almost the big day

Of course, life is crazy today.....but I think tomorrow will be relaxing once things fall into place, and hopefully Saturday will be a breeze!
I am so ready for the wedding! Friends and family are here and still arriving - joy is in the air! I can't believe it is here, that it is real, and that everyone is here for us! It is a little weird to think about....
I feel so showered with loved by everyone, and so blessed that they would take the time and effort and money to be here. What an honor!
Mexico is the light at the end of the tunnel....well, that, and of course Chris will be my husband!
Much Love,
LW

Things that make you bloat

Who Knew?


I get these "bridal tips" emails from brides.com, and they sent one the other day for foods, etc. to avoid the week of your wedding because they can cause bloating. I figured it would be good for all to know...there are always events us ladies want to decrease the swelling...so here you go:
broccoli
cauliflower
cabbage
onions
gum
soft drinks
soup
beans
lettuce
brussel sprouts
peas
high fiber cereal

Basically, anything that gives you gas! :)

Less than a month!

I've been a really bad blog poster. I keep thinking of little things in the middle of the night that I want to post about, and then obviously forget. So just know I have some really clever topics. Just don't have a memory!
Tonight, Chris is out on his bachelor party. His best friend (and man), Wade organized it all. They went to the UT/Oklahoma State game (what a game!), out for barbecue, and who knows about the rest! I'm not worried about what the guys take Chris to though...besides being a good, trustworthy guy...he is generally very grossed out by "dancers." That's one of the good points of his extreme cleanliness (which don't we all want that quality in a chef?)...they don't like dirty things!
I am a little delirous right now, I had to get up at 5:30 this morning and then worked 12 hours.... I know, all the moms out there are scoffing at me, but I'm very much in that childless mindset of "I need my sleep." It affected me so much that on this, the "Third Saturday in October," I actually considered taking a nap during halftime of the Alabama/Tennessee game.

So, my goal is to at some point post all the little details of my wedding that meant the most to me...the little touches and diy projects or etsy purchases that I love. It amazes me the blogs and websites devoted to daily postings on this subject...truly insane. But it is neat to take an idea here, another there, and have your own twist on it.

I truly can't believe our wedding is in less than a month. At this point, I was fearful of the stress taking over. While there is stress with the little to do lists, I am happy to report that the excitement of marrying my best friend and having my family and friends here to celebrate easily overrides it. Besides, there are those six days in Puerto Morelos to remember. I thought I would do all this research on stuff we can do, and while I have that information, I am pretty much sure of the fact that I will spend the first few days in a relaxed coma-like state of de-stressing bliss.

I'm so happy that I have experience in event planning and am a firm believer in the excel spreadsheet. Otherwise, this whole thing could be a disaster. My sister has gone above and beyond the heavy title of Matron of Honor and has designed every piece of paper that you will see involved in my wedding. She is amazing. The time she has spent doing these things for me could be someone's full time job for a month, and she actually still has one of those and is amazing wife and mother to an-almost-seven-year-old, and a happy, chunky 14-month-old.

This whole engagement experience started out amazing. I loved that walking-on-air, nothing-can-upset-me cloud of fluff and love and all things nice that I floated on for a few weeks. Then, this stressful do-this, do-that thing happened. I missed that happy, non-realistic period. So did Chris! My dear friend Caroline recently got engaged and I advised her to hold on to that feeling as long as she can because the stress will poke it's head in at some point. However, Caroline...do not fret...the good feeling comes back just in time before the big day.

Now, for fun...favorite tv shows that you watch on a weekly basis (the ones you DVR). These are mine, comment, or post, yours.

• Jon & Kate Plus 8 (Aiden is my fave...the one with glasses. spend each episode just watching his reactions and what he says ("the froggy is raisiny" and "I can't see sheep!" are my personal faves))
• Oprah (although I am quicker to delete before watching lately...but I just can't write her off 100% yet)
• The Mentalist (new show, we're giving it a try...it's ok)
• Criminal Minds (LOVE it!)
• Grey's Anatomy (although it has kinda mostly sucked the past two seasons)
• Desperate Housewives (DITTO, times 10)
• Project Runway
• Entourage
• Big Love (not coming back on until January 2009)

Of these, I heart Criminal Minds, Jon and Kate, Runway, and Entourage the best. The rest, I pretty much watch in the hope that it will improve and be awesome again and when it does, I won't have to catch up.

Other non-dvr's: Design to Sell (Lisa Laporta only!), House Hunters, No Reservations (Anthony Bourdain show), whatever that Bear Grylls show is called, and Kathy Griffin specials.

I guess that is a tag, but whatever...just wanted to share this and would love to hear your faves.

Wedding posts later...

Hello, My Love -

Yes, I am having a brief affair before my wedding - with this shoe!!!! I first saw it a month ago or so, and thought it would be perfect for my wedding day shoe. But, it was out of my price range and I tried to get it out of my mind. But, I kept running into it - it would pop up on websites, or I would see a bow on a shoe - but it would only make me think of this one and it funky bow on the side and how I love the asymetrics of it all. And, the sparkles...well, those sparkles just make it!

So I did find a coupon for $50 towards these and the stakes got higher. My friends at work pushed me over the edge with encouraging comments like, "it's your wedding - you gotta do it!" It doesn't take much to talk me into something like this, so now they are on their way to be worn on my wedding!

Gardenias

I have killed many a gardenia bush in my life as a "grown up." We grew up with a beautiful gardenia bush at my grandmother's house. It is my Dad's favorite flower, and we planted a bush in our yard for his birthday one year. They have the most incredible smell, and I have been trying for years to recreate that, to no avail. This year, I gave it another try. But, it was dying. I read something that said I may be overwatering, so I quit watering so often. Then my mom came to visit in July. She said I wasn't watering it enough and started dousing it. It actually shaped up! I've been keeping her watering up, and it is now so beautiful! Late last month...finally....a BLOOM! And then another. I had two more yesterday, and FOUR more getting ready. I'm so excited. I have it on my front "porch," so people can smell it as they come in. The bloom yesterday was so beautiful and perfect, so I clipped it and brought it to work to add some beauty and sweet smells to the office! That is it on the left.....so lovely!

Paraiso!

Honeymoon Search Complete!

Chris and I knew we wanted to go to Mexico's Yucatan Penninsula, and that we wanted to be somewhat secluded, but not far from a more populated place, so that we are not TOO secluded. After a small obsession with TripAdvisor.com and tons of research, we found the perfect place! First, let me tell you our parameters:

1) as mentioned above, we wanted semi-seclusion. Basically, not on any sort of "Resort Row." I always have dreamed of just seeing ocean and beach, not resort after resort
2) we wanted all-inclusive so we wouldn't have to worry with what/when/where to eat and money to eat with
3) on that same note, we didn't want to be wearing wristbands and feel like we were on a cruise!
4) wanted to be near Playa del Carmen, and not too far from the Cancun airport.

Well, we found the perfect place, Ceiba del Mar!! It is located outside of Puerto Morelos (mo-RAY-lows), halfway between Playa and Cancun….only about 20 minutes from each! Puerto Morelos itself is a small fishing village, largely unaffected from the "cruise ship tourism" that plagues so many other towns. It had a few quaint restaurants that are recommended for actual eating (!), and a Mexican crafts market.

Ceiba del Mar has only 88 rooms and is secluded on a beautiful beach. It has a luxury gourmet all-inclusive plan, which means all of our meals and beverages at their restaurants are included, just not room service or mini bar.

We are so fortunate that our family is taking care of the wedding and honeymoon for us - my parents have been amazing and excited with all the actual wedding support and details, and Chris' Mom is treating us to this fantastic honeymoon. I know how very blessed we are to have our families make our wedding and honeymoon so much more special and stress-less!

We will be renting a jeep (of course) for the week, so we can get ourselves to Cancun (to a Wal Mart for bottled water, soft drinks and American snacks), to Playa del Carmen (have a cool artist community), to the ferry to Cozumel (island off the coast), and to the ruins, eco parks - all the fun things we want to do!

Anyway, I am just SO excited that I wanted to share! Here is Ceiba del Mar's web site, so you can see for yourself: http://www.ceibadelmar.com/english/
And next time you plan a trip, consult Trip Advisor. They have user reviews, and every place has good and bad reviews, but they are helpful just the same. But my favorite feature is the Traveler Photos section. You can see users' real photos, not just perfect doctored ones on a resort's site. Once you decide on a place, there are amazing city guides and advice pages. It has been a lifesaver - thanks to Rachel for introducing me to its extreme helpfulness!!! Here is the TripAdvisor link to Ceiba del Mar: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g240327-d223086-Reviews-Ceiba_del_Mar_Spa_Resort-Puerto_Morelos_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

Oh, and last but not least! We got a GREAT deal on Orbitz and spent $500 less than we were expecting, which allows us to rent the jeep for the week!! We got a king junior suite, because we keep reading in those fantastic Trip Advisor reviews that free upgrades are common. If we get one, great, but we are happy with the Junior Suite regardless!

Sports

On the opening weekend of college football, I am reminicing about all the amazing sports opportunities I've had over the past 10 years or so - it's been pretty amazing. I had one last week - we hosted a wine and food event for charity, and I met Earl Campbell. He was as friendly as he could be despite recovering from a recent surgery and being in pain. When he asked me where I was from, and I told him Alabama, he even serenaded me with his rendition of "My Home's in Alabama" by Alabama. His sidekick (he has two, one of whom is named Sugar Bear and I kept singing that Elton John song in my head..."Someone Saved My Life Tonight) asked me if I wanted a picture. Usually, I am not too big on that..but I thought why not! I just grabbed my cell phone camera, so the quality is terrible. We took two, b/c the lighting was bad in the first one, but they both turned out very poorly.

So, here are the other sports legends I've had the opportunity to meet:

Baseball Hall of Famers:

Nolan Ryan (our team owner)

George Brett (asked me for directions to our clubhouse)

Cal Ripken, Jr. (on an elevator at the winter meetings)

Reggie Jackson (who, as my friend Debbie informed me, referred to me as "Legs." I'll take that as a compliment?)

Jim Palmer (at a game)

Rollie Fingers (at a game)

non Hall of Famers:

Ozzie Guillen (at the winter meetings)

Fred McGriff

Roger Clemens

Football:

Earl Campbell

Shawn Alexander

Deion Sanders

Gene Stallings - once when 12 or so, once over the phone a few years ago....one of the best stories ever, but I'll only tell it in person...not in print!

Lee Roy Jordan

not to mention I have been to an All-Star game with AMAZING seats, saw Barry Bonds set the new homerun record*, and saw a Triple-A No Hitter at our ballpark last year (we were the non-hitting team, though!)

I think that's about it...it's a pretty cool group though! I just wanted to put it in writing so I can remember who and when!

Wonderful Trip

Had a great, great trip home and to the beach. Got to see my dear friends, sweet family (most notably, baby Sam - who I hadn't seen in 11 months. He's grown quite a bit!).


Here's a pic of my nephews:

It was just too quick of a trip. It's funny how life is...we work, work, work, and cram in the important things, like spending time with our loved ones into "vacation time." I wish we were more like Europeans in that aspect...taking things slow, enjoying life, not rushing through it and work being what often dictates our schedules and time. I know we have to work to survive, and I'm all for work ethic, but it just seems wrong sometimes.

Wal Mart Salon Follow Up

A +++

-about $15 less than my regular pedicure salon.
-when I got there, they were cleaning the pedicure tubs and getting after it
-both the pedicure girl and I had to sign a sheet saying the tub was clean and what time I was there.
- good massage chair
-good foot massage

Now, my regular place, while $15 more, has a pedicure that lasts forever. I don't know what kind of top coat she puts on there, but that polish lasts and lasts!

I'm off in a few hours on a jet plane! And then a scary prop plane (Atl-Pfn leg)! Fun Fun!

Sleepless in Round Rock

I don't know what my deal is, but I have not been sleeping well the past few nights. I'm sure it is the anticipation of everything - wedding, showers, traveling, work, events - sending my mind racing.

I am so excited to go to the beach this week, with a jaunt to Dothan for my first bridal shower! I am really looking forward to seeing my good friends in the flesh, as well as that of their offspring.
An added bonus, my sister and her family will be there. Sam is almost one, and I haven't seen him since he was a month old. Needless to say, it has been 10 months of very steady growth (Hill, he may rival Owen's weight at the same age!). I can't wait to play with him and with his big brother Campbell...they are so much fun!

After my Dad's mother passed away a few years ago, my parents gave me a beautiful diamond ring of hers. I loved it, and after much debating, I decided to get it made into something else. I have a great jeweler here, so I went there and we designed some lovely dangling diamond earrings. They were finished this week and my jeweler friends brought them to the game on Friday night. They are antiquey looking, and each earring used 6 diamonds (my grandmother's ring was blingin'!). I am happy with the outcome, and it was fun to design them. There was one additional larger diamond that I had left over, and I added that to a necklace my parents gave me a few more years earlier - they had been my Mom's mother's diamonds. I once read that it is said that gemstones carry the energy of the person who wore them, so I am happy to have both of my grandmother's energy and love with me on my wedding day, and to pass these pieces along to my children one day.

Off to get a pedicure at lunch - my feet are desperately needing some love, and they gotta look pretty for the shower this weekend! There is a Wal Mart not too far from the stadium that has a nail salon in it...I am actually gonna give that a whirl! My logic is that since it is in Wal Mart, they probably have higher standards of cleanliness as to not associate bad nail salons with the brand. Who knows? I'll report later!

Good Thing I'm Marrying a Chef

I had this recipe I have been wanting to try, and thought I would make it last night for Chris. It is time consuming, and takes me a few hours. The recipe called for me to put parchment paper on a pan in the oven. I couldn't find parchment paper, but I found generic brand wax paper. I figured it was the same.

It's not!

After a few minutes, I smelled something familiar, but not tasty. I opened the oven, and smoke comes pouring out, even though the food is not cooked. "Must have been something on the bottom of the oven," I tell myself. Ten minutes later, it is much worse. Chris comes to diagnose the situation, despite my objections (I wanted to keep the meal a surprise).

Suddenly, the familiar smell was clear: melted crayons from a elementary school art project come flooding to mind. I grab the wax paper box. "DO NOT USE IN CONVENTIONAL OVENS." So, all the ingredients, prep, etc. were a waste. The food went in the trash. To be honest with you, I nibbled a bit before throwing it away and despite the strong wax taste, I think I messed up the recipe anyway b/c it had a little bit of egg whites in it, but it tasted very eggy. So maybe it's just as well!

We just threw some chicken on the grill and had some broccoli and ready rice. Not exciting or impressive, but edible!

I can cook, and I have learned a ton from the chef. I would consider myself a "foodie" at times, but sometimes I feel like a little kid in the kitchen....last night was one of those!

Coming Together

This past month has had a lot of list checks for the wedding, and that is the best feeling!
-found the dress
-moved reception location
-finalized musicans for ceremony and reception
-figuring out transportation
All big things, so such a huge relief!

Day 68

I am dragging yet again today. Today is Day 68 of the last 75 that I have spent at work. Not that I'm keeping track or anything :)
Out of those 68 days, way too many of them were 14 hour + days....I am too frustrated to count right now. This is my 11th season in baseball, and my 8th here in my current location - so I know how it goes....but this year is especially brutal. We just haven't gotten the comp time we had grown used to and expectant of. So, someone contact OSHA on our behalf please. Just kidding, I'll survive! There are two things pulling me through for today:

1. My official sponsor, Chai Tea Latte with skim milk from Starbucks -

Hot, if I have one in the morning, as I am this morning....

And iced if in the afternoon (which we often make an afternoon game day run)...but I can't have more than one a day or I'll get sick to my stomach and get the shakes! So, this morning one has to last me all day.

2. The fact that my Mom is coming tonight! I'm gonna sneak out (and when I say sneak, I am going to hunch over and walk on my tiptoes like they do in the cartoons) of the game a little early tonight to meet her. Chris is picking her up from the airport. We have a busy weekend of cramming a lot of wedding planning into a few days, but I am just so happy to have her here. I don't see my family nearly enough. I am so disappointed teleportation has not been invented because I was totally counting on that. We talk every day, unless I have games, and then it is almost every day, but there is nothing that matches being with each other in person.

Mom and Dad, circa 1988.

So, no matter how stressful and annoying wedding stuff gets this weekend, I am going to remind myself not to let it get to me and treasure this precious visit!

Thought for the Day

"Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and God is shining through it all the time. The only thing is that we don't see it." - Thomas Merton

Makeup Recommendation

I would like to recommend this Imju Fiberwig mascara. You can purchase it at Sephora, and it is a best seller in Japan. It is amazing! I wear contacts, so I have to be careful with mascara. Most of them flake off and I am left with nothing at the end of the day. This stuff stays and stays, but comes off easily at night when removing my eye makeup....

and for that I recommend this:

Again, good for sensitive, contact lens-wearing-eyes!

Wedding Dress

I always thought the wedding dress shopping process would be the best part of wedding planning. Is it bad if I can't stand it? I'm sure it will be better once I find one I love, and I have found a few I have liked. Granted, I've only been to three places (mostly due to this year's crazy baseball schedule).

First Shop: My sister-in-law lives in Los Angeles, and she rented her wedding gown. It was a very high-end, designer gown - very elegant. I thought this would be great - because I didn't want to have to figure out what to do with the dress after the wedding. And while I want a dress that I love, I don't want to spend a fortune for a dress worn for such a brief period of time. So, I looked into wedding dress rental in the area, and there is a place near my work in Round Rock. It sounds great - once you pick your dress, it is yours until your wedding. No one else can rent it. It is altered to your measurements so that it fits perfectly. The only problem was that I did not like ANY of the dresses. At all.

Second Shop: I went to a bridal shop in Austin with a lovely name and posh location. Big mistake. I had to make an appointment and actually got there a little early. The girl before me was still gushing over her dress - she decided it was "the one." She was in her mid-20's and would not quit squealing. It was cute at first, but after 20 minutes of her voice, I was getting frustrated. She was annoying, yes, but also eating well into my appointment time. I perused the dresses while I waited, and the prices were not friendly. I picked three of four to try on. The lady that was helping me was nice enough, but when she said to me that I knew that I was a "full-figured gal," I was ready to go. I know what she meant, but it still wasn't a welcome comment. Didn't really like any of the dresses anyway...small selection.

Third Shop: This shop was in-between the vibe of the first two. Huge selection, and I liked how they had the dresses categorized by style, not designer or size. It made it a lot easier for me to just avoid the princess-y racks. Attentive, young girl helped me and the prices were reasonable. I found about 2 maybes and 2 others that are half-maybes. A lot less formal than the first shop, which was a relief.

What I find most frustrating is that it is hard to even picture yourself even when you find a dress in a style you like. In these stores, they usually have one size for the dresses, and it is either huge or small. It seemed the ones I liked were always the teeniest ones. So you try it on, but they are clipping it and zipping it, etc....I had no idea I was expected to agree to order a dress and spend a lot of money based on trying it on like that. I mean, come on! So, I am going to a few more places...I have three targeted that are all different types of stores than what I have been to. I feel like such an "anti-bride" for not enjoying this dress process...did everyone else?

Thankfully, my Mom is coming to help. Wedding planning in general can be overwhelming, even for an event planner! Throw in some hard-core pining for Mama-and-Daddy time, and it gets even more stressful. Poor Chris, he had no idea...
So, Mom is coming next Friday evening and staying until Tuesday morning. I don't have games that weekend, so we are going to do all sorts of wedding "stuff." Since I will have games straight through from now until she gets here, I won't be able to try any others on to narrow down the field. She calms me down so much in this process though, and I am so, so excited she is coming to save the day!

first post

It has been several years since I've blogged, but with this year shaping up to be a pretty cool one, I thought I should document it.
Chris and I are getting married in November, so planning a wedding during baseball season should be pretty interesting.
This will be a good outlet to record my thoughts during this process, and hopefully remind myself along the way all of our many blessings.