through the years

here are some funny photos i came across the other day of me and pat - as i mentioned, we met in college and were friends all throughout - didn't start dating until 3 years later!  here's some oldies but goodies - you'll notice our good friend phil (regis philbin) decandido is in all of them as well :)

personal photo, 1999: this was during my "dark hair" phase - didn't last long!

personal photo, 2002: apparently i had a thing for flower leis

personal photo, 2003: graduation!

gotta love coming across the old pictures every once in a while!

memorial day weekend!!!

summer kickoff has arrived - and even though i'm not in new jersey headed down the garden state on the way to LBI (long beach island, not your typical snookie-situation jersey shore, promise!), i still need to represent the official summer anthem by no one other than my man bruuuuuuuuuuuuce!

i'm headed on a road trip down the california coast from SF to LA and back... wherever you are, enjoy your weekend everyone - be safe and have FUN!!!!

mrs. tuxedo?

i had another post lined up for today but i had to share this first because it's too funny not to.

for the past 2 weeks i have been getting spam phone calls from an "888" number - i have no idea who it is, so i keep pressing ignore - i thought maybe it was the cable company or something.  anyways, today i finally decide to answer the phone and the conversation went something like this:

woman on phone: "hi, may i speak with jacin?"
me (slightly annoyed because i'm expecting a telemarketer): "may i ask who's calling?"
woman: "this is X from men's wearhouse"
me: "um, ok, yes, this is jacin?"
woman: "i am calling with good news that we would like to schedule your tuxedo fitting!"
me: "um, i'm the bride...."
woman: "oh, um, sorry, i think the paperwork got messed up and you were listed as the groom"
me: "story of my life!"

and i proceeded to give her pat's number.  this is the 2nd time i've been listed on contracts as the groom!  doesn't help that we are jacin and patrick goes by "pat" - haha!

source (and look, she has a football mum boutonniere)

HAPPY THURSDAY!  (because tomorrow is FRIDAY!!)

my blue canning jars!

have arrived!!  my dad sent me an email today letting me know i had a package (reminder - family lives in CT, i live in CA) and i knew immediately what they were - i called him and asked him to open the box and check them out and there they were!!  can't wait to see it all come together with the flowers!!

photo taken with my dad's cell phone thanks to my pleading with him to send me a photo :)

4 months to go!!

i didn't even realize that 4 months from today is our wedding until i got one of those friendly reminder pop-ups in my email from the knot.

according to the knot, some of the remaining to-dos include:

• Make sure everyone in the wedding party is aware of what you expect of them -- especially your bridesmaids and groomsmen. Provide a list of duties to the maid of honor and a list of to-dos to the best man.
• OK - this is hilarious.  as if i'm going to send a list of expectations to my bridesmaids and groomsmen?  maybe i'm a little more laid back then i should be, but i would never send them a list of duties!! 

• Start investigating any family wedding customs or cultural traditions you might want to incorporate into your ceremony or reception.
• this is interesting, actually.  i will check in to this with the families!

• Think about how you might want to wear your hair. Browse wedding hairstyle photos, and start researching hairstylists and makeup artists in your area.
•  i do have a few thoughts on this - i'm thinking i'd like a versatile "do" that allows to be up for part of the day and half up/half down for the rest of the day.  still figuring this part out but i do have a hair trial in july so stay tuned on that!

 source

• Start working on your invitation wording and design.
• remember i said i kept putting things off?  this is one of those tasks :) 

• Finalize the reception menu and service details with the caterer.
• ok, starting to get slightly stressed - really - they recommend this at 4 months out??

• Finalize your invitation wording.
• didn't they just tell me to get started on this?  now they want it finished??

• Research and purchase wedding insurance (if necessary).
• um....    

• Order your wedding invitations and wedding announcements (don't forget plenty of extra envelopes).
• ok - the knot - you're killing me here... you just asked me to start the invites, then finalize them, now you want me to order them too?  ahhh!

• Hash out your wedding flower proposal. Decide on your floral style, choose the right wedding flowers, and negotiate prices with florist. Once you're certain the contract outlines everything you agreed upon, sign it.
• working on that as we speak!   

• Grooms: Decide what type of formalwear (tux, suit, casual button-down and slacks) you'll wear and look through formalwear photos to get an idea of what you want.
• pat has pretty much decided and we just have to go check out a tie he likes today, once that's decided on, he'll move forward

• Choose and reserve all tables, chairs, and any other wedding rentals you'll need for the reception (unless the caterer or site is taking care of it).
• i would like chiavari chairs or chaircovers for the dining room but we're still working on this part.

• Grooms: Start planning your groomsmen's attire. Tuxes or suits?
• Grooms: Start looking to buy or rent your tux, suit, or other formal attire.
• is the knot trying to make me go insane?  is it just me or are these checklist items completely redundant??  

•  Book a hotel room for your wedding night.
• gotta check in on this!

• Book your honeymoon flights (if not using frequent flyer miles) and make all your other honeymoon travel reservations.
• COMPLETE!

• Grooms: Decide on your groomsmen's formalwear. Let the guys know and ask them to get fitted for their tuxes (if need be).
• grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

• Start addressing wedding invitations or drop them off with the calligrapher (you'll need to send them out at the three-month mark).
• no comment!  

• Grooms: Give all of the groomsmen the info they need to buy and/or reserve their attire.
• Brides: Choose your bridesmaids' accessories (shoes, jewelry) and either buy or pass along purchasing information.

i guess it's time i start paying attention to the to-do lists!

cross country bride

don't get me wrong. san francisco is awesome!

  personal photo: of course our heads are strategically blocking the golden gate bridge!

but as we're planning everything from across the country via email and phone it just seems so much farther away than 2,800 miles (that's a lot!)  i am feeling like the wedding will come and go and maybe i haven't been experiencing everything i should be during the planning process because it's not quite the standard situation - we're getting married in CT but live in CA.  i am excited (and nervous) to go home for my first fitting in less than a month - excited because i get to show my mom for the first time what the dress looks like in person rather than via picture text (reiterate - not the standard situation), and nervous because the dressmaker is altering the dress to something we agreed upon and i am hoping it looks like we both agreed!  

there are still many things on our to-do list but we're checking them off week by week, or putting them off :).  mostly i can't help but think about wedding weekend and what a whirlwind it will be - we are flying in on the redeye flight from san francisco on wednesday night, arriving early thursday morning, driving to CT to pull all the final pieces together, BBQ with the families thursday night, friday rehearsal and rehearsal dinner and probably getting the venue ready, saturday WEDDING!, sunday brunch with our family, sunday night back to SF, monday morning - hawaii!!  but it just seems like too much in too little time!  does anyone else feel crammed with the weekend?  i just want to be able to spend enough time with everyone and not feel rushed to hop back on a plane again...

leg and butt workout from my trainer

helpful workout from my trainer - as he says "MAKE IT HAPPEN!"

makeup trial

although it was nearly 5 months ago, i realized i never put it on the blog so i wanted to share.  i am working with jennie fresa for our wedding and she is amazing.  she's a wonderful person, optimistic and always has the glass is half full attitude - i can't wait to work with her on the wedding day!  she also did my cousin courtney's wedding as well:

here are some pics from my makeup trial back in december.  i'd also like to add that these photos have been a motivation factor in my path to getting in shape and shedding 10 lbs :)

(c) Todd H Page

(c) Todd H Page

lastly, i'm hoping a tan will also be in effect on wedding day to help with some much-needed bronzing action :)

our photographer!

i know i mentioned my photographer a few months ago when we booked him, but now that "wedding season" has arrived, graham scobey has been busy and i'm having so much fun checking out his latest work on his blog!

graham was so kind as to give me approval to showcase a few of his latest gems so i am so excited to show them below - he is AMAZING (and was recently showcased in southern weddings!!)  i love the unobtrusiveness of his style, he seems to be capturing each moment without planning it.  i am praying for no rain on september 25 so we can get some cool shots of the bridal party in front of my family's hardware store after the ceremony and i know graham will do an awesome job!

here are some of graham's latest (thank you graham!!).  all images are subject to copyright and were taken by scobey photography.

(c) scobey photography

i LOVE this shot of the groom getting ready.

(c) scobey photography

(c) scobey photography

 

 (c) scobey photography

 (c) scobey photography

 i love this one too!

(c) scobey photography

counting down to september 25!

something blue - take 2

i've been on operation blue shoes for the past few months, and after obtaining the magical blue louboutins, i am now rethinking this idea.  they looked gorgeous in photos but in person, looked like something a vegas showgirl should be wearing, or worse yet - clown shoes.

so back to square 1 with the shoes, but i've been thinking of other ways to incorporate the "something blue" and thought maybe earrings could be a pretty way to showcase the "blue".  

source

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these are natural freshwater pearls!
 source

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famous debut

my trainer has been kicking my butt lately - and has been videotaping some of it as part of his "gym" promo video.  check it out - see if you can find the girl in the hoboken t-shirt :)

(it's called "club jeff" because we live on jefferson)

more cooking light

ever since pat and i moved in together i have always been telling him i'd be cooking recipes from cooking light every night and have dinner ready on the table after work.  that hasn't really been happening as much as i'd like and sometimes it's more of a shuffle to get food on the table rather than something prepared.  it's hard after a long day of work to be prepared with a full out meal every night!  but something i need to get better at...

as i've mentioned, i subscribe to cooking light - it's a great magazine with tons of healthy recipes.  last night's attempt was just as good as the rest so i figured i'd share it:

Grilled Steak with Baby Arugula and Parmesan Salad
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 (4-ounce) flat-iron steaks
2 lemons, halved
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups loosely packed baby arugula
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon capers - to taste (not part of recipe but I added them)

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat (I don't have a grill pan so I used my cast-iron pan). Rub thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper over steaks. Add steaks to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steaks from pan. Add lemon halves, cut sides down, to pan; cook 3 minutes. Cut steaks across the grain into thin slices.

Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chives, and next 4 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon salt), stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over arugula; toss to coat. Arrange 1 steak, 1 cup arugula, and 1 lemon half on each of 4 plates; top each salad with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Calories: 255, Fat: 16.2g (sat 6g,mono 7.5g,poly 0.9g), Protein: 24.4g 

flower update

my florist (jennifer hodgins at branford flower shop) is amazing - i love her already and the big day hasn't even come yet.  she is so flexible in providing me with several options within each price point and she really gets the feel of the theme we're trying to portray.  she even drove over to the church to count the pews and suggest how we can best decorate.

now i am in the process of picking out flowers for the decorations and bouquets and i'm trying to pull it all together.  my latest obsession are football mums - they are so soft and fluffy and i think, beautiful.  i am hoping and wishing for ranunculus but because of the season, probably won't be able to use those pretty ones.

here are some flowers we're hoping to feature:

white football mum (photo source)

 pale pink ranunculus (photo source)

pink/white dahlia (photo source)

 white/pink phlox (photo source)

 white snowberries (photo source)

 silver brunia (photo source)

 seeded eucalyptus (photo source)

pink lisianthus (photo source)

 white/pale blue hydrangeas (photo source)

and with our blue canning jars, i think the "new england shoreline wedding" theme will be complete!

 

photo source

new shoe blues

after numerous posts, the magical "something blue" louboutins arrived... but they're too big!  but, as i've been traveling for the past week and haven't updated my blog, i will share the pics of the lovely blues for you to see in the meantime as i decide whether to get a smaller size or start all over again in the search :)

picking tunes

anyone who knows me knows that i love music - all kinds.  it's actually embarrassing to listen to my iPod in public on shuffle, because you really never know what will come up - i have everything from bruce springsteen to wu tang to frank sinatra and all others in between.

so the task of finding music for our bridal party and parents to walk out to has been no small feat.  we're in between choosing a different song for each couple, or a few fun songs that some people will share - i don't want it to turn in to a 20 minute ordeal to get everyone on the dance floor and have it be too much, but i also want it to be fun!  i won't give any of the surprises away but i can tell you that it will be unlike many of the other entrances done before :)

summer is here

...which means for the next 4 months i will miss the east coast more than ever.  don't get me wrong, california is great - but it's not home.  i went to NJ this week for a meeting and going back to hoboken when the leaves are all fresh and green, everyone's out and about, and beautiful clear sunny days are back really made me miss it back there.  not to mention friends and family as well!

pat and i have made a bunch of great friends out here and we have a good-sized entourage whenever we plan BBQs, beach days, trips to napa, etc.  my cousin claudia and her family are out here too, which is PRICELESS!!!  but i still miss the option of taking a 2-hour drive up to guilford to spend a weekend at home with my family and friends or walking down the street to go to dinner with the girls in hoboken whenever i want to, rather than whenever i can based on when my next business trip takes me back east.

end of rant.