Well I see this has made headlines for my other bloggy friends, it might as well make headline here too. I just wish I had my camera to post some pictures-- it certainly was beautiful!
Being come Cleveland it certainly was not the most snow I have ever seen, but in combination with the lack of street clearing vehicles it has caused quite a bit of chaos. It was the worst combination too; snow, then icing rain, then more snow..... and no roads cleared. If you live in Cleveland and you get 4 inches of snow it is just another Wednesday. If you live in Cincinnati, they put snow emergencies on the roads and you aren't allowed to go anywhere, plows are working overtime and inefficiently, accidents are clogging highways, businesses close, the city is in panic mode. It ordinarily would take an hour or a few to clean up Cleveland streets after a snow.... it takes 12-24 to clean up Cincinnati. In fact, it hasn't snowed since yesterday late-morning/afternoon and people still had trouble coming into work this morning because parts of INTERSTATE (yes, interstate) have not been cleaned-up.
The good news was i got to go home early both of the days the snow fell. We closed early Tuesday, and again after snow emergency was lifted yesterday, too. It;'s nice because it makes for a short week... and quite frankly... the snow is beautiful. It feels like January and it LOOKS like January for once. This is the winter I am used to. However it is mentionable to be thankful no one lost power due to all the ice. TONS of people lost power in the area, and Matt's house was on e of the lucky. Snow is beautiful,, no power in below freezing weather most certainly is not.
---------------------------------------------------
Edit: All of the plans I had in my previous post: Lasik consultaion, rowing, indian food, all cancelled. No one went anywhere, everything was closed.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Some pics and other randomness
Well there is 3- possibly 4 inches of snow on the ground and apparently the city is in turmoil. Everyone stayed home from work today, the news forecasters are calling it the biggest snow of the year, the streets are barely plowed, and everyone is running to the store to stock up on supplies.
did you miss the first sentence? THREE INCHES MY FRIENDS, THREE INCHES!!!!
Cincinnati could stand to learn a thing or two from cleveland.
So this week is slow and I am already looking forward to this weekend. I am starting to get the sniffles and have already sneezed like 10 times in the last hour. At least I dont feel sick. Last night at our rowing workout our coach tested some of the class on our 2000 meter race times for the indoor rowing championship regatta this weekend at St. X. I tested and felt like throwing up when i finished. I didnt do as well as i thought, and when we start off on a sprint my first stroke I fell of the slide. It was so demoralizing. I dont think I am a competitive level right now.
Tonight I am going out to Indian food and drinks for a friends bday (that is, if we can all brave the snow..ooooo) and tomorrow Matt and I are going to my new doctor for a Lasik consultation. Thursday I have rowing, and then it;s friday and the weekend again! YAY!!
I am just getting over how great the past couple of weekends were, and this coming weekend I already have lots of plans!! But before I forget ill post some pics that i've been meaning to put up.
This picture was taken at the cyclones game on Saturday night, A got a box from his company and invited 12-14 of our friends. it was AWESOME!
Engagement party pics:
And this last one is Seabass and K-- one of the last weekends in December,... just wanted to throw it up here because I love these girls!
So now that I caught up on some picture posting I thought id follow suit with Pottamus because was also tagged to do this but cant do it on facebook-- or more like I dont know how. Also, this will be an abridged version. It calls for 26 (maybe 25?) random facts but I am going to do 15 random facts simply because I have spent enough time posting these pictures which for some reason I have a lot of difficulty doing. So, here goes...
So now that I caught up on some picture posting I thought id follow suit with Pottamus because was also tagged to do this but cant do it on facebook-- or more like I dont know how. Also, this will be an abridged version. It calls for 26 (maybe 25?) random facts but I am going to do 15 random facts simply because I have spent enough time posting these pictures which for some reason I have a lot of difficulty doing. So, here goes...
1) My entire family has "D" names and that includes every animal we ever owned (which includes 2 dogs, a chinchilla, 4 gerbils, and 2 guinea pigs throughout our childhood.
2)Its sometimes pathetic how much down time I have a work and I often worry that I am losing valuable skills at my current job but not being fully utilized all of the time.
3)After the last two elections I have become increasingly more aware of my political views and real and rooted belief system that seems to fall fairly aligned with the republican party.
4)I often wish people didnt think our new president is like a super-star. Sometimes I wish that people could understand my view points about him and how there are some serious issues at stake, and it's not about race or color or social status.
5). I used to think i loved to travel but as I am getting older I like it less and less because airports and navigating my way around is stressful and not fun for me at all.
6). When I am with my fiance i feel like i can do anything. Whenever he is with me I feel strong and confident and I miss him when he is not around. Although it may be a comfort zone thing, i love him for making me feel that.
7)Sometimes I think my dog was a person in a past life-- he is so animated and can act like an old man sometimes.
8)The thought of anything happening to Matt is terrifying to me and I worry about him all the time when he isnt with me.
9)My dad works waay too hard that is not good for his health. I want him to retire and enjoy life with my Mom before he gets too old.
10)Some of my friends stress me out and I too often worry that I am inadequate when I am around them. I am coming to realize it;s all just my own insecurities.
11)I am constantly worried that I am going to mess=up planning my wedding and am terrified no one will have fun.
12)I really want to learn how to be a good cook, it's a slow process but I am hoping to get there.
13)I really want a family, I worry what kind of a mother I will be because I dont think I am that good with children, but I really want kids.
14) I have seriously thought about adoption when I have a family.
15) I have never once second guessed how blessed and privileged I am and I thank God every day for all the wonderful people and opportunities I have in my life right now.
Friday, January 23, 2009
End to a short week
So it's finally Friday! And this week has actually been pretty good. Still on the high from this weekend's surprise, it has put a little bounce in my step whenever I think about it. It was a great week in general too, and productive.
We got a lot done on the wedding front. Two more check boxes (well, aside from some clerical work they boxes are pretty much checked). Photographer AND band. We are going with the Kim Kelly Orchestra and we are going with their 13 pc band. It's going to be big and loud and hopefully awesome. My one concern is that they dont play enough songs for the young crowd (which is many). I asked for a couple references and called them both and both used this band for an older crowd; one for a company holiday party and another guy who seemed rich threw a big party and actually got two bands so there were no breaks. Both people were really nice and helpful, the second guy was 50. I am 25. And it's not that i want justin timberlake playing, i just want the classic rock and roll stuff that everyone knows and can do some booty shakin! Like CCR, Van Morrison, billy joel... you know the usual classics. Their playlist on line seemed pretty diverse-- a lot of big band stuff, jazz and ballads, but also a big classic rock list too. I am hoping i can ask them to play up that list. I cant help but obsess, i am so bad at making decisions!!
The rest of this week was spent playing catch up. I went out to dinner and the theatre on Wednesday night with J and A ( only the 2nd play of our a season tickets), and last night I had a great rowing workout. Saturday we are going to the Cyclones game with some friends who got a box from his office so that will be fun, and I even emailed my future sister-in-law because we've been talking about a double date- movie date. That would be fun too. I am looking forward to the weekend.
In other non-related news I am scheduled for Lasik part deux. I had got through the whole rigamarole done before the holidays because i needed to find a doctor, find out if i am candidate, get my eyes checked, measured, etc and figure out costs so I can allot it through my flex spending account at work. I was on top of things. And i loved my doctor. Well, i got into the office on Monday to a message from my dr. office. I called back and the lady said he isnt doing Lasik anymore. WHAAT? just like that. No referral, no explanation, nothing. ANd just like that i was out in the cold. I have a feeling it might have had something to do with the economy, but luckily matt was able to find me another referred doctor at a separate place. The mid-west eye center-- and some of their equipment seems even more advance. AND i think i might get a discount from my insurance. It just sucks that i had everything ready to go, and the EXACT dollar amount elected in the my flex. But i am reschedule now. the stress has passed, the new date is February 6th.
Now just looking for another box to check.
TGIF!
We got a lot done on the wedding front. Two more check boxes (well, aside from some clerical work they boxes are pretty much checked). Photographer AND band. We are going with the Kim Kelly Orchestra and we are going with their 13 pc band. It's going to be big and loud and hopefully awesome. My one concern is that they dont play enough songs for the young crowd (which is many). I asked for a couple references and called them both and both used this band for an older crowd; one for a company holiday party and another guy who seemed rich threw a big party and actually got two bands so there were no breaks. Both people were really nice and helpful, the second guy was 50. I am 25. And it's not that i want justin timberlake playing, i just want the classic rock and roll stuff that everyone knows and can do some booty shakin! Like CCR, Van Morrison, billy joel... you know the usual classics. Their playlist on line seemed pretty diverse-- a lot of big band stuff, jazz and ballads, but also a big classic rock list too. I am hoping i can ask them to play up that list. I cant help but obsess, i am so bad at making decisions!!
The rest of this week was spent playing catch up. I went out to dinner and the theatre on Wednesday night with J and A ( only the 2nd play of our a season tickets), and last night I had a great rowing workout. Saturday we are going to the Cyclones game with some friends who got a box from his office so that will be fun, and I even emailed my future sister-in-law because we've been talking about a double date- movie date. That would be fun too. I am looking forward to the weekend.
In other non-related news I am scheduled for Lasik part deux. I had got through the whole rigamarole done before the holidays because i needed to find a doctor, find out if i am candidate, get my eyes checked, measured, etc and figure out costs so I can allot it through my flex spending account at work. I was on top of things. And i loved my doctor. Well, i got into the office on Monday to a message from my dr. office. I called back and the lady said he isnt doing Lasik anymore. WHAAT? just like that. No referral, no explanation, nothing. ANd just like that i was out in the cold. I have a feeling it might have had something to do with the economy, but luckily matt was able to find me another referred doctor at a separate place. The mid-west eye center-- and some of their equipment seems even more advance. AND i think i might get a discount from my insurance. It just sucks that i had everything ready to go, and the EXACT dollar amount elected in the my flex. But i am reschedule now. the stress has passed, the new date is February 6th.
Now just looking for another box to check.
TGIF!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Surprise Engagement Party!!!! (edited twice)
BEST WEEKEND EVER!!!
BEST FRIENDS EVER!!!!!
WOW!!
SO the weekend started off to be an average weekend. Friday night I stayed in with Matt, cooked up some random stuff for dinner, didn't leave much because it was SO, sooo, so cold that night. The weekend had nothing super thrilling to speak about.
Saturday I dont even remember what we did during the day. I think Matt and I went on the hunt for a Wii fit (for me) and Zelda for him--we went to Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Game Stop-- Matt found his, it was fruitless for me. We also met with a photographer SMACK dab in the middle of the day on Saturday, 3 oclock. it was about 20 or so minutes away so we found ways to occupy our time on the way and at Penn Station and wandered around. When we finally sat down with the guy we ABSOLUTELY LOVED HIM! and...his pictures were GORGEOUS!! o they were so pretty, they weren't your standard pictures; they were artsy and full of color and creativity. We both loved them (and matt is a boy who could care less, HE LOVED THEM!). And the guy would have been so fun to work with! Then he even showed us this short film he puts together for those that want a videographer-- and it was AMAZING!!! Matt even got a little misty-eyed over these people on the video that we didnt even know. It was so, SO, soooo good!!! But they would break the bank if we went with them. We didnt know it going into the meeting because package pricing wasn't listed online. Actually, we were told he was reasonable. Really, we wouldn't have had the guy we met with even shooting our wedding-- it would be one of his 'lead photographers,' I guess I would expect them to be good. Mr. Guy We Met With would have cost $4800 to shoot our wedding (his lackey-- $2950). His video-- $2200. ugh. Why does it all have to be so expensive?? How are we supposed to find someone we like and click with... and feel comfortable. My mom says you get what you pay for..... what do consider when making this decision?
So anyway, we get home and talk about it for a while and actually both decide to go with this photographer. He was just too good! And, really, we can afford it... but we just would have to skimp other places (like less budget for my dress, wedding favors, wedding party gifts, etc) . That night the plan was to go over to J's house to play rock band and visit with some people who were going to come down and hang out and maybe go to the bars downtown for a bit. Actually, i was cold and I didnt even think i would be up late and be the DD that night. J said to come over around 8-- but thinking we;d be the only people there at 8 we dicked around and watched some of a stupid Vin Deasil movie on TV. It was cold and rainy that night too. Finally we got ready and K said to come over because she wasn't planning on staying long, she was the only one there, and she still isnt feeling well (she was sick last week and even took a day off). So we got in the car and went over.
J lives DT like I do and we drove around for like 10 minutes trying to find parking on the street. We drove and circled and drove some more, we called J and told him we were there but searching for a spot. The street was so full!! I was even a little frustrated at this point, but whatever. Jeff texts us to let us know when he should come down and let us in. We parked and got a little lost on which direction his apartment was... we called him again. When we got there Jeff was in the lobby... we knocked on the door because he disappeared quickly but he let us in.
So now instead of going straight up to his apartment to play rock band, he said that they decided to utilize thier lounge area and play pool. So not expecting anyone to be around we walk into some side hallways and into a dark room, where i expected to find a smaller room with a pool table. So we walk in, the lights turn on...
SURPRISE!!!!!
A room full of 35-40 people were there to throw us a surprise engagement party!!!! TONS of people were there!! Friends from Dayton, Cleveland, and even Phili came down for it. There were balloons, tons of food, and even a GIGANTIC cookie cake that said 'congratulations Matt and Donna.' There was lots of alcohol- coolers and a whole fridge full, blender drinks, SHOTS (yikes), and even presents for us!! It was UNBELIEVABLE!!!! I wouldn't believe how many people I love could all be in one room! Everyone showed up!! It was so awesome!!! AND WE WERE SO SURPRISED!!!!!!!
It was a moment i'll never forget. Ill never forget seeing the first people scream at Surprise at us, i;ll never forget all the pictures that were taken, ill never forget all the thought that went into it all. It was seriously one of the best memories i'll cherish for such a long, long, looong time. J and S were the major coordinators and I am touched beyond belief that they thought of doing this for us. It took a lot of work getting all those people together. It was a total surprise, too. Not to mention all the people it took to give us hints to throw us off on the idea. We had NO idea! Matt and I still cant stop talking about how that ACTUALLY happened! I have never felt so loved and blessed for all the wonderful friends God has given me in all my life. It was the best wedding gift anyone could have given us.
The weekend after that was nothing to compare to saturday night. In fact we spent all of Sunday literally walking around in awe of it all... (and eating the leftover cake:) ). That night we went to his parents 35th wedding anniversary party (it was sort of a surprise, too). Matt and I also bought Planet Earth on blue ray and watched it for part of the day. It was a nice day. The best part was we had Monday off. I love short weeks like that. Monday we spend doing laundry, running some errands, Matt got his hair cut, went to Bdubs, got some cards, and sent all of our Thank You notes out in the mail for today.
Still cant believe what happened on saturday night. I couldn't wait to blog about it today. It was unbelievable. I guess it's time to get back to reality and start some work...
** PS ill try to post pictures... i lost my camera on NYE so i was devastated not having it. But lots of pictures were taken and i know some are already posted on good 'ol facebook. Ill just wait and hope i get a lot more.
***P.P.S. We still havent made up our mind about the photographer yet... even though we both thought 'yes' on saturday... the reality of our check books makes it a giant pill to swallow. We shall keep bumbling around until perhaps another alternative comes up?
****P.P.P.S. Go we've been vacilating enough, we booked Bambino at lunch. He's too good, we will splurge once. I hope it wasnt a mistake!!
wwww.michaelbambino.com
BEST FRIENDS EVER!!!!!
WOW!!
SO the weekend started off to be an average weekend. Friday night I stayed in with Matt, cooked up some random stuff for dinner, didn't leave much because it was SO, sooo, so cold that night. The weekend had nothing super thrilling to speak about.
Saturday I dont even remember what we did during the day. I think Matt and I went on the hunt for a Wii fit (for me) and Zelda for him--we went to Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Game Stop-- Matt found his, it was fruitless for me. We also met with a photographer SMACK dab in the middle of the day on Saturday, 3 oclock. it was about 20 or so minutes away so we found ways to occupy our time on the way and at Penn Station and wandered around. When we finally sat down with the guy we ABSOLUTELY LOVED HIM! and...his pictures were GORGEOUS!! o they were so pretty, they weren't your standard pictures; they were artsy and full of color and creativity. We both loved them (and matt is a boy who could care less, HE LOVED THEM!). And the guy would have been so fun to work with! Then he even showed us this short film he puts together for those that want a videographer-- and it was AMAZING!!! Matt even got a little misty-eyed over these people on the video that we didnt even know. It was so, SO, soooo good!!! But they would break the bank if we went with them. We didnt know it going into the meeting because package pricing wasn't listed online. Actually, we were told he was reasonable. Really, we wouldn't have had the guy we met with even shooting our wedding-- it would be one of his 'lead photographers,' I guess I would expect them to be good. Mr. Guy We Met With would have cost $4800 to shoot our wedding (his lackey-- $2950). His video-- $2200. ugh. Why does it all have to be so expensive?? How are we supposed to find someone we like and click with... and feel comfortable. My mom says you get what you pay for..... what do consider when making this decision?
So anyway, we get home and talk about it for a while and actually both decide to go with this photographer. He was just too good! And, really, we can afford it... but we just would have to skimp other places (like less budget for my dress, wedding favors, wedding party gifts, etc) . That night the plan was to go over to J's house to play rock band and visit with some people who were going to come down and hang out and maybe go to the bars downtown for a bit. Actually, i was cold and I didnt even think i would be up late and be the DD that night. J said to come over around 8-- but thinking we;d be the only people there at 8 we dicked around and watched some of a stupid Vin Deasil movie on TV. It was cold and rainy that night too. Finally we got ready and K said to come over because she wasn't planning on staying long, she was the only one there, and she still isnt feeling well (she was sick last week and even took a day off). So we got in the car and went over.
J lives DT like I do and we drove around for like 10 minutes trying to find parking on the street. We drove and circled and drove some more, we called J and told him we were there but searching for a spot. The street was so full!! I was even a little frustrated at this point, but whatever. Jeff texts us to let us know when he should come down and let us in. We parked and got a little lost on which direction his apartment was... we called him again. When we got there Jeff was in the lobby... we knocked on the door because he disappeared quickly but he let us in.
So now instead of going straight up to his apartment to play rock band, he said that they decided to utilize thier lounge area and play pool. So not expecting anyone to be around we walk into some side hallways and into a dark room, where i expected to find a smaller room with a pool table. So we walk in, the lights turn on...
SURPRISE!!!!!
A room full of 35-40 people were there to throw us a surprise engagement party!!!! TONS of people were there!! Friends from Dayton, Cleveland, and even Phili came down for it. There were balloons, tons of food, and even a GIGANTIC cookie cake that said 'congratulations Matt and Donna.' There was lots of alcohol- coolers and a whole fridge full, blender drinks, SHOTS (yikes), and even presents for us!! It was UNBELIEVABLE!!!! I wouldn't believe how many people I love could all be in one room! Everyone showed up!! It was so awesome!!! AND WE WERE SO SURPRISED!!!!!!!
It was a moment i'll never forget. Ill never forget seeing the first people scream at Surprise at us, i;ll never forget all the pictures that were taken, ill never forget all the thought that went into it all. It was seriously one of the best memories i'll cherish for such a long, long, looong time. J and S were the major coordinators and I am touched beyond belief that they thought of doing this for us. It took a lot of work getting all those people together. It was a total surprise, too. Not to mention all the people it took to give us hints to throw us off on the idea. We had NO idea! Matt and I still cant stop talking about how that ACTUALLY happened! I have never felt so loved and blessed for all the wonderful friends God has given me in all my life. It was the best wedding gift anyone could have given us.
The weekend after that was nothing to compare to saturday night. In fact we spent all of Sunday literally walking around in awe of it all... (and eating the leftover cake:) ). That night we went to his parents 35th wedding anniversary party (it was sort of a surprise, too). Matt and I also bought Planet Earth on blue ray and watched it for part of the day. It was a nice day. The best part was we had Monday off. I love short weeks like that. Monday we spend doing laundry, running some errands, Matt got his hair cut, went to Bdubs, got some cards, and sent all of our Thank You notes out in the mail for today.
Still cant believe what happened on saturday night. I couldn't wait to blog about it today. It was unbelievable. I guess it's time to get back to reality and start some work...
** PS ill try to post pictures... i lost my camera on NYE so i was devastated not having it. But lots of pictures were taken and i know some are already posted on good 'ol facebook. Ill just wait and hope i get a lot more.
***P.P.S. We still havent made up our mind about the photographer yet... even though we both thought 'yes' on saturday... the reality of our check books makes it a giant pill to swallow. We shall keep bumbling around until perhaps another alternative comes up?
****P.P.P.S. Go we've been vacilating enough, we booked Bambino at lunch. He's too good, we will splurge once. I hope it wasnt a mistake!!
wwww.michaelbambino.com
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Brrrrr
It is FREEZING!!!!!! No wait, it is BELOW freezing outside right now. In fact, the weatherman said we are seeing some of the coldest temperatures we've seen in years. The high today? 11!!! That is effing cold, do we need to factor in the wind chill?
My apartment is 25% windows; two huge sliding doors on one wall that pretty much take up 90% of the entire wall in my living room and dining room. It's beautiful in the summer but UNBEARABLE in the amount of heat i lose from them. My bedroom, quite the same.... I have huge long windows that span the entire outside wall of my room and it just doesn't stay warm. I need warm!!! My electric bills is going to be insane this month (and i thought last month was bad). And I hate cold, I hate the way i feel, i hate my dry skin, i hate going outside, i hate the dark, i HATE the cold... but the worst part, WE HAVENT ACTUALLY GOT ANY REAL SNOW! I was born and raised in Cleveland, i am pretty sure they have over 2ft right now. Cincinnati sucks. In fact, i cant even listen to the weather people because they hype up one snow flake falling for an entire week. We haven't had any accumulation over one inch this year. ONE INCH!!! What point is this bitter cold when there is no snow. I miss the snow. I miss the anticipation that no one can get out of their driveways in the morning and everyone stays home the following day. I miss the feeling of watching all the snow fall and fall and feeling safe inside with no place to go. It's the kind of snow that is an event. None of this slightly dusting the ground s***, ok I am bitter. I blame the cold.
I am ready for the weekend and the week to be over. It's been a busy week. Not much has happened on the wedding planning front except I put down my deposit at the Cincinnati Club (YAY) and I schedule an appointment with a photographer this weekend. I also called a few bands-- but still haven't found anyone. These two (major) pieces I will relax once they are in place. In other interesting news, Terry Kidney from Music Hall finally found it convenient to get back to us about the hall. How nice, only a week and a day later. She said in her brief email that our planned date still is not available but -i quote-- there is a possibility that one of the last two weekends in October might be available. MIGHT BE AVAILABLE!?!? O wait, i am not done. Not only did she tell me that she cant confirm anything with me but she said she would put a hold on one of them if I wouldn't mind waiting until the end up February or possibly later. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!??!! um, YA RIGHT! How do these people do business? I mean seriously! Of course, i responded less angry although still miffed and told her that do the my past experience with you i cannot plan my wedding on a possibility Music Hall is available. O then of course i growled at the computer screen and said a few curse words under my breath and sent the email.
On the non-wedding front everything is just fine. Matt and I ate Teak again last night, we justified it because it was our anniversary. We have leftovers for tonight. This weekend we have 3 days which will be nice. I am looking forward to a lot of rest and relaxation! And staying warm:)
My apartment is 25% windows; two huge sliding doors on one wall that pretty much take up 90% of the entire wall in my living room and dining room. It's beautiful in the summer but UNBEARABLE in the amount of heat i lose from them. My bedroom, quite the same.... I have huge long windows that span the entire outside wall of my room and it just doesn't stay warm. I need warm!!! My electric bills is going to be insane this month (and i thought last month was bad). And I hate cold, I hate the way i feel, i hate my dry skin, i hate going outside, i hate the dark, i HATE the cold... but the worst part, WE HAVENT ACTUALLY GOT ANY REAL SNOW! I was born and raised in Cleveland, i am pretty sure they have over 2ft right now. Cincinnati sucks. In fact, i cant even listen to the weather people because they hype up one snow flake falling for an entire week. We haven't had any accumulation over one inch this year. ONE INCH!!! What point is this bitter cold when there is no snow. I miss the snow. I miss the anticipation that no one can get out of their driveways in the morning and everyone stays home the following day. I miss the feeling of watching all the snow fall and fall and feeling safe inside with no place to go. It's the kind of snow that is an event. None of this slightly dusting the ground s***, ok I am bitter. I blame the cold.
I am ready for the weekend and the week to be over. It's been a busy week. Not much has happened on the wedding planning front except I put down my deposit at the Cincinnati Club (YAY) and I schedule an appointment with a photographer this weekend. I also called a few bands-- but still haven't found anyone. These two (major) pieces I will relax once they are in place. In other interesting news, Terry Kidney from Music Hall finally found it convenient to get back to us about the hall. How nice, only a week and a day later. She said in her brief email that our planned date still is not available but -i quote-- there is a possibility that one of the last two weekends in October might be available. MIGHT BE AVAILABLE!?!? O wait, i am not done. Not only did she tell me that she cant confirm anything with me but she said she would put a hold on one of them if I wouldn't mind waiting until the end up February or possibly later. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!??!! um, YA RIGHT! How do these people do business? I mean seriously! Of course, i responded less angry although still miffed and told her that do the my past experience with you i cannot plan my wedding on a possibility Music Hall is available. O then of course i growled at the computer screen and said a few curse words under my breath and sent the email.
On the non-wedding front everything is just fine. Matt and I ate Teak again last night, we justified it because it was our anniversary. We have leftovers for tonight. This weekend we have 3 days which will be nice. I am looking forward to a lot of rest and relaxation! And staying warm:)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Pretty Great Weekend
I feel good today looking ahead to a productive week and a long weekend next week. My weekend, to say the least, was almost perfect. Although nothing exciting happened, it was the perfect amount of fun/productive/restful/and busy. Friday night Matt and I met up with his bother, sister-in-law and nephew for some Teak and ice cream. It's always so much fun hanging out with them; his sister-in-law is one of my BMs and we get along SO well! We really bonded on vacation and she has been a huge help to me with wedding planing and all. We LOVE Teak, it's one of our favorite places, so combine great food with great people makes for a pretty good night!
Saturday was pretty busy but great, too. Matt won a $100 gift certificate to James Free Jewelers so we went up there to take a look. We hoped to fimd Matt a wedding ring there, but we found that place to be RIDICULOUSLY over-priced. He wanted something simple.... it didnt even have to be all gold-- but the one he wanted was over $400 bucks. Totally not worth it. I looked at wedding bands just for fun-- LOVED a few-- but of course was not willing to pay a ton. We left and went down the road to the mall. And again we were SUPER productive. I got my ring re sized at a jeweler and it was so cheap! They were busy so we just wondered around for a couple hours; went to Macy's to add things on our registry (and didnt fight about anything!), and even managed to get Matt a new pair of jeans at J-Crew (he needed them so bad, he wears his jeans rugged). I got my ring back and it looks SO tiny!! It fit nice and snug, i dont think I will ever take it off. So far I haven't; not sleeping, in the shower, at all..... Mr. N (Matt's dad) says if it fits right I wil never have to take it off or worry about it unless I am dating other men. ha ha. And I shouldn't have to worry about scatching or hurting it either.
Saturday night Matt and I went to Habeneros for dinner and to Hofbrauhaus-- which was crowded but a good time hanging out with my friends. No drama, stress free good time. Sunday we went to church, then to Penn Station (matt's favorite), and then to have fun registering at Bed Bath and Beyond-- and no fighting again!! We went grocery shopping together, came back to my apartment and MAJORLY cleaned, cooked dinner together and even watched Desperate Housewives together. The whole weekend, it was great! Hopefully next weekend (the long weekend) can follow suite.
Now, I have been picture tagged by Wolf with simple directions:
) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 people to do the same
This will be interesting considering I am on my work computer... but here goes. 
This picture is quite old-- 2 years plus... or whenever I ran the Flying Pig Relay with Matt, P and J... this was before matt and I even officially started dating. I pulled this picture so that we could brain storm ideas and create a t-shirt for our team. We didnt even end up using this image. Wow this was a while ago.
Since i dont even think i have 4 people reading my blog it's not worth tagging others... but thanks Wolf, my bloggy friend.
Time to start Monday and get more work done!
Friday, January 9, 2009
9-26-09 Wedding!
After one HELL of a week, i was able to get through and recover from some wedding planning setbacks, a busy week at work, and lots of stuff on my mind. Although some spite still exists for Ms. Kidney and company at Music Hall, i have picked a new place that is not only cheaper, but much, MUCH easier to work with. I cant imagine dealing with those people for everything. The church has confirmed and the reception will be held at the Cincinnati Club downtown. It's a beautiful place, there is a grand staircase leading up to the reception hall and a really nice lobby, and it seems very classy. The catering director is mailing me the contract now! I just need to figure out what to do from here?
I am looking forward to the weekend; resting, cleaning, seeing my friends, maybe even getting some wedding stuff done (if i can!). My apartment right now is a clear reflection of my mental state this week-- pure chaos. Much like my mind i haven't put any order to all the mail and papers coming in every day, and put any semblance on how to approach the mess. But I know ill get there. It;s supposed to be cold this weekend and next week, on those days all i want to do is lay around snuggled up in a blanket with a cup of tea and soup. Hopefully the motivation will come. It always does.
Now for a moment of thanks for Wolf for giving me an award! I dont think ive ever won an award.... and this award is one to be thankful for!
I am looking forward to the weekend; resting, cleaning, seeing my friends, maybe even getting some wedding stuff done (if i can!). My apartment right now is a clear reflection of my mental state this week-- pure chaos. Much like my mind i haven't put any order to all the mail and papers coming in every day, and put any semblance on how to approach the mess. But I know ill get there. It;s supposed to be cold this weekend and next week, on those days all i want to do is lay around snuggled up in a blanket with a cup of tea and soup. Hopefully the motivation will come. It always does.
Now for a moment of thanks for Wolf for giving me an award! I dont think ive ever won an award.... and this award is one to be thankful for!
"Blogs who receive this award are 'exceedingly charming' say its authors.This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award." What a wonderful award to receive... from a very wonderful bloggy friend I have found:)
And now 3 things I am thankful for ( much like Pottamus)
- Finally having a wedding date
-My wonderful Fiancee and family for helping make this wedding possible
-Vegetable soup from Teak because it is absolutely AMAZING!!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Wedding Planning non-Bliss
From the moment i got engaged EVERYONE, and i mean EVERYONE, told me right off that bad about how fun its going to be planning a wedding. In fact, i remember some of those exact same people told when they were planning their wedding that their dream job would be a Wedding Planner. Bridal shows, color scheming, arranging, they smiled and said it's all fun stuff. In fact, i should end that last sentence with an exclamation because they had a TON of enthusiasm. Well, now that it's my turn HOW THE HELL DID THEY DO IT!!?!
In fact, so far everything wedding related has been not fun, stressful, hard to coordinate and a HUGE pain and distraction from functioning my every day life. First of all, how is anyone suppose to plan anything if I work a normal job. Normal job being away from home getting paid to do something between the hours of 9 and 5 (in my case 7- 5). HOW DO YOU IT!?! Everyone who needs to be coordinated is gone by the time i leave the office!
I write this in an especially wretched mood because a bomb was dropped on me last night. I figure the two big things are church and reception. From there, the entertainment and the caterer. I thought i moved on. I picked a date, i even put a deposit on the church. Well, i am out the door on my way to my winter rowing workout-- that i have missed ever time since before Christmas-- and i am reading my blackberry and a message from Terri Kidney at Music Hall emails Matt and I at 5:06. Guess what the email said? Thanks for the interest in Music Hall but we misread the electronic version of our calendar and the date we CONFIRMED FOR YOU is not available and we have to cancel! Do you need to read that sentence again? Well, yes, you read that this person (and the 2 people in her office) ONLY JOB IS TO SCHEDULE EVENTS FOR THIS PLACE and THEY MISREAD A CALENDAR!!!!! WTF! I was livid last night, and apparently the sentiment hasn't resided, I feel like I wasted an entire week scouting out reception locations all because of Terri and her ignorant staff. Now what do i do?
Since my Church is downtown I want to have a downtown reception, which is great but also limiting because downtown receptions are very desirable and there are only a finite number of them. AND A WHOLE WEEK is down the tubes searching because of Terri!! I am just feeling overwhelmed and stressed about every aspect of planning and am praying it gets easier. I felt good about having a date and a path forward and it just seems like the rug was pulled out from under my feet. Are these normal feelings? How do I deal?
back to my real job....
** Terri Kidney at Music Hall, in my negative state i feel the only tool I have to get back at her and her staff is to give them bad press. This is why i mention her name when i tell this story. I might also blog about my miserable experience working with her staff on other wedding sites too. I failed to mention that when Matt and I went to meet with them and look at the place they made us sit in the lobby for over 25 minutes during our lunch hour on a workday. And yet, werent even that friendly.
Terri Kidney
Edit: I also remember from our meeting that Cindi from her staff told us, AND I QUOTE, that we "can do a happy dance now because it's available and ours" we juat had to wait for Terri to draw up the papers because TERRI KIDNEY is the RENTAL MANAGER at Music Hall.
In fact, so far everything wedding related has been not fun, stressful, hard to coordinate and a HUGE pain and distraction from functioning my every day life. First of all, how is anyone suppose to plan anything if I work a normal job. Normal job being away from home getting paid to do something between the hours of 9 and 5 (in my case 7- 5). HOW DO YOU IT!?! Everyone who needs to be coordinated is gone by the time i leave the office!
I write this in an especially wretched mood because a bomb was dropped on me last night. I figure the two big things are church and reception. From there, the entertainment and the caterer. I thought i moved on. I picked a date, i even put a deposit on the church. Well, i am out the door on my way to my winter rowing workout-- that i have missed ever time since before Christmas-- and i am reading my blackberry and a message from Terri Kidney at Music Hall emails Matt and I at 5:06. Guess what the email said? Thanks for the interest in Music Hall but we misread the electronic version of our calendar and the date we CONFIRMED FOR YOU is not available and we have to cancel! Do you need to read that sentence again? Well, yes, you read that this person (and the 2 people in her office) ONLY JOB IS TO SCHEDULE EVENTS FOR THIS PLACE and THEY MISREAD A CALENDAR!!!!! WTF! I was livid last night, and apparently the sentiment hasn't resided, I feel like I wasted an entire week scouting out reception locations all because of Terri and her ignorant staff. Now what do i do?
Since my Church is downtown I want to have a downtown reception, which is great but also limiting because downtown receptions are very desirable and there are only a finite number of them. AND A WHOLE WEEK is down the tubes searching because of Terri!! I am just feeling overwhelmed and stressed about every aspect of planning and am praying it gets easier. I felt good about having a date and a path forward and it just seems like the rug was pulled out from under my feet. Are these normal feelings? How do I deal?
back to my real job....
** Terri Kidney at Music Hall, in my negative state i feel the only tool I have to get back at her and her staff is to give them bad press. This is why i mention her name when i tell this story. I might also blog about my miserable experience working with her staff on other wedding sites too. I failed to mention that when Matt and I went to meet with them and look at the place they made us sit in the lobby for over 25 minutes during our lunch hour on a workday. And yet, werent even that friendly.
Terri Kidney
Edit: I also remember from our meeting that Cindi from her staff told us, AND I QUOTE, that we "can do a happy dance now because it's available and ours" we juat had to wait for Terri to draw up the papers because TERRI KIDNEY is the RENTAL MANAGER at Music Hall.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)