The Plan - Update 2

I haven't updated because I haven't had any success. I'm still way over my goal and my weight is not budging at all. It's been a rough week as I've been trying to SQUEEZE into my summer clothes (yes, it's finally warm enough here!) and nothing is fitting.
I'm very, very frustrated. I have really picked up my act in the last couple of weeks and I thought that my body should reflect that. Nope!
My trainer and I can't figure it out, what'e WRONG with me! Sunday we'll weigh and measure just to be sure NOTHING is moving. We're also going to go over my nutrition with a fine-tooth comb. I hate this, there's no way I can stick to the bare minimum as far as food goes, it sucks. I do the little meals, etc, but I'm STARVING all the time. I've been kicking butt at cardio like he wanted and nothing. Ugh!
So, sorry for no updates, but there hasn't been anything to update.
What do you do when your weight loss stalls?

Thankful (or in other words – not sweating the small stuff)

When things get hectic, it’s time to slow down and appreciate the small stuff in life. When wedding planning gets hectic, it’s time to sit down and really focus on what matters. That’s what I’ve learned during the last few hectic months.
To start with, last week I was feeling really stressed out by our schedule and kids and work, it was getting to the point where I didn’t appreciate anything and I was just angry with everything. I should be thankful I have a job right now, and yes, it’s stressful and hectic at times, but at least I have a really good job and in the foreseeable future I should continue to have one. I was stressed about our schedule; there were too many appointments, practices, games, kids’ activities, and errands. In 15 years I’m going to miss the kid’s games and practices and activities, I should enjoy them and their childhood. It shouldn’t be an inconvenience to me because it’s going to be all over too soon. I shouldn’t be stressed about the kids, they’ll grow up faster than I ever want them to (they already have), I need to enjoy the times we have with them. When I finally got the chance to slow down and really relax this weekend, I really appreciated what great kids we have. Mr. S and I sat on the patio, beers in hand, and watched the kids play baseball. Let me tell you: two 5 year olds, a six year old, and two nine year olds with bats and hard balls makes for great entertainment. It was fun to see our kids work together and play; it was hilarious when my six year old pitched to the twins; and it made me feel really good when they asked me to play too.
When it comes to wedding planning, what really matters? That you’re marrying a man that loves you so much he remodel his house for you, that he travels to AZ, as much as he hates the state, to visit your family, and will make you feel special in someway everyday. I’d marry Mr. S in our driveway, in the rain, in my sweats if it meant we'd be together forever. I don’t care if everything doesn’t go absolutely perfect on our wedding day, that’s what makes for the best stories, right? A friend is always telling me that I have the best stories – why? Because my life is so UNPERFECT and CRAZY and HECTIC. So if my wedding goes that way, it’ll just be par for the course. If it rains, fine, we’ll party inside and maybe roll in some mud before we leave (favorite wedding show? Redneck Weddings – not because I want one, just because those couples seem to really enjoy life and each other). If the band doesn’t show or we have no flowers, fine, that’s what stereos and grocery store flowers were invented for.
So I guess what I’m saying is that we all need to just sit back and enjoy life as it comes, rather than trying to manipulate it in some way to be perfect. Wedding should be that way too, if they truly reflect your style and life they’ll turn out just fine – well, with a few interesting stories to tell.
What have you learned about yourself/your life during this hectic time?

BTW-Today is three months from my wedding day. YIKES!

We're almost officially married

Yesterday afternoon, Mr. S and I took an official step towards becoming man and wife and applied for our marriage license. Unfortunately there is a 3-day waiting period, so we left the courthouse without anything in hand. It cost $35.00 in Harrison County, IA, which seems pretty cheap compared to what other people across the country pay. We are actually getting married in Dickinson County, IA, but our license is good state-wide. There is also no residency requirement to obtain a license. All we needed to apply was our driver’s licenses and a witness. Mr. S’s grandfather met us at the courthouse to be our witness. I was surprised we didn’t need divorce papers or information since we were both previously married, but she didn’t even ask about that (I brought mine just in case). We knew the recorder that helped us fill out the application, she’s the mom of Little Mr. S’s friend on his baseball and soccer teams, so the process was pretty laid back (like most things in Iowa I’m finding out). She talked about how she’s still learning the new forms since the new gay-marriages have started they changed the forms, such as filling in the bride or groom boxes and sex is optional now. She told us stories about how couples have gotten in arguments about changing last names right in front of her (probably something that needs to be discussed beforehand). She explained that a lot of couple sign the license during the rehearsal so that they’re not so nervous and don’t mess it up on the wedding day (you must sign your MARRIED name on the license or you can’t change your name, if you screw up, you have to bring the witness and everybody back in again). They will provide me with a legal name change kit when we pick up the license so that I can start filling out all the forms, but I will not be able to change it until after I get the certified license after the wedding. All in all, it only took us about 15 minutes, pretty painless and simple.
In some ways I felt a little deflated, I was expecting it to much more romantic for some reason. I’m not sure why, when I got my previous marriage license we went to the COUNTY JAIL to pick it up, so unromantic! I guess I just thought it’d be different this time. Oh well.
What requirements did you have to meet to apply for your license?

My top ten

Here are 10 things I love about Mr. S:

10. Mr. S is sweet with my family. When my sister came out to visit last month, he got us a spa day. He sends her job opportunities all the time since she’s unhappy with where she’s at. When my parents came out for Christmas, my dad was still in the wheelchair and he was so helpful with that.

9. Mr. S is actually involved in the wedding planning. He did so much work for me last fall when I couldn’t take care of things. Although some of his “help” now is conflicting with my idea of the wedding, I really shouldn’t complain since he is actively involved.

8. Mr. S modified his house for me and my daughters to fit in. When we first started dating, his basement was unfinished. About a month after we started dating, he and his grandfather put LONG hours into finishing the basement with a family room, a large bedroom for the boys and a bathroom. This gave my daughters a room upstairs and eventually the twins will move downstairs so that we can split up the girls (the twins don’t sleep in their own room anyway now – we could move them). He proposed before it was completely finished, but maybe that was because he wanted me to pick the carpet and paint colors. A couple of weeks after we were engaged the basement was finished and the girls and I moved in.

7. Mr. S is super super supportive. Anytime I’ve wanted to do something or accomplish something, he’s been right behind me.

6. Mr. S encourages me to try new things/is willing to try new things– He is always encouraging me to go back to school, or start the web-based company I dream about and many other things. He’s also willing to try new things, like trips to Arizona to visit my family, he watches my television shows, and just about anything I suggest, he’s willing to at least try once.

5. I trust Mr. S with my life. I mean that in a general sense, but also – like when I’m falling off a ski lift – he’ll push me at 8 ft above the snow and ice, rather than letting me fall from 12 ft (or whenever my ski would have ripped me off). (Mr. S you never should have admitted to “giving me a little shove” – I’ll never let you live it down)

4. Mr. S is incredibly thoughtful. For Christmas he gave me a remote starter for my car that would start from over a mile away. This way when I do have to ride the shuttle for work (stupid parking situation) my car will be semi-warm by the time I get there. For my birthday he got me tickets to “Wicked”. When I was in Chicago last fall for work, it was the end of its run there and some other co-workers went, but I was too busy. I was really sad about that. Little did I know, he had been bugging the Orpheum since November to get tickets.

3. Mr. S is a good father. We still have some issues to work out between him and my daughters, but he is totally willing to accept them and support them. He offers his advice to me about them and expresses his concern when something is not right. He truly does have their best interests in mind, and I’m sure that’s a tough thing to do for another man’s kids. In the case of his own sons, he is a great father, he’s close to them and would experience everyday and activity with them if that was possible.

2. Mr. S makes me laugh every day – mostly I love it, but sometimes it drives me crazy. Like when I’m mad… or at work… or being tickled.

Annnnnd the number one reason I love Mr. S (drumroll please)…
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1. Just take a look at those gorgeous blue eyes.

What do you love most about your Mr.?

Our Menu and "Tasting"

When we were on our planning trip last weekend, we met with our caterer. Duane was an interesting character, but I think it's going to be a really great meal. We also worked out the bar details. We have to provide the non-alcoholic drinks to bring our bill down a little. Has anyone done that before? What would you suggest for 100 people if we also have alcoholic drinks available?

Anyway, back to the food. We decided our menu for the hors d'overs during cocktail hour would be:

Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops w/Cucumber Wasabi Sauce
Cremini Mushrooms Stuffed w/Spinach, Crab, and Cheese
Fresh Melons and Seasonal Berries served w/ Honey Yogurt Dip, Wheels of Imported and Domestic Cheese, Cheese and Herb Spread, Pineapple Cheese Ball, and Spinach Dip w/Grape Garnish and Assorted Crackers.

For dinner our buffet menu will be:
Caesar Salad
Assorted French, Multigrain, and Rye Breads served w/Salt-free Whipped Butter
Baby Red Roasted Potatoes Sautéed w/Fresh Scallions, Olive Oil, Coarse Black Pepper and Sea Salt
Grilled Fresh Summer Vegetables: Asparagus-Corn on the Cob-Red and Green Peppers-Onions-Mushrooms
Chef Carved Tenderloin of Beef Served w/Béarnaise and Horseradish Sauces
Chicken Marsala

YUM!

Later that evening, we went back to the restaurant to do a "tasting". We were somewhat disappointed because we didn't get a tasting like other caterers do, but his restaurant is an Okoboji-fixture, so I guess we were just supposed to know what they had. Now I feel kind of stupid - the restaurant was AWESOME. It's a very small place, but it's FULL of character. We picked a few things they had on the menu that we thought might be close to what we would be serving our guests.
Here is the Cesar Salad.

This is the Chicken Marsala.

Mr. S ordered the crab cakes and they were VERY good. Now we need to figure out if they can be incorporated or not.

We had a wonderful house white wine (this is what we requested for the wine at our wedding since we don't have many wine drinkers). After dinner Duane came out of the kitchen and we complimented him on the food. He offered to buy us dessert so we got Banana Foster - it was VERY good too.

All in all, we're really happy in our choice of caterer and the food. We hope our guests enjoy it too.
What will you be serving at your wedding?

Planning trip pics

I downloaded my pictures this weekend from our trip last weekend so I though I'd share a little more about our trip.


This is what the Lodge will look like about 8:30 pm, which is when the first dance and other dancing will really get going. The band will be on the part of the patio to the right (see the BBQ grill?) so dancing will be there. That's where the lighting on poles and along the soffit will come in handy. Hopefully, Mr. S doesn't mind doing a little work the day of our wedding.
The next set of pictures were areas where I thought it'd look nice to take pictures nearby.

How cute would it be to replicate this picture with the dock from the last picture?

While Mr. S was working on getting a boat rented. The girls and I hung out in the marina. Check out this fun party boat that could be rented for a party. I still like the Barefoot Bar for our rehearsal dinner, that way it gives people to come and go as they please.

The girls tested the water - COLD!

While we were hanging out at the Barefoot Bar, the girls started getting down to the music. I hope all of the rest of the guests enjoy the bar as much as we do.

This is what the sun will pretty much look like during our ceremony. Any photo-buffs out there? Will my pictures look bad, or okay since the sun is behind the Lodge?

Since my floating candle idea just wouldn't come out, I decided to just do plain candles in the jar and instead of the red and white flowers, think green and cream. We'll rotate this layout with the other layout that includes the fish net and tons of candles. Do you think that will look okay?

How did you test out your venue for lighting and photographs?

My ring!

I promised to post this last week, but I decided to enjoy the long weekend and not do anything wedding related for a few days.
Last week, Mr. S and I went to a few stores to look at bands to go with my e-ring. He had something specific in mind and honestly I couldn't talk him into a plain band at all (isn't it supposed to be the other way around?). He wanted something to "wrap around" my solitaire diamond. We tried a few things and most of them looked tacky. We ended up going back to Borshiems (the jewelry stored owned by Warren Buffets company - it's the Jareds or Tiffany's of Omaha) where he bought my e-ring. My e-ring is an A. Jaffe, so that's the counter we started at first. We found a GORGEOUS ring that will only require minimal grinding to get it to fit against my e-ring. We actually bought two so that it "wraps around" my ring. We're both really happy with the way it will look.
I think it's beautiful, what do you think?

100 days!

Today is my last day of three digit days 'till the wedding. It's kind of exciting and scary at the same time.
Last weekend we got a lot of stuff done and today we bought my wedding bands (I'll post on that later). We still have a massive list staring at us (me) though. In the next month, I need to take care of:
**Some of my DIY projects or they'll just compile at the end
**Make a list of must-have photos for the photographer
**Take pictures for our signature print (engagement photos)
**Start compiling play lists (for band, for boating, for the party on Thursday, for dinner music, for band breaks, etc)
**Make sure Brandy gets all of the rentals and cake arranged
**Pick up Mr. S's suit
**Print invitation parts and get the invitations assembled and mailed
**Have my dress fitting
**Continue to lose weight and tan
**Plan wedding day breakfast for BM's and family
**Schedule nail appointments
**Work on the ceremony
**Whiten teeth (probably should start that now for e-pics)

And now I'm considering Boudoir pics for the Mr. I need to find someone and get it done soon.

What did you still have to get done as you went into double digits?

Let them eat Cake

One of the things I was disappointed about last weekend was that I thought we were going to try cake from our baker and we didn't get to. Not sure what happened there, but the wedding coordinator didn't bring it or something. I'm not really a sweets person, but the Mr. is, so it's important to him.
I thought we'd do cupcakes, mainly because he won't promise to not cake smash. Why? The meaning of feeding your new wife cake is to show her that you'll be a good provider and the two of you will savor a sweet life. So why would you smash cake in her face AND ruin the expensive make-up job she just got (for those of us getting make-up done by professionals)? My coordinator thinks the cupcakes are a cute idea, but then she also suggested a small cake for the two of us and using forks to avoid the smash.
Our cake/cupcakes are being done by a small town baker called Cakes by Sara. I still don't have an exact quote, but it sounds pretty cheap: $100 to $150 for 100 cupcakes and the cake.
Here is some of my inspiration for the cupcakes:

























For the cake at the top, I thought the baker could use some candles I had bought as inspiration. They're little sand castles that I thought she could replicate and then we'll have the candle ones on the table with the cupcakes.









We still need to decide on flavors, if anyone has ideas, please send me your comments. Mr. S loves chocolate.
What was your inspiration for your cake/cupcakes?

The Planning Trip - Part 2

(Note: Sorry for the long post - It was a really LONG day)
On Saturday, we meet with the catering manager at the hotel to finalize our day after brunch. We scored when she pulled out the 2009 menus and the one we chose was $1.00 per person cheaper and included some better options. We also found out that even though our room contract says we'll be responsible for the rooms that don't get booked in our block, that's actually not the case. They'll release them and not hold us responsible once the date for booking comes (note for future brides - make sure this is also the case for your contract). We also discussed the shuttle that will take our guests from the hotel to the Lodge and back again safely so we have less drunk drivers to worry about. After we met with Amber we enjoyed a really nice breakfast buffet that was taking place in the hotel restaurant.
After breakfast, we decided to let the girls test out the indoor water park. This is all the rage out here in the Midwest now. Tons of hotels are now installing these and getting rid of their traditional pool areas. The girls really liked the play area and Mr. S and I soaked up some quiet time in the hot tub.

After drying off and getting re-dressed, we decided to head out and get some more wedding errands done. We started with checking out the Lodge again and looking for some things the band requested (flat surface, power, etc). I also walked around the area to scope out some cute places for pictures (I'll have to post them later).
Then we went to the Barefoot Bar to talk to the catering manager there, but he was still at another restaurant that he cooks at. We decided to head there for lunch. The O'Farrell Sister's Restaurant was very good. They're famous for their pies which is also part of our rehearsal dinner menu (yum!).

We worked out some of the details with Will and paid our deposit for the rehearsal dinner and then we were off on a search for Boomer (the boat rental guy down the road - gotta love small town Iowa). Boomer was able to help us get a 16 ft speed boat rented for our time on the lake - now we just need to find a way to rent a boat lift for the dock so we can keep it overnight (add one more thing to the list).
Since we had some time to kill we decided to drive around Arnold's Park and look around. We got into the residential area and saw lots of for sale signs. Not that we need another house (we have three - anyone interested in buying a house?), but for a future vacation property we thought we'd start "window shopping". We called a couple of the numbers on the signs, we have a game that we guess how much real estate costs between the two of us (I'm usually closest), and found out that we could buy some really cute, off-lake properties for under $150,000! How insane is the market right now?! We could also by an apartment complex (three houses turned into small apartments) for $180,000. If only we weren't paying for a wedding, two cars, three houses, and five kids.
Our next appointment was with our caterer. Duane came very highly recommended. He runs a restaurant and teppanyaki room in Arnold's Park. During the winter he works on a yacht in Florida - what a fun life! We discussed our menu, the bar and paid a deposit. He also complimented our choice in location saying it's the ideal, most sought-after spot in Okoboji to get married, even his daughter wants to get married there (wow- it's like I'm getting married at the Ritz - only Okoboji style).
After we met with Duane we decided to hang out and have a few drinks at the Barefoot Bar. It's actually a family atmosphere, so the girls had fun playing on the playground and dancing to the music. Because of the weather (really windy - not that warm), there were not many boaters on the lake and they were getting pretty sauced at Barefoot. It provided some unique entertainment.
Our next appointment was with Brandy, our wedding coordinator, at the Lodge. We went over the layout of the Lodge and how things would be placed. I think this was the first time I had been in the bathroom there, it's HUGE. There will be plenty of room to freshen up in there between pictures and the ceremony - there's even a lounge chair. We talked about rentals, flowers, decorations, the schedule and many other details. We did a mock-up of the centerpieces and I gave her invitation examples and other things I had been saving to show her. I think we're on the right page and we'll be able to complete our planning through emails.
We had dinner reservations at Yesterday's, that's Duane's restaurant. I'm going to save the details for another post because I have pictures and the food was so good it deserves it's own post.
Sunday morning we had another buffet meal at the hotel restaurant - yummy. Since the weather was crummy (raining and windy) and we wouldn't be able to get on the lake, we decided to head home. So, that's our planning trip.
Have you had to stuff a whole lot of planning into one weekend for your wedding?

P.S. - For those of you wondering, Mr. S and I are doing better, last night went much better so I think we're back on the road to happily ever after. That's why I saved this post, if we had ditched the whole thing, this post would be kind of moot, right?

The Planning Trip - Part 1

Last weekend, Mr. S, my daughters and I went to Okoboji to get a bunch of planning and contracts taken care of, and not to mention spend a TON of money on deposits.
Friday afternoon we got off early and after waiting for Pella to finish installing a storm door (the joys of home-ownership), cleaning cupcakes off my car seats (the joys of children riding in my car all the time - thank god for stain guard) and driving through a lot of rain (the joys of living in the Midwest), we finally got to the lake - surprisingly it was quite sunny there so it made for a nice sunset.

We checked into the hotel that we have our wedding block of rooms booked at http://www.arrowwood-okoboji.com/. The girls were really excited because they had a whole hotel room to themselves - adjacent to us of course. We left for dinner and ice cream and then swung by the Lodge to see what it looked like at about 8:30 in the evening. We'll be having most of our party out there with the band being out there, so I wanted to check out the lighting. There was a party going on at the time, but I took a few pictures (sorry - I'll post them) and it's fairly dark there. I think I'm going to put candles in jars, etc and Mr. S even volunteered to put up lights like this the day of the wedding for the area where the band will be and dancing (he can be sweet):

Then we went back to the hotel to rest up for our busy Saturday.
Did you go on a planning trip when planning your destination wedding?

Next Steps

Well, I'm still not really sure if we resolved anything last night. We at least went to bed together last night, but when he's angry with me, he doesn't touch me - it's a subconscious thing, and last night as we slept he didn't touch me. He has told me many times that he loves me today, but I just don't feel resolved. I just feel exhausted and that the fight has gone to take a nap until it rears it's ugly head again.
On my end, I've resolved that I'm going to start going to counseling with my daughter. Maybe the counselor will just want to talk to her alone, i don't know, but something needs to be done in that arena. I'm also going to start scheduling time with just me and my daughters on the weekends I have them - even though we have the boys too. We need time together and between the wedding planning, all of the sports, running around to this function or that function - I've lost my relationship with them and they need to know I'm still there for them.
I will follow Mr. S's request and take the boys to do something alone. Maybe I can get my ex to take the girls sometime over the long weekend and we can go to Night at the Museum or something. I don't know.
Mr. S thinks he fair, so fine, I'll trust him that's he's going to start being more mindful of his actions, and if not, I'm going to call him on it, front and center. I know this will just stir the pot again, but if he's not consistent, it's jut going to make things worse.
It's just going to be a continual balancing act. It's complicated by my extreme work schedule right now, and the wedding planning, and all of the kid's activities, but I guess I need to figure it out if I want it to work.
How do you balance everything in your relationship?

Balancing Act

For those of you that have children from previous relationships, how do you balance it all? How do you make it fair? The one fight we can't seem to get past in about the kids. I feel like things are not fair between the girls and the boys, I've felt that way for about 6 months, but every time we argue about it, he doesn't see it that way. I have felt like for the last 6 months I have had to compete with his sons when they're at our house/with us for his attention. Prior to that, even when the boys were there, he gave me all kinds of attention, but now I have to fight for my space and my time with him. He doesn't see it that way either, it's another thing we've fought about for the last few months on and off. I have suggested counseling, but he thinks that if we need counseling this early, then it's not worth it.
He thinks I don't discipline my daughters, follow-through, etc. They're out of hand and he doesn't want to see it get worse in our future. I don't see it being that bad. I think a lot of it stems from my oldest being really angry at me right now. I don't know the depth of it, but she's angry about me getting married and she's angry about the relationship she has with her dad. I have things I need to work out with her - I need to fix our relationship.
Part of our fight today is that he wants me to rebuild my relationship with his sons, but how can I do that when he and I have things to work out? Why would I work on that relationship before the one with my daughters? We pretty much have left the fight at "if you and I have issues to work out before you're interested in a relationship with the boys then we need to put a hold on marriage plans, we should have issues worked out by now". I'm really hurt and angry that he won't work on anything with me, that it's apparently ALL MY fault. I told him fine, whatever he wanted.
I so feel like throwing in the towel, it's not worth it to feel like this anymore. Maybe part of it is because the last piece I have tying me to my "old life" is going to be severed this week and I'm a little sad about that (the girls will start at their new school next week), plus I'm really bad with change.
Any advice out there?

His Ring

After the Mr got one thing checked off his list yesterday, I felt a like it was time for me to check something off of mine. Yesterday, I finally picked a ring for him. I ordered it from http://www.e-weddingbands.com/. It looks like this:

It seems like a pretty simple process, they have free shipping, and engraving was only $7. I had it engraved with "Love never fails" Cor. 13:4-8. For him, I hope this means something. It's a long story, but his first wife left him because "she didn't love him anymore". It's something that really bothers him and I hope that between us, he can understand my commitment to love and him. I don't believe love or relationships ever fails, you fight to keep it together NO MATTER WHAT. (yes, I know, I was divorced, but that's because he was a cheating, abusive, alcoholic - I loved him long after he deserved it)
He's actually going to be wearing this ring on a necklace the majority of the time. I've asked that during the ceremony it goes on his finger, but he says he'd be more comfortable with it on a necklace because of his job, etc. So hopefully, he'll see the engraving even more than if it were on his finger to remind himself. Now I just need to find a necklace for him, any suggestions? We're looking for kind of a beachy - manly necklace.
What did you pick for your fiance?

That man is MINE

Yesterday, Mr. S asked me to meet him at the mall to pick out an outfit for an important work meeting coming up. To my surprise when I got there he'd already picked on outfit (it was pretty nice), but he was also in the process of picking his wedding attire. He already had the suit picked out, it was on clearance, and the lady was helping him with the alterations by the time I arrived. This is my sexy man...


I thought he looked really nice and did a great job of picking something that matched the pictures I had shown him, I guess I feel a little guilty about not picking something he wanted, but like I said they looked horrible on me (maybe I should go fake dress shopping and try on some of those styles for pictures). It was so refreshing to not have to nag him about this, I had figured I'd wait another month or so before bugging him because he'd accomplish the task so fast. Another reason why I love him.
Did your fiance pick his own clothes?

My E-Ring

I love my engagement ring. Mr. Snowflake picked out my ring with no input from me or my sister. I think he did a beautiful job. I probably would have picked something different and in the end not loved it. I love that he took the initiative and found something he thought I'd like.

Sorry for the bad picture, I haven't figured out how to get in close and the camera to not get all blurry. I still love it though. We're in the process of finding me a band (or two :) - more for another blog) since this is a custom ring from Borshiems (gotta love the silver box with the maroon ribbon). The best part of my ring is that the top is fairly flat, so I rarely catch it on things or cut myself.
What do you love about your e-ring? Did you have any input into the purchase?

My Invitations - Part 2

I already showed you my invitations, but here is the additional part I'm adding. It's the RSVP and additional information card. I'll print it on Lake colored paper that I bought from Paper Source.

What additional items are you putting in your invitations?

The Band Problem

We have a problem with our band. I don't know what to do. Mr. S HAD to have a live band for the wedding, it was one of the top five things we had to have for the wedding on his list. While I was MIA in Chicago for work last fall, he picked a band with our wedding coordinator and signed the contract. He picked the MightyNish Band, check them out here: http://www.mightynishband.com/. Once I got back into the planning mode, we started discussing the timeline, activities, etc and I finally looked at the contract. The contract says that they'll start at or about 5:30 pm. The problem was that our cocktail hour was going to take place at 5 pm. I kept asking him to call them and get the time worked out and he kept telling me it was fine, they're easy to work with, no problem. He still has not talked to them about it. Yesterday, he decided he'd rather not push them for the 5 pm time, I don't know why, he's being weird.
So here's my problem, I already have my invitations and they say that the ceremony is going to start at 6 pm. These are our options:
1. Have the cocktail hour at 5 pm still and use an ipod/canned music for that period.
2. Have the ceremony at 5:30, Cocktails 6 to 7 with the band playing - this pushes my schedule around and I'll have to put a correction in the invitations - which may confuse people, but may be fine too. (He thought we should just WRITE the new time on the invitations - gasp!)
What would you do?

My 8...

It's been a really hectic week and I haven't accomplished a whole lot of wedding stuff - in fact I'm behind. I saw this on someone else's blog and I thought I'd do one of my own. Please see below for my 8...
8 Things I look Forward to:
Going to the lake next weekend to get a bunch of things checked off my to-do list
Memorial Day weekend
SUMMER and warmer weather
Trying my new Mary Kay stuff (thanks to my SIL)
Summer tans
Doing all my DIY projects for the wedding
Going to Wicked at the end of the month J
Having the wedding in a few months and going on a really nice trip with my new husband

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
Worked, Worked, and Worked
Saw my daughter’s last soccer game for the season
Watched the Story of Us with FH
Talked to FH about relationship stuff (while watching the movie)
Worked out
Checked out Weddingbee posts and blogs all day
Helped daughters with homework
Cleaned my E-ring (sorry it wasn’t a very exciting day yesterday)

8 Things I Wish/Hope I Could Do:
Run everyday
Go see my mom and grandma
I REALLY would like to sell my house (3 mortgages suck! Even when you have renters in the 2 extra houses).
Not have to work (I'd gladly give someone else my job :) )
If I can’t not work – I’d like to evolve my job into something else.
Travel to Italy, Hawaii, Ireland, Australia
Be the best mom possible for my kids and raise them to be great adults themselves
Be the best wife my FH deserves

8 On My To-Do List:
Need to email planner about next weekend and coordinate with other vendors we plan on visiting
Print the extra cards we’re including in the invitations and get it all put together
Complete my DIY projects (card holder, jars and hooks, grooms kit, bathroom baskets, flip flop labels)
Finish the schedule and collect all contact numbers
Compile music for different events and work with band
Lose 18 pounds!
Shop for Rings
Shop for all of Mr. S’s and the boy’s stuff

I promise I'll have something better next week, hope you have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to my fellow moms out there!

What are your 8?

He's keeping something from me

No, it's not a cheating, dirty-liar kind of secret (at least I hope not!), but it's a secret between us that's driving me nuts!
Mr. Snowflake told me last fall that he had a surprise for me at the wedding. I'm not good with surprises, I HATE surprises (worst b-day ever, the year a surprise party was thrown). So the thought of something being sprung on me in the middle of the wedding drives me NUTS! (Remember, I'm a major planner and a little bit of a control freak - I'm not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl) Lately I've been working on a schedule that pretty much accounts for every moment of our wedding weekend. In the midst of asking him to take care of some band details, I followed up with a question about the surprise, when is it going to take place, etc because I needed to put it in my schedule. He told me not to worry about it, it's all planned. I told him he didn't have to give me any details, I just need to know the time and the amount of time it'd take place. He shot back that it was all scheduled and I didn't need to worry about it. Then I started getting pissed because it wasn't in MY schedule.
Needless to say, he still won't give me ANY details. It's SO frustrating! He just keeps saying it's taken care of and in our schedule. Now I've been over that schedule a million times and have combed it and perfected it to a T, there is NO surprise scheduled anywhere in there, so how can he tell me it's all planned and scheduled? Augh!
I guess I just need to calm down and figure out how to work my girlie magic to get it out of him - or maybe ask him in his sleep :)
What surprises or secrets has your FH kept from you?

The Importance of a Wedding Website

After we decided on the what, where, and when, I went about designing a wedding website. (This is our site - I LOVE dragonflies!)

These sites have become very popular over the last few years, especially in the day of myspace pages, personal blogs, and twitter. There are a lot of free sites out there. You could always design and then host your own site too. I ended up going with the program on WedShare and bought the domain name for 18 months. I think you could have a free one, but the address would start out www.wedshare/name of site.com. You need to have important information posted on your site (the when and the where), as well as additional information like hotels, other activities, etc. There's also extras like pictures, blogs, forums, guestbooks, and other goodies. We're going to use our website to keep track of all of our guests and our RSVPs too. Then we emailed our family members that we had addresses for and put the address on our STD to let people know about it (the who and how). For our wedding the site is important, most people will be traveling to the wedding, so they need information about the area, etc. But there will also be a lot of family and friends that are not coming, but still want to know what's going on. This is our "wedding communication" piece that can easily be changed and updated and the information goes out to most of our guests. So for us, this was an important piece to our wedding planning.

What tools have you used to broadcast information to your guests?

The Plan Update 1

Here's my first "Plan Update". I saw my trainer yesterday and I've lost my required two pounds for last week (yay - no second session - I don't know when I would have fit it in anyway). We've also decided to mix up my training. He says that now that the weather is nice, all we're doing is running, abs, running, abs, etc. He said we spent the winter bulking up the muscles, so it's time to get in all the cardio possible. That could be a little bit of my weight gain - last time we did all of the measuring I had the most lean body mass I've ever had, so that's a good thing, right? So, I'll be trying to get in as much cardio and abs as I can this week, hopefully I'm able to make the goal again.
The biggest reason is because I'm still afraid to pick up my dress that came in. As excited as I was, it then set in that it's not going to fit (I had them order it smaller because I thought I was going to lose some weight before now). Hopefully I can muster up the courage this week and I can figure out just how much work I have to do before I can fit into it. I'll keep you updated.
Is there anything wedding-related that you were afraid of/dreading doing?