We're going to NJ tomorrow!!!
This will of course lead to an inevitable, "I'm homesick" post once we get back.
My head is already spinning. We basically have plans for nearly every minute of every day we're in NJ. We'll be there for a week.
I've been working hard to lose weight and have even lost some (and by some, I mean something worth bragging about). I'm trying my best to go into this with the right state of mind. Yes, I may gain some weight. It's okay. If I don't say that, it's a slippery slope from there. It's okay if I gain some weight. I will be sure to make the best decisions I can while I'm away.
FYI, I fully intend to OD on bread, sandwiches, and pizza. Can you figure out why I already know that I'll gain some weight?
Anyway, I'm super excited to be going home for the holiday. I haven't been home for Thanksgiving since 2008--that's pretty wild for someone that never strayed too far from home until 2008.
I'm super nervous because I have a really terrible relationship with my MIL. In fact, I'm so nervous about how that will go over the next week (and then the month after that because she doesn't tend to let you know that she's upset and if she does it's not for weeks after), I just threw up in my mouth a little. Awesome. My MIL stories are for another time, and there are plenty. Let's just say that one of the last Thanksgivings I spent with her she told my mother that I was a bitch and everyone that would listen that Hubby (then boyfriend) and I should see other people. Did I mention Awesome?
So I'm sure I'll come back with lots of juicy stories. I'll even try to write while I'm away. Although, I'm not making any promises. I typically only write once a week as it is.
Wish me luck and if I'm not back before Thanksgiving, Happy Turkey Day, GOBBLE GOBBLE!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Can You Please Bring Dinner to My Party?
Have you ever been invited to someone's house and have them ask you to bring dinner?
No?
Well, as of this week, I have.
We have these friends that Hubby went to college with. They're a lovely couple except that they're low talkers and the husband is a bit of a know-it-all. Although, if you already know this about him, you sort of know what you're getting yourself into when hanging out with him and it's not that big of deal. My only other complaint is that the husband can be a little socially, umm, retarded.
I'll tell you though, he's an engineer. And as a woman who married an engineer and has A LOT of engineers walk in and out of her life, I am well aware that they can be a bit socially awkward. Luckily, Hubby is on the lesser end of the socially awkward spectrum, but he sure has his moments.
Well, this guy falls a little further on the spectrum. He's completely harmless and I get that. He's a little exhausting but I know plenty of people that I can say that for.
But then this week, he stole the cake.
He nicely invited us over to watch Hubby's college play a pretty big game that for a change was being nationally televised. I accepted for us and made the mistake of asking if we should bring anything.
Before I get to what we were asked, let me tell you this. This guy always makes very specific requests. Hubby and I typically get a good laugh out of it. One time, we asked this question and we were told to bring guacamole. Not, bring some dip or bring something to snack on before dinner. It was "Stop and pick up some guacamole." Again, let me be clear. He wasn't asking us to make some of my "famous guacamole that everyone just raves about" because a) that doesn't really exist--although I do make it and it is delicious and b) we received this request as we were walking out of the door.
So back to this time, I asked the question and his response was (paraphrased) "Wings would be nice. We're going to make that cheese dip that [Hubby] likes."
Umm, did he really just say "Bring dinner and we'll have one snack here that your husband likes but that you don't"? I was stunned. I was just asked to provide dinner for someone else's get together.
Something you should know about me. I love to host. And I mean LOVE it. Every reason there is to get everyone to my home, I will gladly do it. I always cook enough for an army (true) and my Hubby always has enough to drink for an army. I will have something of everything because my big [hosting] fear is that someone will leave my house hungry. People ask me if they can bring anything when the come over but they always already know the answer. No, I'll have plenty of food.
The funny part is that this guy NEVER has enough food to feed half the amount of people that are at his house. I guess his big [hosting] fear is to have leftovers. I had already planned to have dinner before we went over and when Hubby asked why, he quickly agreed when I told him there was no chance they'd have enough food.
But then, I got the request. "Can you please bring dinner to my party?" Nuts. Just nuts.
Well, as an awesome host and a spiteful person, I refused to bring it. I told him we were going to eat dinner before and I was just wondering if he wanted us to bring any game time snacks. I never heard back from him. I'm sure there were some words spoken about me behind my back. OH WELL. They aren't the first and they won't be the last.
No?
Well, as of this week, I have.
We have these friends that Hubby went to college with. They're a lovely couple except that they're low talkers and the husband is a bit of a know-it-all. Although, if you already know this about him, you sort of know what you're getting yourself into when hanging out with him and it's not that big of deal. My only other complaint is that the husband can be a little socially, umm, retarded.
I'll tell you though, he's an engineer. And as a woman who married an engineer and has A LOT of engineers walk in and out of her life, I am well aware that they can be a bit socially awkward. Luckily, Hubby is on the lesser end of the socially awkward spectrum, but he sure has his moments.
Well, this guy falls a little further on the spectrum. He's completely harmless and I get that. He's a little exhausting but I know plenty of people that I can say that for.
But then this week, he stole the cake.
He nicely invited us over to watch Hubby's college play a pretty big game that for a change was being nationally televised. I accepted for us and made the mistake of asking if we should bring anything.
Before I get to what we were asked, let me tell you this. This guy always makes very specific requests. Hubby and I typically get a good laugh out of it. One time, we asked this question and we were told to bring guacamole. Not, bring some dip or bring something to snack on before dinner. It was "Stop and pick up some guacamole." Again, let me be clear. He wasn't asking us to make some of my "famous guacamole that everyone just raves about" because a) that doesn't really exist--although I do make it and it is delicious and b) we received this request as we were walking out of the door.
So back to this time, I asked the question and his response was (paraphrased) "Wings would be nice. We're going to make that cheese dip that [Hubby] likes."
Umm, did he really just say "Bring dinner and we'll have one snack here that your husband likes but that you don't"? I was stunned. I was just asked to provide dinner for someone else's get together.
Something you should know about me. I love to host. And I mean LOVE it. Every reason there is to get everyone to my home, I will gladly do it. I always cook enough for an army (true) and my Hubby always has enough to drink for an army. I will have something of everything because my big [hosting] fear is that someone will leave my house hungry. People ask me if they can bring anything when the come over but they always already know the answer. No, I'll have plenty of food.
The funny part is that this guy NEVER has enough food to feed half the amount of people that are at his house. I guess his big [hosting] fear is to have leftovers. I had already planned to have dinner before we went over and when Hubby asked why, he quickly agreed when I told him there was no chance they'd have enough food.
But then, I got the request. "Can you please bring dinner to my party?" Nuts. Just nuts.
Well, as an awesome host and a spiteful person, I refused to bring it. I told him we were going to eat dinner before and I was just wondering if he wanted us to bring any game time snacks. I never heard back from him. I'm sure there were some words spoken about me behind my back. OH WELL. They aren't the first and they won't be the last.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
There's a [Slight] Chance I [May] Have Figured Out What I Want to Be When I Grow Up [Maybe]
I did it! I did it!
Last weekend, I was a wedding planner. And it was awesome!
As mentioned in previous posts, since I was a teenager I aspired to be like Jennifer Lopez. Well, Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner. Although, my behind has always been a little JLo.
I digress.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but my last job was awful. I was very miserable in the role and honestly, I was knocking on depression's door. I had to do something to get out, so I figured I'd do something to put me in the direction of my dream. I posted an ad on CraigsList and laid all my cards on the table. I had little experience beyond planning my own wedding but if someone would take a chance on me, I would plan their wedding for free.
I got a call.
I knew from the beginning this was a really great situation for me. I spoke with Bride originally in March and she sounded super organized. Actually, she sounded a lot like me. She didn't want to give up any part of the wedding planning but recognized she needed help staying organized on the day of her wedding. That's where I would come in. Her wedding wasn't until November but I offered to help her every way that I could in the meantime.
I met her a couple of times in September and October so that we could figure out how the day should go. I created a timeline. Even just that felt like such a great accomplishment. I was doing it!
Last Friday afternoon, I headed to Houston to attend the rehearsal. I was out of my element there. Everyone in the wedding had these big personalities and their were small children running wild in the church--this was one of the reasons I did NOT have small children in my wedding. The truth was I really went because I wanted to get a feel for it. Chances were I wasn't going to be at the church for the ceremony. There was a chance that I would be able to stop by while the women were getting ready but beyond that it was in the wedding party's hands.
I woke up on Saturday at 6:30 AM, earlier than I do on a work day. I showered, got ready (I only every do my makeup on occasions I think I need to look like a grown up), and ate a filling breakfast. I grabbed my AWESOME emergency kit that I put together the night before and away I went.
I made it to the reception hall at 9 AM moments before Bride. It was a really neat venue, an old fire station converted into a hall. There was a large piece of plywood where there should be a beautiful custom door. It was in the center of the room where the cocktail hour was to be held. And in my first moments as a wedding planner, I had a bride have a meltdown.
I didn't have to face the meltdown on my own. There was a group of Bride's friends there to help decorate. Together we all talked her off the ledge. We began decorating. Bride was so organized and had such a great eye for party decorations. We put everything out as she had designated.
When we were done decorating the downstairs room, one of the women who had worked at the venue had someone come and drape cloth over the plywood. While this wasn't a wonderful fix, it took away attention from it and Bride was satisfied with the solution.
We headed upstairs and began decorating the reception room. We did everything from the linens to the floral arrangements. It all looked beautiful!
As we were wrapping it up, Bride mentioned that she had to run to Kinko's to get the signs made for the reception. Whaaaat?? I explained to her that was why I was there. It took some convincing but she handed this task over to me. Yes, one of my first successes as a wedding planner.
Away the bridal party went to lunch and away I went to Kinko's.
I stopped in on the bride while she was getting her hair done. Then I went back to the reception hall and began meeting all the vendors.
First, the baker arrived and delivered the cake.
Second, the DJ arrived.
Third, the photographer arrived.
Finally, I ran to get a bite to eat. No matter how busy I am, I never miss a meal! I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner on my wedding day even when everyone told me I wouldn't get a bite. Yeah, those people don't know me.
I came back to the reception hall to meet the caterer at 4 PM.
4:05 PM No caterer
4:10 PM I called the number I had for the caterer. No answer. I left a message politely asking if they needed directions.
4:15 PM I began to panic. See, I had trouble getting a hold of the caterer to confirm they were coming. When I Googled the company, it came up that the owner marked the business as closed. But she called and confirmed earlier that week so I disregarded what came up in the Google search. I was NOT prepared to deal with the caterer not showing up for my very first wedding. Pure panic.
4:25 PM A young man came in and told me that he was one of the waiters and the caterer was on her way.
PHEW!!!
Late, but phew!
I never made it to the church because I had to essentially babysit the caterer. But that's what I signed up for, right? When needed, I will be a babysitter for whoever needs it.
At the stroke of 6 PM, guests began to arrive for the cocktail hour. AND IT BEGAN!
Everything went relatively smoothly. At one point, I had to run out and get plastic knives. Overall the caterer was a disaster. Right down to that they did not bring any knives. As I was LITERALLY running into Kroger, I thought, "Yeah, I LOVE this."
At the end of the night, a group of friends, family, and I cleaned everything up. By this point, I was exhausted. I panicked one last time. I thought it would take us hours to get everything cleaned up and packed away in their cars. But I pulled myself together and began working as fast as I could. In just an hour, we had everything cleaned up and I made it home at about 12:45 AM.
Long day but totally worth it.
So this experiment worked. I loved it! I just have to figure out how to get more clients now. I'm on it!
Last weekend, I was a wedding planner. And it was awesome!
As mentioned in previous posts, since I was a teenager I aspired to be like Jennifer Lopez. Well, Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner. Although, my behind has always been a little JLo.
I digress.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but my last job was awful. I was very miserable in the role and honestly, I was knocking on depression's door. I had to do something to get out, so I figured I'd do something to put me in the direction of my dream. I posted an ad on CraigsList and laid all my cards on the table. I had little experience beyond planning my own wedding but if someone would take a chance on me, I would plan their wedding for free.
I got a call.
I knew from the beginning this was a really great situation for me. I spoke with Bride originally in March and she sounded super organized. Actually, she sounded a lot like me. She didn't want to give up any part of the wedding planning but recognized she needed help staying organized on the day of her wedding. That's where I would come in. Her wedding wasn't until November but I offered to help her every way that I could in the meantime.
I met her a couple of times in September and October so that we could figure out how the day should go. I created a timeline. Even just that felt like such a great accomplishment. I was doing it!
Last Friday afternoon, I headed to Houston to attend the rehearsal. I was out of my element there. Everyone in the wedding had these big personalities and their were small children running wild in the church--this was one of the reasons I did NOT have small children in my wedding. The truth was I really went because I wanted to get a feel for it. Chances were I wasn't going to be at the church for the ceremony. There was a chance that I would be able to stop by while the women were getting ready but beyond that it was in the wedding party's hands.
I woke up on Saturday at 6:30 AM, earlier than I do on a work day. I showered, got ready (I only every do my makeup on occasions I think I need to look like a grown up), and ate a filling breakfast. I grabbed my AWESOME emergency kit that I put together the night before and away I went.
I made it to the reception hall at 9 AM moments before Bride. It was a really neat venue, an old fire station converted into a hall. There was a large piece of plywood where there should be a beautiful custom door. It was in the center of the room where the cocktail hour was to be held. And in my first moments as a wedding planner, I had a bride have a meltdown.
I didn't have to face the meltdown on my own. There was a group of Bride's friends there to help decorate. Together we all talked her off the ledge. We began decorating. Bride was so organized and had such a great eye for party decorations. We put everything out as she had designated.
When we were done decorating the downstairs room, one of the women who had worked at the venue had someone come and drape cloth over the plywood. While this wasn't a wonderful fix, it took away attention from it and Bride was satisfied with the solution.
We headed upstairs and began decorating the reception room. We did everything from the linens to the floral arrangements. It all looked beautiful!
As we were wrapping it up, Bride mentioned that she had to run to Kinko's to get the signs made for the reception. Whaaaat?? I explained to her that was why I was there. It took some convincing but she handed this task over to me. Yes, one of my first successes as a wedding planner.
Away the bridal party went to lunch and away I went to Kinko's.
I stopped in on the bride while she was getting her hair done. Then I went back to the reception hall and began meeting all the vendors.
First, the baker arrived and delivered the cake.
Second, the DJ arrived.
Third, the photographer arrived.
Finally, I ran to get a bite to eat. No matter how busy I am, I never miss a meal! I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner on my wedding day even when everyone told me I wouldn't get a bite. Yeah, those people don't know me.
I came back to the reception hall to meet the caterer at 4 PM.
4:05 PM No caterer
4:10 PM I called the number I had for the caterer. No answer. I left a message politely asking if they needed directions.
4:15 PM I began to panic. See, I had trouble getting a hold of the caterer to confirm they were coming. When I Googled the company, it came up that the owner marked the business as closed. But she called and confirmed earlier that week so I disregarded what came up in the Google search. I was NOT prepared to deal with the caterer not showing up for my very first wedding. Pure panic.
4:25 PM A young man came in and told me that he was one of the waiters and the caterer was on her way.
PHEW!!!
Late, but phew!
I never made it to the church because I had to essentially babysit the caterer. But that's what I signed up for, right? When needed, I will be a babysitter for whoever needs it.
At the stroke of 6 PM, guests began to arrive for the cocktail hour. AND IT BEGAN!
Everything went relatively smoothly. At one point, I had to run out and get plastic knives. Overall the caterer was a disaster. Right down to that they did not bring any knives. As I was LITERALLY running into Kroger, I thought, "Yeah, I LOVE this."
At the end of the night, a group of friends, family, and I cleaned everything up. By this point, I was exhausted. I panicked one last time. I thought it would take us hours to get everything cleaned up and packed away in their cars. But I pulled myself together and began working as fast as I could. In just an hour, we had everything cleaned up and I made it home at about 12:45 AM.
Long day but totally worth it.
So this experiment worked. I loved it! I just have to figure out how to get more clients now. I'm on it!
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