Long Tall Sally

Matt's mom sent us a bunch of wedding information from a vendor fair she went to in Portland, and we got the package yesterday. Amid the brochures of cup-cake makers, florists, and photographers (one of which charges $15,000, good lord!), was a catalogue that didn't quite fit with the rest... entitled Long Tall Sally.

I don't think I've ever written about this on this blog before, but I am tall. I'm a little shy of 6 feet and 2 inches, in fact. Clothes have been a struggle all my life, because let's face it - there aren't many women over 6 feet out there yet. There's not a single store in Spokane that I can actually walk into a buy a pair of pants at. Anyway, I thought it was really thoughtful of Matt's mom to send me this catalogue, because I've never heard of the company before, and I'm always looking for places that sell clothes that will fit me!

One of the things I've been most excited for this summer is the maxi dress trend - and I've been dying to get one! Unfortunately, they are all too short, and not in the way that I could still potentially pull off. But now, I have some options!

I can totally see myself wandering around downtown in a pair of gladiators and the Nirvana Maxi Dress in Khaki during the middle of summer!

A night on the town or an outdoor summer wedding? The Woodstock Dress has got it covered!

Rolling out of bed for a lazy Sunday brunch would look so much more elegant in the Karma Maxi Dress!

Tall women out there, check out Long Tall Sally. They also have a great selection of light, long summer skirts, jeans, trousers, and other basics. I'm definitely going to be buying a few items in the near future!

Wedding Wednesdays - Episode 3

To hire a wedding planner? Or do it myself?

I've been tossing these questions around to myself for the last couple of weeks. Since we've decided to have the ceremony in Portland, which is a 6 hour drive (1 hour plane trip) away from where we live, something or someone is going to have to help me. The last thing I want is to guilt some relative (or soon-to-be relative) into doing a bunch of stuff for me because I'm incapable of doing it myself, or making the arrangements to get it done.

On the one hand, I'm a control freak. I like knowing exactly what's going to happen, when it's going to happen, and who's going to be doing it. I like having a schedule that I have complete control over. I like having a say in everything. And honestly, I kind of like putting together events - granted, I've never done even close to the size of a wedding - and think it would be genuinely FUN to put this together. As long as I don't take it too seriously, that is!

On the other hand, I know nothing about planning a big event, let alone a wedding! I can count the number of weddings that I've attended as an adult on one hand, and I haven't been in a wedding since I was... 6? I also have this tendency to bite off more than I can chew, and then refuse to admit that I need help when I actually do need help. These things aren't really good when coupled together, I think.

Basically, I need Jennifer Lopez from The Wedding Planner. Except I'd rather her not steal my groom!


Ladies that have attended or planned weddings, did you have a wedding coordinator/planner? If you could go back, would you change your mind about whether to have one or not?

Combatting Stress with Craftiness

It's been a rough weekend, coming back from 8 days away, preparing to go back to work after working from Houston for a week, trying to adjust my sleep schedule to be normal again, and making up for a week of missed chores. *sigh* So much to do, so little time!

Whenever I get stressed, I like to do something "creative". It's even better when that creative thing is for someone else! Since my birthday was a couple weeks ago, I decided to make some thank-yous to send to my family members that sent me presents. My mom always used to make us make birthday cards and thank-you notes when we had to send them, so it's a habit I've had since childhood I suppose. Anyway, here's my handiwork - I think they're pretty cute, and I finished them during the 20 minutes of The Simpsons we had DVR-ed!

Flowers are the perfect addition to every Spring card!

I've found the urge to "make things" coming on more and more, and it's made me reaaaaalllly want a sewing machine. I used to make all kinds of stuff - doll clothes for my American Girl Doll (Kirsten, the Swedish one, of course!) and various other crafty projects. I've been imagining the reusable grocery bags I could make; the aprons I could assemble that are actually proportionate to my body; I've even had an occasional desire to learn how to quilt.

I think I'll probably go for something a little more... modern? But you get the idea.

As my mom would say, "Add it to the registry!" And in the mean time, I'll keep making cards when I need to take my mind off things.

Getting Back On Track With Work-Outs

Nothing side-tracks your health like an extended vacation/work trip. Add that to a whirlwind few weeks of amazing life-changing-ness, and you've got a food and lack of exercise bender for the entire month of April. Well, no more! This is the week to get back on track.

As with everything I do, it's go big or go home. So I've assembled a work-out plan to kick my butt and teach me a lesson - make time for exercise every day! So here's the plan:

• Monday: A morning run, and an after work spin class
• Tuesday: A morning run, and mid-day weights
• Wednesday: Mid-day yoga, and after work cardio (probably elliptical and stair thingy)
• Thursday: Flying Irish!
• Friday: Mid-day run, and after work yoga
• Saturday: Long yoga class and some light cardio
• Sunday: Bloomsday!

After this week, I think I'm going to start up on 30 Day Shred. I need a challenge, and I feel like Jillian Michaels is the one to provide that challenge. Plus, the blog world has been blowing up with how great this workout DVD is, so I've got to give it a try myself!

Menu Plan Monday

I'm sooooo happy to be back home and cooking again this week! I've missed it - eating out really gets old after awhile. Nothing too adventurous this week, just trying to make the most of my time being home again! As always, check out Org Junkie's website for more menu planners!

Monday: Tofu and veggie curry served over brown rice.

Tuesday (class night): Breakfast for dinner! Which means omelettes.

Wednesday: Quinoa with Black Beans (my first time trying quinoa!), and grilling - Matt has a steak, and I have veggie burgers.

Thursday: Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce and some baked tofu (marinated in BBQ sauce)

Friday: Polenta with Tomato Sauce and some sort of veggies.

Saturday: Matt's choice - whatever he feels like tonight

Sunday: Leftovers, or food at various Bloomsday festivities!

I've been tagged!

While I was away, Megs over at Newbie New Yorker tagged me for this little meme (love her blog, check her out!). So here goes!

Here are the rules...

1. Respond and rework: answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag other un-tagged people.

The Questions:

What is your current obsession? Aprons! I love aprons; I want to get a sewing machine just so I can make aprons; I look at aprons on Etsy instead of clothes shopping when I'm day-dreaming at work; I even write blog posts about aprons!

What do you think your name says about you? Well, Rebecca is a pretty classical, biblical name; it says that I'm not Jewish maybe? Ha, I don't really know.

Who was the last person you hugged? Matt! Well, and Monkeybear (he'll get his own post soon).

What’s my favorite dinner? I love love love curry. I think I prefer Thai curry to Indian curry, but definitely a green curry packed with veggies and tofu over rice. Yum! I could seriously eat curry every day.

What was the last thing you bought? Coffee and a bagel at the neighborhood coffee shop this morning; and groceries yesterday.

What are you listening to right now? The NBA playoffs (go Celtics!).

What is your favorite weather? Warm rains. The kind that you can go out and get soaked in, but not be cold.

What is your least favorite season? Winter! I'm not a snow person at all, and the darkness and coldness and heavy snows just are NOT my cup of tea.

What's in your bathroom cabinet? Basically nothing, because I took everything with me to California and Texas and haven't unpacked yet!

Say something to the person/s who tagged you (Megs from Newbie New Yorker). Her sense of style is amazing - I love reading about her new finds!

What is your favorite tea flavor? My engagement tea - Marzipan Rose Black Tea. It's delicious and will always hold a special place in my heart.

What did you want to become as a child? When I was super young, I wanted to be a ballerina. The more practical career path that I decided on around age 10 was an Ambassador to Europe.

What do you miss? I miss Seattle - A LOT - and I miss all of my friends and family that I haven't seen in a long time!

What's your favorite brand of jeans? Jeans and I have a love-hate relationship - the only ones that fit that I can afford are Gap brand, so I guess them.

What designer piece of clothing would you most like to own (new or vintage)? I would love to own a classic cocktail dress from the 1940s or 1950s - something that I could wear to Christmas parties and the symphonies that is classically beautiful.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Sweden!

Who do you want to meet in person? Jake Gyllenhall, because he's beautiful and talented. And I think it'd be really fascinating to sit down and have a discussion with Hillary Clinton about her life, where she's been, and where she's going. Love her or hate her, she's had a really interesting life so far.

What is your most challenging goal right now? Planning my wedding. Hands down. It's lots of work!

What’s your 5 year plan? Get married; finish my masters and start my PhD; buy a house that I love in a city that I love; spend significant amounts of time traveling. Yeah, that's about it!

Why is today special? Today is special because it's a beautiful, sunny Sunday in Spokane and I might get to see some friends I haven't seen for a while!

What is my favourite sport to watch? NCAA basketball, curling, and gymnastics. To play? - Does running count? Cuz I'm a runner, and I love it. Other than that, ultimate frisbee and tennis.

What's your favouritve TV show right now? Hands down, Big Love on HBO. Reality-wise, it's The Hills.

Where do you do most of your blogging? In my super comfy over-sized arm chair, with my feet up on the Ottoman. So comfortable!

Tag! You're it! I'm tagging the following lovely ladies:

• Rachel at Operation Pink Bikini
• Liz at One Must Shock the Bourgeois
• Erin at Suburban Euphoria
• Lil Woman at Little Woman, Little Home
• Bernadette at Making Stuff and Doing Things
  

Grocery Blogging

Well, I successfully made it back to Washington in one piece! I left the Houston hotel at 5:30am (central time!), and I hit the sheets in my own bed for the first time in 8 days around midnight (there was a slight detour to a Death Cab for Cutie concert in the middle there). It feels soooooo good to be home, although my sleep schedule is pretty messed up. I crashed at 8pm last night, and woke up at 7am this morning... after being wide awake yesterday after barely 6 hours of sleep at 6am! It's going to be an interesting week, to say the least...

So what does a girl just home from a week away do on her first day back? Retail therapy! In the form of grocery shopping, because I was craving home-cooked food after a week and a half of meals out. I decided to mix things up a bit, and hit the local co-op-ish grocery store instead of the chain natural foods store. It was decidedly more expensive, but it was nice to be somewhere new.

The goods!

Here's what I left with (cost around $40):

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 large zucchini
• 1 avocado
• 1 lb package Small Planet firm tofu
• 1 package alphabet soup mix (looks delicious!)
• 1 bottle agave nectar (heard so much about this, just had to try it!)
• 6 frozen vegetarian tamales
• 1 box Amy's Alfredo and Shells
• 1 box Lundberg Parmesan Risotto
• 2 pounds quinoa

I'm looking forward to planning this week's meals today with these goods in mind... it's nice to finally be cooking for myself again!

Wedding Wednesdays - Episode 2

Location, location, location...

The problem with marrying someone that you meet at college is that your allegiances are to three different places - your hometown, his hometown, and the college town you actually met in (assuming that these are three different places, at least, as they are in my case). So the question is this: where's the best place to tie the knot?

Our choices as we started considering locations were these: Spokane (the college town), Seattle (my hometown), or Portland (his hometown). There are positives for each - yes, even Spokane - and it was a lot harder to make a choice than I thought.

Spokane was originally at the top of my list because of the history of our relationship here. We had our first date here (well, every date really), we chose to stay here after college, and there are so many important places here for both of us that it pretty much made sense.

St. Aloysius Church on the edge of Gonzaga's campus is a beautiful place to get married, as I remember seeing couple after couple have ceremonies here during my undergraduate years.

Arbor Crest Winery is another popular location, and with awesome views and lovely landscaping and buildings (also can't forget the important red wine!) that make for fabulous pictures and a picturesque ceremony backdrop.

But I AM from Seattle, and considering how much larger it is than Spokane (and the fact that no one from either of our families lives in Spokane), as well as it's location along the Puget Sound, it has some ideal locations as well.

The grotto at St. Edward's State Park is something I ran by several times a week during cross country practice and to this day consider a perfect location for a small, intimate ceremony. Plus, pictures along the Lake Washington shoreline would be so gorgeous!

In fact, I think the only place I could see myself getting married in Seattle is at St. Ed's. If you're having a small wedding in the Seattle area, I recommend checking it out. Plus state parks are relatively cheap to rent - compared to other locations.

But alas, I do love Matt, and he had his heart set on having the wedding in Portland. So despite the lovely locations that I could imagine (but wasn't particularly set on) in Seattle and Spokane, it will be a Portland, Oregon wedding for us! This poses several problems - I am not from Portland and don't even know where to BEGIN with anything for a Portland wedding. Additionally, Matt is a boy, and hasn't exactly been scouting possible ceremony locations these last few years. And finally, seeing as Portland is 6 hours away, it's going to be difficult to see things in person or meet with people, you know?

But there are several positives: Matt's mom has already been incredibly helpful at finding out about places and people, and filling us in on all the details. In fact, I have a book on Portland weddings waiting for me at home that she sent earlier this week. Portland is also much closer to Seattle than Spokane, so it'll be easier for my family to get there - and the majority of Matt's family lives in Portland, so that's a plus. And let's be honest, Portland's got some pretty sweet places to have a wedding!

The Portland Art Museum is so beautiful, and there's something so elegant about getting married among the works of great artists. Plus it's centrally located!

The Classical Chinese Gardens in the middle of Portland would also be a fantastic choice - just imagine all of your guests watching you say your vows on that bridge! Their restrictions are a little crazy (no dark flowers or red wine? Booooo) but the scenery could definitely be worth it!

And then there's Hotel Oregon, a McMenamins property, in McMinnville that Matt has mentioned several times. It looks beautiful, and it's in the heart of wine country. Yes please!

We'll be heading down to Oregon sometime in the beginning of May to visit a selection of venues that we determine are "finalists" for the location in the next few weeks - but in the mean time, I'm totally open to suggestions! If you got married in Portland, or have been to a beautiful wedding in Portland, let me know where it was and if you'd recommend it. And don't forget to check back for another Wedding Wednesday next week - who knows what we'll have decided by then!

Texas Blogging

I've been out of town and away from the blog world since Friday, and boy does it feel like a long time! First we went to Coachella in Indio, California, and then it was off to the wonderful state of Texas on business!

Houston, to be exact!

Sorry for my absence, both in the blogosphere and in the posts of this blog. :D My life will be back to normal soon, and normal posting will resume again, too. In the meantime, check out the links at the side for some awesome blogs to keep you entertained.

Thanks for being patient!

Menu Plan Monday

This week isn't going to be super interesting, mostly because Matt and I will be taking off for the weekend - so no meals Friday through Sunday, and we're keeping it pretty simple for the rest of the week. I'll also be on a business trip for the majority of next week, so no cooking adventures for a little while! As always, check out Org Junkie's website for more menu planners!

Monday: Dinner out with my mom (probably at Mizuna or the Steelhead)

Tuesday (class night): Grilled cheese and Amy's soup (minestrone, to be exact)

Wednesday: Tofu and veggie curry with brown rice, made with this delicious business:


Thursday: Stir fry to clean out the fridge, and leftovers

Friday-Sunday: Vacation!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

I'm off to celebrate the holiday with Rachel and her family and some of our friends! We'll be having some delicious cookies and some cauliflower mac, and whatever delicious treats Rachel's family comes up with. Yum!

Hope you all get to spend the holiday with your loved ones and enjoy the beginning of Spring!

Project 16: The Balcony

Now that Spring is officially here, I'm starting to notice how much our balcony is... lacking. There are some pots of flowers out there, getting ready to bloom. And there's a little charcoal-powered barbecue that we've used twice in the past week. But seating? Not so much (unless an old rolling office chair counts). And until the flowers bloom, it's not much to look at either. Oh, and no decorative lighting - or any lighting at all, for that matter.

So what does one do with a balcony on a budget? I've been scouring Craigslist for some decent outdoor furniture, and checking out the yard sales and garage sales for some cheap outdoor lights, but haven't really found anything yet. I'm also not really sure what it is I want - although I do love this picture and wish I could turn it into my balcony somehow:

I'm trying to channel this look, though I don't quite have the canal to help me out!

Soft lighting, paper lanterns, and visual attractiveness. YES PLEASE. So my goal is to have a usable, appealing balcony that I can have people over to sit on by the end of the week. Check back later for an update!

It feels like Spring!

Today I woke up and I really felt like it was Spring outside! I mean, look at this weather:

This has Inland Northwest Spring written all over it!

Other indicators of Spring's official arrival seemed to be everywhere today. Like my flowers that I planted a few weeks ago - they looked so good this morning!

They're getting ready to bloom!

And there's nothing like a little barbeque in the Springtime, right? Well, getting ready for work this morning was a little too early for a barbeque, but it was nice to see a little reminder of recent grilling.

I can practically taste the veggie burgers now!

And finally, nothing says Spring like the addition of a little color to your wardrobe. Mine just so happens to be in the form of a light yellow trench coat!

Nothing says Spring like sunshine yellow coats!

I hope you're all enjoying the many signs of Spring as well, today. Gotta love this change of the seasons!

Wedding Wednesdays - Episode 1!

Wedding Wednesdays is a new weekly post that I'm going to be doing as Matt and I plan the wedding of our dreams! I totally stole this idea from Life of a Busy Wife, where Kaitlin posts photos and memories of her wedding on Wednesdays, but I'll be posting planning progress updates and things I find out as I go! Enjoy!

It's been 11 days since I got engaged (but really, who's counting?) and I already feel like I'm slacking off on this whole planning thing. No date, no location, nothing. One thing I do have, though, is a crap ton of magazines! I went to the locally-owned bookstore thinking I'd just pick up the new issues of the wedding magazines to peruse, and came back with no less than 6 - and that was only half of them!

Cakes and To-Do lists... so many pages, so little time!

The nice thing about all of these magazines is that each one seems to have a different focus. The Real Simple magazine up there, for example, focuses on checklists and etiquette, while the one next to it has lots of eye candy (dresses and cakes primarily). The Knot, down there on the left, has hundreds of pages of the most beautiful dresses I've ever seen, and Brides has a huge section about destination weddings and honeymoon locations.

So many magazines with so many dresses!

It's so strange to me that there are so many magazines devoted to one day of your life - I mean yes, it is one of the most important days of your life, and is probably the biggest choice you ever make in your life - but it's so... institutionalized. These magazines make me realize how much work this is all going to be if I do everything that everyone expects me to do, from the teeth whitening to the centerpieces to the bridal slip. And they've also made me realize how much I want to do this my (and Matt's) way, without paying so much attention to the rules and all that. Which is totally going to make me the girl at prom with the duct-tape dress, but whatever.

I will say, however, that Emily Post is going to get me through this thing, and that this is the best wedding-related purchase I've made so far: Emily Post's Wedding Planner. It's got time-lines, general etiquette rules, lists of questions to ask potential vendors, and pockets!

Emily Post still knows what's up!

This is going to be such an adventure, and I can't wait to really get my hands dirty in the planning process to make this day truly symbolic of the love Matt and I share: being with our friends and family, and basically having a super fun party - while I look fabulous, of course. And let's face it, that's basically the story of our relationship. :D

You know you're becoming a domestic goddess when...

... you have someone over for dinner, and your guest and your fiance decide that they want some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, and you disappear into the kitchen (okay, maybe not disappear, but you know) and emerge 20 minutes later with a heaping plate of cookies from scratch without breaking a sweat or having to run to the store for ingredients.

Yum!

Nothing says domestic goddess like a warm cookie baked with love. :D

Menu Plan Monday

So I have to be completely honest -- I wrote last week's menu plan before Matt came back from his business trip and proposed, and we hardly stuck to it at all! There was too much celebratory what-not to cook! :D This week's got a lot of recycled stuff from last week as a result. As always, check out Org Junkie's website for more fabulous menu planners!

Monday: Curry with tofu and leftover veggies

Tuesday (class night and my birthday!): Probably dinner out after class - might even spin the wheel this year!

Wednesday: Wraps with falafel, goat cheese, and baby spinach

Thursday: Soup and grilled cheeses

Friday: Baked tofu (probably marinated in BBQ sauce) and Asparagus Parmesan

Saturday: Tom Kha Tofu soup from Vegetarian Times

Sunday: Leftovers

Lazy Sunday

This week has been a whirl-wind - lots of people to see, phone calls to make, stress at work, a new quarter starting up at school - I feel like I haven't gotten a break yet! So much stuff happens sometimes that you just have to kick back and relax to remind yourself why you're putting up with The Crazy, and that time is usually Sunday afternoons for me.

You know that I'm crazy for those cupcakes cousin!

So what's on my agenda for my "Lazy Sunday"?

• First up - LAUNDRY. I am in dire need of some clean socks.
  
• Cleaning (the bathroom and the kitchen) and dishes.
  
• I also need to go for a run - it looks like a beautiful day outside, so it's time to pull on that running skirt and hit the trails!
• I have some work stuff that I have to get done before tomorrow... boooooooo.
• I need to do some shopping - pick up the wedding scrapbook, figure out the food situation for the week, etc.
• Rachel is back from Puerto Rico, so a neighborhood coffee date might be in order!
• Matt and I need to celebrate my birthday (I know, right? Week of celebrations like whoa!) at one of Spokane's fine dining establishments.
• I want to get a preliminary list of potential wedding venues figured out!

Wow, on second thought, this Sunday might not be so lazy after all! How are you all spending your Sundays and preparing for the week to come?

THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

Sorry this is a little late, but I was a little late getting home because I was getting toasted at the running club! Why was I getting toasted?

BECAUSE I'M GETTING MARRIED!

Matt and I got engaged at noon on Sunday, March 29th, and we couldn't be happier! We haven't set a date or decided on where, or basically made any decisions at all, but we're going to start discussing everything this weekend. I'm so excited I can't even tell you! I already own basically every bridal magazine out there!

These are on my dining room table right now!

So, in honor of my upcoming nuptials (and 100th post!) I'm going to be doing my first ever give-away! I'll have more details next week, but check back for details on the prize and how to enter. Alright, that's it for me tonight, I've got a wedding to plan!

Really, Spokane? REALLY??

I would like to remind you all that today is April 2nd. And that today, I woke up to an inch of THIS covering my balcony, driveway, and street. THIS IS NOT OKAY SPOKANE. April is not the time for snow! Especially when we've already had so much snow this year!

I hate you.

It's been so hard to work today with this business going on outside. All I want to do is go pick up a big pile of Soulful Soups soup and head on home to curl up with a blanket and light a fire in the fire place. But alas, I already have a commitment to run outside with The Flying Irish Running Club, and they just sent me an email to rally the troops for the run today. *sigh* If only the weather would cooperate! Ever!

---

This is just a friendly reminder to check back tonight at 8pm for the big announcement! You'll be glad you came, I promise! 8pm Pacific Time!

See you tonight at 8!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

I'll be making a big announcement on Thursday night, around 8pm (Pacific time). You should all check back on Thursday! It'll be great, I promise. :D See you then!