some really creative pictures around town, and it's just amazing to look around and see your combined best friends all in one place.Totally breathtaking.
• On that note, having so many meaningful moments with friends in one weekend was incredible. I can think of every single person that I talked to and remember something sweet, funny, or just downright dumb that we talked about. I loved them all.
• Walking into the venue - after 11 months of trying to define my vision for the wedding, coordinating vendors, stretching and contracting the budget, and giving everyone countless directions, that moment could've been pretty horrific. If the details hadn't come together, or someone hadn't shown, or my ideas hadn't been executed as envisioned...ugh, I just can't even imagine. But instead, it was perfect. Insert tears here!!!!
• The ceremony - I was shocked at how "present" I felt during our ceremony. I really listened to the pastor, really listened to the reading (great job Amy!), reaaaaaaally held back tears, and even laughed. I wasn't nervous in the slightest bit, which I was pretty shocked about and still don't really understand, but I guess when you know it's right, there's nothing to be nervous about :)
• The pastor - We both really loved having "Pastor Rick" back in our lives after he led my dad's service 2 years ago. It's great when you can reunite with someone for a positive reason! We enjoyed our premarital counseling period with him, and he said some very encouraging things to us that made our ceremony feel even more special (even though just the two of us knew).
• Our ride home - We had this cool little hybrid golf-cart-on-steroids pick us up and take us to the hotel, but our driver looped in-and-around downtown before dropping us off. So we sat on the back of the cart facing traffic, beer cans hanging off the back (thanks, driver), riding past all the drunkies downtown...it was definitely...something.

I didn't leave out the reception because it wasn't a blast, it was just all sort of a consistent blast, rather than having little snippets that stood out. I also focused pretty intently on soaking in the ceremony, and after that, I just let loose and kind of bopped along for the rest of the night. After all, the most important part was over. It also felt like it was about 30 minutes long too, due to the overwhelming factor and my overexpenditure on the dance floor :)

There are so many other details I could comment on, like how much we loved our photographers and Beth, Wedding Coordinator Extraordinaire, but you probably don't want to read all that. To see more instead, check out our photographer's blog with photos from the wedding!

Some of Brian's friends stayed in town for a few days, so we got to continue socializing through about Tuesday, at which point I basically died and then was revived to watch TV (see unemployment post). All in all, I don't even know how to summarize the wedding weekend except to say that it was an incredible experience. I mean, it's SO WEIRD to have all the important people in your (and your spouse's) life in one place, intermingling with each other. There was so much laughter, beauty, happy tears, hugs, excitement, and a very rewarding fullfilment of a year's worth of work. And the best part is that we're now MARRIED!!!!!!!

wedding week wooooooooo

At the risk of jinxing myself, can we talk about how awesome this weather forecast looks? Especially when the 10-day forecast was initially showing rain rain rain and some more rain on the side. But this looks more like true Austin weather, which is exactly what we want for our out-of-towners...especially the ones that have never been here before!

That's all.

weeeeeeeee

Well, since my short absence has upset my blog so much that it felt the need to leave a comment on my last post, I guess I better get back to it! Although you're tired of hearing it: it's been an insane couple of weeks. 

I finished my last couple of papers/projects and, despite an expensive printing crisis that led to shedding tears in public right before my major presentation, everything else went just fine. My grades were good, and I graduated! It was kind of an absurd graduation considering it was nearly 3 hours long and I was 10th out of 800+ (majority were undergrads that came out of nowhere - I thought St. Edward's was small??). 

Obligatory diploma picture

I realized a difference between undergrads and grads too...at our graduation from Rhodes, we were 1) SO EXCITED about being done and 2) emotional about the end of school and leaving our friends. But this time, it was all sweet relief. I'd guess 75% of us all have full-time jobs, families, and fully developed lives that will continue on just the same way they have been going for the last 2-4 years of dedication to the graduate programs, except NOW we all get to actually fully envelop ourselves in those lives. It's an awesome, awesome thing!

So in the past week, we also put the house on the market, which meant that after graduation I got to come home and do a deep-clean for 5 hours! Yay! But now that the house is being shown, at least that part is complete. 

The next day, we got treated to the cutest shower ever by our Austin friends! I don't think any of us have yet accepted that that was our first real adult party. WE. ARE. STILL. KIDS. But anyway, it was a lovely afternoon, we felt so blessed by our friends, and we overstayed our welcome at 403 B, which proves that the party was successful :)

Small snapshot that doesn't do the scene justice!

Basically everyone I talk to these days asks what kind of wedding stuff we're taking care of, now that we're in the final countdown. Here's how every day shapes up:

10:00 a.m. I wake up and start emailing vendors, friends, etc. about wedding stuff.

12:00 p.m. We start running errands.

8:00 p.m. Stores close. 

9:00 p.m. Forage for food.

10:30 p.m. Return home, pour a fat glass of wine, and go back to emailing vendors, friends, etc. while watching TV.

2:00 a.m. Sleep.

In terms of what we're actually doing on the errands / in those emails, I don't know how accurately it compares to other people's weddings because our venue is just an open space that doesn't really do anything for us. So we're bringing in all lighting, rentals, vendors, etc. Which means that Brian and I have been to Hobby Lobby and Michael's 3 times this week. (I've offered to reattach his testacles when this is all done). 

On that note, it's 2:00 a.m. Please consult my schedule until further notice. 

ups is my new best friend

Because my neighborhood operates on an alley system, sometimes I'll go days without stepping foot on my front porch. But yesterday, oh glorious day, I turned into the 'hood behind a UPS truck and thought maybe just maybe he was going to my house, so I followed him down my street past the front of my house with high hopes. He picked up on my stalker vibes and he stopped!

Mr. UPS Love the Shorts Man left me a box from REI, so first I thought maybe it was a belated birthday present (?) but then I remembered, oh yeah, we're getting married! And we have a registry at REI! I knew logically there was no need to open the box until Brian and I were together and could open all of our presents at the same time. But as soon as I sliced through the packaging tape, needs and wants got all mixed up in my head and I decided it was prooooobably sufficient for me to just call him so he could hear me open the box. And 10 seconds, no answer, and 7 pieces of tissue paper later, that turned into me sending him a picture of our very first wedding gift(s) - YAY!  

Like this, sans pine cones, plus awesome gifts. 

Shout out to Jason & Jessica for leading the way on the gift-front...sorry that I couldn't wait to open them (Emily Post is rolling over in her grave right now). It's funny because honestly neither Brian nor I have thought about the fact that people would send us presents...it's seems so unwarranted and unexpected. And I say that even after we registered - but that part just felt like making a fake Christmas list. Key word being fake. Getting married has never been about the gifts, so I completely had not thought of how awesome it would be if/when they materialized. Also, I think this is the first indicator that holy crap our wedding is getting close! Let the tissue paper unfurl!!!!

there are no words

There are many reasons to be excited about marrying into the DesGranges family, but topping the list is Brian's mom's notorious Christmas gift giving practices. Let me preface this by saying she is the sweetest, most well-intentioned woman on the planet. Not so sweet that she's meek or is a pushover, but just very kind and loving. That being said...I'm not sure what runs through her mind around Christmastime. She has given Brian a variety of eccentric gifts, including Twister Moves (a spin-off on Twister) when Brian was already out of college and well out of the children's-game-playing age range. Actually, she gave him Twister Moves two years in a row. Other notables include a Dance Dance Revolution knock-off (given in his 20s) and a gold chain/bracelet set. Last year I was expecting something really shocking but got a few cute things including a Widow's Mite, which was this little coin on a necklace that was supposedly the kind of coins used in Jesus' era. Authenticity aside, I didn't think it was a bad gift at all, until I found out Brian had received the same thing the year before, necklace and all. 

Needless to say, there are always some really good stories to come out of it, and it makes gift time on Christmas Day supercharged with anticipation. 

This year, we brought it upon ourselves. We instated a "homemade / re-gift" gift policy so that everyone could save some money. As you might expect, this resulted in a few photo calendars, framed pictures, etc. But, I bet you didn't expect this. 

Meet my stocking stuffer. 

The only question now is, where are we going to hang it?!

God bless your sweet sweet soul, Rai.

the wedding tornado

Oh hello there Bloggity Blog Blog. Fancy seeing you here in cyberspace...where I abandoned you. What can I say, there's been a lot going over at Wedding 2K10 headquarters lately. Oh and that whole school thing keeps getting in the way. But I'm taking a few minutes for you and only you, right here, let's go. Shall we start in October?

Since I knew I'd have Brian for two whole imprisoning-can't-get-out-it weeks, I did some major wedding scheduling for his trip. Meaning, meetings out the backhole. Flowers, officiant, DJ, cake, buses, save the date, videographer, bahhhh! And, while it's way fun and totally necessary to do while he's in town, holycrapit'salotofwork. 

Now, as you might guess, I have been pretty pumped about the majority of wedding planning so far, but man, I did not expect to enjoy the free food part so much! It makes sense: people want to serve you delicious food for free so you will pay them thousands of dollars down the road...but somehow I still feel like I'm getting a great deal...because I've been brainwashed. I didn't have incredibly high expectations because obviously I'd never been before, but holy crap was it awesome! From our first tasting, a little home-cookin' barbecue...nevermind that it was served on cafeteria plates:

6 meats and 7 sides? Don't mind if I do!

Then the next day, Brian's parents had lunch with us at another potential spot and switched to Mexican cuisine. Look how happy tastings make you!

Brian's papa

That round, we got to try every appetizer offered, all fajitas and enchiladas, 3 desserts, and 5 different alcoholic drinks. Would you like to guess my productivity level for the afternoon?

The next day we had another tasting with a custom menu and the appetizers were so cute I wanted to hug them! I won't post that picture because that would spoil the fun later, but suffice it to say, they were delicious and creative and I just hope we can afford them! We will probably have one more tasting with another caterer who we're hoping can do all the stuff we want. Let's be honest, our particularity and budget are a little bit demanding, so we're hoping this is the winner! 

In the meantime, we got out our Save the Dates, I picked out some bridesmaids dresses, and we're moving to the next chunk of the to-do list. And as of now, our crazy travelling-hippie-camp of a honeymoon is still on. We're hoping to rent a teardrop trailer soon to verify that we can, in fact, spend the majority of six weeks in one without developing claustrophobia. I think there's no turning back now, though, seeing as how I'm fantasizing daily about all the non-textbooks I'm going to read, which toys are going to make the cut (bikes + frisbee are musts), and all the crazyass car games I'm going to come up with to annoy Brian. That's what honeymoons are for, right?

the parentals

Several of you know that Brian and I had the great meeting of the parents this past weekend, but I haven't had a chance to tell anyone about it...so...to the blog!

We've met each other's respective parents a few times but realized there would be no reason for us all to be in the same place before the wedding, and we really didn't want that to be the first time they'd all met, so we orchestrated a little meet-and-greet in ATX this past weekend. Brian's parents drove in from Florida and stayed for about 5 days and my mom popped down from Fort Worth for part of the weekend. Everyone played nicely, as expected, and the ladies seemed to get along quite well! 

The three main topics of the weekend were:

1) Guns

2) Food

3) Family relationships that need some explaining

Anticipating this dialogue exactly, Brian and I had a hard time figuring out what kind of activities we should plan. Unlike us, they are usually an "indoor only" kind of crew, but we were trying to avoid watching movies or other things that don't encourage conversation. We 86-ed playing poker (which we'd been doing with his parents already) because Brian pointed out that going for blood might not be the best way to get everyone to buddy-up. Doing a puzzle was out because these aren't our grandparents. Having a drink on the porch doesn't fly when none of the parentals drink. So, we went to the only place that we knew they'd all be happy:

Please note that Monday is Ladies Day. 

All the adults have their carrying licenses, so we brought 6 guns for 5 people (I hear you can never be too safe) and everyone seemed pretty excited about teaching me how to shoot, as I was the only one who had never fired a weapon. Well that's not true, there was that corn I killed, but otherwise, no real weapons. 

So apparently there's this weird thing that cops' kids do. They live around guns their whole life and then grow up and watch Bowling for Columbine and decide that guns are what's wrong with America and the next thing you know, they're crying in a firing range. That's right. Crying. In the firing range. Honestly, I almost wish I'd just peed in my pants or something. Because there's less dignity but more spine involved in that. 

So here's what happened. I wanted to watch my mom shoot first so I'd know what to expect, and then I nearly died when she fired the gun. I'd never really processed the whole "ammo works because there's an explosion involved" dealio, so the bright flash and the sound (along with twenty other people firing in their lines) just about made me stop breathing. I was like a Mexican jumping bean in there, ricocheting off of everyone else's shots. Each one literally terrified me.

Somehow I'd managed to forget that I hate balloons simply because sometimes they pop and when they do I nearly have a heart attack, and also that I hate it when Brian hides to scare me because the anticipation kills me even if I know where he is, and oh yeah I hate Operation with a bloody fire because I scream every time my tiny scalpel makes the thing buzz. So trade out a 9 mm for a tiny scalpel and an explosion in a concrete bunker for a buzz and Oh Look, It's My Living Nightmare!

At first I tried to pull it together and just breathe and try to drown out the other shots but inevitably they just got louder and louder and I became more and more jumpy and the next thing you know, here come a few tears! (Only a few, for the record). I knew how badly Brian and especially my mom wanted me to learn to shoot. But as soon as the outward motivation changed from "It'll be fun!" to "Someday you may need to protect yourself if you're walking down a dark alley," I think the reality and definitiveness of GUNS KILL PEOPLE seeped back in and, knowing that's not something I ever want to do, I just got totally creeped out by the fact that any of these people could turn around and shoot me or accidentally misfire and shoot themselves (dents in the counters helped me with this theory) and then, more tears. Mucho embarrassment-o.

The good thing is, everyone else really enjoyed themselves. And Brian was a great shot, so I think we're covered in the defense department. It was a totally bizarre activity to choose for our parents but hey, some people bond over alcohol, some bond over deadly weapons. To each his own!

Mom, Brian, random dude, Brian's dad, Brian's mom. 

One big happy gun-wielding family!

a pinch of crazy + a lb. of unemployment

After all of our intense Excel-sheeting and timeshare-looking, the honeymoon is starting to take a slightly different shape from our initial interest in fleeing the country. Bubbling on the backburner has been an idea to do some extensive traveling right around our homeland, you know, the one with the red white and blue?

Since most likely, Brian and I will both be without jobs come next May, it's been hard to resist the urge to max out on our vacationing while vacation time comes without penalty! Thus, we're starting to wrap our minds around maybe more like a 2-month adventure around the U.S....likely, with the assistance of a teardrop trailer. If you've never seen one, they were really popular back in the 30s-50s and look like this: 

Essentially there's just enough room inside to crawl into bed, and then the kitchenette on the back houses a little stove, icebox, etc. Here's a diagram where you can see the inside and how everything manages to fit in such a small space. 

There's definitely not any room to spare, but it's the most cost-effective alternative that we've found that's a step above straight-up camping in a tent (which, let's be honest...do you think I could happily sleep in a tent for 8 weeks? Let's not talk crazy now). An RV would be great but they are gas guzzlers and cost a fortune, even to rent. The teardrop trailer is a nice little in-between that can be pulled by a sedan, can be re-sold after we're done with it, and would give us more protection than a tent but still save us from spending money on 60 nights in hotels. Because of its portability, you can essentially sleep anywhere you feel safe enough to do so - campgrounds, the side of the road, or even Wal-Mart parking lots (WM is super trailer friendly...another little factoid I've learned). There are obviously no showers, so you have to rely on campground showers, merciful friends, and a can of Psssst. 

Maybe a little crazy, but interesting, right?

A whole teardrop trailer sub-culture exists, which has been fascinating to see on websites and travel logs. And there are all sorts of accessories you can get too, like tents and dressing rooms, since you can't stand up in the trailer. 

Brian's uncle restores vintage cars and does all sorts of other mechanic/handywork that my feminine brain can't process, so we've enlisted him to start researching how much it would cost to have him build us our very own. Possibly painted to match the gold Honda. I'm just saying.

We'll see how the financial aspect of it pans out, but I've done a mock budget and I think we could get away with it for about the same price as 2 weeks in Costa Rica or somewhere equally awesome. So we'll see - there may or may not be a Google map already dedicated to potential routes. If we're going to be jobless and homeless and kidless - no better time to do something like this, right??

honeymoon hunting

Since I blew off the morning and spent the whole time researching honeymoons, I promised myself I'd study after lunch. But here I am. Full, and blogging about honeymooning. 

Brian and I have started gathering our thoughts on potential spots, and let me tell you people something - the world is a very big place. I guess this is traditionally a little too early to be planning that part of Marriage Extravaganza 2K10, but we're really hoping to use some "credit" through a timeshare program that B's parents are a part of, and those places book up ridiculously early, sooooooooo here we are. July and planning 11 months out. 

Costa Rican pool

Really all we have to do now is settle on a spot so we can reserve our lodging, and then we'll work on the rest of it at a more appropriate time, say next spring. But trying to pick a spot is way more overwhelming than I thought it would be! I've found myself spending a lot of time judging pools, when really I want to find a part of the world that's crazycool outside the resort walls. We've really only been able to weed out one place, which is New Zealand, because we want to go in our winter when it's their summer. Otherwise, the rest of our choices are all over the globe right now. Which makes for a menacing Excel sheet. 

Finnish pool

So, five readers, do any of you have any comments on places you've been and loved? I really want to know where and why! Recommendations are so crucial, and I'm hoping maybe I could narrow my focus a little bit with some feedback. I think our trip will span a couple of weeks and hopefully will include lots of disparity - adventure, relaxation, hostels, resorts, whatever. So really the metric is just caliber of amazement and enjoyment. Ok, now go post something helpful :)

God's pool, as seen in the Dominican Republic 

life lately

Life has been rolling right along these past few weeks, so sorry for not blogging but here's what's been keeping me busy:

+ As some of you know, our wedding planner quit! Not because we sucked, fortunately, but because her godsister decided to get married the same day as us. This caused a good solid 24-hour panic for me (I know, dumb), but I met with someone new that fortunately we can actually afford (as most of the experienced planners are a fortune), and it turns out her company works closely with our photographers as well, so now everybody's happy :) Oh, and speaking of our photographers, they are awesome and officially booked as well! They have been so flexible with our budget and our ideas, which are very specific but a little different from what they normally have done. They are open-minded and creative, which is exactly what we want!

+ Classes...still cramping my social life...The good news is, I'm learning a lot about the law. The bad news is, some of my classmates are still idiots. Cest la vie.

+ We opened up a new fund at work, and we're opening another next month! Really this mostly affects really really ridiculously good looking rich people, but it is an exciting chapter for the business and my bosses have been working really hard and deserve to reap some benefits! Consequently, they've been in a great mood, allowing me to pull crap like this: 

Boss 1: Hey, would you mind creating a new folder for this?

Me*: Aaaand cut. Let's do another take, but this time you don't want me to do anything for you. Aaaaand ACTION.

+ Trying to hire contractors for a few/ton of fixes on my Dad's house, including but not limited to a water leak and subsequent mold destruction, bringing the water heater up to code, removing and replacing the stove, laying tile in kitchen and bathrooms, new toilets, and new carpet. Let me tell you how fun this is......oh wait, it's not. We've got it narrowed down to the A-Team (who costs twice as much) and the B-Team, who is keeping plumber's crack alive and well. This has involved a lot of researching, appointments, price checking, etc. Interesting learning experience but I'm definitely ready to get someone hired and get the work done! Not sure if renting or selling will come after that, but I am meeting with my realtor this week to discuss.  

+ Chicago for the Fourth of July. We had a really great weekend , despite that one little glitch where I threw up 15 times after a night of beer die on an empty stomach. (So what if I'm 26?) Beyond that, Brian and I spent some time checking out different neighborhoods so I could get a feel for them...you know...if I moved...or something...sometime. I am so grossly in love with the city right now that I think you could put me in a cardboard box and I'd be happy. Until winter, when I would die. We trekked through Lincoln Square, Roscoe Village, Wicker Park, and Lakeview, and next time will look into more! In the meantime, I've signed up for an 8-hour bicycle safety/maintenance class (shut it) so I can work on not getting killed in traffic, which will be nice to practice here over the next year before I hit the streets of Chicago.

*By me, I mean me as Jim Gaffigan, but if you actually thought I could be that funny, then I love you.

two little words

I have once again been captured by the Lochness Monster otherwise known as “my retarded marketing group” that makes me do more work than necessary, but I am coming up for air long enough to yell two little words: I’M ENGAGED! Not only am I engaged, but I am engaged to my most perfect match. Ummm I feel myself becoming uber gushy so earmuff it if you’re not interested in lollipops and rainbows.

After the first time we met, we spent a painstaking 5 months getting to know each other before deciding to take the plunge and see each other in person again. And literally from that first day that we “re-met” we were both echoing with a resounding “uh oh” because neither of us wanted a long distance relationship but there seemed like no other alternative. Neither of us had ever been so instantly connected to someone or so perfectly complemented. So we saw each other again 3 weeks later. And then, oops, the week after that. And then 2 weeks after that. And now we’re engaged!!!! There was more in the middle but that’s the important part :) From the beginning we both knew deep down that we were done looking around, but now it’s in stone…an awesome, beautiful, sparkly stone that makes me turn into the biggest girly girl every time I look down.

First picture, first vacation, second time to meet. Crazy.

For the first few days after the engagement, I was mostly overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the fact that I totally didn’t see it coming even though I had subconsciously been wondering that night why Brian gave a shit about me forgetting my shoes that were meant to go with my dress and about us being on time and about us getting a nice table. I was also overwhelmed by the fact that Brian actually really truthfully wanted to marry me and not just live a common-law existence for 10 years with joint bank accounts and kids with hyphenated names. And I was overwhelmed by the fact that this amazing person that I’d found and wanted to spend the rest of my life with not only shared my desire but couldn’t wait for that to start. We actually will have to wait, because school and cities and jobs and such will be in the way for a while longer, but at least we finally have an end-date on the horizon. Or a beginning date, rather.

Now that my shock has worn off, I've moved on to pure excitement. So watch out. This girl's been obsessed with weddings forever (hello! it's the biggest party you'll ever throw!). And now I have an excuse to totally indulge the little wedding planner inside of me! I definitely want to turn down the "freak" dial during the engagement so that Brian doesn't think that my true colors are as a wedding nazi, especially because there are so many other exciting things to do...like read books about marriage. Ha. Our nightstand already has 3 new books, 1 magazine, and 1 journal. If he's willing to have me after seeing the crazy that I'm now convinced overtakes every sane girl, then I'll promise to make sure it's worth his time. But if you think I'm not making a Knot page, theeeeeeeen you're wrong.

Just engaged, still teary-eyed! Crazy.