It has been waaaay too long since I updated this blog. But, I promise to try and be more diligent in updating at least once a month. So, to summarize, here is what has happened since the last time that I updated:
1. We had 4 amazing wedding showers and spent some great time with friends and family.
2. We had the time of our lives at our wedding. It was everything we wanted it to be and then more. It went well beyond our expectations.
3. I got to dance with Grandpa at my wedding.
4. I lost my beloved kitty, Chickie, who I had had since she was a tiny kitten. She died very suddenly from kidney failure.
5. My sister and best friend moved back to North Carolina.
6. My Grandpa died after a year-long battle with cancer of the esophagus. We were able to spend a lot of time with him beforehand and create some really wonderful memories. All eight of his grandchildren were the pallbearers and it was a huge honor to be a part of his farewell.
7. Stacy and I bought a house--finally! We are out of our tiny 1 bedroom apartment and now have a beautiful house in Olathe, KS.
8. We added a new addition to the family...Lucy (aka Lucifer) our new orange and white pain in the rear but much adored anyways kitten who will not leave poor Levi (our amazing, best dog ever, very spoiled schnauzer mix) alone ever.
As you can see, it has been a very hectic year and a half. I will post more about some of the previous events and also add some pictures soon.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Monday, June 2, 2008
addendum to top 10
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.
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.
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.
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