G and I have been married for three months today! It's crazy how time flies! We really are made for each other, and every day that goes by, it just becomes more and more obvious how much we love each other. I just had a dream the other day about us going to Vegas, and I realized just how much I miss it. Sure, we were only there for a week, but it was like a dream. Of course, I think we'd feel that way just about anywhere that we could get away, just the two of us. Wouldn't it be nice to be stinking rich and able to travel anywhere in the world on a moment's notice? Especially if you had the job freedom to just pick up and go and not worry about coming home anytime soon? But we certainly don't live in that fairy tale, so there will be no picking up and going for us in the next few months. G says that maybe when I hit my halfway goal on Jenny Craig, we can take a special trip to celebrate my progress. I definitely like the sound of that.
What I don't like is entering contests that I don't win. I entered the Chicago RWA's Fire and Ice contest with my Young Adult manuscript and found out yesterday that I did not make the finals. Booo! I know that any contest is going to be extremely subjective. You never know who is judging your entry and if they just don't like the plot or the tone, you're toast. Whereas, a different set of judges in the same contest might have loved it. It's a crapshoot, really. But, still, a crapshoot I was hoping to win! I am anxious to get my scoresheets back to see what they liked/didn't like about the first 20 pages of my book. Maybe after the 3 finalists, I was 4th in line. Hey, you never know!
Next Thursday is the dreaded "Golden Heart" finalist announcement. In some ways, I wish I hadn't even entered. There's all this hope surrounding it. I really had so much faith in my book when I sent it in! But now that it's been rejected by Harlequin, I seriously doubt it's going to final in the GH contest. Sure, the editor said my writing was great, but compared to the other entries? I don't know. From what I hear, some people revise their manuscript over and over for years, sending in the same manuscript (but tweaked!) every time until they win. It's brutal. But being a finalist for the GH is huge when it comes to RWA Nationals, and I so was hoping to make it into that group. I entered in Contemporary Series Romance, not YA, and it's one of the toughest categories in the whole contest. They usually get upwards of 150 entries in that one category, and there can only be a max of 7 finalists. Ouch! The odds are definitely stacked against me. I figure there's a 99.9% chance that I won't final. Unfortunately, that 0.1% still has hope, and that's what's killing me. I wish I could just sleep through next Thursday instead of having to live through the nightmare of finding out I didn't final in yet another contest. Ugh.
Luckily, I have the world's greatest husband (in the world), and can be happy that there is one person who would choose me every single time. :)
3 Months of Marriage! Plus... Contest Disappointment.
Leaving Tomorrow!
I can't believe the time has finally arrived! Tomorrow morning at 8:05, G and I will leave for Las Vegas! Today is all about finishing the packing and double checking to make sure we have everything we need for the wedding. We were both up so late last night while I was frantically working on a bustle for the train of my dress. Yikes! I hope it looks okay! I still have some work to do on the hem. What was I thinking doing the alterations myself? I just have to sit back and remind myself that by doing that, I've saved at least $100. Let's jut hope it looks halfway decent!
I have, of course, a lengthy to-do list for today. Laundry, packing, tanning (session #2 of the mystic tan), finish the dress, finish the christmas presents,and the list goes on. The good news is, I'm actually super excited to get to it and fill our suitcases. This might be the last sweetie chronicles post until after the wedding, because i don't know whether I'll have a chance to update from Vegas. If I do, I'll probably be writing a short blog over at our wedding website. If you want to watch a broadcast of the wedding, you can do so at the Chapel of the Flowers website. Click on "Guests' at the top of the page, then enter 12/19 for the date and scroll down until you see our names... or just look for the 2:00 PM wedding in the Magnolia Chapel.
I'm so happy to finally be marrying the man of my dreams. I truly believe that we were made for each other. It's been a long journey to finding the right person, but now we are both ready to start our official life together!
The Mirage
With only 2 days left until we leave for Vegas, I have been looking at pictures of our hotel and dreaming of the fun we are going to have! We are staying at the Mirage Hotel and Casino right there in the middle of the Vegas Strip. Recently remodeled, all of the rooms are supposed to be very nice, with new beds and an ultra-modern look. When we first started looking at Vegas as an option for our wedding/honeymoon, the Mirage quickly stuck out as one of the best hotels on the strip. I read a ton of reviews and researched other hotel/casinos, but nothing seemed to measure up to the perfect location and newly remodeled rooms at the Mirage. Here's hoping it lives up to my expectations!
Lately, I have tried staying away from reviews. Mostly because I don't want to freak myself
out and start worrying about the possibility that our room will be messed up or that we will have bad service from the hotel staff or anything. That's the thing with online reviews - anyone can post. You never know when someone is just in a rotten mood or is ultra-picky. Plus, any hotel that serves as many customers as a place like the Mirage in a year is bound to have some screw ups... and we all know that unhappy people are twice as likely to write a review as happy people. Instead, I've tried to concentrate on the amenities at the hotel and the things I'm most looking forward to.
At the front desk, there is a 2000 gallon salt-water aquarium with all different kinds of fish 
and sea-life. Inside the hotel, there are shops galore! Along with over 12 different restaurants and eateries. Several bars and a nightclub are also part of the Mirage property, along with a spa, a pool (which is actually closed this time of year), and almost 3000 guest rooms. It is my secret hope that when the front-desk finds out we are in Vegas to get married, they will upgrade us to a really nice room! I won't be sad if we don't get an upgrade, but it sure would be sweet! After all, this is supposedly one of their slower times, right? Surely there is an unoccupied suite or tower room they could put us in? We'll see!
2 days left, and at 10 am, this day is already starting to get away from me. So much to do - so little time! I'm off to keep working on my dress while daydreaming about the Mirage and our wedding trip to Vegas. One thing I know for sure - regardless of the hotel or the city or the trip itself - I am marrying the man of my dreams.
6 Days!
I realize that my blog hasn't been very exciting lately, but I have a good excuse. We're leaving for Vegas in only 6 days! The wedding and the trip are pretty much the only things on my mind, and understandably so. Never having been to Las Vegas before, I'm not totally sure what to expect... but after having loved almost every big city I've ever been to, I know I'm going to love Vegas too. This weekend G and I were able to upgrade our photo package at the chapel and every detail about the wedding is perfect according to what we wanted our wedding to be. It's really shaping up to be a great trip and a beautiful private wedding.
We decided to write our own vows, so we had to send those via email to the chapel's wedding coordinator, who then passed them on to the minister to be approved. I'm sure there won't be a problem with them. The only thing left to really do (besides finish my mother's christmas present) is the dress alterations. We have already pinned the dress at the bottom to be hemmed, but I just haven't done it yet. Honestly, I'm afraid to do it! But, it's definitely crunch time now, so I better get started this morning! Wish me luck!
6 days! Woohoo!
Mystic Tan Results
I haven't taken any pictures of my results yet, but I still wanted to blog about it. I am actually pretty excited about the way it turned out. I was really nervous to try it (especially with the wedding trip only 8 days away!). So, you might ask, why do it at all? I have these annoying tan lines from when we went to the flea market months ago. Despite some trys at sunless tanning here at home, the tan lines persist. One reason for doing a salon tan is to try to even out my tan lines. My dress is, after all, strapless!
Another reason is just that a tan can cover up all number of flaws in a person's skin. Pale white skin shows every blemish and spot, while a slight bronzed tan diminishes the look of red spots. Now, I don't normally have any real tan at all, opting to just let the blemishes show on my naturally pale skin. However, for my wedding and this trip to Vegas where there are going to be a lot of photographs taken, I wanted something a little different.
Now you know why, let's talk about how. I went to a place here in Raleigh on Creedmore Road called "Vivid Tan". I chose this place, because one of my voice students recommended it, and I think when it comes to tanning or any kind of salon, word of mouth is the best place to find a good place to go. When I got there, the owner, Carla, greeted me and answered every question I threw at her with enthusiasm and honesty. Her own tan is a Mystic Tan and she looked great. She explained how the booth works and what kind of results to expect, then she recommended that for my dark hair and eyes, I should try the medium tan. She also said that the tan lasts for a little over a week before it starts to really fade, but that they were running a special of buy two, get one free on the Mystic Tan. I decided to buy two sessions so that I could try it out for a week, then head back for another session before we leave next week. Then, I'll still have a free session that I can use anytime after this.
She showed me exactly how to use the booth and what I needed to do before I got in. I put my hair up in a ponytail, then used makeup wipes to get all of my makeup off (I was careful not to put anything with sunscreen on that morning). I put "barrier cream" on my fingernails and toenails. I thought I put it on my palms and the bottom of my feet, too, but those areas still ended up getting tan, which looks a little strange. Anyway, I put a little cap on my head, just barely showing my hairline so that all of my skin was covered with the mist. Then, I stripped down to nothing, stepped into the booth and got started.
The recorded voice told me where to place my feet as the spray covered my body. It was a little bit cold, but otherwise not too bad. I could breathe fine despite reports online that you have to hold your breath for a long time. THe spray comes up from the bottom slowly, so you can see and feel when it is getting close to your face. As it moved up, I only closed my eyes and held my breath when the spray was near my face. There were numbers on the floor of the booth and the voice told me which numbers to place my feet on as she had me turn, spray, turn, spray, etc. It was over in just a few seconds.
At first, I didn't see too much of a tan, but as the hours went by, it got darker and darker. Now, the morning after, I can definitely tell that I am tan! There's no orange tint to this tan like some other at-home sprays I have tried. It's very bronze and looks like I was really just at the beach. The only problems I had with it, honestly, are the fact that my palms and the bottom of my feet are also tan. I must not have put the barrier cream on thick enough! Lesson learned there and I will put more on next time. My tan lines that I was trying to even out are definitely better, but not totally gone. The only other con is that despite some nice smelling oil she put in the tan to help it smell better, I did feel like I smelled like a tanning oil all day. A small price to pay for such an even looking tan, though! I have not had any streaking or missed spots, no buildup on any one place or anything like that. I did not even really have a base tan when I went in, so I amazed at the results. Overall, I'm glad I went and will be going back on Tuesday of next week to do it again so my tan is fresh before we leave.
Weight Loss Aint Easy
Ugh! I hate dieting! All week, I've been watching what I eat and exercising, but I haven't lost a single pound! I was really hoping to shed at least 2 pounds this week, but instead, I'm going to bed hungry every night with sore muscles - for nothing! I'm not trying to starve myself by any means, and I could certainly cut out a few more calories. But without choosing the right foods, I'm going to be even more hungry than I already am - which for me doesn't spell success. I don't do hunger well.
I would step up the exercise even more, but who has the time? There is so much to get done! Ack! At least I haven't gained any weight, but I sincerely was hoping for five more pounds off before we left for Vegas. Now, I'm down to only 12 days to do it in. I'm starting to wonder if it's just not going to happen.
2 weeks
Just 2 weeks until we leave for Vegas! In fact, at this time two weeks from now, we will already be on the first leg of our trip. I'm pretty sure that means a plane to Detroit. I can hardly wait! There's still so much to do before I go, but I'm working on my list one thing at a time, trying not to feel too overwhelmed. Last night, I made giant hairbows for my neice who is going to be one in January. I have never tried to make bows before, but they actually turned out exactly like I wanted them to! They are super cute, and I know that they will look adorable on her little head., Next on the list? I have to finish the present I'm making for my mother. As long as I just take it one thing at a time, everything will be fine. But in the back of my mind, everything right now is about the wedding!
Crunch Time
Last night in my journal, I wrote down a dieting plan. I have already been following one, and although I have lost several pounds, I want to see if I can lose another 8 pounds before we leave. Right now, I'm only 3 pounds away from being the lowest weight I've been in almost 5 years, and I know that I can do it. I have an exercise plan to work out three times a day (Jazzercise in the morning, walk in the afternoon, exercise bike throughout the day in 5-10 minute increments). Between that and the food changes, I think 8 pounds is completely lose-able.
This weekend, I did a trial run of my hair/makeup/dress. It turned out great! I still need to get a haircut and get my nails done, but the thing that really needs to get done most is that my dress needs to be altered. And yes, I'm doing this myself! I have to hem it but since it's silk and I have never worked with silk before, I'm slightly terrified. With only 16 days until we leave, I'm out of time. The dress alterations goes on my to-do list for this week! Yikes!
The sad tragedy of this month is that I did not win NaNo WriMo. It's the last day of the month today, and my manuscript for Pandemic sits at just over 30,000 words. It's sad, but it's not the end of the world. It became a matter of priorities, and the fact of the matter is that my priority this month has been the wedding and making Christmas presents for family. I can't be mad at myself for that. Pandemic will still be here when we get back!
With that, I'm off to Jazzercise!
Wedding Shoes!
Next on my wedding to-do list was a pair of comfortable, yet cute shoes that I could wear while walking around Vegas after the wedding. I don't want to wear high heels because I don't want to look too much taller than G in the pictures, so I was really looking for a pair of tennis shoes. But not clunky ones. Something pretty. Impossible, right?
Well, I remembered that my friend B bought some very cute tennis shoes that were sort of shaped like ballet slippers and might have been Sketchers. I started poking around on the internet and found some just like hers. For $60. Ouch! I guess so far as shoes goes, sixty bucks really isnt' that bad, but we're trying to save money here.
This weekend, G and I went to visit his mother for a little while and G put together a desk she ordered. While he was working, I suggested we pop over to the outlet mall really quick to see if they had any acceptable shoes. You won't believe it, but I found the exact type of Sketchers I was looking for! On the Clearance rack! And the only pair they even had was my size. It was fate. So, here are my very cute, very comfortable, $25 wedding shoes. I am so excited!
Wedding Invitations are finished!
Last night while I watched the Biggest Loser, I finally sat down and finished putting together our wedding invitations. That basically involved attaching the vellum overlay to the floral-printed cardstock with a ribbon, then adding a little touch of sparkle in the form of a red rhinestone, and finally putting it all (along with a little card that has info about the website) in an already addressed envelope, sealing it up, and adhering a flower seal on the back. It took me almost the full 2 hours to get all sixty invitations done, but I am happy with the final result.
Hopefully people won't get them and think it's totally weird that I sent out invitations to "watch" my wedding online. I just want people to be able to go online and watch our video. Yes, it's a little bit non-traditional, but I know the people who care about us most will want to be a part of our wedding day. I plan to send these out today!
Next on the wedding check list? I have got to find some comfortable non-heel shoes to wear on our wedding day!
Wedding Invitations
I've been thinking about our wedding a lot lately and wondering what to do about wedding invitations. With a wedding for two in Las Vegas, we aren't actually inviting anyone to our wedding. On the other hand, we probably will be choosing a chapel and a package that allows people to either watch the ceremony live or either watch it for a short period of time after the wedding online. G expressed his desire that we choose a place that archives the wedding so that he doesn't feel like everyone is watching him at the moment we get married, so I'm looking for a place in Vegas that will give us at least a week or so of online broadcast time. We'll see.
As far as invitations go, I was thinking of sending out a casual and fun announcement saying that we are tying the knot in Vegas and invite everyone to go to our chapel's website to watch the wedding. If there is a code involved, I"ll include that and if not, I'll just post the website. I've also been working on a wedding blog with the idea that the week we are in Vegas, I will update with pictures and a daily wedding/honeymoon blog for our family and friends. On the invitation, I will probably invite everyone to also go to our blog for more information.
The question is... is that tacky for a wedding invitation? I guess as long as I keep it fun and casual, it should be fine. After all, it's our wedding right? I just don't want people to think we are sending them out fishing for gifts or anything. Mainly, I just want people t
o know we are finally getting married and that even though we aren't having any guests there in person, they can still be a part of our joy by watching it online. Besides, dammit, I have a gorgeous dress now and I want people to see me in it!
It might be fun to design my own invitations and make them myself. That way I can hopefully save money without having to buy cheap and cheesy heart invitations or something. I was thinking about designs where I could incorporate either the Vegas skyline or the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. Either way, it should be fun to come up with something that is fun and unique for G and I! Now that the dress has been purchased, everything else is starting to fall into place. We've been engaged for so long, and now I can't wait to be his wife.
MY WEDDING DRESS!!!
I bought my wedding dress last night! I am so excited! I'm not ashamed to say that I found it on Craig's list through an ad. The girl who sold it to me was planning to get married last year and paid over $1500 for the dress. When the wedding fell through, this beautiful, never before worn Maggie Sottero silk dress was just hanging in her closet. I was able to snag it from her for only $200!! With our current budget, it was a great price, especially considering how beautiful and nice a dress it is!
Without any further talk, here are the online pics I was able to find of the dress to show you:
The pictures don't quite do it justice either. The silk is absolutely the most gorgeous material. It is a very simple dress (ignore the feathery looking thing in the girl's hand in the top photo... that is NOT part of the dress, LOL) with just a little bit of beading and embellishment at the top and along one side. With the corset style back, it allows for some weight adjustments. The main thing now is that I pretty much am going to have to lose 20 pounds to look amazing in this dress! I know they say never to buy a dress that is too small hoping you will lose weight, and I imagine that especially applies to things like unreturnable wedding dresses. I don't care though. The way it is, since there's no zipper, the dress basically fits just as it is... or rather just as I am. Still, the corset back has a panel that hides the skin and is supposed to button up and we couldn't get it to button at all. It's not the end of the world, but losing some weight over the next four months is going to be imperative.
With that being said, I couldn't be more excited about my wedding dress! I was hoping to be able to afford something beautiful and glamorous, but given the fact that we're doing a Vegas wedding with just the two of us, I couldn't see spending a fortune just to get a big poofy dress. Problem solved thanks to a local woman who tossed her undeserving man to the curb and was left with the dress of my dreams. :P Haha! Better to lose money on a dress than to marry the wrong guy... trust me on this one.
Now that I have found the RIGHT man, I am very happy to have found the perfect dress to marry him in. Next on the wedding planning agenda? Picking the perfect wedding chapel in Las Vegas.... Oh boy! Wish me luck!
Wedding Dress Contestant
Over the many months of our engagement, I have been browsing wedding dresses from time to time and asking G for his opinion on what dresses he likes. Even though we aren't having a traditional church wedding with guests, I still want to wear a real wedding dress. Isn't that part of the fun of getting married in Vegas, after all? Wearing the dress around town?
Lately, we have settled on a near-Christmas wedding, so I thought, "Why not wear a dress with some red in it?" So last night, I started browsing wedding dresses with red accents. At Alfred Angelo.com, I finally found a dress that G loves. It's really the first dress he has taken much interest in, so I'm going to post it here and ask for advice from friends and family. What do you think of this dress? I need to try to find a place here in town that carries Alfred Angelo so I can try it on and see what it looks like on me, but so far, this is the front runner!
So there is both the front and back of the dress. If you're wondering about the color, the top one is "cherry" and the bottom one is "wine". I think I would probably go more along the lines of the darker red at the bottom.
