on the subject of registries...

Bed Bath and Beyond get points for free wedding gift wrapping.

Target gets points for having the aisle listed with every item on the registry.


Both need to get it together and incorporate what the other one does for pure wedding registry dominance.


Tales of a professional bridesmaid and wedding-goer. Can anyone offer me a book deal?

Bridesmaids and Bangs

I'm using this picture to tell the story of my weekend. Literblog genius, right?

Have I mentioned that my (not real) goal in life is to become Katherine Heigl's character from 27 Dresses? Okay, that's a lie. But I'm making a good run at it. I kicked off my "you're an adult now and all your friends are getting married" time in my life last year. 4 weddings in 2009, 2 of which I was a bridesmaid. 3 weddings in 2010, 2 of which I was a bridesmaid. And I've still got a good handful of unmarried friends. I may soon have a closet dedicated to all my bridesmaids dresses!

So, this weekend, my friend/co-worker Denise got married in Lawrence. A LOVELY fall wedding. Fortunately, Denise had enough insight to let her bridesmaids (with the short dresses) wear a shrug of sorts over the dress. It was perfect (see above).

It had been MONTHS (actually, since the last wedding I was in ) since I had a hair-cut. I NEEDED a haircut. So, I gambled and made an appointment to have my hair cut at the cosmetology school in town for the morning of the wedding. I had been thinking about getting bangs. But do I risk it at the cosmetology school mere HOURS before I need to take pictures for the wedding? (These pictures last forever - you need to look good in them!)

I took a risk and got the bangs (again, see above. But know that I was being silly in that picture and they don't hang in my face like that). I love them. And my boyfriend likes my bangs. Not that he has to, because it's MY hair... but it's cute that he does.

And now I'm going to stop talking about the bangs. Because, you know, it's just hair.

Unrelated: I'm planning a pumpkin-carving, cider-drinking, apple-picking Fall Frenzy. SO excited! Love fall.

Things I Like

"Should've Been a Cowboy" by Alan Jackson (favorite country song ever)

Music that puts me in a good mood (Single Ladies and Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy)

Flash Mobs (see below)

Sending emails to friends KNOWING it will make them laugh

Most of my coworkers (seriously, they're awesome people)

Being challenged at work (I'm putting a positive spin on things today)

Coffee dates

Talking about weddings (it's an addiction)

Finding out new things about myself with a little help from my friends

Cranberry Facts (ex. did you know when they harvest cranberries from a bog, they flood the field and scoop the cranberries that rise to the top?! And another one: people with darker skin develop frostbite more easily)

Knowing what's right and what's easy and doing the right thing even if you have to tell a friend "no" (How's that for cryptic!? ha)

and last, but certainly not least: FRIDAYS

flashmob AND Single Ladies, all rolled into one:

What just happened?

Wow, the last 3 months of my life have been an absolute whirlwind. I've (almost) survived my first real wedding season (one of many to come, I know), I started grad school and will most likely pass my summer course, I somehow navigated and planned a tricky living/moving situation and I am making the most of a somewhat interesting (yet, totally exciting) dating situation.

I am overly-sensitive, obsessive and barely hanging on but am loving 97% of every moment. The three percent is me clinging too much to the negative/unknown and me working to get out of that low-point on the emotional roller coaster of life. Because it can be negative and it's all unknown and you can never change that.

I've had a wonderful time with old friends, new friends and the meeting of the two. I've gone to a Kansas City T-Bones game for the first time, drank too much on a Wednesday night (at least two or three times), danced like a fool (at three different weddings) and have decided I'm eloping when I decide to get married.

Currently, I'm avoiding writing my paper for class by thinking about what a bad idea summer school is and trading flirty glances with the guy working at the coffee shop.

I'm feeling better than I was earlier this afternoon when I was upset about a not-so-nice person and when I was contemplating what it takes to make a marriage work. Not an easy part of life, for sure. But, what is easy? And at what point is it all worth the effort and challenge?

I am loving all the great blogs that I follow (even though my google reader is horribly full!) I especially love when they do giveaways ala Mrs. Newlywed. (Quick, current giveaway ends Tuesday!)

Dressing for the Occasion

There comes a time in your life where everyone you know is getting married. Sometimes you get invited, sometimes you're a bridesmaid and sometimes you're the maid of honor! And sometimes you even get to plan the wedding because your fabulous friend you miss terribly is in Japan. Just so happens, this is all relevant for me this year.

First up, I'm a bridesmaid for my friend Lindsey. The other bridesmaids (maybe co-maids-of-honor?!) are her sisters so I'm very honored to be in this wedding. Lindsey and Phil were engaged July 2007, asked me to be in the wedding in November '07 and we were fitted for dresses in May 2008, a whole year before their big day. The dresses are now in so the next time I'm in Des Moines I can try on this fabulous dress:










I will be attending two weddings in June; on the 20th in Kansas City and on the 27th another Des Moines wedding.

On July 31st, in the dead heat of a Kansas summer, I will be the maid of honor for my friend Megan who is currently living in Japan. She and her fiance (actually, they're married in Japan!) will be back for two weeks and will have their states' wedding in Lawrence. As the maid of honor, she wants me to stand out *cringe* so I will be wearing navy and the other bridesmaids will wear candy pink. Here is our dress:





I'm actually helping out with some of the leg work here in town since Megan and Nathan are living in Japan! I'm very excited to be a part of the wedding and to have a hand its fruition. (I <3 event planning!)

Overall, the next 5 months will be a blast! Definitely no bridezillas! Now I just need to find a date! A fun one, preferably!

In other fun news, I was lounging this morning watching music videos (CMT + VH1)and Kelly Clarkson's "Life Would Suck Without You" video came on. I had heard the song and thought it was good but the video is hilarious. I had also been hearing her new cd was good so I headed over to KC's myspace to see if there were other songs from her album (there weren't) but I was happily distracted by her concert list. As I perused the list, I remembered she never did shows in the midwest because she apparently does not get good concert attendance. Then I noticed the Ohio State Fair: that's midwest-ish. I then got WAY TOO excited when I saw she would be at the Iowa State Fair. The ISF is another post in itself but I immediately headed to the concert line up for the fair and (thankfully!) August 22 is a Saturday and I prayed to the concert gods my ISF buddy, Ashley, would be excited as I was about KC's concert. I urgently texted her: ALERT: ISF CONCERT LINEUP HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED. As I expected, moments later, she called me for the info. I started my story from the beginning and as soon as I said Kelly Clarkson, I knew that's the show we'd be going to: Ashley was as excited as me! (Obviously, we're good friends!) Tickets go on sale April 11; and this time, we're going to get some damn good seats!