Real Life Wedding Crashers

Kent was watching a news story about real life wedding crashers. He said that the crashers found the weddings by "googling" for them. Does this put me at risk? Will there be internet wedding crashers at my wedding because I have a website on The Knot? Maybe I should post a phony date on my website and phony times so to protect myself. On the other hand, are wedding crashers like free entertainment?

I went to see the movie Wedding Crashers in Moline at the Super Savers a while ago. They portrayed wedding crashers as fun, dancing, and interesting guys who pleased all the ladies. There may not be many ladies at my wedding to please. All my friends and relatives are married, soon to be married, gay, or gay-in-a-committed-relationship. So my wedding may not be the one to go to, wedding crashers. No hot hotties and smoking barely legals to terrorize at my wedding. Sorry.

My 100th Post!

Well, I'm still writing on this blog so there must me something very therapeutic about it for me. I've been using the time off from working at the school this winter break to work full time at the Bread Garden (my other job). I think I should be able to pay off a few things with the extra money I'll make. I got one of my paychecks today. I don't know what I would do without this job!

Last night after worked, I cashed in one of my X-mas coupons from Kent. I received one of my massages.

When I met Kent he gave the worst massages but I must say I have trained him pretty good. I like to think of myself as a massage enthusiast. In art school, my roommates and I were always willing to exchange back rubs. They were especially important after spending long days traveling and hiking in Europe.
I have been told by my friends and fellow waitstaff/co-workers both at Micky's (when I worked there) and at the school that my true calling is massage therapy. It must be my big strong german hands and my robust stature. My massages are not for the weak and flimsy, however. You gotta like some deep tissue rubbin' to endure one of my massages. Kent is ticklish and can be a little too sensitive for my rubs but I can tone it down to suit him alright.

Anyway, my back rub last night was juuuuuust right. I've been having trouble sleeping lately again and my legs get twichy and stiff. Its absolutely maddening when you are trying to sleep.

I'm trying not to take advantage of Kent's new found free time while he looks for another full time job. I can get lazy, tho'. Its so easy to let him take Olivia out to go potty and have hime cook and do the dishes. I have to remember to make the same amount of effort. However, I could get used to a house husband. Today, I made sure to take out trash, do dishes, take out Olivia, ect. so he knows I'm trying to keep house too.

I was looking at honeymoons on the Wedding Channel website today. There were pictures of a spa/resort in Greece that started me dreaming. It looked positively decadent. I hope we can have a honeymoon someday. I'm not sure we will have the resources/time to enjoy one right away. Maybe we should take a honeymoon to celebrate our first year together or so. I would appreciate any suggestions on cheap yet nice locations, ect. For a week long honeymoon. I think it would be a nice reward for all that planning and moving stress.

The Day after Christmas...

Above is my favorite gift this Christmas from Kent. You know I'm going to enjoy this one... Because I can put together a super night. I've had a few ideas. So far I'm thinking of some kind of theatre, dinner at the Lincoln Cafe in Mount Vernon and then some kind of dancing at a ballroom... Very exciting. I actually got tears when I read them. Kent and I decided to do stockings this year but then Kent got fired- I ended up doing most of the stocking/presents work. To make up for it Kent included four coupons in my stocking- the one above, two for massages with soft music and candlelight, and one for a dinner at home of my choice with soft music, romantic atmosphere at the kitchen table with place mats, ect. We had a very relaxing and loving Christmas as just the two of us.

This was the first Christmas that I didn't see my family since I was abroad in Italy. Therefore, my family and I sent gifts in the mail to each other. This turned out to be somewhat of a fiasco. Things got mailed to the wrong addresses and things were consequentially double shipped. Also, shipping on gifts turned out to be just as much if not more than the price of the gift alone! Also, I'm very confused about return policies and return shipping. Will I have to pay for this too? Maybe in the future I will just send gift cards and/or money. Now I understand why my aunts and uncles just sent us money growing up. Everything turns out to be very complicated.

I have today, the day after Christmas, off. I know I need to avoid the stores. There are a lot of things I need to do over this break. On one hand I feel restless to do things and on the other I feel just a little too lazy to do them. Maybe I just don't really want to do the things I need to do and I want to do funner things like go see the movie Rent. That brings me to another problem- I need to stay away from another thing I like to do: Shopping. I can't spend any more money.

That's a problem with Christmas. It reminds you how much fun it is to shop. Then the stores have even bigger sales after Christmas to capitalize on this fact. You spend a lot of time shopping for other people and looking at things that you hope to get for Christmas without getting them for yourself. Then Christmas happens and you don't get the things you saw for yourself and then you somehow feel justified in shopping for yourself after Christmas and you've already spent too much anyway! This holiday has a serious darkside. For example, I decided I wanted an ipod for Christmas. Instead of buying me an ipod Kent bought me some very lovely black pearl with little diamond earrings. Now I want to go buy myself an ipod. Would I want an ipod so much if it wasn't Christmas? Probably not because I know that I can't afford such a luxury. Its alright though because I know my birthday is coming and Kent will have a new and better job by then and we will be alright.

I do think it was really very heartless to fire someone right before X-mas. What if we had kids? Think about how hard that would have been. Kent was really counting on his paychecks this month. How cruel. Kent has only been written up at his work one time and was one of the hardest workers this restaurant had. He didn't do anything that warranted immediate firing: he didn't steal, work under the influence, harass anyone, ect. He simply did what he understood to be his job as a manager. Kent simply made too much money there and the establishment was entering the slowest season of the year. However, Kent seems happier without this job. I just hope he can find a job that makes him happier to replace it. So everyone, give us your prayers, we need them. It may be hard to find a job with a move so close on the horizon.

It's almost Christmas. Kent and I are staying in Iowa and saving our pennies. The last couple of Christmas vacations my family has gone down to Arizona to stay with my brother, Mike, and his family. Above is a picture I took near a very famous spot. I think it was the Okay Corral or somthing. I can't actually remember.
Isn't it pretty? We also went on a horseback ride that year that was very nice. Kent was unable to accompany on these trips. It was always a little hard spending time with my family without him there.
Tomorrow we are going to Cedar (c)Rapids to spend the day with Kent's parents. We will probably go to mass and have a nice dinner. Kent's family is Lutheran so I'm able to follow the service well enough from my Catholic background.
I generally go to church for the music above all else. I love to sing at church. I should join a church choir one of these days. Iam also often moved my the sense of community one can find at church.
Yesterday, JR and I were walking dogs and discussing how we've been craving church and, still worse, Catholic mass! This is very hard to comprimise with our steady pro-choice and pro-gay views. However, it is comforting and retrospective to attend catholic mass like putting on a security blanket. I go time to time when I'm not working nonetheless.
Happy Holidays everyone!

Anyone who thinks it kinda sucks that kids can't celebrate X-mas at school anymore should watch this cartoon (compliments of my Uncle Bernie). I knew there was something good about going to Catholic school!

A night just for me...

Well, Kent is working at his part time job right now and I get the house to myself a bit. This is very nice. I did my final stocking stuffer shopping today. It was actually very warm with sun so it felt good to break out from the cabin fever.

I went to the new gourmet store here in town called The prairie Table. Damn, that's a fun store. They have all kinds of gourmet meats, cheeses, olive oil, and wine. They also have all the fancy schmancy cooking supplies. When I make my fortune I'm opening a store just like this one. I hope it does well. God know people in Iowa City can afford it. I wish I were one of them.

Well, looks like I was invited to eat sushi with my friends Rich and Genevieve tonight so I better go get ready.

One thing I'm really looking forward to about Seattle is the fresh fish and the sushi opportunities. I know Chris will be a happy to go with me any time I get the craving. Only, he likes me to get things that even I can't swallow. I think sometimes, for men, eating sushi turned into a battle of the taste buds. Who can swallow the strangest things and then say, "Yeah, that's not bad!" When Kent and I were in Seattle a few years ago Chris got me to eat sushi with huge fish eggs in it and I almost couldn't do it. Chris looked at me while I ate it with the shittiest grin on his face. He really gets pleasure from the strangest things... Gotta love him for that.

International Geo-hits

hooray! I got hits in China and in Spain! I had a geo-hit in Australia but I know that was my friend Kara checking up on me :).

Mulled Wine disaster

Well, I actually got a couple of friends to come over last night. I had homemade jalepeno jelly over cream cheese with crackers, the accumulated bottles of beer in my refrigerator, a few bottles of red wine, and some mulling spices my parents bought me on their visit.

We watched my favorite show, Project Runway. Then we watched the Being Bobby Brown X-mas Special. The challenge this week was to group into teams and make lingerie lines consisting of three outfits. Santino (the show's golden boy) bombed his line because of his inability to work well as a leader. It just goes to show that you can have all the skill in the world but if you're a cocky and rude you won't necessarily be a good leader. You have to be a good team leader, delegator and communicator to succeed (that turned into a slight rant, opps...). The guy who was out this week was the better leader and shouldn't have been cut. When asked who from his team should be out he responded that if it came down to the chopping block that he would take the heat and nominate himself. Santino did the cowardly thing and nominated Emmett, one of his team members. Damn, I love this show. It reminds me of art school.

Anyway, I digress, I read the directions on the mulled wine spices wrong and used apple cider vinegar instead of just plain apple cider. The mulling process turned into a stink bomb making process. The smell was so offensive that Kent's eyes were watering and he got a headache. I was a little too tipsy from the beer to notice. Or maybe it was my problematic nose that kept me from being affected? Whatever, Dr. Jeckyl turned into Mr. Hyde so we had to go somewhere else to have our fun.

We tried to go somewhere new but that didn't really work out. So the Deadwood it was... It was pretty fun. We helped Melissa write a poem that I will publish for you after she gives it to her girl (if she lets me). I really would love for all the bars in Iowa City to go smokeless. If I'm in smoke I just want to smoke myself. I get sicker from the smoke than I do from drinking. My olfactory system is so sensitive anyway. I would not smoke as much if at all if it the bars were smokeless.

In wedding news I received my ring pillow, wedding cameras, cake serving set, and bubbles in the mail yesterday. I was a little disappointed because I was initially excited at the possibility that my brothers' gifts found their way to my door. But it was also exciting to start collecting things for the wedding. I hope the cameras stay ok till next September. Any suggestions? Oh yeah, in case any of you missed the e-mail about my move last December and still have the 2001 Kountry Ln. Address for me please contact me so that I can update you.

Olivia got to see Santa. Unfortunately, Santa turned out to be a disheveled sweaty girl with dead eyes. I got the picture though.

I have been spending most of the night scanning from photo albums that Kent's mother entrusted to me. Here is my favorite one. It encompasses some of the things I love about him: The way he furrows his brows and sort of puckers his lips a bit when he's concentrating, his individuality, a bit of his vulnerability, his love of nature, how sometimes he seems his own best company, and most of all this image encompasses his quiet. Kent generally a very quiet person. I have learned over the years that he says more with is eyes and body language than he can say with words.

Psych Test Tonight!

I've been reading my psych getting ready for tonight's test. I love this stuff because I have always been enthralled my human behavior of all kinds. I have always been interested in how people get to be the way they are and why. Tonight I read about Erikson's (1950) Psychosocial Stages Model and I think they are very interesting... I'll skip over the young ones that are pretty basic. For example, when you are born you develop the ability to either trust or not trust based on your parents abilities to look after you.

In young adulthood we deal with intimacy vs. Isolation. This determined if you isolate yourself from intimate relationships. I have seen how far this can go and I flirted with isolation before I left for Italy and again after I returned. I am so happy I found Kent (and likewise he found me) because I think we were both on the path to isolation.

During middle adulthood you have generatively vs. Self-absorption. Here people need to decide what they can "give back" to the world. The alternative is possible meaninglessness in life.

In later age, humans major conflict is Integrity vs. Despair. This one really spoke to me as my fiance was just fired by our boss who is now entering this stage of his life. It is a time in life when one must reflect back on their life. The choices they make in life with contribute to a worthwhile sense of existence or feelings of despair and fear of death.

My moment in the sun!

Once upon a time, I went to an art school called SACI. One of my fellow SACI classmates informed me that I have a role in SACI's promotional movie on their website. If you have a fast internet connection you can watch it. Just click this link. You may even catch a glimpse of me, the artist, creating!

Cool new link!

I would like to draw everyone's attention to the new link I got that records my last 100 visitors' locations. So nice to know I'm not the only one who knows about my blog.

Consumption

I remember learning about times of American settlers in grade school. We used to play "Oregon Trails" on our Apple computers and sometimes when you would set your pace at grueling and your rations on meager your little sister would die of Consumption. I never understood what that really was.

Today, in the 21st century we have a whole new kind of consumption. The consumption of products marketed at us 24 hr.s a day. When my Momma asked me what I wanted for X-mas I didn't have anything planned out because with all the help she's giving for the wedding I didn't think it was appropriate to ask for extra crap on top of this very expensive one day. She convinced me to think of something.

I went on Amazon and thought, "Oh, well, I do want these expensive running shoes!" and then, "Oh yeah, I would also love this DVD or this PS2 game." Before I knew it I racked up almost 20 things on my list. Now, I really want those things while before I was mediocre about wanting them. The expectation of getting makes the want worse I think. Maybe, in a year from now I'll wonder... Did I really want those things or was the expectation making the desire so strong?

Maybe having a wedding is the same... Before this whole wedding thing I wanted to elope to Greece with Kent. My father said, "You wouldn't really do that would you?" Well... Yes, I would have. Then I got to thinking... Will I regret not having the wedding? Maybe. Now that I'm planning and running around trying to figure out this and that, I'm caught up in it. The expectation of it makes it more alluring.

I've been to probably 40 weddings in the last 5 years. I have seen some of the worst and some of the better weddings in the corridor area. I know they are a real pain in the ass. Yet, suddenly I'm excited about the prospect of my own upcoming event.

The point is our desire to consume is like a forest fire. It grows with oxygen. The more I talk about my desires and give them "air time" the more my need for them grows. I need to remember to slow down... Breath slower and think slower. When it comes to consumption you cannot submit to it.

Our "Knot" wedding website

I updated the link to "The Knot" (on the righthand side bar) so that anyone is interested in reading about Iowa City/Cedar Rapids and any progress on the wedding can go directly to our website.

Things are starting to get exciting!

X-country skiing and love (in general)

Well, X-country skiing with the dogs went VERY well. In fact, I think that Ben (the psycho crazy dog) was a great asset to the endeavors. He is a natural born pulling dog. When I hit the big hills I hooked him on his leash and coaxed him with, "Good boy, good boy" all the way up the hill. This dog pulled my fat ass up the hill! I think I will purchase a harness and make a habit of X-country skiing with his assistance. In fact, Knicky a lazy fun loving collie mix, who actually looked after me and check up more often, was more of a hindrance on the hills. He did not like to pull me up the hills. Ben acted like it was his mission in life.
After X-country skiing with the dogs I made my way to the Deadwood. This bar the place I can go and always either find someone I know or meet someone to be my friend for the night. Well, I spent the night drinking with "New" people that I never met before in my life. We played '90s Trivial Pursuit and watched the Simpsons. I divulged that I will be getting married in a year's time. Boy, everyone's got their story.
I can say this... People can change. Close friends will tell you that Kent and I were never perfect. But today, I can honestly say, I have nothing to really complain about. I love my man.
We bought his ring this weekend. A classic gold band reminiscent of my father's gold band. It's classic and will never go out of style. Kent was actually pretty excited about it. I will have to give plasma for a few months to pay for it but.. It's done!
I'm going to go out on a limb and say, "Men do change!" For the first couple years of our relationship we struggled. Big time. Kent had been a bachelor for many years. I was naive and new to love. But now we know despite our own hangups, we love each other and we are family together. To find home in someone's arms is the greatest indication of "true love." I can safely say, "I am marrying someone I love and look at and see my very own sense of family in his eyes". With him I will never be alone. He looks at me and I see all the pain of life melt away in his eyes.
Maybe I've had a few too many but I wonder if everyone experiences this. Love isn't easy and magical as the movies portays it. You really have to work to get there! My friends used to say that instead of a thesis I should have written, "Kent, 101," because I spent so much effort and time figuring us out. I think its paid off. I have a man who loves me without question and will be there for me no matter what.
Love to everyone... Including some family who just had a heart attack in their family. Uncle Jim... Take the strength of some of this heart. We're thinking about you.

Day of Snow and Doggie fun!

Its my only day off and I am awake and ready to enjoy the day. All my friends are out of town so it will have to be a Katy loves Katy kinda day. I just cleaned the kitchen and am on my way out the door to cross country ski. One of my favorite sports that I'm sure I will miss sorely when we move to Seattle.
I am debating whether I want to take JR's dogs, Ben and Knicky with me. I know Ben is going to be psycho and run some other skiiers over. If I feel strong I could hold him on a leash but that might ruin the experience. Later today, I'm thinking about taking all our dogs and having their picture taken with santa. Above is a picture of the infamous "Daisy" (Chris' dog that he left with Mom and Dad when he moved to Seattle) with Santa. Its at Petsmart today for $5 a picture. All proceeds go to a good cause.
Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful day in the snow or the sun (where ever you all are).

Belle You scored 61 Independence, 61 Romance, 63 Loyalty, and 63 Practicality!

You are Belle! As the Ultimate Disney Female, you have a bit of everything! You are brave, happy to face beasts and wolves and evil men to save those you love, and exploring dark rooms with a wonderful sense of curiosity. You are loyal, looking after family and friends in any way that you can. You are loving, able to look beyond appearances and love someone for their personality, only happy with romance if you are treated like an equal. You are also brainy, loving books and culture, trying to invent things and improve your life, bored by dull routine people. You are everything an modern, intelligent, courageous, kind, romantic, and independent woman should be. You won't settle for less than what you dream of, and you won't let injustice go on around you.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 32% on bravery You scored higher than 63% on love You scored higher than 60% on family You scored higher than 32% on brains

Link: The What Disney Female are you Test written by lu-mina on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Obi-Wan Kenobi You scored 84% wisdom, 35% aggression, 60% power, and 84% morality!

You are one of the wisest Jedi of them all, and have had a very eventful career full of failures and successes. You are a skilled fighter, having defeated many powerful opponents in your time. You are not overly aggressive, though. You are more reserved and collected. Your sense of morality is without question, and you are a model Jedi.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 75% on wisdom You scored higher than 28% on aggression You scored higher than 44% on power You scored higher than 75% on morality

Link: The Famous Jedi or Sith Test written by SarumantheMad on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Quite a lot has happened since my last post I hardly know how to focus it. Since this is a "bridal blog" I think keeping it up to date on wedding information is the best start.
After deliberation with the married women I know from work I found that Hy-vee is where to go for flowers. This was something I was surprised to find I could get excited about. There are a lot of things to consider with flowers. Buttonieres, pew pieces, nosegays (to the delight of my bridal party, he he), my bouquet, table centerpieces, petals, ect. I'm very excited about the choices I made. I am on the lookout for 20 cheap candle lanterns. Please everyone! Make a fun "hunt" if you are out and about and find a lantern to either mail it to me and I'll reimburse you. I don't want asian or morrocon lamps. I'd like just a nice standard looking lamp.
That same day (I woke up on my day off at 6 am to go to Cedar Rapids and get things done) I met with my bridal party to dress shop. I found my dress and got if for half off at Heart to Heart. All my bridesmaids and tuxedo rentals will be through there in order to have this deal. I'm pretty much letting my bridesmaids pick out their own dresses because frankly, I don't really care what they wear. I just want them to be color coordinated and match. I did like my dress and everyone agreed that it was the best looking dress. The maid of honor was screaming, "Its the one!" in order to hurry matters a bit. I am happy with it but I did not have the crying, "...its the one" moment. I think that is Okay, though.
It was "friend Thanksgiving that day" and my maid of honor was cooking a turkey so they all had to leave after dress shopping. JR, my male attendant/best man, was able to hang out with me afterwards for lunch and then over to the rental agency. We had a great lunch at a pizza place called "Leonardo's". This was a really fun place. It had a 50s decor with Elivs, James Dean, ect. and the walls were covered with black quilted vinyl and the booths were blood red quilted vinyl. Jr and I had a pizza with mushrooms and stromboli and Hannah, Jr's foster daughter had taco pizza.
The rental agency was a real boring and long process. There is a lot of crap to consider. I'm happy its over with. I do have to go back and confirm and pick out the details but it was a process too annoying to even retell.
I've also been taking with caterers and pastry chefs, ect about food and cake much nothing is in stone yet. I also need to sort out hotels with the help of my sister in law, Angie. In case you were wondering, I haven't been doing everything by myself. Kent has put a hand in here and there with decision making.
A few birthdays have passed by... Yesterday Melissa turned 30, Mom had her birthday on the 4th of November, and Mike and Angie Obert (brother and sister-in-law in Arizona) had theirs on the 23rd and 24th. Jr will be celebrating his 30th birthday tomorrow on the plane to Vegas with his friends Melissa, Sara B, and his partner Andy. I cannot join them regrettably because I have to work and save my money but I gave them all the cash I had to gamble for me. Andy has been researching and practicing so I gave him $20, Melissa and Jr each got $5 to gamble for me. Maybe they'll win me some money to put into my credit card. If it wasn't for debt and wedding I would have probably gone. I also have put some restrictions regaurding Las Vegas and strip clubs on Kent so it would have been a double standard if I went.
Work has been getting very festive. We made "hand wreaths" with the kids at school that look very nice and christmas colored chains to hang from the ceiling. We are able to celebrate Christmas unlike a lot of other classrooms because we have a limited number of kids and we sent out a notice to the kids' parents letting them know and asking what they'd like included during the season. I put up the garlands and the lights at the Bread Garden but my brain almost exploded because of the malfunction of a few lights. It was the kind of lights where if one goes out they all turn off. Kent and I have all our decorations up at home and it looks very warm and cozy there too.
Mom just informed me they will be coming to visit during a house hunting trip. Yes, they finally got word that they are moving back to Waterloo (in the dead of winter, no less). Poor Pop-o... I will be so happy to have my momma here to help me.
So thanks for reading this huge update! I'll have to post something else that is fun for gettting through it all! Everyone be safe out there traveling in the snow!