Updates 2012 My first Half-Marathon!

     I wonder how many blogs people start and forget about them? Is blogging even a thing anymore? Honestly I had sort of forgotten I had a blog until I was reading a friends blog and then I had a great idea to start another one and came across this one when I was signing in! So I'm going to update a bit. Last post was in June of 2012.... about couponing. (How boring!) So here is my plan, update weekly with major events from 2012 until present. That sounds like a reasonable goal. So here goes!

   

     June of 2012 Mike and I have been living in San Diego for a little more than a year. We are both training for a marathon and half-marathon (respectively) and currently still living with Mike's folks. The great news is that in June of 2012 we finally sold our house in Sacramento and now we are just saving up to get an apartment of our own.
     This half-marathon, which is officially called The San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon and Half-marathon,  will be my first! My training had been going well and most of my training runs were on my own. I finished it in just under 3 hours and Mike (who has run a marathon before and was in cross country in high school) finished in about 4 1/2 hours. I never thought I would run a half-marathon and actually like it!! There is a lesson there: never say never!

 Me at the start of the race. I'm ready to go, and hey I'm lapping everyone on the couch no matter how slow I go or how much walking I do. My goal is to finish at this point!

 Mike's finisher medal. He wasn't so sure if he was going to be able to complete the full because he had injured himself during training. We didn't see each other at the finish line because we didn't have a good plan, and I didn't know that he would do the full marathon because he wasn't sure. 

The half way point for me. 

     After taking this picture I saw a woman holding a sign above her head while running ahead of me. I thought, I wonder what that sign says, I want to know so I focused on the lady with the sign and dug deep to catch up to her.  I had started the race with the only expectation to finish it and I was half-way done!! A motivation thing I use is to pick someone ahead of me and try to catch that person, the sign lady she was my target!

     

     As I got closer I saw the sign said "Garmin official Pace Person 3:00:00". I thought OMG 3 hour pace person!!! I can beat 3 hours! It excited me and for the next 6 miles Garmin lady and I passed each other up a few times. It was very motivating to know I could finish my first half-marathon in under 3 hours. Especially considering I hadn't done any speed training or training to have a strong pace. I ended up finishing in 2:58:30, and I couldn't have been more thrilled!! Anyone who has ever run will tell you finishing your first is a memory you hold on to. 

     

     Finishing my first half-marathon was exciting and bitter sweet at the same time. I did not know where my husband was. I did not have someone waiting to celebrate with me as I crossed the finish line. :( It was sad I had to celebrate my achievement with strangers. (Don't worry I make up for this in 2013) I had no way to get a hold of Mike and we didn't really have a solid plan. I stayed around the finish area for about an hour then I started making my way back to our car. We had parked it at Qualcomm Stadium and took the trolley in to avoid getting stuck in traffic or fighting for a parking spot. Mike and I were finally reunited at the trolley station when he showed up 2 hours later, because he had run the full marathon. Don't worry he also didn't have anyone to celebrate with because I had left.  We discussed having a better plan next time :)

    

     Let me tell you, you don't know pain until you can't walk because your legs are like bricks. We even took ice baths to recover. For the next 2 days we slathered ourselves in icy hot and crawled everywhere we could. Mike's mom kept saying, "Why would you do this if it hurts?" We kept telling her its an accomplishment. I did not regret running 13.1 miles in any way and in doing this I discovered I really enjoy "working out" outside. Of course living in San Diego doesn't hurt either! 

Shopping with Coupons...sort of

About a year and a half ago there was a show on TLC called Extreme Couponing. I was curious so I set the DVR to record the first show, watched and thought well if they can do that I can do it too just not the extreme. I mean who needs 10 years worth of toilet paper and shampoo products that will expire and I probably won't use anyway. On a side note did you know toilet paper has an expiration date! I basically watched the show to learn how they do it and made it work for me. I'm not one of those crazy extreme couponing people who has shelves in their basement full of products, perhaps that might be nice during a zombie apocalypse, but I really don't see the need to buy stuff or "get it for free" if I'm not going to use it. I know totally against the whole American consumerism ideals but I'm just not one for all that extra stuff. Before you say I'm calling the kettle black (because maybe you helped me move once or twice) I have started on the long road of purging all that extra stuff I don't need!

Ok so in a recent shopping trip I was so excited with the savings Mike and I accumulated that I posted a picture of the bottom half of the receipt on Facebook.  Here is said picture:

A few people joked and said do my shopping some asked me how did you do that or what was the original total. So we bought 62 items and the original total was $213.34  we spent $123.22.  As you can see from the picture most of our savings come from card savings, then Just for U savings (which is Von's online coupon program) and then paper coupons. The paper coupons is actually $17.10 because the line right above that basket savings was a $10 off coupon we found in the paper. Von's, which is also known as Safeway in other places, is our main grocery shopping stop some other places we go to are a farmers market store that usually has a little better price on veggies and stuff but not the best quality and some other ethnic stores for specialty items.

Ok so what did we buy though? I sometimes hear people saying things like but the coupons you get are just for junk food. Not so! Here is what we bought:

1. Canned diced tomatoes      
2. Fiber one bars (if you do Weight watchers the 90 calorie ones are only 2 pts)!
3. Corn Tortiallas                    
4. Carnation instant breakfast                          
5. 3 Enchilada Sauce 
6. Natural Peanut butter             
7. 10 Smart Ones (for my lunches at work)        
8. Morning Star Burgers
9. Jello pudding packs               
10. 4 Weight Watchers various Ice Cream bars    
11. 2 Thomas English Muffins 
12. 2 Hilshire Farms lunch meat   
13. Chicken Apple Sausage                                 
14. 2 James Dean Turkey Patty
15. 2 Turkey Bacon                      
16. Bananas                                                       
17. Oranges
18. Broccoli                                
19. Celery                                                           
20. Gala Apples
21. Shallots                               
22. Sliced Almonds                                               
23. Pistachios
24. Mushrooms                         
25. Baby Carrots                                                  
26. Salad (in a box)
27. Basil                                   
28. Mini sweet peppers                                         
29. Feta Cheese
30. Mozzarella Ball                   
31. Hummus 

 Before I started doing any of this I mostly shopped at Albertson's. I thought to myself why do I need to have a stupid card to save more. Cards like that are a form of marketing for stores so they can see what you buy and put it all in a data base. Anyway I came to realize It really didn't matter that much to me that the store was collecting information on what I buy. They aren't trying to using my information in a malicious way. Plus they are using this information to give me savings on things I buy. 

Ok, so how do I do it. Well I do get the Sunday paper and I clip the coupons I think I'll use. On Tues or Wed the ads come out for that weeks grocery stores. I look through the ads and see whats on sale vs what I need. Simple enough. Then I log onto vons.com and sign in and look at what coupons I can add to my card. Also since they are collecting information on what I buy they offer me special prices on those items so I add them to my card as well. On top of those savings I can add the coupons I have and Von's usually makes the savings up to $1.00 off so if I have a $0.50 coupon they will make it a dollar. Different stores have different policies so you'll have to check. But really that's the trick, if something goes on sale and you have a coupon that's when you should buy it. 

I don't dumpster dive for coupons or buy extra coupons or extra Sunday papers. I'm sure I could probably save a bit more that way but I'm not willing to put in any extra time into this. I hope I answered some questions let me know if you have more. Another store that I shop at often is CVS I usually buy all my toiletry items here and they have good sales on candy (which I sneak into the movies sometimes).  I think the best thing about CVS is you earn CVS bucks which you can use to purchase things on your next trip. They usually don't scoff at you if you break a purchase down into two so you can use the bucks you earn on the first purchase to buy the things on the other. 

Happy shopping :)

Things I've discovered on Pinterest...

     About a month ago I kept seeing posts from my friends on Facebook about this website Pinterest.  I thought to myself Pinterest what is that?  Well I really don't want to know because it's probably just another site that will keep me glued to my computer.  I mean I'm already neglecting this blog, I haven't checked my e-mail in weeks, and I have a mile long list of sites to "check out".  I fell like I just spend so much time online and  I've been wanting to curtail my Internet time.  When I do go online it's to do things like check my bank account, pay my bills, and scan through my e-mail for important messages.  I feel like I need more real world time and less digital world time, I'm probably not alone.  We are so digital these days and granted it does make things easier but I sort of miss things like real letters and talking on the phone, only sort of though.  The other part of me realizes how convenient the Internet makes my life.
    
     I kept seeing the posts about Pinterest and decided OK I want to see what this is all about. Wow it is so cool!  It is all of the things I find on the Internet that I like but, I don't want to print them out, or write them down because overall I really want to reduce clutter!  Pinterest is so appealing to me because its my own board where I "pin" pictures from websites onto a neatly organized page and the pictures are actually a hyperlink that takes you back to the original site. How cool is that! I'm trying not to get carried away with the things I post but overall it's nice to have a little organization in my life. I'm not sure if there is a limit to the number of boards you can create but so far I have 11 boards. They are:

1. Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Workout ~ Pins of fitness related stuff and some inspirational quotes like "A one hour work out is 4% of your day no excuses". That would actually be something I might put on my mirror in the bathroom to help motivate (or guilt) me into working out. I'm not a workout freak but staying healthy is important to me because of some family health issues. Another quote I like is "No matter how slow you go you are still lapping everybody on the couch".

2. My geekyness ~ Just a board of things I geek out about, mostly Star Wars stuff :) and some crafty stuff.

3. Ideas for my next home ~ Self explanatory really. I'd like to have a beach themed house so this is place for those ideas to gather.

4. Getting Crafty ~ Things I'd like to make when I have some free time....

5. Eat, Drink and be Merry! ~ Recipes I want to try.

6. Style ~ I've been struggling with what is my style lately (clothing). This is where I post pictures of outfits or articles of clothing I actually like.

7. Girl Scout Days ~ Some songs and other things from when I was a Girl Scout. Someday when I have daughters I will be a Girl Scout Leader so I want to remember these things.

8. Tattoos ~ Designs I like but I will probably never get...

9. My Wedding 10/31/10 ~ A lot of the posts I saw about Pinterest were wedding ideas for some of my friends who are getting married this year. I wanted to share some pictures of my wedding because I don't mind if someone copies something I did. Most of my planning were things I discovered from other brides.

10. Make life easier! ~ Tips and techniques for everyday household things to make things easier.

11. Back to the Future ~ Fun baby things I've found. Not planning on having a kid soon but someday and these satisfy my urges for now :) This woman's clock it out of control!

All in all I'm glad I found Pinterest, no only if I could stop checking Facebook like 50 times a day!

Joining Weight Watchers

As far as weight gain goes there are many "milestones" in a woman's life. There is the freshman 15, which is basically the weight you gain when you move out from home for the first time. It's probably because you are eating out a lot more often eating things like pizza and more fast food then you really should. It's also because you really don't have time to cook and eat healthy things or even work out because usually you are taking a full class load and lets face it there is a lot more homework in college. Actually I think all of the school work you do is homework. Anyway I've taken classes but, I never actually went to college full time. Instead I joined the Military so instead of gaining the freshman 15 I actually lost weight in basic training and maintained a pretty healthy weight while in the military. I'm sure it was all the physical training I did.
The next milestone is the weight you gain when you are happy  with a significant other and then after that after you get married. It doesn't make sense for me because though because Mike and I lived together for years before we got married yet somehow I gained the weight. After that you have the baby weight, then some times menopause causes you to gain weight. Well I've finally reached that magic number that I never wanted to see so I did something about it. about 6 weeks ago I joined Weight Watchers and so far I've lost 8lbs!! I still have a lot more to go and I know I can do it. 

Turning 30!

So Tomorrow is my 30th birthday!!! Wow! I just don't feel 30, I mean I'm finally noticing the fine lines on my face around my smile and eyes makes me want to go back and tell myself WEAR SUNSCREEN!!!!! It used to be that pale white was in style but, when I was growing up being the west coast girl that I am having a nice bronze was in. I'm not promoting sun bathing because I totally believe in wearing sun block to prevent skin cancer. I am a sunblock Nazi now. Anyway I don't feel like I'm getting older except occasionally when stairs and I don't agree.
So what do I want for my 30s well I'd like to eventually start a family  but, that is still a few years out. Considering I just pulled up my roots only to lay them down again in San Diego, they aren't completely planted yet still in a pot so to speak. Lots of things to finish up in Sacramento, plus Mike needs to get down here. Hopefully things will even out and we'll  be on track to getting our lives started, I can't believe we've almost been married for a year! Some other things I'd like for my 30s are to get my professional life on track as well. I've been training for far to long at this point. Granted I did just move to a new facility so it will take some time to get rated. I'd also like to take some fabulous vacations to places like Italy, Turkey, Germany, France, England, Ireland, pretty much all of Europe. I'm thinking a country every year!! That will be my goal. I'm also hoping to learn a new skill and actually get good at it such as surfing or ocean kayaking. :) Anyway off to bed for me!!!
Happy Birthday to me!!

Driving to OKC day 1

 I'm getting ready to transfer to San Diego and I'm super excited about that. Ever since I visited Karrie and Kat in 2003 I have wanted to live there! Before all of that can happen I have to go to Oklahoma City, OK for some tower training. All of my Air Traffic experience is in RADAR so even though I took the training in the Air Force I wanted to (and had to) take the FAA's Tower course. Last time I went in 2007 it was only for 1 month so I suffered (yes suffered) without a car. I thought I'd be no problem when I was there last time, you know I'd just catch the bus and rent a car on 2 of the weekends to go and visit my very good friend Cristin in Dallas. Well the public transportation system in Oklahoma isn't as good as it is in other cities. I know I'm spoiled by living in CA where we have things like the BART and buses and the train and stuff. Not that I use them too often but I have, especially when going to San Fran.
    On to the drive. So yesterday I left Sacramento at 8AM and arrived in Flagstaff (aprox the half way point) at 10PM. Man was I tired! I'm very glad I felt I could make it to Flagstaff though because now the rest of my drives are going to be much shorter and I won't be travel exhausted when I get to Oklahoma. It was raining Sac when I left and it continued to rain until just after Bakersfield. Once I started heading SE the sky started to clear up and it got much warmer. Everyone had said the drive would be boring because there isn't anything to look at. I guess since I'm from the desert I thought it was very beautiful! the mountains were a very pretty purple color (no not at sunset) and there were lots of different kinds of plateaus and cliffs with lots of different warm colors. I wanted to take some pictures but maybe on the way back. Mike is driving back with me so I'll have him bring the big camera. We are also planning to go to the Grand Canyon so that's another reason to bring it! Oh and the roads in Arizona on Interstate 40 are very rough in a lot of places! Well off to breakfast and onto day two of driving I'm hoping to make it to Amarillo today. (should be no problem).

Flowers

I like to receive flowers, I like the way the smell, I am actually one of those people who will stop and smell the flowers, and flowers usually make me smile. The funny thing is I don't have a favorite type of flower. I didn't even know where to begin when I started looking at bouquets. I just knew that flowers out of season = expensive so I told the two flower shops I looked at that I wanted something in season. I began my search online. I dare you just type in flowers in season for (insert month), you won't come up with very much information. I'm thinking this is some secret squirrel stuff why wouldn't this information be available. All those wedding websites weren't helpful either; they just talked about different flower shops in the area. So to begin my search I just started looking through pictures of bouquets, I looked at a ton of pictures and eventually decided that the deep purple color I was looking for would probably best be displayed in calla lilies. I was a little hesitant about getting calla lilies because I had always heard that they were really expensive.
Florist # 1 meeting day comes along and I just crossed my fingers and told the florist what color I was looking for. They started talking about roses these were special roses from Mexico and they last longer and they don't cost extra because they grow them all year round blah blah blah. Granted roses are pretty I usually stop to smell the roses that grow at my house. In high school marching band I marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade....I just didn't really want roses. I just felt like they were so common I wanted something that wouldn't be so common. Plus flowers die and I knew I was going to be upset about my flowers dyeing.... (I was). Anyway I almost relinquished the whole flower thing and I probably should have, at least my bouquet part of it. I didn't really need a bouquet and the only time I held it was walking down the isle. It did double duty as a decoration after the ceremony, as well as the bridesmaids flowers. I digress so back to this florist they were cool but I clearly didn't know exactly what I wanted and they didn't have very many suggestions, I don't want to include their name because for other brides this might be what they want, it just wasn't what I wanted, the price for what I would have gotten from them was outstanding as well.
Florist # 2, Jackie's Flowers out of Elk Grove, was AWESOME!! She had great pictures her shop was full of different props I could rent to place flowers on or candles or whatever and she has some wonderful ideas!! She is truly an artist. While looking at her pictures I found this gorgeous bouquet of caramel colored roses and I knew that's what I wanted just modified a bit. So we talked it out and add the deep purple calla lilies to the caramel roses, the bridesmaids would carry a single calla lily with feathers (1920's theme). The backdrop to the ceremony would be a rustic/medieval candelabrum with flowers and candles on it.  Another thing that sold me was she hand picks her flowers at the flower market in San Fran!  Wait until you see the pics! If you have never been to The Firehouse Restaurant back patio you need to check it out. It is very beautiful back there and one of the reasons for picking it was we knew it would require very little decoration. I had some ideas about other things I wanted from Jackie but they were putting my flower budget out the window so I had to scale back. Jackie is awesome though (as I 've said) and the day of the wedding she surprised me with some of the things we had talked about that were out of my reach because of my budget.
Anyway some ideas that I had that didn't come to fruition were to have some carved pumpkins around with Mike and I initials and things like that, it was Halloween after all, but that was going to be too time consuming and was out of my budget.  I didn't want my bridesmaids and groomsmen sitting around carving pumpkins the night before the wedding (although that could have been fun). I also had ideas to have small pumpkins be part of the table centerpieces that were just scattered around. What we ended up doing instead was free and only took some time of some very good friends. I bought gold, silver, and ivory with various design's scrapbook paper, placed two wine bottles with white ostrich feathers, candle's and ivory rose petals on the table. This was very inexpensive and looked fabulous!
In closing flowers are beautiful but, not necessary and I really really had to twist Mike’s arm to get him to wear a boutonnière. I just knew that my grandma, mother and mother in-law would appreciate the touch of flowers so I bit that bullet instead of fighting it. I did see some pretty cool looking homemade flower ideas on etsy.com while browsing there so if you are against flowers then that’s the way to go!

The Pre- Ceremony reading

As you know by now Mike and I really wanted our guests to have fun at the wedding, even during the ceremony! We both wrote our own vows and included things in the ceremony that were "serious" and funny. We actually had laughter during the ceremony because of things that we included in it. We had references to the things we like (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Team America) as well as things that were "appropriate" for Halloween (zombies). So without further ado here is the pre-ceremony reading! Enjoy! Before beginning I must note that the pre-ceremony reading I found online and borrowed it from the author. She gave permission on that site so that's why I did it. I'll post the other's later, I just didn't want to make it so long !
 Pre-Cermony reading
Dearly loved friends and relations, I have the honor of welcoming you all to this ceremony, in which we will wed Michael & Sharon to each other.
They asked me to say a few words to set the proper mood and tone for their wedding.
I thought for quite some time about what I would say, discarding metaphors and quotes of love, before finally settling on a topic near to their hearts - Today I'm going to say a few words about zombies.
Zombies. The shambling ghouls of black and white Saturday matinees and the quick, ravenous monsters of modern horror are all suffering from the same disease - disconnection - from the world around them and from each other.
And aren't we all there sometimes?
Don't we shuffle to work, monosyllabic, until we get our caffeine, and then go through the motions of work and house as if completely unaware of other people? Don't we set our sights on one desire after another, rushing from experience to experience without actually stopping to enjoy any of it?
Haven't you found yourself staring into space, wishing for just a little more brains?
Michael & Sharon were there too and they've decided to take the only vaccine that works - they've decided to get married. By which I mean they've decided to get connected - unashamedly, unhesitatingly connected - to each other.
In this they refuse to become numb themselves, they promise to give each other attention, consideration, and kindness - emotions zombies most certainly do not share. They refuse to feed on the heart and mind of the other, agreeing instead to grow those things together and share them equally. And they vow not to allow the other to become a zombie when they aren't looking - slipping into apathy, these things with the shotguns of their love strapped strongly to their backs and the truncheons of their humor held firmly in their hands.
Together, they will defend their humanity and their home with all the wit, grace, and power of any spunky heroine or over-sized hero.
Together they are an example of what is possible when two people set their sights on the same star. They cut through our 21st century cynicism and prove that, in fact, zombificiation is not inevitable - that friendship, love and desire, when held with both hands, are the only weapons any of us need to stay human.
With the zombies held at bay by their mutual promises, Michael & Sharon are ready to face the other monsters of life - defending against the Frankenstein coworkers, the Soul Vampires of false friends, and the Mummy of age itself.
The adventure they are about to embark on has all the magic of any Hollywood movie and all the terror of true Lovecraftian horror - dread Cthulhu has nothing on balancing family Christmases.
But the truest fact is that as long as they stick together, connected to each other, the zombies of life, real and imagined, apathetic and disastrous, cannot harm them.
That said, let's get married, shall we?
- Written by L.E.H. Light, 2008

I'm in the final days and I'm thinking about things I can't control....ie weather

 So I just checked the "extended" weather forecast....Yes I have a rain plan but, I really don't want to use it!!!! It says partly cloudy and a high of 68 with a 20% chance of precipitation! Holy shit it's going to perspire on my wedding... or maybe I'm going to do that...is there a  word to describe one type of precipitation like geese vs goose? Perhaps not, I don't have the time to check right now either. I know it's possible and I can't stop mother nature but,I really don't want rain on my wedding day...! Speaking of rain on your wedding day here are some myths that I came across on the interweb. This was taken from Metro Creative Services
According to Greek culture, tuck a sugar cube into your glove on your wedding. The sugar will sweeten your union.
• English tradition says that Wednesday is the best day to marry. Monday is for wealth and Tuesday is for health.
• The groom carries his newly betrothed across the threshold to protect her from evil spirits.
• Hindu tradition says rain on your wedding day is good luck.
• For good luck, Egyptian women are known to pinch the bride on her wedding day.
• In Holland a pine tree is planted outside of the newlyweds' home for good luck and fertility.
• A law in 1775 said a wedding was not legal if the bride wore makeup during the ceremony.
• Wedding and engagement rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was long believed a vein ran from that finger directly to the heart.
• Ancient Greeks and Romans said a wedding veil protected the bride from evil spirts. It has been a tradition to wear a veil ever since.
• The term "tie the knot" comes from Roman times when the bride wore a girdle tied in knots that the groom was later able to untie. Some also believe it refers to the knots of rope that were tied to form the marriage bed.

Those are some interesting fun facts.  Anyway less fretting about the weather...

2 Weeks to go, Vows.

OK so I'm 2 weeks out, and I am going to post everyday until the day of the wedding! I'm getting excited, we have a lot of Halloween stuff to decorate with and I'm hoping it doesn't look tacky. I think I'll be able to make it look good still. Mike and I were picking out our the sayings we want for our ceremony late last night, I'm pretty excited with what we've picked. I'll post the whole thing after the wedding because I don't want to give anything away but, make sure you listen up! I think you will find our vows/ceremony touching and funny at the same time!
Well I know this post is super short but, I wanted to a least get something out there! see everyone soon!

Location Location Location

 My dream wedding location was a winery. I just loved the idea of being out in the vines when they were all orange and red with bits of green during the autumn! Plus I figured that if it was a winery I'd be able to save on alcohol.... Little did I know just how much a winery would cost!! This was actually the very first thing we did. Before anything else I wanted to get the location nailed down. I felt it would help us be more realistic with decor and what we wanted it to feel like in the long run. A wedding is nice but, it's not just about the wedding it's about the marriage. Mike and I knew we didn't want to spend a small fortune on the wedding so I guess you could say I'm a bride on a budget!

We started out looking at some winery's in Napa. This one with the wine cave was perfect for our theme! It was on Halloween and the cave was just sooo cool there were this really cool rustic looking black chandeliers and it wasn't a huge space so it would have been nice and intimate . It really would have set the theme.  Once I called and set up a tour of the cave with the event coordinator I realized this just wasn't going to happen, This location alone without anything else was going to put us in way over our heads debt. So the search continued. 

I still had my heart set on a winery I just thought well maybe because it's Napa it's expensive. I mean if you think about wine country most people immediately think of Napa County. They don't think about the many many other regions of California that have wineries. So off to Amador County I went.  I loaded up the car with my friend Nicole and we took the one hour trip from here to Amador county. Where there are many wineries! 

There were 3 out here that I liked. The first one Karmere vineyards and winery It was beautiful it sat atop a hill looking out over the vineyards but, considering that my wedding is at the end of Oct I didn't really want to have to worry about rain and there wasn't an indoor area that would work just in case of rain. Also out here the vineyards were again more than I wanted to spend. NOT as bad as Napa but still bad. 

The next one was Bella Piazza Winery, this place was beautiful!!! Included many wonderful things in the price and it was a top contender. Perhaps a little more then I wanted to spend but more in the price range. Also had an indoor location in case of rain and a bridal suite and contracts with hotels allowing for a bus transportation to and from the winery for the wedding. 

The last one out in Amador county was the sister winery to Bella Piazza Winery and I felt like it fit my theme a little better. (Remember when I was looking for a winery out here I still had my heart set on the wine cave....)

The Villa Toscano Winery was a little more Tuscany and absolutely gorgeous. Again it wasn't the wine cave but, I still liked it. My hang up with these locations were. Weather (Plan B), location from hotels and at all the wineries there was a 10:30 noise curfew.  I took the information home and the search continued.



Next I took Mike out and we went to a winery that is closer to Sacramento in the Delta about 15 min from downtown, The Citizen Hotel, Tsakopoulos library and finally the location we chose, The Firehouse Restaurant in  old Sacramento.

Wilson Vineyards were in the price range and close to Sacramento. Mike and I just weren't sold on the location. It was pretty and a good deal for the money but, it just didn't have the right feel to it. Also they had a 10:00PM Noise curfew so there would have been an after party.

The Citizen Hotel  was pretty cool. It had an old world feel to it as far as the price was concerned it was about the same as Wilson vineyards.  The Tsakopoulos Library Galleria was pretty cool also. They were very restrictive on which vendors you could use so that made the price go up. Plus sides to these were close to hotels and no noise curfew limit.

We finally decided on The Firehouse Restaurant, it is beautiful has all the things I was looking for and wasn't going to break the bank!! I'm not going to post any pictures of it I want you guys to see it the day of. So I'm not even going to tell you which room I am going to use because I want it to be a surprise!! Mike and I spent about 3 months looking for the location and we found it in Jan. We ate here for dinner one night and just loved the food so we came back to get information for the wedding! I would say this was the least painful process. It was hard to pick a location because there are a lot of places at there to choose from!  

Awesome Vendor's

      I'm sure everyone loves there vendor's mostly I feel like I've found some really really good ones!! The first one that Mike and I found was our DJ. I had gone to a friends wedding last year and this was the DJ that they used. He was very energetic and I felt like he had a good read on the crowd, keeping the dance floor full for most of the evening. I think one of my pet peeves about DJ's are the ones who just sit up at their podium and say stuff like "We have everything folks, just request it". I really think to be good you have to have personality. I'm no expert so those are just my thoughts. The DJ that we booked is  Mitch Perez Showtime DJ. Like I said we got the DJ first then very shortly after we got the location.
     After the DJ I attended a bridal show in Feb and met Jennifer Starr of The Memory Journalists. We stood there and talked for about 30 minutes about life, the universe and everything but wedding except for a brief moment when I said I was still looking for a photographer. It was a connection I couldn't get out of my head and I had Mike meet her and he agreed. It was a little out of budget but, I know we are going to get great pictures and some great friends possibly! I'm looking forward to working with her and I am excited about a little surprise we are putting together..... :)
     Finally, I got around to cake tasting. I went to my favorite bakery and I wasn't impressed...I was pretty bummed out about it actually because I love this bakery so I searched on for another baker. I had seen ads for Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts and decided to give her a call. Carissa Jones the owner was fabulous!! When we went for a tasting she brought out this huge plate of different things to taste along with 3 different types of cakes (they were still warm)! Everything was good!!! It was hard to make a decision but, we did and I'm sure you'll love what I picked out!!!

I just had to post about these guys because they are so great. They are great business owners and even if I'm not the only bride in the world I sure do feel like it!! They always know who I am when I call and I think that's another great thing!! 

 

The search for the dress...

So in the beginning of my search, I wanted something sleek, something with lace or maybe satin. Something that would fit into the 1920's Halloween costume of the bridal party! You see Mike and I are suppose to be Bonnie and Clyde and I wanted to find a dress that would accent this....So here is the story of my search....!!

In February I went to David's Bridal with my maid of honor, Crystal, and a bridesmaid, Nicole,  to try on dresses. I liked several that I tried on but, I just felt like this isn't the right dress. The sales lady kept asking me "What would you change about the dress?" I didn't really know I liked them enough but, I'm having some body issues and I kinda wanted the dress to go with the theme and for me to like it. Dress 1 fit the theme but, Crytal said it made my hips look huge and Nicole said she felt it just wasn't the right dress and it did accentuate my hips! I'm glad I have friends I can count on to tell me the truth and not sugar coat things. I tried on a few other dresses and I was torn....I really liked this one but they were right it didn't look the best on me and the other dresses I tried on were just ok. The sales lady was a real help with her query of "What don't you like about it?" each time!!  Really!? You are suppose to be a bridal consultant and that's all you can come up with?

When I finally did find another dress that I liked ,similar to dress 2 picture, the sales lady came in for the kill!!! No really that's how it felt she wasn't helpful then to top it off I find a dress I like and she's like, "if you don't order it now we may not have it, this is the last one in stock, it's a sample dress that we are trying at this store for a limited time" ! She was pretty relentless... I told her I'd like to talk it over with my friends before I made a decision. My friends were like we can tell you don't love it and we know you wanted your mom to be here when you find the dress so why don't you see if they can hold it and then come back in a month when they get here. I think at that point that's where I was headed then Crystal asked me a very good question "How upset would you be if dress 2 got away?" I thought about it and I wouldn't be that upset I decided. So The sales lady comes back and I tell her what I've decided "I'd like to make another appointment to come back when my mother and grandmother are in town so they can see the dress and I can get their opinion". The sales lady immediately changes her tune of "you have to buy this now before someone else gets it" to "Oh we can do that, you're not getting married until Oct so you have plenty of time if we needed to order it!"

PLEASE where was this 5 min ago?! This was my first attempt and the only bridal store I had gone too I wanted to go try on other dresses I just wasn't sure. Additionally, with Davids' Bridal what they have in the store is what you get so if they don't have your size to try on tough luck...I think the only dress that I actually wanted to try on of the 10 or so that I did was the first one I posted on here. I digress..
     So a month goes by and I have an appointment at DB and  an appointment the following day at two other bridal salons. Just in case you are wondering Monday is apparently a very busy day to go try on dresses....not Sat or Sun as you may be thinking. I'm sure those days are busy too but, Monday OMG it's almost impossible to get in without an appointment!! I take Mom and grandma to DB and I try on the first dress for them. This time the consultant is very helpful and she gets me into a bustier corset type of undergarment and a slip I try this dress on and my hips don't look huge!! I like it even more now!! but...grandma isn't sold.... mom likes it but, she says its up to me.
      A quick side note Mom is a tomboy and doesn't really have an opinion about dresses, grandma is old fashioned and the whole idea of our wedding with costumes and what not she's not digging it! 
OK, so I like this dress but, I'm not certain and I want to try on more dresses. I think I'll have better luck with the consultant this time around she seems to be very knowledgeable and very helpful!! I try on about 8 dresses and each time grandma doesn't like it....I know I'm not trying to please grandma but, she is getting silenter by the moment. The women in my family are the stubborn silent type.... The Bridal consultant comes into the fitting room with me and says "OK what do you want? I can see you aren't happy with the choices your mom and grandma are picking for you and I just want you to know this is your day, it's about you. It's not about what mom and grandma want..." That was very nice of her I just felt like I wanted a different body....You see wedding dress makers are cruel and if you are a size 10 in real life you can expect to be trying on a size 12 or 14 in wedding dresses....I know size doesn't matter if the dress looks good on you but, this is one obstacle that is very difficult to get around. I tell her I'm just not sure and I want to try on more dresses. I need some time to think about it before I jump into a $700 purchase that isn't returnable... She totally understands, she says "I want you to be happy with your dress, you are spending a fair amount of money and I don't care about my commission I just want my brides to be happy!" I'm telling you she was great!! I actually need to get around to writing a thank you note to her because she was so outstanding!
     The next day we head out to Bridalmart, a lower end bridal salon that offers everything! When we walk in I'm directed to the room with the dresses and they way they do them here is by bra size....ok a little strange but I had like 10 racks to look through! So far a much better experience then DB. I pick out like 20 dresses including my dream dress.

I'm only allowed to bring 5 at a time  back to the dressing rooms oh and I was suppose to bring my own undergarments they don't have those to try on with the dress....I wish I would have know this before, I'm wearing decent undies but a bright pink bra.....Great, ok we will make do with what we have. I try on 3 dresses that are immediate no's besides not fitting (because they go on the rack based on bra size...) I'm just not liking them but I think them but, I'm optimistic because I have such a huge selection. This time my consultant says "OK so all of the dresses you've tried on so far have similar things in common they sort of have a drop waist. I have a dress I want you to try on that I think will look great on your shape!" I'm thinking OK I'm open to suggestions and was that a compliment or not?!  "Let's try it" I say. I try it on and it's the first dress that fits, I don't need the clamps to hold it on!! I'm excited about that part. I walk out to my mom, grandma and Crystal (she joined us for today). They all look up and Crystal says..."Uh oh...I think we found it" I look fabulous in this dress. It's not anything I had started looking for but It's beautiful!! I like it, grandma likes, it mom likes it (she even said that), and Crystal likes it. I say "Let's try it with a veil". I didn't expect this but as soon as I got the veil on I started getting emotional. I was tearing up and everything...."I think I found my dress guys" I say to them all. My voice is a bit shaky but, I'm sorta holding it together! I hadn't yet tried on the dress I came here for so I decide I want to try that dress on even though I'm sure I found the one!! I try it on and it is beautiful (it also fits) but, it's not the one. Everyone knows it.... So I call the other salon after purchasing my dress and I tell them I'm canceling my appointment because I found my dress, they are bummed and try to talk me into coming anyway but, I tell them I don't want to waste their time. We all go out to lunch after that to celebrate, and I get to cross another thing off my list!


UPDATES:
Here is a picture of the dress I ended up purchasing. :)

166 Days to go

Ok, so I'm going to make more of an effort to do this. I found the location of wedding and ceremony, it's going to be at the Firehouse Restaurant in Old Sacramento. We decided to do heavy appetizers because the food cost was just too much!! We found the DJ next. We are using Mitch Perez of Showtime DJ. He is great!! Then we found the photographer Jennifer Starr of The Memory Journalists. We got our invitations on line at tinyprints.com. So the only thing/s I have left to do are find a florist, and determine the little things and how I'll do the decorating of the place. It's absolutely gorgeous on it's own so I won't need to do too much, it's something to consider. Ok, So I posted. Hopefully I'll do this more often....