Monday Catch Up

speakeasy14

@twodimes ugh that is frustrating, but at least you are more comfortable with the new place! 

@bethsmiles where are you looking?  The places we went for my bf's cousin's wedding were nice for a small group.  Granted I wouldn't do what they did with the two hour driving distance, but each place was nice on its own.  I can pm you the exact locations if you'd like (don't want to post here since I have vented a lot about their wedding). 

bethsmiles

@speakeasy14 - I'm mostly looking around the Denver area. One of my favorites is in Golden and the other is in Evergreen, so both are with probably half an hour of Denver. We'd really love for it to be in the mountains. But I e-mailed on that is in Denver as well. Almost the entire guest list will be OOT so I do want it to be somewhere where there is a lot of choices for hotels.

speakeasy14

@bethsmiles makes sense, I'm sure there are a lot of places in and around Denver too. 

AlPacina

@bethsmiles - I really love Amy Schumer right now. I feel like she'll eventually get old, but I have no problem enjoying the shit out of her right now. Did you see "Say Fine To The Shirt" on Inside Amy Schumer? They just ripped the shit out of Say Yes To The Dress and it was so hilarious.

bethsmiles

@AlPacina - I haven't seen that bit yet! And yes, I agree that she might get old eventually, especially since she's kind of everywhere right now. But right now I find her hilarious!

Question for married/engaged peoples: How long did venue tours typically last? Can I schedule one at 12:30 and still make it to another at 2 that is about half an hour away?

[Deleted User]

@AlPacina - Fine to the Shirt... ridiculous!!

labro

@bethsmiles Should be fine. I'd give yourself an hour min. for the appointment and half an hour to get to the next one. We had one though where the lady just kept talking and talking and talking and took forever. She was trying hard to make the sale.

speakeasy14

@bethsmiles I do venue tours for work all the time.  They usually take a half hour to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the venue.  The only one that went over an hour was a place my boss is on the board for, so they were giving us an over the top tour.  I think the 12:30 and then 2 should work, as long as you account for traffic in that travel time. 

bethsmiles

@labro and @speakeasy14 - Thanks! I was thinking over an hour would seem like a lot. I think I'm going to ask the second venue if 2:30 will work just to account for traffic (and getting lost because that happens to me a lot!)

GoldenPenguin

@bethsmiles & @alpacina - one of my college roommates grew up with Amy, and they're still best friends. Their whole group of friends was at the premier last week. If you watch Jimmy Fallon, she was on one night last week, and was talking about them being at the premier, and how they all blacked out lol. She said how "Long Island" they all are, and how she totally slips back into it when they're all together, and is always like "AAAnnngeeee." "Ange" is my old roommate  

[Deleted User]

@GoldenPenguin, you're practically famous!

AlPacina

@GoldenPenguin - That's awesome! I can totally picture her being like that. I would watch the episode, but unfortunately Jimmy Fallon's show kind of makes me want to bang my head against a wall........... I can't wait to see Trainwreck.

Swazzle

AlPacina said:

@GoldenPenguin - That's awesome! I can totally picture her being like that. I would watch the episode, but unfortunately Jimmy Fallon's show kind of makes me want to bang my head against a wall........... I can't wait to see Trainwreck.

GoldenPenguin

AlPacina said:

@GoldenPenguin - That's awesome! I can totally picture her being like that. I would watch the episode, but unfortunately Jimmy Fallon's show kind of makes me want to bang my head against a wall........... I can't wait to see Trainwreck.

GoldenPenguin

CocoBellaF said:

@GoldenPenguin, you're practically famous!

I'm also two degrees from Jimmy Fallon - he went to college in Albany (he talks about it on the show sometimes), and, not only did I work there for a year, but one of my friends was his roommate. ::hairflip::

eilis1228

@southernpeach89 YAY I'm so glad the nursery is almost finished! I can't wait to see pics!

@cocobellaf Those peaches look delicious! I love the selfie!

@Swazzle I LOVE YOUR NECKLACE! And your face!

@TwoDimes I would be really pissed off at your makeup artist for switching you to an inexperienced MUA with no warning. Your hair and makeup look fabulous though! I'm glad you scheduled a trial so that you caught this issue ahead of time!

@bethsmiles Unfortunately, that's how the wedding industry is. If you want to get married during a popular time of year or at a really popular, well-reviewed venue, then you usually have to book about 18 months in advance. It's ridiculous. You'll definitely be able to find a great venue for the date you want, you just have to keep looking. And like other PPs have said, I'd estimate 30-45 minutes for a venue tour.

@peaseblossom55 Awwww your first baby purchase! How exciting!

@labro Your charity work sounds so awesome, and congrats on being so close to a PMP cert! That's fantastic! 

@keptinstitches GOOD LUCK, LADY! YOU ARE GOING TO KICK SO MUCH ASS!

Sorry to everyone else... TK keeps logging me out. I read everyone's posts, but as I go back and forth between pages, I keep getting logged out. It only just now randomly logged me back in... so hopefully this posts...

How was your weekend? It was awesome! So much fun! I feel like I need a day to recover though.

Best part of the weekend? Um... all of it? It really was a fun weekend all-around. 
Crappiest part of the weekend? FI and I bickered a bit last night. I forgot he can see all of my CC transactions through Minted. I'd warned him that I'd blown through my budget this month and planned to not spend money until September, but then he actually saw everything I bought and how much I'd spent when he logged on to Minted. The downside  to joined finances...

Mac and cheese or cheesy potatoes? Mac n cheese for life!

I'll do bullets to describe the weekend:

• Friday night I worked out, we grabbed dinner at a nearby pizza/Italian place (omg greasiest spaghetti I've ever had. It was disgusting).
• We hung out at our friends' apartment, and I watched everyone play some games (my stomach was killing me by this point from the spaghetti). They played Resistance and Monikers, which were hilarious to observe. I knitted while they played. FI and I left at 1am, which is amazing... I rarely make it past midnight these days.
• On Saturday FI went to a pool party, and I worked out and got ready for my first alterations appointment. It went really well! They have to take in a lot in my boobs and waist, and they have to hack a ton of fabric off because I'm an elf. One lady helped me into the gown and onto the podium and then another lady came in to help pin everything. The second lady looked at me and said, "Oh, so I guess you aren't wearing heels?" and I said, "I have them on..."  LOL! Next appointment is August 15. 
• Saturday night FI and I went to dinner with my family for a joint family birthday dinner for me and my cousin. It was so much fun! We had a private room, the alcohol was potent, the food was delicious, and the company was great. Instead of birthday cake, my cousin ordered us tequila shots. :-P After dinner FI and I went out with her and her BF, and I drank a glass of rose and a beer... so I definitely ended up having hiccups all night long.
• After we said goodbye to my cousin and her BF, FI got me some much-needed Whataburger, and we went back to our apartment and finished Orange is the New Black. I took an ibuprofen and some TUMS before bed, and woke up feeling fine. Woot!
• On Sunday FI and I met our friends for lunch and then went to Jos. A. Banks to get our friend fitted for his rental suit for the wedding. He was our first suiting appointment, so it was really cool to see it all come together. We go next weekend with the rest of the guys to purchase/rent suits.
• After the suiting appointment we all went to a nearby ice cream parlor that had a huge party for National Ice Cream Day. It was so much fun! 
• After we said our goodbyes, FI and I went to the grocery store, and then we got home and I stuffed my face with candy and pizza. Yum.
• I woke up this morning feeling like a mix between hungover and bad PMS. I'm so bloated from all of the junk food that my side feels bruised and my boobs hurt. My rings are basically stuck on my poor little sausage fingers. Definitely going to detox today. Today also starts my long-term sugar ban. The goal is to go 21 days without artificial sugar. Wish me luck!
• Also, forgot to mention that my mom gave us her china from her marriage to my dad back in the 80s. It's really pretty and really similar to the china pattern I was eyeing when we registered. Unfortunately it's been discontinued, but we found a bunch of stuff on ebay last night that we may purchase soon. Here's a picture of the pattern:

Sorry for the novel, but it was such a great weekend! FI bought a sous vide machine (LINK) during Amazon Prime Day, and he's going to make us a steak dinner tonight to try it out. Definitely gives me something to look forward to on a Monday.

Hope you all have a great Monday! 

bethsmiles

@eilis1228 - Luckily we are really flexible with our date. Anytime June through July works and we are willing to do May as well if we really love the venue. We just can't do August or later (even though we would prefer a fall wedding) because depending on what grad schools FI gets into we don't even know if we'll still be in Colorado then!

jenjen047

@southernpeach89 - i agree about the nursery being a tease! cant wait to see pics!

@cocobellaf - ouch! i hate when i get stuff in my eye!! glad it's better though.

@swazzle - that necklace is STUNNING! also ive never heard of oil cleansing but now i am intrigued because you look fabulous!

@caseface5 - Tipsy Toboggan sounds awesome! where is it? (i know i could google but im lazy)

@untouchablets - there was a Mexican place where i lived in NC that i went to all the time....even though it wasnt that great. why do we do this to ourselves?

@peaseblossom55 - ONESIES!!! YAY!!!

@goldenpenguin - you are a celeb, basically. also ouch about your cut. i know what you mean about not realizing how much you use something until its injured. i scraped the front of my ankles really badly last year and standing/walking was EXCRUCIATING! i guess the skin gets pulled tight when you stand on that leg so when it was all scraped up it was brutal. i was limping for weeks.

@keptinstitches - GOOD LUCK!!! sending all the vibes!!!!

@twodimes - you are gorgeous! im sorry about the MUA but sounds like it worked out for the best. YOURE SO CLOSE!!!!

@alpacina - that burrito sounds NOMS!!!

omg my weekend was insane!! Friday night FI and i went to Mens Wearhouse. we got a sense for pricing and got all our questions re: out of country groomsmen answered, so that was awesome. we also stuffed our faces at Olive Garden.. noms.

Saturday FI left for work and i went for a run and then drove down to my parent's house. since FI was away for the weekend i figured id go there to do my laundry, which was awesome. my mom and i had a bridal appointment at another shop. this one had more non-lace, and i actually found a dress i LOVED. but it was lace and no matter what everyone said, i just couldn't shake the idea that lace at a winter wedding would be weird. i wanted satin. pics here and here. it was also $2100 before a veil or alterations. i just couldn't get behind the concept of paying that much for a dress i will wear for 12 hours. ALSO it would be delivered in December and i didn't want to be stressing out if it was late or something, since my wedding is in January. so we left the shop without purchasing.

yesterday my mom and i went to David's Bridal an hour from her house. i didn't have high hopes but i tried on a very plain satin trumpet dress and LOVED IT. i liked that it was so plain so i could dress it up however i want. it has a low back (a must-have for me) and buttons all down the back. i was thrilled. then i saw the price. $600!! even better!! THEN the saleslady tells me it's actually on clearance for $99!!!! holy shit!!!!! pics here and here. they had it in a size 10 and it was a little tight. we found a store an hour away that had it in a 12 so we drove another hour to that store to try on the 12. it was perfect! i was able to order it and it will arrive by the end of August! YES!!! i also bought my veil since it was the last one in stock of the one i wanted! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all in all it was a LONG day (we were shopping for a total of about 8 hours including all the driving around Massachusetts) but totally worth it. i now need a weekend from my weekend though. 

tonight FI and i go back to our venue to sign a contract. tomorrow i will AW it (don't want to jinx anything until its all said and done). we also need to order STDs this week! yay!

AlPacina

Swazzle said:

AlPacina said:

@GoldenPenguin - That's awesome! I can totally picture her being like that. I would watch the episode, but unfortunately Jimmy Fallon's show kind of makes me want to bang my head against a wall........... I can't wait to see Trainwreck.

He laughs at EVERYTHING. Even things guests say that aren't even remotely funny. It is hard for me to watch/listen to.

- - - - - - - -
So how do you all feel about Caitlyn Jenner winning the courage award? My mom just posted one of those "The real heroes are soldiers." pictures on Facebook, which surprises me because as a member of the school board in my insanely conservative hometown she was alone in supporting the rights for students to have a GSA club. I kind of want to discuss this with her, but I don't want to post something on Facebook and start something. Any ideas on how to bring this up, or how to talk to her about it? Should I even bother?

bethsmiles

@jenjen047 - That dress is beautiful!! I love how simple and elegant it is! 

jenjen047

Here are some pics of me in the dress (a size too small) with the veil.

Also forgot to mention, since it was so cheap I am having some extra alterations done. They are going to make the back into a deep V like the lace dress.

Also @eilis1228 I love that China! Have you looked at replacements ltd? they specialize in random China for discontinued patterns. I think their website is www.replacements.com.

bethsmiles

@jenjen047 - It looks even better on you than the model

jenjen047

@bethsmiles - thank you! its so me. i like the look of other dresses, but when i put them on they didnt feel like me. ETA: you're so sweet

@alpacina - the one thing I've seen re: Caitlyn Jenner that i really like is something along the lines of "Caitlyn Jenner is brave. our troops are brave. kids fighting cancer are brave. its not a competition." idk about posting anything on FB, i think that never ends well. but this is the message I've communicated to friends when we've had conversations about it. 

LizzyTish88

@jenjen047 Tipsy Toboggan is in Fall River along with it's sister restaurant Tipsy Seagull which is down the street on a barge! So cool!

Also I LOVE YOUR DRESS!! It looks amazing on you, even with it being a size small. How exciting!!! Can't wait to see the venue too! 

eilis1228

@AlPacina I'm so annoyed with people claiming Caitlyn Jenner should not win an award for courage. Courage can be found in so many different ways. ESPN was not claiming she was more or less courageous than soldiers or anyone else. Caitlyn is courageous for bring more attention and normalcy to the LGBT community. If an Olympic gold medalist who once considered the pinnacle of manliness can feel confident enough to publicly state that she identifies as female and that it's totally normal and OK to feel that way, then she's paving the way for tolerance and acceptance for everyone. I mean, coming out as gay in Hollywood is still seen as a possible career-ending move, so I think Caitlyn Jenner showed quite a bit of bravery and courage. I seriously applaud her.

@jenjen047 LOVE YOUR DRESS! Oh my gosh! What a friggin steal too! Wow! And yes, we found replacements.com, but some of their offerings were still really expensive. We'll probably order from them and ebay to complete the set.

@bethsmiles That's great that you are so flexible with your date! Being flexible in general is the key to stress-free wedding planning.

phira

@jenjen047 That dress looks SO GOOD on you, even in the smaller size! Definitely very you! I'd actually think that lace would be really good for a winter wedding (it reminds me of snow!), but that satin dress is just killer. A+++ (also A+++ for the price!)

@alpacina My father-in-law went on a rant about and kept mis-naming and mis-gendering Caitlyn Jenner. Like, "He's brave, but it's not the same thing." I honestly don't really care. Like @jenjen047 mentioned, it's really not a competition. More than one person can be brave, and there are different kinds of bravery.

@bethsmiles I liked my cousin's wedding venue, but it was closer to Co. Springs. Let me know if you want me to look into it for you!

How was your weekend? It was good, but exhausting! Friday night, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday, I was playing flute. J is still really sick, which sucked because I couldn't really take care of him when I was rehearsing all weekend. I am so exhausted that I slept for 12 hours and just woke up at 2pm.

Best part of the weekend? Definitely my concert yesterday. I had so much fun!
Crappiest part of the weekend? A few crappy parts. J being sick. Me being extremely tired. Stressing over what sorts of jobs I might be qualified for.

Mac and cheese or cheesy potatoes? Mac and cheese. I like potatoes, but not cheesy potatoes.

bethsmiles

@AlPacina - Comments like that about Caitlyn Jenner piss me off. There are so many different types of bravery and Caitlyn Jenner is absolutely brave to come out as transgender in our intolerant society. Of course the men and women who serve our country are brave but they aren't the only people who are brave or heroes. Honestly, ignorant and intolerant comments like that just prove exactly why Caitlyn Jenner is brave.

jenjen047

@eilis1228 - agreed about Caitlyn Jenner. also i hate when people say it was her choice to transition. aside from the whole concept that i don't believe it's a choice (just like i didn't choose to be straight or a woman), this just rubs me the wrong way. by this logic shouldn't we say soldiers are not courageous if they chose to join the military? 

labro

@jenjen047 I LOVE your dress and holy cow what a deal!!! It's going to look even more amazing with a deep v in the back! Can't wait to see how your final alterations turn out!

@eilis1228 I second replacements.com or whatever the site is. They have my china pattern on there and the prices are reasonable.

GoldenPenguin

@jenjen047 - I LOVE YOUR DRESS. I told ya DB was a good idea  

It actually reminds me a lot of my dress! Probably why I love it so much. The only major difference is yours is plain satin and mine had tiers. It looks so so good on you. I can't wait to see it in the correct size and with the alterations to the back!! Absolutely gorgeous.