Get your room!

I don't know about you guys but I just booked my motel room for the weekend of the wedding, aka Labor Day weekend. That's right, a MOTEL. It's cool, I figured I would have to stay at a Motel 6-ish place which incidentally, is going at $116/night for the weekend of August 29. Sure it's not the Biltmore but the room I got is non-smoking and it's a block from San Roque. If you guys can afford a $600 setback for 3 nights then I definitely recommend the Holiday Inn Express-not the one on Haley Street because it's all booked that weekend-the one on Calle Real. It's only 11 minutes from the church. The last couple times Oskar and I have gone to SB, we have stayed at the Express on Haley and it's pretty nice and roomy so I expect the Calle Real one to be of the same quality.

I feel a lot better now that I have this out of the way. I was avoiding booking a room because I just didn't want to look at the prices. It's really now or never though because I'm betting the prices are only going to get higher.

If you guys need any help figuring out where to book let me know!

It's contagious...

Congratulations to Julio, our photographer, on his recent engagement to the wonderful Frankie. I couldn't be happier for them both and it's fun to have been there when they both met.

The story of how and when Julio proposed is a great story, and just reiterates how thoughtful he is -- and how far he's willing to go to sweep a girl off her feet.

Instead of reading it secondhand from me, check out the story on Julio's blog.

Let's Hear It For The Boy

Skar has been conspicuously absent in blogdom lately so I thought I would go ahead and write about something he would or should be interested in. He hasn't gotten a suit yet. The only suit he owns that looks really good on him is a grey one that he wore last weekend and to a wedding last summer. It was my godfather's suit and given to Skar as a gift from Norma, my madrina. I keep going back and forth about whether or not I want Oskar wearing a suit or a tux. I mean the formality of the occasion calls for a tux, but a sleek, black suit can look really dapper too. However, how often will Oskar get to wear a tux? It would be kind of sexy seeing him all dressed up, SANS cummerbund of course. But then again, I can't help but think of Sean Connery or a sexy Marcello Mastroianni, or even Don Draper from "Mad Men" in a slim black suit and a white French-cuff shirt...What ever is a girl supposed to tell a guy to do?

Rock Star Wedding Inspiration

So gorgeous. Love, love, love her Vivienne Westwood dress-I wish I could have the white version, I don't care that it's muslin! I think I'd like to copy her hair and makeup (her whole face for that matter) for the wedding. What I like about Dita Von Teese is that she really enjoys being a woman and all the classical concepts of femininity associated with it. Even her nails are impeccable.

Although she married a huge douche, her wedding was absolutely glamourous. The whole gothic thing ain't my cup (unless it's southern gothic) but I love the richness and decadence that they surrounded their guests in. And it's always awesome to have Christian Louboutin show up wearing a fez.

What are your favorite or least favorite celebrity weddings?

Give Me A Break

As usual it was some ungodly hour and I couldn't sleep. Luckily God invented the internet and I turned to its comforting glow now that cable no longer shows good movies and Joe Francis was released from jail resulting in more "Girls Gone Wild" commercials than ever before. After clicking through my usual sites I chanced upon an article on MSN Lifestyle titled, "Single-Girl Things to do Before you Marry."
Normally I buy into lists, especially if their title ends with something like "...Before you Die." This to do list made me gag though and I wondered if it was posted on the site as a joke. Here some of examples of its sage suggestions:
1. "Date a guy who's totally wrong for you just because he has amazing abs. So what if he's five years younger and your polar opposite? The joy of running your hands across his six-pack is a perfectly legitimate reason to go out with him."
Seriously, what? You know, I was a chubby chaser back in the day, and I gotta say, dating the wrong guy just cause he's got some extra stuffing is equally, if not more satisying.

2. "Collect at least six country stamps on your passport, including one from a place that until recently you didn't even know existed. Yes, it's fun to travel with your man, but you also have to have some solo adventures under your belt before you start sharing your life with him 100 percent."
This one isn't too bad except I don't think stamps are being used nowadays. What happens when you visit more than one EU country?

3. "Take your celeb crush to the max. Plaster a poster of Ryan Gosling in your hallway, and set your computer wallpaper to a topless shot of him."
This kind of behavior should not go past the eighth grade, after you help your best friend tear off a Leo Dicaprio poster from a Tiger Beat Magazine that you borrowed from the school library.

4. "Hone a signature lingerie style. Figure out what cuts and colors are hottest on you, and develop a look that's all your own. That way, your one-day groom will follow your lead ."
Hmmm...T-shirt and shorts. Check.

5. "Spend an embarrassing amount of money on a designer bag you love or heels that make you feel incredibly sexy."
You know, women should be able to buy whatever they want, whenever they want, married or single. That's why we work.

6."Slip one of those furry covers on the toilet."
No. Those things are weird and a breeding ground for bacteria.


7."Take advantage of the whole bed."
Okay, but why not invest in a CalKing? I sleep on a diagonal and that's not going to change.

Some things I DO need to learn before I get married:
1. Balance my check book.
2. Pump air in my car's tires.
3. Make a martini.
4. Put together IKEA furniture.
5. How to download music into my itunes.
6. Barbecue on a charcoal grill.
7. CPR

Classic.

Surprise Shower

On Friday I was at home not doing much. I managed to go to the gym, read, and that was about it. I was feeling kind of bad because the night before I had hung out with Molly and Joanne and had a little too much to drink like I do every Thursday night to watch Lost and Grey's. So, drunk me got a little hostile and was flinging Klondike bar wrappers at Eric, Molly and Joanne cause they were singing this pie song that I can't stand and then gave Joanne hell about not being willing to pick me up to take me to the class BBQ cause I thought it was going to be at the beach by school, not in Carmel. Man I felt really sheepish afterward. So I was feeling embarrassed and was contemplating not going to this dinner that Molly had talked about going to. So she calls me around 5 and WAS ALL "Want to go to dinner?" I decided to go because in a couple days we aren't going to be in the same town anymore and we won't see each other every week. I knew I was going to miss them AND not going cause I am a dumb ass when I drink is lamer than being a dumb drunk.
An hour and half later Molly and Eric pick me up to go to a Mexican restaurant in Carmel called Baja Cantina. So in the car Molly was telling me about her day and asking me about mine. Then she mentioned how she had gone shopping in Carmel. I was like "oh cool!" but in my head I was thinking "Oh! She went shopping without me? I knew I pissed her off!" So Eric zigzagged through Carmel valley in search of the restaurant and I convinced myself that Molly and I don't always have to shop together. We got to the restaurant and could hear the live band playing. It looked like a lot of fun. And when Molly mentioned margaritas I was super stoked. Then we hung out in the entrance and waited to be seated. The hostess pointed to a table and I turned and saw Joanne and Ray! I think I must have made the weirdest face ever. I saw them both, and I knew Joanne was going to come but I was so confused when I saw Ray. Then I saw presents on the table. I was about to ask Eric or Molly whose birthday it was, if this was a class goodbye party thing when Ray and Joanne yelled "Surprise!"
"What?" I asked. In typical fashion I was so confused. "Surprise!" they yelled again. I turned to Molly who was smiling and told me that it was a surprise shower party for me. And then she told me that there were more people who were supposed to be there but who were late. I was so touched. It was so sweet and totally unexpected. I felt really lucky to know people who were willing to go out of their way to throw a little party for me. It turned out that Molly had been shopping that day for my presents and had realized that she probably should not have been telling me about it.
Thank you so much! The restaurant, the food, the music...everything was outstanding. The company was even better. And the presents! Oskar and I got a new All-Clad 6 quart saute pot and the Silver Palette cookbook and even a little something to care for my, err our, new pot.
I can't believe I almost didn't go. Molly told me that she would have killed me. As cheesy as it sounds, it was one of the best nights I think I have had in a long time.