Mail Call!

I had no idea how lovely it was to receive necklaces in the mail. I've received two this month, and no, I haven't been shopping!

First up was this lovely lady, early payment for a freelance job.

Isn't it great when a customer (I have only one!) pays in fashion.

And today this beauty arrived, which I won in a Relay for Life

raffle in support of dear Laura. I never win anything,

nonetheless something this awesome.

And meaningful.

Bridesmaid Eyes

That's what I'll tell people at work today when they ask why my eyes are bloodshot. May Bride and I stayed up until after midnight working on wedding projects. She's down to the wire and really needed the help. But after last night/this morning, her table numbers, reserved table signs, basically all signs, the welcome note for the hotel goody bags and the flip flop project: DONE. Craft central station was in full force last night, friends, and let me tell you, I was proud.

Good thing I'm off all of next week. And I only have to work a half day on Friday. So basically right now, on Tuesday morning, it is already like a Wednesday afternoon. (J can't concentrate anymore because I mentioned Tuesday Morning and now he's thinking about what new plants we need just for the excuse of needing more pots.)

Five

Thank you to Facebook for reminding me that these two photos exist in such close proximity of each other. And I'm learning that if you want to see a really awesome camera, find a young mom. They've always got the coolest technology.

Laura's Wedding -- Springfield, Missouri

Joanna's Bridal Shower -- My Parents' Basement, Undisclosed Location, Kansas

Back from the Outer Banks

Two and a half days in the Outer Banks with five awesome ladies. Non-stop amazing weather. Five hours on the beach on Saturday followed by an all-night dance fest. Oh, and did I mention I spoke with a West Virginia accent the whole time? Hey Y'all! We've got a busy couple of days before I head out of town again *yippee!* for Joj's weekend o' fun.

First up? But after a weekend of over indulgence, I'm putting myself (and J) on detox this week. J was in New York City for the male half of the bachelorette weekend I just enjoyed. While my weekend was relaxing and revolved around spending as much time on the beach as possible, his involved being bundled up while roaming the streets of NYC at all hours of the night/morning with 6 other wild and crazy guys (and eating all the goods the city had to offer). This week will involve nothing but dark greens, celery sticks, maybe some seafood, sweat sessions at the gym, and WATER for us.

Secondly? Rounding home base on this intense game of hard ball that I've been playing for the last few weeks -- hopefully it'll all come to fruition today. Big changes are afoot in the professional realm, and I'd like to have my brain back, thank you.

Thirdly? Sharing the hilarious story of Leo's exciting (and heroic) weekend. The teaser? A text from J's mom on Saturday morning that read, "Carnage on the carpet! Leo killed a squirrel in the house -- I'm traumatized!" But don't worry, not everything is as it seems...he actually saved the day.

The Pigs Have Flown

Because now I've seen it all! One of the amazing things about living in Norfolk is some of the amazing traditions that this place keeps. One of which is the marching of the animals to the circus.

Our tree-lined streets were all aflutter yesterday afternoon when the newspaper posted a last-minute "article" saying that since the circus was coming, the animals would be marched from the train to the arena downtown at 7PM. Now, another interesting fact about Norfolk is that it is the home to PETA's headquarters. So it always turns into a ...circus?...when the Ringling Brothers come to town. Last year we missed it because they printed a time in the paper and then pulled the synthetic wool over PETA's eyes by showing up much later that night. Yesterday, however, they were true to their word.

Mr. Officer, protecting the streets from stampedes

Bike cops galore! Here they come!

At this point, J had to "back it up" with the dogs, since we had no idea how they'd react. Also, this is the moment that my preggo friend Carey and I started jumping up and down.

So fun! And cute! And if you look carefully, on the right side of the 'phants, PETA people were marching with signs, peaceably, because that is their right. I just had to laugh because J had been begging me to go stand on that side of the road, and if we had, PETA would've totally blocked our view. And they might've stolen Leo, thinking that we'd illegally imported a dingo.

But the elephants had their own signs. And they said, "Greatest Show on Earth." Also, I will have you know, the rest of them (other than the two pictured here) were holding the tails of the friend in front of them. That made my heart sing with glee.

There they go! It truly was one of those moments where five minutes later I was all, "Hmm, can't say that's something I've seen before."

And I guess we know who was on poop patrol!

At long last

I rely heavily on the calendar on my BlackBerry.

And when I looked at it yesterday, the next two events on my calendar read as such:

April 16-18, Outer Banks, North Carolina -- Christy's Bach party

April 23-25, KC -- Joanna's Bach and shower

WOOHOOO! Let the festivities begin.

Skype it up

I don't think it's a secret that I pretty much hate technology. It started with the distrust of the DVD player (or as well called it, "The Devil's Video Device") in college. I don't have an iPhone. I don't even have the data package activated on my blackberry anymore. So when I get lost while driving, I have to call people and ask them to help me find my way. I kind of prefer my simpler way of life.

However, one bit of technology I have embraced fully is Skype. I'd originally joined to keep in touch with a friend who moved to the Middle East, but when it was mentioned by my girl Laura, I jumped at the opportunity to see her "face-to-face" while we chat. And of all the Skype dates we've had so far, this was the first that guest starred Baby Ryan James, Most Adorable Baby Ever. It was great seeing his teeth and his eyes and his ears and his belly (he showed me all of these) and also hearing his sweet voice.

He pulled off his mama's black hat and wore it for the first few minute of our chat. I was able to wow him by grabbing a black hat and suddenly appearing on screen with a similar hat. And of course Laura noticed it was the beret from my Monica Lewinsky Halloween a few years back.

And then last night, two people who embrace technology far less often than me, joined me on Skype. My parents. Why do they have a Skype account? Well, that's because they love Laura more than they love me (I tell her she's Marcia Marcia Marcia and I'm Jan Brady) and they get on there to talk with her and John. I fear they might've hit her up last night, because during our conversation, my mom exclaimed, "Oh! Laura just signed on!" :)

You'll see that Leo joined me for some quality time with his Grandma and his Aunt Ruby. I had to remind my mom that dogs understand less about technology than we do, and so when she kept saying, "Point to Ruby so he understands!" that he probably won't ever comprehend talking to his friends over the internet. Because he's a dog.

Remission Accomplished

Nothing more to say right now. :)

J Crew Antics

I'm not complaining, because I got the deal.

Last night I got home from the "May bride's" house and for whatever reason, felt inspired to see if the BM dress I bought for her wedding is on sale (earlier this week the style I bought was not on sale, a few others were...it had seemed there was no rhyme or reason to the color of styles that were on sale).

Lo and behold, every single color and style of cotton cady BM dress was on sale...AND J Crew had added the elusive "Take an extra 20% off with code at checkout." Shoot, I know they don't honor price adjustments after a month, so I re-bought the dress, and will return the first unworn dress this week!

So this morning I got up planning to send a text to the rest of the BMs in this wedding, but the little J Crew voice in my head said, "Stacy, maybe you should check the website first, no?" So I did. Sale? Gone. 20% off code? Still there. All I know is that last night/this morning I bought a $225 dress for $166 including shipping.

Thanks for the hot late-night date, J Crew.

The Proudest Moment

Last night, J and I had a ton of errands to run after work. One important one was stopping to see my wedding band. Oh sweet shamrocks, it's gorgeous. I want it now...it's not done quite yet, but soon. But I also got my precious back and only had a few moments of Gollam's, "It's mine, my precious." One ring to rule them all.

After that, we stopped by Trader Joe's. No big deal. I didn't notice anything odd. When we got in the car, J spilled the beans that we'd been basically shopping with his prom date from junior year of high school. Wow, he'd been so cool, he didn't even seem nervous while we were shopping. Perhaps he seemed a little too into the quality of the brie, but that's normal for him.

It's not like this was one of his "Past Loves" or anything like that. But they had the split second where they made eye contact, the moment that determines if you'll acknowledge someone's existence...and they both ignored it. Looked away. The classic purpose avoid; a phrase that was a daily conversation topic in college. And I taught it to J, because I've employed it several times and filled him in afterwards. But the TJ's run-in was awkward enough for him that we chatted about it for a little bit, and then I realized the solution.

S: "Ok, so you know how we have a code phrase for when there's a shady person lurking nearby? Like Stranger Danger?"

J: "Yes, you mean _______?" [I'm not going to tell you our danger code on the internet!]

S: "Exactly. We need one for when we run into someone in public...like someone one of us used to date, that we're quietly avoiding, etc. It needs to sound normal enough to strangers, but we'll know it's not something that we ever just accidentally say."

J: "What about mentioning Pennsylvania? You, know, 'PA.' As in Purpose Avoid?"

And oh my goodness, friends, there may only be 3 or 4 of you who get the sense of pride that flushed through me at that moment. This man, y'all, he gets me.

On Donating

I donate my old clothes, right? It's not like I keep all of my clothes to myself forever. No. Once the old ones don't fit me or my style any longer, I donate them. To someone who needs them. To keep someone else warm and comfortable and fully clothed in public. It would be completely unnecessary of me to keep things I don't need from people who do, especially when I have the means to replace them.

I am taking this same logic with me this afternoon to the Red Cross. I'm not going to lie, I am nervous about it. But as my wise soon-to-be-former boss/mentor reminded me, "Think of why you're donating, not what you're doing while you're doing it." So at 4:30 today when I go to give my first donation in ten years, I won't be thinking about how I hate needles or how I hope I don't pass out. I'll be thinking about how someone in my local area means as much to their friends and family as dear Laura means to me.

Random Factuals of the Moment

- My company's new health plan had an incentive to register for a free pedometer to upload your daily steps, eventually leading them to give you a discount on your plan. Or something. I didn't care because I was blinded by the new pedometer...it's so beautiful. I've worn it every day since...even though it's pretty bulky on my waistband. I love the challenge. Today's count? Over 13,000.

- When we say goodnight to the babies each evening, J insists that Mary needs to hear her name both first and last. As in, I'll say, "Goodnight, Mary. Goodnight, Leo." And J will add, "Goodnight Mary." He says it comforts her. We end up giggling about it every single night.

- I had a work lunch today with a very interesting group of gentlemen, including a foreign liaison officer from Singapore. He was very, very smart and nice. I got to spin class tonight and lo and behold, there he was, on the bike next to me. I wonder how long we've been sitting next to one another without knowing it. He's better at jumps than I am.

- I've finally started reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns." It may be the best book I've read in years. I love it and don't want it to end. If anyone can recommend a book to help ease the pain, please share.

- When we were designing our wedding website, music was a huge decision. We needed one more song to add, and I wanted, "Heard it in a Love Song" by the Marshall Tucker Band. Yes I know it's actually anything BUT a love song, but it was also the first song on the radio when we got back in car after the hike when J proposed. :) Followed immediately by "Power of Love" by the one and only Celine Dion. Both songs now have a very special place in my heart. PS, he'll deny it now, but on that euphoric drive home, we both belted out that Celine song. 'Cuz I'm your laaaaaaaaaadyy......and you are my maaaaaaaaaaannnn.....

- I was heartbroken yesterday at some very, very upsetting work news and spent my evening in a seriously sad funk. Today I came home to a clean house full of good smells and a "German feast!" that J had prepared...and there was no more funk to be found.

- My friend was just certified to be a yoga instructor after a 15-day session in Arizona. She's a vegan now. With crazy-toned arms. So when she offered freebie classes to her gals this month I jumped at the opportunity. It was my first ever instructor-led yoga class and I loved it (yes I realize I'm 10 years late jumping on this bandwagon). I'm still sore from Tuesday night's class. Yay for making it into crow pose!

- I can't stop listening to "Cold December" by Matt Costa. It's been one of my highest play counts in iTunes for a few years now, but I've recently found myself on another kick.

- I'm going to Berkley's second birthday party next weekend. Cannot believe our wee baby niece is turning two...I remember meeting her when she was just a mere 8 days old. She's not really turning two though, since she was born on Leap Day, after all.

- My favorite water bottle broke yesterday at the gym. I mean, it really broke. I went to take a sip and it squirted ALLLL over the guy on the elliptical next to me. There was an awkward moment where we both just kind of slowed down, glanced at each other, and then went back to working out. On the hunt for its replacement, I could not find a perfect water bottle. I have two of the metal ones, yeah yeah, I'm over that trend**. As far as I'm concerned, they always make my water taste awful, I don't like the smell, and they're not easy to open when you're in motion. I think I could make a cool million designing a sturdy liter-sized BPA-free plastic bottle with a easy to open squeeze-y cap.

**No offense to those of you who enjoy the metal water bottles.

Out with the old

I got up this morning to start the process of swapping my summer/winter wardrobes, and in the process, filling up a load headed for the thrift store. Once I got my closet all nice and cleaned up, and a donation bag completely filled (seriously need to do this more often), I decided to tackle a more sensitive area in my closet: shoes and purses. Oh what a trip to the past...mostly to one place specifically -- Springfield, Missouri.

Here's what I found when cleaning out the 8 purses I'm donating:

- $30 in change. Seriously.

- Approximately 62 bobby pins, all of them the black variety as I had much darker hair in college -- J will be so excited there are more in the house! :)

- Not one, but TWO Harrah's rewards cards. Strange, I don't have any memories of ever being at a Harrah's...girls am I missing something?

- A one-inch by one-inch square picture of LEMonade's face -- I have no idea what this was about?

- A ticket stub from when we went to see Seinfeld.

- The ticket stub from going to see "The Notebook" at Campbell 16 Cine. Ahh I remember that night well. And for the record, it was June 25, 2004, in case you wanted to know.

- An ID card for blood donation -- that was before they decided I can't give blood anymore because I lived in Germany in a certain span of years.

- A punch card for Rock-n-Roll...no surprise there.

- About 10 half-used packs of gum.

- And possibly my favorite: a receipt Trolley's on May 11, 2004, for one Pineappletini and one Sunshine Wheat. I bet that was a fun night. :)

The best voicemail ever

"Hey Stacy, I know you're busy and I know it's only 8am, but I wanted to see what you and J are up to tonight.  As you know, we had our tasting appointment with the wedding cake lady yesterday and instead of just making cupcakes for us to try, she made like huge rolled cakes with frosting on the inside.  There's tons of flavors.  Banana chocolate chip, pineapple, red velvet, chocolate...I can't remember the rest but there are tons, and we have way too much cake.  So hopefully you guys can come over tonight and help us decide on some flavors.  Call me."

Seriously, Bob?  You had me at "Banana chocolate chip."

Goin' to the Chapel

It is both a pleasure and an honor to say that Mrs. Wald's wedding was a huge success! As you probably know, the bff over at LEMonade got married last weekend in KC, and I served as her maid of honor. For the past year and a half, I've been privy to a few of her wedding planning details and have been a part of a few different projects. But what I saw when I walked into the Hobbs Building just blew me away.

This girl has been working her bum off, squeezing in meetings with vendors over the phone, traveling to KC from San Carlos for dress fittings, and yet still she managed to throw a wedding that came off with the air of effortless glam. Every detail was addressed. From the fabtastic welcome boxes in the hotel rooms (that contained very cute "Do Not Disturb" doorhangers aptly alerting passersby that we'd been dancing the night away at the M-W wedding -- so true!) to the cards on the bar with after-party locations and cab information. As a graphic designer, I truly appreciated the flawless execution, the consistent presence of her theme.

4 out of 5 BMs -- present!

I got to go with the bride and groom after the ceremony while they were taking pictures with the photog (to be the dress train stylist and bouquet holder) and I already know what amazing proofs they're looking forward to. Since I got to see a few of the shots "in the raw" I know their photog really captured the happiness and excitement of their day. Not to mention that the bride was drop-dead gorgeous, the epitome of a modern bride.

All the hard work and decisions the bride made were flawless. The above-pictured cake -- delicious, and beautiful. Her mother made quite a few of the tablecloths that were featured on the highlighted tables, like the cake table and the outdoor cocktail tables. I can't say enough about how wonderful everything looked, and that this mother/daughter team really raises the bar on DIY quality. It truly is an inspiration to a bride-to-be that all of Lauren's dedication and organization really shined through. Guests felt special to be in attendance.

It must be mentioned that all pictures were taken by my amazing photog-fiance J. I was pleasantly surpised to find the "detail shots" he took.

The weekend went off without a hitch. We had so much fun the night before at the rehearsal dinner...and even more afterwards when it was just us gals. Lauren had the biggest reveal of all when she handed out our monogrammed totes, filled with goodies like eyemasks, slippers, our day-of jewelry, stationary and pen. She knows us all so well, and it was a very heart-felt thank you from our girl.



We, Lauren and I, are obviously the emotional ones of the group, which made it hard for us to communicate with each other without tearing up. This made for a fun game which I call, "Bride is not accepting compliments at this time." The first round was played in the limo on the way to the pre-wedding photo shoot. The reality of what was coming really hit her (and me) hard and any direct eye contact or compliment threatened to send her eye makeup heading for her hemline. So we'd look away, change the subject, move on, all the while looking up...so the tears would retreat. Later when the excitement took over, it was fine, and everyone could feel free to compliment "bride" (as we called her). It was the only organized way to keep our wussy emotions in check. Thanks to the other BMs for playing along. We were well aware that the only danger was ourselves. :)

The day of the actual wedding was fast-paced, but always under control. Hands down, the most hilarious moment (which will no doubt become a tradition, so get ready Joanna!) was when just a few minutes before the ceremony started and we were all feeling the jitters, some clever bridesmaid (I think it was either Jamie or Emily -- seriously genius) started the line, "Innn West Philadelphia, born and raised..." and all of a sudden, like it was scripted in a movie, we all joined in and basically rapped the theme song to Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Why, you ask? I think it was because it was fresh in our minds from the Napa trip, in which the song had a brief cameo there as well. But singing it together at an increasing volume, just 5 minutes before her wedding started, helped to ease the nerves of all ladies involved. When it was over, I looked around to flushed cheeks, smiles and laughter and thought, "Brilliant."

Lauren and Brian shared their vows (yes, I was weepy, and was informed by a groomsman afterwards that I was "too emotional") that made me choke up and the beauty of their words. Since I was standing so close to them, I was able to see the way Brian looked at her the moment she became his wife, and anybody in the audience could see how ecstatic he was. From his "I'm not a ring guy, this is new to me!" nervous banter after holding out the wrong hand for his ring, to her quiet, sincerely honest "I will," it was a ceremony that truly captured their love. Their style. Their desire to share such a special day with all of us. And I can say to you, it was an honor to be a part of it. I guess you could say I was maid-of honored.

Lauren and Brian, congratulations.

eHarmonization

Last night one of J's friends (who shall remain nameless) came over to hang out.  He recently went through a breakup that frankly was for the best; this girl did not deserve his sweetness, his cuteness and his generosity.  Since the breakup, he's been coming over more often, and as J puts it, "It's our duty to help make sure the breakup sticks."

So it came as no surprise when J told me that his buddy had signed up for eHarmony.  He wanted to see what was out there, and he wanted to see what was out there NOW.  And had been going out on dates with girls.  Normal girls.  And last night, he wanted to tell us about it.  He pulled up his account and explained to us the process of the rounds of communication, like sending each other questions and answers.

I shouted, "Oh I LOVE surveys!  And questionnaires with lots and lots of answer choices!"

Since he'd arrived at our house, a girl had completed the next round of communication and so he pulled it up and let us read it.

I shouted, "She loves her dog, eating at new restaurants, and compassionate people -- me too!  Oh she hates angry, lazy, rude, close-minded people!  So do I!  We like her already!"

He answered her back with his list of "must haves" and "can't stands."  Like, must have compassion, can't stand a victim-mentality.  Must be open to his religious beliefs, can't stand someone who puts others down all the time.  It was all very enlightening, and not just because I could see his ex-girlfriend woven into all of his "can't stand" answers.  And perhaps just a little too interesting to me because I had just watched "He's Just Not That Into You."  I couldn't stifle a giggle when he said, "I can't send this back to her right away...she's gonna think I'm desperate!" and J's response to him was, "Dude, it's a Monday night, not a Saturday night...go for it."  Haha, it's too much fun being on the other side of the playing field and seeing their thoughts on dating.  

As I excused myself to go to bed early last night, I wished him luck on his date tonight with another girl, but told him to tell me how it goes with the girl from tonight.  

"Let us know how we do."

Friends + neighbors

Right before our gaggle of friends showed up to our impromptu "It's 80-degrees outside!" party on Friday night, I ran down and slapped a post-it on the corkboard at the bottom of the stairwell inviting our neighbors to come up for a drink.  Not thinking anyone would actually show up (considering the inhabitants of this condo alone run on pretty opposite schedules, our neighbors must leave 5 minutes before we do and get home 10 minutes after...we hardly ever see these people, it's so mysterious), you can imagine our surprise when J and I open the door to two gentlemen from the first floor.

Flash forward an hour.  We are out on the balcony laughing with our friends...laughing with our neighbors.  They were hilarious, one in particular, and I think he'll be joining our gang again soon -- having equally impressed everyone with his wit.  He's Cajun and insists we'll be having an "etouffee -off" soon.  Seriously.  Anyone who knows me in this life knows I love two things: etouffee and a challenge.  Bring it.

On a side note, I have my first sunburn of the year!  Not a bad one, but enough that I know I'll get some comments at work.  In what seemed like a much-needed weekend of togetherness, my friends all met yesterday at one of our favorite brunching spots at the beach.  Afterwards, we parked it on the beach for a few hours, enjoying the warmth of the sand and the mildness of the March sun.  Our guys played a little football.  The girls sat around talking about their guys playing football.

Too bad they say it's going to be 32 on Friday.  

Ring, ring!

Yesterday, something miraculous happened.

In one 24 hour period I spoke to LEMonade, Va va va Bloom, and Oh Beehive.  ON THE PHONE.  Heck, I spoke to Oh Beehive 3 times on the phone in a 24-hour period.  Not to mention all the emails.

Girls, that's a record.  And it was fantastic.

80s party all night long

It's happening again.  Only this time in the form of a surprise 80s birthday party for one of our gal pals.  Last night a few of us went shopping to pull together her amazing outfit and I was surprised at just how easy it was.  Apparently the colors for spring fall into the "highlighter" family...if that's what the kids consider cool these days, man, I'm screwed.

I'm doing a rerun of the above-pictured outfit, with the addition of leg warmers and longer hair that I can hopefully make touch the sky.  I've been asked by 3 people to do their hair.  I'm trying to decide if it's a compliment. 

And yes, that is the same sequins skirt that Ginger made for me during college -- the Tina Turner Halloween skirt.  You totally can't tell from the angle of the photo, but it's only 5 inches long or so.  Maybe the kids will like me after all.

Medium Rare

Ahh Labor Day.  A day to be outside with friends.  A day to be burnt to a crisp.

After a wonderful day of fun aboard our friends' boat, J and I are certainly paying the price.  We set sail around 10AM, armed with chips and beer and SPF.  We hit some great fishing spots and I caught more fish than I've ever caught before.  I also caught a clam shell...J was proud.

Around 2PM we decided, wow, we should really re-apply, it's really hot out, we're starting to get red, wow, we're really red.  We dove into the water for a quick dip, and then docked the boat at a restaurant on the water and had a beer and the best hush puppies of our lives.  At one point I redid my ratty hair into a ponytail and realized how tight my arms were, and how badly I'd screwed myself.  And then had to get back on the boat for another 2 hours to get home.  The burning continued.

Last night was spent taking cold showers and applying aloe to the parts of each others' backs that we can't reach ourselves.  Why won't I ever learn that my pale self and my equally pale boyfriend can't hang with our tan friends? After a day of "SOMEone got some SUN this weekend -- hardy har harrr!" comments, I've definitely learned my lesson.