when I was in college...

I had a bit of a revelation. I came to the realization that though I didn't know my "ultimate purpose" (and believe you me, I still don't) that one of the things I was supposed to do in life was bring others joy.

to be really honest, it's actually why I tend to compliment strangers. and why I like to give people praise. it's not fake or forced. it's just that instead of merely thinking those things, I like to make sure to SAY them, even if it is a little awkward or completely random.

so, a few weeks ago, when Matt and I went to see WICKED, we went to a bar afterwards. and saw that a few members of the cast was there--the wizard, Dr. Dillamond, Fiyero and a few others. They were out of costume and enjoying a few brews.

Matt isn't as outgoing as I am, so I decided not to say anything because he'd be there with me and that would make him uncomfy. But then we realized he could just stay outside while I ran back in. So I did. And the cast members seemed pretty thrilled that I came over to tell them how amazing they were and to thank them.

so, anyway, we get to the car and Matt is saying that he loves it that I do that--that I go up and say nice things to complete strangers. and I tell him when that started--about how I had always kind of done that, but then in college...etc.

and then I said that I feel like maybe I don't do that as much as I used to. And maybe I have forgotten that I had realized that that was a "Carrie job"--to bring joy to others. I mean, my name even means "Song of Joy-Reborn"--could it BE any more appropriate?

And then Matt said something that makes me smile each time I think of it--that I am VERY much still spreading joy. He almost kind of laughed at me as he pointed out that something I do ALL the TIME, nearly every weekend, is a source of joy for others. "Your pictures, Carrie. The pictures you take. If that isn't a way of spreading joy then I just don't know what is."

:)

just had to share.

"well, eden was a garden, you know..."

~roman candle

I love the local college radio station--wknc--you can stream them, if you like. they play lots of indie music and even have a local lunch. love it!

so, back to the wedding stuff before I forget...

we all came back to the hotel to get ready, and syd came to my room with me. and BOY was she a lifesaver! so, matt and my wedding present to each other was cowboy boots. all because when elizabeth went shopping for them with me and I kind of balked at the price a little (it was ~$40 more than I expected) she reminded me that they were a lifetime investment.

when I came home and showed matt my boots he said "well, you know what this means, right? now that you have boots I need to get some." and after I told him what elizabeth said, we just knew they were the right thing to get!

so, when I wore the boots to our engagement pictures, I had to use plastic bags to get them on. I have a very high instep, y'see, and that means they're difficult to get on. I brought more bags with when I came to tulsa, but they were grocery ones, not the ones from the store and they wouldn't pull off--I just got the tops off, and I didn't want to walk around all night with my feet in bags!

but syd, my only friend who probably even knows the right way to do this, took my boots from me and stretched them out! she rides horses, y'see. and then I could put them on without bags at all!

we went to the rehearsal, which went just fine. I was kind of surprised that we said our full vows to each other then BUT it wasn't a big deal. somewhere I have pictures of it, but I'm not sure where they are right now. anyway, after the rehearsal and checking out the barn again it was time for dinner!

we went to chimi's on 15th and all squeeeeezed into their back room. we enjoyed margaritas and beer and awesome tex-mex. I was REALLY glad we got to have tex-mex, specifically chimi's, because it meant that we gave our out-of-town guests my two favorite oklahoma foods--chimi's and zio's!

and after dinner we went to the hospitality room at the hotel. there was food and a cake with these cool wax hands on it--(george correct me if I'm wrong) I *believe* they were on grandma (martha's) wedding cake oh so long ago. It was cute that we had a cake to cut since saturday we just had cupcakes.

we still needed to make flowers, and it was AMAZING because SO MANY PEOPLE pitched in! even the guys--michael (mary alise's husband, featured multiple times on this blog, such as here, here and here) and trevor (my now brother in law) even pitched in! we got them done SO fast--if only we'd had more than two pairs of scissors I think we would've been done in like ten minutes!

and then it was time for bed. it was kind of funny because I refused to get in bed until I had a list of things to take with me in the morning and jennifer refused to leave my room until she saw me take an ambien. quite hilarious, I thought! but both were QUITE important. apparently matt stayed up drinking with the guys until 3am, but I was in bed by 1230 because I NEEDED it.

and I'm actually really glad I ended up staying in our room, and staying by myself. it was kind of the only "carrie time" I got--and I actually really needed it! whew! next up: day o' our wedding!!!

"like baby, baby, baby, oh"

~justin bieber

um, I must confess, I like this song.
I must also confess that I do NOT like the sloppy, messy, southern boy hairdo. yuck. it's like a comb-over for teenagers. I have yet to find someone who it actually looks "good" on. If you happen to have a haircut like this, I'd be glad for you to change my mind. but so far--yikes.

anyhoo.

so, this morning, for the sake of my sanity, I stayed home. and cleaned. and now I can see all four chairs and the ENTIRE dining area table. I also went through the mail, did the dishes, did laundry and all sorts of other goodies. and I did it all while wearing my new cute nightgown. which is something that some people might wear as a dress.

it is so comfortable I already want it in another color! I have lots of stuff from my bachelorette, but not all of it is "lounge around" worthy.

anyway, it was kind of funny to wake up this morning and go "you know what? I am staying home and I am CLEANING!" and being pleased with that decision. But now that I have put up much of the wedding craft stuff and organized items and put up a suitcase and thrown stuff away, I am pleased as punch that I did so.

and I purposefully did not take a before and after picture because, well, I just didn't want to admit that my house looked like that at one point!

one area done and many to go...now that Matt and I are done planning a wedding, and now that we have new goodies to enjoy, we are doing some serious cleaning and purging! I am also pleased because I happen to only have a few summer weddings--two in june, none in july and two in august--and none to attend until october--so we are going to have some freeeeeeee weekends!

I'm also working on a "reward" basis...

1. When our bedroom and bathroom are completely clean, we get to repaint said bathroom and put up our new shower curtain. We also get to put up our double curtains in the bedroom. We are still going to use the ones we have up but also add a light-blocking curtain too. I. cannot. WAIT!

2. When our kitchen is clean we GET to go through our items and reorganize the kitchen. You might not know this, but I actually really enjoy organizing things. Grouping and using space more efficiently makes me quite happy. It will also help us get rid of things we don't need.

3. When we clean out and organize our garage, we get to buy our beer fridge that we "gave" each other for Christmas. It also means I get additional freezer space, which is awesome because I get so much produce in the summer!

4. An organized living room = buy a new couch, using our rug we bought (see image below--we got the green one--I wanted the yellow one because it's pretty much my new favorite color, but Matt said no.) and getting a coffee table that doesn't break apart every time you move it. I'm also hoping to put up some pictures on the wall, we shall see. And I really want to get a Wii, but I don't know that Matt will go for it. We sometimes think it sounds like an awesome idea and sometimes don't. We shall see.


5. And then there's the guest room. Our plan is as follows: put mattress in cover and put in attic. Put desk in room for yours truly. I will still probably do a lot of editing on my laptop, but I'll also have the option of using my wireless keyboard and big ol' monitor. AND it will allow me to do my crafty stuff up there instead of taking over the dining area table. When we have guests we will bring the mattresses down from the attic and I'll just use my laptop. I'm pretty excited about this, I gotta tell you...

6. And then we'll tackle what we call "the basement." We don't spend a lot of time down there, and until we are done elsewhere it will continue to serve as a catchall. But eventually, eventually, it'll be all spruced up too. :) It is definitely last on the list.

I'm hoping we get all of this done by, oh, August-ish. It sounds like a lot, but I really think a couple of Saturdays and we'll be good to go. We shall see!

the earth day giveaway!

and the winner of the earth day giveaway for the reusable skeeda bag is commenter #1, renee!

I am going to do another eco-giveaway soon, so keep an eye out!

live a life extraordinary with me...

~carbon leaf

so, matt and I remembered what happened on thursday after meeting the pastor, before dinner. walmart, got my makeup trial done by the fabulous beth, and ate some mcalisters because we hadn't had lunch. and matt went and got his groomsmen gifts and also bought his wedding shoes.

nothing like waiting until the last minute...

on friday morning I got up and went to brunch with my fabulous ladies. we had a DELICIOUS breakfast with two different kinds of quiche, lots of fruit and cinnamon rolls and coffee and mimosas. mmmmm!


I also gave them their gifts--I thought I took a picture of them, but evidently did not. They all got a vintage apron, a cameo ring, a mini bottle of champagne, an envirosax bag and a vintage hankie, all tied together with a piece of ribbon. I have it on good authority that they loved them! I wish we had taken a picture of us all together with the aprons--Renee suggested it, but everyone wasn't there!

(oh and of course sterling didn't get an apron or a ring--but he DID get a big bottle of makers mark and an envirosax. matt's guys all got steins with their initials on them)

after brunch we made our cupcake stands and headed to get our nails did. and I must say they actually did a REALLY good job. I made it two whole days before chipping a nail. usually it takes about an hour and a half. :)

and then it was to the barn! where the guys were supposed to be, but weren't. they had gone off for alcohol--priorities, priorities. ;) on the way there I got one of the "not holding up my end of the bargain" emails, which was really upsetting. so I was already kind of hot when we got to the barn and found two bossy ladies there, insisting that we had to leave immediately because prom kids were arriving to have their pictures taken.

there was also a mom, grandmother and daughter who were considering having a graduation party at the barn. they were very nice and I answered questions for them--which they said was pretty impressive--I was getting married in 26 hours and I was calm and polite and helpful. ha!

so, the worst part about those stinkin moms is that all we wanted to do is check out how the barn looked and be on our merry way. but we could NOT find the light switch. there were seven of us, all looking, completely unsuccessfully. so we asked the ladies if they knew and they said "we are busy and don't have time to show you. you shouldn't even be here if leslie isn't here. you have to leave, we are having a shoot."

I had to walk away before I bitched them out, and someone, Jennifer, maybe? Went and was like "seriously, we just need to know how to turn off the lights and we'll be gone in five minutes of less." The ladies showed us a room to the side--and within minutes, we were out of there. The ladies were asking us questions about locking up and Leslie coming over to make sure we weren't doing anything we weren't supposed to, where our rehearsal was, etc.

It was VERY frustrating. I wanted to be like "honey, I paid about 15 times more to rent this than you did, and I reserved Friday night two weeks ago because no one had booked it, and Leslie agreed to it. She called me on TUESDAY to see if y'all could come, and to see if you could schedule your shoot around us. So don't give me this hooey."

I really wanted to say that. But I didn't. yeesh.

and this isn't very nice of me to say, BUT I'm gonna say it anyway--so, we sat there watching the prom people arrive--they came in one of those SUV limos. And then the bossy ladies started taking pictures. With point and shoots. Now, I firmly believe you can get really good pictures with a point and shoot if you know how to use it, and I'm not exactly knocking the point and shoot, BUT...for all of the attitude they displayed, and because I know it's $100-something to just be allowed to do a shoot there, to spend hundreds of dollars on dresses and hair and a limo, and then to PAY to get to shoot somewhere and take all the pictures with a pocket camera?

it's kind of like putting super cheap tires on a brand new car.

and it made me laugh.

BUT there's a good part of the story that goes with this...and kind of explains why we wanted to turn on the lights so badly...

so while the gals were off getting nails done and eating delicious brunch on MeMaw's lovely floral china, the guys and Matt's family went to the barn to hang up lights. When Matt and I visited in December there was exactly ONE light in the barn. One single bulb. And it was dark, I'm not gonna lie.

over Christmas Matt and I and literally ALL of the Frys went searching for day-after-Christmas specials on lights. because if the one bulb was it, we were going to need some serious help. We had at least a hundred strands of light ready--not that we planned on using all of them, but just in case some didn't light, or we needed them other places, etc.

turns out...turns out that there were dozens of strands of lights up in the barn. and this really awesome light fixture in the middle (which I saw in february-ish when another bride o' the barn took pictures). so I knew it was going to be a little better--but I had NO idea about all of the fabulous lighting!

so--less lights to put up, yeehaw!

and then--so, I was also having the guys hang up the pennant banners around the barn. so they started with one, and draped it along the nails that were already in the wall (we had staple guns at the ready, too) and in the process of hanging found that it fit exactly from x, to the corner, around to y and up to z. and the next banner went from z to a and b and back to y. or whatever.

but they did so perfectly. as though they were MADE for that space. except, um, they SO weren't. I just took my triangles of fabric, arranged them in a pretty order and put them on ribbon until I ran out of the stack. and one of the pieces of ribbon was like 17 3/4 yards--the end of the spool at Hancock. so it's not like I measured anything.

it makes me happy that it all just WENT there. :)

okay, this is already long, so friday part deux will have to wait for another post...

we were only waiting for this moment to arrive...

~the beatles

Thursday we woke up, and the fabulous Jennifer came over with some Sonic to help us make our gift bags for the hotel folk. This took quite a bit longer than anticipated, BUT it was worth it! And it meant I got to make use of the stamp I'd had custom-made! (again)

we took them to the front desk and literally had to shoo away the "older" people who were there for some type of a convention. they were like vultures! they were all wondering if the bags were for them, ha!

but, I can't really blame them. I mean, these look pretty darn cute, right?


next up was meet the pastor. which we did. though we got our times mixed and were an HOUR late because I thought we were meeting at 230. oopsie. in my defense, I was precisely on time for what I thought was our 230 appointment! :)

and then...let's see...it's a little fuzzy what happened from like 3 to 6...I think we did some unloading and unpacking and organizing. maybe? and welcoming of some of my favorite people to my favorite place (I heart Tulsa, have I mentioned that?).

and after that there was dinner with the Frys/McCormicks (during which I had to open a "family tradition" gift involving feather, leather and lace. including a RIDING CROP and SPURS. no joke. hilarious and embarrassing, for sure. ha!) it was REALLY good to see everyone!

and and and--it all just kind of worked out. because at one point we were supposed to be in three places simultaneously--a dinner with my Jackson cousins and my Granny, the Fry/McCormick dinner AND at a dinner with our friends who had come into town. But you know what? It all just worked out. We got to spend time with our friends later, and it turned out the Jacksons didn't even get in until 9 so there wasn't a dinner at all. yay!

we returned to the hotel and proceeded to drink beer from our teenytiny fridge* and craft. mary alise was my HERO and made me finish all of the coasters/placecards before I could go to bed. we made little hanging balls with ribbons from the flowers for the garden stakes. we made strands of tissue paper flowers. and we drank lots of beer. and it was FUN!

* about the teenytiny fridge...long story short, there was a place for fridge but no fridge in it. matt's parents had a fridge, but we figured they had elite points or something. but EVERYONE ELSE had a fridge, it seemed, but us. friends. family. etc. so, I went to the front desk, and they said they'd gladly bring one to our room for $40 a day. I said "really? really? I don't mean to be rude, but I'm the BRIDE and we brought all these people here and we are having our brunch here and everybody else gets a stinkin' fridge for free and you want me to PAY? that's not very cool." The night manager immediately said "you hemorrhage money when you get married--bring her one for free."

and they did.

which was nice.

but this fridge was about the size of...of...hmm....well...let's just say it was about as big as a 12 pack of beer bottles. but would only fit 5.5 of them. yeehaw. anyway. that was strike one for the hotel. the others involved ants and the hospitality room they promised me. and their "free internet" in the lobby. the hilton at 81st and lewis in tulsa definitely stuck out!

there will be tables and chairs, there'll be pony rides and dancing bears, there'll even be a band.

~andrew bird

that's kind of how I felt about our wedding--there will be this and this and that and these and this other neato thing oh AND this. and it made me happy :)

so, this is all the beforehand stuff--once we got to oklahoma, anyway. I got there Tuesday night, Matt arrived Wednesday morning. and then it was go type.

item #1-get marriage license. for $5 and 20 minutes of our time. the lady who helped us was not the brightest crayon in the box, and definitely tested our patience, but in the end, we were official. I might've had a little panic attack when the lady asked me to sign my "name to be known as" (Rich@rdson-Fry? Rich@rdson Fry? still can't decide) anyway.

oh and I had my very own Garden State moment--we are walking into the building and I see this guy in a Sherriff's department uniform, and I thiiiiink it's my brother's friend Billy. I think. But he has this mustache, and he's a freaking COP, and I'm just not so sure. Turns out it was!

How did I find out? Oh, yeah, I just said "Billy!: outloud to no one in particular, just to see if he's respond. Ha!

after that was all over, and we had our license in hand (and a hilarious how-to-stay-married magazine from the state of oklahoma that they would NOT let us give back to them)...next came

item #2-eat at big al's. gosh I love that place. we got food from there for the bridesfolk on our wedding day, too!

next up, item #3-get some vintage plates and cups. some little, some big. we first went to the animal aid thrift store next to big al's. bought two items and rolled. we decided, on a whim, to go check out the little antique mall just down 15th...and that was AWESOME.

we found all of the little cups we needed, this really cute set of pink hazel atlas crinoline dishes and assorted little plates. Matt talked me out of buying the whole set of the pink dishes--they wouldn't fit in my china cabinet, you see. and I don't need them. And thought $40 for the set was a steal (7 dinner plates, 8 salad, 6 cups and saucers, 6 bowls) I just didn't need it.

So we went to pay and the lady (who remembered to say "best wishes!" to me and "congratulations!" to matt) was ringing us up, and I grabbed one of the dishes and asked what the name of that type of dish was--and long story short, she offered the whole set to us for $20 and Matt pulled out cash on the spot. We used some of them for our wedding cupcake stands (see below) and I kept the rest! Win-win! And, now both my mother and Renee have their very own adorable pink cupcake stand and so do I! (or in Renee's case, cake stand!)

(photo by Nicole!)

after that it was smooooooth sailing as far as getting our errands done. apertures in tulsa printed our pictures. hobby lobby on harvard happened to have two 8x10 mats that were pre-cut, one in yellow, one in green, that happened to perfectly go with the two photos we selected to give to our parents.

(photos by onelove!)

we figured out the alcohol, made arrangements for this, that and the other, and felt like we accomplished a million things :)

and in the late afternoon Rosemary and George arrived, safe and sound, carrying all of our wedding goodies! and everything happened to make it all in one piece! and dinner with our two families went just splendidly!

Later that evening Jennifer went with me to take things out to our florist (i.e. paper flowers, more paper flowers, vintage tins and still more paper flowers) and collected the lanterns she loaned us. Matt went and bought goodies for us to use in the hotel bags.

I have to say, Wednesday went quite well :)

my answer to the question "what person, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with?"

In the buckle o' the Bible belt Oklahoma, my answer to this question would get alarmed looks. Because my answer to this question is NOT "Jesus."

Instead, the answer is as follows:

I'd like to meet Marie Curie. And be able to speak French. (or, I suppose, Polish. but my answer is usually French)

I'd want to tell her how she is an inspiration to me. How she began paving the way for female scientists. And how fantastic that is, especially now. :)

well....it's not quite the same thing, but I DID get to have my picture taken with her yesterday. see?



and I also got a kickin' reaction-to-the-sun rash alllll over from the whopping 20 minutes I spent in direct sun or shade. yeehaw.

if I had to do it all over again...

our wedding that is...

well, if I had to do it all over again, I definitely would-I'll say that for sure! our wedding was stressful sometimes, due mostly to family and trying to share all the info with so many people, but overall was pretty cool as a cucumber. or, if you're matt, cool as the other side of the pillow. :)

things I learned and would like to impart to other people. and/or, things I would like to vent about.

1. the contingency plan

I had always said "oh, and if it rains, we will just get married in the barn." Um, yes, that was a brilliant idea. The problem was that getting married in the barn meant we needed to figure out about where to place the decorations, and what to do about pictures during the happy hour, and where things would need to move, and what to do with the chairs, blahblahblah.

So, since it rained on April 17th, we had to use said contingency plan. If it hadn't rained, then my dear friends and family who were helping us set up knew exactly where things went and how they were supposed to go there. It would've been eaaaaaasy. And having all the people there to help and do things was my way of avoiding having to have a day-of wedding coordinator since Matt DID NOT WANT ONE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!! (I did, very much so. But it kind of came down to me just not wanting to argue about it anymore. le sigh.)

However. Since we did not have a wedding coordinator, the whole using the contingency plan thing really threw us for a loop. It resulted in my friend Syd's mom stepping in as my other mom and letting everyone know this would be their last chance to ask me questions and that I had to go, right then, to eat and get all gussied up. It also resulted in my not being able to handle sentences that began with my name--because I'd been hearing "Carrie--where should..." and "Carrie--what do you think about..." alllll morning. They'd been asking me because they love me and wanted everything to be as perfect as possible, and wanted me to be happy. Everyone had the very best intentions ever!! And I really appreciate their help. But, I really did go into question-overload mode. It was kind of rough, I'm not gonna lie.

ps: this was also not helped by damn ABCO and their lack of communication which resulted in a pajama-clad Carrie throwing on clothes in the AM and rushing over to the barn because the delivery people didn't know where to put things despite previous conversations where we had hashed everything out.

So anyway, point 1)--have a full contingency plan, not just an idea of one.

2. the guests. (or lack thereof.)

I am very grateful that we had many, many of our loved ones with us that Saturday. We had people from all over the place, and I will tell you how fantastic that was in my not-so-annoyed post. :) But MAN was I annoyed about this--so...I had approximately 10 people show up for just the ceremony or not show up at all. People who had RSVP'd. One was sick. Two left their two kids at home (who were supposed to attend) and then went home right after. So that's four people total I expected that didn't stay, in that family alone. Etc.

And it's not that I am mad that they left--people have sh*t to do, I am glad they could be there at all! What I'm bummed about is that 10 people = two table rentals, two tablecloth rentals, sixteen chair rentals plus food, cupcakes and alcohol and other things like napkins, silverware, floral arrangements, etc. And for the record, these 10 people were approximately 10% of our overall attendance--so it kind of made a huge impact.

It's not that we minded paying for these things--our guests were exactly that, OUR GUESTS, and it was very important to Matt and me that our guests be well fed and that we have plenty of drinks. Which we did!! But it was frustrating that we paid for things that did not get used. And that potentially some of the people could've told us in advance.

Because it's not just a waste of money. It's a waste of resources. (wasted food, wasted cupcakes, wasted keg beer, PLUS the waste from transporting those tables and chairs and all) It might sound to you like I'm going over the top here, but since we were trying to have the most eco-friendly wedding possible--well--it was a shame that all those things went to waste. As did hundreds of dollars. Which is par for the course for weddings--people show up that didn't rsvp, people don't show up that did. But it was just a shame that we didn't know beforehand.

So, how would I have fixed it? I would've added a nice little line to our online rsvp--"number of guests for dinner." I think it would've re-iterated the point that we were buying food for every person who said they would be there. Not that it would've necessarily changed the end result--but at least then it would've been totally transparent.

3. Don't take people at their word.

It pains me to say this, but it really rings true. Y'see, I had two people promise me things/ agree to things--heck they even OFFERED them without me asking, if we're getting technical here-- and then back out at the last minute. (And if you saw on Facebook, I'm not talking about the hair lady we initially had)

Not only was that frustrating, it was just plain inconsiderate. I had agreements via email with both people, but neither of them held to it. And since in one case it was something-for-something, and in the other it was a throw-in freebie, I really can't make that big of a fuss because it's not like I was actually out money or anything. It was just an unfortunate stress, particularly the day before and day of our wedding. So that's something I would want to remember too.

all this said...

if my three biggest stresses from our wedding were that it rained and we had to change some stuff, some people didn't make good on their promises, and that we wasted money and resources on guests who for whatever reason couldn't stay for dinner & drinks? well, I still count that as a win :)

up soon--all the GOOD things!! I can't wait to tell y'all about these--some of them are pretty neato. :D I am glad to have the not-so-good off my chest so I can get to the good stuff!!

oh, the poor customer service people...

now, let me say that I realize that I am the exception and not the rule, but hear me out...

I just got an email from a custom-tshirt printing place that said "Don't Forget Mom Richardson this Mother's Day."

and guess what? I haven't had a Mom Richardson since I was 5.

I previously got an email from them encouraging me to make a tshirt for the Richardson Thanksgiving. Folks, I've been the only Richardson since 1999.

Are they going to encourage me to buy Dad Richardson a shirt at father's day? um, yeah, deceased.

I have a friend who has two moms. There are people out there with two dads. Or no mom. And though lots of families can safely be referred to by their last name, there are also many, many families who cannot be grouped as, say, "The Smiths." Half siblings, step-siblings, grandparents or siblings serving as parents, adoptions, etc. you get the idea.

I get that they are betting on the fact that if my last name is Richardson--whether I am male or female, married or not--that my mom or my spouse's mom probably has the last name Richardson. Statistically that used to be a safe bet. But now? Mmmmm...not so much.

um, so, yeah. since this was the 5th email I'd gotten from them in the past year that said something about "Richardson" that didn't exist, I called and talked to a nice customer service person. who, after I very kindly told him why I was calling, was actually quite distressed that none of the marketing people were available, because he just kept saying "you are VERY right" and "those are valid points--I can't believe we haven't gotten called about this before--or sued." I told him I wasn't angry or anything, but that I wanted to point it out because eventually they were likely to run into someone who WOULD get angry.

and because it was exclusionary. which is kiiiiiind of something I loathe.

I am so becoming my mother.

Also? Fun fact. I have placed three orders from this company. Two for a team called Toxic Waste and one for a team called Toxic Threat. And I've heard nada about either of THOSE teams. Nope. Just about my last name and the family members they assume I have. Ha!

you should probably go wash your hands before you read this.

because otherwise you will probably want to do so when you're done.

so, you guys know about BPA, right? also known as bisphenol A? not stuff you want to ingest, for sure. I mean, it's around, you kind of can't eliminate all exposure unless you're extremely careful, but overall...definitely something you want to avoid. particularly if you have little kiddos. we adults don't need to be so worried about it, but it can be pretty awful for the wee ones.

go read more about it here if you don't know about it...

and then? then check out this article. BPA on receipt paper? You have GOT to me kidding me. I mean, seriously? We've been making such a fuss about heating our rubbermaid containers, and it's on receipts? Which we get ALL the TIME? In quantities that are measured in MILLIGRAMS per receipt?? Grody.

and as a double whammy--we are cutting down trees, processing them, bleaching the hell out of that paper pulp, creating a lot of waste in the way we cut them, coating them with all sorts of chemicals (including the BPA) and then putting them all over our hands?

I am going to have to think about this and read more, but I had to share. I thought I was done, but then read about this on my blog reader, and shudder...

eco friendly earth day tip #3--use less receipts. the trees of the world AND the developing brains of children will thank you.

"all the riches, baby, don't bring what your love can bring..."

~gwen stefani

man, I haven't listened to that in for.ev.er. but today? today it's on my playlist. courtesy of renee. :)

so, another thing I wanted to talk to you about today was the reusable bag. I use them. constantly. Christmas 2007 Renee gave me a baggu. I had no idea those things existed, but I would try to either use as few bags as possible, bring a tote bag or go without a bag entirely.

Doing that was a help.
Using a reusable bag all the time was fantastic!

I have tried a bunch of brands--baggu, envirosax, skeeda, the lowes foods insulated one, the kroger wine bottle bag, and various ones that clip, fold and the like. string bags, produce bags, the gamut.

the important thing is that they all WORK.

I like my baggus when I have a smaller purse or we're putting them in Matt's pocket. Or when I'm carrying a lot of things because I think they are easiest when you have to carry multiple bags at a time.

(photo from baggu's website)

I like my envirosax because they are PRETTY! and I like to have them in my purse if I'm carrying a bigger one because they seem to be less confusing to cashiers (with my baggu they seem confused by the little pouch when I throw it in the bottom of the bag.

(photo from envirosax website)

I like my skeeda when I'm carrying something heavy, or that I'm going to need to be able to access. They make great car bags, too! and though I have not yet done so, you can have them monogrammed!

(photo from skeeda website)

and, in honor of earth day, you can get some pretty awesome deals...

like at baggu, if you enter the code "earth10" you get free shipping!

and if you go to reusablebags.com you can get a free bag by entering the code EDAYFREE.

and at skeeda, by making a purchase you get a free one of their olive bags--no coupon required! so though I own the "eggshell" and "peony," today I ordered the "tangerine" too--and I will be giving away my free one! yay for GIVEAWAYS!

to have a chance to win, comment on this blog with something you are doing (or did) for earth day/month. you have until April 30th to comment! you can comment as many times as you like, but each comment must be about something different you did! :)

ps: now slim shady is playing. seriously, gwen stefani, the hand jive song from grease, now slim shady. I love this playlist!

happy earth day!

you might see a slew of posts from me today--we shall see. I am entering Maria's contest (you should too!) but I also have been saving up a lot of posts, too!

so, not to sound all high and mighty (I'm not, pinkie swear!) but I feel like I'm pretty well informed about all things environmental. I read, I learn, I'm an environmental engineer for a living. It's not often that someone can tell me about an idea or concept that's totally new to me unless it's, well, totally new to everyone.

that said: for our wedding we registered for this book. In the PREFACE--yes, within the first like 3 pages of the book--it made me aware of something I had never considered. you ready for it?

well, you might've heard me (or someone else) tell you the importance of eating local. carbon emissions, local economy and whatnot.

and then that is always quickly followed with the suggestion of eating organic. local first, then organic. there's like a 90% chance your local food is essentially organic anyway (and by that I mean they only use pesticides if their crops are actually threatened--and even then it's generally one that is natural or less scary for people. but I digress.)

so, new factoid I had never considered:

cook your food as quickly as possible.

huh?

okay, let's say you have two recipes--both call for identical ingredients. chicken, some veggies, some seasoning, a little bit of oil. something like that. one requires 10 minutes to cook. one requires 45 minutes to cook. perhaps it's the difference between a sauteed dish and a baked dish.

well, guess what? that extra 35 minutes of energy required to cook meal #2? yep--not as eco friendly.

now, take this with a grain of salt. obviously if it's winter and you're using the oven and you leave it open afterward to release the heat into your house and warm it up, you're re-purposing that energy and then it's not the same thing. but it's just something to keep in mind!

that's earth day tip #1. I'm hoping to get to share more with you today, we'll see how it goes :D

such a tease...

I know, I know...

but...Matt and I are MARRIED!

it rained pretty much all day on our wedding BUT it SO perfect, and we even got to take a few outside pictures in the spitting o' the sky, and the pastor was awesome, and Matt laughed in the way that is my very very favorite, and everything came together, and I looked quite dashing if I do say so myself, and we did not run out of beer, and per usual (ask any of our friends) Matt and I closed down the party. :)

Nicole and Becki did INCREDIBLE jobs and I can't wait to see all the rest of their images. Someone said it looked like a magazine it was so well put together. My cousin Kim, who is a well-seasoned event planner, was hugely impressed by all of the detail for our weddings, everyone pitched in and I have never felt so loved in my entire life.

and my being stressed only manifested itself in needing quiet and a lack of compliments, so considering bridal tales I've heard, I feel like I did a pretty good job.

there will be a bajillion pictures to share soon, but here is our favorite one we've seen thus far, taken by nicole :)


and one of the barn during our ceremony--also by nicole.

and now, it is nap time. saturday night we slept ~7 hours. sunday we cleaned and returned borrowed items all day, and only got ~5.5 hours of sleep, plus naps on the plane. and last night I slept for TWELVE hours. and I'm about to take a nap. and then I plan on going to bed early :) I am definitely playing catch-up, and I am pleased as punch about having the opportunity!

more wedding deets to follow...

"getting so much [closer] all the time--it's getting [closer] all the time..."

~the beatles

which is appropriate because a) I love them
b) we are playing some beatles during our ceremony
c) my friend ariel had her baby and they named their son jude!

so. I am in the "home stretch" as they say. And if I have one more male make a joke about how girls get so caught up in such and such I will probably grab my craft scissors and GIVE them that bad haircut I always wish on jerky people. Yeesh!

we had a really awesome Easter--we spent it at Christy's house again! Yummy food and splendid company--win-win. And no tattoo this year BUT I'm pretty sure I'll be holding Jen to it next year and we'll both go get one on good friday!

and ranunculus are in SEASON! I bought them at the farmer's market for the first time this year on saturday. I cannot WAIT to see how fantastic they look at my wedding. Jan is going to do amazing things!

oh and I have decided something--I have had like eight people ask me "so, who is your wedding designer" or "who planned your wedding" or "who is responsible for the whole look of your wedding--who did you hire?" And I have decided the answer to that question is as follows:

ME.

I am my own wedding designer. And my own wedding planner. And I am responsible for the look of my wedding! My florist absolutely gets 110% of the credit for all of the floral elements, of course, but I selected the ranunuculus, and I found the tablecloths, and I made the little touches that I'm not supposed to tell you about yet but just you wait--they're gonna rock your socks! :) I cannot freaking wait to show you pictures!

anyhoo. I apologize for the rant. But it's kind of the same kind of thing where, say, a person thinks that it's the camera that takes the nice photograph, not the user. It's like giving Photoshop or Lightroom full credit for the designer's work. Or saying that Picasso only painted so well due to his medium and supplies. Hogwash!

following up on my rant-y-ness are these beauties. something about this picture makes me want to print it huge on canvas and hang it up in my house. I'll put more up on my photography blog and site because I'm just LOVING the ranunculus this year. I am going to enjoy them for as long as I possibly can :)

oh yeah, and speaking of weddings--I booked two more this week! I am kind of loving how they are all spread out for hte most part, too!

I now have
one in april, the week after my wedding
two in june
none in july--but it's honeymoon time, so that works out perfectly!
one in august
two in september
and a billion in october. okay, no, three in october. and my 30th bday. and I'm second-shooting for Nicole.

yikeies. but overall, quite pleased! I am now at nine for the year plus second-shooting, so I'll take it!

and, one final question about that dang guest book: would it be so horrible if I just didn't have one? I haven't asked Matt this question, so I don't know if he has strong feelings about not having one at all...but I'm kind of thinking about just not doing it. We will see. Ladies who have been married--will I totally regret this some day? let me know, okay?

more soon (hopefully!)

and I thought I loved you then

~brad paisley

Matt and I are feeling pretty overwhelmed right now. Our wedding is in THREE weeks. in twenty two days and less than an hour, our ceremony will commence. and I absolutely can't wait for it to get here.

our house is littered with boxes and scraps of paper and fabric. I have been sewing and cutting and rolling and who knows what else! though the process is a bit crazy, I really think it'll be worth it. :)

I need a suggestion of what to do for our guest book. I have some ideas, but I know that I want to do something that we can put on a shelf and display and SEE. I have no interest in doing an actual book of any sort--I think they are super cute, but I know that Matt and I will rarely take the time to look through it.

Maybe I will just play around with it this weekend. I was considering painting a flower on a canvas and asking people to sign the petals. (and having my bridesfolk sign beforehand so people would get the idea).

but I don't know....

suggestions?

I am sure I will figure something else.

Our plans for this evening got canceled--which makes me kind of happy, honestly! Though I was looking forward to the double date, I'm also pleased for the down time! AND this weekend is Earth Hour--I haven't gotten to tell you about it like I normally would, but all you have to do to participate in it is this:

tomorrow night, at 830pm, turn off all unnecessary lights. if you're feeling really dedicated, turn off ALL your lights. maybe sit outside. or inside with some candles. maybe just keep watching your movie, but make sure your lights are all off. including the one in the bathroom or on your front porch.

why?

because together we can make a difference.
together we can use less energy and stop using up all of our natural resources.
and together we can make a change for the better.

from their site:

On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations. Learn more about how Earth Hour began, what we’ve accomplished, and what is in store for 2010.

check it out.
then tomorrow, turn off your lights.
and make a statement about wanting our world to still be in good shape when our grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great^8-grandchildren are living on it.

we've decided we're going to have to eighty-six the thirty-six once we get to thirty-seven.

chew on that for a minute.

chewing?

okay.

so, yesterday was Matt and my 3 year anniversary. here's one. and two. and this? this is three. :)

Matt likes to give things that represent something. This time, he chose 36. 3x12=36. :) He gave me practical things, like kleenex packets and supercute cocktail napkins. He gave me some gorgeous flowers, a card that says silly things when you open it and some junior mints. And some pajama pants. And 20 double A rechargeable batteries--which I am super excited about! But most importantly, he gave me love. and time with him. and that is all I could have asked for in the world. :)

We went out to dinner at Brixx because, sadly, that Uno's we visited on our first date is now closed for business. As a matter of fact, it closed last sunday. And as of yesterday at 4pm, it is now open as a Mason's Chophouse. I have no idea if they're any good, but I am sure we will find out. We did our usual at Brixx--splitting a salad and a pizza--and also signed up for their newest MBA (Master of Beer Appreciation) program. AND I got to have the seasonal New Belgium beer--Mighty Arrow. Pretty yummy pale ale!

We came home and opened gifts and watched Smallville together (SO appropriate--we watched it after he proposed, too!) and then went to sleep.

Oh, but not before we had this super delicious amazing cupcake. My dearest friend and gal o' honor (just kidding, maid of honor) Jennifer gave it to us to celebrate. It was this chocolate guinness deliciousness that I didn't even remember to take a picture of--but BOY was it GOOD! She said it was also a test run for a month from now! EEKS! A.MONTH.FROM.NOW. !

ahem, anyway! It was SO scrumptious that even Gobi and Hazel were vying for a piece of it. I shared the teeeeensiest bit of icing with them, and they ate it right up and wanted more! So good! A wonderful way to cap off a great anniversary celebration. :)

oh, and about eighty-sixing the thirty-six once we get to thirty-seven...we talked about it, and though we will always recognize St Patty's day, for the sake of our future kiddos we will be re-starting the clock on our 37th monthiversary, which is the day we'll get married. We can always add 37 and remember. But we'll start over then to avoid confusion. :D which if you're saying "duh!" well--that's how you do things. it's not what we had intended, but it's what we're gonna do :)

and ps: a heartfelt thanks to matt's parents for being his inspiration for our monthiversary celebrating! they're at somewhere in the 480s for their monthiversaries! (sorry, too rushed to count it all out!) but anyway--cute, huh?

perhaps I am barking up the wrong tree?

um, maybe I should be an architecture photographer. like, in life.

because three of the four times I've gotten a ribbon? yep, you guessed it--for my architecture photos! including today!


this photo got honorable mention in architecture!!


fun facts:
this was in new york city.
I took this from a moving vehicle.
with a point and shoot.
while we drove down west street.
right after we drove through the holland tunnel.
on the day we got engaged.

:)

"alllllll the pretty girls on a saturday night!"

~fun.

right, so...hi there. long time no post. I know. I know. I have been sick. 1

um, so, yeah. the last weekend of february I went to LA. I need to post about that.

and then the next weekend I had a LOT of awesome ladies and one awesome guy hang out with me to celebrate my bachelorette!

there are many, many pictures. most of which are not for public consumption :) but fortunately, some are.

here's all the girls



and some of the pics that were captured on my camera...



fun facts of the night:

I got
-enough lingerie that I could probably wear a new pair of underwear every day for a MONTH!
-a free Triangle Belgian beer
-a candom (which is a koozie that rolls on like a condom) for She's Out of My League
-a tshirt for Matt, for the movie She's Out of My League
-four plastic cups for She's Out of My League
-buttons to give to my friends for She's Out of My League
-a shot called choke a b*tch that nearly made me vomit on the spot
-a pair of socks

and assorted other craziness.

It was awesome!!! I was kiiiiiinda nervous because someone accidentally told me something I wasn't supposed to know--and though I stopped them right away, the part I did hear made me think I was going to get roasted that night. Which, though there aren't that many ridiculous stories of me, might've been highly embarrassing. I have been roasted once, in college, and I gotta tell ya, it isn't fun, even if your stories aren't all that crazy. In any case, stressed Carrie=anxious Carrie=not rational Carrie.

However!!!!

Of course my friends are way too cool to roast me! Silly Carrie! Instead they got my girlfriends to share funny or cute or silly stories about us. Stories about adjectives at softball games and one-legged men and guinness and baby boys and when matt and I met and pirouettes and the answer to the question: "ice cream or beer?" It was awesome! I had to guess who wrote the story, and then was given a card of something I had to do at a bar. Those cards are responsible for some shenanigans, for sure, including that free Triangle Belgium beer!

they also asked matt a bunch of questions and taped the question and answer to gifts around my house. my girlfriends had to ask me questions and if I got it right I got the gift! the funniest one was about what animal I would be, according to matt.

his answer: a fraggle, lives out of the sun and is constantly bursting into song or an owl, symbol of intelligence and more known for being out when there is no sun or a cat, always wants to take a short nap and picky about what they eat or a polar bear, white in appearance, always cold, and not something you want to piss off or a butterfly, beautiful and attracted to flowers

ha!

there was also a sweet question about where he saw us in 20 years. in a house, probably with two cats (unfortunately) and with me a little sad and matt consoling me because our first child had gone off to college. it still makes me a little teary to think about that one!

after visiting the two bars we came back to my house, hung out for a little bit, and then went to sleep. and in the morning I woke up ridiculously early but was NOT hung over, which I consider an accomplishment. I even made people breakfast burritos in the morning. And we had coffee from my scary coffee pot, which will be gone from my home ASAP.

I'm not at liberty to divulge the little I know about Matt's bachelor party, BUT, I do get to show you a picture of us both on Sunday! are we cute or what?



all in all=AMAZING SUCCESS! I have such incredible friends! And they are so creative!! Can you tell I had a great time? :)

signs I should probably sleep more:

-in the past two hours I have said winter when I meant summer. I said Tuesday instead of Saturday. I was unable to effectively communicate that I feel like I have a sinus infection.

-yesterday I sent an email to my future brother in law and sister in law. er, um, intended to. instead I sent it to my future father in law and sister in law. oopsie. granted, they have the same names, but this is like the third time I made that mistake.

-this morning I picked up the same gray shirt three times. each time thinking "oh, maybe this is it!" yep, the same WRONG shirt each time. hence me wearing light blue today.

-I came thiiiis close to setting my alarm for PM. I also stepped on both Gobi and Hazel last night.

and, unrelated to sleep: I find myself wishing very, very often that I had a cute, lightweight, medium-to-charcoal gray scarf. I thought etsy would help me with this. I've yet to find one. maybe ruffled/ruched/bunched? suggestions welcome and appreciated. :)