Updates....

Ok, so I'm not waiting for pictures. There's something wrong with my sister's camera. Things have become old news :) So I'll post pictures later on...

--We had a dinner party thrown in our honor on April 15. It was so lovely. We had about 20 people come to help celebrate; we had punch on the back patio and chatted for a while--then had a lovely dinner.

--Lots of Thank You notes already sent out. Being a wordsmith comes in handy. I'm genuine, poignant, and grateful, and I write different messages on each note. I think it's only appropriate to treat each note significantly.

--Our engagement announcement ran in the paper with no errors or "York-Goldenblatt" ink fiasco. ;) We got several compliments on the photo, which was nice. My aunt said I had romantic eyes. awww.

--I received an unexpected wedding gift from an old friend. It touched me so very much--he has had so much going on, a move to San Diego, etc. but he still sent something to us. So, so nice.

--Applied for a passport yesterday.

--We have our "Stock the Kitchen/Bar" shower this weekend. Cannot wait; it will be a fantastic time I'm sure.

--Invitations should go out by Friday, yippee!!!

I'll leave you with one picture, about the greatest show on TV right now... One of my favorite shows ever, Veronica Mars. You're missing out if you're not watching.

Bad News...

Apparently, my home computer is kaput.

When I got home last night after being away for the weekend, I turned on my computer...and then 10 minutes later, it just shut off. I kept restarting, and same thing, it would just shut down.

J (who is techno-savvy) thought it might be the video card, and our friend Gibson (who has a Masters degree in Computer Science) convinced me that the symptoms were not indicative of a virus. It's apparently some sort of hardware issue, that even if it could be fixed, isn't worth doing of course because computers are so cheap these days.

The good news is, my hard drive was rescued and according to J everything is still on there and intact (I backed up my pictures a few months back, so I was thankful about that).

Can I add a computer to the wedding registry?!? ;)

I'll still be able to post...look for my promised photos in the next couple of days.

Love It

Okay, I'll cut my sis a break for not getting me the pictures, because she had the cutest invitation made up for our Bridesmaids Weekend! I got mine in the mail today! Totally appropriate, b/c my sister and I were way into the movie Girls Just Wanna Have Fun growing up (still have it memorized). I thought SJP was the coolest girl ever waaaay before Sex and the City.

Still Waiting...

as luck would have it, I forgot my camera this past weekend. However, we got a lot of nice shots from the invitation stuffing and the dinner party with my sister's camera. As soon as she sends me those, I will post!!

ETA: It will probably be next week (Monday or Tues) before I get to post...my sister's camera needs new batteries and she's going out of town this weekend. Argh! She doesn't have the photo-obsessed scrapbooker gene for sure--she has pictures from last October on her camera! Gah! :)

One more thing: A music rec: Beautiful Man by Mandy Moore. Now, even though I am a big fan of Mandy Moore as a person (super cute and seemingly unaffected by Hollywood, and she dates the brilliant Zach Braff), I was never a fan of her music. Too pop-y, even for this girl. But head over to her myspace and check out her cover of Lori McKenna's Beautiful Man. It is an absolutely fabulous acoustic song, full of emotion and texture. Lori McKenna is the songwriter du jour, some of you may remember seeing her on Oprah. Just a housewife writing songs until Faith Hill drove her into the limelight by recording 4-5 of her songs.

The Latest

--This arrived last week. Look how cute it is!!! Don't you just want to eat it? (ok, ouch!) J is convinced that I have embossed everything in my apartment by now. (He is wrong. I have actually exercised restraint--like I will dull it or something).
--J also designed our directions card for the invites, and even they look completely fabulous. Took them to Kinkos and had them copied front and back and cut to size. We're going to round the corners with my corner rounder(s) to match the invitations. Details, people, details!

Therefore: We are ready to assemble the invitations!!!!!! We'll be doing so on Saturday. Look for pictures to follow. Hoping we can get a nice little assembly line going: me, mom, J, my sister and maybe my dad.

--Monogram reveal to follow...

--Sent our picture and engagement announcement to my hometown paper--it should appear in next Wednesday's edition.

--Dinner party on Saturday night in mine and J's honor. Really looking forward to this. Going to wear that Laundry palm green chiffon frock; yay for dressing up!

Have a great weekend--look for a post from me Monday or Tuesday!!!

Bed and Bath shower

The Bed and Bath Brunch was divine! I felt so special and honored by many lovely people. We had a delicious meal of quiche, heavenly Morning Glory muffins, and a bed of fruit.

I received many wonderful gifts: several sets of towels as well as some not-particularly Bed and Bath items (rockin' coffee maker, 6-side grater and metal colanders) that I loved just as much. My mom & dad got us the monogrammed sheet set from West Elm--love it!

Also met with our pastor/officiant this weekend. He had been our pastor for over 16 years; since I was in 6th grade. Words cannot express how great of a teacher, and how kind and funny of a person he is. He left our church to take a director position at the state convention, and he is very missed. He's as definite and necessary a part of our ceremony as anything. We went over the ceremony; I kind of indicated ways that I wanted to make it more personal, what scripture I wanted read (beyond the traditional Love is Patient), the particulars of the vows, and the flow of the ceremony. Then, when J and I visit again this weekend, he'll have the ceremony ready for us to look over. We'll also be doing some counseling with him.

Also, my veil came in!!! I ordered it off Ebay. There are several great veil boutiques on Ebay, many highly recommended from TheKnot.com. It cost $25. There is no reason on earth to pay the $200 they want in bridal salons for tulle!

Honeymoon!

Yes, it's official! We booked tickets last night! Deliriously happy (and relieved!)

A little background on Australia: J's aunt and uncle moved to Australia in the late '90s so J's uncle could start up a branch of his company in Sydney. They lived there for about 5 years or so, and Jay spent six weeks during the summer of 2000 visiting them. He absolutely loved Sydney--every single thing about it. He would move there in a heartbeat if I gave the go ahead. So he's stoked about visiting again, and I am excited because truly, it's the trip of a lifetime.

Going in their late fall...but it's supposed to be in the 60s during that time, and not uncommon to be in the 70s.

Tickets booked through a Quantas special (still double what I, the budget queen, have ever spent on an entire vacation, and it's just airfare!) I am humbled by the generosity of J's parents. They are our "travel mentors"--they adamantly believe in the teaching power and experiences of travel.

Where we're going:

Sydney: Does it need any introduction? The absolute crown jewel of Australia.






Bursting with character, Sydney is a vibrant city catering to all your desires whether you seek exhilaration and exploration or 100% relaxation. Discover Sydney's unique blend of dining, shopping and recreation options in one of the world's most attractive city environments.

Darwin: Darwin is the tropical capital of the Northern Territory. It has a relaxed outdoor lifestyle & enjoys warm weather all year round.




Visitors invariably rave about the city's bustling markets, its gorgeous harbour, memorable sunsets, spirited nightlife and welcoming locals.

Our Itinerary:
4 days in Sydney, 6 days in Darwin, 2 more days in Sydney.

I am going to be researching like a mad woman in the next couple weeks, planning itineraries that allow flexibility :) There are so many things we will want to see, do, taste, feel, experience. I'll share some of the information in upcoming posts.

Other updates:

--A 24-lb. box of invitations is set to arrive today!
ETA: They're here!!!! I went to my apartment at lunch and picked them up! SO gorgeous. In love with them! See how they're a richer blue than the preview picture in the previous post?!














--I ordered the embosser with our custom monogram. Should arrive at the latest by next Friday.
--Booked my bridal portrait, May 27.
--Meeting with our pastor/officiant this weekend and next to go over the ceremony and doing pre-marriage counseling.
--Life is about to get CRAZY!We are busy every single weekend, now through May 13. Who knows after that!