So here we are...it's the holiday season... I am finally off of work and TRYING to start packing. We are heading back east for Christmas, to visit Cory's family. I'm a little sad that this will be my first official Christmas away from my family, but it's all good. We had Christmas with my family on Sunday, and I made out like a bandit!! I mean, thank you mom and dad for the wonderful gifts... =)
Beyond being excited to see the the Smith's, I'm horrified by the potential snowstorm that is Northeastern Pennsylvania in the winter time. I come from So Cal, the OC, where it was just in the mid-70 last weekend. I mean, right now, it's in the 60s, yet windy, and my fingers are struggling to type. I'm told that there will be lots of snow waiting for me when we arrive tomorrow night... this should be interesting. Do you think they'll make me shovel the cars out of the snow as some sort of "Smith initiation hazing"... hm.
Speaking of Smith hazing, I made the irreparably stupid mistake of being gullible last night. I don't even remember what I did, I've worked real hard on "forgetting"... but I'm told that gullibility is like blood in the water for the Smith's... so I'm in for some heckling! Can't wait!
All in all... I'm very excited for the holidays! We're excited to head back east to see Cory's family and to hopefully see some of mine in NY.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!!!
WE LOVE YOU!!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
It's been a while...
It has been a WHILE since I've been here... I just wanted to stop by and say hi to anybody who is still listening...
Married life is still as wonderful as they say it is! Cory and I just celebrated our one year anniversary of getting ENGAGED! Cory surprised me and set up a dinner and a show to celebrate what was the start of our blissful lives together. We ate at Scott's Seafood (DELISH) and saw Spam-A-Lot at the Orange Country Performing Arts. It was a wonderful evening, we had the BEST time... and then, we saw the end of the Angels game in extra innings... 13 innings, you all saw it... Nuff said.
TODAY is Game 3 of the ALCS... Angels vs. Yankees... It is the first home game of the series. Angels are down 2-0. We have tickets... it's a day game, so Cory and I got into work early so that we could leave at 11:00am and head to Angels Stadium. I'm not gonna lie... I couldn't sleep last night. I'm not sure if it was the bear sawing logs next to me in bed... OR... the fact that I can't get the last 3 or 4 Angels errors out of my mind... OR... some morbid combination of the two. Either way... I did not get good sleep last night. SO, it would be in the Angels best interest, and any Yankee fan in a arms reach of me, that the Angels BLOW the Spankees out of the park for the next FOUR games!
Please Rally Monkey, don't let our boys commit any more RIDONKULOUS errors!!!
Married life is still as wonderful as they say it is! Cory and I just celebrated our one year anniversary of getting ENGAGED! Cory surprised me and set up a dinner and a show to celebrate what was the start of our blissful lives together. We ate at Scott's Seafood (DELISH) and saw Spam-A-Lot at the Orange Country Performing Arts. It was a wonderful evening, we had the BEST time... and then, we saw the end of the Angels game in extra innings... 13 innings, you all saw it... Nuff said.
TODAY is Game 3 of the ALCS... Angels vs. Yankees... It is the first home game of the series. Angels are down 2-0. We have tickets... it's a day game, so Cory and I got into work early so that we could leave at 11:00am and head to Angels Stadium. I'm not gonna lie... I couldn't sleep last night. I'm not sure if it was the bear sawing logs next to me in bed... OR... the fact that I can't get the last 3 or 4 Angels errors out of my mind... OR... some morbid combination of the two. Either way... I did not get good sleep last night. SO, it would be in the Angels best interest, and any Yankee fan in a arms reach of me, that the Angels BLOW the Spankees out of the park for the next FOUR games!
Please Rally Monkey, don't let our boys commit any more RIDONKULOUS errors!!!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Brace Face Lives!
So, I've been trying to hide it for a little while, but am over it, and am just coming out...
Hi, my name is Annaliza, and I am a 32-year-old married woman with braces.
For whatever asinine, juvenile reason, I wanted braces as an adolescent. I saw most of my friends getting them, saw the coordinating colored rubber bands, and thought, "WOW... how cute are my friends with their shiny, silver braces, and HOT PINK rubber bands - I WANT!" BIZARRE - I mean, isn't that the time that we are all struggling with our identity? How would a mouth full of enough metal to pick up magnets help that? What were we thinking???
Obviously, getting older, you start to value the fact that you never had to wear them... that you took care of your teeth, that you were blessed with straight pearly whites, and that you never had to deal with snapping rubber bands and forgetting to take the wax off of your braces before eating. You never imagine that you would hear those words, "Invisalign won't work for you, you have to wear braces." When my dentist referred me to Dr. Carter to talk about my dental implant in the WAY back of my mouth... braces never entered my mind. I never figured that there would be an pre-work that needed to be done... who me?
I remember this day vividly... all of two weeks ago. I was naively walking into an ORTHODONTIST'S office (not sure why that didn't tip me off), thinking that he was gonna take a look at my grill and tell me that I just needed the implant in the way back and I'd be good to go... set up the appointment, maybe try and coax some teeth whitening out of him, and BAM, I'm a new woman! Another tip off, should have been when they made me watch this video on ways to correct your smile and bite. Huh? So, I watched it... somewhat entertaining at best. Whatever, right? So, then Dr. Carter makes me sit in the chair. You know, the one where you feel like you're going to slide down, head first at any moment, and the dentist's tools will somehow jab into the roof of your mouth as your dentist and some dental hygenist try to save you from certain death... of sliding off the chair. I sat in the chair, opened wide... oooh, did you know that they now make bubble gum scented gloves... cuz that makes your positively horrific dental experience so unforgettable. He continued to poke around at my teeth, pushing them around, seeing how my gums would bounce back (I have healthy gums apparently)...all this time, I'm thinking "If the word 'braces' escapes his mouth, so help me!" Sure enough... "well Annaliza, I think we're gonna need to put some braces on your bottom teeth." No joke, first words out of my mouth - "Do I qualify for Invisalign? If not, how much are the clear braces? What are issues if I don't get them at all?" Luckily, he didn't tell me that I needed them on both the bottom and top and that I couldn't at least have clear ones, or I may have used the dental tools as weapons. As we went through "the plan", I began to sweat. Not only do I have to be a 32-year-old nerd with braces, but GEEDEEMIT, they are EXPENSIVE! Again, THANK GOD, I'm not getting both top and bottom! I think Dr. Carter noticed my uneasyness because he later told the coordinator to give me the clear braces for free... then he proceeds to tell me that I only have to have them on for 4 to 8 months (best/worst case)... god bless him.
Cut to 2 weeks ago... I'm in that same chair. Whoopdeedoo! The place the CLEAR brackets on, they start to add the wire, and my orthodontist reminds me that this will be a Love/Hate relationship. Then... he tightened the first wire... ok, not so bad, WHATEVER. Then... he tightens the next set... HOLY CRAPBALLS. It felt like my teeth were crunching in on each other and that they were going to rip themselves out to save themselves! Then the braces were all in and Dr. Carter realized that I would also need a retainer because one of the braces was in such a place that would not allow me to close my mouth all the way. So, after putting the braces on, I had to do another impression so that they could mold my retainer. The cool thing about that was I got to pick the design of the retainer. No surprise... I got Winnie The Pooh on it! Heehee!
For the first few days, I couldn't chew at all and my front teeth were very tender. You really never realize HOW you use your individual teeth (incisors, molars, etc) until you can't use them any more. I basically had to take all food and place it in the VERY back and chew it for a minimal amount then attempt to swallow. And all of this caused lots of pain... but I dealt... a girl's gotta eat, right? A week past, and things weren't too bad. A few more days, and I was ALMOST back to being able to eat normal foods again. But OH, the annoyance of having to floss. I floss religiously. I will never go through root scaling ever again!!! Do you know how to floss when you have braces? It's an irritating, painstakingly, tedious job that HAS to be done. With braces, flossing has gone from a quick and painless 2 minute process, to a 5-10 minute chore that causes soreness for a few hours. Hm! =(
So, this morning... I had my appointment at 8am. I was to get my retainer that would fit the back teeth that couldn't take the braces because of their location. I was excited to see what this retainer would look like, but not excited about having to wear it all day, every day, and only getting to take it out during mealtime. Dr. Carter came out and began the process of fitting the retainer in my tiny mouth. This task proved to be convoluted and agonizing... as with every snap in and snap out, it felt as if he was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, all within the small confines of my mouth. When he finally grinded things down and bent things in, the fit seemed to work, but BOY was it excrutiating. He said that it's not supposed to hurt. Pressure yes, pain no.
The more he looked at it, the less he liked the idea... and finally realized that the only thing that would work... would be the original plan. To place the brackets on the back teeth and place a "Power Chain" to pull the worst bent tooth over, then adjust the bracket after that... HOWEVER, in the meantime, because of how the brackets fit, I will not be able to close my mouth all the way to chew. It is LIQUID DIET CITY for yours truly. I mean, I was TRYING to get back to the gym to lose weight... well, at least I've got the "how to" answered. Dr. Carter says that it should only be like this for 3-4 weeks... (sigh)
So, today, I've had a cup of tea, half a cup of soup, and a smoothie from Juice It Up. Cory is on his way to the store as we speak to buy me some broth of any kind, mash potatoes, and stuff to make smoothies... Needless to say, my stomach has been growling all day - if you saw my Facebook status... It sounds like I swallowed Chewbacca and he is now trying to get out!!!
Anyone got any other suggestions of what I can eat?
Hi, my name is Annaliza, and I am a 32-year-old married woman with braces.
For whatever asinine, juvenile reason, I wanted braces as an adolescent. I saw most of my friends getting them, saw the coordinating colored rubber bands, and thought, "WOW... how cute are my friends with their shiny, silver braces, and HOT PINK rubber bands - I WANT!" BIZARRE - I mean, isn't that the time that we are all struggling with our identity? How would a mouth full of enough metal to pick up magnets help that? What were we thinking???
Obviously, getting older, you start to value the fact that you never had to wear them... that you took care of your teeth, that you were blessed with straight pearly whites, and that you never had to deal with snapping rubber bands and forgetting to take the wax off of your braces before eating. You never imagine that you would hear those words, "Invisalign won't work for you, you have to wear braces." When my dentist referred me to Dr. Carter to talk about my dental implant in the WAY back of my mouth... braces never entered my mind. I never figured that there would be an pre-work that needed to be done... who me?
I remember this day vividly... all of two weeks ago. I was naively walking into an ORTHODONTIST'S office (not sure why that didn't tip me off), thinking that he was gonna take a look at my grill and tell me that I just needed the implant in the way back and I'd be good to go... set up the appointment, maybe try and coax some teeth whitening out of him, and BAM, I'm a new woman! Another tip off, should have been when they made me watch this video on ways to correct your smile and bite. Huh? So, I watched it... somewhat entertaining at best. Whatever, right? So, then Dr. Carter makes me sit in the chair. You know, the one where you feel like you're going to slide down, head first at any moment, and the dentist's tools will somehow jab into the roof of your mouth as your dentist and some dental hygenist try to save you from certain death... of sliding off the chair. I sat in the chair, opened wide... oooh, did you know that they now make bubble gum scented gloves... cuz that makes your positively horrific dental experience so unforgettable. He continued to poke around at my teeth, pushing them around, seeing how my gums would bounce back (I have healthy gums apparently)...all this time, I'm thinking "If the word 'braces' escapes his mouth, so help me!" Sure enough... "well Annaliza, I think we're gonna need to put some braces on your bottom teeth." No joke, first words out of my mouth - "Do I qualify for Invisalign? If not, how much are the clear braces? What are issues if I don't get them at all?" Luckily, he didn't tell me that I needed them on both the bottom and top and that I couldn't at least have clear ones, or I may have used the dental tools as weapons. As we went through "the plan", I began to sweat. Not only do I have to be a 32-year-old nerd with braces, but GEEDEEMIT, they are EXPENSIVE! Again, THANK GOD, I'm not getting both top and bottom! I think Dr. Carter noticed my uneasyness because he later told the coordinator to give me the clear braces for free... then he proceeds to tell me that I only have to have them on for 4 to 8 months (best/worst case)... god bless him.
Cut to 2 weeks ago... I'm in that same chair. Whoopdeedoo! The place the CLEAR brackets on, they start to add the wire, and my orthodontist reminds me that this will be a Love/Hate relationship. Then... he tightened the first wire... ok, not so bad, WHATEVER. Then... he tightens the next set... HOLY CRAPBALLS. It felt like my teeth were crunching in on each other and that they were going to rip themselves out to save themselves! Then the braces were all in and Dr. Carter realized that I would also need a retainer because one of the braces was in such a place that would not allow me to close my mouth all the way. So, after putting the braces on, I had to do another impression so that they could mold my retainer. The cool thing about that was I got to pick the design of the retainer. No surprise... I got Winnie The Pooh on it! Heehee!
For the first few days, I couldn't chew at all and my front teeth were very tender. You really never realize HOW you use your individual teeth (incisors, molars, etc) until you can't use them any more. I basically had to take all food and place it in the VERY back and chew it for a minimal amount then attempt to swallow. And all of this caused lots of pain... but I dealt... a girl's gotta eat, right? A week past, and things weren't too bad. A few more days, and I was ALMOST back to being able to eat normal foods again. But OH, the annoyance of having to floss. I floss religiously. I will never go through root scaling ever again!!! Do you know how to floss when you have braces? It's an irritating, painstakingly, tedious job that HAS to be done. With braces, flossing has gone from a quick and painless 2 minute process, to a 5-10 minute chore that causes soreness for a few hours. Hm! =(
So, this morning... I had my appointment at 8am. I was to get my retainer that would fit the back teeth that couldn't take the braces because of their location. I was excited to see what this retainer would look like, but not excited about having to wear it all day, every day, and only getting to take it out during mealtime. Dr. Carter came out and began the process of fitting the retainer in my tiny mouth. This task proved to be convoluted and agonizing... as with every snap in and snap out, it felt as if he was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, all within the small confines of my mouth. When he finally grinded things down and bent things in, the fit seemed to work, but BOY was it excrutiating. He said that it's not supposed to hurt. Pressure yes, pain no.
The more he looked at it, the less he liked the idea... and finally realized that the only thing that would work... would be the original plan. To place the brackets on the back teeth and place a "Power Chain" to pull the worst bent tooth over, then adjust the bracket after that... HOWEVER, in the meantime, because of how the brackets fit, I will not be able to close my mouth all the way to chew. It is LIQUID DIET CITY for yours truly. I mean, I was TRYING to get back to the gym to lose weight... well, at least I've got the "how to" answered. Dr. Carter says that it should only be like this for 3-4 weeks... (sigh)
So, today, I've had a cup of tea, half a cup of soup, and a smoothie from Juice It Up. Cory is on his way to the store as we speak to buy me some broth of any kind, mash potatoes, and stuff to make smoothies... Needless to say, my stomach has been growling all day - if you saw my Facebook status... It sounds like I swallowed Chewbacca and he is now trying to get out!!!
Anyone got any other suggestions of what I can eat?
Monday, August 3, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!
Everybody stop and wish my Pops (aka - Dad, Tito Eddie, Mr. Victoria, Mahal) a FANTABULOUS...
My dad is celebrating his 58th birthday this year... doesn't look a day over 40 if you ask me...
LOVE YOU DADDY!!!
My dad is celebrating his 58th birthday this year... doesn't look a day over 40 if you ask me...
LOVE YOU DADDY!!!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
V is for VICTORIA
As a woman... you dream about the day that you will walk down the aisle, in the gorgeous white gown, with the vibrant flowers, people smiling, slowly making your way to the love of you life, and to say "I do"... You never really think about the day that you'll have to endure the lines at the Social Security office and the DMV to change your name. At least, I never did!
But, here we are. It's been almost 3 months since the glorious day where I went from Annaliza Guico Victoria to Annaliza Victoria Smith. The time elapsed has nothing to do with a non-desire to change my name... I really have been busy at work and unable to leave to spend my afternoon in lines.
Alas, yesterday, my husband, Mr. Cory Smith, asked me, "Are you ever gonna change your name?" So, today it is! My boss is traveling on business, I've got most of my projects moving along, my payroll girl keeps asking when she can change my name on my paycheck and buy my new name plate and business cards... and if I don't get this done before our first anniversary, there won't be a first anniversary to celebrate... HAHAHA! Cory is gonna come with me... we're gonna make a lunch date out of it... awwww.
Anyhoo... so this is it folks. The last day you can refer to me as Annaliza Victoria. I mean come on, it's my family name, I've lived with it for the past (almost) 33 years... and, let's face it... it sounds cooler. =) I will always be a Victoria at heart, but now I am a Smith.
Or as Cory likes to call my... Lil Smitty...
But, here we are. It's been almost 3 months since the glorious day where I went from Annaliza Guico Victoria to Annaliza Victoria Smith. The time elapsed has nothing to do with a non-desire to change my name... I really have been busy at work and unable to leave to spend my afternoon in lines.
Alas, yesterday, my husband, Mr. Cory Smith, asked me, "Are you ever gonna change your name?" So, today it is! My boss is traveling on business, I've got most of my projects moving along, my payroll girl keeps asking when she can change my name on my paycheck and buy my new name plate and business cards... and if I don't get this done before our first anniversary, there won't be a first anniversary to celebrate... HAHAHA! Cory is gonna come with me... we're gonna make a lunch date out of it... awwww.
Anyhoo... so this is it folks. The last day you can refer to me as Annaliza Victoria. I mean come on, it's my family name, I've lived with it for the past (almost) 33 years... and, let's face it... it sounds cooler. =) I will always be a Victoria at heart, but now I am a Smith.
Or as Cory likes to call my... Lil Smitty...
Monday, July 20, 2009
CONGRATS TO MR. & MRS. NORRMAN!!!
I just want to give a big shout out to the new Mr. & Mrs. Norrman!
CONGRATS MARCY & ANDERS!
They had a GORGEOUS wedding in San Diego this past weekend. Not only was it heartwarming to see two people so in love tie the knot... it was awesome to see Lily as the officiant (fabulous job Lily!)... and it's always the biggest bonus ever to see my SD ladies!
The end of this month is proving to be yet another doozie! Last weekend was the Norrman wedding. This weekend, Ann & Travis are coming into town... more partying. Plus it's Jocelyn's baby shower on Saturday and Kristin's baby shower on Sunday... where have our weekends gone?
And then of course... Next Weekend...
Can't wait for Gwenny and my girls!!!
CONGRATS MARCY & ANDERS!
They had a GORGEOUS wedding in San Diego this past weekend. Not only was it heartwarming to see two people so in love tie the knot... it was awesome to see Lily as the officiant (fabulous job Lily!)... and it's always the biggest bonus ever to see my SD ladies!
The end of this month is proving to be yet another doozie! Last weekend was the Norrman wedding. This weekend, Ann & Travis are coming into town... more partying. Plus it's Jocelyn's baby shower on Saturday and Kristin's baby shower on Sunday... where have our weekends gone?
And then of course... Next Weekend...
Can't wait for Gwenny and my girls!!!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
My first scuba diving injury...
For those of you who haven't seen the picture yet... I have suffered my first scuba injury. No big deal, it looks worse than it really it, but I'm bummed that I can't dive for a few weeks. Even worse, it happend on my first deep dive in Catalina, so I could not continue on to do my wreck dives, and today, I am missing out on diving the Yukon down in San Diego. Cory and Davis went, and I'm super jealous that I had to stay home, BUT... am thankful that mask squeeze is all I got, and nothing worse.
So, how did this happen and what is mask squeeze? Basically mask squeeze is when you don't equalize the pressure in your mask. At deeper depths, and at this case, 98 feet, it turns your mask into a suction cup... pretty much, it's painful, and blood vessels burst in your eye and you're forced to not dive until things clear up. (sadness)
We were in Catalina for our deep and wreck dives. First dive of the day was a deep dive. The plan was to decend to 100ft then to check out how colors change at that depth with less light and then swim up the slight incline, hopefully checking out giant sea bass and bat rays. I was already a little apprehensive about this dive. Just the depth. But I was assured by many other experienced divers, including Cory, that diving at 100ft is no different than diving at 30ft, just the air intake is more at a deeper depth. We geared up and kicked out to the far corner buoy... that was tiring. I was feeling ok, but I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. Our instructor Sean, descended with the first two divers, Davis and another guy in our class, can't remember his name. Cory and I descended with a Dive Master candidate, Daryl.
As we were descending, I was doing alright. I didn't much care for using the large chain to hold onto as a tactile reference for the descent, but that was part of the dive instructions, so that's what we did. The chain was a bit rough since it was slightly choppy up above with all of the boating activity in the harbor (4th of July weekend). A few times, holding the chain made me dizzy, but when I looked up, it would go away. At about 50-60 feet, I start to have trouble equalizing, so we stopped for a second until I was able to equalize my ears. When I felt comfortable, we started to descend again. I noticed at about 70 feet that there was some pressure on my mask, but for whatever reason, it didn't last long. I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, but I wanted to push on because I figured that it was just my nerves. As the Dive Master kept asking me if I was ok, I recall that my "ok" back to him was delayed, mostly because I was uncomfy. And then I looked down, and noticed that the first group was at the bottom and we were about 10 feet above them. Within the last 5-10 feet of our descent, I felt a HUGE surge of pressure on my face and began to get disoriented. When we hit the bottom, the whole ocean started spinning and I thought that I was going to throw up. Sean, my instructor, approached me to begin the skills part of the dive, and I'm told that's when he noticed that I was not right. He flashed me the "ok", and I violently shook my head NO (which made me feel worse). I continued to feel like I was spinning out of control. In all of this disorientation, I had no idea that my wonderful, brave husband had noticed that something was wrong almost immediately when we got to the bottom and grabbed my waist, for fear that I would bolt for the top, as a panicked diver would normally do. THANK GOD for our rescue class!!! It was fresh in our minds, and I knew that the last thing I wanted to do is ascend quickly and risk decompression illness. So, as uncomfortable and in pain as I was, I stayed calm and waited for Sean to assess the situation, and hoped that he would take us up as quickly as safely possible. Plus, I remember saying to myself that Sean would kill me if I panicked underwater and that I better stay calm and not race to the top... hahaha! He got a good laugh when I later told him that.
We began our ascent. Again, for a moment, I had no idea that Cory was holding on to me. The only thing that was alleviating the spinning was crushing Sean's hand during the ascent. In fact, he had to take his hand away for a minute to check his computer, and I quickly grabbed it. It's amazing, the feeling that you get, when you can't cry. It's all I wanted to do. I was in so much pain and spinning out of control. And I couldn't cry into my regulator. I remember starting to shake and "blubber" into my regulator. And I remember feeling like I was in a sky diving freefall, spinning the whole time. Weird. I do remember when we were about half way, feeling someone behind me kick, and then I felt slightly calmer knowing that it was Cory holding me the whole time. It felt like FOREVER to get to the top. We hit our 3 minute safety stop at 15ft. I remember Sean signaling to us after 1 minute that he was going to head back down, and I freaked out thinking that he was saying that I had to go back down, and I started to "cry" and shake my head NO. He assured me, not me, just him.
After the LONGEST 3 minutes of my life, we finally surfaced, I spit my regulator out of my mouth and started to cry. My eyes were in SO MUCH PAIN. I couldn't open them, and I started to think that I injured myself worse than I did! Cory inflated our BCs so we were buoyant, then we were instructed to wait while Sean went and got the rest of the group. Cory calmed me down and just talked me through everything and helped me to relax. He said that my eyes were pretty swollen and that we could go to a doctor if I needed to. I did continue to cry. It was painful, no joke. The group finally surfaced... and Sean and Cory towed me in. I remember crying because I had thought that I had ruined the dive for everyone. And of course, everyone assured me to stop apologizing and that was not the case at all. My dive buddies are so understanding! They assisted me out of the water and helped me take my gear off... and that was the end of my diving for the rest of the trip.
We got some ice to make the swelling go down, I took some Tylenol as well. It took a while for my vision to become clear again. As we all retold the story, Sean commended us for staying so calm. He said that, first of all, in all of his diving, he had never seen that happen... of course, I am the fluke accident. And second, how impressed he was that I didn't start bailing for the top once I started to feel uncomfortable. Davis was already at the bottom once I got there, and he said that he saw me shaking my head NO and he was worried with what was going on. Cory said he saw me go kinda limp at the bottom and he said he was worried when Daryl was asking me if I was "ok" and my responses were delayed. Poor hubby... he said he was really worried about me and thought that I had passed out... and the only thing that offered some relief was that he saw the air bubbles coming from my regulator. Sean said that my poor little face looked all scrunched up in my mask and that my eyes look like a boxer's eyes after a huge fight. Yikes.
Anyhoo, so here I am today. We were supposed to go dive the Yukon (a Canadian destroyer that was sunk off the coast of Mission Bay) today. I'm so bummed. Cory and Davis are there as we speak... (sigh). Oh well... again, I am thankful that it was just mask squeeze and nothing major. I suffered burst blood vessels in both eyes, bruising all over my face... apparently I'm going to look like I was in a fight... and lost... haha!
Here are more "FUN" pics to remember my first and LAST mask squeeze experience:
This is me the next day with an ice pack on my face! (Yeah 4th of July)... and we had an Angels game to go to that night.
This is me at Day 3... the bruising is starting...
On a funnier note... yesterday at the Angels game... which, btw, THEY WON! 11-4 against the Orioles... GO ANGELS! In an attempt to catch some toy baseball that they had tossed into the crowd during the 7th inning stretch, I accidentally spilled a small amount of beer on a boy in front of me. I managed to scare the shit out of him and his mother with my eyes while apologizing... I've probably scarred him for life... HA!!!!
Everyone wish me luck on a speedy recovery... I want to get back to diving, but will be safe about my return and not push it.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Happy Two Months... hahahaha!
Can you believe that it's been TWO MONTHS since the best day EVER?!?!
It has been the most amazing two months ever! Marriage really is all that it is cracked up to be! My husband is such a wonderful, passionate, handsome (heehee), loving and adoring man... I am so lucky to have him, and could only hope that I make him just as happy as he makes me. I love you Cory!
We both want to extend a HUGE HEARTFELT THANK YOU to everyone who came to the party at the Smith's house this past Sunday. We had a GREAT time, it was awesome to see all of you, and we are honored that you would all come out to share in this special occasion with us! THANK YOU to the Smith's for hosting such a grand party!
So, not only were we home for our party, but we also had to make our annual trip to the Elmhurst-Roaring Brook Firemen's Picnic. I'm already going through withdrawals. Wings... Pizza Frita... CLAMS... Sausage and Peppers... POTATO CAKES... Perogis... BEER... More Fried Food... MORE CLAMS... MORE WINGS... WINGS... WINGS... WINGS... PIZZA FRITA... I'm dying. There was also a bit of a "show" the last night of the picnic. Nuttin like some beer, jello shots (Thanks Erin!), and a little cold weather to get the party going!!!
And of course, we had a blast catching up with old friends and Mark, Erin, Meghan... and NATHAN AND KASSIDY! I can't get enough of those two! Oh, and lil Morgie too!!!! I finally got to try my first Old Forge Pizza. We ate at Salernos for lunch, but they said that I HAD to try Arcaro and Genell's pizza too... so we bought a tray of white and red and brought it home. YUMM-OOOOOO!!! Can we have some shipped out here please?????
This weekend is 4th of July weekend... and a busy weekend at that. Can't catch a break, huh? We have Friday off from work, which is just FABULOUS for me... short work weeks are the BESTEST! But, we are going to Catalina to finish my advanced dives. I'm doing my Deep Dive and Wreck Dive. I'm a little apprehensive about the Deep Dive, but I'm told that it's all the same except for my air intake... AHHHHH! Then on Saturday, the 4th, we are going to an ANGELS GAME with Jenn and Brie! Can't wait. They will have fireworks afterwards, so should be fun! And then on Sunday, we drive down to San Diego to do our Wreck Dive Specialty... apparently, there is some battleship off the coast of Mission Bay, called the Yukon, and it's amazing to see. We actually get to go inside. I'm a little scared, but will have Cory with me...
Anyhoo... until next time... same bat channel...
It has been the most amazing two months ever! Marriage really is all that it is cracked up to be! My husband is such a wonderful, passionate, handsome (heehee), loving and adoring man... I am so lucky to have him, and could only hope that I make him just as happy as he makes me. I love you Cory!
We both want to extend a HUGE HEARTFELT THANK YOU to everyone who came to the party at the Smith's house this past Sunday. We had a GREAT time, it was awesome to see all of you, and we are honored that you would all come out to share in this special occasion with us! THANK YOU to the Smith's for hosting such a grand party!
So, not only were we home for our party, but we also had to make our annual trip to the Elmhurst-Roaring Brook Firemen's Picnic. I'm already going through withdrawals. Wings... Pizza Frita... CLAMS... Sausage and Peppers... POTATO CAKES... Perogis... BEER... More Fried Food... MORE CLAMS... MORE WINGS... WINGS... WINGS... WINGS... PIZZA FRITA... I'm dying. There was also a bit of a "show" the last night of the picnic. Nuttin like some beer, jello shots (Thanks Erin!), and a little cold weather to get the party going!!!
And of course, we had a blast catching up with old friends and Mark, Erin, Meghan... and NATHAN AND KASSIDY! I can't get enough of those two! Oh, and lil Morgie too!!!! I finally got to try my first Old Forge Pizza. We ate at Salernos for lunch, but they said that I HAD to try Arcaro and Genell's pizza too... so we bought a tray of white and red and brought it home. YUMM-OOOOOO!!! Can we have some shipped out here please?????
This weekend is 4th of July weekend... and a busy weekend at that. Can't catch a break, huh? We have Friday off from work, which is just FABULOUS for me... short work weeks are the BESTEST! But, we are going to Catalina to finish my advanced dives. I'm doing my Deep Dive and Wreck Dive. I'm a little apprehensive about the Deep Dive, but I'm told that it's all the same except for my air intake... AHHHHH! Then on Saturday, the 4th, we are going to an ANGELS GAME with Jenn and Brie! Can't wait. They will have fireworks afterwards, so should be fun! And then on Sunday, we drive down to San Diego to do our Wreck Dive Specialty... apparently, there is some battleship off the coast of Mission Bay, called the Yukon, and it's amazing to see. We actually get to go inside. I'm a little scared, but will have Cory with me...
Anyhoo... until next time... same bat channel...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY SMITH!!!
We want to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to MOMMY SMITH!
She is the best mama-in-law I could have ever asked for and hope she is having a BLAST in Chicago!
WE LOVE YOU!!!
She is the best mama-in-law I could have ever asked for and hope she is having a BLAST in Chicago!
WE LOVE YOU!!!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Heading back to the Firemen's Picnic...
We are heading back to the Firemen's Picnic in Elmhurst, PA tonight... can't wait to see everybody! We've been so busy since the wedding that it will be nice to have a few days off from everything, just to sit back, relax, catch up with Cory's family, eat lots of BAD FOR YOU FOOD, drink $1.00 beers... and of course, enjoy the fabulous party that the Smith's are throwing for us...
We got our wedding video the other day and pretty much have it on a loop at home! We LOVE it and we def want to thank our wonderful videographer, Paul Bennett, with Blue Sky Videos. (http://www.blueskyvideos.com/) My only wish is that there was MORE to watch!!! Hahahaha! Eveyrone who came definitely has a cameo (if not more) on the video, so we are so happy about that!
Anyhoo, gotta get packin! See y'all in PA...MUAH!
We got our wedding video the other day and pretty much have it on a loop at home! We LOVE it and we def want to thank our wonderful videographer, Paul Bennett, with Blue Sky Videos. (http://www.blueskyvideos.com/) My only wish is that there was MORE to watch!!! Hahahaha! Eveyrone who came definitely has a cameo (if not more) on the video, so we are so happy about that!
Anyhoo, gotta get packin! See y'all in PA...MUAH!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANN!!!
I also want to do a special shout out to my very dear friend in AZ...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANN!
Love and miss you... and we can't wait to see you after the heat wave. HAHAHA!
MUAH!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANN!
Love and miss you... and we can't wait to see you after the heat wave. HAHAHA!
MUAH!!!
OUR WEDDING PICS ARE HERE!!!
Hey Everybody!
Our wedding pics from Trista Lerit Photography are here! She did a WONDERFUL AMAZING job capturing not only the love between Cory & I that day, but the love that we have for all of our family and friends!
We love you all and hope you enjoy!
http://www.tristalerit.com/annalizacorywedding/
Our wedding pics from Trista Lerit Photography are here! She did a WONDERFUL AMAZING job capturing not only the love between Cory & I that day, but the love that we have for all of our family and friends!
We love you all and hope you enjoy!
http://www.tristalerit.com/annalizacorywedding/
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
... (sigh) ...
You know, you'd think that after the whirlwind that was our engagement and the rollercoaster that was our wedding and honeymoon, that life would hand us a lemon, so that we could take a break and have some lemonade (with vodka in it)... BELIEVE ME, I'm def not complaining, I'm just exhausted... still. Our schedule is JAM PACKED this summer, and I don't know how it got to that. I guess we did it to ourselves though... wanting to really get this scuba thing underway. I am taking my Advanced Certification classes at the same time that Cory and I are taking our Rescue Diver Certification classes. All of this, in the span of about 3 weeks. More classwork and pool sessions after a long day of work, there is even a day after work where we have to do 3 dives (I'm gonna hate life the next day), and a few weekends are already booked up for more ocean dives. I'm exhausted just typing this. Again, not complaining, just remembering how drained I was when I sped through my Open Water Certification...
The good thing is... at the end of this month, we are heading back to PA for the Firemen's Picnic... and equally exciting, if not slightly more... my new in-laws/family (The Smith's) are throwing Cory and I a reception shin-dig to celebrate with the peeps who weren't able to make it to the wedding... and some who did. Hey, another reason to celebrate the best day of my life is FINE WITH ME! It's also a party to show off their newly remodeled house, that we CANNOT wait to see!!! But we are excited to go back and spend some time with everyone. The wedding was such a blur, and we really only got a few good moments of relaxing and catching up. So, it will be nice to hang out with everybody and chit chat over dollar beers and bags of clams... and pizza frita... and sausage and peppers... and potato cakes... and buffalo wings... did I forget anything? Holy crapballs, I'm STARVING already!
Anyhoo, so in addition to SCUBA, which apparently has become our life, we have that vacation coming up at the end of the month. We also have a few Angels games, which I'm excited about because we haven't gone to a game this season yet. The girls and I have the SUMMER OF CONCERTS ahead of us! Whoo hoooo! No Doubt, Pink... some others! Ooh, and of course, Marcy and Anders wedding! I just got back from Marcy's bachelorette party in Palm Springs... we stayed at the Viceroy and had a BLAST! It was my first weekend away from my new hubby, and it was hard, but luckily, I was surrounded by my ladies, and it was only for one night. Of course, as soon as I got back, Cory left for a "sales meeting" in Las Vegas. Right. Like there will be any work going on when you schedule a meeting in VIVA LAS VEGAS. HAHAHAHA! Oh, and he is staying at the Wynn. I thought our company was trying to save money! J/K! He left yesterday (on our ONE MONTH anniversary), and won't be back til late tomorrow night. So, it's just me and the Gizmonster holding the fort down. Does it make you obnoxiously sick that we both were silly sad last night when saying good night to each other? Yeah well, SUCK IT UP, that's just how digusting we are and you're just jealous! =)
Other than that... I've been asked many a times... "How is married life? Do you love it? Is it different?" Without a doubt or any hesitation... Married life is phenomenal, I heart it's face off (thanks Jenn), and yes it is different. It really is. There is this other person that I am now bound to for the rest of my life, and I love it. The flip side of course, is that now you are in a constant state of worry and panic. Not at a level that incapacitates you, but it's always in the back of your mind. Always thinking in the back of your head if he is ok, worried that something will happen to the love of your life. Luckily, Cory and I are no stranger to living our lives, so we don't let this stop us from still doing things, but still... I mean, literally, the moment we said "I do", it all changed, for the better, but it changed. I have a whole new respect for him, whole new level of love, adoration, care for him. And for all of you Sappy McSappers, yes, I would be lost without him.
Alright, so I'm signing off for now...
PS - again, for all of you who have been asking... NO BUN IN THE OVEN... we are, however, debating another dog... any suggestions?
The good thing is... at the end of this month, we are heading back to PA for the Firemen's Picnic... and equally exciting, if not slightly more... my new in-laws/family (The Smith's) are throwing Cory and I a reception shin-dig to celebrate with the peeps who weren't able to make it to the wedding... and some who did. Hey, another reason to celebrate the best day of my life is FINE WITH ME! It's also a party to show off their newly remodeled house, that we CANNOT wait to see!!! But we are excited to go back and spend some time with everyone. The wedding was such a blur, and we really only got a few good moments of relaxing and catching up. So, it will be nice to hang out with everybody and chit chat over dollar beers and bags of clams... and pizza frita... and sausage and peppers... and potato cakes... and buffalo wings... did I forget anything? Holy crapballs, I'm STARVING already!
Anyhoo, so in addition to SCUBA, which apparently has become our life, we have that vacation coming up at the end of the month. We also have a few Angels games, which I'm excited about because we haven't gone to a game this season yet. The girls and I have the SUMMER OF CONCERTS ahead of us! Whoo hoooo! No Doubt, Pink... some others! Ooh, and of course, Marcy and Anders wedding! I just got back from Marcy's bachelorette party in Palm Springs... we stayed at the Viceroy and had a BLAST! It was my first weekend away from my new hubby, and it was hard, but luckily, I was surrounded by my ladies, and it was only for one night. Of course, as soon as I got back, Cory left for a "sales meeting" in Las Vegas. Right. Like there will be any work going on when you schedule a meeting in VIVA LAS VEGAS. HAHAHAHA! Oh, and he is staying at the Wynn. I thought our company was trying to save money! J/K! He left yesterday (on our ONE MONTH anniversary), and won't be back til late tomorrow night. So, it's just me and the Gizmonster holding the fort down. Does it make you obnoxiously sick that we both were silly sad last night when saying good night to each other? Yeah well, SUCK IT UP, that's just how digusting we are and you're just jealous! =)
Other than that... I've been asked many a times... "How is married life? Do you love it? Is it different?" Without a doubt or any hesitation... Married life is phenomenal, I heart it's face off (thanks Jenn), and yes it is different. It really is. There is this other person that I am now bound to for the rest of my life, and I love it. The flip side of course, is that now you are in a constant state of worry and panic. Not at a level that incapacitates you, but it's always in the back of your mind. Always thinking in the back of your head if he is ok, worried that something will happen to the love of your life. Luckily, Cory and I are no stranger to living our lives, so we don't let this stop us from still doing things, but still... I mean, literally, the moment we said "I do", it all changed, for the better, but it changed. I have a whole new respect for him, whole new level of love, adoration, care for him. And for all of you Sappy McSappers, yes, I would be lost without him.
Alright, so I'm signing off for now...
PS - again, for all of you who have been asking... NO BUN IN THE OVEN... we are, however, debating another dog... any suggestions?
Friday, May 15, 2009
We're baaaaaaaacccckkkk...
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are home from St. Lucia... did ya miss us?
We had a FABULOUS time at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian. Some of your have seen the pics on Facebook already. And in case you haven't seen our wedding pics teasers on our photographer's blog ... click here:
http://www.tristalerit.com/blog/index.php?link=1238&cat=2
Now we are going to take some time away from the limelight to decompress and come back down to reality. The events leading up to the wedding, the BIG DAY itself, everything after, the honeymoon, opening all the gifts (THANK YOU)... we are BEAT! We are happy to report that we have NOTHING TO DO this weekend... (sigh)
We will be back, so stay tuned...
Oh and PS - I am not pregnant yet for all of you PREGO POLICE out there! SHEESH!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
WE ARE MARRIED!!!
Thank you to ALL of our fabulous friends and family for sharing our special day with us! It really was the most amazing day! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding! The winery was GORGEOUS (thank you Eva for everything!!!), the flowers were insane, everyone was dressed to the nines and looked fantastic (especially our parents and wedding party!!!), the food was yummy (at least the little that I could put down - haha), the wine was endless (Thank You Falkner Reisling), the music was a perfect blend of old & new, the cake (or cupcakes) were insane, the speeches were all tear-jerkers (as expected), my new hubby looked so handsome, I didn't look to shabby if I do say so myself... but most of all, and we were just talking about it... we are so happy and blessed to have the family & friends that we do. Who come from near and far to share such a special occassion with us. Who support and love us unconditionally. And who have all played an important role in who we have become today and will continue to be a significant part in who we become, as individuals, but mainly, as a successful, loving, forever-lasting married couple.
Here are some pics below from everybody's cameras (THANK YOU)... Please send me your pics while we are on our honeymoon! We want to come back to flooded email inboxes filled with pics of the best day ever!
Seriously, one of the most hysterical things was the night of the rehearsal dinner... when our entire group took over at Texas Lils and karaoke'd our lil asses off!
This is when I thought that there was going to be NO SUN for my wedding day... but Cory promised me that it was just resting until the ceremony... and he was right!!!
Aren't we GORGE!!!
Yes, I am double fisting a glass of champagne and a bottled water... Thank You Rachy for keeping me hydrated!!!
You can't tell here, but Cory was teary eyed when I walked down the aisle. For someone who never cries, I almost lost it seeing him cry! It was perfect!
YAY Mr. & Mrs. Smith!!!
Look, we're all Smiths...
One of the most memorable and special parts of the night, was when my new husband sang our wedding song to me. It was so unexpected. And really was the sweetest thing ever!
THANK YOU to everyone who helped put this together! Our parents and families, my bridesmaids, especially my MoH, Jenn! And to my new sis, Meghan for putting all of the programs together! Thank you to the Cord & Veil peeps for being a part of the ceremony... Michelle & Dino and Uncle Colin & Aunt Sue! Thanks again to all of you for coming out to Falkner Winery and sharing in our wonderful day! We love you all!!!
Lastly, thank you to my wonderful, loving new husband... I really do promise to fill our home with peace, love, laughter, and chocolate covered pretzels... In-N-Out, which sounds AMAZING right now... thank you for giving me my dream wedding and being the love of my life. You are my best friend and my one true love. I can't wait for our honeymoon... and eventually for our reality show that blows Jon & Kate out of the water!
Nobody loves you like I do...
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
One more day...
One more day to go, Ladies and Gents! We are literally in the home stretch, and so excited! All of the family is here... we are packing up and getting ready to leave for Temecula. I'm a little nervous because there is rain in the forecast, but we are looking into it. Everybody pray to the rain gods to be kind.
This is probably the last time I'll be on here til after the wedding. We cannot wait to see each and every one of you. We are all so blessed and excited to have you be a part of our special day.
YAY WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!
This is probably the last time I'll be on here til after the wedding. We cannot wait to see each and every one of you. We are all so blessed and excited to have you be a part of our special day.
YAY WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!
Friday, April 24, 2009
8 days, 7 nights...
One more week... seven more days... one hundred sixty eight hours... ten thousand eighty minutes... six hundred and four thousand eight hundred seconds...
(wait for it... wait for it)
And I'm a SMITH... HOLY CRAPBALLS BATMAN!!!
Pretty much, everything is set. All the dresses are hemmed, vendors are paid, menu is set, music is selected, emotions are high... We picked up our wedding bands last week... and HEART them! Cory likes to put his wedding band on and prance around the house. It's too cute! The only things we are working on now are finishing up the wedding favors and the wedding program. Thank goodness we have Meghan coming in tomorrow! Haha! We originally weren't going to have programs. But... since we've encountered a slight snag with trying to do a slideshow, we've decided to do a program instead and incorporate some of the pictures from the slideshow, into the program. We started working on it last night, and it's actually turning out to be super cute. Nuttin like last minute projects to get the adrenaline pumpin!
Here are some pics from Catalina when I did my first ocean dives. Sorry, no pics of me in my sexy wetsuit and scuba gear!
This is me and Groomy by the casino...
This is me with my scuba instructors (Sandra and Sean)...
That's it for now... see ya in a week!!!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
From Groomy...
Hello All!! I am the groom. It's taken me too long to put my thoughts down for you all, but better late than never. Since Annaliza and I been engaged, we've been very busy with wedding planning and making sure everything goes well at the wedding. It really has gone incredibly well and we've enjoyed every part of it. There are certainly times that we didn't know where we'd get the time to get everything done, but we've been fortunate to have so many things fall into place. We are so excited for the big day, too see all our families and friends together, and hope that the time does not pass too quickly. We've put so much work into this and really do hope that everyone has a great time sharing this big event in our lives with us.
The best part of all this planning is after the ceremony is complete, the wedding party is over and everyone has gone home, I will have the most wonderful bride by my side, to love, to laugh and to grow with.
Even with all this planning, Annaliza still found the time over the last month to get her scuba certification! We are looking forward to go on a few tropical dives in the Caribbean. It will be part of some much needed relaxation.
So I'll try to post a few more thoughts in the next couple of weeks. Can't wait to see you all May 1st!
The best part of all this planning is after the ceremony is complete, the wedding party is over and everyone has gone home, I will have the most wonderful bride by my side, to love, to laugh and to grow with.
Even with all this planning, Annaliza still found the time over the last month to get her scuba certification! We are looking forward to go on a few tropical dives in the Caribbean. It will be part of some much needed relaxation.
So I'll try to post a few more thoughts in the next couple of weeks. Can't wait to see you all May 1st!
In the home stretch...
...and we are exhausted, but hanging in there!
In addition to completing my Open Water Scuba Certification yesterday (whoo hooo!), we are putting the final touches on this fabulous wedding that is coming upon us in just 12 short days... Holy Moles! Last weekend, we finished putting the wedding favors together and started on the wedding party gifts. This weekend, we're finalizing the music for the guitarist, for the DJ, printing the place cards, finishing the corks for the place cards (Thank You Cory!), getting all the last minute stuff like ring bearer pillow, coin pouch... oh and braving the early summer heat and taking our table number pictures out by the lake! (Thanks Cat and Mike!!!) Hope you guys love the table numbers! We're also picking our songs for the Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dance... all of which have made me teary eyed. Damn it, it's starting already...
Anyhoo, keep checking back for all the last minute deets... SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU ALL!!!
PS - What's up with my Angels????
In addition to completing my Open Water Scuba Certification yesterday (whoo hooo!), we are putting the final touches on this fabulous wedding that is coming upon us in just 12 short days... Holy Moles! Last weekend, we finished putting the wedding favors together and started on the wedding party gifts. This weekend, we're finalizing the music for the guitarist, for the DJ, printing the place cards, finishing the corks for the place cards (Thank You Cory!), getting all the last minute stuff like ring bearer pillow, coin pouch... oh and braving the early summer heat and taking our table number pictures out by the lake! (Thanks Cat and Mike!!!) Hope you guys love the table numbers! We're also picking our songs for the Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dance... all of which have made me teary eyed. Damn it, it's starting already...
Anyhoo, keep checking back for all the last minute deets... SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU ALL!!!
PS - What's up with my Angels????
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
That's why this one is for da... Girls on the dance floor...
LADIES... what can I say... in the history of ALL bachelorette parties ever had, we gave them ALL a run for their money... AND WON! I don't know what bachelorette party was filled with more P*NIS, than mine... do you? Too bad it was all gay... but so worth it!!!
I really want to thank all of you GORGEOUS LADIES for coming out to Palm Springs and staying at the Ultimate House of STYLE for my send off into marriage... my ALOHA to SINGLEDOM, if you will! Jenn, Rach, D, Lily, Ngan, Marcy, Cat, Jax, Megan, Melissa, Lynsey... WELL DONE! We def missed my other bridesmaids who couldn't make it because they live out of state, Meghan and Tek, as well as my other fabulous hotties who were unable to attend. We absolutely toasted a few to you! I especially want to thank my MOH, Jenn and also Rachy for putting this all together. You saw me, I damn near cried when we got there... and NO that was not the windstorm bringing on those tears!!! The house was perfect, the pool rocked, the playlist was out of this world, the food was delish, the alcohol was ABUNDANT. We missed the Guitar Hero World Tour, but geedeemit, made up for it with the KARAOKE MICS - thanks to Miss Cat, my Siamesey! Who woulda thunk it? That we'd have an AMAZING weekend amongst lesbian women and gay men at Dinah Shore Week! My B*TCHES were more FIERCE (thanks Lily) than those queens! HAAAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!
For the sake of the world and all that read this blog, I will NOT be posting pictures of the weekend. But you can ask and we'll think about it...
And - To Mike, Sam, Josh, and Gabe... THANK YOU FOR TAKING MY MAN OUT FOR A BACHELOR NIGHT OF DEBAUCHERY! I'm not sure your crazy times equal our crazy times, but we'll throw you a bone!
In addition to our crazy bachelorette/bachelor weekends, wedding plans are bogging us down. But we are almost done. We have our final meets with everyone and things are FINALLY coming together. And, also exciting... I am in the process of getting my Open Water certification for SCUBA diving. The class is normally 3 weeks long, then there are 2 ocean dives at the end of it, which landed on the weekend before the wedding. As if we wouldn't have enough going on. So, since there aren't any other people in the class, it's just little old me... they were nice enough to change their class schedule around to accomodate our chaotic lives! SO - we are condensing 3 weeks worth of classes into ONE week... ONE class day, and ONE pool day... OUCH! Then two different ocean dive days. We had orientation last week, I rocked putting my gear together. Last night, I had my classroom work, had to take my tests, then decided to take my final... I PASSED! WHOO HOOOO!!! Tomorrow, I will be spending pretty much the whole day in the pool learning all my skillzzzz... Saturday, we're heading out to Catalina to do my first ocean dives. And next Saturday, we'll be in Laguna doing my last set. Who's bright idea was this to cram in a SCUBA certification right before getting married??!?!??!!? Oh well, I'll be exhausted, but when all is said and done, Cory and I will get to do some AMAZING diving in St. Lucia - CAN'T EFFING WAIT!
We are at a whopping 23 days til the BIG ONE... any questions? Please remember to make your hotel arrangements at the designated hotels listed on our wedding website. We have room blocks reserved for cheaper prices that what is listed on their websites.
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AnnalizaVictoria&CorySmith
SEE YOU ALL VERY SOON!!!!
I really want to thank all of you GORGEOUS LADIES for coming out to Palm Springs and staying at the Ultimate House of STYLE for my send off into marriage... my ALOHA to SINGLEDOM, if you will! Jenn, Rach, D, Lily, Ngan, Marcy, Cat, Jax, Megan, Melissa, Lynsey... WELL DONE! We def missed my other bridesmaids who couldn't make it because they live out of state, Meghan and Tek, as well as my other fabulous hotties who were unable to attend. We absolutely toasted a few to you! I especially want to thank my MOH, Jenn and also Rachy for putting this all together. You saw me, I damn near cried when we got there... and NO that was not the windstorm bringing on those tears!!! The house was perfect, the pool rocked, the playlist was out of this world, the food was delish, the alcohol was ABUNDANT. We missed the Guitar Hero World Tour, but geedeemit, made up for it with the KARAOKE MICS - thanks to Miss Cat, my Siamesey! Who woulda thunk it? That we'd have an AMAZING weekend amongst lesbian women and gay men at Dinah Shore Week! My B*TCHES were more FIERCE (thanks Lily) than those queens! HAAAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!
For the sake of the world and all that read this blog, I will NOT be posting pictures of the weekend. But you can ask and we'll think about it...
And - To Mike, Sam, Josh, and Gabe... THANK YOU FOR TAKING MY MAN OUT FOR A BACHELOR NIGHT OF DEBAUCHERY! I'm not sure your crazy times equal our crazy times, but we'll throw you a bone!
In addition to our crazy bachelorette/bachelor weekends, wedding plans are bogging us down. But we are almost done. We have our final meets with everyone and things are FINALLY coming together. And, also exciting... I am in the process of getting my Open Water certification for SCUBA diving. The class is normally 3 weeks long, then there are 2 ocean dives at the end of it, which landed on the weekend before the wedding. As if we wouldn't have enough going on. So, since there aren't any other people in the class, it's just little old me... they were nice enough to change their class schedule around to accomodate our chaotic lives! SO - we are condensing 3 weeks worth of classes into ONE week... ONE class day, and ONE pool day... OUCH! Then two different ocean dive days. We had orientation last week, I rocked putting my gear together. Last night, I had my classroom work, had to take my tests, then decided to take my final... I PASSED! WHOO HOOOO!!! Tomorrow, I will be spending pretty much the whole day in the pool learning all my skillzzzz... Saturday, we're heading out to Catalina to do my first ocean dives. And next Saturday, we'll be in Laguna doing my last set. Who's bright idea was this to cram in a SCUBA certification right before getting married??!?!??!!? Oh well, I'll be exhausted, but when all is said and done, Cory and I will get to do some AMAZING diving in St. Lucia - CAN'T EFFING WAIT!
We are at a whopping 23 days til the BIG ONE... any questions? Please remember to make your hotel arrangements at the designated hotels listed on our wedding website. We have room blocks reserved for cheaper prices that what is listed on their websites.
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AnnalizaVictoria&CorySmith
SEE YOU ALL VERY SOON!!!!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
What does "food tasting" mean to you?
So, there we were... in Temecula for some wedding stuff. We drove out there Sunday to do our food and wine tasting for the wedding, and then to do my hair and make up trial. For those of you who have been unfortunate enough to hear me complain about this experience from beginning to end, I'm sorry. For those who have no idea, here's the skinny... A few weeks ago, as we were setting the tasting schedule with the owner of the winery (Ms. Loretta Falkner)... we were going back and forth on emails as to times and what not. They had just hired a new chef, who came up with a new amazing menu, so we were excited to go out there for our food/wine tasting.
Tasting... now that is an interesting concept, don't you think? When someone says "tasting" to me, I automatically think a tasting of all foods available on the menu. Right? If there are 8 possible entrees, and say 10 possible appetizers, 8 possible sides, and so on and so forth, you would get to taste a small portion of each...so as to formulate an opinion on each flavor to create your own menu for your special day... have I gone off the deep end yet, or am I still within the realm of a normal food tasting? Yes/no? So, Loretta and I begin to email about the tasting... all the while, never having been instructed as to how to let her know what I want to taste. It was never laid out in the contract, nowhere in the brochures, etc. So, I just decided to email her with my choices of foods to try and let her know that we were going to have a small entourage with us, and I asked if that would be alright. Well... much to my dismay, I was greeted the next day with a response that was so offensive and rude, that I couldn't believe that we were getting married at a place that is run by someone like that.
"Never in my 8 years of experience has anyone ever asked to taste this much. When you go out to dinner, do you order this much??? The purpose of the tasting is to see the style of the chef (funny, I thought it was to pick MY wedding menu, but that's just me). You know what your favorites are and this is what you should do!!! Please RETHINK this and let me know."
Come to find out that the tasting according to her rules means, pick two entrees, and that's all you get to taste... What if I don't like them??? How do I come up with a menu?!?!?! And first of all... in her 8 years of experience? Well, this is our FIRST... and ONLY! So, in true Annaliza fashion, I proceeded to scream at the top of my lungs to poor Groomy about how Loretta insulted me and that he better do the responding because my response wouldn't be pretty... and we may lose our wedding location. He was pretty upset by the response as well. I mean, who ever heard of a tasting that consisted of tasting two things and THAT'S IT? Oh, and did I mention that the tasting would cost $25/per each additional person. Anyhoo, so he responded to her telling her that there was no need to treat me that way and that she's an idiot (ok he didn't really say that), and that we deserve nothing less than the most exceptional service from her and her staff. And of course, she apologized profusely... whatever. So, we tasted... and were impressed. The menu is set, and hopefully you'll all enjoy it... I'm thinking that with the way my dress fits, I'll be lucky if I can have two bites! HA! The only other disappointing thing about our tasting is that they didn't have the wine available that we LOVE. Their Reisling... we are SO upset about that, and I guess there is nothing we can do. I should make Loretta give it to us since she was SO MEAN!
I guess, so far, if this is the only complaint, I can deal with that. I mean, it does leave a bad taste in my mouth with regards to Loretta, but I obviously have to be over it. There are other minor complaints, but I'm gong to overlook them for now... and maybe bitch about them AFTER the wedding.
Anyhoo, afterwards, did my hair and make up trial. I LOVE. I can't wait to see everything all put together!
ONE MORE MONTH from tomorrow, Ladies and Gents. Hope you have all your travel arrangements and hotel accomodations in place. PLEASE let us know if you have any questions or need help with anything.
We love you all and look forward to seeing you on May 1st!!!!
Tasting... now that is an interesting concept, don't you think? When someone says "tasting" to me, I automatically think a tasting of all foods available on the menu. Right? If there are 8 possible entrees, and say 10 possible appetizers, 8 possible sides, and so on and so forth, you would get to taste a small portion of each...so as to formulate an opinion on each flavor to create your own menu for your special day... have I gone off the deep end yet, or am I still within the realm of a normal food tasting? Yes/no? So, Loretta and I begin to email about the tasting... all the while, never having been instructed as to how to let her know what I want to taste. It was never laid out in the contract, nowhere in the brochures, etc. So, I just decided to email her with my choices of foods to try and let her know that we were going to have a small entourage with us, and I asked if that would be alright. Well... much to my dismay, I was greeted the next day with a response that was so offensive and rude, that I couldn't believe that we were getting married at a place that is run by someone like that.
"Never in my 8 years of experience has anyone ever asked to taste this much. When you go out to dinner, do you order this much??? The purpose of the tasting is to see the style of the chef (funny, I thought it was to pick MY wedding menu, but that's just me). You know what your favorites are and this is what you should do!!! Please RETHINK this and let me know."
Come to find out that the tasting according to her rules means, pick two entrees, and that's all you get to taste... What if I don't like them??? How do I come up with a menu?!?!?! And first of all... in her 8 years of experience? Well, this is our FIRST... and ONLY! So, in true Annaliza fashion, I proceeded to scream at the top of my lungs to poor Groomy about how Loretta insulted me and that he better do the responding because my response wouldn't be pretty... and we may lose our wedding location. He was pretty upset by the response as well. I mean, who ever heard of a tasting that consisted of tasting two things and THAT'S IT? Oh, and did I mention that the tasting would cost $25/per each additional person. Anyhoo, so he responded to her telling her that there was no need to treat me that way and that she's an idiot (ok he didn't really say that), and that we deserve nothing less than the most exceptional service from her and her staff. And of course, she apologized profusely... whatever. So, we tasted... and were impressed. The menu is set, and hopefully you'll all enjoy it... I'm thinking that with the way my dress fits, I'll be lucky if I can have two bites! HA! The only other disappointing thing about our tasting is that they didn't have the wine available that we LOVE. Their Reisling... we are SO upset about that, and I guess there is nothing we can do. I should make Loretta give it to us since she was SO MEAN!
I guess, so far, if this is the only complaint, I can deal with that. I mean, it does leave a bad taste in my mouth with regards to Loretta, but I obviously have to be over it. There are other minor complaints, but I'm gong to overlook them for now... and maybe bitch about them AFTER the wedding.
Anyhoo, afterwards, did my hair and make up trial. I LOVE. I can't wait to see everything all put together!
ONE MORE MONTH from tomorrow, Ladies and Gents. Hope you have all your travel arrangements and hotel accomodations in place. PLEASE let us know if you have any questions or need help with anything.
We love you all and look forward to seeing you on May 1st!!!!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I'm just an ordinary girl, livin' in an extraordinary world...
HANDS DOWN - BEST BRIDAL SHOWER EVER KNOWN TO ANY BRIDE IN THE WORLD!!!
My Orange County Girl Tea Party was seriously the most phenomenal, amazing bridal shower! The food was amazing, the cake was to die for, the games were perfect, most of my girls were there... it was a perfect Sunday afternoon "tea party"! My MOH continues to go above and beyond, and I love her to death!
The only thing I could have done without was stuffing my face full of wintergreen gum for every question I got wrong... Jenn had contacted Cory previously in the week to ask him a set of questions about me, him, us... and at the shower, she was to ask me the questions, and I was to answer how he would. And if I didn't, I had to eat a stick of gum. Well, let me tell ya... that pack of gum was damn near finished when she got through with me! But, listen, I just have to say, in my defense, that some of those questions weren't fair... like asking Cory what my favorite position to sleep is. He said "on my right side"... which is clearly WRONG! I love to sleep on my tummy, always have, always will. So, why did I have to eat the stick of gum for that?!?!?!?! he got it wrong, not me - Hahaha! The other questions were hysterical. Mom, I'm sorry you had to hear that I made the first move... ooops.
My beautiful blushing toilet paper brides!
My handsome Groomy...
So, this week, we are supposed to get our marriage license - that should be fun! Today, my mom and I get to pick up our dresses! I'm SO EXCITED to see my dress all fitted to me! YAY! Then, this Saturday, we're taking Jenn out for her birthday!!!! And on Sunday, we're going for our food/wine tasting! I'm excited about that. We signed me up for my Open Water Scuba certification. I'm just going through the book right now, learning all my material. Then I'll start the classes and pool classes next month, then my ocean dives in Catalina, and I'm ready to go in St. Lucia - WHOO HOOOO! Cory, the sweet hubby-to-be that he is, got me all of my scuba gear as my wedding present. I love it!
A little over 5 weeks until the BIG DAY people! Don't forget to send in your RSVPs!
My Orange County Girl Tea Party was seriously the most phenomenal, amazing bridal shower! The food was amazing, the cake was to die for, the games were perfect, most of my girls were there... it was a perfect Sunday afternoon "tea party"! My MOH continues to go above and beyond, and I love her to death!
The only thing I could have done without was stuffing my face full of wintergreen gum for every question I got wrong... Jenn had contacted Cory previously in the week to ask him a set of questions about me, him, us... and at the shower, she was to ask me the questions, and I was to answer how he would. And if I didn't, I had to eat a stick of gum. Well, let me tell ya... that pack of gum was damn near finished when she got through with me! But, listen, I just have to say, in my defense, that some of those questions weren't fair... like asking Cory what my favorite position to sleep is. He said "on my right side"... which is clearly WRONG! I love to sleep on my tummy, always have, always will. So, why did I have to eat the stick of gum for that?!?!?!?! he got it wrong, not me - Hahaha! The other questions were hysterical. Mom, I'm sorry you had to hear that I made the first move... ooops.
My beautiful blushing toilet paper brides!
My handsome Groomy...
So, this week, we are supposed to get our marriage license - that should be fun! Today, my mom and I get to pick up our dresses! I'm SO EXCITED to see my dress all fitted to me! YAY! Then, this Saturday, we're taking Jenn out for her birthday!!!! And on Sunday, we're going for our food/wine tasting! I'm excited about that. We signed me up for my Open Water Scuba certification. I'm just going through the book right now, learning all my material. Then I'll start the classes and pool classes next month, then my ocean dives in Catalina, and I'm ready to go in St. Lucia - WHOO HOOOO! Cory, the sweet hubby-to-be that he is, got me all of my scuba gear as my wedding present. I love it!
A little over 5 weeks until the BIG DAY people! Don't forget to send in your RSVPs!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Jack and Jill went up a hill...
... to have a Couple's Shower...
Hey Everyone,
Just a reminder that this weekend is the Couple's Shower! Hope you can join us for some yummy pilipino pood and karaoke... and maybe Rock Band!!!
We are at T-minus days 52 til the BIG DAY, and every plan out there is in full swing. Including the floral, which has undergone a complete facelift from the original plans... We originally had these rustic reds and oranges in mind, because I really loved those colors together, and if you all know me, after SILVER, I love those colors. But as Daylight Savings fell upon us, and the spring time rapidly approaching, I started to doubt the colors, and wanted to move to a more "springy", vibrant, yet still elegant, sexy look. So, I emailed with our florist, and once again, I heart her to death. With 7 weeks to go, she's totally fine with the changes and it's going to be AMAZING...
All other plans are going at 90mph as well... we have our food and wine tastings coming up, my dress will be ready for the 2nd fitting in a couple of weeks, my mom's dress will be ready soon, we are still receiving responses, at some point, we have to tackle the slideshow and put together the wedding favors, I'm still trying to find a make up artist, and I missed my hair trial this past Sunday because I was stuck at our National Sales Meeting in Arizona... well worth it, but now have to find SOME random day to drive out there. UGH!
It is crazy how fast everything is approaching. Our Couple's Shower is this weekend, my bridal shower is next Sunday, and then two weeks after that, is my long awaited Palm Springs Getaway! Cory isn't having a bachelor party, which makes me sad, but it's difficult with all of his boys in different cities/states. So Mark, Mike, Mike, and all the boys... PLEEEEZ take him out and get him drunk when you all get in before the wedding! =)
Anyhoo, we will see you all in 52 days!!!!
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AnnalizaVictoria&CorySmith
Hey Everyone,
Just a reminder that this weekend is the Couple's Shower! Hope you can join us for some yummy pilipino pood and karaoke... and maybe Rock Band!!!
We are at T-minus days 52 til the BIG DAY, and every plan out there is in full swing. Including the floral, which has undergone a complete facelift from the original plans... We originally had these rustic reds and oranges in mind, because I really loved those colors together, and if you all know me, after SILVER, I love those colors. But as Daylight Savings fell upon us, and the spring time rapidly approaching, I started to doubt the colors, and wanted to move to a more "springy", vibrant, yet still elegant, sexy look. So, I emailed with our florist, and once again, I heart her to death. With 7 weeks to go, she's totally fine with the changes and it's going to be AMAZING...
All other plans are going at 90mph as well... we have our food and wine tastings coming up, my dress will be ready for the 2nd fitting in a couple of weeks, my mom's dress will be ready soon, we are still receiving responses, at some point, we have to tackle the slideshow and put together the wedding favors, I'm still trying to find a make up artist, and I missed my hair trial this past Sunday because I was stuck at our National Sales Meeting in Arizona... well worth it, but now have to find SOME random day to drive out there. UGH!
It is crazy how fast everything is approaching. Our Couple's Shower is this weekend, my bridal shower is next Sunday, and then two weeks after that, is my long awaited Palm Springs Getaway! Cory isn't having a bachelor party, which makes me sad, but it's difficult with all of his boys in different cities/states. So Mark, Mike, Mike, and all the boys... PLEEEEZ take him out and get him drunk when you all get in before the wedding! =)
Anyhoo, we will see you all in 52 days!!!!
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AnnalizaVictoria&CorySmith
Monday, February 23, 2009
Maggie Sottero in the house...
My dress is here! Whoo-hoooo!!!!! I went in on Friday to go my first fitting, and today I'll take it to get hemmed. I'll admit that I was having doubts about the dress that I had picked, but seeing this dress... my dress, brand new, and so beautiful, it erased any concerns that I had about it being the "perfect" dress. I hope Cory loves it as much as I do! Think he'll cry?
Plans are still coming along. We are at 66 days now, and every single one of my weekends is booked with something. Crazy how that happens, huh? My mom and I went dress shopping for her this weekend. She ended up finding her DREAM dress. It is gorgeous, it's in the color she wants (champagne) and it makes her look HOT! I'm so happy for her and can't wait to see her all dressed up.
Hopefully, you've all received the invitation for the Couple's Shower that my family is hosting! Hope to see you all there!
And to my ladies - Palm Springs has NO IDEA what's about to happen!!!
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AnnalizaVictoria&CorySmith
Please keep checking the website for updates... For those of you who have asked, I have updated our registry page if you want to see where we are registered... Macy's, Crate and Barrel, Target, and we've added Sandals for our honeymoon. TheWeddingChannel.com, where our Macy's registry is also does registries for many other places, including Sandals resorts, so you should be able to access ours at that website.
http://registry.weddingchannel.com/wedding_websites/PersonalWebsite.action?view=gr&occ=574813234
Love you all!
Plans are still coming along. We are at 66 days now, and every single one of my weekends is booked with something. Crazy how that happens, huh? My mom and I went dress shopping for her this weekend. She ended up finding her DREAM dress. It is gorgeous, it's in the color she wants (champagne) and it makes her look HOT! I'm so happy for her and can't wait to see her all dressed up.
Hopefully, you've all received the invitation for the Couple's Shower that my family is hosting! Hope to see you all there!
And to my ladies - Palm Springs has NO IDEA what's about to happen!!!
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AnnalizaVictoria&CorySmith
Please keep checking the website for updates... For those of you who have asked, I have updated our registry page if you want to see where we are registered... Macy's, Crate and Barrel, Target, and we've added Sandals for our honeymoon. TheWeddingChannel.com, where our Macy's registry is also does registries for many other places, including Sandals resorts, so you should be able to access ours at that website.
http://registry.weddingchannel.com/wedding_websites/PersonalWebsite.action?view=gr&occ=574813234
Love you all!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Engagement Photo Slideshow
It's here... our Engagement Photo Slideshow!
Trista did an AMAZING job and we are so pleased with it!
Hope you enjoy!
www.tristalerit.com/annalizacory
Trista did an AMAZING job and we are so pleased with it!
Hope you enjoy!
www.tristalerit.com/annalizacory
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Happy Birthday!!!
I can't believe I almost forgot to wish a Happy Belated Birthday to Christopher, my lil baby bro... I CANNOT believe he is 26... Twenty-Six?!?!!?!?!?! What does that make me?
Also, we would like to wish a very Happy 4th Birthday to Gizmo... our lil man, baby boy, Yorkie! Haha! Cory bought him this gigantic stuffed toy dog that is about twice Gizmo's size... of course, he has already devoured part of it.
Also, we would like to wish a very Happy 4th Birthday to Gizmo... our lil man, baby boy, Yorkie! Haha! Cory bought him this gigantic stuffed toy dog that is about twice Gizmo's size... of course, he has already devoured part of it.
St. Lucia - here we come!!!
YAY! I'm happy to announce that we have finally decided on where to go on our honeymoon and it is BOOKED...
ST. LUCIA - HERE WE COME!!!
We are SO excited! We are staying at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian. It's a Sandals resort, so everything is included, food, drinks, even the activites like SAILING and SCUBA DIVING! YESSSSSS! Cory is already a certified scuba diver and we are hoping to get me certified to dive by the honeymoon... wish me luck! (Nobody talk about Open Water from here on out!) As Danielle says, we will "ride horses on the beach through the aqua blue clear water with the water splashing us as we sip on mai tais made with local grown fruits and the glow of love in our eyes!" HA! LOVE IT!!!
It's 78 days and counting down to the BIG ONE! We've been the busiest either of us have ever been... every weekend between now and the wedding is literally booked with wedding stuff. From bridal/couples showers, BACHELOR/BACHELORETTE WEEKENDS, some sort of shopping, tastings, hair trials, make up trials... I'm exhausted just typing this. But we are so excited! We seriously race home from work every day to check the mail for our response cards! You're rolling your eyes I'm sure, but HEY, we only get to do this once in our lives, and we are STOKED - SO THERE! =)
We picked the tuxedos (finally) for Mr. Groom and his groomsmen. They are going to be some sharp looking dudes! We got our favors in the mail, they are ADORABLE. Now we just have to find some weekend to put it all together. I just got the bridal shower favors as well, SUPA CUTE! Speaking of which, just got the ADORABLE Bridal Shower invitation from my fabulous MOH, who is throwing me the most amazing bridal shower EVER! The theme is Orange County Girl Tea Party - kinda like Gwen Stefani and her "Whatcha Waiting For" video. Black and hot pink are the colors... and of course, the theme is visited again for the bachelorette party - Sweet Escape... AHHHH, can't wait. Ok, stop!
Anyways, the time is flying by and we are too excited, not only to get married, but to see all of you, the ones that we love, all in one place!
ST. LUCIA - HERE WE COME!!!
We are SO excited! We are staying at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian. It's a Sandals resort, so everything is included, food, drinks, even the activites like SAILING and SCUBA DIVING! YESSSSSS! Cory is already a certified scuba diver and we are hoping to get me certified to dive by the honeymoon... wish me luck! (Nobody talk about Open Water from here on out!) As Danielle says, we will "ride horses on the beach through the aqua blue clear water with the water splashing us as we sip on mai tais made with local grown fruits and the glow of love in our eyes!" HA! LOVE IT!!!
It's 78 days and counting down to the BIG ONE! We've been the busiest either of us have ever been... every weekend between now and the wedding is literally booked with wedding stuff. From bridal/couples showers, BACHELOR/BACHELORETTE WEEKENDS, some sort of shopping, tastings, hair trials, make up trials... I'm exhausted just typing this. But we are so excited! We seriously race home from work every day to check the mail for our response cards! You're rolling your eyes I'm sure, but HEY, we only get to do this once in our lives, and we are STOKED - SO THERE! =)
We picked the tuxedos (finally) for Mr. Groom and his groomsmen. They are going to be some sharp looking dudes! We got our favors in the mail, they are ADORABLE. Now we just have to find some weekend to put it all together. I just got the bridal shower favors as well, SUPA CUTE! Speaking of which, just got the ADORABLE Bridal Shower invitation from my fabulous MOH, who is throwing me the most amazing bridal shower EVER! The theme is Orange County Girl Tea Party - kinda like Gwen Stefani and her "Whatcha Waiting For" video. Black and hot pink are the colors... and of course, the theme is visited again for the bachelorette party - Sweet Escape... AHHHH, can't wait. Ok, stop!
Anyways, the time is flying by and we are too excited, not only to get married, but to see all of you, the ones that we love, all in one place!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
No turning back now...
...hahahaha!
There is no turning back now - the wedding invitations are out the door peeps!
If I spelled something wrong or addressed something whacky, please please puh-leeeez... don't say a thing! HA!
I really can't believe that we are down to 85 days. Can you? I know I've been harping on it, but last night, it hit me, and I got a little choked up and teary eyed... maybe it was the paper cuts from stuffing envelopes. But, Cory and I are so excited to start this new chapter in both of our lives. We can't wait and we can't stop talking about it. Of course, I'm back to sleepless nights and nightmares of something not getting done, a vendor ditching out on us... the latest... my hair and make up ladies bailed, which made me so late to the ceremony, and everyone left. Ugh...
My bachelorette evite went out today. I am very excited for a Sweet Escape to the Springs! It's gonna be a fabulous weekend to send me off into marriage. Does this mean no more girls nights out? YEAH RIGHT! But I really am stoked for all the things that my MOH and my MAIDS have in store for me.
There is no turning back now - the wedding invitations are out the door peeps!
If I spelled something wrong or addressed something whacky, please please puh-leeeez... don't say a thing! HA!
I really can't believe that we are down to 85 days. Can you? I know I've been harping on it, but last night, it hit me, and I got a little choked up and teary eyed... maybe it was the paper cuts from stuffing envelopes. But, Cory and I are so excited to start this new chapter in both of our lives. We can't wait and we can't stop talking about it. Of course, I'm back to sleepless nights and nightmares of something not getting done, a vendor ditching out on us... the latest... my hair and make up ladies bailed, which made me so late to the ceremony, and everyone left. Ugh...
My bachelorette evite went out today. I am very excited for a Sweet Escape to the Springs! It's gonna be a fabulous weekend to send me off into marriage. Does this mean no more girls nights out? YEAH RIGHT! But I really am stoked for all the things that my MOH and my MAIDS have in store for me.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
25 things you always wanted to know, but would never ask...
Someone sent me this on Facebook... it was kinda interesting, so I thought I'd put it here too (in case you don't have Facebook)! Now if I can only get Cory to do one...
Enjoy!
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things (facts, habits, or goals) about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.To do this, go to the Notes under tabs on your profile page, copy and paste instructions, type 25 things, and tag 25 people.
1. I hate my smile... I'm all gums. Have you seen most pictures of me? You would have no idea that I had teeth because you'd be blinded by my upper gums. If there was some sort of surgery out there that that could glue my top lip to the gargantuan wall that is my upper gumline, I would do it in a heartbeat, at any cost... anybody?
2. As a child, I always thought that when I grew up, I would be a model by day, astronaut by night, and oceanographer on the side. How I figured I would accomplish all of that, who knows, but I had big aspirations. My mother neglected to tell me that there are no 5'2" supermodels, that astronauts need perfect 20/20 vision, and that my skin is allergic to ocean water... is that like the trifecta of all disappointments, or what?
3. The trade off (to #2), I get to work in an industry that helps sick people every single day, I'm in a profession that directly works with those who have the ability to put GOOD, SAFE products out there, I get to play with bloodied devices, and... the kicker... it brought me to the love of my life, my soon-to-be husband, Cory Smith.
4. I've been told that I know way too much about FRIENDS and Sex and the City... this is not a trait I am ashamed of.
5. Would you believe, that at the ripe old age of 32, I am STILL deathly afraid of the Boogie Man? (Boogie Man = Jason from Friday the 13th) I have my cousin, Michelle to thank for that... haha! First she made me watch the movie against my will. But of course, was it really against my will... I just hid behind my pillow. Then she locked me in the closet and told me that if I didn't do what she said, the Boogie Man would appear. Apparently at age 6, I wasn't so smart... to think that he would just appear out of thin air. And for whatever reason, to this day, I still look behind me while I'm walking alone, in the dark.
6. To Michelle's credit, despite getting locked in the closet, or the countless sleepovers we had that sent me running home BALLING because she rolled her eyes in the back of her head and pretended to be a zombie that worked for the Boogie Man who was out to get me, or the endless times my dad had to warn her that he'd hang her by her toes if she didn't stop bossing me around... she is still my #1 favorite "hah-nee", and I love her to death, am so proud of who she has become, and am ecstatic to have her in my life.
7. It has taken me years and years of painful tears and sleepless nights, but I have finally come to realize, that despite the urge we had in high school to have as many friends as the phone book can hold, that as each year slaps you in the face to remind you of how grand you are becoming, people in your life truly will disappoint you, disrespect you, kick you in the shin, make you cry, make you hurt... so it's ok to let people go. Even if you're left standing with only one true-to-the-heart good friend, you will survive. (I'm def lucky to have more than one, but it took me a while to get where I am today)
8. ... is my favorite and lucky number. It represents the inifinite... The infinite love I have for my fiance, my family, my dog, my friends... the infinite possibilities of what you can do if you just stop being such a ninny... the infinite black hole that is, reality tv... the infinite hours that it will most likely take me to finish this damn thing, but apparently worth it...
9.I'm a girl that can drive a stick shift... well... nuff said. (Why this continues to baffle and impress men, I'll never know)... what do I get if I tell you that I know how to back my truck into parking spots?
10. I started out as a left handed child. But for whatever idiotic reasons, the schools claimed that left-handed children were dumb and I should be force to be a righty. To this day, I write with my right (not well), and play sports with my left. Hm, these are the same people that said that bi-lingual households produce less than desirable students... who are these people? With any luck, my parents will teach my children Tagalog, then they can talk about me all they want.
11. My parents almost named me Tracy Ann...
12. I have absolutely no sense of style. I have to rely on my friends like Rachel to help pick things out for me that fit my body type, my sense of simplicity. If it were up to me, jeans and beaters would be the standard wardrobe, and the only way to dress it up were to add a hoodie, or colored flip flops... maybe even wedges, but even then, I might just opt for Uggs. If you told me to dress myself, do my hair, make myself up as if I were going on a fancy schmancy date, and my life depended on it, you'd be looking at a dead pilipino with no make up... in a beater and jeans. Change It Up, right Rach?
13. Despite the fact that I May or May Not be the next fashion victim on What Not To Wear, I seem to have an innate ability to pick cute shoes... too bad I don't have a bank account to go with it. But I've been told that my shoes are absolutely adorable... and even more so, once people find out that they're affordable. Far be it for me to knock on Jimmy Choos or Manolos, but I just can't justify spending that much on two pieces of leather that eventually stink up your feet. Well hey, if you're only capable of wearing jeans and beaters, why not style it up with some sexy Steve Madden Rufles... love those!
14. My mind races more than I'd like to admit. I'm not ADD or anything like that, but I can never just STOP thinking. This would contribute to #4. When I go to bed at night, I can't stop thinking. About work, currently about the wedding, about money, about my family, about Cory, about my dog, how are my friends, what did I forget to do today that I need to finish tomorrow, what's happening next on 24... I have to watch t.v. to stop me from thinking, then fall asleep to the soft sounds of my DVD player on a loop... TiVo became my best friend for a while. This was fine when I was single and living on my own. But it doesn't help when the man you live with can fall asleep at the drop of a hat... and what wakes him up is the flashing of the screen when I hit fast foward on the TiVo. Ear plugs and eye masks... does anybody know how to break me of this habit?
15. I love using the three dots when I type... can you tell?
16. I could watch the Food Network all damn day... in fact, that's what's on in the background right now!
17. I like cut up, diced tomatoes in my salads, pastas, salsas (duh), and guacamole dips... but get that red mushy crap away from my burgers, sandwiches, burritos, and everything else.
18. My favorite hangover foods are In N Out, Mickey D's breakfasts, and Breakfast burritos from Albertos... it's too bad they don't have those out in RSM...
19. I NEVER believed in people who said that "they knew" when they met their spouse... until I started dating Cory. I heard it from my parents, heard it from friends, and I thought they were all cuh-ray-zee. Then we spent our first full day together, driving along PCH, Cory would not stop rambling on about all of his childhood accidents, including the one that left him with half of a thumb (haha)... and "I knew".
20. I suffer from life long ear infections. When I was growing up, my ear canal was too small, so it never drained, and would always cause a nasty, painful infection. At least half of the year, I'd be battling an ear infection. I would have to go to the doctor every now and then to get my ear drained. Try being 5 and being asked to hold a bowl under your ear, while having a water gun with water pressure like that coming from a fire truck, shooting into your ear, and after what felt like minutes (but only seconds) of excrutiating pain, there would be big blocks of ear wax floating in the bowl of lukewarm water. And at 32, I still get them... not nearly as bad or frequent, and I don't have to shoot a water cannon into my ear... but it keeps me miserable for a few days.
21. Arby's is my favorite fast food in the universe. A roast beef sandwich with a little horsey sauce and arbys sauce, coupled with a side of curly fries, and a Jamocha shake can win me over any day. And if that's not available, In N Out is a supa close second.
22. I love hard, somewhat stinky cheese... you know, like the book, the Stinky Chese Man. But no really... the stinkier the better sometimes... gimme some Parmagiano Reggiano or Peccorino Romano, some crackers, and either Almond Champagne or a good red wine, and I'm set.
23. I have a fear of being kidnapped and stabbed... I had a reoccurring dream as a child that this would happen to me one day...
24. I love anything Winne The Pooh... haven't you seen the back of my truck?
25. I secretly wish I could sing...
Enjoy!
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things (facts, habits, or goals) about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.To do this, go to the Notes under tabs on your profile page, copy and paste instructions, type 25 things, and tag 25 people.
1. I hate my smile... I'm all gums. Have you seen most pictures of me? You would have no idea that I had teeth because you'd be blinded by my upper gums. If there was some sort of surgery out there that that could glue my top lip to the gargantuan wall that is my upper gumline, I would do it in a heartbeat, at any cost... anybody?
2. As a child, I always thought that when I grew up, I would be a model by day, astronaut by night, and oceanographer on the side. How I figured I would accomplish all of that, who knows, but I had big aspirations. My mother neglected to tell me that there are no 5'2" supermodels, that astronauts need perfect 20/20 vision, and that my skin is allergic to ocean water... is that like the trifecta of all disappointments, or what?
3. The trade off (to #2), I get to work in an industry that helps sick people every single day, I'm in a profession that directly works with those who have the ability to put GOOD, SAFE products out there, I get to play with bloodied devices, and... the kicker... it brought me to the love of my life, my soon-to-be husband, Cory Smith.
4. I've been told that I know way too much about FRIENDS and Sex and the City... this is not a trait I am ashamed of.
5. Would you believe, that at the ripe old age of 32, I am STILL deathly afraid of the Boogie Man? (Boogie Man = Jason from Friday the 13th) I have my cousin, Michelle to thank for that... haha! First she made me watch the movie against my will. But of course, was it really against my will... I just hid behind my pillow. Then she locked me in the closet and told me that if I didn't do what she said, the Boogie Man would appear. Apparently at age 6, I wasn't so smart... to think that he would just appear out of thin air. And for whatever reason, to this day, I still look behind me while I'm walking alone, in the dark.
6. To Michelle's credit, despite getting locked in the closet, or the countless sleepovers we had that sent me running home BALLING because she rolled her eyes in the back of her head and pretended to be a zombie that worked for the Boogie Man who was out to get me, or the endless times my dad had to warn her that he'd hang her by her toes if she didn't stop bossing me around... she is still my #1 favorite "hah-nee", and I love her to death, am so proud of who she has become, and am ecstatic to have her in my life.
7. It has taken me years and years of painful tears and sleepless nights, but I have finally come to realize, that despite the urge we had in high school to have as many friends as the phone book can hold, that as each year slaps you in the face to remind you of how grand you are becoming, people in your life truly will disappoint you, disrespect you, kick you in the shin, make you cry, make you hurt... so it's ok to let people go. Even if you're left standing with only one true-to-the-heart good friend, you will survive. (I'm def lucky to have more than one, but it took me a while to get where I am today)
8. ... is my favorite and lucky number. It represents the inifinite... The infinite love I have for my fiance, my family, my dog, my friends... the infinite possibilities of what you can do if you just stop being such a ninny... the infinite black hole that is, reality tv... the infinite hours that it will most likely take me to finish this damn thing, but apparently worth it...
9.I'm a girl that can drive a stick shift... well... nuff said. (Why this continues to baffle and impress men, I'll never know)... what do I get if I tell you that I know how to back my truck into parking spots?
10. I started out as a left handed child. But for whatever idiotic reasons, the schools claimed that left-handed children were dumb and I should be force to be a righty. To this day, I write with my right (not well), and play sports with my left. Hm, these are the same people that said that bi-lingual households produce less than desirable students... who are these people? With any luck, my parents will teach my children Tagalog, then they can talk about me all they want.
11. My parents almost named me Tracy Ann...
12. I have absolutely no sense of style. I have to rely on my friends like Rachel to help pick things out for me that fit my body type, my sense of simplicity. If it were up to me, jeans and beaters would be the standard wardrobe, and the only way to dress it up were to add a hoodie, or colored flip flops... maybe even wedges, but even then, I might just opt for Uggs. If you told me to dress myself, do my hair, make myself up as if I were going on a fancy schmancy date, and my life depended on it, you'd be looking at a dead pilipino with no make up... in a beater and jeans. Change It Up, right Rach?
13. Despite the fact that I May or May Not be the next fashion victim on What Not To Wear, I seem to have an innate ability to pick cute shoes... too bad I don't have a bank account to go with it. But I've been told that my shoes are absolutely adorable... and even more so, once people find out that they're affordable. Far be it for me to knock on Jimmy Choos or Manolos, but I just can't justify spending that much on two pieces of leather that eventually stink up your feet. Well hey, if you're only capable of wearing jeans and beaters, why not style it up with some sexy Steve Madden Rufles... love those!
14. My mind races more than I'd like to admit. I'm not ADD or anything like that, but I can never just STOP thinking. This would contribute to #4. When I go to bed at night, I can't stop thinking. About work, currently about the wedding, about money, about my family, about Cory, about my dog, how are my friends, what did I forget to do today that I need to finish tomorrow, what's happening next on 24... I have to watch t.v. to stop me from thinking, then fall asleep to the soft sounds of my DVD player on a loop... TiVo became my best friend for a while. This was fine when I was single and living on my own. But it doesn't help when the man you live with can fall asleep at the drop of a hat... and what wakes him up is the flashing of the screen when I hit fast foward on the TiVo. Ear plugs and eye masks... does anybody know how to break me of this habit?
15. I love using the three dots when I type... can you tell?
16. I could watch the Food Network all damn day... in fact, that's what's on in the background right now!
17. I like cut up, diced tomatoes in my salads, pastas, salsas (duh), and guacamole dips... but get that red mushy crap away from my burgers, sandwiches, burritos, and everything else.
18. My favorite hangover foods are In N Out, Mickey D's breakfasts, and Breakfast burritos from Albertos... it's too bad they don't have those out in RSM...
19. I NEVER believed in people who said that "they knew" when they met their spouse... until I started dating Cory. I heard it from my parents, heard it from friends, and I thought they were all cuh-ray-zee. Then we spent our first full day together, driving along PCH, Cory would not stop rambling on about all of his childhood accidents, including the one that left him with half of a thumb (haha)... and "I knew".
20. I suffer from life long ear infections. When I was growing up, my ear canal was too small, so it never drained, and would always cause a nasty, painful infection. At least half of the year, I'd be battling an ear infection. I would have to go to the doctor every now and then to get my ear drained. Try being 5 and being asked to hold a bowl under your ear, while having a water gun with water pressure like that coming from a fire truck, shooting into your ear, and after what felt like minutes (but only seconds) of excrutiating pain, there would be big blocks of ear wax floating in the bowl of lukewarm water. And at 32, I still get them... not nearly as bad or frequent, and I don't have to shoot a water cannon into my ear... but it keeps me miserable for a few days.
21. Arby's is my favorite fast food in the universe. A roast beef sandwich with a little horsey sauce and arbys sauce, coupled with a side of curly fries, and a Jamocha shake can win me over any day. And if that's not available, In N Out is a supa close second.
22. I love hard, somewhat stinky cheese... you know, like the book, the Stinky Chese Man. But no really... the stinkier the better sometimes... gimme some Parmagiano Reggiano or Peccorino Romano, some crackers, and either Almond Champagne or a good red wine, and I'm set.
23. I have a fear of being kidnapped and stabbed... I had a reoccurring dream as a child that this would happen to me one day...
24. I love anything Winne The Pooh... haven't you seen the back of my truck?
25. I secretly wish I could sing...
What are the odds?
...that Macy's would email me to let me know that some items that we have selected for our wedding registry are about to be discontinued, so we need to check our registry and update it?
Even more so, what are the odds that Macy's would discontinue like HALF of our registry?!?!?!?!
What...are...the...odds?
Even more so, what are the odds that Macy's would discontinue like HALF of our registry?!?!?!?!
What...are...the...odds?
Monday, February 2, 2009
If only I had more envelopes...
It's Monday, 10:27pm, Night #2 of Mission: Wedding Invitations... is this why people get other people to have the envelopes printed? Ok, wait... honestly, it's not even the printing, that's actually the easy part. It's the mail merging, the font choosing, Times New Roman or Arial, bold or italics, the envelope formatting, the spell checking, the proper wedding invitation address etiquette, is it "Mr. & Mrs.", is it "Mrs.", "Ms.", or "Miss"... and in true Annaliza style, after printing about half of our invitation envelopes, we come to realize that I, in fact, had NOT been using proper wedding invitation etiquette. See, with all the stresses of the weekend, I forgot to change over the list of names and addresses that we had used for the Save-The-Dates. Those were very informal... you know, "Cory & Annaliza" instead of "Mr. Cory Smith & Ms. Annaliza Victoria"... (ugh). So, after printing all of my side of the guest list, and wasting almost half of the envelopes, I realized my mistake and almost started to cry. Luckily, Cory, who was also over-exhausted from this weekend told me to stop, go to bed, and that we'd hit up Staples or somewhere to buy more invitation envelopes. So, we went to Staples, no envelopes, so now we have to find them somewhere else... I'm thinking Michael's or some stationary store... suggestions? With some luck and caffeine (oh wait, not allowed to have caffeine), these gorgeous invitations will find their way to a mailbox near you... hold your breath.
Anyhoo, this past weekend was kinda busy. Friday, we went bowling with Ryan, Ngan, and Jenn at the Lucky Strike. Aside from the near miss accident on the freeway and the stabbing in the Block at Orange parking lot, it was actually a fabulous night. I managed to keep my streak of obtaining the lowest score EVER in bowling history, but hey, if you can't laugh at yourself... you better learn, cuz everyone else will. One of my fave parts of the night, besides our lil waiter boy, who thought that the "thumbs up" was the new black, MAY or MAY NOT have been when Jenn was asked by a bouncer to remove her delightful hat that she was wearing because they were "trying to weed out the gangsters"... cuz a 5'5" white girl, with pig tails, a hat, and huge dangling earrings resembles a gang member from Santa Ana. And then, as she politely removed her hat and jokingly added that she wished she would have brushed her hair, the bouncer then decided to add, "oh wash (your hair)? har har har"... moron. Either way, she looked cute, but the request alone was hysterical.
Saturday, we drove down to Temecula with my parents and Jenn to do our cake tasting, check out the rehearsal dinner location, and to show Jenn the winery for the first time... And, since she's pretty much been the best MOH known to all man-kind, she helps with the clutch decisions. So we stopped at our cake place, Sweet Layers in Murrieta. Did the typical Cory thing while my parents are following in another car - got lost. Hahaha! It sounds like I am making fun, but no... it has become a tradition that my family has grown to know and love... and giggle about. But, low & behold, we found it... we tasted... we picked the cake flavors. And for not being the biggest cake lovers on the planet, I have to say, that Cory & I were pretty impressed... and now excited about our choices.
Next we drove to Filippi's Italian Restaurant to have lunch and check out our rehearsal dinner location. There is also a Filippi's in San Diego, which Cory and his family have been to before and loved, so we decided that it would be a good place to have the rehearsal dinner. But when we got there, it looked like more of a pizza joint. Believe me... we're not looking for anything fancy schmancy, more like some place fun, upbeat. We want the whole theme and feel of the wedding to be just that, so, we had to think of some place else. Food wise, Filippi's was delicious, I would def eat there again. But, we both felt like it wasn't the right atmosphere. Early on in the planning, we had suggested some place like BJ's, but weren't sure if it was "appropriate" enough for a rehearsal dinner. Then we remembered that it's OUR wedding, and we can make the rules... so... BJ's it is. We ended up stopping at the BJ's in Temecula on the way home, had a Pumpkin Spiced Ale, talked to one of the managers. He showed us the party menu... and we were pretty much sold. So, FAMILY & WEDDING PARTY... BJ's in TEMECULA - THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 30th... BE THERE!!!
On our way home, we were rocking out to Rhianna... a lil Rehab, Disturbia, Live Your Life... we were coming up on the 91 fwy from the 15, the oil maintenance light on the Audi flashes... 5 minutes later, the Audi died... in the middle of the freeway, which freaked the hell out of the three of us because of our near miss Friday night. The traffic was slower since it was at a freeway junction, so Cory & Jenn were able to get out of the car to push, and I was able to steer it to the shoulder. Shockingly, another driver had pulled over to help, but soon realized that we were ok with the 3 of us... but I'd like to thank the stranger anyways, since you NEVER see that any more! A little side bar... we had JUST got the Audi back from the shop the day before. Ever since the accident back in August, that poor car has not been the same. The alignment was off, when it rained, it leaked onto the driver side carpet, it made noises... so when we picked it up Friday night, everything felt better, drove straighter, Cory was happy about his car... and it had been a while, so it was nice to see him excited about his baby A4. Back to the freeway... Cory popped the hood and the first thing he checked was the oil. He pulled the dip stick, and there was no dip stick. It appeared as if there was no oil and the engine had locked up. So, we called AAA, got a tow to the Audi dealership in Santa Ana (can you believe a tow to Mission Viejo would have been another $150?!?!?!?!), got picked up by my mom, and headed home. We made Jenn about an hour and a half late for her dinner party to congratulate brother Noah on his new job... Sorry Eckerts! Now, we are just waiting for the final assessment from Audi to see what the damage is going to be. It's heartbreaking that the car will be paid off in a few short months... we're hoping that a new Audi will just show up when we go to pick up the car! (wink wink)
Until next time...Same bat channel, same bat time... http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AnnalizaVictoria&CorySmith
PS - last weekend, Travis, Ann and the kids drove back to Cali from AZ... got to hang with them, had some yummy Yamatos. I MISS YOU GUYS DAMN IT! See you at the bridal shower (ANN!) and the wedding! MUAH MUAH MUAH!!!
Anyhoo, this past weekend was kinda busy. Friday, we went bowling with Ryan, Ngan, and Jenn at the Lucky Strike. Aside from the near miss accident on the freeway and the stabbing in the Block at Orange parking lot, it was actually a fabulous night. I managed to keep my streak of obtaining the lowest score EVER in bowling history, but hey, if you can't laugh at yourself... you better learn, cuz everyone else will. One of my fave parts of the night, besides our lil waiter boy, who thought that the "thumbs up" was the new black, MAY or MAY NOT have been when Jenn was asked by a bouncer to remove her delightful hat that she was wearing because they were "trying to weed out the gangsters"... cuz a 5'5" white girl, with pig tails, a hat, and huge dangling earrings resembles a gang member from Santa Ana. And then, as she politely removed her hat and jokingly added that she wished she would have brushed her hair, the bouncer then decided to add, "oh wash (your hair)? har har har"... moron. Either way, she looked cute, but the request alone was hysterical.
Saturday, we drove down to Temecula with my parents and Jenn to do our cake tasting, check out the rehearsal dinner location, and to show Jenn the winery for the first time... And, since she's pretty much been the best MOH known to all man-kind, she helps with the clutch decisions. So we stopped at our cake place, Sweet Layers in Murrieta. Did the typical Cory thing while my parents are following in another car - got lost. Hahaha! It sounds like I am making fun, but no... it has become a tradition that my family has grown to know and love... and giggle about. But, low & behold, we found it... we tasted... we picked the cake flavors. And for not being the biggest cake lovers on the planet, I have to say, that Cory & I were pretty impressed... and now excited about our choices.
Next we drove to Filippi's Italian Restaurant to have lunch and check out our rehearsal dinner location. There is also a Filippi's in San Diego, which Cory and his family have been to before and loved, so we decided that it would be a good place to have the rehearsal dinner. But when we got there, it looked like more of a pizza joint. Believe me... we're not looking for anything fancy schmancy, more like some place fun, upbeat. We want the whole theme and feel of the wedding to be just that, so, we had to think of some place else. Food wise, Filippi's was delicious, I would def eat there again. But, we both felt like it wasn't the right atmosphere. Early on in the planning, we had suggested some place like BJ's, but weren't sure if it was "appropriate" enough for a rehearsal dinner. Then we remembered that it's OUR wedding, and we can make the rules... so... BJ's it is. We ended up stopping at the BJ's in Temecula on the way home, had a Pumpkin Spiced Ale, talked to one of the managers. He showed us the party menu... and we were pretty much sold. So, FAMILY & WEDDING PARTY... BJ's in TEMECULA - THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 30th... BE THERE!!!
On our way home, we were rocking out to Rhianna... a lil Rehab, Disturbia, Live Your Life... we were coming up on the 91 fwy from the 15, the oil maintenance light on the Audi flashes... 5 minutes later, the Audi died... in the middle of the freeway, which freaked the hell out of the three of us because of our near miss Friday night. The traffic was slower since it was at a freeway junction, so Cory & Jenn were able to get out of the car to push, and I was able to steer it to the shoulder. Shockingly, another driver had pulled over to help, but soon realized that we were ok with the 3 of us... but I'd like to thank the stranger anyways, since you NEVER see that any more! A little side bar... we had JUST got the Audi back from the shop the day before. Ever since the accident back in August, that poor car has not been the same. The alignment was off, when it rained, it leaked onto the driver side carpet, it made noises... so when we picked it up Friday night, everything felt better, drove straighter, Cory was happy about his car... and it had been a while, so it was nice to see him excited about his baby A4. Back to the freeway... Cory popped the hood and the first thing he checked was the oil. He pulled the dip stick, and there was no dip stick. It appeared as if there was no oil and the engine had locked up. So, we called AAA, got a tow to the Audi dealership in Santa Ana (can you believe a tow to Mission Viejo would have been another $150?!?!?!?!), got picked up by my mom, and headed home. We made Jenn about an hour and a half late for her dinner party to congratulate brother Noah on his new job... Sorry Eckerts! Now, we are just waiting for the final assessment from Audi to see what the damage is going to be. It's heartbreaking that the car will be paid off in a few short months... we're hoping that a new Audi will just show up when we go to pick up the car! (wink wink)
Until next time...Same bat channel, same bat time... http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AnnalizaVictoria&CorySmith
PS - last weekend, Travis, Ann and the kids drove back to Cali from AZ... got to hang with them, had some yummy Yamatos. I MISS YOU GUYS DAMN IT! See you at the bridal shower (ANN!) and the wedding! MUAH MUAH MUAH!!!
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