Nice Day for a Wedding

At 11 pm last night, I concluded I did not want to remain awake till 3 am to watch the Royal Wedding live, as even though I adore all things British, I like sleep more.

So I went to bed.

I got up at nine, knowing the BBC was going to be running the thing all day long, and low and behold, I flipped on BBC America and sure enough, right in the middle of the wedding. Woot.

I settled int to watch, not really sure what point they were at as the preacher (or whatever he is called) was preaching. I didn't really listen to him, just kept glancing up as I read through Twitter, waiting to catch Kate's dress.

I adore her style. There I said it. Mostly because she wears things I WOULD WEAR (if I had the money). That and she's got long brown hair. I have long brown hair too.

Go me.

So, I was sitting there and they finally showed her. First thought: Who put her blush on? I know she's supposed to be a blushing bride, and I know she has to do her make up a wee bit different due to the fact she is on TV, but there was a streak on her face people. 

Image from CBS News

I couldn't find a picture of that first time I saw her. It was an extreme closeup on her as she sat in the church during the preaching part. I was like, "Huh?"

Then she stood up.

And my jaw drop.

She was wearing my dress.

Of course, I do need to explain this.

When I was about 19, my friends (both with the same name, so they are both collectively known here as J...confusing, yes...not important though) and I had this sleep over where we "planned" our weddings. We got all the bridal magazines, we shopped for rings online, we planned the dates, the colors, the invites, etc.

I was going to get married on 31 December, because why not roll a wedding into a New Years Eve party? (At 19, I still seemed to believe I'd like parties someday.) At 19, I also had no boobs to speak of, so I didn't like the strapless gowns that were all the rage. Actually, I hated them. It was like HELLO SKIN. I hated that look, mostly because I hated my skin. I thought getting married in the dead of winter would allow for long sleeved dresses with high back sand fronts. In an ad of all things, I found what I was looking for. This (kind of): 

Image from CBS News

Well, pretty much. I hate trains, so I'd never have one. But that was what I had always imagined I'd wear. That was what it looked like IN MY HEAD, as I never did find the dress from the ad anywhere, and it was just a back shot of the dress in the ad I saw at 19.

Flash forward five years and me trying to find something to wear to my wedding. I gave up quickly on the whole 31 December idea, partly because by this point in time I knew for a fact that Pilot Boy would NEVER remain awake till midnight (strangely he did on our wedding night. We were still up and being social after midnight...shock). Also, it seemed not very ME and Pilot Boy to pick that day. This is how I picked the day I wanted to get married: I stared at my calendar on my desk at work and saw that the 27th of October was a Saturday. It looked like a good day to get married. I did this before he asked me marry him too, by the way. It also just fit. My parents got married in October, some 30 years before we got married. It struck me as horribly romantic and sweet. They celebrated their 30th and a few weeks later we got married.

I did not wear a dress like I had dreamed about. Know why? Sleeves were nowhere to be found. Granted I did not got an actual bridal shop...very unlike me. I hunted department stores. For a cream colored dress. That was all I wanted. I did not want an actual ball gown, did not want an actual white dress. I wanted a cream colored dress. So I looked at prom dresses. I refused to pay more than 200 dollars. And for me that was A LOT, as I had never bought a dress that was not on sale when I did buy formal dresses. (My whole wedding unfolded like nothing I had imagined. I am serious. It was like "anti-me" but me at the same time. Figure that out on your own.)

I found my dress at Macy's. With Pilot Boy. Then I dragged my mom to look at it. I could tell she thought it was right, but first she was like, "One, you're not officially engaged and Two, you will freeze."

She always thinks I will freeze. Because she knows me.

Anyways, he did ask, and I sat in the court room when I should have been listening to something about Conrad Black, but all I could think was "I NEED THAT DRESS." That evening, alone, I went to Macy's  and bought it. I also bought a cream cardigan to wear with it to appease my mother who was afraid I'd get cold in my strapless dress. (Yeah, you read that right. I had boobs by this point. Late bloomer.) I took it to the counter and paid 200 bucks for both the dress and the cardigan. Since I looked about 18 at the time, the lady told me to have fun at the dance.

The prom dress that became a wedding dress

I did not wear the cardigan and I sweat to death, as we got married next to a roaring fire. I wasn't even standing next to the fireplace. I can't imagine what Pilot Boy (who was next to it) was feeling, as the only thing he later told me was I crushed his hands as I was squeezing them too tight, which I did to distract myself from the fact there was seat dripping down my back.

I did not manage to see what sort of shoes the new Duchess was wearing, but I'll just imagine she was wearing a pair like mine, which I found at DSW shoes and perfectly matched to the point where I swear they were made out of the same material the satin trim on the dress pictured above. They also had a 1920s flare to them, kind of like the dress. (Which was what my mother told me, I was pretty sure they did not wear dresses like the one pictured above in the 20s.)

The point? I spent the entire three hours I watched the coverage before it circled around to where I showed up staring at Kate's dress and trying to figure out how she had managed to produce the dress that was IN MY HEAD. Unless she broke into my head when I was sleeping....

Adventures in the Kitchen

Well, I tried to make biscotti. I was going to do a whole post on it and how wonderful it was. I took pictures and everything.

Then it tasted like shit. So I threw it out.

I then made skinny red velvet cupcakes.

They also taste like crap, but not as much.

I think the culprit is the whole wheat flour, which is not white whole wheat flour. The whole wheat flour is way to strong for the recommended dosage each recipe calls for. Except for the Whole Wheat Pancakes. Those always turn out right.

Maybe next time I make those, I'll do a picture post.

*deletes all the biscotti pictures*

In other news, Maureen Johnson's Last Little Blue Envelope came out yesterday and I read it. Yesterday. I started re-reading it two hours later. Because I read it too fast to really enjoy it because I HAD TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. But it is VERY GOOD and you SHOULD READ IT NOW. (But I am a sucker for books that feature British people with Americans as well as traveling stories.)

In other news, you should buy it.

I Won't Hug Trees that Attack

It has been brought to my attention it is Earth Day.

Oh. Well, okay.

I've seen things about picking up litter, hugging trees, being green.

I'll do this: I'll try to remember to take my reusable bag to Target.

I won't pick up litter. It makes me mad. I don't want to pick up your trash, okay? If you want a clean place, THROW IT IN THE TRASH IN THE FIRST PLACE. I do not understand the attraction of dropping trash on the ground for the whole world to see. I don't even want to pick up the trash that is in my OWN FRONT YARD. I did not put it there. Why the hell did someone put a razor in my front yard?

I will not hug the trees in my front yard. They attack me. I do not know what it is about me, as they leave Pilot Boy alone, but they ATTACK me. I do not have good relationships with trees in the first place, as they make me sneeze, so the fact the two trees at our house insist on pulling my hair and dropping bugs on me when I mow the lawn....well, we hate one another, so I will not hug them.

On a different note: every day should be Earth Day and I wish Anchorage would recycle glass.  I understand how the whole recycle thing works, so I understand why the program is so limited, but it still makes me kind of mad.

*ends rant and goes to Target*

Witty, Chitty and Blingy

I finished my "rework" of the 10p story (also known here as the Student & Professor). It was the story I tortured my mother with awhile back ago. The main character was unlikeable and it bored her to death.

I am not sure how. It never bore me. She didn't even get to the part I was worried did not work.

But I changed it up. I threw all the stuff that was the "main" section of the book to the cutting room floor. 10p was my attempt to write an "adult" fiction novel. The most fun I had while writing it was when I wrote the flashbacks to college, so I transplanted the whole thing to mostly college.

And it was fun again.

I have no idea if it'd bore my mother...more than likely will.

It has become clear to me I need some friends who 1) have no life and 2) like YA. Or I should clone myself and give myself wicked editing skills...

Till I magically find these people (or figure out cloning) while sitting in my house not communicating with anyone because I am simply that lame, I guess I'll just have to read it again later. Once I haven't looked at it for awhile. When I finished this "rework," I felt like I did when I finished it the first time. I did not want to let it go. But it was done. I had no clue what else to do with it. There was not much to do. It was done. Finished. Losely edited. Or badly editied.

The only worry I have is I read somewhere (on Twitter) that college stories don't sell. I remember when I was in college, I was kind of mad there weren't more stories that took place during the college years. I hate most adult fiction and I love reading YA, but I could not figure out why there were so few stories set in college. College is a time of growth and change so logically it seems like a perfect place to set a story aimed at teenagers...but maybe I'm just an idiot. (I have read a few stories that took place during college, I am sure...the only one I can think of was the last book in the Traveling Pants series. I loved that book.)

While I was home this past week, my mom asked me what happened to the four girls traveling in Europe. I looked at her blankly for a moment, as I had no clue what she was talking about. Then I remembered, so I told her I had recently finished "rewriting" it. I had begun this in the Dirt Hole and then forgot to finish it...I think the whole fleeing from the Dirt Hole came into being and then life just got crazy. I told her I had recently put it into my writing program and had "finished" it kind of, as I am not sure it really strings together right.

She told me it had potential. Or at least she thought it did if I made each of the girls stories a bit tighter, which was what I was working on.

So, after I finished 10p, I got out 4G and set to work reading it through, which I hadn't done since I finished my rewrites. We'll see how it goes.

So ends the writing post.

Back in the Land of Sun and Warmth

So...I travelled south.

And it got colder.

And it snowed.

While here it was sunny and the snow just melted away.

Crazy, I know.

The week away from the house was okay. It wasn't as hectic as trips to the homeland usually are... I got what I needed from Sephora, which was a total plus. I needed foundation and would have chosen the absolutly wrong shade ever.

Basil Bea had a puppy party all week while we were gone. She was not as excited to see us as I thought. She was more excited to be out of the room with all the dogs. She also knew who to see to get treats. Basil Bea also spent the rest of her day fast asleep in various spots around the house. All in all, I think she enjoyed her vacation.

Well, I am exhausted. I read two books today on the plane ride home and would have read a third, but I forgot to move it to my "library" before I left, so it wouldn't load from my archive. Stupid internet on plane costing money.

Tomorrow: back to working out. Only managed to do yoga once last week. Didn't have enough room to do it, but I tried. I also didn't have my strap or a towel, so some of the moves were kind of hard on me. Tomorrow I think I'll do some light yoga and then work back into walking away the pounds. I think I have that pound back I lost....oh well.

Night.

Down Dog

Work Out Post....

This week I've been doing mostly yoga. I discovered, randomly of course, that Netflix had YOGA instant watch programs! By Crunch! I kind of like Crunch yoga, even though the DVD I own kills me dead when I do it. But, they had this nice one called Candlelight Yoga. Anyways, I discovered this a week or so ago. I had been doing REALLY WELL doing the whole Walk Away the Pounds DVD, but was getting kind of board. My friend R turned me onto yoga in the Dirt Hole. We took a class once a week at the gym. I really liked it. I figured I wouldn't because even as a child I could not touch my toes.

I am that inflexible.

I still cannot touch my toes without a major knee bend, but I love how I feel after I do yoga.

I just have issues finding yoga dvds that get along with me. I do not like INTENSE yoga, as I do yoga when I want to feel relaxed. The Crunch DVD I won never relaxes me and I feel like I ran ten miles after I am done, and I CANNOT RUN. Also, Downward Dog is my enemy.

I am serious.

We have never been friends. Ever.

I think I have really weak wrists or something, as if I do Down Dog too many times, or for too long, my wrists seer in pain. For days. I usually collapse into child's pose during long periods of Down Dog.

Candlelight Yoga only has one or two Down Dog poses, as it's whole goal in life is to teach you to relaaaaaaaaxxxxx. It even does the best shoulder stretch known to man. Which is a total plus in my book. If you ever want to try yoga, or are curious, start with this Candlelight Yoga, available on Netflix Instant. Also, the instructor on this DVD is awesome. She is not annoying. Also, I've done this workout like ten times and each time I don't find myself thinking OMG, which happens with a lot of workout DVDs I do multiple times. (If I did not need the rhythm of the music, I'd mute Walking Away the Pounds.) This instructor's voice is relaxing. And even after multiple uses, even when you know what it is coming, it isn't super annoying to be told to move through the positions. It's almost like BEING at a class.


Now, I am NOT PREGNANT, but I did try out the Crunch Yoga Mama work out. Why did I do this? I was 1) curious and 2) plan to someday pop a kid out. It is on Nextflix Instant, so I gave it a try. It is pretty good too. I hate the instructor though, she is annoying to me. Also, due to the fact I have no bun in the oven, I was kind of annoyed by all her belly talking. Because I cannot commune with my bun. There is nothing there except fat. I don't really want to talk to fat. But, it is not super intense, but it's more involved than Candlelight. ALSO, because pregnant women can get carpel tunnel, I was finally shown a way to relieve the stress on my wrist during down dog. A towel placed under the hands. OMG. BEST THING EVER. Also, there is a less intense way to down dog and still stretch the back or whatever down dog is supposed to do. So I LEARNED SOMETHING. I mostly see this Mama Yoga as a alternative to the Candlelight when I feel more worky outy. Also, when I get knocked up, I can use it...if it stays available on Instant. I wouldn't buy it because the instructor annoys me.

In other news, I weighed myself for the first time since I began GET BUTT IN GEAR. One pound. Yeah, one pound. And my jeans are still kind of tight, but the good news is I FEEL BETTER. As in, I feel like I can actually maybe hike with Pilot Boy and NOT DIE a horrible death when faced with a HILL.

Don't have to feel like a plastic bag

I changed the name of my blog. Why? Because I didn't like the title. I never did. I changed it on a whim after I got here and it ended up being that for over a year. And I never liked it. Plus, I don't think it really fit the content of this here blog.

This blog if random, filled with very random things because I am random. I would have called it Random Thoughts, but that was the title of my blog in college. (Well, Random Thoughts of a Relic...but whatever.)

I found my camera charger.

Guess where it was?

I bet you won't believe me when I tell you.

No, it wasn't in a drawer I had looked in all ready.

No, it was not in the downstairs pantry where we just shove things that are not food.

No, it wasn't in the sewing room in the file cabinet which doesn't open.

It was in a closet.

But not any closet I'd think it'd be in.

I found it in the walk in closet in the master bedroom.

Mixed in with my pjs.

Yeah. It was burried in the little shelf where I store all my pjs. I found it yesterday when I cleared out the closet, which was depressing. Mostly because I pulled out the shorts I bought when I lived in the Dirt Hole and just looking at them I knew I was way too large to fit into them.

When I bought them I thought I was big.

I was mostly sad because last summer they fit still...well, after I lost five pounds while Pilot Boy was off and away.

But they and a bunch of other things I will never again fit into all went into bags. I still clung to certain items...the jeans I got at Top Shop in Glasgow I refuse to part with...a few of the VS shirts I got I still seem to think I can manage to cram myself into at some point...I kept all sweaters my grandma had given me even if I hadn't worn them all winter...I kept a few work related thing that kind of don't really fit, but they might cut it in an emergency. (I cannot foresee needing work clothing for any reason, but you NEVER KNOW.)

I felt so crappy after cleaning the closet out, I sat on the couch and drank a huge class of hot water and then ate four oatmeal cookies. Then I spent the afternoon feeling even more crappy. I feel asleep like five times and woke up with a huge sinus headache. Which did not go away till this AM. I did not work out this morning, as my clock played a mean joke on me, then Pilot Boy came and left. I figure I'll do the relaxing yoga thing from Netflix this afternoon. Since I found the charger, I decided to take the pictures my dad and I had spoken about weeks ago, as I want to revamp my purse site with new pictures that are more uniform. So, since I had found the charger in the pjs, I decided to do that and then take pictures of my favorite shoes to use as a banner for my blog.

After taking the pictures, I realized my weak chin is about ten times worse than I had originally thought and from the side I look like I have a double chin now. It was horrible, so I cropped my head off right away. The lower half of my body looked fine, so it got to stay without too much cropping. (my dad suggested I model the purse to give people an idea of how it was worn and looks on a human being. Tragically, I'm the only one here to do this job. And I hate looking at pictures of myself...which is why I never did that before, as when I tried it out in the Dirt Hole, I spent more time staring at me than the purse and the pictures were trashed.) Now I just need to get these puppies on flickr and see what Dad thinks...I didn't do all the pictures I wanted, as I wanted to see if I was even doing it right and not getting a ton of blurry pics. Some of the shoe shoes I tried didn't go well. A few of the body pics the purse was blurry. Hopefully, soon, you'll see some new photos as I redo the site!