A Better Side Than Most Can Dream

i've moved!

2010-02-15T13:49:00.000-08:00

Come check out unexpecting! at beccareed.com - hope to see you all there!

image from weheartit

wants of the week

2010-02-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

Just 15 minutes of browsing Anthropologie's site left me with a whole slew of wants.

Cream, ruffles, stripes, bright colors, pretty flowers...boy oh boy I'm in lust with so many cute pieces! I'll admit, I'm really craving warmer weather...I wore short sleeves today and made an iced latte just to spite the cold. (I know, I'm a badass...) But fun wedges and brightly patterned skirts certainly make me crave the season even more. Feast your eyes!

Eastlake Top Double Twist Sweater

Free Flow Tank Sound Waves Dress

Pollen Promise Skirt Woven Chroma Dress

Buckled Cummerbund Grevy's Wedges

Eila Necklace Aflush Necklace

Fresh Leaves Shopper

today was a fairytale

2010-02-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

It's been almost four months since my wedding day and it's still hard to describe how magical the entire weekend was. One of the most important pieces of advice that my best friend gave me while I was planning was to not skimp on a photographer. The pictures you take away from that day are the most tangible things you have to remember it by. Fingers crossed for all brides and brides-to-be that they turn out to be works of art.

Mine surely did. My experience with my photographer, Stephanie Mosher of Stephanie Mosher Photography, was the most effortless and easy-going vendor relationship that I had throughout the entire wedding planning process.

From the initial consultation in her home, Stephanie was both friendly and professional. One of the biggest things I was looking for in a photographer was not only someone who produced quality work, but someone both J and I could feel comfortable around. We spent about 15 hours with Stephanie behind the camera lens between engagement sessions, bridal portraits and the wedding and not a second of it felt forced or awkward.

She's definitely someone I'd love to grab a beer and hang out with sometime! She's vivacious and has a true passion for photography which really resonates in her final products as well as in her demeanor.

I look forward to working with Stephanie for my trash-the-dress session and will definitely not hesitate to recommend her to any and all of my friends getting married in the Hampton Roads area! Her work really speaks for itself. Check out her blog and a recap of some of my favorite wedding memories.
Thanks again, Steph!

All pictures taken by Stephanie Mosher.

wants of the week

2010-01-31T15:45:00.000-08:00

I'm turning it up in the blog department! As I work on relaunching this baby and revealing a new theme, I'm introducing a new weekly feature - "Wants of the Week!" I spend enough time browsing online stores and eyeing celebrity fashion, as well as randomly blogging about my shopping lusts to not make this kind of post a regular thing.

I am in no way claiming to be a fashion guru. I have miles to go before I could even be considered fashion-forward. I partially accredit that to my disciplined spending habits (ha...ha...ha...). But I like what I like...and I like to share. So enjoy! These wants could be fashion, accessories, a hair cut...whatever! Tell me if you agree, tell me if you don't. And feel free to send along some of YOUR wants!

1. Lea Michele's gorgeous dress from the SAG awards (along with a reason to wear it...!)

Malandrino

2. Floral Stretch Waistband Skirt from Express - it's fun, colorful and can be worn with layers in the early spring or with a cute tank as the temps (hopefully) rise.

3. Nine West Toreador Boots - I've been eyeing some brown leather boots most of the winter. They make more sense than suede in icky weather, and they are more versitile to wear with skirts as the seasons change.

4. Olivia Moon Pleated Tunic - I'm currently obsessed with the tunic and legging look and I'm really digging the pleats on this top. It's comfortable enough for daily wear with flats or boots and easily dolled up for a night out.

a walk down memory lane

2010-01-29T06:51:00.000-08:00

As thankful as I am for where my life has taken me, every now and then something stimulates memories of where you came from and you get nostalgic. You have to know where you've been to know where you are, right? I noticed this morning that it's the last working day of January. February is right around the corner.

This year, February means another month to drive revenue at work, my husband, sister-in-law and niece's birthday...not to mention a few more on J's side of the family...a weekend home to see my family, and a weekend where friends are coming down to visit. And, hopefully, getting closer to consistently warmer weather.

Four short years ago, February meant something completely different.

It meant shorter practices and a looming conference meet. It meant adjusting to new classes and continuing to hate the frigid winters. It meant team bonding and no drinking...well, always the team bonding part. In college at JMU, February was the best month of the year that wasn't March, April and May. February meant spring was right around the corner. And spring was 100% synonymous with fun and freedom.

Springtime at JMU can't adequately be summed up in a blog post...or several blog posts. It meant a break from swimming, running outside, even shorter practices (if any...) and a lot of porch sits, quad lounging, shorter skirts and BBQs. It meant outdoor parties and more walking. It meant a lot more drinking. It led to tower visits, tubing trips and Frisbee games.

I specifically remember by the time I started my last semester in the Fall of '06 being ready to graduate and move on. Now, as I work an 8-5 (which I'm fortunate to really enjoy...), pay bills, clean my house regularly, and budget my money...I can't help but think back of the 'carefree-ness' that was college and smile. We were irresponsible, reckless, immature, and more fun than you can imagine. Now we have mortgages and responsibilities. Then we paid next-to-nothing rent and and ran up our credit card on bar tabs and going-out clothes. I wouldn't have traded a minute of it.

I don't often really, really miss college...but as February starts next week, I definitely miss the excitement and build-up that the month brought. As an athlete, the opportunity to perform to the best of my ability and beat the crap out the competition at conferences got me pumped. Knowing some time off was just a few short weeks away, along with warm weather and more time with friends...just added fuel to the fire. I wish I had appreciated the experience more when I was there. Fortunately, I have lots of great memories to reflect on (and photographic proof...!) to make me smile.

why i like my job

2009-12-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

When I was at my last job in Richmond a chick got fired for blogging all about the free crap our company gave us. By "free crap" she was referring to office supplies, which apparently means she didn't get the memo that free pens and post-its and thumb nails are kinda standard. But she elaborated on how she spent her days decorating her cube and doing basically nothing. What an idiot. She obviously got fired.

My recent place of employment (where we also have access to pens and post-its), is a cesspool of talent and creativity. (Side note: I've never used 'cesspool' appropriately in a sentence before...but for whatever reason it makes me giggle...) My co-workers blog frequently about industry trends and best practices and cool concerts and are awesome people to work with. They don't blog about doing nothing because they are constantly busy improving online marketing programs for their clients. I obviously like my job because of the opportunity it has given me to work with insightful, intelligent people.

I like my job because of the beautiful new office and the Park Lake Posse. I like it because they encourage us to read and tweet and blog and learn and grow in our positions and within the agency. I like it because beer drinking is not frowned upon and we get to pose with a giant arrow in our website pics. Our creative director collects Mr.Potato Heads and reviews frozen food. No lie.

But I digress on the point of this post. Today, the reason I most like my job can be summed up in one word:

SHOES. (yep, I bold for emphasis)

I like it because at my desk I can swing around in my chair and be faced with people who are as into cute shoes as I am. Monthly ShoeDazzle selections are a legitimate reason to gather around a computer monitor and ooohhh and ahhh and give thanks for every inch of Kim Kardashian and her shoe-lovin' ass.

Out of nowhere, I receive an IM that allowed me to feast my eyes on the likes of these adorable L.A.M.B strappy sandals:

I know, adorable, right?

So today I thank you, cute-shoe-wearin' co-workers of mine. You make it fun to come into work and check out those new green snakeskin pumps and ruffle-y booties and and share all sorts of shoe-goodness.

thank you notes

2009-11-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

I realized tonight that I've written 2 thank you notes from the wedding. Jason and I split the list and his have been in the mail long enough for people to start receiving them.

I've written two.

I feel horrible and ungrateful. I want to scream from the tallest building in Raleigh how thankful I am of everything everybody did for our wedding and how spoiled rotten we were in the gift department. But the buildings aren't that big in Raleigh so that wouldn't get me far.

I'm telling myself it's because it's my last task and I'm not ready to let the wedding go. Buuuut we still have to make our parent albums, approve our own wedding album, pick pictures for frames in our house, scrapbook, blog recap...

I'm putting off thank you notes the way I put off folding clothes after they come out of the dryer (which I always do).

For what it's worth, it's not possible for me to put into words how thankful I am to have such amazing family and friends in my life. I didn't take our wedding to make me realize that, but the outpouring of love and support J and I received that weekend was so moving. I hope you laughed hard, smiled big and had an absolute blast. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

And I promise to send you a thank you note before Thanksgiving.

mile long lists

2009-11-16T07:02:00.000-08:00

I realize I mentioned that I like to-do lists, but my list of things I want/need/must/can't live without doing is getting massively long. Check this:

1. Get my blog updated! I was in a kickoff several months ago and my old boss pulled up a hilarious site about weird animals (I know, sounds like a riot, right? It was though...I laughed so hard I cried). Point is, it had a generic blog template and there were jokes about it. I work for an interactive agency and not only is my blog design generic as hell, but I bold AND italicize for emphasis. Double fail. It's my personal blog, yes. But I know I'll never gain popularity (aka more followers) in the blogosphere with a boring, generic background. I've been brainstorming and changes are soon to come! I also need to post more frequently. And add more hours to the day.

2. Plan a trip to NYC to visit my college roommates. They dove all the way to VA in nasty weather for my wedding. It's time for me to hop my ass on a plane and let them show me around their new city. Street lights, big dreams all lookin' pretty!

3. Pick out wedding pics to frame, scrapbook, put in an album, print for family, etc. Stephanie Mosher took so many fabulous shots I don't even know where to begin. I'm also looking forward to recapping my wedding! I've got lots of fun stories and way more descriptions of that awesome weekend to share!

4. Get over the vampire obsession. My to-read list is a mile long, too, and yet I found that after I devoured the Sookie Stackhouse series that I immediately picked up the Twilight books to re-read. Not that Edward holds a candle to Eric, but maybe I'm just subconsciously craving easy, mindless fiction. Although I'm pretty sure that a girl can only take so much sappy teenage vampire love triangles before she starts to lose it a bit. Did I mention I have tix to see New Moon on Friday? I'm pretty pumped.

5. Clean my house. Top to bottom. Set up the guest room. Decorate. Catch up on laundry (haha, impossible...) This one is boring and impossible to accomplish because as soon as you clean you turn around things are messy again. I can see why people hire others to do this crap. No one mentions this when they tell you about all the benefits of growing up. Paying bills and working every day of your life isn't mentioned either.

6. Go shopping!! Buy this jacket. I love it. I've been craving a leather jacket since the temperature dropped. I want to buy more tights and leggings, a couple big warm sweaters, a dark purple coat and a new pair of skinny jeans. And then there's holiday shopping...

What kind of stuff do you have going on as the holidays approach? Any big plans? Or big thorns in your side?

pursuit of passion

2009-11-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking, planning, dreaming. I've done some research and a whole lot of reading. I've organized, re-organized, cleaned and put away. I've picked out paint and cried over wedding pictures. Then the next day I cried over them again - and smiled, BIG. I've gotten behind on important things and caught up on unimportant things. But the unimportant things make me happy, so for this I'm not sorry. I've P90X'd and ate well and stared at my wedding ring when I should have been doing something more productive. I've made plans, changed my mind, and then made more plans. Then I changed my mind again. I've slept better than I have in months.

And I've dreamed. I've dreamed BIG.

I'm excited about what's to come.

Image from WeHeartIt

love always, all ways

2009-10-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 7:24am to another dreary day. It was overcast and though it didn't seem possible considering it had rained for three days straight, the sky looked as if it could fall out at any minute. My throat was still scratchy and when I said good morning to my mom I sounded more like her son than her daughter.

But I had not a care in the world. On this day, this very day, I was going to walk down an aisle and stand next to the man that makes my whole world light up; the man who makes me smile bigger, and more often, than I ever have in my life. The man who makes me laugh out loud on a daily basis and who thinks I'm beautiful whether I'm dolled up or hungover. The man who loves me despite my moodiness, my insecurities and my imperfections. This man, this beautiful, funny, intelligent and genuine man, would soon become my husband.

And the floating began...

I floated through breakfast. My sister and I ran up to the ceremony site where my mom along with 2 of her closest friends and my aunt were already hard at work transforming an ordinary brick pavilion overlooking a golf course. It was freezing. The wind whipped through our hair and chilled my bare toes. It was then I decided the fireplace might be a nice touch after all.

I floated home. I visited with an old friend and realized I hadn't finished packing for the honeymoon. Oh well. I was marrying Jason today.

I floated off to the hair salon where I drank wine with my bridesmaids and my mom and had straight magic worked on my big curly 'fro. I think I ate some chicken nuggets. I danced around with my flower girls and made the decision to move our cocktail hour from the patio to the reception hall. Virginia apparently decided to skip fall and go straight to winter. Oh well. I was marrying Jason today.

I floated on to my mom's and threw stuff into my suitcase. Mere and I laughed while she sat on top of it and I struggled to zip it shut. I would later find out it weighed 74lbs and would cost an extra $100 to check at the airport. Did I mention I was marrying Jason today? I had not a care in the world.

I finally arrived at the country club to get ready. I snuck upstairs to see the cake and the tables all set up. The 2 walls that were all windows overlooked the golf course and I caught something out of the corner of my left eye - the guys had started taking pictures with Stephanie. I was mesmerized. My heart spilled over at the sight of him. I even think I giggled. Out loud.

The reception hall looked great, the cake was unbelievable, and the bouquets belonged in a magazine, but they all paled in comparison to how beautiful my mom's smile was the first time she saw me slip into my dress.

I still was floating...and from this point on the smile never left my face.

My knockout bridesmaids posed and smiled for pictures then made their way down the aisle. My brother took my arm and asked me if I was ready - it was the easiest question to answer since J asked me to marry him.

As I approached the end of the aisle I saw Jason, teary-eyed and looking oh so fine in that black suit and purple stripped tie. I had been nervous that I would spend my whole wedding ceremony in tears - instead, I spent it smiling. Not just any ol' smile...the biggest, cheese grin my poor cheeks have ever experienced.

I heard every word of our handcrafted ceremony that J and I put together ourselves, and despite having read them at least 387 times before, the words meant so much more on that day at that moment.

I looked around the pavilion and tried to take it all in, but nothing was as beautiful as the smile on Jason's face. I couldn't look away. I tried to put his ring on the wrong finger and we both laughed along with our guests. I so desperately wanted to kiss him right then.

I had imagined this moment for the last 11.5 months, and finally, I heard the words I knew I had been waiting for since I fell head over heels for him not 3 weeks after we met:

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride."

I'm still floating...and I hope my feet never hit the ground.

I look forward to sharing more pictures, stories, and details about the wedding in future posts!

The picture is courtesy of my kick-ass photographer, Stephanie Mosher.

as he thinks in his heart, so he is.

2009-10-06T06:11:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my wedding date will make it into the 10-day weather forecast. Omigod. (yes, all in one word) I've been checking the foliage report daily despite the fact that it's only updated twice a week. J couldn't believe that they actually have foliage reports, but I assure you they exist. Currently, my part of the east coast is exhibiting little to no change...but alas, all hope is not lost. Those leaves could change into some wicked colors in a week and a half, right? Fingers crossed.

The ceremony programs are turning out well despite my inability to find plum colored ribbon. I'm not certain why JMU puple is everywhere but plum purple is no where it be found. It's such a trendy color for fall. For example, take these two pieces of wonderful that I'd love to get my hands on...

Bag: Maggie from Coach - $348
Shoes: Rampage Women's Gracee at Shoes.com - $49

I also bid on my first item on Ebay this morning. Yes, my first. It was a Polaroid camera with film. I bought it to have at the wedding reception - I'm too poor for a photobooth but am not digging the disposables on every table, but I think random pics taken by my closest friends will be priceless. Taza at The Rockstar Diaries has gotten me completely fixated on Polaroid pictures, too. They will be a fun addition to the professional pics as well as give me a new camera to play with on the honeymoon and beyond.

The reception seating chart is finalized! I was even able to cut an entire table thanks to several last minute RSVP changes. If planning a wedding taught me anything it's to always RSVP on time. Seriously, say yes, say no - just say something. I was so surprised by how many people we had to chase down via email, phone, etc. Some people just never got back to us. It floored me for all of 5 minutes that people could be so rude - but I got over it when I realized that J and I are truly blessed to have some amazingly supportive and all-around awesome people in our lives and that I don't have a minute of time to take away from appreciating all the good we have to waste on the bad. There are several special people that won't be able to make it that will definitely be missed - but we are a lucky, lucky couple and cannot wait to celebrate with all the people that mean so much to us!

At this point, I'm having to resist the temptation to call my bridesmaids every single day on my drive home from work to tell them how excited I am to have all of them together to hang out. Every single time I see my photographer on gchat I want to tell her how much I love what she's done for us so far and how anxious I am to see her work her magic for our wedding. I spare those fine ladies, for now...my Mom, not so much. I just can't get enough of her greetings when she knows it's me calling, "How's my beautiful bride-to-be?" Cheese!!! She gets several phone calls a day.

Am I excited? You bet. 11 more days!

these are the days of our lives

2009-10-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

Helloooo clusterfuck of a life! Everyone told me you'd be creeping up on me around this time, but I actually believed there was a chance of me keeping you at bay. Giant fail. I haven't resorted to freaking out, in fact, based on the technical definition, I'm not even stressed. Yet. My to-do list is growing rapidly and I'm just...well, I'm laughing. And very, very happy.

Could you imagine a better event to have a to-do list for? And can you imagine me trying to keep still at work for 8+ hours a day if I wasn't swamped? I'd be like a 5 year old the day before a trip to Disney World, a college kid sitting through class on a Friday...you get the point. Really, really impatient.

J and I keep joking that we may not have friends once we're finally married for all of the invites to things we've had to turn down. As I write this I am thinking about the first 'Canes game of the season that we were supposed to attend with some friends on my softball team...instead, we're gluing, hole-punching and ribbon tying our way through 120 ceremony programs and hopefully getting some shagging practice in (the dance, sickos). Martha Stewart Weddings has been a godsend in the world of seating charts - you really can't beat their planning tools. Check 'em out if seating 175 guests seems like a daunting task...it makes it sort of fun!

With the wedding just 2 weeks away, I've found it much more difficult to keep up with the wedding blogs I have stalked for the last 11 months. The inspiration I am getting is impossible for me to execute with the amount of time I have left while maintaining my employment status and not driving my fiance completely insane. I still marvel at the creativity of some of the brides out there - and since I'm one of the first to go, I look forward to helping my close friends plan their weddings one day because I am a wealth of ideas that would be so fun to execute on someone else's budget! What are some things you did in the 11th hour to add some flair to your big day?

One blog that I haven't skipped a beat on is The Broke Ass Bride's Wedding in a Week Giveaway - invites, a wedding gown, flowers, customized card boxes... She's got sass and flair and a whole lot of goodies to give away - check it out!

The wedding photography hasn't gotten old whatsoever. Some eye candy for your Friday...

Image from Pat Dy Photography

Images by Jessica Johnston Photography

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

shoe heaven

2009-09-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been heavily, heavily distracted by the influx of tweets, blogs and emails about fall fashion. Leggings, boyfriend jeans, statement necklaces, tunics...sigh. The eye candy has been a time suck, but quite an enjoyable one.

As J and I have been in hardcore saving mode for our upcoming wedding, splurging on fall clothes isn't a weekend activity I have yet been able to indulge in. But my time is coming. And in preparation for my indulgence, I have compiled some eye candy of my own of my most favorite chilly weather trend - boots!

What has impressed me the most about boots this year is that they are coming in every height, shape, size and price imaginable. From stylish booties to over-the-knee comfort, here are some gems that I've had my eye on for post-wedding fall fashion fun...

1. Dolce Vita Peep-Toe Nappa Bootie - $195
2. Charlotte Russe Suede Ruched Bootie - $24.99
3. Charlotte Russe Bow Tie Bootie - $29.99

1. Colin Stuart Convertible Boot at Victoria Secret - $99
2. Charlotte Russe Faux Leather Over-the-Knee Boot - $44.99
3. Charlotte Ruse Suede Over-the-Knee Boot - $39.99
4. DV by Dolce Vita - Nathan Boot - $143.95

the key to life

2009-09-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

image from weheartit

time flies when you're having fun...

2009-09-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

...and when you're wedding planning! 26 days to go. TWENTY-SIX!

I remember when I got engaged last November that the one thing everyone told me was how fast the time was going to fly. I laughed. Not out loud, but inside I did. I couldn't imagine time going by fast when the I was so anxiously awaiting my wedding day. You know how when you really, really want something and time just creeeeeps by until you feel like you're about to scream in anticipation?! THAT is how I thought my engagement was going to be.

I actually wanted that time, though. I wanted to enjoy how it felt to be engaged. I feel like sometimes women rush through that stage or immediately get caught up in the wedding plans that they forget to enjoy the brief time you have to just be engaged. Just last month it still felt weird to call J my fiance, now, I find myself calling him that every chance I have for in a few short weeks, he will be moving on to bigger and better titles. Like 'husband.'

Planning is wrapping up and my first big DIY project is looming - we have had our ceremony programs designed by the same friend who did the invites, table numbers and place cards (and they are FABULOUS!), but we are going to be gluing the paper to cardstock and tying ribbons to finalize the deal. Simple, right? Yet I'm still worried about an impending DIY catastrophe.

I know, I know, tons of brides have put together their own programs amongst other things. But keep in mind that I'm a wannabe creative person - and I can't help but worry that my fake-it-till-you-make-it mentality may bite me in the ass via this little project of mine.

What DIY projects did you do for your wedding? Any advice for a first-time DIY-er? I'll be sure to share pics in the coming weeks of my progress (success?!).

PS...my first post for my company's blog is now live! Go check it out!

gotta do your own thing your way

2009-09-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

So the Chicago trip was canceled. Also, VH1 didn't air a new episode of Real & Chance 2 this week for my trash-tv lunch crew to watch today, my favorite Mexican restaurant in my hometown (and also the location of my bridesmaid luncheon...) burned down last night and it's proving to be impossible to get the cat smell out of my guest bathroom. Cue the tiny violins.

I'm going to delay getting into my trashy reality tv obsession for now - but just know I'm human and we all have weaknesses. Weaknesses that sometimes involve knowing all the words to the 'Kendra' theme song.

My bridesmaid luncheon will simply have to move to another locale - thank god this particular Mexican restaurant has spread it's seed all over the Peninsula and has other locations to choose from. While the location that burned down is/was most definitely my favorite, I was fortunate to make one last trip on Labor Day with one of my beautiful bridesmaids and dashingly handsome fiance where I proceeded to eat enough chips, salsa and the infamous 'white sauce' to feed a small village. Thankfully, Jason loves me despite my propensity to eat my body weight in tortilla chips. Most importantly, the margarita-infused wedding weekend kickoff plans will not have to be revised!

I'm still combing the internet for great wedding photography and TTD pics. Lately, Jason Lanier has really caught my attention.

The middle picture reminds me of my childhood pool-filled summer days trying to mimic Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid' as she leaps from the water onto the rock, mid-song, and nails the perfect hair flip. But in a wedding dress.

Is the third picture even real?! It looks like a painting. Such talent.

I've decided to postpone my own TTD session till next summer for numerous reasons. For starters, I want to play in water. Since I'm a wuss in the cold, that just does NOT sound like fun until the summer time. But primarily, my mom is probably going to lose her shit when she finds out and I'm hoping 8 months or so after the wedding may have given her some time to forget about the dress she spent hundreds of dollars on. Not likely, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.

On the photography train, I wish I would have thought to register at Etsy. For 98798754 reasons, but I'm totally digging the photography at bomobob's shop. I can already see this as a nice touch in our guest bathroom:
I'm a rational gal' though, and 'Project Home Decor' won't kickoff till I'm a Mrs. and 'Project Get Married' is a wrap.

It just took my breath away when I confirmed the countdown...but only 38 days to go!

chicago bound!

2009-09-08T06:42:00.001-07:00

There aren't too many places in the country that I really, really want to visit. Chicago is one of them.

This time a year ago, Jason and I were planning on taking a long weekend in the spring of '09 to visit but then we went and got ourselves engaged and realized weddings aren't cheap. At all. We have our sights set on spring 2010, or maybe as a 1-year anniversary trip next October. We'll shop and eat pizza and check out the architecture and a Cubs game and I'll decide I want to move there. He'll laugh, remind me I hate cold weather, and I'll quickly change my mind. Either way, it'll make for a great mini-vacay once we get around to it.

Apparently I'm getting to visit the Windy City much sooner than I thought...

I found out this morning that I am getting the opportunity to travel to Chicago for a 24-hour business trip. To me, that translates into two early flights, learning some more about the new account we've recently landed, meeting some important people from said account, a great dinner, and then figuring out what the city has to offer on a Monday night. My friend and co-worker who will be on the trip with me has already described a bar on the top of the John Hancock Center where the best view is from the women's bathroom. I'm so intrigued.

We'll have the plane ride home to sleep, right?

cherry pie and some damn good advice

2009-09-04T05:37:00.000-07:00

I had a slice of cherry pie with my Cherrios this morning. After waking up at 5am and body pumping my way through an hour long workout, I sabotaged my breakfast by having dessert. And it was delish. Happy Friday!

I participate in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and have an amazingly dynamic and inquisitive 'little' who asked me yesterday over dinner if I think anything is going to be different after the wedding. It's like she dived in my head and swam around for awhile and realized the pond she was swimming in was filled with many different versions of that very same question - are things going to be different when we're married?

I already know the answer is yes. An astounding and positive YES. And I can't wait for all the good - and even the bad - that 'I do' entails. Joanna Goddard is a relationship blogger for Glamour magazine. How cool, right? While she's on her honeymoon, her personal blog, A Cup of Jo, has been featuring guest writers giving their secrets to a happy marriage. What are some of your secrets?! I really love reading these. Here's part of one of my favorite posts so far:

Reinvigorate the Old.
Life's grind sometimes whittles away the parts of us that are carefree, inspired, focused or fun. One of the best things you can do for your spouse is to defend the parts of them that you married them for. And that doesn't mean saying "You used to be so..." It means reminding them that they ARE those things; they're not gone, even on their most beaten down days.
-Nichole, Little Brown Pen
(the secrets continue through September 14, go check them out!)

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I have 6 more weeks of planning and detail-combing and scheduling left to do and I plan on enjoying every minute of it. Now's kind of the hard part though. It's the part where the expensive decisions you made 10 months ago have to fit into the decisions you are making right now. It's not a time for second-guessing, or spending too much time on unimportant decisions. Or being too upset about spelling errors.

I am an adamant believer that you DECIDE to be a stress-free bride. It made me so pleased to read this post by a recent 'bridal graduate' that supported that belief in it's entirety. Here's an exert from her post on A Practical Wedding:

It is your decision whether or not to be a laid back bride. You can choose this. Lots of things went wrong on our wedding day. It pissed down rain; our rabbi was late; our dinner menus were printed in the wrong language; etc. I remember walking into our venue beforehand and seeing the set-up, which was lovely, but a little bit off from the careful plans I had given them. I looked at it and thought, "it's beautiful. It's my wedding day. I am going to let go." Perfect weddings don't exist--brides who say their weddings were perfect are women who made the conscious decision not to give a shit. I have read so many blogs where brides stated that their enjoyment of their wedding was hampered by the mistakes. I'm a pretty neurotic lady, so I know that I could have been one of those brides myself, but I consciously decided to turn the perfectionist part of my brain off and have an awesome time. It's your choice too.

In case you're like me, and a classic case of 'if I knew then, what I know now,' scoot over and read more tips from 2 brides who have been there done that, and were nice enough to share the dirt.

Got any more advice to share? I'm all ears!

Hope your weekend is filled with good weather, good food, good people and good football!

happiness and the blogosphere

2009-08-31T07:18:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, our tri-weekly training session at work was a class on effective blogging. As September looms ever so close, the launch of the Brooks Bell Interactive blog is fast approaching. Our creative director here wears many, many hats and knows so much about so many things. Not surprisingly, one of which is social media. The class was insightful and extremely worthwhile. I learned a lot - mostly that I have a lot to learn about effective blogging.

In consistency and avoiding cute headlines I earned a big, fat FAIL. On the positive side, I do play in my comfort zone. I write about subjects I know about and things I enjoy.

My first contribution to the BBI blog will take place towards the end of next month and I'm pretty sure I will be unable to blab about wedding photography trends and my latest spelling errors. I have plenty of time to research topics and I've already gotten started to ensure my first post is not a complete and utter failure. Luckily, I get some pretty bad retailer emails in my inbox every day and constructive criticism of creative received there is fair grounds for blogging. Thankfully, my job here has taught me so much about the interactive marketing industry - I would have been up shit's creek without a paddle if I had to write something like that this time last year as that job taught me nothing about industry trends.

So the blogging pressure is on! On a professional level, to be blunt, I just want to make sure I don't sound like an idiot. I want to be a knowledgeable contributor. On a personal level, my blog here is apparently read by more people than I thought and I'm starting to hear adjectives like "funny" and "easy to relate to" being tossed around. Well crap. Now I have expectations to live up to.

Not surprising to me whatsoever, all these expectations left me without a creative, funny, relatable (is that a word?), or thought-provoking topic in which to ramble about. I decided to do another happy list today, because, in all honesty, I have a lot to be happy about right now.

Rockstar Diaries is on a brief hiatus, which gives you an excellent opportunity to go read of all her quirky and adorable posts before she comes back and delivers us some more pieces of wonderful. One of my favorite parts of her blog is the Here's to Happiness project. This will be my second happiness list and this one was just as much fun to create as the first.

Without further ado, here's a list of things that have recently made me incredibly, out of my mind happy: (a topic I'm both an expert on and is most definitely in my comfort zone!)

1. good morning kisses

2. realizing new acquaintances are genuine friends
3. drooling over pictures of stylish home decor - like this crisp, bright white kitchen - and dreaming up post-wedding home improvement projects (lately, much inspired by The Vintage Chair)

4. feeling the contagious happiness jump from each image while looking at pictures from someone's wedding
5. Eric Northman

6. the staples of summer: thunderstorms, barefeet, cookouts, white wine, tanned skin
7. colorful flowers

8. imagining how it's going to feel to kiss my husband for the very first time
9. how easily children are entertained, and how absolutely adorable my niece is

10. laughing so hard i cry

image credits:
1. image niotillfem via Le Love
3. image via Just One More Minute - Day Dream theme by Jim Whimpey
7. image via Just One More Minute - Day Dream theme by Jim Whimpey

putting it into perspective

2009-08-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

There's a word spelled wrong on my wedding invitation. Yep, I'm serious. And not just any word. The date. As much as I want to have a dramatic internet blog pause and say, "I'm MESSING with you guys!" Old School style, I regretfully must admit that according to the invitations that were put in the mail last week, I am now getting married on October SEVENTEETH.

Seventeeth?? kj;dlgj;serjhpjsl;jftu!!!!

There are a multitude of reasons why this should have never happened, but perhaps the most important one is I proofread emails and landing pages as part of my job every effing day. I also have read that wedding invitation 45698 times. Or more. I caught other spelling mistakes. "Newport News" was originally just "Newport" and we had a great laugh at the printers while viewing our proofs at how they had turned my lovely home state into a slightly uncomfortable and mildly inappropriate "Virgina." True story.

In the scheme of things, I realize that this is a pretty minor error and if I can get through the wedding with this being my biggest mistake then I am will pat myself on the back. I know it could be worse. In the meantime, my friends continue to swear they either didn't notice it (liars...) or no one else will and my mom continues to laugh at me - she clicked the thumbs up when I mentioned the typo on my Facebook status AND left a comment. Nice.

Moving forward, I'll probably stick to numbers on the programs. Here's to getting to 10/17/09! (with more than seventeeth...)

where i'm going, where i've been

2009-08-20T06:03:00.001-07:00

I took this picture with my iPhone on our drive back from the Outer Banks earlier this week. I'm fully aware it is not a quality shot or anything, but I love it. I love it in a pat myself on the back and smile kind of way. I love how you can see the road in the side mirror. I love how the sun is shining through the trees shortly before sunset. Most of all, I love my feet on the dashboard next to an open car window, truly epitomizing summer.

I spent two and a half days this week at the beach with my mom and Jason and friends I've had known through our yearly vacations in Kill Devil Hills since I was barely walking. I woke up in the morning to this view...

I ate crab legs and steamed and seasoned shrimp and fresh tuna. I slathered myself in lotion that smelled like coconut and didn't even pack my blow dryer. The most difficult decision I made was whether or not to read the newest People magazine or finish the second book in the True Blood series - and when to roll over to sun my back. It was a great couple of days.

It's back to reality now. The reality of too much to do and too little time to do it. Wedding invites go out today, bachelorette festivities take place this weekend and ECU football kicks off in 2 weeks. Sigh. Relaxation won't come till mid-October, but it comes in the form of a week long cruise to the Mexican Riveria with my hot new husband. So, as you may have guessed, I'm not complaining. Bring on busy and bring on October!

we can do anything

2009-08-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

Wanna pack your bags...something small
Take what you need and we disappear
Without a trace we'll be gone, gone
The moon and the stars can follow the car
and then when we get to the ocean
Take a boat to the end of the world
All the way to the end of the world

We can always look back at what we did
All these memories of you and me baby
But right now it's you and me forever
And you know we could do better than anything that we did
You know that you and me, we could do anything
The two of us together, we could do anything

-Dave Matthews Band

*Image by klairg.deviantart via Le Love

contagious happiness

2009-08-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

I had THE email I was waiting for in my inbox this morning - my bridal session proofs were ready to look at! Stephanie really outdid herself, yet again. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun the morning was. My mom and sister came with me to City Center in Newport News and I got to play in my beautiful dress and sassy heels for 2 whole hours. I'm so jealous of models who get paid to do what I graciously paid Stephanie to do for me. I can not adequately describe how it feels to wear a wedding dress, your wedding dress. Suffice it to say that it would absolutely make a list of the top 10 things that make me incredibly happy.

I'm trying this new thing where I don't blab every detail of the wedding to everyone. That's a bold faced lie. I'm actually only trying to not show the dress to everyone. Except for my bridesmaids, immediate family, and co-workers...so, I guess just not to the majority of the people receiving invitations. If you've met me, you know it's really really difficult for me to keep a secret. I want to share more pics from the session, but I'm going to only show two not so revealing ones. Check out Stephanie's blog for more of her awesome work!

On a side note, I'm dying to catch 500 Days of Summer! Zoey Deschanel is adorable and quirky and the soundtrack is really good, too. Has anyone seen it yet?

i need more time

2009-08-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

I need about 6 extra hours added to every day so I can blog and run longer and cook better dinners and REALLY clean my upstairs and get over this 3-day long headache I've been having. I hope to make it back soon to tell you all about how much fun I had playing in my wedding dress for 2 hours last weekend (and hopefully show a few not too revealing pics!). I want more time to read and get a new charger for my camera so I can start taking pictures again. I want to actually start my engagement scrapbook (I've been engaged for over 9 months now and the book is still in the wrapper). I want to address invitations and re-read our hand-crafted wedding ceremony 100 more times and take the next two months to do nothing but finish planning my wedding and love on the people that love me most!

Three good things have happened to me already today:
1. I filled the dishwasher to an appropriate capacity and started it before Jason could cram 7 too many extra dishes in there and I end up having to re-wash most of them. Victory!
2. My friend, Erin, sent me some new pictures of her son, Logan, who may be the cutest little baby boy I've ever seen.
3. I have a giant triple espresso coffee sitting next to me

So here's to a day spent knee-deep in stats analysis and managing email programs and wishing I was kissing my fiance in a bright yellow bucket on the Farris wheel.

*Picture from Hazelnut Photography. Check out their awesome blog here...

what makes me feel beautiful

2009-08-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile...a long while. Despite several mediocre spurts of inspiration, I haven't found the time or the desire in a good long while to sit down and blog. I miss it. I'm also very much relieved that my meal ticket doesn't come by means of acting on writing inspirations or else I'd epitomize the starving artist. What I missed most is having something I really WANTED to write about.

This is also the first time I've blogged at home. In the past, it has been a 30 minute respite from the workday, a lunch hour of time spent looking up creative wedding expressions or discussing my talented co-workers. I was sitting on the couch watching old Fringe episodes with Jason and browsing through this month's Real Simple when I stumbled upon an article that made me immediately walk upstairs and sit down at the computer to write.

The article is titled "what makes me feel beautiful." Just like that, in all lower case letters. Something about the avoidance of capital letters is peaceful to me. Strange, I know. The first piece is written by Anne Roiphe, an older author who has a book titled "Epilogue: A Memoir" being released next month. While acknowledging that inner beauty is insufficient at changing physical appearance and no amount of love will bring back the body of your youth, she recalls a time just a week before her husband's sudden passing where on a seemingly ordinary morning, he turned to her before walking out the door for work and told her how happy of a man she had made him. I smiled as I read about her asking him to repeat himself, just so she could hear it again. The number of times I have pulled the "what did you say?" line just to feel the wave of happiness wash over me for another couple seconds after hearing Jason say something especially thoughtful are too many to count. Something I will quickly fess up to and make no promises to curb in the future.

They had been married 39 years. She mentions the trials and tribulations that inevitably come with marriage - noting financial mistakes, fishing trips, second-guessing decisions, and graduations. Her relationship is so refreshingly human and normal and obviously filled with love. Her husband's six words, "You have made me very happy," made her feel beautiful despite any physical imperfection she may have had in her 80 plus years of life. They will continue to make her feel beautiful despite him no longer being with her. The weight of which is too powerful for me to even be able to comprehend right now.

She writes, "I don't believe that positive thinking improves your skin tone or that loving or being loved changes the shape of your nose or restores the thickness and color of hair, but I do know that there is a way of being beautiful, even as age takes its toll, that has something to do with the spirit filling with joy, something to do with the union with another human being, with the sense of having done well at something enormously important, like making happy a man who has made you happy often enough."

Tomorrow marks exactly 2.5 months until my wedding day, and I hope that in 39 years, 2 months and 2 weeks, I too know just how to feels to have succeeded in making an amazing man happy, and it can be a beauty potion I can keep with me for the rest of my life.

In the meantime, what makes me feel beautiful now is an odd mix: a hard, sweaty workout, a pair of killer heels, a good hair day and that smile Jason gets on his face when I walk downstairs on an ordinary day to go somewhere insignificant that says more than his words ever could. When I'm laughing with my niece, my best friends or my sister, when Jason and I are sharing an inside joke or I'm getting poked fun at by my mom - when I'm laughing with the people I love most, it's then, hands down, that I feel the most beautiful. And that laughter sure is an effective beauty potion, even on the ugliest of days.

I Can't Help It...It's What I'm Into...

2009-06-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

I realize that I blog a lot about weddings...but here's the thing, I'm getting married in 4 months (127 days to be exact, not that I'm counting...) so I can't exactly fault myself that my current fascination (obsession?) is all the awesome ways couples are infusing creativity into their big day. I started blogging in an effort to try to make myself be more creative, however, I'm finding that my waves of creative ideas come at inconvenient times when it's not possible to document them - when I'm on runs or at the gym, when I'm sitting in a training session at work, driving in my car - and by the time I'm in front of the computer and able to post, the ideas are gone - or they don't seem quite as good as they did before. I have great admiration for people who's livelihoods depend on their ability to churn out creativity on a daily basis.

What I haven't dissapointed myself on is the ability to find other people's creativity and share it with my small audience. Getting back to my wedding fascination, I more specifically have found myself being drawn to the inspiring things photographers and videographers are producing. I mentioned in an earlier post my desire to do a trash the dress session. I found another incredible shot of a TTD session...

How much fun are they having? I mean really, her smile is priceless.

And then there's this video from Still Motion Photo + Cinema. They create videos of TTD sessions that really capture the playfulness of these types of photo shoots.

Frances + James TTD - Times Square + Coney Island from StillMotion on Vimeo.

I have one final "props" to dish out to The Broke-Ass Bride. Another couple that looks like a blast to hang out with, their pictures were out of this world amazing!Here are a few of my favorites:

And I definitely cannot forget to include the video they put together...check out The Fresh Hubby of LA...

Fresh Hubby of LA from Digital Princess Productions on Vimeo.

***************************
To end on another happy note, it's *Friday* and in a few short hours I'm heading up to Richmond to have a girls weekend with some of my very best friends. I'm even having my first bridal shower tomorrow! I'm too excited for words. Happy weekend!

i couldn't resist...

2009-06-10T10:41:00.001-07:00

happy summer!

{picture by Little Girl Blue, via A Cup of Joe}

Holy Catch-up!

2009-06-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

Recently work and well, life, has decided to slam down on the accelerator and I haven't had much time to breathe let alone blog. It's been a whirlwind 3 weeks or so...but even whirlwind weeks are better in the sweet summertime!

Lake Gaston was beyond words. So much fun, even despite my tussle with the lawn chair that resulted in black eyes for a week...and I'm not exaggerating. There were boat rides and jet skies, gorgeous views, jumps off a 2-story dock and an 11am power hour - and I was there with some of my most favorite people in the world. It was nothing short of a perfect weekend. I already can't wait for next year!

The following weekend J and I hiked up to New Jersey for Grace's wedding. I got to see Erica and John - 2 of my old roommates from the Rugters days - which was icing on the cake! Grace was beautiful, the weather was beautiful, and the wedding itself was obviously freakin' beautiful too! Grace and Kimo looked like they were on cloud 9 - they were just floating. As I watched them share kiss after kiss as a newly married couple, I obviously couldn't help but get out of my mind excited for my own wedding which is just 4 short months and some change away! I'm excited to get married like a 5 year old gets excited for Christmas! I saw our names on our wedding favor...

...and I couldn't help but think that soon it's going to be Mr. and Mrs. Jason Reed. Smiles!

And speaking of a Mr. and Mrs., I'll close with the most adorable wedding video I've ever seen. Julie and Joe look like such a fun couple...and the video that Artistic Imagery put together for them is cuter than words.

The Perfect Catch from alan silva on Vimeo.

PS...Blue heels for the wedding?! Got 'em!

Holiday Weekend

2009-05-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

Today I am happy about everything! I have 4 glorious days of vacation ahead of me that I'm spending at Lake Gaston with Jason and some of my very best friends. I got into work at 7am (say whaaat?!) and have been viciously attacking my 20 deep to-do list (only down to 6 tasks left! uh-oh!). Keane is serenading me through my headphones and I'm loving it. I found more fabulous pictures taken by Pat Dy that made my heart smile. I might spend a little too much time stalking his site and gawking at all the incredible moments he captures. This one was my favorite today:

So it's time to wrap up the day, go spend some time with Janay (my little sister through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program) and head to the lake to jump off 2 story docks, cook out, and spend unforgettable moments with unforgettable people.

It was just another night
with the sun set
and the moon rise not so far behind
to give us just enough light
to lay down underneath the stars
listen to all the translations
of the stories across the sky
we drew our own constellations.
-Jack Johnson

Have a great weekend!

Trash the Dress?

2009-05-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

What are your thoughts on trash the dress sessions?! I have one opinion...I want one! I want to get all messy in my dress and take hot, steamy pictures with Jason in his suit - the kind you can't take in the 45 minutes between the ceremony and the reception with your entire family and wedding party around. I want to put on some bright colored pumps and a hot pair of sunglasses, vamp up the make-up and just have fun with it! Here are some of my favorite TTD pics. Enjoy!

And check this out...

...further proof that Stephanie really knows her stuff! Can't wait for post-wedding photo sesh fun!

Here's to Happiness

2009-05-18T08:22:00.001-07:00

One of my most favorite things to do (especially on a Monday morning...) is read people's happy lists. Rockstar Diaries frequently serves up top-10's that never fail to pull the corners of my mouth up regardless of where or when I read them. It's Monday and both my home and work to-do lists are getting a little scary. I couldn't think of a better time to document my own happy list...

Rebecca's list of 10 things that make her *incredibly happy*

1. the sound of my niece laughing
2. brightly colored furniture
3. the smell of an oncoming thunderstorm
4. falling asleep with my head nestled between jason's shoulder blades
5. pictures of people in love
6. a cold shower after a hard, sweaty workout
7. getting flowers unexpectedly
8. writing my name with jason's last name
9. laughing so hard you cry
10. carrot cinnamon bittycakes

Passion

2009-05-08T05:35:00.000-07:00

I woke up early enough to walk Jonas this morning. I thoroughly enjoy the mornings I drag my butt out of bed early enough to take him for a walk. He's a good dog to walk - minus his unreasonable and exaggerated fear of storm drains. I could walk him for hours if I had the time. The sweet smells of springtime permeate my thoughts and my mind wanders aimlessly. If I can't spend the morning tangled up with Jason, I'd chose to spend it walking Jonas. I always smile when I pass the obnoxiously bright turquoise Adirondack chairs down the street and seeing the purple and gold flowers planted in the neighboring apartment complex takes me back to a place where springtime flowers were synonymous with perfection. A former teammate of mine, Allison Keel, captured the true beauty of a JMU springtime on her blog. Check them out here...

And on the topic of amazing photography, I was gifted yesterday with a peek into the world of Pat Dy . As a wedding and fashion photographer, I spent an entire hour combing through his website and oogling at the breathtaking skill he has behind a camera lens. People have got to be born with that kind of talent. He shot engagement pictures for a Parisan couple. Two beautiful people + one gifted photographer + the streets of Paris = perfection. It was hard to pick a favorite, but I could almost feel the passion behind the picture below jumping out at me from the computer screen. I felt like I was peeking into a really personal and private moment between the two of them - but it left me feeling overwhelmed with my own personal happiness.

And on that note, check out the poem Le Love posted on her blog earlier this week titled "i want." It makes me fall in love with being in love every single time I read it.

Happy Friday!

Something Blue?

2009-04-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

Inspired by The Unbride's fashionista Friday from last week - I have been giving a little thought to the whole "something old, something new..." thing. More specifically, something blue! Her post of several fabulous options for this part allowed me to feast my eyes on the likes of these lovelies:

Blue pumps - sheer genius. My dress is long anyways, and how fun would it be walking down the aisle knowing I have a pair of kick ass heels underneath that gorgeous satin gown? I'll have Nana's pearls around my neck and a stunning pop of color just waiting to make a guest appearance!

I found these on Aldo's website...who says keeping with tradition can't be fun?

What is real?

2009-04-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

From "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Shameless

2009-03-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the amazing pictures that photographer Stephanie Mosher took of Jason and I at the Duke Gardens in Durham, NC for our engagement session. You can see more on her blog if you're interested! Jason and I had such a great time working with her - we had *perfect* weather and it was so much fun! Cheeks were a little sore - but I think Stephanie did a fantastic job capturing the essence of our relationship. I can't wait for her to work her magic at our wedding!

Recently, 'Mad World' by Gary Jules came on my radio station on Pandora - made me think of Donnie Darko - anyone remember that movie?? Erica, my roommate freshman year of college, and I LOVED it. Netflix queue? We'll see! :)

Creative ADD?

2009-03-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

Does this exist? I fully intended on getting into more detail about the other things I have learned since I've moved to Raleigh - I thought they were pretty insightful and worth elaborating on. However, 4 days removed, I look back at my list and think they are rather generic and lame. Maybe I should have gotten all my thoughts down on Monday? I find I have this problem with a lot of my creative endeavors. I get great ideas swimming in my head and get excited to see them through, and then I get bored with them. If the time to fully pursue my ideas doesn't present itself at the precise moment that they are bewing inside my head, it's almost a lost cause.

Scrapbooking is a perfect example. I have wanted to get into scrapbooking for months, years even. I'd love to have the events of my life documented by printed photos creatively laid out on patterned paper and my poor excuse for a humorous explanation or some badly chosen quote written below to tie it all together. No really, I would. But I get bored with that idea before I find the time (and the money) to get to the store to buy the necessary supplies.

I thought blogging might be better. Apparently not. I will complete my list briefly, and perhaps the next time I get the desire to write and have nothing particulary interesting to ramble about, I'll come back to the list and elaborate. Without further ado (as I know so many people were waiting with much anticipation):

3. Social media marketing, social networking - all extremely fascinating! There is so much out there to read about and to learn. Here's a list of some social media blogs I try to check from time to time.

4. Tofu BBQ is f'ing amazing!! Brooks gave us a holiday present in the form of gift cards to The Pit, a BBQ restaurant downtown. I went with some of the girls from work for Victoria's birthday. V is vegan (in addition to being awesome) - and lemme tell you, she makes some kickass raw tiramisu! But I digress...in addition to trying Bells beer for the first time and L-O-V-I-N-G it, I was privilidged to get a bite of V's tofu BBQ. Oh. My. God. It tasted juuuust like BBQ chicken! It blew my mind. (I have also become extremely dependent on my Morning Star Farms maple flavored veggie sausage patties for breakfast...which are apparently now available at Helio's on their kick ass bagel sandwiches. My mornings may never be the same again...)

5. I have books on my "to-read" list that aren't by Malcolm Gladwell, David Sedaris, or about vampires. Although, as my list was created on Monday, this has since changed after watching a talk with Malcolm Gladwell from 2004'sTED Conference on spaghetti sauce (Watch the talk here...) this morning in class. Gladwell's book Outliers has now rapidly been moved from a book I "will read at some point" to the book I plan on going and buying on my way home from work today.

6. ACC Basketball is a BIG deal. I live in the Triangle of North Carolina, I'm not sure I need to elaborate much more. Go 'Heels!

7. It's much harder to make friends as an adult than it was as a child. I always considered myself a social person and I always found it easy to make friends. I guess before I moved to a brand new city where the only person I knew was the person I was moving for. It's not like college and not even like my last company where there were 10 other new people that started within the same month or 2 as me. Don't get me wrong, I have some friends here. And I'm lucky that the 20-person company I work for is comprised of 20 people I enjoy spending time with - over 1/2 price martinis at Boggarts or at late-night McDonalds runs or onnnneee too many vodka-cran's at Lynwood Grill. Just as a general statement - it hasn't been the 'walk in the park' I imagined it would be to find my niche here.

8. Gold's Gym rocks. I never believed the hype, but good god that place is amazing. The classes are tough, there are always machines available no matter how busy it is, and I especially enjoy watching Little Miss Sunshine while elliptical-ing it up.

9. Life moves fast. I didn't think the day would come where a new dish rack and pizza stone would make me insanely happy! The day has come. Not much gets me smiling like the smell of chili cooking all day, filling my wine rack and then depleting it (repeat, repeat, repeat...), and taking a long walk with the dogs and Jason. Not to mention I'm getting MARRIED. Settling down? Eh - I'd prefer to call it 'calming down,' I've got more than enough spice left.

******

Currently listening to 'Everything'll Be Alright' by Joshua Radin. All week I've been addicted to my Ryan Adams station on Pandora...still in much anticipation for my PINK-infused, shopping and sushi-fest of a weekend with 2 of my best friends in Richmond coming up. The sun's out and it may be about 60 in Raleigh, I'm in a skirt and my "summer jean jacket" and I'm happy.

I also joined Twitter this week - it has been everything and nothing like what I anticipated. :)

Getting my feet wet...

2009-03-16T05:59:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to start blogging for quite some time but several things prevented my initial leap, the primary reason being lack of interest from anyone aside from myself...apparently my narcissism won out.

Ever since I've moved to Raleigh, I've been learning a lot of interesting things that I thought might be worth sharing - or at least getting out of my head for me to chew on with a bit of detail. I'm sure with time this blog will morph into a different kind of beast with several different heads - but it is my hope that, if anything, I learn to tap into the creative side of my brain a bit more. And it is with this mention of creativity, that I jump into the 9 things I've learned since moving to Raleigh. As I have a tendency to ramble - I plan on taking a few days to discuss these nuggets in a bit more detail. In celebration of a dreary Monday, I'll start with some work-related learnings:

1. My creativity gauges far, far below that of my colleagues.
I work with some smart, insanely creative people! Mind you I fully realize I was hired to manage projects - or, as my title states, interactively PRODUCE all this creativity these people are churning out. But even so, there are some sharp tools in this shed. (more on my obsession with the word 'tool' at a later date...) They work on designing outfits for Sponge Bob, they create interactive games for Monsters Vs. Aliens, they improve email layouts and design flash banners that have all sorts of visual effects - all of which contribute to more clicks for our clients. It's absolutely fascinating to me the things that the designers here can create on a computer.

And then there's more. The creative director here maintains over 6 websites - my personal favorite being his video frozen food blog - Freezer Burns. Here I thought "micromeals" were Kristin and I's quasi-lame attempt at eating healthy and saving some $$ by not going out to eat at RoCo - and now I can find REVIEWS on some of the very meals I purchase on the reg, as well as other stuff all up and down the frozen food aisle. Another one of my co-workers has a food blog as well, one is a romance novelist, and another designed the invitations I'm using for my October wedding.

2. The agency life is a good one.
I should also add that I am an ardent supporter of small companies. I get frequent face time with some smart people and my interactions with our clients have helped me immensely in my professional development. We've recently been watching some thought-provoking lectures on things like lazy innovation and serious play and their usefulness in the workplace. We listened to an author by the name of Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote 'Eat, Pray, Love' talk about the concept of creativity being a separate being - it was very interesting. And if she's correct, as I previously mentioned in #1 above, that being hasn't graced me with its presence um...ever. You can check out some of these lectures and other talks by some extremely innovative people at TED: Ideas Worth Spreading.

The laid-back, creativity-driven atmosphere is the landscape for a level of productivity that I had previously not experienced, and where extreme sarcasm and wit are prevelant, they are in addition to intelligent conversation about topics ranging from client revisions and industry best-practices to Twitter updates, the Bachelor, and homebrew. Then there's the snack closet that stays full as long as we hit our revenue goals each month - the football tossing, the washers game, the coloring pad, and the Wii room.

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That's all for now. I'm listing to Ryan Adams and it's making me quite excited for my weekend in Richmond coming up in about a week and a half! Interactive producing and project managing are both calling - till next time...