100 Happy Days, Week 1

I have a couple of friends from college who are doing the #100HappyDays challenge, and posting their results to Facebook. It seemed like a good idea, and with so much stress happening in the buildup to the wedding, I thought focusing on the positive and happy couldn't hurt.

So, I've signed up for the #100HappyDays challenge. I'm now one week in, and though I'd post a compilation of this week's images here. 

Day 1, 5/24, T-99

Ah, The Moose. I could totally make this a 100DaysofMoose challenge if I wanted to. I don't, really, so I figured I'd get this one out of the way now. But gosh, isn't he so darn cute?

Day 2, 5/25, T-98
I try to avoid impulse clothing buys (hahahahha) so a couple of weeks ago when I tried this dress on at Kohl's, I was very proud of myself for walking away. But days passed, and I kept thinking about it. Wouldn't it be perfect for my July bridal shower? So, I went back and bought it, then brought it home, put it on, and twirled around. I can't WAIT until July when I get to wear it. 

Day 3, 5/27, T-98

This one was a pleasant surprise. We've got good friends Mr. C met through work. They are seriously the nicest people. They've got an adorable little house a little north of us, and they invited a bunch of us over for a bbq on Memorial Day. At one point in the evening, the husband was hanging out with Mr. C and another of our friends, and the wife and I were sitting on the porch. She ran upstairs and came down with a guitar, which I didn't realize she played, and we spent the rest of the evening sitting around and singing. Eventually the boys joined in, and by the end we were all belting songs from The Little Mermaid at the tops of our lungs. It was pretty awesome. 

Day 4, 5/27, T-97

Oooo, sparkle. It isn't really the sparkle itself that made me happy, although hard to ignore that. What really made me happy were two things connected with this photo. First is that I was there trying on the ring with Lady A. Mr. C and I had gone the week before (see previous posts), and I knew that, for myself, I'd need to go back and try some things on. Lady A came with, and was the perfect person to have with me. She knew our budget, made sure I didn't get talked into anything, and was able to articulate exactly what I was thinking. She's seriously awesome, you guys. The other part that made me happy is what my wedding band will stand for. It is the physical symbol that Mr. C and I are going to be a team. We're going to be right next to each other, supporting each other, encouraging each other, for the rest of our lives. And if that doesn't make you happy, I don't know what does. 

Day 5, 5/28, T-96

On Day 4, I didn't take a photo. I know, I know, awful right? I guess I'll have to take two somewhere along the line. I realized the problem of primarily using Instagram to document this challenge. What made me happy on May 28th was reading some of the inspirational words of Doctor Maya Angelou, who passed away that morning. She was someone who I have always admired, and her words have offered me guidance. When I was first thinking of going into the museum field, a good friend of mine sent me this quote. "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need to be lived again." I've tried to carry this with me throughout my career, to face those sometimes difficult topics that are so vital for us to preserve and keep in the public consciousness. 

Day 6, 5/29, T-95

Last week, Mr. C went down to NYC to pick out his suit and spend some time with some friends. While he was there, they got tickets to go to the barely week old 9/11 Memorial Museum. Being a museum curator, I told him he had to take a lot of pictures and copious notes for discussion after he got home. Well, he didn't take the pictures, but he did pay attention to a lot of little details that he shared with me. Then, on the evening of Day 6, I was sitting in my car after coming back from the gym while the digital creators for the exhibit were giving an interview. It was a great feeling being able to listen to their discussion, knowing that as soon as I got into the apartment, Mr. C and I could talk about it at length. 

Day 7, 5/30, T-94 

Watching the rain clouds come in. Today, the weather was very off and on. In fact, I sent my poor interns out to plant part of the garden after looking at the weather online, and we though we'd have a couple of clear hours. Within three minutes, a front passed through, and they both got soaked! I was running errands later, and as I was heading back to work I saw this great cloud. I miss really being able to watch weather move here in NY, but this was a gorgeous rain cloud coming down the valley. 

The Noms

Oh, the noms. I already detailed, at length, the delicious desserts that we'll be offering at the wedding. But the food itself is going to be DELICIOUS.

I know this for a fact, because when Mr. C and I were back in Iowa for Christmas, we and my parents were able to do a tasting. Our caterer is included in our venue, and we really could customize whatever we wanted. They offered us suggestions based on our preferences and guest list, and we tweaked from there. Here's what we're having:

Via Catering DSM. I was too busy eating to take photos myself. 

Cocktail Hour:
Cheese & Fresh Fruit Display with Crackers & Breads, Hummus, & Hot Cheesy Artichoke Dip*
Prime Rib Slider with Boursin Cheese & Pickled Red Onion
BBQ Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
5 Spice Chicken Wonton Cup with Sweet Chili Slaw (Passed)
Fresh tomato, smoked mozzarella, basil and garlic oil on a crostini

Dinner:
Seared NY Strip** with a Honey Peppercorn Sauce served with Herbed Potato Gratin & Roasted Asparagus
Frenched Breast Chicken*** with Boursin Cream Sauce served with White Cheddar Potato Puree & Seasonal Vegetables
Roasted Salmon with Beurre Blanc Sauce with White Cheddar Potato Puree & Seasonal Vegetables
Free Form Vegetable Lasagna with Asiago Cream Sauce & Arabbiatta Sauce

Seriously, I am so excited. Mr. C has already decided on the steak. And honestly, I'm torn between the steak and the lasagna. I know, right, lasagna? But seriously, it was delicious. During the tasting, they brought each of us a full serving of each entree, but luckily they let us take a lot of it home in boxes. The lasagna was the first one to go!

*When we tasted the artichoke dip, it was good, but was not cheesy enough. Previously, our caterer had called it Artichoke Dip. Note that it is now Cheesy Artichoke Dip. And yes, I realize there are a LOT of dishes with cheese in them, but hey, I'm a Midwest girl.

**They will be cooking all of the steaks to medium. People are welcome to send them back to cook them more, but they said having people request prior just leads to more confusion.

***Ah, the Frenched Breast Chicken. The caterers actually call it Airline Chicken, which simply means that it is a breast with a wing attached. But how awful does Airline Chicken sound? Frenched breast is another term for the same thing, so we're definitely callling it that.

Putting a ring on it

Nothing purchased yet, but Lady A and I went and tried on bands tonight after the frustration of last week's non-fitting band fiasco. According to our jeweler, the full custom matching ring with baguette side stones and a horseshoe of diamonds would cost over $1,400. OUCH.

So, instead, I looked at options for straight across bands. At first, I was going for super skinny ones, but look at what we found!

Kabling!

The band itself was too small to fit past my knuckle, but I think it looks great. And turns out, once I was actually able to try some rings on, I really didn't mind the gap as much as I thought I would. Now let's just see if Mr. C is okay with it being about $100 over budget.....

Mirror Mirror

So, confession time. I try very hard to not be too "trendy". There is nothing wrong with chalkboards, mason jars, or striped straws, but they are just not for me. However, there is one trend I seem unable to avoid - mercury glass.

Oh, how I love it. It is elegant and pretty and can be formal or casual and is so gosh darn beautiful. Vases, jars, candleholders, you name it, I want it. But, even I know that moderation is necessary. So rather than cover every available surface in mercury glass (as much as I'd like to), I'm limiting myself to signage.

I put my dad's sisters on the task of finding old glass or mirrors.

Oh, and just for fun. Here's a list of other "trendy" things that I would love to do, but have said no to for various reasons (mostly cost and/or Mr. C's dislike of them)

• Watercolor everything. Paper, dresses, table linens. I love it. If we redid the wedding in a more outdoor setting, I would go full-on watercolor for everything I could. 
• Trees/birds. When we were first moving in together and working on selecting decor for the apartment, we quickly realized that if something was had birds and/or branches on it, I was going to love it. Especially if it was teal. While I am finding a way to sneak some branches in (you'll seeeeeeee!!) I did try to restrain myself. 
• "Vintage". I have a hard time with this term, because it can really mean anything. Old looking, quirky, distressed, there are so many things that fit into the category. Other than my mercury glass, we're avoiding this. Mr. C's taste is much more elegant, so things looking ramshackle is not his favorite. 

What about you? Any trends you're incorporating? Which ones are you leaving out?

Mind the Gap

I love my engagement ring. We searched long and hard to find the perfect setting, and Mr. C found a gorgeous center stone and it is absolutely perfect.

The problem, then, is that I never really considered what our wedding band would look like. It certainly did not even enter my mind when I was choosing an e-ring setting. I guess this is why I am terrible at chess.

Last night was Mr. C and I's one year "engageversarry". We've been meaning to go look at wedding bands for awhile, and felt like this was a good excuse. So, we went down to our jeweler's new shop (no more mall!) and took a look at what they had.

Within 15 minutes, Mr. C had picked out the ring he wanted. He walked in saying "white gold, dad ring." Aka, very simple. He ended up picking out one that was a little fancier than I'd expected him to, but it looks great. White gold, brushed in the middle, shiny on the rim on each edge. This isn't the exact ring, but it is pretty close in looks:

via Zales

For me, it was a little harder. In fact, we didn't make a decision, and I feel kind of awful. What I didn't realize when I picked my band was that, because I wanted a low profile and Mr. C gave me this beautiful, not minuscule diamond, the only way to have a flush wedding band is to custom order. Which, as you can imagine, is not cheap.

Without doing a custom order, my only options are to have a gap between my engagement ring and my wedding band. For illustration purposes, here's an image found on a Weddingbee post all about the dreaded (or not so dreaded, for some) gap.

via Mrs. Major on Weddingbee

 Her engagement ring is very, very similar to my own, except my baguettes don't taper out. There are some women who love the gap, and intentionally pick rings where it is highlighted. For me, I really am not thrilled with the idea. But, I think budget wise, it is something I'm going to have to get used to. I'm going to head back to the jewelry shop tonight or tomorrow to look some more, as I know it isn't something I'm going to be able to stop thinking about until I do some more trying on.

What do you think, gap, or no gap?

Papa

On Tuesday, Mr. C's grandfather, aka Papa, passed away. He had been in poor health for a long time, and was undergoing radiation on his neck that made it very difficult for him to eat or speak. While we're both very sad, we're happy to know that he is no longer in pain.

Over Easter, the entirety of Mr. C's family was able to get together at Nana & Papa's house. Mr. C's Cousin Baseball, was throwing a surprise 60th birthday for Uncle Baseball in Ohio, where Cousin Baseball lives and works. That meant that Uncle Baseball, who lives in South Carolina, was able to reschedule the last half of his trip when we realized that Papa was really not doing well. We'd been planning on heading to Mr. C's parent's for Easter, but easily switched gears. It was really lovely getting to spend the entire weekend with Mr. C's extended family. We had our own mini Easter service in the living room, where one of Mr. C's younger cousins gave a sermon, and we all ate way too much ham.

I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend the time with Papa that I did. I don't have any grandparents left, so have really appreciated how lucky I was to come into a family with two. Papa & Nana embraced me with open arms, and made me feel like I was just another one of the grandkids, in the best way. I will always remember trying to sneak the good flavors of jelly beans out of the jar on Easter Sunday, and Papa waggling his finger at me with a smile. He loved his family, was devoted to his community, and will be sorely missed by us all.

Papa with his grandpuppy Bear in early April

Dressing Our Moms

My mom and Mr. C's mom are a study in opposites. Dr. Mom, mine, is a veterinarian who owns her own practice, doesn't take crap from anybody, and is more comfortable in an Iowa State sweatshirt and blue jeans than anything else. Her illustrative example is that when she was 7 months pregnant with me, she was testing for the next belt up in Tai Kwon Do. They wouldn't let her do flying sidekicks because of the pregnancy, and she was pissed. That, in one story, is my mom.

At a friends' wedding a few years ago. Silly faces, but typical wedding wear.

Mamma C, on the other hand, is a fashion conscious kindergarten teacher. I love her dearly, but she is so different from my own mom. Whereas my mother is taller than my 5' 7" by a solid inch and a half, Mamma C fits under my chin. As a result, she lives in high heels. Her illustrative example is that when we moved Sister C into her new apartment, carrying furniture and boxes, Mamma C was right there with us in leopard print stilettos.

Mr. C's family at a wedding last fall. Not pictures, Mamma C's stiletto shoes

So, when it came to choosing dresses for each lady, it was not an easy task. Mamma C needed something keeping with her usual style, while my mom is a one-dress-a-year type of girl, and anything too over the top would make everyone who knows her go "who the heck is that?" So, we set out looking for dresses that would make them both feel happy, comfortable, and like themselves.

For Mamma C, we were looking at sparkles. When both of our families were here with us, we went to the shop where I had bought my gown. Both mom's went through the racks. My mom didn't hit on anything that was perfect, but Mamma C picked out a few options. Finally, we settled on this stunner:

Style 114900 for Montage by Mon Cherie 

This was actually one of the more subdued dressed that Mamma C tried on. We were trying to find something that was still perfect for her, without being too unbalanced from the type of (read: simpler) dresses my mom was looking at. We went ahead and ordered this, with the caveat that we'll shorten it to a pencil skirt. It is going to look awesome. I haven't yet gotten to see Mamma C in it, but here's a photo of the dress:

Sneak peak of Sister C's dress!

My mom actually ended up finding her dress without me. We'd gone back and forth for awhile, and in fact when she and my dad came out to visit, she brought a couple of options with her. Unfortunately none of those worked, so the search continued. Now, Brother E broke up with his girlfriend last month, but she had been very close with my family. So much so that my mom took her along when looking for dresses. And boy, did they find a beauty.

Dress 72259 by C20 for Watters

Seriously, this is the perfect dress for my mom. Comfortable to move in, a good length, glamorous without being flashy. I was super excited that we had the chance to go try it on when I was home last month, so I could see it in person. It is so pretty! Then, of course, the next question has to be about jewelry and shoes. Because Mamma C's dress is so sparkly, I wanted my mom to have a fun necklace to balance it out. And boy, we managed it.

Bling!

See???? So pretty and sparkly. And matching earrings. And we found her some shoes that she'll be comfortable (and taller than me, always and still) in.

So that's the story of what our mom's our wearing. We still need to finalize the details for Mamma C, but next time they're in town we'll get to go try on her dress and see what she wants to pair with it. I can't wait!