Our Journey: Part II

So after Dippin’ Dots, we each went our way and didn’t see each other until Prom night. We had planned on getting everyone together at my parent’s house, take pictures, exchange corsages, boutonnieres, etc and be on our way.

Here is where it gets tricky. Remember how I mentioned that as a Foreign Exchange Student I really didn’t have a clue about this whole Prom business? Well, I accidentally ended up with two dates. It was funny! Well maybe not so funny for my second date. But we all found humor in it. My second date was a Freshman at my High School. One day before Prom we were chit-chatting in a group when me and my big mouth said: Hey Tom, are you coming to Prom? The kid's face lit up and then looked at me with confusion. I totally missed those signals. After he told me he wasn't planning on going to Prom since he didn't have anybody to go with, I said: Well, you should come with us! (motioning to my friends). I think it'd be fun!

To my defense, I thought it was a regular school party, where everyone went with a group of people. I didn't realize the whole "Prom date" thing was such a big deal.

So Prom day comes and everyone is showing up at my house all nice and pretty. Parents are all ready with their cameras, girls are all giggly with their hair done and pretty jewelry, boys are ready to hand out their corsages!?!? And it was then that it dawned on me: I have TWO dates!!! And what is worse, I only have ONE boutonniere!

So my poor mother had to run to the closest florist in town and get a second boutonniere, for my second date.

My two dates: Tom and The Groom

It ended up being OK. Some of my girlfriends went to Prom without dates, so they were more than happy to help me entertain two dates. Most of my classmates thought that it was just a Venezuelan custom to wear two corsages! And I didn't argue.

So, while Freshman Tom was having a good time jumping from dance to dance. The Groom and I danced all night long! Our feet hurt when the night was over. He literally swept me off my feet. And it was a sweet night.

We started dating immediately and I had my first taste of the meaning of love.

{Wedding Planner} Keeping yourself organized!

After I got engaged time seemed to start going a lot faster than before. I had the intentions of hand making a lot of things so that we could shrink our spending. But once I saw how fast things were moving while I tried to keep up with my nine-to-five job, I was getting a little discouraged. Lucky for me we ended up postponing our wedding almost a year, so we had more time for all those DIY projects! I never thought I’d be happy to have a long engagement but I have to say I am glad it ended up being that way. I was able to get a whole lot more done and search for better deals.

That said, one of the things that I wish I had done differently was better organizing my projects and information. I would see something I really liked and make a mental note and then I’d spend what seemed like years trying to find it again. But The Knot comes to the rescue with their New “The Knot Wedding Collection” and their array of cute little planning tools. One of my favorite: The Knot Seating Chart Organizer. Especially after spending many nail-biting hours using sticky notes trying to make sure that Aunt Jamie isn’t sitting next to Uncle Joe and that Cousin Jim is close to the dance floor so he can do his famous dance move: The Worm!

They come in two different colors (Swirl and Blue Dot) and most items are under $20!

All images via The Knot

{Kids} Say The Darndest Things!

You know how they say “kids say the darndest things”? Well, they really do! We had some friends over a little while ago and we were all exchanging stories. Miss G was the only child under 10 in the room, so she was trying really hard to be “cool” and keep up with everyone there.

I was recounting a memoir of when I was a little younger than her; I was about 3 years old. It had just rained really hard in my hometown and my mom found me leaning against the balcony in our apartment crying. When she asked what was wrong I said “I'm just really sad because that tree fell down and since God is everywhere he just got squished.” My mom then proceeded to explain to me how God was everywhere but he wasn't right there when the tree fell down.

Of course all of our guests burst into laughs and I had accomplished my goal.

Well, Miss G here sees everyone laughing and she starts laughing at me hysterically, in a “oh mom... you're so silly” kind of way. The next morning as we're getting ready for school she stops in the middle of something and says to me “mom, you're so funny.” I respond “Oh, yeah? Why do you say that?” She proceeds “Well, when you were little you were crying because you thought God had gotten squished by the tree!”... silly me “I know, I know... I was silly.” And then she says “It is silly! He was probably just right behind the tree!”

At this point I had to focus really hard not to laugh. It was the cutest thing! She had this face that said “Duh! Of course He was right behind the tree!”

And it is without further ado that I present to you.... Miss G:

Photograph by Punam Bean

Our Journey: Part I

I figured it’d be proper to introduce this blog with a little background and history. The Groom & I met while I was in New York as a foreign exchange student. It was the mid 90’s, the hair was still big and the fashion off. It was approaching Prom time at my high school and as a foreign exchange student I was kind of lost in the process. We certainly don’t have these kinds of dances back in Venezuela, I believe mostly because people there are just not organized enough to pull it off.

I was not focused on finding a date and had assumed I’d just be going with a group of friends. This must’ve been taboo in my upstate New York town because a friend immediately jumped to the opportunity by setting me up on a blind date with this Latin boy from the high school next door. She said to me “He must be from Venezuela too because you guys just match… he’s very similar to you.” To which I reacted with a mental picture of matchy things like “hmm, do these pants match with this shirt?” But I agreed to it, justifying this decision with my goal to fully experience the American Culture. Truth is, I might’ve been a wee bit excited about the thought of another Latino to dance with at the party (not that many of us Upstate New York at the time).

It was all very high school. We exchanged numbers through my friend, met over the phone, agreed to go to Prom together, corsage? Yes, meet here that Saturday and let’s drive to Prom, done!

It was so soothing to finally hear some Spanish after about nine months of what sounded like one long word to me (I knew very little English when I came to the States… and I’m being generous to myself when I say that). He told me he worked at the mall and my host-mother decided it was too weird to meet my Prom date at the Prom. So we drove to the mall one afternoon on a spy mission to determine if he was fitted to be my date or not. The plan was: we walk by his job; if we don’t see any cute guys working there we call the whole thing off. It sounded like a fair, well thought out plan to me at the time and so we marched right in.

As I approached the counter where he told me he worked I couldn’t help but notice this handsome tall boy with a smirk on his face. And all I could think of was “oh please God, let it be him! Please let it be him! I promise I won’t lie on my diary about how many chocolate chip cookies I had today” And with a big cheesy smile on my face I tapped his shoulder and said “Hi! It’s me!” (Yes, that also seemed like the most logical choice of words to me at the time). He stared at me for a few seconds and then said “Jennifer?” And that’s when I exhaled with relief, looked up to the skies and mouthed “Thank You!”

We had Dippin' Dots ice cream and talked about the latest movies (Don Juan DeMarco – how appropriate). It was nice and easy, almost like we’d been friends for years. We made more formal arrangements for the dance and well, the rest is history!

Ok, maybe not so fast. There is a lot more to it, but I’ll tell you the rest another time.

{Cookie Crumble} Love is in the air!

Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner I’d like to share with you my love for cookies! I love baking them, decorating them, sharing them but most of all I love eating them! There is nothing more comforting than a buttery cookie that almost melts in your mouth – OK maybe there is… and I think that’s called chocolate! Yes, I am a chocoholic!

Getting back to the cookies… so tonight Miss G {our daughter} and I will be baking some delicious shortbread cookies to share with the #1 love of our lives – enter The Groom!

I have been in search of the perfect shortbread cookie recipe, so if you have one please don’t hesitate to share!

Photo by Martha Stewart Living