So Far....

I thought I would post about what wedding related items I've bought so far. First here are my lanterns that I bought so far:The silver ones are from Ikea. I'm going back this weekend so I'll buy 2 more little ones and one more big one. The copper ones with the colored glass I bought at Liquidation Warehouse. You can see the LED tealights I bought inside. I need more than the 5 I bought, but I wasn't sure if they would work. I'm glad they do. The tall gas lamp (which I think look like a bong) were purchased at Big Lots for $4 each. I bought 2. I wish they would had more. The top left one is kind of what I'm thinkingof doing, but I think I need more than 4 on each table.

I bought these buckets at the Goodwill. I don't know what I will use them for. I thought I would use them as centerpieces. Put flowers in them. But maybe I'll use them for the ceremony, perhaps to mark the aisle.
I bought this from another knottie. If I make programs, I'll use this to hold them. If not, I'm not sure what I'll use it for.I bought these from another knottie. She used them for pew flowers. She had 5 other buckets but sold them before I got to her. Again, I have no idea what to use these for.
More buckets that I have no idea what to do with. I bought 6. I was thinking of using them for forks, knives, and spoons since we'll be using plastic. I thought that would be cute. But I don't know.
I bought 7 of these citronella candles at Joann's at an end of summer sale. I'm going to tie a brown bow around each one. Tai wanted some of these to keep those mosquitoes at bay.
Hopefully I have some more stuff to show later this month.

Helpful Hints from an Unlikley Source

So I was searching for interesting ideas for our registry. I feel the need to update it and tweak it weekly. We have a lot of basic things on there (towels, sheets, kitchen gadgets) and some unique things (museum membership and game systems), but I want some more out of the box ideas.
Thanks to Google, I found Offbeat Registry Ideas from Bankrate. I had no idea that they had articles on weddings. I usually look at Bankrate for credit card information. But they had some good ideas. The museum idea was mentioned as was registering for camping gear. It reenforces the idea that you should put things that you and your fiance need rather than things you are expected to ask for. There also is some information on dealing with honeymoon and home downpayment registeries. So this very unlikely source has some good information. Have you found any good information from unlikely sources?

Currently....the year end edition

I thought I would recongize those things that I loved in 2007!
reading









I love Shauna's blog. So I was so excited to read her new book. I love reading her writing. It's so conversational!
watching















Probably two of the best movies I saw this year. Two very different movies. If you haven't see either of these movies, run out and see them now.

shopping









These two stores got a lot of my money this year. I'm so glad I found Liquidation World. I buy so much stuff there. It's like the bargain version of Target. Only you never know what you'll there. One week, I'll get toilet paper and towels and the next I'll get jeans and lotions.
At the Goodwill, I usually drop off a bag or two then head inside and take a bag or two out! Tai goes though jeans like there is no tomorrow. And I hate spending tons of money on clothes for work. Plus my Goodwill has new clothes from Target!

eating










I have a confession. I love to cook, but I think I cook more now to put it on my blog! I hope to get better at taking photos of the food I make. Sharing food means a lot to me. I like to see people fed and I love to eat! My pledge in 2008 is too cook more.

Progress!!!

On Sunday, Tai and I went to Whole Foods and as we passed a floral display, Tai stops. He points to something and says "Like this?". I turn and see that he's pointing to a corsage (who gets a corsage for Christmas?). I'm totally and completely stunned. He's asking me if that's how I want the bouts. Once I pick my jaw off the ground (the last time we talked about bouts was 2 months ago), we discussed the size and other features of these corsages. Wow, my honey is getting into wedding planning.
And it didn't stop there, Tuesday night we had a long discussion about caterers and photographers. We talked about what we wanted and how much we want to spend. Tai gave me the go ahead on contacting caterers and photographers. I have my eye on one photographer. I dropped him a line and have a meeting with him next week. Eeee! So excited!
And I finally decided on centerpieces. I know, you must be so excited! I've decided on lanterns!
My inspiration came from that photo on the top right from Faye and Greer. The bride and groom are carrying lanterns which I thought was so unique. And you know what happens to unique ideas? Other people steal 'em.
I went out and bought 5 lanterns. I figure I'll need about 60-70 of them, so I have to get cracking. I plan to look for some more over the weekend. I'm going for a very eclectic grouping-gas lanterns, oil lanterns, votive holders, etc. I'll take pictures of the ones I bought over the weekend and post them then.
It feels good to make some progress. I cannot wait to have the photographer and caterer nailed down!

Currently....the holiday edition

drinking









I love these mulling spices. During the holidays William & Sonoma gives samples of this. It so yummy this year I decided to buy some. It's simmering now while I'm blogging.

listening









There are certain songs that put me in a holiday mood. Last Christmas is one of them. It's not the holiday season til I hear Last Christmas, Grandma got Run Over by A Reindeer, Christmas Wrapping, and Stop the Calvary. I heard Last Christmas yesterday when Kris and I were getting our nails done. It was some horrible remake. I need to hear George Michael's version. That's the best one.

using









Tai gave me my holiday gift early. I certainly didn't expect this! We said no gifts but I did buy him stuff. I'm bad. I can't help it. Just about everyday I find stuff I think he would like.

watching











My favorite holiday movies. I haven't seen a single one yet! I thought I owned Love Actually but I don't. I need to remedy that. I'm sure A Christmas Story will be on tomorrow.

I might not blog tomorrow so have a wonderful holiday! Hope you get to spend time with friends and family and eat yummy food!

A Song to Remember...

I thought I would offer my advice to those looking for the right first song for their wedding. Luckily, Tai and I picked the same one. He's asked me to keep it a secret, so I will (I already mentioned on here so if you choose you can find out). But it can be tough and I see the same songs over and over. Probably just because it's easier to pick a popular song if you don't have a special song in mind. So here's my list of first dance songs to help those of you struggling.

Devoted to You by the Beach Boys. I love the Beach Boys. See the lyrics here. Also covered by Carly Simon & James Taylor and The Everly Brothers.


The Pussycat Doll's Stickwitu. Tai told me this song reminded him of me during our first weekend apart (I was in LA while he stayed home). He wanted to stickwitme. Sappy I know. But I think it's got great lyrics which you can read here. It doesn't look like anyone else has covered this recently.

Umbrella covered by Mandy Moore. I love her version more than Rihanna's. Here's the YouTube version:
I wish they had it on iTunes. Sadly they don't and Mandy didn't put it on her new album. Boo! The lyrics can be found here.

Rush, Rush by Paula Abdul. If I were 16 this would so be our first dance song. My marriage would also be illegal, but hey. Sadly no one has covered this song. Go here for the lyrics.

GooGoo Dolls' Iris. Tai and I were watching VH1's 100 Top Songs of the 90's and this song came on. Excellent song. Lyrics can be found here.

DJ Sammy's Heaven was a close second for our first dance. We both really like it. You can find the lyrics here. It'll definitely make an appearance at sometime during the wedding.

Movie soundtracks are good places to look for songs. What movies did you see early on in your relationship? What movies do you both love to watch over and over together?

I attended a wedding of a classmate from high school a few years ago and she used So This Is Love from the Cinderella soundtrack. The original Disney version. I'm going to catch some flack for this but that song is not appropriate for a wedding. Not the wedding of a grown woman. The original Disney version is the song an 8 year old wants in her wedding. If you love that song and want it as your first dance song then find a contemporary version like Tarah New's or Tokeli's. You are a grown up now, act like it.

Disney makes beautiful love songs-A Whole New World, Bella Notte, Kiss The Girl-almost all are available in contemporary versions. One of those should be suitable. The only exception should be if you are getting married at any Disney-related park or cruise ship. Then cheese it up!

A Dairy-Free Sunday

I have a confession to make. I love dairy. I love cheese, ice cream, and milk. I could eat nothing but dairy all day. But Tai, Tai's lactose intolerant. He loves cheese and ice cream (milk not so much) but it doesn't love him back.
I think he told me on our first or second date. It didn't seem like a big deal. He refused to eat dairy at the beginning so he'd make a good impression on me. But slowly dairy entered his diet. He hurt a lot. I tried to make food without cheese and that cut out lots of my meals. No more chicken parm, no more lasagna. I hate to start looking for other things to make.
Round that time I found Shauna's blog (if you've never read it, please go read it). Shauna is a celiac. Gluten does to her what dairy does to Tai. But Shauna's life isn't lacking from food. She eats well. Well she is married to a chef, but just because she can't eat gluten, doesn't mean she's just eating celery. So, I decided to do the same thing. I didn't want Tai to miss out on eating well just because he can't eat dairy.
You would not believe how much dairy is in everything. I was really proud of one meal only to find out the biscuits was making have real butter in them. Those biscuits aren't something I can make anymore. Sigh I'm on the look out for biscuits that don't have butter in them (I know I can make them at home, but as I learned with the bagels, I won't be making any bread products til I get a stand mixer). I'm focused on things I can make. Enter Sunday's quiche.
God, that's a horrible photo. Sadly this is the best one I got. I got the recipe here. There's a better photo there. I did not make the crust. I used a crust I bought at the grocery store. I just checked; it was dairy free. Yeah!
Next time I make this I will use less spinach (and take a better photo). It's a lot of spinach. But very yummy. Tai'd never had quiche so he didn't have a lot to compare it to. But he did like it. It was filling.
For dessert, I made vegan cheesecake:Tai wasn't as impressed as I was. The texture is very creamy which I really liked. I do think it's pretty tasty. I got the recipe from The Non-Dairy Queen who got it from here. It was definitely easy to make. I will make it again and try to make it less creamy.
I love Tai and I want him to be able to eat as well as I do. I don't want to suffer at all. Especially not by my hand. If he chooses to eat dairy when he's not a home, that's his choice. But the food I make at home will be dairy free.

Up or Down? Ponytail? Tiara or Headband?

One question everyone loves to ask me is "How are you going to wear your hair?" Honestly I hadn't given it tons of thought. First, I figured I needed to decide on a dress. So, now I have the dress and I'm still not certain how I want to wear my hair.
Right now, my hair is about 5" past my shoulders. It's been in this holding pattern for over a month. If it's growing, it's so little at a time I can't tell. The last time I got my hair cut, the stylist recommended that I come back every 8 weeks for a trim. She said this should help my hair grow faster. My hair grew fine for a year before I got it trimmed, so I'm not sure if I believe her. I might go back in January anyway to get a trim because my hair is losing it's style (so it probably is growing).
I did find a few pictures of how I think I would like my hair:
I like these two but they are wearing their hair down. In the middle of July, I don't think I'll be happy with my hair down. I'll get hot and cranky. And no one wants cranky Linda.
I'm not a huge fan of the front of her hair, but I like the clip at the top. I won't be wearing a veil, so I need something up there. Well not really, but I want something pretty. I did buy a sparkly clip and ponytail holder.In fact, I did buy a couple of headbands too but I couldn't find them. I have no idea where they went. I'd like to wear either one of these sparkly items or one of the headbands provided that I find them.
M found this hairstyle which she thought would go well with my dress.
I agree and I love it. Especially the poof and the wispy bangs, but I'm not sure if my hair is going to be long enough in time. I don't want to get extensions. I'm sure seriously good ones are expensive. But I could do something similar, but my ponytail wouldn't fall over my shoulder like that. I'm planning on doing a hair trial in April so maybe my hair will be grown out by then or the stylist can give me some pointers.
What do you think? Do you like one of these or should I keep looking?

I need more shoes!

I wasn't going to blog today. I thought I'd take a break. But I have too many thoughts rolling around in my head. I need to put them down somewhere. Mostly it's all wedding related stuff but today I'll start with shoes.
I bought these:Very cute and would have fullfiled my something blue requirement. But I don't think they look good with my pink dress. So I have to find something that goes better with pink. I need flats since I'm already taller than Tai.

I like these. Since they are Cole Hann Air sandals, they should be very comfortable.
I love these maryjanes. I think this adorable. I even like the peep toe. But I think these are too warm for July. These have a tiny bit of heel but still ok. I don't think they offer a lot of support. I think my feet will hurt quickly.Of course the obligatory expensive shoe, Dior's Metallic T-Strap. I'm not usually a fan of the t-strap. But for $530, I think these will stay where they are.
This is my favorite option so far. I love converse shoes. I own about 5 pairs of them. I would love to wear them on my wedding day. How comfortable! But then I have to deal with socks. I'm not sure if I want to do that. Plus they are $80. A little too rich for me. Converse shoes should be around $30!
I really want some sexy shoes. Most photographers take shoe shots, so I want my feet to look good. Of course I'll get a pedicure so I'll want to show that off. I'll have to keep looking for some sexy sandals. I'll show you what I find.

Currently....

using







I love the Rub with Love Sauces. We bought the Ancho & Molasses BBQ sauce a few months ago. This is the BBQ sauce we've been looking for. We like a combo of sweet and spicy and this is it. Yummy on pork! I also like the Triple Garlic Teriyaki. Good with pork and chicken.


listening







I picked up The Cure's Galore CD. It looks like a greatest hits album. I'm so glad to have all the Cure hits that I love-Just Like Heaven and Friday I'm In Love.

bought









I bought these Method Cleaning Wipes at Target today. I used them immediately when I got home. I was out of wipes and needed to clean the kitchen counter and stove top immediately. They smell so yummy. I'm a huge fan of the Method products. I think I'm going to try to use their products more frequently.

Mail Call!

I thought I would share an email one of my friend's sent me this morning.

Hey Linda,

I went on your wedding website and it says that you will be camping the weekend of the wedding. I thought you hated camping! Or were not a camper -- either one, seems weird youre getting married and camping during it.... Correct me if Im wrong please. Are you sure you dont need a hotel anemineties for the event?

Confused as shit,

Adria

Yes, you've read right. I'm staying at a campground during my wedding. Adria's right. I'm not a camper. I went camping once with a group of friends. It was one of the worst weekends ever. I'd just broken up with the guy I was dating and I went camping with couples! I just wanted to stay home and cry, not go whitewater rafting and camping with 2 very happy couples!
I've never been camping after that. Tai's not a camper either. He's been camping a few times but we own no camping gear. No tent, no sleeping bag, nothing! I've been looking for a tent but honestly that the least glamorous wedding related task I can think of.
When Tai and I were looking for a venue, he really wanted some place we could relax and hang out with our friends. I admit; I did want a traditional wedding venue ie a hotel or banquet facility. I remember talking to him about holding our wedding at the campground. He didn't think it was a good idea. He said unless we stayed there, it doesn't make sense. And I said of course we're staying there. His eyes light up and it was done. The next day we drove out there, took a look at the sight again and talked to them about reserving the site and 3 campsites.
Honestly, we are thrilled with our venue. We wanted to get married outdoors. I'm in love with the barn where the reception will be. The campsite is peaceful and relaxing. And that's how two non-campers decided to have their wedding at a campground.
But Adria's right. I do need a place to get ready beforehand. I will be renting a hotel room somewhere close by to get ready and hang out with my girls. I'm not sure what time I need to start getting ready though. I have some time to figure that out. I need time to get all beautified!

Yummy Soup on A Cold Day

When I was at the doctor's office the last time, I had to wait a few minutes. So I perused Sunset magazine. Not my normal choice in magazine, but not a lot of choices at the doctor's office. Although they were all current magazines. And I found this recipe for Japanese One Pot Soup.
I was intrigued because Tai is half Japanese and he asked me to learn to cook more Japanese food. So I made it last night.Yet another craptastic photo! This soup is yummy and easy to make. Next time though I think I'm just going to use tofu since I wasn't a fan of the chicken. And Tai requested I put baby bok choy in there too. But the broth was yummy. Make sure you get fresh ginger. It really made this soup extra yummy. And I did use the bean noodles that the recipe calls for but I think you could use any other kind of noodle. Just don't over cook them first. They'll fall apart in the soup.
It's been freezing here. I wish it would snow. I hate it when it's just cold. Especially if I can't stay home and snuggle with Tai.

Here's My Wedding Headache...

Centerpieces. In a word, this is my biggest headache. I don't know what to put on the tables. I wish we had the budget for these:
(Photo stolen from Chis on Picasa)Sadly, we don't. I'm having a real hard time coming up with an idea that doesn't suck. This is the inside of our venue.Yes, we are using those picnic tables. Plus renting some more tables because I don't these will be enough. So I have long tables to contend with. I would rather have round tables but we have rectangle so that's what we work with.
I really don't want candles and if I could find something besides flowers I would use that.

I think found this at Better Homes and Gardens. I don't know if you can see it, but there are artichokes in the arrangements. You know how I love artichokes.
I really like the low centerpiece, but in ivory. What color should I use for the stones? Brown, maybe a gray pebble color?
But if I go for these low centerpieces should I put more than one on each table? Two or three? I don't want a lot of clutter hanging around. Since we'll be serving the food buffet style, plates won't be on the tables. So the tables will look pretty bare. I do want to put a couple of baskets of napkins on each table. I go through napkins like nobodies business so I would appreciate having them handy.
Centerpieces will be a diy project so I don't want something too expensive. I hope some of you will give me ideas. I'm totally open to ideas!

Two Meals for the Price of One....

Well, not really. Two completely unrelated meals that I decided to write about in this one post. Lucky you!
I made this maple mustard pork Sunday night. I had been dying to make it for a week. I found the recipe at Living A Full Life. Tai and I bought 10 lbs of pork a week ago so I've been trying to find yummy pork recipes. The pork was delicious. I made the apples exactly as the recipe called, but they weren't very soft. I would recommend cooking them longer or baking them along side the pork, in a separate container. The green stuff is a cabbage salad that Tai asked me to make. It was something he used to eat in LA and wanted me to recreate. It's chopped cabbage, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and mint. Mix to taste. Very refreshing.
This is tonight's dinner. I took chicken thighs and pounded them a little flatter to make them quicker to cook. I took panko bread crumbs, seasoned them with Italian herb seasoning and a little bit of red pepper flakes (for a kick). I fried them in peanut oil. Obviously you can see that I put the chicken on a bed of pasta and homemade pasta sauce. Yummy! This entire meal is of my own creation although I would say it's chicken parm but there's no cheese.

Save The Date

So the Save the Dates went out in the mail earlier this week. I hand delivered the last of them last night so, I can finally post them on here!Sorry it's so heavily edited but you get the idea. I printed the ivory card on dad's computer, then glued that card to a piece of chocolate brown paper and then adhered the whole thing to a colored background. All the backgrounds are different, but coordinate with the color scheme. I have enough paper for the invitations.
You can't really see it but the ivory paper has the slightest amount of glitter to it. The paper came that way and it so much prettier than plan ivory paper.
I bought the ivory and chocolate brown paper at Paper Zone, my new favorite store. And all the colored background paper is 12"x12" scrapbook paper from Joann's. Most of the scrapbook paper I bought was kind of flimsy and light. If I was mailing these alone (I sent them with our holiday cards) I would have glued them to another piece of paper to make them studier.
I did the whole project over the course of a few months. I made too many so it took me longer than necessary. I think I started them in October and finished them the middle of November. I did a little bit at a time. I was going to send them out alone, but deciding to put them with the holiday cards was a better idea. Gave me more time to get them done and saved on postage.

Currently...

Eating







Mr A wanted me to try to make this last week for baking day. It was so easy to make. Just add butter to the ingredients in the box. It tastes great!

Reading








I bought this on a whim. I used to watch her show, but stopped because her voice annoys me. But her magazine is full of interesting ideas and good recipes. I would definitely pick it up again.

Wanting








We played this at Jeff's a few weeks ago. I had so much fun. Even Mr A had a good time with it. He usually doesn't like these types of games but he thought it was fun.

Holiday Gift Ideas

Perhaps you are still looking for a gift for the eighth night of Hannaukah or haven't completed your Christmas gifts. Never fear, I've combed my favorite site, etsy, for you and present you with my ideas!(from etsy seller, Art on the Ave) Get 2 of these wall vases for your sister in law or friend who just moved into a new place!(from etsy seller, DAMdesign). I love this print. I would hang it in our living room except that we'll have get a new couch to go with the print. But would work great as a gift for a newly married couple (Especially if they are having trouble decorating, it's a neutral color).

(from etsy seller, zelas) Mr A could get me this cute patch for my backpack as a stocking stuffer. Or if you know a Wii fiend you could totally make their day!

(from etsy seller, RiverzEdge) I love this surfboard table. Perhaps a gift for mom and dad or a recent graduate? And a steal at $125!
(from etsy seller, sally1) I love this koi onesie. If I was going to buy anything for the Wee W (who looks just like her daddy), I would buy this. If you know a Star Wars fan, they also have onesies with Yoda and Dark Vader. May the force be with you!

Sweet Dreams...

Since Mr A and I have been together, our bed has been a source of problems. The problems make it hard for one or both of to get a good night sleep. Let me explain, as their are many sources of problems here.
I'll start with my bed. I say mine because I bought it before I met Mr A. It's a Select Comfort bed. It was the most comfortable bed I ever slept in (expect the one at the Westin...heavenly!). I bought it the first time I ever laid on it. I was very happy with my bed. Then Mr A arrived and slept uncomfortably on it until he decided to buy a Memory Foam topper for the bed. I was less than thrilled. Why mess with perfection? But Mr A insisted that he would sleep better with the Memory Foam so I agreed to try it. I don't know if it our memory foam or what but I hate that thing. It's slightly too small for the bed so either my head or feet hang off it (I'm a little too tall for the Queen sized bed anyway). But I could sleep on a rock so I make due.
Our problems don't end there. Before I met Mr A was a one pillow girl. I'm not one of those girls with fifteen pillows stacked on her bed. I had 3 pillows-one for sleeping and 2 for decoration/guests. Mr A came along and I bought him a pillow like mine. He didn't like it. He brought 4 more pillows over including his favorite tempurpedic pillows. But no those didn't help him get a good night sleep. So he bought 2 more pillows with the memory foam, supposedly better than his tempurpedic pillows. No those haven't helped him sleep better either. Sigh, I now have 9 pillows now. One for me and 8 for him.
Our latest frustrations are with the blankets. I have 3 blankets on the bed. 2 light ones and one heavy comforter. When I go to sleep I wrap myself up in all three. I try to share with Mr A but he likes to wrap himself up too. I think we'll have to go out and buy 3 more blankets to accommodate everyone. The ironic thing is that we both wake up without the blankets and they are either on the floor or at the edge of the bed.
But the real problem is that Mr A is an insomniac. He's battled insomnia for years. I, on the other hand, sleep pretty easily and I stay asleep for hours. I need an alarm clock so I wake up on time. Left to my own devices I'll sleep to noon. Ok, on the weekends, bad during the work week! Mr A hates my alarm clock and penchant for hitting the snooze button. He just nudges me out of bed after the first ring!
Any ideas on how to keep us both warm and cozy in bed without having a mound of blankets? Does your bed or his sleeping habits bother you?

Single?

On a knot board I frequent a girl started a poll where one of the questions was "are you planning on doing any special while you are still single?". One of the girls replied no, because she hasn't been single in a really long time. I presume that she meant since she's been with her fiance she considers herself no longer single.
I agree with her but it seems like the rest of the world doesn't. I went to the a doctor last month and had to fill out the customary paperwork. Under marital status it said: Single, Married, Widowed, or Divorced. I thought this was odd. There was no partnered or in a committed relationship. Not only did not know what to select, what about gay couples? I felt it was a civil rights issue so I wrote in engaged and went to the front desk to complain. Yes, I complained.
The receptionist looked at me funny and told me to select single. I argued that that wasn't true and she said unless I could provide a marriage license, a divorce decree or a dead husband, I should check single.
I complained to the nurse, who I hoped would listen more. The nurse laughed at me. Especially since I wrote in engaged and circled it. I pointed out that it was discriminatory to gays as well. She chuckled and circled single. What a backwards bunch of people.
On a side note, this was a specialist I had to see and not my regular doc. My regular doc had a space for partnered relationships. And when I told them I was engaged, they made a note in my chart.
It seems like before, maybe around the time my parents got married, that there was that definite line. You were either married or not. Now it seems to me that line has gotten blurred. Some people live together for years before they get married. Some people are married but live separately. Some married people act more single that unmarried people. To me, it's less about the paper commitment and more about the actions.
Many men and women won't fully commit to someone until they sign the dotted line. Some people are committed from the moment they meet. My aunt had a "boyfriend" for 30 years. He took care of her, helped her financially, but never lived with her. They were in a committed relationship. To my knowledge neither of them strayed. Yes, her boyfriend was straight and probably would have married my aunt except she didn't want to.
We all know men and women that stray from their marriages. There are people who don't take their vows of marriage seriously. There are people who never commit to the marriage for whatever reason.
Wow, I'm beginning to get a little preachy. I guess there is the literally interpretation of single and then the common interpretation. I know I didn't want to put Single on that form and I rather check Partnered. I know what that girl meant in her poll (are you doing anything wild and crazy before you get hitched?) and I went with it. I guess I just let it go in some places and stand firm in others.

Body By Wii

I used to belong to a gym before I met Mr A. I went pretty regularly until we started dating. I couldn't stay on schedule and after a while I let my membership lapse. Mr A belongs to a gym but never goes because I'm not a member of that gym. Right now it seems like additional expense so I'm looking for other means of exercise.
I walk pretty regularly. I walk from the bus to work and back everyday. Not too far but it does help. I walk on the weekends but not really enough to consider it cardio. So I've been playing Wii Sports everyday to help keep me healthy. It takes me about 45 minutes to go through all the sports (baseball, tennis, bowling, golf, and boxing) plus doing the fitness test at the end. It's great arm exercise but not much else. I'll have to look into some other ideas.
Mr A usually plays tennis with me once I'm done with my "exercise". We play doubles against the computer. It's a wonderful teamwork exercise. We try to be fair to each other and not monopolize the ball. But who ever is near the net does get to play more than whoever isn't. Plus the game helps him unwind and get his mind off everything else. I like the quality time aspect and I think this game has brought us closer. We like to beat up the other team together!

Currently....

Listening







I found Apocalyptica through iTunes while looking for ceremony music. I'm a closet classical music fan. I've been buying all their albums. It's very contemporary classical music.

Making









Freshly baked apples. Today is our annual holiday baking day. We get together and make holiday treats and exchange some with everyone. I made these this morning. I can't wait for them to cool!

Watching







Life. Mr A was excited when this show premired. The main male actor was in Rome which Mr A adored. He made me watch it and I have to say that I enjoy it. It's a great drama. I'm intrigued.

So I unofficially did NoBloPoMo. I didn't want to commit to it since I'm a new blogger. But I did make a conscience effort to blog more frequently. I'm going to try to blog more often which means less wedding posts (since I don't think I can write that much about the wedding) and more life and food posts.