June?

Where did June go? Honestly, I wish I knew. The weather here in San Diego was definitely not summer weather so it almost felt as though June didn't happen. Thankfully as of July 1st we have been blessed with warm weather, sunshine and cool ocean waves. And now we are down to just 38 days to finish up our planning and to get ready for our big day.

What I can say about June is that it was definitely filled with lots of love. We have absolutely loved getting the RSVPs returned to us. It's so much fun to see who will be joining us in August and I've been thoroughly enjoying tallying the dinner choices, creating seating cards, and imagining all the fun we are going to have together in just a few short weeks (5.5 to be exact but who's counting?!).

We have also been very thankful for the wedding gifts that have started to arrive. I can't explain the feeling of coming home from a long day at work to a box on the door step. It also means that Marc and I have finally started replacing the grungy chipped college stuff we had collected over the years with matching pieces that will we cherish as we build our home together.

And speaking of building homes together, Marc's sister Effie was married at the end of June to one of Marc's close friends and groomsman Lukasz. It was so much fun to celebrate their love and also to see some of Marc's family for the weekend. It really was a taste of what's to come and we are even more excited about spending time with both family and friends in August.

Keep an Eye on the Mail

This past weekend Marc and I finally sat down and addressed, assembled, stamped, and sealed our wedding invitations. Then, today Marc took our stack of invites to the post office. Which means that you should be getting yours soon. As in, if it isn't already in your hands it should be there by the end of the week. I can't tell you how excited that makes me!

So, if for some reason you have not received an invite by the end of next week, please let us know.

100 Days to Go!

One hundred days to go.

100.

It seems weird to type this. Two months ago if you would have asked me how I would feel at this point I would have told you I will probably feel scared as a hundred days seems like a quantifiable amount. I would have been worried that I would still have a very large list of things yet to be done. However, now that we are here I am surprisingly calm. Everything appears to be under control and a hundred days still seems like a long time away. But I also know I'm going to blink and it will be August.

So, for now we'll enjoy the calm and celebrate cinco de mayo knowing that it's our own special celebration too.

Details, Details, Details!

It's all about the details, or at least it has been for us over the past few weeks. We're busy working on the final details for the invitations which will hopefully be in the mail to you next month. We have also been working on the decorations for both the ceremony and the reception. It continues to amaze me just how many fun DIY ideas there are out there for weddings. I am also really excited about all the different ways we have been able to incorporate our colors into our big day. And don't worry we've also been working on the details for the food and drinks and trust me, you'll be happy.

Now if only I could shake the last of the wedding nightmares where vendors don't show up, I've lost my vows and somehow we didn't get our officiant registered to be an officiant, I would be able to relax and not feel like I've forgotten something. I guess I just need to trust in my groom to be when he says, don't worry Christina has it all planned.

She's Making Her List

Thankfully the wedding to do list seems to be staying about the same length now. As things get added, things get crossed off which, in my book, is always a good thing. Hopefully in the upcoming months it will start to shorten itself slowly but surely.

We have now booked all of our vendors and are working on the details like decorations, table numbers, types of flowers, etc. I have to admit that I find this the fun stuff and am trying to hold myself back by not taking on too many DIY (do-it-yourself) projects. For now I am limiting myself to finishing the design of the invitations with the intent of sharing them with you through the mail at the end of May. If by early June you have not received an invite, please let us know.

After that I might find myself doing little projects here and there. Hopefully Marc won't mind the transformation of his office space into wedding central.

Things they are a changing!

I started blogging in June of 2006. It was a way for me to share my travels with my friends and family who were always asking where I was and what I was up to. A few weeks after starting this blog I started a second blog entitled "On the Hob" to document my cooking adventures. Then in July of 2010 I started a blog, "Dinner Table for Two", to document what my and my now fiance were eating for dinner.

Recently I realized that I haven't really been posting to any of my blogs and it was a bit ridiculous to have three of them. So I imported all the posts from the other blogs and inserted them into this one. Now I just have one blog and hopefully the enthusiasm to start posting again.

The Labels on the right will help you find recipes from the cooking blog as well as specific adventures from this blog. I'm still working on updating all the labels and trying to make it so there aren't a million of them, hopefully it won't seem overwhelming. I also want to try to label the posts from our dinner blog with the label dinner.

So there you have it, things they are a changing!

Winter Wonderland

This past weekend we had a lovely winter trip to Portland. Now we just need one trip in the spring in order to have seen Portland in all the seasons. Thankfully the weather held off until we had all arrived in Portland before dumping over a foot of snow and then eased off again to allow us all to leave on time on Sunday. Unlike last year, this winter the weather seems to be working with us.

While in Portland we were able to visit with Marc's cousin Brian and his wife Mary and we also had a chance to introduce Marc's Dad Bill to both my Mom and Dad. Plus we got to spend a few hours on Sunday morning with Marc's nephews Jack and Ryan. I have to admit we're really lucky to be able to combine our wedding planning trips with family time. It only helps in building the excitement of having everyone together in August.

Being the organizer that I am, I tried my best to squeeze as much as possible into our weekend trip without overwhelming anyone. We met with all our vendors: caterer, dj, videographer, photographer, florist, and even had a tour of the ferry we have chartered for all our guests. We have officially tasted the food we are going to have at the wedding and as you'll see in the upcoming invitation you'll have a choice between a beef, fish or vegan option. However, if you or anyone you know has any special dietary needs please don't hesitate to let us know. Our caterers are fantastic and we can find something to accomodate everyone's needs.

I've also taken the time to update a few things on the website. I have added some helpful information about hotel shuttles and whether or not your room comes with a refigerator. By the time you get your invite you will also see sections about our wedding party who will be standing up with us in August, places to see and things to do in Portland, and recommendations on where to find lobster. Lastly we will be asking for your help in building our must play list for the wedding, so start thinking about your music requests now.

We Survived

We made it through the holidays and our crazy attempt to see as much as Marc's family as possible. Per usual we covered the northeast from Vermont to Pennsylvania. We started our Christmas in Vermont visiting Marc's Mom Diane and her husband Bud along with Marc's Uncle Billy, Aunt Mandy, cousin Jess and cousin Erin. Sadly for us Marc's cousin Heidi didn't make it up to Vermont this year. After a delicious Christmas dinner and a secret Santa gift exchange we had to hit the road early to beat the winter storm.

Lucky for us we made it to Marc's sisters house in Connecticut before the roads turned ugly. Unfortunately we only made it halfway up her driveway due to the ice and snow. After a few attempts of sliding backwards we decided to park the car and walk the rest of the way to her house. Check it out in the photo gallery. We spent 3 wonderful days at Effie's house and also had a chance to catch up with Marc's sister Stephanie and Marc's Dad Bill. We also spent numerous hours with Marc's nephews Jack and Ryan watching movies, learning to play the leapster, and playing in the snow.

The last stop on our trip was Marc's brothers house in Pennsylvania where we were able to relax and enjoy the New Year. I spent a wonderful girls day out with Marc's sister-in-law Katie and Marc's niece Elise as we went to her first movie, Tangled, and out to lunch. It was the perfect day out and a very entertaining movie. When we returned Marc, his brother Billy, and nephew Will were deep into a game of Civilization. Cousin Heidi was able to join us for New Years eve where we celebrated with an evening feast of everything from bacon wrapped scallops to chocolate fondue and numerous rounds of the game Apples to Apples.

We made it back to California with a couple of days to spare before returning to work. All in all I would say we had a wonderful Christmas. Now we are back to planning the wedding in full force. We have an upcoming trip to Maine in February to meet with all our vendors and to start settling some of the details. We'll keep you posted and please check back for updates to the website.