January 27, 2007

Yesterday the previously mentioned “bundle of joy” arrived at 1:15pm.  Blake even has his own website!  Gail and Jonathan both took the day off from work and spent it in Tucson with the family.  Copious amounts of photos and videos were taken, so there will be plenty for all to see and enjoy in the future.  Both mom and baby are doing well, and we’re sure we’ll get to see them again real soon.  It was a very exciting day for all of us!

Back to the wedding planning…the register pen that the couple had bought online was nice, but the guest book just wasn’t what was expected.  It’s being returned, and the search will continue for just the right one.  Here’s a sneak preview of the pen:

We’re meeting with a vendor this weekend for a real unique experience (private grand opening celebration).  Unfortunately, we’re not able to provide any more details.  Some things have to remain secret!

We’ve also got appointments scheduled with one DJ, and another one will likely be scheduled for next week as well with a different one.

We’re also meeting with a few videographers when we get time, however, time is one thing we haven’t had much of lately.

It’s amazing all the little things that have to be remembered, such as tipping the vendors as necessary, providing the special songs, making sure we get gifts for those that are partaking in this joyous event, and even remembering to have a box ready for the cake topper.   It’ll be tough enough to plan everything ahead of time, let alone remember everything we are supposed to do on that very busy day.  We are, however, planning that upcoming trip to Las Vegas in June… Don’t worry, we won’t elope.  We don’t think…

The family and friends “picnic in the park” event that we hosted on the 22nd went really well.  It was a lot of work too, but we had a lot of fun.  Everything went as planned, and it was a great opportunity to hang out with friends, as well as introduce those that hadn’t met to each other.  We’ll have to plan another one in October when it cools off again.

Nine months left!

Jonathan tried.  He told Gail today that she looked as cute as a fresh blueberry in her white shorts and blue shirt.  She told him again that he looked like a baked potato.  As he was wearing a similar outfit as before.  Now Gail is rattling off all the sweet things she did for him yesterday.  Oh, but he is to remember that she loves baked potatoes.  That makes it all better…

Gail is unfortunately working today, so we will be spending another holiday without being together with family.  Although it seems tough, its always nice to know we as a couple get to see each other when the day is done.  It’s also tough because even when we are both off from work, it is hard to decide between both families on which to visit. 

Although everyday provides us the opportunity, Easter (like most holidays) allows us the opportunity to reflect on life, and for what we are grateful.  For as stressful as a time as we both are having, we are still happy to have each other.  And the stress lasts only a few minutes and then its all happy again.  It’s a tumultuous roller coaster on which we are riding. 

As much as we may be stressed, we are very thankful for our families, as both our parents are providing a lot to make this happen.  As hard as we think we may have it, we wouldn’t have any of it without them.  They are taking on a bulk of the costs.  So when we think our costs are bad, we have to remember what it is for our parents.  Again, they are doing so much to support us both financially and emotionally.  It is really great to have such wonderful parents.  We’ll be sure to provide the same to our children.

At Petsmart yesterday we saw a new puppy, named “Res” which is to stand for “resurrection”.  The little girl named him that since he was an Easter puppy. 

We are working on making a final decision on some luminaries that we will be placing outside on the terrace at the reception.  Going with our “starry night”, or “an evening under the stars” themes, the bags have little stars cut in them so the light will reflect really well.  We hope to purchase those online this week. 

In addition, we ordered a sample invitation so we can be sure we like it before we order them in bulk.  The owner of a local store found another few initiations that were similar that she wanted to show us.  We get 25% off if we order through her, so that may be a good approach if she has something nice.

Also, Gail found a pair of shoes she likes, so she will be looking around to see where she can get the best deal.  Although the recommendation has been made to just wear fuzzy slippers or something comfortable under the dress since nobody can see them anyway, we’re going the formal route.

Jonathan has exchanged emails with his brother Justin (the best man) in regards to the videographer.  It’s Justin’s task to come up with any extra questions for the videographer that Jonathan may have not asked.  Although we are still finalizing our vendor selection, Justin worked for several years at The Royal Palms resort on Camelback for Swank Audio/Video.  It’s still a concern that any mistake we make during the ceremony will be caught permanently in high definition!

Again, happy Easter to you and your family!

We’ve looked at all the local stores we can, and we’ve scoped out as much as possible.  Today we’re making the first few purchases online.  We’re purchasing the pen that we’ve been eyeing for awhile now, as well as a guest book that we both immediately liked.  We’ve gotten lucky and found a few items that we saw online also in stores, which is nice because it allows us an opportunity to see it up close without having to make a purchase.  In addition, if we don’t like it, it’s just a trip back to the store.

The stress level is continuing to build, as the costs of things are just a lot to handle.  We’ve made payments on some items as well as purchased items, but it is overwhelming to think about how much more we have to go.  It’s tough to find that middle ground to say that we are having our wedding to be everything we’ve dreamed since we were kids, yet not feel like we are spending too much on everything.  We continue to remember that its a one time expense, and you will have no other chance to go back and do these things again.  It’s been nice to talk to others that are going through this process, as well as to read all the books and magazines.  As it tells us that, yes, weddings are ridiculously expensive, and that we are in the same range as others planning their weddings.  We feel that what sets ours apart is how and where we are spending our money.  We’ve made smart decisions so far.  We did a lot of research, and although things seem expensive to us, when compared to other locations and other items we are in the same league.

We’ve continued our music selection process, and found another few songs.  Although, our search for a DJ or band is not complete.  We’ve made several calls and exchanged numerous emails, but still haven’t found “the one”.  We’ve narrowed down a few vendors for our other things too, but still have to make some final decisions.

We’ll soon be going to look at Tuxedos, deciding on flowers, and purchasing a few other things for the reception. 

We’re going to enjoy our wedding.  After all the hard work is done, after the money is spent, it will have been well worth it.

It sure sounds like a long time away, but then why are we stressed about it so much?  The stress level has peaked lately, as Gail told Jonathan this morning that he looked like a “baked potato” as he was dressed in shades of brown.  She said she “wasn’t crazy” about the way he was dressed.  He told her in return she looked like a “roasted marshmallow” in her brown skirt and white blouse, like the “stay puft marshmallow man” from the movie Ghostbusters.  Hopefully things will calm down soon, and the nicknames will return to “sweetie”, “cutie”, and “puppy” providing a happier environment for all.

After we returned from New York, Jonathan left the next week for a work trip which took him to Madison, WI and Colorado Springs, CO.  Upon returning, it was just non-stop with things coming up here and there. 

Jonathan had been helping out a friend who owned a business, but he passed away a few weeks ago and Jonathan was helping keep things up and running during the aftermath.  Gail was able to assist with the arrangements, and things were very nice.  Additionally, Gail was able to make a trip to Tucson to check on Joy and the baby, unfortunately Jonathan had to work and was unable to accompany her.  Jonathan’s mom got new hard wood floors and tile put in her house, which meant we had to help move some furniture around.  We’re also planning a ‘party at the park’ on April 22nd.  We’re having some neighbors, friends and family to the park here in North Scottsdale.  We reserved the park for sand volleyball, basketball, and softball, and got the permits necessary to have a good time.  We will be bringing plenty of food and drinks (enough for about 30 people), so we’re looking forward to it.  Details for those that wish to attend are available here.

Although we took almost a month break from wedding planning, we seem to be back on it this week.  On Tuesday, April 4th, Gail, accompanied by her parents, bought a wedding dress!  She had gone out looking several times with her family and came back to the same dress twice, so she decided it had to be the one.  We can’t trust Jonathan enough to put a picture of the dress on the web site and not look at it, so we’ll have to just build the suspense for all until the wedding day arrives.

Gail’s initial plan was to borrow her sister Joy’s veil, however, a review of the wedding photos brought to light the fact that Joy was married in the great decade of the 90′s.  And although most would agree the 90′s were a great decade and some things from then will live forever (such as the music), there are some things that didn’t survive and just haven’t been brought back yet (such as some clothing and hair styles).  More specifically, the “poofy veil” for a wedding in the 21st century.  It just screams of the 1990′s.  Gail had a hard time going back to her sister, as Gail asked her to borrow it before she looked at it.  Gail’s sister means a lot to her, and with her being her Matron of Honor, she is really looking forward to borrowing something of Joy’s for the wedding.  With the old adage “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”, Gail is still working on filling those roles.  We’re sure it’ll be figured out soon.  Bonus points to those that knew the adage also contained the words “and a sixpence in your shoe”. 

Gail was able to also spend some time with Joy looking at a dress for her as well.  With Joy going on her final month of pregnancy, they were looking at getting some style ideas now so Joy can try them on after the baby is born and as time nears.

There is a new Wedding Accessory store that opened up near where we live, and we were able to find a lot of things there that we will be needing.  Jonathan’s new reading material from that store is a book entitled “What the Hell is a Groom, and What’s He Supposed to Do?”  Gail has about a half-dozen Modern Bride and other wedding magazines and books, he needed one too.  We’ll be returning to the store in a few weeks, as we finish comparing their items to items online and we make sure we know what we want.  We have a 10% off coupon that we’re using, so we’re making sure we spend it well.

The contract and payment for the photographer is also finished, so that’s another thing crossed off our list.  We sent another round of questions to our event coordinator Nicole at the Different Pointe Of View, and we are continuing our research for other decisions that need to be made.

Almost down to 291 days…