Oh October!

Just in case a wedding wasn't a big enough event for October we have added in our 5 year college reunion.... the next weekend! While getting married makes me feel kind of old the fact that we are at a reunion interval makes me feel really old!

 In the full spirit of embracing this old age hotel rooms are booked, vacation for the week is booked and I plan on eating a least 10 Rise 'n Shiners from KKD since this will be the first post-"lots of nightmares that my wedding dress won't fit day of the wedding diet". For those of you not lucky enough to go to school in Burlington, VT the Rise 'n Shiner is a sandwich made up of your choice of bread (go for bulkie roll), egg, your choice of cheese, your choice of meat (obvi ham) and a hash brown.... drooling already! I will be on vacation from work Mon/Tues for wedding re-coop in Wed/Thurs and back out Friday - considering how important I am I don't know how work will manage.... ahhh Jessica (or HAHA Jessica)

I am very happy to report that I have heard rumors that Aidan Murphy will be partaking in a Sig Ep basement Beruit tournament.... its a toss up weather to bet on Aidan winning or his mother blocking the entire outing..... I might go with Aidan winning considering if there was no Sig Ep basement who knows if his parents would have ever met.... on that note if the Sig Ep basement didn't exist I might have never met Corey and we might not be here contemplating My Big Fat Boston Wedding.... who knew a gross basement and cheap bear could produce such amazing things!

This will be only the second time I have been back to UVM since graduation, if we make it to Brewers Fest it will be number 3!

Until then I will just be here dreaming of eating Rise 'n Shiners after drinking cheap bear while actually eating tofu.... and of course doing my best to keep you all updated on MY BIG FAT BOSTON WEDDING!

Slacking

So I have been slacking on the posts.... and the gym.... and the healthy eating (I may or may not have had 12 string cheeses last week alone....) Considering that our engagement pictures are being taken on May 7th, a mere three weeks from now, it is a good thing I decided to go with the armpit fat minimizing dress choice! While I am hoping that the armpit fat is going to melt away as I watch the marathon runners out my window at work, I am pretty sure it won't happen.

Everything has been pretty quiet on the wedding front. The (almost) last batch of save-the-dates went out today, I am just waiting on three addresses from Corey and I have to actually get to the post office one day to mail the international ones but we will get there! We have finalized the booking for rehersal dinner - Figs in Charlestown, so delicious and I am sure that fried calamari and wood fired pizza is just what a bride needs the day before her wedding.... but they are too good to pass up!

Most importantly - (sidebar, for those of you who don't know, I secretly wish I was a professional bowler and I love to bowl even thought I never win and yes I don't win even though I took two semsesters of bowling at UVM) - we are bowling after the rehersal dinner! Lanes & Games here we come! Yes Chris & Jessica, people do actually go there. Lanes & Games is the most fabulously low keyed bolwing alley, they have candlepin (boo) and big ball (only real way to bowl) not to mention delicious pump cheese nachos, Stella on tap and the carpet-on-the-walls decor. It is in Cambridge near Alewife/Fresh Pond right next to the unfortuantly closed down Faces. I planning on wearing my very own for the occasion bowling shoes and I am REALLY hoping that maybe just for once I can win..... or in the very least just not lose!

6 Months to Go!

We have officially hit T-6 months until My Big Fat Boston Wedding! A big thank you to everyone who has put up with me so far, Mom, Dad, Corey, Jessica and a whole bunch of vendors. We really only have a few more big items to knock out, cake testing, food tasting, finalize the florist, gift bags and the little DIY stuff.

This weekend I am headed down to MD to see The Nanny. She has purchased a lavender dress for the wedding and is really excited about it, it has 12 layers and the sales girls told her it looked perfect! This also means I need to spend the plane ride organizing everything I have done/am doing/need to do for the wedding as she is going to want a full account as soon as she picks me up! Wish me luck.... we all know how I do with the details....

May the next 6 months be filled with peace, serenity and lots of tastings!

Q2 Challenge!

April brings showers, tax day and most importantly the beginning of the Q2 challenge!

I decided that Q2 would be the start of healthy eating and no booze Mon-Wed, obviously with the goal of losing (or even just slimming) the ever challenging armpit fat! I think there should always be boundaries, time constraints and I shouldn't knowingly set myself up for failure hence the fact that the no booze is only three days a week and we are starting with just one quarter.

For those of you wondering.... its not off to a stellar start. Considering Jessica and I drank half the bar at Tico and had fried Manchego cheese with mango honey dipping sauce and fish tacos last night I am going to go with maybe Q2 needed a one week grace period. I started the week off so well with yogurt and salads and this is how it is ending....

Tonight is healthy grill - grilled tofu, veggie and chicken! Wish me luck!

Big Day Out!

Last Thursday my mom came to look at additional florists, I will say this go around was a little bit easier since I actually knew some of the flowers names. We started off with a little breakfast at the club and then headed out, table clothes in hand. Our first stop was with Teresa at Mimosa she was very calm and listened to both of our ideas, plus she gave me a whole bouquet of flowers on the way out! At this point we have seen two florists and like two florists....



Flowers from Mimosa!



Next I wanted to go to M. Flynn to look for jewlery for me and the bridesmaids. The shop is run by two sisters and is both a working studio and boutique. The best part of shopping at M. Flynn is that if you see something you like but want it a bit different they will make it for you! Mom and I looked at a bunch of jewlery and talked to her about doing custom pieces, everyone will have to wait for the final results!

After a delicious lunch (and beverage) at Aquitaine it was off to Ilex to meet with Andrew for the final flower consultation. Andrew had some great ideas and brought up a few things we hadn't even thought of - such as using the material from gown alteration to wrap the stems of my bouquet!

I got in a cab to go home, with my bouquet, and here is the conversation I had with the cabbie:

Cabbie: Did you get those flowers from a wedding?
Me: No, I was meeting with a florist to plan the flowers for my wedding
Cabbie: Ohh, congratulations, when is the wedding?
Me: In October
Cabbie: Those flowers have to last until October?!

Here is what we learned on Thursday:

1. In Boston you can have a fabulous lunch for $12.95
2. To get from 96 to 40 on the same street it is only a 3-5 minute walk when it would be 6 blocks in NYC
3. Mom and I really liked all three florists.... what to do!
4. I don't deal well with anxiety or having to make decisions