The Shoe Search pt. 1

Now that we have established what I like, let's jump from there to possible bridal shoes with the following criteria:

• Have a heel, but not too high
  
• Must be comfortable enough to wear all day & night
• Be Champagne or Navy... don't know that any other color will work. Maybe ivory in a pinch.

That said, here is candidate #1: Aleala, costing $125 from the Born company:

Moving on to Sofft, we have Cally at $100:

Naturalizer's Emery costs $65:

and Payless wins with the most options!
From Lela Rose, we have Gillian at $38:

and from Payless' American Eagle Krystal at $28:

Now, if I were to break my own rules on colors, here are my other shoe loves:
Payless' Lela Rose line, Elsby for $38:

and Sofft's Carlina for $98; aren't red shoes hot?


*sigh* I don't know how I feel about Gillian's alternating Wood/Lucite wedge heel, or Cally's beige crocodile leather, but they are good options. Boy do I wish that Elsby came in a champagne or Krystal didn't have those ruffles. Still, plenty of time left. This is just where I'm at right now...

Invitations and Postage

Acc0rding to most every website *cough THE KNOT et al.* I shouldn't even be thinking about ordering my invitations until six months before the wedding. Yet, I should have a firm color scheme and an overall theme in mind. What better way to show off both than with a decent idea of what I want my invites to look like, hmm?

My invites may look smashing, but what about the silly postage? Little bells or "YAY OUR WEDDING" don't really appeal to me, neither do random celebrities... Here are some good alternatives:
And, just because I am absolutely crazy and it fits with my color scheme anyway, wouldn't you love to see me use Eid Mubarak stamps? really? because I would. I would fricking keel over and die a happy turtle if I could use these stamps. Eid in Arabic simply means "holiday" and mubarak means "happy". I'd like to think of my wedding as a Happy Holiday. So pretty....
But that probably won't fly with my father. *sigh*. Still, lovely calligraphy work.

Wait, they're bumping the rates another two cents come May 11th? are you serious? I guess that's why they say wait until six months before so you don't do something ridiculously impulsive like buy enough stamps for the save the dates, invites, rsvp cards, and thank yous all at once... oops.

Just kidding.

How I feel about the Registry - China

By the time Christmas rolled around, it was pretty well known that Matt was going to be proposing sometime super soon. Wedding planning was already my way to kill time during the long christmas break, and the subject of registries came up over Christmas dinner as we ate from my aunt's (gorgeous) china set and drank from her fine crystal wine glasses.

Here's the skinny: I'm not registering for china. My parents didn't do it - heck, my mom's been married four times and not once has she registered for the super-breakable stuff. Matt and I want to be citizens of the world (State Department job, please?) which involves moving locales every two or three years, hopefully. That means packing up everything you own and shipping it somewhere else, maybe the middle of nowhere (not Novosibirsk or any other Russian city, I beg you) and risking all the beautiful china and crystal becoming shards in padded packing crates.

No, I'd prefer stoneware and some big, cheap plastic bowls for cereal. Glass tumblers suit me fine, and I prefer the look of stemless stemware anyway. I won't be the host of all the formal family meals - no one is traveling that far out of the way - on my side of the family. I'm pretty sure my cousin Katherine has that in the bag. I don't think Matt's family will rely on me to do the big thanksgiving and christmas to-do; I don't cook anyway.

So here is what I think about china's usefulness.
Passive Aggressive Anger Release Machine by Yarisal & Kublitz

"All you have to do is insert a coin, and a piece of China will Slowly move forwards and fall into the bottom of the machine, breaking, and leaving you happy and relieved of anger."

Look! Tchotchkes too!
There. Doesn't that make you feel better?

Link to blog post about the project from the Freakonomics Blog which led to more pictures at another blog.

After Mid-Terms

One week past Spring Break and I'm already feeling the pinch of the semester ending. Somehow that brief reprieve from schooling is my milestone for the spring semester that tells me when I need to get my ass in gear for the semester, but this year I ignored it and kept on coasting. *sigh*

Now I have a week and a half until Easter break, and a massive paper due next Wednesday. I know where my weekend is going - the library. Working paper title: The Moroccan Youth: Economic, Social, and Political Prospects. Eh, not that sexy but descriptive in the extreme.

Later this afternoon, after my two classes and Arabic study session, Matt and I are running to the nearest grocery store to get money orders (to the tune of $60) for our meeting with CampusFrance tonight so we can apply for our student visas. This is really happening and I couldn't be happier. We have another long meeting about studying abroad on Friday afternoon as well.

Tomorrow Matt has his first round of physical therapy on his knees. Apparently he has some type of degeneration of the ligaments around his kneecap that isn't curable. He just didn't notice it until college because he was always ridiculously in shape from Soccer throughout intermediate and high school. Now he sees his new need to return to peak physical condition as a sign that I should start working out. Not going to happen.

The rest of this week is pretty ho-hum, with the typical mix of work and school and emotional breakdowns that are my mainstay. Okay not really, but I will be in full on panic mode by this time next week about my paper. Til then, M. Erudite

Shoes?

I figure the best way to do this is to begin with what I have and what works for me, and go from there.

The inner circle are the shoes I wear more often, and the outer circle are my "specialty" shoes.

Starting with the Maroon Converses:

• Maroon Low-Top Converses with Inserts
  
• Black leather Franco Sarto pumps, with arch support sticky things inside
• Black Low-Top Converses, same 20z miracle inserts as the Maroon
• Moroccan Babouches - not a lot of padding for the foot, but still fun as hell to wear
• Sofft Wedges - bought on sale at DSW and fantastic heels that don't kill my feet much
• Gold Ballet flats from Payless, with a Dr. Scholl's Arch Support insole; my favorite work shoes
• Born sandals - unstylish but comfy as hell and the BEST travel shoes

Outer Circle:

• Red Aldo Moccasins - rarely worn because the leather insole is falling out
• Black Oxford pumps from payless - not terribly comfy but cute & good for wet or cold weather
• Ivory Hot Cakes heels - cute, comfy, and I own a pair in white. the heel is too low and they look too casual for a wedding
• Black strappy "The Touch of NINA" shoes I bought for formal night on the 2007 cruise; they don't kill my feet, per se
• Payless' American Eagle brand chocolate T-straps. If these came in black, I would never need another pair of shoes, ever.
• Black T-strap Oxford style heels by Nine West. Great, but not as comfy as the aforementioned shoes
• Jewel tone gladiator sandals from Plato's Closet, cute as hell but awful to wear all day
• Strappy champagne Daisy Fuentes heels that I bought for prom. I only wore them for three hours or so, and I don't remember them as being terrible. Probably backup shoes in case I can't find good bridals
• Black Old Navy flip flops - necessary, cheap, and comfy
• Brown faux-suede pumps with floral detail from Payless' Highlights brand, bought for Senior year homecoming
• Black slouchy faux-suede boots from Payless, bought to wear to the Renaissance fair, require inserts as well.

So, a breakdown of what works for me:

1. Insoles - I buy them and I use them everyday. My arches are high, my heel bones perpeutally hurt, and if I don't wear them then my knees hurt too. I'm also prone to blisters.
2. Payless - I've bought tons of shoes there over the years, although I am trying to do more DSW, but the prices can't be beat!
3. I like to buy cute shoes - but I wear my unstylish, comfy ones more

So what are my options for cute shoes with heels, that I can strut down the aisle and then rock out all night in without wanting to cry from my heel/arch pain?

Options are forthcoming in post #2

Back from Conroe / a Modified Tuesday Night

Yesterday after CWI: The Middle East, I finished up my Ethics questionnaire and emailed it to Krystal so she would turn it in for me. I got Matt to cover our Development Econ class, Krystal is taking notes for me in Ethics, and Leslie covered for me in Science in Perspective. I got back in time for Arabic, and that's my whole schedule anyway.

So I drove to The Woodlands, where the funeral was to be held, and met up with Mom & Katie, my sister. We had a little chat about my wedding plans thus far and then went to the wake. It was the first time I had seen my cousin Lorne in a long time, and I met his girlfriend Ashley for the first time. She's really great and we got along well. Lorne was reserved, which goes with his character, but I gave him a hug anyway. We're almost the same age and I consider him to be the cousin in my mother's side that I am closest to - geographically and emotionally.

The group of cousins really needed to eat, so I took a car full of my cousins and my sister and Lorne followed me with his friends in tow and we went to Buca Di Beppo's to decompress and reconnect. My older cousin Meaghan will be getting married to her longterm boyfriend Adam in November in Baton Rouge - I will have to skip because Matt and I will be in Angers at the time. This family get together really underscored the need that my extended family - on both sides - has to meet Matt. I need to figure out a way to road trip with him to Louisiana. We would need to go to Houma, Baton Rouge, and Mandeville. No easy feat, but we would see most of my family.

After dinner, we went back for a little bit to the wake, and then I headed home to be with my dad and knock out some homework. We (my dad and I) woke up early this morning and drove separately to the funeral home after a failed attempt to find a starbucks before the service. My dad commented that he still remembered all of my mother's family, but he was shocked to see Lorne with long hair and tattoos. I think it's rather becoming on him. Afterwards, dad had to head to work so I caravaned with the family up to a sports boat store in Conroe where the reception was held. It was nice just eating and catching up with my family, even though I had never met some of them, so introductions were awkward: "This is your cousin Aunt Rita" riiight... actually my mother's second cousin, but everyone calls her "aunt," that I literally have never met. Ever. But apparently she'll be invited to the wedding...

After some food and decaf coffee (grumble) I left for Austin so I could be back in time for the grand opening party of the New Residence Hall, fondly known as the Fortress, the Penitentiary, the Office Building, and the Geode. Guess which one we're allowed to call it? After some free cheesecake on a stick, I sat through Arabic and then walked back to my apartment. I'm skipping SGA. Actually, I'm just quitting. I have too much to do (15 hours of class, 2 jobs, study abroad in the fall and a wedding next summer) to waste my time with people who clearly don't want me around. Harumph. Still kinda want to cry though...

Saddening News

Yesterday, as I was running out the door to meet with Leslie, my fellow PGL, to study for our physics test, I glanced at my phone to check the time. What I found was a text from my mother that her sister, Elise - my Nanny 'Lise - had passed away earlier that morning after a brief battle with colon cancer.

Nanny 'Lise was my mother's older sister, and they were pregnant in 1988 together. My cousin, Lorne, was born three months after me while his mom was living with my mom and dad and for the first year of our life, we were like twins. Nanny 'Lise met a friend of our next door neighbors - Uncle Gary - and married him. Uncle Gary adopted Lorne and as a family they moved to South Houston. I clearly remember her little blue shotgun house with a fuschia door, and one of my mother's favorite pictures of me is as a toddler during a cookout on NL's front lawn where I sat down and started drinking from the sprinkler. I was the epitome of cute. We would see each other often over the years, and after I graduated from high school they moved to Tomball. I hadn't really interacted much with them after going away to school - I think we met up for dinner during my christmas break of freshman year - and at that time returned the London travel guides that Nanny 'Lise & Uncle Gary had loaned my father and I for our trip to Europe. Her death seems sudden for me because my family tends to respect my "bubble" while I'm at school - no popping unless you want me failing - but this is one of those times where I needed to be in the know. So, here is your own personal eulogy from me, your niece: Nanny Lise, I love you and I hope God is prepared for you to redecorate the place once you get up there.

Photo improved with Poladroid

A Hell Week (rant)

I'm aware that most students on the semester system have two hell weeks: Mid-Terms and Finals. Yes, I get both of those, but for some reason about half of the professors here at Sted's decided to be nice and switch to a "thirds" rotation. This means two tests before the finals, almost always spaced about five to six weeks apart. That would be fantastic if I had a relatively even split between halfsie professors and thirdsie professors. I do not, however, as most of my professors this year are all "thirds." Which makes it that time where the first test rolls around. Granted, this is kind of nice because you get two tests before the final so you have some idea of how they grade, but that still leaves you with a pile of stress wondering how exactly they will grade this time.

So, here's what this week looks like: Tomorrow, I wake up, go to my 10am class across campus and then haul ass in the space of ten minutes to Matt's 11am class to hear two speakers talk about the current state of European Relations, one of whom is a former FSO - my dream job. After this, I need to meet with the Executive Senator of Schools Represented to interview for the position of Senator for the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences. I originally ran for this position but came in third in an election where there were only two seats available. The top winner ended up never really showing up, but they deferred kicking him out so he could resign at the end of last semester. Sadly, it's taken over a month into the new semester to really get the process of selection going. Tomorrow night is when they will finally appoint and swear in the new senator, and I really hope it's me. After that, I need to dart over to my Economics of Development Test, then there's my Ethics and Economics class. After class, I have an hour of Arabic tutoring (until 4:30) and then a bit of a breather until the Kozmetsky Center's Update: Europe begins at 7pm. I work about 15-20 hours per week with an internship and a job coordinating and leading small groups through workshops. This event falls under the auspices of my internship with the Kozmetsky Center.

Tuesday is my typical 5 hours of internship from 9:30am-2:30pm followed by a cluster group meeting for my Peer Group Leader job, then my Science in Perspective class followed by Arabic until around 7pm, when I have Senate. Thankfully Wednesday is equally normal, with just my Honors: Middle East class, Econ of Develop't, and Ethics and Economics -- though that class is taught by a guy who assigns readings and lectures at a post-doctoral level of abstract philosophy. So very over my head, I'm just barely hanging there.

Thursday, I don't get to sleep in like I normally would because I need to meet Leslie, a fellow PGL (peer group leader) and sufferer of Science in Perspective, in the coffeeshop to study for our Physics test. Then I meet with Dr. Lewis, my PGL boss, for thirty minutes, following which is my science in perspective test. After science is another hour and a half of Arabic, followed by madcap studying with Mary and Kadie for our Contemporary World Issues: The Middle East test on Friday. Also, I need to submit my application for the Dean's Scholarship before midnight. Yargh.

Friday: Test at 10am, then Economics of Dev't (notice how I've shortened it in my mind over time) and finally a free weekend... except not. Then I have a PGL big group meeting from 2-4pm, and on Sunday after I take part in a study abroad panel for students considering going to Sted's next year, I need to meet with Phil and Krystal from my Ethics class to figure out what the hell our First Questionnaire is, and how we do it. I also have a science project based on Galileo's experiments due on Tuesday.... and I totally don't know where I will find the time or the materials to drop five objects and time their fall to the ground to prove that gravity is indiscriminate.

You know what is discriminatory? The amount I care about each of these classes. I really don't. I like my jobs though, just not when they have big events going on at the same time.

RANT OVER.

In other news, I totally recommend one of my "texts" for my Middle East class. It's called Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East, and is by Robin Wright. I air quoted the word text because it reads much better than your standard textbook. I would loan it to you but I've notated the hell out of it. Great read for those who know a lot or very little about the Middle East. It's got a bit about each of the hotspots, and comes highly recommended by moi, your friendly neighborhood IR specialist. Luckily for you, it just came out in paperback.

FOCCUS

Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding & Study

Yeah, I could tell you about it, but I think this article on Slate does a pretty good job. Apparently they're hellbent on finding out of Matt and I are abusive, alcoholic, gambling addicts, or homosexuals. Not kidding, it was pretty intense. Matt tried to cheat at one point, and he looked to see what my answer was to "My partner has a hobby or pastime that I disapprove of." or something like that. Basically, I knew that he knew that we knew what I was talking about. Yes, I said I agree, and that's because his World of Warcraft raid nights and occasional forays or pick-up-games or whatever ends up taking over his life and he forgets to do homework or the list of things he says he'll do (call the doctor back about your MRIs on your knees yet? no, not quite...)

Most frustratingly, he leans over to see what my answer is and says "WHAT? I knew you'd put that!"

Well, duh. I've been steamed about this particular issue for weeks now and I don't see it getting better.

So later that night, he pulls me away from the television and says "We Need To Talk." Now, I love my man but he is totally non-confrontational. Half the time I'll prolong my moodiness just to see if he bothers to ask "what's wrong?" which in this case, he did off the bat. After a particularly hellish day of a five hour raid or whatnot that has me absoutely strapped for anything else to watch on TV, no access to the internet due to wireless issues since he needs our singular Cat-5 cable (we only have one outlet, sadly), and no homework to do, I'm feeling particuarly moody. Snappy, cattish, etc. So he clears off the bed and says "Mely, come here. Sit. Pamela keeps telling me I need to be more assertive, so lets talk about this." So we did - we had our first legitmate argument over his hobbies and his lack of consideration for me when he just gets online and signs up for a three hour pick-up-game, or when he won't call it quits until an hour and a half after he originally said they would end. He said from now on he would check with me before he does PUGs (as they're apparently called) and would limit raids to Mondays and Tuesdays. Ok, fine. Plus, he adds, when we go to Angers (aww look at the optimism!) I won't be able to raid, ever, so maybe by the time we get back I won't want to play WoW anymore. That comment was probably mostly for the sake of the oncoming "rest of my life" argument.

Lets see how long that lasts...

Pre-Cana and Ring Resizing

I dropped off my ring at Kay's about two and a half weeks ago, and I am just now getting it back. They did a terrible job the first time around resizing it, and I nearly broke down into tears. I insisted that they send it back, add more gold, and get the misshapen-ness of it OUT. Well, I'm happy to say that I have it back and everything is well. My fingers are a little small from the persistent cold of winter, but I don't feel like having to size from a 3 3/4 to a 4 every equinox, so I'll just live with it being slightly larger than I would like during winter. At least it doesn't slip off my finger anymore.

Yesterday, Matt and I met with Fr. Rick from campus ministries after my last class. He's a really nice guy, and was excited to prepare us, even though we're getting married back at CGS. He outlined the Pre-Cana process: First, we take a test known as FOCCUS which asks us a variety of questions about the other person and/or our views on things, and we discuss what we didn't answer the same way. Then, after we get back from Angers (assuming we go, that is) we have the choice of a weekend Pre-Cana retreat or a series of Pre-Cana meetings over a few weeks that the Diocese of Austin mandates. I'm cool either way, but the retreat costs $$ so, we'll probably go the more inconvenient but cheaper route. The upside is that this program is approved by Twogether in Texas and it waives the $60 state fee for a marriage license and the 3 day waiting period. Still, the certificate is only valid for a year, so getting it out of the way now means we'd have to repeat it later. Marriage licenses are only valid for 30 days, so we'd have to wait until we graduate to get our license at the county clerk or wherever.

Still, I have more information and that is how I like to be. Hate being in the dark, must know what is going on.

Now if only that program in Angers would get enough people so we could go!

A Trip Home

This weekend I roadtripped to my hometown, Spring, for a look-see around four different reception sites with my main squeezes - Bethany and Pamela.

It's not that I don't love Julia, but she's at school in Dayton Ohio, and much less wedding-inclined than the other two. Basically I need to point out a dress and tell her when to be at the church. All the other details along the way are incidental to her. Still, I get that she LOVES basketball, and baseball, and most sports. She was in Crew up at Dayton for awhile, and was pretty good at it from what I hear, but her new passion is that she's going to Rome this summer for a study abroad and I am jealous jealous jealous! Matt and I are trying to go to Angers, France (pronounced AHN-jay) for the Fall semester, but we won't know until March 6th if the program is going to make. We have finished our applications and are waiting to submit them to Nora in a week or two.

Back to the post at hand, Pamela, Bethany and I traveled to Spring in a separate car from David and Matt (David is Pamela's boyfriend, and his parents agreed to host the five of us - again - for the weekend. I love them so much!) and on the way stopped at Chateau Polonez for an open house. Pam ooohed and ahhhed over the bacon-wrapped shrimp and we loved the beauty of the Chateau at night. Definitely "French Elegance!"

In the morning, I had tried to get us into The Fontenot Grand Mansion, (WARNING: poor quality music at that site) but they were at a bridal show, and so we proceeded to Ashton Gardens. Their chapel is simply beautiful, but since I'm using my home parish, CGS, that doesn't really matter to me. A look around the ballroom revealed a very odd dance floor and almost a division of one side of the room from the other. Their prices were decent, but overall I thought the flow of the room left a lot to be desired.

We moved on to Northgate Country Club. I had been to a wedding reception held here for Tati & Jeff's wedding in May of 2007, but at the time I remember thinking "gee this place is 80's-tastic" and my dad wasn't too keen on the food. I thought it was alright. But Bethany insisted on giving it another shot so we did a walking tour, and boy have they revamped the place. It's beautiful now, like a mini-Petit Trianon. I can't speak to the food, but this is definitely an option.

Then we zipped over to Shirley Acres, fighting Kuykendahl traffic all the way, and found the owner, Bob Shirley, to be a delightfully nice man. He did our first itemized price quote of the day, and explained how pricing works there after a tour of the facilities. I would definately pick "The Garden Room" over "The Pavilion," since the latter inspires massive throwbacks to CGS' Beginning Retreat, but the timing doesn't quite work with the Garden Room since it isn't available until 6:30 at the earliest, and Mass will probably end around 4pm. Hmm... I talked to dad about it and though we agreed that The Lodge, located next door, had awesome food and great pricing was to be had at Shirley Acres, he said he didn't want to see me go for the lowest price and that I should go with what feels right. Well, Shirley Acres just doesn't seem like the elegant touch I want, so I suppose not.

After that, we went and got Pamela a haircut at the always wonderful Texas Hair Team with a girl that Bethany trusts, and then we splurged on pedicures for each of us. Overall it was a good time - though I think there will be problems if we have another "wedding-intense" weekend like this anytime soon. Overall, good stuff was found.

David's Bridal vs. Alfred Angelo

I will spare you all the bridal dress pics from the try-ons today. Mostly because I don't want Matt seeing me in them before the wedding.

It came down to two. Pops of Color or French Elegance. Those are my two primary themes, and my Moroccan Fête is more of a pipe dream.

Overall, I would have to say I liked Alfred Angelo better. For similar pricing, their product was much more elegant and well constructed and the service at the store made David's Bridal pale.

Then came the fun. Here are my two ladies trying on hideous gowns to "break the ice" on terrible dresses so that anything I stick them in is better. *crosses fingers*

That said, here are some attractive Alfred Angelo ideas for my Navy & Champagne "French Elegance" scheme:
It's a range, and I haven't decided between floor length and knee length. The former seems more "elegant" but the latter is definitely more kind in a Texas summer!

A Bridal Extravaganza, Bride Wars, and Bosoms

Well, if there's one thing I knew from the get-go, it was who I wanted my bridesmaids to be. Sadly, that list was 5 long and Matt's list of guys was 3 long, so I went ahead and asked three of my five best friends to stand by me. Maybe I can cajole Matt to dig up two more guy friends or cousins or whatever, but my other two understand what's going on and know that I Love Them dearly as well.

My Maid of Honor is Pamela, and she is awesome. How can you not be awesome when you have an entire song about bacon and a love affair with juice? Here she is with me at the Austin Bridal Extravaganza earlier today:
Modeling some super cute Gerber Daisies as part of my "Pops of Color" theme. Right now I have three different "themes" in my head, but not in an over the top Disney way... maybe I should call them schemes instead...

So besides talking to about fifty photographers I probably won't use because I'd have to pay for travel and there are a ton of them in Houston anyway, and trying free cake like mad, and getting a free latte from an awesome coffee company, there was a fashion show and this:
They (being Pamela and Bethany, my lovable bridesmaid who also lives in Austin) made me play a super silly quiz show style game, which I lost, and I wasn't happy about. Hence the picture.

Then we went and saw Bride Wars, which was okay but I would have preferred watching 27 dresses again for sheer planning value. My third bridesmaid extraordinaire is Julia, who along with Bethany, is a Bosom Buddy of mine. The Bosom Buddies is a group of girls who, in a very sex in the city like fashion, would meet up after high school once a week and grab mexican food and gab about pretty much everything. Ample bosoms were a requirement to get in. Don't know if you've noticed, but I don't quite qualify as "ample," yet after tagging along a few times the subject of my membership came up and everyone agreed I was well endowed, for a twig. So I'm a Bosom too, and I love my Bosoms to death.

P.S. - note for those just starting out: only go to Bridal Shows in your area. I found out a lot about Austin weddings, but I'm getting married in my hometown in Houston. Now I keep getting shitons of calls from people trying to book me in Austin. Huge mistake.

My Vietnamese Priest

So, at my Church we have four deacons and two priests. What's that? You want a full mass at your wedding? Ok, you have the choice between Fr. John and Fr. Joe. I like both of them, really, but Fr. Joe is absolutely adorable and so joyous whenever I see him. After listening to a few of his homilies, I convinced Matt that he should be our priest and he agreed.

Today we met with Fr. Joe for the first time as one of "his" couples, and mostly just talked about how we met and what our relationship has been like so far. He gave us some books to read and meditate over as we prepare for marriage and we closed with a prayer.

Fr. Joe is just so nice and sincere - I'm kinda sad that we'll be doing the bulk of our preparations at St. Edward's (where we go to school), but it doesn't make sense to drive back to Houston just for prep.

Getting the Church on time

So, today was our first meeting with Deacon Pat (the elder) to get the ball rolling on marriage prep. After a bit of discussion, Matt agreed to June 5 as the tentative date. Here's my rationale:

• Originally, I wanted to get married on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, 2010 because I'm considerate of my friends and family's time. Then I decided I didn't want to wait until the end of summer after Matt and I graduate so I moved it to...
• Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, 2010. Yay! Much earlier! But then I found out my lovely home parish doesn't do weddings on Sunday. Nevermind that I could get married at 5pm because there's no Mass, or that Sundays are a way more inexpensive time to throw a wedding.
• So I had to chose between a week earlier or later. This narrowed it down to May 22 and June 4, since I didn't want it too soon after graduation or too close to my birthday. (We're within a month here, and that's kind of something I didn't want. *sigh*) So, considering my younger cousins schedules and everyone who is in school in general that would have to travel to my wedding, I figured the 5th of June is a pretty good date, oh and it's a Saturday.

So we're at the church and we're asked to be penciled in for a date. I blurt out "June 5, 2010!" and Deacon Pat looks at me like I'm possessed. He very measuredly tells me that I can't have that date just yet - they won't make the 2010 calendar until April. Well, sheesh, I was told to come to the church before doing anything wedding related and all of a sudden I have to wait until April? So there will just be "soft" planning from here, no commitments until we get our date.

Liturgically speaking, May 22nd would coincide with Pentecost weekend, and June 4th is the first weekend of Ordinary Time. My faaaavorite liturgical time is that right after Easter, because the whole place is draped in white and gold, but all that goes away on May 15th - two weeks after my graduation and the very same weekend as Texas A&M's Graduation. Well, two of Matt's men standing up next to him are 2010 Aggies, so that's just too much to ask.

Ordinary time it is. Next up: Meet with Fr. Joe Bui

The Rationale & Proposal

I suppose I've journaled since the sixth grade - my intermediate and high school years are all really well documented - and I tried the blogging thing for a few months at a stretch throughout high school, but I totally fell flat on my promise of a blog for my study abroad in Morocco. I suppose a wedding is a pretty valid end point for such a blog, so maybe I can pull this one through...

Well, now I'm engaged to my darling Matt. I created this little montage to the right using poladroid and a random picture I found in the Wedding Blogging Complex somewhere. Sorry for the lack of credit - if I find it again, I promise I'll attribute. Anyway, the photos of Matt and I were taken on New Year's Eve by my MoH Pamela at her boyfriend's parent's house were we all celebrated. The little sparkler heart is courtesy of David, and the hospitality his family showed us was incredible! I love staying with his parents because they are the sweetest, most inviting people.

Finally, on New Year's Day, Matt took me on a date in the Woodlands. Did I know it was going to be the night? Yes. Haha, I know it's supposed to be a suprise but somehow matt and I just don't work like that. So we went to the Waterway and were going to have dinner at the Goose's Acre but they didn't open until 7pm. Enjoying my brand new camera (a sony t77) that was gifted to my by my Daddy on christmas, I suggested a walk along the waterway for some pictures of pretty pretty lights in trees. Well, as we reached the end of our trek to the point where the Waterway taxis turn around, I snapped this picture and said "you know, I don't really think I'd like to live in the suburbs with a big yard to mow and what not. I really like the idea of urban condos, or just condos in particular. Still, it's really hard to know where we'll be after we graduate what with the State Department vs. D.C. or just back to Houston..." and I turned to snap a picture of some lighted "snowflakes" in trees and Matt is at my side, on one knee, holding his proudly purchased ring box with my mothers diamond in a setting we had picked out and he said "I don't know where we will be either. I just know I want to be there with you, no matter what. Mely, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

And I said yes.