I have received many comments from the top 10 list and I thought I would add them on to the blog site as an additional blog so here goes:
First is from Mom (Fleck)
I LOVE the new blog, Adriane. You describe Stacy so well and what all is so wonderful about him. Of course, there are a few things I would have added as to what his future mother-in-law sees as being so great:
1. He is a gentleman and a gentle man - rare in someone his size
2. He actually likes us! Crazy as we are!
3. He treats you so well and with respect.
4. He has wonderful parents.
5. He has such a sly sense of humor - and is far more intelligient than anyone realizes, perhaps even him.
I would post these as comments on the blog, but to be perfectly honest, you will have to show me how when you come in.
I love you both so much.
Mom
The next one was from Andrea, one of my dearest friends and bridesmaids:
You made me cry you sappy little bitch!!!! :)))
p.s.you put that you don't like coffee twice guess thatmeans you really really don't like coffee. love,
the coffee buyer @ whole foods market durham
The next came from one of our great friends, Mindy
Hey girl,I love the top ten blog and as much as I hate to admit it I can be a sucker for the mushy stuff. I always knew Stacy was a sweet guy, just never realized how sweet. And what a romantic, that was a little surprising. Maybe he needs to have a talk w/ Eric. haha.
I love to hear from everyone about the blogs--something about me is a little bit of an attention whore, so the comments keep me motivated to write!! Love you all bunches.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
A top 10 list
For any of you who watch David Letterman, you will know where this comes from and you can just skip on down to the next paragraph. For those of you who don't, David Letterman does a top 10 list every night--sometimes over serious things, sometimes over funny things, but either way, it always turns out to be funny.
Stacy is always telling me that it isn't fair that I am the one who writes the blogs because it is always biased and sometimes pokes a little fun at him (probably a little truth to this). I have given him the sign-in information and password so that he can feel free to add to any blog or even create his own, but I don't think that will be happening anytime soon. :-) I think about how lucky I am on a daily basis to have him in my life (and make it a point to let him know how much I appreciate and love him). I truly think that everything happens for a reason and that God wanted me to move to Kansas City to meet him. I wanted to do a top 10 list of the reasons why I want to marry Stacy (any of you who don't like mushy are free to exit the blog now or just gag your way through it!!!!)
10. He refuses to argue with me when I am being unreasonable. Actually, he's not much of an arguing type person in general, but I do have my moments when I get my panties in a bunch and for some crazy reason (hormones, emotions, bad day at work, etc) just want to argue with someone. He can definitely sense when I am just picking for one of the above reasons and he will not take the bait. He stays calm and even-keeled, no matter what.
9. He is calm and even-keeled, no matter what. I have a slight tendency to be high-strung and hyperactive (runs in my family) and I want to go, go, go at all times and sometimes miss the smaller delights in life by doing this. His calm, smooth manner and refusal to worry about all of the small details forces me to take a couple of deep breaths (usually when I need it the most) and slow down and quit sweating the small stuff. He is the tortoise to me being the hare.
8. I can be goofy around him. As much as I don't want to admit it, I really am just a HUGE dork. I am clumsy (busted my ass twice in the first weekend that I met him). I like to make jokes and cut up and make silly faces. All of this can be done right in front of Stacy. I don't have to hide the dorkiness.
7. He has accepted my package deal. I told him when we first started dating that Levi (my sweet puppy), Chickie (my VERY high-maintenance cat) and I were a package deal and that if he wanted to date me, he had to accept all three of us. He has gone well above and beyond that. He absolutely adores Levi and would do anything for puppy and he even lets Chickie lay on his chest and purr and knead her claws. He takes great care of them when I am out of town and even got Christmas presents for both of them!
6. He will still go out to dinner with me and even split meals with me. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but I have a list of foods that I will NOT eat--either because I don't like them or they hurt my stomach. Here is the short list--onions, olives, green peppers, cooked orange vegetables, celery, lima beans, liver, coffee, mystery meat (pepperoni, salami, pastrami, sausage, bologna, hot dogs, bratwurst, etc) octopus, calamari, coffee, anything that has too much garlic or too much cheese (I LOVE cheese, but it doesn't like me). Some of his favorite foods include: olives, onions, green peppers, sausage, pepperoni, brats, octopus, calamari (are you getting the picture yet?) When we go to the Royals games, his favorite thing to get is a sheboygen (not sure what this is, but it is definitely classified as a mystery meat) and pile on the onions, peppers, and kraut. I could gag just watching him eat it. He has even cooked for me and cooked mine separately so that it wouldn't be contaminated by the onions and peppers!
5. He gets me pink roses--Often. Enough said!
4. He cares so much for my family too and does really sweet things for them and usually, I don't even have a clue what he is up to. Just recently, he bought a game (washers) with the UK decals on it, knowing what big fans they were.
3. He does sweet things for me and pays attention to the details where I am concerned. For instance, last year for my birthday, he threw me a surprise birthday party and even had my family come in from out of town and I had no clue. This year, he upgraded my computer because I was always getting frustrated that it ran so slow. One year, he got me a tv for my bedroom so that I could fall asleep in my bed watching tv rather than sleeping on the couch every night.
2. He will be an AWESOME dad. He will be patient and always looking out for the kids' best interest. When we went to Kentucky last weekend and took Levi with us, Stacy had already loaded up the car and when I went out there, he had put Levi's bed in the backseat so he would be more comfortable on the ride there.
1. He is my rock. He is always there for me and he makes me laugh and we have fun together. While I am looking forward to the wedding day, I hope I never lose sight of the fact that most of all, I am looking forward to being his wife and being married to such a wonderful man. I am a better person because I am with him.
Stacy is always telling me that it isn't fair that I am the one who writes the blogs because it is always biased and sometimes pokes a little fun at him (probably a little truth to this). I have given him the sign-in information and password so that he can feel free to add to any blog or even create his own, but I don't think that will be happening anytime soon. :-) I think about how lucky I am on a daily basis to have him in my life (and make it a point to let him know how much I appreciate and love him). I truly think that everything happens for a reason and that God wanted me to move to Kansas City to meet him. I wanted to do a top 10 list of the reasons why I want to marry Stacy (any of you who don't like mushy are free to exit the blog now or just gag your way through it!!!!)
10. He refuses to argue with me when I am being unreasonable. Actually, he's not much of an arguing type person in general, but I do have my moments when I get my panties in a bunch and for some crazy reason (hormones, emotions, bad day at work, etc) just want to argue with someone. He can definitely sense when I am just picking for one of the above reasons and he will not take the bait. He stays calm and even-keeled, no matter what.
9. He is calm and even-keeled, no matter what. I have a slight tendency to be high-strung and hyperactive (runs in my family) and I want to go, go, go at all times and sometimes miss the smaller delights in life by doing this. His calm, smooth manner and refusal to worry about all of the small details forces me to take a couple of deep breaths (usually when I need it the most) and slow down and quit sweating the small stuff. He is the tortoise to me being the hare.
8. I can be goofy around him. As much as I don't want to admit it, I really am just a HUGE dork. I am clumsy (busted my ass twice in the first weekend that I met him). I like to make jokes and cut up and make silly faces. All of this can be done right in front of Stacy. I don't have to hide the dorkiness.
7. He has accepted my package deal. I told him when we first started dating that Levi (my sweet puppy), Chickie (my VERY high-maintenance cat) and I were a package deal and that if he wanted to date me, he had to accept all three of us. He has gone well above and beyond that. He absolutely adores Levi and would do anything for puppy and he even lets Chickie lay on his chest and purr and knead her claws. He takes great care of them when I am out of town and even got Christmas presents for both of them!
6. He will still go out to dinner with me and even split meals with me. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but I have a list of foods that I will NOT eat--either because I don't like them or they hurt my stomach. Here is the short list--onions, olives, green peppers, cooked orange vegetables, celery, lima beans, liver, coffee, mystery meat (pepperoni, salami, pastrami, sausage, bologna, hot dogs, bratwurst, etc) octopus, calamari, coffee, anything that has too much garlic or too much cheese (I LOVE cheese, but it doesn't like me). Some of his favorite foods include: olives, onions, green peppers, sausage, pepperoni, brats, octopus, calamari (are you getting the picture yet?) When we go to the Royals games, his favorite thing to get is a sheboygen (not sure what this is, but it is definitely classified as a mystery meat) and pile on the onions, peppers, and kraut. I could gag just watching him eat it. He has even cooked for me and cooked mine separately so that it wouldn't be contaminated by the onions and peppers!
5. He gets me pink roses--Often. Enough said!
4. He cares so much for my family too and does really sweet things for them and usually, I don't even have a clue what he is up to. Just recently, he bought a game (washers) with the UK decals on it, knowing what big fans they were.
3. He does sweet things for me and pays attention to the details where I am concerned. For instance, last year for my birthday, he threw me a surprise birthday party and even had my family come in from out of town and I had no clue. This year, he upgraded my computer because I was always getting frustrated that it ran so slow. One year, he got me a tv for my bedroom so that I could fall asleep in my bed watching tv rather than sleeping on the couch every night.
2. He will be an AWESOME dad. He will be patient and always looking out for the kids' best interest. When we went to Kentucky last weekend and took Levi with us, Stacy had already loaded up the car and when I went out there, he had put Levi's bed in the backseat so he would be more comfortable on the ride there.
1. He is my rock. He is always there for me and he makes me laugh and we have fun together. While I am looking forward to the wedding day, I hope I never lose sight of the fact that most of all, I am looking forward to being his wife and being married to such a wonderful man. I am a better person because I am with him.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Dresses for the Moms
On the same weekend that Mom came out to find a dress for me, we had also planned to look at dresses for both of the Moms. I wanted to make sure that Mom and Opal got to spend some quality time together getting to know each other better--after all, we were all going to be family. We had the whole weekend planned out. Friday night, we were going to have Opal spend the night that night so we could get up early and get to our appointments. Then, on Saturday, we would go look at dresses for me and for the moms and then go out to lunch at Red Robin. It would be a long but fun day.
Friday night, we got a later start than originally anticipated--Mom was driving in and would meet me in one of my stores that was right off the highway and then follow me home. Well, Mom ran into a tiny bit of car trouble on her way in-she got a flat tire and had to have a new tire put on which set her back a couple of hours. By the time we got to the apartment, Stacy, Jennifer and Opal (Stacy's mom) were already there and Jennifer had the appetizers going--artichoke-spinach dip, fruit tray, and something sweet. Levi (my dog) was on cloud nine--he had all of his favorite people in one small apartment (except for Dad and Jimmie-Stacy's dad) and was going crazy with throwing his toys at everyone getting them to play with him. Chickie (my cat) was also pretty happy. We just hung out, talking, getting to know each other better. This process seems to be eased a little by partaking in a little adult beverages. This I can handle. We had options--what do you want? Beer? No. Wine? Sure we will have little of that (especially since Mom brought the case of wine that we got when we went to Huber winery outside of Louisville after Christmas and were anxiously awaiting Mom and Dad to send them to us, but that is another blog entirely!) We cracked open a couple of bottles of wine and each had a glass or two.
I had another trick up my sleeve--Chocolate Martinis!!! Who doesn't like Chocolate Martinis? Neither Mom nor Opal had ever had one so we fixed them up and they both REALLY liked them. Much more than either anticipated. We already knew that Stacy, Jennifer and I liked them, but there was one unexpected surprise--Levi-Wilbur LOVES chocolate martinis! Now, I am not by any means recommending that anyone go out and give their dog chocolate martinis, but it certainly calmed Levi down a little and we had a great night. I think both the Moms were feeling the martinis by the end of the night.
Saturday morning, we got up, got ready and went to try on dresses--since you already know the story of my dress, I will tell you about the moms. When we were nearing the end of me trying on dresses at David's, we sent Mom and Opal to start looking at some that they would like to try on. Less than five minutes later, they were both back...empty-handed. Of course, Jennifer took charge of the situation. "Where are your dresses?" she asked them. "We didn't see any that we liked." they replied in unison. HOLD UP--was it possible that the whole time these sweet ladies were patiently watching us try on dresses they were secretly conspiring against us? They didn't want to try on dresses? Surely not. You bet your sweet a** they were. Jen promptly told them they hadn't looked hard enough and to go back and look some more. For all parents out there--when did it happen for you that your kids started using your own words as ammunition against you? Did you really raise this person who is all of the sudden bossing you around? For all the kids out there--when did you become your mom or dad? You always swore that you would not be like your parent and all of the sudden, you find yourself saying exactly what you always said you wouldn't. Jennifer and I went and helped them pick out a few dresses to try on and then kept up our system--taking pics and writing notes. There we a couple of possibilities.
After David's, we went to the Mall. We started out at Nordstrom because I had a couple of friends whose moms had gotten their dresses there. Apparently the timing was off because we couldn't find a single thing there. So, we went down to Dillards. Even though I am in these stores on a VERY regular basis (it is my job, after all) I don't often make it up to the dress department. In fact, it is very rare. They really had a lot of nice dresses there. We picked out at least 8 dresses apiece for Mom and Opal. Mom found one that she loved, loved, loved. We bought it right away. I must get my aversion to dresses from Mom because the conversation that we had prior to dress shopping went something like this: Mom, if I have to wear a dress to the wedding, then you can put on your big-girl panties for a day and wear one too!!! Her dress that she got is gorgeous and fits her very nicely. She even admitted that this is one of only three dresses that she has ever owned that she absolutely loves--her wedding dress, the dress she wore to my Grandparents' 25th anniversary, and this one. She will have to have it hemmed though (big shocker there!) Opal found a dress that she likes, but isn't completely sure on--they have gotten some new dresses in at Macy's that we are going to look at before we make a final decision and get her dress.
Afterwards, we picked up a cranky Stacy (I had initially told him we would eat a late lunch at Red Robin and it was definitely dinnertime) and went out to Red Robin for dinner. Mom had been seeing their ads on TV and wanted to try one of their hamburgers. We all had a really good time and a great weekend. The thing that I am most excited about this wedding is that I truly feel blessed to have both my family and Stacy's family and I love it that the families get along. I am a very lucky girl to have our families coming together. The more the merrier!!
Friday night, we got a later start than originally anticipated--Mom was driving in and would meet me in one of my stores that was right off the highway and then follow me home. Well, Mom ran into a tiny bit of car trouble on her way in-she got a flat tire and had to have a new tire put on which set her back a couple of hours. By the time we got to the apartment, Stacy, Jennifer and Opal (Stacy's mom) were already there and Jennifer had the appetizers going--artichoke-spinach dip, fruit tray, and something sweet. Levi (my dog) was on cloud nine--he had all of his favorite people in one small apartment (except for Dad and Jimmie-Stacy's dad) and was going crazy with throwing his toys at everyone getting them to play with him. Chickie (my cat) was also pretty happy. We just hung out, talking, getting to know each other better. This process seems to be eased a little by partaking in a little adult beverages. This I can handle. We had options--what do you want? Beer? No. Wine? Sure we will have little of that (especially since Mom brought the case of wine that we got when we went to Huber winery outside of Louisville after Christmas and were anxiously awaiting Mom and Dad to send them to us, but that is another blog entirely!) We cracked open a couple of bottles of wine and each had a glass or two.
I had another trick up my sleeve--Chocolate Martinis!!! Who doesn't like Chocolate Martinis? Neither Mom nor Opal had ever had one so we fixed them up and they both REALLY liked them. Much more than either anticipated. We already knew that Stacy, Jennifer and I liked them, but there was one unexpected surprise--Levi-Wilbur LOVES chocolate martinis! Now, I am not by any means recommending that anyone go out and give their dog chocolate martinis, but it certainly calmed Levi down a little and we had a great night. I think both the Moms were feeling the martinis by the end of the night.
Saturday morning, we got up, got ready and went to try on dresses--since you already know the story of my dress, I will tell you about the moms. When we were nearing the end of me trying on dresses at David's, we sent Mom and Opal to start looking at some that they would like to try on. Less than five minutes later, they were both back...empty-handed. Of course, Jennifer took charge of the situation. "Where are your dresses?" she asked them. "We didn't see any that we liked." they replied in unison. HOLD UP--was it possible that the whole time these sweet ladies were patiently watching us try on dresses they were secretly conspiring against us? They didn't want to try on dresses? Surely not. You bet your sweet a** they were. Jen promptly told them they hadn't looked hard enough and to go back and look some more. For all parents out there--when did it happen for you that your kids started using your own words as ammunition against you? Did you really raise this person who is all of the sudden bossing you around? For all the kids out there--when did you become your mom or dad? You always swore that you would not be like your parent and all of the sudden, you find yourself saying exactly what you always said you wouldn't. Jennifer and I went and helped them pick out a few dresses to try on and then kept up our system--taking pics and writing notes. There we a couple of possibilities.
After David's, we went to the Mall. We started out at Nordstrom because I had a couple of friends whose moms had gotten their dresses there. Apparently the timing was off because we couldn't find a single thing there. So, we went down to Dillards. Even though I am in these stores on a VERY regular basis (it is my job, after all) I don't often make it up to the dress department. In fact, it is very rare. They really had a lot of nice dresses there. We picked out at least 8 dresses apiece for Mom and Opal. Mom found one that she loved, loved, loved. We bought it right away. I must get my aversion to dresses from Mom because the conversation that we had prior to dress shopping went something like this: Mom, if I have to wear a dress to the wedding, then you can put on your big-girl panties for a day and wear one too!!! Her dress that she got is gorgeous and fits her very nicely. She even admitted that this is one of only three dresses that she has ever owned that she absolutely loves--her wedding dress, the dress she wore to my Grandparents' 25th anniversary, and this one. She will have to have it hemmed though (big shocker there!) Opal found a dress that she likes, but isn't completely sure on--they have gotten some new dresses in at Macy's that we are going to look at before we make a final decision and get her dress.
Afterwards, we picked up a cranky Stacy (I had initially told him we would eat a late lunch at Red Robin and it was definitely dinnertime) and went out to Red Robin for dinner. Mom had been seeing their ads on TV and wanted to try one of their hamburgers. We all had a really good time and a great weekend. The thing that I am most excited about this wedding is that I truly feel blessed to have both my family and Stacy's family and I love it that the families get along. I am a very lucky girl to have our families coming together. The more the merrier!!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Getting THE DRESS!!
Jennifer, Kacie and I had done our homework--we had been to several bridal salons in the area to check out different dresses. Everyone always tells you that when you find the right dress, you know it right away. They also tell you to try on all different styles--even if you don't think you will like them because you might be surprised. Jennifer and I had done our research prior to going into any of the salons and picked out some different styles that kind of appealed to me and written down the style numbers in her wedding book. Jennifer has to be the greatest maid of honor to ever exist because in addition to helping me research everything, she also called to set up all of my appointments. I officially nominate her for MOH of the year. If anyone needs the best.....just give Jennifer a call.
The first place we went was David's Bridal. I felt I was pretty experienced with David's since my best friend and bridesmaid, Leigh, has worked for David's for over 5 years. They explained the process to us and told us we would have a bridal consultant and that our appointment would last about an hour and a half. In this time frame, I would probably try on 3-5 dresses. Jen, Kacie and I looked at each other in disbelief--seriously, we were here to try on dresses--a mere 5 dresses wouldn't do. Surely they didn't know who they were dealing with. We started pulling dresses off the rack--anything we even thought might look good on me we pulled. We quickly had our system down--Jennifer helped me get in and out of the dresses, we took pictures, Kacie wrote some notes about each dress, and then changed into a different dress. I think that we tried on at least 12 dresses and then switched to trying on bridesmaid dresses. David's Bridal didn't know what hit them.
The next place we went was Mia's. Jennifer and I had been there briefly one other time to look at bridesmaid's dresses for another wedding that she is in this May. It is a very tiny, crowded shop that seemed to stay exceptionally busy at all times. It truly is amazing how they can get so many people in there at one time! Again, we were back to the system-but poor Kacie (who is pregnant) got very hot and I think a little claustrophobic had to step outside for a moment. She has been quite the trooper throughout everything. We were paired up with the most awesome bridal consultant that we have met so far, Kelsey! She talked with me about what I was looking for in my gown, looked at the list that we had already prepared of dresses I was interested in trying on, and started pulling dresses for us. After I tried on a few and she got my feedback, she went a grabbed a dress that she thought I would like that wasn't on the list. Oh my God!!! I really liked this dress! It fit nicely, wasn't too fancy, was VERY comfortable--could this be the one? After getting all of the info for the dress, we were going to call it a day. There were still a couple more dresses I wanted to try on before making that final decision.
The next place we went was called the Gown Gallery. It was in Waldo very close to where I lived when I first moved to KC. As soon as we walked in the door, we were bombarded. First of all, they didn't seem to have very many dresses out--what was the deal? The original Gown Gallery had been destroyed by a fire about a year before and apparently, this temporary place didn't have as much room to display all of the gown, so they would pair you with a consultant and they would go to the back to pull the gowns and bring them to you. This I could deal with. The cool thing going on there was they were doing a trunk show. The featured artist was from Australia. Many of the gowns that they did have out were very pretty. I can't remember the name of the consultant they paired us with, but she was quite the doozy--in fact, we will just call her Psycho for the purpose of this blog. So, here is my list of complaints:
So, we picked out some dresses and that is when I noticed the label--Essence of Australia--this was the same designer of the dress I liked to much from Mia's! And I got to meet her! That was pretty cool. This is also when I noticed that all of the dresses that were displayed started at $1000. While I am not opposed to people spending that much on a wedding gown, I sincerely thought I could find a dress that I liked for less than that. And, I wanted to be looking at dresses that ended in that range, not started. Then, the designer told us that the dresses we were trying on wouldn't even be ready until late November, early December--cutting it too close (should have left at this point!)
So, this is when I thought we might be kicked out--Jennifer then presented the consultant with the list of dress numbers we had chosen online to look at (we had done this at both other places and had no problem). Psycho looks at the list, looks at Jen and says to her "You expect me to just go in the back and pull all of these dresses?" Okay, if I wasn't standing there in my underwear attempting to hold up a dress to preserve what little modesty I had left, we would have walked out right then and there before my scrawny little sister opened up a can of whoop ass on Psycho. Jennifer then looks at her and says "It is your job, isn't it? And the lady I talked to on the phone when I made the appointment certainly didn't have a problem looking to see if dresses were available." Okay, really, were we going to have a throw-down in the dressing room at the bridal salon? Psycho tried to make light of the situation by reaching up to put her arm around Jennifer and say "Oh honey, you know I was just kidding you."
Apparently, my opinion meant nothing to Psycho because every time I tried to tell her what I had in mind, she wouldn't listen to me. We tried on a couple more dresses and then left and went to go eat pizza (the only thing besides Thai food that Kacie has craved since she got pregnant)
We had planned to have the dresses narrowed down to less than five and have my Mom come out one weekend to get THE dress. Mom came out the first weekend of March, and we had appointments made for David's Bridal first and then Mia's. We had a couple to try on from David's and then I let my mom and Stacy's mom, Opal pick out a couple for me to try on as well. We finished at David's and then went out for a quick bite to eat and then headed to Mia's. I told Kelsey that I wanted to try on a couple and then try on my favorite last. I tried on one that Opal and mom liked, then tried on a second one that was very pretty--actually had me really questioning the amount of fluff I wanted in a dress--this one had a lot of fluff and I really liked it. Then, I tried on my fave--I didn't look in the mirror at all--and let Mom, Jennifer, and Opal see it first. They really liked it. I asked them the crucial question--which do you like best? They turned it right back around and asked me which I preferred--then I looked in the mirror and knew that this was the one--My Wedding Dress. It was just what I wanted--no fluff, no puff, no beads, lace, embroidery, or sequins--just plain and elegant and ivory!! It suited me.
For all of those brides out there looking for a dress, here is my advice: You may not know right away, think about it. If you have tried on a dress that you compare all other dresses to, you have found the one. Don't let anyone try to talk you into something that doesn't suit your personality. Don't be hounded by a pushy salesperson. And, last but not least--for the love of all modesty--make them give you a bra to try on dresses and always wear your granny panties to those appointments--it is incredibly hard to keep your boobies covered when you are standing in front of people and trying to get dresses over your head. There comes a time when the hands come off the boobs and go over the head!!!!
The first place we went was David's Bridal. I felt I was pretty experienced with David's since my best friend and bridesmaid, Leigh, has worked for David's for over 5 years. They explained the process to us and told us we would have a bridal consultant and that our appointment would last about an hour and a half. In this time frame, I would probably try on 3-5 dresses. Jen, Kacie and I looked at each other in disbelief--seriously, we were here to try on dresses--a mere 5 dresses wouldn't do. Surely they didn't know who they were dealing with. We started pulling dresses off the rack--anything we even thought might look good on me we pulled. We quickly had our system down--Jennifer helped me get in and out of the dresses, we took pictures, Kacie wrote some notes about each dress, and then changed into a different dress. I think that we tried on at least 12 dresses and then switched to trying on bridesmaid dresses. David's Bridal didn't know what hit them.
The next place we went was Mia's. Jennifer and I had been there briefly one other time to look at bridesmaid's dresses for another wedding that she is in this May. It is a very tiny, crowded shop that seemed to stay exceptionally busy at all times. It truly is amazing how they can get so many people in there at one time! Again, we were back to the system-but poor Kacie (who is pregnant) got very hot and I think a little claustrophobic had to step outside for a moment. She has been quite the trooper throughout everything. We were paired up with the most awesome bridal consultant that we have met so far, Kelsey! She talked with me about what I was looking for in my gown, looked at the list that we had already prepared of dresses I was interested in trying on, and started pulling dresses for us. After I tried on a few and she got my feedback, she went a grabbed a dress that she thought I would like that wasn't on the list. Oh my God!!! I really liked this dress! It fit nicely, wasn't too fancy, was VERY comfortable--could this be the one? After getting all of the info for the dress, we were going to call it a day. There were still a couple more dresses I wanted to try on before making that final decision.
The next place we went was called the Gown Gallery. It was in Waldo very close to where I lived when I first moved to KC. As soon as we walked in the door, we were bombarded. First of all, they didn't seem to have very many dresses out--what was the deal? The original Gown Gallery had been destroyed by a fire about a year before and apparently, this temporary place didn't have as much room to display all of the gown, so they would pair you with a consultant and they would go to the back to pull the gowns and bring them to you. This I could deal with. The cool thing going on there was they were doing a trunk show. The featured artist was from Australia. Many of the gowns that they did have out were very pretty. I can't remember the name of the consultant they paired us with, but she was quite the doozy--in fact, we will just call her Psycho for the purpose of this blog. So, here is my list of complaints:
- She kept going on and on about how much she knew about dresses and could absolutely pick the right dress for me (this lady just met me, she doesn't know jack about me!)
- She took us to a ginormous dressing room with the dresses in it and in she walked (apparently, she was going to be in there with me while I tried on the dresses). I am not sure that I am comfortable with this!
- She didn't give me a bra to wear while I was trying on the dresses (should have just left at this point) Now I know I am not comfortable with this...at least I wore modest underwear and not the usual thong.
- She would not stop talking--the whole time she yapped and yapped.
- She told us that we couldn't take pictures of every dress we tried on--it would just be too confusing and wouldn't work--we told her that we didn't seem to have a problem with it so we would be taking pictures.
So, we picked out some dresses and that is when I noticed the label--Essence of Australia--this was the same designer of the dress I liked to much from Mia's! And I got to meet her! That was pretty cool. This is also when I noticed that all of the dresses that were displayed started at $1000. While I am not opposed to people spending that much on a wedding gown, I sincerely thought I could find a dress that I liked for less than that. And, I wanted to be looking at dresses that ended in that range, not started. Then, the designer told us that the dresses we were trying on wouldn't even be ready until late November, early December--cutting it too close (should have left at this point!)
So, this is when I thought we might be kicked out--Jennifer then presented the consultant with the list of dress numbers we had chosen online to look at (we had done this at both other places and had no problem). Psycho looks at the list, looks at Jen and says to her "You expect me to just go in the back and pull all of these dresses?" Okay, if I wasn't standing there in my underwear attempting to hold up a dress to preserve what little modesty I had left, we would have walked out right then and there before my scrawny little sister opened up a can of whoop ass on Psycho. Jennifer then looks at her and says "It is your job, isn't it? And the lady I talked to on the phone when I made the appointment certainly didn't have a problem looking to see if dresses were available." Okay, really, were we going to have a throw-down in the dressing room at the bridal salon? Psycho tried to make light of the situation by reaching up to put her arm around Jennifer and say "Oh honey, you know I was just kidding you."
Apparently, my opinion meant nothing to Psycho because every time I tried to tell her what I had in mind, she wouldn't listen to me. We tried on a couple more dresses and then left and went to go eat pizza (the only thing besides Thai food that Kacie has craved since she got pregnant)
We had planned to have the dresses narrowed down to less than five and have my Mom come out one weekend to get THE dress. Mom came out the first weekend of March, and we had appointments made for David's Bridal first and then Mia's. We had a couple to try on from David's and then I let my mom and Stacy's mom, Opal pick out a couple for me to try on as well. We finished at David's and then went out for a quick bite to eat and then headed to Mia's. I told Kelsey that I wanted to try on a couple and then try on my favorite last. I tried on one that Opal and mom liked, then tried on a second one that was very pretty--actually had me really questioning the amount of fluff I wanted in a dress--this one had a lot of fluff and I really liked it. Then, I tried on my fave--I didn't look in the mirror at all--and let Mom, Jennifer, and Opal see it first. They really liked it. I asked them the crucial question--which do you like best? They turned it right back around and asked me which I preferred--then I looked in the mirror and knew that this was the one--My Wedding Dress. It was just what I wanted--no fluff, no puff, no beads, lace, embroidery, or sequins--just plain and elegant and ivory!! It suited me.
For all of those brides out there looking for a dress, here is my advice: You may not know right away, think about it. If you have tried on a dress that you compare all other dresses to, you have found the one. Don't let anyone try to talk you into something that doesn't suit your personality. Don't be hounded by a pushy salesperson. And, last but not least--for the love of all modesty--make them give you a bra to try on dresses and always wear your granny panties to those appointments--it is incredibly hard to keep your boobies covered when you are standing in front of people and trying to get dresses over your head. There comes a time when the hands come off the boobs and go over the head!!!!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
The First Time to Register
Stacy and I had already talked about the places that we would register-Bed, Bath & Beyond, Wal-Mart, and Crate & Barrel. He had never been to CB, but I had and I loved it. So many pretty things, cool place settings, cool glasses, kitchen gadgets, etc. I knew he would like it too since he loved any cool kitchen gadgets. Luck would have it that I received an email from C&B about a special event that they would be having for newly engaged couples to come to their store during special hours and learn about their wedding registry. Although it was much sooner than we had planned on registering for anything, we decided to go ahead and go. I was telling him about it and could tell he wasn't overly excited about going until I said the magical words--they will be serving food and drinks while we are there. Bingo, he was in.
We got up on Sunday morning (waaaay to early according to Stacy) and made it to CB a little after 9 am. We were greeted at the door and ushered upstairs to get registered. Once we got upstairs, they took our coats and then looked for our names on the list...we couldn't be found! Ruh-roh. Guess I should have read the email a little closer and then I would have realized that I needed to call ahead and make a reservation for us. Would we be doing the walk of shame back home, me apoligizing for making my love get up at such an ungodly hour on one of his days to sleep in? No problem, they assured us, we will just write you in and get you started. We were handed a scanner, partnered up with a bridal specialist and then sent to get some food. Ustairs, where we started out, they had coffee, tea (my choice), mimosas (stacy's choice) and then they had small bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon, creme brulee with raspberries, little lemon tartlets, such wonderful food and presented so beautifully. Stacy loaded up with a small sample of each and then we sat down with the bridal specialist. She was fantastic. She gave great suggestions as to the things we should register for, how many pieces, etc. She explained how to use the scanner and then she turned us loose.
We made our first round upstairs and looked at some the art and furniture, but didn't scan anything (it was all a little too expensive, I thought). So we went downstairs. We scanned a couple of things. I wanted to go look at all of the glassware, but Stacy heard that they had an indoor grill and were serving sausage, so we beelined it to that area. The indoor grill was actually really cool, so we decided to register for that. Stacy enjoyed some sausage and grilled vegetables. Then, we found the cool kitchen gadgets and started scanning away. (is it wrong that several of the products we registered for were solely for preparing mixed drinks???, as a newly married couple we will be doing some entertaining, right?) If it makes things any better, we also got some cutting boards, cheese boards and things we will need to serve food alongside our adult beverages!
I continued to look at all of the goods while Stacy found the espresso machine. The lady demonstrating it made sure he knew all of the bells and whistles that came with this completely computerized, one-button wonder that would make nearly any type of coffee drink that one would dream of. (anybody who drinks that stuff will run rabbits and bay at the moon according to papa Fleck and I must agree with him. In my whole life, I don't think that I have been able to choke down an entire cup all combined) Finally, he joined me in the search for more cool things that we might need in the future. Then, he let me know that he had scanned the espresso machine. Really? We really need that? How much was it? $1400!!!!! %$#* You must be kidding me!! Nobody we know would even dream of spending that much on a wedding gift and if they did want to spend that much, I guarantee you it wouldn't be on a coffee maker!! Mr Kaufman, that will be coming off the registry the minute we get home! and then he says to me--I thought that when you registered it was for things you always dreamed of having. No Stacy, it is for things that you would like to have within reason. It is coming off the registry.
So, we registered for some really cool things, had a great time together and continued to spend most of the day together just hanging out. And in case anyone is wondering, the espresso machine came off the registry the minute we go home!
We got up on Sunday morning (waaaay to early according to Stacy) and made it to CB a little after 9 am. We were greeted at the door and ushered upstairs to get registered. Once we got upstairs, they took our coats and then looked for our names on the list...we couldn't be found! Ruh-roh. Guess I should have read the email a little closer and then I would have realized that I needed to call ahead and make a reservation for us. Would we be doing the walk of shame back home, me apoligizing for making my love get up at such an ungodly hour on one of his days to sleep in? No problem, they assured us, we will just write you in and get you started. We were handed a scanner, partnered up with a bridal specialist and then sent to get some food. Ustairs, where we started out, they had coffee, tea (my choice), mimosas (stacy's choice) and then they had small bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon, creme brulee with raspberries, little lemon tartlets, such wonderful food and presented so beautifully. Stacy loaded up with a small sample of each and then we sat down with the bridal specialist. She was fantastic. She gave great suggestions as to the things we should register for, how many pieces, etc. She explained how to use the scanner and then she turned us loose.
We made our first round upstairs and looked at some the art and furniture, but didn't scan anything (it was all a little too expensive, I thought). So we went downstairs. We scanned a couple of things. I wanted to go look at all of the glassware, but Stacy heard that they had an indoor grill and were serving sausage, so we beelined it to that area. The indoor grill was actually really cool, so we decided to register for that. Stacy enjoyed some sausage and grilled vegetables. Then, we found the cool kitchen gadgets and started scanning away. (is it wrong that several of the products we registered for were solely for preparing mixed drinks???, as a newly married couple we will be doing some entertaining, right?) If it makes things any better, we also got some cutting boards, cheese boards and things we will need to serve food alongside our adult beverages!
I continued to look at all of the goods while Stacy found the espresso machine. The lady demonstrating it made sure he knew all of the bells and whistles that came with this completely computerized, one-button wonder that would make nearly any type of coffee drink that one would dream of. (anybody who drinks that stuff will run rabbits and bay at the moon according to papa Fleck and I must agree with him. In my whole life, I don't think that I have been able to choke down an entire cup all combined) Finally, he joined me in the search for more cool things that we might need in the future. Then, he let me know that he had scanned the espresso machine. Really? We really need that? How much was it? $1400!!!!! %$#* You must be kidding me!! Nobody we know would even dream of spending that much on a wedding gift and if they did want to spend that much, I guarantee you it wouldn't be on a coffee maker!! Mr Kaufman, that will be coming off the registry the minute we get home! and then he says to me--I thought that when you registered it was for things you always dreamed of having. No Stacy, it is for things that you would like to have within reason. It is coming off the registry.
So, we registered for some really cool things, had a great time together and continued to spend most of the day together just hanging out. And in case anyone is wondering, the espresso machine came off the registry the minute we go home!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
A little wedding info
Just wanted to give you all a little bit of wedding info. We haven't done a whole lot yet as far as planning, but we are in the process. We will hopefully be getting some save-the-date cards out in the next few months. We have secured a date and location. The wedding will be at the Loretto in Kansas City, Missouri. It used to be an old catholic girls school and is now on the historic registry for KCMO. Here is the link if anyone would like to take a look. www.theloretto.com One thing that I really like about it is that the ceremony and the reception will be in the same building so nobody will have to worry about getting to and from and it is also pretty close to several hotels so once we have completed the guest list, we will also block off some rooms.
We will be getting married in the evening (probably sometime around 6-7 on Saturday, November 15th, 2008. Talk to you all soon.
We will be getting married in the evening (probably sometime around 6-7 on Saturday, November 15th, 2008. Talk to you all soon.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Proposal
I know that I promised some actual wedding info on this wedding blog, so here goes...the story of our proposal. Let's start with a little background info that was completely unbeknownst to me. Apparently, Stacy had been doing his secret thing that he does and had this proposal in the works for a long time. A long time ago (well, not too long, but when things got pretty serious between the two of us) I had casually mentioned to Stacy that if he ever decided that I was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and that he wanted to buy me a ring, he should talk to my parents' very dear friend, David Bryant. He owns the jewelry store in town where my dad has bought all of mom's jewelry and has been a very close friend of the family for as long as I can remember. In September, we had taken a trip to Birmingham for a K-State football game and had driven back and gone through my hometown, Madisonville. A little after we got there, Stacy said he needed to get a couple of things from Wal-Mart and took the rental car there. We were waiting for him forever (because we were also having a cookout). Turns out, he and David had met at the jewelry store so he could take a look at some of the rings. He wasn't positive what he wanted, so not only did he look at rings there, but he also flew to Tulsa to look at some rings from one of the vendors that David buys from on a totally separate occasion. He did manage to find a gorgeous ring that suits me perfectly. David had sent him the ring via Fedex to arrive to him during the day on Friday after Thanksgiving...so now that you know the background, here goes.
My sister and I flew home for Thanksgiving on the Wednesday before and ended up getting there a little late. Stacy was supposed to fly in with us, but, he had been recently promoted to Store Manager at the store where he works and didn't have an assistant. The store was going to be open on Friday and he didn't have anyone to open and close, so much to my disappointment, we wasn't able to come. My family was also really sad because they absolutely love him. So, we went to my Grandma's house for Turkey Day and enjoyed time with the family.
The next day, Friday, my sister and I were doing our usual thing that we do while we are in town--trying to cram in visiting as many people as possible while we were there since we don't get to see most of the people more than 2-3 times per year. Jennifer had brought with her a pair of earrings that Michael had given her a while back. She wanted to drop by Bryant's Jewelry and have David take a look at them and see if he could repair one of them that had been broken. While we were there, Sarah (David's daughter, who I used to babysit) was talking with us and we were deciding when we were going to her house to see her beautiful one year old daughter, Rebekah (which, by the way, makes me feel really old!).
Aside from talking, all of you ladies know what girls do in a jewelry store--they try on stuff. Well, we were having Sarah pull different rings out of the cases and we were trying them on. I found a ring that I REALLY liked and made the comment, out loud "If I were to ever get engaged, I would want a ring like this, but with a big fat square diamond in the middle instead of a round one." After that, we went to Sarah's house, played with Bekah, and then left to go to my other Grandma's house to have our Thanksgiving celebration with her. On the way over there, I talked to Stacy very briefly and then let him go because we were there. I told him I would give him a call when we were headed back to Mom and Dad's. After we ate and hung out with Grandma, we headed home and I tried to call Stacy, but it went straight to voicemail. After that, Jennifer went to hang out with some of her friends and I went to Applebees to meet some of my friends. After leaving, I called Stacy and again, it went to voicemail. (he had told me he was going to the casino with Marquis, so I thought maybe he wasn't getting good reception). I left him a message to call me when he got the message.
I then went and picked up Jennifer and headed home. During the day on Friday, it had gotten REALLY cold and to make matters worse, Mom and Dad's heater went out and wasn't working at all so it was pretty chilly in the house. When we got home, it was nice and toasty in the living room because Dad had started a fire in the fireplace and had the blower going (which, by the way, is very loud) It was pretty late, so Jennifer went to bed and I went to go lay on the couch to watch some TV before falling asleep on the couch. I was about half asleep when my phone rang (at almost 12:30am). It was Stacy. Here is how our conversation went:
A--"Why are you calling me so late?"
S--"I just got home from the casino."
A--"Did you have fun?"
S--"Yes. Is it cold there?"
A--"Yes"
S--"How cold?"
A--"Really cold."
S--"Why don't you go outside and see how cold it is?"
A--"Because it's cold."
S--"You should go out and see."
A--"I don't want to--it's cold out there and I am all warm and toasty in here."
S--"Can you at least come to the door and let me in?"
A--"You aren't at the door."
S--"Yes I am, i have been out here knocking for five minutes." I couldn't hear anyone knocking.
A--"No you aren't...you better not be messing with me."
It was at this moment that I got to the door, and sure enough, there he was, standing in the cold.
I opened the door, gave him a kiss and quick hug while asking "What's going on?"
He then dropped to one knee, held out a ring box and said "Adriane Drama Queen Fleck, will you marry me?"
I was stunned. I said "Are you serious?" gave him another hug and kiss and said "Oh my god, I have to go tell my sister." I then went to the bedroom where she was sleeping and woke her up.
I said "Stacy is here" while holding up my hand with the ring on my finger. It took her a second, but then she said "Are you engaged?" I nodded yes and somehow, she jumped out of the bed, bolted past me and ran out to the living room and tackled Stacy. I followed her out there and then Stacy said to me "You know, you never answered me." I said "Yes, of course" and went and woke my parents up. They were having a hard time comprehending that just because Stacy was there, they needed to get up and go say hi to him. Finally, I said "We have a wedding to plan!" and they both bolted straight up in the bed and were wide awake. (amazing what that phrase will do to parents!)
We all were having a great time. Stacy had even come prepared with a bottle of wine for the occasion so we opened that and toasted. Needless to say, neither Mom nor I got a lot of sleep that night--in our minds we were both already planning the wedding.
The next day, Dad called David and asked him "How in the hell did you keep from busting out laughing when the girls were in the store and Adriane made that comment?" Everyone in the store knew that Stacy was coming in that night to propose and none of them let on even a tiny bit.
And that is the story of our proposal.
My sister and I flew home for Thanksgiving on the Wednesday before and ended up getting there a little late. Stacy was supposed to fly in with us, but, he had been recently promoted to Store Manager at the store where he works and didn't have an assistant. The store was going to be open on Friday and he didn't have anyone to open and close, so much to my disappointment, we wasn't able to come. My family was also really sad because they absolutely love him. So, we went to my Grandma's house for Turkey Day and enjoyed time with the family.
The next day, Friday, my sister and I were doing our usual thing that we do while we are in town--trying to cram in visiting as many people as possible while we were there since we don't get to see most of the people more than 2-3 times per year. Jennifer had brought with her a pair of earrings that Michael had given her a while back. She wanted to drop by Bryant's Jewelry and have David take a look at them and see if he could repair one of them that had been broken. While we were there, Sarah (David's daughter, who I used to babysit) was talking with us and we were deciding when we were going to her house to see her beautiful one year old daughter, Rebekah (which, by the way, makes me feel really old!).
Aside from talking, all of you ladies know what girls do in a jewelry store--they try on stuff. Well, we were having Sarah pull different rings out of the cases and we were trying them on. I found a ring that I REALLY liked and made the comment, out loud "If I were to ever get engaged, I would want a ring like this, but with a big fat square diamond in the middle instead of a round one." After that, we went to Sarah's house, played with Bekah, and then left to go to my other Grandma's house to have our Thanksgiving celebration with her. On the way over there, I talked to Stacy very briefly and then let him go because we were there. I told him I would give him a call when we were headed back to Mom and Dad's. After we ate and hung out with Grandma, we headed home and I tried to call Stacy, but it went straight to voicemail. After that, Jennifer went to hang out with some of her friends and I went to Applebees to meet some of my friends. After leaving, I called Stacy and again, it went to voicemail. (he had told me he was going to the casino with Marquis, so I thought maybe he wasn't getting good reception). I left him a message to call me when he got the message.
I then went and picked up Jennifer and headed home. During the day on Friday, it had gotten REALLY cold and to make matters worse, Mom and Dad's heater went out and wasn't working at all so it was pretty chilly in the house. When we got home, it was nice and toasty in the living room because Dad had started a fire in the fireplace and had the blower going (which, by the way, is very loud) It was pretty late, so Jennifer went to bed and I went to go lay on the couch to watch some TV before falling asleep on the couch. I was about half asleep when my phone rang (at almost 12:30am). It was Stacy. Here is how our conversation went:
A--"Why are you calling me so late?"
S--"I just got home from the casino."
A--"Did you have fun?"
S--"Yes. Is it cold there?"
A--"Yes"
S--"How cold?"
A--"Really cold."
S--"Why don't you go outside and see how cold it is?"
A--"Because it's cold."
S--"You should go out and see."
A--"I don't want to--it's cold out there and I am all warm and toasty in here."
S--"Can you at least come to the door and let me in?"
A--"You aren't at the door."
S--"Yes I am, i have been out here knocking for five minutes." I couldn't hear anyone knocking.
A--"No you aren't...you better not be messing with me."
It was at this moment that I got to the door, and sure enough, there he was, standing in the cold.
I opened the door, gave him a kiss and quick hug while asking "What's going on?"
He then dropped to one knee, held out a ring box and said "Adriane Drama Queen Fleck, will you marry me?"
I was stunned. I said "Are you serious?" gave him another hug and kiss and said "Oh my god, I have to go tell my sister." I then went to the bedroom where she was sleeping and woke her up.
I said "Stacy is here" while holding up my hand with the ring on my finger. It took her a second, but then she said "Are you engaged?" I nodded yes and somehow, she jumped out of the bed, bolted past me and ran out to the living room and tackled Stacy. I followed her out there and then Stacy said to me "You know, you never answered me." I said "Yes, of course" and went and woke my parents up. They were having a hard time comprehending that just because Stacy was there, they needed to get up and go say hi to him. Finally, I said "We have a wedding to plan!" and they both bolted straight up in the bed and were wide awake. (amazing what that phrase will do to parents!)
We all were having a great time. Stacy had even come prepared with a bottle of wine for the occasion so we opened that and toasted. Needless to say, neither Mom nor I got a lot of sleep that night--in our minds we were both already planning the wedding.
The next day, Dad called David and asked him "How in the hell did you keep from busting out laughing when the girls were in the store and Adriane made that comment?" Everyone in the store knew that Stacy was coming in that night to propose and none of them let on even a tiny bit.
And that is the story of our proposal.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Japan
Stacy and I had an amazing opportunity to take our first trip out of the country (first time either of us had ever gotten a passport). My cousin had been teaching in Japan for over 2 years and was planning on coming home in August. It was now or never. We figured that we wouldn't have another opportunity to go to a foreign country, have a guide who spoke both languages fluently, and have a free place to stay. We planned our trip for the end of June 2007. Nick and Aya (my cousin and his fiance) were going to host us and my other cousin Brittany would be joining us there as well. We had a blast.
When we got there, we went to Nick's place, got cleaned up and took the subway (their subway system is amazing) to a restaurant that Nick and Aya really enjoy. We each had a new drink (don't know what it was called, but it was super-yummy. They brought you a drink and then you squeezed the grapefruit into it-Tasty!) We knew it was planned, but Aya was completely blown away when Nick made her stand up and he got down on one knee and proposed to her. It was very romantic. I think we all started to get a little concerned when all she did was cry. The agony was killing us--was the crying a yes or no? As it turned out, it was a definite yes and we felt pure joy at being able to be a part of such a special moment.
We travelled around the city of Osaka, taking in all of the sites. There were rice paddies in some of the backyards, vegetable gardens that maximized every square inch of space, and every little front yard area was beautiful with flowers and greenery. We really take it for granted how much space we have here in the states and how big the houses, yards and cars are. In some of the areas, where they park their car, they have to turn in the side mirrors just to have it fit in the parking space. Many of the people ride bikes and use the subway rather than drive everywhere. We really did a lot of walking while we were there. Even the concrete trucks were tiny!
When we got there, we went to Nick's place, got cleaned up and took the subway (their subway system is amazing) to a restaurant that Nick and Aya really enjoy. We each had a new drink (don't know what it was called, but it was super-yummy. They brought you a drink and then you squeezed the grapefruit into it-Tasty!) We knew it was planned, but Aya was completely blown away when Nick made her stand up and he got down on one knee and proposed to her. It was very romantic. I think we all started to get a little concerned when all she did was cry. The agony was killing us--was the crying a yes or no? As it turned out, it was a definite yes and we felt pure joy at being able to be a part of such a special moment.
We travelled around the city of Osaka, taking in all of the sites. There were rice paddies in some of the backyards, vegetable gardens that maximized every square inch of space, and every little front yard area was beautiful with flowers and greenery. We really take it for granted how much space we have here in the states and how big the houses, yards and cars are. In some of the areas, where they park their car, they have to turn in the side mirrors just to have it fit in the parking space. Many of the people ride bikes and use the subway rather than drive everywhere. We really did a lot of walking while we were there. Even the concrete trucks were tiny!
The city of Osaka was HUGE! It is actually the second largest city in Japan (after Tokyo) and is about the size of New York City. Needless to say, we only saw a very small percent of the city, but it was awesome. I was truly amazed at how clean the city was and how much they pay attention to detail. There is also a picture of the manhole cover (not only decorative, but painted!)
We also went to Nara, where they have huge temples. In Nara, they also have deer (this was my favorite part) that are considered like the gateway between the Gods and the people and you could buy rice crackers to feed the deer. They are completely tame and used to people feeding them, so if you had a packet of the cookies, they would swarm you, begging for them. When you hold the cookies up in the air, the deer would bow and bob their heads as their way of asking for the treat. The temple was huge and so beautiful. It was very cool seeing their history. Most of the temples we visited were at least 400 years old (about the same as our entire country's history!) It was very beautiful and peaceful. These are actual pictures that we took and they look like postcards. One is my cousin Brittany feeding the deer. I am standing under one of the ginormous bells that they have at one of the temples in Nara.
We also went to another temple, which was one of the candidates for the 7 new wonders of the world. These temples were beautiful and brightly painted. They were outside of the city of Kyoto, which was the setting for the movie and book "Memoirs of a Geisha" and we actually met a real geisha. In case you were wondering, geisha translates into "Entertainer" and they are trained in the arts of playing musical instruments, singing, dancing, and Japanese Tea Ceremony. Many people think that they are just prostitutes, but this isn't true at all.
A couple of other highlights...this should come as no surprise to any of you, but Stacy was freakishly tall over there. Here is a picture of him and Aya (my cousin's fiance, who is very tiny) next to a door. Also, a picture of him going down the stairs to the subway (no, he isn't standing on tiptoe, he is flatfooted!) as well as a picture of him among a group of Japanese students (probably high-school age, so nearly as tall as they would get) After bumping his head a few times and winding up with a huge scab and permanent knot, he learned to walk with his head ducked down and slightly sideways!
Overall, we had an amazing time. We learned a lot about the Japanese customs and history. A HUGE thanks to Aya for this as she was very patient with us and explained everything so well. It wouldn't have been the same without her. Stacy LOVED it over there...everything about it, the food, the culture, how big it was, the pace--he would love to move there.
Again, thank you to Nick and Aya for hosting us and to Brittany for keeping us entertained nonstop while we were there. We had a great time and cherish the memories we created while there.
Camping trip
Anyone who knows me knows that camping is not high up on my priority list. In fact, it ranks nowhere near the top 50 on my list of priorities. I do, however, love to be out on the water and to spend time with my group of friends. These two things are what motivated me to go on my first float trip with Stacy and his group of friends. I was told that we would be camping on Friday and Saturday night and that we would be out on the river all day on Saturday for our canoe trip.
First, let's define camping. The dictionary defines camping as the act of encamping and living in tents in a camp. I obviously should have looked this up prior to our trip because my definition of camping or roughing it is living in a cabin or camper (or even in a tent as long as there is a shower house and toilets with running water). I had asked about the availability of running water and was given very vague answers. After my inquiry, I assumed (we all know what that does to a person) that running water would be available. We packed all of our gear (including Stacy's tent, food for grilling out, food to take on the river, and WAYYYY too much beer and alcohol), got in the car and headed to Arkansas. We started the trip with Stacy driving and me giving him the directions that I had gotten from Stacy-girl. I don't know if that was mistake number one or two, but somehow, we ended up in no-man's land somewhere in the hills of Arkansas nowhere near the Buffalo river. After stopping off at Bubba's bait shop and grocery store to ask for directions, we bought a map and finally found our way with Stacy reading the directions and me driving. (It runs in my family to be directionally-challenged and I didn't get it as bad as some other, un-named family members) I could have read the map and eventually gotten us there, but in order for a map to work, you must first have some idea of where you are, but I digress. We arrived at the campsite (finally) and I quickly realized that my dream of running water and a shower house was exactly that--a dream. I did have running water--it was just in the form of the river a hop, skip and a jump away. I used the restroom at a very smelly outhouse and wondered how I was going to shower after the canoe trip.
The next morning, we got up bright and early and headed to the canoe-rental place and got our boat. We loaded up at the drop-off zone and got on the river. It was at this point that Stacy had beer number one. (We differ on our opinions of float trips--he calls it a float trip because he says you are supposed to float down the river, have some beers and eventually make it to the pick up zone. I call it a canoe trip because apparently, I have a slightly competitive streak that drives me to want to catch up with all of the people who have somehow gotten ahead of us. The only way to accomplish this is to use that handy-dandy little tool they give you for such situations called a paddle.) We were going to go on the longer 10 mile trip, but the guides told us we should take the 6 mile trip since they had been experiencing a drought and the river was very low and should we take the longer trip, we would spend a lot of time pushing the canoe. So, we took the shorter trip. Everyone in the group was getting situated and having their beers (I personally would prefer to not drink a lot on the float trip since I like to enjoy the water and the beautiful trees (which I don't get nearly enough of in Kansas) and I don't like beer!) Once we really got going, I think Stacy was on beer number two. Shortly after that, we got stuck for the first time in the shallows. Poor Stacy got out of the canoe to push us out and jump back in the canoe. When he jumped back in, one foot made it into the canoe and the other slipped on the rocks. Needless to say, he wound up straddling the edge of the canoe (for all of you men out there, I am sorry that I had to describe this horrible agony to you.) When this happened, it also tipped the canoe, dumping out all of the contents including the cooler (with all of the beer) and you guessed it...me. There I was dripping wet, a little cold, and I absolutely couldn't be mad at Stacy since he was in so much pain (this time!) We reloaded everything, laid out towels across the canoe to dry and got back on our way.
The trip was going very well, everyone was having a good time, and we decided to stop for lunch. At this point, I think I realized that Stacy was several beers and a little whiskey into the trip and not feeling any pain. (Not that he was the only one). We got back in the boat and two tip-overs later, I was really getting tired of getting dumped out of that stupid boat. I think it was at this point that I started yelling at Stacy to stop leaning so much because he was going to tip us over again. I also told him that he was officially cut off from drinking any more whiskey. It was this point, he felt it necessary to inform every random stranger that we passed (yes I did have him actually paddling a little at this point) that I was mad at him and that he couldn't drink any more. Anyone who knows me knows that this really chafed me. We were getting close to the end of the trip when we were going into some perfectly calm water (not a single rapid anywhere in sight) when i felt the canoe leaning dangerously to the right. "Stacy stop leaning" came out of my mouth right before Stacy and the canoe dumped me unceremoniously into water approximately 3 feet deep. I scraped my hand, my leg and more importantly, my ego. I was fuming.
I think Stacy's friends (and mine now) were a combination of scared for Stacy and laughing at me and a little nervous as I proceeded to throw everything that used to be in our canoe (including the cooler) onto the shore. There were a couple of life jackets, two paddles, our trash bag, all of our soaking wet towels, and a big cooler. Stacy laid in the water watching the canoe fill up with water and laughed at me. Then, he wouldn't get up to help get the canoe back on top of the water. (He could do it himself he told me.) Fine, suit yourself!!!!!! I watched him slip and slide and take three attempts to get it uprighted. That was it, nothing but water for you from here on out!! Well, the temper tantrum ended (on my part) and Stacy sobered up a little after we got back to the campsite. We ended up having a great time and have gone on three canoe trips total.
We did solve the problem of how to handle the canoe trip. I would endure the lack of running water to be with our friends as long as I could have a luxury bath as soon as we got home. The next year, Kacie and I had our own canoe with Levi-Wilbur and Stacy and his cousin Mark (Kacie's husband) shared a canoe and proceeded to set a canoe-trip tipover record! The year after that, I got a few drinks early on, we tied all of the canoes together (five total, the water was actually high enough to do this that year) and I was one of the paddlers on one side and my sister Jennifer was on the other side. Apparently, the high-energy need to paddle runs in the family. We are looking forward to many more canoe trips with our friends. It's all about compromise, right???
First, let's define camping. The dictionary defines camping as the act of encamping and living in tents in a camp. I obviously should have looked this up prior to our trip because my definition of camping or roughing it is living in a cabin or camper (or even in a tent as long as there is a shower house and toilets with running water). I had asked about the availability of running water and was given very vague answers. After my inquiry, I assumed (we all know what that does to a person) that running water would be available. We packed all of our gear (including Stacy's tent, food for grilling out, food to take on the river, and WAYYYY too much beer and alcohol), got in the car and headed to Arkansas. We started the trip with Stacy driving and me giving him the directions that I had gotten from Stacy-girl. I don't know if that was mistake number one or two, but somehow, we ended up in no-man's land somewhere in the hills of Arkansas nowhere near the Buffalo river. After stopping off at Bubba's bait shop and grocery store to ask for directions, we bought a map and finally found our way with Stacy reading the directions and me driving. (It runs in my family to be directionally-challenged and I didn't get it as bad as some other, un-named family members) I could have read the map and eventually gotten us there, but in order for a map to work, you must first have some idea of where you are, but I digress. We arrived at the campsite (finally) and I quickly realized that my dream of running water and a shower house was exactly that--a dream. I did have running water--it was just in the form of the river a hop, skip and a jump away. I used the restroom at a very smelly outhouse and wondered how I was going to shower after the canoe trip.
The next morning, we got up bright and early and headed to the canoe-rental place and got our boat. We loaded up at the drop-off zone and got on the river. It was at this point that Stacy had beer number one. (We differ on our opinions of float trips--he calls it a float trip because he says you are supposed to float down the river, have some beers and eventually make it to the pick up zone. I call it a canoe trip because apparently, I have a slightly competitive streak that drives me to want to catch up with all of the people who have somehow gotten ahead of us. The only way to accomplish this is to use that handy-dandy little tool they give you for such situations called a paddle.) We were going to go on the longer 10 mile trip, but the guides told us we should take the 6 mile trip since they had been experiencing a drought and the river was very low and should we take the longer trip, we would spend a lot of time pushing the canoe. So, we took the shorter trip. Everyone in the group was getting situated and having their beers (I personally would prefer to not drink a lot on the float trip since I like to enjoy the water and the beautiful trees (which I don't get nearly enough of in Kansas) and I don't like beer!) Once we really got going, I think Stacy was on beer number two. Shortly after that, we got stuck for the first time in the shallows. Poor Stacy got out of the canoe to push us out and jump back in the canoe. When he jumped back in, one foot made it into the canoe and the other slipped on the rocks. Needless to say, he wound up straddling the edge of the canoe (for all of you men out there, I am sorry that I had to describe this horrible agony to you.) When this happened, it also tipped the canoe, dumping out all of the contents including the cooler (with all of the beer) and you guessed it...me. There I was dripping wet, a little cold, and I absolutely couldn't be mad at Stacy since he was in so much pain (this time!) We reloaded everything, laid out towels across the canoe to dry and got back on our way.
The trip was going very well, everyone was having a good time, and we decided to stop for lunch. At this point, I think I realized that Stacy was several beers and a little whiskey into the trip and not feeling any pain. (Not that he was the only one). We got back in the boat and two tip-overs later, I was really getting tired of getting dumped out of that stupid boat. I think it was at this point that I started yelling at Stacy to stop leaning so much because he was going to tip us over again. I also told him that he was officially cut off from drinking any more whiskey. It was this point, he felt it necessary to inform every random stranger that we passed (yes I did have him actually paddling a little at this point) that I was mad at him and that he couldn't drink any more. Anyone who knows me knows that this really chafed me. We were getting close to the end of the trip when we were going into some perfectly calm water (not a single rapid anywhere in sight) when i felt the canoe leaning dangerously to the right. "Stacy stop leaning" came out of my mouth right before Stacy and the canoe dumped me unceremoniously into water approximately 3 feet deep. I scraped my hand, my leg and more importantly, my ego. I was fuming.
I think Stacy's friends (and mine now) were a combination of scared for Stacy and laughing at me and a little nervous as I proceeded to throw everything that used to be in our canoe (including the cooler) onto the shore. There were a couple of life jackets, two paddles, our trash bag, all of our soaking wet towels, and a big cooler. Stacy laid in the water watching the canoe fill up with water and laughed at me. Then, he wouldn't get up to help get the canoe back on top of the water. (He could do it himself he told me.) Fine, suit yourself!!!!!! I watched him slip and slide and take three attempts to get it uprighted. That was it, nothing but water for you from here on out!! Well, the temper tantrum ended (on my part) and Stacy sobered up a little after we got back to the campsite. We ended up having a great time and have gone on three canoe trips total.
We did solve the problem of how to handle the canoe trip. I would endure the lack of running water to be with our friends as long as I could have a luxury bath as soon as we got home. The next year, Kacie and I had our own canoe with Levi-Wilbur and Stacy and his cousin Mark (Kacie's husband) shared a canoe and proceeded to set a canoe-trip tipover record! The year after that, I got a few drinks early on, we tied all of the canoes together (five total, the water was actually high enough to do this that year) and I was one of the paddlers on one side and my sister Jennifer was on the other side. Apparently, the high-energy need to paddle runs in the family. We are looking forward to many more canoe trips with our friends. It's all about compromise, right???
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Beautiful and Smart????
Is it possible to be both Beautiful and Smart? It depends on who you ask. If you ask me, I would say yes, it is definitely possible. If you ask Stacy, it depends on what time of day it is.
One morning after Stacy had stayed over, I was up and was working on a project that I needed to complete for work. I was working out of my email inbox, when all of the sudden, my file completely disappeared. Not just minimized at the bottom of the computer, but completely and totally gone. I freaked out. This was a pretty big project and I couldn't afford to lose it entirely. I started cursing at the stupid computer and Stacy called out from the other room "What's wrong?" Yelling back at him, I told him my project was ruined. He told me to bring my laptop in there to him and he would help be figure it out. Taking my laptop, he opened a few files and there it was! At least one of us is halfway decent on a computer. (turns out, i had collapsed a file within another file and all that needed to be done was to expand the file--who knew?) He then patted me on the head and said "It's okay, you can't be beautiful and smart" (and then my head did a couple of poltergeist spins and he got THE LOOK (if you are related to me or know me well, you know the one I am talking about). Realizing his mistake, he quickly added on "this early in the morning."
My nickname with Stacy is now Beautiful and he sends me a text message every morning that says Good Morning Beautiful. I really look forward to this. Occasionally, when I want to give him a hard time, after he calls me Beautiful, I will respond with "so what, am I stupid today?"
One morning after Stacy had stayed over, I was up and was working on a project that I needed to complete for work. I was working out of my email inbox, when all of the sudden, my file completely disappeared. Not just minimized at the bottom of the computer, but completely and totally gone. I freaked out. This was a pretty big project and I couldn't afford to lose it entirely. I started cursing at the stupid computer and Stacy called out from the other room "What's wrong?" Yelling back at him, I told him my project was ruined. He told me to bring my laptop in there to him and he would help be figure it out. Taking my laptop, he opened a few files and there it was! At least one of us is halfway decent on a computer. (turns out, i had collapsed a file within another file and all that needed to be done was to expand the file--who knew?) He then patted me on the head and said "It's okay, you can't be beautiful and smart" (and then my head did a couple of poltergeist spins and he got THE LOOK (if you are related to me or know me well, you know the one I am talking about). Realizing his mistake, he quickly added on "this early in the morning."
My nickname with Stacy is now Beautiful and he sends me a text message every morning that says Good Morning Beautiful. I really look forward to this. Occasionally, when I want to give him a hard time, after he calls me Beautiful, I will respond with "so what, am I stupid today?"
How we got Started
I had been living in Kansas City for about 4 months when my very dear friend Andrea came to visit me from Columbus, OH. She and I have known each other since we lived in Lexington probably 7 or 8 years ago. Andrea and I have gone out many times together and are very much alike in many ways. We are both very talkative, a little on the creative side, and we also celebrate our birthdays together (hers on May 26, mine on 29th). What you don't know is we both can be a little on the shy side when it comes to meeting a lot of new people. She and I always get dressed up to go out (bars, restaurants, etc) and then end up talking the whole night to just each other. We even joked as we were getting ready to go out that we might be better off to just save our money and make some drinks and stay in because we weren't even going to talk to any guys and that we would spend the whole evening just talking to each other.
We got to the bars, had a couple of drinks and were having a great time (talking to each other, of course). It was then that Andrea decided that she needed a cigarette (which she needs occasionally after a few drinks). Well, anyone who knows me knows that I am VERY ANTI-SMOKING and would never condone that habit. In fact I tend to be the one to lecture most people about their smoking habits. What possessed me, I do not know, but I turned to the first guy walking by me and asked him if he had a cigarette. Well, this tall, handsome guy didn't have a cigarette (because he isn't a smoker), but he turned to his friend and bummed a cig for my friend. That is where the conversation started and we hung out with him and his group of friends for the rest of the night.
We left the bar we were in and went to another bar. Per Stacy's request, we went to the Beaumont Club--which is a country bar!!!! (he doesn't even like country music!) He then taught me how to do the Texas Two-Step. We ended up having a really good time and Stacy asked us if we would like to go ice-skating the next day. They ended up giving us a ride home since the waiting line for cabs was REALLY long. When we got to my house, I made a complete and total fool of myself by catching the heel of my stiletto in the crack in the concrete and falling flat on my butt in the mud. I was mortified!
We ended up going ice-skating with him and his friend Nick (who wouldn't actually skate with us :( ) While we were skating, I managed to bust my butt one more time and then a second time I somehow ended up flat on my back in the middle of the rink with a huge chunk taken out of the ice (To this day, I am not sure if the chunk came from my skate or my head) Are we starting to notice a pattern here? It runs in my family, but I am definitely not the most graceful person. After ice-skating, we went a grabbed a bite to eat at the Plaza at a place called Kona Grill which is still one of my favorite places to eat. The rest, as they say, is history. We have been dating since.
We got to the bars, had a couple of drinks and were having a great time (talking to each other, of course). It was then that Andrea decided that she needed a cigarette (which she needs occasionally after a few drinks). Well, anyone who knows me knows that I am VERY ANTI-SMOKING and would never condone that habit. In fact I tend to be the one to lecture most people about their smoking habits. What possessed me, I do not know, but I turned to the first guy walking by me and asked him if he had a cigarette. Well, this tall, handsome guy didn't have a cigarette (because he isn't a smoker), but he turned to his friend and bummed a cig for my friend. That is where the conversation started and we hung out with him and his group of friends for the rest of the night.
We left the bar we were in and went to another bar. Per Stacy's request, we went to the Beaumont Club--which is a country bar!!!! (he doesn't even like country music!) He then taught me how to do the Texas Two-Step. We ended up having a really good time and Stacy asked us if we would like to go ice-skating the next day. They ended up giving us a ride home since the waiting line for cabs was REALLY long. When we got to my house, I made a complete and total fool of myself by catching the heel of my stiletto in the crack in the concrete and falling flat on my butt in the mud. I was mortified!
We ended up going ice-skating with him and his friend Nick (who wouldn't actually skate with us :( ) While we were skating, I managed to bust my butt one more time and then a second time I somehow ended up flat on my back in the middle of the rink with a huge chunk taken out of the ice (To this day, I am not sure if the chunk came from my skate or my head) Are we starting to notice a pattern here? It runs in my family, but I am definitely not the most graceful person. After ice-skating, we went a grabbed a bite to eat at the Plaza at a place called Kona Grill which is still one of my favorite places to eat. The rest, as they say, is history. We have been dating since.
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