It's official...

...I am that woman.

I was downstairs, humming Taps to myself partly out of respect that for some reason it is the first military tune that comes to mind (which is telling in and of itself) and I had just come in from listening to Webb talk about how politicized the military has become. And why I didn't realize this before, but hot damn if my stepfather was probably not a Republican. How I never really thought of that before (I mean, I DID grow up in Texas so it was kinda just a given) never crossed my mind. Love how NPR makes me think a lot more than say...Kube. Although, last night the Night Time Players (Mr. E in particular) had me thinking about "representing" and not blasting non-rap in the car. I digress.

Humming taps as I packaged up my deader than dead laptop. Yeah. Don't get me started. And yes, it is ironic that Mr. E was talking specifically about not banging Alanis, I read a blog from another brother today saying about the same and here I was thinking how friggin' ironic it was that my cake baker's laptop crashed (and she had just received it back) only to see. Mine was actually recalled for a service patch. One that conveniently all of a sudden renders your laptop useless. But not your harddrive. Which is yet another lesson in back up but it's not like I hear those lessons.

I just cry me a river and then Robert promises to get me a new computer (well, really, get HIM a new computer and I get his old one--I just play with photos and the internets, he's the one that's got all kinds of crazy going on and therefor needs the latest and greatest). Anyhow. Packed laptop up. check. Warmed up warmed over mac and cheese. Check. Went to go for hot sauce. Uhm.

Oh yeah. I have an extra bottle in the cupboard. Which is darn good because my other bottle is (wait for it)...













...uh yeah....













It is in my purse. And what?

Some fun stuff today:

Great catwalk at SisTv (be sure to check out Virginia Tillery's layout--she's my pic...love her)
Ani and Mario make an adorable robot groom and tiger print bride
My hair looks hot today

Some not so fun stuff today:

Work until 6:35. Deny appointments should NEVER last 1.5 hours
No him to come home to. See above. He's doing his civic duty
When visitors overstay their welcome. Guess we're on a roll here with this list.

Some "wow, this is my life stuff":

Not today, but hanging out with our absolutely amazing photographers Gerald and Arika. Ya'll blog readers chose so so SOOOOO very well on which photographer to go with. Love you all to pieces for that.

Saturday's Congressional Distict Caucus. I know people--relaly GREAT people going to Denver in August. I actually KNOW and get to talk to them and continue to know them. I didn't make it, but I know people who do. How absolutely amazing is that??

Things to just wonder:

Where are my books at.
Why I didn't just go finish my book off
Why I can't find something decent for my mother of the bride
Why it was so friggin' easy to find a little boys tux this time around
how it went from pure summer Sunday to "Feels like November" Tuesday. Loved it all though
where those RSVPs are from family folks who need to get it together already.

Oh to Love like this...

How to Wow: Proven Strategies for Presenting Your Ideas, Persuading Your Audience, and Perfecting Your Image by Frances Cole Jones Read more about this book...

The Beauty of Color: The Ultimate Beauty Guide for Skin of Color by Iman Read more about this book...

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin Read more about this book...

Because it is Friday and was gorgeous out earlier but is only getting cloudy because it is about time to get up and do something, I ordered the three books above.  Partly because I had Iman's book on my list for quite a while.  Partly because I read a great quick review of How to Wow on the Never Eat Alone Blog and partly because I needed a third book to get my free shipping at Amazon.com.  Never mind also the need to do everything in three's lately.  Or perfectly format blog posts.

So tomorrow are the Congressional District Caucuses.  Lots of AMAZING folks running.  So this will likely be the end of the road for me BUT I love how the Because | Democracy in Action project has taken off so I'll have a bit of time to work on that even more thoroughly as I gave notice at my position at Seattle University this past Thursday.  Such a pleasure working with those folks but on to a really exciting opportunity that I'll chat more about soon.  Just need to finalize a few things first.

Like how I love that I'm in love with a dude who is absolutely sure in what he wants.  Even when the emails get a bit rough (smile).  I've got some shopping to do tonight.  I was thinking for a while that I really like Marc Jacobs Daisy.  He's thinking more SJP Lovely.  So of course you know I know where to go to figure all that out.  Gotta make sure I'm smellin' the part of the sweet nice fiance right?  I thought you would agree with me there.

Wedding planning is coming along fantastically.  We did the best tasting ever at Kaspar's.  I can't even begin to tell you how amazingly delicious that food was.  Now I get to pick appetizers and contemplate if I really want to do a desert trio after all.  Gotta figure out what is included on that.  And then I gotta get to gettin' on finalizing guest lists and getting invites out.  I tell ya.

Engagement shoot this Sunday.  Totally, totally fun.  And then some!  Get to have fun in the park with Robert and neither of us will be behind the camera.  You'll get to see just how non-photogenic we really are (smile).  But because we have super photographers in Arika and Gerald, I've no doubt life will at least look perfect for generations to come. 

I need to go get some lunch and probably should try to stop by the bank(s) today and close out my individual account.  That whole joint life stuff is getting crazy.

Some things I'm loving lately:

* That little kid who went running full speed ahead to that big dog with the happy wagging tail

* "You know, they don't shed a lot but they do have drooling issues"

* Alki patrons who run full speed after you to return the wallet you dropped on the ground getting out the car

* Veggie pho (smile)

* Third Annual Statewide Diversity Conference

* 80 degrees in Seattle

* White shoes and white purses

* Because | Democracy in Action

* gmail

* Scrappy nights

* Baby pictures

* slow afternoons

Craziness subdued

I mean really. We have taken to talking about the hot mess that is essentially what we know to be our current existence. I'm not at all trying to knock anyone (ahem), but my word people. It is MAY. Some observations:

It is a tape measure and a private fitting room. Not that deep.
That housing crisis? Coming to Seattle.
Quantae says "sign me up". And he's an honor student so he knows what he's talking about.
What is UP with FTD Mother's Day flowers?
Is it football season yet?
Jamaica. During one of their busiest weekends of the year. Can't WAIT.
Because Democracy in Action. Crazy.
May 17th - sigh...fingers crossed, ear talked off.
If it ain't one stalker it is another. I must have that good stuff.
The other day, i heard a remix (can't remember which one) where old boy was talking about pipe. I almost had to pull over I was laughing so hard.

Saturday. We tasted the best food I've had in a good grip. Which isn't hard given my propensity to feed my man ground turkey sloppy joes and grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup (pass the Lousianna hot sauce and I'm happy). I need to get on better than that.

He's going to be ancient on Thursday. What's the perfect gift for the guy who is super picky, has it all, doesn't want anything and won't get up off it already? Clue. Me. In.

And we return

With more visual list happiness.  Gray day out, but I've gotta go and do the following before all hell freezes over:

Get to the post office

Find those envelopes

Did I mention I need to go to the post office?

Head out and REALLY find a dress

Maybe drive to Redmond.  Or is it really Bellevue?

Figure out this thing called life.

 

I had a horrible, HORRIBLE dream last night that it was like two weeks until the wedding and I still had like a mile long todo list.  And rather than just saying "You know, that's just not going to happen" I broke it down, figured out timing and committed to pulling allnighters for two weeks to get it all done.  I looked a hot mess on my wedding day because of it.  Uhg.

There's basketball on tonight?  I used to be such a proball freak.  Then they did my city wrong. Okay...it was before that.  Maybe then I got a life?  I don't know.  All I know is that there will be boys here watching basketball which means that I get to scrap on national scrapbooking day!  Maybe.

But I promised photos so photos it shall be.

I won't even tell that "he baked it" lie.  No.  I cannot cook.  Or bake either for that matter.  Unless of course I really set my mind to something.  So we made this "molten lava cake" about like a month ago.  I had to photograph it because cake don't NEVER last in this house.  Okay.  I had to photograph it because it was a hot mess.  Literally.  From no hand mixer (oh yeah, I need to put one of those on our registry) to impatience to me having a finger in the batter, this was just a given.  But never fear.  That boy was TASTY.  And a precursor of things to come for the wedding.  And yes.  Yes I do know that I have a wedding blog and that it would be perfectly appropriate for me to post all this junk there.  I'm consolidating life.  In that whole "move in" mode and all.  Life changes can be traumatic like that (smile).

And this would be why I'm not allowed to go price anything out at Costco.  I was supposed to be pricing tulips for the Staff Appreciation | Easter lunch.  Yes.  I work at a Catholic school so we get to have things like Easter lunches and Christmas parties at work.  And we don't call them Holiday parties and we don't send out Season's Greetings, we send out Christmas Cards.  Just so that you're sure you know what you are getting into when you hang with us I guess.  And yes...at Christmas, there are Christmas lights strung all over campus and it is the prettiest thing you've ever seen. 

I digress.  The yellow pad.  With like two lines of scibble?  Because I remember almost everything without writing it down so long as I repeat it like 3 times?  Anyhow...the Wedding Receptions magazine.  Totally didn't need it but it passed the "flip to three pages, do you see anything you like?" test (score--all three pages were hits so I HAD to buy it). You can barely see it, but there is a big Costco sized stack of handmade specialty papers there too.  I almost got a Cropadile too.  Hush it.  And the budding branches.  I love that Costco has garden bunches for like $9.  Which reminds me, I also want to go to the market today cause I saw some gorgeous GORGEOUS orange flowers at work today and I'm really hoping orange is in bloom now.  BUT...the Market is the last place I hardly never go because of parking.  I know.  Everytime guests come to town they're all "I'd shop here all the time for my fruits and veggies and flowers and fish" and I'm all yeah right.  Until you had to fend for parking instead of having me drive you around and drop you at the door.

They were so cute and pretty stacked all together.  The brown envelopes, the white and blue addresses, the cute little pink stamps.  Pink?  Yeah...I thought I had enough orange blooms to make it work.  Sue me.And yeah, I actually DID have to add an additional stamp to each of those envelopes so that was the drama of timing. Like I was going to let them stick an ugly forever bell stamp on it.

By now the world knows (well, most of the delegates in the state of Washington know) that I am running for national delegate.  It went from the district level caucuses where we were BEGGING people to please sign up as alternates just in case to the legislative district caucuses where there were a good crop of folks trying but not all that hard to the congressional district level where I have a close to non-existent chance. BUT.  In the process I have had the opportunity to meet some really amazing folks to profile for the Because | Democracy in Action essay and the photos are coming out really amazingly.  I'm finishing up the Tibet photo book here in a hot minute and getting that one entered and then I'll start compiling this one.  This one has really stretched me in that I'm generally (hard to believe, I know) a shy girl who is a bit timid to reach out and talk to someone for fear of rejection.  But when you believe in something so right and are passionate and talking to a friendly crowd, it makes it all the much easier to get up and say "hey, would you mind helping me out?"  You all rock!

Did I mention I was recently in the OC?  And what I love about the OC is that there really are oranges there?  And that oranges are my most favorite fruit in the world?  They are actually close to my number one food in the world if it were not for things like Louisiana Hot Sauce and chesse sandwiches.  Or green chicken enchiladas.  Or veggie pho (2 pcs of shrimp...pass on that next time)

Only in the OC do friggin' expensive BOP show up on every median and street corner.  I'm just saying.  You try to publicly plant them here in Burien and you'll see a lot of cut stems.  Which is odd because everytime we go to see tulips, R is adamant that open fields like that would never fly in Cali because folks would be taking a snip or two and making a living off of them.  See: oranges above.

Close to never.  Make that never.  That's how often I get this one to actually focus for a hot second so that I can take a picture.  And he's smiling and a willing participant at that!  Okay, really, I had to break out the huge lens and take this picture of him at the course from his sister's house and he was probably grinning about a great shot someone just took.  Or maybe he was thinking about the trip to the beach later that day.  Or about the doggie he might one day get if he acts right.  Not...I'm in the reflection.  Up close and personal.  Score!

I think you should know that Ricotta cheese is actually one of my most fave foods in the world.  That is what is in the bowl about to be tossed into some shells for stuffed pasta.  I want to go make some right now just thinking about it.  Yes.  Carbs at 9 am is probably the equivalent of drinking before noon in this house.  I can't help it.  The flowers...I want to say that was Safeway.  Bleh.  They look so pretty in mass but for the price, Costco all the way.  But the important image in this shot is the Zappos box.  Can you say wedding shoes?  Okay.  How about free shipping?

Honestly now. Yep.  That is my dress. Holy COW it is so friggin' amazingly GORGEOUS.  You don't even know.  You don't even know.  Heck.  I didn't even know!  I went with Liisa to get all up in her dress business and we pulled mine out the back to show her the color (hard to explain, but GORGEOUS--especially on me if I do say so myself which is okay because on Wed at work, someone came into my office and told me that my orange blouse looked great on me..."especially with my skin color".  I said please and thank you ma'am so I get one to throw out there like "the color of my dress looks damn good on me" it is only fair right?).  Anyhow, the tiny little thing with the cute earring and necklace set flipped it around so we could see the back and the train and I about fell out.  I was like "OH MY REALLY??!"  Course I was wearing the thing and they were piling on the veils trying to get me to buy $500 worth of tulle so I didn't get to see the detailing but oh my I'm about to cry thinking about it.  And I'm so not the girly, crybaby type.  Deep breath. Anyhow, had to order it because I'm a 7 foot amazon girl (6'2 in my heels...I'm marring a 6'6 guy and I'm 5"11 on a short day) and needed the 4 inches extra length and we're going to have to probably still rig something up with my shawl that won't be a shawl.  We got this.

I've already mentioned how I love costco flowers.  But really.  They have such gorgeous colors going on there that I never knew about in my quest for the lifetime supply (clearly, we're living longer than expected nowadays) of toilet paper and the case of artichoke dip that no self-respecting human being should ever be seen carrying out of that store.  I don't know why, but I just remembered that I saw my old landlord at Safeway the other day. He's a cool guy.  So is his wife.  A cool girl. Woman.  They just had a girl--about the same time as my boss actually. Lot of baby going around here lately.

If the sky here looked like this, I'd be out playing.  But since it does not, I'm still going to go out and play because well, it is Seattle and we'd all die in our cozy little homes moping about if we waited for good weather to go do anything.  Good on him--he's out doing another crazy long bike ride.  And me? Right.

 

Stay sane!  Get your RSVPs back.  And yes already.  Myregistry.com for the quirky stuff (you'll need to email us for the password because our address is all up on that joint) and Bed Bath and Beyond.  Thanks Anne and Miranda for the last.  Ya'll should get your referral bonuses soon right?

It was such a hit last time...

...and my life has become so all consuming with the photo taking lately (which, I LOVE by the by!) I figured that rather than getting on here and posting a pitiful list of things we all know good and well by now that I will NEVER in half of forever and then some come back to update...how about a visual list for my visual learning self.  Deal?  Deal.

In no particular order of course:

These are the times when I am so appreciative of the facts that:

1. I am about to marry an ex-wedding photographer.

2. I am half a minute handy on the whole post-processing bit.

See...this here photo...not all that great.  Not because of the photographer so much as the girl who bought her $7 dress thinking it would be perfectly cute for an engagement photo shoot.  The top is a bit, uhhmm, revealing and the rest of the dress leaves way too much to be desired. But I like the jewelry and get tons of compliments on the earrings you can't really make out.  Which is the point because I'm still not 100% convinced this won't be the get up.  As such, I played with the photo and I've decided I like the animated me a lot better than the photographed me.  I'm just saying is all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That there.  Those would be about 2/5ths of the preview of the wedding centerpieces.  The other three fifths is a surprise (smile).  Think OC light of my life and well, Seattle of course.  Ish.

That is called "The damndest thing happened on the way to see the man whose name I shall not speak.  I'm just saying.  He was funny.  The dent and the tale the person was telling who put it there was not. But I'm a sucker for old school brothers who remind me of my people's just trying to make it so I pretty much just sucked up the fact that I'll be paying like $50 a month more in insurance premiums but he'll get to keep his job for the city.  Yeah yeah...how nice of me.  Not so nice that I'm having second thoughts about that because, of course, now dude is being totally unresponsive.  Remember when I first started blogging and asked if I had a sticker on my forehead that said "I'm a sucker?"  Right.  It wasn't a sticker after all.

Is that not the absolute coolest thing you ain't never seen?  Aside from the fact that I've killed every gold and beta fish I have EVER owned (to the point that some have committed suicide by jumping out of their bowls to get away from me) I don't think I'll get a salt water or coral tank anytime soon since I can't afford to buy the stuff that goes into one let alone the person I'd need to hire to actually take care of it.  But I tell ya.  The highlight of any trip to the OC is going to his sister's house and checking out her gigantor tank.  I could jump right in and get lost up in it.  And you think I joke.  I mean.  It really isn't THAT big, but I do find myself just sitting there for a good hour watching the one clown fish go all crazy on anyone that tries to come up near his corner of the tank.  And just watching all the puffy, stringy, floaty things.  I mean I'm a sister who doesn't do the ocean thing cause things would touch me.  But I was watching survivor and they were swimmin' with the jellyfish and even I had to admit that that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

Until later.  The future husband to be rings.  Congrats T on your engagement!  Brit it is SO great to "find ya" via your reconnect from T's blog.  And trash the dress...T...you know my heart on that one.  Totally!

More later today  Happy National Scrapbook Day!