Happy Birthday to me!!!

Well, it's here. As much as I tried to deny it, I have hit the big 3-0! I must admit, it's not as bad as I had orginally anticpated. I am in a great place in my life, so I have no complaints:)

The McCool's came out to celebrate with us and that was the best present they could have ever given me! I love my BFF!

The night that they came in, Moe and I took Erik and his friend Vince down to the beach. Vince is from Arizona and was totally stoked on seeing the ocean. After hanging out a bit, we crusied over to Rite-Aid. It's a little tradition that Moe and I have with Erik:) We had some fun trying on wigs and causing some trouble.


Matty arranged a fun day for my birthday. We all went to Red Robin (my favorite!) and then going bowling. I must say, I am quite impressed by everyones bowling skills!
I suck, and I'm ok with that. But the others were really good! It was nice to get together and hang out for the afternoon.
I missed Fiona though becasue she was in Chicago visiting her Grandma.


My favorite part of my Birthday was the evening. We had a girls night and went out dancing. We hit our usual spot, Pierce Street and did it up Vixens style. We had some drinks (I use the term "some" loosely) and danced all night. It was great to let loose and hang with my girls! It was an awesome night:) I have the best friends a girl could ask for!!!

Double Booked! 08.20.05

This was a crazy day! My Mom, Lexie and I had a bunch of appointments with wedding vendors starting at 10am!

First was the florist-MEGT FLORIST 10:00am
I didn't get a great vibe from her right off the bat. But I figured that I may change my mind, so we contiuned with the meeting. She couldn't show me any photo's of past events that she had done. She didn't listen to the direction I was going in. I lost my patience early on, but bit my lip. She said she would get back to us within a couple of days with some samples. She never did.

Afer this appointment we stoped and had some breakfast. Next door was a flower shop with some really nice arrangements.


Second we had the DJ-FLY BY NIGHT DJ 1:30pm
We all got great vibes right away. We got to watch some tapes of DJ's and how they interact with the crowd, and listen to some music, watch a light show. It was great fun. We picked a DJ called Ray who is perfect for our reception. We were able to strike up a deal to have them at the engagement party too. DJ is now checked off our list!

Lastly we had the videographer-PERFECT 10 PRODUCTIONS 3:30pm
Well, I don't have a whole lot to say about this appointment because we blew it off to go to the mall. What to wear to the engagement party was still a question that was looming for all of us!
We had a great day hanging out together and got a lot done. I love that I can have so much fun with my Mom and Sister!!!

Engagement Invitations 08.11.05

I went to "Where's the Party" to look at invitations for our engagement party. I used to work there back when I was in high school, and it's nice to go back to people you know and trust.

I met Mom and Danila there so I could get their opinion. Within minutes I knew which one I wanted. We kept looking around but i kept going back to my original choice. So we sat down with my friend Julie and told her what we wanted it to say.

I wanted the party to be fun and have a cocktail hour vibe. I totally dig retro with martini glasses and Frank Sinatra. The invitations came out so great!! It's exactly what I had imagined. After I added a small crystal to each invitation (Mom's idea) it was perfect:)

We love Steve!

When it comes to picking a photographer for the wedding, I am slightly obsessed. This is one of the most important days of our lives. I have to trust and believe in the person that will be responsible for capturing it all. I have looked at about 45 different photographers on line, checking out their work, reading feedback from happy brides and grooms, making sure they are members of "Wedding and Portrait Photographers International."

Out of those 45, I narrowed it down to about 15. I emailed all 15 and asked for direct references and samples of their work. I talked to them to get a sense of their demeanor. I kept an eye on how long it took them to get back to me. If they are flaky at returning an email or phone call, how could I depend on them on the big day?

From the 15 I finally chose 5 to meet in person. My awesome Mom went with me to these appointments and helped me with the whole process. We met some great people and wonderful talents.

On July 30th, we went and met with Steve Hoffman of Hoffman Photography. http://www.hoffmannphotographer.com/ Within about 5 mins of us being there, we knew he was the one. He was very talented and had a great eye for things that made the shot a bit different. His manner was extremely calming and he really put us at ease.

After our meeting, my Mom and I got in the car and knew he was the one! My Dad thought it would be a good idea to have a photographer at the engagement party, so we booked him for that and the wedding!

That's one more thing checked off our list!

Lexie's Birthday

My little sis is all growns up! Today she turned 24! We all went out to dinner to "The Quiet Woman." I don't know if anyone has ever been there, but it is anything but quiet! But we had a great time. We missed Dimitri who was out of town, but we thought of him while we celebrated.




She got some really great gifts, including gorgeous diamond earings from my parents.



I have to say, I am so proud of her. She's doing everything right with her life and I think she is one of the most awesome people I have ever met. Am I biased? Yes, of course, but it's true anway!