What's On Our Minds

Happy Four-Monthiversary

Hey, today John and I have been married for 4 whole months. Cool!

So far, marriage is great. We've done a lot to fix up our happy home in the past 4 months. I never get tired of his company. He just gets cuter every day... I have to say, marriage is the best!

This is Our Wedding Day

Wow! It's Here! It's the Wedding Day... I can't believe it.

By the way, I'm finally nervous. :-(

One more day

Oh my God! There is one day left before the wedding. I cannot believe it. 18 months went by so slowly and them boom 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1- Blast Off!

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm nervous.. Well, No! I'm not nervous. What is there to be nervous about? Okay.. so maybe we'll trip over each other's feet during the first dance. Or maybe I'll ramble on too much during the toasting session. 'Tis no matter.. It's our day. We can tromp all over the dance floor and ramble on for hours if we want. :-)

My only focus now is to try to slow down and enjoy the moment.

Bridesmaid Brunch

Today I had a brunch for my wonderful bridesmaids. My sister couldn't make it, but the rest of us had a lovely time. I served scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, tuna and chicken salad finger sandwiches, fruit, croisants and cookies with orange juice and coffee.

Here are some pictures:

8 Days to Go!

Yesterday, after all the blood test result (BTR) drama. John picked me up at 1:30 and we went to the Marriage License Bureau (first he had to stop at another office to get his BTR transferred to a blue card). It was all pretty simple despite the bureacratic junk they put you through.

Nevertheless, with all the traffic, we had to cancel our teeth cleaning appointments at the dental office. Crest Whitestrips, here I come.

Marriage License Drama

Okay, so DC requires a blood test to get a marriage license. You'd think this would be a simple thing. Call your doc, get the blood test, apply for your license. It has been nothing but simple for me.

Back in March I asked my doc what I needed to do for the blood test. Can you believe she said she didn't know, but they'd test my blood for whatever I wanted! Okay, fine. So John researches what we need done and I call for a referral. It's some answering machine you leave your info on. So I wait thinking the referral is in the works and five days later they call my voice mail and tell me I can't get a "PRENATAL" blood test without a doc's orders.

Okay, so by now it's April and I don't have another five days to wait. So I call and make an appt. with the doc, which I can't get for another week. When I go, she speaks to me for 2 seconds, takes my co-pay and writes a prescription for my blood test. So I troop off to a DC lab to get the bloodwork done. Should be simple, now all I have to do is pick up my results in 2 business days.

I call on Tuesday and they take my info and call back Wednesday. Tests are in. Cool, I say I'm coming to get them. Their Wednesday office hours are 8A-8P. I show up at 6 and they're CLOSED! We skipped dance practice so I could pick them up!

Now what? We wanted to get apply for the license today because there's a 5 day waiting period. So John says he'll stop by my doc's office and try to get them. I call this morning and tell them to give the results to my fiance. They say no, gotta sign a release. I say fax me the form. I get the form and it's long and drawn out. I rush to fill it out cause John is at their door. Send it back WITHOUT SIGNING IT! So I fax it again.

No word from John for an hour... then he calls me back. THEY CAN'T FIND YOUR CHART! Come back later. I'm losing it at this point. Finally he goes back an hour later (now he can't go to work because he was waiting on them) and the results were at the front desk the WHOLE TIME!

It's been a very stressful morning, but if all goes well, John will pick me up at work this afternoon and we'll apply for our marriage license.

11 Days to Go!

Yesterday evening I met Monette (friend that's helping with details) and Allie (Wyndham Coordinator) at the hotel to see the layout. They're upgrading their system so she still doesn't have any diagrams of the space for us. We went through everything and it sounds like it's going to be wonderful.

12 Days to Go!

Saturday was my bachelorette party. My MOH planned it and wanted to keep me in the dark about the agenda. I showed up to her house at five pm, where two of my friends joined us. From there we went to the Olive Garden, my favorite restaurant. Two more of my friends met us there. They put a little "Bachelorette on the Loose" tiara on me, gave me a wand that said Good Girl/Bad Girl and some beads, one with a Hottie Whistle and the other with a plastic shot glass on the end.

We had a nice dinner, then we went back to the house to drop off some of the cars. We took a few pictures, then went to the Baltimore Harbor to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. We had fun just enjoying the girl time.

14 Days to Go!

Yesterday was my day off, but it didn't really feel like it. I got up at 6:30 AM so John and I could run all the way to DC to get our blood tests for our marriage licenses. Then on the way home from that, I had to stop and get re-measured for my rehearsal dinner dress alterations because the new seamstress didn't like the way the original seamstress pinned the dress.

After that my sister came over and we went to have our hair done. We had a nice time visiting, but the appointments took hours and hours. She had to rush home to pick up her daughter as soon as it was over and I went home to take a nap.

Today is my bachelorette party! I don't know what we're doing except that it involves me bringing an overnight bag. I think it's a slumber party! Woo-hoo!

17 Days to Go!

Last night I met with a friend who's going to help me coordinate the details on the wedding day. She's actually an online friend from the Ultimate Wedding web site. We went over some details, and she's taking the job so seriously that she wants to meet at the hotel to see the layout. I'm so fortunate that she's willing to do this for me.

18 Days to Go!

Yay, I have the final head count! Woo-hoo! Including John and me, we'll have a 110 people at the wedding = 105 guests + 3 vendors + bride and groom.

Yesterday was my FINAL fitting. The dress looks so beautiful. The seamstress did an excellent job. My Matron of Honor feels comfortable tying the bustle because she says it's like hers was. She looked adorable in the bridesmaid dress. She's about 5 months pregnant now and the dress looks gorgeous in person. Dagnabit, I forgot my camera again so we'll all just have to wait for the wedding day pictures.

19 Days to Go!

This weekend was very productive. Friday night John and I went shopping and we bought some clothes and shoes for the honeymoon. We also got a lot of the wedding things that I'd ordered in the mail.

Saturday we ended up not going to see the Cherry Blossoms, so we went shopping again. We went to a shoe store and I bought backup sandals and a matching purse. Then we stopped at Old Navy and I went nuts buying more clothes for the honeymoon.

Sunday, I was very tired and spent some time just slacking in bed and watching movies on cable. I managed to go the entire day without realizing it was Day-Light Savings Time!

So this morning my alarm goes off and I see the cable box says it's 7:00 AM! My alarm clock says 6 AM! I get up and start questioning John. He knew it was DLS time but changed NOT ONE clock in the house. He didn't say a word and I had NO CLUE.

Needless to say, I was an hour and a half late for work and extreemly ticked off about it.

Today is my final gown fitting!

22 Days to Go!

Last night John and I went to practice our first dance. There were a lot of people at the studio, so we practiced without music for the most part. We didn't want to disturb the other dancers. Toward the end we tried to run through it with the song, but I felt self-conscious with all the other people there, so it didn't go too well. We're going to try going once a week until the wedding.

I was so tired by the time we got home. I had just enough time to watch Survivor and The Apprentice before I crashed.

Tomorrow we hope to stop by the Cherry Blossom Festival. It's been so rainy the last few days, I'm not sure if the weather will clear up.

23 Days to Go!

I'm so excited that we've finally reached the wedding month. I saw a friend I haven't seen in a while at the train station today, and I realized just how long we've been planning. I'm ready to have it come so we can move on with the rest of our lives together.

We had a wonderful dinner for John's dad's birthday last night. I love John's family so much and I feel so blessed to be joining them.

I feel like there's suddenly so much to do. Even though I've been working on things a little at a time. I can actually feel the deadlines creeping up on me.

Today we're going to the dance studio to practice our first dance. We never made it last week, so we're bound to be very rusty.

Couple's Shower

Sunday was our couple's shower thrown by my Matron of Honor, Sharon. It was a lot of fun. She and some of my other friends did a great job decorating in our silver and lavender theme and they passed out plastic leis to everyone as they arrived to signify our honeymoon in Hawaii.

Sharon joked that the leis everyone wore signified a special surprise... that everyone is coming with us to Hawaii.

We played some fun games: Bridal Pictionary (which my team won), Pocket or Purse, where the person with the most items from the list won, and a game where I was blindfolded and had to pick John out of a lineup by touching men's chests and arms. I guessed correctly. Woo-hoo!

Here are a few pictures:

John with his sister Julie and his best man Duan

One Month Away

Wow! One more month and we'll be married. This wedding that we planned for 18 months will finally happen. While I'm very excited about the wedding and honeymoon (as well as the marriage), I for one will be glad to finally have the wedding. Then we can go on living our lives without this BIG EVENT to plan for what seems like every day.

The scary part is that I can no longer use "AFTER THE WEDDING" as an excuse for every other thing that I have been putting off.

Honeymoon Packing List

~ Airline Tickets
~ Driver’s Licenses
~ Credit Cards
~ Books and Magazines To Read
~ A Complete Travel Itinerary (with contact numbers for travel agent)
~ Hotel Information and Confirmation Numbers
~ Rental Car Information and Confirmation Numbers
~ Guide Books
~ Sun Screen
~ Insect Repellent
~ Lotion/Moisturizer
~ Extra Contact Lenses/Saline Solution
~ Eyeglasses
~ Razors
~ Manicure Kit
~ Feminine Hygiene Products
~ Bathing Suits
~ Beach Sandals/Slippers
~ Beach Bag
~ Hats
~ Sunglasses
~ Travel Purse
~ Walking Shoes
~ Water Shoes
~ Umbrellas
~ Camera and Film
~ Sexy Lingerie
~ Robes
~ Massage Oils
~ Scented Candles
~ Bubble Bath
~ Assorted Clothing (shorts, sundresses, underwear, formal wear, pajamas)
~ Toiletries (brush, comb, makeup, perfume, hair spray, shampoo, etc.)
~ Activity Vouchers
~ Thank You notes to Write on the Plane
~ Romantic CDs

The Road to Hana

Cool spray from a roadside waterfall... fragrant ginger flowers scenting the air.. spectacular cliffs plunging to the sea... the road to Hana is an unforgettable, multi-sensory experience. You must make the trip at least once, or you haven’t tasted the very essence of Maui. Here’s why:

1. Keanae (kay-ah-nye) — At once wild and beautiful, the Keanae peninsula is a paradigm of “natural” Hawaii. Waves pound the rocky shoreline sending up a salty spray, and taro patches form a verdant quilt. You can walk along the shore, but be cautious of the ocean at all times- large waves can appear out of nowhere. Another short safari awaits just up the road at the Keanae Arboretum, which offers a tranquil stream and swimming pond, as well as an easy walk through lush gardens and into the rainforest. Keanae is about halfway to Hana and a great place to get out and stretch your legs.

2. Waterfalls — Here’s the wet and wonderful reason there are so many bridges on the road to Hana! These mountain streams provide a refreshing reward for the many twists and turns the road dishes out, and even in the occasional dry season the remaining ponds are great for exploring. This side of Haleakala is so moist that a private network of 75 miles of tunnels and ditches provides water for the sugar cane fields carpeting the central plains and for part of the upcountry population. As you drive you’ll see water trickling out of the hillside through ferns and soft moss, and countless mini-cascades finding their way to the sea.

3. Scenery —As one visitor put it, “I feel like my camera’s going to explode!” Feast your eyes on bamboo jungles, breezy Eucalyptus groves, roadside fruit stands, brilliant tropical flowers and postcard-perfect panoramas that have remained basically the same for hundreds of years. If you’ve come to Maui to sightsee, this is it!

4. Waianapanapa (wy-ah-nah-pah-nah-pah) — If you still haven’t unwound, you will be once you’ve walked the trail along this stretch of lava coastline. You’ll pass over a sea arch with the water surging just below, discover tide pools and a blowhole, and end up at a black sand beach perfect for sunbathing and snorkeling (if the ocean’s not too rough). You might also want to explore the history-rich, water-filled caves that are actually freshwater springs. Or you might want to simply relax on the hill beneath the palm trees and watch for the family of dolphins that often cavorts in the bay. Paradise? You bet.

5. Hana town — After 52 miles of winding traverse, you’ve made it! Enjoy Hana Bay, where local families bring their children to picnic and frolic in the gentle waters. You can take a hike around the town for breathtaking views, or you can opt for sightseeing on horseback. Before you leave, don’t forget to stop at Hasegawa’s General Store, the landmark frequented by visitors and locals alike. Poke around the aisles chock full of trinkets as well as necessities. Where else can residents on this end of the road find Bisquick, blue jeans and fishing line all in one place?

After Hana, stop at the refreshing pools at Ohe‘o gulch.

Well, you should be convinced by now that a visit to Hana is well worth the effort, but remember, the drive itself is the real adventure. See ya on the road!

Tips for the Trip to Hana:

Enjoy a relaxed pace on the road, but pull over often to wave local drivers by—they’ve seen the sights before and prefer to hurry home.

If you like, leave the driving to the experts—companies like Valley Isle Excursions offer narrated excursions in comfy vans. Guides are friendly and knowledgeable.

Allow a full day for the trip, so you can savor the many lookouts and explore side roads.

Be prepared—bring insect repellent, a light jacket, lots of drinking water (don’t drink from the streams), sunscreen and a hat. You can get a bad sunburn even on cloudy days.

Bring way more film than you think you’ll need!

Stock up on snacks, supplies and gasoline in Paia. The next gas station is 52 miles away—in Hana!

Honeymoon Idea

Snorkeling/Cruise at Molokini

- Enjoy the crystal clear waters of Molokini.
- Our boat is a 55-foot glass-bottom catamaran, called "the boat for fun-lovers".
- We include snorkel gear, optical masks & instruction! .
- We include an open bar of beer, wine and soda for unlimited refreshment while you play!
- Our catamaran is equipped with a waterslide, glass-bottom viewing & 2 spacious decks!
- Three boarding ladders make it easy to climb in & out of the water at your leisure!
- Slide down the waterslide and splash into the clear waters![*] Our catamaran is equipped with a waterslide, glass-bottom viewing & 2 spacious decks!
- View the spectacular Molokini Crater, a volcano that never quite made it out of the water.

This is a lighter version of our morning classic because of the late start time (great if you like to sleep in), but just as fun! We make the short 2.5 mile sail to have some fun! Stay on the catamaran or hop into the water!

We include: an open bar of beer, wine and soda, snorkel gear & instruction, sport fishing, waterslide, glass-bottom viewing, two spacious decks, three boarding ladders and free optical masks.

The Four Winds II is a luxurious 55-foot glass-bottom catamaran, fondly referred to as "the boat for fun-lovers". Once onboard, discover why Maui's visitors consider this trip to be one of the best! With a crew that is dedicated to your needs and providing you absolute fun, this trip is a family favorite with locals and visitors alike.

Sunset Cruise

We booked this Cruise last week:

Maui Princess Sunset Dinner Cruise (Maui)

Experience the enchantment of a romantic dinner cruise on the Maui Princess. You'll see spectacular sunset views and night lights from the islands of Molokai, Lanai and Maui, while being served table-side by our friendly staff. Watch the stars come out over the ocean on our "open-air" upper dining deck.

Live music and dancing are featured after dinner in our air-conditioned main cabin, or you can stay at your table and enjoy the rest of your evening cruise along the Maui coastline.

TABLE SIDE SERVICE
LIVE MUSIC
MAUI'S LARGEST FLOATING DANCE FLOOR

SUNSET CRUISE
LARGE, STABLE YACHT
120' MAUI PRINCESS

MENU
The Maui Princess Dinner Cruise
Menu includes:

FRESH GREEN SALAD

Choice of:
Roasted CHICKEN
OR

12 oz. cut PRIME RIB
With Au Jus and Horseradish

Plus:

NEW POTATOES

FRESH BREAD

VEGETABLES

DESSERT SELECTION

FREE-FLOWING BAR
Cocktails, beer, wine

Honeymoon Excursion

We booked this tour last week:

Hawaiian Movie Tours (Kauai)

A full day of touring by ground and air. Start with hotel pick-up at most east and south side resorts. Tour some of Kauai's most stunning locations in our luxurious mini-coaches on our world famous Land Tour, then off to the heliport for a 60 minute full island ride, confident of complete safety on both tours.

This incredible flight covers the whole island, including Kipu Kai, film location for The Lost World, Hook and Six Days, Seven Nights, Manawaiopuna Falls, now known as Jurassic Falls, the Olokele Canyon, the stunning Waimea Canyon and the towering cliffs of the Na Pali coast. See Wailua Falls, made famous in the TV series Fantasy Island. And you will marvel at the stunning Waialeale Crater, the wettest spot on Earth.

Guest List Stats

I think we've finalized our guest list.

Total invited guests: 125.

Invitations needed: 72 + 3 for vendors = 75

Bride's Guests: 50

Groom's Guests: 75

Out-of-Town Guests: 15

Rehearsal Dinner Guests: 36

Wedding Dances

Go Forth Ye and Multiply popular dance at weddings, this one starts with the featured couple on the dance floor. After a minute or so, Michael will announce "go forth ye and multiply" and the couple goes and finds two more dance partners. This continues until the whole crowd is involved. Musical style can be slow, fast, a waltz, a polka, a tango or a swing - it's your choice!

DISCO Line - A line of women face a line of men and the end couple meets and dances down the center of the two lines. Songs like"We Are Family", "Staying Alive", "Get Down Tonight", and "Good Times" are excellant songs for this.
Get Down Tonight - This line dance gets everybody in a funky 70's groove. Shake that booty, strut your stuff and get down tonight!

Cotton Eye Joe - A simple country dance done with several lines of two to six people traveling in a circle. Easy to learn, easy to do and lots of fun! Done to traditional music or to a newer contemporary dance version.

Anniversary Celebration Dance - This is a tribute to the commitment couples have given their marriage. It begins with an invitation for all married couples to come to the dance floor and then, as the song progresses, we proceed in 5 year increments, asking the shorter marriages to step aside. This eventually leaves the longest married couple with our guests of honor. We can then ask them their secret, how they met and give them a round of applause.

Ring Engraving Sayings

A Deal's a Deal
Always
Always faithful
As you wish
Because You Love Me
Be Mine
Can I Keep You?
Circle of Love
Eternity
Every Day I Love You More
Finally complete
For all days
For my greatest love
Forever
Forever and a day
Forever in my heart
Gotcha
Grow old with me
Here is my heart, guard it well!
I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine
I Dream About You
I'm Always With You
In Thy Brest My Hart Doth Rest
Joy without end
Let us love always
Love Conquers All
Love is Eternal
Love Never Fails
MINE!
My Beloved
My Best Friend
My Heart
My heart's desire
My heart is yours forever
My love
My one desire
My one true love
Near or far, I still love you
Never to Part
No one but you
Non-refundable
Put It Back On
Put Me Back On
So in Love With You
Soulmates Forever
Sparkle of my life
Sweet Love
Sweet Treasure
The beginning of forever
To encircle with love
To Eternity and Beyond
To Have and To Hold
Too late now
Wrapped around you forever
Will You Marry Me?
With equal step
Why's it off?
You have my heart
You Are My Sun, My Moon, And My Starlit Sky
You jump, I jump
You're in my soul
mm/dd/yyyy (wedding date)

Bridesmaid Dress Rant

After Christmas shopping all day, I come home and find I have a message on the machine from Macy's. Apparently, my last bridesmaid just left the store, but the manager needs to discuss something with me.

Next message from 4th BM: "Don't punch me in the face but, Macy's told me that since I took so long to come into the store, there may be a rush charge--but don't worry, I'll pay for it myself."

So I call Macy's and the manager's telling me she would feel more comfortable if we rush the bridesmaid dress order since it takes 3-4 months to get them in. I told her in no uncertain terms, we would not be paying an extra FIFTY bucks a person (my BM thought it was only $50 for all when she offered to pay and I wouldn't hold her to that.)

The manager says she's going to call the manufacturer Monday to give me a definite time line to "base my decision on", but they would have had to tell me the dresses wouldn't show up until April 24 for me to agree to a rush charge when they never gave me a deadline for ordering the dresses...

So I called Macy's today since they never got back to me about the delivery date. Naturally, when I get on the phone with the manager, she tells me they ordered the dresses and, "of course, we didn't need a rush order."

Of course! That's what I told her. So the expected delivery date is mid-March. Hmm, but they would have taken my extra $50 per person if I had fallen for their scare tactics.

Wedding Nightmare

Last night I had my first real wedding nightmare. I've dreamed about the wedding in the past, but this one really felt real. I was so relieved to wake up and realize it was just a dream. Here's the gist of it:

It's starts off with my having forgotten my wedding shoes. So, I try not be get upset and put on some brightly colored shoes that are wrong but will hopefully be covered by my dress.

Then John and I finished our ceremony and entered the reception. We went straight to the dance floor and the photographer (should have been the DJ, but you know how dreams are) said they didn't have our first dance song. So we got off the floor, thinking we'd do the dance a little later. (John and I have taken extensive dance lessons, both professional private lessons and group lessons, so our first dance is a big deal to us.)

Well, the dream zooms forward to after the reception in our honeymoon suite. I'm talking to John who is calming folding clothes and putting them in drawers. I start crying hysterically because we NEVER did our first dance. All the money we paid for lessons was wasted because we didn't perform the dance.

John is trying to comfort me, but doesn't appear to be upset. I start reflecting back on the reception, and I start freaking out because I never even saw the videographers. They never showed up. We never danced once during the reception, not even to fast songs. I couldn't remember speaking to any family or guests, and I wasn't even sure if our pictures would turn out.

I continued to cry hysterically because all of our meticulous plans were wasted--I remembered none of the wedding, didn't have dancing, didn't greet guest and wouldn't even have a video to show for it. I woke up wondering why none of my plans came to fruition.

Whew... I was never so relieved to hear the alarm go off.

Bridezilla is Born

I had my first Bridezilla moment...

I took my bridesmaids to Macy's to look at dresses--since this is where I bought my dress, and they would get a discount. But, I was concerned that the dresses there were still too expensive, so I was prepared to let them get the dress they chose somewhere else if they wanted.

Well, the sales girl at Macy's told me several times in the presence of all my BM that they "beat prices" and that we should shop around and let them know what we find.

Based on this, my MOH called every store in the metropolitan Washington area and found the dress for $49 cheaper. I went back to Macy's and asked them to match the price and the manager didn't know what I was talking about.

I found the sales girl and suddenly she's telling me a new story. Something lame to the effect of "I said, we match prices if we can, but some prices are too low and then we can't". Yeah, that's what you told me.

So, I went back and forth with her because this once courteous woman had now copped an attitude as if to imply one should not be cheap if one wants to shop at Macy's. This brought out my bridezilla because it never would have occured to me to try to price-match if she hadn't specifically told me to do so. All the drama was caused by her not being aware of store policy and nothing that we'd done wrong.

When all was said and done, I got them to give us the dress for $145 instead of $181.

Moving Along

Now that it's November there are more To-Do's for the wedding. So far we've ordered invitations and picked out bridesmaid dresses. This month we really need to decide what we want to do for wedding rings, order bridesmaid dresses and I need find bridal accessories and find someone to style my hair.

So much to do... still plenty of time!

6 Month Mark

Woo-hoo! Today we finally hit the 6 month mark in our count down to the wedding. I'm so excited that I can't stand it. After the holidays come and go, it won't be long until we walk down the aisle!

Bridesmaid Dresses

I've discovered that my girls could get this dress for only $81!

October Plans

I have a long list of wedding to-dos this month. I'm hoping we can work out the bridesmaid dress situation. But that process has been moving slowly. I think my top two choices are these dresses:

We also want to search for invitations and wedding bands. So much to do and before we know it, we'll have only 6 months left!

Toxic Cookware

Friday night John and I went to receive a prize we'd "won" from a bridal show drawing. To collect the 4 day/3 night hotel stay in Orlando, Las Vegas, Hawaii or Cancun we had to sit through a housewares presentation by Royal Prestige or 21st Century Concepts.

We knew going in that there would be a high pressure sales pitch, but the guy did give us a bit of a scare when he began to discuss "toxic cookware."

The guy tried to tell us that Calphalon and All-Clad cookware wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He told us that non-stick and alluminum cookware were hazards to our health.

Most of the evidence he provided was based in fact, but he used scare tactics to convince us. Their "health system" cookware really did seem impressive, but it was WAY too expensive for us to consider.

I admit, I was a sucker and wanted to buy at least on thing, but John prevailed as the voice of reason and we left with our three-star hotel package and our free film.

Since leaving, we did a lot of research and decided to delete the aluminum cookware we register for and replace it with stainless steel just to be safe.

Here are some of the claims the salesman made about "toxic cookware"

- With aluminum cookware you "eat" your cookware. He demonstrated this by rubbing a white piece of paper on the bottom of a clean plan for less than a minute. When he lifted the sheet we could see aluminum residue on it.

- Several European countries have banned the use of aluminum cookware

- Non-stick pans emit toxic fumes when the are used on high heat. He showed us several sets of instructions that explicitly state they should not be used on "high" heat settings.

- The fumes from heating non-stick pans have been shown to kill small birds.

Since leaving this presentation, I've read online about several brides who felt scammed by the Royal Prestige company. I do believe their "waterless" health system cookware is a quality product, but it is grossly more expensive than the cookware sold in retail stores... which makes the purchase prohibitive.

As for the health claims they made. You can injest aluminum from your cookware. Is it harmful. No proof has shown yet that it is. Some are trying to link aluminum with alzheimers disease but the results are inconclusive.

Non-stick pans do emit fumes that are toxic to birds because of their small respiratory systems. It has yet to be shown that these fumes are harmful to humans.

Decide for yourself:

http://www.ewg.org/reports/toxicteflon/es.php
http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/07/07232001/cookware_44371.asp

Registering

We made our registry appointment for the Hecht's in Bowie Town Center (a new shopping center about 15 minutes from our house). The women in the registry department were so rude and lazy. They barely wanted to help us. Basically, she took my name and handed me the scan gun.

John and I had a difficult time finding a china pattern in the price range we wanted... and we weren't sure what to do. Finally, we decided to go with a more expensive setting because it was the only one we agreed on.

So we go to scan it and can't even find a box with the placesetting in it. We found one plate. So I go to one of the useless "bridal consultants" and ask for help. They can't find it either. So, I say, how am I supposed to expect my guests to buy this, if I can't even find one to scan. She blinks at me.

Next I say, what about your Annapolis store? Do they have it? She finally gets her act together to call and they have it. Instead of taking the sku number she wrote down, I tell them we're going to that store to register.

That was THE smartest move. The entire time we were in the Bowie Hecht's we were curious why we needed to make an appointment if the "bridal consultants" barely spoke and couldn't answer any questions. At the Annapolis store we had a perfect experience. The woman took us step by step through picking the china, stemware and flatware. She set the setting in front of us so we could see it all together. Then she broke down the additional pieces and when we were done, she gave us the gun and set us free in the home store.

We had a ball. It took forever, so we got overwhelmed and didn't register for too many things. But, we were so glad we went to a new store that actually provided assistance and advice.

Hawaii Here We Come

Today, Robyn and I booked our 15-day Hawaii Honeymoon. Woo Hoo! Too bad we have to wait until next year to actually go.

Snorkeling

This is only loosely related to our wedding planning. But, we signed up for swimming lessons yesterday. We'll be taking them at a community college, since private lessons are so expensive.

Hopefully, after the lessons are over, we'll be able to go snorkeling in Hawaii. It's been years since I've done more than get into a pool and jump around. I had lessons as a child, but it must not be like riding a bike because I don't remember how. Therefore, I can't get into water that's over my head. Being only 4'11"... that's not very deep water that I can stand up in.

Full Steam Ahead

We'd had sort of a rest-period on the wedding planning front. But, now things are back up and running.

This week we drafted our wedding announcement for the paper, sent out Save the Date cards for out-of-town guests, made an appointment to discuss professional dance lessons and on Sunday we'll go to a cake-tasting for our groomscake. Yay! More progress!

Running Out of Ideas

I was initially so happy that we'd made all of the big decisions for the wedding, but now I really miss have things that need planning. The only decisions we have left are picking out toasting flutes and a groom's cake. We already know what favors we want to use and I saw a ring pillow online that I like. We even know where we want to go for our honeymoon. What am I going to do without wedding planning?

Flaked Out

Our dear friends Sharon and Bill are getting married in a week and 4 days at the Wyndham Washington Hotel. The same place we've decided to get married. Well, Sharon called last night. She was very upset. Apparently, the coordinator at the Wyndham, who had become infamous with John and I as "Flakey Fred", quit and left for North Carolina with no notice and he's never coming back.

I was skeptical whether Fred would still be around for our wedding day, but I seriously expected him to make it to my Sharon's wedding in less than 2 weeks. She was so ticked off that he couldn't even spare her a phone call after they'd worked together for months.

Well, I have to say that I'm neither surprised nor disappointed that Fred is gone. I'm SO happy John and I nickle-and-dimed him on the contract and got all of his whimsical promises in writing. Now, I just have to keep my fingers crossed that they hire someone BETTER and not WORSE!

Party Prep

Then engagement party on Saturday was a success. But, Friday was a bit stressful for a couple of reasons.

First, I left work early to go home and prepare for the party. I got on the 4:24 pm train, which is just before the train I normally take home. Well, that train broke down. The train behind it (my regular train) came and picked us up. Over half of the passengers were left on the platform. I got on the train , but now my regular train was delayed because it was over-crowded and had to drop of extra passengers. We got to my station an hour after the train normally gets in. It took me a total of 3 hours to get home. So much for leaving early.

Then, John and I ran out and did ALL the shopping we needed for the party. We didn't get home until around 10 pm. We were supposed to do some last minute cleaning and then prepare the lasagna's. John was tired, so we decided to work in shifts. I stayed up until 3 AM making veggie lasagna, and pasta salad, cleaning and decorating. John got up around 4 AM to finish up and make his meat lasagna. Well, just before I went to bed, I moved the lasagna from the oven to the fridge.

Guess what happened? That's right, the tin tray collapsed and it dropped on the floor. I was too through. It was 2:30 AM and the lasagna was on the ground. Most of it was still in the pan. Lots of it was on the floor, the counters, the chairs, the fridge.

I cleaned it up. Mopped the floor. Put what was left in the fridge and went to bed. John's alarm went off at 4AM and I told him I dropped the lasagna on the floor. Luckily, it was salvagable and was a enjoyed by all who tasted it. BTW, I never got any... was too busy being a hostess.

So, I woke up the next morning and cleaned up the bedroom and all the bathrooms. We got everything done. But the guest were due to arrive at 2 pm and I still was in my PJs with my hair looking crazy.

I got into the shower at 1:30 pm when the doorbell rang. It was my mother. I didn't get down to the party until about 2:15. But, it was all smooth sailing after that.