The longer I've had to get accustomed to our new place, the more I'm falling in love with it. It is incredibly beautiful, very comfortable, and small enough to keep focused on things that matter. Like reducing clutter, eliminating excessive storage/hoarding, more efficiency. Appreciating being outdoors again: tea, reading, writing, and sketching on the balcony in the mornings; grilling with company and eating dinner there in the evenings. Walking or (hopefully soon) bicycling to the store, the bank, the beach, downtown. Knowing and enjoying our neighbors. It's a good place to find peace and a little room to breathe.
And even beyond our new home and neighborhood, I'm pretty happy with life right now. I'm excited about getting married, the plans and details that go into it, and continuing to build a life together. I'm building a career working for myself with a great logic-meets-creativity profession. I'm still working in hockey (though it has been nice having a slow summer). I'm working with horses still, and at the Shea Center especially, where it's great to see the small but incredible changes taking place in peoples' lives. And I've been very encouraged to get more involved and to continue growing there. I'm thrilled to be working toward Instructor Certification (though it is yet another thing to do), and excited at the prospect of working a teaching capacity. And it's great to feel like a real part of that community, that family, and to be slowing building great friendships - the type that are deeper than just getting along in a professional capacity.
So I guess the moral of this short story is that I'm happy. Happy with where I am, and with where I'm going. And really, what more can a person really ask for?
Oh! And I just realized it's also my half birthday today!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Wedding Dresses
Man, it has been an insane last four weeks. We moved for good (we've been taking small truckloads over about four weeks prior) from Aliso to Seal the first weekend, flew to NYC for the next (family time and 4th of July), skipped over to CO mid-week for some wedding details (6 photographers, the florist, the planner/coordinator, attending my best-friend-from-high-school's wedding, meeting the pastor, and fulfilling my annual Renaissance Festival tradition with my friend/bridesmaid Sarah), then coming back to CA and having family (my mom and dad, and Ant's mom and sister) visit for wedding dress shopping this weekend. Whew! That makes me tired just thinking about it. And as much as I like seeing family, constant social interactions really wear on me.
I'm sitting on the balcony now, just trying to steal a few quiet moments to get my head back on straight and think a little. We went dress shopping on Sat (it's now Monday), and I haven't had a moment to think and make any kind of decision. It's been clear there will be no super-emotional "this is THE dress!" moment, but at least we've narrowed down the options a lot. I had reviewed six salons before my family came, and picked my favorite dresses at four of them, leaving 11 options to show everyone else. We now have those 11 down to four final contenders, all drastically different from each other, and all incredibly amazing. So really, it comes down to how I want to look on The Day, and what tone I want to set.
One of the dresses, and I think it's close to off the list at this point, is very soft and romantic—almost airy, but still with enough structure and detail that I like it. It is also the best blend of vintage and contemporary, I think, with some great bead/applique details on the neckline at the one-shoulder strap, and on the opposite hip. It also has some really incredible detail on the train and back that will pull together beautifully in a traditional bustle.
Another somewhat similar (yet drastically different) one is from the same shop. It is a one-shoulder dress, as well, with great vintage-esque details on the neckline at that shoulder and the opposing hip. But this dress is made of charmeuse with a bubble hem, making it more solid (not whispy), but still very light and flowy, and it reflects so much light the whole dress just seems to glow (all the others really sparkle more than glow). This dress is by far the most "glamorous" of them all, and probably one of the top two most dramatic. The one thing I'm a little bummed about is that it's a zippered back, and I've really been loving the corseted ones. I'm kind of wondering if it's something that would be worth altering, or if that's just an insanely ambitious notion I should walk away from right now.
The other most dramatic dress is the closest to a ballgown skirt as I'd ever get, but is very fitted in the bodice down to a drop-waist under the hips. From there it goes into a fairly full but fun skirt with a bunch of pickups (I actually liked them on this dress, but usually don't), and some peek-a-boo lace that almost gives it a vague country-western vibe. This one could be done with or without lace&beaded cap sleeves, depending on the complexity of the veil used.
The last dress also has some great drama, but much more subtly done, and would take the most customizing and alterations (with the exception of putting a corset back in the second dress). It has a lot of beading and lace, with a true A-line waist rather than a drop (marks against, I think - I like the more fitted look), and I'd be able to bring in my dark purple color with a belted sash. Then in the back, it has a corset lace-up, and the sash would tie in a bow and trail almost the full length of the skirt. This dress would also make for the best French bustle (tucked under, giving a peek-a-boo effect), and I LOVE that.
There was also another dress that I could play with the color on, too. It was very similar to the last dress, though with a little more beading and a lot more lace, and the color would stitch in as an empire waist rather than at my "true waist." Everyone else seemed more excited about the other color-added-dress, though, so I'm not sure if this is a contender or not. It really had some phenomenal lacing in the train, though.
So there we have it. Do I want to look dramatic or subtle? Romantic, glam, fun/unique, or ultra elegant? I have no idea, and I'd thought I'd make my decision by today...
I'm sitting on the balcony now, just trying to steal a few quiet moments to get my head back on straight and think a little. We went dress shopping on Sat (it's now Monday), and I haven't had a moment to think and make any kind of decision. It's been clear there will be no super-emotional "this is THE dress!" moment, but at least we've narrowed down the options a lot. I had reviewed six salons before my family came, and picked my favorite dresses at four of them, leaving 11 options to show everyone else. We now have those 11 down to four final contenders, all drastically different from each other, and all incredibly amazing. So really, it comes down to how I want to look on The Day, and what tone I want to set.
*WARNING/SPOILER ALERT: if you are a guy who will attend my wedding, or for whatever reason don't want to know anything about how I'll look on The Day, stop reading now. The rest of this post describes in some detail the dresses I'm still considering for the wedding.*
One of the dresses, and I think it's close to off the list at this point, is very soft and romantic—almost airy, but still with enough structure and detail that I like it. It is also the best blend of vintage and contemporary, I think, with some great bead/applique details on the neckline at the one-shoulder strap, and on the opposite hip. It also has some really incredible detail on the train and back that will pull together beautifully in a traditional bustle.
Another somewhat similar (yet drastically different) one is from the same shop. It is a one-shoulder dress, as well, with great vintage-esque details on the neckline at that shoulder and the opposing hip. But this dress is made of charmeuse with a bubble hem, making it more solid (not whispy), but still very light and flowy, and it reflects so much light the whole dress just seems to glow (all the others really sparkle more than glow). This dress is by far the most "glamorous" of them all, and probably one of the top two most dramatic. The one thing I'm a little bummed about is that it's a zippered back, and I've really been loving the corseted ones. I'm kind of wondering if it's something that would be worth altering, or if that's just an insanely ambitious notion I should walk away from right now.
The other most dramatic dress is the closest to a ballgown skirt as I'd ever get, but is very fitted in the bodice down to a drop-waist under the hips. From there it goes into a fairly full but fun skirt with a bunch of pickups (I actually liked them on this dress, but usually don't), and some peek-a-boo lace that almost gives it a vague country-western vibe. This one could be done with or without lace&beaded cap sleeves, depending on the complexity of the veil used.
The last dress also has some great drama, but much more subtly done, and would take the most customizing and alterations (with the exception of putting a corset back in the second dress). It has a lot of beading and lace, with a true A-line waist rather than a drop (marks against, I think - I like the more fitted look), and I'd be able to bring in my dark purple color with a belted sash. Then in the back, it has a corset lace-up, and the sash would tie in a bow and trail almost the full length of the skirt. This dress would also make for the best French bustle (tucked under, giving a peek-a-boo effect), and I LOVE that.
There was also another dress that I could play with the color on, too. It was very similar to the last dress, though with a little more beading and a lot more lace, and the color would stitch in as an empire waist rather than at my "true waist." Everyone else seemed more excited about the other color-added-dress, though, so I'm not sure if this is a contender or not. It really had some phenomenal lacing in the train, though.
So there we have it. Do I want to look dramatic or subtle? Romantic, glam, fun/unique, or ultra elegant? I have no idea, and I'd thought I'd make my decision by today...
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