Tuesday, May 17, 2011

slowing down...and the madness ahead

This time next week, I will be married. CRAZINESS. I'm happy to report there have been no meltdowns...yet. I have come very close, but luckily avoided them thus far. Tonight, it kind of clicked in my head why I've gotten close several times. With the exception of late night moments like this, my schedule seems to have been planned down to the minute every day. It's a constant feeling that I was unsuccessful at getting everything done for that day that I should have done. And really, by all accounts, it still doesn't add up. I still can't figure out exactly what it is about weddings that takes up so much damn time. I guess it's just the thinking and the planning, which is a very broad description of what I've been doing since January. There are a lot of things that have to be done at just the right time. For example, you can't tally up your response cards til you've sent out invitations. You can't write thank you cards until you get gifts. So I had much more free time from January to April because I couldn't do those things yet. That goes for a lot of other tasks also.

This brings me to my other point. Tonight I realized that I am a slow moving person. I like to enjoy life, and I am admittedly a homebody. I'm not a go-getter by any stretch of the imagination, which probably relates to the fact that I'm not a planner. I feel like all this planning and organizing has been quite difficult for me, and I have a mother AND a sister who I'm pretty sure have done 70% of the work compared to the 30% I put in.

The bottom line is that I want to eventually find the perfect balance. The perfect balance between being myself, but still being an organized and put-together person who gets things done. Completely random, but I caught an interview on the radio the other night with Demetri Martin (who I love). He talked about how he had devised this points system every week where he gave himself points for getting things done and for spending time working on things he wanted to accomplish. It sounded like a good idea, but the guy graduated with straight A's from Yale, and I didn't understand anything he said about it other than that points were involved. Either way, I hope that after everything settles down post-wedding, I'll be able to find the balance I'm looking for. I'm open to suggestions on how you keep yourself organized and motivated.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

(Questions from Roots & Rings)

1. If you could watch only one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The Holiday, hands down. I just love everything about it; the actors and actresses (Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Cameron Diaz and Jack Black), the storyline, and all the music. Pretty in Pink is a close second.

2. Let's say someone wrote a screenplay about you; what actor/actress would you choose to play you and why?
Zooey Deschanel. She is one of my faves, and she was just the first person who popped into my head. I'd say her or Kate Winslet.

3. What's the first movie you remember seeing in theaters?
Pocahontas. It came out when I was ten years old, and I'm thinking surely I had seen something in theaters before that. Although, with two siblings, it's possible my parents avoided movie theaters in order to save the $343254.00 they'd have to fork over. I do have very fond memories of my mom renting Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, and Rainbow Brite movies for me, though. :)

4. Did you ever make out at the back of a movie theater in middle school/high school?
Definitely not. My intense moment in a movie theater would have been when I "held hands" with a guy at the movies in sixth grade. Gettin' a little crazy!

5. Are you a Netflix-er, Blockbuster-er or a Redbox-er? (Or none of the above?)
Redbox just because it seems to be the easiest, but I think Netflix is in my future.

6. Name one actor/actress who you would give anything to have a dinner date with.
Tough question. I actually don't think there is one that I would "give anything" to do that with. I don't care that much. But I think dinner with Tom Hanks would be interesting. He's such a good actor, and I would like to just sit down and talk to him.

7. What's the worst movie you've ever seen?
Luckily, it's been a while since I've seen something that was absolutely the worst. I've seen movies I didn't like, but that was more on a level of personal preference.

8. Do you sneak snacks into the theater when you go?
Of course. Snacks AND drinks. One of the many perks of always carrying huge purses.

9. Movie theater popcorn: love or hate it?
LOVE. I actually worked at a movie theater in high school, and we could have all the popcorn we wanted. I never did get tired of it.

10. What is the all-time best Disney movie in your opinion?
I'd have to say Mary Poppins. My personal favorites would include Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland.

Monday, May 9, 2011

weekend musings

This weekend I was reminded of how thankful and blessed I am to have such wonderful friends. It was my bachelorette weekend (spent in Charlotte), and SUCH a great one! Three of my friends from college were there, and two from high school, and my sister of course (who planned the whole thing). I'm so very glad to have friends from different stages of my life who I can still call my best friends. I'll end my sappy I-love-my-friends story now. But I think we all had a great time. Dinner at Rí Rá Irish Pub followed by Howl at the Moon and The Breakfast Club = awesome. As for The Breakfast Club, what could be better than dancing all night to some of the best 80's music while the actual movie is playing on a big screen on the wall?? So I was dancing to "Don't You (Forget About Me)" while simultaneously watching the scene where Claire gives Bender her diamond earring. Side note: "P.Y.T." is currently my favorite Michael Jackson song. Anyway, I made it to the next morning with only a horrible headache, and I considered that a relatively good outcome.

On my music radar right now is a band called Grouplove. I am loving the song "Colours" off their self-titled EP, which I bought. XM radio has made finding new music SO MUCH EASIER. And somehow, while browsing Frank Sinatra playlists on iTunes this weekend, I discovered a beautiful song called "Poses" by Rufus Wainwright. Pretty sure it's my favorite song right now. I love randomly stumbling upon great music.

Well, I'm really ready for this week to be over. I'm not going to lie and say I don't say that every Monday. But there is much wedding-related planning to be done, and I am ready to have it behind me so I can just make it to the big day! I feel like things have come together far better than they should have in such a small timeframe, and for that I am grateful. I'm just stuck in that completely in-between stage. Not married, some of my things are moved but some aren't, new apartment is filled with unpacked bags and boxes, furniture is mostly taken care of but not completely, all this halfway business is driving me crazy! Not much longer, though.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Friday Giveaway!

I love giveaways...and I love the idea of being organized (doesn't always come to fruition with me, but I try) - so head over to Kyla Roma to win a Filofax Planner! :)

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Oh, the waiting...

The next three weeks are going to be cah-razy! Moving+wedding=insanity. But good insanity. I visited my new apartment for the first time on Saturday...so exciting! Ross and I had visited probably ten different places, and finally, I told him to check out a place near where he works (an hour away from where I am). We had actually started our search there, but left when we got there early and didn't want to wait for the main office to open. The rent was decently priced in comparison to other places, it was in a great location, and I knew it was fairly new as far as age goes. So, I went from being terribly picky to "just do it, I don't care if I haven't even seen it." And it worked out PERFECT! So glad.

I was told by several people that I was a little on the crazy side for trying to plan a wedding in four months, but I can't imagine it any other way. The time between now and the wedding seems to be creeping by - I can't imagine waiting any longer. I'm sure it all depends on what your situation is and how much you have going on in your life, but I feel like a shorter time frame forced me to get things done. If I had half a year or more, seems like it would have been planned and I would've been sitting around waiting on the next three or four months just to go by. Whatever floats your boat, but that's how it worked out for me.

Moving has been relatively painless, but that could be because I haven't moved much at all yet. So, it's probably going to suck. I'm considering just opening my room up to a bunch of people and saying, "come in and take whatever you want!" I have a feeling I'm going to have about an eighteen-wheeler's worth of stuff to take to Goodwill after it's all said and done.

To end on a random sidenote - I am loving the song "Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes right now. They are new to me, but conveniently, their new album (entitled Helplessness Blues) came out yesterday...can't wait to give the whole thing a listen!

I was raised up believing I was somehow unique
like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes,
unique in each way you can see
And now after some thinking
I'd say I'd rather be a functioning cog
in some great machinery
serving something beyond me
But I don't, I don't know what that will be
I'll get back to you someday soon, you will see
-Fleet Foxes

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Ten on Tuesday Fun

(Questions from Roots & Rings)

1. What is the weather like in your city today?
Warm and fairly sunny. They're calling for thunderstorms later, though.

2. Do you like the zoo?
Sometimes. It depends on the zoo. I'm certainly not any kind of animal rights activist or anything, but sometimes it makes me sad to see the animals in captivity. :(

3. Do you eat coconut?
Not often. I don't hate it, but I don't particularly care for it.

4. Have you ever hammered a nail? Are you good at it?
Yes. Not so much.

5. Does your family have a vacation destination that you visit often?
Yes! We don't get to go every summer like we used to, mostly because everyone is so busy. But for a long time (starting when I was around two months old), we went to New Smyrna Beach, FL every summer. Some of my very best vacation memories are from that place. Also, if you're wondering, that would be the beach known as shark-attack capital of the world. Aside from the beach, we usually spend our 4th of Julys in Banner Elk, NC. I do love the beach...but summer in the mountains of NC is a close second.

6. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Just one.

7. What's the first thing you do when you wake up?
Check emails on my Droid. That's sad, isn't it?

8. Will you send your kids to summer camp?
Probably, but in a so-they-can-have-fun sense, rather than a daycare sense (not that you can't have both of those at the same time). Growing up, I participated in local summer programs like art camp, and also spent the latter half of many of my summers doing a kids musical program. Always loved it!

9. What do you put in your baked potatoes?
Typically just butter and sour cream.

10. Did you take swimming lessons as a kid?
I did when I was three years old. It's actually one of the few things I remember at that early of an age. I can even remember that I had two teachers - a guy and a girl, and I'm pretty sure the girl's name was Rose. I also remember that my "default swim" was always the backstroke - I don't think I knew how to swim any other way, so I just went with it. Funny what you remember sometimes.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

thrifty thursday and trends...on Sunday

I had intentions of posting this on Thursday...but that didn't happen.

Recently, I have come to love spending time scouring the internet to find affordable items that compare to designer items I see in magazines, etc. I usually see a celebrity carrying a bag, or wearing sunglasses or shoes I love, then I have to find out who makes the original (if it isn't already obvious), then I find out that it usually costs more than I am worth as a human being, then I move on to trying to find a cheaper alternative. It's kind of a fun game.

Well, recently, I'm kind of embarrassed to say I've spent every night this past week some free time watching all the specials Lifetime and BBCA currently have running on the upcoming Royal Wedding. I mean, it's kind of fun to watch...right? Well, at some point, Kate Middleton was shown out shopping (I can show you a picture):


The show I was watching showed her walking around with the brown leather handbag you see in the picture. (Obviously I saw it from different angles than this, I wouldn't say I liked a purse based on that picture.)

After way too much time spent surfing the internet trying to identify the handbag....Found it! Price tag: $1295.00 ...USED.

I'm determined to find a fun, brown handbag to carry around that costs a little less than that. And I think I've found a few (well, three) that might fit the bill. I was going to take votes on which one I should buy...but I already chose. I will take guesses, or thoughts, though! I know the suspense will be killing you all. Options 1, 2 and 3:




(Option 1: Frenchi Convertible Tote, $38, nordstrom.com, Option 2: Tan Leather Maxi Holdall Bag, $160.00, topshop.com, Option 3: prepped for travel canvas purse in navy, $52.99, shopruche.com)

I realize Option 3 is not solid brown, but it's still really cute, and comparable in size.

And to expand on that last bag...I love the navy blue+brown leather look! I would not have come up with that combination in my own head, but it's really cute! See below:

(BDainty from Steve Madden)

I've accepted the fact that I'm not really going to get super close to the appearance of Kate's bag...I mean, the original is selling for $1295 in used condition. But I can come semi-close!