Wedding Wednesday {Shower Recap}

Hello Interweb! 

I know I promised a recap of my Alice in Wonderland bridal shower on Monday, but this week my work and personal life have been sucking up all of my brain power.

The shower was AMAZING! It was hosted by my future sister in law and her mother, Renee, In Renee's beautiful back garden. The space is so colorful and lush; it was the perfect setting.

I started the day in Santa Barbara, getting my hair done with one of my besties at Shine Blow Dry Bar. If you live in Santa Barbara, I highly encourage you to try it out. They do not do any cuts or color, simply old fashion hair setting. We were washed, dried, curled, and sprayed to perfection. Such a fun, girly experience!

After mimosas, a group of us carpooled to the shower together and arrived to find an amazing experience. I could try to describe it to you, but I think pictures would be better. I have included a link to my photo book of the day at the bottom of this post. 

The food was delicious and I received some gorgeous gift from my girls and future family. Everything from kitchen gadgets, to earrings, to a spa certificate (woohoo!), to a fun book on vintage tea parties. I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many kind women. 

Sorry to keep this post short, but my Outlook is calling. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Friday Confessions

It's not often that I say this, but this week has whizzed by! The last thing I remember was waking up, hating Monday morning, and now it is Friday. That being said, I couldn't be more pleased with the current day of the week. So link up with Leslie and let's 'fess!

I  Confess....

~ The Lion Man's birthday is in exactly 10 days and I have yet to put very much thought (or action) into gifts, a party, or anything else to make the day special. I feel awful, but life has bee NUTS lately. Don't worry, I'll think of something... I hope.

~ I am afraid that no one will show up to my bridal shower tomorrow. This is a completely unfounded fear, but it's still sitting in the back of my mind quaking with anxiety. Kind of like when you're afraid that you will be the only one in costume at a costume party.

~ My little sister is pregnant, and it is driving me bananas. I am happy for her and excited to have a little niece of nephew, but I always thought I would be the first one to produce a grand child (Hello, and welcome to my insanely competitive side). She was always trying to beat me at something, and now she has. Well played, Lumpy. Well played.

~ Not having a car of my own is beginning to get to me. I had an old Volvo that I loved heart and soul. She and I had an agreement that if she kept running, I would keep changing her oil. Sadly, she did not keep her end of the bargain and we had to send her to Volvo Valhalla.  Lion Man has an old truck he has been driving, and I have taken over his VW Golf. It's a little nerve racking driving someone else's car, and I feel like I can't see anything when I'm in it! I have been in constant fear of someone hitting it, opening their door into it in a parking lot, keying it, pebbles flying into the window on the highway... the list continues. I'm ready to again have my own car so I only have to worry about my reaction if it is damaged in some way. But, as with everything, after the wedding.

~ Sushi. I don't know what it is lately, but I have had a hankering for some raw fish like nobody's business.

~ I have a BIG announcement that I can't wait to share! But I have to wait until after we tell the family. The anticipation of telling everyone is killing me!

Early next week I'll be doing a recap of my Alice and Wonderland shower! Hopefully I will have some cute pictures to share with you!


Until then...

Keep it Fancy,

Jett

Wedding Wednesday {Freedom}

When I was young, being told to wait any amount of time was an eternity. How long until dinner? 10 minutes. 10 MINUTES?! How could my mother expect me to go without food for that long? A week might as well be a decade, and next year may never come. Life move so slowly as a child.

My grandmother always said that time would speed up as I got older, but I never really believed her. It was just one of those grandmothery things that she would say. It wasn't until last year that her prophecy came true. 2012 was the fastest year I have ever experienced. It skipped from New Years, to our engagement party in July, to Christmas, then slid easily into 2013. I remember all the events of last year (and believe me, there were many) but it all seems condensed, as if the whole year took place over a matter of weeks. 

Many brides (or expectant mothers, or college students, or anyone else waiting for anything exciting) tend to wish time away. Daily count downs until the big event. Not me. I am so excited to have a wedding and be married, but I want to be sure I soak up ever single minute of the un-wed stage of my life that will soon be coming to a close. I want to take pictures, to write notes, to document this end of an era in such a way that I could look back to see, feel, and taste what the last few months of my unmarried life were like. 

Sadly, I can't. I feel time slipping through my fingers like water and I have no way to stop it. No way to bottle my current feelings of anxiety, elation, joy, and freedom.

After the wedding I will forever forward be attached to another human. I will never again be able to make a big decision without consulting The Lion Man to make sure we are on the same page. That's fine, and the way it should be, but it will be an adjustment. 

While searching for ceremony readings, I cam across a beautiful poem containing a line that read "Today I join my freedom to yours." Exactly. Marriage is not an end to freedom, it is adjusting your view of what freedom means. Once married, one can no longer exercise their freedom at the expense of their partner's.  The reckless, at times dangerous, freedom of youth is gone and is to be replaced with mindful freedom. Freedom paired with thought. 

Marriage wont be the end of freedom, just a different kind of freedom. As we race head long toward our wedding day, I am learning this fact, and loving it. My single years may be dripping through my fingers, but they are being replaced with my future, OUR future, and I could not be more excited to embrace that change. Until then, I am still going to try to capture every bit of the life I have now. 

***

This Saturday is my bridal shower! I chose an Alice in Wonderland theme and my fabulous and crafty Future Sis and her mother are planning the party. Everyone will be dressed in Wonderland-esque clothing, lots of champagne tea, and some fun games! I'll give you all the details next Wedding Wednesday!

Keep it Fancy,
Jett

Girly Time

The Lion Man left Thursday night for his bachelor weekend in Tahoe. One of his groomsmen owns a cabin there, so the boys piled into a rented van and took off to the north and us women folk were left to our own devices. It was glorious...

Almost all of my close friends are in relationships. It is a rarity that we get to hang out without worrying about the boys (If we stay out past dinner, will they starve?). This weekend, they were incommunicado. From what I understand, they enjoyed a weekend full of  whiskey, poker, golf, beer, poker, whiskey, food, more beer, you get the idea. Of course we missed them, but we were able to remain thoroughly occupied. 

Thursday night I indulged in some delicious ribs (which I was under no obligation to share) and a couple hours of my favorite show (which I did not have to change for sports at any point). Friday, having no pressing need to get home, I spent longer at the gym than I usually do, followed by cheese and a bottle of wine for dinner. I was able to finish addressing all of the wedding invitations without needing to divide my attention, except for refilling my glass in petting the nugget dog. 

Saturday the real fun started. My future sister in law and I stopped by the jewelry shop where my wedding band is being made, but it was not yet ready (That stinking band deserves a blog post of its own!). Picking up the band was really an excuse to oogle all the sparkly things anyway! This is hard to do with the guys in toe. I love, love, love my engagement ring. But I also like to try on 4 karat boulders because WHO DOESN'T? However, The Lion Man perceives this as dissatisfaction with my current rock, so I try not to do it in front of him. We were unchaperoned in the shop, so Future Sis and I were like unsupervised children in a candy store. So many sparkles!

That little adventure was followed by a trip to the nail salon. I had been an absolute age since I had gotten my toes done, so I indulged a bit. Sea salt scrub, clay masque, warm towel wrap? Yes please! She has been married to my fiance's brother for about a year and a half, so I used this alone time as an opportunity to pick her brain. I am so happy we will soon be related!

That night I had a sleep over with one of my besties. We dressed up and took a cab downtown for dinner and drinks. She is married to a wonderful man who is also good friends with The Lion Man. This it great, but is also means the 2 of us rarely get alone time. Saturday we were able to have candid conversations about nothing and everything. I love it!

Sunday morning we went to breakfast with another friend whose husband was ALSO in Tahoe, then to the beach with the pups. 

By the time the evening rolled around it finally struck me how exhausted I was. I have hoped to clean the house and make dinner before Lion Man got home. Instead, he found me half asleep in bed, the house a mess, and not a whole heck of a lot accomplished for being home alone for 3 days. I didn't care. 

As we get older and pair off, I think it becomes more important for women to nurture their relationships with other women. Unfortunately, as we get older and pair off, it becomes increasingly more difficult to nurture relationships with other women. I had forgotten how important one on one time with the ladies is until this weekend. Now that has been bumped up several rungs on the priorities list.

So here's to all you ladies. 


Keep it Fancy,
Jett

Why I Blog

As I mentioned yesterday, I am linking up with Leslie at A Blonde Ambition for Why I Blog. I am excited to hear what you all have to say!

I have never been one for writing in a diary. It is not the process of writing the turns me off, but that fact that one day someone may find that journal and be able to read my secret thoughts and musings. I was teased a lot in elementary school, so I learned to keep anything beyond superficial thoughts and feelings to myself; to safeguard my "me." Writing down personal things made me feel vulnerable, so I never did. 

I've grown out of that awkward phase (thank the baby Jesus), but still am uncomfortable completely opening myself to one person (Lion Man excluded). I have a group of really amazing friends, but I find it difficult to show my entire personality to any one of them. Now, please don't think I keep secrets or lie to my friends; they all know me. I just have a habit of playing up/down certain parts of my life or personality depending on who I am interacting with. 

Everyone does this. People connect better when they are able to share an activity or experience. You do yoga with your active friend, thrift shop with your hippy friend, and go dancing with your party friend.  But often I find that there is still a little voice urging me to like what they like and do what they do out of fear of judgement. The little, fat, elementary school girl that lives in my head begs me to be as chameleon-like as possible to avoid rejection. 

My friends are wonderful, and there is no reason for me to do this. They would love me even if I decided to only wear burlap sacks and renounce hair washing. But I still feel haunted by my past, whispering that I have to pretend in order to fit in.  

I wouldn't call myself a blog lurker, but there are a few people I have been following for a while. At first I considered blogging narcissistic. Seriously, you people think you can put your lives in the interwebs and anyone would care? 

However, after a while, I began to realize that it wasn't about showcasing your life or soliciting feedback. People would write whether anyone was reading or not. They had carved out a little (cyber)space and were using it as a platform for self growth and expression, for documenting important events, and, at times, as tiny soap boxes, even if no one was listening. And there is no fear of someone finding their secret diary. By volunteering their thoughts and feelings to the universe, they diffused any power a journal-snoop might have over them. 

Most importantly, they were not writing for any specific audience. They were writing for the sake of writing. Those who enjoyed it would read, and those that didn't, wouldn't. And this, my friends, is what finally got me: If I blogged, I would have no reason to modify myself. If I wanted to talk about fashion, gardening, wedding, love, life, crafting, whatever, I could. And, because there are so many beautiful, different people out there, the internet would listen.

So, I started my little blog just a few short weeks ago and am surprised by the bits of my personality that are beginning to reveal themselves with the fear of rejection removed. 

We'll see how long I can keep this going, but I have really enjoyed these first few steps in the journey. 

Keep it Fancy,
Jett

Why I Blog {Link Up}

Lovely Leslie over at A Blonde Ambition Is hosting a link up tomorrow titled Why I Blog (she's so full of good ideas).

I'm new to blogging, and can't really yet put my finger on why I do it. It's been fun and rewarding thus far, but my reasons have been elusive, even to me! I'm excited to participate in Leslie's link up tomorrow to see why others blog and explore my own reasons for doing so. Plus it will be a great way to discover other blogs!

If you would like to participate, swing by here, or A Blonde Ambition, tomorrow to grab the Why I Blog button and throw your hat in the ring! I can't wait to hear what you all have to say.

Until tomorrow.


Keep it Fancy,
Jett

Wedding Wednesday {Less is More}

Wedding planning is all about lists. Who to invite, what to serve, decorations, traditions, to-do's. The Knot can offer you a list for whatever mood you are in. Want to think about your registry? They have a list of the top registry items. In the mood for modern customs? They have a list for that too. 

During the time when I was trying to envisioning my wedding, these lists kept creeping in. I generally knew what I wanted, but once I realized how many beautiful and creative options there were for decorations  it became difficult to narrow it down to one cohesive idea.

We are having a fiesta themed wedding. I didn't select any specific colors because I wanted it to be just plain colorful. I wanted manzanita center pieces, papel picado banners, multi-colored table cloths, succulents in colorful pots, confetti, paper puffballs... I wanted to venue to look so festive that our guests could help but party!

Manzanita Center Pieces

Papel Picado

Color Everywhere

Puffs

More color. I needed more color. It got to the point where I was equating color with festive, festive with fun, fun with the wedding, the wedding with my marriage, and oh my god if there is not enough color at the damned wedding we'll be divorced within a year. 

The Lion Man has a good head on his shoulders and gently tried to keep me away from turning our wedding into a tacky nightmare, but he could only do so much.

It wasn't until last week when we met with our wedding coordinator Shelley (If you are getting married in the Santa Barbara area, please look her up here, she is wonderful) that I actually saw the light. 

There we stood, in the middle of our gorgeous, historic venue while I rattled off all the things I wanted to fill it with. 

She let me finish then asked "Why do you want to cover such a beautiful space?"

Uhhhhh... because the interwebs told me I had to fixate on decorations? Yeah, I didn't have a good answer for that one.  

To give you an idea of what she was talking about, here is a picture of the location with no decorations:

The lights are already there, so we don't even have to worry about those.

She was right. All the space needs to dress it up is some white table cloths, colorful napkins, and well placed candles. There is no reason for me to hand cut sheets of papel picado, sew table runners, or make a single puff ball. The place is exactly what we wanted, so why change it?

If you are planning a wedding, I urge you to take some time to sit and absorb your venue. Take your phone and look at the decorations you are thinking of spending hours creating while you are sitting in the space. Will they really look good, or are you forcing decorations just for the sake of decorations?

Once I realized more decorations would be detrimental rather than beautiful, a huge weight was lifted. My endless lists of things to do had been significantly shortened. Our wedding was manageable again and I no longer had to dread crafting late into the night.  In fact, we had already taken care of almost everything!

To all you other obsessive do-it-your-selfers out there, just remember to breathe. It's your wedding. There is no need to try to prove you crafting skills when all you should really want to prove is how much you love your partner. 

Besides, with enough booze and food, any wedding will be a blast!

Keep it Fancy,

Jett