A Little Tuft of Fluff

Birdlings

2009-04-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I have Tof (my white-bellied caique and also my engagement gift; rings aren't the way to lure me in) to thank for pulling out my sewing machine and basking in happy, crafty thoughts. I've been so set on blasting through the spring term so that I can start allocating more attention and time to the wedding, that I haven't really noticed that my creative daydreaming has been dying on the vine.
Honestly, I wouldn't have minded being shocked back into craft scheming in another form, but Tof has his ways, which generally consist of pooping on everything, chasing toes, hand wrestling, and in this instance, chewing on my Wacom tablet cord.Which is a definite no-no...

As in, "You're two chomps away from finding yourself in a roasting pan."

Thankfully, I caught him in the middle of trying to strangle the cord, so his life was spared.
With my Wacom in dire need of protection of a seven inch bird that thinks he's more ferocious dog-bat than bird, I scooted off to Jo-Ann's and finally made something. And it felt so good! It's gotten me quite into the spirit of summer and all things crafty, including wedding and apartment shopping.
Just two more weeks to survive!

It Is Finished!

2009-04-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

They're finished, and I couldn't be happier. Well, I couldn't be happier about them being done, but my perfectionist side shrieks to be heard. :D Early on in the process, we decided to make the envelopes ourselves. Being the paper bag lover that I am, I had to create them from bags from the Publix I work at. We then bought a 30-page stack of multi-colored paper and spent hours trying to find ourselves the perfect tree with roots. After that, we scoured for appropriate fonts. The Wolf's dad happened to have some leftover resume paper, so when my OCD side reared it's ugly head and proclaimed that the invitations weren't thick enough, I cut and glued the paper on to the back. Needless to say, I'm not very repentent, though the Wolf still shakes his head. ^_^
We had ourselves a very pretty production line going; me fussing over the envelopes not being envelopish enough, and the Wolf sitting on the bed, patiently tying string around each invitation.

I love DIYing. And I'm still glad we did it (hey, we only spent $21.85!), but there are some cons. For instance, before we settled down to making our own on the computer, we thought we'd use stamps like the ingenious and oh-so crafty Sara Cotner did, but that didn't work out. We ended up stressing ourselves out and spending $96.57 on a project that just didn't work due to either lack of creativity and/or good planning. So if you're dead set on making your own, good deal! Just go at it with a strong idea of what it is you're looking for. :]

I feel like we finally plunged into the icy lake and find ourselves enjoying the water, whereas before, I cringed to put a toe in. Things are clickin'! They're moving! And I cannot wait for August 15th to come!

The next on my list of things to conquer are dresses. Should be good fun!

21 and Finals!

2009-04-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

Well, hello everybody...luckily this blog isn't under too much scrutiny or I'd be a horrible person. We haven't updated this in months I think. But basically, that's because there hasn't been much to say.

I've been quite busy with classes and Oblivion. Yvonne has been quite busy between her classes and Publix and going to Oregon over spring break. We're getting really close to being able to send out our invitations, but artist differences are setting us back right now. That's the problem when you get perfectionists working on a simple task...

We also reserved our Honeymoon location at the lovely Wildberry Lodge in Asheville. That took a lot of looking around, because good honeymoon spots are really hard to find. Either you're looking at a Hampton Inn, a slightly expensive and run-down nice place, or a posh super-expensive resort. Luckily, the Wildberry Lodge seems to be none of those, which is why it was so hard to find.

Incidentally, to get Yvonne into college, we got married. I know this may sound strange, but it really doesn't change anything. Except that we're working on getting my ring now. Tungsten is my choice and we should be receiving it in the mail soon!

Hopefully when summer hits, we'll be able to be a bit more relaxed...

February already...

2009-02-18T21:42:00.000-08:00

Wow, time flies by like none other when you're in school and staying busy. (Wow, Yvonne, you left a ridiculously small blog, you made it sound like you'd really posted something. XD )

So yeah, our invitation are prepped and ready except for our RSVP cards. Which means we need to set up a webby. But for that we need to get some good pictures and a gift registry, which all take time. The one thing I have tons of, but always seems to disappear exactly when I need it.

But this time before the wedding is kind of awkward. I feel like we should be doing stuff to get ready for it, but there's nothing we can do without a buttload of work and creativity. Now, we could get a dress, but they're all rather ridiculous, so we're going to have to try to find something else. You'd think dresses were designed to make the bride look like all sexiness and a box of chocolates, but usually they just look awkward and stuffy. Go casual goodness!

Speaking of that, I suppose I should wear a tux. But I don't think I will. I don't really know what I look good in. With my body shape, I feel awkward in anything that tucks in really. And jeans just don't seem right. (Not to mention that while my clothes now are okay, I completely would take much more earthy and tough clothing. Light metro clothing is nice in a way, but not my style.)

And I think I will digress for a second to complain about technology. It apalls how many wonderfully complex systems there are for "integrating your life with the internet" like iPods and things that can tell what music you're playing and post it on you blog and constantly update your life, which seem really cool, but only if you do things their way and purchase many expensive and somewhat imperfect products. I saw an ad for Blackberry which advertised that you could buy music on it. OH GREAT, NOW I CAN SPEND LOTS OF MONEY! On probably filling a small hard drive with annoying DRM that will be lost when you drop you new toy in the lake. Capitialism is kickass, but so many retailers don't care about long term reliability or warranties. They just tell you to throw it away and buy a new product. It would be nice if I were that rich. XD

Beads

2009-02-18T20:33:00.001-08:00

Why is it so freaking hard to find a dress without beads?!?!

More to come, I promise. XD

Nose to the grindstone...

2009-01-15T23:17:00.000-08:00

Well, just for everyone's information, things are cooking along nicely. I'm working my butt off at engineering, which is why I'm not so chatty. And my fiance is generally overwhelmed with life and trying to work on invitations..

And since my fiance has yet to post since our NC trip, I shall update. You see, we decided that we would do the invitations ourselves. The first thought was on the computer, but Yvonne got burnt out with that. So we went to craft stores and bought stamps and paper and inkpads (and an embosser for her). Except it turns out that she doesn't like anything we bought really and thinks it's all too much work. I had a *lovely* sample invitation made out, but she rejected it. So she's back to the computer, trying to create something. This is one of those times when tastes simply don't agree...(and this is one of those things that I just have to suck it up about.)

Well, our self imposed deadline for putting the invitations out is Feb. 1, so we have plenty of time to decide.

On a side note, we've finished our first maritial counseling book with my parents and are now onto the pastor's program. He's making us write love letters to each other...that we have to read aloud to each other in front of him. Which takes the magic out of it as far as I'm concerned. But oh well, Yvonne wants to be married by one of their pastors...so onward!

Ya-Dow!!!

2008-12-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

Or at least that's how it sounds when Hiro (from Heroes) yells it. Ah well. Translation: I did it! Success! Woop!! Heck yes! (etc.) In case you're out of the loop or neither of us have gone into detail, the Wolf and I are in North Carolina, mostly vacationing, but on the look out for possible wedding venues and (insert huge sigh of relief) we found it! Or at least we're fairly certain we've found our "location of love" (the Wolf sarcastically mutters). More later.

Sick Tummies

2008-12-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Oh man, I haven't posted in a while. I was busy finishing up my last week at work and moving back. My fiance's car broke down Thursday night which just made everything more fun. And now we're both feeling sick today and haven't done anything. But hopefully tomorrow we'll be feeling better and can go pick up her car. Man, the 60,000 mile mark is a bad one for cars, our repairs are around 850 dollars, which is a lot of money for us.

We're excited that our NC trip is coming up soon and we're starting to get the planning down. However, there's a lot of things to take care of and we're not focusing very well right now.

We need to get our invitations worked on too, but those seem to also get put off. Honestly, I wouldn't mind not dealing with all this nonsense myself...but it's one of those things you just have to do.

Goody

2008-12-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Yvonne, and I'm addicted to the internet. And writing my thoughts down.

First step, eh? ^_^

Now I just have to stay off the computer until my finals are over and then it's back to blog browsing... in moderation!!

How to help: Wish me luck. Send me threats. ...tie me down? :/

A Dieu.

Happy Tooth!

2008-12-04T17:28:00.000-08:00

Well, today was a dentist visit for me, with a clean bill of health, thankfully. I'm trying to get my fiance to the dentist, but she's scared stiff...and it costs money that we don't want to pay. Luckily, I have insurance until I get married. She's trying to study right now, but can't study for the life of her.

Well, we're both kind of dreading more wedding stuff. We're all excited about our trip up to North Carolina when we get to go check out venues and such, but it's not as much vacation as work. Because people want money and promises and decisions. I mean, we love the idea of promising our lives to each other. But all this nonsense about "You have to have this..." "And oh, you HAVE to have that!"...gr.

So much crap we have to put up with. But it's ok. We were looking at some sweet honeymoon places the other day. The idea of being able to rent out a pretty place and honeymooning is happy for me. I don't mind spending money there because I actually care about that, not paying like 3000 for some tent and small piece of ground....you'd have to be kidding me. I don't really care about some of this stuff. I mean, I did at first. But this whole thing gets so hyped up! I'm still shooting for just a nice spot in a national park. And nothing is even that pretty. I hate premade stuff in general. You know how bad greeting cards are! We're looking at invitations and yeah, they all look like Hallmark. And that's nice, but it's certainly not me. I'm a little rougher around the edges because I'm not perfect....and therefore these cards just feel like a fake representation of me.

And catered meals. We'll probably get one for our wedding because we want to feed people. But I've had quite a few catered meals in my life and I'm scared of them to a high extent. I know wedding ones are supposed to be much better, but then again 50 bucks a head or something doesn't warm my heart either. I'm a minimalist at heart, I find beauty in fewer things, rather than more. And all wedding stuff is over the top. Wedding dresses? They look so dumb. I think a long sleek cloth dress would look so much better. And while I like dressing up a little myself, I hate the tightness of tuxes. I'm the kind of person who is quite adaptable. I can be equally comfortable in a suit or grubby clothes. But they affect my mind. In a suit, I'm a fierce, judgmental, effective person. I mean, no wonder CEOs are such mean douchebags since that's what they wear a lot. In grubby clothes, I don't mind getting dirty or exploring. And a loose t-shirt and pair of jeans will make me chillax quite well. So yeah, I'd much rather get married in looser, cloth clothing. (I keep stressing cloth because I hate all "slickery" fabrics.)

But yeah, our NC trip is our next wedding plan. We need to get moving on invitations too, but since we couldn't find anything good, we're trying to create it in Paint Shop Pro. And neither of us being experts leads to the problem of extreme frustration. Hopefully we'll get it this weekend though. During our trip we hope to find the general area for the wedding, a place for the ceremony, several places to stay for relatives and one nice B+B to have the reception at, and a caterer or something. Needless to say, we'll probably fail at making decisions unless we find a perfect place. I'm somewhat of a cynic and am not feeling so hopeful.

Whew, there was my first wave of thoughts, hope I didn't overwhelm anyone. (But luckily no one reads this, so we're safe. XD )

The Wolf!

2008-12-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Hello, I am the wolf spoken of. We're trying to work out a dual blog....we'll see how this goes.

Stripping of Societal Induced Paradigms

2008-12-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

I know of nothing better than mini-revelation's. It's akin to ripping a band-aid off a hairy arm. The pain lasts only a moment, but darn, the relief is lasting.

As I find myself (yet again) procrastinating from hitting the books, reading and oogling over wedding blogs, I can't help but veer from my ideals and expectations for our wedding. So, in hopes of grounding my frenzied thoughts, here are my desires for and opinions on this special day:

1. A wedding is one in many special days.
-There are so many special, unorchestrated events, that stressing over colors, themes, and activities seems ridiculous. A backbone of order is always healthy, but improvisation by way of family and friends and leaving a bit of breathing room for outside inspiration is what makes a memorable day... memorable!

2. A marriage is to be a celebration shared with close friends and family; not a production or show.
-Planning a wedding shouldn't be a stressful or dirty task. It's that one day that is yours to do with as you please! My plans? Frolic in the woods, have an awesome, stress-free picnic lunch in a wheat field, play some volleyball and badminton, and if I'm feeling really girly and extravagant, go and get one of those all out spa massage packages I've always dreamt about. Oh glorious day. To me, the decorations and foods are all menial in comparison.

3. Comfort is key.
-The apparell will be what I find practical and appealing. That includes cotton bridal gowns, personally accesorized sun dresses, no shoes, or if I'm feeling outlandishly rebellious, every day attire. ;] The setting will also reflect and convey relaxation and so that we may be fully present to enjoy our guests and each other.

4. The decisions are made exclusively by bride and groom.
This event serves multiple purposes:
a.) it is an expression of our love for our friends and family.
b.) it is a public declaration of our union.
To make our intentions genuine, the decisions are finalized between both bride and groom. Outside ideas, opinions, and occasional proposed compromises are most certainly welcome, but in the end, the final say is ours to make.

By following the above, I hope we'll be able to avoid mind and pocket raping by the alluring wedding industry. Here's to paradigm stripping and band-aids!

[Wolf Edit] I certainly agree. The only problem inlies in convincing family members to go along. Unspoken, but very strong feelings are very hard to deal with as I'm finding out. They'll ask in a very hesitant, polite way (because they think we're half crazy), but when you really start talking, they'll get a little pushy. And you *do* want happy people at your wedding. You just have to change the standards a little...which requires a constant, steady beating upon preconceptions.

Madness

2008-12-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

Alas, the extra large Chunky candy wrappers and opened snack bags littering my desk shows another potential study/cram day has been trashed. What's worse, my finals are ticking down to less than a week away and two Friday tests are nipping viciously at my heels.

My priorities are definitely not in order, which is probably what's causing half the (self-induced, I know) stress. I can't stop wedding blog browsing!!! Good thing I study well under pressure. ;]

[Wolf Edit] My goodness, you seem to have a hard time getting down to studying, I certainly hope you manage to pass your class!

Destination Weddings...

2008-12-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

will happen to be my next blog's topic. ^_^

I'm feeling quite tried from refraining from delving into the wedding world, but from my days of relentlessly scouring wedding blogs, I've found myself wishing that every wedding planner would start from, well... the start. So, here goes.

My Wolf and I have known each other since we were in eleventh grade, banding together immediately (in band, ironically) to combat the imposed cliques and social injustices found in a typical angst ridden high school. Our friendship lasted throughout high school and he soon after moved to Texas. We kept in contact via AIM and gradually grew a new branch to our friendly relationship. We started dating and after completing his sophomore year, he felt it time to move on - move on home! Our dating continued with faithful weekend visits and nightly AIM conversations. One night I arrived home from work, lightly chatting with him before getting to my homework. He started talking about how our intimate relationship budded over AIM and how he found it fitting to grow yet another branch. He then asked me to marry him, which only served to make me crumple forward in my grungy uniform, shell shocked and a little more than outraged that he would ask me over the internet where I couldn't hold on to him for dear life. At the same time that I felt the air change behind me, a hand placed itself on my shoulder and turned me around. There he was, in a smashing tux, laughing and shaking with a bundle of emotions. He'd been hiding on bended knee in the closet of the next room over, for over half an hour! Needless to say, things progressed impossibly slowly, I was so drunk with emotion, but it was quite the happy event once it ended with a whisper of "Yes".

So now, in between school for both of us, a co-op for him, work for me, and still maintaining our love of conversing over AIM, we're planning our wedding for August '09!

I'd love to hear your engagement stories!!

[Wolf Edit] Well told...perhaps we should put a picture up?

Meet and Greets

2008-12-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

Hello ladies!

As I sit here wondering what it is I aim to accomplish with this blog, I feel it's necessary to first let you in on my intentions, but for them to be understood, a little of my quirks and idiosyncrasies should probably be expressed so that (hopefully a few of) you bride-to-be's can enjoy and benefit from my ramblings and hair pulling tantrums. Oh, and of course the good times, between. ;]

-First off, my Wolf proposed on September 22nd, 2008.
-Our plans lay tentatively pitched for August of 2009.
-We are both college students, aggressively chipping away at degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Biology.
-I would love to say that late study nights are the reason I'm so scatterbrained, but unfortunately, I'm always vaguely undulating from thought to thought.
-I am a frugal, "reuse or recycle" beast.
-I am an idealistic, earth toned, everything au naturale child.
-We aim to spend no more than $3000, which leaves me to be my favorite personal adjectives: crafty, DIY, frugal, simple, genuine, well executed, friendly, and thoughtful.
-Oh, and I have about one of the worst fashion senses to have ever been begat.

Now then, what sort of tool is this blog to be? Optimistically? A thorough thought filer. But most importantly, I hope it will be a help to the traditional, indie, hippie, unorthodox, frenzied, and confused brides that stumble across it. I hope it encourages the constantly idea browsing brides to pause and take the time to let their gleanings and original ideas be made known and appreciated.

I can't wait to hear your opinions, critiques, encouragement, worries, and questions!