Slow Loris

I think these are just about the cutest animals I've ever seen!

Look at those eyes... so stinking cute! I want one!!!

Joshua Radin

Okay, I'm trying to figure out where to put this beautiful song... Maybe while the family is getting situated and my half sister (flower girl) and little cousin (ring bearer) walk down.

Joshua Radin- Today

I'm Starting To Realize...

that we are not immortal and our loved ones do pass on.

My Grandpa Ed was a heavy smoker, always over weight and just about the sweetest man I've ever met. He kept to himself but we always knew that he loved us. Over the weekend, I got a call from my mom saying that he was in the hospital and was diagnosed with heart and lung disease. He was hooked up to a ventilator because he could no longer breathe on his own. The doctors determined that his heart disease had progressed too far to do surgery and the family would have to decide how long to keep him on the ventilator. After everyone got to the hospital, they all decided it was best to take him off and hope for the best. Surprisingly, things started to look up. He was sitting up, talking, and eating. The doctors gave him morphine for his pain and made sure that he was comfortable. He was doing okay until about 5:30am on Wednesday when things turned for the worse. He stopped breathing on his own and he passed away. I am so thankful that he didn't die alone. He had family and friends with him to help him during his final hours. I know that he is no longer in pain and I hope he has found peace in a better place. I'm working on finding my peace.

Grandpa Ed, you are forever in my thoughts and prayers. I love you.

I {heart} Paper Heart

I totally love "indie love story" movies! They make me so happy :)

Evelien Lohbeck...

is Amazing!

I don't know if I've been living under a rock or something but I've never seen anyone do anything like this before. Take a look at the rest of her incredible short videos.

My First Dictionary

makes me laugh!

(click the image below)

The Pattern Came!

I'm so excited! Over the weekend, my wedding dress pattern came and the dress is even cuter than it looked online! I started looking on Youtube for instructions on how to follow a pattern and what all of the abbreviations mean. It's very helpful!

My First Attempt

at Amigurumi

Not bad for a first timer! Well, at least I think so :)

His name is Freddy the Giraffe

Mmm Mmm Good

I love our cafeteria here at work! They serve 2 different types of soup every day for only $0.97/bowl. It's amazing! Today I had the Bombay Clam Chowder! It was made with yellow curry, saffron, onions, new potatoes and of course clams. I'm going to try my hand at replicating this at home! I searched online for a recipe but no such luck!

That's all for now : )

Music Inspiration

I love "mini movie" music videos!

Paris is Burning- St. Vincent

Neptune City- Nicole Atkins

Alive with Pleasure- Viva Voce

Pity Dance- DM Stith

Please Continue

to save our Earth!

I know Earth Day has officially come and gone but please don't let it be a one day a year thing!

It should be an Everyday thing!

JoAnn over at Smitten wrote an article "30 Little Ways To Save The Planet"

Take a look, it's pretty easy to "Go Green" and really make a difference!

I thought these were pretty great!

Catalog Choice- Choose to stop the delivery of unwanted catalogs

Freecycle- Become part of a community where people "donate" unwanted items to eachother

Also, whatever you do, please stop using plastic bags! Please, please please! I am just as guilty as the next person... I'll forget one of my 6 totes I bought and opt for paper bags (thinking I'm doing a good thing) but in all actuality, paper bags are even worse because they use more energy to make. So for the sake of the planet, please use totes!

I had heard of this "island" composed completely of trash (mostly plastic bags) that is twice the size of Texas. Now people, that is just disgusting! Take a look at this article, it really puts things into perspective!

"E" is the Trash Island!

New Additions

Forever 21 strikes again!

Ted and I were shopping at the mall last weekend and I saw these beauties that I just couldn't pass up! Ted was so sweet and bought them for me! My plan for the headband is to attach a piece of Ted's mom's veil that she gave me to it like a birdcage veil! And the pearl necklace was just so pretty and I've always wanted to wear pearls on my wedding day : )

April 22- A Day To Go Green!

Earth Day's History (according to Wikipedia)

• Earth Day, celebrated April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year. This date is Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. The United Nations celebrates an Earth Day each year on the March equinox, which is often March 20, a tradition which was founded by peace activist John McConnell in 1969. In September 1969 at a conference in Seattle, Washington, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin announced that in spring 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on the environment. This occurred during a time of great concern about overpopulation and when there was a strong movement towards "Zero Population Growth." Nelson viewed the stabilization of the nation's population as an important aspect of environmentalism and later said: "The bigger the population gets, the more serious the problems become ... We have to address the population issue. The United Kingdom, with the U.S. supporting it, took the position in Cairo in 1994 that every country was responsible for stabilizing its own population. It can be done. But in this country, it's phony to say 'I'm for the environment but not for limiting immigration.'" Senator Nelson first proposed the nationwide environmental protest to thrust the environment onto the national agenda.” "It was a gamble," he recalls, "but it worked." Five months before the first April 22 Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30, 1969, The New York Times carried a lengthy article by Gladwin Hill reporting on the rising hysteria of "global cooling".[citation needed] "Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam...a national day of observance of environmental problems...is being planned for next spring...when a nationwide environmental 'teach-in'...coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned...." Senator Nelson also hired Denis Hayes as the coordinator. April 22, 1970, Earth Day marks the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Approximately 20 million Americans participated, with a goal of a healthy, sustainable environment. Denis Hayes, the national coordinator, and his old staff organized massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values. Mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting the status of environmental issues onto the world stage, Earth Day on April 22 in 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. As the millennium approached, Hayes agreed to spearhead another campaign, this time focused on global warming and a push for clean energy. The April 22 Earth Day in 2000 combined the big-picture feistiness of the first Earth Day with the international grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990. For 2000, Earth Day had the Internet to help link activists around the world. By the time April 22 came around, 5,000 environmental groups around the world were on board, reaching out to hundreds of millions of people in a record 184 countries. Events varied: A talking drum chain traveled from village to village in Gabon, Africa, for example, while hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., USA. Earth Day 2000 sent the message loud and clear that citizens the world 'round wanted quick and decisive action on clean energy. Earth Day 2007 was one of the largest Earth Days to date, with an estimated billion people participating in the activities in thousands of places like Kiev, Ukraine; Caracas, Venezuela; Tuvalu; Manila, Philippines; Togo; Madrid, Spain; London; and New York. Founded by the organizers of the first April 22 Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide. Earth Day Network is a driving force steering environmental awareness around the world. Through Earth Day Network, activists connect change in local, national, and global policies. Earth Day Network’s international network reaches over 17,000 organizations in 174 countries, while the domestic program engages 5,000 groups and over 25,000 educators coordinating millions of community development and environmental protection activities throughout the year. Earth Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities. More than a half billion people participate in Earth Day Network campaigns every year. [1]

My Dream Wedding Is To Be:

featured in a magazine!

There's a ton of Southern California magazines so I think I may be able to convince one of them to feature our "backyard wedding on a budget"

Engagement Pictures

are on their way shortly!

Sarah (Ted's sister) is an amazing photographer! Check out her Myspace!

We went to Balboa Park about a month ago during the evening to take our Engagement photos! Sarah is such a busy girl but did have a few moments to send us a teaser... (but you don't get to see them yet). Just letting you know, they are on their way!

I've Decided...

to take on the unbelievably HUGE task of attempting to sew my own wedding dress...

Now, I currently don't own a sewing machine (but hopefully this year I can change that) and I've never taken a sewing class before BUT I really want to do this!

I realized that the best type of dress for our fall wedding would be one that covers a bit more skin (ie: short sleeves and a closed back) so that knocks out the beautiful Monique Lhuillier inspired lace sheath dresses (which are way out of my experience level and would probably turn out awful!)

From the second I saw the J. Crew Daphne dress, I fell in love! Apparently everyone else did too because through all my searches, it's no where to be found! J. Crew doesn't make it anymore and anyone who owns the dress is really able to sell it for way over the original price ($900) due to the demand... and I'm not willing to spend that much money on a dress!!!

So I started my search for a pattern that would work. I found Vogue pattern V2979 which is very close to the J. Crew design so I went ahead and bought it for $5.99.

I really love the fabric used in the J. Crew dress but I may want to use something a bit heavier than the silk organza... maybe some silk damask or something similar. I've checked out JoAnn's Fabric and places around town and it looks like I should be able to find something that will work!

Afternoon Tea

Sunday afternoon, a couple of us girls went to Shakespear's Corner Shoppe for some afternoon tea. It was delightful! A tad bit hot outside to be drinking hot tea but none the less a wonderful time! We ordered the Christmas Blend and a green tea called Gunpowder. The finger sandwiches and treats were delicious! It's such a fun thing to do with your girlfriends, I highly recommend it!

Of Montreal

Great Blog Finds

During all my blog searches, how have I never come across Stylish Events? It's amazing!

There's everything from outfit suggestions to real weddings to DIY projects!

Oh, Zooey D...

I can't wait for this to come out!!! I am a huge Zooey D. fan! : )

Susan Boyle

She is the reason you never judge a book by it's cover!

Susan Boyle Sings on Britain's Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 @ Yahoo! Video

I Can't Get Away

... from this color combo! I just love it!

{source Little Winter Bride}

{source Heidi Ryder}

Wedding Video Music

With the help of Chelsea over at Oh My Deer Handmades I was finally clued in to who sang the incredible Bluegrass version of Amazing Grace! This is so perfect to incorporate into a 8mm wedding video!

8mm Obsession

My heart instantly melts when I see these videos

This is a MUST at the wedding!

My Wedding Shoes

were spotted on Green Wedding Shoes

I was shocked when I came across these beautiful pictures! Not only is she wearing my Clearance Target shoes, but she is also wearing very similar Ruffled T-strap heels that I bought on sale at Payless for the Ceremony!

This girl has great style if I say so myself : )

Another Wonderful Weekend

Well, my Spring Break is now officially over but I'm refreshed and re-charged and ready to take on the "real world" again.

Friday:

After work, Ted and I packed up the car and headed out to beautiful Joshua Tree National Park. The weather was pretty ugly on the way up but cleared once we entered the park.

We weren't able to find a campsite so we hiked out off the trail about 25 minutes or so up and over a huge rock formation (the one straight ahead in the picture below)

Carrying our packs and gallons of water wasn't the hardest part, the wind was blowing freezing air and was really sorta painful.

Once we reached our friends, we plopped down our packs and relaxed.

Our friends, Wes and Rita, made a huge pot of delicious chili. We forgot to bring a ladel but the can worked just fine!

Once the sun went down, it got FREEZING! I had on every single layer I brought and I was still cold!

We all tried to get some sleep and woke up bright and early Saturday morning and all decided to climb this pretty sizeable rock formation about a 5 minute hike away.

Here's the view from the top of that one!

Behind us is a rock formation about double in height... we all were determined to give that one a try

This is from the base of the formation

Here's the view from the top of this one... well, we couldn't actually get to the very top... but close enough

We all hiked back, grabbed a cold one and took a nap!

We made some dinner, lit a fire and looked up at the endless amount of stars

We woke up Easter Sunday morning, drove to Denny's and had a good old fashion Easter Breakfast. After that, Ted and I drove straight to his parent's house to spend the rest of the day with them and had a wonderful dinner!