fun @ the saints game

as you may know, tim recently graduated from the carpentry program at HCTC. i'm SO proud of him. as a graduation present, i planned a day chocked full of "guy stuff."

the itinerary:

12:30 - humongous hamburgers at fuddruckers
1:30 - mini-roadtrip to ritter farm park in lakeville, mn. hiking, throwing around a football...
3:30 - trip to fleet farm (the MAN store)
5:00 - trip to home depot (the OTHER MAN store)
7:00 - saint's game (it's tough to beat outdoor baseball... especially when the home team hits a grand slam to pull ahead by one run!)

we probably took this picture when the saints were still behind by three runs

can they do it?

tim smells a comeback

wahoo! saints win!

(actually, i'm the winner in this scenario. isn't he just the cutest?)

hot, sunny days = pent up creativity

it's a beautiful day in minneapolis. sunny + 85 (it was 30 three nights ago).

i want to be outside. by a lake. on a blanket. drawing or reading. sunglasses at the ready (to reduce the white-paged glare that often disturbs the outdoor reading/writing/drawing thing).

instead, i'm auditing claim after claim in a stuffy office building. the office atmosphere isn't stuffy... just the air in the building. i am grateful to have a job. but... there are honestly days where i'd rather be doing anything else.

so to stave off i'm-stuck-at-the-office blues, i'm posting some ideas that i stumbled upon during the weekend. hope you enjoy!

i really like the color scheme + bell jars. the old clock is adorable.

yummy summer-y treats!

i think i'll do something akin to the image on the left

with the tall cocktail tables at my reception.

though, i'll use a different color ribbon...

hello?

vegetables as centerpieces = genius

*sigh*

my friend, abbey, sent me this photo + the next

of some lovely summer arrangements she made.
love.

love, love.

love, love, love, love...

LOVE!

tim is graduating!!!

tim is graduating on wednesday. i couldn't be more proud. i was looking on the school's website and found some photos of the distiguished graduate:

nice muscles, tim!

he's the one with the saw...

there's also a video. tim is one of the interviewees!

http://greenhouse.htc-mmvp.com/

come to the open house on tuesday (may 19) from 2-6 p.m.

directions:

take 7 west from 494 to county road 101
turn left on county road 101
got to the second stoplight -- excelsior boulevard
turn left on excelsior
take the first right onto spring lane
follow spring lane as it winds around
take your first left – i believe the road is cynthia lane… but i’m not positive about that
it’s a cul-du-sac and the house is on the right

also...

as of last night, tim + i are the proud owners of two tickets to paradise. tim did all the research + planning (that's my boy!). as of 9:30-ish on the morning of 9/21/09, we will be on our way to molokai!

also, i have to say that i did not expect to enjoy planning a wedding as much as i have (and am!). working on a tight budget only makes it more fun... because it means being even more imaginative.

i've had much help + support so far. BIG HUGE THANKS goes to janell roth. she is a genius + has helped me flesh out my ideas. she's also been fantastically tactful when i've suggested something completely ridiculous or tacky. i am so blessed by her friendship + willingness to share her ideas + time.

more BIG HUGE THANKS goes to tim for being so long-suffering + chill as i have changed ideas about thirty thousand times. this is the difference between introverts + extraverts: if tim were planning the wedding, he would gather + sort ideas quietly, in his own head for weeks + weeks + weeks. then when he finally had everything settled, budgeted, + arranged, he would talk about carrying out said plans. i, on the other hand, feel the need to discuss every. single. idea. ever. possible. as it occurs to me. out loud. but tim has been a major trooper, + therefore, deserves major props. i give them willingly. you rock, baby!

yet more BIG HUGE THANKS goes to my honor corps of wedding engineers: bridgitte, melody + kimberly, who act excited about everything (even if they couldn't care less), who are supportive beyond reckoning of my flights of whimsy + imagination, who are amazing friends + sisters, all. i love you, ladies!

some more lovelies

i've been finding FANTASTIC ideas online. places like
http://apartment34.blogspot.com/,
http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/,
http://bklynbrideonline.com/,
+ my personal fave http://www.i-do-it-yourself.com/.

i thought i would share some of them. even if i don't use them in my wedding... they're just too gorgeous -- hafta spread the love.

umm... hello?

what a simple, inexpensive + completely ingenious idea!

*sigh*

there's something so soothing + lovely about candlelight.

i appreciate the mismatched lanterns

on the shepherd's hooks.

what is it about muted colors and beautifully bound books?

i like that the stem part
(i'm sure there's a really snooty official word for this,
i just don't happen to know it)
of the bouquet above is so slender.
not a fan of the bouquets that feel like
you're carrying a football.


okay...
not a slender stemmy-bouquet-thingy.
but i adore the embroidered handkerchief.
adore.

i'm not sure if i've made it clear that we're back to an evening wedding.

yes.

7 p.m.

you can now mark your calendars in ink.

we're going to do the reception right at the church. i had thought about trying to do it at some really cool loft or art studio in northeast, but the expense + the time commitment for the attendees were major deterrents.

we are still planning on a humongous dessert buffet.

none of the pictures below quite capture what i'm thinking of,

but they give the gist.

i'm open to new thoughts and ideas. or tweaks on what i'm showing you.

let me know if you've seen something totally wonderful.

i LOVE brainstorming!!!

inspiration

inspiration is everywhere. you just need to look for it.

for me, in planning this wedding, inspiration had been hard to come by. originally, i was thinking of going sort of asian-themed. tim + i both love kung fu + asian food. the clean lines + simplicity of asian design really appealed to my aesthetic sense.

but the more i tried to make the picture fit, the more it felt unnatural. i couldn't capture the essence of "us." i really wanted to incorporate family history. i wanted the wedding to feel unique. not so much like a one-time event as a visual + sensory expression of our relationship, past, present + future.

i have a friend named janell chan who is a complete genius when it comes to making beautiful weddings happen. she lives in california, so i started picking her brain via email. we decided to ditch the green, ditch the asian + go for something more "historic" in feel.

i started looking online and found inspiration in the pictures below. enjoy the preview!