tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90695287986127651872024-03-13T08:20:38.789-03:00Lavender + PoppiesMs Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-24410830756205030112010-06-10T12:27:00.000-04:002010-06-10T12:27:22.307-04:00Equinox Love: Goin' to the Courthouse and We're...Gonna get married??<br />
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After leaving <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/06/02/families-meeting-for-the-first-time/">dinner with our families</a> Monday evening, Mr. Bear Cub and I got the opportunity to spend some time alone, strolling the streets of downtown Portland. This was such a welcomed breath of fresh air! We talked for a little while about the days to come - last minute plans, tactics for avoiding stress - and then Mr. BC asked me <i>the question</i>.<br />
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"Let's get married!"<br />
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"Umm... OK dude. Sounds fantastic. How does Sunday work for you?"<br />
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"No, let's get married <i>tomorrow</i>."<br />
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We had planned to go to the courthouse the following morning (Tuesday) to get our marriage license. My dear fiancé was suggesting we get the license and <i>sign it</i> at the same time!<br />
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This caught me a little off guard. I mean, sure, of course we'd be getting married - what difference would a couple of days make in the long run? The real concern was making sure our marriage would be legal before we left the country after our wedding. We'd planned on leaving for our honeymoon the day after the wedding, and flying back to Chile two weeks after the wedding - what if we couldn't get the documents finalized before we left the country??<br />
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No matter when we signed the documents, our "wedding" would still be the one we had planned for so long. Our real wedding - the date we celebrate for anniversaries, the one we share with family and friends, the one that links us in <i>our</i> minds and hearts - would be the celebration on Sunday.<br />
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I must remind you - we had done NO research at all on courthouse weddings! We were blindly assuming at this point that you could show up, sign a document, and be done with it.<br />
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We decided we'd hedge our bets with the courthouse - if we could sign the documents Tuesday morning, great! We'd be married! No worries for legality later! If not - oh well! We'd be getting married anyways come Sunday!<br />
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This was all so EXCITING! We might be husband and wife (technically) the next morning! A courthouse wedding! I'm not much for crowds anyways, plus <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/author/maryjane/">Mrs. Mary Jane's courthouse wedding</a> was so incredibly beautiful. You know what this means?<br />
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CUTE COURTHOUSE WEDDING DRESS!!! :-D :-D :-D<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/TBEFuoEg2CI/AAAAAAAAH3M/0SrhtlUyfP4/s1600/jcrew-tussah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/TBEFuoEg2CI/AAAAAAAAH3M/0SrhtlUyfP4/s320/jcrew-tussah.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I heart you, <a href="http://www.jcrew.com/">jcrew</a>!</div><br />
I had already bought this dress - the JCrew linen-silk rosette tussah - thinking it might be nice for a reception back-up dress. All you short-dress ladies out there: this dress is SO beautiful! And it has pockets!<br />
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So, Tuesday morning Mr. Bear Cub and I dressed in our nicest "we might be getting married" clothes, and hopped on over to the Multnomah County Courthouse.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/TBEM___zwZI/AAAAAAAAH3U/ylN_Wh9HokA/s1600/courthouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/TBEM___zwZI/AAAAAAAAH3U/ylN_Wh9HokA/s320/courthouse.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38714066@N00/54130184">source</a></div><br />
Even though the Portland Courthouse is downtown and surrounded by other buildings, I was still quite impressed with it. Plus, Portland has trees everywhere downtown - even at the courthouse, you feel like you're in a park!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/TBDt5-JBygI/AAAAAAAAH20/16MZ5tq3LYY/s1600/IMG_2159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/TBDt5-JBygI/AAAAAAAAH20/16MZ5tq3LYY/s640/IMG_2159.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Inside the courthouse, we got to the task at hand - get those documents!<br />
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You get your marriage license in the tax collection office. Oh tax collection room, you're so romantic!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/TBDuMowOZKI/AAAAAAAAH28/NrTl1JB-PL0/s1600/IMG_2162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/TBDuMowOZKI/AAAAAAAAH28/NrTl1JB-PL0/s640/IMG_2162.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Aaaaand... we got our marriage license documents. And obligatory pictures in front of the courthouse.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/TBDuUYW9c3I/AAAAAAAAH3E/kQDuEFpQ3d0/s1600/IMG_2164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/TBDuUYW9c3I/AAAAAAAAH3E/kQDuEFpQ3d0/s640/IMG_2164.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><br />
Aren't we cute? Young and in love!<br />
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As for getting the license <i>signed</i>, apparently you're supposed to plan ahead for that one. When we asked if we could have a judge formalize our marriage that day, the lady behind the counter informed us that they were booked solid until the following month! Yikes! So much for romantic spontaneity.<br />
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At least we got our marriage license taken care of! And I got an excuse to wear my short wedding dress!<br />
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Even though we had a walk-down-the-aisle-with-family-and-friends wedding, I still love the idea of courthouse weddings - they're so romantic and intimate! Have you and your future intended ever thought about getting legally married before the wedding day?<br />
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Catch up on the tale!<br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/01/31/equinox-love-new-beginnings/">Equinox Love: New Beginnings</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/02/03/equinox-love-through-our-friends-eyes/">Equinox Love: Through Our Friends’ Eyes</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/25/wedding-tears/">Equinox Love: Reticence</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/26/portland-wedding/">Equinox Love: The Tipping Point</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/31/wedding-weekend-4/">Equinox Love: Preparations Before the Family Storm</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/06/02/families-meeting-for-the-first-time/">Equinox Love: Meet the Parents!</a>Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-40671506903056695832010-06-01T10:18:00.001-04:002010-06-01T10:25:31.246-04:00Equinox Love: Meet The Parents!Less than a week before the wedding, our parents had yet to meet! This, I think, is among the strangest things about adulthood - the stark realization that your parents have yet to even <i>meet</i> those who will become deeply entwined with your future. Your fiancé's parents - they will be <i>your</i> parents. And your parents, the people who have guided you, molded you, counseled you, <i>bathed</i> you - they will be his. For me, this truly solidifies the notion that you and your fiancé are really, and finally, becoming a <i>family</i>.<br />
<br />
So naturally, I was a little anxious about the first meeting. I mean, our parents made us, and we like each other - so they <i>must</i> like each other, right? (Sorry, Juliet.) Even though Mr. Bear Cub and I are astronomers, we're lucky not to be so star-crossed. ;)<br />
<br />
Amidst the mayhem of preparations, my parents (Momma Bear & Papa Bear) and siblings (Sis Bear Cub & Bro Bear Cub) flew into Portland from Oklahoma Monday afternoon. Mr. Bear Cub's mom and two sisters also flew in from Wyoming that day. And then Mr. BC's step-grandma (his step-mom's mom, and also our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/26/rye-bread-with-margarine/">officiant</a>) trained in.<br />
<br />
We decided that a good common ground would be dinner at a restaurant - this was <i>such</i> a good idea. We made reservations at a nice sushi place in the Pearl District (agadashi tofu OMNOM), and everyone trickled in around the same time.<br />
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And you know what? The "meeting of the families" went <i>fine</i>. I think I was anxious because as much as I love my family, they're weird. For that matter, everyone's family is weird - in their own way, of course. :-p I have this theory that the magnitude of familial eccentricities is directly proportional to the density of family members present (ie - my whole nuclear family + his whole nuclear family = A-bomb of eccentricities??). Then throw more family (and friends) into the mix, and you might as well call it a "Manhattan Project Wedding". ;) I kid!<br />
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The dinner conversation was going smoothly for a long while (ie, everyone was talking about how awesome Mr. BC & I are ;) ), and then someone (I can't remember who) added the enriched uranium to the noun and verb soup: church and/or politics.<br />
<br />
If Mr. BC and I are star-crossed in any way, it's that his family is staunchly progressive democratic (Oregon, hello!) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism">deist</a>, and mine is values-voter conservative (straight outa Oklahoma!) and very Catholic. Being the <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/26/rye-bread-with-margarine/">progressive humanist that I am</a>, I've learned to choose my battles over church and politics <i>very</i> wisely. Read: AT ALL COSTS, don't add this reactive substance at the first meeting! (Subsequent tests are at your own discretion ;) ).<br />
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I think it was something about single-payer health care. Someone on the left (literally - his family was sitting to the left of us) said something like "Why don't we have single-payer health care already? It makes so much sense!"<br />
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I saw my dad (sitting, ironically, just to the right of Mr. BC's dad) suck in a long wind of air, firmly place both palms on the tabletop, and then retort with, "And raising taxes to pay for it makes sense? [grmblgrmbl]..." (this is largely paraphrased, by the way!)<br />
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Mr. Bear Cub and I froze, our chopsticks mid-air, sashimi halfway to our previously blitheful mouths. <br />
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There was some sshhh-ing on the left of the previously unknowing provocateur, the world [for us] stood still for a few seconds longer, and then it all passed. Sashimi hit mouths, wedding chatter continued, and atomic warfare was averted!<br />
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All in all, it was a pretty successful first meeting for our families! (Just add sushi!) <br />
<br />
How was your Meet The Parents experience?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Catch up on the tale!<br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/01/31/equinox-love-new-beginnings/">Equinox Love: New Beginnings</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/02/03/equinox-love-through-our-friends-eyes/">Equinox Love: Through Our Friends’ Eyes</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/25/wedding-tears/">Equinox Love: Reticence</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/26/portland-wedding/">Equinox Love: The Tipping Point</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/31/wedding-weekend-4/">Equinox Love: Preparations Before the Family Storm</a>Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-24621456591101923192010-05-29T19:50:00.000-04:002010-05-29T19:50:15.566-04:00Equinox Love: Preparations Before the Family StormAs you noticed in my <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/26/portland-wedding/">last post</a>, we had just a couple of things to take care of the week before the wedding! We had so many things we <i>wanted</i> to do, let alone the things we <i>needed</i> to take care of.<br />
<br />
For example, we really really missed being in the states and doing normal US-things. So, on our list of "funbligations" (obligations that are just too dang fun to pass up!) were things like run in <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/19/did-she-just-say-marathon/">Forest Park</a>, have coffee at <a href="http://www.sainthonorebakery.com/">St. Honoré Bakery</a>, eat breakfast at the <a href="http://www.screendoorrestaurant.com/">Screen Door</a> (omg you need to go there - soul food heaven!), and take a stroll through <a href="http://www.rei.com/">REI</a> for old time's sake. I know this might sound lame. It's amazing the little things you miss about your home country!<br />
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Anyways, we had a tight schedule in which our Portland gallivanting could also count as wedding prep - my family was flying into town on Tuesday, and that's when the prep would kick into over drive.<br />
<br />
Saturday morning was a <i>dream</i>. The first thing we did was run 5 miles in Forest Park. Those were the easiest 5 miles I've ever run in my life - everything was so beautiful! (Maybe the euphoria over getting married was kicking in?)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www6.worldisround.com/photos/29/333/515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www6.worldisround.com/photos/29/333/515.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.worldisround.com/articles/347048/photo4.html">not me - but just as good!</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Forest Park is right next to the darn cutest little neighborhood ever - what I lovingly refer to as the alphabet district. All the streets run in alphabetical order, and they have the same names as characters from the Simpson's (these were actually the inspiration for the characters' names!). Just blocks from the end of the trail is the St. Honoré Boulangerie - oh-so-cute, and delish coffee and pastries to boot! (Maybe I should do a Honeymoon In My Hometown for Portland already?) Sipping coffee after a run in the woods was absolutely divine.<br />
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After coffee and a shower, we bopped over to the other side of Portland to rehearse with our band, <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/08/14/fiddle-ing-their-way-to-my-heart/">Terracoustic</a> - I'll save those deets for the reception, though. ;)<br />
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We truly got derailed when, on Sunday, we tried to fit a 12 mile run in before visiting our venue for the final consultation (2.5 hours away!). The plan was to run most of the Sauvie Island <a href="http://www.foottraffic.us/flat/">Foot Traffic Flat </a>course (a protected 12 mile route), then stop by the flower farm to see what would be in bloom for our wedding, pick up lavender bouquets on the island, and top the day off with our visit to Westwind.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.foottraffic.us/uploads/map-2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://www.foottraffic.us/uploads/map-2009.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.foottraffic.us/uploads/map-2009.jpg">source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table> Sauvie Island is located right in Portland and, lucky for me and my penchant for lavender, it has a bountious lavender farm on it!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/2672591487_ec70b2733e.jpg?v=0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/2672591487_ec70b2733e.jpg?v=0" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mommypants/2672591487/">source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I thought that 12 miles would be a piece of cake by this point. We'd already been running up to 18 miles, anyways! Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy. Jetlag does a number on your ability to run. We were sluggish the entire run. I began to think we couldn't run the marathon ("Would this be a metaphor for our marriage??" I thought, defeated, as I gulped down air). I even had to stop at mile 11 to cry on Mr. Bear Cub's shoulder. I couldn't understand what was so difficult about <i>this</i> run. We'd already come so far, we'd already set everything up like clockwork.<br />
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By the time we finished our run, it was way too late to drive out to Westwind. We called the staff, and rescheduled for Tuesday, hopeful we'd still be able to get everything taken care of in time.<br />
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How did you juggle your last-minute preparations? Were you able to maintain your sanity, or did you have to sacrifice anything along the way?<br />
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Catch up on the tale!<br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/01/31/equinox-love-new-beginnings/">Equinox Love: New Beginnings</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/02/03/equinox-love-through-our-friends-eyes/">Equinox Love: Through Our Friends’ Eyes</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/25/wedding-tears/">Equinox Love: Reticence</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/26/portland-wedding/">Equinox Love: The Tipping Point</a>Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-33050969285079308942010-05-25T09:29:00.003-04:002010-05-25T12:13:03.208-04:00Equinox Love: The Tipping PointIncidentally, while I was getting ready to leave Chile for our month in the states of wedding bliss, I was also in the middle of reading Malcolm Gladwell's <i>The Tipping Point</i>. This is a fascinating book, very light-hearted yet genuine (perfect for the week before the wedding!). Mr. Gladwell posits that there is a "moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point" in which little things that previously seemed insignificant prove to make a big difference (as states the byline). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/Thetippingpoint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/Thetippingpoint.jpg" width="213" /><br />
source: wiki</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mr. Gladwell's first example has to do with the curious rise in popularity of hush puppies (holy cow are they popular in Chile). As I was sitting in the La Serena airport, packed and ready to board my plane to weddingland, it became evident that I, too, was approaching a tipping point in our voyage.<br />
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Our flight was canceled.<br />
<br />
CANCELED.<br />
<br />
The plane that was supposed to take me and my loverboy (that's Mr. Bear Cub ;) ) to Santiago, to catch a 9pm flight to Dallas, to catch an 8am flight to Portland, had, upon landing at my airport in La Serena, sucked a bird into one of its engines. My early afternoon flight was permanently grounded, and most passengers were being ticketed for a connecting flight the following day.<br />
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Sad Bear Cub. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/S_tEbEG_oVI/AAAAAAAAH2o/rr1m4RM__QQ/s1600/recap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/S_tEbEG_oVI/AAAAAAAAH2o/rr1m4RM__QQ/s400/recap1.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">stuck at the airport with my irony</div><br />
For most travelers, this is an unwelcome inconvenience. To a bride a week before her wedding, this is <b>catastrophe</b>. We had carefully planned to arrive on Friday a week before the wedding. This would leave us with a very finite amount of time in which to move mountains. As it was, every single day before the wedding was already chock full of tasks - arriving a day late would derail my sanity and make it nearly impossible to finish important things like baking the wedding cake.<br />
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No joke - we were packed tight:<br />
Friday (arrive midday, tired)<br />
-- final dress alterations (hadn't worn let alone seen my dress for a full year)<br />
-- 5 mile training run (remember that marathon we'd been prepping for?)<br />
-- Mail my engagement ring to the wedding ring maker for final adjustments (he lives on the east coast!) <br />
Saturday<br />
-- 15 mile training run<br />
-- visit flower farm, make final arrangements for u-pick flowers<br />
-- pick up lavender bushels<br />
-- get mason jars<br />
-- organize decoration supplies to go to Camp Westwind<br />
Sunday<br />
-- visit Westwind (2 hour drive away), meet with camp director and head chef<br />
Monday<br />
-- 6 mile training run<br />
-- get a makeup trial, buy some makeup<br />
-- get a dang haircut already<br />
-- buy some lingerie!<br />
-- meet and rehearse with our band <br />
-- buy plants from a nursery for special extra part to ceremony<br />
(My family flew into Portland around this time. As lovely as they are, this starts to add other important duties to the list, such as spending precious time with them ;) ).<br />
Tuesday<br />
-- 8 mile training run<br />
-- get the wine (across town)<br />
-- arrange for the beer (kegs) to be picked up<br />
-- kill fires<br />
-- eat sushi (this one's important)<br />
-- FAMILY MEETS FOR THE FIRST TIME!!<br />
Wednesday<br />
-- 5 mile training run <br />
-- bake wedding cakes with my maid of honor, sister, and mother all day (get supplies in advance)<br />
Thursday<br />
-- must have been busy, because it's a total BLANK<br />
-- something resembling a bachelorette/bachelor party in the evening<br />
Friday<br />
-- Drive to Westwind!<br />
Saturday<br />
-- Prep for the wedding!<br />
-- (12 mile run. can you believe the insanity?)<br />
Sunday<br />
-- Wedding!!!<br />
Monday<br />
-- get the heck outa dodge.<br />
<br />
... I was a bit stressed. Mr. Bear Cub suggested we try to calm down in the airport by practicing our wedding dance. When we told one of the gate agents that we were traveling to get married, the skies parted (less birds for air strikes), and they did <i>everything in their power</i> to help us get to the states by the following morning. There was a late flight that evening, set to arrive in Santiago at 8:50pm. Our original flight was set to leave Santiago at 9pm. They told us we could take this late flight, and chance making our connection.<br />
<br />
We answered with an emphatic "<i>SI!!</i>"<br />
<br />
They checked our bags all the way to Portland (normally you have to re-check your bags upon arrival to the states - this would also be a tight connection), and arranged for a gate agent to escort us to our connection.<br />
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We <i>just</i> made it. They had put us in the first row of the plane, and as soon as the door to the plane was opened, a gate agent whisked us through all sorts of back hallways in the Santiago airport to our connecting gate. We were literally running across the airport, movie-like, giddy smiles at our grand fortune plastered across our faces.<br />
<br />
And we made our connection.<br />
<br />
We were routed a little differently - through Miami - but we arrived in Portland only 6 hours late.<br />
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Blissful in our good fortune (I even convinced the rental car company to rent us a Prius for the price of a Chevy Aveo! Wedding card score!), we regrouped to tackle the mountain of wedding tasks for the following week.Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-19677246521430938362010-05-24T23:28:00.001-04:002010-05-24T23:33:03.908-04:00Equinox Love: ReticenceHmm... over three months since my last post. I haven't really been on my blogging game, have I? I've wanted so dearly to share with you my wedding. I've composed entire recap posts in my head - the good, the quirky, the unmatched love. But every time I spin the story in my mind's eye, I find myself saddened by the handful of ways in which my wedding embodied anything <i>but</i> love. The painful memories burn in spite of the overwhelming adoration.<br />
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But I have to be real. I could gloss over our wedding with just the pictures, but then where would the soul be? Even the best wedding pictures can only <i>aspire</i> to capture the ecstatic and schizophrenic thoughts coursing through the minds of the bride and groom on the day of their wedding.<br />
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To wit: I cried on the morning of our wedding day. Not because I was overcome by the sight of my gown. Not because my groom sent me words of love. I cried on the morning of our wedding day because the previously misplaced decorative lighting had just been found. LIGHTING. I had wanted to create a perfect mood for our wedding dinner, but in its place I had fostered a sour mood over misplaced light bulbs. I cried because I was so immensely grateful that someone came to my rescue, that someone understood my need for... light bulbs.<br />
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I am very embarrassed that I let myself care so much about something so insignificant. Or rather, I wish I could reconcile within myself a personal battle. I am a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_sensitive_person">highly sensitive person</a>, and throughout my life I have attempted to please everyone before myself. For my wedding, I wanted (just once) for the people around me to show me they were trying to understand me and my wishes and intents as I have attempted to do for them in the past.<br />
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This is difficult territory to tread. On one side of the battlefront, I wish I had had help and emotional support in certain instances from specific people. On the other, I feel ashamed for even thinking these ungrateful thoughts. We already had <i>so much</i> help in building our wedding day - it wouldn't have come to fruition without the hard work of our friends and family.<br />
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And yet, there's a strangely sour tone to my memory of our wedding. I could have handled things better, taken over more tasks myself (could I?), I could have been more magnanimous in the face of my social anxiety (maybe?), ... I could have taken more deep breaths. <br />
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When it comes down to it, your wedding is the embodiment of your life and all the characters in it (even some you didn't know were in it!). You can try to rebuild old bridges among family members, and you can try to fully embrace your growing family of friends. You must, however, take these few days in your life in stride. They are only a few steps (however large) in the journey that is your joined life with your husband. Own these days for all they are, the good and the bad, but don't let them decide ad infinitum your life's path - this you have the power to continuously sculpt, with your new partner by your side.<br />
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My point in all this is that I've been reticent to post about our wedding. I would be lying to myself, and I'd be lying to you if I said that <i>everything</i> went swimmingly. Everything didn't go swimmingly, mostly because I was stretched immeasurably thin.<br />
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Despite this reticence, our wedding was irreplaceable - I deeply cherish my memories. The lows, however infrequent yet painful upon hindsight, cast the highs in euphoric relief.Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-24427068855020645362010-02-02T23:15:00.006-03:002010-02-02T23:33:31.735-03:00Equinox Love: Through Our Friends' EyesI haven't really told you much at all about our photographers thus far. That's a shame - they're first friends, second fabulous photographers.<br />
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Mr. Bear Cub and I asked my friends from college to photograph our wedding. I know this doesn't work for everyone (they aren't exactly "Uncle Bob" with a new DSLR & kit lens), but for us it worked out just right.<br />
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In college (at <a href="http://www.usc.edu/">USC</a>) I was a member of the climbing club. Los Angeles is a great place for rock climbing! There's Point Dume (on the beach!), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malibu_Creek_State_Park">Malibu Creek State Park</a> (Planet of the Apes, anyone?), Echo Cliffs, & so many more awesome places it'd be silly for me to list them all. Long story short, I had a blast with my fellow climbers! One of my friends in the climbing club, <a href="http://www.susanica.com/">Susánica Tam</a>, was getting serious about photojournalism - she took her camera everywhere! Susánica especially liked to capture action shots of us climbing in ridiculously gorgeous places, like <a href="http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/23370111.jpg">Owens River Gorge</a> and Joshua Tree. After graduation, she became a sports photographer, especially for rock climbing.<br />
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Did I tell you I nearly completed a double major in French in college? (It boiled down to a semester studying astronomy in Chile or a semester studying in France!) I got to know <a href="http://www.jjmoorephoto.com/">Jonathan Moore</a> in several of my upper-division French classes (he was also in the climbing club with me & Susánica). By the time we graduated, I knew he was actively pursuing a career in sports photography.<br />
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When Mr. Bear Cub and I started planning our wedding, I began to see how beautiful wedding photography could be. It's kind of redic - you're basically paying a PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER to make you into a model and paparazzi-shoot the entire day. Um... heck yes I want to be a model. Who doesn't? Make me perty!<br />
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But ho-lee cow professional wedding photography is expensy! The Bear Cubs' salmon stock isn't all that bountiful - Mr. BC said we didn't need professional photography. He said we could do fine with just our friends' pics.<br />
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haha! srsly??<br />
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Ok, deal Mr. Party Pooper. I'll ask our friends to shoot our wedding. ;)<br />
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Luckily, when I asked Susánica if she would be interested in photographing our wedding, she told me she was transitioning from sports photography to wedding photography, and she'd love to shoot our wedding! And when she suggested Jonathan come along as a second shooter, I knew we'd made the right choice. Both Jonathan and Susánica are very talented sports photographers & photojournalists - it was obvious that their style of shooting would translate well to wedding photography!<br />
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<a href="http://www.susanicatam.com/">Susánica Tam</a> and <a href="http://www.jonathanmoorephoto.com/index.php">Jonathan Moore</a> are both working very hard to grow their wedding photography businesses - hopefully you'll see through their photos the talent and hard work I saw when I asked them to shoot our wedding.<br />
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A few months before our wedding, a little dessert named <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/author/cherrypie">Mrs. Cherry Pie</a> asked if she could come to my wedding with her husband Mr. Cherry Pie. Mrs. Cherry Pie was totally one bee blogger I followed religiously - I was thrilled to have her come to our wedding! Plus, she's the genius behind <a href="http://persimmonimages.com/">Persimmon Images</a> wedding photography. I knew she was bringing her camera, but I didn't realize she was going to take so many wonderful pictures! Plus (even though I was super busy!) I had a great time getting to know her more - she's very natural behind a camera, and makes you feel like your best friend in 2 seconds!<br />
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I wanted to take the time to tell all of you about our photographers a little more, because they were so much more than photographers. They were our friends first, and awesome photographers second. I never felt uncomfortable in front of the lens, because I was already comfortable with the dude (or dudette!) behind the lens. We cracked jokes, shared stories, commiserated together about crazy last-minute wedding crap, and they took care of me. <br />
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And, they took some pretty bad-ass pics of our wedding.<br />
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How did you choose your wedding photographer?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-2151658197396424672010-01-30T19:30:00.000-03:002010-01-30T19:30:51.875-03:00Equinox Love: New BeginningsHi! Let me introduce myself. My name is Mrs. Bear Cub, and once upon a time, I blogged (relatively) consistently for this super-rad wedding site called Weddingbee.<br />
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No me recuerdes?? :)<br />
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It's ok, I'll catch you up! I <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/18/hello-im-miss-bear-cub/">live in Chile</a> (Ms. Poodle's home country!) with Mr. Bear Cub. We <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/19/how-to-meet-and-woo-a-bear-cub/">met in New Mexico</a>, got <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/21/the-engagement-moon-part-1/">engaged in Thailand</a>, and decided to marry in <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/28/the-best-places-to-kiss-in-the-northwest/">Mr. Bear Cub's home state of Oregon</a>, at a <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/07/16/virtual-venue-visits/">summer camp</a>. I had some <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/18/will-you-be-my-bridesmaid-again/">crazy</a> <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/08/theres-a-bird-in-my-food/">DIY</a> <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/08/a-book-to-hold-our-promises/">plans</a> <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/04/operation-wedding-cakes/">along</a> <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/07/31/chugging-the-crazy-juice/">the way</a>. And an even crazier plan to <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/07/27/mrbrcub-msbrcub/">run a marathon</a> with Mr. Bear Cub a week after our wedding!<br />
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How did it all pan out? It was crazy, wild, emotional, torrentuous, healing, but most importantly, perfect in every way for <i>us</i>. And although our wedding day was certainly and undeniably one of the happiest moments of my life, I'm very glad it's over. It's just a day, and now we get to cherish our memories, while building our future together.<br />
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Before I jump into the recaps, I have a little slideshow to show you that one of our wedding photographers made for us. I almost (<i>almost</i>) don't need any other token from our wedding; this selection of images completely encompasses the feeling of our wedding weekend - community.<br />
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When I think about the events that happened over the weekend of our wedding, the thing that makes me cry tears of happiness (every time!) is thinking about the incredible effort and support provided by our guests. Our guests were much much more than <i>guests</i>. As our friends, our family, our <i>loved ones</i>, they made up a community of love surrounding our wedding.<br />
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Every time I see a picture of our friends and family helping us create our wedding day, I cry tears of happiness. I can safely say that <i>every single</i> person in our wedding community truly made our wedding day <i>happen</i>. They helped create the event, just as they helped create us through all their previous years of support and love.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jonathanmoorephoto.com/index.php">Jonathan Moore Photography</a></div><br />
I can't wait to share with you how everyone helped make our wedding day happen. Hopefully I can make you feel like you were there with me, too. I sure wish you could have been. :)Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-28468521959580588042010-01-29T00:11:00.000-03:002010-01-29T00:11:11.008-03:00oiling the gearsMan I'm rusty at blogging! hoo-boy. <br />
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Everything since the wed-wed has just been crazy, in a very dull sort of way. None of it really seemed all that interesting to me, so why would it be interesting for the internets, right? Plus I know none of you are really interested in what happened <i>after</i> the wedding ;) - you want to know what happened AT the wedding.<br />
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I'll get there! I promi. I need to sort through some things first. Pictures, obviously, but thoughts most importantly. Up until this point, I've been blogging about my ideal of a life in the states. Realistically, I need to get my head out of the clouds. I live in Chile, I work in Chile, and I'll be in Chile for the next year and a half (or so...). As much as I may (or may NOT!!!) like this, it's my life right now. And for the past few months, whenever I think about our wedding, or moving back to the states, it feels like I'm just trying to escape reality. And that's not healthy.<br />
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So, if you'll bear with me, I'll get these rusty gears oiled soon enough. I'll blog about our wedding (which was absolute bliss, btw), I'll transition to blogging about who knows what (tbd obv), and, of course, there will be beautiful pictures.<br />
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Always, beautiful pictures.<br />
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(except in this post.)Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-47890019462244134672009-10-20T12:17:00.003-03:002009-10-20T12:31:40.654-03:00We're married!One month ago, today (eek, sorry for the delay!), Mr. Bear Cub and I stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean, surrounded by our loving family and friends, and solidified our love in marriage.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/St3V3JD8R4I/AAAAAAAAHzc/uvl_tZum8JM/s1600-h/wed1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/St3V3JD8R4I/AAAAAAAAHzc/uvl_tZum8JM/s400/wed1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394703071961696130" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/St3V3nRZMzI/AAAAAAAAHzk/4rKEJHcrhg4/s1600-h/wed2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/St3V3nRZMzI/AAAAAAAAHzk/4rKEJHcrhg4/s400/wed2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394703080071181106" border="0" /></a>photo credit: <a href="http://www.susanicatam.com/c/susanica">Susánica Tam Photography</a><br /></div><br />It was wonderful, beautiful, and (honestly!) everything I had ever wished it to be.<br /><br />I only have a few teaser photos from our <a href="http://www.susanicatam.com/c/susanica">amazing</a> <a href="http://www.jonathanmoorephoto.com/">photographers</a> (and a fab <a href="http://persimmonimages.com/">guest photographer</a>!), but I can't wait to relive our amazing wedding weekend with you once I get the rest of our photos!<br /><br /><br />Much love and baby bear kisses,<br /><br />Mrs. Bear CubMs Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-45818131004102402852009-09-09T22:33:00.011-04:002009-09-09T23:15:47.154-04:00Astronomers Do The Darndest ThingsBy the time you're reading this, I'll probably be on a plane... TO WEDDING LAND!!! :-D<br /><br />So as I leave my adoptive country for my month-o-bliss, I'd like to give special thanks to my friends in La Serena - the ones Mr. Bear Cub and I live with (in a fishbowl of expats!), the ones we work with (in the same fishbowl..), and the ones who care about us enough to through us a surprise wedding shower!!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Sqhncs-u9BI/AAAAAAAAHxE/5ynNnKxA1Pk/s1600-h/shower1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Sqhncs-u9BI/AAAAAAAAHxE/5ynNnKxA1Pk/s400/shower1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379663497702339602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Reelie?? I can haz party??</span></span><br /><br /></div>Our neighbors in expat-ville had invited us over to their home a few weekends ago ostensibly for "fried chicken". You don't get fried chicken in Chile. We were biting. Especially since we had planned to run 17 miles before hand! <span style="font-style: italic;">Anything</span> fried tastes HEAVENLY after 17 miles on asphalt!<br /><br />So we popped down to their home with party-food offering in hand, and this is what we saw:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhoqTqTO7I/AAAAAAAAHxM/Yu3PVo1odSQ/s1600-h/shower1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhoqTqTO7I/AAAAAAAAHxM/Yu3PVo1odSQ/s400/shower1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379664830935546802" border="0" /></a>Needless to say, I was quite shocked! And very happy :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Sqho_FaIAkI/AAAAAAAAHxU/fcal_mzkTLg/s1600-h/shower2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Sqho_FaIAkI/AAAAAAAAHxU/fcal_mzkTLg/s400/shower2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379665187886858818" border="0" /></a>I couldn't believe our sweet friends here threw a party all for us! I'm not the easiest person to surprise! Mr. Bear Cub claims we must have been COMPLETELY oblivious to the plans the entire time. I've never been so thankful for good friends and my own spacey-ness. :)<br /><br />There wasn't, in fact, fried chicken! But there were freshly-BBQ'd ribs! :-D<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhrVNcqNjI/AAAAAAAAHyE/Zx8UEFgxUbE/s1600-h/shower8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhrVNcqNjI/AAAAAAAAHyE/Zx8UEFgxUbE/s400/shower8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379667767025350194" border="0" /></a>They're really that good. Plus they inspire sweet-n-smokey high-fives!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhrM7MUxpI/AAAAAAAAHxc/YLb1xHpJwcg/s1600-h/shower3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhrM7MUxpI/AAAAAAAAHxc/YLb1xHpJwcg/s400/shower3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379667624686044818" border="0" /></a>Astronomers are a friendly bunch!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhrOF1fdVI/AAAAAAAAHx0/Nz_rHmxGygU/s1600-h/shower6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhrOF1fdVI/AAAAAAAAHx0/Nz_rHmxGygU/s400/shower6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379667644722935122" border="0" /></a>Err... I mean.. We're a rather goofy bunch! ;)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhrNpiDncI/AAAAAAAAHxs/NMor_6OcExQ/s1600-h/shower5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhrNpiDncI/AAAAAAAAHxs/NMor_6OcExQ/s400/shower5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379667637125225922" border="0" /></a>But altogether, astronomers got your back when you need it!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhsHLXuovI/AAAAAAAAHyM/OwmOxMn0QwQ/s1600-h/shower9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 387px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhsHLXuovI/AAAAAAAAHyM/OwmOxMn0QwQ/s400/shower9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379668625461256946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Thanks, M!!</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhrNZfuIVI/AAAAAAAAHxk/BTTR25-uT5k/s1600-h/shower4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqhrNZfuIVI/AAAAAAAAHxk/BTTR25-uT5k/s400/shower4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379667632820461906" border="0" /></a><br />Mr. Bear Cub and I were super happy and relaxed all afternoon - finally a party we didn't have to plan! :) It was so nice to bask in the warmth of friends & camaraderie and celebrate! for once! <br /><br />Let the celebration begin!<br /><br />Was your "bridal" shower more of a "wedding" shower/celebration? Were you as completely shocked and elated as Mr. BC and I were??Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-54527500023474384942009-09-08T17:23:00.003-04:002009-09-08T17:56:19.747-04:00Whether We'll Weather The Weather!Hi Hive!<br /><br />Meet Miss Bear Cub: <del>Professional</del> Amateur Meteorologist!<br /><br />The forecast for the Pacific Northwest US over the next few weeks is:<br /><br />...<br /><br />I don't know. :)<br /><br />But I <span style="font-weight: bold;">do</span> have a few tricks up my sleeve! Enter the <del>Four</del> Three Horsemen of precipitation and cold fronts:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.accuweather.com"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Accuweather</span></a><br />As the name suggests, this must be the "accurate" weather forecast! I've been checking accuweather for their long-range (15 day!) predictions.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqbN_fHKRtI/AAAAAAAAHws/41VznkYE1Ho/s1600-h/accuweather.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 369px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqbN_fHKRtI/AAAAAAAAHws/41VznkYE1Ho/s400/accuweather.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379213295507621586" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.accuweather.com">accuweather</a></div>So far, so good - sunny and clear! For coastal Oregon, this is a near miracle. But the forecast could change tomorrow!<br /><br />That's why there's...<br /><a href="http://www.weather.com"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather.com</span></a><br />C'mon, you know you use this one. It's in the name. Even my dad uses this one. Standard, normal, not-too-daring in their predictions, yet just-enough of a sneak peak into next week!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqbOAbGpLmI/AAAAAAAAHw8/JIq0LLachKI/s1600-h/weather.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqbOAbGpLmI/AAAAAAAAHw8/JIq0LLachKI/s400/weather.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379213311611580002" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.weather.com">weather.com</a></div>But meh... I wanna know about my wedding weekend now! Me! Me! Me! No! No! No! ... No Rain!<br /><br />And sheesh weather.com - mostly sunny? Partly cloudy? Sounds like someone needs to grow a pair!<br /><br />And finally, there's ol' reliable...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">NOAA</a><br />This is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They know their poop. They're also really really conservative with their estimates. (7-day forecast? how passé)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqbN_m8NtyI/AAAAAAAAHw0/Pu7lxLjTwGA/s1600-h/noaa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 393px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqbN_m8NtyI/AAAAAAAAHw0/Pu7lxLjTwGA/s400/noaa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379213297609193250" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">noaa</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is good when you want accuracy (in your face accuweather!), but not-so-hot when you're a bride to be wishing to predict the cold fronts for oh, I don't know ... ROMANCE AND MARRIAGE! <span style="font-style: italic;">Gawh</span>, NOAA! <br /></div><br />Let's get real - no one can accurately predict the weather more than about 3-5 days out. That's why every day now I'm checking these three sites - one for <a href="http://www.noaa.gov">reliability</a>, one <a href="http://www.weather.com">control group</a>, and one to <a href="http://www.accuweather.com">toy with my mood</a>.<br /><br />Have you gained a new hobby in forecasting the weather, <span style="font-style: italic;">conveniently</span> near your wedding venue? What's your favorite hocus-pocus precipitation predictor?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-71607477542108883412009-09-07T19:56:00.000-04:002009-09-07T19:56:00.978-04:00Cover Up That Bear Cub Bum!Bear Cubs are a bit shy - this little Bear Cub doesn't know the first thing about lingerie!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://7art-screensavers.com/screenshots/bears/brown-bear-cub-on-the-tree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 536px; height: 402px;" src="http://7art-screensavers.com/screenshots/bears/brown-bear-cub-on-the-tree.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://7art-screensavers.com/bears.shtml">source</a></div><br />It doesn't help that certain <span style="font-style: italic;">other</span> Bear Cubs <span style="font-style: italic;">also</span> don't know a thing about lingerie - a Ms Bear Cub, in particular, needs to find "sexay" bum-cover-uppers STAT!<br /><br />Luckily, in this forest of Oregon called "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stumptown">Stumptown</a>" (the trees became stumps? <a href="http://www.tiggerland.co.uk/images/pooh%20honey_gif.gif">Oh bother</a>. At least there's good <a href="http://www.stumptowncoffee.com/"><del>coffee</del></a> honey.) there seems to be a preponderance of cutesy lingerie stores!<br /><a href="http://www.ohbabylingerieshops.com/"><br />Oh Baby</a> has gotten great reviews on <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/oh-baby-portland">yelp</a>!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqL_M5L_x8I/AAAAAAAAHwU/OJ_Nd6bj9Qo/s1600-h/ohbaby.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 109px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqL_M5L_x8I/AAAAAAAAHwU/OJ_Nd6bj9Qo/s400/ohbaby.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378141502008444866" border="0" /></a>Plus it's located within walking distance of another <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/lille-boutique-portland">yelp crowd-pleaser</a>, <a href="http://www.lilleboutique.com/">Lille Boutique</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqMAlL3kK_I/AAAAAAAAHwc/5STuPEXbZGI/s1600-h/lille1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqMAlL3kK_I/AAAAAAAAHwc/5STuPEXbZGI/s400/lille1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378143018851511282" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqMAlV0XedI/AAAAAAAAHwk/9FnCJlyNdYw/s1600-h/lille2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqMAlV0XedI/AAAAAAAAHwk/9FnCJlyNdYw/s400/lille2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378143021522450898" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20onblur=%22try%20%7Bparent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully%28%29;%7D%20catch%28e%29%20%7B%7D%22%20href=%22http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqMAlV0XedI/AAAAAAAAHwk/9FnCJlyNdYw/s1600-h/lille2.jpg%22%3E%3Cimg%20style=%22margin:%200px%20auto%2010px;%20display:%20block;%20text-align:%20center;%20cursor:%20pointer;%20width:%20400px;%20height:%20399px;%22%20src=%22http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqMAlV0XedI/AAAAAAAAHwk/9FnCJlyNdYw/s400/lille2.jpg%22%20alt=%22%22%20id=%22BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378143021522450898%22%20border=%220%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E">source</a></div><br /><a href="http://www.ae.com/aerie/browse/category.jsp?catId=cat1780020">Aerie</a> by American Eagle is quite cute, too - and definitely nicer on the wallet! The thing that's confusing this little Bear Cub so much is that her mister is really more of a sports bra kind of guy Bear Cub.<br /><br />Patagonia definitely has some cute sports bras:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.patagonia.com/tsimages/32103_131.fpx?wid=360&hei=360&ftr=8&effect=dropshadow,0x000000,10,8,120,8&cvt=jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 360px;" src="http://www.patagonia.com/tsimages/32103_131.fpx?wid=360&hei=360&ftr=8&effect=dropshadow,0x000000,10,8,120,8&cvt=jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.patagonia.com/tsimages/32405_122.fpx?wid=360&hei=360&ftr=8&effect=dropshadow,0x000000,10,8,120,8&cvt=jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 360px;" src="http://www.patagonia.com/tsimages/32405_122.fpx?wid=360&hei=360&ftr=8&effect=dropshadow,0x000000,10,8,120,8&cvt=jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/shop/body-womens?k=6v-1E">source</a></div><br />But $35 for a sports bra? And $20 for undies? Hmmm... it's all so confusing! (Plus that cute green is all sold out in the undies! Pooh.)<br /><br />Do you ladies know of some relatively inexpensive unmentionables of the sporty variety? <br /><br />While I'm in Portland next week (NEXT WEEK!!!! :) ), I'll try to hit up these two local lingerie shops! The only thing I don't know is if I should go alone or not. Do you think it's better to go lingerie shopping with a gal pal, or solo?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-72474893269886304362009-09-06T19:29:00.001-04:002009-09-06T19:29:00.579-04:00Tweet Tweet!Remember <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/08/theres-a-bird-in-my-food/">way back when</a>? When I had lofty plans for re-creating <a href="http://www.laurenalane.com/toppers.html">Lauren Alane</a>'s cutie-patootie felted birds cake topper?<br /><br />Consider this project DONE suckah!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqL1Y0LwsaI/AAAAAAAAHv8/Pdla5vP25LE/s1600-h/Photo+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqL1Y0LwsaI/AAAAAAAAHv8/Pdla5vP25LE/s400/Photo+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378130711707431330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">please forgive the crappy photography! I just discovered photobooth :) - and no tengo tiempo!</span></span><br /></div><br />It took me a couple of tries, but I finally finished a pair of birdies I was happy with!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqL1YSbH9mI/AAAAAAAAHv0/Xl5LFZuGHd4/s1600-h/Photo+9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqL1YSbH9mI/AAAAAAAAHv0/Xl5LFZuGHd4/s400/Photo+9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378130702645065314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqL30tPphhI/AAAAAAAAHwE/8yhTQTnRUhQ/s1600-h/Photo+10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqL30tPphhI/AAAAAAAAHwE/8yhTQTnRUhQ/s400/Photo+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378133389904283154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqL31PinZBI/AAAAAAAAHwM/H3YLQdZxUek/s1600-h/Photo+11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqL31PinZBI/AAAAAAAAHwM/H3YLQdZxUek/s400/Photo+11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378133399110640658" border="0" /></a><br />Mr. Bear Cub is obviously the taller red birdie! He always wears red, plus he's a ginger ;) (I love me some red hair - can't wait for the cute ginger babies one day!). My little birdie is actually a very light lavender color! Ha! I totally <3 <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/10/leclairage-de-couleur/">the lavender</a>.<br /><br />Special thanks to Miss Poodle for supplying me with the correct wire for their legs! :) No hablo the spanish well enough to find the right crafting knick-knacks in my town. ;)<br /><br />I've still got enough time to dress up the bridal birdie a bit! What do you think, should I go for a little hair flower? Maybe an über-tiny, über-cute bow in her "hair"?<br /><br />How did you put your cake topper on your cake? I was thinking of just sticking the wire legs into the buttercream! :)Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-55908280936894732032009-09-05T17:18:00.005-04:002009-09-05T17:37:20.745-04:00Too Much Bridal Glow<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Wow, that was stupid.<br /><br />Mr. Bear Cub and I were out on our weekly super-long Saturday marathon training run (you don't want to know how many miles), and Mr. Sunshine (not to be confused with Mr. Sunbeam!) decided to peak his little head out of the clouds.<br /><br />Ladies, I have two weeks until my wedding. I now look like a raccoon.<br /><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqLWDTtF4AI/AAAAAAAAHvk/1n8-1gPmtp8/s1600-h/Photo+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqLWDTtF4AI/AAAAAAAAHvk/1n8-1gPmtp8/s400/Photo+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378096257351147522" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ALWAYS</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">WEAR</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">SUNBLOCK</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqLV8L638MI/AAAAAAAAHvc/Tfl7l1Dn2Jc/s1600-h/Photo+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqLV8L638MI/AAAAAAAAHvc/Tfl7l1Dn2Jc/s400/Photo+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378096135002386626" border="0" /></a><br />TWO WEEKS. <span style="font-size:180%;">TWO WEEKS</span>!!!! I don't particularly want to be sporting the 'coon eyes on my wedding day!!!<br /><br />...although, I am quite a sexy raccoon!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqLWD-Sjn0I/AAAAAAAAHvs/u6Tf9e7MpfI/s1600-h/Photo+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqLWD-Sjn0I/AAAAAAAAHvs/u6Tf9e7MpfI/s400/Photo+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378096268782575426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(sexy raccoon)</span><br /></div><br />Seriously, these are about the worst burn lines one could hope for. If I was wearing sunny-g's, you'd think I would have thought to wear sunblock, eh?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqLV7THEMZI/AAAAAAAAHvM/EiEiuoNjPnA/s1600-h/Photo+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqLV7THEMZI/AAAAAAAAHvM/EiEiuoNjPnA/s400/Photo+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378096119752700306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">comes with complimentary neck-burn!</span><br /></div><br />It gets worse:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqLV7JGLt_I/AAAAAAAAHvE/nGntJp0jozc/s1600-h/Photo+7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SqLV7JGLt_I/AAAAAAAAHvE/nGntJp0jozc/s400/Photo+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378096117064644594" border="0" /></a>Halfway through the run, I rolled up my sleeves a bit. Ruh-roh! Bear Cub has sleeve lines! Sad Bear Cub. :(<br /><br />I'm no stranger to burns - normally I wear SPF 50+!! The last time I got a bad burn (worse than this), the burn line lasted for about 5 <span style="font-weight: bold;">months</span>. <br /><br />My wedding is in 2 <span style="font-weight: bold;">weeks</span>. <br /><br />In the meantime, I'm slathering on the aloe, drinking lots of water, and taking some ibuprofen! <br /><br />How long do you think it will take before the burn fades to my normal lovely pale skin?? What's your fool-proof method to reducing/minimizing burn and tan lines?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-68311108230140276942009-08-27T15:00:00.009-04:002009-08-29T21:15:24.706-04:00Lavender, Poppies, Treasure Maps, and Viking Ninjas<div>Our invites were sent out almost a full month ago, but I only got to see them in real life for the first time a little over a week ago! While I was in California for my <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/08/13/a-past-life/">MOH's wedding</a>, I had my mom mail me my own copy of our wedding invite. Ladies, it's a wonderful thing to hold your wedding invitation in your hands.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had dreamed up the idea for our invitations almost 6 months ago! I knew I wanted the prevailing theme to be fields of lavender and poppies (you could say I have <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/10/leclairage-de-couleur/">a thing for France</a>), I wanted real pressed lavender, I wanted <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/09/im-drooling-on-our-plantable-paper/">seed paper</a>, and I wanted it to all be bound up nice & sweet in a little book.</div><div><br /></div><div>Because I was a bit... <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">particular</span> in what I wanted, I knew the process was going to take a little bit of time, especially long-distance from Chile. Truthfully, making the invitations myself had been one of the things I desperately wanted to do. I wanted to press the flowers myself, I wanted to learn how to screen-print, and I wanted to try my hand at design. At some point I came to the realization that wouldn't be possible from South America - I couldn't get the supplies in time, I didn't have the equipment (or the resources) to learn new skills, and both US and Chilean customs are a little iffy on importing biological products.</div><div><br /></div><div>With all this on my mind, I turned to a designer in Eugene, OR who's still fairly new in the invitation making & letterpress business. Since I would no longer be supporting<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/29/hand-made-artisan-invitations-in-a-world-without-etsy/"> local artists in Chile</a> with my invite project, I wanted to support artists local to the Portland/Eugene area. Kristin Walker of <a href="http://twinravenspress.blogspot.com/">Twin Ravens Press</a> was very accommodating to both my budget, design wishes, and eco-conscious wishes. I wasn't very familiar with contracting the design and printing of invitations for a wedding (who is, before they get engaged??), and there are a lot of things I wish someone had told me about the process beforehand. I'll give you guys a list of the tips & tricks I learned along the way in a future post, including the steps in the design of the invite!</div><div><br /></div><div>We had Kristin letterpress a single lavender sprig with our return address on the flap of our <a href="http://www.wastenotpaper.com/">Waste-Not</a> cream envelopes.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spm8CqUiAOI/AAAAAAAAHuE/f4iSKWMdNEI/s1600-h/invite16.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spm8CqUiAOI/AAAAAAAAHuE/f4iSKWMdNEI/s400/invite16.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375534384149561570" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">When you open the envelope you see that someone's sent you a whole BOOK of an invitation! :)</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbcso2YpkI/AAAAAAAAHso/RrUzZb1sUnU/s1600-h/invite17.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbcso2YpkI/AAAAAAAAHso/RrUzZb1sUnU/s400/invite17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374725864751146562" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbctCG9I_I/AAAAAAAAHsw/e27aLkTd2i4/s1600-h/invite15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbctCG9I_I/AAAAAAAAHsw/e27aLkTd2i4/s400/invite15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374725871531533298" border="0" /></a><div><div>The book is bound in hand-made Nepalese <a href="http://www.wholesalesupplies.biz/oftheearth/Wholesale/wholesale_invitation_wraps.html">Lotka</a> paper - 100% tree-free and it feels almost like leather! Kristin found a local supplier of lavender for the pressed flower on the front of the book.<br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbb6y8_ObI/AAAAAAAAHsY/4puEKmlUMGc/s1600-h/invite1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbb6y8_ObI/AAAAAAAAHsY/4puEKmlUMGc/s400/invite1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374725008469735858" border="0" /></a>The first page of our book features a poem we wrote together specifically for our wedding...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbb6Q3uQxI/AAAAAAAAHsQ/w1gzWTuaYQg/s1600-h/invite2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbb6Q3uQxI/AAAAAAAAHsQ/w1gzWTuaYQg/s400/invite2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724999320847122" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; "><blockquote> Our ideal of love is sitting together in a meadow,<br />the last rays of daylight fading beyond the horizon<br />as we look into each others eyes<br /> -- and feel in one moment --<br />the soft breeze of the summer wind<br /> -- and the next --<br />the first prick of the coming autumn,<br />causing us to nestle together for a little extra warmth.</blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; "> We wanted this poem to help our guests to feel the emotion in the changing of the seasons with our nuptials - since our wedding will be 2 days before the equinox, the astronomical equality and changing of the seasons are going to play a significant role in our ceremony.</span><br /></div></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbb6O6vi7I/AAAAAAAAHsI/WMsYVtDDI6E/s1600-h/invite3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbb6O6vi7I/AAAAAAAAHsI/WMsYVtDDI6E/s400/invite3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724998796643250" border="0" /></a>The poem is immediately followed by the formal invitation:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbb59DfEWI/AAAAAAAAHsA/QmNwSVLdSMA/s1600-h/invite4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbb59DfEWI/AAAAAAAAHsA/QmNwSVLdSMA/s400/invite4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724994001473890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbb5UW-cMI/AAAAAAAAHr4/OWN42012e7Q/s1600-h/invite5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbb5UW-cMI/AAAAAAAAHr4/OWN42012e7Q/s400/invite5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724983077368002" border="0" /></a>I had Kristin blind-emboss some lavender sprigs to give the design a more three-dimensional feel - as if you're looking close up at some lavender and poppies, but there's more lavender in the distance. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbtSOShcI/AAAAAAAAHrw/AuKuwcRtT8E/s1600-h/invite6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbtSOShcI/AAAAAAAAHrw/AuKuwcRtT8E/s400/invite6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724776345634242" border="0" /></a>The next three pages of our invitation are three individual maps - one of Camp Westwind, one of northwest Oregon, and one of Portland. Luckily, Mr. Bear Cub loved the idea of having a map made for our wedding! <a href="http://www.crystalkluge.com/">Crystal Kluge</a> designed all three maps, and made the calligraphy for the poem and our names on the main invite. Crystal's maps and calligraphy are among the most unique I've seen in my 15 (!!) months of being an engaged woman. Originally we weren't interested in calligraphy at all (it seemed a bit too froofy for us), but we (I) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">adored</span> her quirky cute penmanship.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbsxHupnI/AAAAAAAAHro/UT-ItNONfMM/s1600-h/invite7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbsxHupnI/AAAAAAAAHro/UT-ItNONfMM/s400/invite7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724767459747442" border="0" /></a>Plus her maps are exquisite. When she sent us the mock-up for this map, we originally had our wedding date as "09.20.2009". Then I noticed that if we arranged it the European (and South American... basically non-US) way, it would appear as "20.09.2009"! I thought that was just so cool. :) What an easy way to remember our anniversary! Our maps truly deserve a post of their own; we're having Crystal watercolor a set of the maps that we'll frame for our home.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbsepKmZI/AAAAAAAAHrg/XehxeKBcwuc/s1600-h/invite8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbsepKmZI/AAAAAAAAHrg/XehxeKBcwuc/s400/invite8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724762499717522" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbsEsQRII/AAAAAAAAHrY/ez-TvwjAUuc/s1600-h/invite9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbsEsQRII/AAAAAAAAHrY/ez-TvwjAUuc/s400/invite9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724755533350018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbrtPBimI/AAAAAAAAHrQ/Cfe8H-reAIw/s1600-h/invite10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbrtPBimI/AAAAAAAAHrQ/Cfe8H-reAIw/s400/invite10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724749236734562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbbe3g7V-I/AAAAAAAAHrI/CqWBgSVFjK8/s1600-h/invite11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Spbbe3g7V-I/AAAAAAAAHrI/CqWBgSVFjK8/s400/invite11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724528657881058" border="0" /></a>The final page of our book-invite is a sweet request to RSVP via our webpage. We live in Chile, my parents live in Oklahoma, and even though Mr. Bear Cub's dad lives in Portland, we didn't want to deal with the stress of lost RSVPs long distance. AND we get to cut down on extraneous paper and envelopes and stamps and such! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbeXaT27I/AAAAAAAAHrA/uNWNlR4lEc8/s1600-h/invite10half.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbeXaT27I/AAAAAAAAHrA/uNWNlR4lEc8/s400/invite10half.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724520040192946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbeGhjvfI/AAAAAAAAHq4/UNWbdvGyQ68/s1600-h/invite12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbeGhjvfI/AAAAAAAAHq4/UNWbdvGyQ68/s400/invite12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724515507191282" border="0" /></a>Mr. Bear Cub's favorite part of our entire invitation can best be described as the "hallmark crown on the back". You know how all Hallmark cards have that little crown on the back of them? Mr. BC wanted to include his favorite fictional character, a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">viking-ninja</span>, on the back of our invitation. I'm sure most of our guests didn't see this, but that's ok - little dude is pretty stealthy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbdtCV4UI/AAAAAAAAHqw/R7ZiaTZs-Ck/s1600-h/invite13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbdtCV4UI/AAAAAAAAHqw/R7ZiaTZs-Ck/s400/invite13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724508665372994" border="0" /></a>What's a viking-ninja, you ask? Well... I can't really tell you! Mr. BC has plans for our little viking-ninja friend in the future, so I can't spill the beans too much. All I can tell you is that it's a little viking boy who found himself in Japan, and was befriended by ninjas...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbdWz3myI/AAAAAAAAHqo/eZQaA-5vqlk/s1600-h/invite14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpbbdWz3myI/AAAAAAAAHqo/eZQaA-5vqlk/s400/invite14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374724502699088674" border="0" /></a>Even though the process of making the invites took a lot longer than I thought it would, I'm really very pleased with them. The day Kristin sent me pictures of the finished product, I burst into tears. I had had a pretty rough day at work, I was really stressed about the wedding coming together, and there I had in front of me our finished invitations - something had finally come to fruition, and it was just what I had been envisioning. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. Bear Cub was also admittedly skeptical about having our invitations made - originally he wanted to just send emails to everyone. While this would definitely be the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">most</span> economical and ecological option, I really wanted to have a solid invitation to our wedding, I wanted something I could hold in my hands. My mom framed my parent's wedding invitation; I remember looking at it as a kid, and thinking that she must have been so happy to send her invites to her family and friends for her wedding day. </div><div><br /></div><div>I now understand that feeling, and I can't wait to show my children our framed invitation one day.<br /><br /></div></div>Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-75784984388114927932009-08-26T12:07:00.005-04:002009-08-26T12:54:47.054-04:00How To Adorn The Balcony...Um... I'm the worst decision-maker ever. I still don't know what necklace I'm going to wear with my wedding dress!<br /><br />Remember my <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/02/a-dress-from-my-dreams-part-3/">wedding dress</a>? Good.<br /><br />I know this is <span style="font-style: italic;">obviously</span> the most important part of the wedding, and why am I not spending more of my time on silly things like venue insurance and lighting, but you ladies like jewelry & style, right? Can't go wrong with the hive! :)<br /><br />Here's the dish: I have a rather particular look I'm going for. Call it grandma-boho-chic, flapper-tastic, or waterfalls of pearls dripping from my nape. Call it whatever you want, but it looks kind of like this:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.oncewed.com/wp-content/gallery/sarah-adam/senter017.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 485px;" src="http://www.oncewed.com/wp-content/gallery/sarah-adam/senter017.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>photo credit: <a href="http://www.ashleygarmonphoto.com/">Ashley Garmon</a>, via<a href="http://www.oncewed.com/414/real-weddings/elegant/adam-sarah/?currentPage=2"> OnceWed</a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://julieharrisblog.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/20070929_brianna_and_daniel_0020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 427px; height: 285px;" src="http://julieharrisblog.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/20070929_brianna_and_daniel_0020.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://julieharrisblog.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/20070929_brianna_and_daniel_0002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 426px; height: 284px;" src="http://julieharrisblog.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/20070929_brianna_and_daniel_0002.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>photo credit:<a href="http://www.julieharrisphotography.com/blog/2007/10/brianna-and-daniel/"> Julie Harris</a>, via <a href="http://amountainbride.blogspot.com/">A.Mountain.Bride</a><br /></div><br />More like the bride in the first pic, I love it when the pearls drape past one's balcony. It adds beautiful length to your torso - especially for Shorty McShortcakes like me!<br /><br />Also very important is the neckline of the dress I'll be wearing. I love how the bride in the second & third pics layered her necklaces - it makes her look so carefree and rich with life! - but my dress isn't strapless. It definitely has "<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Sdr29FvEhgI/AAAAAAAAFi8/_PbB-4f8Aes/s1600-h/front.JPG">straps</a>", not unlike the bride in the 1st pic (no peaksy, Mr. Bear Cub!!).<br /><br />So here's my deal - I love the look of long, layered pearls, but I just don't know which gosh darn necklace to get! I've been poring over etsy for the past few days, and it's just getting worse.<br /><br />I bought these necklaces a few months ago:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.54775278.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 336px;" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.54775278.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=14805821">source</a></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3609/3347331982_e7710521e9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3609/3347331982_e7710521e9.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3630/3347317380_acef416cd0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3630/3347317380_acef416cd0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I love both of these necklaces - especially the non-white aspect - but I think the second necklace doesn't really come down past my balcony far enough (and it clasps behind the neck, it's not one super-huge necklace doubled up). BTW that dress I'm modeling the 2nd necklace with is NOT my wedding dress - just an example. But remember that <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/Sdr29FvEhgI/AAAAAAAAFi8/_PbB-4f8Aes/s1600-h/front.JPG">my dress</a> isn't strapless!! We must <span style="font-weight: bold;">lengthen</span> the torso, and draw attention to my balcony! ;)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpVmDOQ_yxI/AAAAAAAAHqg/nawZj0bXAMg/s1600-h/necklaces.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 390px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SpVmDOQ_yxI/AAAAAAAAHqg/nawZj0bXAMg/s400/necklaces.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374313935891581714" border="0" /></a>all photos from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">etsy.com</a><br /></div><br />I think the style I'm going for is called "lariat" - the necklace on the bottom right is most like what I'm looking for, but I'm not sure it'll ship in time (from asia!). I'd prefer real pearls, if possible, but this necklace has caught my eye:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_430xN.75821823.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 430px; height: 573px;" src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_430xN.75821823.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26568969">source</a></div><br />... Layered, perhaps, with the two necklaces I already have. Maybe pearls strung on a long piece of ribbon would work...<br /><br />If I'm to wear anything around my neck, my frame needs length. Then again, I could just forgo a necklace altogether...<br /><br />Which of these necklaces would you pair with my wedding dress? Do you have any other necklace suggestions for me? How would you best achieve that grandma's pearls/boho-chic look?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-82923941668963695202009-08-21T11:44:00.003-04:002009-08-21T13:24:16.406-04:00Finding A Song To Share With My DaddyI'm not really a daddy's girl. When I need advice about life, I turn to my mother - she has truly been my rock growing up. To be painfully honest, I don't even really have much of a relationship with my dad. I love him, and he loves me, but we're two very different people, and we know it. Thankfully, the relationship that we <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> have is good - we respect each other, and when we do talk, we speak fondly to each other, and try to catch up on the other's life in any little way we can.<br /><br />While I'm (sadly) not very close with my dad, I do wish to dance with him at my wedding. I try not to rock the boat too much with him, or be too demanding, so I told him I would dance with him to any song he wants (the proverbial apple has already <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/26/rye-bread-with-margarine/">fallen far enough</a> from the tree).<br /><br />I would have loved to have a song that was special to my dad and myself, like <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/17/goin-home-to-caledonia/">Mr. Bear Cub and his mother</a>. I didn't really think it would be possible - we're so different, my dad and I.<br /><br />Last night, he sent me this song. I nearly cried.<br /><br /><object height="25" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i_lyx1SB86Q&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i_lyx1SB86Q&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="25" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Turn Around, sung by The Kingston Trio<br /><br />Where are you going, my little one, little one?<br />Where are you going, my baby, my own?<br />Turn around and you're two.<br />Turn around and you're four.<br />Turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door.<br /><br />Turn around. Turn around.<br />Turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door.<br /><br />Where are you going, my little one, little one?<br />Little dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone?<br />Turn around and you're tiny.<br />Turn around and you're grown.<br />Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own.<br /><br />Turn around. Turn around.<br />Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own.<br /><br />...Are your eyes still dry? Good, cause mine aren't!<br /><br />Despite our differences, when I was a little girl, I <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> my daddy's little girl. I loved him very dearly - just as a little girl loves her father. Our dynamic has since changed quite a bit, but one of my fondest memories of my father is of when I was a little girl growing up in a small town outside of Los Angeles. We would fly kites together very often, and one day the kite I was flying blew into some brush deep behind our home. I was so upset - I couldn't fly my kite anymore with my dad! So I asked him to go and get it for me... and he said he would get it, for the price of a hug. I paid up, and we happily continued flying our kites together.<br /><br />I know my dad loves me, even if he doesn't know quite how to express it now. He loves me as the little girl I once was to him, and I'll happily fill those shoes again for him on my wedding day.<br /><br />Now as I'm trying to get this song for our reception, it's proving hard to find! I was able to find the above link on youtube, but this version - by The Kingston Trio - isn't available for download on iTunes nor Amazon. Could you help me find an .mp3 of this song? I don't mind paying the $1 download - I just can't find it anywhere.<br /><br />What are you dancing to with your father, and how does it reflect your changing relationship with him?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-1878937005130072012009-08-21T10:55:00.005-04:002009-08-21T11:41:57.837-04:00Groomstyle & Dudestyle - Part 2Mr. Bear Cub was the easy one to outfit. Typically, when someone's a groom, I guess what they do is send measurements to Men's Wearhouse for a tuxedo, and then pick it up a few days before the wedding, right? Well... Mr. BC isn't going to wear a tux, so having his dudes wear tuxes would be a little odd. ;)<br /><br />If you <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/08/16/groomstyle-dudestyle-part-1/">recall</a> what Mr. BC is going to wear, I think the groomsdudes would look nice in lighter brown sport coats like this:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So629oeAY1I/AAAAAAAAHpo/2YkekzkLWTU/s1600-h/dudestyle3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So629oeAY1I/AAAAAAAAHpo/2YkekzkLWTU/s400/dudestyle3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372432575451128658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So62-o0rJhI/AAAAAAAAHp4/jYdpuVFyLN8/s1600-h/dudestyle5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 339px; height: 340px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So62-o0rJhI/AAAAAAAAHp4/jYdpuVFyLN8/s400/dudestyle5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372432592726074898" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So62-AxJNZI/AAAAAAAAHpw/92pcfWvleo0/s1600-h/dudestyle4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 336px; height: 340px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So62-AxJNZI/AAAAAAAAHpw/92pcfWvleo0/s400/dudestyle4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372432581973849490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">source for above 3 photos: <a href="http://www.vallentynephotography.com/">Vallentyne Photography</a></span><br /></div><br />Not too light, and not too dark. That's what we're going for here. Oh, and "british khaki" slacks for a little accent. We've tossed around the idea of having the dudes wear vests, but Mr. BC isn't going to wear a vest, so it would probably look strange together!<br /><br />Outfitting groomsdudes (from a bride's perspective) is a bit more challenging than asking your brideschicas to buy a dress. Girls like to shop. Girls like dresses. Boys don't like to shop. Boys don't particularly like to spend money when it's not necessary. I know I'm making some pretty big generalizations here, and they're not entirely true. However, for most guys, they could care less what they wear to the wedding, even as a groomsdude. My mission is to make it <span style="font-weight: bold;">easy for them</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">as cheap as possible</span> for them.<br /><br />Since a tux rental is usually around $100, and most bridesmaids spend between $100 and $150 on their dress, we're trying to keep the groomsmen attire to between $100 and $150. Where's a cheap place to get a sport coat? Any department store. Conveniently, a few department stores are located nation-wide! We have groomsmen in all parts of the US, and even Canada - Vancouver, San Francisco (soon to be Geneva!), DC, Oregon, Denver (soon to be Austria!), and Oklahoma. My wonderful mother recently went to JCPenney to check out some sport coats, and informed me that they have locations in most US cities.<br /><br />I'd really prefer to keep the cost as low as possible, but it's a little hard, given that a man's attire is 4-piece, as opposed to a woman's 1-piece (slacks, shirt, coat, tie vs just the dress!). The coat is definitely the most expensive part.<br /><br />My favorite is the "<a href="http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?DeptID=53006&CatID=53048&GrpTyp=SIZ&ItemID=16c1652&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=external%7C53012&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=4&cmVirtualCat=&CmCatId=external%7C53012%7C53048">Stafford Essential Capewool Sportcoat</a>", but at $100-$110 for the jacket alone, I'm a little concerned it will be cost-prohibitive.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So64cSt0bkI/AAAAAAAAHqI/C0yBMW4kaHU/s1600-h/Picture+11.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 381px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So64cSt0bkI/AAAAAAAAHqI/C0yBMW4kaHU/s400/Picture+11.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372434201699446338" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?DeptID=53006&CatID=53048&GrpTyp=SIZ&ItemID=16c1652&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=external%7C53012&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=4&cmVirtualCat=&CmCatId=external%7C53012%7C53048">source</a></div><br />Then there's the "<a href="http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?DeptID=53006&CatID=53048&GrpTyp=SIZ&ItemID=16c15a4&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=external%7C53012&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=2&cmVirtualCat=&CmCatId=external%7C53012%7C53048">Stafford Essentials Year-Round Sportcoat</a>". At $20 cheaper than the wool coat, this may make the difference! Cheaper, yes, but the color isn't exactly as rich as the first coat...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So64dT3PfmI/AAAAAAAAHqY/QTCl6CKM23A/s1600-h/Picture+10.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 378px; height: 380px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So64dT3PfmI/AAAAAAAAHqY/QTCl6CKM23A/s400/Picture+10.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372434219187273314" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?DeptID=53006&CatID=53048&GrpTyp=SIZ&ItemID=16c15a4&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=external%7C53012&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=2&cmVirtualCat=&CmCatId=external%7C53012%7C53048">source</a></div><br />Then we need a good, inexpensive pair of slacks. Dockers work. We'll probably tell our groomsdudes to use whatever pair of nice khaki slacks they already own - no use in reinventing the wheel, right? Besides, if the slacks don't match perfectly, it won't really matter - the bridesmaids are already <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/07/letting-the-maids-dress-themselves/">mis-matchy</a>; I'm not going to lose sleep over different shades of khaki.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So64b0J_0BI/AAAAAAAAHqA/l-fBISR9mf4/s1600-h/Picture+25.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 386px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So64b0J_0BI/AAAAAAAAHqA/l-fBISR9mf4/s400/Picture+25.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372434193496133650" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?DeptID=53006&CatID=53009&GrpTyp=SIZ&ItemID=166db6b&attrtype=ITY&attrvalue=flat+front+pants&CMID=53006%7C53009&Fltr=ITY%3aEquals%3aflat+front+pants&Srt=&QL=T&IND=1&cmVirtualCat=shopbyitemtype&CmCatId=53006%7C53009%7Cshopbyitemtype">source</a></div><br />Of course, you need a good tie! We're going to buy the ties for the groomsdudes to try to help them out as much as we can. <a href="http://www.saveonties.com/">Saveonties.com</a> has a whole slew of ties - most cheaper than $15 each! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So64cxwaqtI/AAAAAAAAHqQ/6Oohu61Xu24/s1600-h/Picture+8.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/So64cxwaqtI/AAAAAAAAHqQ/6Oohu61Xu24/s400/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372434210031839954" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.saveonties.com/">source</a></div><br />We've also told the groomsdudes to get a crisp, plain white button-down dress shirt. No fuss!<br /><br />Which sportcoat do you like best for Mr. Bear Cub's groomsmen? How are you trying to keep costs down for your bridal party? Do you have another suggestion for Mr. BC's groomsmen attire I haven't thought of?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-54133534434266502772009-08-18T17:46:00.003-04:002009-08-19T10:54:26.605-04:00Selling the idea of "The Wedding"Over the past few weeks, I've gained a new skill. Marketing reps should be quite proud of me; I now have plenty experience with <span style="font-weight: bold;">cold calling</span> friends, family, and strangers about our wedding.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SosivEvMtaI/AAAAAAAAHpg/OIfmgR4P2lk/s1600-h/coldcall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SosivEvMtaI/AAAAAAAAHpg/OIfmgR4P2lk/s400/coldcall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371425172690351522" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.salescareertraining.com/outboundprospectingsalestechnique.html">source</a></div><br />Our invites were sent out a few weeks ago, and the RSVP date was this past weekend (I promise I'll share the details on our invites soon!). Out of the 175 people we invited, only 25 have actually RSVP'd, be it yes or no. The calling game has begun, and it's not fun.<br /><br />At first it wasn't so bad - I called a few of our family and friends I was pretty sure were planning on coming. As suspected, they were just a little late with their "yes" RSVP. It's been wonderful hearing people say things like "I wouldn't miss your wedding for the world!", "Of course we're coming!", and "Viking-ninjas couldn't stop me!". Now we've gotten to the doldrums of the delinquency list. Now we're calling the maybes, and the most-likely-nos. And it's no fun.<br /><br />The worst part is the "maybes" who are worried about coming to our wedding because it's at a campgrounds. The first thing I've heard from a lot of people is "we'll be staying at a motel in the neighboring city", and then "I have to catch a plane at 7am the day after the wedding", and after that the always popular "do we really have to bring sleeping bags?".<br /><br />*sigh*<br /><br />Yes. You really need to bring a sleeping bag. Don't worry, <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/07/16/virtual-venue-visits/">you'll be fine</a>. The cabins are a little rustic, but they <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> heated. I understand that all the airlines smoked some crack a few years ago and decided to charge for checked luggage, but if you really don't want to pay $25 for an extra bag, we can arrange for you to rent a sleeping bag when you get to town (hopefully I can fit this into my already ballooning list of errands to run during my ONLY WEEK IN THE STATES).<br /><br />It's really not advisable to stay at a motel in a neighboring city. While you mean well, it will only cause you more strife. Remember, our venue isn't exactly <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/30/a-quirky-venue-for-a-quirky-couple/">NORMAL</a>. It's surrounded entirely by Nature Conservancy land, and the main access is via once-daily ferry. It is physically possible to drive to the camp, but only a handful of cars are allowed at the camp grounds. Since it's in a forest, the idea is to preserve it, not pollute it. READ: there's a reason we're recommending everyone sleep at the camp. It's easy. Driving to a "neighboring" motel is most definitely <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span>.<br /><br />Unfortunately, even those who are definitely coming to our wedding are having issues dealing with the <span style="font-style: italic;">uniqueness</span> of our venue. Almost every phone call I make to our family and friends includes me<span style="font-weight: bold;"> selling the idea</span> of our wedding. Here I am, living in another country, finalizing the plans for my wedding, and I'm left reassuring our guests that yes there are bathrooms (communal), and yes the food will be healthy, and no you probably shouldn't try to get a hotel in the neighboring town. Oh, and by the way, YES it will be a wonderfully fun and amazing weekend! I find myself telling our guests not to worry about the circumstances of our wedding <span style="font-style: italic;">so much</span>, and it's really getting me down.<br /><br />Why should I have to sell the idea of our wedding so much? At this point, I really feel like the best wedding gift anyone could give us is <span style="font-weight: bold;">REALLY</span> just their presence. I know that's what a lot of people say - "your presence at our wedding is the only gift we need!" - but seriously. It would be such a wonderful gift for our guests to chill out & go with the flow.<br /><br />I understand that a lot of people think the idea of a wedding is to include as many family members as possible. By that notion, I should have planned my wedding to be at a country club or some other place that's easily accessible. That may be suitable for some people, but it just isn't for Mr. Bear Cub and myself. It's just not us. We wouldn't feel comfortable - it wouldn't feel as sacred or special unless we had done it <span style="font-style: italic;">our</span> way. And <span style="font-style: italic;">our</span> way is how we always feel comfortable - in nature, playing fun games (like frisbee!), and camping, singing, laughing, hugging. I know this means that not everyone can make it to our wedding - we understood that when we signed the contract at our venue. A wedding means something different to everyone, but I believe that above all else, it should be a <span style="font-weight: bold;">community effort</span>. For a short while, everyone puts aside their issues and worries, and works to make the wedding a success. Everyone together, and everyone with a positive attitude.<br /><br />I have a pretty freakin positive attitude when it comes to our wedding, but recently it feels like it's being stretched too thin.<br /><br />Have you had to sell the idea of your wedding to your guests? If you've had a few guests that have been nervous about attending your wedding for whatever reason, how have you eased their nerves? And how have you kept a positive attitude, while being beaten down by the nay-sayers?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-9685518294745086812009-08-14T12:02:00.011-04:002009-08-14T15:56:05.871-04:00Groomstyle & Dudestyle - Part 1Mr. Bear Cub isn't exactly a tuxedo kind of man. And that's OK - I love him for it! I want him to be comfortable on his wedding day; I want him to take pride in what he wears. You know, just so long as it's nice. ;) He usually wears whatever he grabs first out of his drawer (of crumpled t-shirts), and usually the clothes that fill the drawer were bought by either his mom (several years ago) or me (now). He just can't be bothered with shopping for himself, unless it involves <a href="http://www.goretex.com/">gore-tex</a> or <a href="http://www.nrsweb.com/tech_talk/event_fabric_rocks.asp">e-vent</a> material, <a href="https://www.smartwool.com/">high-performance wool</a>, or anything found for a steal at an <a href="http://www.rei.com/">REI</a> <a href="http://www.twolia.com/blogs/the-perpetual-tourist/2008/03/31/stock-up-on-gear-at-rei-scratch-and-dent-sales/">scratch-and-dent</a> sale. That's Mr. Bear Cub's style, and I love him! That makes it a lot easier for me to find his wedding day attire. ;) He's a practical guy - being able to wear these clothes after the big day is important.<br /><br />At first I imagined him in a dark brown suit for the wedding, but then I saw this:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT39IUI7I/AAAAAAAAHoA/EOhyaLQV2_k/s1600-h/groomstyle1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT39IUI7I/AAAAAAAAHoA/EOhyaLQV2_k/s400/groomstyle1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369860720220709810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT4Uf2K6I/AAAAAAAAHoI/H8BLEQL44Is/s1600-h/dudestyle2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT4Uf2K6I/AAAAAAAAHoI/H8BLEQL44Is/s400/dudestyle2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369860726493424546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">above two photos from <a href="http://www.vallentynephotography.com/">Vallentyne Photography</a></span><br /></div><br />Perfect! Dark brown velvet/corduroy sportcoat plus british khaki slacks fit the bill! Last September, before Mr. BC & I moved to Chile, we hit up a J.Crew in Portland to see how they could help us out. It being fall, the corduroy jackets were in season! I can totally picture Mr. Bear Cub using his corduroy jacket to teach in when he's a professor at a university some day. :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWURUnO2_I/AAAAAAAAHoo/IO32cF9IBSI/s1600-h/ryanjacket1.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT43ykhkI/AAAAAAAAHoY/U2--bwM_Im0/s1600-h/groomstyle2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 371px; height: 393px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT43ykhkI/AAAAAAAAHoY/U2--bwM_Im0/s400/groomstyle2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369860735967200834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT5TwhezI/AAAAAAAAHog/lvH-yIrsvjQ/s1600-h/groomstyle3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 338px; height: 390px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT5TwhezI/AAAAAAAAHog/lvH-yIrsvjQ/s400/groomstyle3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369860743474805554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">above two images from <a href="http://www.jcrew.com/">Jcrew</a></span><br /></div><br />But since this is more of a formal affair, the darker chocolate brown is the way to go with the jacket! We got him the <a href="http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/MensBrowse/Men_Shop_By_Category/sportcoatsandvests/sportcoats/PRDOVR%7E96333/96333.jsp">washed corduroy sportcoat</a> in "stout", a crisp white button-down shirt, and Mr. BC picked out the tie himself!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT43ykhkI/AAAAAAAAHoY/U2--bwM_Im0/s1600-h/groomstyle2.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWURUnO2_I/AAAAAAAAHoo/IO32cF9IBSI/s1600-h/ryanjacket1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWURUnO2_I/AAAAAAAAHoo/IO32cF9IBSI/s400/ryanjacket1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369861156021132274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWUR-fYUOI/AAAAAAAAHow/oXXv239ITj0/s1600-h/ryanjacket2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWUR-fYUOI/AAAAAAAAHow/oXXv239ITj0/s400/ryanjacket2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369861167262486754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The "ensemble" - waiting safely for us in Portland!</span><br /></div> <br />We only recently found the rest of his outfit - the slacks. I prefer to catch the sales on Jcrew whenever possible, and these slick slacks were on sale for $70!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWUR-fYUOI/AAAAAAAAHow/oXXv239ITj0/s1600-h/ryanjacket2.jpg"><br /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWUS0eKueI/AAAAAAAAHpA/zrBd-xkcWs8/s1600-h/ryanslacks2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 398px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWUS0eKueI/AAAAAAAAHpA/zrBd-xkcWs8/s400/ryanslacks2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369861181752916450" border="0" /></a> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWUSdMeCQI/AAAAAAAAHo4/IUds56zMrWI/s1600-h/ryanslacks1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWUSdMeCQI/AAAAAAAAHo4/IUds56zMrWI/s400/ryanslacks1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369861175504668930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWUTCdfTmI/AAAAAAAAHpI/ZqTHhh9NbK4/s1600-h/ryanslacks3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 398px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWUTCdfTmI/AAAAAAAAHpI/ZqTHhh9NbK4/s400/ryanslacks3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369861185508167266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">above 3 images from <a href="http://www.jcrew.com/">Jcrew</a></span><br /></div><br />While Mr. Bear Cub claims to not know anything about fashion, he must have good intuition - he absolutely loves a good pair of linen slacks. He likes to call them his "weekend pants" because of how comfortable they are! The <a href="http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/MensBrowse/Men_Special_Sizes/tall/suits/PRDOVR%7E91031/99101411193/ENE%7E1+2+3+22+4294967294+20%7E%7E%7E20+16+4294967275%7E90%7E%7E%7E%7E%7E%7E%7E/91031.jsp">Irish-linen suit pant</a> from Jcrew is quite a bit nicer than his normal "weekend pants"; they'll be up-graded to conference- and weekend-lounging-status after the wedding.<br /><br />As for the kicks, at first I had no idea what Mr. Bear Cub should wear. I have enough trouble finding my <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/16/shoes-omg-shoes/">own shoes</a>, let alone his! I certainly don't know anything about "wing tips" or whatever they're called. All I knew is that I wanted his socks to show. I love a good socks 'n peep-toe <a href="http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/greenstripes.jpg">peep show</a>, wedding style! Plus Mr. BC really really likes socks. A lot. Sooner or later I'll need to complete his look with the snazziest of snazzy socks. He wanted to wear bircken-socks (birckenstocks with socks), but I put the kibosh on that. ;) Besides, he needs to be comfortable dancing in these shoes!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/97565265_59dd762cdc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/97565265_59dd762cdc.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/charliebay/97565265/">grad students have all the fun</a></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">So I hit up my other <a href="http://www.rei.com">old faithful</a> (besides the usual Jcrew), and found these stylin' sneaks!<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWWo5nebPI/AAAAAAAAHpQ/lcoSMcRHElU/s1600-h/ryanshoes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWWo5nebPI/AAAAAAAAHpQ/lcoSMcRHElU/s400/ryanshoes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369863760114511090" border="0" /></a>source: <a href="http://www.patagonia.com">Patagonia</a>, via <a href="http://www.rei.com">REI</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Perfect for the outdoorsy guy who just so happens to look sharp! Patagonia has some great footwear for men that don't always frequent Wall Street, but still want to get some dual-use out of their "nice shoes". As soon as he put them on, Mr. BC didn't want to take them off! These will probably turn into "weekend shoes". ;)<br /></div></div><br />Now we have a bigger challenge: grooms-dudes & dudes-of-honor style.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT4uXyRVI/AAAAAAAAHoQ/fkOTb-W_ueY/s1600-h/dudestyle3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoWT4uXyRVI/AAAAAAAAHoQ/fkOTb-W_ueY/s400/dudestyle3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369860733438936402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">source: <a href="http://www.vallentynephotography.com/">Vallentyne Photography</a></span><br /></div><br />Did you go against the tuxedo grain? Where did you get your groom's wedding day attire from? How do you think Mr. BC's attire is shaping up? :)Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-84406364527723269272009-08-12T16:18:00.004-04:002009-08-12T18:01:45.655-04:00Fiddle-ing their way to my heartOne of the things Mr. Bear Cub absolutely wanted at our wedding was a live band. Mr. BC plays guitar, has <a href="http://www.annacoogan.com/">many</a> <a href="http://www.wesweddell.com/">friends</a> that have been signed to labels, and always loved going to the <a href="http://www.nwfolklife.org/">Northwest Folklife festival</a> while in college at UW. For him, our event wouldn't be the same without a live band, namely a great folk band.<br /><br />I really don't know how you're "supposed" to find a band for a wedding. The odds of finding the right band, at the right price, in the right place seem ridiculously stacked against you. But somehow we found a band that fit us just right. We started looking several months ago on the MySpace music page for bands that fit into the criteria of "americana", "bluegrass", and "folk". Hopefully with a bit of an Irish flair, and specifically with a mandolin (we'd love to have <a href="http://www.nickelcreek.com/">Nickel Creek</a> play our wedding, but that's just not going to happen). After several weeks of listening to bands in the Portland area, we discovered a lot of great new artists to listen to at home - but no band to sign for our wedding. We emailed a handful of bands, but few of them wanted to make the drive to the Oregon coast for a Sunday wedding. Boo. :( If you're in the Eugene area, go check out <a href="http://www.myspace.com/greenmountainbluegrassband">this</a> band - I wish we could have booked them!<br /><br />We were looking for a band similar to <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/04/09/montana-bluegrass/">Mrs. Cherry Pie</a>'s and <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/27/what-do-you-get-when-you-cross-weddings-and-music-festivals/">Miss Cowboy Boots</a> - folksy, bluegrass, chill, and altogether awesome.<br /><br />Then I followed Mrs. Joey's sage advice - I listed an ad on craigslist for a band. Miraculously, I got an email (from a real band!). I've never been so sure about listing ads on craigslist, nor how well they work, but apparently they do! Amazingly, the band that emailed was <span style="font-style: italic;">just</span> what we were looking for - mandolin, folksy, irishy, upbeat, and *gasp* they also randomly specialize in latin music! Since we've been making our home in South America, we decided it would be fun to learn some salsa moves for the wedding! Luckily our band will be hip to that jive. ;)<br /><br />For our wedding, Mr. Bear Cub and I booked the talented <a href="http://www.terracoustic.com/Home.html">Terracoustic</a> band from Portland. They feature a mandolin, a six-string fiddle, and an upright bass. You can check out their myspace page <a href="http://www.myspace.com/terracoustic">here</a>, along with band member pages <a href="http://www.myspace.com/joshuafeinberg">here</a> and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/timconnellmusic">here</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoMyH1iPe9I/AAAAAAAAHn4/EFlO6z8v--U/s1600-h/terracoustic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 451px; height: 301px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoMyH1iPe9I/AAAAAAAAHn4/EFlO6z8v--U/s400/terracoustic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369190290966936530" border="0" /></a><a href="http://danielstark.blogspot.com/2009/04/terracoustic-portland-or.html">source:</a> <a href="http://www.danielstarkphotography.com/">Daniel Stark Photography</a><br /></div><br />Mr. BC also wants jam-sessions to be a prominent part of our wedding weekend. He has envisioned friends bringing their instruments, laughing and playing together by the camp fire. We've invited our band to stay with us at the camp for the entire weekend, and especially to jam with us! (I might even break out my flute ;) )<br /><br />Terracoustic will be playing our reception at the camp lodge, and we've asked them to learn two songs for us. The first one we will dance to, and the second will be a surprise for everyone, including you. ;)<br /><br />I've shared with the hive our indecision with regards to our "first dance" song. I really wanted to dance to <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/07/09/i-want-to-be-somebody-loved/">Somebody Loved</a> by The Weepies, but in the end, I realized that it wouldn't be the best song for a male voice to cover. Our song was staring us in the face, and we didn't even realize it until day 1 of our dance lessons. Mr. Bear Cub started playing a song by Nickel Creek, and it just fit.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/arTtGq-E8Xo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/arTtGq-E8Xo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br />(<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng5-VUDcjJ8">this video</a> is much better, but can only be viewed on youtube)<br /><br />The song is called "When You Come Back Down" - it's definitely not the SAPPY love song that "Somebody Loved" is, but it holds special significance to us (plus it will be easier for our band to cover!). When Mr. BC and I had just started dating (3 years ago!), he sent me this song, and told me that when it came on his ipod while on a long bike ride, it reminded him of me, and it made him think fondly of me. I've since then grown to love Nickel Creek (and Mr. BC!), and I think the meaning of the song fits us. We both think it's important to let each other chase our dreams, but we want to be there for the other if need (or want) be. Mr. BC always tells me how proud he is of me for chasing my dreams; he'll support me in my wishes, and I in his.<br /><br />If you're having a band play your reception, how did you find it? What are some other good bands you've found along the way? Are you keeping anything about your reception entertainment a secret from your guests?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-65874934682021488342009-08-12T12:15:00.005-04:002009-08-12T14:35:35.743-04:00A Past LifeHi Hive!<br /><br />Remember me? Lil' Miss Bear Cub? I feel awful for being so MIA recently. It's amazing how much gets piled on your plate at one and a half months out!<br /><br />The primary reason I've been gone for so long is because this past weekend I went to my best friend's wedding. I didn't date my best friend (à la <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Best_Friend%27s_Wedding" target="_blank">Julia Roberts</a>), but I did date her husband's brother for 3.5 years. My best friend - my own MOH "E" - got engaged while I was still dating him! I think they've been together for a cumulative of 11 years now. Some of the best things come with time. The bride & groom - E+E - had one of the most amazing weddings I've ever seen. I didn't take any pictures myself, but I didn't need to. Everyone else in attendance was a photographer there! I plan to post a recap on her wedding when I can get my hands on some pics. ;)<br /><br />You want to know what it's like to go to a wedding at your ex-boyfriend's parents home?<br /><br />It's awkward. Very, very awkward.<br /><br />Planning a wedding doesn't usually include thinking of exes, let alone seeing them a month before your wedding. Mine does. I've known since before I met Mr. Bear Cub that I would be going to my MOH E's wedding, that it would be at my ex's parents' home, and that he would be there. As it just so happens, with his new(ish) girlfriend, too.<br /><br />This was all sorts of awkward, but I love MOH E, so I tried to make the best of it. Her wedding was amazing, so it didn't end up mattering that much. But here's the thing - this wasn't just any ex. We were together for almost 4 years. I thought we were going to get married. I used to <span style="font-style: italic;">live</span> at his parents' house with him, take dinner with the family every night, and visit the grandparents on holidays. Really, I was part of the family. I baked and knit with his mom, I went surfing with his brother, and I am best friends with his other brother's (now) wife. Needless to say, I was pretty certain we would actually be calling each other sister-in-law one day!<br /><br />Then some things happened, we grew apart emotionally, and I made the <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/19/how-to-meet-and-woo-a-bear-cub/">biggest decision</a> of my life. I moved to New Mexico for grad school, and he decided not to move with me. I hadn't wanted to meet anyone in NM. I had wanted to finish a masters degree in 2 years, and move back to California. But I met someone, and now I want to spend the rest of my life with that little bear. He's so much better for me in every way, and I can't <span style="font-weight: bold;">wait</span> to marry him in a month.<br /><br />My ex and I haven't exactly been on the best terms. We're civil, when need be. Which I think is interesting, based on how we split. We didn't fight, neither of us really dumped the other. We realized our lives were going in different directions. For a while I tried to be friendly with my ex, but it hasn't seemed to stick at all. He keeps pushing me away, and then he does something to show that he cares just a teensy bit, and that he wants me to be happy. Aren't exes such a weird thing? I don't know if he or his gf know that I blog for WB, so I'll try to keep this as light-hearted as possible. I did meet his girlfriend at my MOH's wedding, and if she's reading, I'd like her to know that I think she's great for my ex. I think she's sweet, helpful, and I'm very glad their together (I'm too shy and non-confrontational to say so in person!).<br /><br />I have a philosophical beef with "exes", in an abstract way. I know Harry told Sally that men can never be friends with women - they will only ever want to sleep with them - but is this really true? Can't you replace that "love" feeling you once had for someone with a "sibling" feeling? I wish very deeply that I could have a friend/brother relationship with my ex. He's a very interesting person, and I like to keep interesting people in my life. I don't want to be with him romantically. I could see hanging out with him like one hangs out with a brother. Or maybe sending him a book once in a while that I think he'll like, to let him know I still think he's cool (but I think Mr. Bear Cub is cooler ;) ). I know it's a fact of life, but why is it so hard to maintain a friendship with an ex, especially when the breakup isn't bad?<br /><br />When I visited his parents' home for the wedding, his mom welcomed me with open arms. She was so happy to see me! And his grandmother was excited and happy to learn I was engaged! I had a wonderful time catching up with his family, but he ignored me completely. I guess it was easier for him to continue telling himself that I don't exist.<br /><br />Mr. Bear Cub has been a dream about my wishes to be friends with my ex. He's been very understanding, and supportive - I'm very lucky to have a partner that cares this much for me.<br /><br />Am I strange to think that people can move on completely, and evolve their relationship to a true friendship? Does this ever actually happen? In your realization that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with your fiancé (or husband), how have you made peace with the exes in your past life?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-38305725167764360102009-08-12T11:17:00.005-04:002009-08-12T11:56:49.355-04:00My Best Friend's WeddingHi Hive!<br /><br />Remember me? Lil' Miss Bear Cub? I feel awful for being so MIA recently. It's amazing how much gets piled on your plate at one and a half months out!<br /><br />The primary reason I've been gone for so long is because this past weekend, I went to my best friend's wedding. I didn't date my best friend (à la <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Best_Friend%27s_Wedding">Julia Roberts</a>), but I did date her husband's brother for 3.5 years. My best friend - my own MOH "E" - got engaged while I was still dating him! I think they've been together for a cumulative of 11 years now. Some of the best things come with time. The bride & groom - E+E - had one of the most amazing weddings I've ever seen. I didn't take any pictures myself, but I didn't need to. Everyone else in attendance was a photographer there! I plan to post a recap on her wedding when I can get my hands on some pics. ;)<br /><br />For the time being, I'll give you a sneak peak into their wedding website.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoLfkw2WVdI/AAAAAAAAHnY/1bpkBWEonYM/s1600-h/e%2Be.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 389px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoLfkw2WVdI/AAAAAAAAHnY/1bpkBWEonYM/s400/e%2Be.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369099528460195282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">my browser was doing funny things - "Español" has the same font as "English normally ;)</span><br /></div><br />The front page to their wedsite (that the groom designed from scratch) featured a hand-drawn image of E+E. I love how it really <span style="font-style: italic;">looks</span> like <span style="font-style: italic;">them</span>, and it looks like a heart. :) Several members of the bride's family were coming to the California nuptials from South America, so they directed their guests to both an English and a Spanish version of their site.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoLepu4oRcI/AAAAAAAAHnQ/VzPNb3vqmeM/s1600-h/e%2Be_wedsite.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 536px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SoLepu4oRcI/AAAAAAAAHnQ/VzPNb3vqmeM/s400/e%2Be_wedsite.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369098514320606658" border="0" /></a>(click to enlarge)<br /></div><br />The groom's a pretty good artist, so in addition to drawing their "monogram" (really, the heart picture of their faces together), he scanned in pieces of paper to look like the moon, clouds, and a rolling hillside. The best part of their wedsite was that the little pieces of "paper" MOVED. The clouds moved past the moon, and the hills slowly rolled, just as the countryside changes as you hike through it. Their wedding was at the groom's parents' home between Half Moon Bay and Redwood City in the Bay Area. It's really quite beautiful there.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://home.pacbell.net/hillmann/CyclingCalifornia/Peninsula/AlpineRd/AlpineRd6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 448px; height: 336px;" src="http://home.pacbell.net/hillmann/CyclingCalifornia/Peninsula/AlpineRd/AlpineRd6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://home.pacbell.net/hillmann/CyclingCalifornia/TopRides.html">a good place for cycling, too!</a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />E+E were very practical with their wedding plans. Their beautiful wedsite directed people to exactly what they <span style="font-style: italic;">needed</span> to know - the "who what when where how" of a wedding. Sweet & simple, and I think it worked fantastically. Plus their RSVP was on their wedsite, so that meant no extra fumbling with RSVP cards. E+E uploaded a picture of each person that RSVP'd yes to their page "who's coming". This was a great way to place a picture with the face of other guests!<br /><br />My MOH E and her husband did not have professional photography, so I hope to get some pics to share with you soon! I feel very excited to showcase their wedding, because, while they don't necessarily balk at the Wedding Industry, they certainly tried to make their wedding completely their own. They had their wedding at home. There was dancing for those who wanted to dance. The brother of the groom used his fire-engine bar. There was a pig roast. There was home-made honey wine (brewed a year in advance!). There was standing room only at the ceremony. The brother of the bride officiated (with a book on how to survive ZOMBIE attacks!). There was no assigned seating at the reception, the mother of the groom baked the 5-TIER layered cake, and my dear E+E were happier than I've ever seen them. It was truly the embodiment of their lives together, their families, their friends, and their happiness, and I can't wait to share it with you.<br /></div></div>Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-9017781491971291002009-07-30T19:27:00.003-04:002009-07-30T20:13:29.702-04:00chugging the crazy juice...I saw this earlier, and thought WOW<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SnItI6o6iwI/AAAAAAAAHmw/RRJqjpPrqak/s1600-h/figplum.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SnItI6o6iwI/AAAAAAAAHmw/RRJqjpPrqak/s400/figplum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364399737354750722" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.figandplum.com/">source</a></div><br />BEAUTIFUL!<br /><br />Maybe it just looks like a bunch of yarn to you, but to me, that looks like soft, supple, delectably cozy wedding-wear to me! So I did what any bride drunk off the crazy juice does. I spent time thinking about it.<br /><br />Bad idea. I like it. It's pretty. Here, this might help you visualize -<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.interweavestore.com/store/i/is.aspx?path=/images/products/EP0009.jpg&lr=t&bw=240&w=240&bh=320&h=320"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://www.interweavestore.com/store/i/is.aspx?path=/images/products/EP0009.jpg&lr=t&bw=240&w=240&bh=320&h=320" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.interweavestore.com/store/p/1026-Viennese-Shrug.aspx">source</a></div><br />Yup. Still cute. Still like it. Crap. Well... I'm going to be cold on the September evening, aren't I? I'll need some sort of... SHRUG or WRAP, won't I? Of course I will. Don't be silly, little Bear Cub.<br /><br />I couldn't stop with just one pattern. Oh NOOO... I had to check out my usual free-pattern fix - <a href="http://www.knitty.com/">Knitty</a>. And OF COURSE there are some pretties on there I started drooling over...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer08/images/seascapeBEAUTY.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 425px; height: 452px;" src="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer08/images/seascapeBEAUTY.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>"<a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer08/PATTseascape.html">Seascape</a>"</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/images/muirBIG.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 550px; height: 413px;" src="http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/images/muirBIG.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/PATTmuir.html">"Muir"</a><br /></div><br />and then I fell into the rabbit hole of lace. Ohhh I love lace. Lace so prettyyyy.... (remember, I'm still boozed up on the crazy juice.)<br /><br />I have the yarn. I guess you know by now I'm a knitter. I used to knit a lot. With knitting, comes yarn hoarding. I have a LOT of yarn. So much beautiful yarn, begging to be donned as a wedding day arm-warmer.<br /><br />In particular, I have about 7 shades of this yarn:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.birdsnyarn.com/ProdImages/Silky_Wool_24.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px;" src="http://www.birdsnyarn.com/ProdImages/Silky_Wool_24.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.birdsnyarn.com/scripts/prodview.asp?idproduct=2366">source</a></div><br />No joke. I have 7 shades, and 10 skeins (balls) of each color. 70% merino wool & 30% silk? Yes, please! It feels so good, I just want to rub it on my cheeks. Mmm... yarn..<br /><br />RIGHT. WEDDINGS. Gotta sober up here a bit.<br /><br />This looks wedding-y to me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.streetsandyos.com/archives/Rowan38_river.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.streetsandyos.com/archives/Rowan38_river.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.streetsandyos.com/archives/2005/08/">"River" by Rowan</a><br /></div><br />I started knitting this particular pattern a few years ago, but that's a lot of lace, and I ended up not having the time.<br /><br />Hmm... this is sounding like a wacko idea. Knit a lace shawl/scarf/shrug, with less than 2 months before the wedding? Am I crazy?<br /><br />Knitters in the hive - how much effort/time do you think it would be to knit a lace wrap thing? Is it worth it?<br />All you lovely buzzing members of the hive - are these shrugs/wraps really beautiful, or am I off my rocker? Should I save my time, or invest in a beautiful hand-knit wrap?Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069528798612765187.post-50429310858255314052009-07-30T15:46:00.006-04:002009-07-30T16:06:28.707-04:00From Chile, With LoveWhat do a baby bear...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SnH53DycwaI/AAAAAAAAHmY/6iiqP_W_nI0/s1600-h/bearcub.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 80px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SnH53DycwaI/AAAAAAAAHmY/6iiqP_W_nI0/s400/bearcub.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364343355479998882" border="0" /></a>... and a cutie-patootie poodle have in common?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SnH53MShaSI/AAAAAAAAHmg/hb9UiaCdI0w/s1600-h/poodle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 60px; height: 80px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SnH53MShaSI/AAAAAAAAHmg/hb9UiaCdI0w/s400/poodle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364343357762005282" border="0" /></a>se hablan español, they love weddings, and they want to spend Saturday evening with YOU!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SnH6WRVrLZI/AAAAAAAAHmo/klmDjkFhDZU/s1600-h/bee-tv.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 72px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JS0psFZMEfM/SnH6WRVrLZI/AAAAAAAAHmo/klmDjkFhDZU/s400/bee-tv.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364343891693350290" border="0" /></a>Miss Poodle is coming to visit me this weekend, and we'd love to meet you on <a href="http://weddingbee.com/tv">BeeTV</a> this Saturday evening and talk about all things wedding! We'll be celebrating in true Chilean fashion with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisco_Sour">Pisco Sours</a> - <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cachai">cachai</a>??<br /><br />Don't forget to stop by and visit us on <a href="http://weddingbee.com/tv">BeeTV</a> this Saturday evening at 6:00pm EST.<br /><br />Besos!Ms Bear Cubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09983423504224711285noreply@blogger.com0