Here Comes The Bride
There's so much wedding talk both at work and with other friends that it's hard not to get caught up in the frenzy. So during the course of the day, after consulting wedding websites for some ideas, and looking at wedding venues, and discussing ideas about how to alter a particular dress, I came across these cute proposal stories! So here's a mushy entry for all the blooming brides out there, from the
ForeverWed1 website:
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Submitted by: Teresa RozanderIt was my birthday on November 28th. Mike bought me a star for my birthday from the Edmonton Science Centre and donated it to me -- it is registered to my name! I have an official certificate. My star is number '6242' ... it is part of Hercules. It was very sweet.
On Dec 3rd he came to my work place on his lunch hour and hand delivered a beautiful bouquet of red roses ... he asked me out for dinner that evening (it was our one year anniversary) and he wanted to go to the Science Centre to look at my star after dinner.
The Science Centre (planetarium) is a really neat building. Iit has a dome shaped ceiling. You lay back in chairs...you feel like you are outside looking at stars on a clear night.
When we went into the planetarium there was very romantic music playing when we walked in. (I did notice the music ... and I thought it was a little strange to have romantic music in a 'Science Centre' but I dismissed it thinking of how romantic it was to be looking at the stars). I didn't know at the time but Mike had MADE me the CD that was playing!
The fourth song started to play ... it was 'our song' and he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him! The girl who worked there ... then changed the lighting ... and made it look like a sunset and made the stars spin all around us .. as we danced and talked for an hour. It was so romantic...and I am so excited to spend my life with him. He is my best friend.
By the way, I found out later ... that the Science Centre was closed ... he got an employee to come in and do this for us. It was very sweet!
I shared our proposal night with you but Mike is romantic everyday of the year. He is always doing little things that make me smile and touch my heart. He always says that Valentines day is everyday of the year! I truly am the luckiest girl in the world.
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Submitted by: Mark Doggett I proposed to my wife Lynn during our Junior year in college. I had an evening planned where I had cooked spaghetti (the only meal I knew how to completely prepare). The day before I had bought a box of Cracker Jacks and with a small utility knife I carefully cut open the bottom of the box, removed the contents and found the prize I use to fight for as a child. I removed the prize and replaced it with a beautiful diamond engagement ring. After putting the whole thing back together, it looked as good as new.
So, the next night, after dinner, we settled in for an evening of TV. I dimmed the lights, and broke out the altered Cracker Jacks. She immediately snatched the box from me and furiously fished out the prize. Taking it out of the wrapper, she put the ring on her finger thinking it to be just a cheap prize. Boy was she ever surprised when it hit her what she was actually wearing.
What a memory! What a story for our children.
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Okay, one, two, three.... everyone say, "Awwwwwwwww!"
Dave Matthews = Kevin Spacey?
Last night, Marc and I had an awesome time watching the Dave Matthews Band perform live at the Hollywood Bowl. What great musicians! I loved how they did extended versions of the songs, sometimes going on and on with a barrage of the most wonderful sounds. I'm so much in awe of that violinist, and watching him made me want to sign up for lessons right then and there.
One notable thing was that there was herbal medicine to be had
everywhere, not that we smoked any of it. Good thing it was an outdoor concert; otherwise, we would have been laughing ourselves silly and eating everything in sight, even though we never took one hit. :D The guy to our right was even eyeing the bag of pretzels Marc and I were sharing, and I was half-expecting him to reach over and help himself to some.
Anyway, I kept looking and looking at Dave up on the huge screen everytime the camera focused on him, and I finally realized why he looked so darn familiar - he's Kevin Spacey's long lost twin! :D Well, maybe not a twin, but they certainly remind me of each other.
But back to the subject of music.... I had been thinking of studying another instrument, even before last night, and I may just be on the verge of buying a new toy. I'll post more when I finally make my decision.
Taking A Breather
Finally, I'm able to get a moment to relax a little and post an entry here. I'm actually in the middle of laundry, but since the two dryers in my building are tied up right now, I can take a break and write.
The apartment's shaping up, almost everything is in place, so I'm able to calm down a little more too. Things are so busy at all three jobs that I am glad that I don't go home to boxes and boxes of stuff that needs to be unpacked. It's nice to just kick back at home now.
Set a 5.6 route today, but I'm realizing that I really suck at setting courses lower than a 5.8. I keep designing certain moves, only to be told that it's too reachy, too crunchy, too difficult, etc., etc. I hope Chris gives me more difficult grades to set.
Better check on the laundry again... back to the grind!
Moving Day
So my uncle finally has moved into the apartment. Gone is the emptiness, the space. It seems like every nook and cranny has been filled with something. I was actually at the amount of stuff that was crammed in - boxes, furniture, etc., etc., but we all worked doggedly the whole weekend, and I think, save for the installation of a vanity and the purchase of a TV and microwave, we'll be done by this coming weekend. Whew! What a chore!
I get my routine back soon after, but I think I may be in bad need of a little weekend getaway. Or even a day trip, since work has been piling up - at my fulltime job, at the gym, and at another small job that may be coming up for me.
Drama Weekend
I can't get into too much detail here, but I'm too overwhelmed not to write about it at all. My space has been invaded, and because of it, things have happened and I'm now feeling unanchored and lost, still trying to figure out the next move, still trying to make sense of things. Maybe I'm being punished for things I've done in the past, and that's fine. Maybe I'm being punished for sheer stupidity and carelessness as well, and that's fine. But I feel like I've been pushed down to the lowest level, as if the thought of my recent actions should disgust me, that right now I am the lowest version of myself, and I have to bow into submission, accept my fate, in order to "rehabilitate" myself. I'm the six-year-old kid again. And I feel like I'm never going to get past that.
Calling in the Troops
With my uncle's move-in date looming in the near future, we were both getting stressed out with all the things that we needed to finish. I want certain things done before he comes to live in the apartment, and he needs to get all his stuff packed - some to move to the apartment, some to keep in storage.
And here is when my parents step in to the rescue (they arrived last night). Since my mom absolutely loves organizing, and my dad likes to tinker, they're the perfect duo to save the day. Marc and I were joking that if we left my dad in my apartment with some of Marc's tools, I'd probably come home to a place that looks completely different. My mom meanwhile will have a ball wrapping my uncle's antiques and kitchen stuff in newspaper and putting them in boxes. In the end, everyone's a winner! :)
Enjoying the 'Hood
For the first time in a few weeks, I had a really relaxing weekend. Instead of waking early in the morning to work on the new place, I was able to sleep in and move at a more leisurely pace. Marc and I had finished some additions/changes that we had been wanting to do last week, so we weren't pressured to work on anything just yet. There is still quite a bit to be done, but I think the worst is over - until my uncle's move, that is.
On Saturday, we got off to a relatively late start. We soon changed into our swim suits and headed down to the beach off of Main Street. I love this beach area because it's not as crowded as the beaches near the pier, and of course, it's within walking distance from my place.
The waves were pretty substantial, so we decided to test the waters and were pleased to discover that the temperature was warm enough to let us play. So we jumped in and played in the waves for awhile, attempting to body surf a little.
That night, our friend Angela who we met at Rockreation had a birthday party at her place. It was perfect timing since we had to stay up anyway to wait for my uncle's flight from France to come in. When the guests started to stand up to get ready for some clubbing, it was just about the right time for Marc and I to leave for the airport.
On Sunday, we had an even lazier start to the day. We had breakfast at my place, then had a second one with Aaron, his sister and his girlfriend at the farmer's market. I was most amused by Aaron's sister's son, who seemed to have a thing for balloons. But everytime he would wave the balloon around and it would hit a blade of grass, the balloon would pop, and he would start crying. Mom got a new balloon - same thing happened. We watched the balloon shrivel up completely. The little one was watching it as well, and when the last of the air had gone, his nose crinkled and there he went, bawling again. It was so comical that we all had to laugh. Oh, kids!
We eventually headed to Brentwood to pick up mine and my dad's bikes to bring over to the apartment. We rode down San Vicente, and I was doing fine (given that I only learned how to ride about two years ago, and have only been on the bike a handful of times) until it was time to turn onto the pier. I missed the turn and turned into another road instead, panicked, tried to stop too soon and fell. That would have been fine, but being in LA, the cars that were coming started honking at me. What the hell?! I had to hurriedly pick up my bike and walk back to find Marc, burst into tears and check out the physical damage (which was very minor, thank God).
We then headed to the same beach as the day before to play in the waves some more. The water was still
so warm, and the waves even bigger. We got out of the water to read a little bit and dry off then headed home to wash the saltwater off. We ended the weekend with a movie,
Little Miss Sunshine, a cute, lighthearted comedy that went over well.
My parents come in this week so things will be hectic again until who knows when. So I'm really thankful for having this last weekend to unwind.
Studio Photos
Remember when I blogged about getting a ton of makeup in return for doing a photo shoot for a photographer I met at the gym? Well, I got the results in the mail yesterday! He seems like an amazingly talented guy, given the other stuff he has on his
website. Check it out!
