Today is the Day!

Exactly three years after meeting each other, I am marrying my dream guy.  Yeah, it's pretty awesome.

 Rough draft from a few months ago, but essentially what I will be saying.

**This post was scheduled to go "live" after the ceremony. :)

On The Road Again...

Today the Getting Married Trip begins!  We are departing Boston to drive south to Atlanta for the wedding on April 23rd.  In tow (or in the back seat) is my wedding dress, future husband guy's suit, and about 50 pounds of blankets covering the two.  Why the hell is that necessary??

This beast. He abhors being in a cage (he howls, scratches the door and breaks off his nails - even when drugged), so we find it easier for everyone to just let him roam around the car when we drive.  90% of the 20 hour drive to Georgia he sits in the lap of whoever is sitting in the passenger seat.  The real problem occurs when we stop for gas or food.  Whenever the car is stopped Rasputin finds it necessary to crawl to the back of the car, and meow/look like a creepy ghoul at whoever passes by the car.  We know that he is going to be roaming all over the car during this trip, so it is easier to just protect our wedding clothes with a mound of blankets, then trying to get him to stay up front with us the whole time.

I guess it bears mentioning that he isn't declawed.  I've never had a declawed cat and I think it a terrible thing to do to a cat.  My better half wants to declaw him.  However, since Pooper doesn't have fur, I'd have to look at the nubby scars on his declawed feet, and I just can't do it - it would break my heart!  No declawing my Demon Baby!  More to the point, even with his claws trimmed, our wedding clothes will be in danger unless there is some type of buffer between the clothes and his claws, so a pile of blankets it is!

Rasputin will be staying with my Dad and stepmom for the entire time we are away for the wedding.  They have a white, slow minded Pomeranian.  Rasputin loves to terrorize him, so I do feel sorry for the simple fluff ball. :(  However, leaving the cat at my dad's means I'll be able to sleep through the night on the honeymoon. (The cat wakes me up at least 5 times a night meowing in my face or clawing to get under the covers.)  I am SO looking forward to being free of that for a few days. =)

Off we go! To the land of Krystals, Waffle House, and The Varsity (my favorite places!!).  When we returned to Boston I'll be a Smi Wife and have a Smi Husband!

Impulse Buys of the Week: Whole Foods Edition

Yes, one of the worst places to impulse-buy crap you don't need is Whole Foods.  There are so many things sold there that you can't get at a regular grocery store, the need to buy crap you don't need is even stronger. This visit, I went shopping while starving to death - probably the stupidest thing ever.

Here is the stuff I threw into my cart that wasn't on my list:

I *love* dessert. It's kind of a problem, but I live with it.  On the days that I have nothing to satisfy my after-dinner dessert fix, I am the most mopey, depressed little person in town.  It makes my heart hurt.  So, even though I technically had dessert foods at home, I stocked up on a few more (just in case!!!).

The fudge brownies have to be kept frozen, so when I want one of those I have to sit on it for at least 10 minutes to dethaw it. They are individually wrapped, so I'm not sitting on exposed food. :)  They are pretty expensive (to me anyway), but they are quite tasty! They are also gluten-free, not that I really give a crap about that, though.

The frozen coconut bars taste good enough, but I don't like the texture of coconut flakes, so I won't be getting these again.

In addition to loving the sh*t out of dessert, I also love bread.  I got this focaccia bread to go with some homemade tomato soup.  I don't like the stringy onion bits on the outside, so I just rip out and eat the innards.

The Kevita probiotic drink was impulse-bought for my future husband guy, who likes the similar, but more expensive, Synergy brand Kombucha.  Of course, he says he still prefers the pricier drink, so this impulse-buy was useless.

To have 1.5* out of 5 impulse-bought items be deemed worthy of frivolous spending is pretty disappointing...I'll have to do better next time I visit the grocery store.



*I love the brownies, and semi-liked the bread.

My Own Honeymoon Tags

For some reason I thought I would have tons and tons of time before the wedding to tally things up.  I thought I'd have plenty of time to make a million*ish tags for both my future husband guy and myself for our honeymoon luggage. There would be so many tags, we'd have to leave some at home.  We'd have piles of tags to pick from to adorn our honeymoon luggage. It would be, in short, ridiculous how many tags I made to celebrate this special event.

Yeah. We leave for the wedding in 5 days and I *just* finished our tags today. (I still have tons of other wedding crap to finish up, though.)  I don't see me having time to make any more tags for us, so it looks like we will each have only 3 tags for our honeymoon bags.  I think I'm ok with that.  They are super special to me (and hopefully my future husband guy???) because, excluding the first set (the JUST MARRIED tags), the tags celebrate our absolute obsession with each other.

 Simple, self explanatory "Just Married" tags. These little tags get the point across - in two directions. :)

 So...my future husband guy and I call each other "Smi." Pronouced with a long 'e' sound.  Perhaps a weird nickname for each other? I don't know what the kids are doing these days.... About 2 years ago I was mumbling some inarticulate babble to my then-boyfriend and one of the things I said was "Shmi Shmi."  For some reason we started calling each other this.  It was later shortened to "Smi."  In the past year we have also really gotten into Game of Thrones (anyone see where this is going?).  In the book/show different cultures of people take on additional wives and they have different names from the true wives (I could be wrong on this). AKA: "Salt Wife" (for those that worship the sea off the Iron Islands) or "Spear Wives" (for the wildlings that live north of The Wall).  Once we are married, I will be a 'Smi Wife' and he will be a 'Smi Husband'.  It's not exactly the same situation, but it's good enough for us.

I also like these tags because I get to use my newest massive font.  I guess I'm lucky our nickname is so short, as I can only fit 3-4 letters on one line.  In the corners I used my one of my newest stamps - a left and right filigree/flourish.  I think the fanciness works for the formality of the occasion, lol.

As I mentioned before, we *love* Games of Thrones. I'm currently finishing up A Feast for Crows (yeah..I should be done with A Dance with Dragons by now, I know!).  The sayings seen on the tags above were exchanged between a couple from the story.  Their relationship may have started out a little rough (she was 13, he was a scary horse lord), but by the end was so adorable and true. As my brother put it to me, "Dany and Drogo's relationship is the only one in the whole series that isn't totally f*cked up."  Rightly said brother.  While we don't actively call each other "My Sun and Stars" and "Moon of My Life," my future husband guy and I love the sentiment behind it and find it completely romantic.  Perfect honeymoon tag material!

Oh! The stars are the result of another new stamp I bought.  While I already had a star stamp, it's always nice to have options.


Now that we have our honeymoon tags completed and ready to go, I guess I am officially finished with making tags until we return from the honeymoon (May 1st)!  I think this 2 week break can only do good things for my achy hand and wrist joints. :)

Simple Identifier - Lil' ID Tags + A Lil' News

Sometimes you don't need a lot of information to mark your property.  When those times call, there's the "ID" tag!  With just enough room to boldly display a name, these little (3" x 1") tags effectively and simply, aid in identifying your stuff.

In other news: We are almost 2 weeks away from the big event! Holy crap.  I'm still working on what to stamp on our honeymoon tags.  I only have 1 set planned for us so far, and I figure I'll need at least 5 sets (even though I am only bringing 1 bag). Hopefully some ideas come to me soon!

In other, other news: The shop will reopen on May 1st*ish.  This is the day that we return from our honeymoon, so my goal is to drop my bags on the floor and then run over to my computer and reopen my shop.  ;)

With This One Ring

We picked up our wedding bands a few weeks ago.  We both went with white gold in a brushed finish.  The inside of both rings has been engraved with "YOU PULL ME THROUGH TIME." This quote is from the movie The Fountain (oddly enough, it did not inspire my shop name, which actually came from something my brother and our childhood friend used to say when we played together).  My better half and I both thoroughly enjoy this film and the scene where this quote is spoken is particularly moving.

My ring also features a quote engraved around the outside, "AS LONG AS I'M WITH YOU...", which was said during my future husband guy's proposal.  Being quite obsessed with The Lord of the Rings, I really wanted something engraved on the outside of my wedding band.  I thought the main point expressed during the proposal would be perfect, and so it was done. I wanted it engraved in Elvish, but was told that my ring wasn't wide enough for complicated characters, so cursive English was used instead.

The bands are hiding out on a shelf in the bathroom (in their respective boxes) until we make the trip down to Georgia for the wedding.  As with my other wedding jewelry, I try my band on at least once a week. I is so excite to wear! =)

I did take a few photos of me wearing the engagement ring + my band + his band, but my hand skin looks so crocodile-like, I had decided to spare you...but I is so excite to wear that I'll show it anyway - and make an effort to seriously start to moisturize!! Jesus.

Catty Castle

A month or two ago I fashioned this beast out of an empty box and some suede lace. This Catty Castle is complete with drawbridge-esque balcony, V.I.P. entrance (see entrance being used in photo above), a formal ground level entrance with fancy doors, and a window for peeping.

As of now, it is sitting upside down in a heap, waiting to be broken down and thrown out.  But in it's hay day, the glory of this castle rivaled such establishments as Rasputin's Holiday Emporium and the Evil Cat Asylum!

 Keeping a lookout from inside his fortified complex.

 Using the formal entrance.

Neutralizing intruders.

Acting as head of the rooftop guard.

Perhaps unjustly neutralizing intruders...

Tying Up Loose Ends

I've left Boston to spend this weekend in Atlanta, finishing up a few last things before the wedding next month.  Initially, I thought all I was doing this trip was a hair/makeup trial.  Sadly, that is no longer the case.  My to-do list for this trip is getting scary long, and trying to schedule getting all the things accomplished during this short trip is becoming complicated.

So far, my list includes:

-Visit a florist and order the boutonnieres/wrist corsages for parents and grandparents

-Assess the flower situation at my grandfather's house (and perhaps plant flowers) to determine what will be available when I go to make the bouquets for me and my ladies and the boutonnieres for the groomsmen

-Accompany my darling brother as he buys a suit & shoes

- Hair & makeup trial

-Buy stuff from Hob Lob (my old stomping grounds!)

-Finish up painting centerpiece containers and engraving seating card holders

-Find a "something borrowed"

-Visit the venue with my dad & stepmom

-Find/scan childhood photos for some type of reception display (consult dad via method of photo display)


I didn't buy a "Wedding Planning" notebook to keep track of all my wedding details, so I have been using a tiny notebook I got from a interior design firm during a lecture I attended while in school.  The amount of tabs that exist is starting to get out of control...

This is where EVERYTHING related to the wedding is listed.  It holds the only copy of the guest list (with people's RSVP response), my wedding vows drafts, lists of stuff left to do, etc.  It's kind of important.  If I lost it, I would be...well, lost.  Some might say, Hay, Brandy! Why don't you type that crap up so at least you have it on your computer?  I could.  But I guess I just don't care that much.  All I have to do is just not lose the notebook. :)

Anyway.  Hopefully this trip is productive and I return with only two projects left to worry about finishing - the chair signs (so excited to share these guys!!) and the programs.

Preparing Face Skin for Weddin' Day

So, my wedding is less than a month away.  The biggest thing that I have feared since getting engaged is having skin issues on my wedding day.   I've spent the past 6 months doing everything I can to get my skin blemish-free.  I've made a habit of eating as healthy a possible.  I drink mainly water and green tea.  I've spent a small fortune on a new skin regimen.  I try and destress as much as possible (stress seems to be my biggest acne trigger and is the main reason that I made sure I'd have a few weeks off from work before the wedding to destress and focus only on finishing up wedding thangs).  I've also been doing shots of apple cider vinegar (which I find to be easier than adding it to tea and having to suffer through the entire drink).

So, how has my skin reacted to these seemingly positive changes? Eh. As of today I have some "issues" going on. But, I have also reached a happy mentality regarding my skin that I am happy to share: I no longer give a shit.

 About a week ago.  Things have since gotten a little...not awesome.

Yup.  In worrying so much about this stupid little "problem" of mine, I now realize how fucking seriously vain I can be. Having skin issues is such an insignificant matter when looking at the bigger picture.  I am getting married to someone I love dearly and get to be with forever.  We both have our health.  We are planning a wedding day that is exactly how we want it be. There are many people in this world that are not so lucky.  In some countries it is commonplace for young girls to be forced to marry much older men.  There are people that literally will never see the person they are marrying because they are blind. Some people are too ill to even contemplate having a wedding. Millions of people simply can't get married as they currently are denied the right.  And yet, here I am, getting married to someone I myself chose, in exactly the way I want - and still complaining and fearing about having acne on my face when I get married.  I feel like such an asshole.  So, hence the new rationale/life motto on this situation mentioned earlier.  Well, actually, I am just going to add it to my repertoire of existing life mottos.  The first being Fuck it.*

Sorry about the language.  It seems that admitting/discovering that I am being a self-absorbed brat really bothers me. It also appears that my life mottos require foul language to motivate me. ><

I, of course, will hope to have fabulous, movie-star quality skin on The Big Day, but I am done worrying about it.  Even if I have crap on my face, I'll still be married to my dream guy. At the end of the day, that will always be more important than looking pretty. :)



*This motto was brought about during a time in my life where a major change occurred and I suddenly felt completely free to do whatever the hell I wanted to - and did - and still do.  I want to go to NYC *now* to clear my head. Fuck it, flight booked.  I want to join a dating website for geeks because where the hell are you suppose to meet hot, smart, geeky guys? Fuck it, profile created. (Husband acquired!) You get the gist...

Impulse Buys of the Week

I kind of hate going to the grocery store.  It sucks.  There's always tons of people that don't know how to politely operate their cart.  And everyone finds it necessary to walk slow as hell.  I want to get in, get my crap, and then leave.  I really don't find it fun to mosey around the grocery store.  With that being said, I only go to the grocery store every 7-10 days if I can help it. 

However, since I go to the store so infrequently, I tend to impulse buy things I don't need. A lot.  I ask myself, "I may want this stuff in the future, but when will I be back here???" "IDK, but you will most certainly need it before your next trip to the store," my other self responds.  So I buy the stuff.  Here is this week's evidence of my weakness and inability to stick to my list.

This was a pretty light week as far as unnecessary purchases go.

I have a major sweet tooth.  I try to eat healthy*ish for all of my meals and snacks, but when it comes to after-dinner dessert...I suck.  I crave chocolate at this time and if for some reason I am out of oreos or candy bars, I have to make a run over to the nearby convenient store to pick something up, even if it's super late.  Hence, the brownie mix and strawberries + chocolate.  For the past year or so I've been buying "healthy" brownie mix, but sometimes you just need the delicious, super fattening, unhealthy kind! The corned beef hash?  I got that for my future husband guy who was just saying over St. Patrick's Day how much he loves the stuff.  (See! I think of others, too, when it comes to my impulse buying!).

For some, these items may not be deemed worthy of being called impulse buys, but I always make a list before venturing to the grocery store, and this stuff wasn't on the list. So, impulse buy for meeee! :)

The things I impulse bought this week were actually consumed.  Sadly, most impulse buys get thrown away or are still sitting in my pantry a year or two later.  I guess these purchases can be deemed a success.

I'm going to try and do a post after every grocery store visit to show the things I bought that I probably didn't need.  Maybe I can shame myself into changing my shopping habits?

Gettin' Hitched Tags

My better half and I are just days away from being at the '1 month until our wedding' mark. Between work-work and wedding-work, the last few weeks have just flown by!  The one thing I haven't even had time to think about yet - what I'll be putting on OUR honeymoon luggage tags! (Pretty effin' sad, I know.)

Justifiable Clutter

We leave in less than month to head South for our wedding.  My goal is to have our apartment in *pristine* condition before we leave, so when we come back after a few weeks of getting married and honeymoonin' we have a nice, clean place to start everything off fresh..

The problem is that I have seriously dropped the ball on maintaining a "reasonably clean" home as of late.  While I suppose yes, I have been busy with work, sheer laziness probably plays a huge role.  The biggest issue with housekeeping at the moment is keeping crap off the floor.  One might think, if you drop something, pick it up.  Or, if you make a mess, clean it up.  Or, if you disrobe in your living room, make sure you help your clothes find the hamper as soon as you are able.  Regardless, keeping crap off the floor that doesn't belong on the floor, really doesn't sound like too difficult a chore.

Sadly, for me, right now, it is. In the middle of my living/dining room, in the way of foot traffic (we have to step over this stuff to move about) is the following:

-a few cardboard boxes in various states of disrepair (including one Catty castle - a later post)
-Christmas lights
-numerous DVD boxes (including Game of Thrones!!)
-random bits of napkin, copy paper, and torn up tissue paper
-yards and yards of suede lace (I blame Catty)
-batteries
-cat toys
-wedding program samples (currently strewn under the dining table...)
-a rogue handkerchief
-3 separate sock "graveyards"
-kitchen/hall smoke detector
-general garbage


The above just describes what's covering the floor. The middle of the floor - not even neatly piled in a corner (though I like how you think!). I haven't even gotten to the tables and other flat surfaces. :(

I could go on, but you get the point.  Our apartment is in a pretty bad state.  However, I like to blame most of the floor issues on the cat.  You see, he neeeeds this stuff to stimulate his brain.  He is a very social cat, but sadly he doesn't get a lot of attention from me during the day because I don't have time with work and all.  Once I see Pooper start playing with some trash on the floor, and see how entertained he is, I wouldn't dare take that enjoyment away from him!  Then he moves onto some different pile of trash or clothes.  But what if he wants to return to the old pile of trash later.  I have to keep/save it for him - just in case. ;)

 Catty as scapegoat - he is not amused.

Yes. I am aware that this is probably unhealthy, prehoarding rationalizing.  But for now, he gets to keep his fun floor entertainment.  Cleaning begins...sometime in the "near" future.

Destination Wedding Tags 3

There is nothing more fitting that incorporating custom tags into a destination wedding.  They are a great way to show your appreciation for the support of the bridal party, and they also make nice mementos for those that made the trip out to share in your special day.  :) 

Today's destination wedding location: HAWAII !!

"What's a tentacle?"

Day of the Tentacle, you were so satisfying.

Anyhoo....

After seeing the ties at Cyberoptix, I informed my future husband guy that he may want to look there to find the neck wear for himself and the guys.  After a few months of hinting that time was a wastin', the ties were finally ordered for our wedding!  Here's a little peek.

As I am sure that I will be sharing the crap out of The Big Day, I promise to show the ties in all their awesomeness (on human beings) once I get the pro pictures back. :)

Quote Whore

A few days ago I had to fill out a questionnaire provided by our wedding photographer.  It went over basic stuff: what kind of formal family shots did I want, what special details did I want to make sure got photographed, the time frame for the day's events, etc.  It was while filling this out that I admitted that I was a "quote whore."  I mean, I literally said that as part of an answer. 

You see, I kind of love quotes.  Quotes from books, movies, famous figures - I love them all.  There's nothing like finding a good quote that totally expresses how I feel without me having to come up with it my-inarticulate-self.  I hoard quotes like semi-sane person might stockpile nuclear fallout rations.  They are my lifeblood and I need them.

Needless to say, I am incorporating quotes every chance I get when it comes to our April wedding.  The invitations alone had three quotes!* (My vows - so far - feature 2 quotes from movies. I'm kind of a dork.)

*
You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. -Jane Austen
You pull me through time. -The Fountain (this quote is also engraved inside our wedding bands)
The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. -Moulin Rouge


It is always followed by a small fit of happiness when I remember that I get to stamp amazing quotes on a regular basis.  :)  Below are a few recent favorites.  I think this first one just became my new favorite quote, beating out this quote for the number 1 spot.