Friday Hodgepodge

Well….you’d think we took a trip back in time with that post title huh?!

For you newbies…once upon a time I actually wrote posts more often than once a month…and on Fridays I called them “Friday Hodgepodge“

1) I still Love the Vikes even though they lost to the Saints…it was only the first game.  Although I’m a little concerned to hear my Fantasy superstar Percy has been diagnosed with sleep apnea…’Harvin A Good Time’* needs you Percy!!!!

2) I’m feeling a mad need to make chili and spend an entire weekend on the couch knitting and watching football.  This is good because my needles are in need of a work-out…and my feet are in need of another pair of these

I also stumbled my way onto Knit Pics early today for the first time in months…only to discover new colorways (well new to me neways) of  their Shamrock yarn which I love to use for these fabulous slippers.  Quinn is my fave

Alas I already have 5 skeins in another colorway so I will force myself to use those up first.  Woo-hoo for stash-usage!

3) Turns out Lance & I have some cute friends…and Salt Lake City has some sweet new-ish photographers !  Check em out…looks like they are offering killer deals for their amazing skills.

{pics by Kanzlerfoto}

Side Note:  The cute chick pictured above was my other amazing personal attendant…she did things like use her steller handwriting to address ALL our invites?!  …oh and basically showed me the world of make-up beyond mascara and powder…among many other things.

Alright ya’ll…have a good weekend!  Do yourself a favor and watch some football!!

* ‘Harvin a Good Time’ is my fantasy football team’s name..recycled from last year…when I was Champion.  booyah!

Friday Hodgepodge

so remember when I used to post these??  haha…yeah that happened all of like 2 fridays…oh well…it is Friday…and so bring on the Hodgepodge!

A lot has been going on in the land of wedding planning…yesterday we reached the 100-days-till mark…which means we are now in the double digits!  eeeek!  Not only that…but work and everything else has been crazy busy as well…which may or may not be to blame for my lack of posting.  So with that…I’ll just touch on a few recent things and hopefully find time to dig deeper into them in later posts

* So when I went back home I had my bridal shower!  …and because I’m lazy and don’t want to re-post…you can read about it here.

* Also back home I met with our florist…and since I didn’t go in with a “I MUST HAVE THIS FLOWER!!!!!!” attitude I got to hear her suggestions and we just sorta came up with stuff as we went along!  I think everything is going to look great…I’m not really worried at all.  I still need to gather some photos to send her of bouquets, bouts, jars… so she can have a better idea of what I’m after when it comes time to putting things together.

* I also met with our pastor and went over some readings/stuff that we want to include in our ceremony…I think it will shape up to be pretty awesome!  I’m excited to work more on this and make it personal to us and memorable for our guests!

* I went looking for shoes for a bit…and stumbled upon these…

but in grey…love them!  I tried to get my sister to buy them to wear with her BM dress…but apparently the heel isn’t high enough.  Yeah we’ll see how she feels about that when she is sinking into the grass…teenagers.  Anyways…I like them and they DO come in a plum color

…but I’m not sure.  Maybe it’s just me but this almost looks more “berry” than “plum”.  Perhaps it is just my screen…and in real life they are more of a purple color.  So anyways…the shoe hunt is still on…I’m considering just buying a few pairs online and trying them on…and then returning the ones I don’t like.  I’m just not seeing much that I like in the stores I’ve been too….at least not for a reasonable price.  (oh and I’m considering finding a cute pair of flats to wear once my feet get tired…which I’m sure they will)

*  After I find shoes I’m making a B-line for the dress store where my dress currently lives..all alone…so I can get that sucker sized!  I have this weird fear that the lady is gonna say…”um yeah…we can’t alter that to fit you”…I know…lame…but this is what I fear.  Thus the sooner I can get shoes and get the dress fitted…the better.

*  I am one proof away from finalizing the invites.  There was something about the first proof that just didn’t look right…and then the second proof made the first look much better…ugh…decisions.  Don’t worry…as soon as these are finalized, ordered, addressed, and sent out I will reveal them!!  (Sorry…it might be a month or two…just saying)

OK SO ENOUGH ABOUT WEDDING STUFF…it seriously is taking over my life!!!

Let’s talk about fun non-wedding related things shall we!

Last weekend a bunch of Lance’s guy friends were in town…it was great to see them all again…and all at the same time!  On Saturday we all went skiing up at Snowbird.

us looking awesome in our grey hats…(I knit mine btw!)

You might find this hard to believe…but even though the resorts are a mere 20mins from our house…we never go.  I guess I just never really got into it…never mind it is one of the most expensive hobbies I think a person can have…I mean $50+ for a lift ticket!?  And don’t forget all the stuff you need…like $100+ snow pants, coats, and $70 gloves.  I mean whoever is making this stuff is seriously rolling in dough.  I think I’ll just stick to my $100 pair of running shoes every 6 months.  But it was still fun…even though I spent a majority of my time on the chickadee slope…and then when I attempted a ‘green’ one…I fell and got laughed at by all the 6yr olds flying by me…ok not really but I’m pretty sure they were laughing in their heads.

All in all it was a fun weekend that ended with me getting to meet a blogger in real human form!!  Abbie!! She was in town with her friend to do a little Ikea shopping…ya know…the place where you justify buying a giant Wok…even though you rarely make wok-esq food… just b/c it is $7!  You can read about her account of the trip here…including a scary accident we wittnessed!  Crazy Utah drivers!!!

We went and had dinner at one of my favorite local eateries…The Porcupine…they have a wide selection of local brews on tap (pry cause you can’t get away with having normal beer on tap here in UT) which is why I love going there…oh and their food is pretty good too   Anyways…we talked about wedding stuff…non-wedding stuff…random life stuff…funny stuff…and then dinner was over and it was time to go!

Abbie left me with 2 big boxes of mason jars (hooray!) and after I dropped her and her friend off I was pretty sure she would never email me again!  haha!  I was pretty nervous about meeting her…kinda like going on a first date!  We had been emailing/commenting back and forth for quite some time so when it came to actually meeting I was worried she would think I was a total nerd …or super lame.

But all was well (minus my crazy driving) and it was so fun to finally get to meet her…she is just as cute and as fun in person as she is on her blog…actually even more so if you ask me!  I’m jealous of her short hair…I can’t wait to chop mine post-wedding!!  Hopefully our paths cross again and we can meet up another time…but until then we always have email and the internets!!

OK somehow this post become less hodgepodge-y and picture-y…and more just me blabbing.  So I will cut myself off and update you on knitting and running stuff later!  (YES I still do both!)  Oh and how I failed my final test for the push-up challenge (only 60!  wtf!)…no worries…I’m not giving up that quickily

Friday Hodgepodge

Run:

Well on Tuesday I commited to this:

I mentioned this race in a post way-back-when as a possible suspect…and indeed Lance and I are doing it…and one of my friends C is too!!  The scenery will be absolutely gorgeous…remember this pic

I’m going to try and be like the hula girls loving life while they run…but chances are I will likely be the girl way to the left in the blue…who just looks annoyed that the hula girls are having so much fun…running 13.1 miles.  Either way I’m looking forward to it…and glad I’ll actually have some running partners this time!

Its not until October but I wanted to register right away because of this:

thats right…a pint glass.. for FREE YO!  I collect pint glasses…its my one thing I always buy on trips..usually from a local brewery….so when I saw this it was a no brainer!

(all above pics from here)

Knit:

I finished my slippers and felted them…and they FINALLY dried enough that I can wear them!!  YIPPY!  These slippers are by far my favorite ever …that is until I wear them out and they get holes.  I’ll try and snap some pics and get them posted….along with another secret Bday gift I’m knitting for a friend who’s Bday is tomorrow!!  Which means I need to get a move on and finish!!

Get Hitched:

As if I don’t post enough about weddings…  I’ll just show some pretty pictures from a recent wedding…by who else but Khara our photographer!!

check out more here!

Have a fabulous weekend!!

(Happy Mother’s Day Mom!)

Friday Hodgepodge

Happy Friday!

Run:

Tomorrow I’m running this…

Knit:

I’m currently kintting another pair of these…

Get Hitched:

and hopefully this weekend I’ll finally get around to finishing a project involving these…

Have a good weekend!

Friday Hodgepodge

Happy Friday All!!! …Bring on the hodgepodge….

Run:

I’m just gonna use this space to give myself a shout-out for running 4 days this week!! 3 miles each time…and outside with HILLS! EEEEK….yeah it kinda sucked at times…but somehow I’m killing 3 miles in 28mins (which is good for me…I’m slow…and short) on this trail…kick ass! Oh and it helps that I have amazing mountains to stare at while I run…

Knit:

I recently finished something….but can’t post it yet b/c the recipient might possibly be reading this…but after she gets it…I’ll post some pics!

Get Hitched:

In the land of wedding planning….

PHOTOGRAPHY……….. CHECK!

In case you didn’t catch my last post…we booked our photographer!! I’m super stoked to have her…I have no fears of how my pictures will turn out….I know they will totally rock!!

VENUE……..maybe???

ok here we go…get ready for Venue-pics-overload…

After scouring the internet and emailing several venues…turns out June 2010 is already getting booked!! (remember I mentioned those recently-engaged-blissed-out-brides-to-be….yeah well they’re out there…gobbling up everything wedding in site…) So I went into a semi-panic mode…(hence no Friday Hodgepodge last week)…and just started emailing every possible location…getting quotes and catering prices… yeah….not cheap…even in Nebraska! I realize that the reception alone is like 50% of the budget but L & I are pretty much paying for the entire thing by ourselves…and we are completely against starting out our marriage in debt. Neither of us have CC debt…and we’d like to keep it that way. So needless to say…we don’t exactly have a bottomless bag of cash lying around….

I’m gonna skip through all the boring mumbo-jumbo of explaining our wants/needs/blah blah and get on with our top venue option thus far.

Its a little place right outside of Lincoln called Country Pines. We like it for several reasons. One being that we can have both the ceremony and reception right there. Another is that all our out of town guests…which is like all of them…can stay in Lincoln which has more to do/see/eat than tiny little Fremont. The place is mostly outside (they have a barn type thing where you can be inside…but its not all that great and I don’t believe it has ac) with a deck-type thing that some cover. Of course I’m already freaking out about the possibility of rain…but the lady I spoke with (its a husband and wife duo that own it) said they put up tent type things when there is a 50% chance of rain or more…and we can always move the ceremony inside if its really bad. The thing is…Nebraska weather is crazy….even in June. One day it can be sunny 85, and then next rainy and 45. So yeah…that is something to think about. But I mean…I have no control over the weather so really there’s no sense worrying about it…whats important is that I’ll be marrying Lance and we’ll be surrounded by our closest friends and family…rain or shine.

I guess the best way to explain the place is to show some pics!

(the following pics are all taken from the country pines website)

This is the view from the back area looking toward the grounds.

This is a little area to the side of the barn/ceremony part.

This is the porch/deck type area…where we would put tables for eating and then have the dancing part later in the evening.

This is the view from that porch/deck looking out toward the open area where the ceremony would be.

This is the second story portion of the barn…where the bride and her gals can get ready.

This is a deck coming off of the second story bridal room.

These are some pics of the place lit up with lights.

Our photographer Khara has also been to and shot weddings out there…and these are some pics she has taken. Its always cool to see pro shots from a possible venue…so you can really get an idea of the photo potential of the place.

This pic was taken in the bridal room…I sorta love it!

A pic of the open grassy area

The kiss!

The deck at night

Oh and I love this one…dancing on the deck!

So yeah…we are really really excited about this place. The price is right, the feel of it would be casual/laid back which is what we want, and we both like that its out in the country giving it a ‘Nebraska’ feel. The husband and wife couple seem really nice and very easy to work with. They set everything up and take everything down and pretty much give us total decoration freedom. Oh and I forgot to mention one of the best parts…and insanely budget friendly too…BYOB!! Yep…we can bring in our own booze!! Which is like…amazing…and sooo much less expensive. When I said that Lance’s eyes perked right up! The food options are like typical picnic fare…pulled pork, BBQ chicken, brisket, corn, baked beans….etc….not too fancy but I hear its really good! I think we could do a backyard/country/picnic type theme…relaxed and fun.

I’ve already got several ideas floating around in my head… of course we haven’t booked it yet. My mom and sister are going to go look at it tomorrow…and then give me their honest opinions about it. I’ve only heard good things so far (from Khara the photog, my friend S who’s friend got married there who I also spoke with and said she loved everything about it….) so I have high hopes. I would really like to go see it for myself but I won’t be back till the 18th of Feb…and Ben (the owner) expressed that he has gotten several calls for June 2010…in fact the weekend after ours is already booked! So he’s being really nice and “holding” it for me till Saturday when my mom has a chance to see it and ask questions….then we will pry have to make a final decision at that point and put down a deposit to hold the date. At this point it will take a lot of bad reports for me to say no…

Just for fun I put together my first inspiration board!! Now its my very first one ever..so I don’t have a ton of pics built up yet…but I tried to pull some of my favorite looks with some outside inspiration pics.

row 1: can’t remember, jennifer brum, saladito’s flickr photos via a farmhouse wedding

row 2: browers photography, amy squires, not sure

row 3: style me pretty, jcrew, punam bean photography

Soooo….what do you think?  like or no like??

Have a good weekend!!

Friday Hodgepodge -The Return ed.

I’m BAAAAACCCCCKKKKK….or at least I’m going to try really really hard to be… 

so on with the Hodgepodge shall we…

Run:

Well right now I’m trying to figure out my next race (1/2 marathon) to train for… I may have mentioned that I was thinking of doing the SLC 1/2…which is in April…which means I would have to start training on um…MONDAY!  Yeah…I’m not sure if I’m ready for that…well actually I WOULD be ready if the valley wasn’t a haze of disgusting pollution right now…pry not so good for the lungs.  So I’m still debating…we joined the 24hr fitness out here so I’ve been getting some runs in..on the dreadmill…ugh.

The other race I’m looking at is one that Lance really wants to do.  Its in Moab which is just BEAUTIFUL and would be super amazing I think…but its not till october which means no training till the end of summer.

see...they're having fun!

image from here

So yeah…still debating…I think I”ll be getting the itch to train once the weather is nice..so maybe I’ll just train for some 10ks or something…

Knit:

Not too much on the knitting front.  I was excited to finally unpack all my yarn and books…I love rediscovering my “stash” and looking through my pattern books.  I haven’t started anything new yet.  However…now that I’m back in Salt Lake I see my knitting friend C every day at work..and so thats definitely getting me in the mood to do some knitting…AND…we’ve already talked about getting together at least a couple times a month to knit..maybe more!  I also want to plan a knit night soon…so stay tuned to see what goes on the needles next!

Get Hitched:

Like I mentioned in the last post..it is time for me to GET GOING with this planning stuff.  I “think” we have a pretty good date in mind..or at least a time frame.  We discussed it with L’s family over the holiday and although his mom didn’t seem to understand why we wanted to wait till spring 2010…I think she finally accepted it.

So the big thing I’m concerned with right now is figuring out a venue.  My hometown is small…there isn’t exactly a lot of options for receptions.  Omaha is close by…but if we get married in my home church everyone would have drive there for the reception…and then where does everyone stay…Omaha?  Or do I just have everything in Omaha…skip the church all together?  Well and then there’s Lincoln options if we’re going that route… I’ve done some looking online at different venues and really nothing has jumped out at me as “OMG…THIS IS IT!!!”  We don’t want the hotel-ballroom reception…and outside could be a problem in spring with Nebraska weather.  I hate all the restrictions on most places …like you MUST use this caterer… NO candles…OVER by 11pm…  I want to have the most freedom possible…which I’m not sure IS possible… unless I happen to discover a long lost relative that lives in a house with a ginormous backyard with a cornfield.

So yeah…this is the one thing I want to get booked/figured out soon.  I feel like I really can’t do anything else till we get this part done.  I need to plan a trip back to Nebraska so I can actually go and SEE some places …not just online photos…and talk with venders in person not just over email or phone.

Does anyone out there have any suggestions??  Did anyone else have a hard time picking a venue??  Anyone know of an amazing Omaha area venue??

well I can’t end this hodgepodge post without some pretty pictures…

I saw this board over on With This Ring…and am SERIOUSLY thinking of adding gray in the color mix…perhaps using less purple…

from With this Ring…

I sorta love the idea of gray bridesmaid dresses…you could totally wear those again right?!

oh and that couple in the top middle…yeah its the same bride with the amazing green shoes that I posted here…

some more pics from that wedding for your viewing pleasure…via Amy Squires blog

I’m really liking the gray suit!

Don’t ya just love those green and gray ribbons?!

OK thats all for now!

Friday Hodgepodge – San Fran ed.

So I’m going to San Fran for a conference next week…I leave on Sunday.  Its kind of exciting because the work I’m presenting has been by far my favorite project since starting this job…and going to this conference will pretty much be the last thing (productive) I do for this job.  I really can’t think of a better way to end a job then by going on the company’s dime to San Francisco!!  I have a friend from back home who actually lives in San Fran…but because of recent events she will no longer be there while I am…so I’m bummed I won’t see her but hopefully another time soon we will have the chance to reconnect.  Its hard living on separate coasts…let me tell ya.

SO YEAH..I thought I’d put a twist on the Friday Hodgepodge today and do it San Fran style…hopefully it doesn’t suck!

RUN:

Well the good news is…the hotel I’m staying at has a work-out room…including the always dreadful treadmill.  I know I know…I really really WANT to run outside …but according to the weather…it will be cloudy, rainy, and chilly.  Plus..have you been to San Francisco…um HELLO…massively gigantic hills!!  uh yeah…I think just walking up and down those suckers everyday can be my workout.  Anyways…If the weather does cooperate you better believe I’ll be out there…dodging the locals…running around that crazy beautiful town.

source

This could be me…or course I pry won’t be wearing a head-to-toe blue outfit…but you get the general idea…

KNIT:

Whenever I know I will be going on a trip I google two things right away.  Local Breweries/Brew-pubs and Yarn shops.  (don’t judge…you know you search for your local beer fix too)  The last time I went to San Fran I had not yet started knitting…so I mostly was focused on breweries….which I think we went to 3 different ones if I remember right?!?  The one by the baseball field was the best…21st Amendment Brewery…ya know..just in case you happen to be in the area and want to check it out.  ( you can thank me later)

Back to Knitting..so yeah…I have been busy lately so haven’t had much time to seek out yarn shops…but I did do a search on Ravelry which has never failed me before.  I only saw like maybe one shop that might be worth checking out…is it just me or are there not too many yarn shops downtown San Fran??  I thought for sure there would be an endless supply of them there…so anyone out there know of some good ones??  I’ll be staying close to Chinatown so something w/in walking distance or a BART ride would be great…

Maybe its for the better….I just packed up a massive rubbermaid container with all my stash yarn…yeah its kind of ridiculous…I should really focus on knitting it down a bit before I buy more yarn.

OH AND its Christmas…so maybe I should be spending my cash on gifts for other people and not myself…since I did just buy myself a new camera and all…

GET HITCHED:

So there’s a chance I’ll be able to make my first conscience trip to a Paper Source!  I say “conscience” trip b/c I’m almost positive my friend Shelley and I stumbled into one of these while in Chicago this past May…of course this was pre-engagement so I was oblivious to what the place was.  Which apparently it is like some sort of right-of-passage for brides to be.  I wonder if they’ll haze me when I walk in…or make a B-line toward me once they see the sparkly rock on my finger…  I don’t even have wedding colors really yet or a date set in stone so there’s really not much I could (read: should) buy.  It will be cool to look though..maybe get some ideas?!?!

and of course…they have cute gifts too…

like this mug

(ok I’m pry the only one that finds this cute…)

…or this game…it would be perfect for a girl’s night once I get to Utah…

and there’s these cute sticker frames…

and maybe its still too early but there’s this cute Shemergency pack that would be perfect for my wedding day for those unexpected bumps…

(all 4 images taken from paper source)

oh wait…that wouldn’t necessarily be a “gift” for someone else than would it…well actually it could…since me not freaking-out is always good.

So Yeah…hopefully I’ll make it out in the rain to venture into Paper Source!

Should be a fun trip…if I get a chance to blog I will try…otherwise I’ll be back next Friday (maybe) … with pics from San Fran via my new camera!!