late night questions

What does it sound like to be called by God?

When am I "grown up"?

What's the difference between following God and following myself?

How do I become a better listener?

Why do I want to go back to a place with desert, rattlesnakes, wind, and very few trees?

Will I be a good dog owner?

Will I ever figure anything out?

Is it possible to learn to live in confusion?

Why does my foot twitch sometimes?

Will I ever pay off my student loans?

Will I ever have a stable, full-time job?

Do I need a stable, full-time job?

What do I really need? I mean, really?

Why is chocolate milk so great?

Why do I do these things to myself?

Why are airplanes so loud?

Why did we choose to live next to an airport?

What will I feel like when this quarter is over?

What does God think about all of this?

Is God even still listening?

trying

I think I am beginning to realize that what I have wanted to do all along is something that I never believed I could actually do.

I thought about it, even attempted it once, but ultimately bowed out because there was no way I could fulfill my dreams. There was no way I could be good. This thing resided in the realm of "things I simply cannot do, end of discussion." Really, I'm not sure why this has always been so. But it has.

There is a reason that I gravitate toward certain movies and books. Of course I don't expect real life to perfectly mimic what I see and read, but they do contain unmistakable elements of truth. It is that truth that inspires me. I want my own life to embody that truth.

What if, even though I am afraid that I will fail, I do it anyway?

What if I try?

And what if I actually make it happen?

Inspiration

I love etsy.com. If you aren't familiar with the website, Etsy is basically an online marketplace where people can open "stores" to sell their art, clothing, vintage finds, etc. Anyone can open a shop on etsy, so it is a great place to find independent artists that are often just starting out. There are some incredible things on there! Last night, I think I found 5 different pieces of art and jewelry that I wanted to buy. But since I can't buy all of them-- or really, any of them at the moment-- I wanted to share some of my favorites with you:

Is it weird that I love a drawing of vegetables? I can totally see it hanging in my kitchen (that is, whenever I get a kitchen with actual wall space). Tommy Kane is so insanely good at what he does. Go check out the rest of his artwork. Incredible.

Then there's brainiac, the art of Matt Stephens. I LOVE his illustration style. He is so incredibly imaginative and talented. This piece is new to his shop, and I think it is so sweet.

I had to pick this one too, because of its title: "The Abernathy family was happy yet a little surprised that Humbert the rare red sweater wearing elephant was out for viewing."

Enough said.

I'm in love with this necklace from MiaBeads. The shop also has some hairpins that I really want! I like her vintage, timeless, but fun style.

Then there's this gocco print from cosas minimas. We have four of her other prints hanging above our couch, and they make me smile every day. I think her art is one of my all time favorites.

Finally, my favorite. I love this print from corid. I love the green, and I kinda want to live in one of those treehouses.

happiness vs. joy

I was having a great morning. The sun was shining, the caffeine had kicked in and I was feeling grandly optimistic about work, and traffic wasn't so bad.

Then, Spirit 105.3 ruined it.

I have been trying to have more patience with Christian radio stations, and for the most part I think I've been doing okay. However, one comment made by one of the hosts ("radio personalities?") made me so angry that even the caffeine-fueled optimism retreated with its tail between its legs.

"You know, I've just found myself in a low-grade depression lately," the bubbly host said, "which I know is just so not Christian. I mean, we're supposed to be happy and joyful in all things!"

She's lucky I didn't choke on my mini-wheats and cause a major accident on I-5.

In all seriousness, I was angry because she had just voiced what I think is one of the most dangerous stereotypes in Christianland: Depression = Heathens, Happy all the time = Christian. Because we believe in Jesus, we must always be happy. There is no excuse for depression. If you are depressed, then something is wrong with you-- or, even worse, something is wrong with your walk with God.

No. First of all, no one is happy all the time. Christians are often criticized for being "fake" precisely because they try to act like they are always happy, and the rest of the world knows that just isn't possible. Depression is a real issue. For some it is biological, and for others it arrives because of life circumstances. Either way, it is a real beast to be battled. As someone who has had depression touch my life in a number of ways, I get very offended when it is suggested that depression isn't "Christian." I believe that God is with me even when I feel depressed. I believe that my faith has helped me when everything seems to difficult to handle. I believe that in the midst of my struggle with life and myself, when I don't know where to go or what to do, when life just seems heavy, I believe that God is standing beside me, giving me strength and light and life. He doesn't condemn me or cast me out because I am lacking in joy and happiness.

"Happy" is not a Biblical value. It is "Joy" that receives Fruit of the Spirit status. When the word "happy" appears in the Bible, it is as a result of a situation. Something happened that made the people happy. Yet when it speaks of Joy, it speaks of something that grows deep in your soul. Something that is there because of your relationship with Jesus. Joy is sustaining, joy is deep, joy is eternal. It is a fruit of the Spirit-- that is, Joy is a product of God within you.

Joy is something that develops and is arrived at. It is the goal.

I don't think that Jesus would label someone as not loving him who is wrestling with the issues in their lives in a very painful, very real way. He isn't in the business of kicking people out who haven't yet reached the goal. The issue is our relationship with Him. If we are truly seeking God, truly listening and communicating and obeying, then questions and struggles and pain can be just as strong an evidence of faith as constant joyfulness is.

pursue with desperation

For the past few weeks, one of the things that the pastor has talked about is depending on God instead of your "context". We tend to gravitate toward the contexts we are comfortable in, but when we are comfortable in them, we rely on those surroundings for our strength. When we are uncomfortable, we realize that it is God that strengthens us and not our surroundings. When we draw our strength and confidence from God instead of the context that life has us in, we can derive real peace and contentment no matter where we are. God has put us each in our situations for a reason. He wants us to serve him now, in the place he has put us, and not wait for the stars to align and our situation to be perfect. He is all the perfection we need.

I definitely gravitate toward "comfortable." Actually, I think "gravitate" is too weak of a word: "pursue with desperation" fits my style better. I am the poster child for letting my surroundings affect my sense of confidence and contentment. I constantly, constantly look around for something better. Something that I think fits my idea of perfect. Something that makes me feel calm and peaceful. Something that feels like home.

When we attended this church for the first time, and I heard the pastor speak on this topic, I was smack in the middle of stressing myself out over where we were going to move when our lease was up. Never mind that our lease isn't up until MARCH (I'm a planner, what can I say). I was panicking because of all the places we had explored that were within reasonable distance of school and work, none of them felt like they could be home for me. Some were too busy, others were too boring, some didn't have enough parks, others had negative reputations that I agonized over. Where would we POSSIBLY be able to find that could become our home for the next few years?

My heart recognizes several "homes." Richland and the surrounding Tri-Cities will always be at the center of who I am. SPU has taken a large chunk of my heart, even though I gave it up quite reluctantly, and West Virginia stole away an unexpectedly large piece that I didn't even know I had allowed to be removed. And when I think of home, those three places call out to me in a way that vibrates my whole self. It is as if the remainder of my heart longs to be reunited with the pieces it has left along the way.

But although I want so badly to find a place that calls out to me in the way that those do, it won't happen. I don't think a place can call out to you until you have spent some time there and left something of yourself in it. A place isn't a home by its very qualities, but by the life that you live there. As much as I wish it were, life isn't about going back and picking up the pieces so your heart can be whole again.

I am beginning to realize that life only has meaning when you let your heart be broken into a million pieces, and you let those pieces fall where they may.

Though I want something comfortable, I am learning that being uncomfortable doesn't take away any of my strength, or my peace, or my joy. Those things aren't dependent on my surroundings. My strength, my peace, and my joy come from the God who walks with me each day.

The "place" I am at may not be perfect when compared to my list of wants. But God has me here for a purpose, and until I stop trying to find greener pastures, I will never be able to serve in the way He is calling me. So I have resolved to let my mind, my heart, and my self be here for the time being. And once I look around, there is a lot to be thankful for-- right here, right now.

cuke update and a PSA

Oh boy, it has been quite a while since I have posted anything. You see, it got hot here-- REALLY hot-- and pretty much all I wanted to do is lay down in front of the fan. That's all you can do, actually, when your apartment is 95 degrees because you don't have AC. Then I got busy. Then I got sick. And therefore, I have plenty of excuses for my blogging absence.

Anyways, BIG NEWS: We picked our first cucumber from our garden today! Normally I would have taken a picture, but I'm sick, you see, so I didn't want to go through all that effort. And then we ate it. So you'll just have to imagine what it looked like.

And now for a Public Service Announcement: You must make these cinnamon rolls right now. They do not use yeast, so they don't have to rise before baking. Because of the wonder of baking powder, they are much quicker to make than traditional cinnamon rolls. I made them for Ryan and I this morning, and they are so easy that even though I was sick and in a semi-fog from medicine, they managed to come out really well. Mom, you would really like these-- I thought they tasted like Cinnibons! They are much flakier and less bready than other cinnamon rolls I've had. One note to the recipe I linked to-- the directions say to roll each dough piece into a 2 by 10 inch rectangle. I did that, and they came out rather tall and fell over during baking. They came out looking more like sea cucumbers than cinnamon rolls! I would suggest rolling them out skinnier and longer so they are fatter and shorter.

Alright, I'm off to watch Sister Act. Gosh, I love this movie.

sunburns and fruit: two different "crisps"

Okay. It was sunny for a grand total of 40 minutes while I was outside today, and of course, I got sunburned. How does that even happen? If someone invents an injection I can get that will deliver sunscreen directly into my veins, I will gladly overcome my fear of needles to get it.

I made a dessert the other night that is quite possibly one of my favorite new things to make. I loved it so much that I made it again three nights later when we had our friend Bob come over. Bob liked it to, so it must have been a hit. It was based on a recipe found at Good Things Catered, but I couldn't find any cranberries so I used raspberries instead. It was amazing! I also cut down on the amount of sugar listed in the recipe, since raspberries are not as tart as cranberries and I didn't need so much to balance them out. Three tablespoons is a LOT of sugar. I don't like things that sweet, anyway. Oh man, I want to make it again RIGHT NOW.

Yum.

Here's the recipe, with my adjustments.

Apple Raspberry Crunch

Ingredients:

2 c. raspberries (I didn't measure, I just used the whole little container from the grocery store.)

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced

1 Tbsp granulated sugar (You could use more if you really wanted it sweeter)

1 c. oats

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

8 tbsp butter (1 stick), chilled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with baking spray

2. In medium bowl, combine raspberries, apples, and sugar, and (gently) toss to combine. Spread in baking dish.

3. In another bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.

4. Cut butter into small pieces and add to dry ingredients. With pastry blender (I just used a fork and knife. It worked.), cut butter into dry ingredients until all of the butter is in chunks about the size of a small pea. I wasn't super precise with this and it still turned out fine.

5. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the fruit.

6. Place in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until apples are tender. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes, then eat!

july, july, julyyyyy

That Decemberists song is running through my head now...

Anyway, I have been taking a lot of pictures lately and have several things I would love to post about. Unfortunately, the heat, our lack of air conditioning, and running after children for eight hours a day has left me too lazy to do much other than watch episodes of The West Wing on dvd. And by the way, C.J. Cregg is possibly the coolest character EVER. I wish I was her. I wish I was related to her. I wish I worked for her. I wish she was somehow a REAL person who played some part in MY life. That's how cool I think she is. 

Anyway again.

Last weekend, Ryan and I took a great hike up to Lake 22.

It was a slightly more difficult hike than I expected-- 2.7 miles might not sound like much, but when it is all uphill, it gets old fast. But it was more than worth it for getting to see the lake itself.

The picture above is one of my favorite pictures I have taken in a while, I think. Mountain lakes are incredible. The water is so green, and so clear you can see right to the bottom. I tried to stick my feet in, but it was so cold I thought my bones were going to freeze. I don't know how people managed to swim in that thing. All in all, I really enjoyed the hike-- once we got to the top, that is!

In other news, our cucumber is growing! I think I even spotted our first little cucumber growing away beneath all the leaves.

See? There it is, just waiting to get bigger and be eaten. At least I think that is the beginnings of a cucumber. Hopefully? We will see...

jimmy.

This is Jimmy.

Jimmy was the first feltster I ever made, I think. My kids were making felt creatures at work, and I decided to make Ryan a dino friend. So, Jimmy was born.

Jimmy is a busy guy with many interests. He enjoys watching episodes of The West Wing because he thinks it is one of the most intelligent shows he has ever seen.

He also likes playing wii, especially Mario Kart-- he has to work on his steering skills, however. 

Those turns get him every time.

He also loves to cook. Here he is looking at a delicious recipe from Curtis Stone's cookbook.

To cook, Jimmy needs to make sure he has all the right tools, and that they match. 

Check and check.

Of course, like everyone, lately Jimmy has also spent time mourning the loss of one of his heros. If only he could dance that well... 

Alas, yellow polka-dotted dinos are not known for their keen sense of rhythm.

He shares his feelings of loss, and frustration over his inability to dance, with Sumo-- who is not only a great guard of the house, but also a great listener.

Others in the house are not quite as good at listening (or, as it turns out, at brushing their teeth). Here, Jimmy discusses hygiene with the bathroom dinos. 

After a busy day, Jimmy likes to fall asleep in his very comfortable bed.

Unfortunately, he is prone to stealing all of the blankets in the middle of the night.

Oh, wait... I'm the one that does that...

up

I love this picture. 

I don't quite know why. It is calming to me-- the deep blue of the sky (which, in that exact shade, has always been my favorite color), the masts of the resting boats reaching upward, the colors, the lines. I look at it and feel at peace. 

So tonight, in the midst of what has been a hectic and confusing week for me, I am leaving this here, so that my mind can leave at peace.

"choup".

Ryan hates tomatoes. HATES them, in the way that I hate mushrooms and highwater pants. So I know a recipe is good if it contains not one, but two whole cans of diced tomatoes... and he still eats it. Two bowls even. 

One of the things I want to do on this blog is share recipes with you that we have had success with. I like blogs about cooking because I feel better about picking a recipe if someone else has made it first, providing that recipe with the "tried and true" status, instead of the "picked at random" one. I thought the dinner I made tonight would be a good one to start with-- and I even remembered to take pictures! Though, they aren't any good.

So, said tomato-filled dinner was supposed to be a sort of chili, but it turned out much more like a vegetable soup than a chili-- thus, I have dubbed it "Choup!"

Okay, so it doesn't look the prettiest. Basically, what we have here is a giant pot full of beans, veggies, spices, and tomatoes. What's not to like?

Here is my tomato-hating husband, demonstrating how much he liked it. It has chili powder in it, and I don't cook with chili powder often, but I really liked the subtle heat and flavor it added to the "chili". I am not going to spend all the time recopying the recipe for you, but here is a link so you can find it yourself, in its original home!

"Choup", or Black Bean and Chickpea Chili

I did do a few things differently than the recipe called for. To start with, I didn't have any cumin, but I did have lots of cilantro left in the fridge. I took a small handful, chopped it up, and added it in place of the cumin (okay, so Ryan chopped it up). We loved cilantro, so we were happy with the addition. I also skipped the whole food processor part. Had I done that, the consistency might have been more chili-like. All in all, I think this is a good, simple recipe that incorporates a lot of good stuff. You should try it sometime!

(Oh, and do you notice the half-eaten slice of homemade bread sitting next to Ryan's plate in the picture? If you're lucky, I'll blog about that bread sometime!)

last, but not least.

Yesterday, I left something important out of my blog about my new garden. Without him, my little plants would wither and die. Here he is: my faithful watering can-- er, watering elephant.

You can tell by the smile on his face that he really likes his job.

Thanks, Heather and Ashlee and Jenny, for the awesome engagement present! I'm glad I can finally put it to use!

green friends

ryan and I have a new addition to our family. we really wanted a dog, but our schedules are a little too hectic right now for that. so, we went a step down.

hamster? fish? bird?

I said "a" step down, not thirty.

we have a basil plant! she smells lovely, and adds a nice bit of green to our tiny little concrete patio. since our "deck" gets full-on sun from the time it rises until the early afternoon, I think it should have enough of the stuff to be nice and healthy. hellooooo, fresh basil!

but then, I became a little afraid that our sweet little plant would get lonely and sad out there all alone. so we welcomed two more green friends to the patiofarm.

this is our lovely cucumber. his name is Seabiscuit, because I am fairly certain that it will fail. I told my mom this, and her reply was, "well don't tell him that, and treat him like a champ anyway!" hopefully our champ wins out this time.

and this is our little oregano. notice my great recycling? 

awww. family photo!

Pictures?

Yay! I figured out how to put pictures in my blog! Oh how many doors this opens to blog greatness...

helpful hint

Tip:

When making bread, or more precisely, when cleaning bowls used to make said bread, do not use your really nice Oxo dish scrubby to do so. This will only result in your really nice Oxo dish scrubby becoming hopelessly clogged with bread dough.

Unless, of course, you also happen to own a second, octopus-shaped scrubby (octopus shape optional). The problem can then be remedied by letting the two scrubbies go at it, bristle to bristle, until they have had their fill. Dough-free, squeaky-clean scrubby!

Even if the process doesn't sound squeaky-clean...

Budgety things

So today is my long-awaited (ha!) post about Things to Do to Help Your Wedding Not Cost Millions of Dollars. Basically, I read way too many wedding blogs while I was planning the dang thing, and between the ridiculousness I read on those, and my own experiences, I learned a few things that you can (or shouldn't) do to save yourself a little money on your wedding. Magazines, TV, movies, and books tend to make it seem as if a wedding MUST be expensive. In reality, you can spend exactly as much or as LITTLE as you want to. Anyway. Here are the things that I learned... in list form!

1. First of all, wedding publications and people who "do" weddings for a living will tell you that you need certain things to make it a wedding. You don't. You don't need to buy a special set of expensive tools just to cut your cake. You don't need a veil. You don't need new shoes or expensive jewelry. You don't need letterpress invitations or calligraphy or individual wedding cakes for each guest. Heck, you don't even need wedding cake! Decide what is really meaningful to you and your families, and do those things. Trash all the rest.

2. Don't buy wedding magazines. I did, and they did me absolutely no good except make me want things I knew I couldn't afford. Plus, the magazines themselves are expensive.

3. If you want to save yourself SERIOUS money, have your wedding on any day other than Saturday. Weekdays are even better. Venues can often cost twice as much on a Saturday as they do any other day of the week. If you have to do a Saturday, consider an afternoon wedding. Often rental fees are cheaper for afternoon affairs, and afternoon weddings allow you to have the reception at a time when people won't expect a full meal-- thus saving you on catering costs as well.

4. Similarly, have your wedding in the off-season. The off-season varies sometimes depending on the vendor or event location, but generally it seems to be September to April, except for around Christmas. During these months, everything is cheaper-- we saved money on our photographer because of this, and found many event venues that were charging much less in April than then did during the summer.

5. DIY your flowers. I mentioned this in my last wedding post, but it is not as hard as it seems. It might be more difficult if you don't have a great farmer's market with tons of flowers like we do here (Pike Place!), but I've heard that grocery stores and even Costco have great prices on flowers. Florists can get INCREDIBLY pricey, so unless you want something super elaborate, consider doing them yourself. All it takes is a little floral tape, some wire, and some ribbon, and you're set. If you want basic florals like I did, DIY is the way to go.

6. You will read this all over the internet, but if you have friends with talents, use them. People usually WANT to be involved with your wedding, and it means so much more if your bridesmaids help you with your flowers than if a florist does them. That being said, don't set unrealistic expectations for friends who help with wedding services. If they agree to cater your wedding, remember in all dealings that they are friends first, and the caterer second. And thank them plenty!

7. I didn't take advantage of this, but there are great places out there with pre-owned wedding dresses, and lots of websites where people are selling dresses that might be brand new but never worn. Check those out along with regular stores.

8. Look at non-wedding specific places, because the word "wedding" usually hikes prices WAY up. For example, on websites specializing in "flower girl" dresses, they were very expensive-- like $100! WHY ON EARTH would you pay that money for a fancy dress the kid won't be comfortable in or ever wear again? We found cute white sundresses at The Children's Place for our girls that were about $30, and they were perfect. Try this tactic for bridesmaid dresses too.

9. Find creative options for food. I found a company that brings a pizza oven and cooks pizza for all the guests, and it would have been much cheaper than a traditional caterer would have been.

10. If you do find things in magazines or stores that you like but can't afford, don't be afraid to try and recreate them yourself. This works for a lot of the things in Martha Stewart Weddings, haha.

11. Don't forget about Value Village (or similar thrift stores)-- we got the mason jars for our centerpieces for $.49 a piece there. Places like IKEA are great too. I think our centerpieces cost MAYBE $5 each, thanks to those two places.

12. Last, but not least, remember that you don't have to have any of these things. You can have a backyard barbeque and wear a sundress from Forever 21 if you so desire. The only reason I didn't have a BBQ with lawn games-- my dream wedding-- is that the weather here is far from predictable. But try to broaden your view of what a "wedding" means, and choose something that fits your budget AND who you are as a couple. And check out www.apracticalwedding.com for thoughts along these lines.

I think that's it... I'll let you know if I think of anything else! Any questions???

Off topic

I know I said that the next post I would write would be wedding related, but this one won't be.

I want to write. Or rather, I want to rediscover writing the way I knew it when I was young.

I want to serve the deepest needs of the people around me.

I want to tackle poverty, homelessness, and hopelessness.

I want to finally, truly, deeply believe that God loves me.

How do I manage all those things at once?

Actually, how do I manage any of those things at all?

WEDDING GENIUS!

Yes, my blog has a new title (I am assuming, probably wrongly, that you even knew what the old title was). I feel a particular kinship with Dave Eggers. I read "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" years ago, when it seemed to be edgy and intelligent and the kind of book that you would only understand if you were the sort of creative, moody, and deep person that I imagined myself to be. I've recently read two more books, and I have come to the conclusion that you really don't need to be all that deep. Or intelligent. Also, Dave and I are basically friends because I volunteer at one of the chapters of his writing center "826". I almost got to meet him the other day, but I was feeling too lazy. True story. But someone who did told me that "he didn't seem as full of himself as he could have been." Interesting.

Well that is all neither here nor there, it just is. I have been intending to post again for a while now, because I have all of this WEDDING knowledge that is just banging around in my head, and no one I really know is getting married soon, so if I don't plop it all down somewhere, than all my hard work will have been for nothing. Okay so not really, but actually yeah.

Therefore, I am going to provide you all with a list of advice that I would give anyone who was getting married, provided they actually asked and trusted my advice. Hopefully some poor soul somewhere will google "WEDDING BLOG" or "WEDDING INSPIRATION" or "BUDGET WEDDINGS" and be directed to this delightful post. And I will change her life.

And now, I present:

THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT WEDDINGS THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW TOO BUT THE KNOT.COM WON'T TELL YOU:

1. It really doesn't matter. Whatever "it" is, trust me, it doesn't matter. At the end of the day you'll still be married. Unless both of your hands get cut off, thereby rendering you unable to sign the marriage certificate... and if that happens, that sucks.

2. If you don't figure it out beforehand, someone will figure it out the day of. Honestly. Don't let that be an excuse not to try to cover your bases, but don't stress too much. People will care enough about you to figure out a solution to any problem.

3. You don't need to buy a special knife/ serving set to cut the cake. I woke up the morning of and realized we had nothing to cut the cake with. We grabbed a knife from the kitchen, and that was that. It didn't matter that the knife was red...

4. If you don't have an appointment to do it during the week before the wedding, it won't be done.

5. If your sister's boyfriend grew up in a family of florists, force him to help you DIY the flowers. Or better yet, have him watch you screwing them up, and then he will HAVE to help you.

6. While we are on the topic, you should DIY your flowers. Seriously. It is not as hard as it seems. Go to a farmer's market (if you have an awesome one near you like I do) or a grocery store (I've heard even Costco has great wholesale flowers) and put the damn bouquets together yourself. We spent less than $150 for 6 bouquets, 9 bouts, centerpieces for 10 tables, and the arrangement for the alter. Have a few friends help, grab some floral tape, floral wire, and pins, and have at it. It really isn't that hard.

7. Things will go wrong the day of. They just will. But the good news is that you won't really see them as things going wrong. You'll be so happy that they will instead be "things that went differently than expected" and you will not care a bit.

8. If you are doing a "first look" sort of thing before the ceremony, have the photographer tell your fiance which way to turn when he sees you. This will prevent you from not having any pictures of his face during that moment :(. Oh well, life goes on.

9. The rehearsal will probably be stressful. But the day itself won't be.

10. EAT! And get someone to snag food for you at the reception.

11. Get all the family pictures done BEFORE the reception. We got really frazzled when we first got to the reception because we had people trying to get us to pose for what seemed like 25 different pictures at the same moment, and we didn't know what to do and just wanted to say hi to our friends.

12. Order more food than you think you will need. Especially if they are cookies. YUM.

Okay that is enough for now. I think my next post will be more specifically about saving money during the wedding process. I have learned a few things about it that I am sure you are DYING to know. And then I will finally be able to move on with my life and think about something other than wedding.

Thanks for stopping by.

Oh, and if you DID google and find and read my blog, leave a comment! I don't think that would ever happen, so if it miraculously does I'd like to know!